There seems to be a feeling of anticipation all around. There’s an excitement combined with an uneasy feeling. It’s something like the first day of school when you were growing up. You knew there would be new friends to meet, but the old friends would also be there. There would be new things to learn, but you got through last year, so this year will work out. That’s somewhat of the feeling in the air today. The problem is, we haven’t walked this path before.

We’re living in the end times, and there are so many wars, earthquakes, diseases, and deception in the news and on social media, and it’s hard to filter fact from fiction. The place to start is with Scripture. God will never lie, deceive, or mislead you. Don’t confuse God with false teachers. There are many men who faithfully teach Scripture with honesty and integrity, but there are some who preach lies and deception. Only studying Scripture will show you the difference.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

When you pay attention to Scripture, you’ll see that God has told us in advance what to expect in these unsettling times. Once you believe God’s word, you’ll see the news headlines as just signs of the time.

The first step in understanding is to study. Scripture is filled with guidance for teaching a Christian how to live a peaceful and fruit-bearing life. When studying Scripture, you must remember that it was not written in English, or whatever language you speak. If you’re determined enough, you can study Hebrew and Greek to gain a deeper understanding of what God said. If, like me, you can’t wrap your mind around a new language, there are tools to help. A good concordance will help. My favorite translation is the King James, but as I study, I compare various translations and also use a Bible dictionary. You can understand Scripture and find many treasures there…a treasure worth digging for.

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand certain events in Scripture, but when you study, you can understand why God allowed certain things. For instance, why did He send a Flood to destroy all of creation? Why did He allow the children to die? If you study what Scripture says rather than human fables, you’ll have the information needed to understand.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).

When you take the fable of evolution out of the picture and put God in, you’ll understand that God intended for humans to have a blessed life. Then sin entered in the form of a serpent. Satan spoke through that serpent, and Eve believed his lies rather than God. It’s always wrong to trust a snake.

After Adam and Eve were expelled from their perfect place, Satan made an all-out attack on humanity. Fallen angels had sexual relations with human women, and all of God’s creation was genetically tampered with. Hybrids called Nephilim were created from this union between angel and human. They were evil creatures and neither human nor angel. Their spirits couldn’t enter heaven, and demons were the result. God had to destroy all of His creation, except for Noah and his family, who were genetically pure, and some animals, in order to preserve the remnant of God’s pure creation.

When speaking of the end times, Jesus said “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26-27). 

The people of Noe’s (Noah’s) day weren’t paying attention. They went on with life as usual. They didn’t see anything wrong with mating with fallen angels, nor did they pay attention to the genetic manipulation that was happening. Monsters were created.

Are we paying attention today? Medical “science” is finding new ways every day to manipulate our DNA. If you want a child with green eyes, just have a doctor tweak the DNA. Are you born male but are under the deception that you’re really female? Well, doctors can give you hormones, and mutilate your body so you can live in your own deception. If you were born male, you will never be female. If you’re paying attention, you can see we are in the final days…the days of Noah.

That brings up Sodom and Gomorrah. Yes, God destroyed all of the people living there. Was that the act of a loving God? Absolutely. God’s desire is to have fellowship with His creation. His laws are perfect, but people try to ruin God’s perfect plan because we listen to snakes. In the beginning, God created Adam (man) and Eve (woman). In what I see as the first prophecy of Scripture, when there was only Adam and Eve, Adam understood there would be more people in the future. When he first saw Eve, he understood God’s plan.

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and is mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24).

One man and one woman constitute a God-ordained marriage, but Satan led people astray. The people in Sodom and Gomorrah were filled with depravity and sin, and there was no repentance of their sin. Homosexuality is a sin in God’s sight. It goes against His creation and causes more sin and disease. The entire first chapter of Romans describes it as a punishment for denying God as the Creator. The sin in Sodom and Gomorrah was so bad that God had to destroy the wickedness before it destroyed all of creation.

“And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21).

Only Lot wasn’t participating in the evil. Do we see this evil happening today? If you’re paying attention, you will see that it’s very much like the days of Lot.

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30). Once again, the people weren’t paying attention.

If you pay attention, you’ll see a pattern. God has rules, the rules are broken, and God has to judge before humanity is destroyed. You’ll also notice that prior to the judgment of Noah’s flood, Enoch (Noah’s great-grandfather) was raptured. He is an example of a righteous man, and Noah paid attention to his example.

“And Enoch walked with God and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

If you’re paying attention, the flood is a “picture” of the Great Tribulation. Enoch was Raptured prior to the judgment, and Noah and his family are a picture of those who will survive through the judgment because they don’t take the Mark of the Beast, and come to know Jesus. Also, if you’re paying attention, you’ll see that the judgment that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah couldn’t happen until Lot was taken away from the judgment.

Two angels were sent by God to bring the judgment, and they found Lot sitting in the gate of Sodom. Lot wasn’t a part of the sin in Sodom, but he accepted it. He didn’t judge but just went along. In Romans, we read about homosexuality being a judgment from God, and those who choose to accept it are as guilty as those who participate in it.

“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32).

It isn’t too late to repent, but Jesus also warned “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). She looked back to the sin from which she was rescued, and she perished. Lot had hesitated before allowing himself to be saved, but the angels urged him. 

“And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city” (Genesis 19:16).

Our salvation is secure when we accept Christ’s blood sacrifice, but why mock Him by clinging to sin we know is worthy of death? Judgment only came after he was taken away.

Judgment is coming, and prophecy is being fulfilled quickly. Things that were a mystery to the prophets who faithfully wrote what the Holy Spirit dictated are becoming clear today. For instance, in Revelation, we see there will be two witnesses from God. These witnesses will do things that should make people pay attention, but these witnesses will be killed.

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (Revelation 11:8-10).

I can’t help but think of Charlie Kirk, a man who spoke God’s truth to people who wouldn’t listen. When he was murdered, these people whom he tried to witness to rejoiced, and we saw it all live because of technology. It will be worse when God’s two witnesses are murdered. Still, the world will watch it all live. How? John couldn’t have known how this could be seen by the whole world. Until recently, nobody could understand how it could be seen. The answer is technology. Cell phones and satellites can transmit live events in an instant.

When Daniel was given a prophecy of the end times, he wanted to understand. The angel told him “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4).

We are able to understand prophecy better since our knowledge is increasing. “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).

Our knowledge is increasing. Pay attention and put your faith in the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac. Only He knows the end from the beginning. Only He can bring salvation. Don’t be like Lot’s wife and look back to the sin you’ve been saved from.

If you pay attention, you’ll be well aware that the words of Jesus regarding the end of the age are happening quickly. We can see war all around the world. We watch it live because of technology. Russia is supplying Iran with weapons, and offering asylum to evil men. Pay attention to Ezekiel 38 and 39 and see the nations lining up for all-out war against Israel.

Today, the United States is a good friend to Israel and helping them with military support. Thank God for President Trump. Still, there are lawmakers who want to stop the military aid. When (yes, when) that happens, Israel will be left with no choice but to turn to God. Unfortunately, that day will come only after they face judgment. It will be a time worse than any other time.

“For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). 

It will be worse than Noah’s day, and worse than Lot’s time. Christians have the promise that we won’t face the Great Tribulation. We can look to Enoch and to Lot to see that we’ll be removed prior to judgment. Jesus dictated letters to John describing the Church age. After the last letter He describes the Rapture.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2).

The Church age is done, and the Tribulation is about to begin, but Christians are safe with Jesus. Praise God!

There are many signs that the Rapture is near. We see many countries falling apart, and this leaves leadership wide open. It’ll be easy for the Anti-Christ to step in as the world dictator. It seems as if we’re headed for a worldwide financial system, and if Islam has its way, that evil religion will take over the world. AI is making deception easy, and we’re being primed to accept the Mark of the Beast. If you pay attention, you can see that you need to be sure of your walk with Jesus, and also that you need to witness to others.

The end is near, and only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will keep you safe. Repent now and don’t look back. Remember Lot’s wife. Pay attention.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14).

False prophets have always twisted God’s truth. God told Jeremiah that they try to make it look as if everything is fine and dandy (tickle ears), when in fact things are in a mess. It pops into my mind that this is much the way that it is within the Christian community. Pastors seem to allow more and more false doctrine to replace God’s truth. Instead of equipping saints to stand against the enemy, they are promoting Satan’s lies and deception. How many women pastors do you see? How does that line up with Scripture? It doesn’t.

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2).

This brings into question the Catholic view of forbidding priests to marry. If a bishop is to be the husband of one wife, then a bishop cannot be a woman. I guess if a lesbian was put in charge of a congregation, she might say she’s married to another woman, but that whole scenario is false teaching since Scripture confirms a marriage is between one man and one woman. Can you see how far this thinking is from sound teaching of Scripture? God hasn’t changed, and we must align our beliefs with His truth. Look to God, not to false prophets.

The Apostle Paul was very concerned that the men he put in charge of congregations didn’t water down their teaching or stray into false doctrine. When he wrote to the young pastor Timothy, Paul encouraged him to stand on God’s word.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

That time has come. Today, instead of the full word of God being preached from Genesis through Revelation, people want to hear that their sin is acceptable. By hopping through Scripture like a stone skipping across a pond, preachers only choose happy verses to teach on. The reasons behind Noah’s Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are ignored, and prophecy is avoided. This actually fulfills prophecy.

The final letter, which Jesus dictated to John in the Revelation, was to “the angel of the church of the Laodiceans.” It describes the church today. He described a lukewarm church filled with worldly riches but being far from God. Jesus isn’t welcome in Laodicea.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Come out of this pitiful excuse for a church and invite Jesus into your heart and insist He be honored in your congregation. Look to God, not false teaching.

Prophecy is an important part of Scripture, yet too many preachers ignore it. Nearly 30% of Scripture is prophecy, so obviously God thinks it’s important. The study of prophecy can give much insight to the problems of today. People have questions about what’s happening in the world, and many are afraid. I know quite a few Christians who are very fearful, but many pastors seem to be more interested in teaching like the false prophets of Jeremiah’s time who spoke “… a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.”

Equipping the saints for battle is far from their hearts. Shallow preaching tickles ears and makes for a warm and fuzzy feeling, but doesn’t equip the congregation to be ready for spiritual battles, or to know that God holds the future so we need not fear.

Peter walked with Jesus and saw many miracles, but in spite of all he saw, he said prophecy was more certain. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

When we study prophecy and see that so many prophecies have been fulfilled, we can have confidence that the rest will be fulfilled. False prophets can only give false hope, but God gives eternal hope.

When you study prophecy, pray for understanding, and the Holy Spirit will help you. When prophecy isn’t taken seriously, it can mean the downfall of nations. One key to understanding Scripture is understanding that God loves His chosen people of Israel. God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation, but Abraham and his wife were very old and had no children. Still God had made it clear that there would be a great nation come from Abraham. Before Abraham could be used for God’s purpose, he had to leave the idol-worshipping community and family that he was part of.

God made him a promise: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). 

God means what He said, and Israel is a blessing to all nations. I’m thankful that President Trump supports Israel.

Because Abraham and Sarah were very old, they couldn’t understand how God would accomplish this. Instead of believing God, they took it upon themselves to “help” Him. Abraham had a child with Sarah’s handmaid, but Ishmael was not the child that God promised them. To this day, much trouble has come from Ishmael, but Isaac was the child promised by God. Only studying Scripture will open your understanding.

Because God gave His prophets His word, and they shared it, we can see that many prophecies have been fulfilled. That means we can trust prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. They will be fulfilled just as God says.

Daniel was shown amazing things that were impossible for him to understand. He didn’t have the knowledge to understand, but he was faithful to write what he was told. The angel who presented him with the prophecy told him to seal the book until the end times.

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4).

Today, we can look back and see that parts of this prophecy have already come to pass, but some are still future. As our knowledge increases, so does our understanding. Daniel wanted to understand, but this prophecy was for the time of the end…our time. “And I heard, but I understood not, then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8-9). 

If you have trouble understanding prophecy, take heart. The closer we get to the end of days, the more we are able to understand.

As we enter a new year, we can expect many people to make big predictions. Remember, God will never contradict Himself. If a “prophet” makes a big prediction (quite often on social media) that the Rapture will happen on a certain date, that’s a false prophet. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He began by warning about false prophets.

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

“False prophets” is from the Greek word “pseudoprophetes,” which describes a person who is acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet, but utters falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies. My strongest advice is to filter all new “prophetic words” through the lens of Scripture. God will never, I repeat never, contradict Himself. So, if a new prophecy comes along, that contradicts Scripture, disregard the new prophecy.

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:32-33).

If the Father didn’t tell Jesus when the end would be, why would He trust this information to a mere human? It’s wise to live each day as if Jesus will call us Home any minute. That way, you won’t be caught slacking in your Christian walk. By all means, watch and be ready. There are many signs that the Tribulation is in the near future. That means that the Rapture is even closer.

There are many false teachers who disregard the Rapture, claiming it is a recent belief. It isn’t. It goes way back to Enoch being taken prior to God’s judgment by Noah’s Flood. Christians will be taken Home prior to God’s judgment of the Tribulation. Don’t let false teachers confuse you.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

The Rapture is seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Please don’t send me a long dissertation about why the Rapture won’t happen. I have come to my conclusion from much study. If you disagree with me, then you have that right.

Jesus said that things would become very bad and that the Tribulation would be worse than anything that has happened before. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end, we need to read His answer in context. Jewish men asked their Jewish rabbi about the end. The answer was about a future event concerning Israel. The Christian church had not been born yet. The signs that Jesus described were signs leading to the Tribulation, not the Rapture.

The Rapture will be at least seven years before the Tribulation, so the signs are important to us. We look at them as indications that time is very short and the Rapture is very near.  In order to understand this, study Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. Understanding the times in which we live requires a study of Biblical prophecy.

Today, prophecy buffs are excited about all that’s happening in the world. Earthquakes are becoming more frequent and of a larger magnitude, strange objects are entering our solar system, the sun is emitting strong magnetic flares, and much more.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8). 

Israel is under great threat from the surrounding nations. The evil world leaders who attack Israel are Satan’s servants. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; God won’t forsake them.

We also see Russia continuing the war with Ukraine, and the citizens of Iran are rising up to overthrow the evil leadership they’ve been under. These are the wars and rumors of war spoken of by Jesus. It’s all coming to a head, and even the secular world can feel that there’s something big coming.

The only way to prepare for the Tribulation is to repent of your sin and ask Jesus to forgive you. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are sincere in asking Him for forgiveness, you will be taken Home in the Rapture prior to the Tribulation. That is our blessed hope.

There will be many false prophets who make headline news. Don’t be deceived by false prophets, but look to God for answers.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).