As long as I can remember, I’ve read Scripture. Much of it was confusing, especially the parts that were prophetic. So much couldn’t really be understood because the time wasn’t right.

I would read commentaries by people who meant well, but tried to say prophecy was mostly allegory and symbolism. The reason for this misinformation was not that the teachers were trying to deceive people, but that it was impossible to understand because much couldn’t be understood until various things were in place. For instance, many Bible teachers taught that Christians had replaced Israel in God’s eyes. How could they be so deceived?

When studying prophecy, it’s important to remember that God lives outside of time, and He knows what will happen before it happens. Many, many prophecies stated clearly that Israel would be back in the land. One of these is found in the Book of Amos.

“And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:14-15).

That seems very clear to me, but before May 14, 1948, it didn’t seem possible. When studying prophecy, be sure to believe God. Israel is now planted in their land. I think of people like Daniel who had been taken captive to Babylon. Daniel knew Jerusalem and the Temple had been destroyed, but he believed prophecy found in Jeremiah.

“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

Daniel believed God’s word, and all the while he was captive in Babylon, he never stopped praying towards Jerusalem, because he knew it would be rebuilt. When the seventy years were over, Jerusalem and the Temple were rebuilt. The point is that Daniel believed prophecy. What about today? Do we believe God, or do we allegorize prophecy? If you read it as an allegory, you’ll be very confused.

Today, many prophecies are being fulfilled, and things are getting serious. It’s time to eliminate symbolism and allegory, and see just how serious things are. We are very close to the Rapture, and if you miss that because you have rejected God, you’ll face the Great Tribulation. Examine yourself and see if you truly believe, or are a Christian in name only.

Daniel was a very faithful man. Even in a pagan city like Babylon, he never became a part of the culture. Could that be why God was able to give him prophecy? Daniel didn’t understand what he was told, but was faithful to write the words given to him. In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel records a prophecy regarding a 70-week period of time, which is understood as 70 weeks of years, making it a 490-year period.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).

Who are Daniel’s people, and what is Daniel’s holy city? Daniel was Jewish, so his people are Jewish, and the Jewish holy city is Jerusalem. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:25-26).

Jesus came exactly as prophecy said, but the Scribes and Pharisees hadn’t taken prophecy seriously and didn’t recognize their Messiah. They “cut off” their Messiah (crucified Him), and now we are living in a gap of time between weeks 69 and 70. The 70^th week will be the most horrendous time of judgment and wrath that has ever happened in history. That’s when the Anti-Christ will come to power, and the evil things he does will be straight from Satan.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

This makes it clear that the Jewish Temple must be rebuilt in order for the evil world leader to cause sacrifice and oblation to cease. You don’t need a degree in prophecy to see that all things are falling into place. The war in the Middle East, the Abraham Accords, the Board of Peace, etc., God is allowing all of this. I encourage you to read the remaining chapters of Daniel; pray for discernment and understanding. Daniel couldn’t possibly understand all he was told, but was faithful to write what was dictated to him.

“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).

Today, things are getting serious. The prophecies he was given are becoming clear. The book is being opened to our understanding.

When Jesus walked this earth, His disciples asked Him about the time of the end. They wanted to know the sign of His coming and of the end of the world. Remember, they were Jewish men who had no idea that they were soon to establish a new faith – Christianity. When Jesus answered their questions, He spoke of His second coming, since the Rapture hadn’t been openly revealed yet. The Apostle Paul would reveal that truth. The Rapture will take Christians Home before the second coming. So, Jesus answered their question and told them about the time of the end. Everything is falling into place just as Jesus said it would.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).

As we get closer to the end of time, the deception has already started. For many years, there have been men preaching from pulpits and twisting God’s truth. Evolution? A lie. Gay marriage? A lie. Many paths to Heaven. A lie.  Christian yoga? A lie. Make sure you study Scripture and have it seared into your mind and heart.

Many modern translations of Scripture change God’s true word into lies to appease modern society. God never changes, so be sure you have a concordance and a Bible dictionary to define what God truly said. Don’t be deceived. Don’t trust a politically correct translation; it’s straight from Satan.

Today, there are more ways to deceive people than ever. Social media can be a menace to God’s truth. Anybody can have a YouTube channel and say anything they want. Remember to run all things through Scripture. There are some very, very good Bible teachers, but there are also some very questionable ones.

Another means of deception today is AI. This one truly bothers me. Like anything, it can be used for good, but I’m certain it will be a tool of the Anti-Christ. AI is infiltrating banking, businesses, and more. It’s a very deceptive tool. Vehicles will soon have AI watching you. If you squint from the sun shining in your eyes, it will assume you’re too tired or impaired to drive. If you’re in an emergency situation, such as a tornado headed your way, and need to hurry to get away, it will see you as too impaired to drive.

Things are getting serious. The Anti-Christ will require everybody to take a mark. For centuries, this was thought to be symbolic. Today, you’re tracked by AI on your phone, your appliances, your television, and soon your car.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:15-17).

Knowledge is increasing, and we can understand more. The book is being unsealed. Don’t be blind to the truth.

Another deception that seems to be coming our way is aliens. If our government discloses that aliens do exist and that UFOs are real, what will that do to your faith? Anything that contradicts Scripture is a lie, so don’t be deceived. Study God’s word. He created us, not evolution and not aliens. Some say that there was a government meeting with some pastors to warn them that what is soon to be disclosed may shake Christian faith. If you’re grounded in Scripture, your faith won’t be shaken. This disclosure will cause many to be deceived.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

You can take comfort in the fact that before the Anti-Christ exalts himself above God, Christians will be taken Home in the Rapture. That blessed event is drawing very close. Jesus also told of wars and rumors of wars, and what we see happening in the Middle East is major war as prophesied by many Old Testament prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Zechariah. Jesus also said that it would be like in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Noah lived during a time of genetic tampering, and Lot lived in Sodom where homosexuality was prevalent. In both cases, God had to send judgment.

Things are getting very serious, and if you have any doubts about whether or not you’re saved, you need to settle that question now. Every sin can be forgiven, but you must repent and ask Jesus to forgive you. Then you need to turn away from that sin.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

The Rapture is coming fast, and only Christians have the blessed hope of being taken out of the way before all Hell breaks loose on Earth. Revelation chapter 4 begins with John seeing a door open in Heaven and a voice telling Him to “Come up hither.” Chapters 2 and 3 describe the Church from beginning to end, then 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” (Revelation 4:1). 

First, we see Heaven, and it’s a place I long to be. After that, we’re given a graphic look at life on Earth during Daniel’s 70^th week. Since Christians have been Raptured, we aren’t mentioned during the Tribulation. Don’t be deceived by any news headline or false prophet. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Repent of your sin and ask Him to forgive you. Do it today. If you wait for a more convenient time, you may wait too long. Once you leave this life, either by death or by the Rapture, your choice has been made. Choose to follow Jesus today.

Your only shield against deception is God’s word. Put on the full armor of God, as described in Ephesians chapter 6. God doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity separated from Him, but He won’t force you to choose a Christian life. But if you reject Christ, you will have made the choice. Study Scripture so you aren’t deceived.

Things are getting serious, and prophecy is being fulfilled quickly.

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).

 

 

Do you ever just sit quietly and think about Jesus? It’s harder to live a sinful life if your heart and mind are focused on Jesus. We read in Proverbs, “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart” (Proverbs 7:1-3).

This relates to what God told Israel to do with His commandments. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:6-8). 

There are many distractions in life that pull us away from focusing on Jesus, but we need to take the time. Solomon should have paid attention to God’s words; he made many mistakes because he didn’t follow God’s directions. He became very rich, but there was no pleasure in his riches. Eventually, he learned how important it was to have God’s laws written on his heart. How different his life would have been if he had honored God in the way that his father, King David, had honored God. David committed very deep sin but truly and completely repented.

If God’s word is written on your heart, when you face challenges in life, you’ll react in a way that honors God. Anger will fade, judgment of others will stop, and you will see others as people like yourself, sinners who need forgiveness. Jesus is our example, and if we meditate upon His word and write it upon our hearts, we will love Him more and more.

Fanny Crosby faced many challenges in her life, but her faith and trust in Jesus are seen in the many hymns she wrote. She wrote so many hymns that she began writing under numerous aliases. These precious hymns reflect her love for Jesus and His love for us. I would be hard pressed to choose one of her songs as my favorite, but one that I like very much is entitled:

TELL ME THE STORY OF JESUS

By Fanny Crosby

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word; tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard. Tell how the angels in chorus sang as they welcomed His birth, “Glory to God in the highest! Peace and good tidings to earth.”

We tend to keep life in categories. For instance, we don’t think about Christmas until December, or maybe October, and then it’s often Santa Claus that we think about. Even though Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, that’s when we celebrate. Jesus’ birth is a wonderful story that we need to remember all year. It also isn’t confined to the New Testament. His birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Isaiah told of a virgin birth:

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

We read in Micah where He would be born: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

These are just two prophecies of His birth. When God says something will happen, it happens. The angels did sing of His birth to the shepherds who were amazed. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13-14). 

Later, wise men came from afar. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2).

These are just a few Scriptures that tell the story of Jesus’ birth. When these words are all written on your heart, you can call them to mind and be amazed at what God has done.

Fasting alone in the desert, tell of the days that are past, how for our sins He was tempted, yet was triumphant at last. Tell of the years of His labor, tell of the sorrow He bore; He was despised and afflicted, homeless, rejected, and poor.

Jesus grew, and soon it was time for Him to fulfill the reason for His birth, so He first went to John the Baptist to be baptized. “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11). 

Right there the Holy Trinity was manifest; what a sight that must have been! Right after that He went into the wilderness to be alone where He was tempted forty days by the devil. “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered” (Luke 4:1-2).

Satan tried to persuade Jesus to fail in His ministry, but Jesus answered every lie from Satan with Scripture. Do you feel as if you fail in your walk with the Lord? Every Christian has a mission from God, but we are sometimes weak. Using Jesus as our example, if Scripture is written on your heart, you can answer every temptation with Scripture and you won’t fail.

“And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” (Luke 4:13).

When you withstand temptation in your life, don’t let your guard down. The devil only ended his attack on Jesus for a “season” and he will attack you regularly, too.

From the wilderness His next action was to call men to follow Him and be disciples. “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

In all, He called twelve men to learn from Him. Many other people followed Him, but the twelve were the ones chosen to carry the Gospel to the far corners of the earth. All Christians must be discipled by Him through the Holy Spirit. Jesus had no riches in this world, so if someone tries to convince you of a “name it and claim it” type of faith, reject Satan’s temptation.

“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). 

As we read Scripture, we learn and write it upon our hearts. Jesus’ ministry included healing people, casting out demons, forgiving sin, and confronting the religious leaders who abused their positions. These Pharisees were angry over Jesus’ words to them and plotted to have Him crucified. They even convinced Judas, one of the disciples, to join in the plot.

Write all of these things on your heart, and when you face persecution because of your faith or friends turn on you, remember how Jesus reacted.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him, writhing in anguish and pain; tell of the grave where they laid Him, tell how He liveth again. Love in that story so tender, clearer than ever I see. Stay, let me weep while you whisper, love paid the ransom for me.

Jesus entered His creation knowing full well what He would face as He walked this earth. His time here fulfilled prophecy.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:3-7).

The suffering and pain He went through is so graphically described here. He was innocent of all charges against Him, but knew He had to shed His own blood…God’s pure blood…as the final sacrifice for our sin. Adam lost our place with God when he chose to sin, but Jesus shed His blood to redeem us.

“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:8-11).

Jesus gave His life willingly so we can live eternally. He was crucified and laid in a borrowed grave. Isaiah saw the future so clearly, yet we look back and are blind. The third day He arose and conquered death for all who believe!

Jesus loves me, this I know. Do you know it too? There’s no other way for us to be forgiven of our sins than through the blood of Jesus. If you have any doubts as to your salvation, if your actions in life go against the example of Jesus, then go back to Scripture and study. Pray the words will be written upon your heart and that you will live the life of faith you profess. Love did, in fact, pay the ransom for you.

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart ev’ry word; tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

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).