We live in very interesting times. There’s no doubt we are living in the very last days. In fact, we may not see tomorrow. The prophecies spoken of by the prophets of God all seem to be being fulfilled quickly. Israel has very few friends among the nations, Russia is making friends with Israel’s enemies, the Third Temple is ready to be built, AI is an evil that is just getting started (could that stand for anti-iesous?), and much more.

Another sign of the times is apostasy. There are many people who profess to be Christians who have the most screwball beliefs imaginable. Mormons believe that if they’re good enough, when they die, they will become gods of their own planet; Catholics believe that what the pope says is sacred even if it contradicts Scripture; some so-called Christians think the church has replaced Israel, and the list goes on. Scripture contradicts all of these beliefs.

“I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Jesus had just told a parable about a judge who was corrupt. He didn’t have any fear of God and could care less about people. A widow was having a problem and needed legal help, so she went to the judge and asked for his help. The judge didn’t care about her problems, but he also didn’t want her to keep coming to him for help. He decided to help her. This parable doesn’t condone corrupt judges, but it does encourage persistent prayer and faith. Our prayers should be only to God, and we should be in prayer always.

Although Jesus questioned if He would find faith when He returns at the second coming, I wonder how much faith He would find today. We should take heed today to be faithful and pray. We see earnest prayer being answered throughout Scripture. One of my favorite examples of earnest faith and prayer being answered is found in 1 Samuel. A man named Elkanah had 2 wives. One, Peninnah, was not a very kind or loving woman. She was able to bear children, which made her feel superior. The other wife, Hannah, wasn’t able to have children, but Elkanah loved her dearly. Peninnah treated her poorly.

“And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb” (1 Samuel 1:6).

Have you ever had people mock you and torment you unfairly? How did you handle it? Hannah is a very good example. She didn’t whine to her husband nor did she seek revenge on Peninnah. She did pray.

“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD and wept sore” (1 Samuel 1:10).

Hannah was a sweet woman who loved God and knew that only He could help her. She didn’t pray for vengeance upon Peninnah for being mean, but her prayer was centered upon her request and how she would serve God if her prayer was answered.

“And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).

How many mothers dedicate their children to God, then forget to teach them about God? Hannah would follow through on her promise. Hannah’s prayer was between her and God, and she poured out her heart to Him. She didn’t speak out loud, but her lips moved. Eli was the priest, and, being only human, he misinterpreted what he saw. He thought she was drunk. Hannah set him straight.

“And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord. I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:15).

God answered Hannah’s prayer, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, and he became a very important judge and prophet of Israel. His life was dedicated to serving God. Hannah was a woman of strong faith.

Another example of faith is found in Esther. She was a young Jewish girl growing up in Shushan, which was the winter palace of Persian kings. The Babylonian captivity was over, but many Jewish families chose to remain where they had lived for so many years. Esther was raised by her cousin, Mordecai, because her parents had died, and Mordecai was a very kind man. The king, Ahasuerus, was not a very kind man. When he had a party for a group of men, he wanted his wife, Vashti, to parade herself in front of them. Vashti refused and was sent away. That left the king without a queen.

Following his nature, he told his servants to gather all the fair young virgins and bring them to him so he could choose the one who pleased him the most. Yes, he was a jerk. Esther was one of the captured young virgins. Esther had a strong character and didn’t feel sorry for herself but cooperated. Mordecai never stopped his concern for Esther and advised her not to reveal that she was Jewish, and he checked on her daily.

After a year, it was Esther’s time to go in and be with the king. She was very pleasing to the king, and he made her his queen. We have to live every day by faith, and Esther couldn’t have imagined what God knew about her future but stayed faithful to Him. He had allowed Esther to be queen for a very special reason.

As time went on, it became known to Mordecai that an evil man named Haman plotted to have all the Jewish people in the kingdom killed. Haman had convinced the king to issue a decree that on the 13th day of Adar, the people were to kill all Jewish people. Because Esther was queen, she was in a position to stop the atrocity. The problem was the king didn’t know she was Jewish, and even so, if she approached him without being summoned, she could be killed. Mordecai had encouraged her to approach the king, but she told him of the very real possibility she would be killed.

“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews” (Esther 4:13).

In other words, she would die anyway simply because she was Jewish. Mordecai told her that she might be in the king’s house for this exact reason. God does work in mysterious ways, and He was working through Esther. So, Esther came up with a plan. It started with prayer and fasting.

“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).

What if Christians would have the faith to earnestly pray for each other and our governments? I’m sure our faith would make a difference. As it turned out, Esther was able to stop Haman from further evil. She had thrown a banquet where only the king and Haman were guests, and then a second banquet. As the evening progressed, Esther revealed to the king that she was Jewish and that she and her people were about to be slaughtered because of Haman.

King Ahasuerus was not one to wait for trial, and he had Haman hanged. The king reversed his decree, and there was no slaughter, but he did honor Mordecai and Esther. There was much celebrating, and this is now a Jewish celebration called Purim. Esther couldn’t have imagined what great things she would accomplish for God when she was abducted. Her dreams of becoming a Jewish wife of a Jewish man were forever changed, but her people were saved. She had great faith in God and acted upon that faith. But first, she asked for prayer and fasting. What if she hadn’t prayed? What if she had no faith?

Scripture is filled with many great accounts of faith and the rewards from God for faithfulness. Enoch was a man of great faith at a time much like today; evil was everywhere. He kept himself away from the evil and was able to instill in his children the same faith.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had the testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:5-6).

Enoch pleased God by his faith. He lived his life by God’s rules and not by participating in the demonic happenings around him. That’s what God expects from Christians today. Our faith should cause us to seek God and live according to His word. Enoch pleased God by faith, and he was taken prior to God’s judgment of the Flood. He stands as a picture of Christians being Raptured prior to Daniel’s 70th week, the final seven years of Earth’s history.

Today, there is much apostasy among those claiming to be Christians, which makes me wonder how much true faith is left. There is a remnant who follow Scripture, but we are getting fewer each day. Instead of God’s word being respected, we allow our children to be taught evolution. Instead of godly marriage being honored, people live together until they find someone new, then move on. Marriage has been perverted to include same-sex marriages, and people even think they can choose their gender… or even their species. Purpose-driven teachings undermine Biblical truth. Name it and claim it preachers make millions of dollars spewing their lies while Scripture goes unread. This is all happening now, prior to the Rapture, and true faith is becoming hard to find.

What will happen during the seven final years after the Rapture? Will Christ find faith when He returns? It will be near to impossible to be faithful to Christ during those final days. The man of sin will rule the world and require everyone to take a mark.

“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 13:16-17).

The world is being primed today to bow to the beast and take his mark. After the Rapture, nobody can be saved who has taken the mark. There will be some who come to faith during the Tribulation, but it will be harder than it is today to stay faithful.

The best plan of action is to give your life to Christ today. You cannot be saved by being a good person. Salvation is by faith.

“For by grace are ye saved by faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

If you claim to be a Christian, then start living like Christ. Repent and turn away from your sin. Remember, God defines sin, not you.

Will He find faith when He returns? You need to answer that question and figure out where your faith lies.

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

 

Christians live a double life, but we aren’t to be double-minded. Physically, we are in a world filled with sin, temptation, and evil. Old friends tempt us to return to old ways, but since coming to faith in Christ, the old ways must be put away, and we need to concentrate on our true Home.

“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).

Temptations will happen as long as we live on this side of Heaven. It’s important that we willingly stay away from the things that tempt us to sin.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded” (James 4:7-8).

Every Christian has a past, and temptation can easily pull us back into worldly ways. Satan doesn’t want you to draw close to God. If you do, you may influence your friends to do the same. Old friends and unbelievers around us don’t know, nor do they really care, that we’re trying to please God instead of people. They may mock us and think we’re acting strange when we reject old sinful lifestyles, but we must please God and be an example to the people around us.

We are also an example to fellow Christians. If a babe in Christ sees you embracing sin, getting angry, and generally dishonoring God, then that person may think it’s just fine to sin as long as you profess to be a Christian. God will forgive, but true repentance will change your mind about sinning so that temptations will lose their power over you.

We have to live in this world until God decides to take us Home, but living in the world is different than living like the world.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Christians need to live for Christ, not for the world. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by the old lifestyles we should have left behind, we can get very frustrated. It’s a choice we make daily. Actually, it’s a minute-by-minute choice.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

When you surround yourself with true Christian friends, it’s much easier to stay on the strait path that pleases God. Old friends may tempt you to return to old habits of behavior, but that’s not the way to find true joy in life. When you go to work each day, the same co-workers you knew before you met Jesus are there and expect you to be the same as you always were. Do you join in on the office gossip, or do you choose to pray for the people that the gossip is hurting? Which choice would Jesus want you to make?

When you go home at night, do you choose to sit and watch television to “unwind,” or do you spend time with your family? You are the example for your children to follow. They’ve been under the influence of secular teachings all day, and you need to lead them to follow Jesus. Instead of television, why not have a family Bible study? This will strengthen your own faith and that of your family.

Christians are ambassadors of Christ to this fallen world. An ambassador represents his nation in a foreign land.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

That’s a great responsibility, but Jesus will help us if we allow it. The Holy Spirit is sealed within us from the very moment we truly believe, and if we listen to Him, we will be better fit to resist temptation. The Holy Spirit will never lead you away from God’s truth. If you “feel” as if you should do something for Christ, like witness to a friend about what Jesus has done for you, then that prompting is from the Holy Spirit. Don’t let fear stifle the voice of God working in you.

“Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

On the other hand, if you “feel” you need to angrily chastise someone or get even with them for a wrong they may have done to you, that isn’t the voice of God. We are supposed to pray for our enemies and show God’s grace and mercy in our actions. Is that easy to do? Not at first, but with God’s help, it gets easier. A good way to learn to forgive wrongs done to you is to think of what Christ sacrificed for your redemption. Think of the wrongs He suffered. We all sin and need to humbly ask forgiveness. If we want God to forgive our sins, then we must forgive others.

“And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4).

If you study your Bible rather than sit in front of the television, you’ll clearly see that God says we are to forgive others.

We need to model our actions after Jesus and remember what He did for us on the cross. Sin comes very easily for most of us. A little “white lie” doesn’t seem so bad, but God sees sin in a much different way than people do. God says that even our thoughts are sinful.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth to encourage them to turn from the sin that was being brought into their midst. He knew that actions begin as thoughts, so we need to control our thoughts.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds:) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Unless you give your thoughts to God, sin will take control of your thoughts. Be sure to keep an active prayer life and talk to God about your sin. Ask Him to help you control your thoughts and actions. Humbly ask Him to forgive you when you sin. He will always forgive, but you need to earnestly repent and turn from sin.

Many people get mad at God and say, “Why should I trust God ?What has He ever done for me?” That’s a question that comes from pure ignorance. Instead of believing God’s truth, many people seem to go out of their way to believe some pretty ridiculous ideas. For instance, some think we die and then come back over and over again until we get it right. Maybe we come back as a bug or a mouse. I wonder what standard of perfection is required and who determines it. There are some who think that we were planted here by aliens from a distant planet. People will come up with many fables in order to avoid truth. God created everything.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

Why is that truth so hard to accept? Our sin separates us from God, but that’s not what God wants. He wants us to be with Him for eternity. We cannot work for eternal life, but we must have faith in Jesus. Faith in who He was and what He did.

“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Remember that God took on human form and gave His life, so by faith, we can live eternally with Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

Don’t misplace your faith. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If you’re one who wants to know what God has done for you, you need to also ask, “What has the World done for me lately?” In the world, you have death, disputes with people, trouble, illness, and no hope. Faith in Jesus doesn’t take the troubles away, but through Christ, there is hope beyond this life.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Jesus entered His creation because of His perfect love for us. Jesus chose to step down from the glory of the Heavenly Realm and live in this fallen world because He loves us. He was fully God. He had to be God in order for His blood to be untainted by sin that began with Adam. We are redeemed by His blood. He was also fully human.

His mother was a mere human, just like any other woman. Her blessing came because she was obedient to God in spite of what it would cost her, but still, she was just a human. That meant Jesus was human and a kinsman to all humanity, no matter the color of your skin or the size of your bank account. His pure blood was shed to take away the sin that has condemned everyone since Adam chose to sin. John the Baptist described Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you reject Jesus, then you condemn yourself to Hell.

Time is quickly slipping away. Each day that passes is one step closer to eternity. The soul lives forever in either Heaven or Hell. Either you will die and pass from this mortal life, or the Rapture will happen and you will either be taken to be with Jesus, or you will be left to face Hell on earth. The signs are showing us that the Rapture could happen at any moment. Make your choice to choose Christ today. God doesn’t want anybody to spend eternity in Hell, and He provided the only way for eternal life. Choosing Christ today is a must.

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