Matthew 24: 3-8

³ “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.'”

It does not take a long time of searching to find all kinds of predictions concerning the coming solar eclipse. I saw one commentator wondering if the Simpsons had predicted the date of the rapture in one of their episodes; they did not. I will admit that there are many weird things associated with this coming solar eclipse and the one previous to it about 7 years ago. The fact that darkness passed through cities called Salem (Jerusalem in Genesis 14). And that the current one will pass through cities called Nineveh does peek our ears and arouse our curiosity, and frankly, it made me think and wonder. But this is where we need to find our way back to the scriptures.

Yes, there will be signs, there will be things that happen, and we who spend time in the Book will see patterns emerge, and the sense of darkness will become more and more prevalent as we get closer and closer to seeing Jesus.

All of verse 7 is being played out right before us, and if the scientists are proven to be true, we will see an apocalyptic emergence of locust-like insects that come out of the ground over the mid to end of spring. These cicadas will attack fruit plants to lay the next generation of eggs, and there may be shortages of fruit for a time.

While we all understand that COVID was a planned pandemic, the reality is that our leaders have the tools necessary to create havoc if they want to in order to enforce draconian ideas and rules. It took me a long time to realize that while there are many good people in our government, the government as an entity is, for the most part, the greatest enemy of its people. There is constant lying and deception, all in the name of security, that need not be, for the most part.

I am 57 years old, and as far as I can remember, there has been some war somewhere being fought. I was born in the middle of the Vietnam War, then the war in the Middle East of 1973. Soon, the British were at war in the Falklands, then the Cold War was in Europe, the drugs wars, and the wars in the Middle East. And today, the war in Ukraine. It never stops. Peace never prevails, and if it does, it is short-lived. Men love war.

But the end is not yet. I am not saying that the end is not near, but the mere fact that many lost people are talking about it, it is one their tongue tells me that this is not the time. Jesus will come suddenly, and the rapture will be a global catastrophic event where billions will disappear, leaving unmanned planes, businesses, hospitals, and homes all over the world. It is not just a North American thing. The loss will be so pervasive that the reaction will be a global effort to contain the panic by weaving a narrative that includes ‘alien abductions’, hence the sudden disclosures of UFO sightings all over the world. All of a sudden, the hidden encounters of military and civilian pilots have been made public when they were once classified information only.

Satan’s minions are prepping the world for the rapture, make no mistake. They know it is coming, but they do not know when it is coming. We, too, know it is coming but not when.

Are you ready for a famine here in North America? No, I don’t want you to dig bunkers in your backyard, but extra canned foods, a working barbeque, lots of propane, maybe some firewood. Get a weapon and know how to use it. You may need to hunt to feed your family; many already do. Buy extra cases of water, invest in a water purification system, and take some precautions. Prepare a bit, and it may be enough to get you through to the rapture.

We have a word of encouragement from King David, Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

Jesus told Peter as he was preparing to leave to make sure he had a sword (Luke 22:36). This is not a call to war. The Kingdom of God will not be won by man’s wars, but we are to be ready to defend ourselves and protect our loved ones. Scarcity will bring havoc, panic, and the sinful nature in men will come to the surface. Be ready to protect your loved ones.

The rapture will come; we know it. But I honestly do not think it will be during the solar eclipse. But is it another sign? Yes, it is. Should we be prepared and looking to the skies? Yes, we should. Should we do all we can to warn the wicked that Jesus and judgment are coming? Yes, we are to be. Enjoy the wonder of the solar eclipse, have fun with your kids, and make some memories. But don’t get your eyes off the prize, and don’t get dismayed when this is not it. Jesus will come when God the Father sends Him, not a moment sooner, and certainly not later. But if I am wrong, see you in the air shortly.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

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Matthew 13: 24-30

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘”

As we get closer and closer to the end of the age and the return of the Lord, this parable will make more and more sense. As I was pondering this today, the person of Judas came to mind. How did he fool the disciples for about 3 years? In fact, not only did he fool them, but that very night when Jesus told them that one of them at the table would betray Him, they all thought it could have been any of them. No one immediately pointed out Judas and knew he was not saved.

There are two things here that come to my mind: one is that all of the apostles understood their human frailty. They understood that they could all fail. Secondly, Judas was face to face with Jesus for 3 years and saw His miracles firsthand, and yet he never believed in Jesus as the Messiah. How was that possible to have been an eyewitness not only to the public Jesus but also to the private Jesus who taught them and showed them His majesty?

Jesus warns us in Matthew 24 not to be deceived. Look at verses 3-4:

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.'”

There is a deception that will happen in these last days that can even fool the Lord’s people if they are not careful. As we get closer and closer to Jesus’ return, there is a serious division happening in the ‘church’ world. We are beginning to see more and more apostasy in ‘churches’ than before. There are serious attacks on the fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures and even on the person and deity of Jesus. God loves you just the way you are, and there is no need for you to change has become the mantra of many a ‘church’ in our time. But Romans 12:1-2 tells us that God wants to renew our minds and transform us:

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

Yes, God loves you and accepts you as you are at salvation, Romans 5:8. But His desire for us is that we become more and more like Jesus, Galatians 4:18-19:

“But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”

When we survey the churches in Revelation 2-3, we find some that are very good and serving the Lord, we find some that are fighting doctrinal issues and need to get back to the narrow path, and we find some that are dealing with personalities inside the church that are trying to lead them astray. To some degree, most churches have internal struggles; some are sitting churches that are the ‘tares’ from the Devil, planted there to cause descent, division, and disruption. We will need to be more vigilant and ask the Holy Spirit to show us the fruit or lack thereof.

It breaks my heart to know that there are people who sat under my teaching – some have led classes and maybe even filled in for me – but they have never known Jesus as their Messiah. It boggles my mind. It also makes me go back and review the choices I made; do I confess Jesus with my mouth? Do I trust in Him only for my salvation? Do I confess Him as God? Do I confess His resurrection?

Judas never got to see the risen Lord; maybe that would have been the tipping point for him to believe. Do I truly believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? Would I, like the apostles, die for this doctrine? The truth is that time may be upon us here in North America.

There are little subtleties, even in the area of Christian music. My family and I listen to Christian radio stations, and we know a lot of the songs by heart, but if one is careful to listen, there are some lies in these Christian songs. A lot talk about being ‘washed in water’ for salvation, not the blood. Many still teach the prosperity doctrine that Jesus will make you healthy and wealthy; this is not true. Many teach that Jesus went to hell after His death and preached to those in Hell; He did not. He specifically promised the thief that they would meet in Paradise that day. Many artists refuse to take a stand on homosexuality; some of the men seem to be very effeminate, and wow, there is a lot of money passed around and a lot of awards.

I am not sure why Christian artists need an awards show. Jesus did and still does all the work.

Jesus knows His own; no one is fooling Him. Does Jesus know you? Judas knew Jesus the man, but he did not know Him as Jesus the Messiah.

The division between the wheat and tares will become more prominent as we get closer to Jesus’ return. Keep reading and studying the scriptures and ask God to help you to grow in the image of Jesus. This is His will for you.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook (live broadcast of Sunday’s Message at 11 am): https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Join us on Zoom every Sunday (10:30 am) for Sunday Service AND every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for Bible Study: Meeting ID: 700 794 460 Passcode: 032661; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/700794460?pwd=M3NFRG91ZW5Sa2Z3amVyWkFnYXd6QT09

Online: https://www.mmbchurch.ca

Email: support@mmbchurch.ca

Sign Up To Be A Part of Our Bible Study Community: www.mmbchurch.ca/drawclosertogod