For the past twenty years or so a new movement has been sweeping the church. It comes to us in many trendy packages and teachings designed to convince us that social transformation is the mission of the church. And sadly many are falling into its deception, especially the so called “millennials,” who want to be…
via The New Apostolic Crusaders and the U.S. Presidential Primaries — Understanding Bible Prophecy
The church is called to be a Bride made ready for the Bridegroom.[1] Her passion and pursuit is to be of Him and His presence. Bringing others to Him should be her commitment and dedication but not her preoccupation. Love for Him is to consume her as she eagerly awaits His return. Her hope is…
via The Sifting of the Church & Why You Shouldn’t Drink the Kool-Aid — Understanding Bible Prophecy
Reasons Why This is The Final Generation
This morning on Passover, April 15th, we saw the beginning of the Blood Moon Tetrad. The Internet is now a buzz with those who saw and enjoyed the eclipse and those who were looking hours earlier or in the wrong continent and presumed it to be a hoax. Others, many of them professing Christians, were mocking the event as another crackpot apocalyptic prediction. “April 15th came and went and nothing happened,” they said, even though no one had actually said anything would. However, some pastors and teachers have unwisely connected the event with the Cosmic Signs prophesied by the prophet Joel, and almost all the Hebrew prophets including the Messiah, which occur at the end of the Tribulation period. These Cosmic Signs are not Eclipses, but catastrophic events that are the result of a period of upheaval so great that Jesus said if it had not been cut short (3 1/2 yrs), no life would be saved out of 7 Billion people.
“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” Joel 2:30-31
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29
It is true that some fearful souls expected the sky to fall today, but not those who know that an eclipse of the Moon or the Sun is not a scary event. Indeed the vast majority of mankind left the Bloody Moon to the astronomers and went about their normal business. What’s scary about a lunar Eclipse they ask? Absolutely nothing! Therefore, those who equate them with the above passages are minimizing the Tribulation period and misleading the world and the church. Was their blood and fire today? No! Were there columns of smoke? No! Did stars fall from the sky? No! Were the powers of the heavens shaken? No! Did the Islands and mountains move out of their places and was the remainder of mankind gripped with terror at the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6)? No! Why is it that Christians are so foolish and why do so many seem unable or unwilling to handle accurately the most straight forward passages? How could anyone say that the Blood Moons are the sign of Jesus coming? Furthermore, how could any Christian be ignorant of what the Blood Moons are, and when they will occur, since even the secular media seems to be clued in? Actually the scariest thing of all, in my opinion, is not the Blood Moons but the ignorance and lukewarmness of the Christian church! Let me take a moment then to explain what the Blood Moons are really all about and what the Bible clearly identifies as THE SIGN of The End.
There is nothing particularly significant about an Eclipse in and of itself. However, when it occurs on a Jewish Biblical Holiday, it is seen as a sign for the Jewish people and the world. The Blood Moon Tetrad is an extremely rare phenomenon where four Blood moons occur in a row, and when they each fall on a Jewish Feast Day there is no doubt that something is up. That is precisely what astronomers have predicted for the Feast of Passover and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015, with two Solar Eclipses on significant days in between. The last time this happened was 1967 and 1968 during the 6 Day War which resulted in the recapture of Jerusalem after 2500 years and the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 21:24. The time before that was 1949 and 1950 during the Israeli War of Independence. Then one has to go back to 1493 during the Spanish Inquisition, a time of great calamity for Jews, to witness the same Celestial events. What those with insight are saying is that the Blood Moons signify something is up for Israel and the Middle-East. It is an omen of War and likely great victory for the nation. Also, it likely means the situation on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem will change, perhaps leading to the building of the Temple. This does not signify the End of the world or the return of Jesus, but it does suggest that these events will be following. The Sign of the end was clearly identified by Jesus Himself in the Olivet Discourse and it is high time that those who call Him Lord woke up to this fact. He will not come until the apostasy comes first and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed taking his seat in the Holy Place in Jerusalem and proclaiming himself as God (2Thess 2:3-4). This is The sign of The End as Jesus Himself made clear.
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place let the reader understand…….For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” Matthew 24:15, 21
When we see the Abomination of Desolation, which is the Antichrist taking his seat in the Holy Place in Jerusalem proclaiming himself as God, then The End will come and then the Tribulation will begin and those who long for His appearing will be gathered to Him, to meet the Lord in the air. Let me say it once again:
The Sign of the End is: The Abomination of Desolation and not the Blood Moons. Isn’t it time to stop muddying the waters with careless predictions built on warm fuzzes rather than Biblical teaching and understand the will of the Lord so we can correctly interpret the signs of the times?
After nearly forty years in Christian ministry, I have never seen a spirit of confusion and deception, like that which has been released in the church today. The Apostle Paul warned us that a time would come when Christians would be unable to digest sound teaching but would instead crave messages that feel good and confirm their own agenda. There is no longer any doubt that this day has come and it’s all the more reason we should be diligent to study what is being presented and not merely accept what is popular? The Bible tells us that the Bereans were noble minded and though they received the word with eagerness, they examined the Scriptures daily to see if the things being said were true. They didn’t check their brains at the door and neither can we. They were able to receive the power and presence of the Holy Spirit as well as the restoration of His truth to the church? They were truly spiritual. Today however, many have accepted the notion that being spiritual or loving is to be accepting of another preacher’s position as a “unique perspective” regardless of whether it is Biblical. This kind of love and acceptance looks good and even godly on the surface, but is it really love or fear of man or even worse a Universalist spirit? No one in their right mind seeks confrontation, yet true love and friendship often demand it. That is why we must speak the truth in love and not what is popular or accepted. The love chapter is clear that true godly love does not rejoice with unrighteousness but only with the truth. Ironically, this type of truth speaking is supposed to be a result of the equipping of the Five-Fold ministries. But as the so called “New Apostolic Age” enters its second decade, the church seems to be less concerned with what is true and even delighting in confusion. For instance; it is not unusual to have speakers bring seriously conflicting and even doctrinally opposed messages on the same platform and then stand together and declare how wonderful and anointed it all was. Consequently, the followers come away with the conclusion that truth is subjective and flexible so long as the experience or agenda are the preoccupation. It’s as though the church is bi-polar and ok with it. Why not just speak the truth in love? Why not be willing to have one’s point of view challenged in order to arrive at the truth as the early church did? Why not have enough love to listen, and disagree if we must, without being disagreeable? How is debating in a spirit of love and Christ likeness considered divisive while promoting confusion and double-speak is godly and unifying? Is there a double-standard here? Of course the truth must be presented in love and not in judgment, but where is the love in allowing or disseminating confusion? I would rather have two preachers disagree on the same platform and affirm one another than have them speak contrary words and pretend to be in agreement! The former attitude encourages one to seek and love the truth, whereas the latter produces a disdain for it. Yet there is a sort of a “good old boy” network in the church today that seeks to suppress any ministry that does not fit their agenda. As long as you submit to the “apostolic” authorities all is well, you will be granted, ministry, money and notoriety regardless of what you preach. But should you challenge the message or find difficulty with the packaging, you will quickly be demoted to the margins of obscurity. But take courage my friend for so the prophets of God have always been treated. Humble yourself and God will exalt you at the proper time.
The Bible has so much to say about the truth. We are told to speak the truth, walk in the truth, obey the truth, love the truth and that the truth will set us free. We are also told that if we do not love the truth God will send a deluding influence upon us. Is that what has happened? Has God put a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets? It seems that they are willing to preach anything so long as it is deemed “positive.” But should anyone bring a hint of challenge or a morsel of correction they will label them “divisive” or a having a “religious spirit.” This is of course is a more sanctified type of name-calling.
No doubt someone will exclaim, “The truth is a person and His Name is Jesus!” Of course! But why do you respond with that? Is it because you seek to honor Christ or because you wish to make truth subjective and based on your personal experience? However, the truth of God’s Word is objective and the word of Christ is infallible and not subject to a private interpretation. Thus, all teaching must be based on and in harmony with it.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:16-17
The “All Scripture” in the above verse means that every word in the Bible from start to finish is in harmony and agreement and contains in it all that is needed to establish or correct any teaching that is presented today. Paul the apostle, who gave us those words, also told us to examine everything carefully and hold on to what is good. Therefore, there must be a place for challenging false teaching and throwing it away without throwing the truth away as well. Yet, these days the mere mention of error will land you a seat with the infamous “Heresy Hunters.” These are the multitude of “internet people” who have devoted their lives to what they call “apologetics” which is understood as defending the faith. Though some of what they say has merit, the problem lies more with the way they say it. Another issue is that the majority, besides lacking grace in their speech, have what seems to be a very narrow view of Christianity with almost no role for the Holy Spirit other than giving us intellectual knowledge. As a result they declare nearly everyone to be a “Heretic.” Indeed, if you are a Charismatic or Pentecostal you are almost guaranteed to be on the list. This has caused most Christian leaders to despise any kind of corrective teaching whatsoever which is also throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Consequently, almost nothing is examined anymore and all “revelations” are considered valid, unless of course the individual is famous – then they are essential. But this kind of absurdity places the Apostles of Our Lord on the “divisive” list since they were consistently challenging false teaching and were the first to use the “H” word. Indeed, most of the New Testament is in fact correction of false teachings and teachers.
The word heresy means a belief or opinion that is at variance with the established beliefs and customs. Today however, it is generally viewed as a teaching that is contrary to the core beliefs of our faith and makes the one who originates it an apostate who has fallen away. Yet, the word heresy does not necessarily mean apostasy. This is probably why Peter added the word “destructive” in 2Peter 2:1. Technically, heresy refers to a teaching that is contrary to Biblical teaching and is thus false teaching. It does not necessarily imply that the person teaching it has fallen from the faith or is no longer a genuine brother or sister – depending of course on the content of the teaching. This is the problem with labeling someone a “heretic.” It implies that they themselves have fallen from the faith and are denying the master – that they themselves are corrupt. However, false teaching is still false regardless of what we call it and all teachers and preachers need to be willing to have their teaching examined for Biblical orthodoxy. A good challenge sends a humble spirit back to the Word to see if these things be so regardless of where the challenge comes from, whereas; an unteachable spirit will dig in its heels even if it is planted in error. In addition, the number of adherents or movements associated with a teaching or practice does not in itself validate it. Just a casual glimpse at church history will confirm this. Therefore, it is imperative for the sake of the body of Christ that we examine these new teachings and movements that are sweeping the church and do so without attacking the character of brothers and sisters who love the Lord as we do! However, may we also put aside attacks on the character of those who challenge our teaching, and for the good of all, concern ourselves with the accuracy and trustworthiness of the things we boldly proclaim.
As the Days of Awe begin from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur, the world is in an uproar over Syria. The President is in Moscow for the G20 and is in a bit of a Jam since he is already committed to a “limited”strike and has little or no support. His Russian “Reset” friend threatens him face to face while he has sent another warship to the region, and this morning there are unconfirmed reports that China, yes China, has sent a warship with 1000 Marines. Now people are all upset again. But if they were paying attention none of this would be a surprise. The Syrian situation has been going on for a couple of years and over 100,000 have died. It has already involved Israel and Lebanon and Hamas and a host of others. However, one does not have to be a prophet to know that the situation will get much worse before it gets better. It is all contained in the Bible. In fact, there are pages and pages of information. Let’s take this one verse from Ezekiel 28:
“Thus says the Lord God, ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the people’s among whom they are scattered, and shall manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely, when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am The Lord their God.”
Two worlds wars were fought to bring Israel home and since they have come home the Middle-East has been at war. And my dear friend it is not going to change anytime soon. Get used to the Middle-East dominating the news because it has and will until Jesus comes. By the way, it’s also a clue that His coming is near. In any event, there is a war on the horizon, and although it promises to be a big one, it’s not Armageddon or the Gog-Magog war which occur later. This one is going to be about Israel’s right to exist which is something that will not be an issue when it’s over. You will say, “No it’s about Syria or it’s a Sunni versus Shia conflict.” No my friend, those are only the igniters. When the powder keg blows it will be about Israel. The First World War began with a shooting in a far away country and it ended with The British Mandate and General Allenby marching into Jerusalem. The Second World War began with a crazy tyrant in Germany and ended with the Jewish homeland. This conflict is about lots of things but when and if the missiles fly they won’t just be coming from US ships or planes but they will come from Syria, Lebanon and Gaza into the heart of Israel. And when they do the fury of God Almighty will be unleashed on the nations “round about them.” When it’s all over Israel will be stronger than ever – an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10). They will not be kowtowing to John Kerry or Mahmoud Abbas, but they may even be bold enough to rebuild the Temple. Later on they will kowtow again to the pressure of the nations and then the rest of Scripture will be fulfilled.
It would be very interesting if this strike were to happen, and maybe even before these Jewish Feasts are over. Will the President back down? Will the circumstances or his pride allow him to? Will Putin provoke him? Is America being judged because of our forcing Israel to divide God’s land (Joel 3:2). I realize that its not popular anymore, even in the church, to suggest that God judges nations, but popular is almost always wrong. Nonetheless, stick around and find out the other side of our Heavenly Daddy.
Though it is looking like the President may back down and not strike at all. However, if he does the enemies of Israel will be more emboldened and please don’t forget the other Red Line set by the Prime Minister of Israel. One way or another a Big Middle-East war is on the horizon. The stage is set and desolations are determined. The Jewish New Year has begun and it’s not 5774. It’s more likely 5974. We know it as 2013/2014 the time when we have four consecutive Blood Red Moons on Jewish feasts. The last time it happened was 1967 and 1968 during the Six Day War and before that 1949 and 1950 during the War of Independence. And now here we go again! Dear friend, it’s time to wake up and believe in God and His Coming Messiah Jesus Christ. These are truly days of awe!
Understanding Bible Prophecy 