Bible Prophecy - Is It Relevant Or Is It A Mere Distraction? (With Video)

Many people - even Christians - do not think Bible prophecy is that important and they are oblivious to the end times signs we see happening in the world today.   To me and many others, Bible prophecy is not only exciting (since we are now living in the prophesied last days), but it is also a reason for hope and rejoicing to know that Jesus Christ the Savior will soon return to take true believers to be with Him in heaven.  It makes you want to shout for joy !

Yet even some preachers do not study Bible prophecy.  One has said that "Bible prophecy is a distraction that no one should spend time studying."  Hard to believe he said that.  Many lost souls have been saved by prophecies, knowing that Jesus could return at any minute.  It has put a sense of urgency in them to not delay putting their faith in the Savior;  they do not want to be left behind to face the horrors of the 7 year Tribulation that follows the Rapture of the Church.... true believers.  Remember, however, to be saved takes faith and belief in Jesus Christ, not fear of the Tribulation time.

Following is a 29 minute video by Christinprophecy.com  with 3 notable scholars discussing various questions people have concerning the importance of Bible prophecy.

For those who do not watch the video (but you will be blessed if you do watch it)  below are some facts worth noting from the video:

1,239 Prophecies are in the Old Testament

578 Prophecies are in the New Testament

  

These make a total of 1,817 prophecies.

8,352 verses contain prophecy.

Amazing !  Many scholars say a third of the Bible is prophecy.  One, Gary Stearman of prophecywatchers.com, thinks that ALL of the Bible is prophetic, and in a way he is right, if you really think about it.

Yes, Bible prophecy is very relevant !!

The main thing is to read and study God's Holy Word and pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  If you do that, you will grow closer to the good Lord and you will develop a strong, close, personal love relationship with Him.  He wants to fellowship with you.  He loves you.

But to fellowship with the good Lord means that you need to be born again (John 3:3).  Believe with all your being that Jesus is the Savior and that His shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away and thereby wipe the slate clean.   He took your place on the cross so that you could have eternal life if you but believe that He is the Savior, the Christ.  Have faith and turn to Him in repentance and in heartfelt prayer for forgiveness.   Repent means to forsake your sinful life and never go back to it.  You will learn to love the Lord with all of your heart and soul and you will not want to disobey Him.   Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you. (James 4:8).

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little;  Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."  -  Psalm 2:12

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."  -  1 John 3:2-3

"  ....... worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."   -  Revelation 19:10b

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."  -   John 14:6

"Itching Ears" (With Sermon Video by Jonathan Edwards) - Inspirational Weekend

The above photograph of mine, which is of a sleeping, tiny Fennec Fox, shows a good view of its extremely large ears, which are from 5 to 6 inches long.  These adorable creatures are found in the deserts of North Africa and Saudi Arabia.  Their large ears help to dissipate the heat.  

This photo is not a good example of "itching ears", but I will rectify that soon with the following information.  It is the only photo I have depicting ears as the primary focus.  Well, I also have other photographs of this tiny desert fox.

"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."  -  2 Timothy 4:3

Itching, as we all realize, causes us to scratch, and then to scratch some more to get relief.  Recently, I ran across a quote by A. W. Tozer in which he said that he had come across a commentator that remarked that in the apostle Paul's day (Paul wrote 2 Timothy)

 the pigs had a disease which they called "itching ears".  It seems the pigs ears got inflamed and the only way the pigs could get relief was by going to a pile of rocks to rub their ears against them, as the stones gave them temporary relief from the itching."

Tozer goes on to say:  "I am running into Christians here and there who are just like that.  They love pleasure more than God and  will not endure sound doctrine.  They have itching ears so they will be eager for something else beside the sound doctrine and holy ways.  They will pile up teachers everywhere and rub their ears for dear life."

Another commentator says that these people are "suffering mentally which is soothed by external applications of fantastic myths and high-flown phrases."

Also, these people will have ears that want to hear a "soft and watered-down message", one that does not prick their conscience or remind them of their secret sins.  They have "pet" lusts and sins that they do not want to give up. 

Granted, it is not always the people, as they cannot control what comes to them from the pulpit.   Many churches today are seeker-friendly and do not want to offend anyone by hard doctrine and the need to repent from your sins or suffer the consequences in hell.  

Many see church as a "social club" of sorts.  Actually, in some cases that is very true.  Numerous churches, in an effort not to offend anyone, abandon sound doctrine and some churches even become very worldly, especially in the music and entertainment department; but in other ways as well.  

But back to "itching ears" .   Many people could be cured of this "disease" if they would only develop a close, personal, and intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  We don't need to be enthralled by charismatic personalities who preach watered-down messages to please the people.    We need instead a strong relationship with God and Jesus.   We develop this relationship by frequent prayer and by pouring daily over God's Holy Word.  You cannot develop a relationship unless you communicate with a Person.   Much prayer !   

All of this is important, but unless a person is born again (John 3:3) he will not have the Holy Spirit to guide him in a walk with the good Lord; he will not completely understand the Bible unless the Holy Spirit resides within him.   So how do you become "born again"?  

Repent of your sins.  That means more than just feeling bad about our sins.   It means to completely give them up and do not go back to a life of sin.   It means a change of mind and heart.   It means to be sincere in asking the good Lord for forgiveness.  But you cannot truly be saved unless you have faith and believe that Jesus is the Savior and that only He can save you.   He took your place at the cross!  He died for you and me, so that if we but believe in Him we can have eternal life.  

If you are truly saved - truly born again -  the Holy Spirit will come and reside with you.  He will help you to live a godly life and to not cling to your old life of sin.   He will give you hope and a purpose.  A purpose to live totally for the Lord and to spread the Gospel.  You will no longer desire your past lusts and you will be a new creation.   You need to then find a Bible based church, one that preaches the Gospel and focuses on Christ and not on social concerns.  

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new."   -  2 Corinthians 5:17

"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

Romans 10: 9, 10, 13 tells us:  "(9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"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."   -  John 3:16

Time is short before the Rapture of true believers.  

Turn to Jesus now before it is too late !

Jesus loves you !

He will welcome you with open arms of forgiveness and love when you turn to Him in belief and heartfelt repentance!

Following is a 38 minute audio video sermon by Puritan Jonathan Edwards.  In the beginning few minutes he discusses "itching ears".

One thing brought out in this sermon is,  "Truth is a straight line that never bends -  it won't bend in the least degree to suit the lust of men."  Another quote from the above sermon:  "You cannot conform the truth to your inclinations.  Let your inclinations be conformed to the truth."  He speaks much of the lust of men and how men attempt to change principles to suit their lusts.  It is a good sermon and therefore I included it here, but it only gives a few minutes to the subject of "itching ears."    

Ephesians 3:16-19 says:  (16)  That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)  May be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  (19)  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.... and life !!

Middle East Update (Video by Amir Tsarfati - February 4, 2019)

Things seem to be escalating in the Middle East; signs of war and signs of to be fulfilled Bible prophecy.  It is all indicative of the end times in which we find ourselves living right now.

Following is a recent update on events in the Middle East and Israel.  It is by Amir Tsarfati with Pastor Barry Stagner.  Amir always gives accurate and informative updates as he has inside information -- much of which he cannot publish, but much of which he can tell us nonetheless.  The 42 minute video was filmed at the Sea of Galilee.  

Here is an article at Raptureforums.com about January, 2019, events in Israel and the Middle East .  The author makes a statement that he believes the Rapture of true believers and the battle of Gog and Magog are soon to occur, and perhaps that they will happen about the same time or close together.  Go here for that brief but interesting article.

Life goes on as usual for most people, as many are oblivious to the signs of the end times and how close we are to the Rapture.  It is true, believer or not, that life must continue on with our everyday affairs  such as work and school and the like.  But we need to occupy until the Lord returns:

"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."  -   Jesus at Luke 19:13

I have discussed this in a previous article, but basically it means to occupy yourself with the Lord's work: preaching and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all the while watching your conduct and living a godly life and putting the good Lord first in your life.

"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven neither the Son, but the Father."

-  Jesus at Mark 13:32 

We are to live and preach as if Jesus could return at any minute.  Although we do not know the day or the hour when He will return, the Bible does tell us the signs of when His return is near.  Read  Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21 for some of the signs of His return; the "season" in which He comes for His Bride, the church.

Please make sure you are ready for His return.  Make sure you are born again (John 3:3).   You do that by repenting of your sins, and turning to Jesus in belief as Him as the Savior, believing that His shed blood at Calvary can wash away your sins if you have trust and faith in Him.  

Don't delay.

Time is short.

Romans 10:9, 10, 13 tells us:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"The Greatest Love Story" (With Sermon By A.W. Pink - Two Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

Everyone loves a great love story !  It is the most popular theme of movies and music.   But I am not referring to romantic love in this article.

"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."   -  Jesus speaking at John 3:16

That verse above is the greatest love story ever told !   

Think about it.  

God is love.  (1 John 4:16)

God is love itself.  It is not only His nature, but He Himself is the personification of love.  It took great love to send His only begotten Son to suffer and die for us....to die in our place.... so that if we but have faith in Jesus, and believe that He is the Savior, we may have eternal life.  Because Jesus is the Son of God, part of the Trinity, His love is equal to that of Yahweh Himself.  

Think of the enormity of His sacrificial death and what He suffered!  He was thinking of you and me when He suffered a cruel death at Calvary.  What a display of love and compassion He epitomized.   He knew our need of a Savior from our sin as more important than His own comfort and life.  One commentator has said that Jesus "gave the most He could give for those who deserved it the least.  Sacrifice, then, is the essence of godly love, called "Agape" love. .....  The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and delight in the object of love."

Those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior have many spiritual blessings.  For one thing, He makes us God's children who are co-heirs with Him.   He dwells within us as the Holy Spirit.  He will be our companion for life.....more than a companion!  He is our Lord and Master and protector and defender.  He will guide us in the paths we should follow.   He convicts us when we sin, and causes us to turn to Him in sincere repentance, where we give up the sin when we confess it to Him.   Unlike fickle spouses, He will never forsake us.

"......  I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  -  Hebrews 13:5b 

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 for God's description of love.  Most Christians are familiar with these verses, especially the believers who read their Bibles daily and have a close, intimate, personal, love relationship with the good Lord.   You need to immerse yourself in God's Holy Word and pray without ceasing to develop a close and deep relationship with God through Jesus His Son.   Since God/Jesus is love,  it is only reasonable that He would want to fellowship with us by communicating with us through the Bible and by answering our prayers and guiding us by His Holy Spirit.  You cannot become acquainted with anyone without communicating with him frequently.  The same holds true for the good Lord.  

Another excellent verse concerning Jesus' love for us is found at John 15:13:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  (KJV)

Following is a worship song by Chris Tomlin about Jesus' love for us:

Let us show love for Jesus by living a godly life and preaching the Gospel..... telling others about God's Love for us by sending His Son so that we might gain eternal life if we but believe in Him.

Also, here is a 20 minute audio video with a sermon by Arthur W. Pink which discusses the Love of God (the love of Christ).

In the above sermon, he discusses the seven perfections of God's love.  He reminds us that God's love has no limits, and it is unchangeable.    Another point he makes (and which I stress often as well) is that the more we are acquainted with God, the more our hearts will be drawn out in love to Him.  In other words, develop a close love relationship with God and Jesus.

The love of God is powerful and life changing if you make yourself available to worship Him and follow, in love, in the footsteps of Jesus.

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend...... and life !

Israel - The Super Sign Of The Last Days; Prophecy; Middle East Update ( With Two Informative Videos}

You have to admit that Israel is foremost in the news and is mentioned more by the United Nations than any other country.  There has been much conflict there in the Middle East as of late.  It is all fulfilling Bible Prophecy.  The fact is that after about 2000 years Israel was once again a nation on May 14, 1948.....and born a nation in one day, as Isaiah 66:8 prophesied:

"Who hath heard such a thing?  who hath seen such things?  Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day?  Or shall a nation be born at once.  For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."  -    Isaiah 66:8

When Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, that was the most dramatic and significant sign that marked the beginning of the last days.  Remember,  Israel is God's prophetic time clock.   God still has a plan for His chosen people.    In fact, the 7 year Tribulation period in the near future occurs to primarily (besides God's wrath and judgment) bring the Jewish people to recognize and believe in Jesus as their Messiah.

Following is an 11 minute video from prophecyinthenews.com  with host Dan Goodwin and pastor and author Ray Bentley, in which they discuss the importance of Israel and Bible prophecy.

Another video follows which features Amir Tsarfati, an Israeli Messianic Jew, who has a thriving ministry which takes him all over the world.   He also conducts tours of the Holy Land and in the video below he has a tour group with him on the Israeli - Syrian border as he updates us on the latest Middle East events, as well as how Venezuela is now related to the Middle East crisis.  Please take the time to watch this entire 42 minute informative video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJzzcCi99PQ


We will be going home soon !

Remember what Jesus said at Luke 21:28 :  "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

Are you ready for Jesus' return?

"Life Can Only Be Understood Backwards" (With Charles Spurgeon Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

My photograph above could simply symbolize a beautiful day at the beach.  It could also mean a walk with Jesus, if you remember the poem "Footprints In The Sand" which was made popular many years ago.  The most touching verse of that poem was Jesus saying, "When you saw only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I carried you."

This article will be about how, with Jesus' help, we can lead a victorious life.  First, we must be born again.  We must have been truly converted and have put our faith and hope in Christ as the Savior and to believe with all of our heart that His death at Calvary....His shed blood there.... can wash our sins away if we have true faith in Him and believe in His resurrection.

One must also sincerely repent of his sins and not continue to live a sinful life.  One needs to pray for forgiveness and surrender his life to Jesus.

Romans 10:9,10, 13 tells us:  "(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Salvation is not a big list of do's and don'ts or works to be performed.  Salvation is by faith.

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

What originally inspired me to write today was a quote I ran across by a Danish poet, theologian, and religious author that lived from 1813 to 1855.  His name was Soren Kierkegaard and he is quoted as saying,  "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

How true !  I have quite a few years on me now (I am a great grandmother!)  I can look back on many years ago, before I was born again, and see how emotional I was:  quick to anger, self-centered, self-willed, and not really understanding what life was all about.  So I regret the person I was during those past years, but now that the Lord has touched my heart and taught me to live for His will, I can understand more now what life is all about (it is all about Him).  I do not live in the past, but I have learned from past mistakes.   I am now free to  "live life forwards", as Kierkegaard said. 

Back to modern times, Philip Yancey has said something that is great food for thought:  "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

"The heart of the Christian faith is found at the intersection of our brokenness and God's goodness, mercy, and love."  - Tripp Prince

Faith.  

The Christian who has a victorious life is one that is rooted and grounded in faith.  You can live victoriously !  You can triumph over this wicked world!    If you live for Jesus, you have no need to fear anything.  

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   -  Jesus at John 14:27

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God."  -  1 John 5:4-5

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."                   -   Romans 8:37

So how do we live victoriously?  How do we gain faith?

Read your Bible daily; it is God's love letter to us; His instruction manual for us to follow.  When you pour over God's Holy Word, it is like God speaking to you.   The Word has life and power!  It can draw you to God, and you begin to learn about His attributes and your love and appreciation for Jesus will grow.   Your faith will also grow.

Pray more than once a day.   Pray with importunity and with a heart totally focused on the good Lord.  You cannot come to know anyone intimately unless you communicate with them.   Tell God all of your fears, all of your worries, and ask Him for guidance in daily living.   Talk to Him as if you were talking to a beloved Father,  for that He is.   The more you pray, the more your faith will grow.  Especially as you see your prayers being answered.

But remember, in your prayers and in your Bible reading you must take time to listen to what the Lord says.   Pause and be silent and see if you do not "hear" His still, small voice whisper words of encouragement and love to your heart.   It is the Holy Spirit working to guide you and encourage you when you most need it.  He may send you a reminder of a certain Scripture which will manifest itself when you are in prayer.

Following is a short 4 minute audio video by J.R. Miller concerning the secret to victorious living.

And following is a 45 minute video sermon by Charles Spurgeon on "The Victory of Faith".   I pray that you will take the time to listen to the full, inspiring sermon.

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend...... and life !

We Are Almost Home! Prophecy And A Video From Amir Tsarfati

One of the most comforting and lovely promises in the Bible is found at John 14:1-3 in which Jesus assures us:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also."

What a promise!  What a hope!  Jesus is preparing a place for us and will soon return to take true believers to be with Him forever!

It is said that without hope, a person will wither away and die.  There is nothing more debilitating than to feel utterly hopeless; to feel like there is nothing or no one to come to your rescue.

There is Someone who cares and Who will rescue you!  The good Lord loves you and wants to give you hope and a purpose.  

I feel like that is why God has over one third of the Bible full of prophecy of future events; to warn us, to prepare us, to save us, from the 7 year Tribulation period and the wrath that will be poured out then.....not to mention that the good Lord wants to save us as well from hell itself!

There is an insightful article found at raptureready.com about  how it is "impossible to understand God's plan and purpose for Israel apart from the study of biblical prophecy."   Remember, Israel is God's prophetic time clock;  Israel is still the chosen people of God.

As the author of this article states:  "God sovereignly purposed that the nation of Israel play a key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for humanity."   I pray that you will read the entire article and concentrate on the Scriptures therein.

Very recently an Iranian general said his armed forces are preparing for the destruction of Israel.   Think Ezekiel 38 and 39.... the war of Gog of Magog.  Ezekiel 38:18-23 tells how God will supernaturally intervene and crush Israel's enemies and save Israel from the nations that come against her.   I highly recommend that you read all of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Amir Tsarfati, in the following 22 minute video, says that "We are watching world events that confirm everything we already know."  He also says, "The Bible is more accurate than today's newspaper."

If Ezekiel 38 and 39 are about to be fulfilled (The War of Gog and Magog) , think how close the Rapture of true believers to heaven must be.  

We are almost Home !

What do we do in the meantime?  

Occupy !

"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds and said unto them, Occupy till I come."   -  Luke 19:13

We need to be busy not only with everyday affairs of life, but especially to be occupied in doing the Lord's will;  to preach the Gospel so that lost souls can gain salvation.  

We need to live a godly life so that that may be a witness to others of the power of Jesus and of salvation.  We need to forget self and spend time witnessing to lost souls of the world, telling them that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father but by Him.  (John 14:6)

Time is short !

Be alert!

Watch for the Lord's return!

"Jesus said unto her,  I am the resurrection, and the life:  he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"    -   John 11:25-26

"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