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

Current Events Update And The Soon Rapture Of The Church (With Videos)

The Bird of Paradise flower above seems fitting to begin this post, as we will be discussing the Rapture of true believers to heaven  (paradise) with Jesus.  Also, we will discuss current events in light of Bible prophecy.

To begin, please watch the following 19 minute video on current events in the Middle East featuring Messianic Jew and Bible teacher Amir Tsarfati, who has a thriving ministry and lives in Israel.  This video was created and posted yesterday, so obviously it is current.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0GNZ-Gfb2E

Amir gives information on the recent attack on Syria by America with Israel's assistance, as well as other useful information pertaining to the last days.    I appreciated how he stresses that the people of God should not be afraid, because the Lord is in control.  We are the generation that has seen more prophecies coming true than any other generation, says Amir.  He gives much encouragement to true believers in the Lord. 

He also directs us to the fact that PM Netanyahu of Israel made a video yesterday in English concerning Iran's nuclear plan, as well as the fact that Israel acquired a stockpile of documents that proves Iran lied when the nuclear deal was signed concerning the fact that they supposedly did not have nuclear weapons.  Although you may have seen it on the news, I will post this video link with Netanyahu directly below:

We are now watching Bible prophecy being fulfilled in real time. These are dangerous times, but also exciting times.  Prophecies are being fulfilled almost daily, it seems.  It is important to read  your Bible so you can appreciate how true God's Word is and everything He told us about the end times is coming to pass right now.  It builds your faith, and also gives you hope that we believers will all be with the Lord very soon in heaven,  before the 7 year Tribulation occurs.   That is when God pours out His wrath upon all the ungodly and evil people left on earth after the Rapture.  The Great Tribulation is also called the time of "Jacob's trouble"... meaning the Jewish people .  (Jeremiah 30:7).  The Tribulation is also to bring the Jews to the realization that Jesus is their Messiah.

This may seem like soft date setting, to say that Jesus will return soon to Rapture true believers to be with Him in heaven.  But  remember that "Jesus chastised the Pharisees and the Sadducees as well as the city of Jerusalem for not recognizing the season of their visitation."   -  Matthew 16:1-4; 23:37-39

Also, do not forget that Jesus gave us signs to look for that pointed to the season of His return for believers.  You may find these signs in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

We need to understand the temporary nature of our current existence, as our departure will be soon in light of Bible prophecy.

Are you ready to leave this earth?  Are you ready for the return of the Lord?  Are you living a sanctified life; as holy a life as possible?  Are you surrendered to the Lord and obeying Him?  In other words, are you born again?  (John 3:3)

If all of that is true of you, then there is no need to panic or to be afraid.  Our faith and trust and hope is in the good Lord, and not in this corrupt world.  God gives us peace when we trust in Him.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee"    -  Isaiah 26:3

"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."   -  John 14:27

Those who are refusing to believe in Jesus as their Savior are making the biggest mistake they could ever make in this life.  Their eternity will be in torment in hell.   I beg you to look to the Lord for help.  He loves you and does not wish any to perish.  (2 Peter 3:9).

This world is passing away, but he that does the will of God will live forever.  (1 John 2:17).  Wouldn't you like to live forever in a paradise restored; live among peaceable persons who want nothing more than to worship and praise the Lord ?   You can if you will only put your trust in the Lord and believe in Jesus as your Savior.  But you must also sincerely repent of your sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness and believe in the resurrection of Jesus.  It is not complicated; it is not an elaborate list of do's and don't's.  When you begin to live a life dedicated to the Lord, you will want to obey and follow Him, because your love for Him will grow as you draw near to Him in prayer and in Bible reading and study.  You will have a hope and a purpose, and He will give you peace.


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

"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

North Korea Threat And End Times Prophesied Convergence of Events

I have been keeping up with the latest on the North Korea threat, mostly on alternative news media.   This present threat is worse than the Cuban missile crisis during John Kennedy's administration in the early 1960's.  Now it seems that Russia and China are a threat to the US fleet approaching North Korea as their ships are following the U.S. ships and their airplanes are flying over our ships and watching them closely.  Following is a 12 minute video by Pastor Paul Begley from his You Tube channel.  He gives some critical information on this North Korean threat and how Russia and China have turned against America.  Please watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jtrYEsk3Ss

The Bible tells us that wars and rumors of wars is one of the signs of the end times before Jesus returns.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places."  -  Jesus speaking at Matthew 24:6-7

Please read all of Matthew 24 for more end times signs.   Also read Mark 13 and Luke 21.   There are many signs Jesus gave; so we are not to point to just one or two signs, but rather, as the Lord said, to a convergence of all the signs at one time.   Britt Gilette, in an informative article , tells us that the number one sign of Jesus' return is all the signs appearing together all at once like we see right now.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."  -  Jesus at Matthew 24:33

In the above link to Mr. Gilette's article, he lists various signs with Scriptures to prove these are the last hours of the last days.  The sign that began these end times was when Israel became a nation again in 1948 after about 2000 years of being scattered throughout various countries of the world.   It was a miracle!   

"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?"   -  Isaiah 66:8

This prophecy of Isaiah came true in May of 1948.  Israel became a nation again in one day!   I have mentioned previously that the church has not replaced Israel....that God still holds the nation of Israel as His special people with whom He made an everlasting covenant in ancient times.   We need to keep our eyes on the Middle East and on what the Bible prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and many other Bible verses in other books of the Bible as well.  All the enemies of Israel as spoken of in the Bible are now coming together against Israel....but God will miraculously save Israel from her enemies.   I pray you will read the entire article linked above.  

Speaking of convergence, the following video from prophecyinthenews.com tells us that the one world economy and the one world government spoken of in the Bible book of Revelation are already here, to some degree.  

In the above video, they discuss what is more than a documentary film by Brent Miller Jr. and Sr., and show two clips from that movie.   It is fascinating information.   Bible prophecy is a very effective witnessing tool as it proves that the Bible is true and is from God.   As Kevin Clarkson says in the above video, "faith is founded on fact."

Most churches today do not deal with or teach Bible prophecy at all.  This is a down-right shame.  Christians need to know how close we are to Jesus' return so that they can witness to lost souls about the urgency of repenting and turning to Jesus Christ in faith and truly believing in their heart that He is their Savior, Lord, and Master.   Believe and repent before it is too late.

Jesus is at the very door !!

Christians need to be careful not to get caught up with the cares of everyday living, making a living, and raising a family that they neglect God and Bible reading and prayer.   The Lord wants us to have a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him.  He wants to fellowship with us.   Going to church does not save you.  Good works and faithfully serving in the church do not save you.  Only faith in Jesus Christ and having a close personal relationship with Him will save you.   How can you be a true Christian if you do not fellowship with the Lord?!    Yet I have been told by more than one person, professing to be a Christian, that they never read their Bible.  A true Christian has a hunger, an insatiable desire to be closer to God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him in total surrender.  Therefore, they devour His Word with joy and in expectation of His blessing in teaching them and giving them understanding of His Holy Word.    It takes the Holy Spirit to give comprehension of the Bible.  You need to be born-again.

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."  - Jesus at Luke 21:34

Time is short, folks.   Don't get caught up in the world and its pleasures and lusts.  (James 4:4)  Live instead for the Lord in total surrender to His will.  Let your life be a testimony to the power of God; the resurrection power of Jesus.

This world is not the true home of Jesus' followers.   We have a place prepared for us in heaven by the Lord.  (John 14:2-3)   Live a godly, holy life filled with hope of soon being with Jesus.

Maranatha!


"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

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

"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, there ye may be also."  - Jesus at John14:2-3

The Future - The Great Tribulation, End Times, Everything Is Converging (With Informative Video)

The best way to know the future is to begin reading your Bible.  In it are many prophecies, most of which have already come to pass. There are approximately 500 prophecies left in the Bible that have not yet been fulfilled; many of which will transpire during the soon 7-year Tribulation period.   There are prophecies being fulfilled now almost on a daily basis.   

When Jesus' disciples asked Him what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age, He replied at Matthew 24:5-7:

"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:  see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places."

Please read all of Matthew 24 to find out about more events to take place in these last days and during the Tribulation period.  Following is a video from prophecywatchers.com   which goes into detail about "The Coming Convergence" and which also discusses end time events.   

In the above video, Brent Miller, Sr., brings to light many interesting tidbits of information, such as the odds are 1 in the 45th power of one man (Jesus) fulfilling even only 16 prophecies about His first coming 2000 years ago.  And there were over 300 prophecies in all that Jesus fulfilled in His first coming.  

Earthquakes and their increasing frequency and magnitude  (6.3 or higher) are not being reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as being a serious concern; they are saying everything is fine.   Things are not fine; things are downright scary.

Many other topics such as the Internet and the New World Order and the Mark of the Beast are also touched upon by Mr. Miller.  Please watch this informative and eye-opening video.   You will comprehend how times are urgent and that we are, indeed, living in the last hour of the last days.   

We need to make sure we are right with the Lord.  We need to repent of our sins and, if you have not already done so, turn to Jesus in faith and total surrender and believe He died for your sins and shed His blood at Calvary so that - if you have faith and believe in Him and in His resurrection- you will be saved and be a child of God.   (John 3:16; Romans 10:9,10,13)  If you do all of that with a sincere and contrite heart, you will be caught up to heaven by Jesus in the Rapture of the church before the 7-year Tribulation begins.   You will escape all of the wrath of God that He will pour out on the ungodly sinners in the Tribulation.   

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."  -  1 Thessalonians 5:9

We need to pray without ceasing, be thankful to God and praise Him, and "abstain from all appearance of evil"  - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24  .   We need to be watching and hoping for the Lord's soon return.   

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him."  -  Colossians 3:17

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  -  1 Thessalonians 5:23

Inspirational Weekend - "What In The World Is Happening? (As In The Days Of Noah)"

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."  -  2 Timothy 3:1

There is such power in the ocean waves; there is more power in God's Holy Word to change hearts and also the power to predict the future.   We are living in the last days.   Just read the news and look around you at all the violence and immorality and lawlessness....better yet, just read the Bible and it describes the times we are living in exactly.  I do not want this post to be all doom and gloom, but the world needs to be aware that God's wrath will soon be poured out upon it for all of its evil and its rejecting Jesus as Savior.   Bad news for unbelievers, good news for true believers.   Followers of Jesus will be caught up to heaven to be with the Lord before God's day of wrath and destruction on the earth.  

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."   -   Jesus speaking at Matthew 24:36-39. 

There was much corruption in Noah's day.  The fallen angels had come to earth and married the women there and produced giants as offspring (Genesis 6). These fallen angels also tampered with the DNA so that all mankind was not as God intended; that is, except for Noah and his family, their bloodline was still pure so that the Messiah would one day come from them.    The devil was trying to defeat God's purpose to have a pure bloodline for the coming Messiah.   (Genesis 3:15 --Satan's seed and the woman's seed.)

This may sound far-fetched to many, but it is the only explanation that makes clear why God had to destroy that evil society and even the majority of the animals.   Below are two videos that go into more detail on this and the days of Noah.

Today scientists are experimenting with the same type of procedures that were prevalent in Noah's day.  They are into trans-humanism, mixing animal and human DNA, chips to implant in soldiers to make them superheroes with extreme endurance...even to control them like robots.  I could go on and on, but perhaps you would like to view the videos above and do some research on your own.  In a nutshell, they are also trying to achieve immortality through science and become godlike.    

There are many signs that we are living in the last days found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and other places in the Bible.   Again, all you have to do is to look at what is currently happening in the world.   Here I am focusing primarily on how things today are similar to the days of Noah.  

"So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.  Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."  -  Jesus speaking at Luke 21:31-32.

For those who scoff at this and say there have always been wars and bad times and evil, then there is a Scripture written about them at 2 Peter 3:3-4 :  "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming?  for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

In the Bible, we are not told the day and the hour when Jesus will return to take the Church, all true believers, up to heaven in the Rapture,  but we are given signs to know when His return is near.   Unbelievers don't see it, but believers can discern the times and know that it is very near now.   Look at what is going on in the Middle East.  Previously  I made a post here concerning what is presently going on in Syria, how Russia is mentioned in Ezekiel 38, and how Damascus will be totally destroyed soon according to Isaiah 17:1.    So there are many other current events that point to the fact that we are now living in the last days.   There are, in other words, many prophecies in the Bible that are coming to pass at an accelerated pace all at once now; a convergence.   

Remember, God does not unleash his wrath without first giving a warning.   He warned for 120 years through Noah as he built the ark.    Lot and his family were warned and helped before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha.    There are many more examples of this in Scripture.  Romans 5:9 says, "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."

All of the above information is good news to Christians, for soon they will be with the Lord in heaven.   It is time for unbelievers to repent and turn to Jesus as their Savior and by faith begin to live a godly life.   The time on earth after the Rapture of the Church will be a time of much destruction and death known as the 7 year Tribulation.  It will be too late then as most people in that time will not be inclined to accept Jesus, though some will.  The Tribulation will have to be a subject for another post in the future.    

"For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."  -  2 Timothy 1:12