Is There A Future For America? (Bible Prophecy - Video)

So much of Bible prophecy may seem like doom and gloom, but if you are a true believer in and a follower of Jesus, prophecy gives you hope and faith that soon we will be in our heavenly home with the Lord.  Bible prophecy can also be a motivator .....to help you to live a godly life as well as to build your faith in God and to know that His promises and what He tells us about future events will definitely come to pass, for God cannot lie.  (Titus 1:2).  

No matter what the future holds for America (or the rest of the world), believers in Jesus Christ have the hope of eternal life.   In the following video by www.prophecywatchers.com , Gary Stearman and Jeff Kinley discuss America's possible future and they give mature insight on many topics concerning today's events. 

One statement by Jeff Kinley that took me by surprise was the fact that "of the top ten places where people get their spiritual growth from, the church did not even make the top ten."   That is where America stands right now, folks.  

The above video also discusses what effect the Rapture of the Church will have on America, as millions will be caught up to be with the Lord all at once; some doctors, some policemen, some government officials, and so many more that their sudden absence will be crippling to the USA.   

Just remember, believers, that things will be pretty much "business as usual" when the Rapture occurs according to what Jesus said at Matthew 24:36-39 which is quoted below:

(36) "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (37) But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  (38)  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,  (39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

There are no signs or prophecies that must happen before the Rapture as that event is imminent.  That is why we must always be ready and "looking up" (Luke 21:28) for the Lord's return at any time.  Be often in prayer and Bible study which will enable you to live a more godly life and will also give you strength to carry on in difficult times.   Also, prayer and Bible reading will help you grow to spiritual maturity.  You will thereby draw ever closer to the Lord and develop a close, intimate, personal love relationship with Him.

Remember, you are not saved by any works you may do.  You are saved by belief in Jesus.  

"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

Rest assured that if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master, you will meet the Lord in the air and follow Him to heaven at the time of the Rapture.   What a blessed hope!   (Titus 2:13)  If you are born again but you die before the Rapture occurs, you will  immediately enter heaven to be with the Lord.

"Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  .........We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."   -  2 Corinthians 5:6, 8

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."   -  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

The two words above ,"caught up" are, in the Greek, harpazo , and in the Latin Vulgate Bible it is the word rapturo (or rapio). That word rapturo is where the English word rapture originates.

The Lord loves His people, and will take care of them for all eternity.   All He asks in return is our love, faith and trust in Him, and our obedience.  When we contemplate how He even bled and died for us, our hearts should be overflowing with love for Him, and we should have a deep sense of gratitude for all that He has done for us.  

Maranatha !!

"How To Please God" (With Sermon by Chuck Smith) - Inspirational Weekend

Gorgeous male peacocks always make me think of pride.   I believe some of them think they are "it." Pride is spoken of as an abomination, one of the 7 things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).  Chuck Smith mentions all 7 of them in his sermon found below, so I will not list them here.  Besides, I wanted to concentrate now on the things that please God.  

First, we need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, and have a heartfelt, sincere repentance and the willingness to surrender our lives to Jesus and to live for Him and to do His will, not our will.   Having faith in God and Jesus pleases God.   Hebrews 11:6 tells us ,  "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone that comes to Him must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Next, we need to make sure that we are walking in the Holy Spirit.  Once you repent and surrender to Jesus, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit if you were sincere.  So we need to be spiritually minded and not carnal,  not with desires of the flesh and worldly tendencies.  Romans 8:6-8 tells us, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. "  To mature in the faith takes time and much prayer and much time spent in God's Word.  One needs to develop a close, intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Also, we need to obey God.   Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  - John 14:15.  As your relationship with the Lord grows, so will your love for Him.   God"s commands  are beneficial, and if we obey them, we will grow spiritually and be more Christ-like.   Your character will become more holy, more righteous.   Jesus said He always did what pleased God the Father (John 8:29).  As followers of Christ, we need to endeavor to always please God as well.

We need to have a healthy, reverent fear of God.  He is the all-powerful Creator of the universe; He created us as well, of course, and we should be in awe of His majesty and sovereignty.   Proper fear and honor of God will help us to avoid sin (Exodus 20:20).

The Bible was given to us to help us know what God's will is.  If we read it daily, God will reveal to us His will in all areas.   Jesus set the grand example of doing God's will when He went to the cross and shed His blood for us, so we that believe in Him may have eternal life.  Jesus did His Father's will; He was totally committed to God and showed His love by His obedience.   We need to seek God's help to always do His will and thereby be true followers of Jesus.   If we obey the two great commandments at Mark 12:29-31, we definitely please God :  "And Jesus answered him,  The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

Love is the key to pleasing God, for God is love (1 John 4:16).  If we love the Lord, we will want to please Him.   As Chuck Smith says in his sermon below, "Pleasing God is the purpose of our existence."

"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."  -  1 John 3:22