"Tommy Ice on the Rapture and Saving Scriptures" - Inspirational Weekend

My photo above of a South African Starling (taken at the Honolulu Zoo) is just another reminder of how glorious and beautiful are God's creation.  It is unfortunate that man has done so much damage and is destroying a lot of God's handiwork.   I keep up with a lot of news, from a Biblical perspective, and I realize that time is fast approaching a prophetic climax, considering all the Bible prophecies now being fulfilled at an accelerated pace, a convergence of many prophecies coming true in these last days.   This all leads up to the imminent return of Jesus Christ to rapture His Bride - the Church, true believers- at any moment now.   I want to focus now on the Rapture of the Bride. 

"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."  -  Acts 1:11

Below are two videos discussing the Rapture, featuring Tommy Ice who is very knowledgeable about this subject.   They are both very informative and I learned some new things from watching them.   The first video to me is more of a warm up to meatier matter in the second video, Part 2.  Please take the time to watch both videos as they will give you new insight and valuable information.  

Below is part 2, a must view!

If you watch the news and keep up with things, I am sure you will agree that the world is in chaos and something has to give.   Once the Rapture happens,  sometime thereafter the 7 year tribulation period begins when God pours out His wrath on the ungodly people who defy Him.   You do not want to be here then!!  Trust me!   Rather, trust God and His Word.   

If you are not now a believer in the Savior Jesus Christ, I urge you to repent and turn to Him and surrender your life to Him.  Below are some "salvation" Scriptures:

Romans 3:23  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ 

                        our Lord."

John 3:16       "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 14:6        "Jesus said unto him, I  Am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the 

                          Father, but by Me."

Romans 10:9      "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."

Romans 10:13    "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Turn to God in prayer and heartfelt, sincere repentance and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to come and live within in you in the form of the Holy Spirit.   Tell the heavenly Father you believe Jesus died and shed His blood for the remission of sins and that you are grateful and want to live your life in complete surrender to Him.  Tell Him also that you believe God resurrected Jesus from the dead.   Thank the Lord that He made the way for sincere believers to gain everlasting life.   Pour out your heart to God and Jesus.   God will hear and answer a sincere prayer like that.

Time on this earth is short; eternity is forever.  Eternity is a long time to spend in the wrong place....Hell.    

"Thoughts On Faith and Strength From God" - Inspirational Weekend

There are several topics whirling around in my brain that I want to discuss here, but I need to focus on only one or two or this post could go on for pages.   I want to talk a bit about faith and about strength from God.   I recently had a lesson in faith and strength from the Lord.   I had over-exerted myself and suffered extreme pain as a  result.  Then on top of that I had pneumonia.    I spent a  good deal of time flat on my back, so I had a lot of time to just think, and think some more.  I wondered what lesson God was trying to teach me in all this.    I guess the obvious is to not over-extend myself physically.   Basically I came to the conclusion that God just wanted me to be still and know that He was God  (Psalm 46:10); to meditate on His Word and to be in prayer and to have faith  and patience to be healed.

God wants to show Himself strong on our behalf.  Surrender to Him today and and He will give you peace that will fill your very soul.  We cannot fully serve God without full surrender to His strength.   "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."  -  Isaiah 41:10

God's strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  You need to trust in God so  completely that He is your strength.   That takes faith.   

"Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ."  -  A.W. Tozer

Many people struggle with a lack of faith.   According to the apostle Paul, we are to "walk by faith and not by sight."  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  .   Don't follow your perceptions of what is true; instead follow what you know to be true by faith.  God is a stranger to many people.....they don't read His Word or pray daily and are therefore less likely to believe what God says if they ever hear or read His Word.   The way to end this is to spend many hours in God's Word so you may come to know Him and have an intimate, personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  

Romans 10:17 says,  "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.."  -  Hebrews 11:6

"Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God.  Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His Power."  

-  Oswald Chambers

Next time you are ill and flat on your back, or you are experiencing many trials and hardships,  ask God what lesson He is trying to teach you.  Most of the time all these things happen to make you realize your weakness and to turn to God for answers, direction, guidance and to therefore draw you closer to God and Jesus.   God is your strength.    A verse I love is found at Nehemiah 8:10b ,

"....for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I am very fond of the following song by Don Moen,  "God Will Make A Way"

"Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually."   -  I Chronicles 16:11

"These things I have spoken unto you,that in Me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."   -  Jesus speaking at John 16:33

"What Does God Require of You?" - Inspirational Weekend

So what exactly does God require of Christians?  The Bible is full of Scriptures that tell us just that, and this post is for all Christians, no matter where you are in your walk with God.  We all need reminders from time to time as to what it means to be a Christian; how we should act and what we should believe.  This post will quote several Scriptures .

"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."

- Jesus speaking at Mark 12:30-31

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them  in the name of the Father,  and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."    - Jesus at Matthew 28:19-20

Many of you are familiar with John 3:3, how you must be born again and all of  you know John 3:16.

But I must quote John 14:6 in full; "Jesus saith unto him, I  AM the way, the truth, and the life,:  no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

Micah 6:8,  "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good: And what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Ecclesiastes 12:13,  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

1 John 4:21,  "And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also."

There are many other verses as well telling us what God requires of us.  Please also read 

1 Thessalonians 5:15-22.    I would like to draw particular attention to verse 22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil."    Verse 17 admonishes us to "Pray without ceasing."

These Scriptures were food to my soul and I hope to yours as well.

Have a Christ-centered weekend.   May you be happy and filled with love.

"Life - What's It All About, Anyway?" - Inspirational Weekend

You could say that life is all about relationships,or all about love.  Some people make their career and success their goal in life; while others move from boyfriend to boyfriend.  I could go on and on with a list of what gives people so-called  satisfaction in life.   Many people make family their main concern in life.    

Life is about relationships and love follows in its stead .The Bible itself is all about relationships when you think about it.  And God's Word tells us to put Him first in our life.  Our relationship with our Creator is more important than anything else in the world, or in our life.

"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."  - Mark 12:30 .

Putting God and Jesus first in our lives is the only way to go to have peace and joy and a clear conscience .  Do not let your earthly relationships take priority over your relationship with God.  People will let you down; but God will always uplift you and encourage you and He will never forsake you.               ( Hebrews 13:5)

Of course we should love and take care of our families, as well as to love our neighbor.  But the Almighty God who created you should always come first in your life. Jesus said the second commandment is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, there is none other commandment greater than these."  -  Mark 12:31.

This reminds me of a poem by C. T. Studd that many of you may be familiar with.  Part of it goes,
"Only one life, will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."  Once this truth gets deep within your soul, you will be on fire to do the Lord's work .. telling others about Jesus as Savior.  The entire poem by C.T. Studd may be found here .

But more important than the above mentioned poem,  read your Bible for guidance and instruction and to "hear" God speak by His Holy Spirit as you read.   Ask God to help you understand and to apply what His Word says.  Keep your mind on things above, things eternal,  and not on things that will soon pass away.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."  -  1 John 2:15-17.

Included in loving our neighbor, is to love other believers and to love the lost enough to tell them about Jesus.  Jesus wants us to love others, but to love Him more than anyone else.   

"I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him."  -  Charles H. Spurgeon

Following is a short 5 minute clip by Dr. Charles Stanley on how you can have a personal, intimate relationship with God:

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."         -  Matthew 6:20-21

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  -  Matthew 6:33

"Where Was Jesus After His Death and Before His Resurrection?" - Inspirational Weekend

Here is a wish for your weekend to be happy and blessed !  If you put God and Jesus first in your life, you will be happy and blessed !  Life can be difficult and downright unfair sometimes, but your attitude concerning what befalls you determines whether you will be happy or not.   If you are focused on Jesus and on God's Word, that alone will keep your attitude on the right track.   

While making my post here last weekend, it occurred to me to do another post about exactly where Jesus went after His death on the cross; so this is my endeavor to do just that.   Did He go to heaven?  Did He go to hell?  (Hell being the grave or where the dead await resurrection......not the lake of fire).

Let's first take a look at 1 Peter 3:18-20.  "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:  by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison;  which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of  God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."  This is quoting from the KJV; the NIV and the New American Standard Bible says, instead of "preaching" to the spirits in prison, that Jesus made a "proclamation" to them.   This difference is important when you consider just who the spirits in prison are.   So I will digress a moment here and discuss that first.    In the Bible, human beings are not called spirits; they do possess a spirit and a soul, however.  So it could not mean that Jesus proclaimed to deceased humans, or "preached" to them in order to lead the spirits in prison to repentance.   The fate of people in hell is settled; there is no second chance.   The only possible explanation is that the spirits in prison were the fallen angels, and salvation is not a possibility for them.  So to say that Jesus "proclaimed" to them is a better translation;  He proclaimed His victory over them... and over death.    

We need to read Genesis 6:1-4 to find out more about these fallen angels.  "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

Most scholars agree these sons of God were angels that disobeyed God and left heaven and married human women.   All of this and the subject of giants, is food for another post later.   But this disobedience was probably instigated by satan in an attempt to pollute the human bloodline so that the Messiah could not eventually be born; in other words, the hybrid bloodlines between humans and the fallen angels could not produce a sinless seed of the woman  (Genesis 3:15).

Now back to where was Jesus after His death on the cross and before His resurrection; Jesus' body was still in the grave waiting for His resurrection but, as 1 Peter 3:18 and 19 says, Jesus was quickened by the Spirit, meaning He was alive in the Spirit when He preached to the spirits in prison.  Later, on Resurrection Sunday,  body and spirit joined in the risen Christ.  With God all things are possible !  Matthew 19:26.

The main thing is that Jesus died to pay our sin debt, making a way to have eternal life through faith and belief in Him and in His resurrection.   He is risen!  Death has no victory over sinless persons.  Jesus redeemed us and sanctified us.  We have much to rejoice about ! Much to praise God about and to worship Him in awe and in much thanksgiving !

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness:  Come before His presence with singing."  -  Psalm 100:1-2.

There is still much beauty and goodness to be thankful for and to enjoy in this world. Below is a video of beautiful scenery with soft music to quiet your soul and give you rest from the cares of life on this glorious weekend.   

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works!  In wisdom hast thou made them all:  The earth is full of thy riches."  -  Psalm 104:24

"Resurrection Sunday" - Inspirational Weekend

This weekend, as you know, Christians will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.   But not everyone, some Christians included, completely understand the complete meaning behind Jesus' death and resurrection.  

When I was very young, before I became a teenager, it was a time to dress up, wear a hat, and put on your best gloves.   Yes, we used to wear gloves ages ago when I was young.   My family didn't attend church with me, except for a cousin who was a couple of years older than I, but she sat with her friends and not with me.  I learned a bit in Sunday School about this time of Jesus' resurrection and also from the pastor's sermons.   But I was an adult before it all reached my heart and soul and I understood the enormity  of the sacrifice of Jesus' shed blood on my behalf while He was on the cross.  

I prefer to call this Resurrection Sunday because the term "Easter" is of pagan origin; it was an ancient festival of Ishtar (pronounced "Easter")   and this festival celebrated reproduction or fertility, with the symbols of the rabbit and of eggs. The Christian church adopted some of those symbols, which is tragic.  For instance, Easter egg hunts are held on church property.  You can Google for more information on this subject, as I wish to dwell on the Resurrection here.   

Some people want to make a big deal as to whether Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday or a Thursday instead of the commonly accepted Friday.   They claim there were other Sabbath days observed  that did not fall on a Saturday , which is very true.   Here is a  link  http://www.gotquestions.org/three-days.html  which explains each viewpoint as to the day.

The point is not all these above mentioned issues, but the wonderful good news that Jesus died to take the punishment we sinners deserve.  Putting our faith and trust in Him means we may gain eternal life; and since He arose from the dead, we too will be resurrected if we die before the Rapture of the Church occurs.   We should be filled with wonder and awe when we consider Jesus' resurrection, and the great love which He displayed in dying in our place.   His sacrifice enables us to be forgiven of our sins, and to live a godly life in obedience to the Almighty God.   

"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

"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

Think about it, no other religious leader or any other religion  is able to claim a risen Savior.   The disciples saw and communicated with the risen Christ; they were convinced He was resurrected and that He was the prophesied Messiah; so much so that they were willing to be beaten, to be put in prison, and to suffer a martyr's death because of their bold preaching and their strong faith.   

Christians today need to be so bold; we need to live our lives as if we truly believe He is risen and thereby live godly lives and not compromise with the world and its soon to disappear lusts and desires.   1 John 2:15-17.

Below is a lovely hymn about the risen Christ:

"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

"God Is Speaking" Bible End-Time Prophecies About To Be Fulfilled - Inspirational Weekend

There is a sense of urgency within me to write about end-times prophecies again, as so much is happening now in the world that cries out, "It won't be long now!"   God is speaking through His Holy Word to all who will listen and take heed and prepare for what lies ahead.   Prepare so far as being spiritually minded and having a close, intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   That happens from much prayer and much Bible reading and studying.   Hearing God depends on a relationship with Him, not a formula or a method.

"He that is of God heareth God's words:  ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

-  John 8:47

You must be a true believer in Jesus as your Savior; you must be born-again in order to have and develop this close relationship with Him and to be able to "hear" Him speak to you.   He speaks through His Holy Spirit and through His Word, the Bible.   He also speaks through the church, a Christian friend or family member, or by your circumstances.   There are many ways that God can and will get your attention.   

Recently I have viewed some videos featuring Bill Salus, an author of several books and DVD's on end-time prophecies.   I want to share some of that information with you now.   The first video below is short, about 13 minutes in length.    The other two are each 28 minutes long.   I hope you will take the time to view all 3 videos as they are full of information everyone needs to be aware of.

The first short video follows and is titled "The Middle East Powder Keg" :

In these videos, Bill Salus brings out the fact that the Church will probably be raptured before the Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 prophecies.  However, Ezekiel 38 and 39 will most likely happen before the 7 year Tribulation begins.  

In the Middle East, God's focus is on what He is going to do through Israel.  Israel is still a special people to God; He never broke His covenant with them as it was an everlasting covenant.

For some reason, all I can get is the link to the Part 2 video and not the video image itself .  Please go to this link for more exciting prophetic information from Bill Salus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI2a21R0fb4

These videos have information about how Egypt will collapse, and speak also about how ISIS may soon take over Jordan.   Also, Iran is having an evangelical presence and growth where Muslims are becoming Christians; they are having miracles, visions, dreams, and healings.  Could it be that Christians and people in general in America are so lukewarm and indifferent and materialistic and secular that we are not having similar experiences ?  Or at least, not to as strong a degree as those in Iran?

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

The world is in chaos, and only Jesus can bring real peace.   We can have a measure of peace right now, despite unsettling world events, if we know Jesus as our Savior.   Soon this earth will be a paradise again during the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1-6).  Something to look forward to, as Luke 21:28 tells us.  

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."  -  Jesus speaking at  Luke 21:36