So many Christians are in a "battle" with each other over whether the Rapture of the Church will occur before the Tribulation, or somewhere during or even after the seven-year Tribulation. We need to spend less time debating about all this and more time in evangelizing and saving souls from hell, so says Billy Crone in the following video and I entirely agree with him on that. He shares excellent Scriptures and reasons to support his view, which is that the Rapture will occur prior to the tribulation period. Please watch the entire video as it is chock full of fantastic information.
I mention the Rapture often, because it is closer to happening than ever before, the way Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at such a fast pace now....many things converging all at one time. My hope is that the Scriptures and the videos I share will bring others to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior before the Tribulation. After the trib. begins, it will be more difficult to do so; you will be subject to mistreatment in the antichrist's one world government, and you must choose to be martyred rather than to take the Mark of the Beast. (Revelation 13:16-18). Those who take the Mark of the Beast in order to buy and sell and to keep from starving will lose their very souls. You do not want to go through the Tribulation !! More information about this may be read here.
In the video above, Billy Crone focuses primarily on the Rapture and the reason for the Pre-Tribulation belief, which he explains thoroughly. I like how he says that Jesus would not "beat up" His Bride (the Church) before He "married her" (in heaven) by causing her to suffer any part of the Tribulation.
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," - 1 Thessalonians 5:9
"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." - Romans 5:9
"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." - Hebrews 10:37
Just posted today by Amir Tsarfati, another update on Middle East affairs. This is HUGE !! Aleppo has fallen! It is the largest city in Syria and it has fallen into the hands of the Syrian regime, the Russian military, and the Iranians. Amir feels certain that Damascus will be the next to fall. (Isaiah 17) Please watch this short video report by Mr. Tsarfati, a Christian living in Israel.
Last week I posted another video with Amir about Damascus . In that post I quoted the prophecy in Isaiah 17 which says that Damascus will be a heap of ruins....destroyed completely, in other words. Isaiah 17 also informs us that it will be Israel who destroys Damascus. I urge you to read that post.
These current events prove how relevant and true Bible prophecy is, and things are converging now like never before.....things pertaining to the end times. We need to make sure we are right with the Lord as time is short...He will return soon ! Will you be ready? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior and your Lord and Master? If not, you will be left behind when Jesus raptures His Bride, the Church, and then you will suffer horrendous atrocities and untold suffering during the seven-year tribulation that will follow. Unless you turn to Jesus Christ, you will suffer eternity in hell.
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."
Don't delay! Repent of your sins; change your life to be a godly one; believe in Jesus with all of your heart, mind, and soul. All you need to do is to confess your sins to God, ask for forgiveness, and truly repent and totally commit your life to the Lord. As time goes on, as you read the Bible and pray continuously, you will see unfolding in your life a close, personal, and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our whole purpose in life is to bring honor and glory to the Lord !
Most of us, myself included, realize that we may not be the "sharpest knife in the drawer"....there are plenty of others who are geniuses while we are not. The online dictionary says that knowledge is "Acquaintance with facts, truths, or principals; as from study or investigation." But wisdom can judge what is true and apply what knowledge we have to make decisions and choices. "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge" says Dr. Charles Stanley. The wisdom that we should be concerned about is not as the world sees things, but instead true godly wisdom should be our goal.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6
The King James Study Bible notes tells us "wisdom is not just acquired information but practical insight with spiritual implications." We therefore need to pray for wisdom to guide us in our everyday life, and in the decisions we make. I am reminded of ancient King Solomon who was the wisest man that ever lived. When God spoke to Solomon at the beginning of his reign over the nation of Israel, God simply said, "Ask what I shall give thee." Solomon was young (around 20 years old) at the beginning of his kingship, He replied to the LORD, "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing." So God told him "Behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee." (Read 1 Kings 3:1-15).
Solomon was also given riches and honor by God. He did fine until he married foreign wives who worshiped false gods and they turned Solomon's wisdom into folly. Think about it....he had 700 wives and 300 concubines....how foolish is that ! But his greatest folly was, when he was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, "and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father." ( 1 Kings 11:1-13) If the wisest man who ever lived could fall away from Almighty God, let us be ever so cautious not to make the same mistake. It may be that we worship the god of money, or materialism itself, or worship another person other than God. Beware lest you fall!
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" - 1 Corinthians 10:12
Solomon, before his folly, wrote many Proverbs as well as Ecclesiastes and perhaps Song of Solomon as well. Proverbs especially speaks much of wisdom, as the following verses show.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
- Proverbs 9:10
"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7
"He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good."
- Proverbs 19:8
It is evident that true wisdom comes from God. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." - James 3:17. By reading and meditating on God's Word we gain knowledge and as we put God's precepts into practice and also deep into our heart and soul, we acquire this wisdom from above. We need to study, ponder, and follow God's Word in order to know how to put God's Word into practice in everyday life. To live godly and wisely. If you truly have God's wisdom it will be evident by how you live.
"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." - James 3:13
Following is an excellent sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley titled "Acquiring Wisdom". He gives 7 ways as to how we can acquire wisdom.
Dr. Stanley points out that the most important and wisest choice we can make is to to choose life and Jesus as our Savior, Lord and Master. In other words, to determine where you will spend eternity.
"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." - Job 28:28
Following is a video update by Amir Tsarfati , a Jewish believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Amir is a Christian who has a thriving ministry and who lives in Israel. Bible Prophecy is coming to pass right before our eyes, as Israel has just attacked Damascus. ( Isaiah 17)
The Prophecy about Damascus being totally destroyed as shown in Isaiah 17 has not been completely fulfilled yet, however, as Damascus is not a total heap of ruins yet. Let me quote part of Isaiah 17.
"The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." - Isaiah 17:1
"In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation" - Isaiah 17:9
Verse 9 makes it clear that Damascus will be destroyed by Israel.
Speaking of Damascus, verse 14 of Isaiah 17 tells us, "And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us."
Verse 14 tells us that at the evening time, Damascus is standing, but before the morning will be destroyed. This smacks of a nuclear bomb.
I have written about this prophecy before at this link . A wonderful article from RaptureReady.com goes into more detail here
Israel is God's time clock. Pay attention to events in the Middle East. We are in the end times and we need to be looking up in expectation of Jesus' return. Time is short. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled daily now like never before as we head to the end of these end times.
Regarding signs of the end times, at Luke 21:28 Jesus said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." "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 at Luke 21:36 ,
For 3 or 4 days that hymn "Have Thine Own Way Lord" has been going through my mind often. In the morning I listen to old hymns on You Tube before I begin my Bible reading and study every day, and that is one hymn I have listened to frequently. Have you ever had a tune pop up in your mind and it won't let go? I felt compelled to do a post here about letting God have His own way, as well as Bible verses about the Potter and the clay. Let's begin with a 5 minute video (below) with quoted Scriptures while showing a potter molding and shaping a clay pot. It is interesting and inspirational.
When I was a child, the artist/singer Jim Reeves was popular. My mother, but especially my stepfather, liked Country Music which I had no choice but to listen to. I grew to enjoy the songs by Jim Reeves.....there is something unique about his voice. Following is his version of the hymn "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" ;
To let the Lord have His own way, we need to first know what His way - His Will - is for us individually as well as for the nations Almighty God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the nation of Israel and likened Himself to a Potter, with Israel being the clay. You might like to read Jeremiah 18 and 19 for some background.
"The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, (2) Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. (3) Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. (4) And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. (5) Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (6) O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel." - Jeremiah 18:1-6
Jeremiah knew that not only did this refer to Israel, but to himself and to each individual as well....that we believers are going to be molded and shaped by our Heavenly Father, to conform to His will for us. That means He wants us to be more Christ-like. "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn amongst many brethren." - Romans 8:29. "For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." - 1 Peter 2:21 .
"Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: For shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?" - Isaiah 29:15
Romans 9:20-21 tells us, "(20) Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? (21) Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"
Who are we puny humans to defy God? To purposely disobey Him by being stubborn and self-willed? God is the Sovereign of the universe and He is in control, not us. It all boils down to surrendering all to God/Jesus and putting His will first in our lives. There is a previous post here about how to surrender all to God . The main thing is to simply obey Him in all matters, putting God's will first as I stated previously. We learn to know His will by prayer and by reading His Holy Word. The Lord shapes us and molds us so that He may use us in His service. That especially includes witnessing about Jesus to lost souls. 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God's will is to "have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
God loves us just as we are right now, but because of His love He continuously molds and shapes us into "vessels of honor", so we can be filled with His Holy Spirit and live lives that bring Him glory and honor This growth process is a continual, daily process of molding and changing us. If we "mess up" take comfort in the knowledge that you are a child of God and He is disciplining you and forming you - patiently - into a godly and more Christ-like child.
God will use other people to help mold you, and He will use His Word as well. He is patient with you, and you need to realize His love in order to behave in a manner of gratitude, obedience, reverence, and to love Him in return. Surrender all to Jesus; be totally and wholeheartedly committed to Him and His will, and you will be blessed.
"One of the most arduous spiritual tasks is that of giving up control and allowing the Spirit of God to lead our lives." - Henri Nouwen
"We are either in the process of resisting God's truth, or in the process of being shaped and molded by His truth." - Charles Stanley
In light of the recent election in America, how does it all fit with Bible prophecy and the end times? My mind is crammed full of so much information, that I hardly know where to begin; yet at the same time I will try to abbreviate it all somewhat. I purposely do not delve into politics on this blog, but you have to admit this election was a bit miraculous in many ways. Some are saying that Donald Trump is our modern day Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-2; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23) and that Trump fulfills prophecy in other ways as well . I will not go there about Trump, but the Bible tells us that in the last days before the Rapture of the Church, (true followers of Jesus), that things will be normal in the sense that people will be marrying and carrying on business as usual when Jesus returns for His Bride, the Church.
"And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." - Jesus speaking atLuke 17::26-30 . See also Matthew 24:37-39.
The Son of man in these verses is, of course, referring to Jesus Christ. In Zechariah 12:3 it states that, regarding Israel, that all the nations of the world will be against the tiny country of Israel. Donald Trump, however, is saying he will be friends with Israel. That does not fit Bible prophecy. Jan Markell has written an article titled, "So Is The Rapture Now On Hold?" which you can read here. She states at the end of the article that the Rapture is not delayed. However, American politics will not affect God's plans in any way whatsoever. He may, though, use this country's politics to bring His plans to pass. God is in charge !
The globalists are already trying to change things by taking a recount of the votes in order to make it look as if Clinton won, so they can work towards their New World Order ....One World Government, One World Economy, and One World Religion, in order to control the masses. As you know, Trump is acting independently of the Elites and is his own man. Unfortunately, he is terribly outnumbered. We need to pray for him and also pray for America. We desperately need to pray for ourselves as to what lies ahead, and also for God to intervene in order to help us gain lost souls to His kingdom before time runs out .....before the Rapture of true believers and the Tribulation period after that.
We need to look to the good Lord for help and direction and safety. Have faith and trust in God, not men.
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." - Psalm 146:3 . In this verse the son of man is not referring to Jesus but to men in general.
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." - Psalm 118:8-9
I intend to do another post soon concerning the One World Government and its economy and false religion. In the meantime, you may want to read Revelation 13 concerning this New World Order. The one world religion is described in Revelation 17 if you would like to read that as well. It is my opinion that this new system will not occur until during the 7 year tribulation period, when the antichrist is revealed. However, the foundation for the NWO has already been laid and is being implemented in ways even now, Therefore, if this new world government and other prophesied events are soon to occur, that means the Rapture of the true believers is even closer. We will be in heaven when all hell breaks loose upon the earth during the Tribulation.
Keep watching for the Lord ! Live godly lives so that you will be among those raptured when Jesus returns. But it is not your works that save you, it is faith and heartfelt belief in Jesus as your Savior and the belief in the fact that He was resurrrected that seals you as a child of God, with heaven as your future home.
"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
"And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." - 1 John 3:3
"Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.;" - Titus 2: 12-13
"Thanksgiving is the language of heaven....." says A.J. Gossip, a professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Glasgow. I thought that quote was rather beautiful and expresses all the praise, thanksgiving, and worship to God that the angels and the saints in heaven are continuously proclaiming. Imagine if all mankind on earth were to do the same.....now, before they die. It would be a healing and transforming movement.
The Bible has much to say about giving thanks to the Lord. When we sing hymns and give praise and thanks to God, it uplifts our spirits to grand heights, Harry Ironside, an American preacher, has said "We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and disatisfaction."
"Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: and call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." - Psalm 50:14-15.
"Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:" - Psalm 147:7
Philippians 4:6 tells us: "Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." All Scripture is wonderful and beneficial, but Philippians 4 is special to me. Read verses 6-8 and also verse 13, the latter verse reads, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." That verse 13 saw me through some tough times and kept me hanging on. But I digress a bit.
Following is a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley titled, "Thanksgiving In The Midst of Adversity."
If you are not currently experiencing adversity, chances are you have in the past and will again in the future. Not to mention the conflict and adversity in America itself in these last days we are living in. I urge you to watch this 23 minute video, as it is quite relevant to everyone. In this sermon, Dr. Stanley gives 9 ways we can be thankful even in the midst of adversity. One thing he touched on and that I have learned from experience is that we need to view everything that happens to us as coming from God, or allowed by God. When we do that, and go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him what He is trying to teach us by this adversity, it helps to alleviate the stress and sense of helplessness that can overcome us when we are stricken by hard times, heartache, pain......and the list goes on. Just remember that you are not alone.......God is with you. (Hebrews 13:5). If you would spend time in prayer and Bible reading, (developing a close, personal relationship with Him) you would realize the Lord is near and waiting to direct your path. Remember that when we are grateful, we will learn to focus on God and not on our circumstances.
"Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow." - Henry Ward Beecher
Bottom line is : When you have a close, personal and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you will find the faith and the strength to persevere during trials and hardships, and to wait on the Lord for direction. Only He can give you the endurance necessary to "ride out" various adverse conditions.
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"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
