"The Power And The Hope - Resurrection Sunday" - Inspirational Weekend

There is no greater story than that of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection 2000 years ago.  He died to pay the penalty for our sins so that we are redeemed by His shed blood at Calvary; and His resurrection gives us the assurance that we too will be resurrected to life for eternity with Him if we believe in Jesus as our Savior and believe in His resurrection (Romans 10:9-10,13).   

"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

What a wonderful hope!  Christians are familiar with the Scriptures I will quote here and will hear a sermon this Sunday on the resurrection.   This post is also to give lost sinners who may be reading a reason to hope, a reason to live, and a purpose to their lives.   Without faith in Jesus and in the resurrection, things are hopeless for lost souls.   Without Jesus, a dark judgment awaits sinners.  We all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and deserve punishment.  But Jesus.  Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8).  If we repent and confess our sins and live godly lives and put our faith in Christ, there is hope and a sure reason to look forward to being forever with the Lord.

Someone has said, "When Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr, or the blood of one man for another;  it was the life of God poured out to redeem the world."

When you think about it, Christ's resurrection should be celebrated every day.   Without the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christianity!  The resurrection gives life to every other area of the gospel truth.   

Be careful that it is not just head knowledge speaking when you say you believe that Jesus rose from the dead; you need to make sure it is coming from the depths of your heart, a true conviction of the reality of the resurrection.   Remember, God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

How grateful we should be, and how we should thank and praise the Lord for the gift of eternal life, and for a Savior who died so that we may live.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."      -  1 Peter 1:3

"Every single shred of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also evidence for my eventual resurrection."  -  Lee Strobel

Following is a beautiful resurrection hymn:

I pray your focus this Resurrection Sunday is on Jesus and His great love for you and how His rising from the dead shows the hope He gives for all true believers.  (John 3:16)

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  -  Romans 5:8

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."  -  Philippians 3:10-11

"Help My Unbelief" - Inspirational Weekend

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."  -  Mark 9:24b

These words were spoken by a distraught father because of his son who was demon possessed; this father went to Jesus and spoke these words of weak faith to Him (like a prayer) after Jesus had previously told him, 

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."  -  Mark 9:23  

 Many of us can relate to this father's plea.  We believe, yet sometimes doubt creeps in and it can be hard to shake.  Like when Peter believed he could walk on water; he had faith until he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to concentrate on the howling wind and the turbulent waters.  His faith and belief faltered when he took his eyes off of Jesus, and then he began to sink.   When Jesus caught him, He said to Peter:  "Oh thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt?"   -  Matthew 14:22-31

But in the case of the father of the demoniac boy, Jesus did not rebuke the father for his weak faith.  The man tearfully appealed to Jesus, recognizing he did believe but had unbelief or doubts at the same time.   A true sense of the need for grace to believe is the greatest step towards the act of believing.  Perhaps part of this father's unbelief was due to the fact that Jesus' disciples had tried and could not cast out the demon from the boy.  Jesus healed the young man and afterwards was questioned by His disciples as to why they could not successfully heal him.  -  Mark 9:28-29.   In verse 29 Jesus told his disciples that that kind of demon would not come out but by prayer and fasting.

In this dim life we see spiritual things imperfectly, but we should continue on with prayer and Bible study to come to a full, clear knowledge.   Faith and unbelief are often found in the same heart. Full deliverance from doubt only comes by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  The more intimate and deep your relationship with God, the more you learn to trust Him and the more your faith will grow.   

Unbelief is a criminal thing because it doubts.  Unbelief robs God of His glory in every way and therefore one who has unbelief cannot receive a blessing from the Lord.   Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.  This is more true of unbelievers (those not born-again), because they are deliberate in their stubborn unbelief.  Christians tend to have doubts which are not deliberate; doubts just creep into our minds out of nowhere, it seems.  But the devil is a master of deception and tries to make us fall by putting doubts in our minds.   Pray to God in Jesus' name for deliverance and pray to have a strong faith.

We doubt because we are fallen creatures, prone to sin.   Divine truth is not yet fully comprehended by us.  Little faith can still trust in Christ as well as great faith can.  One commentator says:  " If your faith is weak, at least let it be sincere and unfeigned  The act of faith is to apply Christ to the soul; and this the weakest faith can do as well as the strongest, if it be true."

"Unbelief is criminal because it is a moral act of the whole nature.  Belief or unbelief is a test of a man's whole spiritual condition, because it is the whole being, affections, will, conscience, as well as the understanding, which are concerned in it." - Alexander MacLaren

Following is a sermon on the sin of unbelief by Charles Spurgeon:

In this sermon, Spurgeon tells us that "Unbelief is the parent of every other iniquity."  I hope you watch the entire 39 minute sermon as it is excellent.  

"Unbelief is never cheap; it costs more than it pays."  -  Andrew Kroll

One commentator said that "nothing is so provoking to God as unbelief, and yet there is nothing to which we are more prone."  When you consider all that the Lord has done, all of His promises and the many times He has answered our prayers, the sacrifice of His Son at Calvary to redeem us and wash us white as snow by the blood of Jesus, and all of His many other blessings including the gift of life itself, who are we to doubt Him ?   What would provoke an earthly father like a child who refuses to believe him?  We are God's children, and we should trust Him and believe in Him in all areas of our lives and in all spiritual matters.  

"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:  he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son."  -  1 John 5:10

Remember what God said to Moses concerning the stubborn and complaining and unbelieving Israelites: "....How long will this people provoke Me?  and how long will it be ere they believe Me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?"  -  Numbers 14:11

We serve a loving and a forgiving God.  He knows we are but dust and how weak we are.   But faith and belief in Jesus can make us strong.   Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Prayer is a strong faith-builder.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By  Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  -  Romans 5:1-2

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

"The Power of Faith, Hope, And Love" - Inspirational Weekend

Faith, hope and love are often found together in the New Testament. One instance is at 1 Thessalonians 1:3 which tells us,

"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"

Below is an example and explanation of what the triad faith, hope, and love actually mean.

Let's take faith first.  The power of faith produces action.  The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God  (Hebrews 11:6).  A brand new believer in Jesus as Savior exhibits faith that the Lord is the Messiah and his Redeemer.  As he studies God's Word and is often in prayer, his faith will grow.  Answered prayer is a mighty faith builder.   Belief that we will be with the Lord in heaven one day also takes faith.   

The patriarch Abraham was saved by his faith, not by his works. Romans 4:3 says, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness."    He followed and obeyed God when the Lord told him to leave his country and go to a land He would show him.  (Hebrews 11:8).  That took faith. What took much faith was when God told Abraham to sacrifice his own son Isaac and Abraham obeyed, but the Lord stopped him from actually killing Isaac.  God was putting Abraham to the test so He could see how strong was Abraham's faith.   

Yes, there is power in faith.  There are many more examples in the Bible of the transforming power of faith, such as Moses and Gideon.   

Then there is the power of hope.   I have shared here previously about how I went through difficult times for a period of about 4 years, and all seemed hopeless to me for a while.   But God.   He put it within my heart to begin reading the Bible again, which began to renew my mind.  I know first-hand the power of hope, because His Word began to give me a hope for something better. Without hope, there appears to be no reason to exist.  You see, without God there is no hope.  The only sound and just object of hope is God Himself.  The hope that Jesus gives and the promises of God can give meaning to your life, can give you a purpose, and a desire to keep-on-keeping-on despite obstacles.     The ultimate hope is one of eternal life with the Lord in heaven.  

"(18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:  (19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the vail; "  -  Hebrews 6:18-19

You can observe, then, that hope is not whimsical wishful thinking.  When we hope in God, we can rest assured that it is a reliable and true thing.  HE is called the God of hope.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."   -  Romans 15:13

Now let us consider love.  The most famous and most loved chapter in the Bible about love is 1 Corinthians 13.  Following are the first 3 verses of that chapter:

"(1)Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  (2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

The King James version uses the word "charity" instead of the more appropriate word "love" in the above verses.   The point is obvious: you can do many mighty works and good deeds, but if you do not have love and act out of love, it is to no avail.  Love is above all other gifts....it is preeminent.  (1 Corinthians 13:13).  We should love God and other people more than we love ourselves.   

That brings us to the important fact that God loves us.  

God is love.

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."  -  1 John 4:16

Following is a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on how much Jesus loves us. 

Jesus loved us so much that he suffered and died for us and shed His blood at Calvary so that all who would believe in Him and His resurrection could have eternal life.   Even when we fall or backslide, Jesus still loves us and is patient with us and willing to forgive us.   We need to repent of and confess all known sin and run to Him for refuge and solace.

"But the God of all grace, Who hath called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."  -  1 Peter 5:10

"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father"     -  Galatians 1:3-4

How To Escape The 7-Year Tribulation

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Some people think we are already in the prophesied Tribulation period.   They need to study their Bible more to discern that that is not the case.  To begin with, the Rapture of the Church has not yet occurred, and that must happen before the Tribulation because the Lord's people are not appointed to wrath.

"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."  -  Romans 5:9

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

The above two Scriptures tell us how to escape the 7-year Tribulation.   We need to be followers of Jesus Christ; we need to be born-again  (John 3:16).   We need to repent of our sins, pray and ask God for forgiveness, and put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Master.   We must put God and Jesus first in our lives.   

"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."   -  Acts 16:31

"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

Once saved by faith in Jesus, you will be raptured to be with the Lord in heaven sometime soon before the 7-year Tribulation occurs and will be in heaven while the Tribulation is taking place on the earth.   What a blessed hope !   (Titus 2:13).  God is loving and merciful to His people.

Following is a video featuring Gary Stearman and Bob Ulrich of prophecywatchers.com.  It deals with myths of the tribulation, and gives great insight into Scriptures concerning the Tribulation and answers questions such as "The reasons why the Tribulation has to happen."  They also discuss a new DVD they are offering which  is about a girl who wakes up one day and finds herself in the Tribulation period.   

If you read the Book of Revelation in the Bible, you will discern that the Tribulation is full of God's wrath and judgment on the ungodly left on the earth after the true believers in Christ are raptured to heaven.   You do not want to go through the horrors of the time of "Jacob's Trouble"  (Jeremiah 30:7).  Turn in faith to Jesus Christ now before it is too late !

"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

"The Difference Between The Rapture And The Second Coming" (With Video on the Rapture) - Inspirational Weekend

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Yes, we are living in the last days; and, yes, the Lord's return is imminent.  It could happen at any time; it is impending.  Nothing at all needs to take place before the Rapture of the Church occurs.   If you scoff at all that, you might be interested to know that you were written about in the Bible at 2 Peter 3:3-4 which says,

"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."

There are about 2500 prophecies in the Bible and 2/3 of them have already been fulfilled.  Therefore, it stands to reason that the remaining 1/3 would also come to pass as well; and that includes the prophecies about the Rapture.  I have written previously about the Rapture of the Church (found here).  I will not repeat myself with all that information again, but I will point out some Scriptures again concerning the Rapture.

Another instance of the Rapture is found at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

Read John 14:1-6 and in particular verse 3 which says:  "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 is here referring to the Rapture as well.  

Jesus returns for His Bride, the Church, before the 7-year Tribulation begins.  There may be a gap of a few years after the Rapture before the Tribulation actually begins. At the end of the Tribulation, there is the Second Coming of Jesus where He destroys the wicked left on earth and then ushers in the Millennial Kingdom.  Below is a simplification of the differences between the two events.

RAPTURE                                                                            SECOND COMING

1) Believers meet Lord in air                .................Believers return to earth with Jesus

(1 Thess. 4:17)                                                      (Revelation 19:14)

2)   Occurs before Tribulation                .............    Occurs after Tribulation 

       (1 Thess. 5:9; Rev. 3:10)                             (Revelation chapters 6 through 19)

3)  Act of deliverance                          ..............   Judgment and destruction of    

     1 Thess. 4:13-17; 5:9)                                       unbelievers  (Matthew 24:40-41;

                                                                                1Thess. 5:3

4) Instant and invisible                        ................  Visible to all

(1 Corin. 15:50-54)                                                 (Rev. 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30)

5)  Imminent; occurs at any time         ..............  Must occur after specific end time 

    (Titus 2:13; 1 Thess. 4:13-18;                         events happen (2 Thess. 2:4;  

     1 Corinthians  15:50-54)                                Matthew 24:15-30; 

                                                                            Revelation chapters 6 to 18)

Following is an excellent video on the Rapture with Ron Rhodes explaining why it must be a pre-tribulation event and other pertinent information we all need to know.  Mr. Rhodes has a wonderful sense of humor and by it he helps to make a point.  

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; "   -  Titus 2:13

"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    

"A Cosmic Tantrum" and Middle-East Update Video

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"When The Spirit of The Age Has a Cosmic Tantrum" is an eye-opening article by Jill Martin Rische concerning current events and the evil found in today's society.  It says that the level of hatred in the world - and in America - is off the charts.  The article gives links to information about such things as after school satan clubs and other topics of interest that we are faced with today.  It also tells us what we can do to make a difference for good in this world. You may read the entire article here   

It is hard to believe how drastically America and this world has changed in the last 10 years, and especially are things radically different than they were 20 years ago.  We are definitely living in the end times the Bible prophesied ....many signs are converging now on almost a daily basis.  Read Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21.

"(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."  -  2 Timothy 3: 1-5

The above verses in 2 Timothy 3 accurately describe the times we are living in right now.  If this post sounds negative, sometimes we need to clearly see the evil in order to turn from it so that we may realize the truth when we are told the good....the Gospel of Jesus Christ.... and to recognize that only in Him can we find hope, joy, and a future eternal life with Him in Paradise.   

All these end time events taking place right now point us to the soon return of Jesus.  That is something to rejoice over !  

Following is a recent video on Middle-East events by Amir Tsarfati  

In Amir's updates, he always refers us to Scripture.  He has a thriving ministry which takes him all over the world.  He lives in Israel and has excellent sources that keep him updated on the latest current events around the world, but especially in the Middle-East. Remember, Israel is God's prophetic time clock.  God still considers Israel as His special people with whom He made an everlasting covenant in ancient times.   

We live in exciting times, with how Bible prophecy is being fulfilled in front of our eyes !  It is time to get right with the Lord and be ready for His return.  Confess your sins, repent and ask for forgiveness; surrender your life to Jesus and put His will first in your life.   

Tomorrow may be too late !

"....except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."  - Jesus at Luke 13:3b