"And he [the false prophet] had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed." - Revelation 13:15 (read also Revelation 13:11-18).
The above Scripture is referring to the false prophet, and the "beast" is referring to the antichrist, which you may read about at Revelation 13:1-10.
Satan, secular power, and religious compromise (or, satan, the antichrist and the false prophet) make up the unholy trinity; and they join against the cause of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Tom Horn and Josh Peck and Gary Stearman discuss how the image of the beast might be a form of artificial intelligence in the following fifteen minute video by www.prophecywatchers.com
Although true born-again believers will be raptured to heaven before the antichrist comes on the scene , it is interesting to contemplate on various aspects of that seven-year tribulation period.
They are now in the process of producing brain chips to connect humans to a computer system, an AI . In the above video they touch on several topics, including how a robot or artificial intelligence could possibly become inhabited by a demon and do some real damage.
These are dangerous and evil times in which we live. We need to be living godly lives and to be "looking up" and watching for Jesus' return, which is imminent.
Are you ready?
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." - Titus 2:13-14
These graceful palm trees are above Makapu'u Beach on Oahu, Hawaii. Trees have always seemed to me to have character, especially old oak trees and the like, with their twisting and turning branches. People can learn a lot from nature; I should say, learn a lot from the Creator of all things. We need to stop and take the time to learn lessons from His creation and from the very heart of God Himself.
Also important is to take the time to read the Holy Word and to spend time in prayer with the Lord. That is how we get to know Him intimately and become friends with Him. Once we are truly born-again believers in Jesus Christ, He will give us more understanding of Him and His Word. He will share His secrets.
"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant." - Psalm 25:14
The word "secret" in Hebrew means the cushions of a divan on which counselors and friends in the East usually sit. Another way of expressing it is "Wast thou a listener in the secret council of God?" (Job 15:8)
God's servants are admitted to God's secrets. But notice, it is to those "that fear Him." This is speaking of filial fear, like the fear which a loving child has of grieving its father, or causing him pain. God will have fellowship with those whose hearts are true and in right standing with Him, thereby finding favor with Him. They who do not fear God cannot hear the secret.
"Christ should be found written on your heart. This is the secret of the Lord." - W. Logan
Also, the secret of the Lord means that which cannot be known unless the Lord reveals it. There is much that can be called the secret of the Lord.
Natural or carnal man cannot know or understand these secrets; their eyes of understanding are blinded by the cares and pleasures and lusts of this old dying world. They are blinded also by the devil.
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:14
Back to the fear of the Lord, which enables you to, by God's grace, to know the secret of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is clean; it cleanses. In every heart filled with the fear of God there is a communication of a secret. God opens His mind and His heart to them.
There is also the secret witness of the Spirit, which testifies to them being a child of God. There are secret whispers of His love, which assures their soul that He has loved them with an everlasting love, and is preparing them for their heavenly home.
There is the secret concerning how, when one is born-again, he becomes a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new."
Another secret is the Gospel of Christ, which is a mystery. Carnal man cannot comprehend it as it is not attainable without supernatural revelation.
The latter part of Psalm 25:14 tells us that God will show them His covenant. "He will show them, will teach them, more and more therein, the nature of it, the duration of it, its comprehensiveness, its security, its terms and conditions, its blessings and promises, all in Christ, and Christ in all." - A. Hewlett
To sum it all up, God reveals His secrets to those who love, obey, and fear Him. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, is a secret or a mystery to the lost. If you are a child of God, He will reveal his secrets to you and bless you with a better understanding of Him and His Word; He will clear your mind and bless you with a joy and peace that only His love and a clear conscience can give you.
If you have not yet surrendered your life to the Lord, in full faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior, I urge you to do so now. Confess your sins to Him, ask for forgiveness, repent and give your life to Jesus to be used by Him in His work.
Bible prophecy is being fulfilled daily in these last days; the Lord will return soon to rapture His own to heaven to be with Him. Are you ready ?
"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.........For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:9,13
"Hast thou heard the secret of God?" - Job 15:8a
"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." - Jesus at John 15:15
Sometimes what I write on this blog may sound all "doom and gloom" to some people since I write about Bible Prophecy and how we are living in the last days....the very end of the end times. But to born-again believers in Jesus Christ, these are exciting times ! From Bible prophecy we know Christ will rapture believers soon to be in heaven with Him. That is a glorious and happy hope ! (Titus 2:13)
As followers of Jesus, we need to be living godly lives and witnessing to lost souls about how Jesus can give them eternal life if they surrender to Him and believe in Him.
A big part of living a holy life is to be "Salt and Light" while we reside on this earth. Jesus has this to say at Matthew 5:13-16,
" Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Not only preachers, but all who profess to follow Jesus should be the salt of the earth and save the world from decay and destruction. Actually, only the Lord can save, of course, but we can do our part to share the Gospel with others.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus mentions if the salt has lost its savor it is good for nothing. This was possible in the land of Judea, in particular the Valley of Salt, where some salt exposed to the elements, was good for nothing.... it had lost its savor. But the inner part which was connected to the rock, kept its savor.
As Christians, we do not want to be like the exposed salt to the wind and rain and sun - the elements - (the lusts and temptations of this wicked world) and no longer have the life of Christ within us or we have lost our first love for Him and the witness of His Spirit. Instead we need to stay connected with the Rock; if we are close to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we can preserve our savor and be of help to others...to do some good in this life.
Let us now consider verse 16 of Matthew 5, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
In essence, in all you do in your life, let it be seen that you are a real Christian. This means to manifest light in your wholesome conversation, in your holy life, in all of your actions and where you spend your time. Let it all be to the glory of God.
Don't be like the Pharisees of Jesus' day who acted to be seen of men. Instead, we should seek to glorify our heavenly Father. Don't concern yourself with what other people may think of you. You just do the will of God, and by your conduct other people may be brought to glorify God. By observing your godly life and the power and the purity of the Gospel, others may be won to become Christians also.
Keep in mind that if you are a true Christian, then your identity with Christ cannot be concealed. You will be different from the world, and you will stand out as being in another realm or mindset than ungodly men and women.
There are some "Christians" that profess religion and Jesus, but they live just like other people (people of the world), and give no evidence that they were truly converted and born-again. We can only conclude that they are "baby Christians" and have not yet matured, or that they were never truly saved in the first place.
To genuinely "let your light shine", you need a close, personal, and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by daily and intense prayer, and by daily saturating your mind with the holy Word of God. Your soul will thrive and be full of light if you follow this advice of the Bible. And your light will shine and radiate upon those with whom you come in contact with.
Some of you might be very poor and feel as if you can contribute little to improving and guiding lost souls. Some may feel very weak and unlearned and unknown. No matter. If your heart is right with the Lord, He can use you! If only by living a pure and godly life, by being humble and sincere, our Christian lives are not in vain. People will take note of your godly life and attitude and realize that you are a child of God.
As a "bonus", your endeavoring to be like Jesus will give you great joy and a peace within your soul....even in chaotic times like we are experiencing right now.
"The greatest joy of a Christian is to give joy to Christ." - Charles Spurgeon
Jesus wants His disciples' joy to be complete.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." - John 15:11
"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." - John 16:33
As we approach the end of the end times, we need to consider where we are in the prophetic times and to ask the all important question, "Am I ready for what lies ahead?" Ready for the Rapture of the Church (true believers); ready spiritually to be assured of Jesus taking me to heaven to be with Him.
In the Bible book of Daniel, we have prophecies concerning the end times and the antichrist and, specifically, the 70 weeks of years in Daniel 9. In July of 2016 I wrote in detail about this topic, which you can read here.
Following is an excellent recent teaching video on Daniel's 70 weeks by Amir Tsarfati :
Amir stresses that "God wants His children to know His plans. He is not hiding them, He is declaring them."
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." - 2 Peter 1:20-21
Amir tells us that the Daniel 9 prophecy basically says that our days are numbered. We need to be spiritually ready, born-again, and living godly lives pleasing to the Lord. You need the Holy Spirit's help to guide you to live a holy life, and the Holy Spirit seals you as God's own when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master. Repent of your sins, confess them to the Lord, and begin to live for Jesus.
Time is short ! Remember, this tottering and chaotic world is not our home. We believers are citizens of heaven. And that is where we will soon make our home (after the Rapture}; of course, we will also live on earth in a Paradise during the Millennial reign of Christ (this is after the 7 year Tribulation period ends).
Following is the hymn "This World Is Not My Home":
"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same."
C. S. Lewis, in "Mere Christianity."
Jesus tells us at John 14:1-3 , "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 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."
"Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine." - Psalm 33:18-19
What a comforting promise in God's Holy Word ! As most of you know, to fear God does not mean a morbid, trembling, worrisome fear; but, rather, a true reverential fear: a fear of displeasing God in any way; a worshipful fear and to be in awe of His majesty. God keeps His eye on people with such an attitude towards Him and shows them mercy and delivers their soul from death. Of course, this also includes believing in and having faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died to set us free and to give believers eternal life. (John 3:16)
But if you are living in sin and/or do not know Jesus as your Savior, the fact that God sees and knows everything should make you uncomfortable. That in turn will either make you try to avoid God, or it will make you repentant and cause you to turn to Him. Confess your sins to Him, be truly repentant, ask Him for forgiveness, and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master. (Romans 10:9,10,13)
"God created me - and you - to live with a single, all-embracing, all-transforming passion - namely, a passion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying His supreme excellence in all the spheres of life." - John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life
"The point of your life is to point to HIM. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His." - Francis Chan
It is all about the Heavenly Father and pleasing Him and bringing Him glory. He is Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe and should be glorified. His eye is upon His creation, and that includes you and me. Let us acknowledge Him in all that we do and give Him glory always. Don't glory in yourself, or your career, or in anything else but instead only in God.
"To give God glory is the ultimate purpose of all things." (King James Study Bible Notes)
"To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen." - Romans 16:27
Perhaps I should have titled this post "Give God The Glory". But if we realize that His eye is upon us, we will tend to live a more holy, godly life and thereby give the Lord glory.
In these chaotic and perilous times we are living in right now, it is easy to get caught up in fear of tomorrow and what the future holds..... that is, if we do not have a close personal relationship with the Lord and do not pray and do not read the Bible. Only God can give you the peace you need to cope with troublesome times.... these end times we find ourselves caught in.
As the hymn "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" tells us, "And today I'll walk beside HIM, for He knows what lies ahead."
Here is that hymn in full; it is very uplifting:
"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:11
Yes, there are two Gog of Magog wars! Most of you are familiar with the one in Ezekiel 38 and 39. That is the war where several nations come against Israel in the near future. We can see in today's news how Bible Prophecy concerning this is unfolding before our very eyes ! In this war of Ezekiel 38 and 39. the leader will come from the North, which many believe will be Russia, accompanied by Arab Nations.
In the following video with Amir Tsarfati, he stresses that sometimes the name of a place or geographical location (like Magog) can refer to the "spirit" of the place or person.
The other Gog of Magog war is mentioned in Revelation 20:7-10; and, again, Amir stresses that it is the "spirit" of that war that gives it its name. The instigator of the war in Revelation 20 is satan himself and there will be those that follow him, at the end of the 1000 year Christ's reign of God's kingdom on earth. In that war, the evil forces against the saints will come from all directions throughout the entire earth.
I urge you to watch the entire 36 minute video above as it is chock full of spiritual information. Amir has a thriving ministry and travels all over the world. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus, and his home is in Israel.
"And [satan] shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." - Revelation 20:8
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." - Revelation 21:1-2
"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." - Revelation 22:7
Earlier this month I was at the beach with my son and his family and friends, and my 3 year old grandson was my big joy and delight. One adult friend asked my grandson to do something (I forgot exactly what he asked), and my grandson kept on walking and didn't miss a beat and said, "Not right now" as he continued about, in his 3 year-old way, his important business. My grandmother's heart thought that was the cutest thing ever! Naturally, he had heard his parents say that and understood exactly what it meant.
After later sharing this amusing and precious moment with others, I began to consider the words "not right now" in a more serious and profound way.
How many Christians have felt the call of God to serve as a missionary and have said instead, "Not right now."
How many have felt the urge to help a homeless person, but were intent on their business and thought, "Not right now."
How many were prompted by the Holy Spirit to witness about Jesus but, for one reason or another, decided "Not right now."
I could continue on and on, but you see where I am leading us to. Most of our ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit is due to selfishness (maybe of not having enough time to spare to act, for example) and just generally self-love where we think only of our own needs and not the needs of others.
See the lighthouse on that 600 foot sea cliff in the above photo of mine? I have walked the 2 mile trail up to that Makapu'u lighthouse on the southeastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. It took a bit of effort, being a grandma, but once at the top the view below was breathtaking and you could see such a beautiful shoreline and the mountains all around.
Jesus has been compared to a lighthouse. His life and words and example have been a "light" to many. It takes effort to stay in His light; being guided by His loving Spirit to put Him first in our lives.
And to obey Him and keep His commandments.
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." - John 8:12
The hymn, "The Lighthouse," seems fitting to include here now:
Are you walking in darkness now? Have you heard the gospel and know you need Jesus, but you keep saying, "Not right now."? May I remind you that tomorrow may be too late ! You might die before tomorrow arrives, and then where will you spend eternity without Jesus? Jesus could return the next minute to rapture true believers to heaven to be with Him......where will you be when the 7-year Tribulation begins if you have not previously accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and Master?
One may be so involved in the pleasures and lusts of this world, that they say "Not right now" to surrendering their lives to Jesus. They love the world too much. Here is another reminder:
"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 another reminder:
"(15) 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. (16) 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. (17) And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." - 1 John 2:15-17
Many people are enjoying their sinful life in this evil world and do not want to think about giving it all up. Part of it is their own sinful will, and part of it the influence of the devil, who is the god of this world.
"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them." - 2 Corinthians 4:4
Please, if you have not done so, accept Jesus as your Savior and put your faith in Him so that you may have eternal life in glory with Him. Do not continue to say, "Not right now" !
Jesus' return is imminent... it could occur at any time.
Be ready.
Be like the true believers spoken of in Philippians 2:15 :
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."
