Much has been written about the 2030 Agenda, and I will not elaborate on it except to provide you with a link that will help you understand just what it is truly about. Think about it! 2030 is less than a full 13 years away. And the powers that be intend to have every person on earth cataloged and marked by then! My opinion is that perhaps true believers in Jesus Christ will be taken to heaven before then. Please go to the following link:
The following video featuring Carl Gallups is very informative and chock full of new thoughts on the Mark of the Beast spoken of in the Bible at Revelation 13.
Speaking of the beast or the antichrist, Revelation 13:15-18 tells us: (15) "And he 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 should be killed (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
In the video above, Mr. Gallups explains that man is a carbon-based life form. "Carbon 12 is a major component of life and of DNA, of our chemical make-up. Carbon 12 consists of 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons, which equals 666, the number of man or the number of humanity." Interesting! The antichrist (the beast) will be human, but he will be indwelt by satan himself. You will find the above video compelling.
The fact that we are presently being cataloged and scanned and tracked tells you that we are near the beast system. But my eyes and concerns are not on the antichrist.
My eyes are on Jesus Christ, and His soon return to rapture true believers to heaven to be with Him.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." - Jesus at Luke 21:28
"Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it." - A.W. Tozer
The quote above is so true. When things are going badly or I get a little discouraged, all I have to do is remember how God has blessed me in so many ways and when I pray and thank the Lord for His goodness and His blessings, it relieves any negativity that has crept into my thoughts and puts me back on the right track. Worshiping and praising the Lord is the most positive and powerful antidote for any type of upset or discouragement. It causes me to remember all the ways God has "rescued" me in the past, and that in turn increases my gratitude many times over. It also increases my faith tremendously to recall His goodness to me in times past, as well as in the here and now.
"God wants to see prayers that are filled with genuine praise and thanksgiving for what He has done in the past. He wants our hearts to be filled with awe and gratitude for His blessings. He wants us to set up memorials in our hearts testifying to the provisions He has given us." - Michael Youssef
The Bible is full of men of God who expressed their gratitude and thankfulness to their Creator. Job lost all of his children and all of his wealth and was stricken with painful boils all over his body (all at satan's wicked hand). Although Job did not realize the evil one was behind all his troubles and pain, still Job had faith in the goodness of God and said at Job 1:21, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job was grateful to God and still praised Him in his adversity.
Consider how the apostle Paul was persecuted and all of the hardships that he endured during his ministry and in preaching of the Gospel. Yet his letters to the churches were full of thanksgiving. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul wrote, (16) "Rejoice evermore. (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
All one has to do is read the Psalms of David to grasp how much he gave praise to God and that he was grateful for all the LORD's provisions and protection and guidance.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." - Psalm 100:4
Consider how Jesus Christ suffered and died at Calvary so that all who believe in Him and in His resurrection may have eternal life. How could we not be grateful for His sacrifice and for the extreme and supreme love He demonstrated in doing so for us!!
"If we comprehend what Christ has done for us, then surely out of gratitude we will strive to live "worthy" of such great love. We will strive for holiness not to make God love us but because He already does." - Philip Yancy
May all of us say a prayer like what George Herbert said, "Thou who has given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart."
Just as parents are pleased when their children show them gratitude, so it pleases God and Jesus when we are thankful and grateful to them for their many blessings.
Here is a lovely song on thankfulness by Josh Groban:
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." - Colossians 3:15
"Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 7:12
I have been keeping up with the latest on the North Korea threat, mostly on alternative news media. This present threat is worse than the Cuban missile crisis during John Kennedy's administration in the early 1960's. Now it seems that Russia and China are a threat to the US fleet approaching North Korea as their ships are following the U.S. ships and their airplanes are flying over our ships and watching them closely. Following is a 12 minute video by Pastor Paul Begley from his You Tube channel. He gives some critical information on this North Korean threat and how Russia and China have turned against America. Please watch.
The Bible tells us that wars and rumors of wars is one of the signs of the end times before Jesus returns.
"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." - Jesus speaking at Matthew 24:6-7
Please read all of Matthew 24 for more end times signs. Also read Mark 13 and Luke 21. There are many signs Jesus gave; so we are not to point to just one or two signs, but rather, as the Lord said, to a convergence of all the signs at one time. Britt Gilette, in an informative article , tells us that the number one sign of Jesus' return is all the signs appearing together all at once like we see right now.
"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." - Jesus at Matthew 24:33
In the above link to Mr. Gilette's article, he lists various signs with Scriptures to prove these are the last hours of the last days. The sign that began these end times was when Israel became a nation again in 1948 after about 2000 years of being scattered throughout various countries of the world. It was a miracle!
"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?" - Isaiah 66:8
This prophecy of Isaiah came true in May of 1948. Israel became a nation again in one day! I have mentioned previously that the church has not replaced Israel....that God still holds the nation of Israel as His special people with whom He made an everlasting covenant in ancient times. We need to keep our eyes on the Middle East and on what the Bible prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and many other Bible verses in other books of the Bible as well. All the enemies of Israel as spoken of in the Bible are now coming together against Israel....but God will miraculously save Israel from her enemies. I pray you will read the entire article linked above.
Speaking of convergence, the following video from prophecyinthenews.com tells us that the one world economy and the one world government spoken of in the Bible book of Revelation are already here, to some degree.
In the above video, they discuss what is more than a documentary film by Brent Miller Jr. and Sr., and show two clips from that movie. It is fascinating information. Bible prophecy is a very effective witnessing tool as it proves that the Bible is true and is from God. As Kevin Clarkson says in the above video, "faith is founded on fact."
Most churches today do not deal with or teach Bible prophecy at all. This is a down-right shame. Christians need to know how close we are to Jesus' return so that they can witness to lost souls about the urgency of repenting and turning to Jesus Christ in faith and truly believing in their heart that He is their Savior, Lord, and Master. Believe and repent before it is too late.
Jesus is at the very door !!
Christians need to be careful not to get caught up with the cares of everyday living, making a living, and raising a family that they neglect God and Bible reading and prayer. The Lord wants us to have a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him. He wants to fellowship with us. Going to church does not save you. Good works and faithfully serving in the church do not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ and having a close personal relationship with Him will save you. How can you be a true Christian if you do not fellowship with the Lord?! Yet I have been told by more than one person, professing to be a Christian, that they never read their Bible. A true Christian has a hunger, an insatiable desire to be closer to God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him in total surrender. Therefore, they devour His Word with joy and in expectation of His blessing in teaching them and giving them understanding of His Holy Word. It takes the Holy Spirit to give comprehension of the Bible. You need to be born-again.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." - Jesus at Luke 21:34
Time is short, folks. Don't get caught up in the world and its pleasures and lusts. (James 4:4) Live instead for the Lord in total surrender to His will. Let your life be a testimony to the power of God; the resurrection power of Jesus.
This world is not the true home of Jesus' followers. We have a place prepared for us in heaven by the Lord. (John 14:2-3) Live a godly, holy life filled with hope of soon being with Jesus.
Maranatha!
"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 when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." - Jesus at Luke 21:28
"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." - Jesus at John14:2-3
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
"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 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
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
