LISTEN CAREFULLY..... PAY ATTENTION.

Don't believe the lies and deceptions that demons and seducing spirits teach, that the Messiah has come. There are many deceivers in the world and in the church, whose aim it is to lie and  deceive, to lead into error, those who are not watching. Do not let anyone mislead you in any way, even as the Lord Jesus has said in the gospels. See Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13.

Be on your guard against those who display seductive tendencies. Test and prove all things. Be as those believers that were in Berea, who searched and examined the scriptures to see if these things were so. Acts 17 v 11. Many have been led into false religions, because they were ignorant of those deceivers and the lies they taught. Ignorance leads to fear which leads to bondage and servitude to darkness. Ignorance is never bliss.

If you are reading this, do not be afraid to warn those who will listen, pray for those who don't. Grace be with you...

YOU CAN EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN.....

One of the things mentioned in my last blog, was about the church, THE BODY OF CHRIST, coming together in the Spirit of unity not seen yet. What I am referring to is the unity of the spirit and the unity of the faith. In Ephesians, Paul speaks of us, the church, arriving at the same maturity that is found in the Messiah.

In fact here is the reference, [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead. Ephesians 4 vs 13 - 14.

The church, in her present state is, far from where she should be. Even as the Israelites rebelled, sought their own ways, were proud and boastful, so too, the body of Christ has behaved and conducted itself. The Lord uses punitive measures to bring about redemptive purposes amongst His people. When they wander from Him, rejecting His ways, He brings corrective measure to bring us back on track, even if that means years and years of time lapse. 

The wilful disunity and fragmentation that exists amongst the body of Christ, will be dealt with in a way that will see the church repent and come to this place of oneness or unity. The Lord Jesus own request of His Father shall come to pass. ( See John 17 )

The final time of tribulation will be the time when much is accomplished in the life of the church and the nation of Israel. The mystery of Israel and the church will be clearly seen for what God intended it to be, a people being formed TOGETHER, to become a SINGLE habitation, a fixed abode for God by His Spirit ..... Halleluyah .... You can expect this to happen, the grace of the Lord be with you all.

CONSIDER THESE THINGS.......

We need to be wise in these last days. While it may be, that we still have the comforts of houses, jobs, going to the movies, eating out etc, etc, The time is coming soon when these things will be taken away from us. How many of us have pondered the ramifications of the road we will have to travel, specifically during the last time of tribulation. Pat attention to these words from the Lord Jesus as recorded by Luke, see chapter 21. "Alas for those who are pregnant and for those who have babies which they are nursing in those days! For great misery and anguish and distress shall be upon the land and indignation and punishment and retribution upon this people. And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn] at the roaring (the echo) of the tossing of the sea, Men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the [very] powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter."

We should believe these words. Economic and political instability has affected every nation on this planet. Famine, pestilence, food shortages impact many nations. Flooding, droughts, not only affect the nations in which they directly occur, but if these calamities occur in nations that produce crops that other nations rely on, then the spin off affects the wider worldwide community.

But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth. Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. See Luke 21.

 

Again from the gospel of Mark, chapter 13, the Lord says, "And brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and [have] them put to death." In the book of Revelation, it says, that satan is cast down from heaven to the earth, knowing he has a short time left and he is angry. Clearly in his anger he seeks to attack all that is from God in vengeance. Then there is also the mark of the beast, without which you cannot buy or sell.

 

There are many other things that will take place. God will be our refuge and provider, but will require our trust in Him for this. The church will be drawn together in a fashion that is altogether absent in our present day. The mystery of Israel and the church will become more evident. This mystery is great and needs to come as a revelation to both Jew and gentile who are joined together to form the one new man, the structure which is being built up together for a dwelling place for God. See and understand Ephesians 2 - 4.

 

There is much to consider here and it all has to do with these end times .... until next time, the grace of the Lord be with you.

WHAT NEXT!!!!

To assume that the Lord Jesus could come at any moment, is to fail to understand God's purposes in the end times. The Lord Jesus cannot and will not return at any sudden moment, although when He does return, He will do so suddenly. Some believe the next thing to take place is the rapture. This cannot be possible. This does not mean we should be casual about His return. His return is set by His Father at the precise time the Father has decreed. It is like a paradox, the Lord is returning soon, but He is not in hurry to get things done, He is not slack concerning His promises. Certain things still need to take place first, before the Lord Jesus returns. The unity of the faith and the coming to full maturity of the body of Christ must take place. The relationship between Jew and gentile in the one new man is to become reality.

There is certainly that element of "something brewing" to use a catch phrase. There is indeed an awareness that events are unfolding. All the more reason to awake out of sleep and cast aside ignorance and reinvigorate the slack hands. If you have not done so already, strengthen the feeble knees. If you think end time things (eschatology) is not for you, you should think again, it is for you, you will be affected in one way or another.

Start taking the time to give thought and study to the end times, they are on the heart of God for His people, He does not want us ignorant concerning these times. Be encouraged, be strong, for the Lord is willing to reveal His plans to you.... Peace and grace be with you.

DON'T GET CAUGHT NAKED AND UNPREPARED!!!!

Continuing on from the last post about the error of pre - tribulation rapture teachings. These teachings have no basis in scripture, they are assumed. I was once sold on this theory of pre - tribulation rapture, and believe me, I was convinced of its validity, until I came across scriptures I could not explain away. The teachings of the Lord Jesus are never contradicted by the prophets or the apostolic letters. The Lord Jesus or the apostles never ever taught a pre - tribulation rapture. Many church leaders today on the other hand, seem to have more knowledge than the Lord Jesus.

Over the years, I have come to see somewhat differently. Because, I have taken the time to search and examine for myself, what Yeshua Himself says about these events. Listen to the words of Yeshua Himself.  "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendour]. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the universe to the other. From the fig tree learn this lesson: as soon as its young shoots become soft and tender and it puts out its leaves, you know of a surety that summer is near. So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors. Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place. Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father".

He then goes on to say, " As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, [men] marrying and [women] being given in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah went into the ark, And they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away—so will be the coming of the Son of Man. At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming". I have deliberately highlighted very important parts of information so often overlooked. Now read the highlighted fields on their own. All the scriptural accounts of this do not contradict each other. An interesting point to note is that, as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days when the Yeshua returns. Those signs abound and can be seen clearly, if you are paying attention. One thing most all the time overlooked is, who was taken and who was left? What and who is Yeshua referring to here? He is talking about the flood judgement, the wicked were taken, in judgement, the righteous were left. The issue is not one of rapture but of judgement on the wickedness of man. The wicked, all of them, were swept or taken away.

There is much more to all this which cannot be covered all at once. There are very specific reasons why the church will be here during the tribulation. It is through much tribulation we enter the Kingdom of God. Yeshua does not come three times, there is no secret coming of the Lord. He comes twice as the scriptures say, once as a servant, to lay down His life as a ransom for many, to redeem them from satan and sin. He comes again the second time as a King, all the tribes of the earth will behold Him, beating their breasts. Every nation, individual, power, principality will bend and bow the knee and acknowledge that Yeshua is the Messiah..... Don't get caught off guard, be prepared. Until next time.
Grace be with you.

LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT YOU HEAR.......

Have you pondered on what you believe and why you believe it? It is absolutely important to believe rightly, especially when it comes to scriptural truth. Someone once said, "None of us are free from inherited error". A well said statement... All of us, yes, you, and I, have inherited error from our various denominational affiliations in some measure or another. 

The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Be careful what you are hearing"... and I would suspect also on HOW we hear it. This makes quite a difference when you hear something taught, preached or even prophesied, Be careful what you hear and how you hear it. What you hear has to do with the content of what you are hearing, be on your guard against false prophets, teachers, pastors, apostles etc, etc. Don't subject yourself to false teachings, for you might become ensnared by them. How you hear, has to do with your heart attitude. Are you proud and conceited, do you think you know it all? Remember, it is God who resists the proud, not the devil.

What has this to do with the end times? The same checks apply to end time things as any other matter in scripture. The truth about the end times will either prepare you for what is coming, or, make you nonchalant because you think you will be raptured away. Oh yes, you read that right. It is error to think you will be conveniently raptured away, especially during the last of tribulation days i.e. the great tribulation. Any teaching on pre - tribulation rapture is the work of  man's interpretation or perception of end time events. Movies have been made of it, books have been written on it, sermons have been preached on it, even apparent prophecies have been made on it. Yet, all are unscriptural and are not the teachings of Christ or the apostles and prophets. This is all so because, we have not listened carefully, we have chosen to hear the words of men rather than the apostles and prophets of scripture, the main witness being that of Christ Himself. Ponder on this.
Grace be with you.

SOUND THE ALARM CONTINUED......

³ While He was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately and said, Tell us, when will this take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end (the completion, the consummation) of the age? ⁴ Jesus answered them, Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. ⁵ For many will come in (on the strength of) My name [^[b]appropriating the name which belongs to Me], saying, I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; ⁸ All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the ^[c]birth pangs [of the ^[d]intolerable anguish]. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended and repelled and will ^[e]begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred. ¹¹ And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error. ¹² And the love of ^[f]the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity, ¹³ But he who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end. (AMPC, Matthew 24.)

I have purposefully highlighted the words in red, because they are of great importance in these last days. This is not to say the rest of this passage is not urgent. It is. The Lord Jesus could have started with any of the above sayings first but chose directly to answer with these words Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].One of the greatest travesties in the assembly of believers today is this, error and deception. Lies taught as if they are the truth. There are a vast array of false teachers and false prophets proclaiming lies  And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error. And this has have done masterfully. This is so, mostly because we have been sleeping. We have not been alert or watching. To use an expression, "we have been caught with our pants down" says much to our shame and embarrassment. 

A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church] . (AMPC, Galatians 5 v 9) These words of Paul are loud and clear, they carry a weight that demands our attention. How much is a little bit of leaven? One thing is for certain, that little is already too much..... never mind the continued inclination to error or a few false teachers.

What do you believe and why do you believe it? A dual faceted question that requires an answer. Take the time and examine this, note your findings well. Much of what we believe is because we have been taught it by those who inspire us, from our respective denominational affiliations and not because the Spirit of Truth has revealed it to us.... Ponder on this, until next time.

Grace be with you all.

SOUND THE ALARM......

To continue on regarding the end times. If we are not waiting and watching, being alert for events to unfold, then we are in a precarious position, susceptible to deceit. Many are the instructions and warnings from Yeshua to be awake, watch and pray, be alert.

It is true to say that there has been a whole lot of garbage that has come along from individuals and groups about the end times. Sadly, a whole lot of it has been believed as if it were true. Quite a number have sold up their properties and given all their savings to those who have falsely proclaimed the "Lord" is coming on such a day etc. This is mostly due to ignorance on the part of the hearers. Yeshua has said,"If someone says the Messiah is here or there, don't believe them". Listen carefully, Be on your guard, pay attention, be watchful, for your Master is coming at an hour you do not expect. Yeshua Himself has said, "only the Father knows the day and the hour of His return". This does not mean we are to be ignorant of His return or the events that will precede His return. Although time is short, God is not in a hurry. Events are being enacted out, spoken of by the prophets and apostles and by Yeshua Himself.

If even inanimate musical instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone [listening] know or understand what is played? And if the war bugle gives an uncertain (indistinct) call, who will prepare for battle? Paul spoke these words to the Corinthian believers in his first letter to them. The truth is, many an uncertain call has been spoken by "so called prophets". They have spoken their own mind and have not been sent by the Lord. Their actions are twice the duplicity from their hearts. If you having been listening to strange voices, i.e. those who speak falsely as being sent from the Lord, then still yourself and wait on Him and listen. Read the scriptures carefully, casting aside vain theories of men and lying spirits and believe the truth. Be yourself prepared for what is to come.
The grace of the Lord be with you.

THE END SHALL COME....

Greetings saints,

 I am aware that the end times are a hot topic amongst most every circle of social networking.After all, most of us want to know if the world is really going to come to an end. It will. Whether we believe in God or not. 

 There is a vast increase in predictions from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Even in the secular world. It is not just in what is referred to as the religious world, Hollywood movies depicting the end of the world have abounded. Something about the end of the world has triggered great interest in virtually every facet of society.

 

 When secular society pays attention to the end of the world, it is mostly out of curiosity. There are those who desire a foreknowledge of this scenario so as to be prepared. There is a growing number of people, religious or not, that are seeking life off the grid. Sad to say, secular society often seems to be more willing to be ready for the end of the world than believers actually do themselves.

It is written in Proverbs, "A wise man foresees evil and prepares himself for it". Foreknowledge sacrifices the present for the future. Putting aside all the other references in scripture, i.e. witness from the Old Covenant writings and even the New Covenant writings, the Lord Jesus Himself has very serious remarks to make about the last days.

 These warnings of His, will affect every person in one fashion or the other.All that live on the entire planet earth will be affected. Particular note is the Lord' s warnings in the gospel of Matthew. The illustration of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins to be noted. I am purposefully withholding the actual references because if you are reading this, you do the research yourself and see if these things be so. We can become lazy in our own study of the scriptures expecting others to do it for us.

The scriptural account is the most accurate one there is. The events recorded in the bible have, and are continuing to happen until the end. Clearly, the actual events that will take place will be real life. What we read in the scriptures don't offer 24 hour a day, 7 days a week records of these events. 

 It should be understood clearly that, any contradictions we may arrive at regarding the end times is due to our own failure to understand what the Lord Jesus Himself has to say about them. When believers come up with differing interpretations of scripture, it could be that it is a different facet of the same truth which will ultimately form a single truth when pieced together. It could also be we have failed to understand what we are reading, thus coming up with an incorrect view of what we are reading. It could also be that we are missing exactly what we are reading, inserting our own or at worst a doctrine of demons interpretation of what we are reading. Note very carefully that any writing of Paul or Peter or John, Daniel etc do not contradict what the Lord Himself says about the end times.

The book of Revelation has often been misinterpreted because we have failed to see this revelation from the same stand point as it was given John. It is absolutely imperative that we be in the same sphere of spirit and mind in order to understand the writing of this prophecy of Revelation. "I (John) was in the spirit on the Lord's day"... This is not some airy fairy view or position to take. It is the only way of understanding this prophecy. There is also I believe a precedent given in Daniel. As Daniel was told to shut the book until the time of the end, so too there is that element which applies to the book of Revelation. We will come to understand end time things in a greater more accurate degree as we draw closer to the end.

But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the Book until the time of the end. [Then] many shall run to and fro and search anxiously [through the Book], and knowledge [of God’s purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall be increased and become great. (Amplified)

One thing is for certain, God does not want us ignorant,(ignorance is not bliss), it is a folly to be ignorant and folly leads us into destruction. The prophet Hosea declares by the Word of the Lord, "My people perish because of a lack of knowledge". If we do not understand, then we will not be prepared for these end times. We will be caught unawares.  We may go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning and some great event has taken place that will affect the way we live here in these last days. 

 So let us trust the Lord together to reveal and open the truths we read in scripture and prophecy regarding these end times. Events are taking place that we do not see or hear of until their time for revealing comes. Are you ready and prepared? The grace of the Lord be with each one.