Nothing But Opportunity — Are you waiting for things to return to normal? Do you seek the absence of pain & confusion? There is a bright side to some of this turmoil. The times we live in are in part designed for the would-be seeker who has lived so long in the bubble of complacency. Revival is coming! How do we know this, you ask? Because quickly is coming the time when there is no one or nothing to rely upon but God. Are we ready as the church to feed the hungry, & to speak the gospel? The spirit is moving upon the earth causing men & women to cry out to God. The end times harvest must be beginning – because the events of life are forcing it. Luke 11 (KJV): It came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 & he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Matthew 5 (KJV): 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, & to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, & put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; & it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, & glorify your Father which is in heaven. Love Mel
Do You Have Deferred Hope? Still Waiting?
Hope Deferred Prov 13:12 (KJV): “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” How many of us reading this today are praying for something that just has not happened yet & are getting discouraged & considering giving up? Is it a child in trouble or acting outside of scripture? Is it a healing we need in our body? Is it the removal of guilt, shame & ties to the past? Is it a country headed the wrong way? Whatever it is – don’t give up! Joseph was placed into Pharoah’s prison for more than a dozen years after doing nothing but honorable things. Abraham waited 25 years for a son after the angel visited him to tell him that he & Sarah would give birth again! David was anointed king & then spent more than 10 years running for his life, hiding in caves from Saul until his time came. The King of the Universe lived as a human for 30 years before accomplishing his painful purpose & returning to His throne of glory!! If you are a child of God, He tells you never to give up! To put your trust in Him. Continue to pray. Continue to give. Continue to speak the word to yourself & others. Also remember these times of waiting – for the Christian – are times of growth, learning & of forging an eternal faith. Romans 12:2 (KJV) tells us we should always be “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing in prayer”. Love Mel
Obey The Lord and God Will See That You Get To The Finish Line – Through it All
Charles Spurgeon spoke in 1873 of the tunnel through a mountain connecting France and Italy. Engineers from the Italian side labored for 6 years and made the linkup. It was a 12 year job given technology of the time. But the French were on the other side tunneling toward them. After 6 years the two sides met within 1 inch of each other and the way was cleared. A marvel of engineering. So it is with our God. By Faith we do what He says, and He is faithful to get us home through all the mountains of trials, tribulations, doubts and failures. Psalm 37 (KJV) tells us “23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Do what you know to do. Seek His salvation, seek to walk by faith, don’t give up – because it is God alone who will get you to your eternal home.
Pleading the Blood of Jesus
Pleading the Blood. Heb 4:16 tells us: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, & find grace to help in time of need.” We are told in the old days people frequently would “plead the blood” in prayer. Borrowed from a recent note from Curt Landry Ministries in part here to discuss the precious blood of the savior. The blood of Jesus draws us near, washes away our sins, grants us forgiveness, gives us eternal life, heals us, gives us joy, & speaks on our behalf. When entering the heavenly “courtroom” in prayer, be sure to present your case using the blood of the Savior. In 1 Peter 1:18-19 we read, “… you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Repent for known sin; remind the Lord what is written in scripture regarding your petition; make your request known pleading the blood of Christ; & thank Him for answering. Be sure to plead the blood to our father, our friend & our savior. That is why it was shed. Love Mel
The Rapture, Millennium, Second Coming – and the 1 % Rule
Some of the ideas in this article are borrowed from Nelson Walters end times ministry. I am writing it from memory as I fully accept and share this point of view. There are others who espouse it as well. But I recommend you check out Nelson’s excellent materials on YouTube.
There is a rule that leaders in the US created and followed after the events of Sep 11, 2001. It is called the 1% rule. It basically says that if there is even a 1% chance of a catastrophic event occurring, it should be treated as a certainty and planned for in advance. So, if we put that in the context of Jesus return and the eschatological events of the end times, what should we be thinking about?
There are several theories of end time events that can be well supported by scripture. No one theory can be categorically proven to be a certainty. The reader should look at Mt 24, Lk 21 and Mk 13 as well as 2 Thess and Revelation.
There are those who believe in a rapture or calling away of the church before the time of the tribulation – which is of course the last seven years of Daniels 70th week, and the final period of time before Christ’s rule on earth (The Millennium). In this (“pre-trib”) theory the church will be pulled out by God before the terrible prophesied events of the tribulation take place. If true, this means that the church will likely not face great persecution nor all the other horrors listed in the prophetic books of the Bible destined to occur during that time.
Others believe the theory that the church will remain on earth throughout the entire final 7 years until after the tribulation period, with a rapture occurring at the very end of the tribulation, followed by an immediate return with the Lord for the Battle of Armageddon. Believers in this category (“post-trib”) understand that there will be horrific events all over the earth during the final seven years which they will endure with others, and may be stocking up on some food and water and medicine – not to only to use – but to share with others in need during the terrible events of those days. They also know there is a high likelihood of death and martyrdom, and they will know the “signs of the times” and be ready to share the gospel.
Then there are those who believe that we as the church will be here for a portion of the tribulation but we will not endure “the wrath of God”. That means we as the church would be here for a large portion of the events in the final seven years, but we will be rescued prior to the unleashing of the worst part – the “seven bowls and 7 trumpets” which is the wrath of God – which occurs at the opening of the 7th seal in Revelation with the first trumpet. Believers in this category (“pre-wrath”) know they will not experience the most horrific portions of the final seven years – the wrath of Almighty God – but they also know they will experience the famine, false prophets, disease and death that are represented by the 4 horsemen. These believers will, just like the post-trib theorists, prepare in advance via knowledge and physical preparation.
Before getting into the main point, I will briefly mention that many respected Christian theologians, like NT Wright and others, do not believe in a rapture at all – just a surprise second coming at some point. The reader can evaluate that argument if desired. Such an eventuality would not surprise me at all, however we will continue under the strongly supported assumption that there will be a rapture, followed by a 1000 year reign of Christ on earth.
The purpose of this article is to apply the 1% rule and ask ourselves “what happens if the post- trib or pre-wrath theory is correct and I am here during the tribulation”? Many people in the pre-trib camp won’t have a clue as false prophets and false messiahs arise and real or false anti-christs arise. They also will not be prepared to help anyone during the time of crisis when people are most ready to receive the gospel and to avoid things like the mark of the beast. This is the great risk of theologies that may not be entirely correct.
The Bible tells us many false messiahs and false prophets will arise in the last days. How will we know which one is the real Christ? But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Mk 13 (KJV) tells us “25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” This is also described in Matt 24 and Lk 21. That is the only real Christ that will appear in the last days!! Remember that. Don’t worship any other miracle doer or ‘super loving person’ and thereby don’t accept the mark of the best which will, according to scripture, damn you forever!
What about the anti-Christ? The only sure identity of the antichrist is found in 2 Thess 2:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
When the true antichrist comes, he will reveal himself by sitting in the temple and declaring himself to be God. This is the only scripturally supported sure sign of the tribulation and it happens about half way through the 7 years. Following this halfway point is the “great tribulation” (the final 3 ½ years). The argument that a peace treaty occurs at the start of the 7-year tribulation is spurious and cannot be fully relied upon. But this event is indisputable. Mt 24 strongly indicates this “abomination of desolation” event occurs before the rapture of the church, so we would be on earth to observe this event which precedes Gods great judgement of the earth. So, the point is this – know the signs – in case you are here during all or a portion of the great tribulation. Be prepared to lead others to Christ and to help the church and those in need in His name. And don’t be shocked if you, as a saved believer, will be right in the middle of many terrible events. Be ready, do not be deceived and accept the mark, and be able to know the timelines.
