|
 Are
We Living in the
LAST
DAYS
before
THE GREAT
TRIBULATION
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
The
world is afraid, the world is looking for answers. It seems
that our world has suddenly become a very frightening place to
be. Are we living in the last days - are the events taking
place worldwide signs, the end times before the Great Tribulation,
which is spoken of many times in the Holy Scriptures.
 IN
THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME
Jesus
warned: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7)
The
Bible states: "And
I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him
was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword
(war), and with hunger (famine), and with death (tsunamis, war,
earthquakes, mudslides etc), and with the beasts of the earth (ie:
Mad Cow, Monkey Pox, West Nile Virus, Sars,
The
Coronavirus (COVID-19))"
(Revelation 6:8)
PEOPLE
ARE ARE EDGE WONDERING WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
People
are afraid, people are nervous and anxious and full of fear.
We are living in a world that is suddenly not a safe place to be.
We are living in a world full of terrorism, wars, new frightening
diseases and viruses and startling weather disasters that are
wiping out thousands of people in seconds.
On
September 11,2001 the world changed. On September 11 Satan
was rejoicing. On September 11 Satan scored a victory.
But I am here to tell you that SATAN CAN BE DEFEATED.
Yes
- the world changed drastically on September 11, 2001. What was a
relatively safe, comfortable existence turned instantly into a
world of terror. The Islamic terrorist group al Qaeda and
its leader Osama bin Laden accomplished something very important
on September 11. The terrorists took away our freedom, the
freedom to feel safe, the freedom to feel secure.
And
September 11, 2001 was only the beginning. The world is
dealing with so many issues that its hard for people to cope.
Our
world is literally falling apart. Our air is polluted, our
water is polluted, we are experiencing earthquakes, tidal waves,
tsunamis is places that are totally unexpected and at the greatest
magnitudes ever recorded. Global warming is threatening our
very existence and the new diseases & viruses we are seeing in
animals and food products are alarming.
WHAT
WILL BE NEXT IS THE QUESTION ON THE MINDS OF PEOPLE
The
whole creation, including the earth and all living creatures
therein, the cosmos and all universes that our Lord has created,
are groaning and travailing in pain and travail "together
until now."
The
earth is "running down" as Science teaches it will.
Man has polluted the air, polluted the water and the earth.
The earth is polluting and destroying itself through earthquakes,
tidal waves, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.
NATURE,
through solar storms, falling meteors, black holes, white holes
and worm holes is doing damage to the universe. Tornados,
cyclones, tsunamis and severe electrical storms cause great bodily
harm and death to people and animals, as well as destroying
millions of acres of timber annually through forest fire.
The animals and wild life are themselves polluters, spreading
disease amongst themselves, as well as being purveyors of many
deadly diseases to the human population.
AIDS,
SARS, MAD COW DISEASE, WEST NILE VIRUS
& THE CORONAVIRUS
- ARE THESE LAST DAYS PRE-TRIBULATION
BIBLE PROPHECY ?
Are
these diseases and viruses the starting point of what is coming
next during the GREAT TRIBULATION ? I
believe that the outbreak of AIDS, SARS, Ebola virus, Lyme
disease, Mad Cow disease (BSE), Foot and Mouth disease (FDM), West
Nile Virus, Hanta Virus, Monkey Pox,
The Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
and the latent TB and drug
resistant TB that is now rampant (2 billion world wide) is surely
Bible prophecy being fulfilled.
There
are also so many new viruses, bacteria and parasites spread by
animals, rodents and pests to human beings. Are these new
viruses from animals also a precursor to the awful things which
will happen during the GREAT TRIBULATION.
NEW
VIRUSES APPEARING AT FASTER RATES, SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
A
headline that appeared (August 2003) in the Washington Post, must
have sent shock waves through the Medical Community and the
general population. From a theological perspective, the
connection between Biblical eschatology and the phenomenal parade
of new emerging viruses being passed from animals to humans, this
new report is very significant.
Are
the news diseases Sars,
Mad Cow
Disease, West Nile
Virus, Bird flu, Coronavirus
(Covid-19) and many others biblical prophecies. Are these world
disasters, extreme weather changes, world disasters and mounting
hatred, wars and nations turning against nations world wide BIBLE
PROPHECY coming to pass.
The
Bible states: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his
name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to
kill with sword (war), and with hunger (famine), and with
death (tsunamis, war, earthquakes, mudslides etc), and with
the beasts of the earth (Mad
Cow, Monkey
Pox, West Nile
Virus, Sars,
Coronavirus (Covid-19)") (Revelation 6:8)
For
a very long time Bible scholars were unable to understand this
verse. Everyone had serious questions about beasts being
a source of so many people dying. When S.A.R.S. struck
the world with a vengeance a few years ago, the meaning of the
scripture became very evident. St. John's prophecy was so
absolutely clear!
THE
BIBLE SCHOLARS CONVENTIONAL WISDOM WAS WRONG
The
prevalent though was that when famine came, the wild beasts from
the forests would enter the cities and towns and kill people for
food. Some translations of Revelation 6:8 placed the words
'wild beasts' in their study notes.
Now
we know how wrong that interpretation was. God's Word is
absolutely perfect! As a theologian who has studied the Holy
Bible scriptures for over 40 years I believe this to be
pre-Tribulation more and more as the truth in revealed through
events that happen round about us.
In
my research, I found found that SARS, Lyme Disease, Foot &
Mouth disease, Mad Cow
disease, Hanta virus, Monkey
pox, Ebola
virus, Aids and West Nile Fever are diseases that have all come
from animals (beasts) or rodents and insects (pests).
Jesus
warned: "For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
PESTILENCES, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew
24:7).
Rob
Stein wrote: "It happens again and again. Strange and
frightening new infections seem to appear out of no where, such as
Lyme disease, Ebola and of course, AIDS. With Monkeypox
coming on the heels of Sars, which emerged not long after West
Nile, it is a phenomenon that seems to be happening at an
accelerating rate.
"Scientists
agree that the trend is alarming and appears to be gathering
speed. In the coming years, they say, dangerous new
pathogens emerging."
WE
ARE SURROUNDED BY DEATH & DESTRUCTION - THE WORLD HAS BECOME
UNCERTAIN & FEARFUL
On
every hand, we see death and destruction. The Bible states
that, "the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1
John 5:19); "And the world passeth away and the lust thereof,
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." (1 John
2:15-18)
No
only they, but OURSELVES also, which have the first fruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, that is to say, the redemption (resurrection) of our
body.
SATAN
IS HARD AT WORK AND SATAN'S INFLUENCE IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE
SATAN'S
FILTH & STENCH can be seen, heard and felt across the
world. His evil, unholy and corrupting influence is
everywhere present; in homes, communities and nations, as well as
in academia, the government, commerce, judicial systems and in the
church.
The
truth is that the whole world lies in wickedness and Satan is
the "prince of the power of the air." Satan
is the author of the "spirit of disobedience"
that pervades society today. This "spirit of
disobedience" is affecting millions of people across the
earth. (Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6)
Even
though we as Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit and have
fellowship with Jesus and each other, we live in a flesh and blood
body. We are constantly being bombarded with temptations.
We have Christ's promise of divine healing, but we are still
subject to ageing and death.
St.
Paul states that we groan inwardly because of our limitations and
desire to be clothed with a glorified body, knowing that one day
we will be changed and receive a glorified body similar to
Christ's. The Bible says: "Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew
Him not."
"Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:1-2).
Death
and corruption have been present on this earth and in the cosmos
since the terrible 'fall of man' in the Garden of Eden.
Everything is subject to the 'Second Law of Thermodynamics' - that
of ageing, deteriorating and corruption. There is no
escaping it.
Everyone
that is born dies eventually and will go back to the dust of the
earth. All great men and their empires, small or great will
deteriorate and go to ruin. Now the universe is running out
of steam and Bible Prophecy is being fulfilled and will continue
to be fulfilled as time goes on.
JESUS
demanded: "Whosever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall
lose his life for My sake and the gospel's the same shall
save it."
"For
what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of
Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of
him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the
glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38)
Christ's
Victory and Satan's Defeat is our Liberty
for
time and eternity! Amen and Amen.
VITAL
SIGNS
of
the soon return of
JESUS
CHRIST
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
What
does the Bible have to say about the end times? Does the
Bible warn us that there will be signs that the end is near and
that the return of Jesus Christ is drawing closer?
These
are common questions which many people have and as we watch
the news and see the many disasters world
wide, wars, nation turning against nation, hatred and unrest, we
realize the world is in a crisis that seems to grow worse each
day. What will happen next?
 WHAT
ARE THE SIGNS THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE END TIMES
"I
will go and return to My place, til they acknowledge their
offence, and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me
early." "Come, and let us return unto the Lord:
for He hath torn, and He will bind us up. After two days will He
revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live
in His sight." (Hosea 5:15; 6:1-2)
This
is one of the most significant scriptures in the entire Bible
dealing with the end times and the "Second Coming" or
rapture.
Thousands
of years ago, the Old Testament prophet pin-pointed the sins of
the Jewish nation in: No. 1 - breaking the Mosaic
Covenant and No. 2 - the rejection of their Messiah, as
well as their terrible suffering and return to God in repentance
and faith in the last days!
FOR
2000 YEARS THE CHURCH HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS
CHRIST IN THE SECOND COMING
For
nearly two thousand years, the Church of Jesus Christ has lived in
the hope of His promised return. Old Testament prophets HAD
FORETOLD IN DETAIL the time and place of His virgin birth, His
sinless life, His miraculous ministry, His vicarious death and His
glorious resurrection. They also prophesied His second advent and
triumphant millennial reign.
WHY
HAVE JEWISH PEOPLE SUFFERED SO MUCH OVER THE YEARS?
THE
UNDERLYING REASON
for the terrible suffering, pain and sorrows meted out to the Jews
over centuries and millennia, is because they broke the covenant
Moses made with God on their behalf.
If
you doubt that, read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy which details
the blessings of God upon Israel if they keep the covenant
(Deuteronomy 1-14) and the curses of God upon Israel if they break
the covenant (Deuteronomy 15-68).
THE
SECOND REASON
- which accounts for only a limited period of "one
generation" - is that the Jewish people rejected their
Messiah.
Jesus
stated, "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and
wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify;
and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and
persecute them from city to city: THAT UPON YOU (only that
specific generation which rejected Jesus as their Messiah, not
subsequent generations!) may come all the righteous blood shed
upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of
Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and
the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon
this generation.
"O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till
ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
Lord." (Matthew 23:34-39)
Please
Note: The rejection of the
Messiah was only the tip of the iceberg in a long list of "killing
the prophets & stoning them that have been sent to you"
As
a matter of fact, the crucifixion of Jesus was not included in the
reason for God's judgment upon them. Jesus specified the blood
shed from Abel to Zacharias. He did not mention His own blood.
For
centuries, the Roman Catholic Church as well as some Protestant
Churches said the Jewish race was cursed because of their
rejection & condemnation of Jesus Christ which culminated in
His crucifixion by the Romans!
That
teaching was terribly flawed and became a tool which was used to
denigrate & destroy Jewish people!
For centuries, Jews were called Christ-killers and only recently
has the Roman Catholic Church renounced that evil, devilish
doctrine! It's almost bizarre that the Roman Catholic Church would
call Jews by that terrible name, since it was Italians (Romans)
who crucified our Lord. Yet no one thought of calling Italians, 'Christ-killers'
The
teaching I refer to is, that the reason for Jewish suffering is
because they made a deal with Governor Pontius Pilate, saying: "Let
His blood be upon us and upon our children."
(Matthew 27:25)
Let
me make myself abundantly clear on this point:
It is impossible for the blood of Jesus to harm anyone or bring
any curse upon Jews or anyone else! The Blood of Jesus
brings only forgiveness, healing and eternal life. It cannot
bring a curse. (1 John 1:7; Col. 1:20)
I
repeat: Israel's grievous sin of breaking their covenant with God
is the primary reason for their suffering.
The
Bible says, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not
hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all
His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: The
LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke...until
thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the
wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me.
The
LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until He have
consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever,
and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with
the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall
pursue thee until thou perish."
"The
LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods,
and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be
healed. The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and
astonishment of heart...Moreover He will bring upon thee all the
diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall
cleave unto thee.
Also
every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book
of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be
destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as
the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey
the voice of the LORD thy God...and ye shall be plucked from off
the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall
scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even
unto the other...
"And
the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships...and there
ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and
no man shall buy you." (Deuteronomy 15, 20-22, 27-29,
59-64, 68)
It
is of vital importance for everyone to know that even though Moses
- God's prophet & lawgiver - prophesied 2000 years earlier
concerning the blessings of keeping the covenant the Jewish people
had made with the Almighty (Deuteronomy 1-14) as well as the
curses that would come upon them if they broke the covenant (v.
15-68), his prophecy came to pass in the minutest detail.
Verse
68 states that if they broke the Mosaic Covenant, they would be
taken back to Egypt - as slaves - in ships.
It stated further, that no man would buy them. Here are the
brutal facts: After General Titus had destroyed Jerusalem in A.D.
70, killing 1.1 million Jews in the siege, 89,000 Jews were taken
to Egypt as slaves. There was such a hatred against Jews, that it
was below the dignity of any Roman to own a Jewish slave.
Among our nations, only Egypt would take Jews as slaves! That's
how perfectly true God's prophetic Word is!
WHO
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus
was born to die!
(1 Corinthians 15:3; Romans 5:7-8; 1 John 3:8)
He was ordained to be the propitiation for our sins, in order to
satisfy the DEMANDS OF DIVINE JUSTICE (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2;
4:10) He was crucified by the foreknowledge of God.
(Acts 2:23)
Although
God used Judas, a human instrument to betray our Lord, the Jewish
leaders to unjustly condemn Him to death and the Romans to do the
terrible deed, it was according to God's will, plan & purpose.
(Romans 8:32)
IN
FACT, IT WAS GOD THE FATHER WHO LAID THE STRIPES UPON HIM AND
SMOTE HIM.
I never fully understand God's love, until it was revealed to me
during a crusade in Kenya. When He showed me His great love,
I wept for 3 days and nights! Here are the scriptures that
touched my heart, and I pray they will also minister to you.
"He
that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things."
(Romans 8:28)
St.
Paul declared that God's love is so great that He did not spare
His only Son but turned Him over to murderers and gangsters
(delivered Him up) to be humiliated, tortured & crucified on
the "cursed tree" for us.
And
since Jesus paid the ultimate price by making the supreme
sacrifice for us, God will freely give us whatever Jesus' death
& resurrection has provided, since He is seated - even now -
on God's right hand as our Saviour, Redeemer & Advocate.
Not
only did our Heavenly Father deliver up His Son to die, HE ALSO
LAID OUR SINS AND SICKNESSES UPON HIM (Isaiah 53:4-6; Matthew
8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24). God's love regarding our salvation
was so intense that He rejoiced when Jesus suffered & bled for
us. The Bible says, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
Him. He hath put him to grief." (Isaiah 53:10)
The
Norwegian translation says: "Det behaget Herren til - knuse
ham - it pleased the Lord to CRUSH Him."
THERE
IS MUCH BITTERNESS IN OLDER JEWISH PEOPLE & UNBELIEF IN
THE YOUNG
The
"children of Israel" suffered terribly for thousands of
years, from the time of the Babylonian captivity until Hitler's
holocaust! This suffering continued under the cruel yoke of Soviet
Communism for decades more. Since the coming of glasnost and
perestroika and the dissolution of the "Evil Empire" in
1991, however, hundreds of thousands of these precious people have
immigrated to Israel.
In
my dealings with older Jewish people, I HAVE DISCERNED MUCH
BITTERNESS TOWARD CHRISTIANS, GOD AND LIFE IN GENERAL, because of
the treatment their forbears received at the hands of cruel Papal
armies during the Middle Ages. That is understandable because the
evil, unholy acts carried out by that religious denomination were
done in the name of Jesus Christ.
In
order for Jewish people, however, to come to the knowledge of the
truth and be saved, they must - like everyone else - stop blaming
other people for their own problems.
The
Bible says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no,
not one...for there is no difference: For all have sinned and come
(fallen) short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:10-23)
"For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans
10:9-13)
"Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew...But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect
of persons." (Colossians 3:11, 24-25)
THERE
IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEWS AND GENTILES. ALL HAVE SINNED AND
ALL NEED A SAVIOUR. AND JESUS CHRIST IS THAT SAVIOUR
The
truth is, that only Jesus Christ can forgive and save lost
humanity! He alone has the power to forgive sins, remove fear and
condemnation and give peace to troubled hearts and minds, having
defeated death, hell and the grave and purchased full salvation
for all who receive Him as Lord and Saviour!
WHY
IS THIS?
Only Jesus Christ qualifies as the Saviour of the world, because
He shed His precious blood as the sacrificial "pascal
lamb" on Mount Calvary and died as our substitute, according
to the Old Testament Scriptures! (Romans 1:4)
A
very great injustice has been done to Christianity in general,
however, and the Church of the Living God, in particular, because
of recent books, articles and statements made by a few Jewish
authors, linking the horrible beliefs of Adolf Hitler and Nazism
to the teachings of the Christian Church.
The
very vocal and totally unfair books and statements made by
prejudiced, liberal Protestant authors who attack Christianity and
the teachings of St. Paul, employing the same biased linkage.
The
totally unfair, prejudiced and accusatory film
"Anti-Semitism" of the United States Holocaust Museum
which lays blame for the Holocaust, on the teachings of
Christianity.
MANY
JEWISH PEOPLE FEEL GOD DESERTED THEM BECAUSE OF THE HOLOCAUST
A
recent report by "Christianity Today" states: "Now,
a group of prominent Jews has accused the United States Holocaust
Museum....of misleading the public by blaming Hitler's genocidal
program on historic Christian beliefs about Jews. "The film
paints with a broad brush. A dull voice intones disconnected
facts and quotations that leave the viewer believing that
anti-Jewish bias is the result of Christian influence on the Roman
Empire, that it has been Christian society alone that has
marginalized and oppressed Jews, and that Nazi racial prejudice
against the Jews was in clear continuity with earlier religious
prejudice. The Anti-Judaism that preceded Christianity and
that had long existed outside Europe, is ignored."
The
New York Times quoted Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of
the National Council of Churches as saying, "If you look at
the Nazi regime, you can see in it the philosophy of Christian
superiority."
'Christianity
Today' points out how inaccurate that statement is, 'ignoring Nazi
beliefs about the defects in historic Christianity'. And
ironically, Campbell made that statement in an interview where she
downplayed the awful persecution, suffering and torture inflicted
upon Christians around the world today.
Incidentally,
it is a Jewish Barrister, Michael Horowitz who is awakening
clergymen and politicians alike to the horrible persecution,
torture, enslavement and other atrocities being carried out
against Christians by many governments in the world today.
In
her book, 'Faith and Fraticide', Rosemary Radford Ruether, called
upon Christians to abandon the belief that Jesus is the Saviour
for everyone in favor of the notion that Jesus is the saviour of
some while others will have their own 'saviours', stated the
'Christianity Today' article.
MANY
JEWISH PEOPLE ARE OPENING THEIR HEARTS TO THEIR MESSIAH
A
great awakening however, is happening today among the Jewish
people.
Their hearts are opening to their Messiah as He prophesied!
Hundreds
of years before His first coming, the Jewish Messiah stated that
He would 'GO AND RETURN TO MY PLACE' referring to Heaven, until
the Jewish people acknowledge their offence (sin) and seek My
face. They are doing that now.
In
1971, I conducted a Gospel crusade in the YMCA building in
Jerusalem. We distributed 10,000 handbills there as well as
carried ads in the 'Jerusalem Post.' Many Arabs, Roman
Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Protestants attended the crusade,
but only a miniscule number of Jews came to our meeting.
Even
20 years ago, you couldn't find more than 100 born again Christian
Jewish believers in Israel. Today, there are more than
70,000 Jewish believers in 90 different congregations in that
nation.
HOW
DID THAT HAPPEN?
The 'Law of the Return' opened the door for any Jewish
person with at least one Jewish grandparent, to immigrate to
Israel. About 750,000 Jewish people returned from Eastern
Europe and several hundred thousands from South America.
Some of these were believers in Jesus Christ and they brought the
gospel (the good news) with them to the land of the Bible.
Hosea
states that they will recognize their grave error and with
repentant hearts return to the Lord, realizing that God had to
punish their forefathers for breaking the Mosaic Covenant, and for
rejecting their Messiah!
Notice,
they will say, "Come, let us return unto the Lord: for He
hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind
us up." Then the prophet interjects something very
important - A TIME-DATE LINE! "After two days will He
revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live
in His sight." (Hosea 6:1-2)
What
does this mean? THE LORD GOD WILL RESTORE THE JEWS THEIR
RIGHTFUL PLACE AND JERUSALEM WILL BECOME MOST IMPORTANT CITY ON
EARTH
The
Word of God interprets itself and we read in 2 Peter 3:8-9: "But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
SIGNS
OF THE END TIMES REVOLVE AROUND ISRAEL, JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH NATION
As
I see it, the period of suffering for the Jewish nation is almost
at an end and the Lord God Almighty will restore them to their
rightful place, and JERUSALEM will become the most important city
on earth.
It's
about 2000 years since God's judgment fell upon Israel and
according to St. Peter, 'one day with our Lord is as a thousand
years with us'. The prophecy states, "After two days (2000
years) will He (the Lord) revive us (bring us back to life) and in
the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."
Without
doubt, this refers to the "Millennial Reign of Christ",
which will be one thousand years of peace upon earth with Jesus
Christ, the Jewish Messiah, ruling from Jerusalem.
4
SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF
THE END TIMES
What
does the Bible say?
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
There
are four significant signs that show us where we stand today in
relation to then end times and our Lord's soon return, namely:
The
Sick Condition of our Planet
The
Sick Condition of the World
The
Sick Condition of Israel
The
Sick Condition of the Church
SIGN
#1 - THE SICK CONDITION OF OUR PLANET
Mankind
is groaning under the terrible weight of sin and condemnation.
Satan - the enemy of God and man - has bound the human race with
shackles of rebellion, unbelief, fear, torment, lust, greed,
hatred and perversion! It was Adam's acquiescence to the Evil One's
lying temptation that brought sickness and death (spiritual and
physical) upon the human race.
The
Bible states: "For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the
creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason
of Him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the
creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now."
"And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for
the adoption, to wit (that is to say), the redemption of our
body." (Romans 8:19-23)
People
everywhere are waiting for the "MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF
GOD"! What does that mean? Six billion people are
looking for an escape from the emptiness, fear, torment, sickness
and bondage in which they live.
THE
ENTIRE WORLD IS WAITING FOR US - GOD'S CHILDREN TO BE SO FILLED
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT WE CAN FREE THEM FROM THE TYRANNY AND
LIES OF THE DEVIL AND HIS EMISSARIES.
Don't
believe for a moment, that the millions lost in sin and bound by
evil spirits of occultism, superstition, false religion, satanic
oppression and sexual perversion are happy in that state! No
one enjoys being in slavery to witchcraft, fear, torment and evil
spirits.
Oh,
some are sufficiently deceived to live in a fool's paradise having
convinced themselves that everything is A-Okay, but the opposite
is true. If everything is all right, why do so many rock
musicians die of drug overdoses and commit suicide? Why do
many Hollywood stars die of alcoholism, suicide and drug
overdoses? And why do wealthy, successful people - who
seem to have everything going for them - take their own lives?
The
Bible says, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when
it cannot rest, bringing forth mire and dirt. There is no peace
saith my God to the wicked." (Isaiah 57:20-21)
Our
enemy is not flesh and blood, but Satan himself and all his demons
that tempt, deceive, coerce, inhibit, afflict, torment, steal and
kill! Our battle is with the devil - not with human
beings, however he does use people to do his bidding! The
devil must have his emissaries & ministers, to do his evil
work.
And
what of the Hindu extremists constantly fighting the Muslims in
India and the Seiks battling the Hindus? And the (political)
ungodly Roman Catholic IRA killing the (political) 'Christian-in-name-only'
Protestants and vice versa?
And
if the pagan are so happy in their religious life, why are there
so many 'holy jihads'? Two examples: Muslim Iran against
Muslim Iraq in a seven year war that saw one million men die, and
at present Islamic extremists terrorizing and butchering hundreds
of their own people in Algeria?
THEY
DO NOT KNOW GOD and
have not been changed by His mighty power. Anyone who has
been converted to Christ, being born again by the Word of God and
the Holy Spirit, would certainly not be waging 'holy wars' against
their fellowmen. The only warfare that we are commanded to
fight is the 'Good Fight of Faith.'
HOW
DO WE FIGHT THE DEVIL?
The
Bible says, "Satan, your adversary, goeth about like a
roaring lion, seeking who he may devour, whom resist in the
faith..." (1 Peter 5:9) We resist him by serving Jesus
to the best of our ability; by living a holy and righteous life,
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, healing the sick and casting
our devils!
The
Scripture says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2
Corinthians 10:4-5)
In
our search for more land to conquer, new technologies to improve
our living standards, and the pursuit or more wealth, man has
engaged in wars, enslavement, violence and pollution which has
raped our environment, land, water and air.
Our
Planet is groaning under the terrible weight of the awful harvest
of mankind's sins of rebellion, greed, hatred, violence and
slavery!
In
the beginning, after the fall of our first parents, THE ENTIRE
HUMAN RACE was plunged into sin, fear, sickness & death! God
immediately placed a curse upon the earth - "And unto Adam He
said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life."
(Genesis 3:17)
OUR
PLANET is struggling to stay alive and is groaning under this
burden! The 'second law of thermodynamics' began after the fall
and continues today with aging, deterioration and decay. Only the
return of Jesus Christ will salvage the earth. Mankind will not be
allowed to destroy the earth, but will be punished for defiling
and polluting it, as is prophesied in the last book of the Bible.
THE
BIBLE SAYS, "And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is
come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and
that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets,
and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great;
And shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11:18)
God
will have the last word and will judge polluters! If you want a
good example of this, look at the former Soviet Union which
polluted the land, sea and air and after raping the environment,
ended up totally bankrupt.
JESUS
CHRIST MUST RETURN IN ORDER TO SAVE US FROM OUR OWN DESTRUCTIONS,
SO THAT HE CAN REIGN ON THIS EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS OF PEACE AND
PROSPERITY.
Believers
in Jesus Christ, like St. Paul, are waiting for the moment when we
can be free from the limitations of our weak, carnal flesh and to
be glorified (in the next life) to forever be in Heaven with Jesus
Christ and all the redeemed from all ages! WE WILL THEN RECEIVE A
RESURRECTED BODY WITHOUT THE LIMITATIONS WE HAVE TODAY.
The
Bible says, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit (that is to say), the
redemption of our body." (Romans 8:23)
Eternity
will be a joyful time of peace and glory as we live eternally in
Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ and all the redeemed from every
nation, tongue and people of all ages"
"And
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the
voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be
glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
"And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And
he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:6-9)
SIGN
#2 - THE SICK CONDITION OF THE WORLD
The
Bible says, "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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the
lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
(1 John 2:15-17)
These
are Satan's three knockout-punches which he uses to tempt the
"children of men", namely: 1) the lust of the
eyes 2) the lust of the flesh and 3) the pride of
life.
Satan
used these three temptations on Eve with great success. "And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the
flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes),
and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6)
King
David fell under this temptation also: He saw a beautiful woman
taking a bath in the privacy of her garden (the lust of the eyes).
He desired her and sent for her, committing adultery (the lust of
the flesh). HE FELL AFTER ONLY TWO STRIKES
JESUS
DEFEATED HIM TOTALLY
It
was a different story when Satan used his time-tested strategy on
our Lord Jesus Christ. He withstood the temptation and defeated
the devil each time he came with a new "trick up his
sleeve."
After
Jesus had fasted 40 days, Satan said to Him: "Command that
these stones be made bread." (the lust of the flesh) Jesus
answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
The
devil tried again: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest
at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (the pride
of life) Jesus answered, "It is written again, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God." IN OTHER WORDS, GOD DOESN'T CLOWN
FOR ANYBODY.
Finally,
Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time and said: "All these things will I give thee (pride of
life), if thou wilt fall down and worship me." WHAT A
DESPICABLE, ARROGANT, EGOTIST SATAN IS! Jesus rebuffed him
immediately with the Word of God saying, "Get thee hence,
Satan (enemy): for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. 4:1-11)
SATAN
HAD TO LEAVE HIM, THEN
The
Bible affirms that Satan is "the god of this world" and
"the spirit which now worketh in the children of the
disobedience." (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2) He is the world's
greatest liar and the father of lies and a murderer extra-ordinaire.
(John 8:44)
The
whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and he
"goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour." (1 Peter 5:8) We however, can "resist him
in the faith and he will flee from us." (1 Peter 5:9; James
4:7)
The
Bible records that Demos was swayed by the bright lights of
Thessalonica and forsook Paul, 'having loved this present world'
(2 Timothy 4:10). And St. John commends the young men in the
Church for overcoming the wicked one! (1 John 2:13)
St.
Paul warned of the total deterioration of morality, decency and
fairness in the last days. Decadence & perversion will
rule just prior to our Lord's return, stated the Apostle!
As
we read the prophecy we feel saddened by the resemblance of our
present age to the prophetic Word of God.
"This
know also, that IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
"Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
"Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL
DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils;" (1 Timothy 4:1) "And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret." (Ephesians 5:11-12)
"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which
walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I
have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are
the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who
mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:"
(Philippians 3:17-20)
Interjected
among the reports of hypocrisy, backsliding & gross moral
evils, St. Paul interjects the Blessed Hope of the Return of Jesus
Christ.
"For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
Our
thoughts, actions, prayers, plans, goals and complete agenda here,
is tied to Heaven's plans, purposes and desires. We belong to His
heavenly kingdom and labour first and foremost for Christ.
Why
is this so important? Only our Blessed Jesus Christ has the
mandate, power & desire to straighten out this wicked world.
Therefore we wait for Him to come.
PERVERSION
VYING FOR RESPECTABILITY
Jesus
prophesied that the time will come, "that whosoever killeth
you will think that he doeth God service". (John 16:2)
And
the prophet stated, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and
good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them
that are wise in their own eyes...Which justify the wicked for
reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!"
(Is. 5:20-23)
St.
Paul expounded, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost: 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.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Corinthians
4:3-5)
That
this WORLD IS EVIL AND PERVERTED is no secret!
The world system that despises that which is good and glorifies
that which is EVIL is a product of Satanic invention, since he is
the "god of this world".
Again
Paul declares that Jesus Christ "gave Himself for our sins,
that He might deliver us from this present evil world (age),
according to the will of God and our Father". (Galatians 1:4)
SIGN #3 - THE SICK CONDITION OF ISRAEL
ISRAEL
IS VULNERABLE FACING ATTACKS FROM EVERY DIRECTION
At
this moment in history, Israel is very vulnerable because of the
pressure placed upon them by the nations of the world to give up
land for peace. And
the United States - who traditionally has been their friend, is
turning the screws the hardest of all.
Eventually,
Israel will succumb to all this pressure and give away so much
land that they will be unable to defend themselves. Sometime in
the future, Israel will be deceived into accepting the Antichrist
as their Messiah and will suffer terribly because of that.
Referring to this, our Lord said to the Jewish leaders,
"I
am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another
(the anti-Christ) shall come in his own name, him ye will
receive." (John 5:43
The
Jewish leaders rejected Jesus Christ Who came to save them in His
Father's Name. When Antichrist comes in his own name, they
will receive him!
WHAT
A SAD & TRAGIC COMMENTARY ON WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
My
guess is that Iraq will eventually be reduced in power after the
United States and her allies are finished with her. Then
undoubtedly, Iran will pick up the pieces and gobble up Iraq (and
possibly Syria) and control all the oil flow in the Middle East!
(Ezekiel 38 & 39)
GOD'S
WORD STATES THAT RUSSIA WILL RISE UP AGAIN IN GREAT POWER AND LEAD
THE MARCH AGAINST ISRAEL
Iran
will then be the dominant power in the area, with the USA and
Israel giving in to their demands! According to God's Word, Russia
will rise in great power again and lead the march against Israel!
The
prophet Ezekiel declared that Iran (Persia) together with
Ethiopia, Libya & Turkey will march against Israel in the
great battle of "Gog and Magog".
GOD
WILL FIGHT FOR ISRAEL AND DEFEND HER
A great slaughter will
unfortunately take place however, before God's chosen people come
to their senses. They will ultimately receive their long awaited
Messiah Jesus Christ, when He returns n the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ in power and great glory at the end of the age!
Jesus
Christ will then rule and reign for 1000 years of peace upon
planet earth, as King of kings and Lord of lords!
SIGN #4 - THE SICK CONDITION OF THE CHURCH
Celebrated
Canadian writer, Peter Newman exposes the weaknesses in our
churches and outlines wherein and how we have failed to
communicate the Gospel to our children, grandchildren and our
neighbours.
In
his recent book, "The Canadian Revolution" Peter Newman
chronicles the free-fall of the United Church of Canada's
membership as well as their influence in society during the past
three decades.
Newman
writes, "The United Church, formed in 1925 through a union of
Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, suffered the
steepest decline. Three million Canadians declared their United
Church affiliation to the latest census takers but less than
380,000 bothered going to church. Although the most liberal of the
mainstream congregations, allowing for the ordination of gay
priests and promoting the social gospel, the United Church found
itself paradoxically unable to attract the young."
A
footnote says, "An increasingly typical event was the
closing, during the fall of 1994, of Chalmers United Church in
downtown Vancouver. There wasn't a single member left on its
congregational rolls who was less than 80 years old."
For
years, University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby has
tracked the religious life of Canadians. In his book "Unknown
Gods" , Bibby states: "Tragically, religious groups are
failing in what appear to be spiritually prosperous times. The
churches are inept religious companies that cannot get the faith
out of the ware house." The news is that interest and
intrigue persist, in spite of the problems of organized religion.
The result may be a very sizable, ongoing spiritual vacuum."
The
Anglican Church, according to the census has 2.2 million members
with 784,000 active adherents. Addressing the church synod in
1994, Archbishop Peter O'Driscoll warned: "In the next ten to
fifteen years the largest age group in the present Anglican Church
of Canada will be dead. At the end of two generations, there won't
be enough people to say there's still an Anglican Church alive in
this country."
HOW
SAD AND TRAGIC!
While
the Anglican Church lost 250,000 members from 1981 to 1991, and
the United Church lost 665,000 members during that same period -
that's 10 % and 20 % respectively - the Pentecostal Church grew by
100,000 adherents and the Christian & Missionary Alliance
doubled in size!
The
November,1965 issue of Canada's Revival Magazine, "Cry of His
Coming" carried the following prophetic headline: 1965 UNITED
CHURCH NEW CURRICULUM SETS STAGE FOR MORE APOSTACY! MODERATOR REV.
HOWSE DENIES PHYSICAL RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST !
In
that article, this author wrote under the by-line, "THE GREAT
FALLING AWAY" - St. Paul warns: "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." (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The
"Great Falling Away" is Here Now- with entire
denominations of Christian Churches turning their backs on the
Holy Scriptures, declaring them fallible and contradictory. They
despise the great truths of the Bible, and exchange them for their
own humanistic, man-made philosophies!
As
strange as this may seem, these reprobate preachers actually
play-out the exact role of "backsliding Israel" in Old
Testament times.
"For
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)
HERE
IS A LIST OF THEIR BACKSLIDINGS!
They
have violated the sanctity of the Holy Bible, discarding the
eternal truths of God's Word. Man-made philosophies, secular
humanism and blatantly spurious doctrines have filled the void!
They
rely almost totally on man's wisdom and carnal knowledge, having
rejected the wisdom that comes solely from the Holy Scriptures.
This leaves them incapable of making sound spiritual decisions!
They
have rejected the counsel of the Holy Spirit- divine paraclete-
and draw their inspiration from the teachings of others similarly
deceived. Serious decision making regarding spiritual matters and
doctrine is therefore prejudiced, flawed and compromised!
Their
emphasis is on good works, rather than the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ for our sins. The "social gospel" they preach is
devoid of the grace of God and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Their "good works" message offers only secular and
political rhetoric to undo social injustices, without a sound
spiritual foundation.
They
have desecrated the Holy Scriptures by substituting their own
verbiage instead of the correct translation of the original Hebrew
and Greek, in reference to God Himself. These literary
counterfeiters have unilaterally -without any jurisdiction-
decided to change the gender of Almighty God from masculine
(Father) to Mother. Instead of addressing God as He, they
refer to Him as She and the Lord Jesus is not the Son of God, but
the Child of God!
The
Word of God conclusively states: "This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn
away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
"Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron; Take heed unto thyself, and
unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Timothy
4:1-2, 16)
AN
URGENT WARNING ISSUED TO THOSE TAMPERING WITH GOD'S WORD
"Who
is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth
the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth
the Son hath the Father also.
"Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
"Hereby
know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard
that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God... Who is he
that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the
Son of God?"
"If
we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for
this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son. 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. And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life." (1 John 2:22-23; 4:1-3; 5:1, 4-5,
9-12)
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN? SIMPLY THIS:
Anyone
who denies that Jesus Christ is God is a false teacher and an
enemy of God.
Every
spirit that confesses that "Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh" is of God. Those who do not are of Satan and the
Antichrist spirit!
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN: "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh"?
There
are millions of babies born daily across the world. They are all
born of flesh & blood. They have all "come in the
flesh". That is no miracle, but when God is incarnated in
human flesh, that is a miracle. It simply means that Jesus Christ
was God in human flesh! God the Son came down from Heaven, through
the very miraculous and complex process of the virgin birth!
God
the Holy Spirit placed within the virgin Mary's womb a specially
created body for the Lord Jesus. He was begotten by the Holy
Spirit and born of a virgin woman without the aid of a human
father. Jesus Christ - true God & true man, in order to suffer
and die for our sins and rise again for our justification. ( )
"The
new United Church curriculum - now taught to thousands of children
- denies the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, leaving the inference
that Joseph or some other man was Jesus' father. This would
indicate that His mother Mary was sinful and promiscuous, instead
of a chaste virgin and that Jesus Christ was not divine!"
Have
you heard of such SACRILEGE?
And this - not from an atheistic journal - but from the official
organ and pulpits of Canada's largest Protestant denomination!
That
same "curriculum" calls the first eleven chapters of
Genesis - which deal with God's marvelous creation, Noah and the
flood - a fable or myth! It denies the miracles in the Bible,
rejects the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and ridicules His ascension and second coming!
Read
the blasphemous statements made by Rev. Ben Smilie- United Church
chaplain at the University of Saskatchewan, as chronicled by
Regina Leader Post's Tom Jarvis in an article titled, "A
MASSIVE IRRELEVANCY":
"The
Toronto Telegram printed it in full with the somewhat shocking
passage in large type which speaks of fundamentalist belief in
"clay-made man, a floating zoo, an amphibious-footed Jesus, a
son of God who was a home brew artist, and an ascension that looks
like a Cape Kennedy blast-off".
Have
you heard of anything more blasphemous and anti-Christian, coming
from the pen of an ordained Protestant clergyman!
We'll
let the moderator of the United Church speak for himself. The
following was carried by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 5, 1965.
"HOWSE SAYS LITERAL BELIEVER IN BIBLE LACKS
UNDERSTANDING".
"The
moderator of the United Church of Canada says Christians who
believe literally in all of the "metaphors and
imageries" of the Bible exhibit "lack of
understanding".
"The
Rt. Rev. Ernest Howse of Toronto, in an interview Thursday said
that one of the most significant religious trends today is the
movement away from 'medieval imagery and hypocrisy'.
"Dr.
Howse, who had been in Banff for a meeting of the United Church's
Alberta Conference, said people should not take literally such
events as Christ's physical resurrection and the virginity of
Mary. The moderator said the United Church's new curriculum which
allows for liberal interpretation of the Bible, is "really
nothing new at all".
"There
is nothing in the curriculum which was not accepted when I was in
College thirty years ago. If people are shocked by it, then it is
evident our ministers have not been adequately teaching their
congregations".
NEW
MODERATOR: SAME OLD APOSTASY IN UNITED CHURCH!
Bill
Phipps probably learned 'APOSTASY' from professors, who were
themselves corrupted while in College! The new moderator of the
United Church is Rev. Bill Phipps - a little known Calgary pastor
- who is making big waves with his outspoken, irreverent and
blasphemous remarks. It appears that he has excelled in unlearning
the basic, fundamental doctrines of Christianity, in the tradition
of the Rev. Howse and the liberal theological College to which he
referred!
"AN
ACTIVIST MODERATOR IS ROCKING THE UNITED CHURCH"
-Edmonton Journal
In
a major news story carried across Canada in the Southam Press,
Nov.1, 1997, Rev. Phipps made these statements: "I don't
believe Jesus is the only way to God. I don't believe he rose from
the dead as a scientific fact. I don't know whether those thing
happened. It's an irrelevant question."
In
a follow-up article, the "Ottawa Citizen" wrote:
"CHURCH MODERATOR A HERETIC, PROFESSOR SAYS" - "The
moderator of the United Church of Canada is a heretic", says
a professor of modern Christian history.
"A
heretic is defined as someone who chooses a doctrinal path other
than that of the church to which he belongs", says John
Stackhouse, of the University of Manitoba.
By
that standard, Rev. Bill Phipps "is a heretic according to
the United Church of Canada's own standard of doctrine. He's also
a heretic in generic Christian terms, because he denies the creeds
that all Christians have subscribed to, whether they're Catholic,
Protestant or Eastern Orthodox."
"In
interviews with media organizations, Phipps denied the divinity of
Christ, denied the reality of the resurrection as a historical
fact, and said he was unclear "The historic Church says there
are such realities, which are crucially important to human
life," said Stackhouse, a former president of the Canadian
Evangelical Theological Association."
The
wholesale backsliding of Christian denominations during the past
30 years, and especially the over the last decade, signal the sad
state of affairs in the Christian Church at this very crucial
moment in history, the turn of the century and the millennium!
A
very sad commentary on the Church is found in Christ's message to
the Church where He states:
"And
unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of
the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold
nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to
buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,
that thou mayest see." (Revelation 3:14-18)
Again
He said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits...
"A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit.
"...Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven...And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity." (Matt. 7:15-23)
Jesus
asked a very pertinent question: "...Nevertheless. When the
son of man cometh will He find faith on the earth?" The
answer is "not very much"! That is why He stated, "Strive
to enter in at the straight gate, for many, I say unto you will
seek to enter and shall not be able". (Luke 13:24)
"Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew
7:13-14)
HOW
MUST WE PREPARE FOR THE END TIMES
What
must we do to prepare for the things to come as the end times grow
closer? How will we know for sure that we are ready for
the soon return of Jesus Christ in the Second Coming?
Peter warned, "Make your calling and election sure..."
(2 Peter 1:10) It behooves each one to do a reality check to be
absolutely certain that you know Jesus Christ personally as your
Lord & Saviour.
Remember
that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead
for our justification. Only He has the power to save you because
He is the Redeemer of the world.
Jesus
said, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by Me". (John 14:6) "I am the door:
by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:9-10)
The
Bible says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Tim. 2:5) "Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
(Acts 4:12)
St.
Paul declared, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil.
2:5-11)
Jesus
Christ invites us to receive Him as personal Saviour and Lord with
the promise: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) And,
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)
We
are warned: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (1 Corinthians
11:28) Amen.
HOPE
& FAITH
Rising
From the Ashes
of Defeat
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
LEARNING
FROM MISFORTUNE
"And
he (Prodigal Son) arose, and came to his father. But while
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
(Luke 15:20)
Life
is like a race, with winners and losers and plenty of obstacles
and pitfalls, as well as rewards.
IT
TAKES FAITH & HOPE TO WIN
Winning
doesn't come easy. It takes a lot of preparation, discipline
and hard work, as well as faith in your own ability and those who
work with you. LOSING - often a bitter disappointment -
doesn't need to be the end of a career, business or marriage.
It can be turned into a rich learning experience!
Life
is made up of good and bad times with ups, downs and surprises.
Most everyone has gone through some hurtful experience like
business failure, marriage breakup or the loss of a loved one.
Trials and testing, however, can be utilized to build our faith in
God and strengthen ties with family and friends, rather than
destroy and estrange us from one another!
THE
PRODIGAL SON: A PICTURE OF SO MANY
Jesus'
parable of the Prodigal Son has a message for us all, because
of the inherent sinful nature, with which we were born. It's
important to know that we were all sinners by birth, by nature and
by choice.
The
Bible says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him
(Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
"All have sinned and come short (fallen) of the glory of
God;" (Romans 3:23); "The wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." (Romans 6:23); "As it is written, There is
none that is righteous, no, no one." (Romans 3:10)
In
Canada's humiliating Ben Johnson Olympic drug scandal, and the
bribery scandals that continued for years within the Olympic
leadership and the judges, we see a perfect example of the dilemma
so many face. Recently, the criminal activities of dishonest
CEOs and accountants involved with the Environ, Worldcom and
ImPlone scandals have sent the Corporate World into a serious
tailspin.
CAN
ONE LEARN FROM MISTAKES? IS THERE HOPE FOR CHANGING THINGS
How
can one rise from the ashes of shame, disgrace, guilt and failure?
In other words, is there hope beyond defeat? Does a person
deserve another chance? And what about God's unmerited
favor? Does not his 'prevenient grace', whereby He reached
out to us long before we felt the need to reach out to Him, have
significant meaning? Of course it does !
THE
GOSPEL OF CHRIST OFFERS HOPE & MERCY
The
gospel of Jesus Christ offers mercy, forgiveness and an opportunity
to change. Where would anyone of us be, without an
opportunity to rewrite a failed test, break a bad habit, make
amends for mistakes or repair broken relationships?
Everyone
should be given another chance to right wrongs make amends and try
again! Those who have done the crime, however, must do the
time! Of course, there are those who cannot be allowed back
into society because they are incorrigible rapists, pedophiles or
murderers!
They,
however, also need an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus
Christ and be converted from a life of sin and changed through His
death and resurrection. We must never give up on anyone,
regardless of how evil and wicked they are or have been!
St.
Peter asked Jesus, how many times a day should he forgive someone
who had wronged him and later repented. Was seven times
enough? Jesus answered, Not seven times, but seventy time
seven." (Matthew 18:22)
In
dealing with our fellow man, it is easy to judge and hold grudges,
but like the old proverb says: "They that live in
glass houses should not throw stones."
It
is well to remember the words of Jesus from the 'Sermon on the
Mount': "They that are merciful will obtain mercy."
(Matthew 5:7) Again He said, "Judge not, that you be
not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be
judged." (Matthew 7:1-2)
GOD'S
HAND WAS ON CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
On
Christopher Columbus' historic voyage across the Atlantic
Ocean, he crew rebelled, demanding that he turn back. But,
Columbus rallied the deck hands with his undaunted cries,
"Sail on, sail on, sail on."
An
amazing fact about Columbus and his times, adds even more suspense
to his achievements. Contrary to public belief, there is
strong evidence that Columbus was a Spanish Jew whose family had
settled in Genoa.
SAILS
OF HOPE
In
his book, 'SAILS OF HOPE: The Secret Mission of Christopher
Columbus', Simon Wiesenthal states that Columbus was not a
Genoese's patriot, but that he fought with the Portuguese against
Genoa in 1476. He always wrote in Spanish and preferred the
Spanish form of his name, Colon, rather than the Italian,
Columbus.
It
seemed less than coincidental that the year Columbus sailed to
discover the new world (1492) was the year that all Jews were
expelled from Spain. According to his journals, however,
Christopher Columbus relied on the Holy Scriptures and believed
that the Lord led him on his voyage to the new land!
He
wrote: "It was the Lord who put it in my mind. I could
feel His hand upon me, the fact that it would be possible to sail
from Europe to the Indies. All who heard of my project
rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. But there is no
question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He
comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy
Scriptures."
Since
his first name Christopher means 'bearer of Christ', Columbus was
convinced that God had given him that name because he was called
to take the gospel of Christ to the heathen he knew he would
discover.
some
of above taken from 'Christ for the Nations' newsletter~~
WINSTON
CHURCHILL: The Man Who Rallied Britain
On
June 4, 1940 at the WSC House of Commons, when Europe was in grave
danger due to the victories of Germany's well-oiled and superb
Nazi War Machine, Winston Churchill gave a much heralded speech,
rallying the British people and much of the world!
President
Kennedy said of Churchill: "He mobilized the English language
and sent it into battle." It is not well known that
Churchill battled a fear of 'public speaking'. In 'Churchill
and Oratory', Robert Courts states: "That this should be the
case is, however, something of a paradox, for the man who has been
hailed as the greatest speaker of modern times was anything but a
natural orator. He frankly admitted, 'For many years, I was
unable to say anything....I had not written out and
committed to memory beforehand.'
Churchill
suffered from a slight lisp and a voice that was not that of a
classic orator: rather high pitched and weak in tone, he was not
able to blast speeches at audiences the way Gladstone could.
"His
inability to speak impromptu was a more serious problem. His
maiden speech took six weeks to prepare and was completely
memorized. However, after a horrific incident in 1904 where
he forgot his speech entirely, he was never able to speak in
public again, without copious notes. Although Churchill was
brilliant in conversation with small groups, he was so nervous
speaking to large audiences that he had to resort to notes."
Here
in part, is the great speech that stirred the free world.
"Even
though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous states have
fallen into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus
of NAZI rule, we shall not flag or fail.
We
shall go on to the end; We shall fight in France, we shall
fight on the seas and oceans; We shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds; We shall fight in the
fields, and in the streets; We shall fight in the hills; We
shall never surrender.
And
even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a
large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire
beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would
carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the new world,
with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the
liberation of the old."
He
challenged his listeners with these powerful words: "I
have nothing to offer you but blood...toil....tears...and sweat"
His famous speech at Harrow School in 1941 carried this powerful
admonition: "Never give in. NEVER, NEVER,
NEVER, NEVER....never give in, except to convictions of honor
and good sense."
England
also got help from Almighty God, who miraculously provided 'fog
cover' and stilled the rough waters of the English Channel, so
that hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers - who were pinned
down in Dunkirk - could get back to Britain. Satan also
inadvertently helped the allies, by hooking the German demagogue
on occultism and clairvoyants who gave him dumb advice. It
was Hitler's insane pride and demonic recklessness that drove him
to invade Russia, at the very time he could have conquered
Britain.
Although
Winston Churchill was one of England's greatest leaders, soldiers
and politicians, we was primarily a writer and historian who won
the Nobel Prize in literature and became a millionaire through the
use of his pen. He overcame a major problem, to deliver some
of the greatest speeches the world has ever recorded.
DAVID
FOUND FORGIVENESS
Kind
David found forgiveness for his many sins, and so can you my dear
friend. He prayed: "Have mercy upon me....blot out
my transgressions. Wash me....cleanse me...purge me...create
in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit
from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation...."
(Psalms 51:1-12)
That
answers some age old questions: "Can a failure make good?
Can a backslider come back? Can a wicked sinner ever be
saved? Is God still reaching out to the unreachable, the
unlovable and the incorrigible?"
The
fact that the Holy Spirit was still with David, after he had
committed adultery with Bathsheba and had he husband Uriah
murdered, proved God's unfathomable grace and unspeakable love to
us all.
Understanding
his precarious position, David begged God for forgiveness and
mercy: "Don't cast me away from Your presence, and don't take
Your Holy Spirit from me." God answered his prayer
in compassion, love, mercy and grace. And God will do the
same for you, my friend.
St.
Paul, who had dropped John Mark from his missionary work because
he judged him undependable, later requested a visit from him and
commended him for his contribution to the ministry. (Acts
15:37-40; 2 Timothy 4:11) And the great Apostle
writing to Philemon on behalf of the runaway slave Onesimus,
appeals for mercy and forgiveness, on his behalf.
"I
beseech thee for my son Onesimus, which in times pasts was to thee
unprofitable, but not profitable for thee and me: Whom I
have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is mine own
heart. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother
beloved, especially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in
the flesh and in the Lord?" (Philemon 1:10)
"But
they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil
which some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through was many sorrows."
St.
Paul warns, "But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and
follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, whereunto thou art called......" (1 Timothy
6:10-12)"
"For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner; but be thou
partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power
of God." (2 Timothy 1:7-8)
WHEN
GOD CAME DOWN
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
In
this little message, I would like to share with you some wonderful
truths about the birth of our Saviour, including the reason and
results of His coming and what this marvelous event means to us
today. I have entitled this message, "WHEN GOD CAME
DOWN" - For truly it was a day in which God did come down
upon the earth to redeem mankind.
The
Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4),
that He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and
that He who was rich became poor, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 8:9).
Zacharias prophesied: "Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed His people". (Luke
1:68)
And
what a visit and redemption that was: God's Son paying the sin
debt that was against us, through His vicarious death for the
entire race. John the Baptist would prepare the way for the
Redeemer, who would shatter the darkness of sin, sickness,
disease, fear and demon influence and bring peace to the earth.
(Romans 3:23-26)
"Who
His own Self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by Whose
stripes we were healed. For we were as sheep going astray: but are
now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Peter 2: 24, 25)
"For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of
the truth: For there is one God and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to
be testified in due time." (1 Timothy 2: 3-6)
LAMB
SLAIN BEFORE WORLD'S CREATION
Before
the foundation of the world, God prepared His Salvation to redeem
mankind from the snare of Satan. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. (Revelation 5:6).
The Redemption Plan was mapped out and decided upon even
then. Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, was to be God's paschal Lamb, the burden-bearer,
deliverer and Redeemer of lost humanity.
The
Bible says, "For God so loved
the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
God gave His Son to die for us all and Jesus was willing to go.
God had prepared the 'Royal Visitation of Redemption''
and when sin, hopelessness
and spiritual
darkness covered the earth, Jesus of Nazareth was born in
Bethlehem.
God
spread a ray of Heavenly Light into the world to bless humanity,
destroy the power of Satan and to liberate mankind!
Satan's plan for domination of man was thwarted, upset and
nullified because God shed His love and Grace toward His creation:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of
ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man
should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"But
when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of
a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the
law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
(Galatians 4:4-5).
PROPHETS
FORETOLD MESSIAH'S COMING
For
4,000 years the prophets had been read to the people of God,
declaring that God Almighty had promised a Messiah to deliver
them. No doubt every
young Jewish girl secretly hoped that she would be the one that
would be favoured by God to bear the Christ child, because the
Scriptures stated: "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you
a sign, Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call His name Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
"For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and
the Government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6);
"But
thou, Bethlehem Ephratah though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto thee that is to
be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from old, from
everlasting." (Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23)
"And
in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a
city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And the
angel came in unto her, and said Hail thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou among women.
And
when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her
mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast
found favour with God. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call his name JESUS.
And
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
His Kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:26-38)
MARY
WAS A VIRGIN!
"Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother
Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was
found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her
husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But
while he thought on those things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a
son, and thou shalt call Him JESUS: for He shall save His people
from their sins." (Matthew 1:20, 21)
"Then
said Mary, How shall this be since I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:34, 35)
MARY
NEEDED A PERSONAL SAVIOUR!
1.
Mary received Jesus Christ as her
Saviour: "My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:46, 47). This godly
virgin recognized that she was a vessel that God would use to
bring His Son into the world, through the process of incarnation,
so He would continue
to be sinless. She confessed God's Son as her Lord and Saviour!
It
was not difficult for her to confess Jesus Christ as her Lord and
Saviour, because she had been informed by Gabriel of the eternal
plan of God for Him. Here is her reaction to Gabriel's message:
"And Mary said, Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." (Luke
1: 38)
It
is important understand that Mary is NOT
the Mother of God.
She was the mother of the infant Jesus and given the privilege of
bearing the Christ Child. God doesn't have a Mother. To worship
Mary is idolatry and blasphemy. Those who teach that Jesus is a
''Co-redemptrix'' or ''Mediatrix' with Jesus,
are enemies of the cross sent by Satan to deceive and destroy
souls!
2.
Mary was filled with the Holy Ghost:
"These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
with His brethren. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." (Acts 1:14; 2:4)
Mary
was one of the 120 who sought God for ten days in dedication and
prayer, and were filled with the blessed Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost. And, yes, Mary spoke in tongues and glorified
God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
3.
Joseph knew her not until after the birth of Jesus: "Then
Joseph, being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his wife and knew her not
til she brought forth her first born son, and he called His
Name Jesus." (Matthew 1:24, 25)
Mary
lived a normal married life after the birth of Jesus and had
several children by her husband Joseph.
4.
Mary had children by Joseph: "Is not this the carpenter,
the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and
Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were
offended at Him. Then one said unto Him, Behold, Thy mother and
Thy brethren stand without, desiring to talk with Thee. But He
answered and
said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? And who are My
brethren?
And
He stretched forth His had hand toward His disciples, and said,
Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will
of My Father, the same shall be My brother, and sister and
mother." (Matthew 2:47-50)
5.
Jesus gave His mother away: As the
eldest child in the family, it was His duty
to look after His mother
before His death. Since He was going to Heaven to sit on His
Father's right hand, He no longer needed an earthly mother, so He
officially gave His mother to John.
"Now
there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and his mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus
therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by,
whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from
that hour that disciple (John) took her unto his own house."
(John 19: 25-27)
JESUS'
BIRTH WAS SUPERNATURAL:
1.
Jesus of Nazareth
had a Miracle Birth:
He
was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Ghost - humanly
impossible but quite easy for God - because He is a Miracle God:
"In
the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And the Word was
MADE flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
(John 1:1,2,14)
2.
The Bible is a Miracle Book:
"As
for God, His way is perfect: the Word of the Lord is tried: He is
a buckler to all those that trust in Him." (Psalms 18:30);
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass
always." (Matthew 24:35)
"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 Ghost." (2 Peter 1:20,
21);
"All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine for reproof, for correction in righteousness." (2 Corinthians
3:16)
3.
We are Born Again by the Word of God
and the Holy Spirit:
"Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
Kingdom of God.
That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is Spirit; Marvel
not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again." (John 3:3-7)
"Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. But the Word of the
Lord abideth forever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is
preached unto you." (1 Peter 1:23,25)
4.
We are Redeemed by a miracle of God:
"Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things such
as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and spot:
Who
was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you." (1 Peter1:18-20);
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
5.
We are Baptized with the Holy Spirit:
We
experience a Miracle when JESUS baptizes and fills us with the
Holy Spirit of God. Our Heavenly Father fills us with Himself. He
takes total control and speaks through us with new tongues giving
glory, honour and praise unto Jesus Christ the Liberator of
humanity and the Saviour of the world!
The
prophet Isaiah foretold this great experience seven hundred and
fifty years before it happened on the Day of Pentecost about
33 A
.D. in an Upper Room in Jerusalem: "For with stammering lips and
another tongue will He speak unto this people.
To whom He said, This is the rest whereby ye may cause the
weary to rest and this the refreshing: yet they would not hear."
(Isaiah 28:11,12)
"In
the last day that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He
that believeth on Me, as Scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7: 37, 38)
The
Bible states: "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth. And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit." (Eph. 5:9,18)
6.
Miracles of healing emanate from God and are still happening:
God
is a Miracle God and we are His people. Our
God has not changed His Word and will always keep His Word
as promised. The Holy Bible is filled with testimonies of
His goodness and grace. There are many who have been healed by
God's power and experienced a Miracle.
"Is
any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the
Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him." (James 5: 14,15)
"And
these Signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall
take up serpent; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and thy shall
recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was
received up int Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they
went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen." (Mark
16:17-20).
To
God be the Glory: I can testify for His Names' sake that I have
seen hundreds of such great miracles through many years of
preaching His Gospel! Hallelujah to the Lamb forever and ever!
7.
Our walk is a walk of faith:
All
who believe that He is Alive, know His ability to keep us from all
evil and constantly
burning with the Holy Spirit's fire and doing exploits for Him by
the power of His Name! There is nothing that can stop the Army of
God marching in lockstep, destroying Satan's works and freeing his
captives!
"And
He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven.
Behold, I give unto
you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
(Luke 10:19);
"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth
not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that
wicked one toucheth him NOT. And we know that we are of God, and
the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1 John 5: 18,19)
He
has given us 'The Great Commission' a living, binding document,
entailing our job description: Where we are to go? What are we to
do? When are we to do it? How are we to do it? Why are to do it?
We are to take His Gospel into all the world. We are to preach His
Word and minister in
the power of His Spirit employing His gifts of Power to bring
forgiveness, healing and much
blessing to all. Duty calls we Must Answer!
We
must do it now because the Hour is late and Christ will soon
Return. And the enemy
is working at top speed knowing that his time is short! He is a
defeated foe and is employing millions of 'enemies of the Cross'
but his death knell sounded when Jesus Christ cried, "It Is
Finished". The word He spoke out was in Greek - Tetelestai - with three essential meanings: To finish something, bring
something to an end; to fulfill something; to pay that which is
owed!
Jesus
Christ had finished His redemptive work. He had brought to an end
Satan's power over mankind. He had fulfilled the Old Testaments
Scriptures concerning the Jewish Messiah and He had paid the price
in full for our salvation, forgiveness, healing and deliverance.
We are now free for time and for eternity!
Everything
about our Saviour was miraculous because He was still in the bosom
of the Father. He humbled
Himself when left the Throne of Glory to be incarnated, God in
human flesh so that He could atone for the sins of the world,
past, present and future. He was God in human flesh, but He laid
aside His Godhood so that He could be true God and True man His
virgin birth!
Because
He was sinless, death could not hold Him in Hades. He said, I lay
down My life and I will take it again. No man could take it from
Him, He voluntarily laid it down. When the time came to arise from
the death, He simply rose from the dead. He freely gave it for
mankind's salvation. And
He is alive forever more!
His
life was a continuous miracle. He healed the sick, raised the
dead, multiplied loaves and fishes, walked on the water, forgave
sinners. (John 10:17-18). His
resurrection was a miracle (Acts 1:9). And when He returns in the
clouds to receive us to Himself, it will be another miracle. (1
Thessalonians 4:16). He
is our Miracle God and we are His Miracle people, living by faith
in the finished work of Calvary, found in His Holy and Divine Word!
THE
ANGEL VISITS JOSEPH:
"Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother
Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was
found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing
to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew
1:20);
"Behold a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew
1:23)
When
Joseph realized his wife-to-be was expecting a child, he was
shocked and suspected, of course, unfaithfulness to purity and
chastity from Mary, but as he thought along these lines, the Angel
of God came unto him and revealed God's Divine Plan for the child
which was to be born.
JESUS
IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR:
Jesus
Christ is the Only Saviour of the world.
No one else can save you from your sins. Buddha, Muhammed,
Confucius, the Pope, were born as humans and have died as humans
but Jesus Christ was born as Saviour and died as Saviour and when
He arose, that crowned the Event of events, as He was declared to
be the Son of God with power through the Resurrection (Romans
1:4).
Jesus
said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." (John
14:6) "I am the
door, by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." (John
10:9) No one else can
forgive sins but Jesus - The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son,
cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:7).
"Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there few that be
saved? And He said
unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
(Luke 13:23-24)
"There
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham
and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God,
and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke 13:28)
"There is no other name under Heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
His Name is WONDERFUL - (Isaiah 9:6) Emmanuel, God with us,
Wonderful, Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God.
JESUS
WAS BORN KING:
As
the wise men entered Jerusalem, they asked "Where is He that
is born King - we have seen His star in the East and are come to
worship Him." (Matthew 2:1-2)
When Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth was born, she was
born a Princess and became Queen.
Nearly
every reigning Monarch has been born as a Prince and then become
King years later but when Jesus was born, He was not born as a
Prince - He was born King and he is still King today, greater than
the kings of the earth and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
(Isaiah 9:7)
In
Acts 17:7 Paul and Silas were preaching, the multitudes came
together and charged Jason saying, These men preach that there is
another King, one Jesus. Paul
preached it, that Jesus Christ is King.
He
is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Thomas, that man of doubt and unbelief, when He saw Jesus
he fell down and cried out "My Lord and My God". He
wants to be your Saviour but also your Lord and Master and King - Supreme in your life.
In
Rev. 19:11-16 we see Jesus riding on a white horse.
He is going out to destroy the Anti-Christ with the breath
of His mouth. On His
thigh and vesture, which has been dipped in blood, a Name is
written "The King of kings and Lord of lords".
Won't you let Him come in and be the ruler and King in your
life?
Wise
men today also seek for Jesus!
"Ye shall seek for me and find me when ye search for
me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
"The fool hath said in his heart, there is no
God." (Psalms 14:1) The
Wise Men worshipped Him (Jesus), not His mother. (Matthew 2:11)
THE
ANGEL'S VISIT TO THE SHEPHERDS:
How
surprised and fearful the shepherds were when all of a sudden the
Glory of God filled the hillside and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them as the Angel of the Lord came upon them.
As they fell to the earth, the Angel said,
"Fear
thou not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For
unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord. (Luke
2:8-18)
And
this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Many have wondered why God would send Angels to the
shepherds. It was
because David was the shepherd king and Jesus Christ was born of
the lineage of David and so the poor shepherds were the first to
be told. When someone
has a baby, they quickly send their neighbours and friends
announcement cards - but when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea, God the Father sent Angels down to herald the birth of the
Saviour.
And
when the shepherds had found the Messiah as told by the angels,
they went everywhere telling people about this wonderful
happening. When the
artist paints the picture of the Saviour and His mother, they
usually depict a halo around their heads.
The Scripture doesn't mention any halo, however, but the
Swaddling Clothes were given as a sign, in which the Christ Child
was wrapped, and the Manger.
NO
ROOM IN THE INN:
There
was no room in the Inn. Jesus
Christ, God's Son was born in a Stable (barn) in Bethlehem.
I often wondered why He was born in a stable and then I
realized that that is where lambs are born and Jesus Christ is the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Today
many people have no room for Him in their lives.
They have no room for Him in their hearts.
They have excluded the Son of God from the throne of their
souls. They
have been too busy to think about Christianity - about God and His
Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Too
busy with business, making money, along with the cares and
pleasures of this world, with no time for Jesus.
But
Jesus stands and knocks at your heart's door - (Revelation
3:20), "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear
My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup
with him, and he with Me."
Don't
be so rude - He's been standing knocking on your heart's door for
a long time. Why
don't you let Him come into your heart and set up His throne in
your life.
HOW
CAN WE BE BORN AGAIN?
What
does Jesus' birth, death and resurrection mean to us today? And
what do we have to do to receive the great blessings which His
Redemptive work affords us: It means that God has given His best to bless humanity.
Jesus came to bring life, health and happiness.
He came to give peace and joy to those who would believe,
here on this earth and Eternal Life for evermore. The Jewish
nation rejected Him and turned Him over to the Roman Authorities
for crucifixion.
Jesus
of Nazareth died according to the plan and will of His Father, as
God's Paschal Lamb bearing the sins of the
world, past, present and future. On the the third day He
arose from the dead,
having met the righteous demands of divine justice in the Courts
of Heaven, for the sins of mankind!
St.
Peter stated: "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall
call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye
men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know:
Him,
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because
it was not possible that He should be holden of it." (Acts 2:
21-24)
1.
ADMIT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER:
"For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23); "All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the
Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 23:6)
2.
BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD:
"“For God so loved the world
that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through might be saved." (John 3:16,17); "
“He that believeth
the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him." (John
3:36)
3.
REPENT OF YOUR SINS:
"Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He
will abundantly pardon."
(Isaiah 55:7); "Then said Peter unto
them, Repent , and be baptized every one of you in the Name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost." ( Acts 2:38)
4.
RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR:
"For this is the record that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. These have I written unto you that believe
on the Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of
God." (1 John 5:11-13)
"Behold
, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and
open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him and he
with Me." (Revelation 3:20)
5.
CONFESS HIM BEFORE MEN:
"That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that
Gd hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9,10);
"Also
I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall
the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that
denieth Me before men
shall be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8, 9)
CHRIST
JESUS: THE GIFT OF GOD!
"For
ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though He was rich, yet
for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might
be rich." (2 Corinthians 8: 9); "Thanks be unto God for the
unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9: 25)
"In
His great mercy and by His grace, God the Father of all mercies,
has chosen the weak, base and foolish things of this world to
confound the things that are mighty." (1 Corinthians
1:27). St. Paul wrote: "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who
of God is made unto wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification and
redemption." (1 Corinthians
1:30)
Only
by the grace of God have we been chosen to become partakers
of Christ's nature thereby making us
children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
In His great mercy, kindness and love, He has made us 'accepted in
the Beloved'. Not only
has He saved us from Satan's evil power and our own carnal and
sinful ways, but He has given us through His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, His Wisdom,
Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption.
He
has taken the foolish things of this world, like ourselves, and
made us His very own sons.
We
were redeemed by His
precious blood, from the curse of the Law, when Jesus became a
curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
WHY
DID ALMIGHTY GOD DO THIS?
What
was the purpose of Christ's Incarnation, miraculous Ministry, His
meritorious, vicarious death on the CROSS, and His glorious
resurrection from the dead? It was the out flowing of our Father's
great mercy, love, grace and goodness toward the Human
race. His great heart of love planned and executed it all before
the worlds were created. He would have a church, a people and
family to love and cherish and to use as the expression of His
mercy and grace!
Who
can understand such love? No one is able to comprehend His
greatness and the magnitude of His Grace. It is beyond our human
power to assimilate or even imagine!
He
wanted us! He called us! He forgave us! He saved us from our
filthiness, pride and unrighteousness. He lifted us from the muck
and mire, to sit with His Son Jesus Christ at His Heavenly Throne.
No
wonder St. Paul says, "That no flesh should glory!" We have
nothing to Gloat about. It was all His plan, His work and His
goodness that gave us all this! Where would I be? Where would we
all be without His MERCY? Lost in our sins, bound by chains of
Lust, Greed and Pride - doomed forever in a lost eternity - filled with fear, agony and torment.
O'
what a Saviour! O' what a Redeemer! O'' what a Blessedness, we have
in Christ our Lord. To Him be all the honour, glory and praise
forever and ever! Amen.
 END
TIMES
Understanding the Times
& What to do
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
"And
the children of Issachar, which were men who had understanding
of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of
them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their
commandment." (1 Chronicles 12:32)
WHERE
ARE THE MEN AMONG US TODAY?
WHERE
are the men among us today who understand the times and who know
what we ought to do? The ability to understand 'the
times', is undoubtedly a rare ability. And to know
how to be proactive or reactive in each situation is equally
important. There is a natural ability which comes
from genetic inheritance, experience or observation!
GOD
HAS GIVEN TO HIS BODY, WHICH IS THE CHURCH,
NINE SUPERNATURAL GIFTS
There
is also the spiritual gifting which comes
directly from the Holy Spirit! God has given to His body,
the Church, nine supernatural spiritual gifts which include the
unique 'Gift of the word of knowledge' and the 'Gift of the word
of wisdom'.
"For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians
12:8) The 'gift of the word of knowledge' is the
supernatural ability to know things that are not naturally known
and the 'gift of the word of wisdom' is the
supernatural ability to know how to act or react to that
knowledge!
God
has so equipped His Church with these safeguards and tools to not
only protect it but to thrust it forward in its task of building
His Kingdom! Whether the ability to "understand the
times" and to "know what to do" come to
us through natural ability or supernatural gifts is immaterial.
The important thing is that we are apprised of the situation, our
eyes are wide open and our minds are alert to know, see and do the
right things!
I
pray for each one reading these lines that our dear Lord will
grant unto all the ability to "know Him who to know is
life eternal" and the desire to walk with Him in truth,
sincerity and humility, trusting only in His merits for time and
eternity!
And
that we may understand the times and know what to do in order to
keep our families safe from the filth and gutter slime so
prevalent in our disintegrating society. To keep our
children safe from this corrupt, wicked and perverted world?
(2 John 1:1-9)
AWAKE
THOU THAT SLEEPEST!
The
Bible admonishes: "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that
sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise;
"Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but UNDERSTANDING what the will of God
is. And be not drunk with wine wherein in excess, but be
filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:14-18)
You
may ask: "Where are the Men?" We have
a real problem because we live in a society where many younger men
have had no role model due to broken homes and absent Dads! The
rage these young men have developed, because of the ache in their
hearts for a father, often surfaces against their wives and
children!
And
it is even worse in common-law arrangements, hopping from one
relationship to another, leaving behind bruised and
hurting women and children, as well as heart broken
men!
Large
numbers of families are hurting because of stubborn
foolish pride, self-centeredness, and demons of lust let
loose through immoral movies, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography!
I
BLAME THE DEVIL!
I
blame the Devil who has blinded the eyes of religious leaders
who have been asleep at the switch and didn't see the approaching
train filled with worldly pleasure, compromise and lethargy!
Some blame must also go to parents who have allowed their children
to change the rules and call the shots!
St.
Paul stated: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believed not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine
unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
I
blame our Politicians who have listened to the voices of the crowd
crying: "Give us the Murdered Barabbas"
and "Crucify Jesus the Christ: We won't have Him to
rule over us." (Matthew 27:20-26)
Amazingly,
politicians are often allowed to pass laws that are unhealthy,
immoral and ungodly and believe that they can go scot-free, that
there are no further consequences!
A
good example of this is the 'same-sex marriage' or as it has been
aptly called 'man-on-man' marriage, which our former corrupt
Government pushed through against the wishes of the majority of
Canadians. Do they think that they had the last word on
that? Do they think that they can get away with it?
Well,
they won't! It will come back to bite them in this life and
the next! One day
every lawmaker, politician and judge that has contributed to the
breakdown of society, destruction of marriages through perverted
laws, knowingly releasing pedophiles and murderers into society to
molest rape and kill, will stand before the greatest Judge of all
to hear His verdict.
God's
Word states: "For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18)
WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
It
means to suppress the truth and hide it from the people, to cover
it up or water it down. It means to lie about the truth and
promote the very opposite. It means to substitute another
agenda that is carnal, fleshly and untruthful.
St.
Paul warned: "Because that when they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God....but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools. Wherefore GOD
GAVE THEM UP to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,
to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. Who
changed the truth of God into a lie...
"For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust, one toward another...
"And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a REPROBATE MIND, to do those things which are
not convenient." (Romans 1:21-28)
STRONG
WARNING:
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled:
but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews
13:4)
The
Bible warns perverts: And Jesus called a little
child unto Him and set him in the midst of them.
And said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
(Matthew 18:2, 3, 6)
THE
GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT!
Every
philosopher, theologian and preacher
who suppresses the truth and perverts the teachings of Jesus
Christ will have to stand before the Eternal Judge on the 'Day of
Judgment'. Unbelievers
will appear at the Great White Throne presided over by our Lord
Jesus Christ:
"And
I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the book
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
BELIEVERS
AT THE BEMA SEAT JUDGMENT
Believers
in Christ will all appear at the Bema Seat Judgment.
It is where followers of Jesus Christ will be judged for rewards
or lack thereof depending on their works: Here are the words of
Holy Scripture on this matter:
"Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
Him. For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good of bad." (2 Corinthians
5:10)
The
Bible commands believers to turn from sins that war against the
soul and flee from the wrath to come, by abiding in Christ the
sure rock of our salvation! St. Paul admonishes the church
thus: "If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught
by Him, as the TRUTH is in Jesus:
That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
"Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for
ye are members one of another. Neither give place to the
devil." (Ephesians 4:21-27)
GIVING
HEED TO GOD'S WORD!
"I
beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service;. And be not conformed
to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect
will of God." (Romans 12:1, 2)
"Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which both so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;
"Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand at the throne of
God." (Hebrews 12:1,2)
There
are three things we must do: Consider Jesus: "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1): There is no-one like
Him; Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Friend, God! Look
unto Jesus: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
God (Hebrews 12:2): Don't
just look at Him but look unto Him for forgiveness, counsel,
comfort and healing. Go to Him with your needs and watch Him
work in your life.
WE
MUST FOLLOW JESUS!
We
must Follow Jesus:
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing
His reproach.."(Hebrews 13:13). Take up your cross and
become His Disciple. Serve Him and live for Him. Look
for His return! (Matthew 11:28)
You
will then become like the Sons of Issachar who understood the
times and knew what Israel had to do.
May
God richly bless you as you draw near unto Him, for He has
promised to draw near unto you! (James 4:8) He will accept
you when you call upon His name in sincerity and faith. (John 6:7)
Amen.
CHRIST
THE HEALER GOSPEL CHURCH
December 22, 2017
Dear
Friends in Christ,
For
our friends in Saskatchewan, Donna and i will be ministering at Christ
the Healer Gospel Church on December 31 (Sunday) at 10:30 am &
6:30 pm.
After
more than 10 years in Saskatoon, we felt led of the Lord to invite
Rev. Terry and Shelly Severson to take the reigns of
leadership and build on what we started in Saskatoon on September
26, 2007.
On
Monday, January 1, 2018 at 2:30 pm, we will have a special New
Year's Rally where we will officially transfer (without charge)
the property of Christ the Healer Gospel Church at 136 Ave F S,
Saskatoon, SK to the TORO Ministries of Saskatchewan, in the
precious name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
 This
move will give me the opportunity to pour myself into our
Missionary work, publishing a number of books I have written and
do more radio and TV work in order to reach a larger audience with
Christ's Gospel.
On
October 26, 1991 (after 22 years) Donna and I turned over the
large, beautiful Faith Cathedral church and property, located on
2.5 acres in Edmonton, Alberta, to Peoples Church, giving me the
opportunity to reach multitudes for Christ all across the Soviet
Union (Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia,
Latvia), Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Europe, Norway, Brazil
and the Philippine Islands.
On
April 13, 2005, I had the privilege of preaching to circa 300,000
people at a large Assembly of God Crusade at the Parquie Brasil,
Paulina, SP, Brazil.
Today,
People's Church, Edmonton is a strong Church with people from
dozens of nations of the world. Pastor Laurie and Iris have
thanked us over the years for our amalgamation in 1991.
Thank
you so much for your prayers and support over the years. Our
prayers are for God's blessings upon you and your family.
With
much love in Jesus,
Pastor
Max & Donna Solbrekken
2 Cor. 4:5/Hebrews 13:8
VisionHeaven
Television Interview
on the history
of Pastor Max Solbrekken's life
and powerful ministry
click
to watch interview
Posted
by VisionHeaven on Tuesday, June 12, 2013
A
LEGENDARY EVANGELISTIC - Dr. Max Solbrekken
This
week we have had the privilege of talking with a legendary
evangelist Dr. Max Solbrekken. He held a series of meetings
for the whole week in one of our meeting halls in Hokksund,
Norway, and has prayed for people to be healed and delivered.
Max
is 79 years old, he looks healthy and strong and is still
traveling all over the world with the gospel
of Jesus Christ just a she has done it for the last 50 years.
We
asked Max to tell us how he got saved.
"I
was born in Canada from a Norwegian Parents who love the Lord and
were Christians." They were not Pentecostals and had
never heard of the work of the Holy Spirit. One time my dad
got very sick, and his sickness was identified to be an illness in
his gall bladder. He was admitted in a hospital and was
waiting for a surgery. While he was there, he heard a voice
speaking to him in Norwegian that said to him, "Go home and
listen to Oral Roberts on the Radio."
My
Dad did not know that God could speak to him in that way, but
still he decided to obey the voice as it was very convincing.
While he listened to the radio program he was completely healed
and some time later while he was praying alone he got baptized in
the Spirit.
WHY
WE NEED
A REVIVAL
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
The
Bible clearly outlines the sins of Israel, which at one time held
a special relationship with God. In this article I compare
Israel's backsliding to the Church of Jesus Christ's seemingly
constant drift from our amazing spiritual beginning until the
present!
In
the same manner, I parallel the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden from purity, honesty and worship of their Creator to the
corrupt, jaded and perverted world system of today!
God's
Word states:
"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34 );
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord." (Psalms 33:12)
According to these Scriptures, Canada is in a fallen
state!
The
Church is in desperate need of a genuine Holy Ghost, heaven-sent,
apostolic revival of mammoth proportions! Without a visitation
from God, the Church will not be able survive the awful onslaught
of Satanic invention and intrigue!
The
Evil One is working overtime to minimize, decimate and destroy the
effectiveness of the Body of Christ around the world! He has
employed many and varied agencies and emissaries to do his bidding
ever since 'The Fall', which has caused great confusion and
suffering to the Church.
The
greatest problem suffered by the Body of Christ down though
the centuries, however, has been self - inflicted!
Discord among brethren, jealousy, envy, backbiting, lust, greed,
pride and control, have been some of the sins that have seriously
hampered the sanctity and the growth of the Church!
Other
major problems have been that of deception, laziness and
indifference! Power hungry men have often been willing to
compromise the Word of God, to maintain their position of
prominence in society and authority in the Church.
What
has been the result of these actions? A loss of real
spiritual power, a vacuum of moral leadership in the Church and
community, and a blurred vision of the
purpose and goals of the Ministry. It has also generated a luke
warmness
toward the needs of the people, a lack of compassion to reach
a lost world and a loss of the Holy Spirit's fire
in praise and worship.
Here
are some key Scriptures that relate to our situation today and
their ramifications as it applies to our individual lives and the
Church body as a whole. In this message I seek to show the
similarities that existed in various times in Israel's history of
backsliding to what is happening in the Church presently.
1. NEHEMIAH
1:1-5
"The
words of Nehemiah the son of Hach-a-liah. And it came to pass in
the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in the palace,
That Ha-na-ni, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of
Judah; and I asked them concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto
me, The
remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are
in great affliction and reproach:
the
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates
thereof are burned with fire.
"And
it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down
and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before
the God of heaven, And said, I beseech Thee, O' Lord God of
heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and
mercy for them that love Him and observe His
commandments."
It seems
clear to me that the report given to Hezekiah about the
awful condition of Jerusalem - the City of God -
and the sad plight of the inhabitants therein, closely resemble
the plight of the Christian Church in many parts of the
world today.
Jesus
said: "I
will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it." (Matthew
16: 18). It is true that Jesus is building His Church and it is
also true that the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail
against it. During the time of Christ, City Hall (as we call
it), where plans of war were hammered out, was directly
behind the gate, and consequently was referred to as the Gates of
the City! The words, 'the
gates of hell',
refer to the opinions, plans, strategy and agenda of Satan.
They cannot succeed in the long term! They will be defeated.
Our
Lord gave us the Great Commission, which stated in part: "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them
that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover." (Mark
16:15, 18)
IS
THE CHURCH A REPROACH TODAY?
We
must ask ourselves the questions: "Are we fulfilling the
Great Commission of our Lord, or are we just playing Church? Are
we casting out devils, healing the sick, setting the captives
free, and preaching the good news to those who haven't yet heard?
Even
a casual reading of the Epistles teaches us how
graciously, unselfishly and righteously God desires us to live,
after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. Do we love the Lord
with all our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbour as
ourselves? Do we love others, as Christ loved us or do we hold
onto grudges and un-forgiveness? It is difficult to
believe that we are not "missing the mark" in
these areas.
The
Lord's Prayer, which our Master taught His disciples to pray,
states in part: "Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Have our lives helped to cause that to happen? Is His will
being done in our earth (body) as well as on the earth? Are
we a part of the solution or a part of the problem?
Hezekiah
was confronted with a pitiful sight! The walls of Jerusalem were
broken down and the gates had been burned with fire! And the
remnant that were left in God's Holy City were in great
affliction (poverty, despair, sickness) and reproach (persecuted,
maligned, ridiculed). If
we are honest with ourselves and God, we must admit that this is a
picture of the Church world-wide.
Never
before, has the Roman Catholic Church
been
so publicly disgraced and sued in the courts, because of the sick
homosexual practices of their pervert pedophile priests! And when
you see Protestant denominations
in the Western World caving in to the demands of homosexuals and
lesbians for ordination and same-sex marriages for their
clergy, doesn't it make you sick?
The
first time I saw two men kissing on TV, I felt nauseated!
What a reproach. What an unnatural, disgusting image for
little children to absorb!
The
disastrous fall into almost comatose formalism, and a rejection of
the Virgin birth of Christ, the Born Again experience and the
Doctrine of Hell of many Protestant Churches makes one wonder how
bad it can get. The only answer is a red-hot, Holy Spirit led
revival of righteousness.
2. Joel 1:9-14, Joel 2:15
"The
field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the
new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye
husbandmen; howl, O ye wine dressers, for the wheat and for
the barley; because
the harvest of the field is perished.
"The
vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the
pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even
all the trees of the field, are withered:
because
joy is withered away from the sons of men. Gird
yourselves and lament ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar:
come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for
the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the
house of your God.
"Sanctify
ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the
inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and
cry unto the Lord. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at
hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."
I
believe that there is a parallel between the crises in
the Church today, and the vision that the prophet Joel had of Israel facing
the day of judgment, called in the Old testament, 'the Day of the
Lord'! Using this Scripture as a pre-picture of the Church in
the time of the end, allow me to share some pertinent and very
important truths:
Why was Israel to
asked to call a solemn assembly? Why must the priests lie all
night in sackcloth, crying unto God? Why must all the inhabitants
of the land fast, mourn, weep and repent? Judgment was coming! The
terrible 'Day of the Lord' was about to take place, when the
Almighty's wrath will fall upon the world at the very end of time.
THE
BIBLE ISSUES A WARNING!
St.
Peter wrote about it with great solemnity and warning: "But
the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
to be in all holy conversation and godliness?
"Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness."
"Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye
may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and
blameless." (2 Peter 3: 10, 14). Why should we
call a solemn assembly and sanctify a fast? Why should the Church
spend much, much more time in prayer? Here are three
reasons:
1.
WE HAVE LOST THE HARVEST - VERSE 11
For the
Church, the harvest is the youth of our nation! Our
young people who have drifted away from the faith of their fathers
and mothers! Young people who smoke marijuana, fornicate, drink
alcoholic beverages and gamble at the casinos and video lottery
terminals! Young people who are carnally minded and live only for
pleasure, instead of being consecrated and dedicated to God and
His program.
2.
WE HAVE LOST THE JOY - VERSE 12
The
reason that there is so little joy in the hearts of Christians is
because we have lost the harvest. It is because we are not winning
souls to Christ! The Bible says: "They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126: 5, 6).
I
have never met an unhappy soul winner!
People who witness for Christ and are engaged in Church and
Missionary work are the happiest people that I have been
privileged to meet, because they are involved with eternal souls.
A soul winner's joy is sweet and his reward is great.
The
Bible says: "And they that be wise shall shine as the
brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel
12: 2, 3)
3. THERE
IS NO MEAT & DRINK OFFERING - VERSE 13
The
priests and their families lived off some of the offerings
that were brought to the temple. People had stopped bringing in
their offerings, so therefore there was very little for the
ministering priests to live on. How can the Church survive when
people lose interest, backslide, stop paying their tithes?
How
can the work of God grow if people stop serving Him, and discontinue
giving missionary offerings? Only a revival, an awakening, a
visitation from God Almighty will shake us into action, so that
our hearts will be right with Him and open to the call of God upon
our lives. Let us call a solemn assembly and get people involved
in fasting and praying for a genuine revival from Heaven.
3. HABAKKUK
3: 1, 2
"A
prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O Lord, I have
heard Thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive Thy work in the
midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath
remember mercy."
This
is one of the most powerful Scriptures in the Bible, to
convince the Church to call upon God for mercy, forgiveness and
help! The prophet had apparently been in prayer and God had
spoken to him. Prayer is a two-way street. It is important
to let God speak to us during our times of seeking Him! What
God told the prophet shook him to the core, and made him afraid.
What
did God tell Habakkuk? It
seems that God must have given him a message, that
impending judgment was about to fall. Gripped by a holy
reverence andr godly fear, the prophet cried out:
"Instead
of judgment, send a revival. Revive Thy work O Lord, in the
midst of the years. Don't let your cup of judgment get filled up!
Rather make yourself known unto us NOW by forgiving our sins and
showing mercy. And if You must judge us, in Your great wrath
remember to be merciful!
4.
JEREMIAH 2: 13 ; 6: 16
"For
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns, that can hold no water. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in
the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good
way, and walk therein, and ye shall rest for your souls. But they
said, We will not walk therein."
There
are some sad stories in the Bible of hardhearted people who
refused to turn to the Lord, even after He called them repeatedly!
Here He speaks to Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - about His
feelings regarding Israel , His chosen people! He asks: "Hath
a nation changed their gods, which are no gods? but My people have
changed their glory for that which doth not profit." (v.
11).
He
indicts Israel on two counts: Forsaking Him, the
fountain of living water and exchanging Him for counterfeits -
broken cisterns which can hold no water.
Then,
He challenges them to take a good hard look at all the
alternatives: "Stand at the crossroads of life and have a
good look at the alternatives. Then, return to the good ways and
walk in them." What does He offer? Peace and rest for our
souls! yet, there are many who enter the wide gate and take the
broad road which leads to death and destruction.
THE
BIBLE GIVES THE KEY TO REVIVAL
Here
is the KEY to revival: "If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land." (2 Chron. 7: 14).
There
are four things that God's people must do in order for the
Almighty to rend the heavens and come down in Revival Power
in our midst!
First,
we must humble ourselves, getting rid of the sin of pride. Second,
we must begin to pray earnestly for His intervention. Third,
we must seek His face in protracted times of intimate fellowship
with our Heavenly Father! We must get close enough so that we can
walk with Him like Enoch, Abraham and Moses! And Four,
we must "lay aside every weight and the sin which doth
so easily besets us" (Heb.12: 1, 2), and turn
from every wicked way.
5. MALACHI
1: 6 - 9; 3: 8 - 10
"A
son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
Father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is My
fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you. O priests, that despise My
name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised Thy name? Ye offer
polluted bread upon Mine altar, and ye say, Wherein have we
polluted Thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is
contemptible.
"And
if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil" and if
ye offer the lame and the blind, is it not evil? offer it now to
thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?
saith the Lord of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that He
will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he
regard your person saith the Lord of hosts.
God
was displeased with the priests who were indifferent to their holy
tasks in the temple. They were only going through the motions
instead of reverently ministering to the Lord! Are we also
guilty of only going through the motions without real conviction
and love for our Lord?
May
God help us to give Him our very best, instead of the cull, the
left - overs in our life. He is not content to play second
fiddle or be the fifth wheel. He wants to be NUMBER ONE in
our heart and life! Let us give Jesus Christ centre stage.
In
verse 11 through 14, we read: "For from the rising of
the sun even unto the going down of the same MY name shall be
great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall
be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be
great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."
What
were they doing? They were offering animals that were blind and
lame and sick unto the eternal God! He asks: "Should I
accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the
deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and
sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King,
saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the
heathen."
A
SIN AND A SHAME!
It
is scandalous when you consider the very little we give to God and
His cause in the so-called Christian nations, relative
to what we spend on cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pornography,
gambling and amusement. It
is a Sin and a Shame! We spend more money on chewing gum in
our respective countries than we give to Almighty God. That
has to change.
In
Chapter 3, we read: "Will
a man rob God? yet
ye have robbed Me. But
ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee. In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole
nation.
"Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in
Mine house, and PROVE ME now herewith saith the Lord of hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.
And
I will REBUKE THE DEVOURER for your sakes, and he shall not
destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast
her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of
hosts."
Upon
the authority of God's Word, I declare that you will never sorry
if you give God His share in tithes and offerings. He is no man's
debtor and He will prosper and bless you as He has promised. His
Word cannot fail and He will not fail you.
Isaiah's
life was changed when he had a vision of God in the temple. He
became one of the greatest Prophets of all times! He cried out: "Behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from
you, that He will not hear." (Isaiah
59: 1,2)
Here
he gives us the key to forgiveness and peace: "Seek ye
the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah
55: 6, 7)
6.
REVELATION 3: 14 - 20
"And
unto the angel of the church of the La-od-i-ce'ans write; These
things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I
would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My
mouth.
"Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou
mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and
knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."
The
La-od-i-ce'an Church had drifted so far from the truth
that Jesus is standing on the outside seeking entrance to His OWN
CHURCH. How very, very sad! He wants us to be red hot for Him and
His Gospel. Please make room for Jesus Christ in your heart and
life today! Only then, do we really begin living. In his great
love and mercy, Jesus will wash away every sin and fill our hearts
with contentment and contagious joy!
What
a reproach in that Day, to be left on the outside, because you
have left Him on the outside of your life! He urges, "Behold, I
stand at the Door and knock, if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him and he with Me.
"To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even
as I also overcame, ans am set down with My Father in His
throne." (Revelation 3: 20,21)
7.
JONAH 1:1-6
"Arise,
go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their
wickedness is come up before Me. But Jonah rose up to flee from
the presence of the Lord; and went down to Joppa; and he found a
ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down
into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the
Lord.
But
the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a
mighty tempest in the
sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners
were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the
wares that were in the
ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.. But Jonah was gone down
into the sides of the ship, and he lay, and was fast asleep.
So
the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him. What meanest thou O
sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be it that God will think
upon us, that we perish not. And they said everyone to his fellow,
Come, and let us cast lots,
that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they
cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
Then
said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this
evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou?
What is thy country? and of what people art thou?
And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord,
the God of Heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
Then,
were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou
done this? For the men knew that he had fled from the presence of
God, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, what shall
we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us: for the sea
wrought and was tempestuous unto them.
Then
said he, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the
sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great
tempest is upon you. Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring it
to land.; but they could not; for the sea wrought and was
tempestuous unto against them.
Wherefore
they cried unto the Lord, and said, we beseech Thee O Lord, we
beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not
upon us innocent blood: for Thou
O Lord, hast done as it pleased Thee. So they took up
Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from
her raging.
Then
the men feared exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord,
and made vows. Now the Lord had prepared a GREAT FISH to swallow
up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and
three nights."
What
a wake-up call Jonah received from Almighty God and what
tremendous measures He takes, so that a heathen city could hear
God's voice and be saved. It was an unusual and awesome way to
reach that entire city for Him.
WHEN
GOD BECAME A MAN!
It
pales, however, when one considers the Salvation plan that Jesus
of Nazareth fulfilled through His Virgin birth, pure and righteous
life, vicarious death and glorious resurrection. The Sovereignty
of God demanded punishment
for sin and the CROSS provided the Final solution!
For
a time, God overlooked or winked at our sins in His great mercy
and kindness by allowing the sacrificing of innocent lambs, goats
and bullocks (occasionally a red heifer) to suffice.
When
the fullness of time had come, however, Almighty God our Heavenly
Father, gave Himself in His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins and those of the whole world. The word propitiation means the
covering, satisfaction and the expiation. Jesus of Nazareth, true
God from eternity and true man by His virgin birth, had to die so
that He could cover us and remove our sins to SATISFY the
Righteous Demands of Divine Justice.
While
in the belly of the GREAT FISH, Jonah repented of his rebellion
and disobedience. God forgave him and gave him another opportunity
to reach the wicked city of Nineveh with God's message of
repentance and judgment. Praise the Lord!
"And
the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the
dry ground. And the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah the Second
time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh that great city, and preach
unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went
unto Nineveh, according to the Word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was
an exceeding great city of three days journey.
So
the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put
on sackcloth, from the greatest one even to the least of them. For
word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne,
and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and
sat in ashes...
When
God saw their works, that they turned from their Evil way; and God
repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them,
and He did did it not." (Job 2:10; Job 3:1-10)
The
total repentance of the entire city of Nineveh moved Almighty God
to change His mind about His judgment toward them. He freely
forgave them all by extending His mercy toward them. Jonah's
change of heart in obeying God's directive after a long and hard
lesson, brought our Heavenly Father's great love into focus for
all to see and experience.
THESE
ARE IMPORTANT
LESSONS FOR US ALL!
There
are a number of lessons for us to learn from this ancient
happening: First, God loves the heathen and will use every
possible means to rescue them. Secondly, the work of a true 'Man
of God' isn't a soft touch. It may involve tough times and very
hard work. The importance is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and
answer 'yes' when He calls!
My
prayer is that everyone of us will be willing to carry the message
of Christ's salvation to our relatives, friends, neighbours and
others as often as possible whenever possible to as many as
possible, for as long as possible!
WILLIAM
BOOTH and his wife Catherine founded the Salvation Army in 1865.
They chose as their slogan, 'Blood and Fire', referring to Jesus
Christ's BLOOD shed for the remission of sins and the Fire
referring to the FIRE of the Holy Spirit. He stated, "The
tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your
heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace, knows that it
needs to be stirred up occasionally.
In
1892, William Booth wrote the well-known hymn, 'SEND THE
FIRE'. It is filled with Gospel truth,
Biblical Doctrine and Great Commission Admonition.
You can sense the presence of God by reading the words, and the
Holy Spirit burns when it is sung.
There
is no-one as unhappy as a person who has been called of God to
preach Christ's Gospel, but has stifled that call. For some people
it will be too late to answer that call, but for others the Holy
Spirit may still be calling for you to do His bidding. May He help
you to answer that call. Amen.
DEAR
FRIEND: Please write with your prayer requests. We
will pray for you and I will write you back! When you write,
please ask for a free prayer cloth over which we have prayed with
faith in Jesus' Name, for your deliverance and salvation.
- Pastor Max Solbrekken
WHAT MUST
I DO TO
BE SAVED?
Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Yes,
my dear friend, God is still in the business of setting men and
women free from their sins, sorrows, heartbreaks, fears and
troubles. In this age of frustrations, nervous tensions and
mental collapses, Jesus Christ is still granting peace to the
troubled, joy to the discouraged, strength to the weary and
healing to the sick!
1
- YOU MUST ADMIT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER
The
Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God". (Rom. 3:23) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
2
- YOU MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD
You
MUST believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus died
on the cross, was buried and rose again from the dead.
"That
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:15,18) "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
3
- YOU
MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS
The
Bible says, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." (Lu.13:3) "Let the wicked forsake his way and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon". (Isaiah 55:7)
4
- YOU MUST RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR
The
Bible says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life". (John 3:16)
"Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with Me." (Rev. 3:20) "He that hath the Son hath life: and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)
5
- YOU MUST CONFESS JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD
The
Bible says: "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 with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation". (Romans 10:9-10)
"Whosoever
shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess
before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall
be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8, 9)
HOW
DO I INVITE
JESUS CHRIST INTO MY LIFE?
Pray
to God, a prayer - from your heart.
Tell Him that you
are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. Tell him that
you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell him that
you are willing to change, to turn away from sin. Ask Jesus
Christ to come into your heart and life and be your personal
Saviour.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17)
If
you prayed and ask Jesus Christ into your heart - YOU HAVE NOW
RECEIVED THE GIFT OF SALVATION - YOU HAVE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD.
God Bless You.
-
Powerful AUDIO Bible sermons/messages
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
- click on
message to listen -
Bible
Scriptures verses on
end times,
last days, tribulation, Bible Prophecy
(King
James Version)
 Deuteronomy
4:30-35- (kjv) - When thou art in tribulation, and all these
things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn
to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
(For
the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee,
since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from
the one side of heaven as this great thing is, or hath been heard
like it:
Did
every people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of
the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
Or
hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of
another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by
war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by
great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you
in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that
thou mightest know that the Lord he is God: there is none else
beside him."
Judges
10:14
- (kjv) - Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them
deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
Matthew
13:21
- (kjv) - Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,
by and by he is offended.
John
16:33
- (kjv) - "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."
Romans
5:3-4
- (kjv) - And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; know
that tribulation worketh patience, And patience, experience; and
experience, hope, And hope maketh not ashamed: because the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given
unto us.
Ephesians
3:13
- (kjv) - Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations
for you, which is your glory.
2
Corinthians 1:4
- (kjv) - Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be
able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God.
2
Corinthians 7:4
- (kjv) - Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my
glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful
in all our tribulation.
Revelation
7:14
- (kjv) - And I say unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to
me, These are they which came out of the great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb.
1
John 5:13
- (kjv) - These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son
of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Matthew
7:13
- (kjv) - Enter
ye iin at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Jude
1:21
- (kjv) - Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Hebrews
9:27 - (kjv)
- And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment:
John
5:24
- (kjv) - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life.
John
6:50
- (kjv) - This
is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die.
Matthew
6:13 - (kjv) - And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
Isaiah
57:15 - (kjv)
- For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with
him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.
2
Thessalonians 1:9
- (kjv) - Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from
the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Philippians
1:23
- (kjv) - For
I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be
with Christ; which is far better:
Romans
6:23 - (kjv) - For
the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Galatians
6:8 - (kjv)
- For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting.
Jeremiah
10:10
- (kjv) - But the LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God,
and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and
the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Psalms
90:2
- (kjv) - Before
the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the
earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou
[art] God.
Psalms
72:17 - (kjv) - His
name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as
the sun: and [men] shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call
him blessed.
Psalms
41:13 - (kjv) - Blessed
[be] the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.
Amen, and Amen.
Matthew
3:12 - Whose
fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and
gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire.
Matthew
5:3 - Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew
5:8 - Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Matthew
5:12 - Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew
5:20 - For
I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew
6:20 - But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal.
Matthew
8:11 - And
I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and
shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom
of heaven.
Matthew
13:30 - Let
both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and
bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my
barn.
Matthew
13:43 -
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew
13:49 -
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come
forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.
Matthew
18:10 -
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say
unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of
my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew
19:21 -
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come and follow me.
Matthew
22:30 - For
in the resurrection they neither marry; nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Matthew
25:34 -
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world:
Matthew
25:46 - And
these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal.
Luke
10:20 -
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject
unto you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in
heaven.
Luke
12:8 -
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him
shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.
Luke
12:32 -
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to
give you the kingdom.
Luke
12:33 -
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which
wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no
thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luke
15:6 - And
when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my
sheep which was lost.
Luke
15:7 - I
say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which
need no repentance.
Luke
15:10 -
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Luke
15:32 - It
was meet that we should make merry, and be glad for this thy
brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found.
Luke
16:22 - And
it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was
buried;
Luke
20:34 - And
Jesus answering said unto them, The child of this world marry, and
are given in marriage:
Luke
20:35 - But
they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in
marriage:
Luke
20:36 -
Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels;
and are the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection.
Luke
22:29 - And
I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Luke
22:30 -
That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke
23:43 - And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be
with me in paradise.
John
5:28 -
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John
5:28 -
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.
John
10:28 - And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John
12:26 - If
any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall
also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
John
13:26 -
Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goes thou? Jesus
answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou
shalt follow me afterwards.
John
14:2 - 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.
John
14:3 - 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.
John
17:22 - And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be
one, even as we are one.
John
17:24 -
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Acts
7:55 - But
he, being full of the Holy Ghost, look up steadfastly into heaven,
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God,
2
Timothy 3:1 -
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come.
Matthew
24:36-44 -
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew
24:14 -
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
2
Peter 3:3-4 -
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2
Peter 3:3-4 -
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
Acts
7:56 - And
said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.
Romans
5:17 - For
if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which
receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
2
Corinthians 5:1
- For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.
2
Corinthians 12:2
-
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the
body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell:
God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
2
Corinthians 2:3
- And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body,
I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
2
Corinthians 2:4
-
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Ephesians
1:18 - The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know
what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints,
Colossians
1:5 - For
the hope which is laid up for you in heaven; whereof ye heard
before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Colossians
1:6 - Which
is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth
fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and
knew the grace of God in truth.
Colossians
1:12 -
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians
3:4 - When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with him in glory.
1
Thessalonians 2:12
- That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his
kingdom and glory.
1
Thessalonians 4:17
- Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
11
Thessalonians 1:7
- And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.
11
Thessalonians 2:14 -
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews
10:34 - For
ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the
spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in
heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Hebrews
11:10 - For
he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God.
Hebrews
11:16 - But
now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly : wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared
for them a city.
Hebrews
12:22 - 24 - But
ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.
To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel.
Hebrews
12:28 -
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us
have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably: with reverence
and godly fear.
Hebrews
13:14 - For
here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
1
Peter 1:4 -
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled; and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
2
Peter 1:11
- For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into
the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2
Peter 3:13
- Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation
2:7 - He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation
3:21 - To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation
4:4 - And
round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the
seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Revelation
5:9 - And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation.
Revelation
7:9 - After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands.
Revelation
7:13-17 -
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these
which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And
I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These
are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and
night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation
14:1-3 -
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with
him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name
written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven,
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder:
and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before
the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song
but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed
from the earth.
Revelation
15:2 - And
I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and
over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea
of glass, having the harps of God.
Revelation
21:1-5 -
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.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and
be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former
things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me,
Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation
21:9 - And
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the
seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Revelation
21:10 - And
he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of
heaven from God.
Revelation
21:11 -
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation
21:18 - And
the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was
pure gold, like unto clear glass.
Revelation
21:19 - And
the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all
manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper,
the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcadony: the fourth, an
emerald:
Revelation
21:21 - And
the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one
pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass.
Revelation
21:22 - And
I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are the temple of it.
Revelation
21:23 - And
the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
Revelation
21:24 - And
the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into
it.
Revelation
21:35 - And
the gates of it shall nto be shut at all by day: for there shall
be no night there.
Revelation
21:27 - And
there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they
which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation
22:1 - And
he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation
21:2 - In
the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manners of fruit,
and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree
where for the healing of the nations.
Revelation
21:3 - And
there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Revelation
21:4 - And
they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Revelation
21:5 - And
thee shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither
light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they
shall reign for ever and ever.
OLD
TESTAMENT (King James Version)
11
Kings 2:11
- And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that,
behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and
parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven.
Job
3:17 -
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at
rest.
Psalms
16:11 -
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalms
17:15 - As
for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be
satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Psalms
23:6 -
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalms
24:3 - Who
shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his
holy place.
Psalms
24:7 - Lift
up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Psalms
73:24 -
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to
glory.
Isaiah
33:17 -
Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the
land that is very far off.
Isaiah
49:9 - That
thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in
darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and
their pastures shall be in all high places.
Isaiah
49:10 -
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat no sun
smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even
by the springs of water shall he guide them.
Daniel
12:3 - And
they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament,
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever.
Malachi
3:17 - And
they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I
make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own
son that serveth him.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
For further spiritual counsel, prayer or gospel literature, please
contact us!
www.mswm.org www.maxsolbrekken.com
max@maxsolbrekken.com
www.comehometojesus.ca/
Max
Solbrekken World Mission, P.O. Box 44220, RPO Garside, Edmonton,
AB T5V 1N6 (780) 460-8444
The
House of Prayer, New Sarepta, Alberta (780) 941-2372
|
