|
 VITAL SIGNS
of the
soon return of
JESUS
CHRIST
What
does the Bible say?
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
 WHAT
ARE THE SIGNS THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE END TIMES
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?
SIGNS
OF 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 å 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
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 8:23)
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 th 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.”
(Gen. 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
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 Thess. 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 ‘APOSTACY’ 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 THESE PAST THIRTY
YEARS, AND ESPECIALLY THE LAST DECADE, SIGNALS 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.” (Rev. 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 AND TO BE SURE WE ARE
READY FOR JESUS
CHRIST'S SOON RETURN IN THE SECOND COMING?
St.
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.
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