Nearing Midnight

When Will People Wake Up?

2010-08-20T11:20:00.001-06:00

By Bill Keller

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Saturday night, another Muslim attempted to kill innocent American citizens on our soil. As it turns out, this man was of Pakistani descent, had become an American citizen, was living in Shelton, Ct, had a wife and 2 children, a Facebook page, and was living the American life. The problem? He is a Muslim and ALL Muslims pledge their allegiance to their imaginary god "allah," and follow the teachings of their fantasy book the Koran which commands that all infidels (those who refuse to convert to Islam) must die.

The fact is there are hundreds of thousands of Muslims in this country, and most look just like the nice Muslim family next door. The hard reality is that at any moment they could engage in an act of terror and there is nothing we can do to stop it! Remember the Muslim member of our army at Ft. Hood a few months ago? On top of that, we have the most pro-Islam President in our nation's history which has only emboldened Muslims here and abroad.

I have tried for nearly 11 years now to warn people that God's wrath was going to be unleashed on this nation if we didn't repent, turn from our sins and wickedness, and turn back to God and His Truth. Will Islam be the United States Babylon? All throughout the Bible and human history, God has used human instruments to do His work and fulfill His plan and purpose. We read all throughout the Old Testament how the children of Israel would turn away from God, follow the false gods and idols of the world, live in open rebellion to God's commandments, and eventually He would have enough and pour out His wrath upon them. This was usually done in the form of allowing the enemies of Israel to take them captive and enslave them. As you can imagine, that got their attention real quick. Eventually, after a period of time and due to His never ending love, grace, and mercy, God would free the children of Israel, give them their land back, and begin blessing them again. Of course it was in this time of captivity that the children of Israel would repent and ask God to forgive them. They would be in a place where God was their only source of hope and strength. They began to worship Him again, trust Him again, obey Him again. The amazing thing is once He set them free, it was like they got amnesia. Almost immediately they would be back worshipping the false gods and idols of the world. They would be getting involved in every kind of sin you could name. Worshiping God, trusting Him, living in obedience to His commandments were all forgotten.

It was like when you were a child and you disobeyed your mother. She would make you go stand in the corner for a period of time. After the time was up, you were allowed to go back to playing and doing what you wanted. During the time you were standing in the corner, you were sorry for what you did. You promised your mother that you would obey her from now on. As you stood in that corner you appreciated the freedom you had to play and do what you wanted. But what happened when the punishment was over? It wasn't long before you were not listening to your mother any more. You began to do things you knew you weren't supposed to. What your mom had to say and her rules didn't matter any more.

Like I tell you often, man has never really changed since the Garden of Eden! Go read the Book of Judges. What a classic illustration of this cycle of sin-> punishment-> repentance-> restoration-> and sin again, you will ever find. You read the Book of Judges and you start screaming at your Bible every time God frees them from their enemies and they immediately fall right back into the same pattern of sin that forced God to punish them in the first place. Over and over and over this cycle is repeated and you think to yourself how stupid these people are. At that moment, most of us have one of those sobering moments when the Holy Spirit says loud and clear, YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT!

Before I deal with our nation, let me deal first with each of us as individuals. We are all susceptible and at different times in our life fall into this pattern of sin. This is why I implore you each day to stay in the Word, pray, keep close to the Lord, be in church on Sunday or some day during the week, and find ways to serve the Lord. You see, all of these things working together insure that you are never far from Christ. It keeps you constantly focused on the Lord and your faith. It makes it very difficult to fall into the many traps satan lays for you each day to tempt you and lead you into sin and away from God.

You know and I know that the first thing you do when you allow sin into your life is that you stop reading the Bible as much, usually stop reading it period. You stop praying as much, again, you often stop talking to God at all. You quit going to church regularly, if you even go at all. You are like Adam who after he sinned, ran and hid from God and we see that great scene of God in the Garden asking, "Adam, where are you?"

Of course, as I tell you often sin always has a very high price tag. You NEVER sin and get away with it. There is always a high price to pay when we choose to sin against God. Eventually the time to pay, to suffer the consequences of our rebellion is upon us. We then go through that season of chastisement, of punishment, and it is during this time that most turn back to the Lord. We ask Him to forgive us, repent of our sins, and in the season of punishment find our relationship with Christ again. Eventually the season of punishment ends and we are back to living our lives again. Hopefully, we learned our lesson and have strengthened our walk with the Lord and will do all we have to do each day to stay close to Him, live in obedience to His Word, and enjoy the blessings of that relationship with Jesus.

*Hear my word for you today! The United States is no different than the children of Israel. We are a wicked and rebellious people who have forsaken our God. We have squandered His many blessings and have turned this blessed land into one that is cursed. We have turned to every false god, idol, and philosophy the world has dreamed up in opposition to the God of the Bible and His Truth. We proudly and legally practice infanticide in this nation, slaughtering 4,000 babies every 24 hours. We have embraced, celebrated, and accepted as normal deviant sexual choices that God never intended man to engage in. We have opened the floodgates to allow pornography and every kind of sexual sin man can imagine to exist without any restraint.

As Paul told his young disciple Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, men have become " lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- having a form of godliness but denying its power. "

Just as God spared not His wrath on his own chosen people, punishing them for their rebellion, so will the wrath of God be felt on this nation for our rebellion. In the past God has poured out His judgment on nations by allowing their enemies to take them captive. I believe today as I type these words that unless this nation immediately repents, turns back to God and to His Truth, ISLAM WILL BE OUR BABYLON!!! Amen.

For those who have been reading my Daily Devotional for any length of time, you know that I am probably about the most positive person you will ever meet. However, I am also one of the most realistic. I can't read the Bible and read about God's judgment on the children of Israel for their cycle of sin and not understand that we are facing His judgment for our rebellion. The Bible is also very clear that even amongst God's choice servants, when they sinned there was always a price to pay. Why would we think for a second we can sin and get away with it?

My prayer for you today is that you will realize that there is a huge price to pay when we sin. Our rebellion to God always brings consequences. Likewise, God blesses us for our obedience. So it really boils down to a choice between consequences and blessings. I have to tell you as someone who has experienced both, blessing are MUCH better! It really makes sinning not only an act against God, but really stupid since we know we aren't going to get away with it. I pray today that the Lord will speak to your heart and each time you are confronted with the choice to sin, you will remember that you pay a huge price for that sin at some point. It is just as easy to OBEY God, and instead of dealing with the pain of whatever consequences arise, you can enjoy the blessings that flow from your obedience!

As for this nation, I sense our time is very short. I sense in my spiritual gut that at any moment God could unleash His wrath on this land. We are not only due His judgment, we are long OVERDUE. As I see the events of this world unfolding, I clearly see that Islam could very easily be God's instrument of judgment on this nation for our rebellion, just like Babylon was His instrument of judgment on the children of Israel for their rebellion. I only know the glimpses we get from the Word what being taken captive and enslaved by a hostile people would be like. None of us can even being to fathom it. I do know that it will be horrible. I also know that it can be avoided IF we act now.

That is why I do what I do, with Liveprayer in operation literally 24/7/365. We have no more time. Our time has run out. Time will eventually tell and history will record the fall of this great nation at the hands of Islam should we stay on the spiritual course we are presently on. We are simply living in freedom today by the grace and mercy of Almighty God. I will keep doing all that I can each and every day to sound the trumpet of warning, to use all of the resources at my disposal to lead this nation back to God and to Biblical Truth so we might be spared His soon coming wrath and judgment. If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:

bkeller@liveprayer.com

A Prayer For Our Time

2010-08-18T14:11:00.004-06:00

The prayer delivered January 23, 1996 by the
Rev. Joe Wright to the Kansas House.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.
We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the living savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Restoring Planet Earth

2010-08-18T07:37:00.003-06:00

Jesus said to them (the Disciples), "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt. 19:28)

He (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21)

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” Then He said, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 21:5-6)

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah 35:1-2)

The End times judgments will be devastating in the extreme, and the Lord warned that if He didn't bring them to a close at the appointed time, not a single soul would survive (Matt. 24:22). But for the sake of the elect, He will bring them to a close and when He does the restoration will begin.

I believe one of the ancillary functions of the end times judgments will be to begin the process of returning Earth to the condition it was in just after the creation, as if the Great Tribulation is the demolition phase of the restoration. This is hinted at by phrases like “every island fled away and the mountains could not be found” (Rev. 16:20) and “there was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1).

Comparing verses like these with the return of long life spans indicated in Isaiah 65:20, I have concluded that Earth will once again become a single land mass surrounded by water, the way Gen. 1:9 described it. Scientists call this original land mass Pangea, and Genesis 10:25 makes mention of its division into today's continents. We can see other evidence of how radically the Earth's topography was changed during and after the Great Flood, and now it will be time to put things back the way they were. I think most of the present seas will either return to their underground origins or rise into the upper atmosphere to re-establish the water vapor canopy that once surrounded Earth (Gen. 1:6-7) and enabled the long pre-flood lifespans.

The mountains will be lowered, the sea floor elevated, and the continents rejoined at their seams. Streams and rivers will flow through lands that have been parched for thousands of years. The great desserts will become verdant plains again.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.(Isaiah 41:18-20)

The current tilt of the Earth's axis causes extreme differences in the world's weather and makes large areas uninhabitable. I believe this will be corrected at the time of the 2nd Coming. The axis will become upright again and the year shortened to its original 360 days. Earth will once again enjoy a world wide sub-tropical climate like it did before Adam lost it and the terrible effects of sin were loosed upon it. This is something the creation has been waiting for ever since.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

When the Lord Returns in glory the wait will be over, and soon afterward the creation will once again resemble a lush garden. He will make her deserts like Eden, her waste lands like the garden of the Lord (Isaiah 51:3)

Some people are troubled by all this because they're so in love with the creation as it currently appears. I even read a book review recently whose author is asking God to be left behind at the rapture because she can't imagine anything being more beautiful than this present Earth, not even Heaven. People like this are limited in their thinking. In the first place, they don't stop to think that if the Earth is this beautiful while under a curse how much more so will it be when the curse is lifted and it's restored to its original condition?

And second, they don't realize that the Lord has spent the last 2,000 years “preparing a place for us” in His Father's house (John 14:2-3). The Church will no longer call Earth home but will dwell with Him there. Do these folks really think that after the rapture, when we see all eternity spread out before us, we'll be disappointed with our future and long to go back into this fallen creation? Is that what they think the Lord has in store for us?

But our focus here is the restoration of Planet Earth, where Israel will once again be the pre-eminent nation. One of the clues we get that the Kingdom Age on Earth features Israel and not the Gentile Nations, or even the Church, is that almost all the descriptive passages are in the Old Testament, and for the most part center around Israel.

From them we learn of the desert bursting into bloom (Isaiah 35:1-2), of the land being so fertile that before they can complete the harvest it will be time to begin planting again (Amos 9:13). Peace will flow like a river and the wealth of the nations like a flooding stream (Isaiah 66:12) In Jerusalem men and women of ripe old age will sit in streets filled with playing children (Zechariah 8:4-5). And in the country side, “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4)

Peace will prevail in the animal kingdom as well. Predators and prey will live side by side, and their young will lie down together, all of them existing in perfect harmony with each other and with mankind again (Isaiah 11:6-8). This will be another reversal of a post-flood condition, when fear and dread of man fell upon all the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air (Gen. 9:2-3).

And so the time of restoration will have come, and in every way Earth will be like it was in the beginning. Where ever one goes there will be peace on Earth and good will toward men, like the angel Gabriel promised to the shepherds so long ago. The Lord Himself will rule, assisted by the Church.

The mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."

The law (Torah) will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.(Isaiah 2:2-4)

But like it was at the beginning, the seed of rebellion will still exist in the heart of natural man. Even though he's been given every conceivable advantage in this, his last best chance to live in peace with God, within a generation or two that seed will begin to germinate as the children of Tribulation survivors come of age. Some will choose to follow their parents to the foot of the cross and receive their personal redemption. But with each generation an increasing number won't. This will happen even though Satan will be bound, the Lord Himself will be their King, and God's Law will be their law.

You see, there is no condition or circumstance that will allow natural man with his sin nature to live in peace with God. As the end of the Thousand Year Kingdom approaches, unbelievers will vastly out number believers again, especially among the nations. When Satan is released they will mount up as one and march across the breadth of the Earth to surround the camp of God's people and the city He loves in a final attempt to kick the Lord off the planet. But fire from Heaven will devour them, and Satan will be captured again, this time to be thrown into the lake of fire forever. (Rev. 20:9-10)

And so for the seventh time, God will enter into covenant with man in an attempt at coexistence. And for the seventh time all but a remnant will refuse and the covenant will be broken and end in judgment. These seven attempts by God to live among His creation are called dispensations, and if this is a new idea for you, here's a brief description of each.

Seven Dispensations
The first attempt has been called the Age of Innocence. Between the Creation and the Fall of Man God interacted freely and personally with man. Man was created immortal and while he had agency (the power of choice) he didn't have a sin nature. God placed Adam and Eve in His garden and gave them only one restriction. But they violated this restriction and were expelled from the Garden. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent who beguiled them were all judged, the Creation was cursed, and sin entered the world.

Then came the Age of Conscience. From the Fall of Man to the Great Flood, God allowed man's conscience to rule without Divine interference. Because of man's newly acquired sin nature, the result of this was "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5) After repeated warnings, God destroyed all but 8 members of the Human race in the Great Flood.

Next there was the Age of Human Government which lasted from Noah's Flood to the Tower of Babel. After the Flood, God allowed man to establish his first system of government. But the people disobeyed God's commandment to go forth and replenish the Earth, setting about instead to build a great city and a tower to protect themselves from another flood. They also used the tower to study astrology, a corruption of the Gospel that God had written in the stars using the names of 12 constellations. So God gave each of the 70 families of man a unique language that other families weren't able to understand. This caused confusion and distrust among the people and they drifted apart to be scattered through out the world, and God destroyed the tower.

The fourth attempt was called the Age of Promise. God set Abraham's descendants apart as His Chosen People and promised Abraham and Sarah a son through whom He said He would bless the world. But they grew tired of waiting for Him, and they produced a son on their own, calling him Ishmael. Later, when God gave them Isaac, the son He had promised, Ishmael was sent away causing bad blood between Ishmael (Arabs) and Isaac (Jews) that continues to this day.

Number five was the Age of Law which lasted from Mt. Sinai to Pentecost. After God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave Moses the 10 Commandments and offered the Jews the land He had promised to Abraham along with a life of peace and plenty if they obeyed His Law. After 2000 years of vacillating between obedience and rebellion that resulted in them rejecting the Messiah, God finally had enough, expelled them from their land, and dispersed them throughout the world. (But not forever. The Dispensation of Law was interrupted seven years short of its allotted time while God created the Church. After the Rapture, the final 7 years, also known as Daniel's 70th Week Israel will have one final chance to live in obedience to God and accept their Messiah.)

The Age of Grace, also known as The Church Age, was God's sixth try. No longer requiring that righteousness be earned through obedience to the Law, God imputed His own righteousness to man by grace through faith in the completed work of the Lord Jesus, promising eternal blessing and a place in His own house to all who accept. It was the most outrageously lavish gift ever bestowed, free for the asking. But by the end of the Age of Grace most of humanity will have rejected His gift, choosing instead to live on their own terms, betting that either God doesn't exist, or if He does He'll allow them into His kingdom anyway. After removing the relative few who have accepted His gift so they'll be safe with Him, He'll punish the rest through the most severe time of judgment ever visited on Earth.

And finally the Kingdom Age, number seven. This is the 1000 Year Reign of the Lord, also known as the Millennium, that we've been discussing. And like the previous six, it will end in failure and judgment. Seven attempts, seven failures, seven judgments. Enough is enough.

After the Millennium, God and man will enjoy a new beginning, called Eternity. We're not given any information about this because the Bible effectively ends at the end of the Millennium. In Rev. 20, John skipped ahead after verse six to describe the final destinies of Satan and all unbelievers while he was on the subject. (Rev. 20:7-15) Then in Rev. 21:1-27 he went back to the beginning of the Millennium to show us the New Jerusalem, and in Rev. 22:1-6 gave us a glimpse of Millennial life on Earth. We know this because Rev. 21:1 is a direct quote from Isaiah 65:17 where the context is the Kingdom age in Israel and Rev. 22:1-6 is a summary of Ezekiel 47, also a millennial passage.

As part of the Church we'll effectively have a head start on Eternity, as will resurrected believers from both Old Testament times and Daniel's 70th Week. But we'll have to wait at least until the rapture to see what it's going to be like. All we know for now is that it'll be the greatest adventure ever designed for mankind, and we're at the head of the line. 08-14-10

On Broadway

2010-08-18T07:33:00.002-06:00

By Ron Graham

Bright lights, adult theaters, jumping hot spots for socializing (among other things), fast cars, high rollers lots of fun and excitement to be had “On Broadway”. Now that’s the life, huh? “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:” Matthew 7:13.

There’s a Broadway in every town, in every community, in every nation. And I’m not talking about the street called Broadway, although many have become trapped and lost on that street. No, what I’m talking about is the Broadway Jesus speaks of as a particular path that each of us must choose to walk or avoid. It’s actually a simple path to follow. That’s why so many end up there. Fun, thrills, games of all kinds. A plethora of perversions and distractions from the woes of life can be found “On Broadway”.

What is the Broadway? It’s interesting when we look at the Greek word it actually means spacious, there seems to be no limitations on just how many people Broadway will accommodate. Any decision we make or any path we take which opposes Jesus Christ is the Broad-way that leadeth to destruction, and that my friends is just a simple fact.

There are many cults circulating the globe which teach their followers concepts that are diametrically opposed to God’s inerrant word, and those teachings culminate “On Broadway”. When someone says “There are many paths that lead to Heaven”, that’s Broadway. “All religions claim their own path to Heaven, Christianity is no different,” that’s Broadway. “I’m basically a good person; God won’t send me to Hell”, Broadway. “I don’t believe in God, or Satan, or Heaven and Hell”, okay, everybody say it together, Broadway.

Even in Christian colleges there are those who conspire with Satan to lead their students to Broadway. Anyone who teaches contrary to God’s word is conspiring with Satan. Satan, the father of all lies, invented the lie “…ye shall not surely die ” Genesis 3:4. In other words he called God a liar. That is precisely what we see happening whenever a pastor or college professor tells their parishioners or young impressionable students God didn’t really mean what He said. I’ve received letters from students confirming this to be the case. Be careful where you send your children for a Christian education. Many Christian colleges have successfully robbed that name from God and are currently well entrenched on Broadway.

A dear sister in the Lord recently wrote to me about the co-pastor “a woman” at her Church who line item vetoes verses from God’s word which she doesn’t like – Broadway.

Many Christian denominations come close to Broadway because they won’t recognize Israel’s legitimate claim to the land God gave them. “The Church has replaced Israel in God’s eyes”, that’s Broadway. God never reneges on a covenant. Those covenants He made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David are binding. Refusing to accept the truth of those covenants and thinking the Church has now replaced Israel in God’s eyes is just another way to call God a liar – Broaaadwaaay.

“Jesus is not God” – Broadway. “Jesus was a good teacher but He didn’t die on a cross or arise from the grave”, do you get the feeling Broadway’s filling up fast? Are we beginning to see why the Broadway is so easily followed yet so destructive? And why Jesus says many will enter thereat? There are so many lies infiltrating the minds of men that over time the truth of God’s word becomes diluted, and of non-effect.

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8. The word “spoil” above actually means to give place to. In other words, when man gives place to the doctrines of men instead of adhering to God’s word – Broadway.

Today we see many doctrines of men being adhered to in the church. One which is a sure path to Broadway is by adding to the sufficiency of the cross. This concept, in effect, is saying Jesus didn’t pay the whole price for my sins so I must perform my own works, such as being baptized to complete the process, or I must speak in tongues, or be a member of a certain congregation… these doctrines of men (lies) go on and on. Instead of being saved by grace through faith, according to man’s doctrines , faith alone just won’t do. This lie will lead people away from believing that through faith in Jesus Christ are we saved by God’s grace. Ultimately many who go to Church to find the truth only find Broadway.

When believers in Christ fail in their assigned task of spreading the Gospel of Christ, Satan will take full advantage of that failure, and he has. Besides all the Christian cults, and demon possessed professors, many of our Christian leaders are vacillating when it comes to standing firm on the word of God. When the scriptures are allegorized, marginalized, or even discounted as mere fables by pastors and teachers, Satan gets elevated. This very real satanic promotion has and will in the future lead many to – Broadway.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. Basically liars, these are men and women who have perfected the skill of lying to an art. They’ve made their father the devil proud. The only way any of us can keep from participating in their dance, “the Broadway shuffle”, is by being ever diligent in our studies of and believing in God’s inerrant word. God warns us again and again about liars. Sadly many just don’t pay attention or they don’t believe Him, and of course yet another path to Broadway.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Of course this claim by the Creator of the universe is widely disputed among false religions, and even many so called Christian college professors; thus this disputed truth has been responsible for more people wondering onto Broadway than almost any other lie promoted by Satan.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. Here Jesus drives home a fact. “Few” is His word when referring to just how many will eventually follow Him. The Greek word “oligos” can be translated as: little, small, few, or slight. In other words we’re looking at a Greek word which, when used in the above context, represents a very slight numerical value. God is telling us in no uncertain terms that huge multitudes of folks will find Broadway much more advantageous than to accept the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just who are these people? Well, some of them you know. Some may even be related to you.

I don’t know about the rest of you but when I read God’s word about how few enter in through the narrow way (Jesus Christ) vs. the many that will go through the broad way (the path that leads to Hell) it’s not only sad but depressing. But imagine how our Creator God must feel when even one of His creation rejects His Son? God offers all of humanity a free gift of salvation, yet He tells us that Broadway will be packed. What a sad commentary as we see multitudes upon multitudes of deceived folks looking to Broadway (Hell) for their eternal future.

God knows something none of the rest of us can ever know. He, being outside of the restraints of time and space, has a unique advantage over us. He can see the beginning of all things as well as the end of all things simultaneously. This unique advantage allows Him to make statements such as “few there be that find it” (that is the narrow way – Jesus Christ), and “broad is the way that leads to destruction” (Satan’s way – Hell). God knew, even before He created the universe, who would believe in and follow His only begotten Son, and who would take the Broadway turnoff. This in no way diminishes our responsibility to choose for ourselves which path to take.

Yep, Broadway is a turnoff in more ways than one. It means going against the truth. It’s a deliberate choice that folks make to stand in complete rebellion against their Creator. The lies which the enemy supplies to all humanity are damning and he knows it. Satan cannot see the beginning from the end and thus all he can do is work day and night to corrupt God’s creation. Satan is a very powerful and intelligent supernatural being but he can’t hold a candle to God; as hard as the enemy tries to usurp God, God never loses control. But He, being the loving gracious God He is, will never force anyone to avoid Broadway. He gives us direction through His word and has placed the Holy Spirit on earth to guide us to Jesus Christ, but the final choice to follow Christ or to jump “the Broadway train” is entirely our domain.

Jesus gave us those verses in Matthew 7 as a warning to all who wish to occupy eternity with Him. He’s telling us that there will be much obstruction ahead (that’s another commentary), but the simple way will be the Broad way. The narrow way, which is only through Jesus Christ, leads to life, “and few there be that find it”.

Should we think that the more the lost see Christians being persecuted for their faith the better Broadway will look to them? Not hardly. Foxe’s “Book of Martyrs” tells of millions of early Christians being persecuted and executed, but they remained steadfast in their faith. He describes many scenes of Christians as they are being eaten by beast or burned at the stake all the while their faces resembled angels. It was as though they were looking at Jesus and He had given them a peace to endure the pain. These martyrs, by holding fast to their faith, are prime examples of how the Church, though hugely persecuted, grew to the size it is today.

The lies which permeate our current Christian culture are, on many occasions, voiced by those who over the years have gained our trust. During the dark times of persecution which are surely coming what can we expect from these fearless leaders? A new mantra of political correctness. The old adage “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen” is changing. Many of our Christian leaders today simply turn down the heat (water down the word of God). Christianity is currently perceived as politically incorrect; therefore many Christian leaders are simply falling in line with what society wants. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. And what will those itching ears, and fables get them? Broadway.

Salvation through Jesus Christ alone is becoming more and more unpopular. The Muslims hate us for what we preach, and yes I mean all Muslims. There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim. They wish to inculcate Sharia Law across the globe and here in America the religion of Islam is spreading like wildfire. One main obstruction to their achieving their goal is Christianity; it must be eliminated so they can proceed with their agenda. Oh, and by the way, Islam and it’s 1.5 billion adherents – Broadway!!

Broadway is Satan’s undisputed path. Is it easy? Is it comfortable? Is it fun? Some may think so, but it’s actually deadly and Satan knows it. Satan hates humans, he even hates those who openly worship him as their god. It is not in his character to be benevolent. He is determined to lead and guide, through whatever deception seems to fly, as many people as he can down – to Broadway.

Jesus admonishes us to enter through the straight gate and narrow way which at this point in time obviously remains open. If this were not the case He would have shut the door and taken us home by now. Consequently there must still be time and room for anyone who chooses Him, albeit precious little time remaining.

Therefore we, as His followers, still have work to do. We are to hold fast to the faith ‘til He comes. We are to spread the good news of His Gospel to the world. We are to make disciples of all nations. And we are to do all this no matter how much persecution comes our way.

Question: Is the straight gate and the narrow way the only path to Heaven? Give that some real thought before you answer. Are there other roads that lead to the Father? If you believe, as many do, that there are many roads that lead to Heaven then you’ve just called Jesus Christ a liar and your future is secure – On Broadway.

May God bless and change lives,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmai.com

All scripture is from the KJV

Look Up

2010-08-14T12:44:00.002-06:00

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28. It is my sincere hope and my fervent prayer that my brethren are all in the same frame of mind and that they are all, metaphorically speaking that is, looking up right now. We are so close to the return of Jesus Christ that many believers have moved into the position of being watchmen on the wall. The Israelites had their watchmen to sound the alarm when danger approached and the Christians today have their watchmen who are sounding alarms. Listen to the voices of those who are telling you to get ready for there is no doubt that we are on the very precipice of the Rapture of Christ’s Church.

Letters from my brethren are continually flowing in concerning the Rapture, and folks are now becoming concerned with the lateness of the hour. Obviously many are now seeing the signs which are beginning to make a real impression on us. Jesus spoke of signs as future history as He sat with His disciples. He fully explained the end times scenarios which were to unfold. We can read all about them in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. As we read those chapters the light begins to shine on us. What do those chapters say to those who are watching and waiting? Read them and at the same time read current world events and you’ll come away thinking the Bible was written yesterday.

The signs Jesus addressed would begin gradually, and increasingly those very same signs would appear to be even more severe, ultimately bringing their frequency and severity to a raging crescendo of catastrophes. And what do we currently see unfolding before our very eyes? The beginning signs Jesus told us to watch and be mindful of. Remember, Jesus said that when they begin to appear “look up”.

Right now, and each day from here until the Rapture, the signs Jesus spoke about will become so numerous and intense that it will be impossible to keep up with these events as they rapidly unfold. We can see that we are currently standing just this side of the seven year tribulation period.

Speaking for myself, I can hardly wait to get up in the morning to see what has transpired overnight with my country and world events. I know the signs are emerging exactly as Jesus foretold. I’m not frightened by those signs, no, not at all. Instead I’m encouraged and even excited with each sign that unfolds. We, that is those who follow Jesus Christ, were given our history lesson in advance for one reason, so we would know how very close His return is and put forth a definitive cry of warning to those who are still lost.

As we watch world history unfold around us we are to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, “...then look up, and lift up your heads...” Luke 21:28. But more importantly we are to spread the Gospel of Christ as never before. We who are believers in Christ must not allow ourselves to be muted, but clearly and concisely speak the truth to all who are perishing.

So, what are the signs Jesus spoke about? Let’s take a look at a few of them, sign by sign. First of all we read “Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.” Luke 21:8. We’ve seen the damage wrought by those who’ve falsely declared that they are the Christ, and through their deceptive ways many have been led astray. Clearly not everyone has heeded Jesus’ words. We aren’t going to stop these deceptions from occurring but we need to be on guard, ever watchful, and ready to confront deceptions.

Secondly, we read “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” Luke 21:9. Jesus basically tells us that these are non-signs. Not to get all worked up over rumors of wars and even full blown wars when they take place because they are ever constant and somewhat predicable, they’ve always been numerous as well as frequent, so essentially they’re non-signs.

In three of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus lays out a scenario that pretty much details the future of humankind. “Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.” Luke 21:10-12. Surely we’ve all witnessed, either by reading about them or being there firsthand, great earthquakes in many different (divers) places. They are increasing in intensity and frequency, and apparently, according to many scientists, we haven’t seen anything yet.

All of the above mentioned signs Jesus prophesied are going to open up for many to behold in the last days, but for the believer in Christ we will only see the beginnings of these signs “And when these things begin to come to pass...” Luke 21:28. “Begin” is the key word here; believers won’t be on earth for the brunt of the action.

Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, this too is currently in the making and can be somewhat unnerving as we read about all the saber rattling. And Israel is constantly being blamed for every little skirmish. One of these days, and very soon I’m afraid, either North Korea or Iran will push the rest of the world into another world war.

Certainly, we are currently witnessing around the globe and within the boundaries of many nations, turmoil, nation against nation, their own citizenry rebelling and fighting in the streets, many are being slain and many more are being injured, and for what? Because their governments, in many cases, have cut back on the handouts people were accustomed to receiving. It takes money and lots of it to withstand the turmoil besetting the world, and this world’s economy is very much at risk of failing. The US economy is teetering on a knife edge; watch for the turmoil of aggressive demonstrations beginning to occur here in the states in the not so distant future.

The unrest now surrounding Israel due to the flotilla incident is a worldwide phenomenon; the hatred is obvious in practically every nation. We are seeing the stage being set for the prophetic war of Psalm 83. This unrest will continue and worsen as the days progress. Most of Israel’s enemy’s are arming themselves to the hilt. They have one purpose in mind, one agenda, and that is the annihilation of Israel. Their only reason for living is to eliminate Zionism from the face of this planet. God says in His word to pray for the peace of Israel and we should be doing so daily. But we also know that God’s hand is upon Israel and He will not allow the annihilation of His chosen people no matter how many come against her.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:2, 3. The scriptures are clear, and they point out that every nation will come against Israel and that God will destroy them. Seemingly, since all nations wish to curse Israel and to do so without fear of God’s retribution, believers should be keenly aware of just what’s around the corner. Every nation is going to be in that mindset of destroying Israel; clearly those who faithfully follow the Savior of the world should be looking up.

Earthquakes, pestilences, fearful sights, great signs from heaven will only be as a prelude for those of us who are in Christ to be witness to. But for those folks who remain on earth after the Rapture, they will witness the full force of all those prophetic catastrophes.

Besides all the news on the national and world fronts which clearly indicate the last days are upon us and that we should be “looking up”, there’s a strange spiritual, supernatural side unraveling before us. Jesus also tells us of a great apostasy (falling away from the faith) in the last days. This phenomenon is quite pervasive. How do I know? By the many letters I receive concerning the inability of many believers to find a Christ centered, Bible believing congregation where they can attend worship services. I can tell you all, that the apostasy Jesus speaks about has now infiltrated many a Christian Church worldwide.

When these things begin to come to pass? My brethren, they’ve begun. Interestingly, an unthinkable event occurs in the 8th chapter of the book of Revelation which may give us reason to pause and reflect as we read “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” Revelation 8:8-9. I wonder if that mountain could be a mountain of oil seeping from a broken pipe out in the Gulf of Mexico. Could this catastrophe be a prelude to fulfilling Revelation 8? We’re told by the scientists observing the leakage that the oil under the water now resembles huge plumes, kind of like mountains, and the US coast guard is using fire to disperse that oil. Certainly a catastrophic event is unfolding before our eyes. Just my thoughts.

At any rate our days on planet earth are clearly numbered. As such, those of us who are diligently following our Lord Jesus Christ and His commandments should be in the midst of the unsaved sharing the Gospel of Christ with them, praying for the ones we’ve spoken to who are fence setting, and looking up intently as our “redemption draweth” so very close.

God bless you all.

The End Is Near (The Worn-Out Warning)

2010-08-11T07:36:00.002-06:00

By Terry James

Each time the tornado siren goes off in our town during our sometimes stormy springs, I or someone else within our home will wonder aloud: "Are they just playing with that thing again?"
By that, whoever makes the statement means that it seems like every time there’s a rumble of thunder in a darkened sky during the tornado season, somebody pushes the siren button. Finally, the tornado hasn’t struck, so we lose the edgy angst of what might be going on just to our west/southwest, the direction from which most thunderstorms assault at that time of year. It’s like the little boy who cried "Wolf!" The big bad wolf hasn’t come to the door, so we settle into a more comfortable configuration, turning our thoughts and attention elsewhere.

There is an end-time storm approaching. It is almost upon this generation. We at Rapture Ready, and many others who man God’s last-time radar scope for prophetic warnings, have perhaps been pushing the siren buttons for so long now that we’ve about worn them out. But, the warnings have been warranted. The thunder is boiling, and the lightning is crashing on the horizon. But, with each warning has come the turning from the sirens of alert to things as usual. The big bad wolf hasn’t come to the door yet. No need to worry.

The European Union (EU) is forming into what looks to be the reviving Roman Empire, like Daniel predicted; Russia, with Iran (ancient Persia) and other nations north of Jerusalem are linking in ways that might bring forth the Ezekiel 38 and 39 Gog-Magog coalition. China is making noises of becoming a superpower to rival America’s superpower status, looking to very likely become the lead nation of the kings of the east forces of Revelation chapters 9 and 16.

Israel is in constant turmoil, with the nations of the world –as seen in U.N. diplomatic activity—singling out the Jewish state as the one country on earth that is most a target of vilification. Records are set constantly for the most high-magnitude earthquakes; strongest hurricanes; most terrible floods and droughts; devastating famines and horrendous pestilences. Great space feats have become humdrum, as have sightings in the night skies of Unidentified Flying Objects and space bodies that might threaten Planet Earth. Every one of the apostle Paul’s “perilous times” end-time indicators are present today just within America. Even formerly strong Christian ministries have degenerated to fit the description, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

All are exigencies that meet descriptions given to end-of-days geopolitical, geophysical, and socio-economic as well as religious signals foretold by Jesus and the prophets to be prevalent and on the increase while the time of Christ’s return draws near. Thinking on these things, we need go back no farther than September 11, 2001 to understand how the warnings have become worn out before a world of earth-dwellers who just seem to roll on as if nothing worse can possibly touch them.

Many can remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade towers in lower East Manhattan. But, surprisingly –unlike the time when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963—there are some who were full-grown adults on that fateful Tuesday who can’t clearly recall precisely what they were doing when the reports of the attacks on the first tower occurred.

Whatever the reason for that terrorist attack not stamping quite the same depth of imprint upon the memory, the fact that the event held potential for even more portentous danger to America than did the Kennedy assassination was, and remains, a reality. Call it desensitization, or numbing, or something other, but the 9/11 attack and the threats that have flowed into this generation since seem to have made everyone less easily drawn to alerts of the dangers they face.

So it is with Bible prophecy –eschatology—the things of the end time.

We who believe it is our commission by the Lord to be watchmen on the wall during these times are seeing signals that our warnings about prophetic times are wearing thin with this generation. The issues and events that almost certainly are precursor convulsions of the prophetic birth pangs given by Jesus and the prophets of the Bible for the time of the tribulation are evident in all directions today. Yet each birth pang-like contraction within geopolitics, geophysics, global socio-economics, or world-wide religion brings less reaction than did the preceding contractions.

Church pews were full the Sunday following Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I, myself, was asked to speak to the situation that particular Sunday, as to what the attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and the foiled attack that ended with the deaths of the heroes in the field in Pennsylvania might mean prophetically.

The Barna Group, an organization that examines and presents statistics of importance, reported that church attendance was exponentially up the Sunday following the 9/11 assaults. The attendees then dropped off just about as quickly as they had streamed into the churches. It was back to business as usual within several weeks –possibly with even lower attendance than prior 9/11/01.

We at Rapture Ready were inundated with media attention for several years following the attacks and the beginning of the war on terror. Our mention in Time magazine brought millions of hits to the site and requests for interviews on world conditions as they might relate to Bible prophecy. Although many interviews were to prove to be attempts to put the pre-trib view of prophecy in the category of absurdity, there was a sense of a certain kind of apprehension by those doing the interviews in many cases. They wanted to pooh-pooh the whole Armageddon thing, but, after all, these terrorists did come from the place where that prophesied war is foretold to take place…

And, modern Israel, after all, did represent the nation the Bible says will be back in the Holy Land, surrounding the city of Jerusalem, at the time Armageddon is supposed to take place…

Better not get too far afield in pooh-poohing those who study and preach on those end-of-days things, was the sense I got, while being interviewed from news teams and documentary crews from, literally, all around the world.

And, we who are the watchmen did, indeed, press the warning siren buttons –while examining, analyzing, dissecting the strange issues and events going on all around this generation, under the light of God’s prophetic Word.

A strange thing was happening, in my view. The world, and even local media, grew more and more interested in what was predicted in the Bible to happen while the end of the world grew near. All the while, the churches, the pastors, the people in the pews of fundamentalist, evangelical churches –not to mention the seminaries out of which the pastors and leaders come—grew less and less interested in Bible prophecy yet future. Instead, these turned more inward than ever, and seemed to be bent on replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a gospel of entertainment and feel-good motivation sessions. And, church growth exploded into mega-churches with glitz and glamour befitting a Las Vegas hotel.

Seems the words of warning from God’s end times siren had about worn out the itching ears of what had been even the most evangelical, Bible-centered local church bodies of the not-too-distant past. The trend has not abated. We see church leaders of the mega-churches kneeling and praying with Muslim clerics. The ministers are praying not that the Islamic will come to Christ, but that their people and Christian people will come to common ground of understanding. That we will all be accepting that we are all God’s children.

And, all the while, the father of lies smiles wickedly. He sneers a hiss of approval, watching the “love fest” he is orchestrating, while he gleefully causes the luciferically-desensitized ears of his willing victims to become deaf to the warning: “The rapture is going to happen! The tribulation is approaching! Christ is coming!”

God bless you all.

A Prayer For Today

2010-08-06T08:02:00.003-06:00

Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you Lord that it is always true. It’s a word that has been settled forever in heaven. Lord when we understand what the bible says, it truly does give us a perspective on life. It helps us to know what to do and how to respond to situations. It gives us a great concern and passion for those who maybe caught up in the system of the world. Are hearts are burdened and saddened for what we see going on around us. Much of which is accepted by many in the evangelical faith as the whole picture of Christendom, that which your word says is certainly outside of your perfect plan and will for God’s people. Help us to be faithful to the word of God. Help us to here what it says, understand what it means, and apply it to our own lives. In Jesus name, Amen

My Fascination With The Pre-Trib Rapture

2010-08-06T07:01:00.004-06:00

Ever since the early 80s, I've maintained a deep fascination with the pre-trib rapture. I don't recall when I first heard of the rapture, but I do know I instantly realized that this event would someday demand the world's attention.
Modern-day society has witnessed some rather distressing events over the past century. We've seen the assassination of world leaders, national and international wars, and disasters of every sort. All of these events have left deep scars on the psyche of humanity. However, I think these events will pale in comparison to the panic that will be caused by the pre-trib Rapture.

The rapture will someday give a new meaning to the word "shock." For the U.S., the attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11 terrorist attacks currently rank as the most startling events in our nation's history. When the rapture takes place, I am convinced it will be 100 times more shocking than Pearl Harbor and September 11 combined.

In the past, no single event has managed to touch each individual on a personal level. For example, very few people in 1941 had even heard about Pearl Harbor, let alone knew someone involved in the incident. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon fall into the same category. Everyone saw the calamity on television, but it's unlikely that more than 1% of the US population knew any of the victims who worked in the Twin Towers or the Pentagon, or who were aboard the commercial airliners hijacked by the terrorists.

On the other hand, after the Rapture takes place, everyone left behind will know someone who was mysteriously taken away. It could be a neighbor, a distant cousin, or a person's entire immediate family.

Some prophetic commentators have tried to predict that there will only be a few halfhearted questions like, "Where did everybody go?" Simple logic dictates that the people who find themselves left behind will be absolutely terrified by what has taken place.

I can only guess at the level of interest the press, government, and public will pay to the rapture, but I'm sure it will be immense. As a result of the catching away of the Bride, I believe many individuals will turn to Christ and become numbered with the tribulation saints.

It's So Near
If it looked like the pre-tribulation rapture was going to transpire 100 years from now, there probably wouldn't be a pressing need for me to quickly assemble a website devoted to the subject. However, I believe we are getting very near to the end of what is called the Church Age, so I have been rushing to put together a comprehensive site on Bible prophecy.

Because the rapture is an event that will take priority over all other aspects of our life, it is very important for us to be mindful of its nearness. Death is the only other comparison one could use to describe the type of impact the rapture implies.

The rapture has always been an imminent event, but we now have the luxury of being able to look at history and realize there were a number of key end time prophesies that required several years to evolve into where we see them today. Before May 15, 1948, we only had hope that Israel would once again become a nation. It wasn't until the late 1990s that China gained the ability to field a 200-million-man army. Jan 1, 2002 stands as the date the Revived Roman Empire reestablished the practice of having a common currency.

I keep a close watch on dozens of prophecy-related categories and in the last few years I've noticed an exponential increase in the rate of prophetic progression. In many cases, I can clearly see we have already arrived at the point of fulfillment--no waiting or further development is really required. The final implementation of those end time factors is the only thing lacking.

The Great Transformation
When describing the rapture, most prophetic writers like to focus on the negative consequences of the event. Yes, if the driver of a car were to suddenly vanish, the vehicle would spin out of control. The tribulation is said to be a time of unparalleled distress, so I doubt a few traffic accidents will amount to any lasting significance.

As believers, we will have more important things with which to concern ourselves. Our main focus should be on the heavenly realm. Once we get to glory, we will be confronted with a world of absolute splendor.

Jesus said each believer will receive his own heavenly mansion. If we each have a spacious estate waiting for us, I see no reason for a Christian to strive to build an earthly mansion. I find it rather odd that so many well-known preachers spend large sums of money on ritzy housing and fancy cars. If they had a true understanding of eternal value, you would think they would buy modestly so that they could reinvest their financial gains into the spreading of the Gospel.

"But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him'" (1 Cor 2:9).

"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 14:2).

Losing Everything; I Mean Everything
I once took a tour of the United States Air Force's Strategic Command Post at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The center is charged with tracking the movements of anything that could deploy nuclear weapons: missiles, aircraft, or ships. It's the first layer of command that would order a nuclear counterattack. The command center would obviously be the prime target of any potential enemy.

While I was in the control room, I asked the sergeant giving us the tour, "What would you folks do if you knew a missile was headed in your direction?" His reply was, "I guess we'd open the snack bar up to all takers." I was struck by how true it would be in that situation in which money would have no value. A standard 10-megaton nuclear device exploding over the base would leave nothing but a giant hole in the ground.

For Christians, the rapture will bring devastation similar to that wrought by a nuclear war. When the trumpet sounds, all followers of Christ will instantly lose all of their worldly belongings. As a believer, you might have $20 million in the bank, a fancy home, a yacht, or your own prosperous business, but come the rapture, you can wave all that stuff goodbye as you soar skyward.

The Christian community holds wealth that is easily valued in the $1 to $2 trillion-dollar range. Knowing the total funding for global evangelization efforts amounts to a few hundred million dollars each year, our priorities are certainly in need of reevaluation.

I don't expect to be around to see Social Security, so it doesn't trouble me whether or not predictions of its distant future insolvency turn out to be true. Whenever oil prices zoom up, many people worry that we're going to either run out of gasoline or that it will become prohibitively expensive. At the end of each episode, however, the supply and the price always manage to return to more reasonable levels.

Because we don't know exactly when Jesus is coming for the Church, I believe it is wise to make long-term plans. The key, I believe, is not to allow ourselves to be distracted by trivial issues. We should concern ourselves mostly with today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

When the catching up takes place, I expect to be flooded with a number of regrets over things I should have accomplished. It's the realization that our good deeds are the only possessions we will take with us that motivates me to keep pressing ahead.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (Mat 6:19-20).

One of the most obvious benefits of being ready for the rapture is not having to suffer through the tribulation. Here are four passages that indicate that believers will not be left to suffer the outpouring of God's wrath:

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).

"And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth " (Revelation 3:10).

If you're included in the rapture, you will be taken to heaven--the place that is a synonym for happiness. The Bible tells us that in heaven there are no health problems, moral failures, economic hardships, or marital difficulties.

The most important benefit of being included in the rapture is the chance to finally meet the Lord of Lords face to face. It's hard to envision what that experience will be like, but seeing one';s Creator certainly has to be the ultimate fulfillment of a person's existence.

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim 4:8).

"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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).

Mockers And Detractors
Whenever an unbeliever sends me an email message that attacks or mocks the pre-trib rapture, I always think of the irony they are imposing upon themselves. Someday, the rapture will take place, and these folks will be dumbfounded.

Even when I get some rather nasty letters that condemn me to the fires of hell or that label me as a raving lunatic, it doesn't bother me because I know it would be punishment enough for anyone to miss the rapture. I see no need to take the attacks personally. I think after the event, these folks will be blaming me for not trying hard enough to convince them of their folly.

Once the big event takes place, there will be no more arguments over the rapture's validity. I try to set people up to be reachable after the Church is taken home to glory. Because I believe most of my detractors are still searching for truth, I don't return fire by saying things like, "Say hello to the Antichrist for me" or, "Save me one of those 100 lb. hailstones in your freezer. When I get back, I'd love to see what one looks like."

End time scoffers are actually doing me a valuable favor. The Bible says doubters will be one of the signs of the last days. Their strong opposition is what helps drive my fascination with the rapture.

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Pet 3:3-4).

Get Ready, Jesus Is Coming
You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing. In the Book of Luke, Jesus used a weather analogy to highlight how people failed to use simple logic to recognize the time in which they were living.

The folks who lived in the early part of the first century failed to realize that they were about to witness the revelation of the Messiah. Their error resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Today, people are making an even bigger mistake by not comprehending that this is the generation that will see the fulfillment of the end times.

I've always found it interesting how the salvation issue, both before and after the rapture, is so well balanced. Before the rapture, people need to use faith to overcome the lack of physical evidence for that event. After the rapture, there will be plenty of physical evidence of the event, but then a person will need faith to overcome the trials of the tribulation.

"And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?" (Luke 12:54-56).

"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:34-35).

God bless you all.

The TiVo Premiere DVR Review

2010-08-05T17:43:00.005-06:00

The TiVo Premiere features the first refresh of the TiVo interface in quite some time. While not everyone is a fan, most say that it is stunning and easy to use even as they note that it lacks some functionality -- something that will be handled in firmware updates that are expected to be released in the coming months. Most note that performance is on the pokey side, but that, too, should be fixed in forthcoming updates.

Everything else has critics mostly pleased. The TiVo's Discovery Bar makes it easy to explore offerings both from your cable provider and from online sources, including Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster on Demand and many more. The storage capacity is relatively spacious at 45 hours for HD content, and you can add an external hard drive for even more room for your programs. You can also stream content from the TiVo Premiere for either viewing or storage, as well as burn copies to DVD with the help of software from Roxio (*Est. $70). If you want a TiVo Premiere with even more storage, the TiVo Premiere XL (*Est. $500 plus TiVo service) ups things to 150 hours of HD content and adds a few goodies, such as THX certification.

Like all TiVos (and any DVR that doesn't come directly from your cable company), you will need to get a CableCard from your cable provider (*Est. $4 per month) in most cases, and that technology deactivates some cable company extras such as video on demand. That leads some to say that cable company DVRs (price varies by provider) are both less expensive and more convenient than the TiVo Premiere, though many TiVo enthusiasts would beg to disagree. The TiVo Premiere works with all digital cable systems and Verizon Fios, but not AT&T U-verse or any satellite TV provider. One cable provider, RCN, is offering a CableCard-free version of the TiVo Premiere as an option.

The TiVo Premiere has been widely reviewed. The best review is the detailed report at PCMag.com. Other reviews worth reading can be found at Gizmodo.com, Engadget.com, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Check out TiVoCommunity.com for the most helpful user feedback.

Our Sources

1. PCMag.comDetails/Subscribe

This balanced and testing-based report examines the new TiVo Premiere hardware and user interface in detail. Positives and negatives are clearly spelled out, and the question of whether or not it makes sense to opt for a TiVo Premiere over a cable company DVR is squarely addressed. In the end, Joel Santo Domingo says that while the TiVo Premiere offers "the richest TiVo experience yet," many will find a cable company-provided DVR to be "a more-convenient and less-expensive choice."

Review: TiVo Premiere, Joel Santo Domingo, March 24, 2010
2. Gizmodo.com
In this long and detailed review, Gizmodo.com's Mark Wilson spends lots of time detailing some of the shortcomings of the TiVo Premiere. He bemoans the lack of "eye candy," complains that "corners were cut" in the hardware, and finds some rough edges in the user interface. However, he also says that if you can look beyond the omissions -- some of which will be addressed in coming updates -- "the TiVo Premiere becomes a brilliant machine," adding that it is "the best turnkey set top DVR I've ever used."

Review: TiVo Premiere Review: Where's the Razzle Dazzle?, Mark Wilson, March 24, 2010
3. Engadget.com
Engadget.com's Nilay Patel is clearly excited about the TiVo Premiere's potential, but just as clearly disappointed in the DVR as it currently stands. He recommends waiting to buy the Premiere until the anticipated updates are released, which will clean up some of the user interface's rough spots and rev up hardware performance. He also says TiVo's slow pace in previously updating its DVRs has allowed cable company DVRs to catch up.

Review: TiVo Premiere Review, Nilay Patel, March 24, 2010

4. USA Today Magazine
Edward C. Baig notes some "snags" with the TiVo Premiere, but says there are still lots of positives. Those include the new interface, which makes it easier than ever to find programming both from your provider and from online sources. In the end, Baig says the Premiere is an improved DVR compared with TiVo's previous and well regarded efforts, but he's just not sure it's a "game-changer."
Review: New High-def TiVo Premiere Combines Host of Features, Edward C. Baig, March 25, 2010
5. The Wall Street Journal
Walt Mossberg says the Premiere works as advertised despite some flaws, but could go further in delivering Internet content. Like others, he says the interface is slow and looks incomplete at spots. While most praise the Discovery Bar function for finding new content a plus, Mossberg calls it a distraction.
Review: New TiVo Mixes TV and Internet, but Falls Short, Walter S. Mossberg, March 24, 2010
6. TiVoCommunity.com
This is a treasure trove of information for owners and prospective owners of the TiVo Premiere. There are lots of discussions of positives and negatives of the DVR, owner reviews, problem fixes and more. A regularly updated and very lengthy FAQ details the current state of the hardware and firmware, along with known issues and solutions. Testing comparing the TiVo Premiere's performance to previous TiVo DVRs is provided.
Review: TiVo Community Forums, Contributors to TiVoCommunity.com

A Chronology Of The End Times Events

2010-08-05T09:21:00.001-06:00

More and more as we get closer to the end, people want to see a time line of coming events. Questions about the order in which events will take place, the span of time between them and the likelihood of there being enough time for everything to happen in the time we have left are becoming more numerous with each passing week.

As you know the Bible doesn't provide this level of specificity. But neither are we left to make unfounded predictions. There are a number of clues scattered throughout the New Testament that take much of the guess work out of things. With diligent study, we can put them together and make some pretty reasonable assumptions.

Romans 11:25
For example Romans 11:25 says Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. I've shown several times how the phrases "full number" and "come in" point to the Rapture of the Church. In Paul's day they were often used in a nautical context. The “full number” was the number of crew members a ship needed before it was authorized to set sail. As soon as the full number of crewmen had been contracted the ship immediately left the harbor to begin its journey.

The phrase “come in” means to arrive at the ship's scheduled destination. It's still in use today. People talk about how different life will be for them when their ship “comes in”.

From Romans 11:25 we get the notion that the Church has a full number, too. That's the number of believers necessary for the rapture. Reaching that number frees us from the constraints of this world and we'll immediately “come in” to our scheduled destination, Heaven.

Jesus told the disciples He was going to His father's house to prepare a place for us, and then He'd come back for us to take us there (John 14:2-3). He didn't say He'd come back here where we are to be with us here, as in the 2nd Coming. He said He'd come back to take us there to be with Him where He is. This has to be a reference to the Rapture. Once He's done that, Israel's time of hardening will come to an end and the time of their reconciliation will begin.

Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, And Ezekiel 38-39
Ezekiel said that one outcome of the battle he described in chapters 38-39 is that Israel will be awakened to His presence (Ezekiel 39:22). Since Paul said Israel's awakening will follow the rapture and Ezekiel said it will be an outcome of his battle, we can assume the rapture will likely precede Ezekiel 38.

None of Israel's current next door neighbors are mentioned by Ezekiel, even though they're all antagonists, but the prophecies of Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 feature them prominently. From this we can conclude these prophecies will be fulfilled ahead of Ezekiel 38 but there's no way to tell if they will also take place before the rapture.

Acts 15:13-18
A set of parallel clues can bring us to the same conclusion about the relationship between Ezekiel 38 and the rapture. In Acts 15:13-18 James said that Israel was being set aside so the Lord could take out of the Gentiles a people for himself, after which David's fallen Tabernacle would be rebuilt. The phrase "take out" comes from a Greek word that means to take hold of something for the purpose of carrying it away. It refers to the rapture of the Church.

David's fallen Tabernacle is the Temple which was destroyed in 70 AD and will be restored. But there won't be any need for a Temple until Israel is back in an Old Covenant relationship with God. And this will only happen after the Battle of Ezekiel 38. Being back in an Old Covenant relationship means Daniel's 70th Week will have begun (Daniel 9:27). That means the Age of Grace will have come to an end and the Church will be gone.

Matt. 24:34, Psalm 90:10 and Isaiah 23:15
Based on these verses I believe Jesus said His 2nd Coming would take place about 70 years from the time Israel became a nation again in 1948. (As I demonstrated in “Why The Re-Birth Of Israel Is A Sign Of The End”, it doesn't make sense to tie Matt. 24:34 to specific signs that happen just a few years before the 2nd coming.) Adding 70 years to 1948 brings us to the end of 2018. When Daniel's 70th Week begins, there will only be seven years left until the 2nd coming. That means Daniel's 70th Week will have to begin 7 years prior to 2018, in 2011. Other clues indicate the 2nd Coming will likely happen on Rosh Hashanna, also known as the Feast of Trumpets and the Jewish New Year. Because it takes place at the time of the new moon rather than on a full moon, it's often difficult to determine the exact time of its arrival. For this reason it was sometimes referred to in the past as the feast where no man knows the day or hour. Jesus used a form of this phrase 4 times in the span of 23 verses while referring to the time of the 2nd Coming (Matt. 24:42, 44, 50, Matt 25:13). Computer projections tell us that in 2018 Rosh Hashanna will occur on Sept. 9-10. But it takes a confirmed visual sighting to make it official and Matt. 24:29 says the moon will not give its light following the end of the Great Tribulation, so no one will know the day or hour of His return until they see Him coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (Matt. 24:30)

That's All Folks
That's as much of a hint as to timing the Bibles gives us. But remember Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 are all called battles, not wars. If Israel acted without restraint Psalm 83 would likely require only a week or so to fulfill. Isaiah 17 involves only the firing of a missile or the dropping of a bomb. The Rapture of the Church will happen in the twinkling of an eye. God could annihilate the forces of Ezekiel 38 in an afternoon. My point is, this is not too much for Him to accomplish in the time that's left.

The way the Middle East keeps heating up it's possible the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 could happen very soon. When the Gaza Blockade issue threatened to ignite into a full blown confrontation recently, I thought we were seeing its beginning. But sad to say it's not if these two prophecies will be fulfilled but when. And from Scripture you can't tell if they'll happen before or after the Rapture. They could all happen at once.

But after they do, the Battle of Ezekiel 38 will follow, Israel's awakening being necessary for Daniel's 70th Week to begin. This will bring the anti-Christ to the forefront to confirm the treaty that allows for a Temple to be built. In the middle of the 70th Week he'll claim to be God, kicking off the Great Tribulation, after which the Lord will return to establish His Kingdom. Over the past few weeks we've taken a fresh look at Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, and Ezekiel 38-39. We've also shown why the re-birth of Israel has to be the premier sign of the End of the Age. Hopefully, this perspective on how all these prophecies are related will provide the overview we need to understand how very close we are to the End of the Age. Even angels have longed to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12) but you and I are blessed to experience them firsthand. You can almost hear the foot steps of the Messiah.

God bless you all.

Living The Christian Life In Hard Times

2010-08-05T09:14:00.003-06:00

There's no doubt we're living in some of the most difficult times of our generation. If experts are correct it's been 2 ½ years since this recession officially began, and many workers have already exhausted their jobless benefits. But others are just now being laid off and according to projections another million families will lose their homes in the coming months, so its not over yet. It's a sobering thought, but the Bible offers some sure fire advice on living in hard times. Let's take a look.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:25, 31-33)

Right from the start let's be sure we understand that the opposite of this promise is also true. If you're not seeking His kingdom and His righteousness you shouldn't expect His provision. Here's what Paul said about believers still following the ways of the world.

But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.(1 Cor. 5:11).

In the verses surrounding this one Paul made it clear he wasn't talking about unbelievers here. He said it wasn't any of his business to judge those outside the Church. God will see to them. Neither did he say anything about these brothers losing their salvation because of their behavior. His point was their unconfessed sins have put them out of fellowship with God which has deprived them of His blessings, one of which is the support that comes from associating with other believers.

So, how do we make sure we're seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness so we be confident of His blessing? Let's find out.

First Seek His Kingdom
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

Good advice, and Paul's words prove that we have a choice when it comes to our behavior, but how do we exercise our choice?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(Ephesians 4:22-32)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:8-10)

We seek the Lord's Kingdom by choosing to put off the ways of the world and allowing ourselves to be conformed to His likeness. This is not working to earn our salvation, or to keep it. It's following the Holy Spirit's guidance, letting Him renew us to be more like Jesus, in gratitude for the salvation he's given us. Remember, these verses were written to believers, admonishing us to modify our behavior so we act like the new creations we already are (2 Cor. 5:17), members of God's royal family.

Pity the Holy Spirit, who's been sealed within us and therefore has to endure first hand exposure to all our tawdry behavior. It's bad enough that we grieve Him by accident. Let's not do it on purpose.

And His Righteousness
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.(Romans 3:19-24)

If you start thinking you're better than others just because you behave better than they do, you're not seeking God's righteousness, you're seeking your own. God's righteousness can come only through faith in His Son, and makes us humble, not proud. Your behavior is for the purpose of pleasing the One who has done so much for you, not elevating your self in your own sight.

And All These Things Will Be Provided
How does He provide all our needs? Usually He doesn't pour them down on us directly. But He does provide opportunities for us to receive them through the work we do. How do we know? Because He had Paul say this.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Tim 5:8)

And in 2 Thes. 3:10 Paul said, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Notice it says “will not work” not “can not work.” If you can't work because you're disabled, the Church should help. If you're a widow with a small baby, the Church should help. But if you're just waiting for something to happen when you could be spending your time productively, or wasting your money on beer and cigarettes instead of buying food for your family, that's a different story.

Remember how the Lord gave the people Manna (bread from heaven) in the wilderness?

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. (Exodus 16:4)

He could have put it directly into their mouths, like feeding a baby. Instead he made them go out and gather it for themselves. If you can work, the Lord will provide an opportunity for you to do so, as long as you're seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.

I Already Am Working
If you are working you should help those who aren't. Give what you can to those in need, and the Lord will give you more. It's the best way to make sure you'll always have enough.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.(Luke 6:38)

It sounds counter intuitive to us, but generosity is the cause of prosperity, not the effect of it.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Cor. 9:6,8)

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

Giving is evidence of our faith. It shows we know God has abundant resources and we trust Him to share them with us according to our needs . Hoarding is a sign we don't trust Him to give us more, so we hold on to everything we get. (By the way, putting aside any extra we have for the purpose of helping others as the need arises is not hoarding, it's giving.)

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:15-17)

Or, as one of my earliest mentors used to tell me, “If what you believe doesn't result in action, it's doubtful you really believe it.”

A Final Thought
Above all remember that it doesn't matter what things look like. Don't be discouraged by what you see.

We live by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

We can't see what's coming, but the Lord knows how things will work out and He's promised to take care of all our needs as long as we remain faithful to Him. What we see today is just temporary, but the promises of God are eternal.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4 -7) Amen.

God bless you all.

Match.com Review

2010-08-04T16:24:00.004-06:00

Match.com is one of the big players in the online dating world. The company started up in 1995 and quickly grew to become one of the top dating sites on the internet. With more than 100 million users since 2000 and over 15 million currently active users, Match is a very solid choice for anyone looking for a change.

A part of the success of Match.com has to do with its long history of being in business but their greatest assets have proven to be their attention to customer service and never ending promotions. Starting an online dating site is no easy task but Match.com has managed to achieve the critical mass necessary to continually attract new members.

How Match.com Differs
Match.com appears to be a pretty straightforward dating site at first but once you dig a little deeper you'll see all the little things that have made the site such a success. For one, they have two different methods of matching people - a search method and an automated matching feature.

They also offer little tips as you go to give you help with talking to people and breaking the ice. One of the coolest features I found was Match.com Mobile which lets you use Match.com through your cell phone.

How Match Works
When you sign up at Match.com, you'll get a chance to explain what you're all about through a number of free writing categories. You can also post up to 26 different pictures to give other members a full overview of who you are.

There are two different ways for you to meet people at Match. You can actively search for other people by inputting some characteristics you're looking for and then hitting the search button or you can use the special Match service.

When you're ready to search for potential matches, Match.com makes it easy to select filters that will quickly narrow down the search results to find people you're interested in meeting. This will also keep you younger Match members from receiving e-mails from questionable members who are way out of your age range.

You can contact people you find on searches by sending a simple message with whatever you want to say. It can be pretty hard thinking of good things to say on that first message but one of the coolest things about Match.com is they give you tips on good things to say. It's a very helpful feature that I haven't seen anywhere else.

If you instead prefer to use the Match service, Match.com will do all the work for you. Match.com will pair you up with people who have the characteristics you are looking for while also taking into account the things they are looking for. Match.com will then send all your recent matches directly to your e-mail.

Privacy is a big deal at Match so the website never volunteers any information for you. You'll still be able to see the general characteristics of the people you're looking for but things like name, phone number and address are never revealed by Match.com. That's just common sense but it's still good to know.

Membership Rates
There are three different memberships you can choose from that work on a recurring basis. The longer membership options are cheaper by the month but cost more in the long run. Short term memberships are good for trying the site out for a little while but they cost more per month.

1 Month - $34.99
3 Month - $59.97
6 Month - $101.94

With dating sites it's usually best to go with at least a 6 month or a 1 year membership to truly give it time to work. If you only sign up for a month or two, you won't really have a good opportunity to see how well Match.com works. Dating online is faster than traditional methods but it's still dating and could be a lengthy process.

Ready to Experience Match.com Dating?
View Photos of Christian Singles In Your Area Free! Match.com

The Diet Solution Program

2010-08-04T11:20:00.004-06:00

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Second Chances

2010-08-04T06:55:00.002-06:00

All scripture is God breathed.

“...they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

Are there second chances in life? Absolutely. Second chances are available for just about every aspect of life. Our God is a God of second chances, and third and forth and on they go. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. This verse is indeed encouraging, and rightfully so.

“Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God.” – Vines Expository Dictionary.

That’s our God, longsuffering; even though we at times are quite rebellious He’s loving and patient, full of grace and mercy to us-ward. But the question is, will God be patient forever? Many have heard the Gospel of Christ, and cannot make up their minds whether or not the Christian life is for them. Still others simply rejected it. Either way, knowingly or not, these folks are relying on God’s longsuffering and patience.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. Just so we are all clear on what the Gospel of Christ is, I just played a trick on all those reading this commentary who claim they’ve never received the Gospel. You just did. Now we can move on.

Those who hear (or read) the Gospel and yet choose to put off their decision for Christ while they wallow in their desired sin just a tad longer are playing with fire. Those who’ve just outright rejected Jesus Christ haven’t a clue as to what they are playing at. Why? Time is the procrastinators Achilles heel. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11.

You say you want to wait until after the Rapture of the Church, if there is such a thing, to say yes to Jesus Christ? The word of God says not to delay, but when we hear the Gospel message we are to repent of our sins.

With all the signs of the times currently exploding onto the scene, and knowing what the Bible says about the end times believers in Christ know God is on the cusp of ending His self imposed longsuffering. If this is so, what happens to second chances then?

We all make mistakes, and oh how great it is when we are given a second chance; a chance to right the wrong we’ve committed. I’m sure everyone reading this commentary has had occasion when they can remember being afforded a second chance, perhaps even more than once. There will come a time though when all God’s second chances will end.

The Holy Spirit of God works in mysterious ways, ways we cannot comprehend. He works ever diligently, never tiring, pointing everyone to Jesus Christ. But there comes a time when the continual in His face rejection of the truth moves the Holy Spirit away from that soul. When a person hardens their heart to the extreme against God there’s a point of finality when the Holy Spirit ceases His work. Then those poor misguided souls are left to their own destruction.

People, for the most part, don’t understand God and His far reaching love for His creation. Where you and I might have given up on a person, believing them to be a lost cause, God sees far past our perceptions of who’s a lost cause and who’s not. A terrible place for any human to be though is in that place where the Holy Spirit finally decides enough is enough. I’d like to say that this just isn’t the case, but the Bible says differently.

“…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved... That they all might be damned” 2 Thessalonians 2:10b & 12. This means they were offered the truth by the Holy Spirit of God, and that God was patient with them to a point you and I would consider extreme, and yet they continued in their rejection of God’s only begotten Son.

The Gospel of Christ has been preached around the world and, for the most part, in every language. So for the majority of earth’s human population the Gospel of Christ is a fairy tale. This rejection God calls blasphemy. These folks fall into a category for which this commentary was written. They are those who’ve rejected the truth of the Gospel, who have rejected the Holy Spirit’s convicting messages. This is essentially calling the Holy Spirit a liar, which is the blasphemy God speaks about and a condition, if not corrected, that will condemn the blasphemer to Hell “…because they receive not the love of the truth…” (v.10).

I’ve often been asked if, after the Rapture of Christ’s Church, people continue to be afforded salvation. The answer is yes. The 144,000 Jews for example (12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel) will be saved and will be witnesses for Christ and spreading His Gospel everywhere during the Great Tribulation. Many more will be saved because of the efforts of these and others. Yet we read, “... for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:11. What cause? They rejected the love of the truth. Recognizing the truth during the Great Tribulation for those who’ve rejected it for years will be very difficult, if not impossible. And by the way, if you’ve heard the Gospel and are still fence setting that would be the same as rejecting the love of the truth.

So what happens to second chances after the Rapture? God tells us that because of the strong delusion He will send them they will believe the lie. Who? Our current world of Christ rejecters. Why? Because they were given chance after chance after chance to believe the truth, yet they rejected God’s truth at every turn. Harsh punishment from a loving God? Not at all. These are the folks who took pleasure in unrighteousness and hardened their hearts against their God.

So why believe a lie instead of the truth? What could that strong delusion consist of that would be so appealing? The Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words tells us that it’s a fraud. We all know how frauds operate, always lying, working feverishly at their craft of deception convincing the simple minded that they have the truth. Frauds are appealing, that’s how they deceive. People are easily deceived when they are ignorant of the truth.

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. This strong delusion, this fraud, this anti-Christ, with all his lying signs and wonders will take many gullible people with him to Hell.

There will be folks who come to Christ during the Tribulation’s seven year duration, I’m not disputing that fact, but here’s the rub, many more will not be saved, and they will not be saved because of the condition of their hearts now. God’s strong delusion being placed on earth will be the stumbling block that keeps many from salvation.

Completely rejecting Christ now, before the Rapture, will lead multitudes to commit a horrible mistake during the tribulation period. God’s not going to make it easy on those who’ve called His Holy Spirit a liar and rejected His only begotten Son. A lifetime of rejecting the truth is a good indication of who will believe the lie.

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:12. Those who fall for this delusional lie condemn themselves to Hell. Why? Because they took pleasure in unrighteousness instead of rejecting unrighteousness and accepting the truth. That damnation comes as a result of their own foolish choice. Hardening ones heart against God means one accepts the enemy’s lies as truth.

Those of you who have been assured that salvation will still be possible during the seven year Tribulation may want to re-evaluate that assurance and your stance on God’s free gift of salvation now, this side of the Rapture. There’s nothing standing in your way of believing the truth while there is still time. God has made His free gift of salvation accessible and easily acceptable, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:30b-31a. God offers His free gift of salvation universally to all. The truth is, waiting for another day to accept God’s gift of salvation is pushing foolishness to the extreme.

So many people have been lied to for so long about what it means to be born again, that people shy away from asking for forgiveness and repenting of their sins. Many have heard the Gospel and liked what they’ve heard, but they feel it would be impossible to ever stop sinning. So they wait until they, through their own self will, can stop this sinfulness they’re obsessed with. But in all actuality the opposite is true – repent and ask for forgiveness now and the sinning will decrease. People need to be educated in this truth by all who preach and teach God’s word.

All believers are sinners and will remain so until death or the Rapture. Even though a person is born again, born from God, they never stop sinning. But they are forgiven and that is the key. Forgiveness only comes through repentance of sins and by believing in Jesus Christ. Waiting to say yes to Christ and His Gospel after being given truth is akin to sitting at a bus station and waiting for a bus you know has already come and gone. Foolishness.

Today many pastors and Bible teachers teach that sin is completely abated when we become born again. That is a completely erroneous fabrication and blatant corruption of the truth. The Apostle John addresses that very subject in his first epistle.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. Here John is speaking to believers. How do I know? Go to the next chapter of First John “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:1. Here John addresses those he’s writing to as “My little children” He uses this phrase in conjunction with believers and no one else.

When we read First John chapter 2 verse 1 it is obvious that he’s telling us to “sin not”. Clearly he wants us to be mindful of our nature to sin and to turn against that nature. Then John states this most telling verse, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (v10). Another way to translate this word “if” from the Greek is “in case”, in case anyone sin. That tells us that Jesus stands with us as our advocate with the Father in case we sin. Clearly the Holy Spirit would not have had John include the above verse in his epistle to the saints if there was no further sinning after conversion.

God is a God of second chances; this is what John addresses in this epistle. This is what needs to be taught even to non-believers as we witness to them, even to those who are continually sitting on the fence. They need to know that as a believer in Christ they will occasionally sin while residing on this side of eternity. But their sins will, over time, diminish. As a matter-of-fact they will begin to hate the sin and remorse will ultimately set in each time they sin.

All our friends and family members, who fall into this category of fence-sitter or of those who completely reject the truth of the Gospel, need to realize that after the Rapture salvation will be much more difficult to obtain because of the strong delusion God is going to place on all who’ve rejected His Son. It is pure foolishness to put off the decision to become a born again believer in Christ hopping God will give you one last future chance.

If you’re still a fence sitter it’s time to take that leap of faith, all second chances are about to reach their finale. Say yes to Jesus Christ, right now, please don’t wait any longer, the end is in sight, Jesus is at the door, planet earth is sitting late in her last hour. There will be no second chances once your residence is Hell, and one way or the other, believer in Christ or Christ rejecter, everyone lives forever, the only question remaining is which eternal destination have you chosen?

God bless you all.

Destroying Enemy Strongholds

2010-08-04T06:39:00.002-06:00

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” 2 Corinthians 10:4. Speak with a military officer regarding an enemy and you’ll find that they fear enemy strong holds the most because once established, they are increasingly difficult to infiltrate or demolish. Afghanistan is a perfect example of military might being put to shame by enemy strong holds. And ignoring them won’t do. They must be quickly and decidedly dealt with. Disregarding an enemy only embeds that enemy’s determination and strengthens his resolve. People have been ignoring this enemy for thousands of years now, and he is just about to unleash the full brunt of his minions of evil on an unsuspecting, foolishly ignorant, and very complacent world.

Increasingly, mankind is given occasion to observe, through the actions of others, the manifestation of supernatural forces. In the person who occupies the Oval Office, for example, we can see pure evil at work. And in many cases those who surround this man as his advisors are also manifestations of this same evil. God does not allow us to visually witness the behind the scenes goings on of the supernatural realm because if He did we would certainly die of fright. But He does give us eyes, ears, and brains to discern truth from lies.

There is one supernatural being, though, that when ignored, as is the case presently in the US of A, civilization deteriorates to a morally debased culture devoid of all semblances of godliness. There is no uncertainty of the consequences involved when nations turn against their Creator God. When a nation as affluent and blessed as America begins to allow the enemy to build strong holds, and dismisses them as nonexistent, she will experience catastrophic sequences of events almost on a daily basis as God attempts to bring the foolish back from their self-imposed stupor. This goes for any and all peoples of the earth.

God’s enemy is our enemy, and we as God’s children must take responsibility for allowing our enemy to erect strong holds within the boundaries of not only our lives but that of our nation also. We, the Christian citizenry of America, are not responsible for the lack of discernment of other peoples of other nations, but we are responsible for dropping our guard and allowing the enemy to build strong holds in our land. Yes, it’s true that we as believer’s in Christ are to spread the Gospel to all nations, but we aren’t responsible, by any means, for their continued rejection of the truth. And that goes for the populace of the US also. The Gospel has been spread throughout our land but is now being rejected on a massive scale.

Here in America Christians fight and bicker amongst themselves like children, this bickering is not of God our Savior but of the enemy (Satan). Satan has effectively built a strong hold in America which pits brother against brother. It isn’t that the Body of Christ can’t get along, but that they won’t get along. This constant bickering amongst the brethren is just one strong hold, of which there are many, held by our enemy.

Christians should realize that our fight is against a well entrenched enemy, but instead we, the Body of Christ, connive and plot against our own brethren. Christians are becoming more and more like Islam’s Sunnis and Shiites as we war amongst ourselves. How can a non-believer look at all this bickering without being thoroughly disgusted? When believers in Christ begin to realize that our fight is not “...against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Ephesians 6:12, then we might start to fully realize just how deeply-rooted those enemy strong holds are.

Satan and his fallen hoard of minions bent on evil have been on this planet for 6,000 years give or take a day or two or a couple of years. America has been here for 234 years. The enemy is smarter, stronger, and worst of all he never stops attacking.

Many believers allow the enemy’s erecting of strong holds in their lives. This is something that is avoidable but is tolerated. You might ask yourself, “What enemy strong holds have I allowed in my life?” Well let’s see just how many fall into one or more of the following areas where the enemy loves to reside. Pride, lust, hate, envy, strife, despair, loss of joy, accumulation of materialism, lying, alcohol abuse, drugs, and one of the most prolific of all is pornography, and this is just to name a few. These are all strong holds which, if allowed to fester, grow into huge problems which become increasingly difficult to combat. Strong holds can become addictions and when finally realized can be next to impossible to eradicate and can lead to death. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” James 1:16.

Strong holds erected by the enemy in a believer’s life will bring about a whole lot of unwanted circumstances. Interestingly of late I’ve receive numerous letters regarding various sins that the brethren are stuck in and which are draining them spiritually. Many profess thoughts of being not only out of fellowship with God but unsaved altogether. They can’t seem to kick the addictive sin they are involved in and thus believe they can’t possibly be saved. The enemy loves to move a believer into this camp.

To some of you this may seem to be just a trivial matter, perhaps just a lack of faith, but in all actuality it is tearing these individuals up inside. They profess to me their love for God, they tell me they believe He died for them on the cross, and they are sure His word is true. Yet, they find themselves fighting daily just to keep their head above water in a world where they seem to be drowning in unending distractions which have disastrous consequences. I believe programmed television is one of the main distractions available and highly accepted by believers in Christ, and yet completely promoted by Satan himself. This is a stronghold that many, certainly the majority, of Christians are addicted with.

Encouraging believers to hold fast to the faith and to help them cope with besetting sins has now become the main part of my response ministry. The majority of questions that I receive are from folks who find themselves dwelling in an arena that seems escape proof. Simply put, the enemy has become entrenched and he isn’t moving out anytime soon. I’m convinced that there is a huge shortage of sermons on the subject of eternal salvation these days which is in part the cause of so much negativity regarding a believer’s security in Christ. Of course a good Bible study program would be much more beneficial to believers than most Sunday sermons.

As a people of the Book, the body of Christ, and a nation built on Christian principles we’ve certainly allowed the enemy a huge platform for disseminating his agenda. We are now a nation that produces and distributes the filth of pornography worldwide. Children at a very young age are now able to access this vile internet filth and their minds are being filled with images that will never be erased. This goes for the majority of television programming as well. This is a huge, ever entrapping and completely engulfing enemy strong hold. America is also the biggest supplier of legal abortions to the world. Another enormous strong hold held by the enemy.

We teach and encourage atheism in our public schools and then we send our graduates off to achieve excellence in higher academia where they get fully grafted into this atheistic culture. We allow the perversion of homosexuality to be condoned and those who practice such perversion to assimilate into our culture as if this lifestyle was natural.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; …Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,… 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; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:18,22,26-27. The word “meet” here means “it is necessary”. God says “it is necessary” for these men and women to pay for their offense against Him.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. Our very young are easily swayed so they are taught that this horrible evil of perverted lifestyle is fully acceptable and they are even encouraged to participate in this perversion. “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:32.

Yes, enemy strong holds are well established and flourishing in America today, and not only in America but across the entire globe. I receive letters from folks in many different nations who are currently in horrible battles with the enemy and they feel they are losing. Instead of turning away from their addictions through prayer and fasting they’ve allowed the enemy to have his way.

Satan affects the life of all the world’s citizenry because each human being is influenced in some adverse way by the enemy’s strong holds. Here in America these strong holds are affecting believers by the score because of their perceived attractiveness. But unlike many Americans who are defenseless against such satanic strong holds, believers have a weapon of immense portion that they are free to access at will. It is a very powerful weapon which stands ready to be deployed at a believer’s beck and call. We have God Almighty on our side. We have His word and we have been covered by the perfect shed Blood of His only begotten Son. He supplies us with the protection we need.

As America moves ever closer to completely rejecting God as their provider and granter of blessings, this nation becomes more vulnerable to the enemy’s entrapments. More and more as we watch our society’s failings because of the perverse nature of our surroundings we will see God’s hand of restraint being lifted. Enemy strong holds will increase as God is decreased. Like I said, most military officers schooled in warfare will tell you how difficult it is to eradicate an enemy entrenched in their own strong holds. Again Afghanistan must come to mind, but unlike the Taliban and Al-Qaeda our enemy commands many more strong holds and which are far better established. To eradicate this enemy is going to take an ultimate commander, the King of Kings, to do battle for us.

Only God can remove this enemy’s strong holds but He will not act without our willing participation. Folks I’ve said it before, only through God’s intervention will our country survive and only through the ardent prayers of God’s children will He act. You and I are the voices God wants to hear; His own children voicing their concerns through the only mode of communication He’ll accept.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11. As we put on our armor which God so graciously provided, our huge and protective piece of armor is prayer, fervent unfettered prayers of a righteous people called by His name.

It is our responsibility as believers in Christ to act and to ask God for help. If we stay silent we will reap what we’ve sown through our silence. The silence of the believers sows enemy strong holds not only in our individual lives but across our nation and around the world. The enemy is already here and entrenched and it is up to us to mount a counterattack against those “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Ephesians 6:12.

Whether it is individual believers being attacked or the Body of Christ as a whole we are all equally capable as a part of that body in being proactive participants in a battle that rages 24/7. We are not many bodies all working apart from one another but one body in Christ. We gave up our individuality when we became born again. What affects one of us affects all of us. If one of our brethren is being attacked and destroyed by the enemy, we are all being attacked and if we do nothing we will all learn a most horrible lesson.

But if we become involved as a body, as a force wielding the power of God against strong holds, God will command His Holy angels to fight our battle for us. The only question now is will we give God the proper motivation to unleash His Holy army on the much inferior enemy, or will we stay silent? I’m for speaking up, how about you?

God bless you all.

Jerusalem, Israel's Forever

2010-08-03T19:55:00.003-06:00

Each day, this nation gets further away from God and closer to seeing His wrath and judgment unleashed on our once great land. On top of legally slaughtering over 4,000 innocent babies each day, making a mockery of God's Holy Institution of Marriage, embracing every type of sexual perversion man has thought up in his depraved mind, worshipping the false gods and idols of the world, and literally living in all-out rebellion to our Creator and His Truth, the United States is now standing with the ENEMIES OF ISRAEL! My friend, if we ever wanted to experience the wrath of God, we are doing everything we possibly can to see that it happens.

Memo to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton: Jerusalem belongs to Israel, ALL of it! If Israel wants to build settlements in Jerusalem, they can. The enemies of Israel have NO CLAIM to this land. We are on the verge of seeing God's judgment poured out on this wicked nation, and now we are siding with the enemies of Israel? We are out of our mind! This is like going up to the biggest guy you can find on the street and spitting in his face. We are literally putting our middle finger in the air and screaming profanities at the top of our lungs to God!!!

Please, do yourself a favor right now and get your Bible and sit down and spend the next 10 minutes reading the anchor verses for today, Genesis 12:1-7, 13:14-16, 15:18; Deuteronomy 9:4-6; Joshua 1:1-11; 21:43-45. You could spend hours reading all the passages in God's Word that confirm that modern-day Israel is the land God promised to Abraham and gave to His children. You do not have to be a Bible scholar to quickly realize in just the few key passages I have given you today that the land of Israel is indeed the exact land God Himself promised to His children 4,000 years ago, and fulfilled that promise in 1385 B.C. when Joshua took possession of that land.

Having laid the Biblical case to support that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, now you can see why giving away even one inch of that land to anyone else is going against God Himself. No person, no nation, has the right to give away what God promised and gave to the Jewish people. Those who do make themselves an enemy of God! Over and over throughout the Bible and human history, nations have invaded this land, taken it over, only to be defeated in the end. The land of Israel is only 20,330 sq km, slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey. Out of the billions of square miles that exist on this earth, this is the only place on the planet God literally promised and gave to His children. For anyone to go in and try to give a piece of that land away is foolish.

That is why the current "peace plan" the United States has had such a large role in working out will never work and has actually put our nation on the opposite side of God again! Let me be clear. The Gaza Strip belongs to ISRAEL! The West Bank belongs to ISRAEL! Jerusalem, all of it, belongs to ISRAEL! For this nation to be involved in any deals, even under the guise of "peace," that involves giving away the land God gave to the children of Israel is taking on God Himself! Not to mention that this land is being given away to the ENEMIES OF ISRAEL!!!

My friend, one of the problems many have with the Bible is that they can't understand why a God of love would command His children to go to war and "Kill every man, woman, child, and living thing" as He did many times in the Old Testament. The reason was this. God in His omniscience knew that the enemies of Israel, those who came to possess their land, had no desire for peace but the complete destruction and annihilation of the Jewish people. The complete obliteration of the Jewish people was their ONLY goal, not peace. Sadly, there are some people who have no desire for peace, only death and destruction and you either destroy them or they destroy you. That is one of the sad realties of living in this fallen and evil world.

For those who oppose the war in Iraq, they either don't understand or are completely blind to the fact that there are people on this planet whose only goal is the complete destruction of the United States and every person who lives here. That means you and your family too! I am thankful that this current administration understands this fact and that the peace-nuts we see on TV constantly don't have the power to impose their Pollyanna views of life on the defense policies of this nation or we would all be in grave danger. The sad reality is that there are very real people alive this very moment whose very real goal is the complete destruction of the United States. We will either kill them or they will kill us. We are blessed that our forefathers understood the evil that exits in this world or we would not be here today, enjoying the wonderful freedoms and life we do.

Israel also clearly understands the reality that there are people who desire their death and destruction. They don't have the luxury of great oceans on either side as we do and their enemies literally live all around them. That is what makes this current "peace plan" so silly. To actually take some of the small amount of land that belongs to Israel and literally give it to their enemies is absurd and ridiculous. It will only embolden and empower those who seek the destruction of Israel. Again, make no mistake about it. While we and others seek "peace," it takes TWO to make peace. Despite the claims by the Palestinian leadership, their goal is NOT peace but the destruction of Israel.

I have always been amused at why anyone thinks it is necessary to give the little strip of land God gave to Israel away to her enemies, when Israel is surrounded by Arab nations with VAST AMOUNTS of land who could easily assimilate their Arab brothers into their countries. Why do the Palestinians have to live on the land God gave to Israel when there is plenty of land in neighboring Arab countries they could live on? What is wrong with a "peace plan" that gave some of the land in surrounding Arab countries to the Palestinians?

I want to close today with a powerful promise God made to Abraham 4,000 years ago in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." This one verse of Scripture is why what is happening in Israel right now is so critical to THIS NATION! In being part of a plan to give away the land God gave to Israel to anyone, especially her enemies who seek her destruction, puts us on the wrong side of God. We should be seeking the BLESSINGS of God, not His CURSES!

Know that I am praying for you today. Even though most Jewish people have rejected Christ as their Savior, blinded to the reality that He is the Messiah they were promised in the Old Testament, they were, are, and always will be God's chosen people. The promise God gave Abraham in Genesis 12:3 is still in effect today. Our Christian faith is traced back through the children of Israel. The last events of this world will be played out in Israel. That is why we need to pray for and support the Jewish people and God's plan for the land of Israel. Our blessings in life come from following God not being in opposition to God!

Also, be praying for this special group of people God chose to reveal Himself to and carry His message to the world. It was through the Jewish people God brought His Son, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Wonderful groups like Jews for Jesus have done a great work in bringing the fact the Messiah prophesied throughout the Old Testament, is Jesus! Jesus is the fulfillment of all of those Old Testament prophecies, and despite the fact He was rejected by his own people, today millions of Jewish people have come to know Jesus as their personal Savior by faith. In Heaven there will be no Jew or Gentile, only those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God bless you all.

Jesus's Critical Question for End-Times Believers

2010-08-03T08:17:00.003-06:00

By Terry James

A recent news item about certain polling data grasped my attention. I'm sure many others had their curiosity piqued as well.

After looking into the matters reported, I found the poll wasn't as thorough as I would have liked--but it was fascinating nonetheless. Also, it was too one-sided in ethnic make-up. However, I give it enough credence to examine it here because I believe it revolves around a concern the Lord Jesus Christ expressed while teaching about conditions that will prevail at the end of the age.

A new survey finds that Americans are divided over whether they believe Jesus Christ will return by the year 2050.

Among respondents to the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Smithsonian Magazine, 41 percent said they expect Jesus' Second Coming in the next forty years, while 46 percent said it probably or definitely won't happen.

The poll suggests that 58 percent of white evangelicals believe Jesus will return by 2050, compared to only 32 percent of Catholics, and respondents with no college education were three times as likely as those with college degrees to expect Christ's Second Coming in the next forty years. ("Many Americans Expect Jesus' Return by 2050," Associated Press/Israel News, 6/23/10).

To be honest, I was quite surprised that 58 percent of white evangelicals believe Christ will return by 2050. This disconnect in my mind comes from the fact that in looking for interest in Bible prophecy with in the church today (by this I mean, of course, born-again believers--see John 3:3), my colleagues and I find no evidence to support that percentage.

Perhaps I should speak just for myself, but if my colleagues are honest, based upon conversations we've had among ourselves, they will confess that the interest just isn't there in those kinds of numbers.

So, a few cynical (I suppose) thoughts regarding the poll come to mind:

1) The poll is a complete "guesstimate"--even a prefabrication.
2) The poll is skewed because it was taken from among a limited group of believers thoroughly educated in Bible prophecy.
3) The poll reflects a flippancy that will agree that Christ could return within the next forty years because the possibility is far enough in the future that the respondents need not worry about changing their personal conduct.
4) My colleagues and I are wrong and the church--"white evangelicals," in this case--is expecting the Lord's return in majority numbers.

If the last point is true, then the fact that so many are looking for Christ is well hidden. I'm a blind guy, as many know, so I can't see things all that well. But interest in Christ's return--and in Bible prophecy in general, according to everything I hear--is confined to an extremely small number of folks in relationship to the tremendous number of people who claim the name of Christ.

Clicking through Christian TV networks (yes, we blind guys "watch" TV), I rarely come across a prophetic message. The majority of the viewing fare consists of the prosperity gospel or entertainment that is for the most part a rather poor knockoff of secular entertainment. The preachers who do present a sound gospel message and sound doctrine seldom-to-rarely speak on Bible prophecy. And they certainly don't touch upon the pre-trib return of Christ in the Rapture.

When I've personally asked some of the preachers and teachers why they avoid presenting prophecy, they have said things like: "The people just don't understand Revelation"; "The subject is just too scary to most people"; or " We just concentrate on getting people the gospel so they will be saved."

The honest such preachers and teachers say: "I just don't know anything about prophecy. I've not studied it enough to preach on it."

What a tragedy, a travesty, this is! There is a singular hope (Titus 2:13) that God's people have in this swiftly degenerating age. Yet, their shepherds--the preachers and teachers, their suppliers of spiritual food--use every conceivable excuse for not telling Christians about their returning Lord.

Some accuse those of us whose mission we believe it is to concentrate on Bible prophecy in these times of doing so to the point that we ignore Christ's love and the Bible's life lessons for His people.

We in no way believe that prophecy should be taught exclusively. However, prophecy constitutes almost 30 percent of the whole Word of God, so the Heavenly Father obviously means for prophecy to be a generous part of the mix for His children's spiritual sustenance. This is especially true in these days when the signals of Christ's coming again are every direction in which one looks.

Bible prophecy is being marginalized by those who are supposed to shepherd their flocks, but who don't want to study it and/or don't want to risk scaring people out of the pews. This is because it is the feel-good and do-good, entertainment-oriented sermonettes that tickle itching ears and build many of the elaborate end-times edifices.

Understand that I recognize there are huge churches that hold to doctrinal truth and include God's prophetic Word as part of feeding their attending flocks. This is not to castigate these wonderful pastors, teachers, and staffs. God bless them! But these are in the minority. The dearth of interest in Christ's coming back in the Rapture, then in the Second Advent, demonstrates the lack of faith resident within Christ's body at this crucial hour.

Jesus asked the following profoundly troubling question in that prophetic context: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b). The Lord had a somber message for God's people who will be alive at His sudden, unannounced coming. I wrote the following as part of a chapter for an upcoming book that I believe gets across the gist of this "Nearing Midnight" commentary:

The indifference so prevalent within the church is, itself, an end-times signal, it seems. The Lord obviously spoke to the fact that God's own children will in large part be indifferent to the prophetic signals. They will not be living as they should at the time of His coming for them, as He promised in John 14:1-3. As a matter of fact, He forewarned: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36; from a chapter by Terry James in a book to be released in 2010)

I pray more born-again pastors, Bible teachers, and God's children of this nation and the world will awaken en masse to the staggering implications of Christ's Second Coming.

God Bless you all.

Where's the Church?

2010-08-02T09:49:00.001-06:00

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“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1. The Apostle John was given a special preview of future events as they would occur in Heaven. John wrote the book of Revelation approximately 2,000 years before the events he was allowed to see would actually occur. Our Lord Jesus Christ allowed this Apostle a very special gift and John wrote about all He saw as he gazed into the future.

The book of Revelation can be a little mysterious for believers who don’t understand what it’s all about. Many denominations just write this book off as allegory or dismiss it as past history with no bearing on the future of the Church. When I was first saved I asked my pastor about the book of Revelation hoping, as a new believer in Christ, to get some clarification about a book that had fascinated me for years, long before my becoming born again. I was seeking answers from a man who I presumed would be able to enlighten me as to the mysterious writings in that book; he had been a pastor for many years. His response to me was simple, “I don’t understand the book of Revelation therefore I just ignore it.” Consequently I never asked that man another question about the Bible and after a few more painful years at that church, my family and I left that non-denominational denomination. I went on to study my Bible and to place much emphasis on eschatology. I now understand the book of Revelation, and you can too.

There are 22 chapters in the book of Revelation, but after the first five chapters the only people who need concern themselves with the next 17 are those who will be left behind after the Rapture of the Church. Within the first three chapters Jesus addresses believers as well as others who think they are His followers but who are actually living a lie. As we can see from the verse above John is told to explain to all who will read this book of prophecy some of what Heaven is like and also who’s already there.

Remember, the voice which called to John in verse one above told him he would show John the things that must occur “hereafter”, in other words, things that must happen (in the future). John couldn’t have had any idea how far in the future this would occur, but he is sure of his location. He records the events as they occurred as the Holy Spirit directed.

“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:2. John was in the spirit. Why? Because no sinful flesh can enter Heaven “...and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...” Isaiah 64:6. Jesus Christ is in Heaven, and in the flesh, but He was and is sinless. His righteousness is perfect.

John was given an awesome gift as was the Apostle Paul; they were both given a glimpse of Heaven, an advance look if you will, into the Throne room of God Almighty. John goes on to explain what he saw there and his explanation is what assures all believers in Christ that they will not see the tribulation week unfold.

“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Revelation 4:3. John was looking upon the Throne of God as God sat on His Throne. He uses the most descriptive terminology possible at that time to provide readers with understanding as he views God’s glory. John hands believers in Christ a most glorious insight into what awaits all those who place their trust, their faith, their lives in Christ’s hands, a peek at Who awaits us at the Throne of God.

John’s next view is quite significant for those who will be Raptured. “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 4:4. The elders spoken of here by John are representative of Christ’s Church. This is where we who follow Jesus Christ realize that we are, at this point and from here on until sometime just after the end of the tribulation week, assembled before the Throne of God worshiping Him and giving Him all glory, honor and praise.

In Revelation 5:9-10, the twenty-four elders sing a song of praise to Jesus, and they cry out: “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. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9. In that passage, the twenty-four elders are clearly speaking as representatives of all God’s people, of the great company of the redeemed (Christ’s Church).

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:10-11.

“The white robes and crowns of the elders seem to indicate that they are indeed human beings - in glory, of course. Angels are sometimes presented in white robes or garments (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10), but saints also have white robes (Revelation 6:11; 7:9; 7:13-14) as a picture of their imputed righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:5-18). However, we never see angels crowned, but believers are and will be (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).

Therefore, redeemed, glorified man sits enthroned with Jesus, on lesser thrones, to be sure, but thrones none the less. We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). John, through Jesus’ insistence, gives the Church a wonderful picture of the saints in Heaven, and kneeling before God, and recognizably way before the wrath of God is unleashed on a Christ rejecting world.” – David Guzik

“... four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb..., and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:8, 10. At the end of the Great Tribulation the saints will return with Jesus Christ as He assumes His visible position as King and reigns over all of earth for 1,000 years. This is proof positive for all the scoffers and naysayers who reject the Rapture that the saints (those who belong to Jesus Christ) are in Heaven and that we are made kings and priests and that we will reign with Christ on earth. If we are to come back with our Lord to rule and reign with Him, at some point we must have left earth to be able to return to earth. Clearly, the Church will not be here during the seventieth week spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

From this point and throughout the remainder of the book of Revelation, the tribulation and the wrath of God is clearly portrayed with no further mention of the Church (the body of Christ) being on earth. The seven year tribulation week becomes the point where God once again turns His attention to Israel. Even though the majority of Jews are blinded to the truth of the Gospel during the first half of the tribulation week, at the 3 ½ year point of the tribulation week, when the anti-Christ introduces the abomination of desolation, we’re told that all remaining Jews on earth will be saved. And not only Jews but many gentiles will also come to faith in Christ during that final week.

The Bible clearly tells us that through Jesus Christ, and only through Him, can we ever expect to enter Heaven. John was a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ and he was allowed a trip to Heaven before his death. To be in the presence of God Almighty we must be purged of our sins. The only way to be purged of sins is to believe in Jesus Christ; to believe is to accept His truth and His Gospel through faith, faith in the fact that His sacrifice on that cross was to pay the price for the sin of the world, that all might be saved. The Bible is written to everyone and everyone can either accept it as truth or reject it as a fairy tale. Believing the Bible to be a fairy tale, though, doesn’t negate the fact that God’s word is true. Unbelief and the rejection of the truth will only act as a catalyst in the condemnation of that person.

Rejecting the Bible and thereby rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ will automatically place you or your loved ones in the next chapter of the book of Revelation. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:1-2. Enter the anti-Christ, not Jesus Christ, although Jesus Christ does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16. This is not Him, this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. He rules (a crown was given), he rules with a bow not a sword, and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule show that this is not the reign of Jesus Christ.

I think we can tell much about how a person understands the book of Revelation and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, mostly account this rider to be the antichrist. This final satanic dictator over men will be more terrible than all previous dictators. He will rule over men as a false Messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God.

This (anti-Christ) guy is going to demand everyone take his mark and worship him and if they don’t they will be killed (beheaded). From this point on the Revelation of Jesus Christ gets very disturbing, even gruesome. There won’t be any place to hide from the coming horrors, they will be worldwide, fierce to behold, and completely consuming in their vastness. No one on earth during this time will escape the tidal wave of tribulations. Those who miss the Rapture yet become believers during the tribulation week will fall prey to some of the horrors spoken of in those remaining chapters. Most will be martyred for their faith.

Only by becoming a born again believer in Christ now, before the Rapture, can we be assured of our non-involvement in all those horrors. The book of Revelation is God telling all who will read it that they will be blessed by it and that they should see their need for a savior and repent while there is still time. That’s the blessing. Read it for yourself and tell others to read it also. Keep in mind that you only have the first five chapters as a time frame for repentance and avoiding all those judgments which will ultimately prove God’s displeasure with those who’ve rejected His only begotten Son.

Those first five chapters of this awesome book speak of blessings, churches doing well and churches doing not so well, about things going on in Heaven, and about who is surrounding God’s throne. There’s no doubt about who’s there and who isn’t. Besides God Almighty, only angels and believers in Christ are there.

“...to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass...” Revelation 1:1. The word “shortly” in this verse means quickly or speedily. In other words, what John was about to witness were things that once they began their succession would bring quick and speedy results. Jesus said the signs we were to be watching for would come on this planet like a woman in labor (birth pangs). We are currently witnessing the beginning of many end times signs spoken of by our Lord Jesus. It seems, according to the book of Revelation, we’re now in the ninth month of labor.

Many will ignore the book of Revelation as my ex-pastor has. Many others will write it off as simply an allegory. Some will read it and dismiss it as having already taken place. God, on the other hand, is quite specific when it comes to this book and its wonderful blessing, and the future it holds. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3. Folks the time is at hand for the prophecies that have been spoken of.

The book of the Apocalypse is a book of prophecy in which we are given the events that lead up to Christ’s return. “Apokalypsis” in the Greek is transliterated Apocalypse, which is translated Revelation in English. Its meaning is more simple than what many perceive it to be. It literally means “uncovering, unveiling, revealing or laying bare a mystery, of things before unknown”. The book of Revelation was never meant to confuse or scare anyone away; on the contrary, it was written to benefit each and every believer in Christ and to open the eyes of the lost.

So, the question is, how will you respond to God’s blessing as it’s associated with reading this book concerning “things before unknown”?

God bless you all.

Born Again Christians and Sin

2010-08-02T08:42:00.001-06:00

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“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8. Anyone who says they have not sinned is living a lie. In the verse above you must notice John adds himself into the mix of sinners. He says if we say we have no sin. “No” in the Greek is “ou” and is expressed absolutely, and emphatically. It’s as though the Apostle John has asked someone if he considers himself a sinner, and the answer has come back to John in the form of a resounding NO!

We deceive ourselves: Here again John adds himself into the fray in that he too would be leading himself astray if he were to claim he had no sin. We just aren’t grasping the truth if we claim to be sinless. John is addressing believers in Christ in his epistles therefore he is addressing me and you; as believers we will continue to sin until we are called home. If anyone tells you differently they are deceived.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10. Again, we must first understand that John is addressing believers “In Christ” not the unsaved. Here in this verse John tells us if we claim we have not sinned we make Jesus Christ a liar. John tells us His (God's) word cannot be in someone who says they have never sinned, or even in those who claim now that they are saved they no longer sin. Again John places himself in the middle of this assertion by using the words “we” and “us”. It also means we can’t have God’s Holy Spirit in us if we claim a sinless life or a life of no more sin after we are born again. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. Nowhere in the Bible are we told we will stop sinning once we’re saved.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:1. Can you see what a contradiction this verse is when we neglect the exegeses of the scriptures? “My little children” is referring to born again believers and John wants us to fully understand that point. When we compare “That ye sin not” to the previous verse we can see John isn’t advocating sinning. He’s simply saying turn away from habitual sin. In other words don’t let our whole focus in life be on one big sin party without thought of the consequences. If that be your case, salvation has eluded you.

In the last part of First John chapter 2 verse 1, John states that if any man sins we have Christ as our advocate for our defense. In this same verse, “if any man sin” actually means “in case”. So if we interpret this verse correctly, what John is saying is when not if we sin we have an advocate which is Jesus Christ the righteous.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1. Is it possible that John is saying in keeping Jesus’ commandments we will no longer sin? The Greek word “tēreō” represents our English phrase “keepeth”. The Greek word actually has many meanings but in this context John is speaking of those who “observe or take heed to” Jesus’ commandments. Since John previously addressed the fact that all believers sin, the answer to the question above is “No”. What he is saying is in observing Christ’s commandments we won’t live our lives in habitual sin. For example, living a lifestyle as a homosexual is habitual sin, as is living as an unmarried couple, or lying habitually. Once we become born again there will be a change that everyone who new us before our conversion will see. This change will reflect Christ as a definite positive part of our lives.

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.” 1 John 2:12. This verse is wonderfully placed in this chapter and in context we are told that all believers are forgiven sinners. Something that many “In Christ” believers stumble with is the fact that they continue to sin even though they have been justified (saved). Condemnation reigns supreme in their lives. But Paul tells us “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1.

In the book of Romans chapter 7 Paul speaks about his childhood before he was taught the law “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:7-8. Very young children don’t know what sin is until their parent’s teach them what constitutes sin and what doesn’t. That’s why parents must be responsible for explaining sin and its consequences to the children God has blessed them with.

In Jesus’ eyes the very young children are blameless. They aren’t corrupted by all the evil and sinful desires that adults are continually confronted with. Children see joy, happiness, and love in the simplest forms. But before we know it our children are at that age when they are accountable for their own sinful actions; if they aren’t taught Godly ways they will not see any sin in those actions.

In the following verses Paul addresses that age old conundrum, one that has continually plagued believers throughout the ages. Why do I continue to sin now that I’m born from above? Remember this, now that we are justified God sees us through His Son Jesus Christ and our sins past present and future are forgiven. Still, even though we are justified in God’s eyes (saved), we still sin. The Apostle Paul will explain why, “The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Romans 7:14-24. (NLT)

Now read and understand Paul’s last words on this subject, and please, dwell on them. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin...” Romans 7:25 (KJV). I hope the readers of this commentary will understand why I’ve inserted the verses in the paragraph above using the New Living Translation. Many have a difficult time understanding Paul’s explanation about the nature of sin in Romans 7, especially when read in the KJV. So there is no lingering doubts, Paul, far into his ministry, states the obvious, we are all sinners and will remain so until glorification.

That’s why God had to die for His creation. There was no other way for us to be redeemed from this life of sin. Please don’t misunderstand, born again believers will grow to hate sin over time and they will be remorseful each time they fall back into temptation. Neither the Apostle John nor Paul is advocating sin. On the contrary, they are preaching against sin. Even though we remain slaves to sin, through our Christian maturity, our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will begin to walk to the far side of sin.

One last point, for the believer who occasionally stumbles (that’s you and me), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”1 John 1:9. This was written to born again believers in Christ, what an awesome promise.

God bless you all.