Because of the Times: A Word from God

Because of the Times

The Holy Spirit spoke this to me on June 17, 2020:

“Because of the times and the intensity of the news and world affairs many have developed an over eating diet of news and politics. The Holy Spirit says to put yourself on a healthy diet: consume more of the Bible and pray more. When day after day what should be eaten in moderation becomes a steady diet, people become unhealthy very fast. Consider your ways, says the Lord, and turn.”

In these days there is so much news, much of which is not true. How can we discern if we are drunk on worldly affairs?

I gather selective news from different sources—in moderation. It is easy to consume so much news, whether correct or fake, that we become agitated, angry, and lack peace. I have seen some people I know who used to be fiery for God become, instead, more fiery for politics.

I love the United States; I love President Trump and I will defend him, but I love the Lord and His Kingdom more.

(People are going to Hell!)

We want to be mature Christians, able to make spiritual judgments about all things (1 Corinthians 2). This will likely not happen if our diet is off. We will make carnal/worldly judgments instead of making spiritual ones: judgments that come from the Lord and not our own reasoning. Remember these Scriptures?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:4),

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Make the great exchange—His ways for your ways; His thoughts for your thoughts.

Pick up your Bible and courageously pray today. Go be with the Lord—just you and Him. Pray about the things you are angry about; pray about the things that cause you fear; pray about everything.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

God is in charge. He can and will hear us.

And really, He is the only One Who can change things.

We have been given an opportunity to see who we are in strange times though Covid-19, and now the riots and unrest in the USA. We have seen how quickly the scene around us can change. Who are you in the hard times? 

Are you filled with fear and anger?

If you are, change your diet.

What Time is It?

What Time is It?

So much unrest.

What did Jesus have in mind when He said “Nation shall rise against nation”? The Greek word for nation is: ethnos; Strong’s number: 1484. Ethnos can mean nation; it is also the word for ethnic groups.

https://www.deviantart.com/xetobyte/art/Search-to-Fade-208309531

“Ethnos against ethnos.”

It is what we see in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians; the Pakistani against the Indian; and so forth. We see it here in the US too.

My spirit is stirred,

but so is my flesh.

What time is it? No, don’t look at your watch, rather look at the day, the tensions, and the climate in our country and around the world. What time is it? Remember how fast everything shut down over Covid-19 just a couple month ago? All of which now—in a day—has been literally swept aside for a new conversation. What happened to the FBI investigations? The impeachment(s)? Wave after wave is crashing against the shore of humanity.

How are we responding? 

Are we responding:

in the spirit

or

in the flesh?

It cannot be both.

This is a critical time in our country. It is a critical time for the church in our country. The church, I’m sure, should not go back to business as usual—both the Sunday gatherings and individuals who are the church. We must stop living according to the flesh and live by the Spirit of God within us. Ethnos against ethnos is living according to the flesh. The Bible says in Galatians 5:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Galatians 5:16-17

This may be common language to those who read this blog, but really, how many people who go to church or who would call themselves a Christian think in these terms: flesh verses spirit?

I think very few.

Before the Throne of God is every ethnos.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation (ethnos), from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) God’s Spirit brought all nations together under the banner of His new people called The Church. This would be fully realized later in Acts by Peter. Peter encountered God’s plan through a vision. He saw God’s inclusiveness of all people through Jesus Christ (Acts 10).

As goes the church so goes society. We are the gatekeepers—the watchmen—to society. Remember the “If My people would…” Well, it’s true. We, the church, must—must—talk to God (humble ourselves and pray) and stop living by the flesh (turn from our wicked ways). God is the only One wo can heal our land.

When God is removed through disbelief and/or ignored due to worldliness and carnality what is left to take His place?

My dear friend,

chaos.


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Pre-tribulation Rapture Eschatology?

Pre-tribulation Rapture Eschatology?

Years ago I was in a Bible Study discussing the Book of Revelation. Our teacher was a hardcore Pretrib rapturist. His eschatology, along with every other Pretrib rapturist I have met, believe that there are two foundational reasons for their Pretrib belief:

1.   The “He” in 2 Thessalonians 2:7¹ is the Holy Spirit and when He is taken out of the way (removed from the earth) that He takes the whole Church along with Him. The Church and the Holy Spirit are no longer on the earth. Therefore sin and evil run rampant due to the void left on the earth when both the Church and the Holy Spirit are no longer on the earth.

¹For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:7

2.   The Church (God’s people) are not appointed to wrath² and therefore are not present when the wrath of God is revealed in the Book of Revelation during the Tribulation.

²For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… 1 Thessalonians 5:9

There is a problem.

Pretrib rapturists also believe that during the Tribulation many people will come to Christ. They believe that the unsaved, after witnessing the rapture, will be convinced about the truth of Jesus. This will lead to a great ingathering. They conclude these people are the martyrs who are under the alter asking:

“How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Verse 11 continues: Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 6:10-11

Furthermore, they believe that during the Tribulation all Israel will be saved—the rapture of the church also leads to Israel’s salvation. Romans 11:25-26 states that all of Israel will be saved after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

The problem continues:

To reiterate 1 above: Pretribulation rapturists believe that the Holy Spirit removes the Church when He Himself is “taken out of the way,” leaving a void for the most pronounced evil to run rampant upon the earth. If the Holy Spirit is removed “taken out of the way” from the earth, how will people get saved? It takes the Holy Spirit for someone to become born-again. Jesus is the threshold, but the Holy Spirit is the means to rebirth—one receives Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes into them, regenerates them making them a new creation in Christ.

So again I ask: If the Holy Spirit is gone, how will anyone become a Christian? Furthermore, if someone did become a Christian, the church would again be on the earth. The church is anywhere a Christian is, therefore if someone receives Christ the church again exists on the earth.

Food for thought.

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