Archive for the ‘Bible Prophecy’ Category

How do we know we are in the end times?  Haven’t people always predicted the end?  The key is understanding that the beginning of the very end of the dispensation of grace began when Israel became a nation in 1948.  To understand the rapture, you must understand that God has separate plans for  Jews and Gentiles.  When the dispensation of grace ends, the church age ends.  The first 3 chapters of Revelation deal with the Churches and after Revelation 4:1 when Jesus commands to “come up hither (here)” the church is mentioned no more.  ¹After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
 ⁵¹Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinithians 15: 51-53)

Matthew 25

   ”Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom ²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶And at midnight there was a cry made: `Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’ <sup>7</sup>Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. <sup>8</sup>And the foolish said unto the wise, `Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying, `Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’ <sup>10</sup>And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut <sup>11</sup>Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us!’ ¹²But he answered and said, `Verily I say unto you, I know you not.’ ¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.

Five of the ten virgins had fallen in soil three.  What is soil three?  It is found in the parable of the four soils we fall into when we first hear the Word of God.  It shows us four ways we respond when we hear the Word of God.

 ²And He taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine:  ³“Hearken! Behold, there went out a sower to sow. ⁴And it came to pass as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ⁵And some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. ⁶But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. ⁸And other fell on good ground; and it yielded fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth: some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundredfold.” ⁹And He said unto them, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” ¹⁰And when He was alone, those who were about Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.¹¹And He said unto them, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables ¹²that, `seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them.’”¹³And He said unto them, “Know you not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? ¹⁴The sower soweth the Word. ¹⁵And these are they by the wayside, where the Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the Word that was sown in their hearts. (Didn’t understand it or wasn’t listening)¹⁶And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷but they have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word’s sake, immediately they are offended. (a “not worth it selfish” attitude)¹⁸And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the Word, ¹⁹but the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Those that love the world more than God, are lukewarm and have one foot in the world, and one foot in Christ)²⁰And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word and receive it and bring forth fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. (those that accept Christ for the right reasons and realize they are lost and owe God everything) 

The Lukewarm Christians are described in Revelation 3:14-17

 ¹⁴“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: `These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth. ¹⁷Because thou sayest, “I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing,” and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor and blind and naked,”

The rapture is only promised to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10, which is soil 4.

   
 ¹⁰Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. ¹¹Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Life is serious because your future eternity is at stake.  The rapture is only promised to the Church of Philadelphia. 

Remember, salvation can be compared to you drowning in a well.  You are hopelessly lost (thanks to Adam and Eve, the beginning of the human race).  Jesus is throwing down a rope shouting “grab on and come up hither.”  Don’t you want to be set free and have your sins washed away?  Bible prophecy is nothing to be ignored.  Listen to this song again, and then click on how to find Jesus under categories.

 

July 8, 2010

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Matthew 24:36-44

Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? —Matthew 24:3

News that a solar eclipse would take place on July 22, 2009, brought an alarming prediction. It was predicted that the eclipse would sufficiently affect gravitational pull, causing tectonic plates to “pop a seam,” resulting in a sizable earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami in Japan. The US Geological Survey responded that no scientists “have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how, anytime in the foreseeable future.”

There have also been many false predictions about the date of Christ’s second coming—despite our Lord’s emphatic words: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36). Christ told His followers that instead of trying to predict the date of His return, they should “watch” (v.42) and “be ready” (v.44).

Peter warned, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief.” Then he added: “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2 Peter 3:10-11 niv).

Striving to live for God—that’s what Jesus wants us to focus our energy on while we wait for that “blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). —C. P. Hia

When someone says, “I can discern
Exactly when Christ will return,”
Don’t be deceived or led astray—
The Lord said we can’t know the day. —Sper

Look for Christ’s return, and you’ll live for Christ’s glory.

From Gail:

Always remember one key point–many cults will come in the last days.  Anytime someone tries to poinpoint the exact day, you can safely label them as a false prophet with the spirit of Antichrist because they are directly contradicting the Bible.  Cults have prophets.  Jesus is our prophet/priest.  There are some deceivers in the evangelical community that want you to follow what they say as prophets of God just to exalt themselves. They want you to think they have a prayerline to heaven nobody has has or can have.   Just quote them Hebrews 1:1,2 and run from them.

 1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, 

 

1BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].

    2For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.

    3[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

    4[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.

    5For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].  II Timothy 3:1-5

As much as I hate to admit it, and am ashamed to say it, many of these characteristics are in the Evangelical community of today.  We have so much to repent of.  Let revival begin today.

Warning about Trouble

(Mark 13.3-13; Luke 21.7-19)

 3Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

    4Jesus answered:

   Don’t let anyone fool you. 5Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

    6You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8But this is just the beginning of troubles.

    9You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

   The Horrible Thing [Antichrist]

(Mark 13.14-23; Luke 21.20-24)

 15Someday you will see that “Horrible Thing” in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! 16If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. 17If you are on the roof  of your house, don’t go inside to get anything. 18If you are out in the field, don’t go back for your coat. 19It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. 20And pray that you won’t have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath.  21This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. 22If God doesn’t make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God’s chosen ones, he will make the time shorter. 23Someone may say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” But don’t believe it. 24False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God’s chosen ones. 25But I have warned you ahead of time. 26If you are told that the Messiah is out in the desert, don’t go there! And if you are told that he is in some secret place, don’t believe it! 27The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west. 28Where there is a corpse, there will always be buzzards.

 When the Son of Man Appears

(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)

 29Right after those days of suffering,

   ”The sun will become dark,

   and the moon

   will no longer shine.

   The stars will fall,

   and the powers in the sky will be shaken.”

    30Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man. All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.

A Lesson from a Fig Tree

[Fig tree symbolic of Israel--beginning of the end of time as we know it started when Israel became a nation in 1948]

(Mark 13.28-31; Luke 21.29-33)

 32Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time has almost come.  34I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. 35The sky and the earth won’t last forever, but my words will.

No One Knows the Day or Time

(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)

 36No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows. 37When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39They didn’t know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears. 40Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 41Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 42So be on your guard! You don’t know when your Lord will come. 43Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. 44Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come. 

The Millennium is the 8th and final dispensation of time, and it follows the dispensation of grace that we are presently in.  It lasts, as its title suggests, 1,000 years.  It will be a theocracy  with Christ reigning from the new Jerusalem.  Revelation 21 states:

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea.  2And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” 5And He that sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said unto me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful. 6And He said unto me, “It is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the Water of Life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

What will life be like in the Millennium?  Isaiah 11 gives us a clue.  It states:

1And there shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  2And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” 3and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD; and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears 4But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.5And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins.6″The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 10″And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand for an ensign of the people; to It shall the Gentiles seek, and His rest shall be glorious.”

It will be a time of limited sin.  Satan will be bound for 1,000 years.  Revelation 20:1-3 states:

¹And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  ²And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, ³And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

You will be considered an infant if you die before age 100.  Isaiah 65: 20 states:

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.

There will be two types of bodies.  The mortal and the immortal.  The mortal bodies are those who survived the tribulation without accepting Christ and were not condemned in judgment of the nations. (Matthew 25:31-46).  Millions of babies will be born to them during the Millennium, and they will all have to make their choice too.   Revelation 20:7-9 states:

 ⁷And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ⁸And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

The immortal bodies are the glorified bodies possessed by those who were raptured or resurrected.  I John 3:2 states:

 ²Beloved, 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.

Also read Luke 24:36-51 for a more detailed description of the glorified body of Jesus.

How will we be occupying our time during the Millinneum?  II Timothy 2:12 states:  if we endure, we shall also reign with him.

I hope this blog encourages all of you and please know there is a wonderful new world coming!!

 Jesus would say to you this day from Revelation 1&2&21

⁷Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 ⁸I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty

 To The Church of Ephesus: ⁴Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

 ¹And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

 ²And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 ³And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 ⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 ⁵And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

 ⁶And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

 ⁷He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

 ⁸But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

God’s justice always comes–sometimes sooner rather than later and sometimes later rather than sooner.  Be of good cheer this day and remember always praise the Lord even if you don’t feel like it.