Month: June 2023

CHRISTIAN ETHICS – The costs and the benefits

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 7 Comments

CHRISTIAN ETHICS?

The costs and the benefits.

Are we, the Church, to strive to reclaim the “high ground” God has given us as a nation and a people? If so, then we, the people who are called by His Name, must humble ourselves, pray and seek Him, and turn from our wicked ways. (see 2 Chronicles 7:14)

Even then, don’t mistake or forget these important realities:

  1. It is a fact that we are exiles, living in a foreign land. (1 Peter 1:1).
  2. It is a fact that our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:20).
  3. It is a fact that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12).
  4. It is a fact that we are to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. (Philippians 1:27-30).
  5. It is a fact that we are to live in a manner worthy of our calling. (Ephesians 4:1).
  6. It is a fact that we are to be going, and making disciples and teaching them. (Matthew 28:16-21).
  7. It is a fact that we must walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Our “high ground” is defined in these 7 realities. Our “high ground” is the Kingdom of God, and the highway leading there is the clearly marked by God’s Standards – The Laws of Christian Ethics, if you will.

At this point, I will say that you can go to any internet search engine and look up “Christian ethics” and find any number of definitions. I did, and it left me wondering why there are so many variations of the term? As a result, I prefer to go to the Bible and get the truth on this matter. I have found that this can be a daunting task! But I will do the best I can.

NOTE: The reason this is important to know and even more important to understand is that we, the Church, are being inundated and compromised with worldly views, attitudes and mindsets, and we must identify what the Bible and the Gospel says, identify how far we have drifted from our Spiritual roots and find our way back home – time is growing short and God has called us as ambassadors of Christ to lead the way home. “As the Church goes, so goes this nation and the world”.

One of the earliest examples I found of a type of “God-centered Ethos” and humankind’s violation of God’s Ethics, is in Genesis 2:15, Here it seems, God has established a rule or a law for Adam and Eve to obey:  “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Verse 16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, Verse 17, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Subsequently, we see in Genesis 3:1-13, that the serpent (Satan) uses deceit and lies to convince Adam and Eve to sin (what could humorously be called ‘unethical behavior’); Eve disobeys God’s instruction (a sin of disobedience and rebellion toward God (i.e., what could be called ‘unethical behavior’); Adam and Eve hide from God in shame and fear; Irresponsible blaming follows – Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent for their ‘unethical’ or sinful behavior:

Verse 6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (they, like many in our churches today, reasoned that if it feels good to me, then it must be okay, so they sinned, or, what could be called ‘unethical behavior’). Verse 7. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Verse 8. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Verse 9. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Verse 10. And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Verse 11. He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you not to eat?” Verse 12. The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Verse 13. Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Theologians call this ‘The Fall’. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. (Romans 5: 12–13)

And, it is still going on to this day!

Now we see how sin (a.k.a., transgression, or, ‘unethical’ Christian behavior) entered the world and how it was imputed to all people. We can also see that sin ‘was not counted without a law’, in other words, people could not distinguish ‘sin as being sin’ without the establishment of a standard of right and wrong, that is, a standard defining what is good and what is evil, what is ethical and that which is unethical behavior – in other words, standard as “a law”.

The foregoing scripture does not mean that our ignorance of the law excuses us as being innocent when breaking the law. Quite the contrary. Sin pre-existed the law, and this simply means that without the standard of a law people were ignorantly unaware they were violating God’s law, and therefore guilty of sin and suffered its consequences.

So, God gave a law and that law, as described in Galatians 3:24, was necessary as a tutor or schoolmaster and guardian to bring us to Christ, as our means to be justified by faith, and to guard us against the devastating effects of sin.

So, in this regard, The Law is good! Very good! But an even better way, a ‘more excellent way’ was coming, and His Name is Jesus.

I would like to pause and say that if you agree with and act on what is being written here, you likely will be considered a ‘legalist’ or called a ‘fundamentalist’ by some Christians, as in a pejorative sense. But this would just be another sign of ‘my-way-or-no-way’ Christianity.

But for now, back to The Law. For simplicity (if that is even possible at this point), the Ten Commandment is the most referred to and the most concise description of The Jewish Law (The Torah) – which is the basis for our Christian Ethos. (Remember, The Torah Law was given as a tutor or schoolmaster and guardian to bring us to Christ at a future time, as our means to be justified by faith, and to guard us against the devastating effects of sin at the time it was first given.

By this, we can know it is at the very least, ‘unethical’ and harmful to people, by God’s standards, to hold to any other god than the LORD; or, to use the name of the Lord in vain, to fail to keep the Sabbath holy, to dishonor your father or your mother, to murder, to commit adultery, to steal, to lie, to covet.

But it does not end here. Moses goes on to describe the self-destructive severity of violating “God’s Law” and the extreme advantages and blessings one receives by following and obeying The Law.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  CHRISTIAN ETHICS: Choose life that you and your offspring may live. (coming soon).

PREVIOUS:  CHRISTIAN ETHOS – Is it still a real ‘thing’?

CHRISTIAN ETHOS – Is it still a real ‘thing’?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“As The Church Goes, So Goes The Nation And The World”?

(And, if we fail to lead, how bad could it get,?)

There is a majority of ‘churches’ both in America and around the globe, who claim to represent Christ, The Gospel, The Bible and God, who call themselves ‘Christian’, but are apostate. (And, if I named a few, they wouldn’t be concerned or humbled. They would be incensed instead of repentant.)

They are complicit with the world, big business, governments, the media and the educational systems in their attempt to erase God from our minds, our families, our society, our legal systems, our governments, our churches and even our memories. Don’t believe it? Well, I am providing a video from Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia. Pastor Gary Hamrick, senior pastor, that will give a stark and frightening look at the condition and direction of America on the ground level, where we are headed and why.

He also offers what our Bible-centered response must be.

“AS GOES THE CHURCH, SO GOES THIS NATION AND THE WORLD”

I believe that there are thousands of Biblically sound, Bible centered, Gospel centered Churches teaching and honoring Jesus Christ as the answer for the ills and evils of this world. These Christ-teaching and Christ-honoring Churches are the last (and best) line of defense against the emerging counterfeit gospel and the coming man of rebellion, the antichrist, which spirit is already in the world.

Jesus calls for the Church (all Christians) as being “The light of the world. A city set on a hill  (which) cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

We, the Church, are the bastion of The Light of the World – The Torch of Christ. It is time to hold that Torch high and lead the charge!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

COMING NEXT:  CHRISTIAN ETHICS? The costs and the benefits.

PREVIOUS: CHRISTIAN ETHOS – What is it?

CHRISTIAN ETHOS – What is it?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

“CHRISTIAN ETHOS?” – Part 1

 

I can remember, from about 30 years ago (1993), there was a murmur going around Church circles that the Bible should not be taught as a set of rules, a set of “Dos and Don’ts”. In some quiet way, I believe, a demand was rising for a “Happier Gospel”.

I can tell you without any reservation that the evidence is now plain for all to see, and the verdict is in. We, the Church, are now striving to appear happier and if that means ‘satisfying our flesh’, then so be it. And this is reflected in our worship, prayer and service to God and each other.

Perhaps without deliberate intentions, we have become a ‘me first’ religious group. When the preacher fails to satisfy, we criticize. When the music fails to create endorphins, dopamine or adrenaline, we criticize. When other Christians get in the way of what we want, we push them away – and criticize.

Altar calls are all but a thing of the past. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Some churches still have altar calls, but not like it used to be. It used to be that an altar call was a call to confession and repentance, a call to reconciliation, or a call to seek God and His wisdom on matters of life. Very few people, in most mainline religious denominations nowadays, (2023), even respond to an altar call in order to seek forgiveness, repentance of their sins, offer God a broken and contrite heart – they just want to be made happier. So, if and when they respond, it is to pray for material things, about their feelings, about things they want and things to be made easier and better for them. (Just think about it).

EXAMPLES OF THIS DRIFT?

(1). I was on staff at a Nazarene church, and after preaching one Sunday, I gave an ‘altar call’, inviting people to repent of their sins or to come to Christ for the first time, find forgiveness from God and to be saved. One or two people came forward to confess and repent. It wasn’t until after the service and for the next week, did people come to me in private and say they really wanted to come to the altar but were afraid or reluctant that others would see them and suspect the worst of them. Most of these were sincerely regretful they missed the opportunity.

On the other hand, the lead ‘pastor’ of the church was incensed and threatened me to be sidelined from ever preaching in ‘his church’ again, if I ever ‘did anything like that again’. He plainly discouraged such repentance of sin, saying that it is a negative message, and that “God loves you so much that He cannot love you any less”. He scolded me saying, “that kind of preaching or talk only makes people feel bad about themselves, and I won’t have it”. (I believe was a cover for his own sinful life, which was uncovered at a later date.)

(2). On another occasion I confronted a Church of God pastor who was a good friend, about the behavior of one of his pastor-friends’ behavior, who was being deceitful – cheating and lying. My friend told me that because of what Jesus has done on Calvary’s cross, no born again Christian can sin (any longer). So, whatever his pastor-friend did was covered in Jesus Blood and ‘erased’. I explained that this was a continuing practice with this man, but my friend insisted that neither he nor that man could sin in God’s Eyes – a horrid twisting of God’s grace into a license to sin, in my opinion.

(3). On yet another occasion, I was an active member of a Pentecostal church where the pastor and his hand-picked leadership would obfuscate church financial accounting, apparently fearing objections to how the money was being spent, defending such thinking as necessary for church effectiveness. Although I held a leadership position in this church, had preached from this pulpit several times, and had been repeatedly asked to be on the church board (which I declined, each time), and that I was considered as a friend to this pastor, I was omitted from knowing details of the church financial dealings – specifically regarding this pastor’s and his families’ church salaries.

(4). Finally, I had been a member of a three different Southern Baptist churches the first twenty years of my Christian life. The last five years with that denomination I acted as an evangelist, an itinerant preacher and finally was ordained by a nearby Baptist church as an associate pastor. I and had always considered our ‘faith and practice’ in as Southern Baptists as solidly Biblical. Nowadays, however, I have seen strong indications of a growing proclivity toward unbiblical practices and behaviors and a spreading type of ‘hyper-grace’ in and among Southern Baptists churches designed to simply attract members.

This is however, now a visible movement within the Southern Baptist denomination actively working to counter and correct the growing problem of what has been aptly named “Theoretical Inerrancy”.

(Theoretical Inerrancy is explained as when theologically reformed believers, such as Southern Baptist leaders and pastors in this case, affirm Biblical inerrancy in theory but not in practice. That is, they will make the affirmation, sign the Baptist Faith and Message, Abstract of Principles, or Chicago Statement on Inerrancy without hesitation or mental reservation and then will go right on thinking and living in ways that are contrary to the Word. They are theoretical inerrantists.

What does this mean? It means that the spirit of the evangelical, inerrantist age in which we live is increasingly characterized by a satisfaction of verbal affirmations and signatures on documents rather than by lives lived in humble submission and conformity to Scripture. (see a full explanation at Founders Ministries – Theoretical Inerrantists).

(In the south, where I have lived, there is a saying that goes, “They talk a good game, but they ain’t walkin’ it”.)

All four of the examples I have cited, I believe, come from the same root cause: Professing Christians have come to love the world and the things in it. The danger presented here is that we have been warned that if one “loves the world or the things in the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

(We have been warned that this day was coming. Read in 2 Timothy 3:1, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3. heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4. treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5. having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7. always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth”. And, this behavior is now commonplace in the Church among professing Christians.)

1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us that “bad company corrupts good morals” and this seems to be a growing phenomenon in many, if not all, of our mainline churches. The apparent result is that there is a loss of the Biblical Christian Ethos (Ethics) such as see taught by and demonstrated in the life of Jesus, and in the lives of the Apostles and the early church.

(Although sin has always been present, the Bible tells us, “If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”

Besides the apparent danger of this spiritual drift within the church, is the importance of arresting this malaise, in that “As goes the Church, so goes the nation and the world”.

(I cannot help but wonder if this spreading spiritual cancer within the church is a sign of the prophesied ‘Great Apostasy’, that is, the great falling away from the faith. a hallmark of the 5th Tribulation Seal has begun? (See Matthew 24:9-12 and Revelation 6:9) Or is the Church in America just back-sliding into sin, and caving in to the desires of a demanding and sinful world, as spoken of in 2 Timothy – or is it both? Either way, Christian Ethics are certainly not being taught as they once were, nor preached or lived out in many of our postmodern churches.)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  CHRISTIAN ETHICS? – Is it still a ‘real thing’?

PS: This article and this ongoing series is a Word from God for me. I am but a sinner, saved by God’s grace and great mercy.

Furthermore, this article and series is far above my ability. There are many good books you can read which define “Christian Ethos” and “Christian Ethics”. It is not my intention to write an essay on Ethics. My intention is to ‘blow the Shofar’, so to speak. This is meant to sound the alarm, to awaken a few, and to call us, as professing Christians, back to the roots of our faith and practice.

I realize this will be ‘tough reading’ and probably not very popular as many of us may have to look into our own spiritual mirrors, and some of us will have to admit that we don’t like what we see. (This is hard for me, too.) But rejecting this out-of-hand could be a mistake.

At any rate, please accept this as it is intended: Not a judgment but as a call to holiness and a return to His righteousness.

THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Unless you are born again”, Part 66

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 7 Comments

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 66

“Unless you are born again”

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (b) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The Words of Jesus, John 3:8.

“Unless a person is born again” can mean to be born again or to be born from above. The Greek word is purposely ambiguous, as this means both to be ‘born again’ and ‘from above’. (It is also interesting to note that Jesus is using the aorist tense of the word ‘be born’, which indicates a continuous action with no regard to past, present or future – i.e., unless one ‘continues to be born again’…)

 Apparently, Nicodemus misunderstood what Jesus meant. He took these words as being both literal and pragmatic because he next asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (born again and to be born from above, i.e.,) of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (c) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You (d ) must be born again.’ The wind (c) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I have read this, in the past, and simply passed over the significance on these words – they are just too mystifying. Of course, Nicodemus apparently had the same problem, although he was able to ask for clarification and the meaning.

I have read commentaries on these verses, (five through eight), and almost without exception, Bible teachers and theologians delve into either the pragmatism of these words, the illusory or the metaphorical. There is nothing in Jesus’ Words that would indicate they are anything but literal. Jesus is explaining a deep oracle of God, a deep truth, that is not easily understood by the natural mind and must be experienced to its fulfillment to gain any understanding at all.

These words not only compare the ‘flesh’, i.e., the physical to the spiritual, but tell us that BOTH are necessary realities in order to ‘enter the kingdom of God (which is also, a real place). Jesus begins this teaching and explanation with, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water AND the Spirit” – both!

Your reason for having been created by God and your raison d’être is not complete unless you have undergone both, being born in the flesh and having been born of the Spirit.

It is a harsh reality that if you die in this incomplete state, you will perish, having been rendered by your own choice, in a manner of speaking, as ‘no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet’.

If, on the other hand, you are truly born of water and of the Spirit, you will enter the Kingdom of heaven, both now at this time and in the age to come, eternal life. And at that time, whatever you ask of the Father in Jesus’ Name, He may give to you (see John 15:16) – and nothing will be impossible for you (see Matthew 17:20).

Don’t be arrogant or foolish. Complete your reason for being, and live!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS – These things do not come immediately, but only with steadfast prayer and submission to God. Even then, the way is not smooth, but is filled with trials, testing and tribulations, so that you may be made complete and your faith —which is more precious than gold, which perishes, when it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

PREVIOUS:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “What are you seeking?”, Part 65

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “How can a man be born again?”, Part 67

THIS MAY BE HARD TO WATCH

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THIS WORLD IS PASSING AWAY

We must recognize that this world is passing away and we are instructed by God through His Word that we are ‘not (to) love this world or the things in this world. (For), if anyone loves this world, the love of the Father is not in (them). For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And this world is passing away along with its desires—but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (see 1 John 2:15-17).

HOWEVER, WE ARE BUT SOJOURNERS

1 Peter 1:1-2, makes a startling revelation in an introduction to this letter,: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” (The English Standard Version).

The Amplified Bible Version puts it this way, “Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those [elect—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

A direct translation from the Greek language defines “exile” as, a sojourner “parepidémos”; sojourning, in a strange place; residing in a strange country; a stranger, a sojourner.

Strong’s concordance reference #3927 “parepídēmos” – a sojourner (foreigner) – literally, someone “passing through” but still with personal relationship with the people in that locale (note the prefix, para, “close beside”). This temporary (but active) relationship is made necessary by circumstances. (These are defined only by the context.)

Also, Jesus tells us, in John 17:14-16, “I have given them (the people whom You have given Me out of the world) your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

WE ARE BUT “PURPOSELY PASSING THROUGH”

We, as Christians, may have become accustomed to and fond of this world into which we were born. We may even be in love with this world, but we are not of this world. We must recognize that we are but exiles and sojourners in a foreign land. Simply passing through, (although nothing about it may seem simple at the time).

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered (as worthless).

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Peter 2:3-10-12)

It would seem that the “unbelieving world” knows this better than the “Believers in God”. They (the unbelievers) are working feverishly to avert the coming destruction of this world and the end of the age. Just look at the global effort to conserve and preserve our world from ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ and to make ‘sustainable development” a reality.

But the truth is “The Earth is Groaning”.

  • Red Alerts – Arctic Lands Grow Greener.
  • Scientist Find Record Warm Water in Antarctica, Cause of Glacier Melt.
  • Sea Level Rise could Reshape the United States, Trigger Migration.
  • Climate researchers can now detect the fingerprint of global warming in daily weather observations at the global scale.
  • Groundwater depletion in America’s West.
  • Climate warming disrupts tree seed production.
  • Climate warming speeding up earth’s ocean currents.
  • A worldwide push toward One World Government (Globalism).
  • Worldwide anarchy, wars and rumors of war.
  • Climate changes of historic proportions.
  • Strange new and threatening diseases.
  • Global Pandemics.
  • Droughts, famines and increasing frequency of earthquakes.

“The Arctic is figuratively and literally on fire — it’s warming much faster than we thought it would in response to rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and this warming is leading to a rapid meltdown and increase in wildfires,” University of Michigan environmental school dean Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist, said in an email.”

“The record warming in Siberia is a warning sign of major proportions,” Overpeck wrote.

“Persistently warm weather, especially if coupled with wildfires, causes permafrost to thaw faster, which in turn exacerbates global warming by releasing large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide, said Katey Walter Anthony, a University of Alaska Fairbanks expert on methane release from frozen Arctic soil.”

“Methane escaping from permafrost thaw sites enters the atmosphere and circulates around the globe,” she said. “Methane that originates in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. It has global ramifications.”

“That seems to weaken and sometimes even stall the jet stream, meaning weather systems such as those bringing extreme heat or rain can stay parked over places for days on end, Cohen said.”

FEAR-MONGERING or FACT?

The weather channel has an article saying “A new study has found the Gulf Stream is circulating at its slowest rate in at least 1,600 years, contradicting reports to the contrary. Climate change is to blame for the slowdown, the study concluded. If the circulation stops completely, it would have catastrophic impacts on our weather.”

The article briefly states that “some scientists who weren’t involved in the study agreed with the findings, but others said a lack of data left them skeptical of the study. MIT professor Carl Wunsch said the study’s “assertions of weakening are conceivable, but unsupported by any data” in an interview with the AP.

“A separate study, also released in the journal “Nature“, claims the 150-year slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, (AMOC). is a result of natural changes, not man-made climate change. But, both conclude, the slowdown is occurring, and it could impact our weather in the coming years.”

A 2000-YEAR-OLD WEATHER FORECAST:

“Revelation 7:1, says, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”

HERE IS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE WINDS STOPPED BLOWING:

“It would rarely rain in inland locations (wind moves moist air over dry spots and falls as rain). All land not near a body of water would turn into a desert.

“There would be more extreme temperatures (the warm/cold air over the ground would not be replaced by the steady temperature air of the oceans and seas).

“The trade winds would no longer exist, and ocean stream currents would eventually stop. This would to serious climate changes. (The Gulf Stream keeps Europe warm).”

“After a few days the problem arrives. Without wind systems, warm, moist air won’t move around. Water might still evaporate, but it won’t travel, meaning anywhere away from a large body of water will dry up. Lakes might be alright as the evaporating water will fall back into them and the sea will be fine but anywhere else will get very dry, very quickly. Plants, animals and humans will slowly die from dehydration with most water inaccessible as salt water or ice. Even if we survive this, the problems don’t stop. The equator will no longer shed its heat as quickly, so it will become very warm, mountains may remain cool enough to be habitable but nowhere else will. At the same time, the poles, deprived of heat from the equator, will freeze solid.”

Science is recently saying what the Bible has been saying for centuries.

AN URGENT MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

All of this has been recorded ahead of time and is foretold in great and frightening detail.  You simply need the “eyes to see” and “the ears to hear”.

All of these things and this historic time had been recorded, in various books of the Bible, in particular, the Book of Revelation.

THE ENTIRE EARTH IS GROANING

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.   For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Our time for this planet is short, but God says,
“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME, I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION, I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”—

The wise man or woman will turn to God and live, but the fool says in their heart that there is no God!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

If you have the time, please read further:

Frightfully, most Christians have bought into a ‘wait and see if it’s really true, narrative’ fed to us, some by our own religious institutions.

Listen to what the Apostle Peter tells us about this,

Act 2:14 “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them:

“Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. Verse 15. “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;

Verse 16. But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

Verse 17. ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

Verse 18. EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.

Verse 19. ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

Verse 20. ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,
BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

Verse 21. ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Peter is telling us that the “Last Days” started at or around Pentecost, in the year AD 30, as prophesied in Joel 2:28-32.

Here is additonal proof by the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, written around A.D. 30, and are found in :

Now here is the scenario as told by Jesus from the Revelation:

The 1st Tribulation Seal – International (Global) conquest and political intrigue, ongoing since AD 1

The 2nd Tribulation Seal – Global Wars and Rumors of War, ongoing since AD 1

The 3rd Tribulation Seal – Global Famine, ongoing since AD 1

The 4th Tribulation Seal – Global Death, pandemics, ongoing since AD 1

The 5th Tribulation Seal –Martyrs, persecution, revealing of the Anti-Christ, the great falling away (apostasy), now underway and growing worse

The 6th Tribulation Seal – Cosmic and Astronomical phenomenon, weather disturbances, cosmic cataclysms. This has not occurred yet, but is on the horizon. This happens after the rapture of the Church.

Global Warming?  Something is happening, folks. But, it is not what we are being told and not for the reasons we are being told by the news media. But, something is happening!

So, how can you know the truth, and what can you do about it? Well, since God is the One allowing it and since His Word (The Bible) has foretold this coming event, I would say “Go to God’s Word and find out for yourself”.  In the meantime, GET READY!

(Click here or on the image above for details about “WHAT IT MEANS TO GET READY“. Please read the entire article, but, Page 31 tells the Christian, specifically, what it means to get ready.)

 

 

DOES GOD WANT TO BLESS YOU?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Is it God’s Intention to Bless you?​

I believe that one of God’s primary desires is to Bless His own. 

​God’s first and greatest Blessing is the Blessing of Salvation by His Grace though faith in Jesus, His Son.  Then, there are His blessings of love and mercy and prosperity toward those who believe.

Some years ago, I became a serious advocate of God’s intentions to Bless His own people.  That is, God intends to Bless those who seek Him diligently.

Some people just don’t like to hear (or think) that God Blesses people beyond the Greatest of Blessing, that is His Blessing of Salvation through faith in Christ, for those who call upon His name.

But, I say it is true.

I have also been reflecting on what some people have said to me, over these years, regarding the “Blessings of God”. 

Some people have told me “Yeah.  God may have done ‘this or that’ for you or for others, but that does not mean He will do ‘this or that’ for everyone.  You are just making me feel bad saying God will do ‘this or that’ when He hasn’t done it for me.”

It also seems obvious that not everyone who says they believe, are being blessed!  It seems many are suffering some form of trial or tribulation. God allows us, and at times causes us to go through trials and tribulations, but He is always with us IN and THROUGH times of trouble. The Bible teaches us that (1), “Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but He rescues us from them all; (Psalms 34:19). (2), “God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45). (3), God uses trials and tribulations to conform us to His image. (1 Peter 1:6-9).

We have to remember that God, through His Son, and the use of His judgements, separates us from sin, so that sin does not separate us from Him.

God’s judgment is an extreme act of mercy.  An act of Devine love, justice and mercy.

For an example, look at Adam and Eve.  They were expelled from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience, sinful attitude and behavior. 

First, God places the blame squarely where it belongs, on Satan.  Look at what God said in casting Adam and Eve from the Garden:

“The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you…” Genesis 3:14

Because Adam and Eve had gained the “knowledge of good and evil” they would now live forever in their fallen condition.  So, God, by His great mercy said,  “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” — 

“Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden” (Genesis 3:23-24)

God was showing extreme mercy using extreme methods for extreme circumstances.  God always has a Plan.  God’s plan for humankind was Jesus Christ.  He was our future as our redeemer.  

But, we had to be taught about His great love through various trials.

It is important that we remember that God was not angry with Adam and Eve and God is not angry with you as His child.  God was displeased.  But His anger was, and always will be, toward sin.  This is another of God’s principals which never changes. 

God, through His righteous judgments of “exile and captivity”, separates sin from our lives so sin does not separate us from Him.

(By the way, we as, Christians, must adopt this principal for our lives.  Jesus tells us “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:14-15)

Coincidentally, someone I know who is going through a difficult time, posted verses regarding God’s intended Blessings toward Believers from Jeremiah chapter 29:11, ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”.  I imagine he posted them to remind himself of God’s kind and generous intentions toward all Believers, and perhaps to gain strength and to keep hope alive for his future.

This is a TRUTH from God’s Word, but, it can easily be taken out of context.  And when God’s Word is taken out of context it is usually improperly applied and rarely comes to pass.  Hence, we have an example of how people level unjust criticisms of God’s intention to Bless those who seek Him and to grant them His Favor.

Here is the context these verses: 

Most of Israel has been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies and the Jewish people have been taken into captivity and sent to Babylon.  This is a picture of extreme trouble and distress which has come upon the Jewish people and nation because of their sin and rebellion toward God.  God’s principals found in Jeremiah 29, never change.  You and I can and do suffer because of our sinful rebellion toward God, just like Israel.  

Remember, however, that there is a remedy for sin and God’s judgment – and His Name is Jesus!  But also remember that there was a just CAUSE for God’s judgments.

Jeremiah 29:1 ¶  Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

​Verse 2. “(This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.)

Verse 3. “The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

Verse 4. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,

Verse 5. ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce.

Verse 6. ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

Verse 7. ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’

Verse 8. “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.

Verse 9. ‘For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD.

Verse 10 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

Verse 11. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Verse 12. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Verse 13. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Verse 14. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into .’

We can see what happened to Israel.  But, what is God’s intended meaning of this “EXILE” and “CAPTIVITY”? 

NOTE:  This word, “EXILE”, literally means

  • “to uncover oneself,

  • to be removed from where you have been,

  • to be disclosed and discovered,

  • to uncover your nakedness,

  • to be revealed, to lay bare”.

 
The CAUSE of the EXILE was the people’s sin.

The RESULT of the EXILE was to expose the people’s sin and rebellion.

The REMEDY of this EXILE can be seen in verses TEN through FOURTEEN:  

Jeremiah 29:10  “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

Verse 11. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Verse 12. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Verse 13. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Verse 14. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

God warns his people, however, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.

Jeremiah 29:9,  ‘For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD.”

God’s intention is to expose their sins and to make them aware of their condition, so they can repent and be restored.  But many of their preachers and prophets were deceiving them.  They were telling them what they wanted to hear.  They were telling them, in essence, that “God loves you too much to love you any less”, regardless of your sinful behavior and rebellion toward God and His laws.  And, while this may sound right, it is only half-true, which is actually a LIE.

The people were conducting their lives based on subtle lies about God’s Law.  They were being taught by false prophets.  THIS IS THE REASON THE PEOPLE OF GOD FELL DEEPER INTO SIN AND REBELLIION and eventually suffered God’s Judgment for correction.

The current condition of the church in America could be considered to be similar.  The preachers (prophets) are using the same words contained in the Bible but they are only “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2Timothy 3:5)

God warns us, the “New Testament Christians” to beware…

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” 2 Peter 2:1

“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:4

Read these verses from  Jeremiah 29:10-14, again: 

“For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Do you want the Blessing of God?  I know I do.

If you are in a difficult situation that is the result of your behavior or for reasons you don’t understand, just accept God’s correction for your “Seventy years”

“Seventy Years” literally and symbolically means

      • “to take an oath;

      • be a lover of God over being a hater of God. 

      • The number Seven is a number of completion and perfection “ten times over”. 

​

So, the result of your “Seventy Years” of “exile” brings you to ‘swear a perfect and complete oath of love and obedience in your heart’ toward God, ).

Know and have faith that He “will visit you again and He will fulfill His Good Word to you, to bring you back to your place.”

Always have faith; know in your heart that God “know(s) the plans He has for you, and those plans are for your welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope”. That promise never changes.

Then, after your “Seventy Years of exile”, you WILL “call upon Him and go to Him and pray to Him, and He will listen to you when you seek Him with all your heart.  You will find Him and He will restore you”.

Thus says the Lord.

Now, Let’s Go, and Be Blessed.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

The days of sorrow and tribulation, the Rapture, and the final DAYS OF GOD’S WRATH – Set Straight.

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

The Mystery

A mystery or secret doctrine of which initiation is necessary; in the New Testament. The counsels of God, once hidden but now revealed in the Gospel or some fact thereof; the Christian revelation generally; particular truths or details of the Christian revelation.

The Revelation

An uncovering, an unveiling, revealing, revelation, disclosure. The book of the Revelation begins with John the Revelator addressing the seven churches in Asia.

What follows is an amazing prophetic insight of God’s plan and purpose for His creation from Genesis to the End of the Age.

Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, verse 2, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Verse 3. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Verse 4. “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— Verse 6, and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Verse 7. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

Verse 8. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

I have color-coded certain words and phrases in these verses to draw attention to the Mystery of the Apocalypse.  Others are color-coded in red to draw attention to their obvious and transcendent truth.

THE WORD OF GOD – THE ONLY WAY TO SAFETY AND SUCCESS

The cosmos and this world and everything in them, which God created from the beginning, were ‘Good’.  God called all of His creation ‘Good’, and all things were ‘good’ because the process and the outcome of creation was perfectly in accordance to God’s Will, His Plan and His Purpose.

It may sound odd to say, but the scriptures about creation, particularly the creation of Adam and Eve, found in the Book of Genesis, seem to contain several contradictions.

THE FIRST ‘CONTRADICTION’

Revelation 1:1, says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…”  These words were written sometime around A.D. 90. Over 1,900 years have passed since this prophecy was written, and according to the God-breathed and Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. The first ‘contradiction’, if that is possible, is if these were ‘to soon take place’, why haven’t they? But that is the wrong question to ask.

The right question to ask is, “Is this is more rock-solid evidence that the breaking of the first tribulation seals began at the birth of Christ and ‘the things which must soon take place’ began to appear around the time John the Apostle wrote his Apocalypse?”

This prophetic statement, “the things which must soon take plac” fits perfectly with the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, written around A.D. 30. They illustrate, by the use of the TENSE of the words, the timing of certain events (I.e., when they began). Please read and study this carefully. These statements are found in :

  • Hebrews 1:2,
      • “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.“
      • “Last (days): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).
  • Hebrews 9:26,
      • “for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
      • “End of the ages”: from Strong’s concordance #4930, syntéleia (from 4862 /sýn, “close together with” and 5055 /teléō, “complete, consummate”) – culmination (completion), i.e. when the parts come together into a whole (“consummation“) – “an end involving many parts” (B. F. Westcott). See 4931 (synteléō). that ushers in a new time-era/age (Mt 13:39,40,49,24:3, 28:20).
  • Acts 2:14-17,

      • But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

        “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
        that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”

      • “Last (days): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).

  • 2 Timothy 3:1,
      • “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.”
      • “Last (days): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).
      • “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.”
      • “Last (days): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).
  • 1 Peter 4:7,
      • “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”

      • End (of all things): from Strong’s concordance #5056: télos (a neuter noun) – properly, consummation (the end-goal, purpose), such as closure with all its results. [This root (tel-) means “reaching the end (aim).” It is well-illustrated with the old pirate’s telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (capacity effectiveness).]

  • 2 Peter 3:3.
      • “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.”
      • “Last (days): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).
  • 1 John 2:18. 
      • “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”
      • “Last (hour): from Strong’s concordance #2078: ésxatos (from esxaton, “end, last”) – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). #2078/esxatos , (“future things”), the root of “eschatology” is “the study of last things.” This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death (“the after-life”).

All of the cited verses were spoken and written sometime as early as A.D. 30 as late as A.D. 69. This illustrates and informs us that these are the times of the “beginning of sorrows”, a.k.a,  the early days of tribulation (small ‘t’) – Seals ONE through FIVE are distinct from the SIXTH and SEVENTH Tribulation Seals which are the beginning of the final 7 years of Great Tribulation, and include the 7 Trumpet Judgements and the 7 Bowl Judgements – also known as “Daniel’s 70th Week”, “The Great Tribulation”, “The Days of Wrath” or “The Day of The Lord”.

Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between A.D. 30 and A.D. 69, and perhaps as early as 2 B.C.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

So, in this case there is no contradiction. It is a clear and positive explanation of the timing of ‘the beginning of the End of all Things’ – The tribulation had begun.  We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal – which is the beginning of the final 7 years!

THE SECOND ‘CONTRADICTION’ – BACK TO THE BEGINNING

So, what does Genesis and the creation of man and woman have to do with the tribulation, the Revelation and the End of all Things? It shows that God planned all things to occur just has they have occurred from the very beginning. He planned it all.

Man and woman were created ‘in His image’ but as crazy as it sounds, the Hebrew language reveals, they were created with a flaw. They were created with a ‘as a mere image or a shadowed reflection of the Perfect God; an illusion with a dubious character’; but they were created with the potential of perfection.

This is shown as Adam and Eve sinned and doomed all humankind to live under the curse of sin. But, this was God’s plan all along, so He provided a solution, a Savior, His Son, Jesus. And the plan of Perfecting began.

Genesis 1:1, says, “In the beginning God, (Elohim), created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Verse 3. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Verse 4. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Verse 5. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” And, God saw that it was good. (etcetera).

THE MAJOR EVENT

Then, in Genesis 1:26, “God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

This is a major event. The seminal event in all creation. God is making a creature He calls ‘mankind’ in His, (Their), own image and according to Their likeness.

AN ODD THING

In the midst of His creation work, an odd thing occurs.  This is an event, an occurrence in the creation of mankind, which is completely overlooked by the vast majority, if not all, Bible teachers. This is a bit technical, but please pay particular attention, as this is a game-changer.

Genesis 1, Verse 27. “So, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

It may seem tedious to look at the wording of this verse, as it was written in the original Hebrew language, but it is vitally important for our understanding of God’s Design, plan and purpose:

Verse 27. “So created God, man in His own image, in the image of God, He created him, male and female, He created them.”

man =adam, from ‘adam’; man, mankind. ruddy, i.e. A human being (an individual or the species, mankind.

 In Him own image = tselem = an image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character.

 In the image = tselem = an image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character.

 Male = zakar = A male

 Female = naqab = female, from the sexual form.

 Genesis 1, Verse 27 , in other words, says, “So, God, signifying that this is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, created, shaped through a formative process to make man, that is, mankind, ruddy, i.e., a human being, an individual of the species of mankind, in His own image, in the image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character, of God, yet having potential of being very great, mighty, and consisting as a plural in the ordinary sense, He created him, shaped, created, through a formative process; male and female He created them.”

RECAP:

  1. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, created, shaped and formed mankind.
  2. God created mankind ‘in His Own image’, which initially was a mere faint image of Himself; a vain representation, a shadow of the Original; an icon, a phantom pattern, an illusion, a mere resemblance; a being of dubious nature.
  3. God has deliberately made man and woman with a flaw, and destined them to fail.
  4. God would, through a formative process which would take a millennium, provide a way for man and woman to be redeemed and recreated into His perfect image through a Savior, His Son, Jesus.

 Once again, there is no contradiction. God created man and woman with a flaw – He created you and me with a flaw – and destined us to fail WITH A PURPOSE. He also provided a Savior to redeem you from failure. Through all time, God is perfecting His creation, man and woman, into the very image of Jesus the Christ,

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is “Perfection”.  He is maturing and perfecting you into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

“Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

Read it. Know it. Believe it. Live it.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS:  This description of the Apocalypse comes from a careful and painstaking, decades-long study. I did not come to these conclusions easily; it was done through much prayer, study, labor and criticism.

Why does it matter “when” the tribulation starts or “when” Christians are to be raptured into heavens?

It matters because being ready for His Return is proof of True Christianity and only a True Believer in Christ will be guaranteed to join Christ at the sound of His Great Trumpet call and escape the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

It matters because being ready requires believing and doing what He has instructed us to do in preparation for His return.

It matters because He has warned that “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

It matters because many Christians are sitting idly waiting for an event that has already begun and they are not DOING what He told them to do and therefore are in grave danger.

It matters because some of our family, friends and neighbors are completely unaware or just don’t believe that Christ will return and God’s final judgments will sentence them to outer darkness.

Because, as Christians, our faith, our convictions and our behavior
Are speaking louder than our words.

Now I am certain – no, make that ‘I am galvanized’ in my certainty, and I believe you may come to the same conclusions given the same dedication to uncovering the truth.