Author: Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Everyone Who Is Angry – Part 11

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Everyone Who Is Angry – Part 11

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” – The Words of Jesus, Matthew 5:21-22

Occasionally, I need to be reminded of what we are dealing with here. So, at the risk of sounding redundant, I ask once again, “What if The Word of God is true? I mean, what if His Words are literally true in ways we fail to recognize? People who personally encountered Jesus testified and reported on the Works He did, and this caused throngs to follow Him, stirred great controversies, created deadly conflicts and gave untold millions a greater hope for a new, vibrant, changed life, full of promise now and eternal hope of a home in heaven with God.

The Words Jesus spoke, and the Works Jesus did, changed the world.

I ask again, ‘what if we have been reading and misunderstanding what Jesus meant by His Words and the intentions of His Words? What if we have been misapplying what He taught? (Jesus was always concerned about His disciple’s lack of understanding and ‘lack of faith’.)

What if Jesus has been telling us how to actively engage His Word, so we could actually do His Works, and even greater works? (“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will you do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12.)

I realize I am wading into a potentially controversial area, but I am not referring to some kind of religious mysticism or extra-Biblical teaching, heresy or religious nonsense. (I believe, practice and teach a reformed view of the Bible.) But I do believe a great majority of the church, the teaching and practices of the church and the results produced by the early church have waned if not disappeared completely.

Jesus is building a bridge for us to cross. He is building a bridge from the natural world to the spiritual world of the Kingdom of Heaven. He is building a bridge from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. He is not negating the Old Covenant. He is fulfilling it. Jesus is the New Covenant, and He is teaching, that is, The Word of God is teaching us (1), how to understand The Word of God, (2), how to revere and to properly fear The Word of God, and (3), how to perform The Word of God.

What is the PURPOSE for this? First, specifically read Daniel 12:8-10 and all of chapter 12 for the prophetic meaning of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 through Matthew 11. We are to be purged, purified, cleansed, refined and restored by His Word and made into His children and disciples, made ready for the Kingdom of God. (John 15:3. Tells us that “we are made clean by the Word He has spoken.”

Therefore, in Matthew 5:22, when Jesus says, Everyone who is angry (orgizó = be angry, as expressing a “fixed anger”. “Sinful (unnecessary) anger” focused on punishing the offender rather than the moral content of the offense. See 3709 (orgē),

with his brother (adelphos = a brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian.) will be liable to judgment;

And, whoever says “you good-for-nothing” (rhaka = empty-headed. This term expressed contempt for a man’s head, viewing him as stupid), to his brother will be liable to the supreme court;

and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ (móros = a fool, a moron), to his brother, will be liable to the hell of fire.

Why is the offense of unrestrained, vengeful anger toward a brother or sister in Christ anger and resulting resentment, hate and denigration of a brother or sister in Christ so grievous to Jesus and the penalties so severe?

It is because this kind of anger is a great obstacle to entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Unless it is handled correctly, that is, the way Jesus teaches, your righteousness might not be ‘greater than that of the scribes and the Pharisees’. (“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – The Words of Jesus from Matthew 5:20)

Jesus gives the remedy which must be followed exactly if you are to escape the dreadful punishment that will inevitably follow:

“So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24.

It is important to note that Jesus instructs us to consider not if we are offended, but if we have offended others, we are to leave our gift at the altar and make reconciliation.

This is the only way to remove the obstacle of anger and offense which will keep us from the Kingdom of Heaven! This is how we are made clean, purified of sin and restored in our relationship with God.

This is more than ‘right or wrong’, it is a matter of life and death! Spiritual life or spiritual death.

NOTE: Being ‘saved’ is not something we do. It is what God does for the sincere repentant man, women, boy or girl, who humbly repents from their former life and submits themselves to follow Jesus in His ways. What you DO after you are ‘saved’ reflects what God has DONE and is DOING in you now.

So, if you think you have been ‘saved’ by repeating a ‘sinner’s prayer’, but you have no desire to change your lifestyle and if in fact do not begin to change how you live which conforms to the life of Jesus, you probably are not saved and will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus completes His teaching on anger and reconciliation, once again with a strong warning of caution:

 “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

This is a metaphor, citing the process of a plaintiff, a judge and the courts. The accuser is a brother whom you have offended; the judge is God and your conscience; the courts are spiritual realms. But this metaphor contains the literal truth regarding a prison of your own making.

Hear the Word of God. Repent and be set free.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NOTE:  God loves you, and He is endlessly merciful. He sent His Son, Jesus, to save you. Jesus has told us that He did not come to condemn us, but to save us. (Sadly, we are condemned by our own unbelief).

Do you find yourself saying, “I try to not sin, but I sin, anyway? And, the cycle of worry and doubt and fear starts over again? You are not alone, and there is a Hope that will save you!

I have met Christians who have serious challenges with alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual addiction, kleptomania, homosexuality, and other habits of thought, behavioral habits or addictions, and most will either say “the harder I try, the worse it gets” or “I am better, but…” or, they find themselves having to live in the torment. I had found myself in this dilemma, once in my life.

There are the few who say they have been delivered from this torment and have been set completely free. How do they do that? How can I do that?

Please read this page: “SEPARATED FROM GOD?”

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS –  Do Not Lust – Part 12.

PREVIOUS: A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Your Righteousness – Part 10

(Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes).

THE SIGN OF JESUS’ COMING and THE END OF THE AGE

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW THE SIGN OF JESUS’ COMING and THE END OF THE AGE?

Matthew 24:3, “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Signs of Christ’s Return

Jesus and His disciples have been referring to, warning about and teaching about the onset of ‘The Last Days’ since around A.D. 30 to around A.D. 95. In fact, these same disciples clearly said the ‘Last Days’ had already begun around the time of Jesus’ birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection; and that the events of these last days, as symbolized by the breaking of the Tribulation Seals (specifically Seals ONE through FIVE), as spoken of by Jesus and related by John in the Book of the Revelation, would overlap and intensify.

Jesus is giving His disciples (and us, His disciples today) a review and an overview of what has occurred, is occurring and continues to occur and intensify in these last days.(see Matthew 24:4-14):

“And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people.

SEALS #1, #2. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

(Note: Political intrigue and upheaval, wars and rumors of wars have been occurring in intensifying in number, frequency and severity since the days of Jesus).

SEALS #3, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

(Note link: Famines and earthquakes have been occurring in intensifying in number, frequency and severity since the days of Jesus).

SEALS #4, #5. “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And, because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.

(Note: Severe persecutions, hatred for and the slaughter of Jews and Christians have been occurring in intensifying in numbers, frequency and severity since the days of Jesus).

But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.

This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

(Note: It is both interesting and important to recognize that Jesus’ instructions and teachings about the Last Days, and specifically The End of The Age, which occurred in A.D. 30 and which are recorded in Matthew 24, are spoken in the future tense.

(But, every other time Jesus and His disciples speak of these events from Matthew 24, regarding The Last Days and specifically, The End of The Age, they speak in the aorist tense. The aorist tense has no regard for past, present or future tense; i.e., “that which was, is now, and shall continue to be”. They have occurred, are occurring, and will continue to occur until the consummation of scriptures!)

This is also true of Jesus words, recorded by John in the Book of The Revelation.)

“The End of The Age”

Jesus, in His discourse to His disciples, has brought us up-to-date in our linear eschatological timeline.

It is at this point that Jesus re-introduces a term found in Matthew 24:3, which is previously used by the archangel Michael as a prophetic instruction and warning in Daniel 12:13, “But as for you (Daniel), go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

What Jesus is reiterating, saying and teaching is that Five of the tribulation Seals have been opened, (broken), are overlapping and intensifying, and that we are now standing at the brink of the SIXTH TRIBULATION SEAL. The 6th Seal is the beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, and the beginning of the Seven Years of Great Tribulation: “A great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again”, (Matthew 24:21; also, see the 6th Seal from Revelation 6:12-14).

 TO WIT:

 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days, (‘the tribulation of those days’ is referring to tribulation seals ONE through FIVE which were opened in or around A.D. 1 through A.D. 95, which are overlapping and intensifying to this current day), (then) THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31).

The book of Matthew continues to warn, and rebuke believers (and non-believers) that we are in the Last Days and the End of The Age is perilously near and instructs us on what it means to be ready. You and I would do very well to take heed and prepare.

The Book of the Revelation lays out the terrifying details of the Wrath of the Lamb at the End of The Age and the horrifying judgments contained in Daniel’s Seventieth Week reserved for those who have not surrendered their life to God through Jesus Christ!

So, if you are a devoted follower of Christ, why should any of this concern you? Many churches teach that, as a Christian, you have a ‘get out of Tribulation free card’. While it is true that when the Trumpet of God sounds and Jesus appears in the air to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth, you will be spared the judgment reserved for those who do not bear the seal or mark of God and whose life is not recorded in the Book of Life.

But don’t be deceived. The finals days leading up to the 6th Tribulation Seal are full of trouble and terrifying signs. Jesus tells us that ‘false Christs’ and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Christians need to know what is coming in order to alert all those who are susceptible to deceptions and will hear the Gospel and a way of escape to safety.

Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot and must not stand idly by, waiting for His return.

The Parable of the Slaves (Doulos) and Talents

Matthew 25:14-24, “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one, he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

 “Now, after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

 “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Honestly. This makes me tremble. And I will say that if our doctrines teach that our righteous behaviors and deeds or lack thereof have no bearing on our eternity – please think again and be warned. We cannot ‘earn or salvation’ but our deeds reflect our faith and beliefs, and we are to work out our salvation with a righteous fear and trembling!)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

What it means to “Get Ready“.

I Declare that:

When I dwell in the shelter of the Most High, I remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].

I say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”

For He saves me from the trap of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence.

He covers me and completely protects me with His Wings, And under His wings I find refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

I am not afraid of the terror of night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.

A thousand of my enemies fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but no real danger ever comes near me.

I am only a spectator as I look on with my eyes and witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as I watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].

Because I have made the LORD, my refuge, The Most High is my dwelling place, No evil will befall me, nor will any plague come near my abode.

For God will command His angels in regard to me, to protect and defend and guard me in all my ways [of obedience and service]. They will lift me up in their hands, so that I will not [even] strike my foot against a stone

I tread upon the lion and cobra; the young lion and the serpent I trample underfoot.

God declares that:

“Because you set your love on Me, therefore I will save you;

I will set you [securely] on high, because you know My name and [you confidently trust and rely on Me, knowing I will never abandon you –  no, never].

 “You will call upon Me, and I will answer you;

I will be with you in trouble;

I will rescue you and honor you.

 “With a long life I will satisfy you and I will let you see My salvation.” (Taken from Psalm 91)

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Your Righteousness – Part 10

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Your Righteousness – Part 10

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – The Words of Jesus from Matthew 5:20

These words of Jesus are spoken in the context to say, ‘I am putting an end to this matter’. It is another way of saying, “I am putting this matter to rest and this is the end of it.” So, pay close attention and take heed: ”Unless your righteousness far exceeds – super abounds – that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”!

Righteousness, by definition, is ‘God’s judicial approval’. It is what the Lord deems is right after His examination, that is, what is approved in His eyes.

Previously, Jesus said If you decide not to follow His commandments and His  teachings as presented, or if you choose a different method and teach others likewise, you “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven”, at the very best.

Many Christians find other ways, more convenient ways, or methods that make one feel more comfortable. Then, these same people wonder why they cannot ‘do the works’ that Jesus does, and certainly cannot do the greater works’ He commanded and promised.

Failure to obey or to follow these commandments and teachings does not mean you are no longer saved, far from it. But when Jesus says you “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” , He is telling you that you will be ‘weak’ and will be able to do ‘very little’.

By contrast, ”whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven”. By this, Jesus is saying you will be able to do ‘very much’ in the kingdom of heaven.

Now, however, Jesus is warning, in the strongest terms, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!

So, just what is this ‘righteousness’ that puts the ‘professing Christian’ at such great risk?

A simple way of saying this is, “don’t be like the scribes and the Pharisees. Matthew 23 tells us, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”

A better way to understand what Jesus is saying, please take a close look at the context of this verse and the words that Jesus spoke before and after these words, for a complete understanding.

Jesus is demonstrating and teaching about His salvation and His method of sanctification to prepare you (to test you, try you and to prove you; to purge you, cleanse you, refine and restore you), making you into His disciple, His son or daughter and a joint heir with Jesus, preparing you for entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus next teaches and demonstrates to His disciples what Godly Righteousness is all about as He teaches on:

Anger, (Matthew 5:21-26).

Lust, (Matthew 5:27-30).

Divorce, (Matthew 5:31-32).

Oaths, (Matthew 5:33-37).

Retaliation, (Matthew 5:38-42).

Loving your enemies, (Matthew 5:43-48).

Jesus’ teaching on this matter continues through Matthew Chapter 11.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you previously thought the process of becoming a ‘fully devoted follower of Jesus’, that is to say, becoming a Christian and a disciple of Jesus was going to be as easy as reciting or repeating a little prayer and ‘PRESTO’, you are saved, sanctified and ready for heaven, well, I pray that you think again!

Philippians 2:12, says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. This should give new and additional meaning to what it means to become a Christian.

Let me close this Part 9 by saying, ‘do not despair’ at what I have written from the Word of God. These words are meant to prepare you, so you will not turn back or faint because of what comes upon you as Jesus readies you for The Kingdom of Heaven!

Remember, this is not a thing you can do on your own. There is nothing you can do that will ‘earn your salvation’. We are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus, alone; none of us are righteous on our own – no, not even one of us.

Our righteousness is a gift from God and is found in Jesus. We do not have a righteousness of our own (that comes from the law), but our righteousness is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

 Again, we are filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Here is a Disciple’s Guide containing all these teachings of Jesus from Matthew chapter 4 through Matthew chapter 11.)

“And You Shall Be My Disciples – The Book”

NEXT: A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – When You Are Angry – Part 11. (Coming soon – Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes and articles).

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Least In The Kingdom Of Heaven – Part 9

THE BOTTOM LINE – The Marxist Utopia – 2030

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“THE BOTTOM LINE”

The Marxist Utopia – 2030

You might ask why a Christian writer, blogger, pastor or evangelist would choose to write about Marxism? I am doing it because many people do not fully understand the aims, techniques, methods, goals and end results of Marxism, Communism or any of the precursor or variant ideologies, such as Socialism.

I am doing it because many people are woefully unaware of the Global rise of Marxism which is imprisoning nation after nation into its deadly snare.

I am doing it because Marxism and its variants are the sworn mortal enemy of Christianity and every Christian on earth. Communism, at last count, has murdered over 259,000,000 people since 1900, in its quest to ‘save the world‘.

Marxism is the antithesis of everything honest, fair, decent and right. Marxism is evil incarnate.

Please read these quotes by the fathers of Communism, Marxism and Leninism to make this point:

  • “Take away a nation’s heritage, and they are more easily persuaded.“ (historical landmarks torn down, religious symbolism destroyed, rewriting of history).
  • “Communism begins where atheism begins. “ (Church attendance is falling to dramatic lows; over 50% of those attending church don’t believe the Bible is true or that Jesus was born of a virgin, and more.)
  • “The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions.” (Government control of education, ‘no child left behind’, Critical race theory taught at all levels of schools, national association of teachers (Marxists in nature), Federal Education Department.)
  • “We have no compassion, and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror.” (Black Lives Matter, Antifa, burning down our cities, killing people, Defund Police movement, murder in our streets, schools and churches, and the LEFT blames the gun.)
  • “The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.” (This is the rally cry of the American democrat party.)
  • “If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded.” (Revision of text books, historical data, historical sites.)
  • “The democratic concept of man is false, because it is Christian. The democratic concept holds that each man is a sovereign being. This is the illusion, dream, and postulate of Christianity.” (Paganism taught in schools, government and many churches.)
  • There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, etc., that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.”
  • “The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.”
  • “When the sufferers learn to think, then the thinkers will learn to suffer.”
  • “The Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. “
  • “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope. “
  • A heavy or progressive or graduated income tax is necessary for the proper development of Communism. “
  • “The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.
  • “The unity is brought about by force. “
  • “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. “
  • “There is no greater stupidity than for people to marry and so surrender themselves to the small miseries of domestic and private life. “
  • “Taxes are the source of life for the bureaucracy, the army and the court, in short, for the whole apparatus of the executive power. Strong government and heavy taxes are identical. “

The foregoing are quotes by  Karl Marx, one of the founding fathers of Communism and the namesake of Marxism.

 

 

Now, please read these quotes by Lenin:

  • “Give me your four-year-olds, and in a generation I will build a socialist state. “
  • “We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion, and scorn toward those who disagree with us. “
  • “The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses. “
  • “The goal of socialism is communism. “
  • “Why should freedom of speech and freedom of press be allowed? Why should a government which is doing what it believes to be right allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns. Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinions calculated to embarrass the government? “
  • “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation. “
  • “People always have been, and they always will be, stupid victims of deceit and self-deception in politics. “
  • “Give me just one generation of youth, and I’ll transform the whole world. “
  • “One man with a gun can control 100 without one. “
  • “As an ultimate objective, “peace” simply means communist world control.”
  • “Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism. Our program necessarily includes the propaganda of atheism. “
  • “It is, of course, much easier to shout, abuse, and howl than to attempt to relate, to explain. “
  • “Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism. “
  • “One of the basic conditions for the victory of socialism is the arming of the workers Communist and the disarming of the bourgeoisie to the middle class.”
  • “The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves. “
  • “Give us the child for eight years, and it will be a Bolshevik forever. “
  • “There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel. “
  • “We are not shooting enough professors. “
  • “Germany will militarize herself out of existence, England will expand herself out of existence, and America will spend herself out of existence. “
  • “It is necessary – secretly and urgently, to prepare the terror. “
  • “The establishment of a central bank is 90% of communizing a nation. “
  • “We want to achieve a new and better order of society: in this new and better society there must be neither rich nor poor; all will have to work. Not a handful of rich people, but all the working people must enjoy the fruits of their common labor. Machines and other improvements must serve to ease the work of all, and not to enable a few to grow rich at the expense of millions and tens of millions of people. This  is the new and better society, and it is called a socialist society. “
  • “There can be nothing more abominable than religion.”

The foregoing are quotes by Vladimir Lenin, founder of Communist Leninism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many academics and highly regarded politicians proffered that Communism was dying and would indeed be dead by the end of the 20th century. Now, in the 21st century Communist Marxism has risen from its preordained grave to disprove the obituaries,  and has defiantly announced that it will have attained its longstanding goals by the year 2030 (hence the U.N.E.S.C.O’s Agenda-2030).

One such ominous and brash announcement was made by the first Director-General of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Julian Huxley in 1946,   “The task before UNESCO, (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization a specialized agency of the United Nations claiming to be aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture). Huxley bragged, “U.N.E.S.C.O. is the emergence of a single world culture by transferring full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.

“The “new world order” will be a socialist, authoritarian global government and court with “global rule of law” and a “one-world economy,”.

“The recommendations of the Commission on Global Governance, if implemented, will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience.

On their surface, these lofty sounding goals seem irresistible. But they will neither be what they seem nor will the methods used to implement these goals nor the end results be what anyone expects.

Nonetheless, these Marxist Globalists are so certain and emboldened by their victories that these United Nations entities, with the complicity and support of the World Economic Forum, have published numerous intermediate documents parading their success and outlining their final goals.

In order to make this simple, here is a video by the World Economic Forum, brazenly telling about your loss of freedoms, rights of choice and self-government and proclaiming “you will own nothing, and you will be happy!”

  1. You will own nothing – and you will be happy (one way or another; like it or not).You will rent what you need.
  2. The U.S. won’t be the world’s leading superpower – a handful of countries will dominate (a.k.a., a one-world government).
  3. You will eat much less meat – it will be an occasional treat and not a staple, FOR THE GOOD OF THE ENVIRONMENT and your health.
  4. A billion people will be displaced by climate change (the Globalists have been saying this for decades but there is no evidence of an onset).
  5. “We” will do a better job of “welcoming and integrating refugees” (a.k.a., illegal aliens, for the sake of homogenizing the world through Globalism).
  6. There will be a (greater) carbon tax for oil and gas producers to make fossil fuels obsolete.
  7. “Our” focus and main effort is to find another inhabitable planet.
  8. Western values have been tested (a.k.a., assaulted by Marxist) to the breaking point – the (redefined) principles of democracy must not be forgotten. (presented by THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM).

The antithesis is:

  1. A Communist-Marxist system provides that The State is the sole owner of all goods, production and currencies and distributes them as it sees fit. The Bible says that it is good to work and enjoy the fruit of you own labors.
  2. The Bible warns against another ‘Tower of Babel’ scenario. The United Nations and the World Economic forum have worked ceaselessly in creating a one-world government. God will intervene once again.
  3. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:1-5, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
  4. There is good reason to expect climate change.
    1. It has been changing continuously since the creation of the earth.
    2. The Bible says horrific climate change is coming with the Great and Terrible day of the Lord, also known as the Great Tribulation (see Matthew chapter 24:29-31 and Revelation chapters 6,7, and 8.
  5. (See #1 and #2 in the first list above). A method to integrate and consolidate the world’s population for mass control.
  6. (See #1 and #2 in the first list above). A method to control the world’s population via energy production.
  7. (see #2 in the first list above). The Bible says “they will build a ‘tower’ to reach the heavens so nothing will be impossible to them”.
  8. Democracy is dead and dying. A redefinition of democracy is a variant of Marxism or ‘social Marxism’ – with the principles of the old Marxism at its core.

The entire story is long and complex. But at least you now have a (very) abbreviated bottom line of what has happened and what is happening in our natural and physical world.

If you want the entire story broken into dozens of separate parts, go here:

https://whitestone2020.com/category/most-used-socialism-marxism-communism-one-world-govt-u-n-agenda-21/ (34 articles).

Like the famous and loved Paul Harvey, the radio broadcaster would say, now for ‘The Rest of The Story’.

The rest of the story does not come from what we are able to see with our eyes, hear with our ears and can touch with our hands. What is manifest today is simply the remnant of what has already come to pass. The effects may trigger additional events and they may linger for a period of time, but everything has a season and everything has an end – everything except for God and what He has planned for His final act.

https://whitestone2020.com/category/most-used-end-times-prophecy-eschatology-one-world-govt-pre-wrath-rapture-tribulation/ (53 articles).

I realize it would simpler if I just ‘bottom-lined’ the rest of the story, but I strongly encourage you read all you can in order to inform yourself and to prepare yourself for what is already upon us, so you can not only survive these events, but you can play an important role within your sphere of life.

Your Bother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please contact me with your questions or remarks.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Least In The Kingdom Of Heaven – Part 9

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Least In The Kingdom Of Heaven – Part 9

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  (The Words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:17-19).

These words and remarks of Jesus can seem to veer away from what He has been teaching in the preceding verses. However, we must consider the context of this teaching: It is a spiritual discourse and teaching about entering or inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus began His sermon and teaching with a new, radical sounding and revolutionary message on salvation and sanctification. The first time, ever in scriptures, salvation is no longer based on ‘keeping the law’, i.e., a ‘rule book’ of required practices, a book of ‘dos and don’ts’. Instead, salvation is now based on God’s free gift of grace through your faith in Jesus.

Jesus, also for the first time, teaches about a process known as sanctification. This revolutionary teaching reveals the steps of the most difficult process of purging, cleansing, purifying by which each and every believer will be restored to God as His child and son and prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven!

Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”, so we can understand that He is not replacing the ‘old ways with something new and strange’, but that He is the living fulfillment and completion, of that which was incomplete, (the Law). The Apostle Paul reiterates this in Galatians 3:21-26:

“Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Jesus is making clear that the Law is now completed by Him, through Him and in Him! Jesus has set us free from the impossible requirements, restrictions and bondage of the Law.

The New Covenant is alive and active and its name is JESUS! It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and its name is JESUS!

It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and its name is JESUS!

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Now, He dwells within us!

 

Next, in order to emphasize His teaching that the Law is not abolished, but is alive, He says, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Finally, speaking directly to His disciples both then and now, Jesus warns, “Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Keeping the context of this teaching in mind, ‘these commandments’, or teachings to which Jesus is referring, begin in Matthew 5:1 and continue through Matthew 10:41.

I say again, Jesus is teaching, first, about your salvation and explaining the process of your sanctification.  He then follows up (in subsequent chapters and verses), with examples and details of His commandments and teaching on this Truth.

NOTE: This is IMPORTANT. If you decide not to follow His commandments and teachings as presented, or if you choose a different method, you “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven”, at the very best.

Many Christians find other ways, more convenient ways, or methods that make one feel more comfortable. Then, these same people wonder why they cannot ‘do the works that Jesus does, and certainly cannot do the greater works’ He commanded and promised.

Failure to obey or to follow these commandments / teachings does not mean you are no longer saved, far from it. But when Jesus says you “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven”, He is telling you that you will be ‘weak’ and will be able to do ‘very little’.

By contrast, ”whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven”. By this, Jesus is saying you will be able to do ‘very much’ in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus has told us that The Kingdom is within you now, and after your earthly life, you will dwell with Him in His Kingdom.

What are you to do with these words? For me? I am serious about studying them, meditating on them, so I can do them by way of the Holy Spirit Who lives within me. I encourage you to do the same, and more. Jesus has told us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Your Righteousness – Part 10. (Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes and articles).

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – When You Mourn – Part 8

GOD’S PLAN FOR PERFECTION – Prophecy, World History and the Tribulation -2023

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment
 

(You can listen by audio; pause the audio to follow page links, then, when you are ready, resume the audio. Please note: I use page links in lieu of footnotes and references.)

Our world is careening out of control. Everything we have known as good in recorded history is being called evil; and all things evil are being called good; The world substitutes darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

The Liberal Left, however, will tell you that all is well and that we have entered a New World Order, a Great World Reset is at hand.

This short video will give you a glimpse of what is being sold as this New World, but in reality it is the same tired old saga of the Marxists Utopia.  The claims are the outrageous imagination of the world’s Globalists-Socialists and Marxists.

Having and promoting unrealistic promises as reality is nothing new, except every single previous promise of a Socialist, Communist, Leninist, Marxist government or social structure, or any variant of the same, has always ended in tyranny, despotism, wars, loss of personal freedom, lack of basic needs, poverty and the death of millions.

If you will patiently walk with me, I will take you on an amazing journey. A journey from the beginning of time through recorded world and Biblical histories. We will identify important past Bible prophecies and correlate them to the actual past world events; then we will compare both prophecies and histories to one specific prophecy known as ‘Daniel’s Seventy Weeks’, which will bring us to current events and the final epoch of time known by various names, such as, “The Last Days”, “The End The Age” the “Latter Days” and “The Tribulation”, which are now unfolding with frightening accuracy.

I will not stop there, however. I will conclude by laying out a successful response to these events, a plan of action by which you can both survive and thrive in these final days.

Finally, there is an event coming which is so fantastic as to be unbelievable. But I will show the evidence leading to this event, known as the ‘Rapture’ and I will even help you calculate the odds of its occurrence.  You will then be faced with the most monumental decision you have ever faced. You don’t want to miss this.

We will take a journey assisted by a book aptly titled ‘The Journey to Perfection’.  Our travels will coordinate Bible Prophecy, Biblical and World Histories culminating with The End of Days’. You can read this book either as a digital ONLINE book or in a PDF format, (see both versions below).

After finishing “THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION“, you will want to read “Effective Spiritual Warfare“, “America Under Siege” and “Agenda 2030, The U.N., Global Marxism“. Now…

PERFECTION

In the beginning, God created.

He began with the imperfect and created the Masterpiece, first in the heavens and then on the earth. His work completed in just seven days; He would allow His Masterpiece to mature for a millennium until it became His Perfection.

This is a journey of discovery and revelation of God’s Grand Plan and Design, from creation through the End of the Age, then into a New Heaven and a New Earth.

This is a non-academic thesis on the reasons for WHAT God is doing in these Last Days and WHY He is doing it this way. My prayer is that, after reading this, everything you’ve wondered about the reasoning behind God’s Plan for the world and your life, will fall into place.

By: Michael J. Young, Sr., evangelist, pastor, teacher.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

Romans 12:2

NEXT:  THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION – IN THE BEGINNING.

 

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – When You Mourn – Part 8

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – When You Mourn – Part 8

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

These words of Jesus are part of a larger discourse which should be read as a whole to get the correct meaning and progression of His teaching. Each verse, if taken individually or apart from the other related verses, will leave you will a partial understanding, which in this case is a failed understanding. Let me explain in natural terms:

Jesus’ teaching, which has become popularly known as “The Sermon on the Mount”, is a spiritual teaching, a spiritual discourse about entering or inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven, alternatively known as the Kingdom of God. Matthew 5:3, tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, is discussed in the previous lesson, part 7.

The main theme, the guiding principle and the main objective, not just for Matthew chapter five, but for the entire ‘Sermon on the Mount’, chapters five through nine is:  How you shall enter or inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, how you become a ‘son of God’ doing the works of Jesus, and are made into the salt and light of this world.

Matthew chapter five, however, is specifically an outline for and a picture of God’s method of salvation and the process of sanctification. (Jesus modeled the testing the ‘Christ follower’ will face in a precursor event, when Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1-11.)

Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, as it is called, can be viewed as a (1), human response to a spiritual phenomenon, (2) a description of the psychology of how your mind, will and emotions work, or (3) as the steps and stages of being transformed into a true disciple of Jesus through the renewing of your mind. In any case, the person who ‘endures to the end will be saved’, and

The Apostle Peter adjures us, in 1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.“

Although enormously difficult, bewildering at times and sometimes heartbreaking, this is what each and every believer in Christ must face:

You will be made poor in spirit, verse 3,

You will be made to mourn, verse 4,

You will be made meek, verse 5,

You will be made to hunger and thirst for righteousness, verse 6,

You will be made merciful, verse 7,

You will be made pure in heart, verse 8,

You will be made a peacemaker and a son of God, verse 9,

You will be persecuted, verse 10,

You will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, verse 10,

You will be reviled, persecuted, falsely accused, verse 11,

You will gain a great reward in heaven, verse 12,

You will be made the salt of the earth, verse 13,

You will be made the light of the world, verse 14.

Put another way, that is in a simple, plain language of the human experience:

You will suffer testing, temptation and chastisement for the purpose of purging, cleansing and restoring your soul. This will come either by the Hand of God or will be allowed by God.

This normally will be followed by a ‘deep heartfelt cry’; an attitude of meek humility is the result, and it settles over your heart, body and soul. You will sense a desire for things to be made right in your life.

Instead of a critical spirit, you now will see through new eyes of mercy. You will now begin to be controlled by a pure heart. You will have an attitude of mercy toward others who are afflicted by sin, as you have been afflicted.

You will have been changed. Some family, old friends and acquaintances may tease or even ridicule your changed heart and attitude.

It is now that you have inherited the Kingdom of Heaven.

You will suffer false accusations and new persecutions. But your heavenly rewards will begin to shower upon you, both now and in the future, eternal rewards.

There is little doubt that you are becoming the salt of the earth by your life and your words. Your life will emanate the Light of Christ, and it will be visible to all.

Take heart as you endure these things, because, just like with Jesus, so it will be with you, when your testing is complete, “Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS  – Least in The Kingdom of Heaven – Part 9 (Coming soon – Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes and articles).

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – The Poor In Spirit – Part 7

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – The Poor In Spirit – Part 7

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – The Poor In Spirit – Part 7

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

Matthew 5:3 “

As a way of reminder, this series is saying that the Bible says that Jesus’ Words are creative, causative, prophetic and instructional; and asking the questions, “Can this really be true? WHAT IF WHAT THE BIBLE IS SAYING IS REALLY TRUE?”  I mean, not only without error, but literally true and factually accurate in ways we fail to recognize?”

Please remember, this is not just a study ‘about the Bible’ or ‘about Jesus’. This is not just a story.

The verses being studied are The Word of God (the Words of Jesus), being demonstrated in real life situations. These Words are for our learning, our rebuke, our correction and our training in righteousness, so that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I say again, the Word of God, is creative, causative, prophetic and instructional, to you, for you and ultimately, ‘through you’.

So, again I ask, “what do these Words mean? And, are they true”?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”. Matthew 5:3 begins with the word ‘blessed’. This word is so vitally important both to what Jesus is saying and what it ultimately means to the believer that I encourage you to take careful notice.

This word, blessed, as it is used here, translates as, ‘supremely blessed and by extension means fortunate and well off’. It carries the idea of these blessings ‘being long and large’ specifically when God extends His benefits and the advantages He confers.

Being ‘blessed’ in these verses describe a believer in an enviable and fortunate position from receiving God’s provisions and His favor, which literally extend His grace to you. This happens with receiving (obeying) the Lord’s in-birthing of faith.

What makes Jesus’ statement about being blessed so remarkable is what comes next:  “are the poor in spirit”.

Being ‘poor in spirit’ literally means ‘one who crouches and cowers, hence beggarly, poor and destitute. Someone who is both spiritually poor, and materially destitute.

Read this extensive description of what Jesus is saying about being ‘poor in spirit’: to be thoroughly frightened, to cower down or hide oneself for fear; one who slinks and crouches, often involving the idea of roving about in wretchedness.

Destitute of the Christian virtues and the eternal riches, Revelation 3:17; equivalent to helpless, powerless to accomplish an end.

Lacking in anything, destitute of the wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford.

Can this be true? You are ‘supremely blessed and by extension means fortunate and well off’, when you are poor to the point of having become crushed in your spirit, cowering in fear, destitute in all manners and means and without hope?

If what Jesus has said to this point isn’t confusing enough, He completes His opening remarks to this most amazing sermon and teaching, saying, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

This kingdom of heaven (of God), is one of royal power, kingship, dominion and rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. Jesus as the triumphant Messiah confers royal power and dignity on Christians in His Kingdom.

These final words are spoken in the present tense. This is not a future event, but is now, in the present. Many Bible versions will translate this to say that the Kingdom of God is ‘near’ or ‘in your midst’. But, the literal translation says, “within you”. (“Nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21). This is truly more accurate because once you surrender your life to Jesus, the Spirit of God comes into your mortal body, soul, mind and spirit and takes up residence within you! (“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Astounding as it seems, Scriptures tell us that it is people of this class who most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and prove themselves fit to lay hold of the heavenly treasure!

Knowing these things is not enough. Words may lay idle until put to use. We must use these Words of Life. The Kingdom of God is within you, now.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Those Who Mourn – Part 8. (Please bookmark this page or subscribe for coming episodes).

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Follow Me – Part 6.

WE MAY NOT AGREE ON WHEN OR HOW – WE DO AGREE ON WHAT – JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

WE MAY NOT AGREE ON WHEN OR HOW – WE DO AGREE ON WHAT – JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!

CREATION  –  THE FALL  –  SIN  –  DEATH  –  REDEMPTION  –  TRIBULATIONS  –  THE DAY OF WRATH  –  JUDGMENT  –  BOOK OF LIFE  –  LAKE OF FIRE  –  A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.

One of the prevalent eschatological teaching (study on the matters of the end of the age) is the Pre-tribulation Rapture and Premillennialism. It was originated by John Nelson Darby in 1833. Darby is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism and Futurism. Pre-tribulation rapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and further popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Schofield Reference Bible.

Other eschatological views include:

Preterism (1554–1613)

Historicism (mid 1500s)

Futurism (mid 1500s)

From these views spring major theological positions of

Premillennialism,

Pretribulation Rapture,

Mid-tribulation Rapture,

Post-tribulation Rapture,

Postmillennialism,

Amillennialism, and the

Pre-Wrath Tribulation Rapture.

Because there are a myriad of Church denominational and doctrinal positions, it is understandable that so many differing eschatological views have emerged.

But, with the passage of time, historical events and particularly religious, social, economic, and political developments are revealing the frightening accuracies and the realities of Biblical prophecies which are coming to life and are bringing Biblical prophecies into focus. A reassessment is under way.

In the meantime, however, most theologians and Bible teachers doggedly adhere to their seventeenth century, long-held denominational-based views of Biblical eschatology, despite the clarity of the scriptures when viewed outside denominational bias and when examining the emerging evidence to the contrary.

Other examples are of those who call themselves Bible teachers or theologians who teach and claim that all Biblical eschatology is metaphorical, and idiomatic, analogical or parables used to explain natural events and their outcomes. This puts Jesus and His Teachings in the category of fantasies, fairytales and lies – although the Bible clearly warns otherwise.

Some other so-called teachers have been teaching that is no literal 2nd coming of Christ although, again, the Bible clearly and plainly teaches otherwise.

Others teach there will be a 2nd advent of Christ, however, they would have you believe that the second coming will be ‘in secret’, and that Jesus’ visible and actual 2nd coming will not occur until the battles of Armageddon.

And if that isn’t enough, others teach that there will be BOTH a visible 2nd coming as described in Matthew chapter 24, and a visible 3rd advent (coming) of Christ when He will defeat Satan at the battle of Armageddon.  And, things get even more convoluted when it comes to the various denominational doctrines of The Millennium.

Most of these same preachers, pastors and ‘bible teachers’ will tell you that the entire tribulation period is a yet-to-be experienced, future event, putting you at ease when Jesus clearly teaches the very opposite thing. Jesus warns that you must be on the alert, standing at the ready at all times, during “these last days”! (See Matthew 24:36-44)

Many are well-intentioned, dedicated Christians and devoted students of the Bible and of eschatology. So what are we to think? How are we to know?

There is one thing in the five major views which we all agree on:  Jesus is coming again to get His Church and to defeat Satan, the beast, and to judge the living and the dead.

If you are alive when the sixth tribulation seal is opened, one of two things will happen to you:

(1). If you are counted among His Elect (A Christian and a devoted follower of Jesus):  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

(2). If you are not counted among His Elect (Not a Christian and a devoted follower of Jesus):  “There will be a great earthquake, and the sun will become black as sackcloth, the full moon will become like blood, and the stars of the sky will fall to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. Then the sky will vanish like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island will be removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, (including you) will hide themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Furthermore, if you are not killed by these events, you stand to face even greater and more terrible events of God’s judgments spanning a seven-year period!)

If you are not alive when the sixth tribulation seal is opened, one of two things will happen to you:

(1). The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. And we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

(2). The sea will give up the dead who are in it (who are not in Christ), and Death and Hades will give up the dead who were in them (who are not in Christ), and they are judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, they too are thrown into the lake of fire.

You have absolutely no control over the sequence of events, nor over any of the events themselves.  But you do have control over your preparation for what is coming.

PREPARE NOW

Surrender yourself to God through faith in Jesus. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (See Romans 10).

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his great mercy, will cause you to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (See 1 Peter 1).

Who then is the faithful and wise servant of God? It is the one whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” (See Matthew 24).

IN THE END

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

“And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.“

If you never know the different denominational tribulation views and have no clue about the coming millennium, (over which you have no control), these things I have mentioned are all you need to know to be saved – “sozo” – made safe, rescued from eternal harm, made whole and made well this very day.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Millennial Views by The Gospel Coalition – an excellent resource).

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Follow Me – Part 6

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Follow Me – Part 6

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

 “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Jesus’ words seem pretty straight forward, as He says, “Follow me”. But what if these words are profoundly, literally true, without any error and factually accurate in ways we fail to recognize? Without the proper understanding of what each word means, the context in which they are spoken and Jesus’ intent, we might fail to complete our mission as Christians and never reach the full potential that Jesus has for us! Now, that would be a real tragedy.

If we look deeper into the language and look at the context of what Jesus is saying, we will find that He isn’t making a calm, polite request. His words are an interjection, and an emotional imperative command; “Come here now, and follow Me!”

Jesus is telling His disciples not to just follow Him, but to follow Him closely, as if to be leaning upon His back, peering over His shoulder, intently watching and learning. Ultimately, being closely identified with Him.

Jesus goes on to say, “I will make you fishers of men“. The word Jesus uses, “make”, (poieo), is rich and extensive in meaning. He is saying that He will fashion you, appoint you and ordain you into the very thing by which it is to be called. In this case, His disciple.

This complex word also has a dual or interchangeable use:  “To make into” and “To practice” (prasso). You will be made for a designated purpose for an intended, earnest and habitual, performance; and a definitely directed action to the scope and character of the result: Jesus’ disciple.

This cannot and should not be understated. Jesus is saying to His disciples, then and now, “Be aware. You are entering into an irreversible contract with God. You are to be refashioned and transformed into an object for My use.”

Imagine with me; Jesus looks at you and says your name, and says: “Come here                        ! Come and follow me, very closely. You will become my disciple. Walk closely by Me. Watch my every move, practice what I do so you can do the same. I will fashion and transform you into my likeness as my disciple, and will make you a brother, a friend, and a child and son of God. You will perform and practice what I teach you, and there will be no turning back. What I make you into is permanent and eternal.”

How would you then feel? What would you then do?

He has called you. You have been transformed. It is urgent that you do not misunderstand these Words of God. Please know that you could likely be numbered among the Elect who will stand in the Gap, boldly proclaiming the Words of God, calling the lost and the straying, laying hands on the sick and the infirm, caring for the poor, the oppressed, the widows and the orphans and ‘Sounding the Shofar’ in the Last Days, if you will only follow Him.

May God keep and protect us as we work out this great and wonderful salvation!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Coming NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Blessed Are You When – Part 7

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Repent – Part 5

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LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD – It is not about you or me.

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD: It is not about you – or me.

I have heard preacher after preacher say that “It is not about you. It is about Jesus.” I agreed then, and I agree now…sort of, that is. (What I mean is I want to agree with Jesus and I mean to agree with Jesus, but when it comes down to sacrificing my comfort, my rights, my little space on this earth and yes, my life, I become conflicted. I find it becomes a struggle within my mind.

But the truth is that it really is not about me and my comfort, my rights or the survival of my physical body  – or yours – nor any of the things of this natural world.

And, yes, I know that the Apostle Paul warned that this kind of thing may happen when he confessed: “I do not do the things I wish to do, but I do the very things I detest. Wretched man that I am. Who will save me from this body of death?” (see Romans 7:21-25)

Of course, God cares about our earthly and physical needs. He provides what you and I will eat or what we will drink, and for our bodies, that is, as to what you will put on. But, life is more than food, and clothing. Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (see Matthew 6:25-33)

But God’s primary purpose was not to come to feed and clothe us, He came to seek and save the lost – to buy us back from the curse of sin and death. He came to rescue us and give us a home with Him, for all eternity.

There are times that we are tempted and seduced to follow our own desires – the desires of our flesh, as the Bible calls it. We may even begin to think that it is perfectly normal to want the better things of life, possessions, some degree of wealth and status. And there are many instances that God grants these things to His dedicated followers. But this life is not about us and what we want. It is about God and what He wants for us. Anything else we might think can be a form of idolatry.

Jesus asks why we call Him Lord when we do not do what He says? Let’s be clear.  Jesus says that His own, that is His disciples, His sheep, know His voice and they follow Him. They do His bidding and not their own desires. He warns that if we continue doing things our own way for our own purposes, He will tell us to depart from Him because He does not know us!

It is not about us. It is about Him. It is about His purpose and His plan for this world and for us as His followers. And if you and I want to experience the peace, the power and the spiritual prosperity He offers, then we must forsake the things of this world and live to walk in His ways, in His Spirit.

Listen to how the Apostle Peter describes how it is about God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Again, in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

The answer to Paul’s question, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” is this: Thanks be to God for my deliverance through Jesus Christ our Lord, because even though I find that I serve my human nature, my worldliness, and my sinful capacity, through the law of sin with my flesh, on the other hand with I serve the law of God my mind.  And I praise God that “there is no condemnation whatsoever, (despite this seeming contradiction), for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And praise God that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. (see Romans 8).

So, let’s set our mind on the things above. Let’s set our mind on the things of the Spirit of God. Let’s think on, dwell on, meditate on and practice whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, pure, lovely, and whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.

So, what is the point of all of this? IT IS NOT ABOUT US. IT IS ABOUT GOD, HIS PLAN, HIS PURPOSE AND HIS WAYS. It is not about what we want. It is about what God wants for us. And if you and I want to experience the peace, the power and the spiritual prosperity He offers, then we must seek first the Kingdom of God. We must forsake the things of this world and live to walk in His ways, in His Spirit.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

BECOMING a Christian is simple – BEING a Christian is something else

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Knowing how to become a Christian is simple, but being a Christian is anything but!

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7).

Such a succinct and simple sounding statement by Jesus is in reality a profound oracle of God. It is the portal to the ‘Other Side’ – from the natural world into the realm where all things originate. It is the ‘Basileia Ouranos’, the Kingdom of Heaven.

There are times when the Words of God are easy to read yet seem to be too deep for our complete understanding. Perhaps at these times we are tempted to ask God, “why tell me this if I cannot grasp and do it?”  It takes the diligent work of study, prayer, meditation, seeking and of asking God. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that all of God’s Word is for our learning, our rebuke, correction, and for our training in righteousness so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. God’s Word is written for us to understand and to perform.

The greatest of all tragedies would be to lazily ignore or to misunderstand what Jesus is saying, and to either ignorantly miss or foolishly forfeit this great gift of God and your place in the Kingdom.

Let’s take a deeper look at John 15:7. First, Jesus is saying “If you abide in me”. Any and every synonym of the word abide could help us understand: We are to stay in Him, to remain in that state, relationship or expectancy; to continue with Him, dwell with Him, endure in Him, be present with Him, remain in Him, stand, tarry, remain in Him as our own.

This is an open secret to answered prayer and inheriting the Kingdom of God! The Bible repeatedly speaks of meditating and setting your mind on Him and His words, thinking on Him and His words, dwelling on Him and His words day and night; praying to Him without ceasing. And in each instance we are told that for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success, he God of peace Himself will sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

We must abide in Him and His words must abide in us – and He will perform His promises in and through us.

The work of knowing and obeying the word of God is no easy task. It takes time and work. (Someone once said they just could not memorize scriptures. Then they were asked about their home address, which they rattled off with ease. The questioner asked how they could do that with such ease? Excuses are cheap. You will do what you prioritize and find necessary.

This is not meant to be harsh or critical of anyone. This is to point out (to me and others) that knowing how to become a Christian is simple, but being a Christian is not something to be taken lightly – it can be difficult. And if you or I want the benefits of a true relationship with God, we must fully enter into that relationship. We must do what He says. (I.e., the door is open, but we must walk through it!)

Now, make these verses your abode (Memorize, personalize and internalize them. Hear these words from the mouth of Jesus or recite them directly to Jesus as you memorize them):

John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Verse 8. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

John 15:15, “And if we know that He hears us in whatever<mg3739, 1437=””> we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

John 14:13. “And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 16:23, “And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Verse 24. Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

1 John 3:22, “and whatever<mg3739, 1437=””> we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”

(The following verses have been personalized for our memorization.)

Deuteronomy 28:1, “Now it shall be, as I diligently obey<mh8085, 6963=””> the LORD my God, being careful to do all His commandments which He is commanding me today, that the LORD my God will put me high above all the nations of the earth. Verse 2. And all these blessings will come to me and reach me as I obey the LORD my God:

Verse 3. “Blessed will I be in the city, and blessed will I be in the country.

Verse 4. “Blessed will be the children of your womb, the produce of my ground, and the offspring of my animals: the newborn of my herd and the young of my flock.

Verse 5. “Blessed will be my basket and my kneading bowl.

Verse 6, “Blessed will I be when I come in, and blessed will I be when I go out.

Verse 7. “The LORD will cause my enemies who rise up against me to be defeated; they will go out against me one way and will flee at my presence seven ways.

Verse 8. The LORD will command the blessing for me in my barns and in everything that I put my hand to, and He will bless me in the land that the LORD my God is giving me.

Verse 9. The LORD will establish me as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to me, if I keep the commandments of the LORD my God and walk in His ways. Verse 10. So all the peoples of the earth will see that I am called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of me.

Verse 11. And the LORD will give me more than enough prosperity, in the children of my womb, in the offspring of my livestock, and in the produce of my ground, in the land which the LORD swore to my fathers to give me.

Verse 12. The LORD will open for me His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to my land in its season and to bless every work of my hand; and I will lend to many nations, but I will not borrow.

Verse 13. And the LORD will make me the head and not the tail, and I will only be above, and not be underneath, as I listen to the commandments of the LORD my God which He is commanding me today, to follow them carefully, verse 14, and I will not turn aside from any of the words which He is commanding me today, neither to the right nor the left, to pursue other gods to serve them.

Now, as we make Him our Abode, may the LORD bless you, and keep you; May, the LORD cause His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you; May the LORD lift up His face to you, and give you peace.’

Your Brother and Friend,

 

Mike Young

IN WHATEVER YOU ASK OF GOD…

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15, New American Standard Version)

Put another way:

This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him. (1 John 5:14-15, Amplified Bible version)

This is a great Word from God and a great promise. It seems to be straight forward, but it can also be taken out of context and misunderstood. One might think he or she could ask for ‘anything’ or ‘everything’, and presto! Like magic, you have what you want. But this is not about what we want, it is about what God wants for us. Let me say that again. It is about what God wants for us.

The context of these verses can be found in verses 1 through 4:

1 John 1:1, “Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above–spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves the child born of Him. Verse 2. By this, we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments. Verse 3. For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. Verse 4. For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world–our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].” (Amplified Version).

Rather than filling up dozens of pages citing the expressed or implied “Will of God” and the hundreds of promises of God contained in scriptures, I will rely on a simple, yet profound Word found in:

Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

Matthew 6:25-33 reminds and exhorts us, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

There is nothing you can do to earn the favor of God, so relax in Him a little. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rescued, made safe, whole and healthy). For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

It is by God’s grace and your faith in Jesus that you are clothed in His righteousness, cleansed and forgiven of your sins, set apart for His purpose. It is nothing of yourself,

Put simply, love and serve God and one another. Then, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)

“And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

Think it. Believe it. Do it. Practice it.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Repent – Part 5

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

This is one of the greatest pronouncements and calls to readiness for all Christians:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent, in the Biblical sense, literally means, “To change one’s mind; reversing how you think, to change one’s mind for the better”. The word ‘repent’ comes from two root words which mean, “Hereafter, have this understanding or perception”.

Repenting is the act of changing your mind which means your mindset, your values, and your worldview is changed.  Some would say you then live by new standards.  But it is much greater than just living by new standards.

Again, I say, a person of sound mind cannot simultaneously think one thing and do another, repentance results in a complete change of mind and direction of one’s life.

Another way of saying this is, “As a man or woman thinks, so are they”.

This is not a metaphor.  It is not hyperbole.  It is the literal call from God through His Son, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

BOTH A COMMAND AND A PROPHETIC WORD

Interestingly, Jesus, the Son of God, in fact God Himself, said these very words which are recorded in Matthew 4:17.  Remembering, this is both a Command and a prophetic Word from God.

Jesus said this is what we are to do – Repent – in order to become His disciple and to follow Him, and, this is what will happen is we repent.

The disciples echoed and repeated these very words as they continued to do the Works of God, This is His command and commission to us, as His disciples, in these last days. Let us, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand” and let’s go and tell others.

Jesus says for each of us to repent as an act of our will and that Repentance will allow the Holy Spirit to come into our bodies, our minds and regenerate our spirits.  We will become One with Him.

Our fleshly desires begin to fade, and our new desires emanate from the Holy Spirit of God.  It is not us producing Spiritual Fruit, it is from The Holy Spirit, and it should pour out of us, liberally.

We begin to desire the Things of God.  We are made new, and we can now walk with certainty, with purpose and power in our New Life.

MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Once we repent, our new desires move us to a new way of living, new actions, which are the direct manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance means it is no longer you, or I who lives, but it is Christ, literally, living in us.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

If you are living in the sin of doubt or fear,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If you are living under the oppression of poverty, sickness, lack or want, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Rise up.  Proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, help all who are ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; heal them all.  Matthew 4:24

Go and tell others this exceedingly Good News, and let us all, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Let’s stop thinking as the world thinks and see things from a heavenly perspective (Colossians 3:2), let’s have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and begin to really live!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Follow me – Part 6

PREVIOUS:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Begone Satan – Part 4

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Begone Satan – Part 4

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God.” Matthew 4:10

Outrageous, ingenuous and insane? Or The Omnipotent, Omniscient Omnipresent Son of God? It has been said that Jesus was either a demon possessed fraud, a liar and insane, or He truly is the Son of God.

Jesus made statements that, for many, are hard to believe. For example, Jesus once said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.” (John 6:47-51)

Many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?” As a result of this, many of His disciples left, and would no longer walk with Him.  (John 6:60, 66)

How can you tell which is true of Jesus?  Ask yourself, did Jesus do what He said could be done? A careful study will show the prophecies He fulfilled. Jesus, Himself, said, “even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:38).

A simple face value reading of Jesus’ Words and a careful study of the results, will either completely confound you or thoroughly convince you that He meant what He said and said exactly what he meant.

So, I ask, ‘what if we have been reading and misunderstanding what Jesus meant by and the intentions of His Words? What if we have been misapplying what He taught? Could this be one of the main reasons our faith has grown weak and our works have faded?

The full context of this verse begins with Verse 8, “Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Verse 9. And the devil said to Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Verse 10. Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Remembering that Jesus’ Words are always creative, causative, prophetic and instructional, there is very much to learn from these few words:

First, Jesus is submitting Himself to this temptation and testing in order to teach and instruct. Jesus is showing those who would follow Him will also face temptations and testing by the devil. This is not a metaphor. It is a fact. You must be ready.

Speaking the Word of God is how we defeat the temptations and trials of the evil one. This is the first step and the only way!

“For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Secondly, we are to remember that the Word of God is creative and causative and that His Words “Accomplish the very thing which He purposes, and they shall succeed in the things for which He sent them”. (Isaiah 55:11).

Jesus is exercising the authority given Him by the Father, and He has told us He will be with us ‘until the end of the age’. Additionally, Jesus has conferred His authority to His disciples.

Jesus, is quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, the Jewish Bible (also called the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh), which Christians call the Old Testament, instructing us and demonstrating the creative, causative and prophetic power of God’s Word.

Next, when Jesus says, “For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”, He is making a grand proclamation of truth and of finality. Spoken in the future tense, Jesus is literally saying ‘from this moment forward and for all time, hence’, you are to fully and meekly surrender yourself as a lowly and menial servant or slave to God, giving yourself to Him in the deepest admiration, love and dependence.

This is spoken within the context, “For is it written” (i.e., “It is written in The Word of God”). Jesus, once again, is speaking the Word of God from Deuteronomy 6:13-15, “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.  You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the Lord your God who is in the midst of you is a jealous God; so follow Him, or else the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”

In doing so, Jesus is both vanquishing the devil, (“Be gone, Satan”!) and is setting the example for His disciples to follow.

Finally, Jesus’ words address one audience: ‘‘You shall worship the Lord God and Him only shall you serve’.’, (meaning only the people of God, i.e., those who are called by His Name), Authority over the devil is granted only to the people of God.

If you know Him, you can’t help but worship and serve Him. He is your sanctuary.

If you don’t know Him, you have to admit, He is a pretty scary man! I beg you, lose your fear. Come to know Him. He has words of eternal life (John 6:68).

Know His Words. Speak His Words. Live His Words.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Repent – Part 5

PREVIOUSLY: A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS – Testing God – Part 3.