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.

I GOOGLED THE WORD, “PRAYER”, and got…

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

I ‘Googled’ the word ‘prayer’ and got 1,280,000,000 results (0.59 seconds). That might suggest that prayer is a popular subject.

The subjects, or the sub-topics of these search results, range from definitions of prayer to ‘how to pray’ and more – 1.28 billion more.

Since I am a Christian and I hold to more of a reformed view of scriptures (leaving plenty of room for the Sovereignty of God to be and to do beyond what my puny mind can imagine or think). Which brings me to prayer.

I have read, studied and prayed at length about prayer. I believe every word the Bible presents about prayer and praying – and perhaps ‘a little bit more’, if that is permissible, (or does make me a bit Pentecostal or Charismatic with a slant toward an Armenian view of scriptures? If so, oh woe is me.)

The reason I say ‘a little bit more’ is that I have a nagging feeling that I am missing something. A big something, at that. This feeling comes from that fact that I have seen and experienced some absolutely amazing results from prayer. I should call them miracles because these are things of which the occurrence should have been absolutely impossible, at least in this natural world. These are things that have neither a scientific, natural or coincidental explanation (i.e., luck). They have been 100% inexplicable.

I will give you just two examples and a link where you can read more, then I will pose my ‘nagging question’ about prayer:

EXAMPLE #1.

Our family was travelling from a vacation in Orlando, Florida. My sons were about five and eight years old. We stopped at a ‘pull off area’, sort-of-a rest stop, on highway A-1-A somewhere near Saint Augustine, Florida.

The weather was cloudy and blustery. The waves were splashing onto the sidewalk along the shore line, which was lined with large stones to stop erosion, I guessed.

My youngest son, I and walked to the end of a sidewalk cul-de-sac to look at the splashing water. I felt safe enough, then suddenly a huge wave crashed over the rock abutment and onto the two of us. When the water receded, my son was gone! The wave had sucked him into the turbulent water and I could see no trace of him. Prayers began to race in my mind and out of my mouth.

Psalm 116:8-9

For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

Panic seized me and my first thought was, “GO GET HIM!”. So, I kicked off my tennis shoes and turned to dive into the water, which was probably a very bad idea, when another huge wave crashed onshore and as suddenly there was my son Jody, standing upright on the sidewalk, soaking wet, sputtering water and crying! I grabbed him and ran back toward the car, thinking, “WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Nobody is going to believe this.”

EXAMPLE #2.

I had started a mailing business that depended on a mail program to work properly each week. Even a one day delay of getting the mail prepared and sent would be financially disastrous for my business and for our family’s financial needs.

One particular week, this computer program stopped working. The data input from, what was then called ‘floppy disks’, would not work. I feverously tried again and again. I even reformatted the entire hard drive, reinstalled the operating system on the computer, reinstalled the mailing programs and when I tried to download the homeowner’s data FROM THE 26 FLOPPY DISKS, the program would fail at disk number 18, and disks 18 through 26 were the critical disks. I prayed continuously. I prayed fervently. I prayed desperately.

I worked on this for TWELVE hours (through the entire night and into the next morning), reformatting the hard drive and repeating the process, knowing that if this failed, we would become bankrupt and could not even buy groceries the next month.

I stopped in exhaustion, cried out to God, “I give up. I quit! I have prayed and prayed to you! Now, I give up.”

I started putting things away in resignation. I was defeated. My mind darted back and forth between what to do next and resentment. It was then I decided to do this ONE MORE TIME.

I restarted the computer and put disk number one into the computer. The computer whirred and gave me a screen message that confused me, “INSERT DISK #18”. I was completely confounded. It made absolutely no sense that the computer would skip disks 1 through 17 and ask for disk 18.

I followed the instruction and inserted disk #18. The program accepted disk #18 and another message came on the screen asking for disk #19. This continued until disk #26, the final disk, and after installing the data from disk #26, the machine turned itself off! It did it own its own!

My heart was beating what seemed like a hundred beats a minute. I restarted the computer and told it to start printing the mailing list, AND IT WORKED!

God had answered in a humanly impossible situation, in a physically impossible way. As far as I could tell, every logical law of math and programming had been violated and transcended. Yet, here we were. Saved again. Safe and sound. BUT IT WAS NOT EASY.

Now, my nagging question(s) about prayer.

  1. Why does it seem that God answers some prayers and is silent at other times?
  2. Do we have some control over getting our prayers answered?
  3. Is there a particular method or system that works best?
  4. Is prayer just to mystical to question or to understand, or
  5. Are we just naturally wired to God for prayer?

The Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139:14) and it seems that scientists are slowly discovering the science behind the Bible’s claims. Could it be (dear God, forgive me) that God has created our being, our brain, to actually communicate our prayers in ways we could not have imagined?

Scientists have recently identified a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that’s not been seen before.

Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized. By measuring the electrical activity in sections of tissue removed during surgery on epileptic patients and analyzing their structure using fluorescent microscopy, the neurologists found individual cells in the cortex used not just the usual sodium ions to ‘fire’, but calcium as well.

This combination of positively charged ions kicked off waves of voltage that had never been seen before, referred to as a calcium-mediated dendritic action potentials, or dCaAPs. A first of its kind signal has been detected in the human brain!

The electromagnetic theories of consciousness propose that consciousness can be understood as an electromagnetic phenomenon. Theorists, however, differ in how they relate consciousness to electromagnetism. Electromagnetic field theories (or “EM field theories”) of consciousness propose that consciousness results when a brain produces an electromagnetic field with specific characteristics. Susan Pockett and Johnjoe McFadden have proposed EM field theories.

The starting point for McFadden and Pockett’s CEMI theory is the fact that every time a neuron fires to generate an action potential, and a postsynaptic potential in the next neuron down the line, it also generates a disturbance in the surrounding electromagnetic field. McFadden has proposed that the brain’s electromagnetic field creates a representation of the information in the neurons. Studies undertaken towards the end of the 20th century are argued to have shown that conscious experience correlates not with the number of neurons firing, but with the synchrony of that firing. McFadden views the brain’s electromagnetic field as arising from the induced EM field of neurons. The synchronous firing of neurons is, in this theory, argued to amplify the influence of the brain’s EM field fluctuations to a much greater extent than would be possible with the unsynchronized firing of neurons.

Susan Pockett has advanced a theory, which has a similar physical basis to McFadden’s, with consciousness seen as identical to certain spatiotemporal patterns of the EM field.

Electromagnetic theories of consciousness

 Spatiotemporal patterns are patterns that occur in a wide range of natural phenomana and are characterized by a spatial and temporal patterning. The general rules of pattern formation hold. In contrast to “static”, pure spatial patterns, the full complexity of spatiotemporal patterns can only be recognized over time. Any kind of traveling wave is a good example of a spatiotemporal pattern.

Energy, a measure of the ability to do work, comes in many forms and can transform from one type to another. Examples of stored or potential energy include batteries and water behind a dam. Objects in motion are examples of kinetic energy. Charged particles—such as electrons and protons—create electromagnetic fields when they move, and these fields transport the type of energy we call electromagnetic radiation, or light.

What are Electromagnetic and Mechanical waves?

Mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves are two important ways that energy is transported in the world around us. Waves in water and sound waves in air are two examples of mechanical waves. Mechanical waves are caused by a disturbance or vibration in matter, whether solid, gas, liquid, or plasma. Matter that waves are traveling through is called a medium. Water waves are formed by vibrations in a liquid and sound waves are formed by vibrations in a gas (air). These mechanical waves travel through a medium by causing the molecules to bump into each other, like falling dominoes transferring energy from one to the next. Sound waves cannot travel in the vacuum of space because there is no medium to transmit these mechanical waves.

Classical waves transfer energy without transporting matter through the medium. Waves in a pond do not carry the water molecules from place to place; rather the wave’s energy travels through the water, leaving the water molecules in place, much like a bug bobbing on top of ripples in water.

When a balloon is rubbed against a head of hair, astatic electric charge is created causing their individual hairs to repel one another. Credit: Ginger Butcher

ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

Electricity can be static, like the energy that can make your hair stand on end. Magnetism can also be static, as it is in a refrigerator magnet. A changing magnetic field will induce a changing electric field and vice-versa—the two are linked. These changing fields form electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves differ from mechanical waves in that they do not require a medium to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel not only through air and solid materials, but also through the vacuum of space.

The brain produces electromagnetic radiation. Radio waves and brain waves are both forms of electromagnetic radiation — waves of energy that travel at the speed of light. Furthermore, the brain sends electromagnetic signals. Brain Waves deal with particular states of neurological activity in a physical brain. Electromagnetic waves deal with the propagation of energy from sources of atomic matter (atoms). Brain waves may consist of Electromagnetic waves (radiation) although electromagnetic Waves do not consist of Brain Waves.

Therefore, humans give off electromagnetic waves. In fact, all objects, including human bodies, emit electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength of radiation emitted depends on the temperature of the objects. Such radiation is sometimes called thermal radiation. Most of the radiation emitted by human body is in the infrared region, mainly at the wavelength of 12 micron.

By testing the response of the human body on a vibrating platform, many researchers found the human whole-body fundamental resonant frequency to be around 5 Hz. However, in recent years, an indirect method has been prosed which appears to increase the resonant frequency to approximately 10 Hz. These changes in power were mostly detected in one versus all three coils simultaneously. These results suggest that it is possible for human beings to alter the electromagnetic environment around their hands at will.

Humans give off mostly infrared radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency lower than visible light.

Additionally, The mind acts like a powerful magnet. It can attract things, people and situations, and it can also repel them. This depends on your attitude, and how positive or negative you are. You can attract into your life what you think about most often.

Our bodies naturally conduct electricity. In fact, every organ and cell in the human body has its own field. The magnetic field produces electrical currents that are weaker than you may first think. The brain experiences its own activity through its magnetism, and subjective experiences are actually the brain’s magnetic field, resonating with the brain’s electrical activity. Consciousness is how magnetic each pole of a magnetic field experiences the other.  (That would suggest that the phenomenon cannot be explained by magnetism and uses a different kind of physical effect.)

Oh, well. Who knows how all of this can affect our prayers? At this point, only God knows. So, just pray in faith. God hears and answers prayer!

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. Read full chapter

John 15:16  You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. Read full chapter

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

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Other interesting links:

“It ain’t always easy to believe”

“Was this a miracle?”

 

Additional Questions and answers:

Reimagining education.org – Does the brain produce electromagnetic radiation?

Does the brain produce electromagnetic radiation? Radio waves and brain waves are both forms of electromagnetic radiation — waves of energy that travel at the speed of light.

Does the brain send electromagnetic signals? Brain Waves deal with particular states of neurological activity in a physical brain. Electromagnetic waves deal with the propagation of energy from sources of atomic matter (atoms). Brain waves may consist of Electromagnetic waves (radiation) but Electromagnetic Waves do not consist of Brain Waves.

Do Humans give off electromagnetic waves? Yes, all objects, including human bodies, emit electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength of radiation emitted depends on the temperature of the objects. Such radiation is sometimes called thermal radiation. Most of the radiation emitted by human body is in the infrared region, mainly at the wavelength of 12 micron.

What frequencies do humans emit? By testing the response of the human body on a vibrating platform, many researchers found the human whole-body fundamental resonant frequency to be around 5 Hz. However, in recent years, an indirect method has been prosed which appears to increase the resonant frequency to approximately 10 Hz.

Does the brain produce electromagnetic radiation? – Additional Questions

Can humans manipulate electricity?

That is, these changes in power were mostly detected in one versus all three coils simultaneously. These results suggest that it is possible for human beings to alter the electromagnetic environment around their hands at will.

Which type of electromagnetic waves does your body emit?

Humans give off mostly infrared radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency lower than visible light.

Are humans electromagnetic beings?

For your question “is human an electromagnetic field?”, the answer is no because electromagnetic fields are produced by the electromagnetic energy from radio frequency (low frequency and low energy) to gamma rays (high frequency and high energy) in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Do radio waves go through your body?

For example, microwave frequencies below 3,000 megahertz can penetrate the outer layers of the skin, be absorbed in the underlying tissues, and result in all of the known biological effects of heating, including burns, cataracts, and possibly death.

Are humans naturally magnetic?

Today, two hundred years later, we know that the human body is indeed magnetic in the sense that the body is a source of magnetic fields, but this body magnetism is very different from that imagined by Mesmer.

Can humans manipulate electromagnetic?

That is, these changes in power were mostly detected in one versus all three coils simultaneously. These results suggest that it is possible for human beings to alter the electromagnetic environment around their hands at will.

Is our mind a magnet?

The mind acts like a powerful magnet. It can attract things, people and situations, and it can also repel them. This depends on your attitude, and how positive or negative you are. You can attract into your life what you think about most often.

Does the brain have a magnetic field?

The comparison revealed that the human brain had a detectable magnetism after a magnetic field had been applied to the samples. The results showed that magnetite was in “almost every piece” of the specimens, said Gilder.

Are humans magnetically charged?

Do Humans Have A Magnetic Field? Our bodies naturally conduct electricity. In fact, every organ and cell in the human body has its own field. The magnetic field produces electrical currents that are weaker than you may first think.

Is consciousness a magnetic field?

The brain experiences its own activity through its magnetism, and subjective experiences are actually the brain’s magnetic field, resonating with the brain’s electrical activity. Consciousness is how magnetic each pole of a magnetic field experiences the other.

Can a human be magnetic?

That would suggest that the phenomenon cannot be explained by magnetism and uses a different kind of physical effect. Skeptic Benjamin Radford has used a compass to check the magnetic field of a person that claimed to be a human magnet. He concluded that person did not produce magnetic fields.

THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Why Do You Trouble This Woman?”, Part 56

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

https://open.spotify.com/episode/62kxZHGAyzLQ1bn63dyjGh

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 56

“Why do you trouble the woman?”

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

The Words of Jesus – Matthew 26:10-13

This event begins in Matthew 26:6: “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, Verse 7, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. Verse 8. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? Verse 9. For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”

Jesus is entering the last few days of His ministry on earth. He is preparing Himself and His disciples for His crucifixion. What follows in this and coming episodes are the richest and most profound insights. Many in the Church today fail to recognize or accept the power and strength Jesus is teaching and demonstrating for us to follow in our day of testing. You and I would be wise to see, hear and remember, because our day is coming, also.

We are given much greater detail of Matthew 26:6-13 in the book of John, chapter 12, verses 1-7.

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.  Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Staying true to His nature, the preparation for His death has taken place without any religious pomp or circumstance. The Suffering Servant, Christ Jesus,

A face-value reading of these verses is sufficient for our understanding of what occurred. Mary has poured a pound of expensive perfumed ointment on His feet, as Jesus has said, “to prepare Me for burial”. But Jesus adds significance to her act of worship, saying, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

This is an example for all future Christians. Mary has signified worship, and surrender of her valuable worldly possessions, the washing away of sins by her identifying with Christ in His (coming) death and burial.

When anyone is saved and redeemed by the blood of Jesus, this is the model of our act of worship, surrender of our worldly possessions, (material possessions, pride of life, ego, status, achievements and the like), the washing away of our sins by our identifying with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

It is the example that memorialized Mary’s love and dedication to Jesus. It is the act that will memorialize you in your devotion and love of Jesus and set an example for those who come after you.

Baptism as a ritual or as a sacrament alone, is not enough as our sole act of identifying with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. We must truly die to our former self, relinquish our rights to our former possessions and ways of life as an act of both true submission to and worship of Jesus. Then we are truly made new and given a new life worth living.

We follow Him in life, death, burial and resurrection.

Your Brother

Mike Young

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “You Will Fall Away”, Part 59

PREVIOUS:  THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “The Parable of The Fig Tree – He is Near”, Part 55

WHAT IS SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE BIBLE IS

SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD

Which Can Lead You To A New Purpose-filled And Power-filled Life

Do you ever feel you are chained to a ‘rock of human suffering’? Then I have some very Good News for you. God is offering the means and the method to break your chains and to set you free; free to reach your God-given potential which transcends satisfying the flesh, that is the emotional, mental and physical indulgences this natural world, and to find true peace, purpose and satisfaction.

The ‘rich young ruler’, who had achieved much in this natural world was in chains. His story is one of the saddest passages in scriptures. He missed one of the greatest opportunities in history as he “turned away sorrowful because he had great possessions”.  This is really the story of mankind in general. We reject the salvation that Jesus offers – our chance of finding God – because we “have great possessions”; not in the least because we are rich in the terms of money, for indeed most people are not, but because we have great possessions in terms of preconceived ideas, confidence in our own judgement, and with ideas with which we happen to be familiar; spiritual pride, born of academic distinction; sentimental or material attachment to institutions or organizations; habits of life which we have no desire to renounce; concern for human respect or admiration, or perhaps fear of ridicule; and these possessions keep us chained to the rock of human suffering which is your exile from the power, presence and provisions of God.

 The ‘poor in spirit’ do not suffer from these embarrassments, either because they never had them, or because they have risen above them on the tide of spiritual understanding. They have freed themselves of the love of money and property, of the fear of public opinion, or the disapproval of friends or relatives. They are no longer awed by human authority. They are no longer cocksure of their own opinions. They have come to see that most of their most cherished opinions may have been and probably are mistaken, and that all their ideas and views of life may be false in and need of remaking. They are ready to start again and to learn life anew. (text in italics are taken, in part, from “The Sermon on The Mount”, E. Fox, 1938.)

Now the question is how? How can we hear and understand what God has to say on this matter and break free – or more accurately, allow Him to set us free?

PART 1.  Consider what the LORD has to say:

Isaiah 55:8, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

Verse 9. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

How is it possible to start anew if Isaiah 55:8-9 is true? How could we hope understand God, His thoughts and His ways? How can we hope to have the attitude in us which is in Christ Jesus if His thoughts and ways are beyond our reach? How can we ‘do the works He has done, and even greater works’ if we are left in the dark?

JESUS

The answer is Jesus. Jesus is the Light. God reveals Himself through His son, and through the Holy Spirit  inspired, written Word of God (the Bible). This is how we can know Him and understand Him. This is how we can become more like Him.

THUS SAYS THE LORD:

Hebrews1:1, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, Verse 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all, things, through whom He also made the world. Verse 3. And Jesus is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,

Again, John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

PART 2. Consider this:

The Word of God is more than just a collection of stories and events which have occurred over the last 3.500 to 6,000 years. In fact, I believe that if you are reading the Bible as a collection of spiritual or religious historical stories, you are not getting the full meaning of what God has said and continues to say.

The Bible is also more than a collection of rules, regulations, spiritual truths to be read about, or standards of behavior and social norms. In fact, I believe that if you are reading the Bible as a collection of spiritual or religious historical stories, you are not getting the full meaning of what God is telling you.

The Bible is The Breath and The Living Word of God.

The Bible is The Truth and The Way that Leads to Life.

The natural unbelieving man does not accept the teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness, absurd and illogical to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned. (see 1 Corinthians 2:14)

Therefore, to the unregenerate person and the natural mind God says,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

PART 3. Consider this:

The Bible is a prophetic, creative, causative and powerful vortex of truth when it is taken into your mind and your heart. The book of Joshua says, when it ‘remains in your mouth and on your heart’, when you read and meditate on it day and night, you will be enabled to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. God has  commanded us to be strong and courageous! We are not to be terrified, dismayed or intimidated, for the LORD our God is with us, He is with you, wherever you go.” (see Joshua 1:7-9)

The Bible says that Jesus’ Words are creative, causative, prophetic and instructional. They can create a ‘new you’ and cause you to become one with Jesus, Christlike, just like the prophetic scriptures say; and they will instruct you in your journey of being made new.

I ask you, “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? It is manifest in the natural, but it originates in the spiritual world. This is the case  whether this Truth is spoken through plain language, as metaphors, similes or as an idiom? Let me give you an example before you answer.

The Bible says, “For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). These words are an idiom contained within a metaphor. They were written about 2,000 years ago, before there was any thing as a ‘discipline of psychology’. Can these words really be true? Can they literally come to pass? And, how could the Bible look 2,000 years into the future to make such a statement which is true today?

Can the Word of God this actually make these things happen?  Or are the Words of Jesus just metaphors and similes, an invention of a poetic mind?

A STEP FARTHER

When people personally encountered Jesus and testified and reported on the Works He did, it caused throngs to follow Him; it stirred great controversies, created deadly conflicts and gave untold billions a greater hope for a new, vibrant life; a life full of promise and an eternal hope of a home in heaven with God.

The Words Jesus spoke, and the Works Jesus has done, changed the lives of billions of people. He changed the world.

What if we have been reading and only partially understanding or completely  misunderstanding what Jesus meant by His Words, that is the intentions and the effects of His Words? What if we have been misapplying what He taught? (By the way, Jesus was always concerned about His disciple’s lack of understanding and ‘lack of faith’, so it could happen to us.)

WHAT IF THERE IS MORE

What if Jesus has been telling us how to actively engage His Word, so He could actually do His Works, and even greater works through us? (“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 name-it-and-claim-it 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.)

So, I ask one last time: What if the Word of God is

  • Somehow, literally Alive, and
  • Somehow, literally Active, and
  • Producing the effect of being Sharper than any two-edged sword,
  • Capable of literally Penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit,
  • Dividing both joints and marrow, and
  • Somehow, literally able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart?

*Ask yourself, “Why would the Bible and Jesus say such things if they were not true?”

*”Why would Jesus and His disciples be willing to suffer and die for a fad, a lie or a scam?”

The answer is that they would not. If The Word of God is absolutely true, and in light of what we have discussed and from what you have read, what do you now think about the Word of God?

*How would you then approach the Bible?

*Would you even dare pick up The Word of God, suspecting or knowing it is somehow “actually alive, and active and able to penetrate your mind, spirit and body, having the ability to ‘cut you into pieces’ and reveal the deepest secrets and thoughts of your heart mind and soul?

*What would you now DO with such a strange and exciting potential?

Would you still read the Bible just as ‘stories’ about people, places and ‘about God’?

Would you still read the Bible just for prophecies? For promises? For power?

Would you still read the Bible just to learn about it and about God? And, if so, what would you DO with what you would now learn?

Perhaps these Words now have a clearer meaning, “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. (Philippians 2:12).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

A STRONG MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH IN the year 2023

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24, “Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, Verse 25, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Verse 26. So, when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. Verse 27. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ Verse 28. He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So, the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ Verse 29. But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Verse 30. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

This is a prophetic and instructional warning given by Jesus to His disciples (and all future disciples, i.e., Christians).  Jesus spoke these words in or around 29 C.E. Matthew recorded this event in or around A.D. 60. These dates are especially important when considering the timing of the tribulation periods as this is a reference to the coming 5th Seal of the Tribulation. (Read to the end to see how Jesus explains this parable of the weeds.)

The Apostle Paul says this (of the coming 5th Tribulation Seal):

2 Thessalonians 2:1 “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

(First, please note that this is a direct reference to the time just after the 5th tribulation seal and the instant of the 5th tribulation seal:

Matthew 24:29, “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. Verse 30. 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.

 Verse 31. 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.”)

Continuing with 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 2, “that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (“The Day of the Lord” is the Great Tribulation which is a 7 year period which begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal).

 Verse 3. “No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first,  and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, verse 4, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

Paul makes a direct mention that BEFRORE the Day of the Lord, the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal and during the 5th tribulation seal, the Apostasy is completed.)

Outlined, verse by verse, makes this easier to understand; just read slowly and take it at face value.

1. With regard to the coming of our Lord and the gathering together to Him

2, Do not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3. Let no one in any way deceive you

*4. For the day of our Lord and the gathering together to Him will not come unless the apostasy comes first

*5. For the day of our Lord and the gathering together to Him will not come unless the man of lawlessness is revealed

6. The man of lawlessness is the son of destruction, (verse 4) who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship,

7. He takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

WHAT IS THE APOSTASY: In Christianity, Apostasy is the rejection of Christianity by someone who formerly was a Christian.

The title of this article might suggest that misbehavior and apostasy is a recent malaise of the church.  Apostasy, from the Greek word, “apostasia”, means “a defiance of an established system or authority; a rebellion; an abandonment or breach of faith.”

The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia, meaning defection, departure, revolt or rebellion. It has been described as “a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christianity.

In the first-century world, apostasy was a technical term for political revolt or defection.   Actually, just like in the first century, spiritual apostasy threatens the Body of Christ today.

Revelation 6:9, tells us, that, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; Verse 10, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Verse 11. And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

Matthew 24:9, also tells us that one sign of the 5th Tribulation Seal is being broken and reason for a ‘falling away from the faith’ is, “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Verse 10. And at that time many will fall away from the faith, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Verse 11, And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. Verse 12. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.”

Even now, before the great persecution of Christians has reached the Western world, Pew Research and Barna Research, both, are revealing what the corporate Church is unwilling to admit, that many are leaving the church and are not returning. But, the other half of this ‘equation’ is that many are LEAVING THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS – that is, they are falling away from the faith – but they are staying in the church .

This “falling away from the faith”, as told by Pew and Barna research, alone, may not signal what prophetic scriptures has foretold regarding the “Great Falling Away” (The Great Apostasy) but, considering everything that has already come to pass (the breaking of the first four Tribulation Seals) you can be confident this is what is prophesied.

Just prior to this falling away from the faith, Jesus warns, “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”, (Matthew 24:4-5). False teachers may not say the exact words, “I am Jesus”, but they will claim to represent Jesus and His Gospel, and will mislead many people. Institutional deception is our greatest threat.

I have personally experienced pulpit bullies, false teachers, apostates and heretics in our postmodern church.  Many of these men seem to have started right, but, over time, their ‘true selves’ emerged, and they are the ravenous wolves which scriptures warn about:

Matthew 7:15-23  says, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?  “So, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

      “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

This is being seen in the Church of the 20st and 21st centuries. Please review this timeline progression of the Church falling into apostasy:

AD 1 The Church of Jesus Christ, The Body of Christ, had no buildings, little money and no wealth. The Church was a Movement.

Although the penalty for becoming a Christian was often death. The Church grew exponentially.

AD 49. The Church expanded into Greece. The Church became a philosophy to many. The Church grew and size and influence.

AD 313.  The Church expanded into Rome and it gained recognition. It grew in power and popularity. It obtained wealth, buildings, property and influence. It became an institution.

AD 380.  The Church expanded into Europe. It was becoming a worldwide phenomenon. It grew in wealth, stature, power and influence. It had become a culture.

AD 1607.  The Church reaches America.

AD 1681.  The Church became corporate. It had became a business and incorporated. It became regulated by the government.

The Corporate Church grew. It needed money to support growth and expansion, which meant the Corporate Church needed more people.

AD 1777.  The state of Virginia granted tax exemption to houses of worship.

AD 1894.  The corporate church was granted tax exemptions by the Federal Government.

AD 1954.  The Federal Government regulated what a church could and could not say in order to retain tax exempt status.

The church continued to grow, and in order to attract more people the Corporate Church lowered its membership and doctrinal standards. More people became ‘members’ and gave more money to support more growth.

The Church corporation is complete with leaders, boards and membership and a business model.

Local churches compete against one another for members (customers). The church is selling itself in “three line slogans”.

The Church members now have choices and have become religious consumers. Church people can shop around for the religious brand and standards that best suits them. (2 Timothy 3)

The Leadership (pastors and preachers) have become CEOs, disciples have become church leaders, growing their 501(c)(3) business models.

Record numbers of pastors quitting because of stress, burnout or are being fired by their congregations (some stats say 1500 – 1700 leave “the ministry” each month).

Church debt in America soars; church foreclosures soar.

AD 1968.  The church ordains homosexuals as clergy.

AD 1972.  The United church of christ ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2010.  The Lutheran church ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2012.  The Presbyterian church ordains homosexual clergy

The Episcopal Church in the United States and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have also allowed ordination of openly gay and lesbian candidates for ministry for some years.

Internationally, churches that have ordained openly lesbian or gay clergy include the Church of Scotland, the Church of England, the Church in Wales, the Church of Sweden, the Church of Norway, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Iceland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical Church in Germany, the Methodist Church in Britain, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the United Protestant Church in Belgium, the Swiss Reformed Church, the United Protestant Church of France, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Anglican Church in Canada, the Old Catholic Church, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and the United Church of Christ in Japan.

AD 2021.  The church is losing and has lost influence. The church in 2021 is losing members and adherents. (George Barna research; Pew Research)

AD 2023.  Much of the current-day church is teaching and living a different Gospel than that of the Apostles.

JESUS EXPLAINS THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS OF THE FIELD

Matthew 13:36, “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” Verse 37. He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. Verse 38. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Verse 39, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Verse 40. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Verse 41. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, Verse 42, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verse 43. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

FAITHFUL AND WISE

Matthew 24:45, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant*, 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. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

The Reward of the Faithful Servant

They were all called ‘servants’ but only the ones who did what the Master said are rewarded. The wicked disobedient will be cut to pieces and put with the hypocrites where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 THEY ARE ALL CALLED VIRGINS

Matthew 25:1, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. ’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’

But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The Punishment of the Wicked

But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

THEY ARE ALL CALLED SERVANTS

Matthew 25:14, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So, take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Rewards of the Faithful and the Punishment Fearful Servants

They were all called ‘servants’ of the Master. But only the faithful are rewarded and the fearful are counted as worthless and are cast into the outer darkness.

THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS

Matthew 25:31, “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. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Final Judgment

The faithful sheep on His right and the goats on His left. The sheep who showed compassion, mercy and servanthood are welcomed into the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world.

The unfaithful goats on His left are told to depart from Him, and are called cursed, and sent into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels

WHO SHOULD HEAR THIS AND HEED HIS WORDS?

Pastors: Prepare those in your charge. Teach this to them. Remind them. Warn them. Encourage them. You are to watch over and to care for the flock of Jesus. It is not yours to judge or to remove them. Please remember that you are being held to a higher accountability.

Christians: Those whom Jesus calls the ‘good seed’ or the ‘wheat’. Jesus has said He speaks in parables because “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

If we are to consider ourselves as followers of Jesus, that is as Christians, then let’s check ourselves to insure that our faith is not without works, otherwise that faith is dead. Let’s be found doing what Jesus teaches in the way and in the spirit He commands. Otherwise, we may be deluding ourselves and will be found out at the time of the judgment as being among the ‘tares and weeds’, counted amount the ‘foolish’ and of the ‘goats’ to be separated and ‘sent into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

DECEPTION WITHIN THE CHURCH

SHIPWRECKED – Enemies Within The Church

THE FALSE CHURCH EMERGES

PULPIT BULLIES

WHAT IS THIS STRANGE NEW GOSPEL?

 

THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “The Parable of The Fig Tree – He is Near”, Part 55

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 55

“The Parable of the Fig Tree – He is Near”

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 24:32-35.

These verses, by way of metaphor, give us important instructions about the timing of Jesus return and the end of the age and God’s Eternal nature.

However, you must be able to understand that these words of Jesus are Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional and can only be spiritually discerned and can only be acted upon by way of The Spirit of God as they are manifested in the natural world.

Also, these verse should be included as part of a much larger teaching. Here are topical headings of this entire teaching, beginning in Matthew 24:1, which gives us the ‘big picture’:

1.  Jesus Foretells The Destruction of the Temple. (This is prophetic, metaphorical and literal.)

2.  Jesus’ Disciples ask Him About the sign of His coming and of the End of The Age.

3.  Jesus Tells of The Signs, which, although originated in the Spiritual world, are literally manifested in the natural world, leading to of the End of the Age.

4.  Jesus Foretells of The Abomination of Desolation. This is the literal manifestation of the final global defiance of and rebellion against God.

5.  Jesus Tells of The Coming of the Son of Man. This is the sign that it is finished, this time for the world and creation. The Son is coming to remove His Elect from the earth and take us to our Heavenly home, to defeat the two beasts and the antichrist and to exact His Judgement on earth.

6.  Jesus instructs how we can know the season of His return and the End of The Age by using the Fig Tree as a metaphor. Those who have ears to hear, must listen and heed His Words. 7.  Jesus Instructs that No One Knows That Day and Hour of His Return and the End of The Age, but that we are to Stay Ready.

8.  Jesus teaches about the reward and the consequences of readiness through The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

9.  Jesus Teaches About the cost of being slothful, tardy and fearful and the rewards of faithfulness, trust and responsibility.

10. Jesus tells of the Final Judgment, gives the metaphor of the separation of the sheep, (the righteous) and the goats (the condemned) and the rewards of eternal life or eternal punishment.

11. Jesus reveals the plot of His crucifixion and death.

You are born, you live and you will die. You will have one chance at this.  Knowing the sequence of events, the rewards of righteousness and the consequences of rebelliousness is paramount to your survival, both now and eternally.

THE RESCUE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

If you are a believer and follower of Christ, alive on earth when the Sixth Seal is broken, you will be one of those remaining, the remnant, who will live through the most amazing of experiences.

      • You will see the sun darkened.
      • The moon will go dark.
      • Stars falling from heaven.
      • The heavens shaken.
      • The sign of the son of man in the heaven.
      • The people of earth mourning.
      • Jesus coming on the clouds with power.
      • You will hear the angels and the trumpet call.
      • Angels will gather you (Rapture you) with the elect from the four corners of the earth.

You will see the sun darkened, and the moon not giving its light, and stars falling from heaven, and seeing the powers of the heavens shaken. Then you will see the sign of the Son of Man appear in heaven, when all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Then you will see Him send out his angels and hear the loud trumpet-call, and they will gather you and his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

      • You and a multitude will be taken (Raptured) before the Throne of God.
      • You will hear an Elder telling you have come out of the great tribulation.
      • You will no longer hunger, thirst, suffer or mourn.

After these things you will be among the great multitude which no one can count, from come from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in your hands; and you will cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels will be standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they will fall on their faces before the throne and worship God, saying,

“Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then one of the elders will  respond, saying to you, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, you are before the throne of God, and you will serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over you. You will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on you, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be your shepherd, and will guide you to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from your eyes.”  (also see Revelation 21:1-4)

 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE REBELLIOUS

      • You will see hail, fire, blood fall on the earth.
      • 1/3 of the earth burned up.
      • A huge asteroid hit the seas. The seas become blood.
      • 1/3 the sea creatures die.
      • An asteroid will hit the lakes and rivers.
      • People will die from bitter waters. 1/3 the sun, moon starts darkened.
      • A ‘star’ will fall to the earth.
      • A smoking abyss will open.
      • Locust will ascend from the abyss and will sting people for 5 months.
      • No one will repent of their sins.
      • The sun will scorch people on earth.
      • You will gnaw your tongue from pain.
      • The End will come.

But if you are alive at this time as an unbeliever, a rebel against God, you will have the unfortunate experience of living through the 8 more judgment events, and unless you repent before the sixth trumpet judgment, you will suffer through 7 more disastrous events of hail and fire mixed with blood hurled to the earth; and you will experience a third of the earth being burned up, and a third of the trees being burned up, and all the green grass being burned up.

You will see something like a great mountain burning with fire hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea will become blood, and a third of the creatures which are in the sea destroyed; and a third of the ships of the world destroyed.

Then you will see a great star fall from heaven, burning like a torch, and it will fall on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.  The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters will become wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.

Then you will see a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars  struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Then you will hear an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Then you will see a star from heaven which will fall to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to Him.  He will open the shaft of the abyss, and smoke will ascend out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air will be darkened from the smoke of the shaft. Then out of the smoke will come locusts upon the earth, and power will be given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.  They will not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they will not be permitted to kill anyone, but to torment those remaining on earth for five months; and their torment will be like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.  And you and the other people will seek death but you will not find it; you will long to die, and death will evade you!

You will see locusts appearing as horses prepared for battle; and on their heads will appear to be crowns like gold, and their faces will appear as human faces.  They will have hair like the hair of women, and their teeth like the teeth of lions.  They will have breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings will be like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. They will have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails will be their power to hurt you and other people for five months.  They will have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Then you will hear a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who has the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who are prepared for the hour and day and month and year, will be released, and  they will kill a third of mankind.

The number of the armies of the horsemen will be two hundred million; You will hear the number of them. And this is how you will see the horses and those who sat on them: the riders will have breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses will be like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths will come fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind will be killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which will come out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails will be like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

You and the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, will not repent of the works of your hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;  and at this point you and others will not repent of your murders, nor of your witchcraft, nor of your sexual immorality, nor of your thefts.

Then the worst of the remaining judgments will fall upon you. You will be  afflicted with harmful and painful sores,  as will all the people who have the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

Then the sea will become blood, like that of a dead man; and every living ]thing in the sea will die.

Then the rivers and the springs of waters will become blood. And you will hear the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.”  And you will hear the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Then the sun will scorch you with fire. And the people will be scorched with fierce heat; and you will blaspheme the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and you will not repent so as to give Him glory.

Then the throne of the beast, and his kingdom will be darkened; and you will  gnaw your tongue because of pain, and you will blaspheme the God of heaven because of you pain and your sores; and you will not repent of your deeds.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

Jesus has just told about the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and the ‘Gathering of the Elect from the four winds of the earth’ (the Rapture), now He tells us what it will be like just before the rapture and the beginning of the final 7 years of judgment:

Matthew 24:36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

A description of the coming Rapture of the saints and of those left behind – So will be the coming of the Son of man – you also must be ready.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The Reward of the Faithful Servant

They were all called ‘servants’ but only the ones who did what the Master said are rewarded. The wicked disobedient will be cut to pieces and put with the hypocrites where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:45, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant*, 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.Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

The Punishment of the Wicked

But if that wicked servant* says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Reward of the Wise and the Rejection of the Foolish

They were all expecting to meet the bridegroom (Jesus) but only the wise were allowed into the wedding party. The foolish were left alone.

Matthew 25:1, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’

But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 The Rewards of the Faithful and the Punishment Fearful Servants

They were all called ‘servants’ of the Master. But only the faithful are rewarded and the fearful are counted as worthless and are cast into the outer darkness.

Matthew 25:14, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So, take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Final Judgment

The faithful sheep on His right and the goats on His left. The sheep who showed compassion, mercy and servanthood are welcomed into the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world.

The unfaithful goats on His left are told to depart from Him, and are called cursed, and sent into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels

Matthew 25:31, “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. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 The Plot to Kill Jesus

With His teaching and instructing completed, Jesus reveals that everything we have heard which is planned ahead of time will be set into motion with His crucifixion. The fuse is lit. Nothing will ever be the same again.

Matthew 26:1, “When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “It Will All Be Torn Down”, Part 54

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 54

“It will all be torn down”

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them,

“Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them,

“See to it that no one misleads or deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (the Messiah), and they will mislead and deceive many people. 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, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 24:1-8

The date is sometime around A.D. 29. Jesus is speaking to His disciples, instructing and warning them of things at hand, things they must concern themselves about.

Jesus is giving an outline and an overview, a synopsis of the tribulation period, beginning in Matthew chapter 24 with the breaking of the first tribulation seal through the sixth tribulation seal and concluding in Matthew chapter 25 of Matthew with this prophetic pronouncement of:

The signs of the tribulation period  (the breaking of the first through the sixth tribulation seals; the 6th Seal is the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation.

His glorious return in the clouds for all to see.

The Trumpet blast and the Gathering of His Elect (i.e., the rapture).

The parable of the fig tree as a metaphor for the timing of His Return and the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, (the final 7 years of tribulation).

A warning to get ready and to stay ready for His Return.

Teaching on readiness and preparation.

An overview on the Judgment.

It is important to recognize that Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples in answer to their question, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus is teaching, instructing His disciples of the things, some of which they will encounter, regarding “the sign of His coming and of the end of the age”.

(I will cover through Matthew 24:31 in this “Part 53”, the partial events of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, and then complete Jesus teaching on the ‘season’ of these events, the need for preparation and the consequences of being unprepared in the next episode.)

Most teachings on this matter, mistakenly conclude that ALL the tribulation period is contained in one seven year future period. That is a misconception and is erroneous.

The tribulation began at or around the time of the birth of Jesus, with succeeding seals broken, overlapping and intensifying up to our current day, all of which we have seen and have or are experiencing now – except the 6th Tribulation Seal! (Click here for a full explanation with detail comparing Jesus’ prophetic teaching and instructions from Matthew 24, correlated with His extended teachings in Revelation chapters 6 through 8).

Jesus, warning against false messiahs, false teachings, misconception and error on these matters, clearly says, “See to it that no one misleads or deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (the Messiah), and they will mislead and deceive many people.

 NO ONE has the knowledge nor the authority to restate, reinterpret or to change what Jesus has taught. No man, no woman, no institution, no theologian, no teacher. No one.  It is better to say, “I do not know” or “I am not sure” than to invent a meaning from man’s perspective. Jesus has said, “Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (see Matthew 5:19) and again, “If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (see Revelation 22:19)

Beware of institutional (false church) deception. It is present and growing at an alarming rate. You have been warned.  (Click here on how to spot a false prophet and false teaching).

Jesus’ next words are repeated with detail and more clarity in Revelation chapters six and seven (and greater details can be found through Revelation chapter twenty-one).

Jesus next words encapsulate tribulations seals ONE through FIVE and conclude with the clear and amazing statement that, ”all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”  Not the entire period, nor are they the end of all things. They are merely the beginning of birth pains.

Here is Jesus’ enumeration of the breaking of the initial tribulation seals found in Matthew 24:6 through Matthew 24:31 coded in red, which ostensibly had already begun. Please carefully read (Matthew 24) verses twenty-nine through thirty-one and see them correlated and compared them with Jesus’ teaching on these same events in Revelation 6:1 through Revelation 7:17 coded in blue.

Matthew 24, Verse 6. And you will be hearing of (Seal #1), wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Revelation 6, Verse 1. (Seal #1). Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” Verse 2. I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Matthew 24, Verse 7. “(Seal #2), For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and

Revelation 6, Verse 3. (Seal #2). When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” Verse 4. And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.

(Seal #3), there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Revelation 6, Verse 5. (Seal #3). When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Matthew 24, Verse 8. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”

Matthew 24, Verse 9. “(Seal #4), Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

Revelation 6, Verse 7. (Seal #4). When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” Verse 8. I looked, and behold, [i]an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

Matthew 24, Verse 10. (Seal #5), And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24, Verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Revelation 6, Verse 9. (Seal #5) When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; Verse 10. and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” Verse 11. And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.

(The Abomination of Desolation)

Matthew 24, Verse 15. (Seal #6), So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

Matthew 24, Verse 21. (Seal #6 continued), For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Matthew 24, Verse 22. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Matthew 24, Verse 29. (Seal #6 completed), “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. Verse 30. 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. Verse 31. 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.”

Revelation 6, Verse 12 (Seal #6 begins). And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; Verse 13. and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. Verse 14. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Revelation 6 Verse 15. (Seal #6 continued) Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; Verse 16, and they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Verse 17, for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand.

Revelation 7, Verse 1. (Seal #6 continued) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. Verse 2. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, Verse 3, saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 7, Verse 4. (Seal #6 continued) And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: Verse 5, from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,  

Verse 6, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

 Verse 7, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

 Verse 8, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Revelation 7, Verse 9.(Seal #6 Continued). After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; Verse 10, and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Verse 11. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  Verse 12, saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 7, Verse 13. (Seal #6 Continued). Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”  Verse 14. I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7, Verse 15. (Seal #6 Continued – the rapture).  For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.  Verse 16. They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; Verse 17, for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 8, Verse 1. (Seal #6 COMPLETED). When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Verse 2. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Verse 3. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the [b]saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. Verse 4. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the saints before God. Verse 5. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Verse 6. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.”

THIS IS IMPORTANT

These verses from both Matthew and Revelation show:

The first five seals had already begun to be broken as early as A.D. 29.

His glorious return in the clouds for all to see.

The Trumpet blast and the Gathering of His Elect.

The parable of the fig tree as a metaphor for the timing of His Return and the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, (the final 7 years of tribulation).

A warning to get ready and to stay ready for His Return.

Teaching on readiness and preparation.

An overview on the Judgment.

The Sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 Tribes of Israel.

The multitude saved out of the Tribulation.

The multitude before the Throne of God, i.e., THE RAPTURE.

If you will pray and study and ask God for understanding and clarification, you will see that the first five Tribulation Seals have been broken and that we are at the precipice of the 6th Tribulation Seal – the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord – The rapture and the final 7 years of the Great Tribulaion.

Prepare. Stay Ready. Tell others.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “You will find rest for your soul”, Part 53

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 53

“You will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, my burden is light”

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.”

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 11:25-30.

We see, in the earlier verses of this chapter eleven, that Jesus has given tribute to John for his faithful and obedient work, and He answers John’s questions about Him (Jesus) being the anticipated Messiah.

Jesus then gives John’s disciples evidence of His own divinity, and warns the gathering crowds (and all future potential followers) of the dangers of misunderstanding His intentions and the consequences of unbelief. He continues by warning of the coming “day of judgment”.

(Reader: please do not miss the significance of the context of these remarks. The tribulation period, the days of distress is beginning – and as we will see, the various seal judgments will begin to overlap and intensify. Then, with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, the final 7 years of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord will begin. (A.k.a., Daniel’s 70th week or the Great Tribulation period.)

Jesus, now praying to His Father, is thanking Him of hiding the great oracles of God and the prophetic truth about His (Jesus’) identity; about His plan and purpose and the fate of the heavens and the earth.

The ‘wise and understanding’, those from whom these things are hidden, are the teachers and leaders of Israel (Jews) such as the Sanhedrin, the scribes and the Pharisees. These are the ones who have seated themselves ‘in the chair of Moses’. They tell you what to do according to scriptures but do not comply, themselves. These are the ones who tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people. (see Matthew 23).

Notice that the spirit of these who consider themselves as ‘the wise and understanding’ as still among us today. Still exalting themselves, still dressing in their robes, ‘broadening their phylacteries’ calling themselves Rabbi, teacher, Father and leader.  Jesus issues eight woes to those who believe and act like them. Be warned, all who hear these words!

Jesus then thanks His Father that He has revealed these things to ‘to little children’, meaning ‘like an infant, a minor, figuratively, a simple-minded person, an immature Christian’. Someone who believes and follows Jesus with a simple, abiding faith and obedience. One who is not encumbered by traditions, customs, rituals and the teaching of men.

Jesus warns, that unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (See Matthew 18:3).

Jesus now makes the most astounding of all claims to His Divinity, Sovereignty and His Authority: All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Jesus continues by telling us that those who come to Him, will find that His authority and sovereignty will bring them rest for their souls. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.”

It is those who are humble in heart, those who submit themselves wholly to Jesus, His ways and His teachings, who find rest.

And, as odd as it may seem, it is these same gentle sheep of the Great Shepherd who gird themselves with the full armor of God, having become strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, be able to resist the evil in that day, extinguishing the flaming arrows of the evil one. And with every prayer as an ambassador of Christ, making known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

And one day, you will join in the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following Him on white horses, as He strikes down the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (see Revelation 19)

Your calling is great. Your future is royal. Let’s embrace all He has prepared for us and join Him in what He is already doing.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you”, Part 52

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 52

“It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.”

“Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” –

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 11:20-24.

These words of Jesus are spoken, both to those in that day and are prophetically spoken to everyone of all the ages since that day.

Jesus is patient and loving beyond our comprehension. He is the embodiment of love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.

But there is a time coming when the faithful will be rewarded and the faithless will be judged. And Jesus words should be taken with all the seriousness and gravity as one would expect from God’s judgments.

Jesus is warning the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, Sidon and Capernaum of God’s coming judgment for their unbelief, their sins and their worship of false gods despite the fact that they had seen and experienced the acts of Jesus in their midst. This warning is extended to each and every person, city, state and nation who falls in the category of the unbelieving ways of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, Sidon and Capernaum. BE AWARE and BEWARE!

These coming judgments are pictured as seven seals opened, seven trumpets blown, and seven bowls poured out. God’s judgment against the wicked will leave no doubt as to His wrath against sin. (Besides punishing sin, these judgments will have the effect of bringing the nation of Israel to repentance.) Here is a recap of these judgments for your edification:

Here are the judgments of the tribulation period (Revelation 6—16):

Wars, famine, earthquakes, death, martyrdom, a cosmic apocalypse, a rain of hail and fire mixed with blood hurled to the earth as a third of the earth will be burned up, and a third of the trees will be burned up, and all the green grass will be burned up. Something like a great mountain burning with fire will be hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea will become like blood, and a third of the creatures in the sea will die; and a third of the ships will be destroyed.

A great star will fall from heaven, burning like a torch, and it will fall on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters, and a third of the waters will become wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter. 

A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars will be struck, so that a third of them are darkened, and the day will not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Then a star from heaven shall fall to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss will be given to Him, and He will open the shaft of the abyss, and smoke will ascend out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air will be darkened from the smoke of the shaft. Then out of the smoke will come locusts upon the earth, and power will be given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They will be told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they will not be permitted to kill anyone, but to torment people for five months; and their torment will be like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them!

Then the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates will be released. And the four angels, who will have been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, will be released, so that they will kill a third of mankind. (The number of the armies of the horsemen will be two hundred million; These armies will release fire, smoke and brimstone, and a third of mankind will be killed by these three plagues, that is by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which will come out of their mouths. For the power of the horses will be in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails will be like serpents and shall have heads, and with them, they will do great harm. 

(The rest of mankind, who are not killed by these plagues, will not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they will not repent of their murders, nor of their witchcraft nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts).

Next, and harmful and painful sores will afflict the people who have received the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image, who are the ones who have not believed on Jesus and who have rejected Him.  And the sea will become like the blood of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea will die. Then the rivers and the springs of waters will become blood.

And the sun will scorch people with fire. And the people who are scorched with the fierce heat of the sun will blaspheme the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and will not repent to give Him glory.

And then the throne of the beast, and his kingdom will be darkened; and those who worshiped him will gnaw their tongues because of pain, and they will blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

The great river, the Euphrates; and its water will dry up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

Then you will hear, “It is done.” And there will be flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and a great earthquake, so great an earthquake and so mighty, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth. The great city will be split into three parts; and the cities of the nations will fall. Babylon the great will be remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.

And every island will flee, and no mountains will be found. And huge hailstones, weighing about 100 pounds each, will come down from heaven upon people; and people will blaspheme God because of the plague of the hail will be extremely severe.

The greatest danger facing many people who call themselves Christians is unbelief. This type of unbelief is manifest in two ways:

  1. There are those who go by the name of Christian but are not doing what Jesus has told them to be doing until He returns. Note: You are in grave danger.
  2. There are those who acknowledge what has been written and then casually go about your way thinking you will not be affected, ignoring your responsibility to warns others of this pending doom, ‘The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord’.

Scriptures warn is that the Lord will deal harshly with those who shrink back from and with those who neglect their responsibilities.

Please, do not be deceived or lulled into complacency. His return is near. Let’s be found doing the bidding of our Lord and Master, longing to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, Part 53.

PREVIOUS:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Go and report what you hear and see”, Part 51.

THE MUSTERION OF THE APOKALUPSIS – THE MYSTERY OF THE APOCALYPSE

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Mustérion – The Mystery

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

Apokalupsis – The Revelation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE FIRST ‘CONTRADICTION’

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

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

This prophetic statement fits perfectly with the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, written around A.D. 30, and are found in :

Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

Section A.1. The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between A.D. 30 and A.D. 69, and perhaps as early as 2 B.C.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

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

THE SECOND ‘CONTRADICTION’ – BACK TO THE BEGINNING

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

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

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

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

THE MAJOR EVENT

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

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

AN ODD THING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Male = zakar = A male

 Female = naqab = female, from the sexual form.

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

RECAP:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“THE RUSH TO SUCCESS – GOD’S WAY?”

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

GOLD FEVER

Gold miners, during the American Gold Rush of the 1800s, comprised mainly of inexperienced fortune seekers and amateur miners such as farmers, tried unsuccessfully to compete with well-financed businessmen, experienced miners and mining operations.

Many people and corporations found great wealth through their gold mining efforts. Many more went broke and died in their failed efforts.

Some succeeded and others failed for various reasons which ranged from careful planning, diligence and hard work. But there were three primary reasons between success and failure in this great treasure hunt.

The first and main difference between those who were successful and those who failed was knowing WHERE to mine.

The second difference was knowing HOW to mine.

And finally, knowing WHAT to mine (referring to the grade of the gold ore).

“Don’t be stupid: Look for gold where there is gold. Dig for it. Dig it up. Forget all the other shiny stuff – Gold is the Goal.”

BLACK GOLD FEVER

The same was could be said of those seeking to strike it rich in the great American Oil Rush of the mid-to-late 1800s. Some knew WHERE to drill, but did not know HOW to effectively and efficiently drill, so they failed and many died in the rough and tumble rush to find the elusive ‘black gold’. There were a few who knew both WHERE to drill and HOW to drill and would come close to success. But those who knew HOW and WHERE to drill coupled with knowing WHAT to drill for  (referring to the grade of the pol), became enormously successful and very rich.

John D. Rockefeller is the premier example of someone who could do it all. He knew WHERE, HOW and WHAT, and as a result He founded the world’s largest oil company, Standard Oil, and became incredibly wealthy, (although he was not one the most loved man to ever live).

Conversely, a dramatic example of someone who would fail in spectacular fashion during the Black Gold (oil) Rush a man named Edwin Drake who was hired by Bissell and Townsend in 1857 to travel to Titusville, Pennsylvania and drill for crude oil. Drake was an unemployed railroad conductor whose sole qualification for this job seems to have been a free railroad pass that allowed travel to Titusville. Drake secured some land and reported back that he believed the land was oil rich and the oil industry could be extremely profitable. In 1858, the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company became the Seneca Oil Company with Drake as president.

Soon Drake began drilling for oil in Titusville, near the shores of Oil Creek, but at first met with little success. He used an old steam engine to drill. Many of his drilling sites only yielded trace amounts of oil. He and his assistant, blacksmith Billy Smith, endured fires, financial setbacks, and the ridicule of the local inhabitants. When the Seneca Oil Company gave up and decided to withdraw its funding, Drake obtained a personal line of credit to continue digging. On August 27, 1859, Drake struck oil at 69 feet (21 m) below ground, just before his funds ran out. This marked the beginning of drastic change for the people of Western Pennsylvania. His drilling is considered the “first large-scale commercial extraction of petroleum”.

Unfortunately for Drake, his success would not last. He had not purchased much land in the region, and the oil industry exploded around him outside of his control. His first well yielded only modest returns and he was fired by Seneca. He never patented the drilling method he pioneered, and lost his modest earnings from the oil business speculating on Wall Street. He would eventually die a poor pensioner in 1880.

“Don’t be stupid: Look for oil where there is oil. Drill for it. Pump it out. Forget all the other wet stuff – Oil is the Goal.”

 

There are discoverable rules against failure and for success. The foregoing examples are from this temporal world. Men and women live and then die and soon enough, are forgotten. Their successes fade from memory and their wealth is divided and spent among the living.

The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it this way, ‘For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)

GOD FEVER

There is another realm which is largely ignored by the majority of the world, and even its adherents considered it mysterious. It is the Spiritual Realm. The Realm of God.

The Bible, which is accounted as have being written by human hands under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, gives great detail and instruction on this realm – the Kingdom of God. So popular is the Bible and its perceived secrets of ‘living a successful life’ that In fact, The Guinness Book of World Records reveals that the Christian Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is impossible to know exactly how many copies have been printed in the roughly 1500 years since its contents were standardized, but research conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 suggests that the total number probably lies between 5 and 7 billion copies.

There are numerous verses in the Bible which give careful and precise instruction on being successful. The key, however, is knowing and understanding the Bible’s unique and specific definition of success.

(The following is an excerpt from GotQuetions.Org),

“If you were to ask a random person on the street, how do you think he or she would define success? People would probably give lots of different answers. One might say success is being wealthy. Another might define success as having a good family and kids. Still another might say success is being healthy and enjoying a long life. For every ten people asked, you may find twenty different ideas of success!

“When it comes to understanding what the Bible says about success, it is helpful to see how the Bible addresses some of the definitions of success that people in our world have.

“When it comes to having lots of money, the Bible says that God is the one who makes someone wealthy. Proverbs 22:2 states, “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.” Note that the writer doesn’t say, “Maker of both.” Rather, he says, “Maker of them all.” The declaration here is that God is the giver of all things to all people.

“When it comes to the skills and abilities that lead to success in various fields, we see the same emphasis in the Bible—God is the giver. Consider 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who makes you to differ from anyone else? What do you have that you have not received?” The implication in these questions is that our abilities and skills come from God.

“How about the issue of influence and power? In John 19:11, after Pilate tells Jesus that he has the power to free Him or crucify Him, Jesus replies, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” So even earthly authority, by which some measure success, is a gift from God.

“These are just a few verses declaring that everything, every ability, and every position is God’s gift. John the Baptist summarizes in John 3:37, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.” If any person can do anything defined as “successful,” it is only because God has given him or her that ability.

“What is more, the things we may consider marks of success may not be what God views as valuable. In 1 John 2:15–17, things in this world are put in perspective:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

“This passage covers everything in this world that we might be tempted to think gives success. If we are loving these things and pursuing them, thinking joy and satisfaction are found in them, we will find them to be empty. The gain of this world is not a true mark of success.

“God defines success quite simply. In John 17:3, Jesus declares, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom who have sent.” Psalm 16:11 states, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” In Luke 10:20, Jesus says, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the book of life.” From these passages we can deduce that ultimate success is being saved and knowing God. “Eternal life” in John 17:3 isn’t just a length of time but a quality of life. Eternal life is awesome because we are known by God and are in His presence, where there is fullness of joy. We are not to rejoice because of our abilities, victories, and possessions in this world. True success in which we rejoice is overcoming this world, being saved, and going to be with Jesus in heaven.

“God measures success differently than the world does. Jesus said, “It is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest” (Luke 9:48; cf. Mark 9:35). Wealth, skill, and influence are irrelevant to true, eternal success. Biblical success that pleases and glorifies God is being known by Him and knowing and serving Him through faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel.” (End excerpt).

One example of the Bible instructing on and promising success is found in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

Similar to the foregoing three primary reasons between success and failure, a parallel can be drawn in this, the greatest of all treasure hunts. Knowing WHERE to look, knowing HOW to search, and finally, knowing WHAT you are searching for. In this case,

Where you search is in The Book of The Law (The Torah, or the Bible).

How you search is with all diligence; what you learn you shall keep with you; you will meditate on it day and night; you will be careful to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it.

What you are searching for is to make your way prosperous and successful.

One of several places this instruction is confirmed, by Jesus, is in John 15:7-8, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.”

Where you remain is in Jesus and His words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart.

How you prosper and have success is that you ask and whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

What you ask is that The My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be Jesus’ [true] disciples.”

The most mysterious and interesting claim about this Kingdom is that all that has ever existed and everything that now exists, springs from the Spiritual Realm. And, if you possess the knowledge and wisdom of God, you can possess all this Kingdom has to offer.

John 1:1, tells us that “In the beginning [before all-time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. Verse 2. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. Verse 3. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.”

Jesus instructs us, in Matthew chapter 5:3, that, “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those who are crushed in their soul, devoid of spiritual arrogance, stripped of all personal significance and possession; those who regard themselves as completely dependent], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

“Don’t be stupid: Look for God where God is. Look for Truth and Wisdom. Dig for it. Dig it up. Forget all the other smart sounding stuff – God is the Goal.”

 

Finally, knowing WHAT you are looking for and staying focused on that, is paramount.

SUCCESS FEVER

Jesus spoke these oft misunderstood words in Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violent assault, and the violent take it by force (as a precious prize). Jesus is talking about the greatest rush to find the greatest treasure ever known.

 No, It is not a gold rush, nor is it an oil rush. (These things fade away). This is all about The Rush to find the Kingdom of God; the search for the greatest gift and the greatest treasure, ever: God and His Son, Jesus.

 Now – know His purpose:

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is Perfection.  Everything that occurs in your life, as a Christian, is all about God maturing and perfecting you into His image; ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

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

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

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 many a millennium until it became His Perfection.

Your life 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.

“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

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION”

THE TRUTH BE KNOWN – Clue #5 – Pointing To The End, Ch. 8

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Clue #5 – CLUES POINTING TO THE END –  THE TOWER OF BABEL

Chapter 8

ONE WORLD?

The Bible tells of the beginnings of the idea of a One World Government and warns this system is coming again – in the Last Days.

“They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’

“The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

“The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.” Genesis 11:4-6

DON’T BE DECEIVED

The agenda of this “migration” and Globalism or One World Government is not the stuff of just any book. It is stuff of THE BOOK, that is The Bible.

Genesis chapter 11 gives us the prophecy, the foreshadowing of the coming One World Government.

The Tower of Babel, built around, 2242 B.C., was a post-Flood rebellion against God by Noah’s descendants. As told about in Genesis 11:1-9, it is meant to explain why the world’s peoples speak different languages. According to the account, a united humanity in the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating eastward, comes to the land of Shinar. There, they agree to build a city and a tower tall enough to reach heaven.

(NOTE: “tall enough to reach to heaven” can be a metaphor for “man reaching to heaven, making himself god, to accomplish his own desires. This is the ‘Utopian dream’ of the Socialist and Communist manifestos; the State being our god – from cradle to grave)

This effort of uniting in a global community has been underway for about 4,200 years, about 100 years after ‘The Flood’, but before Abraham was born.

This is ‘forecast’ or what is Prophesied in the Bible. Is it underway? Should we PREPARE? (More on this, later).

These are exciting times in which we live! But we must be prepared to ‘endure to the end’, most likely the end of the 5th Seal of Revelation, as Jesus said in Matthew 24. And by all accounts, it would seem we are at that stage! More on this, later, too.

PREVIOUS:  THE TRUTH BE KNOWN – Clue #4 – Pointing To The End, Ch. 7.

NEXT: THE TRUTH BE KNOWN – Clue #6 – Pointing To The End – The Covenants, Ch. 9 (Coming Soon)

 

 

IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE TOWER OF BABEL AS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE IN THE FINAL DAYS OF THE FINAL WEEK BEFORE JESUS RETURNS, USHERING IN THE “GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD”.

ESCHATOLOGY – The Study of the End Times – Part 6, 7

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note: I am using page links in lieu of footnotes and references to important details in this study. You can stop the audio to follow a link, then resume the audio when you are ready. Also, it is best to start this series on Part 1 in order to get the proper chronology and process as found in the Bible.)

ESCHATOLOGY – The Study of the End Times – Part VI.

Judged by the conditions around the world today, it seems that this fifth scroll seal has now been broken, and we are moving inexorably toward the great tribulation also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord with a breaking of the sixth tribulation seal.

A CAUTION AND A WARNING:  When you see a great persecution of Christians, many falling away from faith in Jesus, hating and betraying one another; in conjunction with wars and rumors of wars, an increase in earthquakes, famines, disease, a   dangerous and dramatic increase in lawlessness; a rise of many false prophets and many being led astray from the Gospel of Christ, you will know the fifth seal of the tribulation has been broken, and we are nearing the end.

Matthew 24,Verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

PART VII.

THE ANSWER TO “WHEN” – part (d):

Verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

 AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL MARKER:

We can tell when the gospel has finally been proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations because then the end will come; as told in Matthew 13:40,“Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Verse 41, The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, Verse 42, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

And, in Matthew 13:49, “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, Verse 50, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 20:15, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

IMPORTANT: This event is specifically found in Revelation 20:11 through Revelation 21:8, which is The End of this Age.

BACK TO PART 5:  Click Here.

NEXT:  Part 7 – Coming Soon.

NOTE: CHRONOLOGICAL MARKERS are useful for identifying events in their chronological order, which can help us identify our placement on God’s End of Days ‘calendar’.

THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT – How it is fitting together

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

The purpose of this article is to inform and to expose how, over the last seventy-five plus years, global governmental and non-governmental organizations, under the planning and direction of various United Nations organizational branches have successfully collaborated in the establishment of an emergent One World Government.

(Knowledge is power. So, please choose to read these articles and all the related links – which will take considerable time – but failure to become informed and equipped to counter this emerged threat is at the expense of your beloved nation and at your own peril. Please, choose to take the time. Be informed, Be active. Get involved.)

The following will help you understand the key players in this One World Confederation, their objective, methodologies and the very real and deadly threat veiled in deception and lies.

     

   

    

The pictorial above these words shows the primary and main players in the emerged ‘Global Community’, or more nefariously known as the One World Government.

The goal of this article is that the reader, and particularly the American reader, will get the point that the United Nations has worked tirelessly and efficiently, particularly over the last seventy-five years, to develop and implement what has become to be known as the (Marxist) U.N. Agenda 2030. This agenda and its operatives have been embedded in, and is operational in most every nation in the world; and thanks to Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, the I.C.L.E.I., (formerly known as the ‘International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), now has operations embedded in over 308  known American cities and local and state governments, including the U.S. Federal Government, promoting the Marxist  agenda, goals and initiatives of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030.

Two of the last three American presidents, (Obama and Biden) have finished ‘putting the last nails’ into the coffin‘ of the former United States of America. We have been subjugated and are successfully being merged into a global community, a global cabal of servant-nations, to the emerging One World Government.

(For brevity and convenience, this article is an abbreviated and botgh a secularized version of “A One World Government Emerges”, dated 4/21/2022, which gives both a Biblical prophetic explanation of these events AND a both a Biblical and a Secular historical timeline.

Many of the goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030, being promoted through the World Economic Forum, are good-sounding and seemingly well-intentioned.

In case you have ever wondered why or how the LEFTISTS in the world are so motivated and think and behave as they do, it is because they truly believe that by subjugating the world through promises of a One World Utopian Government the world can eliminate war, disease, poverty, dramatically reduce crime, create a clean and sustainable planet, create a fair and equal standard of living and equality for all people. Again, I say, this is what they truly believe and will use any means necessary to reach their objectives and goals – which they confidently say are on schedule to be completed by the year 2030.

The problem is deception. They are masking their ideology, their methodology and their end-game intentions which are purely Communist-Marxist.

I trust and hope you can grasp the magnitude of what has happened over the last 76+ years in America and around the world: This is the establishment of the framework and the infrastructure of the long anticipated One World Government.

This organization is a completely funded, multi-organizational, worldwide hierarchy of powerful economic, socio-political, governmental and quasi-religious groups coming together in collaboration under the direction of the United Nations, UNESCO and the World Economic Forum.

The most influential and key players are:

  1. The American Democrat Party.
  2. Saul Alinsky and his book, ‘Rules for Radicals’.
  3. Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”.
  4. I.C.L.E.I. Sustainable Development Goals and initiatives.
  5. U.S. Sustainable Development Goals.
  6. The Communist Constitution and Program 2015 and .
  7. The United Nations Agenda 2030 .
  8. The World Economic Forum.

All these are programs and organizations have been developed using methodologies from Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and were created with the same ideologies of Communism and its variants, such as Socialism, Marxism, Leninism, and Globalism, all organized under or through the United Nations.

Another way of viewing this is that the American democrat party has the same objectives, the same ideologies and uses the same methods as the Rules for Radicals. Likewise, Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals has the same objectives, the same ideologies and uses the same methods as Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”. And so is goes for the U.S. Sustainable Goals, the Communist Constitution and Program 2015, the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the World Economic Forum. They all have the same objectives, the same ideologies and employ the same methods.

The idea and longing for a ‘global community’ and a one world government is nothing new. It was been attempted at various times in our world’s history, going as far back as 2242 B.C. (the biblical account of The Tower of Babel).

Here is a very brief (and not comprehensive) time-outline of the developmental stages of the establishing of the emerging One World Government:

1946

First, please Read this introduction by the Commission for Global Governance.  “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)” said its first Director-General Julian Huxley in 1946, “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.

The Leftist are destroying America’s legacies – is Christianity their last obstacle?

1958

Robert Welch’s prophetic warnings from his speech in 1958, “An Insider’s Plan to Destroy America”, are now a reality in America’s politics, economy, schools and society:

Joe Biden – Barack Obama – Karl Marx and the United Nations

1987

Where did it originate?

Produced by the United Nations World Commission on Environmental and Development, authored by Gro Harlem Brundtland, VP of the World Socialist Party, the term Sustainable Development was first introduced to the world in the pages of a 1987 report (Our Common Future).

Agenda 21 – what-is-it?

1990

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (or simply ICLEI) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting to local governments to meet sustainability objectives.

Founded in 1990 and formerly known as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, the international association was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at its inaugural conference, the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, at the United Nations in New York in September 1990.

As of 2020, more than 1,750 cities, towns, counties, and their associations in 126 countries are a part of the ICLEI network

As of 2021, ICLEI has more than 20 offices around the world.

1992

The term was first offered as official U.N. policy in 1992, in a document called UN Sustainable Development Agenda 21, issued at the U.N.’s Earth Summit, today referred to simply as Agenda 21.

Agenda 21 has now become involved in forty areas ranging from SOCIAL and ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS to poverty, consumption issues, health matters, deforestation, legal instruments and implementation and everything in between, including The World Health Organization, which is closely allied to and aligned with the World Summit on Sustainable Development.  The World Health Organization has revamped their website to conceal this fact.  Their previous web address was Who.int/wssd/en/, but when you click the link, you will find they have concealed any mention of the WSSD.

  1. The United States is a signatory country to Agenda 21. But adherents quickly remind us that because Agenda 21 is “a legally non-binding statement of intent” and not a treaty, the United States Senate did not hold a formal debate or vote on it. It is therefore not considered to be law under Article Six of the United States Constitution, or say they say.

However, President GEORGE H.W. BUSH was one of the 178 heads of government who signed the final text of the agreement at the Earth Summit in 1992, and in the same year Representatives NANCY PELOSI, Eliot Engel and William Broomfield spoke in support of United States House of Representatives Concurrent Resolution 353, supporting implementation of Agenda 21 in the United States.

Explosive documents – the secret Biden sellout of America

1993

Then president, BILL CLINTON, signed a 1993 Executive Order, creating the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) is explicitly charged with recommending a national action plan for sustainable development to the President. So, bypassing Congress, Clinton, made it law.

1996

The President’s Council on Sustainable Development is composed of leaders from government and industry, as well as from environmental, labor and civil rights organizations.

The President’s Council on Sustainable Development submitted its report, “Sustainable America: A New Consensus”, to the President in early 1996. In the absence of a multi-sectoral consensus on how to achieve sustainable development in the United States, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development was conceived to formulate recommendations for the implementation of Agenda 21.

In the United States, over 528 American cities are members of “Local Governments for Sustainability” or “ICLEI”, is an international Marxist and Socialist leaning sustainability organization, that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI’s global membership of 1,200 cities promoting sustainable development at a local level.

2015

The Newest name for this United Nations organization is ‘Agenda 2030’.

17 Goals for People, for Planet

The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.

‘Twenty-thirty’ designates the year their goals of Global domination will be completed.

Agenda 2030 – the U.N. and Global Marxism

2019

The World Economic Forum and the United Nations signed a Strategic Partnership Framework, June 13, 2019, outlining areas of cooperation to deepen institutional engagement and jointly accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The framework was drafted based on a mapping of existing collaboration between the two institutions and will enable a more strategic and coordinated approach towards delivering impact.

The Great Reset

2020

The Capitalist, Published June 26, 2020 (Excerpt)

“Quietly, while the coronavirus pandemic distracted the world, a group of liberal “key global governmental and business leaders” met in Switzerland and planned the next coup d’etat to take over the global economy. Many call it The Great Reset. It also means “dangerous times for those who support individual liberties and free markets.”

The World Economic Forum will hold a summit next year to further their initiative. According to them, “The Great Reset is a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of our economic and social system for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future. It requires a new social contract centered on human dignity, social justice and where societal progress does not fall behind economic development.”

“What it is really trying to accomplish is using the coronavirus pandemic as a cover. They’re aiming for a renewed push for Socialism and climate change initiatives.”

2020

U.N. BACKED “GREAT RESET” TO USHER IN NEW WORLD ORDER

THE NEW AMERICAN, The New American – Europe; UN-Backed “Great Reset” to Usher in New World Order, July 15, 2020, Alex Newman, (Excerpt).  Get ready for a lot less freedom and prosperity, and a lot more government — at least if the elites get their way.  After peddling coronavirus lockdowns that crushed the economy and funding riots that terrorized the public under the guise of fighting “systemic racism,” Deep State globalists are stepping in to offer their proposed “solution” to the crises they themselves unleashed: A “Great Reset” to transform the world and everything in it, supposedly for the benefit of the masses, but really for the benefit of the ruling classes.

2021

Did Joe Biden Secretly Sell Out America?

H.R.1319 – American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Although the A.R.P.A., the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 portends to be a budgetary disaster for the future of America and the demise of our way of life, have you ever wondered why most of the media outlets, most universities and colleges, most corporations, many state legislatures and governors, practically every government agency and even the American Medical Association support Joe Biden’s $2 trillion American Rescue Act Plan in one way or another?

2022

One of the tentacles of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 is the ICLEI was formerly known as the ‘International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives’. This international association was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at its inaugural conference, the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, at the United Nations in New York in September 1990.

Thanks to Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, I.C.L.E.I. operations have been embedded in 308 known city, local and state governments, promoting the agenda, goals and initiatives of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals of Global Marxism. (Here is a link back to Episode 5 – MARXISM, AGENDA 2030, THE U.N., THE AMERICAN DEMOCRAT PARTY)

Here is a comprehensive list of the U.S. Cities operating as surrogates for the American Democrat implemented, Socialist takeover of America.

I.C.L.I.I. Member’s List by City or County, then State. (Count, 308):  The I.C.L.E.I. members list IN America.

I am providing additional comprehensive reading on the governmental and non-governmental world organizations collaborating in the establishment of this One World Government. (Knowledge is power. So, if you choose not to read these article, you do so at the expense of your nation and at your own peril.) Please, choose to take the time. Be informed, Be active. Get involved!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Also: The One World Government – How it is fitting together.

Also: Agenda 2030 – The Socialist Utopia

Also:

(The following FORTY ONE articles, are from both a Biblical and secular view, of the planning, development and establishment of the emergent One World Government. Documents, information, quotes and related links from reliable government and non-governmental organizations sites such as The U.S. Congressional Record, The U.N. and UNESCO, The World Economic Forum, Agena-2030 documents, and more.

These articles include instructions on what this all means to you and what you can do to survive and even thrive during these times.)

THE OLD CROSS and THE NEW CROSS – by A.W. Tozier

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 2 Comments

The OLD CROSS and THE NEW 

– by A.W. Tozer –

In case you might have doubted how far the Church has drifted from her holy moorings of the Gospel, please read the following by Pastor, Dr. A.W. Tozer, (1897 – 1963), an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor, who, for his accomplishments received honorary doctorates from Wheaton and Houghton colleges.

(This article first appeared in the Alliance Witness magazine in 1946)

ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED, there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and
from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique, a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam’s proud flesh it
meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by
the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is
a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good
clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His
life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he
takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of
singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach.
The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life
can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key
into public interest in showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level.

Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a
cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the
self-assertive, it says, “Come and assert yourself for Christ.” To the egotist, it says, “Come and do your boasting in the Lord.” To the thrill seeker, it says, “Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship.” The Christian message is
slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public.

The philosophy behind this kind of thing may be sincere, but its sincerity
does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses
completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of
a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said goodbye to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.

The race of Adam is under a death sentence. There is no one to commute it and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.

That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and
the ways of men are false to the bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The
faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to
Christ, we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the
cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations
agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not
imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out
of death. It always stands on the far side of the cross. Whoever would
possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence against him.

What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he
must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake
himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God’s stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die.

Having done this, let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Savior, and
from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that
ended, the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ.

To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of
truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul’s day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The mystics, the reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God’s approval.

Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we
with our stubby pencils, erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern
shown us in the Mount? May God forbid. Let us preach the old cross, and we will know the old power.

SOURCE – The Alliance Witness magazine.

End Note:

I, and some of my friends, have been personally attacked by many pastors and ‘church leaders’ over the years, for pointing out the spiritual and moral drift of the postmodern Church. The Bride of Christ is being sullied by the teaching and example of these same pastors, preachers and Bible teachers, who willingly and enthusiastically teach and encourage following a false gospel. But far worse, the Bride is being soiled by the Christians who endorse these false teachers by their own lackadaisical and errant attitudes and behaviors, which are defiantly on full public display.

The day of our Lord’s return is near – it could happen at any time. Please, let’s set our course to return to the ways of Jesus, so the watching world can see. No more compromising. No more self-serving. Let’s work out our salvation with holy fear and trembling before His Cross.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“SHIPWRECKED” – Enemies Within the Church

THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “What did you go into the wilderness to see?”, Part 51

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 2 Comments

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 51

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”

“As they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind, (which is commonplace)? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing (entirely unsuited for the harsh desert)? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. – The Words of Jesus, Matthew 11:7-19

These words of Jesus are often misunderstood or passed over because of their mysterious sounding nature and complexity. These are metaphors and colloquialisms known by the Jew, and if you were a Jew in that day, you would understand the references used.

It would be easy to assume that these words spoken to the gathering crowd are draped in sarcasm, when actually Jesus is issuing a stern warning. He is rhetorically asking the crowd why would they travel so far in such a desolate place? Did they make this journey only to see the ordinary and mundane, such as a commonplace reed blowing in the wind? What would be the point of travelling into the wilderness when you could see that anywhere? Or perhaps did they expect to see a man wearing royal clothing wandering about the wilderness? Nonsense. They are fooling no one but themselves!

Before continuing, please remember that these are creative, causative, prophetic and instructional words of Jesus. These words apply to you and to me today in the same way they applied to the crowds following Jesus. Grasping what Jesus is saying, teaching, prophesying and instructing is our obstacle to overcome.

Even in our day, crowds of people travel near and far after hearing about a miracle-worker, a prophet or a gifted man of God. They go to great lengths to be amazed, entertained or to receive a prophet’s miracle. Too often, however, when we seek out a prophet of God, we only find that which is very ordinary. But what did you really expect?

But if you encounter a true prophet of God, it will not be a commonplace thing. There will be no inspiring oratory, no magnificent stage presence, no entertainment, no magic. Jesus continues by saying,

“But what then did you (really) go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more (eminent, more remarkable and far more) than a prophet (who foretells the future). This is the one of whom it is written (by the prophet Malachi),

“‘Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.” (Matthew 11:9-10)

Jesus emphatically states, whether they know it or not, they shall see one who is a prophet, and more than a just a prophet!

Likewise, if you encounter a true prophet of God, your curiosity will turn into fear. You will not encounter the ordinary, but the extraordinary things of God. Your sins will be exposed, you will be humbled, and you will know the fear of God. You will mourn, you will hunger and thirst, and you will find seek and find mercy.

Jesus warns this crowd and gives us perspective of the natural order versus the Devine, our standing as citizens of earth before Christ Jesus and on our position as Christians in His Kingdom. Jesus continues,

”I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater (in privilege) than he.” (Matthew 11:11)

Jesus, in His tribute to John the Baptist, is reminding us that the greatness of men is measured by the divine, not a human standard. ‘The prophet, who was more than a prophet’, the herald or the forerunner of the kingdom, was greater in his work, his holiness, his intuition of the truth, than the far-off patriarchs, Abraham, Moses, David or Solomon, and much greater than the conquerors and the destroyers. The Greek gives the comparative, not the superlative.

The death and the resurrection of Christ were indeed great points of the gospel, but to which John could only prophesy of, and not preach of, and declare us things in his time accomplished. So, Jesus explains and warns that the weakest Christian is greater in privileges than the greatest of the Old Testament saints.

 We are not to seek to attain earthly glory or status – even when they are beneficial and worthy things, for the best of earthly accomplishments fade to nothingness when compared to the glory and privileges, even the lowest of Christians will attain in the Kingdom of God. Jesus continues in

Verse 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violent assault, and the violent take it by force (as a precious prize). 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, John (himself) is Elijah (the messenger) who was to come (before the Kingdom). 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear (and heed my words).

You might be better served to read a good commentary for the preceding verses (twelve through fifteen). However, it is certainly passive here. Luke’s phrase compels us to understand the reason of the violence is for entrance into the kingdom. The kingdom is not being ill-treated, but it is as if it were being taken by storm (Meyer). The violent, are men using strong force, men whose minds are made up and who do not care what force and power they employ to attain their object. Take it by force, i.e., ‘grasp it for themselves’ like rough and violent bandits seizing their prey. Our Lord is describing the energy with which some souls are pressing in, and using such energy, so their salvation is obtained. There is no thought of hostile purpose in these words. Next Jesus says, in

Verse 16. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

Verse 17. “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Verse 18. “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ Verse 19. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

Jesus uses a metaphor to describe the behavior of both observant and non-observant Jews as miscreant children, saying they are immature, selfish and childish. They are “like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates”, pretending that what is occurring is only a child’s game for their entertainment. But the seriousness and the reality of it is that, “John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and (yet you ‘childish people’ say), ‘He’s possessed by a demon. ’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

“Yet, wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Please don’t make the mistake of reading these words and believing they were spoken only to and for the Jews present at that time – or you miss the entire point of what Jesus is saying. These words were spoken to the Jews at that time and for you and me in our time. Also, please remember specifically, the words of Jesus are never random. His Words are always creative, causative, prophetic, and instructional, and are spoken to and for all people of all the ages.

We must grasp the reality, the immediacy and urgency of this fulfillment of prophecies as explained by Jesus in these last days – which are evidenced by the coming of John and of Jesus.

We must not think or behave like immature children through the rituals of “going to church and calling out to our ‘playmates’ seeking to entertain and to be entertained in the name of our religion, complaining when we don’t get what we want or expect.” In other words, we must stop ‘playing church’, and sense the gravity of the task before us as Christians.

“Wisdom is justified by her deeds” and of us will be found out by way of our own deeds! There is no exception.

Please, let’s show one another grace and pray for one another. That day is now upon us. We must be mature, trained, obedient and ready for His return. It is imminent.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Then Jesus began to denounce the cities”, Part 52.

PREVIOUS:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Go and report what you hear and see”, Part 50.