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.

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 18 – The Works of Healing

July 4, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 18

THE WORKS OF HEALING

Says the Words; Shows the Wonders; Sends the Workers

Jesus’ method of teaching His disciples, as we see in the Book of Matthew, is this:

First, He teaches with words; next,
He demonstrates His teaching with ‘works in action’; then,
He sends His disciples to do His Works.

If Jesus had not intended His disciples to make disciples, who in turn, repeated the process, Christianity would have ended with the death of the last Apostle. But, Jesus, set in motion a process, by which “you shall be His witness, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (see Acts 1:8)

JESUS DEMONSTRATES HIS TEACHINGS

Matthew 8:1-4, says, “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Verse 2. And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Verse 3. Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Verse 4. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

It has now begun. Jesus, in Matthew 4:19, said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Later, in Matthew 10, “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are now with Him, looking closely over His shoulder, watching and learning. You will learn at His side. You will be forever identified as having been with Jesus.

We are now, the clay in the Potter’s Hands; as He touches our lives, we are made new, into His image for His purpose. This is IMPORTANT to grasp.

The words, from Matthew 4:19, in the Greek translations, tell us, not only of the urgency of Jesus’ call, but of how

the state of our lives is to be made well off. We will fare well and prosper in our soul, by answering His call and following Him.

These words are so descriptive that you must take each definition and consider their impact and importance:

You are entering His Kingdom of “royal power, kingship, dominion, rule. You are being given the right and the authority to serve in His Kingdom; the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah and the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.”

The definitions of this word are complimentary:

To serve, to worship, to heal, to cure, to restore to health. Jesus heals the whole person, body, mind/will/emotions and spirit. His healing is complete. We are called to this ministry, we will learn as His disciples, to do His Works.

Again, Jesus heals the body, the mind, the soul and the spirit of all infirmities. There is nothing outside the reach of God, and we are on mission with Jesus. We cannot stand idly by and watch. To be His disciple means we join God is what He is already doing.

Jesus called these men to Himself, and He is calling you and me to follow Him, today.

This call has an urgency associated with it. It is a command in the imperative. Jesus is saying, “Come, Now!

It is IMPORTANT that we remember Jesus was speaking prophetically then and is speaking prophetically to us, today! This is our calling and our role as Christians, Disciples of Jesus. He will make you, fashion you into a “fisher of men”!

I encourage you to study the details of this teaching by clicking this link “In the Beginning”.

Study the definitions of the words used, and, apply them to yourself, as you journey into His Kingdom and prepare yourself to be on Mission with Jesus, engaging in this Spiritual War.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Please remember to click the blue italicized links in each chapter, in order to get the important details on these Bible teachings)

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “The Focus of Discipleship”

(The previous episode can be found at “The Two Foundations”)

(Please also notice, you can listen by podcast as you read along. You can pause the audio in order to click the links for details and references, which are necessary for the entire teaching)

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson 17

July 3, 2021April 22, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Ask, Seek, Knock

“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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? This teaching is, essentially, about prayer. Jesus is not teaching just how to pray, but, He is commanding His Disciples to pray effectively.

Jesus is teaching about the critical importance or prayer.

He is telling us how we get results! In contemporary terms (metaphorically), Jesus is saying that prayer, is a search and rescue mission!

At first look, it may seem like praying is making a simple request and presto, like calling a genie from a bottle, we have our answer. Or, glancing about and easily finding that which you are hunting. Or, tapping on a door and the gates of prosperity swing wide open to you.

Reading the rest of the verses in context of the Biblical teaching on prayer, we see the seriousness urgency of the matter.

Verse 9. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

Verse 10. “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

Verse 11. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

The Greek word for “Ask” in these verses, “aiteó”, literally means to beg, to call for, to crave, to deeply desire, to require. It is in the “imperative mood” which expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, the word Jesus uses, “Ask”, is not at all an “invitation,” but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.

It is the same for the Greek word for “Seek”, (zéteó), which means, to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to inquire into; to aim at, strive after, to require, to crave, to demand something from someone. This, too, is in the “imperative”.

To “knock”, (krouó), is also in the imperative and carries the idea of “unfailing”. This is saying that it is not enough to ask and seek, but you must not fail to knock.

God tells us we must pray fervently to have effectual prayers.

In other words, you must use all resources at your disposal, praying fervently, seeking intensely, knocking persistently, with the purpose of obtaining the thing you seek, keeping in mind that God tells us that His Word will achieve the very thing it is purposed to achieve.

Most importantly, Jesus reminds us that He can only do what He sees the Father already doing, and we, AS HIS DISCIPLES, can be no greater than our Teacher. It is God, Who accomplishes His Will through His servants, as we pray.

“THE EFFECTIVE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS CAN ACCOMPLISH MUCH” James 5:16

Now, it is your turn:

HOW CAN YOU DO THIS? _____________________________

HOW CAN YOU TEACH THIS? __________________________

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous: AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – LESSON 16

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 17 – The Two Foundations

July 3, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 17

THE TWO FOUNDATIONS

Matthew 7:24-29 says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Verse 25. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Verse 26. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Verse 27.“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Verses 28 and 29. “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

It is fitting that within this concluding statement, Jesus tells His disciples, both, then and now, that it is the wise man or woman, who hears His teachings and acts on them.

We must pay close attention. Jesus has warned His disciples, ahead of time, “the rains, winds and floods are coming” and they will slam against your “house”. We must act on His Words so that our “house will not fall because it has been founded on the rock”.

Although, this teaching can be applied to “everyone who hears these words of His and acts on them”, Jesus said these Words, specifically, to His disciples.

The gravity of this teaching must not slip past us.

Keeping in context of Jesus’ teaching to this point: As it was in our previous chapters concerning “The Wide and Narrow Gates” in Matthew 7:13. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction;

“Knowing a Tree by its Fruit”, in Matthew 7:19. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.;

So it is in this chapter, “The Two Foundations”, found in Matthew 7:24–25. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Please, beware pastors and teachers: You are held to a stricter accountability.

Please, beware Christians and church leaders: “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees or you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is the concluding statement of ‘teaching-by-the-saying’ of His Word. Next, Jesus will begin to teach us by demonstrating and performing His Word. We will see the Word of Jesus, in action!

We must pay close attention, because Jesus has told us that, “he who believes in Him, shall do the works He does; and he will do even greater works ; because Jesus has gone to the Father”. (John 14:12). The kingdom is now at hand!

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

“Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Please remember to click the blue italicized links in each chapter, in order to get the important details on these Bible teachings)

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “Healing of the Multitudes”

(The previous episode can be found at “A Tree and its Fruit – False Prophets”)

(Please also notice, you can listen by podcast as you read along. You can pause the audio in order to click the links for details and references, which are necessary for the entire teaching)

SHIPWRECKED – Enemies Within the Church

July 2, 2021December 5, 2021 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

SHIPWRECKED?

And, what is “Big Eva”?

Before I introduce my main point, I want to point out, that it was common for Jesus and His Apostles to deal with false teachers and false prophets within the Church. Here are some links for your study:

FALSE PROPHETS WITHIN THE CHURCH- Biblegateway.com

HYPOCRITES WITHIN THE CHURCH – Biblegateway.com

FALSE TEACHERS WITHIN THE CHURCH – Biblegateway.com

SOUND DOCTRINE – Biblegateway.com

We are hearing about and reading about so many being SHIPWRECKED with regard to their faith. What is this world is going on? And how is this happening?

SHIPWRECKED – a noun

The destruction or loss of a ship, as by sinking.
The remains of a wrecked ship.
Destruction or ruin: the shipwreck of one’s hopes.

Verb (used with object)

To cause suffering in shipwreck.
To destroy; ruin.

I want to start with

Here is a video presented by E.W.T.C., (Enemies Within The Church), which sound the ‘shofar’, warning about the Woke movement invading the Church. This includes the Globalist-Marxists ideologies and practices, the secularism of the ‘Social Gospel’ , the shaming of ‘white Americans’, the promoting and glorifying of the Marxists led, ‘Black Lives Matter’, and more.

Just in the small area where I live, in the past few years, there have been and are, at least 3 major Christian SHIPWRECKS on public display. I will point out on one, but, here is a link to others: CHURCH SHIPWRECKS IN NAPLES, FL

First Baptist Church, Naples: Crisis

These videos are produced by http://www.EnemiesWithinTheChurch.com

“Conservative church members labeled racists, purged by elite Southern Baptists” (Capstone Report)

“F.B.C. Naples leadership sinfully violated Matthew 18, smeared church members concerned about pastoral candidate’s support for pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ Democrat” (Capstone Report)

“Report: Coup forced out longtime pastor who wanted period of transition to new leadership” (Capstone Report)

Neo-Marxists turn Stalinist after election defeat (Capstone Report)

Now, finally, what about Big Eva?

“Big Eva” is not a large German who works in border control for the Bundesrepublik. Big Eva is a term for the network of large evangelical organizations and conferences that seeks to shape the thinking and strategy of the American evangelical churches. (“Big Eva” = “Big Evangelical Churches, organizations and conferences”)

“What Big Eva has done is, create an economy of power, people, and indeed money which is non-ecclesiastical but highly influential within evangelical churches. It is a populist movement of tremendous influence and minimal accountability. It provides an identity for its most passionate acolytes.

“And because it promises rewards to individuals and organizations – influence, students, platform – it is both very hard to criticize and functionally unaccountable to any but its own. The Trinity controversy of two years ago was a case in point: no church creed had ever taught the nonsense that had become so pervasive in evangelicalism. Quite the contrary – the creedal history of the church was arguably constructed to exclude precisely the kind of views that were being espoused. But key conferences and key organizations had a vested interest in sidestepping orthodoxy and demonizing any who pointed that out.

“An aspiring movement, to direct and shape the policies and testimony of the church, is quite another thing. (This is what has been done, or, put more bluntly, ‘What have we done?’ Selected and edited (comments from Carl Trueman, “Revoice, Evangelical Culture, and the Return of an Old Friend” July 31, 2018)

Here are links to several other notable and tragic recent SHIPWRECKS:

Willow Creek, Chicago, Illinois and Bill Hybels

Willow Creek, Chicago, Illinois and Bill Hybles, II

Harvest Chapel, Sandwich, Illinois and James MacDonald fired by Harvest Bible Chapel

Harvest Bible Chapel in Naples, Florida sent eviction notice by landlord

This article and its content was collected from various “identified sources” and is reprinted as originally posted by these “identified sources. Some parts are editorialized and contain the opinion of this author. White Stone Fellowship.

The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18, saying, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them, you fight the good fight, 19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

This is advice to all Christians. Let’s heed the words of the Apostle Paul and stay vigilant and “fight the good fight”, and God will be with us.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 16 – A Tree and its Fruit & False Prophets

July 2, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 16

A TREE AND ITS FRUIT
(False Prophets)

Jesus warns us, in Matthew 7:15-20, “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.

We are drawing ever closer to the time when Jesus will expect you to be a fully functioning and fully devoted follower. This teaching is representative of that, and, comes in two parts.

The first part is a warning and a call for the Christian and disciple to use Spiritual discernment when encountering false prophets.

The second part is also a warning, but, it is to be applied to yourself and to others. It describes the severe consequences reserved for false prophets and deceivers.

PART I.

Verses 15-20 tells us to be on the alert because you will encounter false prophets who take on the appearance and behavior of one of God’s own people. Jesus calls them ‘false prophets’, so we can assume they are using the moniker of pastor, prophet or teacher.

You are being taught and instructed to watch the fruit of the lives, particularly, of those claiming to hold the office of pastor, prophet or teacher or church leader. We, too often, revere and elevate the man in such an office as guiltless, because of his or her position. This can be a deadly mistake. There comes a time, when a pattern of behavior will disclose the nature and character of the person. (‘their fruit’). Beware! A person bearing bad fruit is headed to destruction, and they will take many with them.

(False Prophets, Pulpit Bullies, False Teachers, Apostasy, Heretics)

PART II.

Jesus explains the consequence in store for the false prophet or teacher, in Matthew 7:21-23, “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?’

Verse 23. “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

A mark of a false prophet is most often accompanied by a pattern of spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse used by pastors, (false prophets), or church leaders or even by ‘lay people’, to control, coerce, manipulate and exploit others, in a religious context.

This abuse may include, among other methods:

manipulation, exploitation, enforced accountability,
censorship of decision-making,
requirements for secrecy and silence,
coercion to conform,
inability to ask questions,
control through the use of sacred texts or teaching, requirement of obedience to the abuser,
the suggestion that the abuser has a ‘divine’ position(i.e., ‘don’t touch God’s anointed’),
marginalization and/or isolation as a means of punishment, and
superiority and elitism.

Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it, especially at the hands of a trusted Christian authority figure, such as a pastor.

We are now entering into the heat of Spiritual Warfare, where peoples lives and eternities are at stake. These false prophets must be exposed and abandoned in the Church.

Finally, and most importantly, check yourself on these matters. Make certain you do not possess or practice any of these traits or methods.

It is common for a person to start off right, but, when one is tempted and enticed by his own lust, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

Pray. Watch. Submit yourself to Him.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(NOTE: If you suspect spiritual abuse is occurring in your church or religious organization, you should separate yourself from the abuse and the abuser, and speak with a superior or to an oversight organization, if there is one. Be careful not to accuse, but to inquire.

If you have been the subject of Spiritual abuse, again, separate yourself from the abuser and report the pattern of behavior to the church’s headquarters, ask for and get assurances of confidentiality. And seek personal counseling.

ARE THE PROMISES OF GOD FOR YOU?

July 1, 2021October 19, 2021 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

– FOR CHRIST FOLLOWERS ONLY –

THE PROMISES AND THE ‘ORACLES‘ OF

GOD’S BLESSINGS & PROSPERITY

“Biblical Prosperity” may not be what you thought. Keep your understanding and practice of the Word of God in context of the entire Bible.

How to start:

Know and follow Jesus as His disciple. This is the hard one. So many people believe they are Christians because they followed some “Plan of Salvation” prayer.

But, Matthew 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

And, verse John 3:21 tells us that “He who practices the truth comes to the Light (Jesus), so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

One way to be sure about this is by checking on your prayer life, your attitude toward others and your humility before God.

Another test is, do you exercise Spiritual disciplines, or do you do what seems right or feels right to you? If you only do what ‘feels right’ you are on the wrong basis. (Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”)

Until you are truly a follower and a disciple of Jesus, what is written here will NOT work.

Know and understand the CONTEXT of what Jesus represents and taught.

(a) Jesus came into the world to save people from perishing.

(b) Jesus became ‘sin’ on our behalf and took the punishment of sin for us.

(c) Everything that Jesus said or taught was from a Spiritual (Heavenly) Perspective. We must have that same mindset before we “claim” any promise of God.

James 4:3 tells us that “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.“

And, Philippians 2:5 tells us to “Have the same attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, the material world emanates from the Spiritual realm and is controlled by the Spiritual realm. We come from the Spiritual realm and will return to that realm, whether it is with God in Heaven or you perish into outer darkness and into Hell. Jesus teaches this and until you understand this and adopt it as your basis for learning, you will never receive His Blessings and you will miss the Prosperity Jesus is offering.

Abide in Him and put His Word in you. Dwell, Meditate, Speak and Act.

John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

Matthew 21:21 tells us that “Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Sound easy? Think again and read what Jesus says about His Teachings.

You must be born of water and The Spirit in order “to see and hear” (i.e., to understand and to do). As an example:

Matthew 13:1 tells about, “That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.

Verse 2. And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

Verse 3. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;

Verse 4. and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

Verse 5. “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.

Verse 6. “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Verse 7. “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

Verse 8. “And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Verse 9. “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Verse 10. And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

HERE IS THE ORACLE OF GOD, found in Verses 11 and 12. “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

Verse 13. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

HERE IS THE ORACLE OF GOD, found in Verses 14 and 15. “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

Verse 16. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Verse 17. “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Verse 18. “Hear then the parable of the sower.

Verse 19. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

Verse 20. “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

Verse 21. “yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Verse 22. “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

HERE IS THE ORACLE OF GOD, found in Verse 23. “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Blessings and Prosperity must begin on the ‘inside’ (the Spiritual Realm) in order to manifest in the natural world. 3 John 3:2 “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
Every good material gift (blessing) comes from, emanates from, originates as, a Spiritual Blessing. Even then, the material gift fades, but the Spiritual Gift remains. It is never the other way around. PUT YOUR FOCUS, YOUR MIND, ALWAYS ON THE SPIRITUAL, on the things above.
Matthew 6:19 tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Verses 20 and 21. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Verse 22. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Verse 24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

III. Blessings & Prosperity of the Soul are Eternal, material blessings fade

Another way to see that the ‘material world’ is fading is found in Romans 8, which tells us that the mind set on the flesh, is DEATH. But, the mind set on The Spirit of God, is life and peace (Spiritual Blessings and Prosperity).

Romans 8:5 tells us, that, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but

those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Verse 6. For the mind set on the flesh is death,
but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

BIBLICAL PROSPERITY

Now that we have established that

You must be born again to experience the blessing and prosperity from God
The Blessings and Prosperity from God are of a Spiritual Nature
The natural blessings which manifest or flow from the Spiritual (life) are temporary and fade (death)
Spiritual Blessings and Gifts are Eternal
You cannot serve both God and wealth
You must stay focused on things Above, that is, on the Spiritual (GOD)

HERE ARE THE BLESSINGS OF SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY

ETERNAL LIFE: John3:14 says,“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; Verse 15. so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

John 3:16 tells us that, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Verse 17. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Verse 18. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

ABUNDANT LIFE: John10:9 says,“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
PROSPERITY AND GOOD HEALTH: 3 John 3:2“ says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
MANIFEST BLESSINGS:
OBEY GOD: Deuteronomy28:1 says, “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, The LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
IRRESISTIBLE BLESSINGS: verse 2. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:
OMNIPRESENT BLESSINGS: verse 3. “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
GENERATIONAL BLESSINGS: verse 4. “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
NATURAL BLESSING: verse5. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
CONTINUAL BLESSINGS: verse6. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
PROTECTIVE BLESSINGS: verse 7. “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.
OMNISCIENT BLESSINGS: verse 8. “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
HOLY BLESSINGS: verse 9. “The LORD will establish you as a holy peopleto Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. verse 10. “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.
ABUNDANT BLESSINGS: verse 11. “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
ESTABLISHED BLESSINGS: verse 12. “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
BLESSINGS OF AUTHORITY: verse 13. “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

“Do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” Deuteronomy28:14

(NOTE: “The RIGHT and The LEFT” in these verses, from the Hebrew language translates as:

“When you have a need or are praying for a blessing, do not turn to the “RIGHT” hand of personal effort or in your own strength

“Nor to the “LEFT” hand of wrapping yourself up in the cares of this world so as to make your request in your own image (imagination)”

As Joshua 1:7 says “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

Repeating them or simply ‘claiming’ them will do little. Do not decide in your own mind what the answer will look like ahead of time.

You must believe God at His Word. Meditate on the Word, pray His Words fervently to Him, believe it will happen and give thanks! Wait upon the Lord, He is faithful complete the thing He has begun.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

A DOUBLE PORTION

June 30, 2021August 12, 2021 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

INSTEAD OF SHAME, YOU WILL HAVE A DOUBLE PORTION

Have you ever received a gift you didn’t expect, which exceeded what you could imagine?

How did you, or how would you react?

There are some people who would reject such a gift. They might say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have, and I can’t accept that.”

I have tried something as simple as to buy dinner for friends, and some of them say that exact thing, “Oh, I can’t let you do that!”

Maybe they are embarrassed or don’t want to feel obligated?

Listen to this and tell me what you think about this Gift:

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;

I have read commentary after commentary on Isaiah 61. Each tells everything you would want to know. EXCEPT ONE THING.

I read that Isaiah is saying that God is at work in the historical events of the day to bring restoration and vindication of the people of God. As God’s people are renewed and restored, they would again assume their role as witness to God in the world (55:3-5).

Chuck Swindoll says, “the book of Isaiah provides us with the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament. It includes the full scope of His life: the announcement of His coming (Isaiah 40:3–5), His virgin birth (7:14), His proclamation of the good news (61:1), His sacrificial death (52:13–53:12), and His return to claim His own (60:2–3)”

THIS ONE THING

These commentaries tell everything, EXCEPT THIS ONE THING: What does it mean to me, and should I apply it to my life, today?

Should I try to apply Isaiah 61 to my life?

Here are some of the scriptures that we are to apply to our lives – daily…

THIS WE ARE TO DO.

Jesus said, in Matthew 4, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are to do this as Jesus does.

THIS, WE ARE TO DO.

Jesus said, in Matthew 16:24 “Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

We are to do this as Jesus does.

THIS WE ARE TO DO.

Jesus said, in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Verse 20. teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are to do this as Jesus does.

THIS WE ARE TO DO.

Philippians 2:5 says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”.

We are to do this as Jesus does.

BUT, ARE WE ARE TO DO THIS, TOO?

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;

If this is a PROPHETIC WORD from God…THIS WE ARE TO DO.

Verse 2. To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,

Verse 3 . To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Verse 4. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

GOD WILL DO THIS and GOD HAS DONE THIS

(Dear friends, repeat and think about the words in the ‘blue lettering’ as your confession, and read what God has done)

Isaiah 61:5 says, Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

(and strangers will stand and pasture my flocks)

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

(And foreigners will be my farmers and your vinedressers)

Verse 6. But you will be called the priests of the LORD;

(But I will be called a priest of the LORD;)

You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.

(I will be spoken of as a minister of our God.)

You will eat the wealth of nations,

(I will eat the wealth of nations)

And in their riches you will boast.

(And in their riches I boast.)

Verse 7. Instead of your shame, you will have a double portion,

(Instead of your shame, I have a double portion,)

And instead of humiliation, they will shout for joy over their portion.

(And instead of humiliation, I shout for joy over my portion.)

Therefore, they will possess a double portion in their land,

(Therefore I possess a double portion in my land,)

Everlasting joy will be theirs.

(Everlasting joy is mine.)

Let’s all say

BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL. BLESS HIS HOLY NAME. YOU HAVE CROWNED MY HEAD WITH LOVING KINDNESS AND COMPASSION.

May it be as The Word of God says.

Now, let’s go and BE BLESSED – just as you have BLESSED THE LORD.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 15 – The Narrow Gate

June 30, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 15

THE NARROW AND THE WIDE GATES

Jesus instructs us, in Matthew 7:13, to “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. Verse 14 goes on to say, “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Everything we are learning and training on, as disciples, hinges on this ‘directive’. A disciple who is making their way on mission with Jesus, will likely will miss their destination and be rendered lost and wandering unless they follow the right path. In this case, the path is one of Spiritual Warfare and the destination is Eternal life. This is the mission and calling of being a disciple and an ambassador of Christ.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

Jesus is telling us to take the right path, the path which leads to life. And, to assist us, He reminds us, in John 10:9, that He is that Path and that Gate.

Again, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

There is no other Path. There is no other way. There is only The One Gate. Not only is this narrow way, which leads to life, clearly mapped out in scriptures, we have Jesus as our personal Guide. There is never room for deviation for those who hope to successfully arrive at God’s predetermined destination.

There are many pastors, bible teachers, church leaders and Christians, whether through carelessness, ignorance or rebelliousness, think they have found ways around the difficulties of entering by this small and narrow passage way. And, they lead others down the broad path and through the wide gate which leads to destruction.

How can I tell if I am on the Narrow Path which leads to the Small Gate and to life? You can find The Way as God reveals Himself, by the Holy Spirit, through the Bible, by prayer, through circumstances and through the church. Know and depend on these 7 realities:

God is always at work around you. If you are on the right path, you will see where He is at work.

2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real
and personal. He will not leave nor forsake you. He will always be with you. You can know you are on the right path if If you are extending that love to others. God and people are the priority – not the path.

3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.

( John 6:29 says, “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

(Matthew 10:7-15 says, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

8“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

9“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.

11“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city.

12“As you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13“If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15“Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.)

(Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”) If you are doing anything other than what Jesus has already done, or if you are doing more that Jesus has already done, you are not on the right path! Simply join Him in doing what He has already done – that is His Work.

4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer,
circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes,
and His ways. If you are on the right path, you can listen, and you will hear Him; you can read His Word and understand; you can meditate on Him and know Him; you can pray, and He will answer you; you can watch, and you will see Him.

5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a
crisis of belief that requires faith and action. ACT in faith, doing what He is already doing – or go home.

6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in
what He is doing. Take that leap of faith and join Him, today, in what He is already doing!!

7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He
accomplishes His work through you.

(Taken from “The 7 Realities for Knowing and Experiencing God”, by Henry and Richard Blackaby – published by LifeWay Press® Nashville, Tennessee.)

We must be reminded, that the walk and calling of a disciple means to give up your life in order to have the life of Christ. We may struggle and suffer, but we will overcome the evil that besets us in this life, in order to gain eternal life with God. Or, we can live this life carelessly and in ease, but, lose our life.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please remember to click the blue italicized links in each chapter, in order to get the important details on these Bible teachings)

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “A Tree and its Fruit”

(The previous episode can be found at “Righteous Judgment”)

(Please also notice, you can listen by podcast as you read along. You can pause the audio in order to click the links for details and references, which are necessary for the entire teaching)

SHOULD YOU RUN & HIDE?

June 28, 2021August 12, 2021 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Should we, as Christians, ever ‘run and hide’? If so, WHEN?

Jesus warns of such a time. Jesus tells us, in Matthew 24:15, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), verse 16. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Verse 17. “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Verse 18. “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. Verse 19. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Verse 20. “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

First, you should know that Jesus is speaking to His Jewish disciples who lived in and around Judea. They knew about the past destruction of the Temple and the significance of the events surrounding the Abomination of Desolation in 149 BC and the necessity to “run and hide”.

Also, Jesus is speaking of a ‘coming desolation’ which must be understood in the context of the verses which come before and after this statement.

Jesus begins by describing a past event in Matthew 24, verse 15, through verse 20, with an eye to the future. He is recounting the urgency for escape from the destruction of the first Jewish Temple and the slaughter of thousands of Jews, in 425 BC, comparing it to a similar event which will occur at some future date.

It would be easy to speculate, as many have, that the ‘future date’ was during the destruction of the 2^nd Temple in AD 70. The problem with that, is found within the warning Jesus gives in verses 21 through 31.

Jesus speaks of a “a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will”.

He goes on to say, that, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. A tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Obviously, nothing on that scale has ever occurred. Jesus is speaking of an event which is yet to come and will occur after the destruction of the second Jewish Temple in AD 70.

Although we do not know the exact date or time, we can know the “season” and we are told to be prepared for what is coming, and we are told what to do when certain events occur. (Matthew chapter 24)

It is urgent that we are ready for what is coming, because Jesus tells us that “the SON OF MAN (is) COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Unfortunately, most Christians are not to be bothered with “getting ready”. One has to wonder, do they not believe such fantastic things could happen or is it that they just cannot be inconvenienced?

Others, perhaps, just don’t understand what it means ‘to get ready’. They have been taught, or conditioned to think, that ‘getting ready’ is walking an aisle in a church and repeating a ‘sinner’s prayer’ is all that is necessary to ‘be ready’.

Some think getting ready means to “Go Off Grid” or becoming a “Survivalist” or a ‘Prepper’.

Please watch this short video excerpt, “Going Beyond ‘Off the Grid’” for one possible explanation why many Christians are not “Ready” for what is coming:

I would suggest “The Grid” is just another name for the “This World System”. So, “Going Beyond Off the Grid” does not just mean moving to remote locations and disappearing from view or becoming a “Survivalist” or a ‘Prepper’. Instead, as Jesus has said, although we, as Christians, are in this world, we are not of this World System.

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? DO YOU CARE?

Jesus warns against indifference and ignorance on these matters. He tells us, in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Verse 37. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. Verse 38. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, Verse 39. and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Verse 40. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Verse 41. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Verse 42. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Verse 43. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Verse 44. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Verse 45. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Verse 46. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Verse 47. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Verses 48 and 49. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; Verses 50 and 51. the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Read Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25).

Until the time comes, as spoken about in Matthew 24:15-20, we are to busy ourselves as disciple makers. But, even that does not excuse us from having contingency plans, “to be ready”, beyond these days.

BEING READY – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Stay Alert –

Matthew 24:32 says, “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; Verse 33. So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”

Matthew 24:42 says, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Verse 43. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”

Remain Vigilant –

Verse 45. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Verse 46. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Verse 47. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Verses 48 and 49. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’. and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; Verse 50 and 51. the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Stay Ready –

Matthew 25:1 says “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Verse 2. “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. Verse 3. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, Verse 4. But the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

Remain Faithful –

Matthew 25:14 says, “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. Verse 15. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Verse 26. “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Verse 27. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Verse 28. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

This is a difficult question and an elusive answer. But, what do you think? Is living a life of ease and luxury, wrong? Or, does it simply and gradually replace following Jesus?

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Please leave a comment about what you think)

The Rapture Revealed 2020

PS: Click here for Additional Reading and footnotes

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 14 – Righteous Judgment

June 27, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 14

RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

The previous chapter on “Prayer and the Golden Rule” was the opening volley of the Christian’s offensive in Spiritual Warfare.

Oswald Chambers once said, “A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer.” August 21, 2018,

” We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.” August 14, 2014

“To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me, and then I change things.” August 14, 2014

The second phase of our training in Spiritual Warfare is learning to have clear vision and to maintain your innocence before God. This begins with making Right Judgments.

Matthew 7:1-6 says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

The “hypocrite”, according to Bible lexicons and concordances, is an actor, stage player, a dissembler, a pretender and a hypocrite. A hypocrite is one who simulates, feign or pretends. One who is vile, shameful, reproachful, full of dishonor, ignominy, and disgrace.

Definitions won’t adequately describe what Jesus is talking about. Jesus is saying that one’s attitude reveals their character, their heart and their intentions. The hypocrite is in danger of being lost and perishing.

Read what Jesus says about, and to, hypocrites (I have abbreviated these verses for context. (You can read the full chapter here: Matthew 23)

Verse 13: “But WOE to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you will receive greater condemnation.”

Verse 15: “WOE to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Verse 27: “WOE to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Verse 29: “WOE to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”

Hypocrisy could be described as a deadly form of narcissism, where the practice of claiming to have moral standards or views to which one’s own behavior does not meet. It is a pretense of morality that cloaks our inability to meet some predetermined moral code.

The word, in the verses cited above, comes from the Greek word, “hupokrinomai”, which means, to be an actor under an assumed character, a stage-player; figuratively, to disguise or conceal one’s real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance.

One of the root causes of hypocrisy is fear and low self-esteem. We suffer hypocrisy as an avoidance for looking at our shortcomings and figuring out our part in it. Hypocrisy typically stems from a sincere belief that the double-standard we apply to ourselves is justifiable, because we have better intentions, therefore, we are forgiven for our “mistakes”.

We believe our intentions are just, noble and sincere, despite how we act at times. The Bible, in Jeremiah 17:9, warns us about trusting our ‘heart’ on these matters, when it tells us, “The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick. Who can understand it?”

1 John 1:8, tells us that, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

In order to find relief from this satanic trap, this disorder, we must admit that we are imperfect beings, created with flaws, who are prone to fail. 1 John 1:9, says that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We must learn to look at our own shortcomings and recognize that every one of us is prone to wrongdoing. The Bible tells us that we all fall short of God’s Glory and that none of us are righteous, no not anyone!

The person suffering from hypocrisy has a strong desire to be loved and accepted. The fear of personal failure, humility and judgment is so powerful, that the hypocrite uses “double-mindedness” and cognitive dissonance to avoid facing themselves.

Also, at the root of hypocrisy is a desire to be loved and accepted without judgment. Only God can give that kind of love. And, only the fully devoted follower of Jesus, filled with His Holy Spirit, can also give that kind of love.

Until you “clear your own eye”, rid yourself of hypocrisy and master Righteous Judgment, you cannot possibly be effective nor survive the Spiritual War which rages.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please remember to click the blue italicized links in each chapter, in order to get the important details on these Bible teachings)

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “THE NARROW AND THE WIDE GATES”

(The previous episode can be found at “Prayer and the Golden Rule”)

(Please also notice, you can listen by podcast as you read along. You can pause the audio in order to click the links for details and references, which are necessary for the entire teaching)

EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE – Ch. 13 – Prayer and the Golden Rule

June 26, 2021April 6, 2022 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

Chapter 13

PRAYER AND THE “GOLDEN RULE”

Becoming a disciple of Jesus requires much of a person, as we have already learned. And, prayer is an indispensable activity of the disciple. But, praying, just for the sake of praying, is never enough. We saw, in chapter 12, episode 7, that praying in order to be recognized, will achieve nothing in the Kingdom of God.

Furthermore, the Apostle James tells us that, “When you do ask you don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that is so that you may spend it on your own pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)

Read and hear what Jesus says, in Matthew 7 verses 7 through 12, about the requisites of prayer. And, remember, this is for His disciples:

Matthew 7:7-12, says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

“What man is there among you, who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

“Therefore, In everything, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

It is important, first, to know the Greek word for ‘ask’ is in the Greek, is “aiteó”, and, it means to ask, to beg, to call for, to crave, to desire and to require. This word strongly implies an urgency and a fervency in prayer.

Additionally, it is in the Greek, aorist tense, which means the ‘asking’ has no regard for the past, present or future.

It is the same for the words, to “seek” and to “knock”. In other words, it is continuing; it is not a simple “one and done” request.

Secondly, Jesus establishes the fact that if you continue to ask, seek and knock,” it will be opened to you”. This phrase is emphatic, and is in the future aorist tense, meaning “it will continue to be opened to you”.

Finally, the requisite. “THEREFORE, In everything, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

This is an oracle of the Word of God. A ‘golden key’ which opens the Kingdom’s treasury to you. ” Treat people the same way you want them to treat you”.

You will have to do this with the right attitude. This cannot be contrived to reach your own ends, “so that you may spend it on your own pleasures.”

You must give, so, as it says in Luke 6:38, “it will be given back to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

For this is the “Laws and the Prophets”, which were meant to teach and guide the Jewish people in all their thought and conduct in order to live a life pleasing to God to have success in their affairs.

You cannot successfully complete the training, nor function as a fully devoted disciple of Jesus, until you learn and master the secret of this Golden Key of the Kingdom. Neither, can you engage effectively in the spiritual warfare, which will inevitably ensue.

Trust His Words. Believe Him. Do His Words. Practice His Presence. And, by faith, we will overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony! (Revelation 12:11)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please remember to click the blue italicized links in each chapter, in order to get the important details on these Bible teachings)

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT”

(The previous episode can be found at “Removing The Obstacles of Worry and Anxiety”)

(Please also notice, you can listen by podcast as you read along. You can pause the audio in order to click the links for details and references, which are necessary for the entire teaching)

Pre-Wrath Rapture – Page 5

June 26, 2021April 8, 2025 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Revelation 8:1 says, “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 saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

Verse 4: “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.

Verse 5: “Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed 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.

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. This discourse on the tribulation is now into the 7th seal!

COULD THIS BE THE RAPTURE?

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 saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

Ask WHO? Ask WHERE?

I repeat, for emphasis,

- - ALL THE SAINTS,
  - BEFORE THE THRONE.

There is also a “Woe” to those still on earth, but it seems there are no more references to The Church, to disciples or Christ followers on earth after this event.

Now that Jesus has warned His followers of what to expect, He gives instructions on what we are to do:

Matthew 24:37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”

Those in that day had it wrong, all except Noah, and I wonder about us in the 21st Century prophecy experts?

Verse 37: “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

Verse 38: “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

Verse 39: “and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Verse 40: “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

Verse 41: “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Verse 42: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

Verse 43: “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Verse 44: “For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

Verse 45: “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?

Verse 46: “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

1. For this reason, you also must be ready.

2. The faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time.

3. Blessed in that slave whom his master finds so doing when He comes.

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah

Noah believed God against all the odds.
Noah obeyed God, all the time, by faith.
Noah stood against the contemporary wisdom and the taunts of those around him.
Noah got ready. Noah stayed ready.
Noah as the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time.
Noah is the Blessed Slave whom his Master found doing so when He came.
Noah and his household endured to the end and were saved!

Are you ready to be a Noah?

Have you started building the Ark of your Salvation by believing God by faith, against all the odds?

Are you obeying God? Are you doing what He has said to do to be ready?

Are you standing against contemporary wisdom and the taunts of those around you, both inside and outside the church?

Are you Ready for what is coming and may indeed already be here?

Are you being the faithful and sensible salve whom your Master has put in charge of your household to give them their food at the proper time?

Be the Blessed slave whom your Master finds doing so when He comes.

(Click here to return to Page 4)

Your Friend and Brother

Mike Young

(A video of Matthew 24:1-35 from the Lumoproject.com )

(A video of Matthew 24:36-51 from the Lumoproject.com )

A video of Revelation starting at chapter 6

Rapture Revealed – A PowerPoint presentation:

Pre-Wrath Rapture – Page 4

June 26, 2021April 8, 2025 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Matthew 24:29 says, “But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Verse 30: “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

Verse 31: “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Revelation 6:12 says, “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became 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 casts 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 were moved out of their places.

Verse 15: “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

Verse 16: and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence 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 7:1 says, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”

Revelation 7:9 says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

Verse 10: “and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation 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 and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Verse 13: “Then one of the elders answered, 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.

RECAP

- - But, 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 the sky, and the power of the heavens will be shaken.
  - AND THEN, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, AND THEN all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and THEY WILL SEE the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
  - And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the FOUR WINDS , from one end of the sky to the other.
  - A great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues

I mean no disrespect, but, since when is the Bible unable to count the number of anything? So, this must be an extraordinarily large number, perhaps from the time of creation?

- - Standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands and they cry out with a loud voice, saying “Salvation to our God who site on the throne, and to the Lamb.
  - 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. (This is just too clear to be misunderstood).

Revelation 7:15 says “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 hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any 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.”

IS THIS THE RAPTURE?

This is very clear:

These, the “ones who come out of the tribulation” are now in heaven along with the “great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues”

Please notice how Chapter 8 of Revelation starts…

(Click here to return to Page 3) – (Click here to go to the final page, Page 5)

Pre-Wrath Rapture – Page 3

June 26, 2021April 8, 2025 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a quick scan of time and history. See what you think.

News Headlines (2018)

The breaking of the 1st Seal in the Book of Revelation says we will hear of WARS and rumors of war and that we will hear of nation rising against nation

There have been thousands upon thousands of wars and conflicts since the time of Christ. Most notable for their scope and breadth are the

Religious Crusades (1095 – 1291, Muslims vs Latin Church, almost 2 million dead),
WWI (1914 – 1918, 17 million dead), and
WW2 (1939 – 1945, over 70 million dead).

Current wars and global conflicts, 2018 (link)

As recently as 1978 the communist military coup on 27 April 1978, known as the Saur Revolution, when the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) took power. Since that day, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted Afghanistan.

The Syrian civil war has drawn the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, The Kurds, ISIS into this conflict.

Other countries involved in military conflicts as of 2018.

· Iraq. …

· Russia. …

· Ukraine. …

· Yemen. …

· Democratic Republic of the Congo. …

· Mexico. …

· Central African Republic

Wars and rumors of war is nothing new. Neither are famines and earthquakes.

Famines: A list of global famines (link)

Earthquakes: A historical list of global seismic activity (link)

Compare what Jesus said, found in Matthew 24 and what John said in Revelation about these matters.

I have coupled the corollary verses:

Matthew 24:6 says, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.“

Revelation 6:1 says, “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 he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Verse 3: “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 men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”

But that is not yet the end…all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Wars and rumors of wars have been ongoing since the 1st century.
The breaking of the 2nd Seal brings outright warfare on a Global Scale.

We have now seen two world wars

We have seen ‘the sons of Ishmael’ warring with ‘the sons of Isaac’ on a global scale since the time of Christ.

So, how can we tell when the 1st and 2nd Seals of the ‘tribulation’ have been broken?

Let’s skip forward to the 5th Seal events found in Matthew and Revelation.

Matthew 24:9 says,”Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

Revelation 6:9 says, “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.

THEN, they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you…”

Matthew 24:13 says,”But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

But, the one who endure to THE END, he will be saved.”

Once again, if we are not to endure these ‘tribulations’ why is Jesus warning us to “endure to the end”?

Matthew 24:15 says, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Verse 16: “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Verse 17: “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Verse 18: “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. Verse 19: “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Verse 20: “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. Verse 21: “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Verse 22: “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

“When you SEE the Abomination of Desolation. (HEY, DISCIPLES, when you SEE IT? How can you SEE IT if you are not on earth?)

“For THEN there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

“…but for the sake of the ELECT”. (THE ELECT are still on earth at this point? The ELECT are still on earth at the 5th Seal of the tribulation? How is that even possible, if they will have been Raptured away?)

(Click here to return to the Main Page – (Click here to go to Page 4)

Pre-Wrath Rapture

June 25, 2021May 13, 2025 ~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

When is the Rapture, the tribulation, the return of Jesus – and why does it matter?

You might say these things are in God’s Hands, I am saved, so what does it matter. I think I am ready, I cannot change these things, so why worry?

Well, if you say that, then you are partially right. You should not worry. However, it does matter. It matters a great deal.

1. It matters because God’s Words tells us of the things to come and warns us to be ready and to be found doing the things He has told us to do.

Matthew 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
“For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?

“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

“Truly, I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

“But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, “and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Another parable tell of the waiting virgins who were not prepared, and the Lord says to them, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”

Yet another parable warns us that the worthless slave who is not faithful to be found doing as his Master instructed will be “Thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

2. It matters because your families and others are watching. You are to be an example for them, and you are to help them be prepared.

Watch each of the 5 videos on this page, which explain the Pre-Wrath Rapture and teaching commentary on this subject by Pastor John Piper. Please watch, listen, pray and think.

THIS IS IMPORTANT.

The term, Rapture, refers to the idea that a day will come when Jesus will appear in the heavens, at which time the dead in Christ will be resurrected to meet Him in the air and to receive their glorified bodies. Living believers will be taken up also and will be translated en route from mortal to immortal. Both the resurrected believers and the living ones will then return to Heaven with Jesus. This event is viewed by most as being separate and apart from the Second Coming of Jesus, when He will return to earth to reign for a thousand years.

The word, Rapture, does not appear in English language Bibles, but it can be found in the Latin Vulgate translation of Jerome, which served as the basic Bible of the Western world for over 1200 years, from 400AD to 1611 when the King James Version was published. The word appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In English versions, it is expressed as “caught up.” The concept of the Rapture can be found in many other places in the New Testament — for example, in John 14:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

The Question of Timing

Among those who believe in a Rapture of the Church, there is disagreement as to the timing of the event. Until recent years, there were three concepts of the Rapture’s timing:

The Pre-Tribulation View — This is the idea that the Rapture will take place before the Tribulation begins.

The Mid-Tribulation View — This viewpoint places the Rapture in the middle of the Tribulation.

The Post-Tribulation View — According to this view, the Rapture and the Second Coming are all one event that takes place at the end of the Tribulation.

The “Pre-Wrath-Tribulation” View —In 1990 Marvin Rosenthal presented a fourth viewpoint in his book, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. Rosenthal was not the originator of this new viewpoint. Rather, he was the one who popularized it with his book. The person who conceived the “Pre-Wrath” view of the Rapture was a man named Robert Van Kampen (1938-1999).

The most popular and widely accepted doctrine on the tribulation is the pre-tribulation rapture. It says that all Christians will be ‘raptured’ off the earth and into heaven, BEFORE any of the tribulation starts (i.e., before any of the tribulation judgment seals are broken or opened)0. Once the rapture has occurred, the 7-year-tribulation will then begin- or so it says.

I accepted the “pre-tribulation-rapture-view” without much thought. It was what I was told would happen and as a new Christian, I never questioned it.

Many years later, a friend and co-teacher, asked me to join him in teaching a Church class on a book about the Rapture and the Tribulation. My assignment was PRE-tribulation Rapture, and he would present and discuss the mid-tribulation rapture view.

It took me almost a year to prepare, and that study and preparation raised questions I could not ignore. I have spent 10 years searching scriptures and studying this matter. For example:

1. Why was Jesus warning His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Words in the Bible) about coming events it they would not experience those events, if they would be raptured before the tribulation?

2. How can we tell WHICH ‘wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes’ were the result of breaking of the first seal of the tribulation, because there have been thousands of them since Jesus said these words.

3. Was Jesus wanting to ‘scare’ listeners into believing by warning them ahead of time? (I think not. Trickery just doesn’t fit Jesus Character, and He tells us “do not be frightened” by these things.)

4. Jesus tells His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Word in the bible), in Matthew 24:6 that “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. Verse 7: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Verse 8: “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

And a few verses later, Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

Why is Jesus telling us that we should not be frightened by the WARS, RUMORS OF WARS, NATIONS RISING AGAINST NATIONS, FAMINES, EARTHQUAKES, and that we must ENDURE TO THE END TO BE SAVED if we have been “Raptured” and out of harms way?

5. When you compare Jesus’ Words in the book of Matthew with John the Revelator’s account of the ‘End of Days’ in Revelation, why do you get the very real sense that something about pre-tribulation evangelical or reformed doctrines of the end times don’t line up with or doesn’t fit with what you read IN THE BIBLE.

(There are other daunting questions, but this is enough for this article)

I’m no scholar. But, that year of study changed my views, slowly at first, then after over twelve years of study and review, my mind is changed, permanently.

Here’s a quick scan of time and history. See what you think.

The breaking of the 1st Seal in the Book of Revelation says we will hear of WARS and rumors of war and that we will hear of nation rising against nation (Click here to link to the Rest of The Story – Page 3)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(PS: The Pre-Wrath-Tribulation view says that (#1). The first tribulation judgment seals were broken (opened) at or just after the birth of Jesus, and (#2). Tribulation seals ONE through FIVE have been opened sequentially, progressively, overlapping, and the effects have been intensifying to this date.

The SIXTH tribulation seal is still a future event, at which time and ^{Matthew 24, verse 29}“immediately after the tribulation of the previous days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ^{Verse 30}And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ^{Verse 31}And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His ^[c]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

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