IS THIS THE END?

… You won’t see this in the Mainstream Media

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

Verse 4, And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

Verse 5, “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

Verse 6, “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.

Verse 9, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

So, when will these things happen?

I. Many will come IN MY NAME:

This can be someone literally saying I am the Christ’, but it is proving to be those who consider themselves as an emissary of Christ – such as ‘ordained pastors’ – who speak for Christ, but are blindly following ‘new age’ or errant doctrines; or, as we are clearly seeing, now, in our day, ‘institutional deception’, where entire denominations fall away from the clear teachings of Jesus and lead millions astray. (Also see“Shipwrecked”).

So, how can we know ‘which of the false Christs Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?

II. WARS and rumors of war:

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 conflicts 2018: Interactive global conflict tracker.

historical_activity_200years.jpg

So, how can we know ‘which wars and rumors of wars‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?

III. EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES:

Earthquakes are nothing new. In fact, they are so numerous that I can only give you a web link by period of time and let you view what has been recorded. But, Jesus did warn they would come.

Lists of earthquakes by period

HISTORY_of_earthquakes_1900-.svg.png

Seismic Event List Index

Volcanoes are nothing new, either, but it would seem that seismic events (volcanoes) are on the rise.

historical_activity_600years.jpg

Figure 1. Graph showing the number of volcanoes reported to have been active each year since 1800 C.E. Total number of volcanoes with reported eruptions per year. (thin upper black line) and 10-year running mean of same data (thick upper red line). Lower lines show only the annual number of volcanoes producing large eruptions (>= 0.1 km3 of tephra or magma) and scale is enlarged on the right axis; thick red lower line again shows 10-year running mean. See text for discussion.

Figure 2. Graph showing known historically active volcanoes, number of volcanoes reported to be active each year, and population. The line labeled “Known Historically Active Volcanoes” (right scale) is the cumulative number of volcanoes with an historically recorded eruption by that year. “Volcanoes Active Per Year” since 1400 CE (black line) and 10-year running mean of same data (thick red line) is also based on reported eruptions (those with uncertainty dates greater than 1 year are not included, nor are uncertain eruptions). “Population” (right scale) is the world’s estimated human population; data from McEvedy and Jones (1978) and (since 1750) Population Reference Bureau, Washington, D.C. See text for further explanation.

At first glance the nearly exponential increase through recent centuries suggests that the planet may soon be overwhelmed by volcanic activity, but this increase tracks the striking growth of global population (dashed line on figure 1) that has spread potential observers of eruptions over much of the Earth and the technological advances that have facilitated reporting of those eruptions. Another indicator of the growth of the record is the increase in the total number of known historically active volcanoes (upper line on figure 2). These are not newly-formed volcanoes, but already established features (or volcanic fields) that clearly had numerous previous eruptions. If a list had been continuously kept, about 2000 years ago, it would have contained only the names of nine Mediterranean volcanoes and West Africa’s Mount Cameroon. In the next ten centuries, the list would have grown by only 30 names, 18 of them Japanese. Although newly settled Iceland soon added seven volcanoes, the list totaled only 63 by 1400 CE.

Global Volcanism Program, 2013. Volcanoes of the World, v. 4.8.5. Venzke, E (ed.). Smithsonian Institution. Downloaded 14 Jan 2020.

So, how can we know ‘which EARTHQUAKES‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?

IV. FAMINES:

Famines have taken hundreds of millions of lives since the time of Christ, so this is nothing new, either.

Famine-victims-and-world-population-sinc

So, how can we know ‘which FAMINES‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?

V. PERSECUTION:

Jesus tells us there will be a worldwide persecution of Christians. A look at history shows us that In the first few centuries, Christianity grew quickly. By A.D. 325, an estimated 7 million people were Christians, with as many as 2 million killed for their faith in Jesus.

However, according to a Christian think-tank. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) says 900,000 Christians have been ‘martyred’ in the last decade, equating to 90,000 a year and one every six minutes.

This may be the most dangerous time in history to be Christian

persecution.jpeg

At least 327 million Christians face persecution, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which released its biannual report on Religious Freedom in the World in November 2018. That is 7 percent of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians, estimated by Pew Research Center in 2015.

245 million Christians in the top 50 countries on Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch List experience high levels of persecution (i.e.: torture, rape, sex-slavery, for conversion to Christianity, murder and genocide), an increase of 14 percent from 2018. Sixty percent of those enduring persecution are children; women and girls are most violated. Release International, a UK-based human rights watchdog in operation for the past 50 years who partner with U.S.-based “Voice of the Martyrs” said they expect global anti-Christian persecution is set to rise ‘sharply’ in 2019. – (Read the report here)

So, how can we know ‘which period of Christian Persecution‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?

So, where does all of this lead?

1. You will know when ‘The End of the Age‘ is near, not when one or two of these events occur, but when ALL of ‘these things’ occur and converge concurrently, as Jesus said they would; then these things are the harbinger of ‘those things’ which have come to pass. (Also, see “The Tribulation of Those Days’).

2. The phrase “the beginning of birth pangsis a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē _ ōdin . The meaning of the phrase, translated in the KJV as “the beginning of sorrows” is a direct reference to preliminary birth pangs that ultimately lead to the full scale contractions and travail, which leads to the actual birth.

Recognizing the Old Testament reference that Jesus was hearkening to is an essential, but often overlooked key to determining the timing of the prophecy. Jesus was pointing his disciples to two key passages from the prophet Isaiah.

The first passage is Isaiah 26, a portion of Scripture found in the middle of what is sometimes referred to as “Isaiah’s little apocalypse”. There, the Lord speaks through Isaiah, specifically contrasting the expectations of the Jewish people regarding deliverance, redemption and physical resurrection with the reality of the pain, suffering and travail that they had corporately experienced. In verses 16-18, the complaint of Israel is raised that despite having endured the great suffering of labor, the expected “birth” of deliverance, redemption and resurrection had not arrived.

This makes clear that the Last Days and the opening of the tribulation Seals began in our around A.D. 30.  Other references which confirm this date are   Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 9:26, Acts 2:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 Peter 4:7, 2 Peter 3:3. as spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy.

(Also please see this teaching by Pastor and Teacher, John Piper on the timing of the End Times. One of the first, most accurate, and most persistent advocates of the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church can be found at Zion’s Hope, with videos on this site.)

3. You must ask yourself, “why would Jesus warn His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Words in the Bible) about these coming events if they would not experience these events? Said another way, if we would have been Raptured before the tribulation, why warn us?  Why warn His disciples and followers about something they would not experience?” The anwer is, “HE WOULD NOT HAVE WARNED US UNLESS WE WOULD ENDURE THE FIRST 5 TRIBULATION SEALS, AND WOULD  NEED TO BE PREPARED!”

NOTE: The first five tribulation seals have been opened progressively since around A.D. 30. These seals overlap (occur concurrently and converge), and are increasing in intensity, which will lead to the future 6th Tribulation Seal, which is the begining of the Day of God’s Wrath, cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun, the Rapture, the multitude of people out of the tribulation before the throne of God, the Sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel.

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

Jesus, the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, plus direct, clear and obvious scriptural references in  Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 9:26, Acts 2:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 Peter 4:7, 2 Peter 3:3. confirm that these events began in or around the year A.D. 30.

(Also please see this teaching by Pastor and Teacher, John Piper on the timing of the End Times. One of the first, most accurate, and most persistent advocates of the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church can be found at Zion’s Hope, with videos on this site.)

5. 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.)

6. 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 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

If we will have been “Raptured” and out of harms way when these things begin, then why would He be telling us these things?

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 would not be affected?

Again I ask if we will have been “Raptured” and out of harms way when these things begin, then why would He be telling us these things?

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.

Next: “How We Should Prepare and Respond in These Last Days”.

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

Go to these links. Study. Learn.

WHEN WILL THE TRIBULATION BEGIN – OR HAS IT ALREADY BEGUN?

THE END OF THE AGE – a short, and to-the-point, series about the Last Days.

CONCURRENCE OF EVENTS POINTING TO THE END OF THE AGE – a short and to-the-point-series of concurrent and converging events in these days.

CONCURRENCE, Part 3

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.”

The Book of The Revelation was written around 95 A.D.  Jesus had already ascended to the Father and had put the End of Days into motion.

Revelation, chapter 1, verses one through three tell us:

  1. This is a revealing by God to His Son, Jesus, so He could show us, His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place, which mean it will happen soon, and it will happen quickly. (This has to do with the speed with which something happens.)

2. This message and these words were communicated to John by His angel, who then testified to this word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw.

3. The time for the fulfillment of these things is near, which has to do with the passage of time; it is very soon; the time is near; the time is at hand! (this was as of A.D. 95).

Revelation 3:11, “I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Verse 12. The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

John has testified and written what Jesus has announced:

1. Jesus words are actually a warning and a threat. He is saying that He is coming speedily, without warning, without delay, suddenly and by surprise.

Jesus warns, again, that His coming will occur as fast as ‘the blink of an eye’.  (Matthew 24:25), “Behold, I have told you in advance, if they say to you, ‘He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man.”

The time to prepare is NOW. There will be no time to prepare in that day.

PLEASE NOTE: Please do not think that the Bible is saying, “that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” in these verses, (found in 2 Peter 3:8). When Jesus said “Behold, I am coming quickly”, it is not His intention to say it could be a day, or it could be a thousand years. He is saying it could happen at any time. His coming is imminent.

“For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or like a watch in the night”, found in 2 Peter 3:8, which is a reference to Psalm 90:4, is a reference to God’s POINT OF VIEW or FRAME OF REFERENCE and NOT a reference to the actual passage of a specific period of time.

He IS SAYING that that time has come. It is not coincidental that we find the Apostles teaching that ‘The Last Days’ had begun as early as A.D. 30:

There is, however, a sequence of events which must occur, in order, and may overlap in time:

Matthew 24:9. “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.”

(This is so clear and in such plain language, I regret having to point it out:  “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death”.  So, “YOU  WILL BE DELIVERED UP TO TRIBULATION”.  How much more intense can this be, than being put to death for Jesus name’s sake? The tribulation, Seals 1 through 4 have been described as having started, by Jesus, Himself, in the year AD 30.)

Verse 10. “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

(First – This is the hallmark of the Great Apostasy, found in these verses and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Furthermore, “And then” translates from the Greek word, “tote”, in this case means of the future, also in consecution, i.e., the act of following, or the condition of being in a series; that which is consecutive; succession; sequence.

 (Secondly – “fall away” is the Greek word skandalizó and means to entrap, i.e., trip up (figuratively, stumble) or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure).

This is further explained in the following verses and can also be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. For more detail seeHas the Great Apostasy begun?”)

Verse 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Verse 12. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. Verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 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.

(Verses 11 through 14 give us a major time line identifier through a concurrence of events: (1) many false prophets will arise and lead many astray; (2) lawlessness will be increased; (3) the love of many will grow cold.)

(“The one who endures to the end”, must be kept in context of the surrounding verses.  So, the one who endures to the end of these events – Which Events? – The tribulation seals ONE through FIVE)

(“And then the end will come”.  Once again, this is clear, plain, face-value language. After these first FIVE TRIBULATION SEALS, which began in or around AD 30, and have continued progressively to overlap and gain in intensity, THE END WILL COME.)

Matthew 24:29, says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.”

(Perhaps it would be a good idea to read this verse again. It begins with “IMMEDIATELY AFTER the tribulation of those days”.  This is rich with information.

( “The tribulation of THOSE DAYS” are the days from around A.D. 30 through the current day; This includes tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE.)

(“Immediately after the tribulation of those days”, should explain itself.  But, just in case, let me say, “THOSE DAYS” refers to the days already discussed (tribulation Seals One through Five). 

Now , Jesus is moving our attention to what follows the first 5 Seals of the tribulation:  THE SIXTH SEAL.)

(“The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light” is also found in Revelation 6:12-16, and uses the exact language.  It is the SIXTH SEAL of the tribulation, which is yet a FUTURE EVENT.)

NOTE:  ANYONE, SUCH AS THE ‘PRETERSITS’ , WHO SUGGESTS OR SAY THAT THESE VERSES ARE SIMPLY METAPHORICAL OR HAVE ALREADY OCCURED AND WILL NOT PLAY OUT AS DESCRIBED, ARE FALSE PROPHETS, FALSE TEACHERS AND ARE AIDING THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST. (Other places in Revelation, you will find metaphors, allegories, imagery and similes to describe what was indescribable, such as, “The Lamb of God” to describe Jesus, “The Dragon” to describe Satan, or “The Four Beasts” to describe Satan, Babylon and Lucifer. The reader must learn to distinguish the difference.)

Many protestant pastors, preachers and Bible teachers adhere firmly to the John Nelson Darby version of the pre-tribulation rapture. These people with good intentions and most are good men and women, yet, they are sorely misinformed; or, perhaps, some are lazy in their study of scriptures or they could be ignorant about what scriptures say and mean. None-the-less, they are guilty of false teaching and of teaching a false prophecy. (I know this sounds harsh and perhaps even arrogant, please forgive me. But this matter is so very urgent that I believe strongs words and a stronger empasis is needed.)

What I have described is generally known as the Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. Here is a link and several videos and teachings explaining the Pre-Tribulation Pre Wrath Rapture of the Church. PLEASE watch.

Please hear me, friends. Things are getting worse, even as I write this, and, things are going to get a lot worse as the time of the Rapture (The 6th Tribulation Seal) draws near.  You and I need to prepare, both Spiritually and physically, for these difficult times.

I have presented the Spiritual side of the coming day of the Great Tribulation and of the coming day of God’s Wrath in this article.

 Please go to these links, New World Order”, also, “Agenda-21, Cover of the U.N., One World Government, and Agenda 2030, find the physical and earthly manifestation of this cosmic battle and of the spirit of anti-Christ, which is already at work.

The Bible tells us to be ready, for we do not know the day nor the hour when the Lord will return, and if you did know, you would be on the alert, and would not have allowed your house to be broken into. For the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

In conclusion, let me ask you, if you knew a hurricane or a major destructive storm was coming, what would you do to get ready?  (Please answer this.  Make a short list using these lines).  I would:

1.

2.                                                                                                                              

3.                                                                                                                              

4.                                                                                                                              

Well, A Major ‘Storm’ is Arriving as I write these words.  We must be ready!

 Your Brother and Friend

 Mike Young

Additional resource:  When does the 7 Years begin?

PS:  What we should be doing while we expectantly await His Return to take us to our Eternal Home?:

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE:  Don’t be deceived.  There is only ONE Second Coming of Christ.  There will be only ONE Rapture.  There will be only ONE Armageddon.

Know your Bible.  Know the sequence.  Be Ready, found doing as He has said.  Endure to the end and be saved !!

The 2nd Advent of Christ (the second coming of Jesus) is one event which can be seen from TWO PERSPECTIVES:  One perspective as seen from the earth;  the other perspective, from John’s prophetic vision, is seen as it unfolds  – a Spiritual and Heavenly perspective!

Look at it this way:   When Hurricane Irma hit the U.S. it was a category 5 storm;  As Irma progressed up the peninsula of Florida, it became a category 4 storm;  then as it entered Alabama it became a category 3 storm;  and finally as it entered Georgia, Irma became a tropical storm; and later as it entered Tennessee, it became a rain event.

To those in the various states which hurricane Irma entered, it would have appeared to them that Irma might have been 5 different storms, occurring consecutively; first a Category 5 storm, then, a Category 4 storm, then, a Category 3 hurricane, then, a Tropical storm, and, finally, a rain event.  But if viewed “From Above” it was ONE CONTINUOUS STORM, progressively unfolding to its conclusion.

SO IT IS WITH THE ‘LAST DAYS’ AND THE 2nd COMING OF JESUS as seen in the breaking of the ‘Seven Seals of the Book’ as recorded in Revelation chapters 5,6,7 and 8; although, the breaking of each Seal may seem like seven different events, if viewed “from above” it is ONE CONTINUOUS EVENT (eschatological STORM), progressively unfolding to its conclusion.

  • Breaking of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation,
  • The beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord,
  • The beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week also known as the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation,
  • Jesus’ SECOND ADVENT,
  • The Rapture of the Church,
  • The heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True,
  • From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and
  • He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty

Why does it matter?

  • Jesus tells us that it matters because we must ‘endure to the end’ and know the sequence of events will help us to ‘not lose heart and faint’.
  • The apostle Paul tells us that it matters, because “God takes no pleasure in the one who shrinks back”, and knowing that our ‘salvation draw near’ will help us endure to the end.
  • Jesus tells us it matters and that we must stay alert be found doing what He has commanded when He returns, or we may be “assigned a place with the hypocrites”. Knowing the day is near will help us stay focused and ready for His return.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT – Part 4: THE PROPHECY – Past, Present & Future Fulfillment.

Additional Reading:

THE END OF THE AGE?

THE JOURNEY TOWARD PERFECTION – Prophecy, World History, The Tribulation.

 

CONCURRENCE, Part 6

HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND IN THESE LAST DAYS?

We must Gird up for War. This is our calling.

This will not be popular nor will it be readily accepted by many postmodern believers, especially by the postmodern pastor, preacher and Bible teacher, but Jesus set this example for us: 

JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD  

1.  TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”    

2.  TO BRING A SWORD. Matthew 10:34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35, For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; verse 36, and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”  

3.  TO FULFILL THE LAW. Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”    

4.  TO CALL SINNERS. Mark 2::17 “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”   

5.  TO SAVE THE WORLD. John 12:47If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”  

6.  TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH. Luke 12:49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50,  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51, Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  “  

“WHAT HE REALLY MEANT?”

Jesus has told us, in John 14:12, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. Verse 13. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers, bible teachers and detractors alike, try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commentary of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  He is our model for our counter cultural resistance to the growing global threat of Communist-Marxist-Globalism, And we need to get on with it.

Jesus’ time on earth was spent fulfilling the purpose, and will of His Father (Matthew 5:19, Matthew 5:39). Jesus was on a singular mission (John 6 :38) and nothing would stand in the way of accomplishing that mission: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus had a divine appointment with a cruel Roman cross. Read what He said when Peter proposed to get in the way of His mission:

Matthew 16:2123, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

This is our Calling and our Mission: To be found doing as Jesus did and said:

This is ‘forecast’ or what is Prophesied in the Bible.  It will occur.  It is underway.  You and I must BE PREPARED and doing as He has commanded

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: This entire series can be viewed as a video on YouTube at

 

CONCURRENCE, Part 5

WHAT ARE WE TO DO TO GET READY?

“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 must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”  (Matthew 24:42-44)

This is ‘forecast’ or what is Prophesied in the Bible.  It will occur.  It is underway.  You and I must PREPARE.

1. Surrender to Jesus as Lord and for Salvation, and He will give you wisdom, strength, courage and knowledge.

 2.  Repent and enter the Kingdom of God.  “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 4:17  This Kingdom is a very real place.  It is described by metaphor, but it is no metaphor.  It is a real place we must possess in these last days. Jesus centers His teaching to His disciples around this Truth, telling them they must enter the Kingdom of God and continue His Works until He returns. (more on this in an upcoming article)

2. Educate yourself. Become Bible literate. “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom…” Revelation 13:16-18

3. “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;  so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”  “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  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.”

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

These are real and serious matters, and you must know that…

​​Economics may or may not help, but they will not save you. 

  • Stockpiles of food and water may help and shelter will help for a while but they will disappear and will not save you. 
  • Medicines may help for a while, but, they will run out and will not save you. 
  • Guns and politics may help or hurt your efforts, but they will not save you. 
  • Technology may help in some ways, but it will not save you.

​Understanding the power of Knowing Jesus as your LORD and your Savior will give you strength and confidence when and where you need them, guidance and wisdom along the way, and eternal security.  Please, just do it.

These are exciting times in which we live!  But, we must be prepared and ‘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! 

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND IN THESE LAST DAYS?

Additional Reading: The New World Order

CONCURRENCE, Part 4

THE PROPHECY – Past, Present & Future Fulfillment.

The First Seal —Rider on White Horse – Political Intrigue & Conquest (Ongoing since AD 1) All of these events were prophesied in the book of Joel 3 and confirmed by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2.  We have seen these events progressively occurring since AD 1.

Matthew 24:7  “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.”

Correlating verse

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

The Second Seal—Wars and Rumors of War  (Ongoing since AD 1) Revelation6:3  “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.

The Third Seal—Famine  (Ongoing since AD 1 – growing in intensity) Revelation 6:5.  “When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. verse 6. 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.”

The Fourth Seal—Death  (Have been occurring since AD 1 – growing in intensity) Revelation 6:7. “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” verse 8. I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he 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 with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The Fifth Seal—Martyrs  (Have been occurring since AD 1 – The great Apostasy, the great Falling Away from the faith, has now begun) verse 9. 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.

The Sixth Seal—Terror (coming soon) Verse 12I 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?”

An Interlude Revelation 7:1  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, having the seal of the living God; and he cried 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.”

THE PROPHECY –  Globalism and The Tower of Babel

Do not be deceived.  These are events that must come to pass.  They have been foretold, foreshadowed and are coming to pass in our days.  They are of a supernatural nature which is manifest in this natural world, and they must be dealt with on both the natural and supernatural levels.  IF YOU SCOFF AT THIS, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN PERIL.  

NEXT:  WHAT ARE WE TO DO TO GET READY?

CONCURRENCE, Part 2

THE PROPHECY –  The “Forewarning”, in 8 B.C.

Joel 1:1 tells us,  “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

Verse 2.  “Hear this, O elders, And listen, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days, Or in your fathers’ days?

Verse 3.   “Tell your sons about it, And let your sons tell their sons, And their sons the next generation.

Joel 2:1.  Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near,

Verse 2.  A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.

Joel 2:28 continues with, “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.

Verse 29.  Even on the male and female servants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Verse 30.  “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke.

Verse 31.  The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Verse 32.  And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Joel 3:9 says,  “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!

Verse 10.  Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”

THE SIGNS: The Prophecy – The Announcement  (1 AD)

Acts 2:1 -21.  “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.   And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. “Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.  And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?  “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” “And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”  But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; “but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ” ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; “EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. ” ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. ” ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ “

NEXT:  NEXT – Part 3: BEHOLD, I AM COMING QUICKLY – THE REVELATION OF FUTURE EVENTS – The testimony of the Apostles about the LAST DAYS and the END OF TIMES.

CONCURRENCE

“CONVERGENT CONCURRENCE”

Tending to move toward one point or to approach each other; The simultaneous occurrence of events or circumstances”

It is a thin line Bible teachers walk when they associate current events with Bible prophecy, especially in regard to the End of Days.

Repeatedly and prematurely linking current events and prophecy can dull the senses of those waiting and watching for these events to unfold. They tend to become complacent.

Jesus warns, “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 must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”Matthew 24:43-44. (Also see these warnings: Matthew 24:42 – Matthew 25:46)

There is a convergent concurrence of events and prophecies as never before.  Alarming events have, from time to time, caused people to wonder if the End of Days as spoken of in the Bible had arrived.  But, never, have events coincided with prophetic fulfillment as we now see.

When people read the Bible about eschatology, that is the matters about the End Times and the Tribulation period (the books of Matthew chapter 24 and the book of The Revelation), most tend to read it as one would read a ‘story’ or a novel.  Most assume it is written in chronological order, a sequence of events, one event beginning as the previous event is ending.  THIS IS NOT CORRECT.

For example, when a Tribulation Seal is broken, an event or a series of events occur and will last for certain periods of time.  Most events will continue until the “Consummation of the Age”. It is ONLY when you see the convergence of events of the first Five Tribulation Seals, that is when they are concurrent, will you know with certainty that we are at the precipice of the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal which marks the beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. It is at this time we will see what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:29 when He said, “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 BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect, (see footnote [x]), from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

It will be at this time that “The 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. 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, 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.”

The 144,000

And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. (Revelation 7:4)

The Multitude from the Tribulation

Revelation 7:9,  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.”

Secondly, the book of Revelation is not written in chronological order.  Description of events and timelines are repeated in various chapters and are not in a linear order.  For example, Revelation chapters six and seven tell us about the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal, cosmic disturbances, great earthquakes, the Rapture and the Sealing of the 144,000 thousand from the Tribes of Israel.  THEN, in Revelation chapters 12, 13 and 14 we read the details and outcomes of these events.

In other words, once a Tribulation event from the first Five Seals begins, it may continue for days, weeks, months,  years or decades.  Then, as a second or third event occurs, events may overlap and occur simultaneously.

Revelation 1:8, says, “I Am The Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come”.  This mean that ACCORDING TO BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY, WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED; AND IS NOW HAPPENING; AND IS YET TO (will continue to) HAPPEN.

It is only when the Sixth Seal is broken and the Seventieth Week of Daniel begins, do we know that the final Seven Years of Tribulation has begun.

(PS:  Here is what I consider a good example by pastor Martin Sondermann of Golgotha Fellowship, Nampa, Idaho, teaching eschatology when using current events: 

NEXT – Part 2:  THE PROPHECY –  The “Forewarning”, in 8 B.C.