Category: Tribulation

A TIMELINE AND CHRONOLOGY OF THE “LAST DAYS” – Simplified

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

A Timeline Chronolgy of the Last Days

Genesis to Revelation

A Chronology of the

TRADTIONAL DENOMINATIONAL TIMELINE OF THE “END OF DAYS”

– VS –

THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE – SIMPLIFIED.

It is important, as a Disciple of Jesus, to know where you are on God’s historical and prophetic Timeline so you will not panic, or faint from the faith as the End of Days come upon you We will explore what it means to you to ‘endure to the end to be saved’; what is required of you and what it means to be ready and how to prepare for these Last Day.

I will conclude with why these things must come to pass and why God plannned and ordained trials and tribulations since the time of creation which will culminate in a final Seven Years of Great Tribulation, ‘such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.‘.

This is the outline we will follow:

  1.   In the Beginning
  2.    Prophecy of things to come
  3.    Foreshadowing of things to com
  4.    Events missing in the Outline of the End Times
  5.    The tribulation’s days of distress begins
  6.    The Signs
  7.    The Events
  8.    The Eschatological Clock – The 5th Seal
  9.    Daniel’s 70th Week – The Great Tribulation – The 6th Seal
  10.  The Rapture of the Church – The 6th Seal- The Interlude- The 144,000- A Multitude from the Revelation
  11. The Wrath of the Lamb – Trumpet & Bowl JudgmentsThe Battle of Gog and Magog
  12. The Abomination of Desolation
  13.  The Battle of Armageddon
  14. The judgment of the nations
  15. The binding of Satan
  16. The Great White Throne Judgment
  17. The new creation.

Eschatology of the End Times –  Chronology 

  1.  In the Beginning – Prophecies of the coming New World Order.  God creates mankind, with a flaw.  Failure is planned; a Savior is provided; The Plan has begun.
  1.  The Tower of Babel– Then and Now.  Man rebels and reaches for the heavens.
  1.  The coming of Messiah.  The Messiah is foretold.
  1.  Prophetic warnings– 1st century AD.  No one is listening.
  1.  The Days of Distress of the tribulation.The End has begun.
  1.  The countdown – The first 4 Seals of the Days of Distress
  1.  The World Events of the Seals.  ONGOING.
  1.  The 5th Seal is broken. The Great Apostasy begins,the falling away from the faith,The Antichrist is revealed. After the church is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20)
  2. The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent;  The only things that mus yet happen are, (#1), the revealing of the anti-Christ, (#2), the Great Apostasy and, (#3), the breaking of the 6th Schroll Seal of the Tribulation.
  3.  The Breaking of the Sixth SealThe Great tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week begins. A period of seven years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation 6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time period. During the tribulationon earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).
  4. The Battle of Gog and Magog. In the first part of the tribulation, a great army from the north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel 38–39). (Some commentators place this battle just before the start of the tribulation.)
  5. The abomination of desolation. At the midway point of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation 12:17).
  6. The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). He saves Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nations fighting under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).
  7. The judgment of the nations. Christ will judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell.
  8. The binding of Satan. Satan will be bound and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).
  9. The Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Himself will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).
  10. The last battle. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. He will deceive the nations once again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord that will be quickly defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, never to reappear.
  11. The Great White Throne Judgment. All those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.
  12. The new creation. God completely remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him (Revelation 21–22).

There are multiple views of the chronology of the Biblical End Times.  I do not want to pursue or repeat what has already been written.  The following outline is a generally accepted chronology and is from the pre-tribulation view.

Almost every such outline or chronology of this sort, is the same.  They begin with the rapture of the church and go from there.  They usually ignore the prophecies about the coming End of Days, the events which foreshadow the coming Day of the Lord (a.k.a., End Times) and the most recent first century warnings which are leading up to the tribulation and the Great Tribulation periods.

I will use this outline, taken from Gotquestions.org – end times timeline, as my template and fill in the missing parts.

  1. IN THE BEGINNING

It is difficult to imagine that God planned the entirety of time.  We cannot go back far enough to discover when this began, because there is no beginning with God.  In so few words, such an incomprehensible statement:  “God has always existed”.

It is equally difficult to imagine “a world without end”, but God is eternal, even beyond “the new heavens and a new earth”.  (Revelation 12:1)

But, God has spoken to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, and in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  And it is by these ways that we can know.

  2. THE PROPHECIES

First, God has spoken to us through the prophets in various ways.  God’s warnings are warning of coming judgment for His people’s rebellions and disobedience.  God’s judgments followed His warnings, and each of these events, known as The Day of the Lord, are a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.  A time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation.  (Daniel 12:1)

The words and the imagery of the destruction during the great and Terrible Day of the Lord would be difficult for most to accept or to understand.

(The good news is that God’s people, everyone who is found written in the Book of Life, will be rescued.)

Here is are those prophecies:

Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the LORD is coming –a cruel day, with …

See, the day of the LORD is coming –a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger–
to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. …

Lamentations 2:22 “As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned …

… terrors on every side. In the day of the LORD’s anger no one escaped or survived;
those I cared for and reared my enemy has destroyed …

Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near– a …

For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near– a day
of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. …

Hosea 9:5 What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals …

… What will you do on a festival day, on the day of the LORD’s feast? …

Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it …

Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it
will come like destruction from the Almighty. …

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For …

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day
of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. …

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you …

….. Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why …

Obadiah 1:15 “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you …

….. The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As …

Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before …

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that
great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. …

Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of …

….. Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. …

Zephaniah 1:8 “On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish …

“On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and
the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. …

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near– near and coming …

….. The great day of the LORD is near– near and coming quickly. …

Zephaniah 2:2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes …

… the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the LORD’s
fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon …

Zechariah 14:1 A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your …

A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will
be plundered and divided up within your very walls. …

1 Thessalonians 5:2 for you know very well that the day of the …

for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. …

 

Each of these prophecies tell us what is past, what is present and what is yet to come.  This is important because in order to look forward, we must look back.  This is how prophecies work.

 3. FORESHADOWING OF THINGS TO COME

Besides the prophecies in the Old Testament, we can foreshadowing of what is to come.  It is as if we “see through a dark glass dimly”.

  1. Genesis 6– The Flood shows us God’s judgment on a global scale.  A catastrophe for mankind.  God judged the world because (Genesis 6:5) “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

2. Genesis 6  –   The Corruption of Mankind

– Building the Ark of their Salvation

3. Genesis 7  –   The Flood; purging, cleansing the earth of sin

4. Genesis 9  –   The Covenant; restoring

5. Daniel gives us a glimpse into our present and future.  We know this by looking back.  (the Book of Daniel chapters seven through 12)

6. Daniel 7 – Daniel’s vision of the 4 Beasts and a future Tribulation

7. The “Ancient of Days” – The Son of Man presented – The Vision Interpreted

8. Daniel 8 – Daniel’s vision of the Goat and the Ram

– The Little Horn

– The Vision Interpreted

10. Daniel 9 – Daniel’s Prayer for his people

11. Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

12. Daniel 11 – Conflicts to Come

13. Daniel 12 – The Time of The End

These are just two of many foreshadows of the coming Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

  1. *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come: from Gotquestions.org – end time timeline, as my template:
  2. *MISSING FROM THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES”of thing to come: The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him. (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the rapture happens.’
  3. *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come: Prior to the rapture of the church.  We are told by Jesus and some of the Apostles that the End of Days, also known as the “times of distress” had begun as early as AD 1, but more likely between AD 60 and AD 100.

(1).  Jesus called this period the LAST DAYS or the END OF THE AGE in Matthew 24:3-8.

(2). The Apostle Paul called this period the LAST DAYS in Hebrews 9:26.

(2). The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in Acts 2:14-17.

(3). The Apostle Paul called this period THESE LAST DAYS in Hebrews 1:1-2.

(4). The Apostle Timothy called this period the LAST DAYS in 2 Timothy 3:1.

(5)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 Peter 1:20.

(6)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 Peter 4:7.

(7)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 2 Peter 3:3.

(8)  The Apostle John called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 John 2:18

The Bible tells about the END OF DAYS and the Tribulation.  It is important to know that the Tribulation period actually is called by three prominent, although variant names:

(a)  The beginning of Sorrows, Birth Pangs, The End of The Age or the Last Days

(b)  The Tribulation also known as The End of Days

(c) The GREAT Tribulation also know as the Wrath of God or the Wrath of the Lamb.

The beginning of Sorrows, Birth Pangs The End of the Age or the Last days, begin with the opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between AD 60 and AD 100, and perhaps as early as AD1.  

 Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

 the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution,Anti-Christ, falling away

 We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of 6th Tribulation Seal . 

(4).  *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come:  The Denominational Outline says His Return is IMMINENT. BUT,

 1.  2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one in any way deceive you, for

    •  it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and
    •  the man of lawlessness is revealed,the son of destruction”

There are two events that must take place before the day of the Lord can come. First, the apostasy must come. Second, the man of lawlessness must be revealed.

2.  The rise of the Antichrist. After the church is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist. (Revelation 19:20).

3.  MISSING FROM “THE DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINE”:  

 First, as has already been stated from 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for

  • it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and
  • the man of lawlessness is revealed,the son of destruction”

There are two events that must take place before the day of the Lord can come. First, the apostasy must come. Second, the man of lawlessness must be revealed.

Secondly, a simple face value reading gives you a timeline.  That timeline is deliberately blurred by denominational bible teachers who have to make the Bible fit their doctrinal statement.  This can be confusing for the Christian Bible student and dangerous for those preparing in earnest.

4.  The tribulation. A period of seven years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation 6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time period. During the tribulation on earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).

5.  The Battle of Gog and Magog. In the first part of the tribulation, a great army from the north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel 38–39). (Some commentators place this battle just before the start of the tribulation.)

6.  The abomination of desolation. At the midway point of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation 12:17).

7.  The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). He saves Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nations fighting under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

8.  The judgment of the nations. Christ will judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell

 9.  The binding of Satan.Satan will be bound and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).

 10. The Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Himself will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).

 11. The last battle. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. He will deceive the nations once again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord that will be quickly defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, never to reappear.

 12. The Great White Throne Judgment. All those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.

 13. The new creation. God completely remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him. (Revelation 21–22)

Finally, here is a table showing the alignment of World History, an historical overview of Daniel’s 70 Weeks and a Biblical Historical outline:

Timeline of World History compared to Biblical Timeline of Daniels 70 Weeks

I know that this is a long read and study, but, (#1), it is important for you, as a Disciple of Jesus to know where you are on God’s Timeline so you will not ‘faint’ when all this comes upon you, (#2), what it means to you, (#3) what is required for you to be ready, and, (#4) what it means to be ready for what is at hand and (#5), how to prepare.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: 

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

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

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

“The Journey To Perfection”.

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THE RISE OF THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST – The response toward a compromised church

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

(This is a short panorama of the sudden rise of the Church of Jesus Christ, followed by the fall of the errant, compromised and false church and the rise of the Antichrist in these latter days.

Do not despair at what you are about to read. This is all part of God’s Glorious “Plan of Perfection”. We have an important part to play and we must fulfill our role. The End is nearer than you think. Rejoice!).

God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He purposed; from The Creation, through the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man to the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, the Exodus from Egypt, the possessing of The Promised Land, the Destruction of the First Temple and the Jewish Captivity in Babylon, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Destruction of the Second Temple, our steady march through time has been exactly as Bible prophecy has foretold.  We have entered an era leading to the destruction and, eventually, a rebirth of the heavens and the earth.

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

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

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

    THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION – A Preview

The advent and rise of Christianity were sudden, dramatic and explosive despite being birthed in a crucible of severe, violent and bloody persecution. (Despite the risks, the early Church did not, shrink back to destruction, but followed Jesus in faith and practice for they had faith for the safekeeping of the soul. See Hebrews 10:39)

What was it about early Christianity that led so many to sacrifice everything, including their lives, in order to become a follower and a disciple of Jesus?

It was both a promise and a hope. A promise of forgiveness of one’s failed and sinful past. A hope of a future worth living, now, and an eternity with God in heaven. The promise and hope were played out in people’s lives through demonstrable love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God within you. (The early Church knew this and practiced it; the postmodern church seems to have forgotten.)

The Christian community was becoming known for its generosity, its humility and its commitment to a quiet and humble lifestyle of faith. The Christian community selflessly cared for one another and for others, giving and expecting little in return. (This was the way of life for the early church; the postmodern church has forgotten and has become self-serving in many ways.)

The greatest criticism of Jesus and His Church, (the Christian Community), was who they ministered to and kept company with the sick and the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed and the outcast.  Jesus responded, saying “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (This was the model and the way of the early church; today, the practice of this teaching and example of Jesus is sporadic at best.)

Although the penalty for becoming a Christian in the early church was often a beating, stoning and death, the Church grew exponentially. The Church was a movement of God.

Then something tragic happened.

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

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

AD 1607 The Church reaches America.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Church debt in America soars; church foreclosures soar.

AD 1968 The church ordains homosexuals as clergy.

AD 1972 The United church of Christ ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2010 The Lutheran church ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2012 The Presbyterian church ordains homosexual clergy

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

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

AD 2020 The church is losing and has lost influence. The church in 2020 is losing members.

AD 2021 The church-at-large is teaching and living a different Gospel than that of the Apostles.

A new and revolutionary message known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been largely abandoned, and as Aristotle postulated, “nature (and the world) abhors a vacuum”.  This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics and are soon filled. The same could be said to be true about human nature.

The teaching and practices of Jesus and the Bible were abandoned or replaced by self-serving methods of commerce, entertainment, comfort or exploitation people felt betrayed and they dropped out or rebelled. A void had been created.

Now, that void is being filled. Enter, Critical Race Theory. WOKE ideologies. The Emergent Church. Transgenderism. LGBQT ‘rights’. BLM. Gender Neutral ideologies. The ‘new Marxism’. Abortions-on-demand. Euthanasia of the elderly.

The popular cry from Christians in the postmodern 21st century is to “put prayer back in schools” or to “return to the Bible”.  But until we, Christians, forsake sin and return to the ways and attitudes of Jesus, no outward practice will bring us a saving relationship with God; we are saved only by God’s grace, through obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

THE AGE OF APOSTASY IS WELL UNDER WAY

Matthew 24:3, records, “And as Jesus 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?” 

Then, in Matthew 24:4, Jesus recounts to His disciples, the breaking of the first four Tribulation Seals which had begun in or around A.D. 30 and would continue to intensify and overlap with one another and the 5th tribulation seal, until the arrival of The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (The 6th Tribulation Seal).

“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 they will mislead many people. Verse 6. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. Verse 7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Verse 8. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

It is urgent that “The Church”, that is the members of Christ’s Body, you and I, must turn away from the apostate church and surrender ourselves as bondservants of Jesus, in His service, as did the early Church. The time is short.

Jesus continues in Matthew 24: 9, describing a great persecution of the church, the great apostasy and the rise of false prophets and the spirit of antichrist. “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Verse 10. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Verse 11. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. Verse 12. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold”.

The point is that God will finish what He had started: The Perfecting of His Church, through purging, cleansing and purifying by way of the first half of the 7 yeare tribulation period (beginning with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.

Then comes judgment of all the earth, beginning with the 7th Trumpet Judgement. We need to be ready and understand what God is doing in these last days leading up to the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and the rapture of the Church.

Read Daniel 12:5-12,“Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream.  And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”  And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time (12 months), times (12 months), and half a time, (six months, or a total of 42 months = 3.5 years; the first half the 7 year tribulation period); and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”  And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for  allotted portion at the end of the age.” These are of Daniel’s 70 Weeks.

NOTES:  For clarification, please first read Daniel 9:27, “And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.”

The “seventy weeks” prophecy is one of the most significant and detailed Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. It is found in Daniel 9. The chapter begins with Daniel praying for Israel, acknowledging the nation’s sins against God and asking for God’s mercy. As Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him a vision of Israel’s future.

The Divisions of the 70 Weeks

In verse 24, Gabriel says, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city.” Almost all commentators agree that the seventy “sevens” should be understood as seventy “weeks” of years, in other words, a period of 490 years. These verses provide a sort of “clock” that gives an idea of when the Messiah would come and some of the events that would accompany His appearance.

The prophecy goes on to divide the 490 years into three smaller units: one of 49 years, one of 434 years, and one 7 years. The final “week” of 7 years is further divided in half. Verse 25 says, “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’” Seven “sevens” is 49 years, and sixty-two “sevens” is another 434 years:

49 years + 434 years = 483 years.

The Final Week of the 70 Weeks

Of the 70 “sevens,” 69 have been fulfilled in history. This leaves one more “seven” yet to be fulfilled. Most scholars believe that we are now living in a huge gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. The prophetic clock has been paused, as it were. The final “seven” of Daniel is what we usually call the tribulation period.

Daniel’s prophecy reveals some of the actions of the Antichrist, the “ruler who will come.” Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” However, “in the middle of the ‘seven,’ . . . he will set up an abomination that causes desolation” in the temple. Jesus warned of this event in Matthew 24:15. After the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel, a time of “great tribulation” begins (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).

From this we can find the answer to the question in Daniel 12, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” In the middle of the ‘one week’ which is equal to 3.5 years, the wonders of purging, cleansing and refining of His Church is completed, the abmonination of desolation will take place, and the begins the second 3.5 years of the Tribulation period when God will pour out His Wrath, cast Satan, the Beast and those not found in the Lamb’s book of life, into the eternal lake of fire.

The breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal will usher in the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s 70th Week. (See Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.

And Matthew 24:29-31, tells us, “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. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

It will be at the end of the Age that Jesus will have defeated the the Antichrist and the beast and cast them into the eternal lake of fire. God, then will create a new heaven and a new earth.  The walls will be jasper; and the city will be pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall will be decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone will be jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates will be twelve pearls; each one of the gates will be a single pearl. And the street of the city will be pure gold, like transparent glass.

There will be no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city will have no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God will illuminate it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:18-27).

Rather than pointing out the state of the church in this postmodern age, I am appealing to you to come out of the church lethargy that is so prevelant, and enter the ministry God has given you; discover and employ the Spiritual Gifts given you by the Holy Spirit.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

PERFECTION – Chapter 19 – The Bible Says

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

GOD SAYS – THE BIBLE SAYS

THE BIBLE IS ALSO WARNING US

Why is knowing the timing and sequence of a Biblical explanation of the tribulation period important in relation to a historical timeline. The answer is that it is because of historical events, both which have already occurred and those which are yet to take place,

(1), will be the direct results of Bible prophecy unfolding in this natural realm, and,

(2), we will have a physical historical timeline which we can identify, and finally,

(3), we will be greatly affected by these coming events and advanced knowledge of them and their approximate timing gives us the opportunity to respond as the Bible teaches so we can endure and survive these calamitous and catastrophic events.

Matthew chapter 24 and Revelations chapters 6 through 16 of The New Testament of the Bible, tells of a period of time known by various names such as “The Tribulation”, “The Last Days or the “Latter Days”, and warns and gives great details of a coming period of Great Tribulation, cataclysmic in its scope, both cosmic and terrestrial in nature, followed by “The End The Age”. (Also see Studylight.org; Also see Revelation 19-22).

This has been a great mystery throughout history. But it no long needs to be.  Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary (Pre-Wrath, Pre-tribulation):

Section A.1.

The Last Days began in our around AD 30 to AD 69 as confirmed by Jesus and several Apostles in Matthew 24, 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.

(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).

Finally, in this 21st century, there are a few prominent Bible teachers who are now arriving at this same conclusions (John Piper, and Corrie Ten Boom).

The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between AD 60 and AD 3000, and perhaps as early as AD1.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day. We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal .

Section A.2.

With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that 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. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)

Section A.3.

Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation.

Section A.4.

At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.

Section A.5.

At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.

Section A.6.

During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.

Section A.7.

During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.

Section A.8.

The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

Here is a more complete and detailed description of the Tribulation Timeline. Concern yourself with the first SIX SEALS.

Section B.1.

The ‘tribulation period of birth pangs‘ (Matthew 24:8 & Revelation 6) begins with the breaking of the 1st Tribulation Seal and continues through the 5th Tribulation Seal, during which time we will see the

    • Apostasy,
    • the great persecution of Christians,
    • the revealing of the man of perdition and
    • the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.

The 1st Seal of the tribulation was being broken just after the death and resurrection of Christ and the succeeding seals (Seals 2 – 5) have been broken at various periods of time since AD 30 and that we have now entered the time of the breaking 5th Tribulation Seal. Jesus refers to this period, the breaking of the tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE as “the beginning of the birth pangs”, and He points out that “this is not yet the end”.

Section B.2.

Then, with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal , THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD, THE GREAT TRIBULATION, BEGINS. (Matthew 24:29, & Revelation 6:12)

As witnessed by, Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from 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.” 

Section B.3.

The “7 years of Great Tribulation”, (also known as Daniel’s 70th week,) begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal, and, will reach the mid-point of the tribulation period, (after 3.5 years) with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet of the Great Tribulation.

Section B.4.

Then, the Great Tribulation will end with the pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Wrath.

– THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS LEAD TO THE END OF THE AGE –

The world has endured, and is enduring, the first 4 tribulation seals, and is now experiencing the beginning of the 5th tribulation seal.  Concern yourself with being ready before the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal and the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!

Here is a short outline comparing Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:

Revelation Ch. 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24

the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away

The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal is The BEGINNING OF the 7 years of “THE GREAT TRIBULATION” period.

The 6th Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun

  • Sealing of the 144,000
  • The Rapture
  • Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God

All of these things and this historic time had been recorded, in various books of the Bible and is foretold in great and frightening detail, particularly in the Book of Revelation. You simply need the “eyes to see” and “the ears to hear”.

THE ENTIRE EARTH IS GROANING (link).

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

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also, we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.   For in hope, we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” (Romans 8:19-25)

NEXT:  PERFECTION – Chapter 20 – Agenda 2030, The Socialist Utopia

PREVIOUS: PERFECTION – Chapter 18 – Science says ‘NO’

CONCURRENCE, Part 3

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

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 see“Has the Great Apostasy begun?”)

Verse 11.  And 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.

 

BEHOLD, I AM COMING QUICKLY

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

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 see“Has the Great Apostasy begun?”)

Verse 11.  And 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

Additional Reading:

THE END OF THE AGE?

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

 

Immediately After The Tribulation of Those Days – A Cosmic Storm

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

THERE IS A COSMIC STORM COMING

You and I need to be ready for what is at hand, because we are expected to endure to the end of our appointed time, then God will intervene and take us home.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I am certain that many theologians and Bible teachers are either underestimating the urgency of our mission and the severity of what is at hand or they really don’t know what to do.

Jesus is clear. The heavens and the earth are on a collision course and we are on a Mission. Most of the Church, however, is woefully unprepared.

God has never, ever, been happy with or gentle to those who shirk or draw back from the Mission. Even Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, when you do not do the things I have told you?  I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work lawlessness.”

Somehow, many preachers think the ‘End Times’, (more correctly, Last Days), won’t intensify until after the Church is raptured off the earth, (Pre-Tribulation rapture).  But, even the casual observer can see that many of the signs Jesus warned about are coming to pass, already and the Bible tells us that the judgments of God will intensify even more as He moves from the Seal Judgment to the Trumpet Judgments and then into the Bowl Judgments.

BUT LET ME BE CLEAR – BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR –  there will be an intensifying BEFORE the “rapture”.  And, you must be ready or you will pay a high price.

(Please note:  This is a long article, but, there are important and urgent links and videos later on this page. Also, to avoid confusion, I have put my commentary in parentheses and color coded them blue.)

Matthew 24:4 says, “And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

Verse 5.  “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.

(1) This can be someone literally saying ‘I am the Christ’, (2) but, it is more likely it will be someone who considers themselves as an emissary of Christ – such as ‘ordained pastors’ – who speak for Christ, but are blindly following denominational doctrine which are incorrect; or, (3) as we are clearly seeing, now, in our day, it is ‘institutional deception’, where entire denominations fall away from the clear teachings of Jesus and lead millions astray)

Verse 6. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

(There have been wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes since recorded history.  So, concerning the ‘End Times’, which wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes should we refer to?  These things must occur in conjunction with ALL THE SIGNS and WARNING from Jesus and the Bible

(And, don’t miss the little phrase, “but the end is not yet”, as verse eight will elaborate.)

Verse 8.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

(1) The phrase “the beginning of birth pangs” is a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē ōdin (ἀρχή ὠδίν). 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 AD 30.  Other references which confirm this date as spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy,  are found in :

(Also please see this teaching by Pastor and Teacher, John Piper on the timing of the End Times. This is an “Ah Ha” moment for Pastor Piper!).

Verse 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 see“Has the Great Apostasy begun?”)

Verse 11.  And 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 AD 30 through the current date; 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 WHO SUGGESTS OR SAYS THESE VERSES ARE SIMPLY METAPHORICAL 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?

RAPTURE REVEALED + 2022

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.

 

 

THE TAMING OF JESUS

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Jesus tells us that He came into this world to testify to the truth, (John 18:37), and for that ‘crime’, He was spit on, mocked, criticized, hunted down, condemned, beaten and murdered.

Jesus was and is, to this very day, a threat. He is a threat to false religions including Gnosticism. He is a threat to a rebellious, stubborn, perverted and unbelieving world. He is a threat to paganism to hedonism, to all forms of Marxism including Globalism. Jesus is a threat to all forms of illnesses,  diseases, sickness, poverty, loneliness and depression.

Greater yet, Jesus is the greatest Hope and Friend to the orphan, the widow, the oppressed, the lonely and the lost. He is The Merciful, Kind, Loving, Forgiving Savior offering His life to redeem a lost and perishing world.

Despite the fact that Jesus was a demonstrable threat to the rulers of this world, a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Gentile, His Church grew.

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

Matthew 16:18, says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. verse 19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” verse 20. Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ.”

Jesus said to “make disciples; collect no money except to make your journey.”

Although the penalty for becoming a Christian was often death. The Church grew exponentially, creating the greatest threat ever to the rulers of darkness and of this world. But then, in or around AD 49 something began to change.

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

The seeds of distortion were sown. Satan and the world knew they could not overcome Jesus directly, so the enemies of Christ appealed directly to the hearts and minds of sinful men with money, influence and power.

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

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

AD 1607.  The Church reaches America.

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

But that was not enough. There are those who doubted that Jesus’ ways and methods could fulfill His Great Commission, so they would stop and nothing to make the Gospel and Jesus more palatable, more entertaining, more sensual.

The Corporate Church continued to grow but it needed money. Money to support growth and expansion, which meant the Corporate Church needed more people.

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

The state sponsored 501(c)(3), ‘government leash’ was introduced and the Church willing submitted to this tether.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Church debt in America soars; church foreclosures soar.

THE GREAT FALLING AWAY HAS BEGUN: THE 5TH TRIBULATION SEAL?

AD 1968.  The church ordains homosexuals as clergy.

AD 1972.  The United church of Christ ordains homosexual clergy

AD 1992.  Agenda-21, the blueprint for the New World Order and a One World Government.

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

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

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

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

DON’T BE DECEIVED

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

THE TOWER OF BABEL REEMERGES – ONE WORLD?

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

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

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

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

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

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

AD 2010.  The Lutheran church ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2012.  The Presbyterian church ordains homosexual clergy

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

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

Millions of people (approximately 52 million) “attend church” in one of the 300,000+ churches in America, at least once a week each month. However, when people were asked the topic of the “sermon” they heard after 24 hours, only about 10 percent could tell you. When asked to cite the most important lesson they received, most just shrugged.

An estimated 1.2 million hours each week (1) are spent in sermon preparations; it takes about another 300,000 hours in delivery of these sermons (2) at a staggering potential cost of over $750 millions dollars nationally, each week (3). Yet, only 5% of those hearing these sermons, remember anything about them after 72 hours.

SCANDALS IN THE CHURCH

A quick Google search for scandals just in the ‘mega church’ shows 1,910,000 hits. Omit the words ‘mega church’ and you’ll get 39,200,000 hits. What is going on?

In order to save space here, I am giving you a link to an article “SHIPWRECKED – Enemies Within the Church”, detailing Satan’s invasion of and work within the postmodern church.

AD 2019.  The church is losing and has lost influence. In addition to church scandals, false teachings, drift and malaise, fueled and aided by the ‘Covid-19 pandemic’ the church in 2019 is losing members and adherents. Much of the church is teaching and living a different Gospel than that of the Apostles. (George Barna research; Pew Research). When confronted with their sins, the church erupts in finger pointing, denials and blame-placing rather than demonstrating a humble self-evaluation and repentance.

THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT EMERGES – 2022

AD 2020.  Agenda 2030, is the completion of Agenda-21. A One-World Socialist movement, grounded in Marxism, merging all nation’s governments and consolidating all forms of technologies, food production, healthcare systems, banking and financial systems, currencies and more.

The breadth, depth and complexity of this once-covert operation is breathtaking. This is dealt with in great detail by clicking THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT EMERGES – 2022.  The only matter standing in the way of the completion of Agenda 2030 and complete global control is Christianity and that final obstacle is being effectively neutralized and transformed into a New Age One World Church.

AD 2022.  THE ONE WORLD CHURCH EMERGES.

The foregoing photo has great eye appeal when trying to describe a New Age One World church. But it is just a pictural metaphor. The REAL THING, however, is this:

Abrahamic Family House

Introducing themselves as a “Human Fraternity”, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, issue and sign the Document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together”, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is jointly bestowed on His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb.

Their stated mission is “to inspire all people to live the values of human fraternity.” Their statement goes on to say that, “we believe the values of the Document on Human Fraternity are key to promoting peace on all levels: between individuals, organizations, nations, and even between humanity and the environment. As our increasingly fragmented world continues to suffer from extremism and intolerance, our innovative initiatives aim to put human fraternity values into action by inspiring leaders and empowering youth, women, and vulnerable communities, to pursue and realize a more peaceful future.”

Granted, on the surface, these are worthy sounding goals. Problems emerge when you realize the endemic differences between Christianity, Islam and the Judaism in matters of faith and God and how those matters are played out in daily life. Most will say those differences are irreconcilable.

Inspired by the meeting between His Holiness Pope Francis and Grand Imam Al-Tayeb, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, allocates a plot of land on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi to build an Abrahamic Family House – a concrete implementation and physical manifestation of the Document on Human Fraternity. These three religions will be represented in the construction this Abrahamic Family House, which is suggested be a ‘beacon of mutual understanding, harmonious coexistence, and peace among people of faith and goodwill’.

Three religions, Catholicism (1.2 billion), Islam, (1.9 billion), and Judaism, (15.2 million), are represented. What is glaringly absent is (non-Catholic) Christianity, (1.3 billion).

This cooperation or merger of religions is more than an a ‘document on human fraternity for world peace and living together’. This is a merging of three of the world’s most populous religions who, in one way or another, are historically in opposition to, or hostile to, the Superiority and Supremacy of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the World.

Catholicism clearly states supremacy and superiority lies within the Catholic Church. Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism are two different religions that practice and believe different things about how one is saved, the authority of the Bible, the priesthood of believers, the nature of man, the work of Christ on the cross, etc. The list of irreconcilable differences between what the Bible says and what the Roman Catholic Church says make any joint mission between the two impossible. Those who deny this are not being true to what they say they believe, no matter which side they are on. Any Catholic who is serious about his faith will reject what a serious evangelical Christian believes, and vice-versa.

Likewise, Judaism rejects Jesus as God and Savior or the world. Islam stands in opposition toward Christ and Christianity and advocates for the destruction and eradication of Israel.

Finally, this ‘Document of Human Fraternity’ is nothing more than the next step of the Ecumenical Councils, which began its work as early as AD 325, merging religions to establish a one world religion and church.

MECCA

It has begun. There are completed plans to merge government and religions into a One World system. This is a “must watch” twenty-seven-minute video by David Rosenthal of Zion’s Hope Ministries, titled “The Mystery of Babylon” which highlights and explains the rebuilding of Islam’s Mecca as a leading shipping port, entertainment center and the premier Muslim religious site in the world with the intention of drawing millions of young people to Mecca.

 THE TAMING OF JESUS?

If you were to visit most of the postmodern churches around America or the western world, you might wonder if you wandered into a religious night club or a media event. Tattooed preachers with the latest haircuts, hip jeans full of holes, giving elaborate speeches, accompanied by flashing lights, and a crowd swaying in time with adrenaline producing music.

Church leaders, production managers and CEO’s may have been tamed and transformed into the likeness of this world, but don’t be deceived. Jesus is untamed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!  He is returning soon, as the Lion of Judah, to collect His redeemed, to rapture His Church and to exact judgement on a wicked and rebellious world.

OUR RESPONSE?

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Gird up for War!

WHY DID JESUS COME 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.”  

  1. 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.”

  1. 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.”  

  1. 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.” 

  1. TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47 “If 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.”

  1. 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 16:21- 23, “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.”

We do not literally have an appointment with a crucifixion, but, the Bible is  clear in Galatians 5:24, that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” and again in Galatians 2:20, the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” which must be true for all who follow Jesus because we are on mission with Jesus. Our ‘old self’ must die so our new selves can follow and serve Him.

Jesus always, taught the Will of His Father, then, demonstrated what He taught. He expects us to do the same. Ephesians, chapter six, gives us a clear teaching and picture of the type of preparation and resolve we are to assume.

Ephesians 6:10-17, tells us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Stand, i.e., continue safe and sound, stand unharmed: Acts 26:22.

Stand ready or prepared: Ephesians 6:14. One who does not hesitate, does not waver, of one who vanquishes his adversaries and holds the ground, also of one who in the midst of the fight holds his position against the foe, to persist, continue, persevere: (so as not to fall from thy faith).

Jesus’ example of steadfast, unmovable courage which is our example and our command to be and to do the same:

CONFRONTING THE STORM

Mark 4:35-41, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

This is our model, our method and our calling in these last days!

CONFRONTING DEMONS

Luke 8:26-33 “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

“Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”

This is our model, our method and our calling in these last days!

CONFRONTING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

John 19:8-12  ”Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So, Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason, he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

This is our model, our method and our calling in these last days!

BEFORE THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT

Matthew 24:57-67, “Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on, two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;  what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him.”  

This is our model, our method and our calling in these last days!

Jesus did not draw back.  (He proceeded boldly to the Cross and secured our salvation!) We must not draw back. Jesus has all authority in heaven  and on the earth and is with us until the end!

Remember, Jesus came to earth for these stated reasons – and these same reasons are our method and our calling:

TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. We are to testify to the truth!

TO BRING A SWORD. We are to bring the sword of the Word of God!

TO FULFILL THE LAW. We are to fulfill the same law!

TO CALL SINNERS. We are to call sinners!

TO SAVE THE WORLD through Jesus. In a very real sense, this, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH. This, too, is our calling! The Word of God is a stumbling block to those who do not believe, dividing A  MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; (Matthew 10:35-36)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, this is not hyperbole, a philosophy or metaphor. Now is the time to gird ourselves up with the full armor of God and follow our Lord, the King of Kings into battle.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places and must be fought with Spiritual Armament!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

EZEKIEL’S PROPHECY – THE INVASION OF UKRAINE – God Will Strengthen

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“Russia invades Ukraine in Europe’s ‘darkest hours’ since World War II”

IS THIS THE SPARK?

Headline, Reuters:

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Feb 24 (Reuters) – “Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday in a massed assault by land, sea and air, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

“Missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders from Russia and Belarus, and landing on the coast from the Black and Azov seas.”

This headline could have read, “The forces of God and Magog invaded Scythia on Thursday in a massive assault by land in an apparent attempt to rebuild the empire.”

HEADLINE UPDATE:  Ukraine and Russia in prophecy – the beginning of the end?

Putin issues nuclear warning, as Russia’s assault on Ukraine hits second year. , Fox News,

With the nuclear card in his back pocket, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Russia will out-suffer and outlast its adversary as Friday marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ( Click here on HEADLINE UPDATE above)

The Book of Ezekiel is a prophecy about the end of days, filled with bizarre visions and puzzling revelations. There have been precursor events, foreshadowing events to the final fulfillment of this prophecy. There is much speculation about the meaning and the fulfillment of the words of Ezekiel, but there has never, in all of history, been a convergence and a concurrence of  both historical and prophetic events as we see them now.

Is this the early preparation for the final dramatic act of The End of the Age?

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 38:1, “Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, verse 2, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, verse 3, and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Verse 4. So I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great contingent with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords; Verse 5. Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; Verse 6. Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops, many peoples with you.”

Theme

Ezekiel the priest, assures his fellow Jews, through this prophecy, that God will one day return them to Jerusalem and restore the temple. The Jews were restored to Israel in 1948. The temple is yet to be rebuilt, but that day is drawing near.

Beneath the surface and you’ll find timeless lessons about God and his relationship with you: He’d rather forgive you than judge you. He remains faithful even if you don’t. He can use anything—even something bad—to accomplish his greater good. Ezekiel wrote this book to the Israelites living in exile. They needed to know that the God of Israel was God even in pagan Babylon. Ezekiel warned the people that their idolatry would be judged. Later, after Jerusalem’s destruction, he wrote to encourage them that God would bring them back to Judah and Jerusalem. (excerpt from Biblegateway.com).

Author:  Ezekiel

Timeline:  Between 593–571 BC.

Genre:  Allegory; Autobiography; Narrative; Oracles; Poetry; Prophecy

Origina Language:  Hebrew

Audience: Jews who were taken captive to Babylonia in 597 BC.

WHO ARE THE ‘PLAYERS’?

Gog – Gog and Magog appear in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10, Magog is a man and eponymous ancestor of a nation, but no Gog is mentioned; and centuries later Jewish tradition changed Ezekiel’s “Gog from Magog” into “Gog and Magog”.

The Gog prophecy is meant to be fulfilled at the approach of what is called the “end of days“, but not necessarily the end of the world. Jewish eschatology viewed Gog and Magog as enemies to be defeated by the Messiah, which would usher in the age of the Messiah. Christianity‘s interpretation is more starkly apocalyptic: making Gog and Magog, here indicating nations rather than individuals,[3] allies of Satan against God at the end of the millennium, as described in the Book of Revelation. (From Wikipedia).

Meshech, Tubal:  Meshech (also spelled Meshek) and Tubal were sons of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah who survived the flood with him (Genesis 10:1–2). Meshech (whose name means “long, tall, or drawn out by force”) is the sixth son of Japheth. The land of Meshech is closely associated with that of Tubal, especially in a prophecy of Ezekiel. The region of Meshech is often identified as being north of the Black Sea (southern Russia and Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia), and Tubal as an area in central Turkey.

The land of Meshech is used in Psalm 120:5 as a generic reference to barbarous regions where “those who hate peace” live (verse 6). The lands where Meshech’s and Tubal’s descendants settled figure significantly in some prophecies of Ezekiel, and it is in that book where they are mentioned most. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, Meshech and Tubal are ruled by Gog, a prince over those territories: “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”’” (Ezekiel 38:1–3). Ezekiel repeats God’s words of judgment against the descendants of the two sons of Japheth when he prophesies that God will defeat them in a war against Israel (Ezekiel 39:1–5).

Many biblical scholars equate the land of Gog in Ezekiel’s prophecies with Russia, who will attack Israel “from the far north” (Ezekiel 38:15). Meshech and Tubal could be two of the “many nations” joining Russia in their invasion of Israel (verse 6).

The advance of the alliance involving Meshech and Tubal will be like “a cloud covering the land” (Ezekiel 38:9). Some commentators believe this war, often called the Battle of Gog and Magog, will be one of the events leading up to the end-times’ tribulation. Others believe it will occur close to the midpoint of the tribulation, since Israel will feel secure at the time, “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (verse 11).

God will defeat this powerful alliance (Ezekiel 38:22) to reveal His greatness to all the world (verse 23) and restore the people of Israel to a right relationship with Himself (Ezekiel 39:21–29). Meshech and Tubal, despite the strength of their numbers and help of their allies, will fall. (GotQuestions.org)

Cush: The Kingdom of Kush; Assyrian: was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt.

Put – Phut or Put is the third son of Ham (one of the sons of Noah), in the biblical Table of Nations (Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8). The name Put (or Phut) is used in the Bible for Ancient Libya, but a few scholars proposed the Land of Punt known from Ancient Egyptian annals.

Gomer: The Hebrew name Gomer refers to the Cimmerians, who dwelt in what is now southern Russia, “beyond the Caucusus”, and attacked Assyria in the late 7th century BC.

Beth-togarmah: Togarmah is a figure in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10, the list of descendants of Noah that represents the peoples known to the ancient Hebrews. Togarmah is among the descendants of Japheth and is thought to represent some people located in Anatolia. Medieval sources claimed that Togarmah was the legendary ancestor of several peoples of the Caucasus -including Armenians and Georgians.

The Prophecy against Gog – Future Invaders Destroyed

Ezekiel 39:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; verse 2, and I will turn you around, lead you on a rope, take you up from the remotest parts of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Verse 3. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows fall from your right hand. Verse 4. You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and animal of the field. Verse 5. You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the Lord GOD. Verse 6. “And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD.

Verse 7. “And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not allow My holy name to be profaned anymore. But the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Verse 8. Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord GOD. “That is the day of which I have spoken.

Verse 9. “Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both bucklers and shields, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them. Verse 10. They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoils of those who plundered them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,” declares the Lord GOD.

Verse 11. “On that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block the way of those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-gog. Verse 12. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. Verse 13. And all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I appear in My glory,” declares the Lord GOD. Verse 14. “They will also select men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will conduct a search. Verse 15. As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a human bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the burial detail has buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. Verse 16. And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.”’

Verse 17.“Now as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Say to every kind of bird and to every animal of the field: “Assemble and come, gather from every direction to My sacrifice, which I am going to sacrifice for you as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel; and you will eat flesh and drink blood. Verse 18. You will eat the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the leaders of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened livestock of Bashan. Verse 19. So you will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk,  from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Verse 20. You will eat your fill at My table with horses and charioteers, with warriors and all the men of war,” declares the Lord GOD.

Verse 21. “And I will place My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. Verse 22. And the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God, from that day onward. Verse 23. The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their wrongdoing, because they were disloyal to Me, and I hid My face from them; so I handed them over to their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. Verse 24. In accordance with their uncleanness and their offenses I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.”’”

Future Israel Restored

Verse 25. Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on all the house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. Verse 26. They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. Verse 27. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall show Myself holy through them in the sight of the many nations. Verse 28. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then I gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. Verse 29. I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.

NOT YET THE END

Ezekiel was written between 593–571 B.C., about 2,600 years ago and refers to a climatic battle between God and the forces of evil, as recorded in the book of Revelation. The word, “Armageddon” ultimately comes from the Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo,” the predicted location of the battle.

the Battle of Armageddon will be a real battle in the future, near the end of the tribulation. Demonic influences will cause the kings of the earth to gather their armies for an all-out assault on Jerusalem. The Antichrist will be leading the charge (Revelation 16:13–16). Jesus Christ will return to earth with the armies of heaven (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:14); His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4); He will defeat the forces of evil (Revelation 19:15–16); He will cast the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20); He will bind Satan; and He will set up His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–6). At Armageddon the Lord Jesus Christ “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:19), and all things will be made right.

The placement of the future and final battle of Armageddon, as foretold in the book of Ezekiel and as described in greater detail in the 16th chapter of the Book of the Revelation, will occur after the pouring out of the 7th Tribulation Bowl of Wrath – at the end of the Great Tribulation period.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?

We are now, by all accounts and appearances, experiencing the breaking of the 5th Tribulation Seal.

1. There are those who will be martyred during this 5th Seal. (Revelation 6:9-11)

2. The Day of The Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

3. The Day of The Lord will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed and he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

We are on the precipice of the 6th Triblation Seal. We will mericifully be taken from the earth at or before the end of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and before the breaking of the 7th Tribulation seal.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

First, you must be prepared for what is upon you. It is my desire to keep this short and to the point:

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Secondly, you can take heart. The Lord Jesus will take His Own from the earth to dwell with Him in His Father’s House.  He will wipe away every tear from your eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Here is an excellent video teaching on the History of Ukraine and Russia and Eastern Europe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia:

More Important Prohetic Events:

WHEN DOES THE 7 YEARS OF GREAT TRIBULATION BEGIN?

WHEN DID THE TRIBULATION BEGIN?

THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION

IT IS TIME TO GRID UP

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(You can listen to this by audio and pause the audio to follow important page links for greater detail on this teaching; then, resume the audio when you are ready. Please note that I use page links in lieu of footnotes and references.)

An Urgent Message of Hope and Encouragement

GIRD UP – (From Strong’s Bible Concordance): encompass, equip, prepare for confrontation or for war, as in to gird oneself “tighten the belt and tuck up loose garments to free the body in preparation for a task or journey.” To jeer at.

Our world is quickly descending into a dark and evil chaos; the call for wars and rumors of wars is escalating and the ability to wage devastating and destructive wars and to end all life on earth has never been greater. There is an increase in earthquakes, famines and diseases. Evil is being called as good, and good evil; We substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; We substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! We have become wise in our own eyes and clever in our own sight! And, it is not just the world-at-large, but the postmodern church has fallen into a great and terrible state of apostasy.

God told Job, in response  his lament, “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.” (This was God-sized sarcasm at its best.)

Job had begun to listen to his wife and friends assessment of his maladies, diseases and torment. They said his situation was his own fault because of something he had done wrong. They said God was angry with him. They were wrong on so many levels.

Can the same be said about the Christian Church at large? Have we been listening to the “religious-know-it-alls”, and the hirelings, for much too long now, these religious people ‘who tithe mint and dill and cummin but neglect the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness’?  Have they influenced our thinking so that we too are complaining, finding our own reasons for suffering under a greater spiritual malaise? Have we allowed ourselves to become self indulgent, self righteous and lazy toward the things of God, taking on a form of Godliness which lacks power?

Job had begun to obsess over the possibility that his children had sinned and cursed God, ‘so Job did continually’! This gave Satan an open door into Job’s life. Have we, like Job, become overly zealous with instructing God, thereby opened a door for Satan into our lives?

Are we living in fear, obsessing and telling God about the sins of others, about what we need to happen rather than humbling ourselves, and praying and seeking God, turning from our wicked ways, so God will hear from heaven, and will forgive our sin and heal our land?

Soon after considering his error, Job lamented that “the very thing I have feared has come upon me”. (Job 3:25). Are we so different?

Is it past the time that we should have humbled ourselves and sought the face of God?

THE REMNANT

The Bible speaks of a remnant of God, being raised up at the right time in the closing days of this age. A foreshadowing of this was Noah and his family when were the remnant saved out of the millions on the earth before the flood (Genesis 6). There was also Lot and his two daughters survived the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a very small remnant, indeed (Genesis 19). When Elijah despaired that he was the only one left in Israel who had not bowed down to idols, God assured him that He had reserved a remnant of 7,000 “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19).

Is it now time for the remnant of God to arise once again. Is it time for us to gird ourselves for war?

Is God now saying to us, as He told Job, as a response to our lament, “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.”

If so, this time it is not sarcasm. It is our time.

HIS GLORIOUS RETURN – THE END OF THIS AGE

Matthew chapter 24 records Jesus telling His disciples then and now, of the sign of His coming, and of the end of the age. Jesus’ narrative throws back to the tribulations of the world between AD 1 and AD 69 and gives a panorama of the coming tribulation, concluding with these verses in Matthew 24:29-31:

“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. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

To repeat, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

The breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal marks the rapture of the Church, the beginning of the 7 years of the Great Tribulation and the outpouring of the Wrath of the Lamb, at which time our task on earth is completed.

Revelation 7:1-13, 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. 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:

“from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.”

A Multitude from the Tribulation

“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; and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

“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, saying,

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

“Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 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. 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. They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; 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.”

A NEW SONG – THE TRIBULATION SCROLLS ARE BROKEN

Revelation 5:9-14, proclaims, ”And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”

“Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.”

“And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.”

And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.”

THE ARMIES WHICH ARE IN HEAVEN

 Revelation 19:11-21, says, ”And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 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. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, “Come, assemble for the great feast of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great.”

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army.”

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

“And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

Take comfort. Be at peace. It is finished.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Pre-Wrath-Pre-Trib-Rapture

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

At the end of this page, is a collection of videos on the Last Days from a Pre-Wrath-tribulation view, the rapture and a chronological look at eschatological history.

What is the Pre-Wrath (Tribulation) Rapture?

The Pre-wrath-tribulation Rapture is the clearest explanation, by Jesus, of the coming Day of the Lord and the rapture. The Bible says, in plain language, that the rapture will occur after or during the 6th tribulation seal. This view holds that the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) or a Great Distress (Luke21:23) begins during the 6th seal, being Daniel’s 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. This is not a “mid-tribulation view” because it occurs after or during the 6th Seal, but, well before the three and one-half year mark of the Great Tribulation. Again, this period is defined, in the Bible, as the Great Tribulation or the time of Great Distress as opposed to “the tribulation”.

References from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are used as evidence of the coming of Christ to “deliver the righteous” by means of the rapture, which will occur after specific events in Revelation, in particular after or during the breaking of the Sixth Seal when the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood.

By this point – the breaking of the 6th Seal – many Christians will have been slaughtered as martyrs by the Antichrist, with many more to come.

After the rapture, God’s wrath of trumpets and bowls will come. The Day of the Lord’s wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of seven years (the 6th and 7th Seal, the 7 Trumpet judgments and the 7 Bowl judgments).

Here are 4 important differences:

(1) The Pre-tribulation view says the final 7 years of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks will commence with the breaking of the first Seal of the Tribulation and will conclude 7 years later with the pouring out of the 7th and final Bowl of God’s Wrath.

But, the Bible clearly teaches that the final 7 years of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks will commence with the breaking of the Sixth Seal of the Tribulation. The first Seal of the Tribulation was broken in or around AD 1 as confirmed by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:14-21 , and the successive Seals 2 through 5 have been opened at various times over the last 2,019 years, with the 5th Seal being the most recent. The Day of the Lord is near, very near.

(2) The Pre-tribulation view is leading many people to believe that Jesus will come and “gather His elect”, then re-return to rapture His Church in secret.

But, the Bible is clear, Jesus will come and gather His elect in plain view, in the heavens, and continue to defeat the armies of antichrist.

(3) Theologians and Bible teachers who hold the Pre-tribulation view argue that some will be saved during the tribulation period.  This may be so, but, none will be saved after the Sixth Trumpet Judgment.

Revelation 9:20-21, says “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 16:8-9, also says, “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent to give Him glory.”

And, Revelation16:10  says, “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”

This dispute arises from the problem with timing of the Pre-tribulation view. Although no one know the day or the hour, we are told we can know the seasons. It is true that there will be those who are saved during the seasons of the first 6 Seals of the tribulation – because the Rapture will not have occurred and will not occur until the after or during the breaking of the 6th Seal.

Again, after the Sixth Trumpet Judgment, during this outpouring of The Wrath of the Lamb, none will be saved. (see Revelation 9:20-21 and Revelation 16:9-11 )

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

  • It matters because being ready for His Return is proof of True Christianity, and only a True Believer in Christ will be guaranteed to join Christ at the sound of His Great Trumpet call and escape the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.
  • It matters because being ready requires believing and doing what He has instructed us to do in preparation for His return.
  • It matters because He has warned that “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
  • It matters because many Christians are sitting idly waiting for an event that has already begun, and they are not DOING what He told them to do and therefore are in grave danger.
  • It matters because some of our family, friends and neighbors are completely unaware or just don’t believe that Christ will return and God’s final judgments will sentence them to outer darkness.
  • It matters because, as Christians, our faith, our convictions and our behavior are speaking louder than our words.

This is important to know because: (#1), you, as a Disciple of Jesus, need to know where you are on God’s Timeline, (#2), what it means to you, (#3) what is required for you to be ready, and, (#4) what it means to be ready for what is at hand and (#5), how to prepare.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

The Zion’s Hope videos are in a series, with more to come.  (The date of this posting is 10/29/2021).

You can view all of Zion’s Hope’s material, teachings and videos at Zion’s Hope‘s website.

Following this video are a series of videos of greater detail on these matters:

You can view all the Fuel Project‘s videos at their website.

May God give you wisdom and understanding on these matters as we prepare for His Return and the consummation of the age.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Pastor-Teacher John Piper’s views on the placement of the “Last Days”

This full-length feature can also be viewed at “7 Pre-trib Problems”

 

A COSMIC STORM IS COMING

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

Be ready for what is at hand, because we are expected to endure to the end of our appointed time, then God will intervene and take us home.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I have admired and listened to Dr. David Jeremiah for 35 years.  Over the last 14 years, however, I have not agreed with his view of Bible eschatology.  I listened to a recent message by Dr. Jeremiah, on his website, title, “Where do we go from here?”  In that message he gave 3 points on HOW we are to respond to the troubles in these Last Days:

#1. Worship the Glorified Christ – the more you worship, the less you worry

#2. Embrace your Global Mission – We have a mission that is global.  Take the Gospel to the entire globe.

#3. Anticipate your glorious Hope – Never fear.  He is coming back to establish His eternal Kingdom.

(Oh.  And, yes.  #4. Buy his books.)

So, this is the answer of “Where we go from here”?

(1) We stare skyward, worship, embrace evangelism and anticipate Jesus’ return.  Let’s get honest, here.

(2) We sit in church. We do that pretty well.

(3) We worship.  We do that OK, probably once or twice a week for about 15 minutes each time.

(4)  We evangelize the world.  We are not doing to good at that one.  We actually ‘give, because we can’t or won’t GO’.  We tend to stay separate from the world and leave this one up to the ‘professionals’.

(5)  We are really good at anticipating Jesus’ return, because most Christians just ‘stare skyward’, but, honestly, we do very little more than that.

So, I guess what Dr. Jeremiah is saying is nothing new for the 20th and 21st centuries.  But, he is not alone in this type of teaching and assessment.  (Could this may be reason the church and church attendance is in decline?)

I get the feeling that most ‘religious leaders’ are concerned, but, really don’t know what to do beyond what they have listed (and, for certain, those are good things.

LET’S BE CLEAR:  Jesus has sent us on His Mission.  And, God has never, ever, been gentle to those who shirk or draw back from the Mission. Even Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, when you do not do the things I have told you?  I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work lawlessness.”

Somehow, most preachers think the ‘End Times’ (more correctly, Last Days), will NOT intensify until the Church is raptured off the earth.

BUT LET ME BE CLEAR – BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR –  there will be an intensifying BEFORE the “rapture”.  And, you must be ready or you will pay a high price.

(Please note:  The following Bible verses on this matter are in red text , and my commentaries are in parentheses and are color coded blue)

Matthew 24:4 says, “And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

(this includes misinformed pastors, preachers, bible teachers)

Verse 5.  “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.

(1) this can be someone literally saying ‘I am the Christ’, (2) but, it is more likely it will be someone who considers themselves as an emissary of Christ – such as ‘ordained pastors’ – who speak for Christ, but are blindly following denominational doctrine which are incorrect; or, (3) as we are clearly seeing, now, in our day, it is ‘institutional deception’, where entire denominations fall away from the clear teachings of Jesus and lead millions astray.

Verse 6.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. Verse 7.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 

There have been wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes since recorded history.  So, concerning the ‘End Times’, which wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes should we refer to?  These things must occur in conjunction with ALL THE SIGNS and WARNING from Jesus and the Bible.

And, don’t miss the little phrase, “but the end is not yet”, as verse eight will elaborate.

Verse 8.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

The phrase “the beginning of birth pangs” is a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē ōdin (ἀρχή ὠδίν). 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 (the preceeding 3 paragraphs were taken from the “Daniel Training Network”.)

This makes clear that the Last Days and the opening of the tribulation Seals began in our around AD 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. 

…spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy.

Verse 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 A.D. 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 see “Has the Great Apostasy begun?”.

Verses 11-14.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

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 AD 30 through the current date; 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 WHO SUGGESTS OR SAYS THESE VERSES ARE SIMPLY METAPHORICAL 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.

What I have described 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.

 Listen, 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 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.                                                                                                                              

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

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE READY

Although, the things I have listed below will not ‘save you’, they are some things we should consider 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 knowing 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 and 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:  WHY IS NO ONE LISTENING?

PREVIOUSLY:  A CORD THRICE BRAIDED

Immediately After the Tribulation of Those Days, the Sun will be Darkened.

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THERE IS A COSMIC STORM COMING

You and I need to be ready for what is at hand, because we are expected to endure to the end of our appointed time, then God will intervene and take us home.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I have admired and listened to Dr. David Jeremiah for 35 years.  Over the last 14 years, however, I have not agreed with his view of Bible eschatology.  I listened to a recent message by Dr. Jeremiah, on his website, titled, “Where do we go from here?”  In that message he gave 3 points on HOW we are to respond to the troubles in these Last Days:

#1. Worship the Glorified Christ – the more you worship, the less you worry

#2. Embrace your Global Mission – We have a mission that is global.  Take the Gospel to the entire globe.

#3. Anticipate your glorious Hope – Never fear.  He is coming back to establish His eternal Kingdom.

(Oh.  And, yes.  #4. Buy his books.)

So, this is the answer of “Where we go from here”?

(1) We stare skyward, worship, embrace evangelism and anticipate Jesus’ return.  Let’s get honest, here.

(2) We sit. We do that pretty well.

(3) We worship.  We do that OK, probably once or twice a week for about 15 minutes each time.

(4)  We evangelize the world.  We are not doing too good at that one.  We actually ‘give, because we can’t or won’t GO’.  We tend to stay separate from the world and leave this one up to the ‘professionals’.

(5)  We are really good at anticipating Jesus’ return, because most Christians just ‘stare skyward’, but do very little more than that.

So, I guess what Dr. Jeremiah is saying is nothing new for the 20th and 21st centuries.  But, he is not alone in this type of teaching and assessment.  (Could this be reason the church and church attendance is in decline?

The pastor of a church we used to attend, is preaching on these same matters.  His advice is the same. (1) When are the end times?  “Near (1 Peter 4)” (However, If you read Acts 2:14-21 you will see it is NOW, not near)   What are we to do?  (1) Thrive  (2)  Love  (3)  Worship, etc.  All good things.

But, I am certain that they are either underestimating the urgency of our mission and the severity of what is at hand or they really don’t know what to do beyond what they have listed (and, for certain, those are good things).

However, we are on a Mission.  And, God has never, ever, been gentle to those who shirk or draw back from the Mission. Even Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, when you do not do the things I have told you?  I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work lawlessness.”

Somehow, these preachers think the ‘End Times’, (more correctly, Last Days), won’t intensify until the Church is raptured off the earth.  It is true that the Judgments of God will intensify as He moves from the Seal Judgment to the Trumpet Judgments and then into the Bowl Judgments.

BUT LET ME BE CLEAR – BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR –  there will be an intensifying BEFORE the “rapture”.  And, you must be ready or you will pay a high price.

(Please note:  my commentary on the following Bible verses are in parentheses and color coded blue)

Matthew 24:4 says, “And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

(this includes misinformed pastors, preachers, bible teachers)

Verse 5.  “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.

( (1) This can be someone literally saying ‘I am the Christ’, (2) but, it is more likely it will be someone who considers themselves as an emissary of Christ – such as ‘ordained pastors’ – who speak for Christ, but are blindly following denominational doctrine which are incorrect; or, (3) as we are clearly seeing, now, in our day, it is ‘institutional deception’, where entire denominations fall away from the clear teachings of Jesus and lead millions astray)

Verse 6.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 

(There have been wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes since recorded history.  So, concerning the ‘End Times’, which wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes should we refer to?  These things must occur in conjunction with ALL THE SIGNS and WARNING from Jesus and the Bible

(And, don’t miss the little phrase, “but the end is not yet”, as verse eight will elaborate.)

Verse 8.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

((1) The phrase “the beginning of birth pangs” is a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē ōdin (ἀρχή ὠδίν). 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 (the preceeding 3 paragraphs were taken from the “Daniel Training Network”)

This makes clear that the Last Days and the opening of the tribulation Seals began in our around AD 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).

Verse 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 see “Has the Great Apostasy begun?”)

Verse 11.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 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 AD 30 through the current date; 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 WHO SUGGESTS OR SAYS THESE VERSES ARE SIMPLY METAPHORICAL 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.

What I have described is 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.

 Listen, 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 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

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.

 

THE TRIBULATION Made EZ – A quick study we must know about

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

easy.jpg

THE TRIBULATION AND RAPTURE MADE EASY TO UNDERSTAND

“Yeah. Right!”, you say. But, it can be understood. And it is in our best interest to understand. But, we have to get our priorities and chronologies right, first.

For example:

Unless you have received Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, you do not have the capacity to understand what follows. Once your surrender your life to Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will indwell you and will reveal all Truth to you and will guide you in that Truth. Receive Him, today – Now is the time.

(Please, click on each of these images before proceeding)

              

FIRST, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHY God will bring plagues and terror to the earth, also known as “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”, which is the End of Days.

SECONDLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHEN these things will come upon us.

THIRDLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know HOW God will bring about The End of Days, IN THIS ORDER.

FOURTHLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

The Condensed Version

WHY? The wickedness of people has become great on the earth

WHEN? When these things are evident throughout the earth

1. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

2. 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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. )

3. In various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Matthew 24:8.  But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.)

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

5. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.)

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

HOW? And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. But, there will be a shattering the power of the holy people and a purging, a cleansing and a refining of God’s people.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME? The Bible warns us that “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 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, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Of that day, no one knows the day or the hour, but if you did know, would you be ready?

“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left … the Master will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut the unfaithful into pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(What does it mean to be ready? Go here What does it mean to get ready)

The Expanded, yet condensed version

WHY are these things to happen?

The First example of WHY, can be found from THE GREAT FLOOD: Genesis 6:5 tells us, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Verse 6.  “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Verse 7.  “The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

So, it is because of the wickedness, the sin, of man on the earth, a global phenomenon.

WHEN are these things to happen?

The Bible tells us that we cannot know “the day or the hour” and that God alone knows the day and hour of the Great Tribulation and the End of Days. But, we can know the season.

Understanding the “When” of tribulation can be complex and confusing. So, let’s suffice it to say that the tribulation has begun when these things happen:

1. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

2. 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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. )

3. In various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Matthew 24:8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.)

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

5. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.)

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

Review history, since AD 1, and you can see that all of the aforementioned events as described in the book of Revelation, have occurred.

The final week of “Daniel’s 70 weeks” which will last 7 years, will begin with the “breaking of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation” and will signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the Rapture has occurred.

7. 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 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.

Revelation 6:12 tells us, “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; 13and 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?”

HOW are these things to happen?

1. There will be a time of distress (* ‘How long?’ described below)

Daniel 12:1 tells us, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. verse 2. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. verse 3. “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. verse 4. “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

verse 5, Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. verse 6. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” verse 7. I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. verse 8. As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” verse 9. He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

2. Many will be purged, purified and refined

Daniel 12:10, “Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”

Tribulation Judgments lead to the End of the Age (Concern yourself with the first 6 Seals):

  1. 1st Tribulation Seal – International (Global) conquest and political intrigue (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  2. 2nd Tribulation Seal – Wars and Rumors of War (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  3. 3rd Tribulation Seal – Famine (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  4. 4th Tribulation Seal – Death (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  5. 5th Tribulation Seal – Martyrs, persecution, falling away – the great apostasy (has begun – in process)
  6. 6th Tribulation Seal – Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun, terror, calamity (yet to occur)
    1. Sealing of the 144,000
    2. The Rapture
    3. Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God                      

(For greater detail When does the tribulation begin – page 3 )

7. 7th Tribulation Seal – The announcement of the 7 Trumpet Judgments

8. 1st Trumpet Judgment –Revelation 8:7 says, “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

9. Verse 8. “The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, vesrse 9.  and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10. Verse 10.  “The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. verse 11. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

11,  Verse 12. “The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

12.  Revelation 9:1, says, “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. verse 2.  He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. verse 3. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. verse 4. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

13.  Revelation 9::13 “Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, verse 14. one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” verse 15. And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. verse 16. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

14.  Verse 20. “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

15.  Revelation 11:15. “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” verse 16. And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, verse 17. saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. verse 18. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” verse 19. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

16.  Revelation 16:2says, “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

17.  Verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.

18.  Verse 4. “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. verse 5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; verse 6. for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” verse 7. And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

19.  Verse 8. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. verse 9. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

20.  Verse 10. “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, verse 11. and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

21.  Verse 12. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. verse 13. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; verse 14. for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. verse 15. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) verse 16. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

22.  Verse 17. “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” verse 18. And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. verse 19. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. verse 20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. verse 21. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”

“How Long?” – This is very complex and confusing for almost every reader. This is meant to be a footnote: There will be 1,290 days of desolation.

Daniel 12:11 , “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. verse 12. “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13“But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

(Both of these prophecies deal with specific time periods associated with the seven-year tribulation. the tribulation begins with the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, intended to be for one “seven,” that is, a set of seven years. But the “seven” is divided into halves: midway through the seven years, the Antichrist breaks the treaty and sets up in the temple a sacrilegious object (the “abomination that causes desolation”). The phrase “in the middle” indicates that the first half of the tribulation lasts for 3½ years (1,260 days, using a “prophetic year” of 360 days). Likewise, the second half of the tribulation lasts another 1,260 days (another 3½ years), for a total of seven years.

he 1,260 days of the second half of the tribulation begins as the Antichrist breaks the treaty, occupies the third Jewish temple, and sets up a profane and sacrilegious object of worship. This 1,260-day period ends when the Antichrist is defeated at the battle of Armageddon upon Jesus’ return to earth. At that time, the tribulation will be at an end.

In summary, here is the timeline as we see it:

• Sometime after the rapture of the church, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation.
• At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.
• At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.
• During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt and the earth is restored.
• During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.
• The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

HOW (continued)

2 Peter 3:7 says, “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

(verse 8. “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. verse 9. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.)

Verse 10.  “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Verse 11. “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, verse 12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! verse 13. But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

The New Heaven and Earth

Revelation 21:1, says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. verse verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a]dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, verse 4. and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Verse 5.  “And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”  verse 6. Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. verse 7. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. verse 8. But for the cowardly and [d]unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and [e]brimstone, which is the second death.”

Read this page link in its entirety and discover the goal or the end-game of the forces of the Anti-christ and the Beast: When will the Tribulation Begin – page 3

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Let’s Abide In His Shelter!

Recieve Him and Declare Him as Lord Today
Become a Child of God Today

 

WHAT IT MEANS TO GET READY

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(You can play this audio and listen as your read.  You can stop the audio to follow links, then resume the audio when you are ready.)

get ready.jpg

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “GET READY & TO STAY READY”?

Jesus tells us in Mathew chapters 24 & 25

Matthew 24:31 says,  “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.

Verse 36.  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 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, 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. 40  “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

Be Ready for His Coming

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 50.  “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, verse 51, 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.”

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. LEARN AND KNOW THE SIGNS, WELL.  Don’t be caught unaware, study now.

Matthew 24:32-35 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; 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. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

2. KNOW THAT IT WILL BE SUDDEN.  There will be no time to get ready, later. The time for preparation is now.

Matthew 24:36-41 says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “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, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.“

3. BE ALERT, READY TO RISE UP.  You must be on guard, supplied and ready to defend.

Matthew 24:42-44 says, “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.”

4. BE FULL OF FAITH, WISE, RESPONSIBLE. You will either be put in charge of caring for yourself and others, or you will perish. Do not linger. Today is the day to prepare.

Matthew 24:45-47 says, “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? 46“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

OR PERISH

Matthew 24:48-51 says, “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.”

5. STAY READY, FILLED, ALERT.  You must be supplied, filled, aware, alert and ready to go into the Kingdom of God. There is no second chance, despite what others are telling you. This is your one chance.

Matthew 25:1-13 says, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

6. INVEST YOURSELF.  Spend your time, money and effort getting ready for His Return. When Jesus comes, He will settle accounts. You are either ready or you will be considered as a worthless slave and cast into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:14-30 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. “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. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

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

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

“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

“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. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.  Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

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

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO BE READY

We are told that our first line of defense and our most effective offense is to trust in the Lord our God.

Next in order of priority is to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and to put on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

FULL ARMOR OF GOD:  Therefore, we are to take up the full armor of God,

RESIST IN THE EVIL DAY:  So that we will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything,

STAND FIRM:  Stand firm. Stand firm therefore,

PUT ON TRUTH:  HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and

PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS:  HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and

PREPARE WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

FAITH:  In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

PRAY:  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

HOW WE SHALL DO IT

Readiness and your response becomes a matter of faith, obedience to His Word, walking in His Spirit and speaking His Word.

This warning and explanation of what is coming, and what is upon us, is not to be taken lightly.  Neither is it unintelligible.  Christians MUST understand and DO what Jesus has told us.  Or you will be left to suffer the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

Please, loved ones, if you have any questions, doubts or hesitancy, please contact me and let’s talk.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Although, the things I have listed below will not ‘save you’, they are some things we should consider doing while we expectantly await His Return to take us to our Eternal Home:

We Must Be Ready Presentation

NOT OF THIS WORLD? Part 2

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

If My kingdom were of this world, *then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews

I have heard many Christian friends say something like, “We have to do something about the Leftists, the Progressives, the Liberals and the Marxists taking over America from within.  It’s time we stand up and fight!”

When and if I respond, I might say, “I understand how you feel.  I often feel the same.  However, Jesus has said we have a different mission and calling.”

No one, without exception, has agreed with my response, and, it usually provokes the person to disagree and disapprove or go silent with a look of anger and dissatisfaction on their face.

I, honestly, get so angry at what I see happening in our once great nation, I have to find a way to calm down and not think thoughts of revenge.

So, why do I believe and say that Jesus would not approve of Christians taking up the defense of America, either politically, socially or militarily?

Jesus repeatedly reminds us that we have a different agenda than the agenda of this world.  And, this is not the first (nor the last?) time the world will go after its own ideas and reject God.

One of the earliest attempts by mankind to become like God and to replace God with man’s own efforts, is recorded in Genesis chapter 11.  According to the Biblical account, the descendants of Noah had become numerous and a united humanity in the generations following the Great Flood.  They were speaking a single language and migrating eastward, they settled in a land named Shinar. There, the Babylonians wanted a tower that would “reach to the heavens” so that they could be like God and that they would not need Him. They began to construct the great ziggurat.

God rejected the pride and arrogance of these people, so, He caused the people to suddenly speak different languages so they could not communicate and work together to build the tower. He confused their language. The tower was named The Tower of Babel because the word Babel means confusion. This caused the people to scatter across the land.

Genesis 11:4 reads,  ”They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

 Verse 5.  “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. Verse 6.  The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.”

The Tower of Babel was a revealing of the sinful and arrogant nature of mankind and his ongoing rebellion toward God.  It was also a foreshadowing of what was happen in THE LAST DAYS.  And, it is happening now, in America and around the world. People of the world are uniting into a One World Community, with a One World Goverment, reaching for the heavens.  (Read this introduction by the Commission for Global Governance.)

The organization is a United Nations specialized agency named UNESCO, the ‘United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’ claiming to be aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture.

The first Director-General of UNESCO, Julian Huxley in 1946, said “The task before UNESCO, is the emergence of a single world culture” by transferring “full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.”

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

The stated objectives of this New World Order, which are a cover for the coming socialist, authoritarian global government and court with “global rule of law” and a “one-world economy.” can be found on the United Nations web page Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  

The recommendations of the Commission on Global Governance, if implemented, will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience. (Agenda 21 – Cover for the U.N. and a One World Government)

As of this date, Globalists, have been embedded in our government, in our religious systems, in our churches, in our school, colleges and institutions of higher education. They are using methods to erase and eradicate the culture, history and legacy both in Europe and in America.

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

The United States also has one of the most comprehensively documented Agenda 21 status reports. In response to the opposition, Don Knapp, U.S. spokesman for the ICLEI, has said “Sustainable development is not a top-down conspiracy from the U.N., but a bottom-up push from local governments”. 

The true hidden agenda of this “migration” and Globalism or One World Government is not stuff of just any book. It is stuff of THE BOOK, which is THE BIBLE

TAKING PLACE NOW

The Bible calls this THE LAST DAYS and the Great Tribulation.  Jesus tells us how we are to deal with this long prophesied event, which is taking place, now.

First, in order to understand why Jesus’ instructions and commands seem so antithetical or counter-intuitive to our natural minds, let’s look at His perspective:

Jesus says to the scribes and Pharisees,, in John 8:23, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

The full text of John 8:12-23 says, “Then Jesus again spoke to them (the The scribes and the Pharisees), saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”  Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.  But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.  Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true.  I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”  So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”  These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

“ Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.”  So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” Verse 23.  And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 

We cannot follow Jesus nor can we navigate these Last Days and the Tribulation to come, unless we obtain and understand Jesus’ is living and operating in His Kingdom of Heaven which is “above”.  He is not of this world!

Next, in John 15:19, Jesus says to His disciples, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”

We, too, as disciples of Jesus, are not of this world.  In fact, Ephesians 2:4-7 tells us that we are seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  And, Colossians 3:2 tell us that we are to “Set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  The matters of this world are not our primary concern.

Read and hear what the Apostle Peter says about this matter of Christians ‘not being of this world’ in 1 Peter 1:16:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

“To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

“who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  

“who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

RECAP:

  1. We reside in this world as aliens,  
  2. We are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:
  3. We are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
  4. We have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
  5. Obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
  6. Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
  7. Do not be conformed to the former lusts
  8. “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

John 18:36 says that Jesus answered the scribes and the Pharisees, saying, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, *then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

When Peter took a sword and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear, Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”  Jesus rebuked Peter and reminded the others that things of this world was not their fight.  Their total attention was to be on the mission The Father had given Jesus.  This is also true for us, today.

Jesus emphasized that our time on this earth is to be spent doing the Will of The Father, just like Jesus has always done.  Our concern is not fighting with this world.  Our concern, our calling and our mission is to follow Jesus and to “Go 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 Jesus has commanded us.” 

Our time is short and the harvest fields are white for the harvest.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Romans 12:2

Click this link to go to “NOT OF THIS WORLD, PART 1”

When does the 7 years begin?

The 5th Tribulation Seal

NOTE:  Here is one response to this article.  Please read.

WR

Satan would love if we would just give up and accept “pacifism. “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?”
Reply from  Mike Young

This isn’t pacifism, Wayne. We must not entangle ourselves in the conflicts of this world. If God cannot or does not – of if we cannot or will not trust Him with dominion over evil by the Word of our Testimony and by the Blood of the Lamb, then it’s on us. We cannot live and operate as if we are in the world and as if we are in The Kingdom of God. The two just don’t mix.

I know this is hard. It is hard for me, too. But, it is what the word says. “Live the sword, die by the sword”.
Pacifism is opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes, specifically the refusal to bear arms on moral or religious grounds.

First, the WORD of God is written to and for Christians. (It is foolishness to those who don’t believe. They cannot understand it).

We, as Christians, are told we prove we are followers of Christ by our love for one another.

Secondly, there is a mindset (attitude) we are to hold, even for non-believers. We are not to pick fights with them, and we are to avoid conflict with them whenever possible. Romans 12:18 tells us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” We are to model the life and attitude of Christ.

The Bible never says we should not defend ourselves, although the Apostles did not defend with violence, they went to great lengths to avoid violent conflict. This is our model.

What I believe, the Bible is teaching is the law of non-resistance – not pacifism. Matthew 5:29 says, “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” The word RESIST is a comes from a Greek military term for violent conflict.
James 4:7-8 says we are to, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. “

We are to speak the Word of God to evil and the evil one. Our enemies are the rulers, the powers, and the world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. If we engage the enemy there, he is defeated. If we engage him with natural means, it can be a long and bloody war with no end in sight.

This is applicable in “REAL LIFE”. And, it is hard to do because of our flesh and unbelief.
I can give examples of the mighty power of God in and around my life during stressful conflict. It would appear I would suffer great loss. And, at times, I did suffer some loss. But, then came the victory and God has restored what the enemy has stolen; and He has restored what the locust has eaten. But, it has taken faith, patience and endurance. (And, I still doubt, at times).
Your Brother
Mike Young