The Bible’s “Daniel’s Seventy Weeks’ Prophecy” is one of the most significant and detailed Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Starting around 538 B.C., it presents a prophetic path of earth’s history as it concerns God’s Plan of Perfection for humankind and the cosmos, to its fiery conclusion. This amazing prophecy is found in the Bible’s Old Testament book of Daniel, chapter nine.

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.

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 into such detail as to divide the 490 years into three smaller units:

• one of 49 years,
• one of 434 years, and
• one of 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 (445 BC)
    • until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, (30 A.D.)
    • there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and
    • sixty-two ‘sevens.’”
      

• Seven “sevens” is 49 years, and
• sixty-two “sevens” is another 434 years:

1. When did Daniel have his vision about the End of Days?                  

660 BC

2. What is Daniel’s Seventy Weeks?                     

The prophecy contains a statement concerning God’s six-fold purpose in bringing these events to pass. Verse 24 says this purpose is

1) “to finish transgression,”

2) “to put an end to sin,”

3) “to atone for wickedness,”

4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,”

5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and

6) “to anoint the most holy.”

Notice that these results concern the total eradication of sin and the establishing of righteousness. The prophecy of the 70 weeks summarizes what happens before the End of the Age, and when Jesus sets up His millennial kingdom.  (From Gotquestions.org, seventy weeks)

3. When did the 70 Weeks (490 years) begin?

Gabriel said the prophetic clock would start at the time that a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem. From the date of that decree, 445 BC, to the time of the Messiah (30 AD) would be 483 years. We know from history that the command to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia c. 445 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:1-8).

The first unit of 49 years (seven “sevens”) covers the time that it took to rebuild Jerusalem, “with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble” (see Daniel 9:25). This rebuilding is chronicled in the book of Nehemiah.

Using the Jewish custom of a 360-day year, 483 years after 445 B.C. places us at A.D. 30, which would coincide with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (see Matthew 21:1-9). The prophecy in Daniel 9 specifies that after the completion of the 483 years, “the Anointed One will be cut off” (verse 26). This was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified.

Daniel 9:26 continues with a prediction that, after the Messiah is killed, “the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” This was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The “ruler who will come” is a reference to the Antichrist, who, it seems, will have some connection with Rome, since it was the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem.  (From Gotquestions.org, seventy weeks)

4. When does the final week, the 70th Week of Daniel, begin?

Read again, in Daniel 9:26, the prediction that, after the Messiah is killed, “the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” This was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

This issue has been hotly debated for centuries.  Scriptures have been clear. A simple face-value reading of scriptures leads to the conclusion that the final 7 Weeks, the ‘birth pains’ also known as a period of tribulation (not to be confused with the Great Tribulation Period or the “Wrath of the Lamb”), will END with the breaking of the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal.

 After that, the Mid-Point of the Great Tribulation, (after 3 1/2 years) begins with the blowing of the 6th Tribulation Trumpet and will conclude after the pouring out of the 6th Tribulation Bowl Judgment.

5. What will happen to the people on earth?

All of those who, by faith, have repented of their sins, and who have confessed Jesus as savior and followed Him in obedience, will be saved. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Verse 17. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

6. Is there anything I need to do to get ready for these events?

Yes.  Romans10:9, says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; verse 10. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Matthew24:42 also tells us, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Verse 43. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Verse 44. “For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

Verse 45.  “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Verse 46.  “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”

“Giving hem their food at the proper time” means you are to be teaching them about Jesus, His Gospel Message, and making them disciples of Jesus and teaching them to go and make other disciples.  (Click the link here for a timeline comparison chart:  Daniel’s 70 Weeks – A comparison of a World History Timeline, Daniel’s 70 Weeks Timeline, and A Biblical Timeline.

NEXT: Part 3 – Where are we on The End Times Clock?

PREVIOUS: Part 1 – The beginning of the End of the Age: Harbingers.

Whether you think of it as a joke or take it seriously, people ranging from doomsday prognosticators, Nostradamus followers, MIT grads who have build end-of-worlds computer predictive models, to climate-change-fatalists, there is intense interest in the End of the Age and the Last Days of earth. The most reliable source in terms of up-to-date accuracy and detailed prophecies, however, is the Bible. For example, the Bible tells that in the coming decades, there will be events which are harbingers to the end of this earth age. These events will occur in sequence, then begin to overlap and increase in intensify until a great cosmic cataclysm will occur, wiping clean the face of the earth and eventually, the both the heavens and the earth will be consumed in a fervent heat.

I have prepared this essay in 5 parts.

PART 1.

The Bible tells of the harbingers to watch for and of the events that will lead up to the End of the Age:

• False Christ’s and false Messiah’s,
• Wars,
• Famines,
• Earthquakes,
• Hatred, persecution and martyrdom of Christians,
• A great falling away from the Christian faith.
• The appearance of a charismatic leader who will seem able to solve the world’s worst problems, only to become a vile person of unimaginable evil, creating a global nightmare of unrivaled carnage, death and destruction.
• Cataclysmic cosmic events.
• Cataclysmic terrestrial events.

Here is the beginning of the discourse of the End of the Age between Jesus and his disciples:

Matthew 24:3 says,  “As He, (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?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, when will these things happen?

Many of these harbinger events began as early as B.C. 2 and have progressively appeared, overlapping one another and increased in intensity and frequency:

I. Many will come IN MY (Jesus’) NAME:

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

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

II. WARS and rumors of war:

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

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

Current wars and conflicts 2018: Interactive global conflict tracker.

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

III. EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES:

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

Lists of earthquakes by period

• Before 1901
• 1901–2000
• 2001–present

Seismic Event List Index

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

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

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

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

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

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

IV. FAMINES:

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

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

V. PERSECUTION:

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, where does all of this lead?

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

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

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

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

NEXT:  Part 2 – Daniel’s 70 Weeks.

“As it is written and forever remains written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS [none that meets God’s standard], NOT EVEN ONE.” – Romans 3:10 (Amplified)

Does SIN separate you from God?

Have you ever heard that sin can separate you from God? I have often heard this phrase, that my ‘sins’ separate me from God, and that sin even hinders or negates my prayers or that God won’t even hear me.

Those who say that sin separates us from God, usually quote verses like Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

Or, New Testament verses like Galatians 5:4 “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

Then, when I commit a sin, this phrase comes to my mind, I begin to worry and doubt and fear that I have created a separation between me and my Eternal Hope.

I try to “not sin”, then I sin, anyway. And, the cycle of worry and doubt and fear starts over again.

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

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

I have read all the well-intended commentaries and the so-called Bible scholars on this matter, and you get answers that differ depending on denominational views.

WHAT A QUANDARY.

The Apostle Paul gives us a word of hope in Romans, chapter 7, speaking about the conflict of the two natures that dwell within us.

Romans 7:14-25, tells us,

“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind I am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh, the law of sin.”

THERE IS DELIVERANCE FROM THIS BONDAGE

Romans 8:1-6, tells us,

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of [c]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For, those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For, the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,”

NOW THERE IS THE NEW COVENANT

The Good News is that Jesus died, ONCE, for all who would believe.

Sin may cause us to separate ourselves from God, but sin will never separate God from those of us who believe.

Romans 8:31-39, says,

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You see, our ‘natural response’ to sin is to withdraw and try to HIDE FROM GOD, due to shame, guilt, worry, doubt and fear.

We can see this played out in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis 3:8

“They (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Sin does not separate God from us. God will seek us out. We are the ones who will seek separation.

Sin is a method of Satan to impose guilt, shame, fear and doubt into our minds in order to compel us to withdraw from God and from God’s protection over our lives.

God never withdraws from His own, thanks to Jesus our Christ. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Romans 8 tells us that, “there is now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, those who walk in the Spirit of God. And that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace!”

SO, WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THIS QUANDARY?

James 4:7 (Think on this, understand this, take it seriously, and do it)

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

“Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

YES!! Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

1 John 1:9 tells us that

“if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And, on a final note, as helpful as some recovery programs are, this is not a “Two-Step” program for recovering addicts or habitual offenders.

James 4:7, is ALL ONE STEP:  Submit yourself to God AND resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you WHILE you are drawing near to God.

In other words, MOVE YOUR FOCUS AWAY FROM THE TROUBLE AND ONTO GOD.  YOU DO YOUR PART, WHILE, GOD IS DOING HIS PART

Again, let’s remember, Romans 8:6, says, “The mind set on The Spirit is life and peace.”  Life and Peace, Indeed!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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Have you heard the parable about the man who is yelled at by his boss; the man goes home in a foul mood and kicks his dog; the dog, in turn, bites the cat; the cat then shreds the sofa; the wife, seeing the cat clawing the sofa, swats at the cat; and on it goes?

One act incites another act and sets off a chain reaction. It happens every second of every day. The resulting causes and effects, in a world of almost eight billion people, are incalculable.

This is similar to the expression or idiom ‘the butterfly effect’. The Butterfly Effect is the idea that a small change, action, or event can cause a much larger one elsewhere or in the future through a chain reaction. (An allusion to chaos theory, popularized by the notion that a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world might cause a tornado many miles away.)

THE POINT

This leads me to my point. Have you ever heard anyone say, “If God was such a loving God, why does He allow bad things to happen?”

First let me say that anyone who asks such a question is probably the victim of an unfortunate turn of events or a recipient of ill-treatment and asks this type of question out of anger, angst, self-pity, confusion or ignorance of God and probably couldn’t define ‘the butterfly effect’.

The Bible deals thoroughly with why ‘bad things happen to good people’ and why, to some, it appears that God allows bad things to happen.

NOTE:  If you claim that you do not believe in God or that you do not believe the Bible, and choose to ignore what the Bible says, your desire to continue uninformed (ignorant), angry, full of angst and self-pity is sad. It is also self-centered.

I appeal to you to read on, consider what is written, then decided. Please.

FREE WILL

First and foremost, The bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. (Interestingly, the Bible informs us that It is the very breath of God then He created man and woman, and it is most important to know that God created humankind with what is called a ‘free will’. Men and women are created with the ability to make their own decisions in life, whether they are informed or uninformed.

Some people prefer to ‘read the instructions’ first, get directions or ask advice before launching out own their own. Some others, however, prefer the ‘trial and error’ method of learning. Both can lead to unfortunate or even disastrous results at times, but the ‘informed’ have always fared much better than the ‘free wheelers’, and why does it matter which method you choose? Collateral damage from cause-and-effect is why. You not only hurt yourself, you hurt others. (Further reading on ‘free will’ by Pastor/Teacher John Piper)

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

The Bible unequivocally states “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”, a euphemism for both good things, fortunate and advantageous things happen to both good people and evil people. Likewise, bad and evil things, unfortunate or disastrous things can also happen to both good and bad people.

So, don’t be surprised when ‘stuff happens’.

IT’S HIS FAULT – IT’S HER FAULT – IT’S GOD’S FAULT

The Bible unashamedly defines and good and evil and assigns these attributes and identifies and profiles those who possess these character qualities. (See the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden). The Bible even tells us that we are defined as a ‘good or bad’ person by the things we continually, practice (See Galatians chapter 5). The Bible tells us we may ‘inherit’ these qualities (“as far as the 3^rd of 4^th generation), so we may know where these taught and learned behaviors come from, but the responsibility and the consequences lie with the perpetrator, although the consequences are also shared – they spread like a ‘butterfly effect’.

Back to our opening example of cause and effect, imagine EIGHT BILLION people, each individual setting off a chain of events at one time. Each event affecting tens, thousands, millions and even billions of other people, causing them to react, either through:

Sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior,  idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these,

(Of which God forewarns us, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.)

Or with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control.

The summary is that although God created all things and all people, they were created with a mind and a will of their own. God created people with the ability to think and to reason, and with the power to choose.

God created a world in which things happen, and we, as human beings, have been given the ability to think and reason, so we have ascribed good to some things and bad or evil to other things.

Reasoned out, we can see that good things can happen to both good people and evil people. Likewise, bad things can happen to both good and evil people as well.

Taken together, in a world of 8 billion people, the cause and effect brings both good and bad things, and the interactions and numbers of ongoing events are incalculable.

Things are made more unpredictable and increasingly worse when people behavior and actions are taken without regard to outcomes.

The Collateral damage from cause-and-effect, as demonstrated by the Butterfly Effect, could be worse than inconvenient in our modern world of advanced technology, it could be a ‘world ending event’.

TELL ME HOW

Would it be great if there was a way to anticipate what was coming or how to avoid or navigate what does come upon us. What if ‘read the instructions’ first, so to speak, or to get directions and ask advice before launching out on our own depending on a ‘trial and error’ method of acting, avoiding or learning?  Wouldn’t we have a chance to fare much better?  I realize that we cannot always avoid unfortunate or even disastrous circumstances at times, even if we are prepared. But the ‘informed’ have always fared much better than the ‘I’ll take my chances, trial-and-error-free-wheeler types’.

So, where can you go for dependable advice? I strongly suggest the Bible. The Bible was written about 3,400 years ago and was completed about 1,900 years ago. So, it has longevity over a broad period of time through all kinds of circumstances. (Here is a comprehensive Biblical and Historical Timeline chart covering 3,000 B.C. through our current day.)

BUT IS IT DEPENDABLE?

The odds are 1 to 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 (Stated another way, that is 1 to 10 to the 157th power)

These are the odds against – yes, AGAINST – Jesus Christ having fulfilled just 48 of the over 450 prophecies written about Him.

In order to give you some perspective, electrons are very small objects. They’re smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10 to the 15th power of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long.  19 MILLION YEARS!

Read that again, please.  Why is that significant?

It is significant because it gives us evidence that the Bible is true and correct when it says that Christ Jesus came to earth and is the Savior of the world.

It gives YOU evidence, if you choose to pay attention, that your life can be eternal with the only LIFE source which gives eternal Peace, Safety, Security, Joy and fulfillment the universe has ever known or ever will know.

Just think about it: It is a scientific and a mathematical impossibility that HAS COME TO PASS! 

Nothing, no one, and no odds can defy the REALITY of Jesus Christ.

So here you stand – at the PRECIPICE of the End of this Age.  Only a few prophecies are yet to be fulfilled.

This is the “final yard”, so to speak. But it is going to be the FINAL and the TOUGHEST of eschatological yards. Some so-called theologians or Bible teachers say, “It’s already happened”. Some so-called theologians or Bible teachers say “It won’t happen”

But, the evidence says, “It is in the process of happening”.

FINALLY!

It has been said, “What really matters is what you do with what you have”, and this can include material possessions as well as circumstances. The Bible is replete with instruction and examples on doing your best to do what is right in order to obtain the best outcomes.

You can change the trajectory of your life, whether for good or for ill, by the choices you make. It matters little that you set and reach an unobtainable objective, it matters how you go about the effort. Just remember that for ill or for good, you will have to live with the outcome.

Choose to be good and to do good. Choose to live well, and when it’s over, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have passed the ways to success to others – on the wings of The Butterfly.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: A wise person will hear what the Bible says:  If you really want a life both worth living and worth dying for, follow Jesus. Take up His cause, doing things His way, and “you will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16.

There He hung on a cruel Roman cross for all to see. The humiliation, the shame, the pain. But make no mistake, He had changed everything, forever. Neither the cosmos nor this world would ever be the same again. IT HAD BEGUN!

And “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10.

Friends, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” 1 John 4:6 7 & 16.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”

Matthew 11:28-29

AN URGENT PROPHETIC WORD

Do you ever feel worn down and worn out? Your spirit is so downcast that you wonder if you will ever be able to get up again? Do you just feel like crying from spiritual, emotional and physical exhaustion, sometimes? Perhaps, you have tried everything you know to do and yet you hunger for some relief? Then, this is for you.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

There are times that we grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh – but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us – Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by faith and not by sight.

Yes, we are fully confident, even though we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, so we would be at home with the Lord. But whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please Him.

For we know that we must all stand before Christ to be judged and we will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

It is good to know this, but knowing it alone is not enough. We must understand it. We must put it on. It is our calling.

We Are God’s Ambassadors

“Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

“So, are we commending ourselves again? No. But, we are giving you a reason, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart.

“This may seem crazy, but it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for everyone’s benefit.

“Either way, it is because Christ’s love controls us.

“Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that, we too, have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

 A Heavenly Perspective

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

“And all of this is a gift from God, Who brought us back to Himself through Christ.

“God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

 We Fix our eyes on what is Eternal

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (Taken from 2 Corinthians, chapter 5)

1. Our present journey through life is temporary – but as a Christian, it is with a great purpose.
2. We may long to be home with God, but we have a task, a calling, now, in this life.
3. We do not live or work for ourselves but we live for Christ and His Cause.
4. We are working to persuade a few that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ
5. We see things and people from a heavenly perspective – that is, from God’s point of view.
6. Our task is to reconcile people to God through Christ.
7. We are Ambassadors for Jesus, pleading with others to, “Come to God” through faith in Jesus.

We must take our eyes and our minds off of ourselves and earthly matters and spend ourselves on The Call of Christ. The things which ensnare us also hold us captive. If you want to be free, give yourself away, to Him.

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

Although we are strangers and sojourners, scattered throughout , we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ.     

(1 Peter 1:1,2)

First, let me say that I have written, over the last ten years, about the present and unfolding events of the ‘Biblical Tribulation Period’ foretold in many Old Testament prophetic scriptures and in the New Testament.  These events will find their fulfillment in the future; and that future is now!

​​Isaiah 2, 9, 11, 13        Matthew 24,         Zechariah 8       2 Peter 3:3.

Micah 4                       Hebrews 1:2,         Ezekiel 30          Revelation 6:1 – 16:21

Jeremiah 30, 33, 50  Hebrews 9:26,      Amos 5

Hosea 3                       Acts 2:14-17,          1 Peter 1:20,

Joel 2, 3,                      2 Timothy 3:1,       1 Peter 4:7,

These events are leading us through the judgment Seals, and to the judgment Trumpets and Bowls (found in the books of Matthew and The Revelation and), leading us to The Great Tribulation, God’s Wrath upon the earth and the End of this Age.

Secondly, if you don’t know about him, I want to introduce you to Dr. Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He spent fifteen years writing Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999; released in June 2018 as a now bestselling author-read audiobook). Maps of Meaning is a scholarly investigation into the nature of narrative and religious thought, the structure of perception, the regulation of emotion.

Dr. Peterson has become one of, if not The Leading Voice and thought for the Conservative movement, worldwide. He is hated and reviled by many on the Left, Globalists, Marxists and progressives, but they have been unable to contend with his brilliance.

Here is a recent video of Dr. Peterson as he interviews Michael Yon, an American writer and photographer. He served in the Special Forces in the early-1980s, and he became a writer in the mid-1990s. He focused on military writing after the invasion of Iraq. Yon has been embedded on numerous occasions with American and British troops in Iraq, most prominently a deployment with the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (Deuce Four) of the 25th Infantry Division in Mosul, Iraq that ended in September 2005.

This video is an interview and discussion between two experienced, studied, accomplished, dedicated and brilliant men that borders the prophetic.  Michael Yon, one of America’s youngest Green Berets at 19 years old, has traveled and lived over half of his life abroad in more than 80 countries . Author of three books in the United States and three others in Japan, he is America’s most experienced combat correspondent. Michael Yon joins Dr Jordan B Peterson to discuss the current state of affairs across the globe.

Dr. Peterson says, “We are heading into one of the most epic famines in world history, where the poor will freeze in the dark and burn in the sun while they starve.”

Stay on the alert. Jesus is coming, soon!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – PART 2.

These messages are from God, given to Jesus to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. Jesus sent and communicated these messages by His angel to His bond-servant, John the Revelator. John then gave these messages to the seven churches in Asia.

Please, for your own sake and for the sake of those around you, DO NOT diminish the importance, the accuracy nor the profound impact these messages and these Words of God will have on you and your life.

They are describing what is coming soon, how  you will be affected and how you are to respond to escape the Day of His Wrath. Please heed the instruction of these messages to the Church.

If these messages were solely and exclusively to and for the churches in Asia, the message would have ended there. However, God’s Word is eternal and these messages in particular are prophetic and are therefore written to all people who call themselves Christians, of all the ages as a warning, a teaching and as instruction.

These messages were written to you.

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.

Message to the Seven Churches

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

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

Message to you and to the Church at Smyrna

Revelation 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

Verse 9. “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander by those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Verse 10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Verse 11. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

Those in the Church at Smyrna,

(1). Are suffering tribulation and poverty, but are rich (also see 1 Peter 1:3-8).

(2). Are slandered by Jews what are ‘a synagogue of Satan’.

(3). Are to suffer prison, more tribulation and death.

(4). They will get the crown of life from Jesus.

(5). They will overcome and will not be hurt by the second death.

((NOW, ASK YOURSELF, (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE):

Are you, (YOUR NAME HERE), suffering tribulation and poverty, but are rich because of Jesus?

Are you slandered by ‘Christians’ for your commitment to Christ Jesus and His Gospel?

Is your service to God bringing a threat of prison, tribulation and even death?

Message to you and to the Church at Pergamum

Revelation 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

Verse 13. ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Verse 14. But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. Verse 15. So you, too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Verse 16. Therefore, repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. Verse 17. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’ “

We can know that the Church at Pergamum,

(1). Dwells where Satan’s throne is yet holds firmly to God’s Name and do not deny faith in God. (I.e., The Pergamene believers lived in a difficult place, surrounded by pagan influences, yet they held fast to Christ’s name and did not deny Him during difficult times.)

(2). Held to the teachings of Balak, eating things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

(3). Held the teachings of the Nicolaitans, (eating things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality).

Some in the Church at Pergamum denied what Biblical prohibitions against sexual immorality, (homosexuality, fornication, adultery), to their own harm and judgment, much like many professing Christians, today.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: The Message to the Church at Thyatira

PREVIOUS: The Message to the Church at Ephesus.

More Reading: What Does It Say? What Does it Mean?

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

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 [a]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.

Message to the Seven Churches

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

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

The Patmos Vision

Verse 9. “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Verse 10. I was in the [i]Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, verse 11, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Verse 12. “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; Verse 13. and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. Verse 14. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. Verse 15. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. Verse 16. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun [m]shining in its strength.”

Verse 17. “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, verse 18, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Verse 19. “Therefore, write the things which you have seen, [o]and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. Verse 20. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The Message to the Church at Ephesus

Revelation 2:1. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

“The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 

Verse 2. ‘I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; verse 3, and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. Verse 4. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Verse 5. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Verse 6. But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Verse 7. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’

Pastor Alistair Begg, in his opening remarks when preaching on Revelation 3:1-6 & 3:14-22, correctly said,

“In the material that was sent to me and to the other speakers—but the passage that relates directly to my task—I was directed as follows: “The Bible reader will expound the text but will also focus on Christ as revealed in the text.” “The Bible reader will expound the text and focus on Christ as he is revealed in the text.” What an immense privilege, to have the opportunity to take the Bible, to study it, and then to be able to share it with others, and in all of that to have our gaze turned again and again to the Lord Jesus! “I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.”[2] Therefore, it is an immense privilege for us. For of all the places we could be on this morning, all the circumstances that we might face, in the providence of God, he has ordered our steps—none of us is here by chance—in order that we might hear from the risen Lord Jesus Christ himself.

“Now, I used that little chorus purposefully in prayer, asking that God would show himself to us in the reading of the Word. There is an inherent danger in it though. If you know it, or if you listened carefully as I said it, it says, “Make the Book live to me.” And the great, inherent danger in the study of the Bible is that we want to move immediately from our reading of the text to personal application.

“And so, from time to time, especially in a small group context, after you’ve read a portion of Scripture like this, it’s not long before somebody in the group will say, “Let me tell you what this means to me”—which, of course, is of interest but is of secondary importance. Because what the individual may be about to say may actually be true to the text, may be actually helpful to the rest of the group, and in actual fact, it may be completely bizarre. And the only antidote, then, is to come to the text of Scripture not saying, “Let me tell you what this means to me,” initially, but coming to the Scripture saying, “Let me find out what this means.” And once I understand what it means in the context in which it has been delivered, then and only then may I begin to make points of personal application.

“So, it’s important for us this morning to recognize that what we’re dealing with here is history and geography, as real as any history and geography that we may have done for our GCSEs. We’re dealing with real churches in real places, real men and women, real families, living at a certain point in time. And from the passages we know that Jesus understands their condition, he understands their circumstances, and he writes to them expressly in the awareness of the context in which they’re living.”

What I appreciate in Jesus’ message and Alistair’s remarks, is that The Revelation is about real churches in real places, real men and women, real families, living at a certain point in time. And from the passages we know that Jesus understands their condition, he understands their circumstances, and he writes to them expressly in the awareness of the context in which they’re living.” I will go on to say that people don’t change. People may be different, one from another, but people do not change. So, in a very real and accurate way, Jesus is talking to, not just those people in those churches in Revelation chapter 3, but He is talking to all people, everywhere, of all times. He is talking to you and to me.

I will leave it to you, the reader, to satisfactorily study and come to understand WHAT THESE VERSES ARE SAYING, and WHAT THEY MEAN, which is no easy task. Reading various commentaries will give you as many opinions, which are varied and complex. But the one I like for brevity and accuracy is found at GotQuestions.Org, “What are the Seven Candlesticks – Lampstands of Revelation?”

However, I will move on to the application of these verses – WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO ME (or, what Am I To Do with What I Know?).

It has always been a difficult task to apply these verses since there are so many differing views of what they say and what they mean. We know that God speaks in a language unique to the hearer, one thing we can discern is the characteristics of the churches and the people receiving these letters. Read and decide which attributes, characteristics and personalities you possess.

Revelation 2:1. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

“The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 

Verse 2. ‘I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; verse 3, and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. Verse 4. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Verse 5. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Verse 6. But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Verse 7. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’ “

Those in the church in Ephesus, like some other people,

(1). Are known by their good deeds, labors and their perseverance, (endurance);

(2). Cannot tolerate evil people, and

(3). They have put those, who call themselves apostles, to the test,

(4). and have found them to be false;

(5). The Ephesians have perseverance and have endured on account of Jesus’ name, and have not become weary.

(6). But they have left their ‘first love’ of Jesus and the things of God.

(7). They have fallen, from the deeds they did at first;

So, I will suggest a more novel approach. Let’s assume that God has written these letters, not only to real churches in real places, and to real men and women with real families, living at a certain point in time, but He has also written to you and to me.

You and I would do well to decide which of these characteristics describe us, and to describe those characteristics in greater detail. (I.e., “What is meant by ‘good deeds’ and which have I done? Etc.)

Let’s begin…

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, addressed to: (YOUR NAME GOES HERE).

Revelation 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servant, (YOUR NAME GOES HERE), 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 are you (INSERT YOUR NAME), when you and others read, and hear the words of the prophecy and when YOU keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Message to you and the Seven Churches

Verse 4. John to (INSERT YOUR NAME), and the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— verse 6. and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 7. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So, it is to be. Amen.

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

The Patmos Vision

Verse 9. “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Verse 10. I was in the [i]Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, Verse 11, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Verse 12. “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; Verse 13, and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. Verse 14. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. Verse 15. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. Verse 16. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

Verse 17. “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, Verse 18, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Verse 19. Therefore, write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. Verse 20.  As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Message to you and to the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1 “To:   The angel of the church in Ephesus, write:

The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

2 ‘(INSERT YOUR NAME), I know your deeds (which are?), and your labor (which is?), and your perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and, (INSERT YOUR NAME), you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary.

Verse 4. “But, (INSERT YOUR NAME), I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Verse 5. “Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Verse 6.But you have this, (YOUR NAME), that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’

((NOW, ASK YOURELF (INSERT YOUR NAME):

1.  What are my deeds Jesus is referring to? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

2.  What are my labors Jesus is referring to? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

3.  What is my perseverance Jesus is referring to? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

4.  What is it I cannot tolerate (about evil people) Jesus is referring to? What have I done about that evil? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

5.  How did I test those who call themselves Apostles? How did I find them false? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

6.  What is it I hate about the Nicolaitans? (Do you even know about the Nicolaitans? If you cannot answer this, honestly, beware.)

7.  How did I not become weary? (You never will weary if you are not doing anything. Right?)

8.  From where have I fallen? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

What were my ‘first deeds’? (If you cannot answer this, beware.)

This is a ‘reality check’. The postmodern church in America is unfortuatley striving to keep us comfortable while we wait on the rapture. (Big mistake). Jesus said we are to be found doing what He commanded  us to do when He returns, or?

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: THE CHURCHES AT SMYRNA AND PERGAMUM.

More Reading: What Does It Say? What Does it Mean?

The Book of Mark – click the image above or this text for a video

New American Standard Bible

Preaching of John the Baptist

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”,

Mark begins at the beginning: The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the Good News of Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One, Who, was in the beginning with God, and was God, the Son of God.

Please note that Mark does not start with a ‘warm up speech’ or an interesting lead-in or a joke. He does not give us an outline or a sociopolitical background. He omits the geography, traditions and customs of both the Jews and of Jerusalem around 65 A.D.. (That comes later.) Mark simply begins with what the reader needs to know, first: The Prophetic Truth, the historic Truth and the Eternal Truth of God, and he does that in just eleven words: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”.

The Prophetic Truth emanates from Isaiah 40:2-3,

^{Isaiah 40:2} just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold, I am sending My messenger ^[a]before You,
Who will prepare Your way;
^{Verse 3} The voice of one calling ^[b]out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”

(1). The Purpose to be fulfilled is God’s perfecting of His people in preparation for the End of The Age through purging, cleansing, and refining. Then the destruction of the wicked, the Beast, Satan, the heavens and earth, making way for a new and perfect heaven and earth where His Chosen will live in perfection with Him forever.

(a). Isaiah 40:3-5. A voice is heard calling on unseen agencies to prepare a way for Jehovah through the desert. The idea expressed is that already the spiritual and supernatural forces are in motion which will bring about the return of the captives and a revelation of the Divine glory to all the world.

(b). Isaiah 40:6-8. A second voice calls on the prophet to proclaim the fundamental truth on which the realization of his hope depends,—the ‘perishableness’ of all human power, and the enduring stability of the word of the Lord.

(c). Isaiah 40:9-11. The prophet himself now takes up the strain; he summons a company of ideal messengers to announce to Zion and the cities of Judah the advent of Jehovah with His ransomed people.

(2). The Promise to be fulfilled that is Jehovah will return with His people to their ancient abode. This second division contains three sections:

Now, Mark turns our attention to the ‘voice heard calling out in the wilderness’,

^{Mark 1:4, “}John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”, and this prophecy is being fulfilled.

(Please note, these verses and this passage is deeply Prophetic, mysterious and is for our instruction. Prophecy can be a ‘one time event’ or it can be an ‘ongoing event’ which is not completed until the consummation of a period of time or the consummation of the age.

This is distinguished by the context and the tense of the verb used:

Present Tense is an action completed in the present.

Perfect Tense is an action completed in the past and need not be repeated.

Future Tense is an event which has not yet occurred.

Aorist Tense is an action which has no regard for the past, present or future – it is repeated until it is consummated. A continuing action or act.)

NOTE: As part of the mystery of this Word, ALL FOUR of these tenses are used in these few verses.  Here is an example of each tense being used.

This is complex, but I will simply as much as possible.

(Red lettering unedited and is from the New American Standard version of the Bible; Purple lettering is an explanation of the use of each tense by way of commentary and Strong’s Bible Concordance):

Mark 1:2, “just as it is written (Perfect Tense) in Isaiah the prophet:

(I.e., (in the Perfect Tense), Mark 1:2, “just as it is  written in Isaiah the prophet, and does not need to be repeated:

“BEHOLD (Aorist Tense), I AM SENDING,

(I.e., (in the Aorist Tense), BEHOLD FROM THE PAST, BEHOLD NOW, AND CONTINUE TO BEHOLD UNTIL THE AGE IS CONSUMMATED”,

(Present Tense) MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOU,

(I.e, in the Present Tense), “I HAVE SENT, AND THIS IS A COMPLETED ACTION,”

“WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY (Future Tense);

(I.e., (In the Future Tense), “WHO, IN THE FUTURE, WHEN THE TIME COMES, WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY”,

Verse 3. “THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT (Present Tense) IN THE WILDERNESS,

Verse 3. (I.e, in the Present Tense),“THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT an action completed in the present). (Present Tense) IN THE WILDERNESS,

‘PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD (Aorist Tense),

(I,e., the Aorist Tense),‘PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD FROM THE TIME IT WAS SPOKEN, PREPARE THE TIME TODAY, AND CONTINUE TO PREPARE THE TIME UNTIL THE AGE IS CONSUMMATED”,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’” (Present Tense)

(I.e., the Present Tense), MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT TODAY!’”

————————————————

Mark 1:2-3, The text transliterated using the VARIOUS TENSES:

Mark 1:2, “just as it is  written in Isaiah the prophet, and does not need to be repeated – it is permanent, until the Consummation of The Age:

BEHOLD FROM THE TIME IT WAS SPOKEN, BEHOLD NOW, AND CONTINUE TO BEHOLD UNTIL THE AGE IS CONSUMMATED”, “I HAVE SENT, AND THIS IS A COMPLETED ACTION, WHICH WILL BE FULFILLED IN THE FUTURE, WHEN THE RIGHT TIME COMES, WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY”,  Verse 3. “THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT TODAY, IN THE WILDERNESS,

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD FROM THE TIME IT WAS SPOKEN, PREPARE THE TIME TODAY, AND CONTINUE TO PREPARE THE TIME UNTIL THE AGE IS CONSUMMATED”,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT TODAY!’”

————————————————

This is the message. It is prophetic and very mysterious. There are actions taken at one time which either remain in the present, or are spoken in the present-past but are destined to be fulfilled at a future date, or are spoken in the present-past and will begin at that time and will continue until the consummation of the age!

WHY IS THIS RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT?  This message is written to those of that age and to people of all the ages to come. This is written to you and to me. We are to follow Jesus, and Mark is telling us how, when and where we follow Him. This is not optional for a Christian. It must be done if you are truly His disciple.

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TEXT (WITH COMMENTARY).

^{Mark 1:5} ” And all the country of Judea was going out to him (THIS IS UP TO YOU and ME, TODAY), and all the people of Jerusalem (THIS IS UP TO ALL JEWS, TODAY); and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins (THIS IS WHAT WE DO, WHETHER IN THE JORDAN RIVER, OR WHERE YOU LIVE NOW). ⁶ John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and ^[d]his diet was locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he was ^[e]preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. ⁸ I baptized you ^[f]with water; but He will baptize you ^[g]with the Holy Spirit.” (JOHN IS GIVING US INSTRUCTIONS. THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL FOR A CHRISTIAN, THAT IS, A DISCIPLE OF JESUS. YOU ARE HEARING WHAT IS TO BE DONE TODAY AND WHAT WILL COME TO YOU NEXT.)

Believe it in your heart by the Spirit of God. Let it seep up into your soul – your mind, will and emotions – and live it out!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Next:  Mark 1:9-12 – The Baptism of Jesus.)

WHAT WOULD YOU LOOK LIKE?

• Repent

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The greatest pronouncement and call to readiness for all Christians:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The hour has arrived.  Final preparations are being made.  Ready yourself for the Heaven’s final assault upon the earth.  Satan is to be defeated, and you and I are part of God’s invading force.

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

Repent, in the Biblical sense, literally means, “To change one’s mind; to change one’s mind for the better” and it comes from two root words which mean, “Hereafter, have this understanding or perception”.

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

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

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

BOTH A COMMAND AND A PROPHETIC WORD

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

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

The disciples echoed and repeated these very words as they continued to do the Works of God, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand”.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Go and tell others this exceedingly Good News, telling them to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

HOW WILL YOU DO IT?                                                                            

 HOW WILL YOU TEACH IT?                                                                    

Your Brother and Friend,

 Mike Young

YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW HIM, FOR REAL

A CALL TO ARMS – PART 2