And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.. –Revelation 10:5-7. Underlining & bold type was added for emphasis.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. –Revelation 1:3. Indeed, the time is NOW.
People don’t like bad news. This has been true throughout history, but today we are even more resistant to bad news: technology has provided the means for great deception from the devil, and many easy ways to ignore that which is truly unpleasant. “The End of the World” is one such unpleasant topic for most people. As Bible believing Christians, however, we are obliged (and challenged) to accept Every part of God’s Word. This time had to come. There ARE people who will live through this time in history. All that God gives us in His Word is meant so that we can prepare; it is for our well-being. We dare not turn away from God’s counsel.
If you have followed this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been addressing this issue through Get Ready for the End parts I, II, & III. I could pretty much be adding a new part every week, were I to keep up with the many significant events. This posting is not meant to again convince people that we are at the end of time, but rather to stir up individuals out of their complacency: that they would seek the Lord as to what preparations to make, while they still can. Remember that the next big event coming up is World War III.
America is ripe for judgment. We have had a good number of people view this blog from around the world, and I hope it’s been a blessing to you. Please stay with us, if the Lord so leads you to! But most of the things I say are particularly addressed to my fellow countrymen, what I see all around me, and what we will be facing in the near future. I cannot know the day by day timing of events, but it sure seems like America will fall within the next few months at most. Any extra time coming our way is difficult to foresee, but wisdom ought to be telling us to begin making preparations NOW.
Why are so many resistant to accepting the fact that we are at the end of time (as we know it), and that we ought to be preparing? Let’s look at some of the influences;
The Media. This is probably the biggest influence for both professing believers and the unsaved alike. 1) Bible believers are ridiculed. 2) Conspiracy buffs and “preppers” are ridiculed. 3) Most movies have happy endings, as if mankind will overcome any adversity. This also lends to a “wait and see” type attitude, rather than one that will take action. 4) The news media is state controlled: it hides the worst possibilities, and steers us away from preparing.
Innumerable Distractions. We in America are extremely covetous, and fill our lives with “things,” and activities. We are constantly busy, and won’t take the time for anything even remotely unpleasant. This includes the so-called church!
THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. –II Timothy 3:1-5.
Desensitized by False Alarms. This happens a lot! We are warned of dangers that never come to pass, and so we often disregard subsequent warnings. When it comes to our subject topic, there have historically been many “false alarms.”
A Lack of Genuine Biblical Faith. In general, this “church” of the end times doesn’t believe the Bible to really be God’s Word, nor do they know what it actually says, and how to apply it. What interferes? 1) The many Bible versions cast doubts for any real faith grounding. God preserved His Word in the King James Bible, and He preserved it faithfully.
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. –Psalms 12:6, 7.
To have so many Bible versions gives us the distinct impression that the Bible is actually only man’s opinion of God’s Word, but not the Lord’s actual teachings. These versions say many different things, and are often contradictory. How can we please God, when we don’t know what He actually wants? All versions except the King James Bible come from the Bible revision of 1871-1881. These manuscripts are of very poor quality, are much fewer in number than the KJB, and the translation technique is far inferior. But today’s churches steer us away from God’s real Word! 2) Private interpretation of prophecy, handed down through respected church leaders, leads Christians to a lack of readiness. The Scofield Reference Bible leads the way in this deceit. Due to Cyrus Scofield’s expressed views in this work, many believers think that we will have no idea when the end of the world is- and that we will be taken from here in the “rapture” before things get really bad. Those views are private interpretation, not Biblical revelation!
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. –II Peter 1:19-21. Bold emphasis is mine.
And so I see two underlying reasons why Christians tend to dismiss “end times” warnings such as this writing brings forth; the first and greatest reason is WORLDLY LOVE, and the second is that they have been taught that the time is unknowable.
Worldly Love: We can look at Revelation 3:15-19 as descriptive of the last generation church. Jesus refers to this church as the Laodiceans, rather than the “church in Laodicea.” Why does He refer to them that way? It is because this “church” cannot be distinguished from the world around it. And that is what we see today, a church in love with the world & worldliness, one that in no way is ready or willing to leave its life on Earth. We want Christ, but only if it means that we will prosper here on Earth: and that is exactly what the organized churches are representing to their own members, and it is the gospel they preach to the unsaved. Even as I may refer to other excuses the church will use, worldly love is usually at its root.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. –Luke 9:23, 24.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. –I John 2:15, 16.
An Unknowable Time: While it may be true that the exact day and hour of Jesus’ return will not be known in advance (Matthew 24:36), it is in no way true that we won’t know the “season” of the end, the very last generation. Jesus wanted us to know, and so commanded us to watch. Check out the following scriptures, with some commentary from myself thrown in:
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. –Matthew 24:3, 4. In the following verses, 5-31, Jesus proceeds to give a descriptive of conditions at the end of the world- things for us to observe. Then He follows it up in verses 32-34 with;
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. It sure sounds like Jesus wanted us to know! Underlining and bold type is mine.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. –Luke 17:26-30. These verses tell us that the rapture and God’s judgment at Armageddon happen on the same day, and will not be separated by a seven year tribulation: God’s Word never mentions a seven year tribulation.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. –Luke 21:22. Prophecy must be fulfilled, because God doesn’t lie. Many times I have heard pastors trying to tell the body of Christ that we can “turn away” God’s judgment for a season, if we will just pray in faith. NO! Jesus said that this generation would not pass, until all was fulfilled.
BUT of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. –I Thessalonians 5:1-6. Any underlined words are mine, used to emphasize.
NOW we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. –II Thessalonians 2:1-6.
We must also not neglect the numerous admonitions to watch that Jesus gave us, such as in Matthew 24:42, 43; Mark 13:33-37; Luke 21:36, and Revelation 3:2, 3. Why would Jesus even tell us to watch, if the time is unknowable? He did it to warn us, so we can prepare…
All of this leads us to that great question, what can we do? The subject matter is so great, and so unlike anything we have had to face, that we end up doing nothing, adopting a “wait and see” type attitude- just what Satan wants! We cannot afford this, for we must redeem the time.
Let me remind everyone that this war will be unlike any others we have known. Here in America, we haven’t had an enemy invasion, nor have we been bombed; we are going to experience both of these. We are also accustomed to wars developing slowly, such as seeing the advance of an enemy line over a period of weeks, or months. The climax of this war will be fast. That’s what we can expect with nuclear weapons. We can also expect this attack without much advance notice: we have already seen the war tensions rise, but the “big strike” will come when we aren’t looking for it, and not give us much (if any) time for defense. We have to be ready!
The first preparation we need to make (and the one of unequalled importance) is with God. Let’s be ready to meet Him! Let us do our best to prepare our children, as well as loved ones and neighbors, preaching Jesus Christ and His cross as the only means of salvation. Even under the best circumstances, no one is guaranteed a tomorrow in the flesh. With this taken care of first, then God the Holy Spirit can guide us in preparations. Having a supply of non-perishable food, and water is a reasonable step to take. It may also be well to have some real cash on hand, in case the internet goes down. Follow the wisdom God reveals to you directly.
In a marriage, there will come times to severely test our commitment. The feel-good days of our honeymoon don’t last forever. But we pledged ourselves to a spouse under all possible circumstances; most people really mean it at the time, but there is no way to foresee all that life will throw at us. This time in history is such a time for those of the professing church of Christ. Jesus died horribly on the cross to be the atonement for our sins, and to save us from the Lake of Fire eternally. Those first moments of salvation are so precious! But now, the trial has come. God wanted us to know this time. He wants us to prepare; let’s get ready to go!
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:36.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. –I Peter 1:3-9.
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. –Revelation 12:11.
Innumerable Distractions. We in America are extremely covetous, and fill our lives with “things,” and activities. We are constantly busy, and won’t take the time for anything even remotely unpleasant. This includes the so-called church!
THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. –II Timothy 3:1-5.
Desensitized by False Alarms. This happens a lot! We are warned of dangers that never come to pass, and so we often disregard subsequent warnings. When it comes to our subject topic, there have historically been many “false alarms.”
A Lack of Genuine Biblical Faith. In general, this “church” of the end times doesn’t believe the Bible to really be God’s Word, nor do they know what it actually says, and how to apply it. What interferes? 1) The many Bible versions cast doubts for any real faith grounding. God preserved His Word in the King James Bible, and He preserved it faithfully.
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. –Psalms 12:6, 7.
To have so many Bible versions gives us the distinct impression that the Bible is actually only man’s opinion of God’s Word, but not the Lord’s actual teachings. These versions say many different things, and are often contradictory. How can we please God, when we don’t know what He actually wants? All versions except the King James Bible come from the Bible revision of 1871-1881. These manuscripts are of very poor quality, are much fewer in number than the KJB, and the translation technique is far inferior. But today’s churches steer us away from God’s real Word! 2) Private interpretation of prophecy, handed down through respected church leaders, leads Christians to a lack of readiness. The Scofield Reference Bible leads the way in this deceit. Due to Cyrus Scofield’s expressed views in this work, many believers think that we will have no idea when the end of the world is- and that we will be taken from here in the “rapture” before things get really bad. Those views are private interpretation, not Biblical revelation!
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. –II Peter 1:19-21. Bold emphasis is mine.
And so I see two underlying reasons why Christians tend to dismiss “end times” warnings such as this writing brings forth; the first and greatest reason is WORLDLY LOVE, and the second is that they have been taught that the time is unknowable.
Worldly Love: We can look at Revelation 3:15-19 as descriptive of the last generation church. Jesus refers to this church as the Laodiceans, rather than the “church in Laodicea.” Why does He refer to them that way? It is because this “church” cannot be distinguished from the world around it. And that is what we see today, a church in love with the world & worldliness, one that in no way is ready or willing to leave its life on Earth. We want Christ, but only if it means that we will prosper here on Earth: and that is exactly what the organized churches are representing to their own members, and it is the gospel they preach to the unsaved. Even as I may refer to other excuses the church will use, worldly love is usually at its root.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. –Luke 9:23, 24.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. –I John 2:15, 16.
An Unknowable Time: While it may be true that the exact day and hour of Jesus’ return will not be known in advance (Matthew 24:36), it is in no way true that we won’t know the “season” of the end, the very last generation. Jesus wanted us to know, and so commanded us to watch. Check out the following scriptures, with some commentary from myself thrown in:
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. –Matthew 24:3, 4. In the following verses, 5-31, Jesus proceeds to give a descriptive of conditions at the end of the world- things for us to observe. Then He follows it up in verses 32-34 with;
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. It sure sounds like Jesus wanted us to know! Underlining and bold type is mine.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. –Luke 17:26-30. These verses tell us that the rapture and God’s judgment at Armageddon happen on the same day, and will not be separated by a seven year tribulation: God’s Word never mentions a seven year tribulation.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. –Luke 21:22. Prophecy must be fulfilled, because God doesn’t lie. Many times I have heard pastors trying to tell the body of Christ that we can “turn away” God’s judgment for a season, if we will just pray in faith. NO! Jesus said that this generation would not pass, until all was fulfilled.
BUT of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. –I Thessalonians 5:1-6. Any underlined words are mine, used to emphasize.
NOW we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. –II Thessalonians 2:1-6.
We must also not neglect the numerous admonitions to watch that Jesus gave us, such as in Matthew 24:42, 43; Mark 13:33-37; Luke 21:36, and Revelation 3:2, 3. Why would Jesus even tell us to watch, if the time is unknowable? He did it to warn us, so we can prepare…
All of this leads us to that great question, what can we do? The subject matter is so great, and so unlike anything we have had to face, that we end up doing nothing, adopting a “wait and see” type attitude- just what Satan wants! We cannot afford this, for we must redeem the time.
Let me remind everyone that this war will be unlike any others we have known. Here in America, we haven’t had an enemy invasion, nor have we been bombed; we are going to experience both of these. We are also accustomed to wars developing slowly, such as seeing the advance of an enemy line over a period of weeks, or months. The climax of this war will be fast. That’s what we can expect with nuclear weapons. We can also expect this attack without much advance notice: we have already seen the war tensions rise, but the “big strike” will come when we aren’t looking for it, and not give us much (if any) time for defense. We have to be ready!
The first preparation we need to make (and the one of unequalled importance) is with God. Let’s be ready to meet Him! Let us do our best to prepare our children, as well as loved ones and neighbors, preaching Jesus Christ and His cross as the only means of salvation. Even under the best circumstances, no one is guaranteed a tomorrow in the flesh. With this taken care of first, then God the Holy Spirit can guide us in preparations. Having a supply of non-perishable food, and water is a reasonable step to take. It may also be well to have some real cash on hand, in case the internet goes down. Follow the wisdom God reveals to you directly.
In a marriage, there will come times to severely test our commitment. The feel-good days of our honeymoon don’t last forever. But we pledged ourselves to a spouse under all possible circumstances; most people really mean it at the time, but there is no way to foresee all that life will throw at us. This time in history is such a time for those of the professing church of Christ. Jesus died horribly on the cross to be the atonement for our sins, and to save us from the Lake of Fire eternally. Those first moments of salvation are so precious! But now, the trial has come. God wanted us to know this time. He wants us to prepare; let’s get ready to go!
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:36.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. –I Peter 1:3-9.
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. –Revelation 12:11.
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