Shape of Things to Come

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:6-8 (NKJV)

US in shock as worst storms for 40 years kill almost 300


Historic Flooding Unfolding Along Mississippi, Ohio Rivers


I wrote yesterday about the massive tornado outbreak and the people who died in those storms. Today I want to talk about what lies ahead.

I have head a lot of speculation about whether these are judgements from God or the birth pains. Although I'm not going to get into that discussion now, I will say that things will get much worse.

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Romans 8:22 (NKJV)

The book of Revelation talks about major earthquakes several times.

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
Revelation 6:12-13 (NKJV)

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:5 (NKJV)

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. Revelation 11:13 (NKJV)

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11:19 (NKJV)

18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Revelation 16:18-20 (NKJV)

Imagine, an earthquake so great that the mountains and islands are all gone. Now this sounds pretty horrible to me. I certainly don't want to be around for any of it. And I believe that it won't be just earthquakes. I can imagine more massive tornado outbreaks, volcanoes, and hurricanes.

Do I believe that these are all birth pains? Although there are many who many disagree with me, I believe they are. I believe they are warnings to those who have either rejected Jesus or have not yet made up their minds. Now, how about those of us who have accepted Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Should we be afraid? Although the human part of us does fear, we need to remember that, through all of this, God is still in control.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

I've said it before and I will say it again. Time is short. We many not know the day or hour of his coming, but we are to be in the Word of God and we are to know the signs.

2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Matthew 16:2-3 (NKJV)

We, the Church need to be busy. We need to be witnessing and warning. We need to be telling people that time is short and Jesus IS coming back. And if you're still undecided, my warning to you is to look at the signs. The time for repentance is NOW. Tomorrow may be too late.

2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 (NKJV)

God willing, until next time

Maranatha

Thoughts on the Recent Storms

First of all, my prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by this major tornado outbreak.

I have decided to use this blog to voice some of my thoughts to this horrific, natural disaster. As I talked about in my last blog, I am an avid weather watcher and a trained volunteer for Sky Warn. I also enjoy watching the storm chasers via a live-feed site. This means, I watch, through their dashboard cameras, as they look for and follow the storms. And as I do this, I also keep an eye on the radar. Now, please remember, these chasers are trained at what they do. They are also the eyes on the ground and help provide warnings to communities who will be in the direct path of these storms. And as I listen to their comments and watch the radar, I am able to increase my knowledge of what to look for, in case any of these storms would ever come my way.

Now, I was listening to this one storm chaser late at night as he was trying to find an unobstructed way back home. As he was driving, knowing that there were still people following him via his live feed camera, he started talking about everything he had witnessed that day. One thing he said really got to me. Although I am paraphrasing this, he said: As he was driving to catch up with the storms, having gotten a late start, he was noticing all the people outside, going about their business. People were coming and going from work and school. People were working out in their front yards or just outside walking and enjoying the day. By the time evening came, some of those people would possibly be dead.

As of this writing, there are 284 people dead and that number continues to rise. These are people who, only earlier that day, were minding their own business, as if the day was going to be like any other day. At least 284 came face to face with an Almighty God and their fate had already been decided. It's a heartbreaking and sobering thought.

This is why I admonish you, my brothers and sisters, to warn the people, those who don't know Jesus. This is why I sometimes appear to be desperate in shouting out my own warnings. Tomorrow is promised to
nobody. The next hour is promised to nobody. There are 284 people who, if they didn't repent of their sins and accept Jesus' sacrifice, have run out of time.

Please remember, being a good person isn't good enough to enter into God's presence. God is perfect and nothing imperfect can come into His presence. One little white lie is a sin and therefore an imperfection. One little immoral thought is a sin and therefore an imperfection. Just coveting something that doesn't belong to you is a sin and therefore an imperfection. As you can see, we cannot enter into God's presence on our own accord. We will never be good enough.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 (NKJV)

But it isn't hopeless. God loves us so much that he provided a way. He became man, took our sins upon Himself, died on the cross as a sacrifice for those sins, and rose again. All we have to do is accept it. Yes, it's that simple.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

In our natural state, we are destined for eternal hell. We can do nothing to rescue ourselves from that fate. We need to humble ourselves and accept it. We also need to know that we are not worthy to be rescued. We need to repent of our sins. To repent, to acknowledge our sins, to be utterly sorry, to turn away from our
sins. We need to want to be delivered. The we need to accept Jesus' gift of salvation, the gift He provided on the cross.

whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, Romans 3:25 (NKJV)

Think of a person drowning in the ocean. The Coast Guard comes by and throws out a life-line. Now, this person has two choices, accept the life-line and live or reject the life-line and die. We have that same
choice, accept the life-line Jesus offers, or reject it and die in our sins. Jesus is not going to force you to take it. He's handing it to you. Whether to take it or not is your choice.

But my advise is - don't delay in deciding. For 284+ people, it's now too late. They had already made their choice. Their time ran out during a horrific storm. I just pray that they had already accepted the life-line out of hell.

I take each one of these deaths seriously. I am heartbroken. I prayed and cried yesterday as these storms were plowing through these communities, destroying people's lives and livelihoods. I continue to pray today for the families who have lost everything, for the families who have lost loved ones and friends, for those who are severely injured that they may be healed, for those who have lost jobs because businesses have been destroyed. I ask that you join me in prayer for these people.

I also ask that you join me in warning people on how short time is. Not only do I believe that Jesus will soon be coming to get His Church, but as we can see from the natural disasters that have happened recently, no one is immune from sudden destruction. Are you ready? Are your family members and friends ready? If not, have you told them about the Gospel and offered them the life-line that will save them from an eternity in hell?

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)

God willing, until next time

Maranatha

Watching The Storms

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. Ezekiel 33:6 (NKJV)

Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Ezekiel 33:9 (NKJV)

I am a volunteer member of a group called Sky Warn. What that means is that I am one of the on-the-ground, eyes and ears for the National Weather Service. I report severe weather for my area and, in case of tornado watches or warnings, I look for rotating wall clouds, funnel clouds, or tornadoes on the ground. In this way, I can call in my observations to the weather service. Then the appropriate warnings can go out to the area which, in turn, can save lives.

We have just had a weekend filled with powerful storms. These storms swept through the country from Oklahoma to the East Coast, causing multiple fatalities, injuries, and destruction of property.

Historic Tornado Outbreak: 3 Days, 241 Tornadoes, 14 States
(note: there have been more tornadoes since I started writing this blog.)

Many people knew the location of these tornadoes due to the storm spotters and storm chasers who were tracking these storms and reporting them. These people probably saved many lives.

However, although many people heeded the warnings, many people either didn't listen to the storm reports or ignored the warnings. From one report, there were about a hundred people in a Lowes store in North Carolina totally unaware that a tornado was coming. It was the quick thinking of a store manager and the employees that saved all of those lives.

Now, reports of the approaching storms were all over the TV and radios. Sirens were blowing. From watching the radar, one could see the track this storm was taking and know when to take shelter. So why were many of these people caught unaware? I believe that only they know the answer to that.

Now, what does that have to do with this blog? It's about warnings and the people who listen to the warnings and are saved as opposed to those who ignore the warnings and perish.

2  He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Matthew 16:2-3 (NKJV)

Jesus and the disciples gave many warnings as did the prophets in the Old Testament. Just as the Israelites didn't heed the warnings then, many people are not heeding the warnings now.

31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Matthew 24:31-33 (NKJV)

We are to watch the signs and heed the warnings. If Jesus comes today, are you ready?

As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:10 (NKJV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 (NKJV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

Salvation cannot be earned. Everyone is a sinner and deserves death but God gives eternal life.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NKJV)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8-9 (NKJV)

Now just because people don't listen to storm warnings, those committed to warning the public will continue to do so. And just as there are those who are ignoring the warnings from Jesus, I will continue to warn. Whether you decide to listen to the warnings and be saved or ignore the warnings and perish, that will be your choice.

God willing, until next time

Maranatha

What Are They Saying?

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Matthew 24:11 (NKJV)

And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. Luke 21:8 (NKJV)

One of the things Jesus warned us about the end times was the rise of false teachers and false prophets. Please note that Jesus said "deceive many".

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)

Deceive the elect? Is that possible?

Many of the churches now are filled with false prophets and false teachers. They draw in large congregations who are amazed by their words. They give prophesies, arrange healings, and have very charismatic personalities. They hold a Bible and use just the right words to make it appear that they are preaching the truth, when in fact, they deny the Biblical Jesus. So why are all these people following these false teachers?

³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

These people preach about love but forget about wrath and repentance. They promise wealth and rewards on this world. They tell us that we can have "our best life now" and "love wins". They give us feel good messages that we don't have to think about and avoid talk of sin and repentance so we won't feel bad about ourselves. This is what itching ears want to hear. This is what itching ears flock to. They listen, awestruck, while their Bibles sit, gathering dust on their shelves.

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2 John 1:7 (NKJV)

But what DOES the Bible say about these teachers and preachers. 2 Peter 2 is a good chapter to read. Peter doesn't hesitate calling these people out and warning the flock.

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 2 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)

For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 2 Peter 2:18 (NKJV)

Then there is the little book of Jude, right before Revelation. I haven't heard many sermons done on the book of Jude, which I think is a shame. There is a lot of information in this little book. While Peter was warning the flock that these false teachers and preachers would be coming, Jude says "THEY'RE HERE!".

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 4. (NKJV)

Notice how he says "crept in unnoticed". They've crept into the churches, sometimes welcomed in with open arms. They act and speak convincingly enough to create a false sense of christianity. The "Hey, I believe as you do" attitude. Then they slowly work their poison in, sometimes through the children and youth groups or sometimes as deacons and lay leaders. When someone feels uncomfortable about something and speaks up, that person is ridiculed and called judgemental. This keeps other people quiet as the poison slowly spreads.

So, once again, what does Jude say? Look at Jude 4 again. God says "who long ago were marked out for this condemnation". That sounds powerful to me.

¹² These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; ¹³ raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Jude 12-13 (NKJV)

Not a very good description of them, is it. So, what should we do about these false teachers and preachers?

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?...Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 6:14,17 (NKJV)

Yes, it says "come out from among them and be separate". We are not to have anything to do with them. They have become apostate. And what does Jesus think about the apostate church?

14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:14-16 (NKJV)
Those are pretty strong words folks. These false teachers and preachers have a little bit of truth mixed in with a whole lot of heresy. Many people are being deceived right into hell. ¹³ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

I have seen many of my brothers and sisters in Christ attacked lately because they are rebuking these false teachers. I say to you, pick up your Bible and dust it off. Read the Word of God and compare it to what your preacher and Sunday School teacher is saying. And if they are teaching something different than what you're reading in the Word of God, take a stand and contend for the faith. Time is short. Jesus is returning and I believe it is soon.

I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8 (NKJV)

God willing, until next time

Maranatha