Eternal life resides in Jesus and in Him alone. No one else! This is true now and will also be the case after Jesus removes His true church from the earth.
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
What do people need the most? The answer remains the same as it’s always been: A clear understanding of the Gospel. By this I mean that people need Jesus, not the one that so many today create in their mind but but the One revealed on the pages of Scripture.
One of the more familiar terms in the book of Revelation is also one of the most misunderstood phrases in the apocalypse. Many people have heard about the “mark of the beast” and its corresponding 666, but few believe it will ever become a reality.
Among those who believe it signifies a future prophecy, it has become a source of confusion amid all the talk of COVID-19 vaccines.
So what’s the big deal in regarding apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as a physical departure rather than spiritual apostasy? It adds considerable support for belief in a pretribulation rapture, one that occurs before this period of God’s wrath upon the earth.
It confirms that Jesus must come for His church before the world knows the identity of the antichrist, which we know occurs at the beginning of tribulation, if not before.
I believe we live in a period of relative calm before a great storm sweeps across the planet. God’s judgment on the Christ-rejecting world is ever so close at hand. The rapidly approaching tribulation will bring people face to face with the wrath of the Lord and give them one more opportunity to turn to the Savior before they face an eternity apart from Him.
According to the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a lady asked Dr. Franklin, “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.” Benjamin Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”
This quote has been ringing in my ears since I heard about the election fraud taking place in many states.
The Lord of the Rings is allegory; Jesus’ future return to earth is reality. In Tolkien’s symbolic tale of the Second Coming, King Aragorn defeats the forces of the demonic Sauron that are attacking Isengard. In biblical prophecy, Jesus will triumph over the forces that Satan will someday gather to destroy Jerusalem.
On September 15, 2020, President Trump presided over the signing of peace deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as well as between Israel and Bahrain. Fox News reported President Trump as saying that the deals would form “the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region.”
From a biblical prophecy standpoint, how are we to regard these peace accords that the Trump administration refers to as the “Abrahamic Accord?”
Just as the rapture infused hope into the boy of my past, it does so for believers today amid the lawlessness and rampant violence on our streets. It matters now more than ever before!
One has to consciously block out the many prophetic signs of the coming tribulation in order to deny that we live in the last days of human history. It’s simply not sensible to dismiss the words of the book of Revelation as history or allegory at a time when we see its prophecies coming to life before our eyes.
How do we reconcile these diverse scenes? On the one hand, we saw a firm stand for liberty, the life of the unborn, and the preservation of our freedoms. At the same time, we witnessed demonic outbursts of hatred, murder, and violence fully intent at destroying our way of life and God-given rights.
What does it all mean? What can we expect in the days ahead?
The events of 2020 have caused some dear saints to think that the tribulation has already started. Others may be wondering about the certainty of the pretribulation rapture as they watch violence, lawlessness, and violence overshadow our world.
My purpose in writing is to encourage believers to remain watchful as our world becomes a dark and foreboding place. Despite what we see, we can know Jesus is coming for us before the start of the seven-year tribulation.
Daniel saw a future manifestation of the fourth beast that still awaits fulfillment. All the other empires that the Lord revealed to His prophet flourished for a time and then faded away except for the final manifestation of the fourth one, which has not yet appeared.
However, it’s likely forming right before our eyes; It’s called the “Great Reset.”
One would think that with all the chaos in just the first six months of 2020 we would see a concentrated focus by pastors on biblical prophecy and warnings about what is to come, but such is not the case.
Why do we see such lack urgency in our churches as biblical signs of the coming tribulation explode around us like fireworks in the sky? Why do Christians, some of whom profess to believe in pretribulation rapture, flock to churches where they sadly hear no mention the Lord’s soon appearing or the imminent tribulation?
My heart ached this past Monday morning as I read about the chaos and lawlessness near the White House. I felt both anger and fear as I saw pictures of violence and deadly attacks on law enforcement in cities throughout the United States.
It was not until I read several Psalms and through about Jesus’ promises return that my heart began to settle down and my focus began to change from the rioters to my hope in Jesus.
Have you ever wondered during the past few months if the seven-year tribulation has already begun?
Although the tribulation has not yet started, we see the beginning of conditions we know will be much worse during this seven-year period. I believe this is God’s way of getting the attention of the world before His judgments begin. He’s also letting us know that His appearing is imminent.
Something clicked inside me the other evening as Ruth, my wife, and I read from the book Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge. As we took turns reading from his chapter, “Allowing for Transitions," a thought occurred to me on a completely different wavelength than that of the author.
What if our current COVID-19 experience is itself a time of transition for believers, the United States, and even the world?
Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, I have felt a wide range of emotions. At times anger has surged inside me as I have watched news accounts of many elected officials attempting to take advantage of the crisis for personal or political advantage.
The words of Psalm 46:10 have been my frequent place of refuge the many emotions stirring inside me; they have often restored peace and brought greatly needed reassurance to my soul. Like many of you.
Are you crazy!? I realize some of you might think so after reading my title. How can I be so sure of something so hotly debated within the church? Most Christians either say we cannot know anything for sure about the Lord’s return or they dismiss the rapture altogether.
In spite of all the dissension today, I know Jesus is coming for all His saints, for us, before the start of the tribulation.
