‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

Ezekiel 20:7 NKJV

Idolatry. What comes to mind? Maybe little religious statuettes before which some ignorant peasant bowed down, petitioning for rain so the crops would not fail? That might be a good place to start, but that’s probably not what John had in mind when he penned the closing verse in 1 John:

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

1 John 5:21 NKJV

We’ve come a long way, one would hope. But then again, maybe not. In the seven letters of Revelation, guess which two primary sins show up again and again: sexual immorality and idolatry. The stumbling block of idolatry seems ever-present. The form changes, but the root problem remains.

Do our relationships with our money, cars, TV sets and the rest appear as “worship” to the Lord? If we abandon these (and similar) things in our lives, will we be keeping ourselves from idols, as John counseled? Or is there something else going on here?

I don’t think it’s the “stuff” at all, but rather that idolatry is a sort of mental dynamic. Let me explain.

In the case of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, it’s interesting to see where their idolatry apparently flared up. One textbook case was with the golden calf incident. Another may have been at the waters of Marah. In neither case was the power of God called into question. These people had very fresh memories of God’s powerful intervention as He destroyed Pharaoh and the armies of Egypt. Rather, what was being called into question was God’s goodness.

Let that sink in. These people knew that God COULD deliver them, that He could feed them and protect them and undertake for them in any adversity. They knew He COULD go before them and destroy their enemies. But they did not think He WOULD! They thought He brought them into the wilderness to torment them and let them die of thirst. They thought He led them into the wilderness to abandon them: ” … as for this Moses … we do not know what has become of him.” (Ex. 32:1)

This, my friends, is the stench of idolatry against which we are strongly cautioned, and for which those who do not repent will miss the rapture. God is good. ALL the time. He is fully trustworthy. Idolatry in the 21st century is NOT the guy washing his new car or watching TV on Sunday morning instead of going to church. Rather, it is looking at current circumstances, imagining frightening possibilities, and then accusing God of being the kind of father who gives you a stone when you need bread. Idolatry happens in your heart when you entertain in your heart a view of God as less than He is.

For the ancient peasant, it was the same as men today. Either Paul was mistaken in Romans 1:20 or that peasant knew that the God of Creation could send rain. But like many today, the peasant doubted God’s goodness so he directed his pathetic appeal to a statue or some false deity. That’s a lot like today – some things never change. We think our Father God won’t provide, won’t protect, won’t preserve: “as for this Jesus, we do not know what has become of Him.” So we trust money, or career, or anything else.

If God took your house and your money today, if He allowed all your friends to die … could He still preserve you and provide for you? “Of course He could,” you may answer. But the question is: “WOULD He?” Or would you think that even though He has carried you every day since the day He knit you together, that He would drop-kick you into the future and say, “you’re on your own, kid. Good luck!“

THAT is the point where the true believer and the idolater part ways. If you are anxious about the future, you need to re-read Paul’s brief letter to the Philippians:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

God is faithful and He never changes. No idol can replace Him, and in fact, if you tried to design a God who is better than He is, you could not.

The idols of Egypt are still around. The temptation to idolatry has not gone away. I hope this helps you recognize idolatry in your own life, and will encourage you to deal effectively with it.

“… in the last days, perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. From such people turn away!”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV

I opened my YouTube feed this morning and a livestream prophecy conference popped up: Storm Warning: The Urgency of the Rapture Bible Conference by Lamb & Lion Ministries. While I had hoped we’d all be on the mezzanine by now, maybe a good prophecy conference would be the next best thing.

The second speaker was Dr. Patrick Oliver, who apparently had some background in law enforcement. He used 2 Tim. 3:1-5 as his text, and then began his presentation with the results of a recent Barna study, which noted that currently, just one person in four in America is a “practicing Christian.” The criteria Barna used to define “practicing Christian” are: 1) calling oneself a Christian, 2) strongly prioritizing faith, and 3) regular church attendance. Compared to previous similar studies by Barna, this is a decline from one person in two just twenty years ago.

Stop the trolley! Self-identification as a Christian is a nearly meaningless criterion. Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, LOTS of our favorite “pro-choice” political leaders, plenty of rainbow-draped clergy-critters (men, women and what-have-you) – ALL self-identify as Christian. So what?

The second metric for this study was “strongly prioritizing faith.” What exactly does that mean? This seems highly subjective. Make no mistake: for a true disciple, faith in Christ and complete submission to His lordship in every area of life is the top priority. I would guess the Matthew 7:23 folks would not only agree, but would assert they measure up well.

Finally, and here’s the one that triggered my “let’s go blogging!” response: regular church attendance. That’s because “going to church” is a PRIMARY “form of godliness” that should start the flashing yellow light. Those who have a “form of godliness, but deny its power” are those we should avoid. The NIV says “have nothing to do with such people.” How can we tell?

I make no claim to being an authority, but I would humbly suggest for your prayerful consideration that those who practice religious, or even Christian, liturgical rituals but do not read, believe and obey the Word of God are those in view. Specifically, they don’t believe Bible prophecy. This is not my idea, but rather it’s Peter’s:

“Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV

It may be significant that these scoffers are “creationists.” Peter could have pre-quoted today’s evolutionists and simply said, “Where is the promise of His coming?” and left off the rest. I bring it up because I would expect that you would find these scoffing creationists on the favorable side of Barna’s study. They believe in creation, and they are familiar with Jesus’ promise to return …. and yet they scoff. Peter says they walk “according to their own lusts” and this squares with Paul’s comment in 2 Tim. 3.

And I suppose it’s of note that we are told to “turn away” from such, rather than being counseled by either Peter or Paul to reach out to these people, join them in fellowship, try to awaken them, or attempt to persuade them of their error. I think Dr. Oliver is mis-reading the landscape on this one.

I personally have a huge problem with going to a church and putting myself under the authority of scoffing leadership. Am I being harsh, or painting the entire “church” landscape with an unwarranted broad brush? Well, you tell me in the comments below, but I’ve surveyed the local landscape and it’s probably about the same as where you live: the imminent return of King Jesus, and His lordship over all of life, is simply not being proclaimed. And I would have to conclude that it is not proclaimed because it is not believed.

This is Laodicea. The “Organized Visible Church” has gone over to the dark side. The prosperity mega-churches with million-dollar budgets seem to think they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. But the same thinking has infected lots of smaller churches also, which is why a lot of people who take Christ seriously have abandoned Churchianity. No doubt there are some Philadelphian churches scattered about – Thank God! – but I think they are a “remnant”, few and far between. I’m also rather persuaded that a lot of Philadelphian Christians have LEFT the organized churches.

If you are a Christian who “goes to church” and your preacher rarely/never talks about eschatology, you should probably ask “why not?” Similarly, if you get in spiritual discussions with others (as you should) and you don’t talk about the Second Coming, you should ask yourself, “why not?” But in any event, don’t let scoffers steal your crown or steal your joy.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:39-40 NKJV

I follow a YouTube channel called The11:11Sign. The content creator is a Christian named Stan who lives in Texas. On July 20th he uploaded a video encouraging his audience to reach out to those around them and try to alert them to the lateness of the hour. His template was the interaction between Jesus and Martha, reported only in the gospel of John. The point was that Martha saw the certain resurrection of her brother as an event in the distant future, and Jesus brought her expectation back to the present.

This, Stan says, is a picture of what’s going on with many Christians today. They believe Jesus is coming back … on some unspecified day in the distant future. There’s both certainty and a detachment from that certainty. The immediacy of prophetic fulfillment in the very near future is lost on almost all Christians, who continue to doze as they completely miss how current events are precisely fulfilling explicit prophecies that were written in the scriptures for US. Like the folks in Ezekiel’s day, they repeat the refrain that “the vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off” (Ezek. 12:27).

Can these sleeping Christians be awakened? If so, what will it take?

I don’t know. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.

“The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.”

Daniel 4:17 NKJV

Nebuchadnezzar had an arrogance problem. This statement concerning Divine prerogatives was repeated in Daniel 4:25 and a third time in Daniel 4:32. This should shout “pay attention” loud and clear. The repetition was not because of an attention span problem. It’s because this is important.

Nebuchadnezzar got the message. However, his grandson Belshazzar did not. Daniel blasted Belshazzar with this fact yet again in Daniel 5:21. He rebuked the king, saying “you have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this.”

I don’t know how many Christians think we can fix what’s wrong with America by voting in the upcoming election. But our “handwriting on the wall” appears above. It is GOD who gives us our leaders, and it is He who has, in His mercy, given us better leaders than we deserve! Let this statement sink in as you look at these two U.S. government officials. God has raised them up to represent US.

From my vantage point, the pulpits in America seem to remain silent. The prophetic voices that God has raised up have apparently been ignored. This is a re-play of 2 Chronicles 36:16 and God will no longer be mocked.

“But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.”

2 Chronicles 36:16, NKJV (emphasis added)

America has an arrogance problem, and it just may be that before much longer, God will finish our days and divide this land between the Chinese and Russians. God is not impressed by an hour in a church service, and especially if the rest of the week is spent in carnality. He is certainly not impressed by our votes or our passion for the latest political candidates who promise to fix what’s broken. God’s remedy will be severe and painful:

“How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem — the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence — to cut off man and beast from it?”

Ezekiel 14:21 NKJV

These four judgments sound a lot like the Four Horsemen in Revelation chapter 6. They ALSO sound a lot like what government officials and the mainstream news media are telling us to expect.

Jesus Christ has made reconciliation with God possible and available. I understand there are a lot of folks in the world who really aren’t interested in being reconciled, and that’s between them and their Creator. My burden is for those who think they’re reconciled … and are NOT! Those who said a little prayer, got baptized, maybe go to church regularly and may even read their Bibles … but whose lives are filled with carnality.

Jesus is coming SOON! We will see Him face to face, and we will be called to give an account. Some who think things are well between themselves and God will find themselves in the Matthew 7:23 crowd:

“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’!”

Matthew 7:22-23, NKJV

These, it’s been suggested, are those who are plenty busy for Jesus on Sundays or during church activities, but spend the rest of their lives watching TV. They speak boldly for Jesus in Sunday School, but the fruit of the Spirit is not visible in their lives. Instead of love, joy, peace, gentleness, self control, patience and the rest, their characters are indistinguishable from the unbelievers around them. If Christianity were contagious, no one would want to catch it from them. Sadly, these folks think they are saved, but Jesus NEVER knew them. Their religious activity and religious church culture fooled everyone … even themselves. Sincerely religious and eternally separated from Christ. Busy trying to do things FOR Christ, but unwilling to become LIKE Christ. The hard work of Christianity is not religion; it’s transformation. If you really love Jesus, you will become like Him.

Then there’s a second group. These folks have saving faith, but nothing else. We read about them in 1 Corinthians chapter 3:

” …each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has build on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

1 Cor. 3:13-15

We will ALL have our lives tested by a Divine flame of judgment. The picture Paul paints is one of a person escaping a fire with just his life. In the days before “property insurance” a domestic fire could reduce someone to penury, literally overnight. All the earthly treasures accumulated over a lifetime … instantly destroyed. Some will be in heaven like that: in heaven but broke. No wealth; no treasure. I have no idea what that might be like, but it does not sound like something I’d hope for.

Where am I going with this? Nebuchadnezzar had an arrogance problem; Belshazzar had an arrogance problem; America has an arrogance problem, and many of US have an arrogance problem, too. We may think we’ve got God pretty well figured out, but THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL!! We have been warned and warned again. The time is EXTREMELY short. It is past time to declare a fast from the toxic world system and get our hearts and attitudes right. The stakes are high and the consequences last forever. Don’t be deceived. The very night that “the fingers of a man’s hand” wrote on the plaster in Belshazzar’s banquet hall, the end of the kingdom came. In Christ, complete reconciliation with God is freely available. What are you doing about it?

One belief currently in vogue among prophecy buffs is that the Gog/Magog war described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 happens at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week. I used to believe that myself, based mainly on the statement in Ezek. 39:9 that the remaining weapons would be burned for seven years.

But there are a few problems. We read from scripture that this rumble starts when the Jews are living peacefully in villages without gates or bars. They have been gathered from the nations, have acquired livestock and goods, and they are dwelling safely in the midst of the land. That does not seem to be the case now, or in the foreseeable future. The prophesied political/military alliances are allegedly in place, but that’s about it.

Another detail we can’t overlook is where these Jews are peacefully dwelling. They are “in the midst of the land” (Ezek. 38:12). The land that God promised to Israel stretched from the Nile River to the Euphrates, and the “midst of the land” would therefore be in either what is now Jordan, or in Saudi Arabia.

There was another detail that made me wonder, and that’s in verse 4 of the following chapter where it says “You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” This sounds like something at the END of the wrath of God:

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence,

Rev. 19: 17-20, NKJV

All this really says to me is that we should be a lot more humble and a lot less dogmatic about our theories concerning how things will play out here on Earth after we’re gone. If our theories don’t square with explicit scriptures, repetition or vilifying those with other conjectures won’t help.

For what it’s worth, here’s a possibility I am currently considering:

First, the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (a phrase used only once in scripture, in Jeremiah 30:7) does NOT refer to an end-times period of punishment of the Jews. The Hebrew word translated “trouble” means “straits” or “distress” in addition to “trouble” but does not seem to signify punishment. Rather, it might simply mean the rigors of living in the wilderness, in exile, or in a refugee camp.

In Ezekiel 37 we see a resurrection event. I believe this is related to the “confirmation of the covenant” (Daniel 9:27) and the sealing of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:4-8). In addition to the resurrection of righteous Jews, there will also be a gathering of living Jews. However, this gathering of true Jews won’t be in the region now known as “Israel” because The Dragon and his crowd will be residing in Jerusalem. Rather, the true Jews will be in the midst of the land that God promised Abraham, possibly in Jordan (maybe Petra or Bozrah). There, they will be dwelling safely, without gates or bars, and David will be king over them.

This, I suspect, is what’s in view when the “time of Jacob’s trouble” is cited. David is a shepherd over them (and who is better qualified?) until Jesus comes, at which time David is relegated to “prince.” Jesus apparently leads them from Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1) to Jerusalem, steps on the Mount of Olives, and creates a huge valley. This, I believe, is a precursor to the Battle of Magog. “Blood up to the horse’s bridles” (Rev. 14:20) requires a valley or some sort of container.

This, I believe, will happen at the end of the 42-month reign of The Dragon (Rev. 13:5). The dust settles and global blessing begins on the 1,335th day (Daniel 12:12) and about three years remain to conclude the six agenda items of Daniel 9:24.

It does not make sense to me that there be a major war in or near Jerusalem at the beginning of the final seven years. The Dragon wants to move into Jerusalem and take over. He doesn’t want a place that looks like Damascus – he wants a functioning city with the infrastructure in place that’s necessary for a global seat of government.

I strongly suspect that the Battle of Magog is militarily a lot more complex than most of us think. It is certainly complex enough to require several weeks of lead time, logistics, troop movement and staging and all the rest. The Euphrates must be dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east. None of this has happened yet, so I have concluded that talk of an imminent “Battle of Magog” is premature.

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Revelation 3:16

I would suppose most preachers don’t dwell on the graphic nature of this verse. The mental picture of Jesus throwing up is not pretty, and the point of the verse seems to need little additional explanation. However, I’ve never heard anyone suggest a connection between this text and 2 Thess. 2:3

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition …

2 Thess. 2:3 (emphasis added)

Perhaps Jesus’ spewing the lukewarm and the “falling away” are the same event, seen from two different perspectives.

There’s animated discussion in the eschatosphere concerning salvation at the time of the end. Let’s consider some possibilities. Will there be a great “end-times revival” or an “end-times falling away”? Or both? Perhaps lots of folks who are currently in the church will abandon the faith as times become more trying, and at the same time lots of folks will be flocking to the church and embracing the faith as times become more trying … does this make sense? Or maybe huge numbers of new converts in Africa while American Christians desert the Lord in droves? Maybe a great apostasy just before the rapture, and then a huge revival after the church is taken out of the world? An uncountable number in the harvest …. AFTER the harvest?? Will the church look more like a revolving door, with huge amounts of traffic in both directions?

I’ve discussed the “great tribulation” elsewhere and won’t repeat my reasoning or conclusions here. I will say, however, that I think there will be a LOT of folks who are nominal Christians, who wanted “just enough Jesus” to stay out of hell, but not enough to impact their lives – who will be left behind and will be angry at God when serious tribulation begins (and believe me, we haven’t seen anything yet). Solid, committed, faithful and full-on Christians will be gone, and those practicing the “Christian religion” will remain. Those who want to love Jesus Christ will go, and those who want to placate Him will remain. I think Stan is correct when he suggests that the folks living in 2023 will look back fondly on 2022 as “the good old days.” (“Can We Influence the Timing of the Rapture?“)

And for those Christians-in-name-only who are still here after the rapture, when the tribulation intensifies and the wrath is on the horizon – how might they respond? They will abandon the faith they claimed to embrace. They may think God has betrayed them. Scripture suggests that many will take the mark and submit to the Beast. It appears from scripture that most of the people on the planet will refuse to repent as things get worse. By God’s grace, some will repent, and they will seal their faith with their own blood.

There’s a pattern in scripture, where God responds to man’s recalcitrance. He gives men and women over to their passions. This is the “falling away.” Read again the seven letters to the seven churches, understanding that Jesus is writing to the end-times church on earth — that’s US — and describing seven perspectives or facets of His visible church on earth. All the admonitions are to each of us, and all the rewards are available to each of us. We are all called to be overcomers. We can be passionate, single-hearted and completely focused disciples, OR we can be half-hearted, lukewarm, self-centered and self-indulgent. At the end, our Righteous Judge will give each of us what we have asked for by our daily choices.

I don’t believe there will be a great, post-rapture end times revival. This incorrect teaching is based on an incorrect understanding of Revelation 7:14 and specifically to the assumption that “great tribulation” in this context refers to the global strife that follows the rapture. It appears that there will be a short period of tribulation after the rapture, followed by 42 months of God’s wrath. This is when the left-behind, carnal Christians repent, are pursued by The Dragon, and are overcome (killed) by him (Rev. 13:7-8). Once this is completed, there is no evidence of any repentance as God’s wrath intensifies (Rev. 9:20-21, Rev. 16:9-11).

God’s goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), and His law is our tutor to lead us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). What will lead people to repentance when God’s goodness is withdrawn? I would submit that all that’s left is self-interest; that is, seeing Christ as a means of avoiding further pain. But it won’t work. Jesus Christ is to be worshiped and obeyed, NOT used as a means to obtain some other object – in this case, comfort and safety. This is the “false gospel” (one of several) that has deceived so many people.

Read again the description of these folks in Laodicea. They think they’re rich and need nothing, but Jesus says they’re destitute and deluded. They sing the songs on Sunday morning, might have a scripture verse on their coffee cups, or Christian bumper stickers on their new cars. God knows their hearts. These folks will be vomited out – left behind – and they will abandon the faith and fall away when the true state of their hearts is revealed.

In Jesus Christ, and only in Him, complete reconciliation with God is now freely available. I’m starting with my conclusion. Everything that follows is for context and clarity.

Skye Jethani did a 44-minute YouTube presentation on What Is The Gospel? and used an approach that I found helpful, though I think he missed the mark in a few areas. His approach was to use the text in 1 Cor. 15 to identify the key points in the gospel message, and then illustrate using the gospel as it was proclaimed in Acts 2, 3, 4, 10, 13 and 17. His conclusion, distilled down to just four words, was “Jesus Christ Is Lord.”

Now, there’s a lot to be unpacked from this succinct statement on the Lordship of Christ, but let’s face it: this statement on a tract or on a T-shirt does not effectively communicate the gospel. Skye identified five common elements in the gospel message: sin (2), Jesus’ life (4), Jesus’ death (9), Jesus’ resurrection (15), and Jesus’ Lordship (10). You might conclude that because sin is only mentioned twice that it’s not really essential to the gospel message.

Skye only considered Acts and 1 Corinthians. Jesus and His disciples were preaching the “gospel of the kingdom” from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. That foundational message was that the kingdom was near, and that repentance was in order. That is to say, “God is offering reconciliation.” We read in Luke’s gospel that after His resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples:

“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Luke 24:46-47 (emphasis added)

This commission makes repentance and remission of sins the centerpiece of the message. It presumes, of course, that those hearing the message are aware of their sin problem.

And that, I’ve come to believe, is closer to the real issue regarding evangelism. Paul stated in Romans 1:20 that all men are left “without excuse.” Men know both from nature (Psalm 19) and their internal hard-wiring that God exists, that He has eternal power, and that He fully deserves to be thanked and glorified. We all KNOW we have rebelled against our Creator. For those who acknowledge this, the gospel makes sense. God, in Christ, is reconciling the world to Himself. Jesus Christ is both willing and able to effect the reconciliation. For those who choose denial, the message of the gospel is foolishness, because their foolish hearts are darkened. People aren’t unbelievers because of ignorance; they’re unbelievers because of suppression.

We are called to be ministers of reconciliation:

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God, for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Cor. 5:18-21

I bring this up for several reasons. First, as His ambassadors, we need to be clear on what our message and assignment is. We are NOT expected to “win the world to Christ.” The vast majority of people (Matthew 7:13) are not interested in Jesus or reconciliation with God. They don’t even want to hear about it. Militant atheism has nothing reasonable to stand on, but they prefer ignoring God over being reconciled with Him. However, their recalcitrance does not frustrate our obedience. It is NOT our calling to tell everyone about Jesus. We are to tell anyone who will listen that 1) reconciliation with God is available, and 2) that reconciliation is effected in Jesus Christ, by virtue of His death, burial and resurrection. If they reject this message at any point, they have been evangelized and we have still been obedient.

Second, Jesus said “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The gospel of the kingdom is “repent; the kingdom of God is at hand.” It’s a warning and a statement of fact. This is not an “invitation to receive Christ” or a global altar call. It’s simply the announcement that reconciliation with God is available. Some have made this into a guilt trip for Christians, suggesting that because there are people you know who you haven’t talked to about Jesus, you have disobeyed the Great Commission and your disobedience prevents the return of Christ. This sort of thing is spiritual abuse.

Finally, the main reason for our remaining here is to “grow up in all things in Christ.” (Eph. 4:13-16) There is a reason why we do not get “instantly taken home” as soon as we believe. Jesus deserves a mature bride, and spiritual growth takes time; for some of us, a LOT of time. We need to learn patience. We need to grow in faith when having faith is difficult or frightening. We need to learn obedience. We need to out-grow our own carnality. It is simply not God’s will that we remain babies forever.

Taking the emphasis off maturity and placing it on evangelism has stunted the growth of the church. We think Christianity is a to-do list, and that evangelism is more like sales. We try to increase our Bible head-knowledge in order to be ready for any “objections” that a “prospect” might raise. Do you see a problem with this?

Preaching the gospel is NOT about “overcoming objections.” It’s simply stating that in Jesus Christ, and only in Him, remission of sins and complete reconciliation with God are now freely available. Evangelism adds the challenging question, “what are you going to do about it?” What they do about it is, of course, between them and God. By His grace, they will repent, be baptized, and submit to the Lordship of Christ the King in everything.

If we are growing up in Him, evangelism will happen. Some who see Christ in us will be attracted; some will be repulsed. Those in the first group may ask you the reason for the hope that is in you, and they deserve a clear and honest answer. Now, hopefully, you have one.

According to a recent article by Leo Hohmann, the Globalists have entered the kill phase of Great Reset. For those who have been paying attention, this is probably not a surprise. Mr. Gates, Mr. Schwab, the folks at the World Economic Foundation and their kindred spirits at the World Health Organization started telling us a long time ago what their plans were for Planet Earth.

The erstwhile Deagle.com web site predicted a 68% reduction in the population of the United States by the year 2025. This was unthinkable seven years ago, but today we’re offered grim prognostications from every direction. I won’t dwell on it, but this is no longer gloom and doom. It’s the sober assessment from a number of different people who should know and who DO know.

The response of many is to see the folks who are orchestrating the cascade of disasters coming our way as “evil people” whose agenda must be identified and thwarted. I am writing this post to plead with you to see current events through a Biblical lens, and understand that it is GOD who is behind this.

Gates, Schwab, WEF directors, WHO officials and the rest are not the only “bad guys” in the mix. God has raised them up because most of the people upon whom these immediate miseries will fall are sinners who, despite YEARS of appeals, refuse to repent.

This happened on a smaller scale in the days of Jeremiah. The public consensus then, supported by legions of false prophets, was that God would not allow Jerusalem to be destroyed. He would protect His people and His temple. But Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were not the bad guys. They were just those whom God raised up to punish the reprobate Jews in Israel who were steeped in idolatry and blood sacrifice and arrogance and all the rest. Folks a lot like us.

The gospel of the Kingdom must be preached in all the world, as a testimony to all the nations. That gospel is: REPENT for the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Four Horsemen of Revelation chapter 6 are soon to arrive, and their assignment won’t be thwarted by a houseful of survivalist supplies. God is going to judge the world’s sinners as earnestly as He judged Jesus Christ when Jesus took our sins on His shoulders.

If the folks who read Hohmann’s article won’t repent, nothing else will really matter. They will receive Divine Justice at the hands of those whom God has raised up for this purpose. If Jesus Christ is not the Lord of your life, then similarly, nothing else will matter.

REPENT! Little time remains.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?‘ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!‘

Matthew 7:21-23, NKJV (emphasis added)

Paul gave his gospel message in 1 Cor. 15 – that Christ died according to the scriptures (that is, the OT scriptures that said He would die), that He was buried, and that He rose again, and that He was subsequently seen by many.  So it was a resurrection message.  It was also implicitly a Lordship message.

And yet, when the Philippian jailer (most certainly a Gentile) asked Paul, “what must I do to be saved?” then none of this came up except Lordship.  It was “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” – followed, it should be noted, by baptism.

But in Matthew 7:21 none of this comes up.  Jesus does not say, “you believed the wrong stuff,” or “you weren’t baptized,” or “you never really opened the door of your heart” or any such thing.  It was He not knowing them.  Odd.  How does that work?

I think a similar question is, “what must I do to fall in love?”  There’s no five-step procedure.  Ask someone who’s in love and they may not know WHAT happened, or how.  Maybe not even when. 

It seems to me we have a lot of emphasis on head-knowledge and things we believe about Jesus.  My subjective conclusion is that because there’s a relationship between us, EVERYTHING in my life is open to Him and is subject to His inspection and change.  I trust Him so completely that I am willing to do, change, abandon, replace … whatever He wants and however He may direct.  And He does, usually through His Word.

Here’s a conversation that should probably take place more often:

Q.  If you were to become a Christian, would you have to make some changes in your life?

if ‘yes’ then ask:

Q.  Are you willing to make those changes?

Now, at this point people stop being disciples and start becoming theologians, and the whole ‘faith v works’ thing becomes front and center.  But the fact is that we are His workmanship, and His desire is to fashion us so we become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).  That may be what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 7:23.  He says He never “knew” them but in verse 21 the issue is “he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  And a search for “will of God” or “God’s will” or the like turns up all sorts of interesting things – things that arguably only flow from a heart in love with God.

“I never knew you” suggests superficial Christianity, or form without substance. You “know” someone when they open their lives to you. You “know” my house when I give you complete access: the living room and dining room, but also the browsing history on the computer and the closet where the skeletons are kept. When Jesus says He does not “know” someone it suggests that they kept Him at a distance, not allowing Him to view or change things in their life.

For myself, I love Him. I fully understand that my eternity is in His hands, but the only way I can go to hell is if Jesus didn’t suffer enough, and that’s clearly impossible. He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. I have my assurance based totally on what He has done in me, for me, and to me.

I invite you to prayerfully consider the following scripture passage:

For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem–the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence–to cut off man and beast from it? “

Ezekiel 14:21 NKJV

The context is Jerusalem just before its destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. God accused His covenant people of persistent unfaithfulness. In the days of Sodom, God told Abraham that He would spare the city if there were just ten righteous people in it (Gen. 18:32). But in this case, even if Noah, Daniel and Job (three Gentiles!) were there, they would save only themselves.

NOTE:  Most scholars don't think "Daniel" refers to the prophet (who was an unknown youth when Ezekiel wrote) but rather to an ancient king of Syria renowned for his wise, just and compassionate rule. (The Message of Ezekiel, Christopher J.H. Wright, page 176)

Do those four severe judgments sound familiar? If you’ve spent any time in Revelation chapter 6 they should sound very familiar – red horse (sword), black horse (famine), pale horse (beasts and possibly pestilence). Power will be given to the four horsemen over a fourth of the earth, which (at the time of this writing) exceeds 1.94 billion people.

At the time Ezekiel wrote, God had sent warning after warning to His people.

And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

2 Chron 36:15-16 NKJV

They mocked the messengers of God. They despised God’s Word and the words of those sent by God to warn. They ignored God’s appeal. They scoffed. That sure sounds like today!

I mention this because there’s an idea out there that God’s wrath does not begin until the 6th seal is opened. The assumption is that the seals are sequential and there’s a time line of sorts: the first seal is opened and stuff happens, and then the second seal is opened after that and more stuff happens, etc. However, it’s consistent with experience (who unseals a letter a little bit at a time?) and not precluded by the text that all the seals are opened at the same time, and the record simply explains discrete events associated with the opening of the scroll. I won’t quibble, but we see a summary statement in Rev. 6:8 that seems to pull the four horsemen together into one posse: “And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” (NKJV, emphasis added)

And yet, at this point in time, early in the sequence of end-time judgments, we are told by some that there is a WORLD-WIDE REVIVAL going on! Yes, the “144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams” (to quote Hal Lindsey) are reaping a huge harvest. I’m sure Just As I Am will be on top of the Billboard Pop Music charts and baptistries will be operating 24/7. And people will actually be reading their Bibles.

Pardon my lapse into sarcasm, but can I be honest? God hates sin. Most people on this planet do not. That won’t change with the rapture, won’t change when God’s wrath begins in earnest, and certainly won’t change when those who have rejected the truth receive their promised “strong delusion” (2 Thess. 2:11). We in the Christian communities world-wide have made our appeal for YEARS for people to be reconciled to God. Jesus was despised and rejected when He came 2,000 years ago, and that really hasn’t changed a lot. The way to destruction is still broad, and many still go in thereat (Matt. 7:13).

I honestly don’t know why the idea of a post-rapture “global revival” has so much appeal when it has no Biblical support. All I can think is that it’s another way for Satan to deceive Christians into not recognizing the urgency of the hour or the withering fierceness of God’s holy wrath.

The folks outside Noah’s ark and the folks remaining in Sodom did not get a subsequent opportunity for salvation after God’s wrath began. Jesus said that THESE days would be like THOSE days.

Think about it.