Sunday, September 7, 2014

Indecision in victorious times


Ultimately Indecision becomes decision. I am trying to gain perspective as I write this blog as to why so many people are oblivious to the writing that is clearly on the multi-dimensional walls of the days we live in? They see the news on their television, internet, and all things media, and seem paralyzed in their spirit to even want to acknowledge the truth that is staring them in the face. Maybe it’s because we (the church) have “cried wolf” far too many times in the past, or maybe it’s because the thought of the end of this age is shrouded in fear, or maybe they feel a world apart from the global crisis that rages around us, but I believe Jesus would say once again “awake oh sleeper.”
First I would like to encourage the readers of this letter that the days that we are living in are the most glorious times in all of human history. It is the most prophesied, examined, questioned and celebrated era known to mankind, and God has called you and I to live at the very pivotal time of the generations of man for very specific reasons. There is an outpouring of His Holy Spirit coming upon us that has not been rivaled since Pentecost, and God has a vision and destiny for every man, woman, and child that is a piece of this eschatology that will comprise what will likely be a 3rd and final testament of this age. (That is just a personal thought) This is the a victorious, magnificent, and joyful chapter we are watching unfold before our very eyes, and one that God declared prophetically 2500 years ago in the Old Testament prophets. So as faithful servants of Yeshua let’s be sure to rightly divide the Word of Truth and tell the entirety if the matter that this is not all gloom, doom, and, terror, but rather power, love and a sound mind. To me personally it is not the “end of times” at all because on the back end of this age is another incredible age of time that is the 1000 year reign of Christ, so this epoch is just the beginning of the next splendid age.
Back to the present (not the future any longer) times that we are in right now, prophecy is unfolding weekly on our television and computer screens, newspapers, and media outlets globally. I would encourage everyone remotely interested in discerning the time in which we live to read Matthew 24, Ezekiel 38 and 39 and research the names of the modern geographies of the lands mentioned in 38 and 39. I would also take the time you may spend watching your favorite TV shows over the next few weeks and read Joel Rosenberg’s book, Epicenter and watch Steve Berger’s messages from 8/10-8/31 at http://www.gracechapel.net/media/detail/latest-messages as this is crucial information about the times we are in TODAY! I will bullet out some of the highpoints below, but please don’t take my word for anything, but dig into the 2500 year old prophecy that is unfolding like a scroll before our eyes as it seems another huge piece of the puzzle falls perfectly into place every week. As you view world events like the crisis in the Middle East, the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and the resounding clear-cut message from every terrorist organization in existence calling for the annihilation of Christians and Jews, try to see them through the lenses/meditations of these and like scriptures. The parallels are not just similar, but more like precise as a micro-laser from the words of Old Testament prophets to the words of Jesus and John themselves.  
Matthew 24:7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:” The word Nation here means Ethnos meaning race or “same race or tribe” and this is interesting because most of Matthew 24 is about the disciples question regarding the end of times and we have seen internal wars in countries like Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Sudan where the people or tribes within the respective nations have risen up against the governments in just the last year or two.
The Lands of Ezekiel 38 and 39 in current geographies:
·         Gog and Magog (Rosh of Meshech and Tubal) are generally looked at as the countries from the north like Russia. With the advent of natural gas discoveries in the Mediterranean Sea; namely Tamar and Leviathan, Israel is quickly becoming a massive energy superpower and this threatens its oil rich neighbors and is a prize (booty in the words of Ezekiel) that will likely be the main driver for the war of Ezekiel 38.
·         Persia is modern day Iran and has boldly called for the complete annihilation of The Zionist State (Jews/Israel) and has an alliance with Russia for the 1st time in history that will culminate in the Ezekiel prophecies coming to pass in the very near future.
·         Cush is not the Ethiopia of today but rather the land just to the south of Egypt, Northern Sudan with is another haven for radical Islamic terrorist organizations.
·         Ethiopia back then was south of Egypt (northern Sudan) and ripe with terrorist cells.
·         Libya (Put) is pretty close to the same geography as it was 2500 years ago and in the wake of Benghazi has been overtaken by radical Islamic terrorist organizations and is now in possession of 12 commercial jet airliners to add to their arsenal.
·       Gomer and Togarmah these ancient names found their location in what today is the country of Turkey. Until recently Turkey was an ally to Israel, but just as the words of Ezekiel declared are now declaring Israel an enemy and are arming Hamas on the Gaza Strip.
So we see an unholy confederacy of these nations aligning to call for the destruction of Israel and Christians. As we watch ISIS, Hamas, and other radical Islamist organization / countries gather to kill Christians and Jews alike with an increased fervency in the Middle East and beyond. We see daily the killing of Christians by Muslims from Indonesia to Bangladesh to Pakistan while China is tearing down church buildings. Christians tortured, beheaded, and crucified in Iraq, with villages burned and churches destroyed, and much the same in Syria.  At the same time we see Russia mounting a direct invasion of Ukraine as Vladimir Putin exploits the weakness and distraction of the United States. The headlines could not be any clearer, and the United States reaction is right in line with our role biblically….. Silent!
Daniel 12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” When in all of human history could you navigate this entire planet in a matter of hours? (Run to and fro) and when has knowledge ever been increased like it has in our lifetimes? Claims are today that knowledge doubles at the rate of every 13 months, and according to IBM analyst with the advent of “The Internet of Things” knowledge will double every 12 hours. (Schilling, 2013)
So what does all of this mean to the average American Christian today? It means the passivity, apathy and comfort that we have lived in here in our little western bubble is about to shake. It means the message that the angel gave to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) is directed at us, and the comfortable, lukewarm religion we have come to thinly embrace is about to be “vomited out of God’s mouth” and we can either get right with Jesus, or allow the passive lies of this world to take us to the frigid dwelling place of indifference and offence in our hearts. This is where people laugh at this kind of rhetoric like it’s for the feeble minded alarmist with a Chicken Little mentality, and scorn the obvious truth of this reality in place of silly ideologies that align to their comfort zones and lifestyles. We live in a time where truth is subjective, and we have been systematically indoctrinated to call “evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20) and that mindset is pervasive in our culture. So if you are constantly fed lies you will be desensitized to the truth over time and those are just plain common sense facts. It is the birthplace of universalism, new age, emergent church and why these vain philosophies resonate so well with a deceived world and church. “Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” Colossians2:8      
How can a 2500 year old book lay out in specific detail the accounts of our lives here in 2014 with precision and accuracy that is unparalleled by any writing, religion, or self-proclaimed prophet? The answer is it can’t. That is why the Bible is far more than a book, it is the Truth and The Word of God and there is no other. This is not about fear or trying to scare anyone into a “religion” but it is about relationship and how we need to all get our houses in order and discern the times in which we live and make sober life choices based on these truths. The good news is we have a hope and a gracious redeemer that stands with open arms waiting for us to make the next move towards Him. Take today and make that move! Remember indecision is still decision.      

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