Month: April 2019

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

“They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

“but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” (Luke 17:26-30).

Jesus loved to use parables in order to get His message across.  It was God Incarnate’s desire that His people have understanding of spiritual matters.

In this parable, Jesus taught on the timing of the rapture.  Using the examples of Noah & Lot, Jesus taught that His people would be pulled out on the day that Divine judgment actually begins.

But, what will society be like in those days?  What was it like in Noah’s day before the Flood came?

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence,” (Genesis 6:5,11).

Noah’s day was characterized by widespread evil and violence.  What about Lot’s day?

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.  And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight?  Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally,” (Genesis 19:4-5).

Lot’s society was rife with sexual immoralities, debaucheries, and violence.

Both Noah’s society and Lot’s should have been expecting Divine judgment for their sins, but they did not.  In spite of the widespread violence and sexual immorality, society still functioned as normal:  “ They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.”

The Bible teaches that sin hardens one’s heart:  the greater the sin, the greater the hardness.  In the case of both of these societies, rampant sin made them unresponsive to Noah & Lot’s warnings:

“…Noah, a preacher of righteousness…” (2 Peter 2:5).

“…This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.  So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door,” (Genesis 19:9).

“and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds), (2 Peter 2:7-8).

Hardness of heart made the societies of those days insensitive to the word of God.  So when Divine judgment fell, it took the world by surprise…”like a thief in the night.”

This element of surprise is what the Bible is referring to, when it speaks of the end time judgment of God.  When it comes, it will take a sinful world by surprise, like a thief.  The world will not be expecting Divine judgment!  But, should a believer be caught offguard about impending wrath?

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 

“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.

“BUT YOU, BRETHREN, ARE NOT IN DARKNESS, SO THAT THIS DAY SHOULD OVERTAKE YOU AS A THIEF.

“You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness,” (I Thessalonians 5:1-5).

According to Jesus, the onset of Divine wrath in the end time will be like that of Noah’s & Lot’s days.  There will be widespread sin within a society that is not expecting Divine wrath to fall.  But just like Noah & Lot were warned of the oncoming judgment, so too, the end time generation of people who walk with God will be warned.  And just like Noah & Lot, they will be taken out immediately prior to the onset of Divine wrath.

Noah knew well in advance that the Flood was coming.  But, as time for the Flood drew near, Noah was given the season in which it would fall:  

“For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made,” (Genesis 7:4).

In like manner, Lot was also given strong warning as Sodom’s destruction approached:

“Then the men said to Lot, ‘Have you anyone else here?  Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city— take them out of this place!  For we will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it…When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city,’”  (Genesis 19:12-13, 15).

As we approach the end of this present age, we too have been given warning as the season of Divine wrath approaches: 

“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,

“who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

God’s wrath will begin sometime after the Antichrist has been revealed (at the midpoint of the 7-year period).  But, where exactly within the latter 3 1/2 year period the wrath of God will begin, has not been revealed to us.  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only,” (Matthew 24:36).

We will only know His judgment is imminent when we see the cosmic signs associated with Seal 6:

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near,” (Luke 21:25-28).

With His Coming, Jesus will cut short the persecution/tribulation of Antichrist “for the sake of the elect.”  At His visible, Second Coming, we will be caught up “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” (I Thessalonians 4:17).  For, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him…” (Revelation 1:7).

The resurrection of the righteous dead and the rapture of believers will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, immediately prior to the onset of God’s wrath.  Like Noah & Lot, we are not appointed unto Divine wrath.

Following the rapture, God will begin pouring out a series of trumpet judgments upon the kingdom of Antichrist.  At the blowing of the 7th trumpet— which ends the final 3 1/2 year period— Antichrist’s power over captive Israel will be broken.  He will be on the run as the final 7 bowl judgments are poured out upon His kingdom in rapid succession.  At Armageddon, Antichrist will face his final judgment.  Halleluia!

“Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

“And Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’

“So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

“And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.  Then they said ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” (Exodus 32:1-4).

In Jonathan Cahn’s message entitled “Days of the Golden Calf,”  he draws a parallel between ancient Israel and America.  Ancient Israel departed from her faith in God (despite all His demonstrated power) when Moses, their leader, did not return off the mountaintop when they expected him to come.  Because of Moses’ delay, Israel’s faith in God faltered.  Israel turned to another religious leader, Aaron, and asked him to make them idols to worship.  Aaron did, and the golden calf was born.

In a similar fashion, Cahn tells, America began as a godly nation whose Biblical principles included a belief in the return of Christ one day.  But just as Israel departed from faith after Moses was delayed in his return, so too, America has departed from her faith in God and built herself idols instead.  She has become a post-Christian nation.

But what happens to the church when Jesus does not return when most are expecting?  What happens to the church when Jesus “is delayed” like Moses was?

The answer is found in Exodus:  “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  

What happens is what the Bible refers to as “the great apostasy.”  The great apostasy is a departing from one’s original point of faith, to embrace another belief:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving (“seducing”) spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1).

After two thousand years, many Christians are starting to depart from Biblical teachings concerning Jesus & His return.  Instead, they are spinning false teachings.  One is Dominionism or Kingdom Now theology:  a powerful & overcoming church will take over all the world systems, become rich, and save entire nations— presenting them to Jesus at His return.

Still other Christians are expecting Jesus to return at any moment to rescue them before the coming storm of end times hits.

“And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and now allowed his house to be broken into.

“Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” (Luke 12:38-40).

In the end times, some will begin to question the reality of Christ’s return when— according to their prevailing theology — Jesus’ return is “delayed.”  They will respond just as ancient Israel responded, and fashion for themselves a golden calf instead.  Or should I say a golden man.

The mark of the Antichrist will be 666.  This number is used only one other place in the Bible:

“Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,” (1 Kings 10:14).

Deceived by false teachers and their willful ignorance, many today are placing their faith in man to restore order on earth, bring peace to the Middle East, help Israel build her temple, and safeguard everyone’s wealth.  But as the church starts to undergo persecution, there are those who will abandon their faith when Jesus’ return is “delayed.”

If you think this danger is an exaggeration, consider the following passage:

“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,

who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming,” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).

Throughout the ages, the spirit of lawlessness has been under restraint by God.  But in the end times, God’s divine restraint is lifted— allowing for the full revelation of the man of sin, Antichrist.

Some ministers teach that it is the rapture or physical removal of the church which allows for Antichrist to come into his fullness.  But that is an assumption not proven out in scripture.  The Bible speaks of an apostasy taking place and the removal of Divine restraint.  It does not say “she” (the church) is removed.  It says “he.”

Both Paul and the Thessalonians understood that at some point, a “falling away” or apostasy would occur, with the cessation of the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (“He” is taken out of the way”).  In the end times, an apostasy takes place.  Divine restraint is lifted, and Satan’s antichrist is unleashed upon the world stage.

The question is, whose apostasy (“defection”) is it?  The world’s?  They already lie in darkness.  The Jews?  They rejected Christ 2000 years ago.

It is a weakened church who apostasizes.  Read 1 Timothy 4:1 again:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith (“be led away or seduced”), giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Today, the church is at the blindest period of her existence, rivaling the first century Jewish leaders who failed to recognize the coming of their own Messiah!  For starters, much of the church is basically ignoring the lateness of the hour.  Jesus said, “Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times,” (Matthew 16:3).

What are some signs of the times that many in the church are ignoring?

• The resurrection of the nation of Israel from the dead.
• The miraculous recovery of east Jerusalem & the Temple Mount during the 1967 war.
• All the preparations for the Third Temple that are in place— including priests, Sanhedrin, red heifer, altars, blueprints, cornerstones, furniture, & utensils, as well as the practice of actual animal sacrifices.
• The rising spirit of anti-Semitic persecution throughout the world.
• The rising spirit of Christian persecution throughout the world.
• The growing use of a banking computer chip inserted within one’s hand.
• Growing interdependence of global banking and political powers.
• Increasing global pressure to broker a Middle East settlement as the storm clouds of a major war threaten.
• Increasing sexual perversions.
• Increasing violence in society.
• And the existence of a Laodicean church that is so rich & increased with goods that it has need of nothing.

Millions of believers are woefully unprepared for the greatest challenge in church history.

“All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations FOR MY NAME’S SAKE.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise  up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold,” (Matthew 24:8-12).

When, not if, the church steps over into end times, many may be shocked and dismayed that they are indeed facing Antichrist and his persecutions.  Satan can and will use this dismay to bring doubt and attacks on our faith (which we must “contend for”).  Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; to false christs and false prophets.

We cannot endure what’s to come without the unvarnished truth of the Word of God and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.  He was given at Pentecost to a church that was getting ready to undergo intense persecution.  We desperately need that same One’s empowerment today with a serious return to the study of scripture!

Church, wake up and prepare!