Silenced and Mocked

I wanted to share a little something that happened last week.
No, not an earthquake or tornado, though this week has not been lacking in those departments. I wanted to share a Facebook incident.
When I see Christians being bashed on Facebook I like to speak up in their defense. So I did. This was not on a random acquaintance’s page, this was my sister's post. Her post (a link) and the comments from friends about the link spoke ill of Kirk Cameron and his "treatment" of gays. Now, I don't know much about Kirk. I don't agree with the Left Behind series that he was a part of, and I've never watched any of his other films or studies. But I've heard him give interviews and he seems like s good guy. The link my sister posted had the basic message that if you don't agree with the gay lifestyle you’re automatically a hater, a homophobe, or any other title the left likes to throw around. Kirk had said that he had gay friends even though he disagrees with that lifestyle. The linked article as well as my sister's friends said that that's not real friendship.
My mind went to a time in my life that I was living a sinful lifestyle and my parents kicked me out of their house. I had a job, and was old enough to be on my own (one year out of college), but they had been helping me save money by allowing my daughter and I to live with them. Being kicked out and having my actions labeled as sin did not make me feel unloved. Most people refer to it as tough love. Tough love is when someone who loves you stops enabling you to live a sinful life. They still love you, they just don't love your actions, and instead of acting like it's no big deal they say, yes it is a big deal, and I won't be a part of it.
I'm pretty sure this is what Kirk, as well as many others who view homosexual sex as sin was doing. He loves his gay friends with a tough love. The liberals in the world are using this and other issues (such as "reproductive care") to portray Christians as haters.
I left a comment on my sister's post that said basically that... That we were labeled as haters and that it will lead to Christians being arrested for hate crimes and eventually put in concentration camps and killed. My sister deleted my post because she found it offensive to her other friends, or perhaps she just found me "crazy" once again talking about the end of the world. I texted her about it, and she apologized and said I could re-post if I wanted. (I never did.)
But it proved my point even more than if she would have left my comment there. We... Christians, especially conservative Christians, and even more so Conservative Christians who believe that the antichrist is soon coming, and even more than that conservative Christians who believe the antichrist is coming from Islam, are being silenced and mocked.
Delete comments, keep off the radio, off the TV, make sure that this word does not get around and if it does dismiss it as insane. I ask you, why? I'll tell you why, because Satan does not want the truth out there. He is all about silencing truth, and the truth that he cannot silence he mocks. He has put the Mayan calendar ordeal in people's faces, and people like Harold Camping in the spotlight so that talk about the end of the world is crazy. It's dismissible.
Thirty percent of scripture is prophecy. Most of Jesus' recorded "sermons" were about his second coming. When was the last time you heard a message about the second coming in church? I know have haven't been every Sunday, so I can't say for certain, but in my last 12 years of church, I have not heard one sermon focused on that topic. Mentioned briefly, yes, but all about, no. Even mentioned briefly I bet I could count on my fingers. Nothing comes to mind. Not one single word about any kind of time frame. By time frame I don't mean a time line, just anything; anything about pre or post trib, or a-millennialism or anything.
Let me briefly remind you of the time line.
Daniel talks about the last seven (in the 70 sevens), so most people say the tribulation is 7 years long. However, every other verse that speaks of the tribulation says it's 3 1/2 years. This could simply refer to the magnitude of the sufferings, as the final 3 1/2 years is the time that the Bible describes as having plagues for the non-believers and captures and killings of believers. The antichrist will be known during these three and half years, where prior to he will be veiled. The two witnesses will also be present during these 3 1/2 years.
When the feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) is accomplished (the rapture of the church) there will be an additional time of torment on the earth. (some people think the whole seven years, I think only the final weeks-month) The angel of death is to start at the temple and kill all who do not mourn over what has happened. Then Christ will return with an army of saints dressed in white to claim his throne here on this earth for a thousand years. The millennium will be a wonderful time of lion and lamb laying together, kids playing with vipers, (Isaiah 11) and people living as long as trees. During this time Satan and all demons will be locked away. They will be released at the end of the thousand years for a time to deceive the nations again. Then there will be a final battle, and a final judgment. The earth will be replaced with a new earth and heaven will be replaced with a new heaven, and we will live there eternally with no Satan ever again. (Revelation 20)

Birth Pains

Romans 8:22 "We know that all of creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time..."  Mark 13:6-8 "Jesus said to them: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."

Interesting earthquake statistics...
From 2000-2008 we had 127 major (.7ish) earthquakes...  That's like one per every 28 days.
In 2009  there were 17; That's one every 26 days.
In 2010 there were 20; one per every 18 days.
In 2011 there was one per every 13 days.

Consider earthquakes contractions...
At this rate we would be in a constant earthquake in 2017. According to multiple Jewish scholars 2017 is the next “Year of Jubilee”
Welcome to the end folks.  :-)

"What I Do"

I decided to make one for myself. ;-)  and yes, the last one of what I actually do is a time line I actually made... about 2 years ago.

Puppets

In response to the very convicting words, "it looks as if you have stopped writing for some time" I will answer "what's new and is there anything else that you have learned lately?"


Where to begin...


Well, how about some conspiracy theories?  How about the "accidental" burning of the Korans by the military this past week? And about the apologies given by our leadership? 
This is just a recent thing, not by any means the "big story", but it just shows me that we are playing right into the hands of Satan. Everyone knows you get riots and retaliation killings when you burn Islamic holy books. They held intelligence information, and should have been kept as evidence, but instead were burned... on accident? Odd. Sounds to me like fuel for the fire.  Then to apologize to a culture that takes apologies as a sign of weakness, again: fuel.
Radical Islamists are trying to cause chaos, they look for every opportunity. Chaos and World War will bring about the 12th Mahdi; it's what they want!


How about "identity theft"?  "Let's get the whole world so scared about it, that they'll be begging us to put micro-chips in them."


How about the Republican candidates?  "Let's offer division to the party, no one that has full support of the majority, no one that can beat Obama... let's ensure that we lose."  (Now I'm not saying people are aware of what's happening, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the Spiritual realm is sitting back well pleased with the situation.)


The coming "economic tsunami" as it was called in a news article my husband pointed out to me, will send America to its knees, and we will be enveloped into the one world government, perhaps within a year.
I imagine that the celestial turmoil coming up near the end of 2012 will be on a catastrophic level that the US will not be able to "help", and shortly there after a very "nice" man with all the answers will enter stage right and "solve" the world's problems.
Secret societies around the world composed of very rich and powerful people play with our countries like puppets on strings.
In 1999 when loaning laws changed, someone chuckled at how our banks would fall.
When the Vietnam War took 10 years to end, rich American funders of weapons to the enemy patted themselves on the back for a job well down.
As less and less labels bare the mark of "made in the USA" all the people who know America has to fall for one world government to rise, sit on the edge of their seat, knowing the end is near.
As God's laws are torn off court room walls, the puppet masters smile knowing that "all men" will soon not be seen as "created equal".


It is a wonderful and terrible time to be alive! Just think of all the prophecy we get to see fulfilled. How comforting it is to know that the end has been written. Not one "jot or tittle" will be changed.


I will have to do some reading and praying before I have a well composed blog entry, but for now I thought I'd just write some recent thoughts in answer to the comment by Vinn I received this morning.
Thanks Vinn.

The Death of True Tolerance

"Force makes hypocrites, 'tis persuasion only that makes converts." William Penn 1675
If we look at the history of religion around the world, it's easy to assume that all have used force to "convert" people, but that's not entirely true. In Old Testament days there were many a gory battle between Jews and Gentiles, but not for the sake of  conversion. 
Many people think that the crusades of the old English times were about conversion, but that is also untrue. (They were a counter-action to the Islamic forces taking over the area).  Judaism and Christianity, though both leaders in many wars have not done so to convert people.  That would be very anti the God we believe in.  God gave us free-will and if we do not afford people the same right we have no business calling ourselves Christians or Jews.
Islam, known as the religion of the sword, is another matter entirely. The Qur'an clearly states to kill those that denounce the faith.  It also says to treat others as 'less than'. It teaches that a non-Muslim's testimony is less valuable in court, and that all non-Muslims must be subdued... by force, by false peace... by whatever means necessary.
I quoted William J. Federer on facebook yesterday saying, "Secular-Atheism is actually a temporary state, facilitating Western Civilization's transition from Judeo-Christian values to Islamic values." 
We can see how this has worked in Europe and now we are seeing the shift in America.
Federer describes how agendas are promoted in his book What Every American Needs to Know About The Qur'an, "Social agendas are promoted through media, public education, courts and buying of political office.  The first step is to deconstruct traditional values and history.  Next, education, movies and television programs portray an unacceptable social behavior in a humorous way, then progressively show that behavior in a positive light, then finally ridicule and intimidate those who oppose that behavior."
If you've lived for any amount of time watching TV you can see this clearly taking place. In my lifetime we have come around from showing gays in a humorous way, to now ridiculing those who disapprove of the gay lifestyle. We have also gone from showing the wife as the "help-mate" to the wife as the boss, and the husband as the idiotic Neanderthal, with his head between his legs.
I could go on in that direction, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.
America was founded by Christians seeking religious freedom. Many denominations of Protestantism and even Catholics all came here with tolerance of each other in mind. Now we have become a country that does not tolerate the very religion that preaches tolerance. It is idiotic to believe that if you get rid of Christianity that tolerance will still exist.  Morals are based on beliefs. Islam believes that not all men are equal, and definitely not women. Yet America is bending over backwards to make sure that Islam is welcome here.  Secular-Atheists believe in 'relativism'; "what's true for you, may not be for me", etc. But in their actions they fight God's truth with all of their efforts. Judeo-Christian morality is the only one that allows people to live in peace.
As we enter these final years we will be able to watch as our freedoms are taken away from us. We will see tolerance only for those who seek the new world order, and we will be left with no other options.  Eventually this will be the perfect scenario for Biblical predictions of things like "the mark of the beast".
I have had friends laugh at me when I talk about "slippery slopes"... but truly, that is what we are looking at.

"Stop, Look, and Listen"

Revelation 3 talks to the church in Sardis, “You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead… Wake up!”… “But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come.” 

The church of Sardis is a lot like the church in our nation.  All over the world they think of America as a Christian nation, that’s our reputation.  But America is asleep.  We’ve been lulled to sleep by a false sense of security, by prosperity, and by our “me” culture.  We are completely oblivious to the stuff that’s going down in the rest of the world.

In the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25) both the foolish and the wise virgins fell asleep.  At midnight the cry rang out, “The Bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him!” But only the wise virgins had oil left in their lamps, and the foolish ones, left to buy oil and came back later to the door of the wedding feast saying, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us!”  But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

You can have a Christian reputation and not really be one. You can dress and act like one, like the foolish virgin who thought she was all set to go into the wedding banquet, but she didn’t have enough oil to stick it out until He arrived.  There is a Great Tribulation coming and we are going to need our anointing. We are going to need the Holy Spirit, not just half way full in our jar, but spilling over. 

Jesus warned the Pharisees “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. “ (Matthew 16:3) Then he calls them a wicked and adulterous generation.  Is our generation any different?  Are we really not supposed to be discerning the signs of our own times?       

Almost every time I tell someone that I have been studying eschatology for three years now, they say, “does it really matter how and when it’s going to happen so long as you have a good relationship with God?”  My answer is this, Knowing what I know now has made me live with a sense of urgency.  I don’t have the “time” I once thought I did.  Yes a genuine relationship with the Almighty is all that matters for your personal salvation, but what about others? The harvest is plenty but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37).   Proverbs 10:5 even says that “he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”  Now is harvest time. Most Christians in America don’t actively share their faith. Do you?

Luke 21:28 says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!”  How are you gonna know when to lift up your head if you don’t know what “these things” are? The disciples asked the same question in Matthew 24. They asked, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answers them in the following verses, and the account is told again in Mark 13 and Luke 21.  Not only there but Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah, Revelation, and a little in the other prophets as well, also tell of things that will happen in the End Times.      Wars, rumors of wars… There will be an increase in natural disasters. Signs in the heavens. Peoples’ hearts will grow cold and they will only care about themselves and money. There will be a surge of information and technology. If I had a timeline map in front of me, there would be a little bubble like on a mall map that says “you are here!” 

He also says that there would be an abundance of false prophets in the last days.  He told his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees; meaning the false teaching of the Pharisees.  What’s the best way to guard against false teaching?  To know the bible. Read it for yourself.  Study it for yourself.

(Don’t forget words like “but” and “therefore”.  “Therefore” is an important word in (hermeneutics) bible study, never take it out of the sentence, it’ll confuse the context.  It’s just like the “but” in Revelation 3. “But, if you do not wake up, I’ll come like a thief.”  And in the parable of the Ten Virgins it says, “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or hour”. It’s very different to say, to both the awake and the asleep I will come unexpectedly than it is to say, if you are asleep I’ll come unexpectedly, BUT if you are awake, you will see me coming.  Read all around the verse, not just the verse.  When you are studying read other books that have similar wording or OT tie-ins and parallels etc.)

"Stop" sleeping. God says, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you perceive it?” He is always at work; it’s our own fault if we do not see it.  “Look” around you for the signs (signs in the Middle Eastern nations and in the heavens). “Listen” for the trumpet… the mighty blast that proclaims “The Bride groom is coming!”  Then get ready… put the Holy Spirit oil in your jar, don’t think you can take some of your neighbor’s or your parent’s, get your own, and stand firm waiting on your redeemer. 

 

Rev 1:3, says “blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”  The word “blessed” is translated “happy” in many instances throughout the bible.  Happy are those that study prophecy.  Why is that do you think?      Have you ever had a test where the teacher told you which questions would be on it in advance?  How happy were you?  God doesn’t leave us in the dark about what’s on the “test”, he tells us straight up.  

I have been intentionally reading verses about the thousand year reign of Christ and about the New Earth that follows that, to give myself a clear goal that I can grasp. If I had the common world view that Heaven is up in the clouds and we have harps and have to sing all day, I wouldn’t be quite so ready to persevere for that.  But what God has in store for us is beyond our hopes for perfection.          

One of the many scriptures with a glimpse of what’s to come is Isaiah 11. (I’ll start at verse 6)  “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” 

We can also find encouragement in the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The beginning of each letter brings conviction, and the end gives hope. One letter says “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”  And another, “I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” One more; “I will give authority over the nations”.  I don’t know about you, but I want every blessing that is available to me.  That’s why I’m so jazzed to live right now. 

God promises that those who live through the end times have a special blessing of reigning for a thousand years with him on this earth, before the new heavens and new earth are put in place, before much of the redeemed even get a chance at their resurrected lives.  That’s found in Revelation 20:4-6. Hallelujah! I’m going to be there! How about you?  Wake up and you’ll be ready.  Don’t let this culture lull you to sleep.  “Stop sleeping, Look for signs, Listen for the trumpet call”.