Archive for February, 2022
Discerning the Times: Feb 28 2022
The world is watching another war unfolding in the Ukraine, part of old Soviet Union. On the surface, it seems Putin wants Ukraine back under the Russian umbrella. I have not said anything about this conflict because there is just way too much contradicting information out there, making it difficult to find the truth. In fact, without going into detail, some of the headlines and images coming out of Ukraine purporting to show conflict have been proven to be from 2021 or earlier.
Closing the Circle
This morning, my wife and I made our breakfast as we always do: two fresh eggs from our chickens, half an avocado, two pieces of bacon, goat cheese, spinach leaves and some fruit. As we gave thanks, I was again grateful for the fact that we have food on our table. It’s very important to consider all of the things God has provided and I’ve noticed when I focus too much on what Klaus or his buddies are attempting to do, it can easily sweep all the blessings off the table.
Revelation: Last Generation, Pt 1
Daniel 7:24 above notes that in order to obtain this power and authority or allegiance from these ten kings, Antichrist will “subdue” three of the kings. This word is translated variously “subdue” to “put down” to “humiliate.” The scope of the idea here is that Antichrist will likely uproot from their position somehow or possibly kill three of them to show that he means business and it would be best for the remaining 7 kings to go along with Antichrist ans his demands. This is further corroborated by the fact that he becomes the 8th king (Revelation 17:11).
False Guilt
Sometimes, Satan will bring up a memory of some stupid deed in my life to cause me to squirm. The more I focus on it, the greater the squirming becomes. God doesn’t want us to waste our time because those things are forgiven and should be forgotten. Now, if it’s something that I’ve never confessed to Him before and something that I recently did, then I need to adopt an honest attitude of repentance. But then once I repent of it, then I need to go on my way understanding that God has forgiven me. There’s no need to continue to beat myself up over something that I cannot go back and change.
A Walk thru Revelation: The Churches
So far, we’ve covered the introduction to Revelation and the seven churches, which includes Revelation 1-3. From here, we will actually move to the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21), for a few weeks, then move back to Revelation 4. The reason we’ll do that is because there are many things in the Olivet Discourse that Jesus outlines that connect with the last generation and coming Tribulation that will occur throughout the entire world.
Sound Familiar?
Today, too many preachers present messages that actually oppose and deny God’s Word. Christians are told we need to “get along” with and embrace all people of the world, regardless of their ideological beliefs, even if those beliefs oppose God’s truth. When Christians do not bow the knee to this tyranny, those encouraging Christians to “blend” with the world then become full-blown haters, seeking to cancel anyone who does not comply.
Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 Pt 5
The coming Antichrist will be no slouch. He will be very intelligent and will have a desire to bring about peace in the Middle East that allows the Jewish people to build their Tribulation Temple. It will seem to the world that he does this because of his concern for peace in the world, but in reality as Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2, he will do it so that he can do exactly what Antiochus Epiphanes IV did in 168 BC but on a far grander scale.
So Close?
I would encourage believers to live as though we are going to enter the Tribulation and if the Rapture occurs during the remainder of our lives at some point, wonderful. If not, that’s okay too because God still has it fully under control and He asks us to trust Him. Are you willing to do that?
A Walk thru Revelation: Intro
A good thing to keep in mind is that while walking through Revelation, we will be at times, detoured to other Bible books and/or chapters to help bring out the full meaning of the text in Revelation. So don’t be alarmed or think we’re getting off track when we do that. For instance, while the book of Revelation reveals the 21 judgments of God in detail, starting with the First Seal (the white rider), it does not provide specifics as to the exact incident that begins the Tribulation period, though it is clear that this rider on a white horse is there at the start of the Tribulation. To provide further details on the actual beginning of the Tribulation period, we will need to explore several sections of the book of Daniel.
Study - Grow - Know 