The Leopard Bear Lion

In chapter 11 of Ellis Skolfield’s book The False Prophet, Skolfield states that the Leopard-Bear-Lion beast mentioned in Revelation chapter 13 is representative of the Muslim nations currently surrounding Israel. Specifically, Skolfield makes the following connection on page 20 of his book:

Lion = ancient Babylon = modern day Iraq
Bear = ancient Medo/Persia = modern day Iran
Leopard = ancient Greece = modern day Syria/Lebanon

Skolfield makes this connection between the beast and the related kingdoms from the prophesy given in Daniel 7. The following is a quote from page 16 of Skolfield’s book. He in turn quotes scripture and inserts his own comments in parenthesis:

Dan 7:3-4 And four great beasts came up from the sea [the
sea is the peoples and nations of the world, Rev 17:15], diverse
one from another. The first was like a lion [The national
emblem of Babylon was the winged lion], and had eagle’s
wings [The Ishtar gate of that city has bass reliefs of winged
lions upon it]: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked,
and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the
feet as a man [The Neo-Babylonian Empire, begun under
Nebopolasser, was brought to the peak of its power by his son
Nebuchadnezzar, (606-562BC). Nebuchadnezzar was the most
absolute monarch in all human history], and a man’s heart
was given to it [Also a reference to Nebuchadnezzar, who came
to the Lord late in life, Dan 4:37].

Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear
[After Babylon was taken in 536BC, Medo-Persia became the
dominant world power], and it raised up itself on one side
[The Persians were ”raised up” over and ruled the Medean half
of their empire], and it had three ribs in the mouth of it
between the teeth of it [The Medo-Persians conquered three
other empires: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt]: and they said thus
unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard,
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl
[Alexander the Great defeated the Medo-Persian Empire at the
Battle of Issus, in 332BC]; the beast had also four heads
[Alexander had four great generals under him]; and dominion
was given to it [After Alexander died in Babylon, 323BC, his
empire was divided between his four generals: Ptolemy,
Selucius, Lycimicus, and Cassander].
Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a
fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces,
and stamped the residue with the feet of it [Rome destroyed
the remnants of the divided Grecian Empire and began to
control the Holy Land in 65BC . The Roman Empire continued
until 476AD]: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were
before it; and it had ten horns [After Rome fell, it was divided
into roughly ten Eastern and western nations which have
continued to this day.].

The attribution in Daniel between the Lion-Bear-Leopard vision to Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece is of little doubt. Unbelievers generally do not contest this relationship; however many unbelievers doubt that Daniel was written as early as the 6th century BC during Judah’s captivity because of the book’s accuracy in describing the ancient kingdoms. They attribute Daniel’s prophesies to the mid 2nd century or they contend that other, later writers changed Daniel’s original prophesies to line up with history – both of these contentions are an utterly ridiculous attempt to discredit the Bible, but I suppose we’re stuck with Christian scoffers until our Messiah returns:
[see Isaiah 45:23]

It is no coincidence that the Lion-Bear-Leopard beast in Revelation 13 describes the focal point of the world’s attention today. Israel is at war with Hezbollah, which is funded and armed by Iran and Syria. Iraq has been a political disaster for President Bush since the U.S. invasion on March 20, 2003. Is it merely coincidence that Israel is surrounded by its enemies who are bent on Israel’s destruction? Absolutely not. Read Zechariah 12.

Another interesting point that has crossed my mind: take a look at the map above and notice the location of the Valley of Megiddo. Revelation 16: 12-16 states [with my comments in parenthesis]:

12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], out of the mouth of the beast[Lion-Bear-Leopard= Islam] and out of the mouth of the false prophet[Mohammed]. 14They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."

16Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Are world leaders being gathered in our day to fight in this final battle? Is this final battle going to be fought just south of the Israel/Lebanon border in the Jezreel Valley, in Megiddo as is commonly believed by many eschatologists? The Lion-Bear-Leopard beast is represented by modern day Iraq, Iran, and Syria/Lebanon – this we can prove in Daniel 7. What holds this beast together as presented in Revelation 13 is the religion of Islam, which denies the sonship of Christ. As stated in my earlier post, the Dome of the Rock has blasphemies incribed in it such as: Surely He does not have a Son; Do not say three- cease. (i.e. a reference to the trinity), etc. Don't be deceived by Islam treating Jesus as a wise prophet. He was not/is not a prophet of God- he is the Son of God. Anyone who denies that is the Anti-Christ [I John 2:22-23]

The whole world is watching the Lebanon-Israel conflict and each nation has a stake in its outcome. Don’t believe for a minute that the current cease-fire in Lebanon is going to hold and we will have peace (see 1 Thessalonians 5:3). The “cease-fire” should instead be called a “re-load” because both Israel and Hezbollah are re-arming themselves for further conflict. Debka.com reports that Hezbollah is currently smuggling hundreds of rockets and dozens of launchers into S. Lebanon without interference from UNIFIL (UN troops) or the Lebanese government.

Interestingly, Ahmadinejad has agreed to respond to the UN Security Council tomorrow (August 22) on whether he will accept their incentives package and stop nuclear enrichment activities. We’ve already been told by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday that Tehran will continue to pursue nuclear technology regardless of what the UN does. How is Ahmadinejad going to respond to the UN? Is he planning an attack on Jerusalem as Bernard Lewis, professor emeritus at Princeton University and a renowned Middle East expert, has suggested is possible:

“This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.”

If you’re a Christian, be ready for Christ's return. If you’ve not made a decision to follow Christ – what are you waiting for? The end of this world has already been determined. The only question is when. Bet your life on it!

“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7

Challenging Words

I would like to point to Ellis Skolfield's July comments: http://www.ellisskolfield.com/millennial-musings-july-2006.shtml

I am working on a next post, but in the mean time, Skolfield makes some incredibly challenging July 2006 comments on his web site that I would like to point people to. I feel so utterly ignorant of scripture when I read the challenges put forward by Skolfield. I love it when a Christian isn't afraid to go against the enormous tide of common belief when common belief appears to be in Biblical error. May Skolfield's words challenge you to dig ever deeper into God's word. I know I have been enormously challenged to dig deeper, and not necessarily just accept the words coming from the pulpit on Sunday. That being said, Skolfield's comments are not sacred scripture either and are definitely open to constructive criticism. If anyone has any comments, please do post them.

Now We See but a Poor Reflection

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (New International Version)

Sometimes I’m frustrated by all the alternative theories that are floating out there about the end times or Armageddon, or about where we are in God’s plan, and how the current Middle East crisis fits in. Are we at the very threshold of Armageddon where two-thirds of Israel will be killed (Zechariah 13:8-9)? Where does the rapture fit in? Is there even going to be a rapture since 1 Corinthians 15:52 says that we will ALL be transformed “at the last trumpet” (of Revelation?). Very confusing! Nonetheless, there is no doubt we are to keep watch for Christ’s return. The preparations are clear. We need to preach the gospel “in and out of season” until Christ calls us home. I thank God for the simplicity of that instruction, and mostly, for the simplicity of His plan of salvation. All you have to do is simply confess sin and accept Christ as ruler of your life. That sounds like a big commitment, but our lives are only a vapour in time so this is not asking much of us at all, especially since Jesus did the hard part by providing the sacrifice.

I’ve often wondered how meaningless and incredibly shallow it is to pursue a life of leisure, money and possessions. We are living on a minuscule planet in an immeasurable universe, and most of mankind is interested in “the pursuit of happiness” as its overriding goal. If you’re living life like that, may you snap out of the utter stupidity of it (sorry, there are no other, more appropriate words for it). I guess that kind of lifestyle just grinds me, because I see it all over where I live, in the land of the second largest oil reserves in the world. Many young people here are incredibly wealthy, with incredible amounts of toys (i.e. boats, $125,000 cars, trailers, ATV’s, Harley’s, massive houses, etc, etc, etc). Ahhhh! These people are completely blind and need desperately to wake up! It’s frustrating watching young people throw their very eternities, not just lives, away because they devote their lives to hedonism– what a trap! THERE IS AN INFINITELY BIGGER PURPOSE! (did I stress that enough? I don’t think so!)

I’m going on vacation again to visit family over the next two weeks. I’m looking forward to it as a kind of “spiritual pilgrimage”. I’ve already had great talks with my dad on eschatology on the phone, and I can’t wait to dig deeper into conversation with him personally. Thank God that I have godly parents, who have truly dedicated their lives to Christ. It’s an incredible, divine miracle that my parents even survived their childhood, fleeing the horrors of Germany during WWII and literally outrunning Russian bombs, not unlike the situation in Lebanon today. But as is typical of God’s wisdom, I think it’s this traumatic event that produced the unshakable faith in God in my parents. One thing I’m clear on regarding the end times is that the world will enter a time of unparalleled tribulation (Matthew 24:21) before Christ returns. And whether we as Christians live through, or die in, or completely miss the Tribulation, we should all be praying for more faith, and more wisdom so that that day does not surprise us “…like a thief” (I Thessalonians 5:4)

I can tell you what will happen next!

"If the occupying regime of Jerusalem attacks Syria, it will be equivalent to an attack on the whole Islamic world and the regime (Israel) will face a crushing response" Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Yup, it's going that way alright. Am I the only one of very few who are awake on this issue? The Muslim Dome of the Rock is the abomination of desolation on Mount Moriah, the temple mount. The battle of Armageddon is just about ready to ignite...and what do you hear in Christ's remaining churches? NOTHING!

Granted, there have been a far-than-adequate number of false alarms about Christ return, but shouldn't Christian churches at least be exploring the possibility that this latest Middle East crisis will lead to Armageddon and the return of Christ? A U.S. senator (I can't remember which one) stated last night on CNN's Larry King Live that this crisis is far more severe than any of the previous Israeli battles - including the 6-day war in 1967, and the Yom Kippur war of 1972, because this conflict has a chain-reaction (read: nuclear reaction) attached to it. The enemies of Israel in this war will chain-react from: Hamas->Hezballah->Syria->Iran->the rest of the world. THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE ARMAGEDDON TO ME, FOLKS! Should the sincere Christian churches, few they may be, not at least be standing up and speaking about this distinct possibility?

Alas, we are in an evil, blind age. Call me a fundamentalist Christian. That's ok, I consider that a compliment and a necessity, but the church reaction to this crisis gives me perfect understanding of Matthew 24:38-39:

"38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Lord, help me to do what I can to wake up my fellow Christians (and non-Christians especially), because your patience is about finished - the time is short.

Matthew 24:32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree [i.e. Israel]: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out[i.e. May 14, 1948 the re-establishment of the state of Israel], you know that summer [i.e. the Second Coming] is near.

World Crisis Escalation

As a Christian, today is an incredible time to be alive. Israel, the olive tree upon which I am grafted (Praise the Lord!), is back in the holy land and is surrounded by its enemies. These enemies, the leopard-bear-lion of the Book of Revelation, are intent on Israel's complete annihilation:

"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling." Zechariah 12:2

Now, Iran's Ahmadinejad is thumbing his nose at the U.N. and the IAEA, and promising the soon destruction of Israel. Iran Focus (http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7885) has reported that Ahmadinejad said just yesterday: “In the near future we will witness the rapid collapse of the Zionist regime”.
Ah...excuse me Mr. Ahmadinejad? The true and only God of Abraham, that is: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob said:

On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. [Zechariah 12:8-9]

These are the words of the only God, not the words of the anti-Christ - Allah, and his book of Satanic Verses - the Quran. So put the only God to the test Mr. Ahmadinejad. Let's see whose god is the true God. Ahmadinejad is only coming against Jerusalem because God declared it long ago in Joel chapter 3.

This upcoming battle, whether very near (as Ahmadinejad's rhetoric seems to suggest) or in the not-too-distant future, is what I call the world escalation in slow motion. As a Christian, I know this battle is coming. The only question is when. According to Ahmadinejad, the Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Aqsa, etc this day will be coming sooner rather than later. I say: amen, let it come:

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen Come Lord Jesus [Revelation 22:20; emphasis mine].

May you be found ready.

Things are Flaring Up Quickly, Folks!

The significant news of our day concerning Israel is happening at a blistering pace. And yet, while it seems like a million things are happening at once, the news all seems to be vaguely familiar to me – like I’ve already read this book before. The reason of course is that what’s happening in Israel today, is leading up to what has already been written in the books of Jeremiah, Zechariah, Joel, etc. Have you been paying attention to the news this week? I have a regular habit of watching at least an hour of news every night. I think I sometimes drive my wife nuts with my infatuation with world events. But I’m thinking that our generation could very well be the last generation before Jesus’ second coming. What can be more exciting than that?!

Things seem to be moving very quickly to a final showdown. I’m not trying to set a specific date, but it just seems to me that end time events are happening at a quickening pace. It’s like the world is being overtaken by the flood of Daniel 9:26

26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

or Matthew 24:38-39:

38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Just look at what is happening today in Israel. Hezbollah fighters (Islamic warriors at that – see my last posting) have taken two Israeli soldiers hostage and eight others have been killed in a firefight between the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and Hezbollah. According to a news report in DEBKAfile (Debka.com) Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, is flying to Syria to honour a recently signed defense agreement between Iran and Syria, and in response to the Israeli incursion into Lebanon. Basically the pact states that any attack on Syria is considered an attack on Iran. At the same time, the White House released a statement holding Syria and Iran jointly responsible for the Hezbollah abduction and demanding their immediate and unconditional release. Israel meanwhile is marching into Lebanon, which is basically a satellite state of Syria, looking for it’s two kidnapped soldiers, while at the same time turning Gaza upside down searching for their initial kidnapped IDF soldier - Gilad Shalit This situation is flaring up in a hurry folks.

In Zechariah 12:6 God says:

"On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

God uses the analogy of a torch among sheaves implying that the battle of Armageddon will be a fiery lop-sided battle, not a United Nations diplomacy battle of the clauses. Are we immediately headed toward Armageddon – I don’t know for sure. But I do know that we should be watching the apple of God’s eye, Israel, very closely these days, and becoming prepared for His coming. Do not let Him find you sleeping (Matthew 25:1-13).

Ok, Let's Review the Evidence

A couple articles ago, I mentioned that I read Ellis Skolfield’s book The False Prophet on my vacation. I found the book thoroughly challenged what I’ve been taught about the end times. I fully subscribed to the theory of a final 7-year tribulation period as being Daniel’s final 70th week, and I fully supported the idea that the anti-Christ will make a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians/Muslims/Arabs which he will break in the middle of the final 7 years, and at the same time he’ll stop resumed, temple sacrifices in a rebuilt, third Jewish temple. Whew! That, in a nutshell, is the most prevalent evangelical church version of how end times will occur. I was ok with all that until I read Skolfield’s book. Skolfield makes some very good, biblically supported points that should be considered. I should note that ultimately nobody on earth knows with detailed certainty how or when this world will end, however Skolfield does an excellent job of searching God’s Word to develop an alternate, possibly more plausible, theory. I think we have to at least listen to anyone who provides biblically based teaching that may differ from what we have been taught, when what we’ve been taught does not have equal-weighted support in the Bible. Christ said that he would not return until after a falling away from Christian faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3 ; Luke 18:8); and the bible states that Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), so if someone is challenging our beliefs with numerous examples of in-context scripture, we need to pay attention and test and approve (Romans 12:2) whether we have been deceived about certain aspects of our belief. I’m not encouraging the wild adoption of all and any alternative beliefs, but only that we become intimately familiar with the contents of the Bible. We live in an incredibly apostate and deceptive time, so it is absolutely crucial that we:

“take [up] the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” [Ephesians 6:17].

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” [1 Thessalonians 5:21-22]

You may be asking: is searching for a better understanding of the end times even that important? I would answer with an emphatic “yes”! If you are truly a born again Christian - praise God you are saved, but our minds should also be focused on Christ’s command that we stay alert and watch for his coming. We must live in obedience and do what He says (James 1:22-25). Christ gave us this instruction:

Luke 21:34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." [NIV; emphasis mine]

Getting back to Skolfield, here’s a brief summary of a couple things I’ve been challenged with in his writing. I would highly recommend that you visit http://www.ellisskolfield.com and read his papers and judge for yourselves (look under the web site’s menu). You may not agree with all of his conclusions (I don’t agree with them 100%) but I think Skolfield is much closer to the true interpretation of Daniel and Revelation than the traditional version being taught (or avoided) in our churches today. Especially relevant to today, is Skolfield’s interpretation of who the anti-Christ is. Here’s a shocker - the anti-Christ is already in our midst [1 John 4:3]. This may sound surreal, flaky, and plain outrageous, but examine the evidence and then decide. This brief summary is entirely based on Skolfield’s book The False Prophet [TFP], which is free to download on his web site.

One day is equal to one year [The False Prophet, page 36]:

In order to have any chance of understanding the time periods mentioned in Daniel, you have to first determine what the “days” signify in Daniel 9:24-25 and Daniel 12:11. Of course the best way to interpret these days is to look at other scripture to see if they are defined. Skolfield finds support that a prophetic day is equal to one 360 day Hebraic year in Numbers14:34 and Ezekiel 4:5-6:

"After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year."[Numbers14:34]

"5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.
6 "After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. "
[ Ezekiel 4:5-6]

As additional support for counting prophetic days as years, we can look at the sum of the first two time periods in Daniel 9:25 which count the time period up to Christ’s crucifixion – the “69 weeks” [see The False Prophet (TFP) page 34]. In calculating the time from the decree to rebuild the temple until the time that the Messiah is cut off (i.e. crucified), it is necessary to incorporate this prophetic day = one Hebrew 360-day year conversion. This same counting of prophetic days (one prophetic day = to one 360 day Hebraic year) should also be followed for the prophesy in Daniel 12:11 because it is established as reliable in Daniel 9. As well, the Old Testament doesn’t give any other method of converting prophetic days. [Note: I once again recommend that you read TFP in conjunction with your Bible, because my summary only touches on the very “mountain tops” of the details. My purpose here is just to bring your attention to the issues that Skolfield presents]

The abomination of desolation:

After providing some support that a prophetic day is equal to a Hebrew, 360-day year, Skolfield looks at the prophesy in Daniel 12:11 to test his day-counting theory to see if it fits here as it does in Daniel 9. Looking at Daniel 12:11:

From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. [Daniel 12:11]

On page 42 of TFP, Skolfield comes to the conclusion that the time when the daily sacrifice was abolished is in the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, namely 583BC. Now whether this is the correct time when the sacrifice was abolished – I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can say with absolute certainty. There were 3 times when sacrifices were stopped on the temple mount in Jerusalem in the Old Testament. The traditional theory holds that this ceasing of sacrifices is yet to come in the future, in the middle of the 7-year tribulation. This is also plausible. However 583BC is a scripturally supportable time where sacrifices were abolished. What I find interesting, and highly relevant to our day, is Skolfield’s next calculation.

Using the date of 583 BC as the date sacrifices are abolished and adding the 1,290 prophetical days we get our Gregorian calendar year equivalent:

583BC + 1,290 Hebrew years x 360/365.25 = 688.5 AD

Looking at the year 688AD and the only geographical location where temple sacrifices were performed by the Israelites, you have to look at the temple mount in Jerusalem. It is around this time that the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik built the Muslim Dome of the Rock at the center of the temple mount. According to my encyclopedia, the Dome of the Rock was built between 687 and 691AD. The Dome of the Rock is at the site on the temple mount where Muslims claim Abraham was to have sacrificed Ishmael (instead of Isaac, as per Genesis 22).

So is the Abomination of Desolation the Dome of the Rock? The Jews Can’t offer sacrifices to the Lord on His holy mountain while that structure, devoted to Allah, remains there, and it’s been there for over thirteen hundred years. Consider some of the Islamic inscriptions that are written on the dome:

The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God
So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three' - Cease!
God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.
Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him.

(Source: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/History/Islam/Inscriptions/DoTR.html)

Are these inscriptions not an abomination to the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel? The Muslim Dome of the Rock fits the 1,290 days of the abomination of desolation in Daniel 12:11 perfectly. Is there a religion in the world more opposed to Christianity (or Judaism) than Islam? Ask the Christians suffering persecution in Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, etc.

Lord, give us eyes to see and a mind full of wisdom. May we develop a firm grip on Your Holy Word, a loose grip on biblical commentaries, and fill us with the Holy Spirit – the author of the only trustworthy commentary. Amen.

How Lost is Our “Enlightened Society”?

Another earthquake has claimed the lives of, at latest count, 3,500 people in Indonesia as per the Globe and Mail this morning (see Luke 21:11). We’ll find out eventually how many lives were snuffed out. This is absolutely tragic, but not surprising since we are in the end times, the time after the time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24).

I’ve wondered why God has centered tragic events - like this earthquake, the 2004 tsunami, and hurricane Katrina - in specific areas. But looking at the areas they’ve affected, they seem to be areas of extreme immorality (the sex trade in Phuket Thailand or the immorality of New Orleans) or in areas of brutal Christian persecution (Muslims on Christians in Indonesia). If God’s patience is starting to weigh thin with the sins of this world, and at some point it does as per the Old Testament, these events should be a red light warning to the citizens of Canada. It amazes me how immoral our society has become and how hateful some people have become in Canada.

Case in point: the story of the earthquake in the Globe and Mail invited readers to post comments. One lady, bless her soul, wrote:

Researchers have suggested that this century has been the most violent and destructive in natural disaster terms for the couple of thousands of years of the earth’s existence. Could this be a warning sign that the Day of Judgment is near?

Here are some responses to her post:

Naah.

You crack me up.

Give it a rest.

Day of judgment? That’s right, the Day of Judgment is upon us. Spending every Sunday of your life listening to some guy spew unsubstantiated stories to you in exchange for 10% of your pre-tax salary is about to pay off.

A religious crackpot has chimed in to shove her ridiculous belief down the public throat.

God doesn’t judge – people do.

Your religion has nothing to do with this. The Christian god [sic] didn’t create the world nor is he/she going to destroy it. Religion is a faith based on human beliefs not facts.

Etc, etc, etc.

God bless the lady who wrote the original comment and WOE to the scoffers who ridiculed her (2 Peter 3:3)! How awful it is to scoff at the Lord, the maker of everything seen and unseen. These people think Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah’s Ark are fairytales. We need to pray for these people, even though they ridicule us, that God would reveal himself to them and draw them to him before it is too late. Reading these comments was disheartening, and demonstrated that God’s anger must be burning against Canadian society as well – our general society must be a repugnant stench to the Lord. Rest assured God’s wrath will fall upon Canada as well at some point, just as it has in Phuket, New Orleans, and twice recently with the 2004 earthquake/tsunami and yesterday’s earthquake in Indonesia.

Thank God that, just as he saved Lot and Noah from amongst the ungodly, he is able to save true Christians from his coming day of wrath (2 Peter 3:7).

A key passage:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. [Luke 21:34-36]

My advice is be sure of your salvation and do what it says in Luke 21:36 because the day of wrath is coming.

Repentance

It is a word too infrequently spoken in our churches today. I suspect it’s because congregations prefer to hear “feel-good” sermons and sing about Christ’s love for us...and that’s it. There is rarely a mention of the pathetic condition of man without Christ, or the condition of a “Christian” who continuously allows sin to creep in uncontested. We rarely talk about the coming day of judgment and the wrath of God. Instead our focus seems often, only on the love of God. “Fire and brimstone” sermons are avoided and considered too old fashioned and too harsh for “seeker services”. Are we really doing our fellow man a favour by ignoring the spiritual battle around us and in us, and by ignoring God’s coming day of judgment? Have we lessened the urgency to repent by saying things like :”who am I to judge” , when Christians should instead be holding one another accountable? Is there a greater failure than to fail to warn of God's impending judgment?

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! [Romans 2:4-5]

Our recognition of God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience should lead us to the next step – lead us to daily repentance. We need to examine our hearts, thoughtfully read the bible, and pray that God would give us wisdom to make repentance a priority, and it should hurt us when we recognize that we have sinned. The world is sending us the opposite message: of tolerance and understanding of sinful behavior. That is not surprising because Satan is the ruler of this temporary world. Unfortunately, I see that this message is also polluting the church’s thinking. As Christians, we need to confess our sins daily and admit when we’ve failed. Woe to that person whose conscience has been so dulled that they rarely see the need to repent. That is Satan’s ploy – to make us believe that we’re really not that bad, that “surely you will not die” [Genesis 3:4] I don’t know about you, but I find that I am in a constant battle against sin, “which so easily entangles” [Hebrews 12:1], and is so prevalent in our self-seeking world. Lord forgive us and prevent us from ever becoming comfortable with sin, or failing to recognize it.

And then here’s the best part: the recognition of sin and repentance produces an overflowing, grateful heart for God’s free gift of grace. Christ died for us, so that we can live – it is impossible to overstate this! We have no hope apart from Christ to live up to the righteous standard that is demanded by God. Praise God, he has provided us a way. It’s only through the recognition and admission of sin, that we see the immeasurable value of Christ’s death.

And Lord, let it begin with me – amen:
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. [I Corinthians 9:25-27]

You Are Being Used, Mr. Ahmadinejad

Is Satan influencing your heart and mind Mr. Ahmadinejad (Iranian President)? Undoubtedly he is. Don't you know that you cannot defeat God's chosen people? To Abram, God said: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" [Genesis 12:3]. God has not/will not rescind his covenant with Israel, the "apple of his eye". I've been on vacation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's always fantastic getting away from daily responsibilities. On this vacation I spent a lot of time playing with my “ankle-biters” (aka kids) and doing a bit of reading.

What I’ve been reading in the news lately is simply amazing. Just this last week I read about the situation in Iran: how Iran is using new centrifuge technology to process uranium four times faster than standard technology, and how Ahmadinejad is thumbing his nose at the IAEA and the UN Security Council – (something tells me this man doesn't care about economic sanctions). The Iranian people are solidly behind him, and any sanctions are months down the road IF the U.S., Britain and France can even successfully negotiate sanctions with Russia and China, the other members of the UN Council with veto capability. Unfortunately for the western world, China has just inked a $200 billion oil deal with Iran and Russia is economically tied to Iran's nuclear industry. Both China and Russia are adamantly opposed to any sanctions.

Other News This Week:
Mossad chief Meir Dagan met at the White House. Mossad is the Israel equivalent to the US CIA. There's no doubt that Israel is getting nervous about the fanatical rantings of Ahmadinejad, who's stated that he wants to push Israel into the Mediterranean Sea and wipe it off the map. Huge question: will the international community be able to do enough against the Iranian threats to keep Israel from pulling the trigger? This weekend, Israel successfully launched a sophisticated spy satellite to keep an eye on Iran (launched from Russia, interestingly enough). Iran already has conventional missiles aimed at Israel in Lebanon, manned by the Hezbollah. Lastly, Iran has been testing high speed torpedoes in the Straight of Hormuz, where 25-35% of the world's oil flows through aboard supertankers.

”Lay off the conspiracy novels, dude”, you say? Let's just say, I will be incredibly surprised if this kettle, containing a perfect storm, doesn't boil over in short order. I think the world may be in for a painful jolt. Not just an economic recession due to sky-rocketing oil, but I wonder if this could be Ezekiel 38:16 in the making: "You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes." If I were not a fervent believer in the infallibility of God’s Word, I would find it hard to believe that we could witness the end of this age - it would simply be too surreal and unbelievable. But God's word is true - it is only a matter of when these things happen. Praise God!

One more brief thing and then I'll close. I've read Ellis Skolfield's "The False Prophet" as I stated on my last post. Very interesting book! A point that Skolfield makes in his book is that the abomination of desolation of Matthew 24:15 (etc) is the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock that have been desecrating the former sites of the Solomonic and second temple since 688AD, on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Actually the location of the Muslim mosque and dome is in the court of Gentiles, which gives perfect meaning to Revelation 11:2 "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." Skolfield makes an interesting, if not an almost irrefutable argument that the third most holy site in Islam is the abomination of desolation upon the temple mount, and upon the site of Lord God Jehovah’s holy of holies.

I plan to write more about Skolfield's book because his theories have support within scripture. They do not adhere to a literal 7-year tribulation with the anti-Christ in the middle, but I think we need to be open to challenge end-time theories made in the 19th century, when confronted with scripture that may be saying something else. The devil deceives the whole world, as I wrote earlier, so challenging what is commonly accepted is not a bad thing, but it all needs to be done under the light of God’s word. Thank God that we have a solid foundation to test and approve what is good and what isn’t.

Up For a Challenge?

I'm going on vacation and decided to take along some light leisure reading. I stumbled upon ellisskolfield.com. I've read the first half of his free book The False Prophet on this site, and I must say I am intrigued. He makes some challenging theological arguments about the end times - I'd recommend a look. Thankfully, my vacation involves visiting my parents, who have been Christians almost twice as long as I've been breathing (that's a long time) so I can't wait to challenge their spirit-filled minds with the thesis of this book. Can all the classical theologians be wrong about an upcoming 7-year tribulation and the nature of the anti-Christ? If nothing else, this book is something to think and pray about. I appreciate any author that challenges me with scripture, and encourages me to look deeper into the Good Book. May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide us, and keep us from all evil, because let's face it folks - we live in evil and deceptive times.

Are We In For More "Fearful Events"?

In the Headlines this Past Week

Iran Steps Up Military Exercises
The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards played up the significance of its wargames in the narrow neck in the Persian Gulf through which two-fifths of the world's oil trade passes. "The importance of the ... maneuvers lies in the time and geographical place they are happening as well as the arms used," General Yahya Rahim Safavi told the official IRNA news agency. The Straits of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, is a strategic corridor for the oil exports. Iran has been showing off its military achievements in the Persian Gulf, including radar-evading anti-ship missiles, which analysts fear Tehran could use to cripple maritime traffic and block the Straits if threatened over its nuclear ambitions.

Floods in Central Europe Claim More Lives
As Europe emerges from one of the worst winters on record, Central and Eastern parts are not out of the woods yet with rising floodwaters continuing to wreak havoc. The River Danube has risen to record levels, with Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Germany all losing lives to the waters. In Austria on Tuesday, a the walls of a dam broke causing the death of an 18 month old boy - adding to the 20 lives lost already in the other countries affected.

64 Twisters and 28 Confirmed Dead in Central U.S.
Tornadoes that ravaged the central United States claimed another victim in Tennessee, raising the death toll in the region to 28, state officials said on Tuesday. The tornado outbreak -- which produced 64 unconfirmed reports of twisters across the central United States -- was the deadliest since November, when 23 people died in southern Indiana. The Tennessee storms left a 25-mile (40.2 km) path of destruction, demolishing houses, stripping the bark off trees and hurling people into the air.

'Gospel of Judas': He didn't betray Jesus
Perhaps it wasn't history's greatest betrayal after all, but a simple act of obedience. Judas turned Jesus over to the high priests, not for money, but because Jesus asked him to do so, according to a newly translated ancient document.

Am I being alarmist? No. The definition of alarmist is someone who alarms others needlessly. These headlines speak of a world in trouble; a world that is trying to discredit the message of the cross and the necessity of repentance. The world is ripe for God’s judgment. It is tragically interesting how the “news” of the Gospel of Judas (this is not new news) is racing through our media. People seem almost eager to believe anything that contradicts the bible. For example, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York’s Best Sellers List for 157 weeks and counting, and been number 1 for weeks. It is a ridiculous work of fiction, and yet people are flocking to it and being fooled by it. The financial success of this book has led to an upcoming movie based on the book. For more on this see http://www.rbc.org/davinci/pdf/q1117.pdf

Now we have the re-introduction of the Gospel of Judas. The financial success of these heresies will spawn more heresies. The importance of the Christian being grounded in the word cannot be understated. Satan is the ruler of this corrupt world, as I stated in my last article. It is crucial that we are not deceived. Thank God that he is in control.

10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."[Luke 21:10-11,25-28, 36]

Revelation 18: The Whore of Babylon

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. [Mark 13:3-6, NIV]

It’s interesting that Jesus’ first response to the disciples’ question was: “Watch out that no one deceives you”. I love this response! The disciples ask “when”, and Jesus responds “watch out that not one deceives you”. Christ’s unconventional response tells us that Satan’s deception will be rampant before his coming.

What is the deception that Jesus talked about? It’s pretty obvious in our day, who is and who isn’t a Christian – right? Is it?!

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' [Matthew 7:21-23; NIV]

Do we know that we are following true Christianity? Are we certain that we are not being deceived?

9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [Revelation 12:9 King James Version;emphasis mine]

3[The angel] threw [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. [Revelation 20:3 NIV;emphasis mine]

There are about 2 billion professing Christians in various denominations in the world, out of a total world population of about 6.5 billion. I will be bold enough to say that I don’t think all 2 billion people professing Christianity are practicing Christ’s Christianity. Satan is actively deceiving “the whole world”. Satan knows the bible [Matthew 4:6], and therefore knows that he will soon meet his end [Isaiah 14:12-15]. You can be sure that Satan is working overtime in our day!

The most dominant deception in the end times is described in Revelation 18:

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2With a mighty voice he shouted:

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!

She has become a home for demons

and a haunt for every evil spirit,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

3For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

6Give back to her as she has given;

pay her back double for what she has done.

Mix her a double portion from her own cup.

7Give her as much torture and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

In her heart she boasts,

'I sit as queen; I am not a widow,

and I will never mourn.'

8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

9"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,

O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!'

[Revelation 18:1-10; NIV]

I did some research on Revelation 18 and ended up back at the Berean Call. Like I said in my last post: I love their ministry. Dave Hunt, in my opinion convincingly equates the Whore of Babylon to the Roman Catholic Church. One of my bibles even entitles Revelation 18 as: “The fall of Babylon, which is Rome; the vision of the woman”. Here’s a link to a chapter out of one of Dave Hunt’s books:

http://www.wayoflife.org/otimothy/tl030003.htm

Of course the Catholic church isn’t the only deception used by the devil. I think another huge deception, especially for western Christians, is materialism. We should ask ourselves this: would Christ approve of the time and effort we devote to obtaining the world’s list of “must haves” – nice house, nice car, nice boat, nice vacations, etc, etc. These things aren’t evil in themselves, of course. They can be a blessing as long as we are seeking God’s kingdom first, and we are living “transformed lives”:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. [Romans 12:2;emphasis mine]

It is absolutely crucial that Christians be committed to studying the bible and yielding to the Holy Spirit for direction. The instruction in Revelation 18:4 is shouting at us to: “Come out of her”. Has the modern protestant church made a complete “Reformation” and come out? Or are we starting to go back in and accept the world’s ecumenical message that “all roads lead to heaven” - I had to shake my head when I heard Oprah say that the other day. I had to do a double take at a photograph showing Pope John Paul II kissing the Koran. I even had an online chat just this week where I was called “ignorant” and “arrogant” for stating that Christ is the only way to God (that’s ok, because I consider it pure joy – James 1:2). Actually here’s the message this one individual left me. I want to share it with you because I think it’s very telling of some of the attitudes in our time:

“What arrogance you display. What gives you the right to speak of God so freely? You speak exclusively from a dualistic Christian viewpoint, living by blind faith alone. Your beliefs are not written in stone. What gives you the right to say that the bible is the correct and final word in our reality? There are many belief systems alive and well on our planet including science. Take some time out of your day to cultivate some awareness.”

We must be in the last of the last days.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord [Jude 1:3-4 ]

God, help us to diligently contend for the faith and effectively point a lost world to Christ, “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12; KJV] Help us to read your word, understand it, and do what it says. Amen

Keep Your Eyes on Israel

Is prophesy exciting, or what?! I get so “pumped” by reading about what God has planned for his servants. Praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel that he has made a way for us to become “sons of God” through Christ! [Galatians 3:26]. And I praise God that he is in control – we do not need to be afraid of the events that are unfolding.

One of the most important events in our day involves the nation of Israel. We should watch current events of the re-born nation of Israel very carefully as we wait for Christ’s inevitable return. An understanding of God’s plan for Israel is crucial to understanding our times.

God’s covenant promise to Jacob, to give his descendents the promised land is as true today as it was 4,000 years ago:

Genesis 28:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." [emphasis mine]

In this passage we see that God’s original promise to Abraham of the land [see Genesis 12:1-3] was passed on through to Jacob. Muslims claim that the land of Israel is theirs because they claim to be descendents of Abraham through his first son Ishmael. Ishmael was born to Abraham through Hagar, Sarah’s maid-servant. However, God’s promise of the land did not flow through the lineage of Ishmael; it flows through the lineage of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob(later renamed Israel) as is confirmed by the above and other scripture verses.

In Genesis 28:15 God states to Jacob that he will bring Jacob’s descendants back into this land. After almost 4,000 years of punishment and banishment from the promised land, the return to the land occurred when the modern state of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948. The fact that the modern state of Israel was declared in one day is prophetic and significant:

Isaiah 66:
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.

The birth of Israel in 1948 is described in this verse. Zion in labor, or “travailing” as the King James version writes, is descriptive of the WWII holocaust, where 6 million Jews were exterminated. Three years after the most intense persecution in history of the Jews, the nation of Israel was born in one day.

A related prophesy to the re-establishment of the nation of Israel, is Christ’s “Olivet prophesy”, or Jesus’ prophesy given to his disciples on the Mount of Olives:

Matthew 24:
32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. [emphasis mine]

The fig tree is used in the Bible to represent the nation of Israel. The twigs of the fig tree becoming tender and its leaves coming out is speaking of God’s fulfilled promise to Jacob and of the nation of Israel being re-established in the promised land. Israel does not currently possess most of the land that God promised to Abraham, for this land includes everything between the Nile and the Euphrates Rivers [Genesis 15:18]. The fight between the Muslim nations currently occupying this land and Israel will ignite the final battle of Armageddon. Indeed, since Israel’s re-establishment in 1948, there have been continuing military battles between Israel and its neighbours: 1948 War of Independence;1967 6-Day War; and the 1973 Yom Kippur War; to name some of the major ones. Today, it seems Israel is in the news every day. Can the end of this age be very far away?

Isn’t it, at the very least, perplexing that the whole world is so vexed over what to do with the little sliver of land we call Israel? Why can’t the nations simply follow Bush’s Two-State Solution and end the killing? The answer, as always, is in scripture. God said that people would be vexed over what to do with Israel:

Zechariah 12:2-3 (King James Version)
2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

As I stated in the beginning of this post, this deserves repeating: praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel that he is in control. He has made these things known to us in advance, and we can know confidently that the world is simply following God’s predetermined plan to bring this age to a conclusion.

I gratefully acknowledge Dave Hunt’s book: “Judgment Day – Islam, Israel and the Nations” as a source of some of my information. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. You can get it through the Berean Call as an eBook or hard copy – and no, I am not associated with the Berean Call in any way, shape or form. I just love their ministry.

Be Encouraged...If You're a Christian

Be Encouraged:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. [I Thessalonians 4:16-18, NIV]

Praise the Lord! He is coming back! Simply by looking at the state of the world, I am inclined to think it will be sooner, rather than later and that’s as specific as I get about the timing of his return. As Christians, these verses should massively motivate us to confront every soul we can with the message of God’s free gift of mercy and salvation, before it is too late – and yes, there will come a time when it will be too late. There will be a reckoning.

These versus should NOT cause us to bury our talents, or spiritual gifts, in the ground [Matthew 25:14-28], in effect hibernate and idly wait for Christ’s return. Christ gave us the Great Commission to go and make disciples, and this charge does not end until: A) he comes, or B) we die. Either one of these two scenarios can happen at any moment. There is no prophetic event that needs to happen before Christ’s return. It can happen at any time.

Don’t Play the Timing Game:

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. [Matthew 24:42-44]

Almost two thousand years ago, Christ stated that he will return “…at an hour when we do not expect him.” To me, this is somewhat of a rebuke – even though I think I’m actively watching for his return, he will come at an hour when I do not expect him. Even though I’m actively writing in this forum about Christ’s return, I should be certain that he will come at an hour when I do not expect him. Therefore, these verses tell me that I should not waste time and credibility guessing the day or hour of his return. Joseph Smith Jr, principal founder of Mormonism, fell into this trap and specifically named the date of Christ’s return (1891 in Smith’s case), only to be proven wrong. As a Christian, I should do my best to “stand at the ready” as though I was waiting for a thief to break into my house, and in the meantime do what God has called me to do, with the talents he has given me. The exact day and hour of Christ’s return will still be a surprise because Jesus said it would be in Matthew 24.

I Just Had an Epiphany!

Epiphany: 1. A divine manifestation. 2. A moment of sudden understanding or revelation.

Sometimes it’s nothing less than funny how God works. I have just received a revelation of what God wants me to do. I have been very frustrated lately about not knowing God’s will – considering I’ve been praying fervently and consulting him regularly. It started last October, when I got a fantastic job offer from a great, reputable company in the energy industry. The job was a definite step up for me: it was a managerial job with a great salary, up to 20% annual bonus, and a signing bonus – it looked like a very busy position but it also looked awesome! BUT…for some reason I couldn’t get any peace about accepting the job offer. From an earthly point of view, it was absolutely the right thing to do. However, when the company sent me the offer letter and contract, I prayed about it, lost all sorts of sleep over it, told the company “yes”, then “no”, then “yes”, then “I have to think about it some more”, until the company finally got tired of my flip-flopping and revoked the offer. Rightfully, the company told me that “…it seemed like I wasn’t comfortable with making the commitment”. I think that was their kind way of saying: “you can’t make up your #^&% mind. My sincere apologies to them and my wife – I was driving both of them up the wall (across the ceiling and down the adjacent wall) with my indecision.

Why was I so undecided?! I was praying for a definite answer, but I still couldn’t get a definite ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. I just got an undefined, uneasy feeling and nothing else. Well, this whole thing was emotionally draining for me and I was really disappointed that God wasn’t showing me explicitly what he wanted. This disappointment was compounded by the fact that my current job is not very interesting, not very challenging and not going anywhere - so why could I not get peace about accepting the other, seemingly much better, job? Answer: Because God was saying to me: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal”. [Matthew 6:20]. That job would have made me incredibly busy. My spiritual life, my family, and my ability to provide greater Christian service would have suffered due to the time commitment that was demanded by that job.

BINGO! Thank God he was indeed speaking to me. He is telling me to focus less on the material aspects of life and focus on the things that have lasting value. Duh! Sometimes I’m sure God thinks I’m completely dense. God isn’t interested in me buying a bigger house, nicer car, and having a more prestigious job title. He is interested in my unyielding desire to serve him – key word here is “serve”. God isn’t interested in giving us the most luxurious life possible regardless of our spiritual condition and priorities. He is interested in us being 100% yielded to him AND then, as an added bonus “…all these things (material blessings) will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). I should mention that there were two things that (finally) led me to this epiphany:

1. I have been bothered, over the last number of months, by how little eschatology (the study of end times and of heaven and hell) is discussed in the church. It’s estimated that twenty-five percent (25%) of the bible is dedicated to future and, as of yet, unfulfilled prophesy and nobody is actively talking about it – at least in the churches I have attended. I have been greatly troubled by this. I have been casually reading about eschatology for a few years and just finished another excellent book entitled “From Iraq to Armageddon” by Keith Intrater. I don’t agree with everything in the book, but the ending especially made an impact on me (and hopefully it will be a profound impact). The book ends with a discussion on heavenly rewards for the Christian. Intrater quotes the following verses:

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48, NIV)

These verses are not talking about punishment for unbelievers, because punishment for unbelievers is eternal damnation in the lake of fire. This punishment, limited to “few” or “many” blows, is referring to believers who chose to act or not act on their knowledge of God’s will.

These verses are telling me personally that if I feel uneasy or uncomfortable about the lack of eschatological sermons in the church today, I should do what I can about it. God has pointed this lack of discussion out to me; now it is my responsibility to do something about it, lest I be guilty and deserving of “many blows”.

2. I began this post by saying how funny God works sometimes. Well the second reason leading to my epiphany was just such a funny and remote possibility. I was reading an article in a magazine about how a church was having incredible political strife within it’s ranks. A long-serving couple had been excommunicated from the church and things soon got ugly within the church after that. Well, this story intrigued me, so I searched out this church on the internet. I surfed to the church’s home page and immediately noticed that two past friends of mine were mentioned as workers in the church.

I tried to email this couple to try and give them some encouragement and say hi, but I didn't have their current email address. However, what I think may have been just as important is that somehow I stumbled upon their blog. This is amazing in itself because blogs by their very nature are normally quite anonymous, and this blog was no exception. But somehow I found their blog, through the anonymous blog of another long lost friend, which details their recent departure for a six month missions trip to South Africa. What an inspiring (and actually quite hilarious) blog it is turning out to be. This couple has left their comfortable existence in a major City, their home, and their friends and are being obedient to God’s calling and pursuing his will. Some of their stories are absolutely comical and can be found at http://gowellstaywell.blogspot.com.

This couple has inspired me to “get to work for the Lord”. The blog talks about their hardships in an entirely different and primitive culture. It caused me to think that if they can go all the way to South Africa to follow their convictions, certainly I should act on what the Lord is telling me. End result is I need to get to work. As Luke 12 states, I need to get to work because I think God has been talking to me, and will hold me accountable for focusing on an end times ministry. God help me to be obedient to what he has been telling me these last five months. Honestly, I’m psyched to do it, but it isn't without a little fear - eschatology is an overwhelming subject. Thanks Cathy and Dan, even though you don’t know it, you’ve given me a profound example, inspiration and a much needed “kick in the pants” to get moving on what God has asked me to do.

"If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" [Mark 13:36-37, NIV]

Canada Checking for Avian Flu at Airports

As an update to my posting yesterday, an interesting story was published in the Globe&Mail today. According to the article, Canada Customs has started using dogs at international airports to sniff for bird feathers and bird feces on the shoes of inbound passengers from select European countries. I guess since Canada had the SARS crisis in Ontario, it is trying to be vigilant with avian flu. This is a good precaution, however it will be difficult (read: impossible) to stop avian flu coming into Canada via migrating birds. Also a bit alarming was the report out of Germany yesterday that a cat was found infected with the virus – this marks the first time that the flu has jumped species in Europe.

I joined a short discussion in my company’s lunchroom yesterday about our healthcare system. The discussion was about how our health system is facing unprecedented pressures due to the aging population and escalating healthcare costs. I unintentionally ended the discussion when I mentioned that an avian flu outbreak would likely bring our already stressed healthcare system to a halt. That promptly brought the discussion to an end and people seemed to get up and leave the lunchroom soon after I brought up my concern about avian flu. People don’t seem to want to talk about things they can’t control. I think it is considered Canadian politeness not to talk about potentially catastrophic events. Granted, if I was a non-Christian I wouldn’t want to talk about it either. To a Christian, these end time events are a call to “…look up, for [our] redemption draws nigh.”