Is God Judging us now?

I hear people ask or wonder if God is judging their country, the world or their city, etc. They generally site things like the transgender garbage or abortions or both or other things like them. The thing is that God began judging most of the civilized countries a while ago and no one seemed to notice it. Well, we noticed it, we just didn't realize it was a judgement. I'm speaking of how there seems to be little true discernment in the Church; like it disappeared some time ago. This is in fulfillment of scripture. It's easy to know why there's no true discernment, which is why the people are swallowing false teaching and even outright heresy whole. It's because they no longer read and study their Bibles daily as the Lord commands us to do. He even tells us that is the only way we can get discernment. But because of the lack of discernment and all the false teaching and heresy that's now in the church and every part of our lives the Church is going through what's usually called "the great falling away" (1 Timothy 4:1). That is a judgement of God on His children who haven't obeyed Him. Remember, 1 Peter 4:17 tells us that judgement always starts with God's family. The great falling away is actually preparing the way for the Antichrist.

Then, on top of the great falling away, as though that wasn't enough, we have the fact that sin has gone rampant all over the world. By this I mean all sin, but we see it especially in sexual sins which is another indication that the end is near. This is because God first allows those who have rejected Him and His Word to have a sexual revolution. He simply stops restraining sin and that causes the sexual revolution. We saw that as far back as the 60's, but people didn't turn back to the Lord. Then the Lord lifts his restraint even more and allows the sins of homosexuality and transgender etc to increase, a homosexual revolution if you will, as judgements on those who refuse to accept His gift of salvation. (see Romans 1:18-32)  Still in Romans 1, when people still don't return to Him, He gives unbelievers over to a reprobate or depraved mind. This is a mind that's marked by corruption and evil; it's perverted. When we take even a quick look around today, it's very easy to see that this mind is what is at work in unbelievers today, including those unbelievers that are pretending to be Christians. 

So all of these particular sins are happening today as a judgement of God - again, preparing for the Antichrist. Romans 1:24-28 is especially relevant here. Finally, God tells us what else will happen because He's given them over to these sexual perversions, and here we see all the other sins that we're seeing in abundance today: “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Romans 1:29–31) Another good list of what people are like today can be found in 2 Timothy 3:1–5.

In conclusion we can see that the falling away is God's judgement on the Church, and the sexual sins and perversions etc are His judgement on the unbelievers. Both of which are preparing the way for the Antichrist. That does not mean the Tribulation has begun - it hasn't. This is preparing for it to begin though. Just as all the so called "natural disasters" are also preparing for the antichrist and are like mini previews of what will happen during the Tribulation. They are therefore warning His children that play time is over and they need to get really serious about their faith, as well as judging those who don't believe. The problem is that in most judgements, including these, true believers also get hurt because of them.  Believers can be hurt by these judgements because unsaved family members will have the depraved mind, so there is more division in families; Christians will also face more persecutions. But we are safe from the depraved mind, because we have the mind of Christ.  The difference between a believer and unbeliever being hurt by a judgment is that the judgment that harms a believer will be used for His good by the Lord to make him more like Christ; so it has a purpose. 

While being made more like Christ is always the best thing that can happen to us - to be made more like Christ -, now it's especially important that we become more like Him. So now is the time to put our noses into His Word every spare moment we have, as well as dedicating a good amount of time to reading His Word every day. For it is through reading and applying His Word to our lives that God changes us, transforming us to be more like Christ, and renewing our minds so we can have the mind of Christ. There's not much time left before the rapture will occur, (it could be today!) so I'd suggest getting rid of anything in your life that interferes with spending time with the Lord and in His Word. 

The End Of The Age, And Beyond

The End Of The Age, And Beyond

by Jack Kelley

(Note: This narrative is a summary of dozens of end times prophecies from both the Old and New Testaments. Its objective is to present a readable overview of the times ahead from a Biblical perspective. )

One day soon when many are not expecting it, there will be a sudden attack against Israel. Even the Israelis will be caught by surprise, carelessly thinking themselves to be at peace. Israel will have recently defeated its next door neighbors as foretold in Psalm 83, and destroyed Damascus, ending its reign as the world’s oldest continuously populated city (Isaiah 17:1). Iran’s proxy Hezbollah and Egypt’s stand-in Hamas will have also been defeated putting an end to the Palestinian issue for good. In a kinder, gentler world the Jews would have had a little time to catch their breath and enjoy a period of peace.

But without warning a coalition of Moslem nations, armed by Russia and led by Iran, will attack Israel with overwhelming force. Were it not for one unforeseen factor this force would have easily been sufficient to totally destroy its target. But long ago the God of Israel chose just this time to reveal Himself through Israel to the nations. With the considerable force at His command He’ll intervene to decimate the Moslem armies. As He does the conflict will go nuclear and warheads will fall on the Middle East, Russia, Europe and perhaps even the USA.

As the battle comes to an end, the Israelis will recognize the Author of their supernaturally wrought victory and joyously petition the Lord to renew their covenant relationship with Him. Jews from all over the world will begin coming to Israel as the reality of their reunion with the Lord begins to sink in. Indeed not a single Jewish person in the world will be left behind in this historic return to the Promised Land (Ezekiel 38-39).

The Missing People and The Man Of Peace

Two other astonishing events will accompany this battle. Just prior to its beginning untold numbers of Gentile Christians and Messianic Jews will suddenly disappear with out a trace (1 Thes. 4:16-17), and just following it a rising leader will offer the world a plan he says will finally bring peace to the Middle East and prevent anything like this battle from ever happening again (Daniel 8:25, 9:27). It’s a good thing the church will be gone because they would have recognized him immediately as the anti-Christ.

The disappearance of the Church will bring the Age of Grace to a close, allowing the last seven years of the interrupted Age of Law to play out (Daniel 9:27, Romans 11:25). In seeming to put an end to the hostilities, this rising leader will help the Jews rebuild their temple so they can return to their ancient worship system as their covenant requires. He’ll do this, not because he has any love for the Jewish people or the God they worship, but because the unseen power behind him has plans to appropriate the Temple for his own use.

Following directions from the book of Ezekiel, the Israelis will construct their new temple in an area the Lord had him designate some 2600 years ago. It’s about 20 miles north of the present Temple mount in a place called Shiloh, where the tabernacle sat for 400 years (Ezekiel 48:1-10). In following Ezekiel’s instructions instead of trying to share the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock, they will avoid the peace shattering problems they would otherwise have had with the recently defeated Moslem nations.

Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace

Unbeknown to most of the world’s remaining inhabitants, who will think the Utopian Age has finally arrived, the authorization to build the Temple will begin a seven-year count down to the 2nd Coming (Daniel 9:27). At first, this man of sin will have most of the world convinced he’s a real peace maker, even though he commits his forces to war after war, and causes enormous hardship on Earth (Rev. 6).

Half way through the last seven years he’ll implement Satan’s nefarious plan for the Temple. He’ll stand in the Holy Place and exalt himself above everything that is called god or worshiped, declaring himself to be God (2 Thes. 2:4). With this declaration, the full force of God’s wrath will be unleashed on Earth, beginning a period of time known as the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15). Satan will be expelled from heaven and will personally in-dwell the anti-Christ as the final contest for Planet Earth begins in earnest (Rev. 12:9, 13:2). For 3 1/2 years warfare and persecution on Earth will be augmented with catastrophic judgments from Heaven making it the worst time the human race has ever had to endure (Matt. 24:21, Rev. 13:5).

Following the rapture of the Church, multitudes will give their hearts to the Lord and be martyred for their faith as the anti-Christ seeks to wipe out all opposition to his rule (Rev. 7:13-14). If the Lord didn’t return when He promised to put an end to it, not a single person would be left alive (Matt. 24:22). But believing His promise to return, hordes of post-rapture believers will flee from Israel into the mountains of southern Jordan, where they’ll be supernaturally protected, to await His Glorious Appearing (Matt. 24:16, Rev. 12:6).

The War To End All Wars

For his part the anti-Christ will amass huge forces for the coming battle of Armageddon, with a wary eye on a great army from the East that will try to sneak in and steal away his victory (Daniel 11:44, Rev. 16:12). By some estimates several hundred million combatants will be gathered in and around Israel for this battle, said to be the climax of the War for Planet Earth (Rev. 16:16).

But suddenly the skies will open and the Lord will appear with all His holy ones to reclaim that which He’s bought and paid for with His own blood, shed on the cross (Rev. 19:11-16). In hardly any time at all the battle will be over, the enemy vanquished, and the Lord will be established as King of the whole Earth (Zechariah 14:9).

The moment the Lord’s feet touch the Mount of Olives, a great earthquake will occur. It will split the Mount of Olives in half from East to West (Zechariah 14:4) and the old Temple Mount, located directly in its path, will crumble into the earth to disappear forever. Suddenly a gushing spring will bubble up massive amounts of clear fresh water from under the New Temple, just 20 miles to the north (Zechariah 14:8). The water will emerge from under the south end of the Temple and flow southward into the ravine created by the earthquake. Soon the water will become a mighty river, branching west to the Mediterranean and east to the Dead Sea, filling the ravine. Fruit trees, bearing a different fruit each month, and whose leaves are for healing, will line its banks. The inflow of so much fresh water will cause the Dead Sea to come alive, teeming with fish. Only the southern tip, where Sodom and Gomorrah once stood, will remain a salt marsh (Ezekiel 47:1-12, Rev. 22:1-2).

Judgment Day 1 … The Tribulation Survivors

One of the Lord’s first official acts after assuming His role as King of the whole Earth will be to have Satan bound in chains for the duration of His 1000 year reign (Rev. 20:1-3). At that time the martyrs from Daniel’s 70th week will join Old Testament believers in receiving their resurrection bodies (Daniel 12:1-2, Rev. 20:4)

The Lord will summon the tribulation survivors from all over the world to the Kidron Valley for a series of judgments (Joel 3:1-2). Using their actions as evidence of their faith, He will separate the believers from the unbelievers. He’ll welcome the believers into His Kingdom while consigning unbelievers to the outer darkness (Matt. 24:45-25:46). These believers, still in their natural human state, will repopulate Earth during the Kingdom Age.

A time of absolute peace and tranquility will ensue, with Satan bound and all unbelievers taken away, and the Earth will flourish in a way not seen since the creation (Isaiah 35). Having finally recognized Jesus as the true Messiah (Zechariah 12:10) Israel will arise and shine, once again the pre-eminent nation on Earth (Isaiah 60). In the skies above, the New Jerusalem, eternal home of the Church, will circle the Earth in a low orbit and serve as the source of light for the world (Rev. 21:9-27). Its unfathomable riches and spacious accommodations will allow members of the Church to dwell, in a level of luxury and comfort to be envied even by royalty, with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever.

The inhabitants of Earth will soon discover that the final judgments of the Great Tribulation have served to correct the ancient errors introduced into the Earth’s axis and orbit. As a result a luscious sub-tropical climate will again bless the whole Earth. The water-vapor canopy that collapsed during the Great Flood will be restored to prevent life shortening ultra violet rays from entering the atmosphere and Earth dwellers will once again see life spans nearly 1000 years in length. Earth will be the Garden Paradise it was always intended to be (Isaiah 65:17-25. Rev. 21:1).

Judgment Day 2… The Great White Throne

During the Kingdom Age, the offspring of Earth’s natural inhabitants will have the same opportunity to accept the pardon purchased for them at the cross as people born in the past have had. As the Kingdom Age comes to an end, those who’ve refused His pardon will rise up to rebel against the Lord, and upon Satan’s release will be drawn into his final attempt to unseat the Lord and re-capture the planet. In just a few moments the rebellion will be quashed, the rebels destroyed, and Satan will be thrown into the eternal fires to suffer forever with those who sided with him (Rev. 20:7-10). All the unsaved dead from the beginning of time will be resurrected to stand before the Great White Throne in judgment. As their lives pass in review it will be obvious that they failed to do the one thing God required of them, and that’s to believe in the one He sent. They too will be consigned to the eternal fires (Rev. 20:11-15).

The Bible, being the handbook for the Age of Man, does not address Eternity except to say that there is one, where the saved will dwell in bliss in the presence of the Lord forever (life) while the unsaved suffer never-ending punishment (death). You see, everyone ever conceived exists forever. We all inhabit eternity, the only question being where we’ll spend it. There are just two destinations, life or death, and we all have to choose for ourselves. If you haven’t decided yet, there’s still time but you’d better hurry, because one day soon the final bell will ring, and remember, the default choice is death. But for those who choose life, the greatest victory in the history of mankind is just over the horizon, and if you miss out you’ll literally regret it forever. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/the-end-of-the-age-and-beyond/ 

Eternal Reward and Eternal Life

I was reading Mark today and thought you all might enjoy this. But since I've already really covered the subject on these two studies (and others as well) The reasons for the rapture, the tribulation & the Millennium
Are you ashamed of Jesus?

I'll just paste what the commentary says here. This is one of my favorite teachers and I love how he writes, and I thought you all might enjoy hearing from someone else besides me lol I'm not going to paste the entire commentary on it as it's quite long and I doubt if anyone would read it all, so I'll just post some of it.

Mark 10:35–45 (NIV84) — Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

It really helps to read both the one in Mark and the passage in Matthew to get the full meaning of the passages...but I'm only gong to post the one here.

John and James Seek Favors (Matthew 20:20–28; Mark 10:35–45)

The question put by the two brothers was very perceptive, for they had come to recognize that a believer’s eternal reward is not going to be measured in possessions, but rather in status and glory. They were right, for our Lord did not correct them in any way, thus confirming both that status in the eternal Kingdom is a major element in the believer’s reward, and that reward is somehow related to His glory.

Our Lord explained that John and James would indeed be baptized in the Holy Spirit (this happened at Pentecost) and would also drink the cup of service.

Jesus explained that the two most prestigious positions in His Kingdom will be awarded by His Father, not Him, and will be awarded to the two souls whom God has predetermined will occupy them. This predetermination is based on God’s foreknowledge (Rom 8:29)—foreknowledge of how they and the rest of saved mankind will perform in the use of their independent volition.

He explained that position in the Kingdom of God will be determined by service on this earth (Mark 10:42–45). The more a believer serves on earth, the higher will be his status in God’s eternal Kingdom. This is quite the converse to the worldly pattern (v. 42), but this is the principle in the Church. Study vv. 43–44 carefully, for it actually depicts three categories which encompass the whole Church. The generic plural ‘you’ represents the whole Church, then there are ‘servant’ and ‘slave’; our Lord assures us that the servant on earth will be ‘great’ in the eternal Kingdom, but the slave on earth will be even ‘greater.’ This is the formula for success in the eternal Kingdom of God: self-denying service on earth. The apostles believed this and delighted in the title ‘slave,’ as all the named writers of the epistles attest.

We cannot escape the fact that our Lord taught that in His Kingdom there will be a broad mass of people: those who were essentially content to be ministered to on earth without ministering to others in turn. Then, on a higher plane, there are those who involve themselves in the ministry of the Church (consider Eph 4:12—God intends all saints to be involved in the ministry [service] of the Church). And, finally, on a still higher plane, there are those who have of their own volition resigned all personal rights and have become slaves to Christ—who do His bidding without thought of their own desires, whose dedication to their Lord is pure and complete. They are His slaves on earth, and will enjoy the highest status eternally. Heaven and the New Earth to come are not a classless society; there will be three main classes, just as there were three classes in the temporal society our Lord described in v. 42: commoners, rulers, and great ones (princes).

Your position in that eternal society will not be determined by accident of birth, chance, or happenstance, but on how diligently you serve your Lord on this earth during this life by becoming involved in the affairs of His Kingdom here on earth in the here and now!

This is where the riddle of ‘many who are first will be last, and the last first’ fits (v. 31), for God’s standard for judging each individual is perfect, being based entirely on the individual’s ability and capacity to serve. So many who appear to man to be great achievers for God will be found to have been working beneath their capacity or with the wrong motives and will thus not receive elevated status in eternity, while others, whose gifts were humble but who used them to the full, will be elevated eternally. Nothing could be fairer; no more could be done to encourage you to put your best foot forward for your Lord. You have God’s unbreakable word that He will remunerate you eternally, and His explanation that the only things you do on earth which have any lasting consequence are those things which you do in His service. What are you going to be in glory—a commoner, a ruler, or a prince? The answer lies entirely in your hands!

Eternal Reward and Eternal Life (Matthew 19:24–30; Mark 10:24b–31; Luke 18:24b–30)

This section teaches that the love of riches is a serious hindrance to saving faith, and that it compromises a believer’s eternal status. This section also teaches that God’s eternal recompense makes it impossible to sacrifice for Him......

Jesus concluded this teaching with the assurance that no sacrifice by a believer for Him would go unrewarded in eternity. We will be overcompensated in eternity for any temporal loss. Think on this—you lose something for a lifetime, say seventy years, yet you receive one hundred times more forever, for all eternity, not for a mere seventy years. This must be the best deal any camel trader ever heard of! What did the rich young ruler, who, by the world’s standards, had everything going for him, lose? He had been invited to join Jesus’ apostles, and had he done so he would have sat on a throne judging (ruling) one of the tribes of Israel eternally (Matt 19:28). He would have been the supernumerary to fill Judas’ place after that unworthy disciple’s defection; indeed, he may well have fulfilled the function Paul was called to fill. His riches kept him from eternal honor and reward. How sad!

Mills, M. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record (Mt 20:20–Mk 10:45). Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries.