VITAL  SIGNS OF THE END TIMES & THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST 

WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST?

“I will go and return to My place, til they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me early.

“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.” (Hosea 5:15; 6:1-2)

SIGNS OF THE END TIMES & SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

This is one of the most significant scriptures in the entire Bible dealing with the end times and the ‘Second Coming’ rapture of Jesus Christ!

Thousands of years ago, the Old Testament prophet pin-pointed the sins of the Jewish nation in: No. 1 - breaking the Mosaic Covenant and No. 2 - the rejection of their Messiah, as well as their terrible suffering and return to God in repentance and faith in the last days! 

FOR 2000 YEARS THE CHURCH HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE SECOND COMING

For nearly two thousand years, the Church of Jesus Christ has lived in the hope of His promised return. Old Testament prophets HAD FORETOLD IN DETAIL the time and place of His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miraculous ministry, His vicarious death and His glorious resurrection. They also prophesied His second advent and triumphant millennial reign!

WHY HAVE JEWISH PEOPLE SUFFERED SO TREMENDOUSLY OVER THE MILLENNIA'S?

THE UNDERLYING REASON for the terrible suffering, pain and sorrows meted out to the Jews over centuries and millennia, is because they broke the covenant Moses made with God on their behalf!

If you doubt that, read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy which details the blessings of God upon Israel if they keep the covenant (vs. 1-14) and the curses of God upon Israel if they break the covenant (vs. 15-68).

THE SECOND REASON - which accounts for only a limited period of ‘one generation’ - is that they rejected their Messiah!

Jesus stated, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: THAT UPON YOU (only that specific generation which rejected Jesus as their Messiah, not subsequent generations!) may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matt. 23:34-39)

Please Note: The rejection of the Messiah was only the tip of the iceberg in a long list of “killing the prophets & stoning them that have been sent to you”!

As a matter of fact, the crucifixion of Jesus was not included in the reason for God’s judgment upon them. Jesus specified the blood shed from Abel to Zacharias. He did not mention His own blood!               

For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church as well as some Protestant Churches said the Jewish race was cursed because of their rejection & condemnation of Jesus Christ which culminated in His crucifixion by the Romans!

That teaching was terribly flawed and became a tool which was used to denigrate & destroy Jewish people! For centuries, Jews were called Christ-killers and only recently has the Roman Catholic Church renounced that evil, devilish doctrine! It’s almost bizarre that the Roman Catholic Church would call Jews by that terrible name, since it was Italians (Romans) who crucified our Lord. Yet no one thought of calling Italians, ‘Christ-killers’!

The teaching I refer to is, that the reason for Jewish suffering is because they made a deal with Governor Pontius Pilate, saying: “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children”. (Matt. 27:25)       

Let me make myself abundantly clear on this point: It is impossible for the blood of Jesus to harm anyone or bring any curse upon Jews or anyone else! THE BLOOD OF JESUS BRINGS ONLY FORGIVENESS, HEALING & ETERNAL LIFE! IT CANNOT BRING A CURSE! (1 John 1:7; Col. 1:20)

I repeat: Israel’s grievous sin of breaking their covenant with God is the primary reason for their suffering

The Bible says, “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke...until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me. The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until He have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.”

“The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart...Moreover He will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God...and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other...

“And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships...and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.” (Deuteronomy  15, 20-22, 27-29, 59-64, 68)

It is of vital importance for everyone to know that even though Moses - God’s prophet & lawgiver - prophesied 2000 years earlier concerning the blessings of keeping the covenant (v. 1-14), the Jewish people had made with the Almighty as well as the curses that would come upon them if they broke the covenant (v. 15-68), his prophecy came to pass in the minutest detail!

Verse 68 states that if they broke the Mosaic Covenant, they would be taken back to Egypt - as slaves - in ships. It stated further, that no man would buy them. Here are the brutal facts: After General Titus had destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, killing 1.1 million Jews in the siege, 89,000 Jews were taken to Egypt as slaves. There was such a hatred against Jews, that it was below the dignity of any Roman to own a Jewish slave. Among our nations, only Egypt would take Jews as slaves! That’s how perfectly true God’s prophetic Word is!

WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST?

Jesus was born to die! (1 Corinthians  15:3; Romans  5:7-8; 1 John 3:8) He was ordained to be the propitiation for our sins, in order to satisfy the DEMANDS OF DIVINE JUSTICE (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) He was crucified by the foreknowledge of God. (Acts 2:23)

Although God used Judas, a human instrument to betray our Lord, the Jewish leaders to unjustly condemn Him to death and the Romans to do the terrible deed, it was according to God’s will, plan & purpose. (Romans  8:32)

IN FACT, IT WAS GOD THE FATHER WHO LAID THE STRIPES UPON HIM AND SMOTE HIM. I never fully understand God’s love, until it was revealed to me during a crusade in Kenya. When He showed me His great love, I wept for 3 days and nights! Here are the scriptures that touched my heart, and I pray will also minister to you!

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.” (Rom. 8:28)

St. Paul declared that God’s love is so great that He did not spare His only Son but turned Him over to murderers and gangsters (delivered Him up) to be humiliated, tortured & crucified on the “cursed tree” for us.

And since Jesus paid the ultimate price by making the supreme sacrifice for us, God will freely give us whatever Jesus’ death & resurrection has provided, since He is seated - even now - on God’s right hand as our Saviour, Redeemer & Advocate!

Not only did our Heavenly Father deliver up His Son to die, HE ALSO LAID OUR SINS AND SICKNESSES UPON HIM (Isaiah 53:4-6; Matt. 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24). God’s love regarding our salvation was so intense that He rejoiced when Jesus suffered & bled for us. The Bible says, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. He hath put him to grief”. (Isaiah 53:10)

The Norwegian translation says: “Det behaget Herren til å knuse ham - it pleased the Lord to CRUSH Him”.

MUCH BITTERNESS IN OLDER JEWISH PEOPLE & UNBELIEF IN THE YOUNG!

The ‘children of Israel’ suffered terribly for thousands of years, from the time of the Babylonian captivity until Hitler’s holocaust! This suffering continued under the cruel yoke of Soviet Communism for decades more. Since the coming of glasnost and perestroika and the dissolution of the ‘Evil Empire’ in 1991, however, hundreds of thousands of these precious people have immigrated to Israel!

In my dealings with older Jewish people, I HAVE DISCERNED MUCH BITTERNESS TOWARD CHRISTIANS, GOD AND LIFE IN GENERAL, because of the treatment their forbears received at the hands of cruel Papal armies during the Middle Ages. That is understandable because the evil, unholy acts carried out BY THAT RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION were done in the name of Jesus Christ!             

In order for Jewish people, however, to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved, they must - like everyone else - stop blaming other people for their own problems!

The Bible says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one...for there is no difference: For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10-23)

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

“Where there is neither Greek nor Jew...But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” (Colossians 3:11, 24-25)

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEWS AND GENTILES. ALL HAVE SINNED AND ALL NEED A SAVIOUR. AND JESUS CHRIST IS THAT SAVIOUR!

The truth is, that only Jesus Christ can forgive and save lost humanity! He alone has the power to forgive sins, remove fear and condemnation and give peace to troubled hearts and minds, having defeated death, hell and the grave and purchased full salvation for all who receive Him as Lord and Saviour!             

WHY IS THIS? Only Jesus Christ qualifies as the Saviour of the world, because He shed His precious blood as the sacrificial ‘pascal lamb’ on Mount Calvary and died as our substitute, according to the Old Testament Scriptures! (Rom. 1:4)

A very great injustice has been done to Christianity in general, however, and the Church of the Living God, in particular, because of:

Recent books, articles and statements made by a few Jewish authors, linking the horrible beliefs of Adolf Hilter and Nazism to the teachings of the Christian Church.

The very vocal and totally unfair books and statements made by prejudiced, liberal Protestant authors who attack Christianity and the teachings of St. Paul, employing the same biased linkage!

The totally unfair, prejudiced and accusatory film "Anti-Semitism" of the United States Holocaust Museum which lays blame for the Holocaust, on the teachings of Christianity~

MANY JEWS FEEL THAT GOD DESERTED THEM, BECAUSE OF THE HOLOCAUST! 

A recent report by ‘Christianity Today’ states: “Now, a group of prominent Jews has accused the United States Holocaust Museum...of misleading the public by blaming Hitler’s genocidal program on historic Christian beliefs about Jews. “The film paints with a broad brush. A dull voice intones disconnected facts and quotations that leave the viewer believing that anti-Jewish bias is the result of Christian influence on the Roman Empire, that it has been Christian society alone that has marginalized and oppressed Jews, and that Nazi racial prejudice against the Jews was in clear continuity with earlier religious prejudice. The Anti-Judaism that preceded Christianity and that had long existed outside Europe, is ignored.”

The New York Times quoted Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National Council of Churches as saying, “If you look at the Nazi regime, you can see in it the philosophy of Christian superiority.”

‘Christianity Today’ points out how inaccurate that statement is, “ignoring Nazi beliefs about the defects in historic Christianity”. And ironically, Campbell made that statement in an interview where she downplayed the awful persecution, suffering and torture inflicted upon Christians around the world today!

Incidentally, it is a Jewish Barrister, Michael Horowitz who is awakening clergymen and politicians alike to the horrible persecution, torture, enslavement and other atrocities being carried out against Christians by many governments in the world today!

In her book, ‘Faith and Fraticide’, Rosemary Radford Ruether, called upon Christians to abandon the belief that Jesus is the Saviour for everyone in favor of the notion that Jesus is the saviour of some while others will have their own ‘saviours’, stated the ‘Christianity Today’ article.

A GREAT AWAKENING HOWEVER, IS HAPPENING TODAY AMONG THE JEWISH PEOPLE. THEIR HEARTS ARE OPENING TO THEIR MESSIAH AS HE PROPHESIED!

Hundreds of years before His first coming, the Jewish Messiah stated that He would “GO AND RETURN TO MY PLACE” referring to Heaven, until the Jewish people acknowledge their offence (sin) and seek My face. They are doing that now!

In 1971,  I conducted a Gospel crusade in the YMCA building in Jerusalem. We distributed 10,000 handbills there as well as carried ads in the ‘Jerusalem Post’. A lot of Arabs, Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Protestants attended. Only a miniscule number of Jews came to our meeting!

Even 20 years ago, you couldn’t find more than 100 born again Christian Jewish believers in Israel. Today, there are more than 70,000 in 90 different congregations in that nation!

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? The ‘Law of the Return’ opened the door for any Jewish person with at least one Jewish grandparent, to immigrate to Israel. About 750,000 returned from Eastern Europe and several hundred thousands from South America. Some of these were believers in Jesus Christ and they brought the gospel (the good news) with them to the land of the Bible!

Hosea states that they will recognize their grave error and with repentant hearts return to the Lord, realizing that God had to punish their forefathers for breaking the Mosaic Covenant, and for rejecting their Messiah!

Notice, they will say, “Come, let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up”. Then the prophet interjects something very important - A TIME-DATE LINE! “After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight”. (Hosea 6:1-2)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THE LORD GOD WILL RESTORE THE JEWS THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE AND JERUSALEM WILL BECOME MOST IMPORTANT CITY ON EARTH

The Word of God interprets itself and we read in 2 Peter 3:8-9: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”.

SIGNS OF END TIMES AND SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST REVOLVES AROUND ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM - THE JEWISH NATION

As I see it, the period of suffering for the Jewish nation is almost at an end and the Lord God Almighty will restore them to their rightful place, and JERUSALEM will become the most important city on earth!

It’s about 2000 years since God’s judgment fell upon Israel and according to St. Peter, “one day with our Lord is as a thousand years with us”. The prophecy states, “After two days (2000 years) will He (the Lord) revive us (bring us back to life) and in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight”.

Without doubt, this refers to the ‘Millennial Reign of Christ’, which will be one thousand years of peace upon earth with Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, ruling from Jerusalem!

4 SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF THE END TIMES AND THE SECOND COMING RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

There are four significant signs that show us where we stand today in relation to then end times and our Lord’s Second Coming in Rapture, namely:

The Sick Condition of our Planet
The Sick Condition of the World
The Sick Condition of Israel
The Sick Condition of the Church

 SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST IS SOON 
#1  - THE SICK CONDITION OF OUR PLANET

1) Mankind is groaning under the terrible weight of sin and condemnation. Satan - the enemy of God and man - has bound the human race with shackles of rebellion, unbelief, fear, torment, lust, greed, hatred and perversion! It was Adam’s acquiescence to the Evil One’s lying temptation that brought sickness and death (spiritual and physical) upon the human race!

The Bible states: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,

“Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit (that is to say), the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:19-23)

People everywhere are waiting for the ‘MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD’! What does that mean? Six billion people are looking for an escape from the emptiness, fear, torment, sickness and bondage in which they live.

THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WAITING FOR US - GOD’S CHILDREN TO BE SO FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT WE CAN FREE THEM FROM THE TYRANNY AND LIES OF THE DEVIL AND HIS EMISSARIES!

Don’t believe for a moment, that the millions lost in sin and bound by evil spirits of occultism, superstition, false religion, satanic oppression and sexual perversion are happy in that state! No one enjoys being in slavery to witchcraft, fear, torment and evil spirits!

Oh, some are sufficiently deceived to live in a fool’s paradise having convinced themselves that everything is A-Okay, but the opposite is true. If everything is all right, why do so many rock musicians die of drug overdoses and commit suicide? Why do many Hollywood stars die of alcoholism? And why do some of the greatest performing artists die of AIDS due to an unhealthy, filthy, perverted lifestyle of sodomy? And why do wealthy, successful people - who seem to have everything going for them - take their own lives?

The Bible says, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, bringing forth mire and dirt. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked”. (Isaiah 57:20-21)

Our enemy is not flesh and blood, but Satan himself and all his demons that tempt, deceive, coerce, inhibit, afflict, torment, steal and kill! Our battle is with the devil - not with human beings, however he does use people to do his bidding! The devil must have his emissaries & ministers, to do his evil work!

And what of the Hindu extremists constantly fighting the Muslims in India and the Seiks battling the Hindus? And the (political) ungodly Roman Catholic IRA killing the (political) ‘Christian-in-name-only’ Protestants and vice versa?

And if the pagan are so happy in their religious life, why are there so many ‘holy jihads’? Two examples: Muslim Iran against Muslim Iraq in a seven year war that saw one million men die, and at present Islamic extremists terrorizing and butchering hundreds of their own people in Algeria?

THEY DO NOT KNOW GOD and have not been changed by His mighty power. Anyone who has been converted to Christ, being born again by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, would certainly not be waging ‘holy wars’ against their fellowmen. The only warfare that we are commanded to fight is the ‘Good Fight of Faith’!

HOW DO WE FIGHT THE DEVIL?

The Bible says, “Satan, your adversary, goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour, whom resist in the faith...” (1 Peter 5:9) We resist him by serving Jesus to the best of our ability; by living a holy and righteous life, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, healing the sick and casting our devils!

The Scripture says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Cor. 10:4-5)

IN OUR SEARCH FOR MORE LAND TO CONQUER, NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE OUR LIVING STANDARDS AND THE PURSUIT OF MORE WEALTH, MANKIND HAS ENGAGED IN WARS, ENSLAVEMENT, VIOLENCE AND POLLUTION WHICH HAS RAPED OUR ENVIRONMENT, WATER, LAND & AIR!

SIGNS THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST IS SOON 
#2  - THE SICK CONDITION OF OUR WORLD

Our Planet is groaning under the terrible weight of the awful harvest of mankind’s sins of rebellion, greed, hatred, violence and slavery!

In the beginning, after the fall of our first parents, THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE was plunged into sin, fear, sickness & death! God immediately placed a curse upon the earth - “And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life”. (Gen. 3:17)

OUR PLANET is struggling to stay alive and is groaning under this burden! The ‘second law of thermodynamics’ began after the fall and continues today with aging, deterioration and decay. Only the return of Jesus Christ will salvage the earth. Mankind will not be allowed to destroy the earth, but will be punished for defiling and polluting it, as is prophesied in the last book of the Bible.

THE BIBLE SAYS, “And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; And shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” (Rev. 11:18)

God will have the last word and will judge polluters! If you want a good example of this, look at the former Soviet Union which polluted the land, sea and air and after raping the environment, ended up totally bankrupt!

JESUS CHRIST MUST RETURN IN ORDER TO SAVE US FROM OUR OWN DESTRUCTIONS, SO THAT HE CAN REIGN ON THIS EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY!

No. 3) Believers in Jesus Christ, like St. Paul, are waiting for the moment when we can be free from the limitations of our weak, carnal flesh and to be glorified (in the next life) to forever be in Heaven with Jesus Christ and all the redeemed from all ages! WE WILL THEN RECEIVE A RESURRECTED BODY WITHOUT THE LIMITATIONS WE HAVE TODAY!

The Bible says, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit (that is to say), the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23)

Eternity will be a joyful time of peace and glory as we live eternally in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ and all the redeemed from every nation, tongue and people of all ages!

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Rev 19:6-9)

NO. 2 - THE SICK CONDITION OF THE WORLD!

The Bible says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

These are Satan’s three knockout-punches which he uses to tempt the “children of men”, namely: 1) the lust of the eyes, 2) the lust of the flesh and 3) the pride of life!

Satan used these three temptations on Eve with great success. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of th eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Gen. 3:6)

King David fell under this temptation also: He saw a beautiful woman taking a bath in the privacy of her garden (the lust of the eyes). He desired her and sent for her, committing adultery (the lust of the flesh). HE FELL AFTER ONLY TWO STRIKES!

JESUS DEFEATED HIM TOTALLY!

It was a different story when Satan used his time-tested strategy on our Lord Jesus Christ. He withstood the temptation and defeated the devil each time he came with a new “trick up his sleeve”!

After Jesus had fasted 40 days, Satan said to Him: “Command that these stones be made bread.” (the lust of the flesh) Jesus answered, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

The devil tried again: “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (the pride of life) Jesus answered, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” IN OTHER WORDS, GOD DOESN’T CLOWN FOR ANYBODY!

Finally, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said: “All these things will I give thee (pride of life), if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” WHAT A DESPICABLE, ARROGANT, EGOTIST SATAN IS! Jesus rebuffed him immediately with the Word of God saying, “Get thee hence, Satan (enemy): for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4:1-11)

SATAN HAD TO LEAVE HIM, THEN!

The Bible affirms that Satan is “the god of this world” and “the spirit which now worketh in the children of the disobedience”. (John 12:31; Eph. 2:2) He is the world’s greatest liar and the father of lies and a murderer extra-ordinaire (John 8:44)!

The whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and he “goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We however, can “resist him in the faith and he will flee from us”. (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7)

The Bible records that Demos was swayed by the bright lights of Thessalonica and forsook Paul, “having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). And St. John commends the young men in the Church for overcoming the wicked one! (1 John 2:13)

ST. PAUL WARNED OF THE TOTAL DETERIORATION OF MORALITY, DECENCY AND FAIRNESS IN THE LAST DAYS. DECADENCE & PERVERSION WILL RULE JUST PRIOR TO OUR LORD’S RETURN, STATED THE APOSTLE! AS WE READ THE PROPHECY WE FEEL SADDENED BY THE RESEMBLANCE OF OUR PRESENT AGE TO THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD!

“This know also, that IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” (1 Timothy 4:1) “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” (Ephesians  5:11-12) “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” (Philippins 3:17-20)

Interjected among the reports of hypocrisy, backsliding & gross moral evils, St. Paul interjects the Blessed Hope of the Return of Jesus Christ!

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our thoughts, actions, prayers, plans, goals and complete agenda here, is tied to Heaven’s plans, purposes and desires. We belong to His heavenly kingdom and labour first and foremost for Christ!

Why is this so important? Only our Blessed Jesus Christ has the mandate, power & desire to straighten out this wicked world. Therefore we wait for Him to come!

PERVERSION VYING FOR RESPECTABILITY!

Jesus prophesied that the time will come, “that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”. (John 16:2)

And the prophet stated, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes...Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Is. 5:20-23)

St. Paul expounded, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.” (2 Cor. 4:3-5)

That this WORLD IS EVIL AND PERVERTED is no secret! The world system that despises that which is good and glorifies that which is EVIL is a product of Satanic invention, since he is the “god of this world”!

Again Paul declares that Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father”. (Gal. 1:4)