Is the End REALLY Near?

Is the end really near?  I would suggest, as Gary Kah does, to read your Bible and look around; then decide. Gary Kah makes no predictions as to when the end shall be, but strongly argues (that) we are very close.  Christian, you need to watch.

Are you a fan or supporter of President of Obama?  Then you need to watch.

Are you a fan of Rick Warren, or Bill Hybels, or Tony Campolo, or Brian McLaren, or Tony Blair, or the Pope?  Please don’t defend your man until you watch the video.

Please watch (and share) the video, then share your thoughts.

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Calling Down the Fire

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village…Luke 9:54-56

A True Sign

How do you know if you’re a man or woman of God? Disciples James and John apparently thought it was in possessing the ability to call down fire from Heaven in order to consume souls. It would appear that they had taken an Old Testament verse out of context.

So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
2 Kings 2:10

The truth of the matter is that contextually, James and John were partially correct, bearing in mind the figurative and literal applications. The reality is that being able to call down a consuming fire from the Heavenly realm is a sign that a person is a man or woman of God. James and John, the ‘Sons of Thunder’ had erred in their application—they were hell-bent on annihilation while Jesus was Heaven-bent towards salvation.

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

Godly men and women always have the ability to call down consuming fire, as long as it is directed to consume a person’s spirit; not his soul. God’s word is that fire! The Christian is commanded to operate in such a method that will win souls to Christ, not condemn them to a spiritual death. Therefore, it is a sign that you are a man or woman of God if you function in this manner—you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to call down such fire from Heaven!

A Warning

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13

There will come on the scene one who also will be able to call down fire. I am of course referring to the Antichrist. I for one do not believe I will be on the scene when Antichrist makes his earthly appearance, but nevertheless, he will possess this grand ability. Now I don’t want to end on a somber note, but rather use the point to emphasize that our propensity must always be towards saving souls and satan’s function and goal will always be the exact opposite–destruction. Make no mistake about it, antichrists (note: little ‘a’) are on the scene as you read this. Anyone who operates with a mindset to condemn and destroy is drawing upon the spirit of antichrist—that was the case with James and John.

Suffice it to say, if you are not a born again believer and find yourself trying to survive in Tribulationary times, do not be deceived by the great signs you might see. Jesus Christ is the only way!

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Fallen Stars

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. Revelation 9:1Stuff You May or May Not Know

Some people mistakenly believe that this star spoken of in Revelation 9:1 is the Antichrist. It is not. This former luminary spoken of here is none other than satan. We know this to be true because the Apostle John refers to his fallen condition–an event that has already occurred. Isaiah 14:12-15 recalls the episode as well and why it happened.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ’I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

I find it incredibly interesting that Jesus recalled the event as well in Luke 10:18. If you remember that story, scores of followers returned to Jesus and excitingly told Him how magnificently their ministry was going. Jesus reminds them that their passion must always be for the work He has done and not the work they were doing, lest they too fall.

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He (Jesus) said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

The Pits

This will be a very sad time for those mired in the tribulation. The keys to Hades will be given to satan and he will unleash the demons held within; the worst of the worst demonism has to offer. We are reminded by Jesus in the first chapter of Revelation, “I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” We should find comfort in knowing that satan cannot operate unless God allows it.

I Won’t Be There

As I confessed in an earlier blog, I use to mutter to myself, “This information really doesn’t matter much to me…I won’t be there, so there is no need for me to be concerned about God’s wrath being poured out on the unbelieving world.”

But then it hit me, “Hey, many of my friends and most of my family aren’t saved and regardless if they care (or believe), I have to at least try to tell them.”

Now That We Know

It is true, ignorance is bliss, but now we know and with knowledge comes responsibility. As we share, our focus should always be on Jesus Christ and the Good News of salvation, but inevitability the topic of what we are saved from will arise. So instead of blurting out (because we care), “You’re going to burn in hell!” let’s take them to God’s word and show them the entire picture.

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Not All Heroes Ride White Horses

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;* and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2A Few Things to Remember

The things that the Apostle John saw (past tense) in Heaven have not yet taken place, at least as far as we are concerned. What John describes here is more-or-less a prophetic forecast, or a sneak peek of coming attractions. Furthermore, these events (that he is about to describe) take place after the church (Christian believers) have been raptured off the planet. And finally, the opening of these seven seals is not the final judgment, but rather the things that will occur during the seven year tribulation period—essentially it is a time that the unsaved world will pay for their (own) sins.

Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the Lord your God When He led you in the way? …Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you, ” Says the Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 2:17+19

Antichrist

Because of our ‘conditioning’, the person riding in on a white horse might seem like the good-guy, or hero, but we will soon discover that he is as far from good as one can get. The guy is in fact the Antichrist.

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand… Daniel 8 :24-25 (KJV)

The Bow of Antichrist

It may or may not be relevant, but I’ll share it anyway. John records that the Antichrist will possess a bow, but I have a sense that this bow will not be a weapon (initially) like a bow and arrow, but rather a rainbow, or a sign of peace, for the word for bow here is the exact same word for rainbow used in the Book of Genesis (i.e., the ‘bow’ God placed in the heavens after the flood). Daniel’s prophetic account (above) declares that Antichrist will, ‘by peace destroy many’. I suspect it will be beneath this same banner of peace that many unsaved souls will rally.

Additionally, the crown that Antichrist wears is man-made. The Greek word for his crown is ‘Stephanos’, which is more of w wreath-like affair. In contrast, the crown our Lord wears is defined in the Greek language as a ‘Diadem’ and speaks to Christ’s deity and Lordship.

Why All the Gloom and Doom

I confess that I avoided getting into Revelation for the longest time. Partly because I assumed that since I would not be here for it (having been raptured), the events of the tribulation was information that I really did not need to know. I was wrong. As a Christian, I am called to sound the alarm, but to do so in such a manner I am not an alarmist. The Good News, after all, is only good if it contrasts that which is not good. We live in a world that would have us believe that there is no hell and that whatever we choose to do, as long as no one else is hurt, is perfectly acceptable. Sadly, there are many churches that espouse the same nonsense. Do not be deceived.

…And be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23b

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*The antichrist Revealed

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:18

I don’t really want to get into an Antichrist discussion, as in Antichrist with a capital A. No, my desire is broach the subject of the antichrists who are already on the scene and in operation today. Who are these antichrists? Well, it might be you and it might be me!

Arrgh!

Why would I say such a thing? How could I say such a thing? The first thing we need to consider is what an antichrist does. In 2 Thessalonians we discover that the Antichrist ‘opposes and exalts himself’ above God (and this is the only portion I want to address today). The word oppose in this case means to put yourself in place of — the Antichrist will come on the scene and say that he is Christ and that the Jesus we follow is not.

It will also be helpful to know that Judas Iscariot was an antichrist (little ‘a’) primarily because satan had entered his spirit (Luke 22:3) and that Christians are not antichrists (theoretically) because Christ is in them (Colossians 1:27). Are you still with me?

So how am I an antichrist?

(We) take-on the characteristics of an antichrist when we say, “I don’t agree with what the Bible says about (pick a topic), ” or, “I know God wants me to do such-and-such, but I can’t because (pick an excuse).”

Well I hope you aren’t, but you might be if you tend to disagree with what the Bible (God) says or if you are disobedient to His will. In that respect, while we aren’t really antichrists in the 1 John 2:18 sense of the word, we certainly take-on the characteristics of an antichrist when we say, “I don’t agree with what the Bible says about (pick a topic), ” or, “I know God wants me to do such-and-such, but I can’t because (pick an excuse).”

When we do these types of things, essentially we are opposing God; putting ourselves in His position believing our way is better than His. The danger in doing this occasionally is twofold: it will likely become habit and we are teaching others (falsely) that this behavior is an acceptable Christian practice. In reality the behavior is creating other antichrists.

So NOW What?

It’s only a big deal if you recognize the behavior and fail to change it. If this is a trait you can identify with, then praise God, for it is He who has revealed this to you (and likely as a response to your prayers that He would reveal your true heart). All that is left is to change your mind and allow Him to change your heart. It’s what submission looks like.

Related (or perhaps unrelated) articles

• Spirituality – Re: Armageddon and Antichrist 666 are they real ? (disclose.tv)
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• Antichrist (jmountswritteninblood.com)
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• The Rapture (apaulmarq.wordpress.com)

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