Read these Scriptures carefully and see the order of events of the end of the end-times. You will be able to check many off as having already begun. These will only increase in intensity. Hold on and stay in the faith, for sorrowful times are coming fast. Persecution will happen. My new book "FAITHFUL?" How To Be A Righteous Leader In Unrighteous Times is now available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1650184034/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
1. DECEPTIONS: (MATT.24:4-5, 11, 24) 2. FALSE CHRISTS: (MATT.24:5, 23-26) 3. WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS: (MATT.24:6-7) 4. FAMINES: (MATT.24:7; REV.6:5-6) 5. PESTILENCES: (MATT.24:7; REV.6:8 6. EARTHQUAKES: (MATT.24:7; REV.6:12-17) 7, ANTI-SEMITISM: (MATT.24:9; 13:9, 13) 8. OFFENCES: (MATT.24:10; 18:1-10) 9. BETRAYALS: (MATT.24:9; MATT.13:12) 10. HATRED: (MATT.24:10; 2 TIM.3:1-9) 11. FALSE PROPHETS: (MATT.24:11, 24; REV.13) 12. LAWLESSNESS ABOUNDING: (MATT.24:12) 13. LOVE DECREASING: (MATT.24:12-13; 2 TIM.3) 14. INCREASED MISSIONARY WORK: (MATT.24:14) 15. ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION: (MATT.24:15; DAN.9:27; 2 THESS.2:4; REV.13) 16. NEW JEWISH NATION IN JUDEA: (MATT.24:9; 15-26; EZEK.37; DAN.9:27) 17. NEW JERUSALEM TEMPLE: (MATT.24:15, 26: REV.11:1-2; DAN.8:9-13; 9:27; 11:45; 2 THESS.2:4) 18. GREAT 31/2 YEAR TRIBULATION: (MATT.24:21; DAN.12:1; REV.12:1-19:21) 19. MARTYRDOMS: (MATT.24:9, 22; DAN.8:24; REV.7:9-17; 11:7; 15:2-4; 20:4-6) 20. FLIGHT OF JEWS FROM JUDEA: (MATT.24:16-21; REV.12:6, 14; IS.16:1-5; PS.60:4-8; DAN.11:40-45; EZEK.20:33-38; HOS.2:14-16) 21. INCREASED SATANIC POWERS: (MATT.24:24; 2 THESS.2:8-12; REV.13; 16:14; 19:20)
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1. There will be false prophets, apostles, pastors, and teachers. There will be false Christs. We are in this stage NOW! It is not as bad as it is going to get. We will see it grow as more and more false religious leaders appear. There area two stages here. First the false leaders and false Christs will appear, then we will see that they gain a great following and lead many astray. Matthew 24:5 ESV For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. Matthew 24:11 ESV And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Matthew 24:23-24 ESV Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. (24) For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Jeremiah 14:14 ESV And the LORD said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Jeremiah 23:25-27 ESV I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' (26) How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, (27) who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? 2. There will be wars, rumors of wars and nations will rise against nations. Currently we have war ships posted in many places around the globe because of what we call "hot spots" where war can start in a moment. The worlds is walking on egg shells wondering not if, but when World War III will start. Matthew 24:6-7 ESV And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Mark 13:7-8 ESV And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. (8) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. Luke 21:9-10 ESV And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once." (10) Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 3. There will be unbelievable earthquakes in strange places, famines, pestilences, and strange signs in the skies. I want to properly identify the word pestilence. It is a contagious or infectious epidemic outbreak of a deadly disease that is devastating like the bubonic plague was. It is also a contagious epidemic outbreak of an evil influence or idea that is morally, emotionally, and spiritually devastating. We are currently seeing this being fulfilled. Many of the diseases that are across the globe are kept quiet in the media and need to be researched to find the name of the disease and the extent of the outbreak. Once these reaches full stage there will be no way the outbreaks can be hidden. The epidemic evil influences and ideas are already at work. Sexual immorality, anti-Christian and anti-Bible influences are epidemic now. Luke 21:11 ESV There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 4. Christians being arrested, thrown in prison, or killed. This is happening but not world-wide yet. However, this mindset is sweeping quickly across the globe. Europe and America will soon experience this. Mark 13:9-10 ESV "But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. (10) And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. Matthew 24:9-10 ESV "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. (10) And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Luke 21:12-19 ESV But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. (13) This will be your opportunity to bear witness. (14) Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, (15) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. (16) You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. (17) You will be hated by all for my name's sake. (18) But not a hair of your head will perish. (19) By your endurance you will gain your lives. Okay...this is a title to get people thinking. Many come up to me for prayer and ask if I would pray and tell them their DESTINY. This is a serious thing and not something to be taken lightly. Therefore, I have some pointers for all of us concerning DESTINY, the END TIMES, and GOD.
God knows the future completely, and he will accomplish his plan. God does not work in a vacuum, He does not have a "plan-B" for us, the world is not out of His control, and He is already present at the end of the world as we know it. We all know Is.46:9-11 but let's look at it again. Isaiah 46:9-11 KJV Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Allow me to paraphrase this verse. Isaiah 46:9-11 tells us: God says... Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. I spoke forth the end at the beginning. Everything I plan will come to pass. I have said what I would do, and I will do it. The amazing thing is that God will accomplish His plan, and we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are a part of it. God not only knows THE future, He knows YOUR future. We may not know what’s lying ahead of us, but we can be certain God does. We can also be assured that He is already there. If we truly trust Him and genuinely believe that He will do what He has said He will do, then this assurance should give us a strong sense of confidence and security in Him and in these last days which we live. So stay in the position of faith. What should we do while our destiny is being played out? Hate Sin Like God Hates Sin: Love People Like God Loves People: Fear God and Stand In Awe of His Presence: Live Righteous Like This is Your Last Day to Honor Him On This Side of Eternity: Do not forsake the faith that is in you: I want to properly identify the word pestilence.
It is a contagious or infectious epidemic outbreak of a deadly disease that is devastating like the bubonic plague was. It is also a contagious epidemic outbreak of an evil influence or idea that is morally, emotionally, and spiritually devastating. We are currently seeing this being fulfilled. Many of the diseases that are across the globe are kept quiet in the media and need to be researched to find the name of the disease and the extent of the outbreak. Once these reach full stage there will be no way the outbreaks can be hidden. The epidemic evil influences and ideas are already at work. Sexual immorality, anti-Christian and anti-Bible influences are epidemic now. Luke 21:11 ESV There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. "YOU WANT SIGNS OF THE END TIMES? THEY ARE UPON US"
Welcome to the new norm.
I remember a more peaceful time in the United States and most of the world. I remember a time when people respected one another and looked out for one another. The fast-food motto "have it your way" has permeated our society and it seems that through the spirit of uncontrolled selfishness everyone is doing whatever is right in their own eyes. People who once were good model citizens are stealing and hoarding supplies, food and water from whatever source they have get it from. People who seemed to have lost the value of human life are killing one another seeking self preservation in light of an impending doomsday. Babies are being defined as nothing more than lifeless meat and can be killed right up to the point of birth. Floods of Biblical magnitude sweep upon major coastal cities with deadly destructive waves. Our earth is orbited by over 500,000 pieces of man-made space junk, any of which can fall to the earth any time like fire. This may seem far-fetched to people living a peaceful normal everyday life. But a glance over the events of just the last twenty years should tell us that things have never been so bad and reported to be headed for even worse conditions. Currently there are multitude of uncontrollable diseases reaching epidemic proportions. Currently there are crazy weather situations from extreme drought to massive flooding. Currently there are more earthquakes and volcanic activity than ever reported in the known history of man. Currently there is world-wide tensions of a possible break out of world war III. Currently the world economic situation is on the brink of a world-wide financial crisis. Currently Christians are being mocked and persecuted in some fashion or killed in almost every Country in the world. Currently scientists are watching objects in space that have a trajectory close to the earth. Currently we have a social and cultural time bomb in the push to allow the homosexual and Muslim free reign over the rights of all other citizens. Currently we have many cities in American that a person is not longer safe walking down the street day or night. What are we facing? If this is truly the end of the end times the Bible has recorded, which I believe that it is, it could be the actual end of our lifestyle as we currently know it on earth. Many in the 60's and up remember much better days in our country and world. Many have had lifestyle changes forced by government and society. One of the small changes forced in my daily lifestyle is that of being security minded. I grew up in a home that did not have door locks. There was no way to secure our house from outsiders. But we never even thought about it because it was not an issue. Now, my house has double locks and I have cameras and a security system tied to my complete property. The immoral nature of the people of our land has dictated a climate of personal change to those of us who would not dream of entering another man's property or home, however must be protected by those who have the mentality of "what is yours, is mine." Where will you be when things get worse? What will you do as society becomes more violent and immoral? I watched how people acted in the aftermath of a major hurricane. The will to survive kicked in. Many survived by being helpful and sharing with one another. But there were some who survived by stealing and looting from the little of others. When it gets worse, and it will certainly get worse, will you be stressing out trying to survive the chaos as you look for supplies, power, food and water? Or will you be at peace, already prepared to stand in faith at the inevitable end of the world? If you've ever thought about preparing for or surviving the End of the World there are some things that you need to know. No one will survive the end of the world. The world as we know it will be destroyed and God the Father will bring about a New Heaven and New Earth and a New City. We are not called to be survivalists but overcomers. This will be continued. We live in the most interesting times known to human history. It would seem that mankind is spinning out of control with a spirit of lawlessness driving the human passion. Everywhere we turn there are earthquakes, famines, wars and rumors of wars, sickness, ailments, afflictions, flooding, wildfires, murders, rapes, and the list could go on and on. Within the church life we have an abundance of newly self declared Apostles and Prophets who supposedly are receiving the "new word" from the Lord about what He is up to in these end times. However, although I believe in and support the Apostolic and Prophetic gifting and ministry for today I think we need to examine those who are claiming to have such callings. I seriously question those who claim to be Apostles and instead of rooting out and tearing down the traditions of man and laying a true Biblical doctrinal foundation they continue building on the foundations of man-made doctrines. The only thing that changes is how they dress it up and what they call it. The names used are changed to what is "spiritually correct" for the mega-media church industry. The attraction has increased based on how much money is available for promotion, live feeds, and the amount of people staffed to run it. However, the results remain the same, not much bang for the bucks, and loud music and entertainment is seen replacing the much needed anointing of God's Spirit. I also seriously question those who claim to be Prophets and instead of speaking a "thus says the Lord", word that originated form the throne room, they are guilty of catchy clichés that are passed on from one another that is meant to stir the passions and zeal of their hearers. It is easy to look at an event of a natural disaster and make an empty proclamation that it is the hand of God judging an evil and lawless people. However, the Prophets of old, the true ones made the proclamations of God's blessings or judgments prior to the event so that the people would know that a man of God stood before them. The true Prophets are meant to stand before nations and call them to repentance. The example we have today of so-called Prophets running from church group to church to "give a word" is foreign to Biblical example of Prophetic calling. We do need to go back to the Word of God and see what the men who stood before God received and why they received it and what they did when they received it. Such was the man Elijah. He was a true Prophet of the Most High God. The reason his ministry is so important to us today is that we will see the Spirit of Elijah fall on the church. The first thing we see about Elijah is that the Word of the Lord came to him. 1 Kings 17:2-4 ESV And the word of the LORD came to him: (3) "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." The second thing we see about Elijah is that he did all things according to the Word he had received from the Lord. Oh how we need this today. 1 Kings 17:5-7 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. [6] And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. [7] And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. What can we get from 1 Kings 17:5-7 for today in these uncertain times? I get asked almost everyday, "Pastor, what can we expect over the next couple weeks or months?" "Pastor, what is going to happen next on God's timetable?" Let's see what this passage tells us about trust and reliance. What is God doing here? He brings the prophet to a brook, a place of security and provision, and then allows that brook to dry up! The lesson is that we are not to look to the "brooks" of life for life. We are to look to the Father of our provisions. God is preparing us for total dependence on Him, and is weaning us from everything in which we have found a false security. This includes the false security of church life. Every brook that we have worshiped and consider to be the source of our nourishment shall be, by our God's merciful hand, utterly dried up. 1 Kings 17:8-10 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, [9] Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. How would the natural mind respond to this command? This is the Prophet of God. Surely the Lord would send him to the rich and prosperous churches and church leaders that could bless him with all he needed in exchange for ministering a word to the people. I mean this is not even a Jewish woman the Lord is sending the prophet to. It was bad enough with that raven business, but Zidon is where Jezebel comes from. Those heathen know no limits to their wickedness, and right now all are suffering in the famine that the Prophet himself proclaimed. Now, really Lord, how is that Zidonian woman going to sustain a Hebrew prophet? Such a man of faith is not fashioned in a day, and the shaping process is not necessarily pleasant. I have a saying about ministers. "I am not sure that I can trust a minister that does not limp." I take these from Jacob and his time wrestling with the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord touched the strongest point of the human body, the hip socket, and it brought Jacob to the position that he could no longer fight against God and he could no longer run from God, all he could do was lean on God. Every one of us has a heart itching for personal and family security and therefore are reluctant to be separated from the hang-ups and fleshly cravings upon which we have built our lives. Without spiritual heart surgery by the hand of God, there can be no standing before the Ahab's of life, and no life of sustained yieldingness to our Lord's bidding. Cutting away is never painless, but when God holds the scalpel the motive is clear and the victory is sure. 1 Kings 17:2-4 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, [3] Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. [4] And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
Many within the church over the last 30 years has run from prophetic meeting to prophetic meeting "seeking a word" from the Lord. Don't get me wrong, I love receiving prophetic ministry. However from the hundreds of "prophetic words" Debby and I have received over the last 40 years we have 6 that we believe actually was a true Word from the Father that was rooted and grounded in both His Word and His character. We have been given words that are nothing short of pure witchcraft. We have had to renounce and break the authority of many words spoken over us in the name of Jesus that violated the Word of God and the Character of God. Folks, there has been some serious junk out there. However, there is a true prophetic mantel and those who are actually standing in a position of awe and fear before God and are serious about what they speak. I have to say though that God never intended for His body, the church to be "Word" chasers, running from meeting to meeting just to "get a Word". Many who do this have no intention of being obedient to the word they get, they are just satisfied that they got one. Then receiving a word is an end in itself instead of a means to the end. If we get a true word from the Father the end would be that we walk out that word for His glory. The Spirit of Elijah that will soon fall on the church will allow the body as a whole to not run around looking for a word but becoming a word of reason and hope to a people who have no hope. 1 Kings 17:2 ESV And the word of the LORD came to him: How powerful is this statement. The word of the Lord came to him. We need to know that what we have is truly a word from the Lord. 1 Kings 17:3-5 ESV "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." (5) So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. Elijah went and did all which was according to the word of the Lord. We as the body of Christ need to settle this now before the Spirit of Elijah falls on the church. God will not empower someone with the spirit of prophecy who does not have a heart and intent to obey what He has spoken. We have been talking about the end times and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and the manifestation of the prophetic Spirit of Elijah. We will see the body of Christ as a whole hearing, seeing and speaking events before they happen. Just as the Father told Abraham what He was going to do to Sodom before it happened so will He inform those who are walking with Him the end times events before He does it. However we must discern the substitute and false prophetic voices. We need the real prophetic voice to warn and guide the church, but there will be a false prophetic voice that will deceive many. Throughout the Old Testament we have examples of the false. In fact when our early church fathers were compiling books together to make what we call the Bible today they had to sort though hundreds of false books written by false follows of Christ or written by those who claimed to be Christ right after our Lord rose from the dead and ascended back into heaven. (1 Kings 12:28 ESV) So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." (1 Kings 12:29 ESV) And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. (1 Kings 12:30 ESV) Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. (1 Kings 12:31 ESV) He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. (1 Kings 12:32 ESV) And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. The false priesthood of this world in these last days shall embrace itself in a particular type of worship. This is nothing new. The feast will be counterfeit. It will appear to be real but it will not be the real thing ordained of God in His time. The establishing of false gods, false priests, and false worship by Jeroboam is a perfect picture of what is happening in the "church" today. Mark these words and watch as false spiritual leaders are publicly raised up in these end times to lead the world as a whole into all kinds of demonic worship. We talk a lot about the one world government and the one world money, however we forget that there will also be a one world church, the rise of Babylon. The foundation of that structure has already been laid. The Spirit of Elijah will be upon a radical believer who will love God not by just lip service, but will love God unto death. This group will not be silent. They will proclaim the truth of God and expose the false demonic movement which leads the people into a Babylonian worship of false gods with false signs and wonders. However, not all Christians will have ears to hear and some will be deceived and follow after that which seemed right in their own eyes. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (2) through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, Is it possible that because of the constant fight over the right of homosexuals to be legally married that the governments just suspend all marriage ceremonies? Think about it as a possible government solution to the crisis of defining a marriage. The only people who then will be affected will be the Christians who hold that a ceremony and certificate of marriage is God's idea. 1 Timothy 4:3 ESV who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. This same government agencies that would suspend marriage ceremonies would also attempt by law to make vegetarians out of everyone. 2 Timothy 3:5-7 ESV having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (6) For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, (7) always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. In these days we need men and women who stand before the Lord and hear His voice clearly. There are places on the earth that God the Father really, really hates and that is the HIGH PLACES established to the worship of false gods. As a shame to the Christian faith we as believers and our forefathers have erected high places on the land. Jeroboam had established the “high places”. These are places of worship to baal and other false gods. Then he ordained people who were not to be priests as priests of the high places. These were men that were not a part of the tribe of Levi, from which every priest of God was to come from. So these men were not God’s appointed messengers. Their ministries were not born in heaven, but at the hand of an evil king. (1 Kings 12:31 ESV) He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. (1 Kings 12:32 ESV) And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. (1 Kings 12:33 ESV) He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings. There are countless religious practices running rampant today. There is a world dying because of the self-ordained groups with their false messages that give no hope. We have not yet seen the end of the ways or the full fruit of these false representatives of our Most High God. There is a world church that is being formed that is preaching a religion of convenience and tolerance. In it, you shall not have to sweat to go up to Jerusalem, or enter before the presence of our Father. In this world Church everything shall be easily accessible, and nothing shall be required of you. The men who minister in its temples shall speak in soft conventional terminology without saying anything, but they shall not know God. Such men are not "Levites.” They are not God's priests nor anointed and called. There is only one true priesthood, it is comprised of all those who have been born again of the Spirit, and who are wholly cleaving to the Living God. Where are the Elijah's of God calling out our nations to repentance? Where are the men of God who would dare stand against the high places established in the name of Christianity? When the Spirit of Elijah increases on the face of the earth we will see a holy spiritual war that will be unparalleled in Christian history. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:10 ESV) Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. The last days are upon us. The enemy has poured out a renewed spirit of lawlessness upon the earth. Sexual perversions and violence fill our air waves in the daily news reports. Our governments believe that they are making history by voting in and establishing as common practice all forms of laws that spew disobedience and rebellion in the face of God. Laws are being enacted that try to silence the church and God's people. What will be our response to a total atheistic and Jezebelian advance in the world against the body of Christ? I am deeply committed to the principle of submission to authority, and to all the principles of relationship within the Body of Christ. Therefore I am not speaking about us committing rebellion against authority. Yet, there is required of every child of God a total dependence upon the Holy Spirit and a passionate cleaving to the Lord, even when a situation might arise where it is seemingly impossible to give those closest to you an explanation they could accept or understand. When it comes to obeying God over man the Scriptures are clear about our decision. Acts 4:18-20 ESV So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. (19) But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, (20) for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Acts 5:28-29 ESV saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us." (29) But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 1 Samuel 15:23-24 ESV For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." (24) Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. When Elijah was commissioned to speak to King to Ahab it can be appreciated all the more when we consider the character of Ahab. We will know when the Spirit of Elijah is in operation because it will reprove those in authority for their sins that not only affect them but also affects the nation. These Spirit-filled Spirit-lead believers will speak a Spirit of Elijah "thus says the Lord" before national leaders who have a reputation of wickedness before God such as was the heart of Ahab. 1 Kings 16:30-33 ESV And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. (31) And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. (32) He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. (33) And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. With each king we can see that Israel's departure from holiness was increased. Of all these black-hearted kings listed in 1 Kings 15 and 16, Ahab was the worst. His wife Jezebel had seen to the execution of most of God's prophets. Elijah was the only one left. It is before this evil man Ahab that Elijah stood. But prior to standing before Ahab, Elijah had to learn the art of a continual audience before the King of Glory, the Most High God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We can see the wickedness of the days of Elijah by seeing the deeds of the evil kings leaders and Presidents of th enations of the world. Much of what happened during Elijah’s time in the Old Testament is happening today and we need people who are comfortable with standing before the Lord. Before I can stand and speak boldly before kings such items of signs and wonders, I must learn to “stand before the Father”. To stand before the Living God means being closed in with Him while being separated from the world. The Spirit of Elijah will fall on the body of Christ. That fact is for sure. However, will be the body be ready? There is still way to much of a "people-pleasing spirit" among the believers that many will not be ready to receive the Spirit of Elijah nor willing to hear and obey the message given. Yet even more fearful and demanding than being separated from the world is the separation that sometimes happens between our own brethren in the faith. This does not mean there is a strife among our brothers, but that the Father will need to place us in a position where we are willing to stand alone. Many of us have graduated from worrying about what the world says of us. Have we, however, come to a place of such maturity that we can live with the “second guessing” or separation of our brothers? Matthew 16:13-16 ESV Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" (14) And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Luke 6:22-23 ESV "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! (23) Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. That is not an easy place to come to, because perhaps we have just begun to really enjoy the prestige and acceptance of men and women in the body of Christ. The man who can stand before the "king Ahabs” of this world has got to be the one who stands before God continually or he will be overwhelmed being in the presence of stardom and worldly heroes. He must ultimately be indifferent to the opinions of both the world and those who call themselves believers. Elijah! What manner of man is this who presumes to command the elements? Elijah! Who is this that would dare to change the natural laws that God the Father has established? This would be an act of unspeakable arrogance if Elijah were not so wholly hidden in God. From what we believe about the true prophetic voice Elijah was not even the one who was speaking, but God who possessed his life and spoke through him. The Father and His servant could work together in perfect unity. 1 Kings 17:1 ESV Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." We have "so-called" prophets running around the world speaking a "thus says the Lord" all over the place. Some of them might be true and of the Lord but many are "want-a-bes" desiring to be recognized as a Prophet of the Most High. The true Prophets of the last days will be an instrument in the hands of God and instead of predicting events they will speak forth events. They will declare God's judgment upon a land and speak from the throne room of heaven the very voice of God and cause the earth to shake, the seas to roar, and the mountains to tumble. 1 Corinthians 6:17 ESV But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. There is an incredible union between God the Father and the believer through the Lord Jesus Christ. That intimate union between the Father and the one whom He has called to stand as a Prophet will be as one voice. It is to this place of intimate union with Him that the Lord is bringing those who are willing in this present hour. The shaping of such vessels is not accomplished in one day. Elijah was not afraid that he might be accused of testing God or of attempting to steal His glory. He spoke boldly, for he knew that the two halves of his statement are perfectly related, “The Lord God of Israel”, “before whom I stand”. For those seeking to follow the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ know that soon and very soon the Spirit of Elijah will cover the earth and empower the remnant. In the last post we spoke about the valley, the desert and the mountaintop experiences of our Christian walk. Elijah and King David had a lot of all three. Valleys and deserts preceded the mountaintop experiences of King David. This surly was true for Elijah as it is for us. These are places where we submit to God within our heart to His will and ways. In this way we can view each valley and desert as a school of the Holy Spirit, as we learn the ways of the Father. In these valley and desert experiences the confidence of the flesh is exposed and revealed for what it is, which is enmity against God. Usually we find ourselves on the mountaintop with a crowd waiting and watching to see what we will do and to see what God will do. This is because everyone loves the mountaintop experiences. Therefore while we are on our mountaintop there will be Christians who “jump on the bandwagon” and get as much joy out of our experience as possible. But when we are in the valley or desert, we are usually alone with God. Crowds don’t like to gather in the desert places or the deep valley places, because they are not exciting or fun. To stand before the Pharaohs and Ahabs in this world, there must always be a period of crucial preparation in loneliness. This pattern is true even of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Except for a few incidents surrounding His birth and one youthful episode in the Temple of Jerusalem, we know nothing about the first thirty years of His life. Unknown and lonely may be where our lives are now. Even corporately as the Assembly of Saints gather together we can seem alone. Someone in our Church once told me that our fellowship was a great kept secret. Unseen and in places unknown to others, the Lord is dealing with us corporately and bringing us low, even into pits in order to refine us and create in us an unwavering faith. I feel strongly that I need to address the positive side of the end times. There will be soon a mighty outpouring of the Person of the Holy Spirit that is unparalleled in the history of mankind. Coming with this will be the Spirit of prophecy which is the Testimony of Jesus. In addressing this I want to speak about the SPIRIT OF ELIJAH in the END TIMES. Revelation 19:10 ESV Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. ELIJAH & DAVID: THE MOUNTAINTOP, THE DESERT, & THE VALLEYS We find Elijah mentioned many times speaking from a mountaintop. It must have been a relief for him from the burden of the desert and the valleys of life that he had to encounter. We all will face the desert places which I call “our wilderness experiences”. Those are the dry times when it seems that our very soul will fly away into nothing. We cry out for the presence of God and hear nothing, feel nothing, see nothing, and we begin to listen to the “other voices” that scream out in our head. These “other” voices scream out to us that we must have done something wrong and are in great sin. All the while it is God preparing us for the mountaintops and encounters with Kings. We are being prepared to face the false prophets of the enemy. In fact, David encountered the desert places where he cried out for God's presence. Psalms 63:1 ESV A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalms 42:1-3 ESV To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (3) My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" Like the desert, we will all face the valleys. The place where it would seem that our life is over, there is no way out and God has completely left us. But again, it is that training place, that place of fire and testing where the Father reveals our heart to us. This is also the preparation place for the mountaintops. Again, let’s see how David responded to the valleys of life. Psalms 23:1-6 ESV A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (3) He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (4) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. |
AuthorCharles Morris. Founder and Senior Pastor of RSI Ministry, RSI School of Ministry, and RSI Publishing L.L.C.. Archives
March 2021
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