2013: A Year of Change and Surprise!

Back in January, I was seeking the Lord about what words He would use to describe this coming year. I heard the word, "change". A couple days later, I asked Him the same question, and I heard the word, "surprise". Well, this year my husband and I are definitely looking at a major change coming up since we will be relocating to Azusa, California this summer! I am sure we cannot even anticipate the sorts of changes and surprises we will encounter along the way. But I discern one thing in particular about these coming changes and surprises: they are good! I believe we are entering into a season of blessings and favor from the Lord!

The Bronze Sea

As I was in my bed, halfway thinking of going to sleep, I decided to ask God how to grow in revelation. In that familiar small whisper that could almost be mistaken for a fleeting thought, I heard, "Read My Word." So I asked, "What should I read?" Before I formed the words in my mind, I heard the response, "Jeremiah." Jeremiah what? "27." So, I picked up a Bible and turned to Jeremiah 27.

Was Jesus an Amillennialist?

In Matthew 12, we see an account of an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being possessed by Satan, and they claim that Jesus could cast out demons because of the Satanic power within Him. Jesus replies by telling them that Satan could not drive out demons because a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He then comes at the issue again: "...how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house" (Matthew 12:29, NIV).

From the context, we understand that the "strong man" Jesus is referring to is Satan. Jesus says that the strong man's house can only be plundered after first tying up the strong man. Thus, it appears that Jesus is implying that Satan is (or will be) tied up so that His "house" (Earth) can be plundered. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, so we may infer that the "possessions" that Jesus wants to "carry off" are human beings. We know from other passages that the people of the world are slaves to Satan until they are redeemed through Christ, so the fact that Jesus would refer to people as Satan's possessions shouldn't be too surprising to us. But what about this part about Satan being tied up? Isn't Satan "a roaring lion," roaming about to find someone to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8)?

Prophetic Visions

For those of you who are interested in reading the latest prophecy news (like me), I have one piece of advice. Test what you read against what God has revealed to us in Scripture. We know that there are many deceiving spirits leading people away from God's truth--even "Christian" prophets are led astray by the whisperings of the devil and his angels.

So, how can we know if a prophet is truly from God? It is fairly easy to tell, actually: if the prophet acknowledges Jesus as God's Son who came in the flesh to atone for mankind, then the prophet is from God. True prophets speak truth that comes directly from the heart of God the Father, so the message will contain the truth about who Jesus is so that the people who hear the message will acknowledge him as Lord.

There are a few simple messages that God repeatedly sends us through prophets: encouragement (revealing how He loves a person or nation uniquely), instruction (a.k.a., a call to obey His Word), and warning (= these bad things will happen unless you obey). Plus, the messages that come from a prophet of God are always accurate. If a prophet gives a prophecy that turns out to be false (or if he goes back to re-interpret its meaning after it appears to be false), then pay no attention to that person, for he is deceived.

I've discovered some features that are similar in messages from false prophets. One is that the message itself is unclear ("like viewing through a fog") or can't be remembered fully. Another is that the prophet gets his visions from "spirits of light" that don't acknowledge Jesus (...if you have to ask who sent them, they're probably not from God). The most common thread, though, is that the message is either one of world harmony (usually accompanied by an encouragement to seek "the power within") or of world catastrophe (along with instructions for how to protect yourself and survive the ensuing chaos). The "world harmony" message is usually given to a person who doesn't acknowledge Jesus as Lord. On the other had, the "world catastrophe" message is panned off to people who are within Christian circles of influence. The latter case is harder to distinguish from true prophetic messages, since these people acknowledge Jesus as their Lord--but, when we test their message against God's Word, it doesn't line up.

What sorts of things should we expect a true prophet of God to say in these last days before the return of our Lord Jesus? I believe they would tell us to spread the love of Jesus to as many people as possible before it's too late. I also believe they would tell us to stop lusting after our worldly desires and start submitting ourselves to God's Will! Our primary goal is not to get rich, fat, and entertained--it's to love people the way that Jesus did while on Earth. We are to imitate Him! So, what about the coming trials and tribulations described in the book of Revelation? What will the prophets say about that? Well, the Bible says things like "whoever loves his life will lose it" and "those beheaded for the name of Jesus will reign with Him in glory." Jesus also tells us not to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear because our Heavenly Father will provide what we need just as He does the birds of the air. In other words, prophets who tell you to stock up on food and ammunition in preparation for the battle of Armageddon are NOT from the Lord! Let's start studying the truths that God has given to us in His Word so that we will not be deceived by false prophets in the days ahead!

End of the World Scenario

Here's a possible end times scenario, just for fun:

Aliens (fallen angels in disguise) abduct humans and experiment on them until they get the perfect alien-human hybrids (kind of like the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis and the Book of Enoch). The hybrids make their way into government offices over several years, with everyone else none the wiser. Once the hybrids occupy key government positions around the world, the aliens decide to reveal themselves to the world as our friends, the governments confess the alien cover-up/conspiracy, and the sci-fi indoctrinated public openly accepts the situation. Conveniently, the aliens come at a time when the world is in economic, political, and environmental crisis, and they ensure us that they can solve our problems with their other-worldly wisdom. Thus, the aliens take over the administration of planet Earth. The governments give over their power willingly, thanks to the hybrid key players. After the aliens impose their ways onto the earthlings, they convince them to hunt down the remnant who refuse the alien rule. With the armies of the world surrounding the rebel human camp, suddenly there's an attack from outer space, apparently from a hostile alien race! The armies battle against the hostile force, but are completely consumed by the fiery laser beams showering down upon them. The remnant is saved by the "hostile" alien force, and the other aliens along with the armies of the earth are defeated! The remnant is beamed up to the ship belonging to their alien allies precisely at the moment Planet Earth enters the galactic center and experiences a devastating magnetic pole reversal and catastrophic asteroid impacts. The earth is completely obliterated, but the head alien (identified as Yahweh) recreates a perfect, beautiful earth for the remnant of humans to enjoy.

THE END :-)

End Times Transfer of Wealth

There's an idea floating around that in the end times, the righteous will inherit the wealth that the wicked have been hoarding. Some Christian leaders have started preaching that the time is drawing near for this "end times transfer of wealth," since the American economy is in for a major collapse. Their message is to remain faithful to God and be responsible with your money so that you will be a beneficiary of the supernatural redistribution of wealth. Ironic that the leaders purport this message have invested their money into real estate, exchanged their money for precious metals, used their money to stockpile goods, and/or taken the pains to get themselves free from all credit (debt-based) accounts. I'd be wary of believing a message that the preacher doesn't seem to hold any stock in himself.

Will the Church Be Raptured from Tribulation?

I was raised with the idea that the believers in Christ would be delivered from the "day of wrath" described in apocalyptic passages (Daniel 12; Revelation 6-9, 15-16, 20 for starters) by being "caught up together with the Lord in the clouds," an event known as "the rapture" in Christian jargon.

"I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." (words of Jesus, Luke 17:34-35, NIV)

Sounds just like the rapture depicted in popular literature like "Left Behind," right? Well, look at the verses immediately preceding and following, and you'll get a different picture. Here's an example:

"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all." (words of Jesus, Luke 17:26-27, NIV)

The ones taken are the wicked, not the righteous! The idea of the righteous being zipped away into thin air is NOT what is being conveyed here. However, notice that the destruction comes AFTER Noah entered the ark, and in verses 28-29, AFTER Lot left Sodom. So, there may be some evidence that the righteous are protected or set apart before God pours out his wrath on the earth. This, though, would mean that the righteous would still be on the earth!

Also, Paul tells us that two things must happen before we see the coming of the LORD. In 2 Thessalonians 2, he tells us that before Jesus returns to gather his church, (1) there will be a great falling away, and (2) the man of lawlessness will be revealed. The next verse goes on to say that this man of lawlessness will set himself up in the temple, which is an event that biblical scholars mark at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (which last for a period of 3 and 1/2 years). So, if Paul meant that the church would simply see the man of lawlessness in the public eye, then that leaves room for Jesus to return before the 7-year tribulation. But, if Paul was trying to say that the church would see the man of lawlessness establish himself in the temple, then that would mean Jesus would gather his church together after the 7 years had already started. So, that would leave either a mid- or post-tribulation rapture as a possibility.

As I've been doing research, I've become skeptical of whether there is actually a rapture at all. I know Paul says we will be caught up in the clouds in the twinkling of an eye, but maybe he's using some sort of apocalyptic language that implies that we will be gathered in judgment or something (since clouds often carry the meaning of judgment in the Old Testament). Currently my thought is that either there is no "rapture" at all (in the Evangelical sense of the word), or that the rapture occurs sometime right before or after the Great Tribulation. All I know is that I don't want to be one of the 10 virgins who ran out of oil in the middle of the night and ended up missing the bridegroom's return.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, feel free to comment.

Replacement Theology... or Not

So I've been reading some of the Old Testament prophets in search of enlightenment concerning end times, and after reading Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah, I do not understand how anyone could think that the church "replaces" Israel as God's chosen people in these prophecies. For one thing, it seems that Israel is also strongly connected to a specific geographical location, which is intimately tied into most of these prophecies. Someone could maybe convince me that a lot or even all of the prophecies have already been fulfilled... but it would take a creative mind to come up with an explanation for some of the events described, like "they will not learn the craft of war," "the Lord himself will settle their disputes," "the Egyptians will come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles," "They will do no harm or destroy on the mountain of the Lord, because the world will be full of the knowledge of the LORD like waters cover the sea," etc. Also, when there is talk about Israel occupying the land of Philistia and Gilead to the North, what could that possibly symbolize if the prophecy is concerning the church? If someone wishes to argue that the church will be gathered to Jerusalem and the surrounding area (because the LORD will gather his people from the four corners of the earth), then that's a little more plausible... but I'd say that there would be a huge over-population problem. I guess that depends on your other theological and escatalogical beliefs. In my opinion, though, the most plausible explanation of the Old Testament prophecies is that they are referring to Israel, and not the church.