2019 – Under Threatening Skies By Hal Lindsey

The year 2019 ends under darkening clouds. We often refer to the sky before a storm as “threatening.” That’s how things look as we transition from 2019 to 2020.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for their ability to read the weather, but not discern the times. “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Jesus also expects us to be discerners of our time. A quick look around the world tells us that these times are not ordinary.

Unrest has broken out onto the streets in a wide variety of places. They include Paris, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Moscow, Bolivia, Serbia, Ukraine, Brazil, Ecuador, Albania, Amsterdam, Venezuela, Britain, and Chile. This has happened before, but did it ever happen to so much of the world at once?

2019 also marks a year when paganism made a massive comeback. Revelation 9:20 speaks of people in the coming tribulation who “worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.” Literal idol worship where people pray to sculpted images is making a comeback in the western world.

Part of the shift to paganism has to do with extremism in the environmental movement. Recently, a New York seminary brought plants into the school chapel. Faculty members told students to “confess” their environmental sins to the plants and ask “forgiveness.” The seminary was founded in 1836 by nine ministers. Imagine the horror those founders would have felt if you told them that one day their chapel would be used for prayer to plants.

The world also inched closer to global economic collapse. You’ve probably heard about the dangers of a high national debt all your life. But there has never been anything like the debt of governments around the world at the end of 2019. The global economy is running on fumes.

And don’t forget the massive problem of personal debt. In the United States, student loan debt has become a crisis so large that it is affecting the birth rate. College educated young people are waiting later and later to have children because they don’t feel they can afford to pay the expenses associated with rearing children while still under the massive burden of their student loans.

I could go on and on about the events of 2019 and Bible prophecy. But I want to focus on one more area that seems to have become much more severe this year. The Bible says that as the end of the age comes closer, both Christians and Jews will come under increased persecution. The communists in China are ordering that the Bible be rewritten to reflect “socialist values.” And they are continuing their campaign of harassment as they jail pastors and close churches. But it’s not just China. Christians are under extreme pressure in much of the world.

According to the ministry Open Doors, 2019 saw “Over 245 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution.” They also count “4,305 Christians killed for their faith, 1,847 churches and other Christian buildings attacked, and 3,150 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.”

Anti-Semitism has been around for thousands of years, but after World War II, many sociologists pronounced it dead – at least in the west. Yet the irrational hatred of Jews keeps coming back. As 2019 ended, six died in a terrorist attack on a kosher market in Jersey City. Less than a week later, a man was arrested in Jersey City for threatening to “bomb all Jews.”

Then, on the evening of December 28th, a man with a machete stormed a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York. He stabbed five people who had gathered to celebrate the last day of Hanukkah.

Jews in New York now face attacks on almost a daily basis. In New York and New Jersey, many young people are afraid to show outward signs of their Jewish faith for fear of attack, either physically or verbally. On college campuses, anti-Semitic attacks have increased 70%. Early in the year, the New York Times had to apologize for running what it later admitted was an anti-Semitic cartoon. In July, a CNN photo editor tweeted about “Jewish pigs.”

But even more astounding than continued anti-Semitism is the glorious fact that there are Jews left in the world for people to hate. It’s an absolute miracle that these people still exist. For most of two millennia they were without a homeland. Yet they survived and thrived, just as the Bible said they would. Many came back to their homeland, and they’re still coming. Israel was a nation reborn in a day back in 1948.

If you ever start to doubt God’s veracity or the Bible’s validity, remember the Jews. God keeps His word. His promises are absolute. That means Jesus really saves and heaven is real. It means you can trust Him with whatever you’re facing. He’s there to help. His hand is outstretched to you.

May you have a wonderful new year in Him!

These are the Times By Hal Lindsey

These are times of brutality, vulgarity, rage, and recklessness. We live in an age of pestilence, earthquakes, extreme weather, and signs in the heavens. This is the era of humanism, dark arts, floods of pharmaceuticals, and spiraling levels of mental illness. We are entering a season of uncertainty, fearfulness, and escapism. The spring of pride is fast becoming the winter of despair.

Everything on the list above is a sign that we are approaching the last of the last days. And it’s a list that could go on for pages and pages. For those of us who love our fellow human beings and our country, seeing these biblical signs play out is not pleasant. But we must remember where we’re going. This road travels through tough terrain, but it’s headed for glory.

I don’t know how long the world can go on in this condition. But I do know that things could fall apart in short order. The moral foundation of the world’s leading nation has, in only a few decades, been largely abandoned. The resulting chaos prepares the whole world to follow Antichrist and the False Prophet. Our society worships technology, honors blasphemy, rejects truth, believes lies, and is becoming progressively more violent. Those are the Antichrist’s main attributes.

As you read these words, I hope you will not despair. Instead, I hope they will encourage you to remember where your hope and security really lie. They are not in this world or the institutions of this world. They are in Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

On more than one occasion, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” He who laid down His life for us, will not stop caring for us just because we live in dark days. A good shepherd watches over the sheep of His pasture. He protects them from harm. He makes sure that their needs are met.

Psalm 84:11-12 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

That’s just as true today as it has ever been. No matter how dark the time, we walk in the light of Jesus Christ!

Not only does He promise to care for us in times of difficulty, His word teaches that He will remove us from this world before the worst of the dark times ahead. Titus 2:13 in the English Standard Version says, “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Soon, He shall appear and snatch us away from this world. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Those words should comfort us. They should also spur us to action. Don’t give in to the despair of our times. Instead, let the urgency of the hour draw you ever closer to the Lord and His word.

People everywhere need Jesus, and we need to faithfully share Him. He’s the only hope. The darkness of our times should remind us of 2 Corinthians 4:6. “Light shall shine out of darkness.”

 

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I hope you can join me every Sunday evening at 11PM EST on Daystar, or online anytime at www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com for my line by line examination of Revelation. If you missed any episodes in this study, you can catch up by visiting www.hallindsey.com/videos/.

 

The Clock Is Ticking. Are You Ready? By Greg Laurie

Awhile back I was getting a lot of robo calls, so I found a feature on my phone that can block them. Before long I was blocking a lot of numbers. Then someone told me, “I called you five times. Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

I was blocking people I actually wanted to hear from because I was getting messages from people I didn’t want to hear from.

In some ways that’s like a lot of people when they hear that events in our world and in our culture today are signs of the times: “Oh, give me a break! I’ve heard that before! They’ve been saying forever that Jesus is coming back, and nothing has really changed.”

READ MORE

THE SIGNS OF CHRIST’S RETURN

WHEN?
“In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.” Isaiah 2:2 (NLT)

A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.”
Ezek 38:8 (NLT)

“Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” Dan 10:14 (NLT)

“This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the LORD their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the LORD and of his goodness. Hosea 3:4­5 (NLT)

How will all this finally end, my lord?” 9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.” Dan 12:8­9 (NLT)

THE WHEN… Jesus answers
“Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? ” Matt 24:3 (NLT)

FALSE MESSIAHS
“Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.” Matt 24:4­6 (NLT)

The New Testament records three of them: Theudas, Judah the Galilean, and one unnamed Egyptian Jew.

1/ Judah the Galilean
Judah the Galilean is mentioned in Acts 5:37. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, also made reference to Judah the Galilean, stating: “Judah the Galilean told Jews about ten years before the birth of Jesus that it was shameful for them to be ‘consenting to pay tribute to the Romans and tolerating mortal masters after having God for their Lord’”

(1). It is interesting to note that Judah apparently had a false prophet by the name of Saddok. Very likely Saddok presented himself to the people as being Elijah, who, according to Scripture, was to precede and announce the coming of the Messiah

(2). The pattern of false messiahs having false prophets was to become all too familiar. Judah and Saddok are credited by Josephus with having founded the Zealots, a group we are introduced to in the New Testament.

2/ Theudas
Theudas is mentioned in Acts 5:36. In his historical work, Antiquities, Josephus also wrote about Theudas who, around 45 AD, influenced “the majority of the masses to take up their possessions and to follow him to the Jordan River.” He claimed that the Jordan would part for them at his command. Obviously it didn’t, and he and many of his followers paid for their foolishness with their lives (3).

3/ An Unnamed Egyptian Jew
A third false messiah is mentioned in Acts 21. Rabbi Paul was nearly killed by a hostile mob. The Roman commander stationed at the Temple arrested Paul. When Paul said something to him in Greek, the surprised commander replied, “Do you know Greek? Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the assassins out into the wilderness?”

Of course, Paul assured him he was not that man. Josephus wrote of this incident as well, though exaggerating the number of followers of this unnamed Egyptian Jew as about thirty thousand. This man led his followers to the Mount of Olives, threatening to force entry into Jerusalem and liberate it from Roman occupation. Many of his followers were killed in the ensuing battle.

INTERNATIONAL UPHEAVAL WITH WARS BETWEEN NATIONS
“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.” Matt 24:6­8 (NLT)

WORLDWIDE HATRED OF CHRISTIANS
Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.

10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.” Matt 24:9­10 (NLT)

Thursday, 16 January 2014 22:00
Christian Martyrdom Doubled in 2013, Persecution Growing (THE NEW AMERICAN)
“The number of Christians murdered for their faith almost doubled in 2013 over the previous year, according to an annual survey by Open Doors, a non­denominational ministry that monitors the persecution of believers and supports persecuted Christians worldwide. Hardline Islamist regimes and Islamic terrorists — many funded by the Obama administration and other Western governments — were behind most of the slaughter. However, for the 12th year in a row, the barbaric communist autocracy lording over North Korea was ranked as the number one persecutor of Christians in the world.”

Feb. 13, 2014
FOX NEWS reported persecution of Christians growing around the globe – Rep. Chris Smith – over 100 nations

MANY COUNTERFEIT BELIEVERS AND PREACHERS INSIDE THE CHURCH
“And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.” Matt 24:11­12 (NLT)

2 Peter 2:1 (AMP)
who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies)
2 Peter 2:1 (NCV) There used to be false prophets among God’s people, just as you will have some false teachers in your group. They will secretly teach things that are wrong—teachings that will cause people to be lost.

DENY = ALSO MEANS CONTRADICT
to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate :­ deny, refuse. Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

“For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” [Jude 1:4 AMP]

2 Timothy 3:2­5 (NLT) “For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self­control. They will be cruel and
hate what is good.”
4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

2 Timothy 3:8 (NLT) “These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.”

2 Timothy 3:13 (NLT) “But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

2 Timothy 4:3­4 (NLT) “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”

THE GOOD NEWS REACHES ALL NATIONS
“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” Matt 24:14 (NLT)

THE MAN OF SIN
“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” Matt 24:15 (NLT)

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.”

2 Thess 2:1­4 (NLT)
“…these signs indicate that the end is near” Matt 24:28 (NLT)

Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” Matt 24:29 (NLT)

“And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matt 24:30 (NLT)

“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt 24:31 (NKJV)