Quickened by the Spirit

Today was a really great day at church. The preaching was really really good. The sermon was from 1 Peter 1:10-12. It's one of those passages that's easily overlooked and read through. Honestly, I've probably read it a few times in my life but quickly read over it and didn't digest it at all. On a side note, one of the best things about the Bible is that you can draw a different lesson or point from the same passage and it be completely in harmony with it's context. I don't know too many other books like that! :-)

What Peter is talking about here is the beauty and magnificence of salvation. See, the prophets from the Old Testament studied about and talked about a time when the Messiah would suffer something terrible and then follow it up with something wonderful and eternal. They didn't really understand, it didn't make sense.

We currently live in the Age of Grace. We are in that time period between Christ's Ascension and His return. This is the period of history where this new religion (Christianity) is growing because more and more are accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. We are not bound by the old sacrificial system where we have to sacrifice pigeons, cows, etc., to God for attonement of our sin. What does that mean? Well, it means that there must be a payment for our sin. Our Holy God cannot tolerate sin and in order for us to have any fellowship (relationship) with God then our sin must be accounted for. This is the reason Jesus Christ left Heaven to come to earth and be sacrificed for our sin.

It's really tough to get a grip on that sometimes. It is so hard to fathom leaving what He did, coming down and submitting Himself to His own creation! Get this, the Creator allowed the created to beat, scourge, and crucify Him. Why? Well, it's because He loves us. We are His children who have turned their backs on Him. We have voted Him off the island. We don't want Him to have a relationship with us. Yet He still loves us!

We are truly blessed to be living during this age of grace. We know that the Lord is coming back soon. I for one cannot wait! I'm so excited about it. I do know one thing for sure. I am so sin filled that it's not even funny. I wish I was the man I know I should be. I wish I was "slow to anger" and that my life reflected what I know the Lord expects from me. I've failed Him in so many ways that I just don't know anymore. The only thing I have is that I know He still loves me and that I am forgiven for all time for the sins that I've committed. I can't wait for the day when I shed off this sin filled flesh and put on perfection. I look forward to having the strength to persevere and to worship my Lord in truth and grace for eternity.

There are so many today who simply don't see it. I'm thankful that God chose me. I'm thankful that He saw me in eternity and wanted me to be His child. I gladly accept Him as my God and I pray for my friends who do not know Him and who sin against Him. I pray that there is enough time for someone to get through to them. Salvation is a wonderful wonderful thing! You don't want to go to hell for eternity. Jesus talked more about hell than He did heaven. That's because He knew how many would reject him. It's a real place. Don't allow your pride or comfort level to send you to hell. It's an eternal punishment that you don't want any part of.

Your brother in Christ,
Kevin

Final Thought on Tebow

I know there has been a great deal made about Tim Tebow. Of course I don't know him and probably won't (this side of Heaven anyway). But I'm very curious about him and the attention that surrounds him. I'll start by saying that I only know what I've read and what I've heard. I've listened to his press conferences and have heard the stories of how his Gator teammates did their best to protect him. To me, in this day and age, that's pretty admirable. How many 19-21 year old guys do you know who would do such a thing as worry about another guy's honor?

There are two sides to this coin. On one side is the football ability side and the other is his faith. Can't split the two because there's only one coin. You can't have one without the other. So, let's take a look at the football side. Well, he runs a great 40 yard dash and can throw a football 50 plus yards in the air. He's smart enough to understand the complex defenses he faces and he's tall enough to see over the D-Lineman in front of him. He also has the ability to evade the rush and has that 6th sense about him to know when the pocket is collapsing. Pretty good skills if you ask me. But what I want to know is can he lead and is he a winner? I think we would all agree that those are two characteristics that Tebow possesses.

How about the faith side of the coin? Look, the guy loves Jesus, pure and simple. He doesn't hide what he believes and he prays during a football game off to the side alone. He doesn't waive at the cameraman to film him, he just quietly kneels down and bows his head. Only in today's world would that seem weird or stupid. Of course I don't personally have any problem with what he does whatsoever. It's not as if the guy gives a press conference and then asks the media covering him to repent and turn to Jesus Christ. THAT WOULD TRULY BE NEWS WORTHY!!!!

I don't need to worry about his career and I don't think he worries about it either. I think Tebow has completely offered himself to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe Tebow is 100% ok with any other line of work out there as long as it's what Jesus wants him to do. We don't need less star athletes like him to look up to and admire, we need more. Much more!!!!

Please turn to Jesus if you haven't done so. You'll be so happy you did!!!!!

Ultimately, it comes down to this.

I was watching the debate last night when my wife said something that got me thinking. She said, "you know this stuff doesn't matter because none of these guys have a chance at beating Obama, espcially if he adds Clinton as his VP." Now I may agree or disagree which isn't really relevant but what she said really got me thinking about this, it is our views on certain fundamental things which guides our thoughts perspectives on everything. For example, you may believe that Mike Brown is the worst owner in professional sports and that everything he touches turns to poison. That line of thinking would preclude you from seeing how special this Bengals season was. Get my point?

Well, the same rationale is true especially when you think about where this country and world is heading. I've had to tell my parents more than once that the damage has been done. This country is so in debt that it doesn't matter who wins the next election. That person may be able to improve things short term but ultimately we've outspent ourselves to such a point that sometime real soon a major correction will have to be made, on a global scale.

I believe in the Word of God, literally. I believe it to be inspired and infallible (when taken in context). It's that fundamental view that totally shapes my views on all things political. You see, I've read the end of the Book without necessarily reading EVERYTHING in the middle (I'm working on it) so I've kinda cheated. I know that this world will not be some stable, happy, and loving place when Jesus Christ comes back for His church. Oh, if you don't think that'll happen then you really are lost. Anyway, the Bible says that the world will be anything but a happy garden. It will be a place of corruption where evil runs amuck (sp?) It will be a place where war can break out at any moment, where people will be focused on pursuing their own self interests, where natural love and affection becomes foreign. Basically, the Bible says that when traditional good becomes bad and bad becomes good then we know the end of near. Are we there yet?

If you believe that the right candidate can be elected and fix all this mess then you sorely mistaken. The place we find ourselves now didn't just happen over night. It's been an ongoing problem and sin has intricately woven itself into our society, our families, and now our churches. It has fundamentally changed our views and turned our sense of right and wrong on its head. Up is now down and down is now up. That's where we are, exactly as God said it would be. If He was right about that then are we really stupid enough to think that He won't come back, remove His church, and judge the lost? He said He would and He's been proven out to be right on everything He's ever said. He has a perfect record!

Don't be foolish and think that you can take the parts of the Bible that you're comfortable with and stop there. Read the whole Book. Know where we're heading, if the end is too harsh for ya then you probably need to get saved. Ask Jesus into your heart and your outlook gets a whole lot better.

I was talking to my buddy John yesterday. I bought him a great book for Christmas. The book's title is Heaven, it's by Randy Alcorn. I highly recommend it!!! Anyway, John and I were talking about this book when he brought up a great point. You see, Alcorn's main example in the book has to do with a woman who swam the English Channel. She started to get really really fatigued, she was surrounded by fog, she didn't think she could make it. Even though there were boats sailing alongside of her with her own mother giving her words of encouragement to keep going she just couldn't do it. Well, they pulled her out of the channel only to have her look up and through the fog she could see that she was approximately 3/4 of a mile from shore!!! She was so close. She went on to say, "that if only she could have seen the shore that she could have made it." That's the same way about Heaven. We don't know enough about it to get excited about it. It's like packing for a vacation that you don't know anything about. You don't know where you're going.

I think if more people knew about Heaven then they could get excited about it. They would be more receptive to the gospel. Sadly, I know that won't happen as I've read the end of the Book. Please take the chance you have right now to accept Christ and avoid judgment. Heaven is much better hell, don't EVER forget that!!!

God Bless You!

New Commitment

It's really hard to maintain the level of intensity for this subject that I feel is required to carry on a "ministry" like this. It's not that I love the subject matter less it's just that it's been difficult to process everything that's happening in the world and then try to share my thoughts and feelings about it. My fear is twofold, I don't want to sound like a broken record and I don't want to say something wrong Biblically speaking. I guess I always need to be clear about what is MY opinion and what God has to say on the topic.

It's kinda funny how a town in Arkansas has seen approximately 5000 black birds fall from the sky last night. Does this sound familiar? It should because I wrote on this very same phenomena last year when the same thing happened.

I can't explain why this has happened or how this fits into prophecy. What I can do though, is to comment on the symptom. That's basically all we do, right? We comment on the event and then examine it's relevance to the Word of God. This is simply another birth pang that Jesus spoke about in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 24. The Bible says that creation groans because of Adam's sin. Does this event fall under that category? Yes, of course it does. There are so many things happening in the world right now. They're happening with such frequency that it becomes extremely difficult to catalog and keep track. In a way it reminds me of golf. Huh? Well, my dad and I were just talking about it the other day. If you've ever played golf then you'll understand the analogy. In order to hit a golf ball perfectly you have to remember to do approximately 35 things at once. What we're seeing today is pretty similar. There are so many events happening (global economic issues, natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, diseases, famines, etc).

Did you know that 2011 was one of the worst years on record with natural distasters? It's true. Well, you may be wandering what makes it so special if it's not the worst year ever on record? The answer is simple, what makes it worse is when you ALSO consider the other birth pangs (i.e. wars and rumors of wars, societal breakdowns, global economic crisis, Israel). So many people really don't understand how significant Israel really is to prophecy.

Do you know that until 1948 the Jewish people were dispersed around the world? AD 70 the Roman army sacked Jerusalem and removed the Jewish people their home. Until that time Israel had been the Jewish peoples' homeland for well over 1000 years. God had warned the Jews that if they turned away from Him (which of course they did) that He would judge them. God is ALWAYS true to His word. But, He also said that in the last days He would return them to their homeland which He did in 1948. From AD70 to 1948 the land of Israel was mostly under Turkish control. It was essentially a wasteland, a dump. That is, until, Muhammed started his religion and it spread across the Middle East. They claimed Jerusalem, built their mosque, and there you have it until 1948.

Following WWII the Jewish people crawled out of the concentration camps and work camps and decided to go home. Instictively, collectively, they started their way back to their home, Israel, from all parts of the earth. On May 14, 1948 the US officially recognized the Jewish State of Israel. This was the first time in almost 2000 years that the Jews had a land of their own. This started the end. Catch the significance? See how important it is? Well, our Lord had something very important to say about this. He said, that the generation which saw that happen will not all sleep before the end. What does that mean? Well, it means that the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel won't all die before the Lord comes back to set up His Kingdom. A person born on that day would be approaching their 65th birthday. Now, add a 7 year buffer to that (I'll explain in a later post) and really puts that person's real age at 72.

If you're reading this and you don't know Jesus as your Savior I pray that you'll seek Him out. I'm going to set a modest goal of one post per week on this blog. I must stay vigilant as time is truly running out. I know I must sound like the boy who cried wolf but you must listen. Prepare yourself. Study God's Word. Find a Bible believing, Bible preaching church. Do not be afraid or confused because God is not of those things.

Talk to ya next week (hopefully)

kevin

This Crazy 'Ole World

So much has happened recently in Bible prophecy. I'm blown away by all the political upheaval, the pc police, etc. I visit Drudgereport Daily for my dose of both domestic and international news. Go there and you will see the hand of God.

My Lord my Lord, please forgive us for our transgressions!!!

Revelation Bible Study

I am teaching a Bible Study on the Book of Revelation. I think I'm going to post my notes on here for my two followers to see... :-)

Much information is quoted from KJV of the Holy Bible and from Tim LaHaye's book, Revelation Unveiled.


“Almost one hundred years ago the author of the Scofield Reference Bible said in his notes on Revelation, “Doubtless, much which is designedly obscure to us will be clear to those for whom it was written as the time approaches.””

Reasons to study Revelation:
A special blessing to those who read it 1:3 (only book in Scripture that says this) and repeats blessing at the end for those who keep it. 22:7
Reveals the plan for our future
Gives clearer detail concerning Bible prophecy than any other book.
It completes the circle of Bible truths, the Scriptures predictably reveal superb planning and organization
Suggestions for Studying the Book:
1. Follow golden rule of interpretation: when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the fact of the immediate text, clearly indicate otherwise.
2. Locate the scene of the activity (i.e. Heaven or earth). The action should also be followed closely for sometimes a scene in heaven results in action on earth. Example, chapters 4 and 5 take place in heaven while chapter 6 on earth.
3. With exception to chapters 12 and 17 most of Revelation unfolds chronologically. This is important as the Tribulation plays out. We’ll see that Seal Judgments of chapter 6 takes up 1st quarter of Tribulation while Trumpet Judgments of chapters 8 & 9 complete 2nd quarter of Tribulation. The Bowl Judgments of chapter 16 take up the last half of the Tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation.

4 Major Types of Interpretations:
Futurist Interpretation: This was interpretation of early church through the 4th Century where events of Ch 4 and on were yet to be fulfilled. This is the view held by most premillennial Bible teachers.
Historical Interpretation: This view suggests that John was describing major events that would take place during the history of the Church. It suggests that we would see these events as we look back in history. This tends to distort the plain and literal meaning.
Spiritualizing Interpretation: The figurative and metaphorical way to view things: John was talking more about a spiritual struggle than a physical one. This view is held by amillennialists and postmillennialists.
Preterist Interpretation: This view holds that John wrote the book prior to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and was referring to events of his own day.

John outlived all the other apostles in fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy John 21:20-24. John was banished to Patmos as an enemy of the State during the reign of Domitian (AD 91-96). The traditionally accepted date is AD 95, near the very end of John’s life.

Rev 1:7- This is a reference to His coming at the end of the Tribulation Period to set up the Millennial Kingdom. Christ said this in Matthew 24:30-31

Rev 1:8 Trinity: “…who is, and who was, and who is to come.” A reference to the Trinity or triune of God. Whenever the word God appears in Scripture, the context should be examined closely to figure out whether it is referring to God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. It does not always refer to the Father but rather the triune God. The expression, “…who is, and who was, and who is to come” is an expression that connotes the eternity of God. The triune nature of God is revealed in Rev 1:8.

Rev 1:10- The Lord’s Day is not a reference to the Sabbath. The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week which is why we worship on Sunday. The idea is that Christ rose bodily on the first day of the week and that is why we go to the Lord’s House on that day as a testimony to our beliefs. The church was freed from the Old Testament day of worship. In fact, 9 commandments are repeated in the New Testament EXCEPT for the command to worship on Sabbath.

7 Basic Divisions of Church History:
Ephesus-Apostolic Church (AD 30-100)
Smyrna- Persecuted Church (AD 100-313)
Pergamos- State Church (AD 313-590)
Thyatira- Papal Church (AD 590-1517)
Sardis- Reformed Church (AD 1517-1790)
Philadelphia- Missionary Church (AD 1790-1900)
Laodicea-Apostate Church (AD 1900-)

Characteristics of Christ:
“…someone “like a son of man” – human in appearance and not a supernatural creature. ref Dan 7:13
“…dressed in a robe reaching down…” - typical of long robes of the high priests
“…with a golden sash…”-a symbol of strength and authority common in ancient world.
“…His head and hairs were white…”-ref Dan 7:9-13, where Christ is called Ancient of Days. Whiteness refers to righteousness of God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.
“…eyes were like blazing fire…” indicates Christ was indignant over something.
“…his feet were like bronze…” bronze speaks of judgment. Reminds us of brazen altar of tabernacle, where sin was judged
“…voice like sound …” attitude of the Son of God as He comes on the Day of the Lord in judgment
“…in His right…”- interpreted in vs 20
“…out of His mouth…” –ref Eph 6. God’s Word.
“…His face was like…”- ref Matt 17





***FIRST 3 CHURCHES ENDED WITH THE START OF THE NEXT CHURCH. LAST 4 ARE HERE TODAY.***

Pergamum: Indulged Church: City was given over to worship of many Greek idols
Local Roman rulers demanded cooperation of all religious groups
Constantine: Emperor of Rome- claimed to be Christian, edict of tolerance of Christianity
Many pagan temples were taken over by Christians and practices were adopted
The word Pergamum means marriage or elevation. Until these things started to happen around AD 312
all churches were locally operated and worked together with others for common causes but dominated by a central authority.
AD 300: Prayers 4 dead
AD 375: Make sign of the cross
AD 394: Mass was first introduced
AD 431: worship of Mary begins
AD 500: Priests dressed differently than lay people
AD 526: Extreme Unction
AD 593: Doctrine of Purgatory introduced
AD 600: Worship conducted in Latin
AD 600: prayers directed at Mary
The church was doctrinally sound (Christ for salvation) but sinned by adopting ceremonies of paganism which ultimately corrupted the church.
Condemnation: Doctrine of Balaam: Numbers 22-31> whenever Balaam cursed Israel the exact opposite occurred and a blessing was the result. So, Balaam talked Balak (King of Moabites) into having his people intermarry with Israel and defile themselves.
The problem with Pergamum is that although they had the doctrine right they didn’t separate themselves from paganism.
Nicolaitans: doctrine of strong ecclesiastical hierarchy ruling over the laity. This isn’t conducive to a strong spiritual condition of the Church. Laypeople were not given a voice in Church affairs, but were required to obey blindly. The clergy eventually drifted away into an “ivory tower” type existence and separated themselves more from the membership. Faithful ministers should “search the Scriptures” but they must also “do the work of an evangelist.”

Thyatira: city founded by Alexander the Great 300 yrs before Christ. Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Philippi (Acts 16:14). This church age produced the Dark Ages. “Dark” indicated that the program of merging Paganism with Christianity, begun under Pergamum, continued and increased the demonic influence.
CHANGES ADOPTED BY THE CHURCH:
AD 607: Boniface III made first POPE
AD 709: Kissing Pope’s foot
AD 786: worshipping images and relics
AD 850: use of “Holy Water” started
AD 995: Canonization of dead saints
AD 998: fasting on Fridays and during Lent
AD 1079: Celibacy of Priesthood
AD 1090: Prayer beads
AD 1229: Bible forbidden for laypeople
AD 1870: infallibility of Pope declared
AD 1965: Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church
“Thyatira” comes from two words meaning “sacrifice” and “continual”. The church denies the finished work of Christ and believes in a continuing sacrifice that produces sacraments, and praying for dead, burning candles, and so on.
Heresy falls into two categories: a false concept of the personal deity of Christ or mixing works with faith. Church of Rome declares deity of Christ but mixes in salvation through works.
CONDEMNATION: SON OF GOD, NOT SON OF MARY!!!
Jezebel: name of the woman who brought Baalism into Israel and perverted the nation. It’s a point of comparison for those bringing paganism into the church.
Her teaching took two forms: “…misleads my servant into sexual immorality” is a symbol of idolatry and the second “..eating of food sacrificed to idols” is a reference to the union of the church with the world. During this period Rome sought to bring the Kingdom of the world under dominion of the POPE in Rome. (Jezebel ref I Kings 19)


Church of Sardis: the Reformation (AD 1517-1790): Means “escaping ones” or those who “come out.”
The twofold condemnation of the church: 1: Became a State Church, the Lutheran Church became the state church of Germany, as did others throughout Europe. With the church as the head of the state the need for a personal relationship with Jesus is diminished and REPLACED. 2: Reformed churches didn’t change customs of Church of Rome (still had infant baptism, sprinkling, and ritualism). Ritual and formality are forms of pagan worship where the Scriptures teach us to worship God is SPIRIT AND TRUTH. Ritual from paganism does not come from the Holy Spirit. Main purpose of the church is the proclamation of gospel of Christ. If people leave a church with ritual “worship” and haven’t been brought face to face with Jesus then they’ve been worshipping in a DEAD CHURCH.
Christ’s commendation: “I know they works that thou has a name that thou livest” refers to the early period when Martin Luther and others chose to defy Rome and obey the Bible’s teaching on salvation by faith and that their reputation was a church faithful to Christ.
CONDEMNATION: “But you are dead.” Reformation leaders began well, they didn’t proceed to complete the works of reforming the church, but stopped short.
Christ’s counsel: 1. Wake up
2. Strengthen what remains: strengthen the good doctrinal teachings of the early days
3. Remember, therefore what you have…: return to days of blessing by searching the Bible
4. Obey it: adhere to the doctrines taught in Scripture
5. “… and repent”: repenting involves not only an act of turning to God but a submissive heart
Christ’s warning: they will be unaware when the Lord comes back. Currently they are leaders in the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical program. They want to unite the world’s religions. If they read and obeyed Scripture they would know that they are aiding the Antichrist’s program for that will be his church during first half of Tribulation.

Church of Philadelphia: Missionary church (AD 1790-1900): a throwback to churches of Ephesus and Smyrna:
Name means “brotherly love.” Came out of church of Sardis just like Sardis came out of Thyatira. This produced the modern missionary movement. Biggest factor led to this movement had to be printing of Bible to different languages. William Carey read our Lord’s command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” so he did!!! The second biggest factor for this movement was the doctrine of the Second Coming. Those who look for Christ’s coming are more inclined to preach the gospel and stick to the Scriptures due to imminency.
Commendation: 1. I know your deeds… an open door no one can shut…: Oppty to preach the gospel
2. “you have little strength”: refers to minority status of believers in this church. Except for America, this church is characterized by small congregations, which are not strong by human standards.
3. “you have kept my word..”: They not only believed the Word but obeyed it. The reformed church believes but does not obey by comparison.
4. “and have not denied my name..”: greatest increase in false Christ’s and false religions began during this age.
Promise: 1.Vindication: those false religionists and heretics will realize that in persecuting the saints they turned their back on Christ. 2. Preservation: Obvious reference to the Tribulation period and a strong argument to pre-trib rapture.

Church of Laodicea: (AD 1900-Tribulation): wealthy inland city 40 miles from Ephesus.
Has distinction of not having a commendation.
“Lukewarm”: not on fire or lifeless, instead it is indifferent. These churches are characterized by social action than gospel action. This church doesn’t see transformation of soul from darkness to light.

I am grateful to men like Tim LaHaye and his ministry. I have learned a great deal from him and the Lord has blessed me with an understanding of Bible Prophecy. Maranatha!!!

What Is Going On?

I don't normally get too stirred up over the things going on in this 'ole world (i.e. earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, volcanoes, etc.,) but this has me a little on edge. It's just weird. The strangest thing is that it's not just limited to birds. People are finding massive amounts of dead fish, starfish, crabs, jellyfish, bees, and even bats. What gives???? In fact, use the attached link and you can see a map of the world where all this is going on: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201817256339889828327.0004991bca25af104a22b

I know that we are in an age where more and more strange things will happen but to be honest with ya I'm dumbfounded with all of this. Perhaps this is all part of things which are about to take place. The Bible talks of the oceans and rivers turning to blood and nothing will survive. I don't believe this has anything to do with that but I do think we're a lot closer to that event than a lot of people think. Stay tuned Christians. If you don't know Christ as your Savior then I beg you to seek Him out and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior. Time is running out!!!

We Can't Get Away Now

A PICTURE OF EARTH'S SATELLITES!

Ever heard of "Beast Technology?" I hear that all the time and recognize that everything needed for the Beast to take over is already here and ready to go. In fact, I hear it so much that I kind of ignore it. But every once in a while I'm snapped back into reality and something catches my attention that hadn't before and it becomes something worth revisiting. It's not that it becomes less important, especially in the grand scheme of things, it's just that it becomes very common place. Well, this is something worth talking about and revisiting.

I was listening to 700WLW today and the DJ was talking about tracking technology, smart phones, the newest apps., etc. He even interviewed the technology guy at "The Big One" and the point was made that we (society) make trade offs. We trade off our privacy for convenience. We all want GPS on our phones and other apps for our smart devices. We like having Google Earth, Games, and other stuff at the push of a button on our phones. But what we may not consider is that with every application we trade off a piece of our privacy. Have you considered how you can be tracked and accounted for?

Look at it this way. What can you do with just cash? You can't rent a car or a hotel room with just cash (unless you have a lot of it). You can't get cash without an ATM Debit Card or credit card. You can't pay most of your bills with cash or even check. As a society we have gone to electronic payments and credit card payments. Do you realize that your every move can be tracked. Think about the gas station you frequent or the ATM you use the most. How about the favorite restuarant you visit or bakery? Almost every move we make can now be tracked. Now I'm not wanting to sound like a conspiracy theorist or an extremely cynical person who thinks the government is out to get 'em. At least I don't think that's the case right now. But I do believe that the "conveniences" that we have thanks to credit cards, etc., have brought us to a point of no return. We will not go backwards as it relates to technology. Those who produce BlackBerry's, the Iphone, the Droid phones, the Ipad, the internet, they aren't going out of business.

I just believe that all of this stuff is bringing us closer to the day when the Antichrist will use these technologies to execute his plan and enslave mankind. The Bible tells us that a day is coming where we will be unable to buy or sell without a mark. What this mark will be is probably going to be an implantable device that is powered by the heat of our bodies. The use of satellites and infra-red technology will facilitate all of this.

The picture above is the earth with all of the satellites in orbit. To me, it looks like a bunch of junk. But the reality is that those are actual satellites that are used for surveillance, economic, and military reasons to name a few. They power our Garmins. Space travel is becoming more dangerous with every new satellite. It's like maneuvering through a mine field.

Beast Technology is here. It's becoming more and more prevalent. People are relying more and more on technology with each passing day. The elderly are even learning this stuff. My 2nd grader even has a blog. Well, I know where it's all leading. Soon, Jesus Christ will be coming for His church and then the antichrist will be free to do his thing and the world will suffer for it. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior then today is the day to change all that. Admit that you're a sinner and ask Him to forgive you and save you from your sins.

kev

Say it Ain't So

Don't Ask Don't Tell is no more with the stroke of a pen!!!

A picture says a thousand words, huh? Look at the excitement as our president uses his left hand to possibly seal the fate of the United States of America. Actions have consequences and what do you think the consequences are for a country who once again defies the Allmighty? Obama has thumbed his nose at God before but this feels different. Obama may as well have just thrust his middle finger up in the sky towards Heaven.

There are so many problems with this that I don't even know where to begin. The Bible is very clear on the practice of homosexuality. No better example of how God feels about this than Sodom and Gemorrah. I know the story takes place thousands and thousands of years ago but if we are to believe that God is eternal and never changing then are we to assume that He has changed His feelings on this all of a sudden? If so, then He owes the residents of those two cities a great big apology.

I just keep going back to the words God uses to describe this practice. He calls it an "abomination". Abomination is defined as, "intense aversion or loathing; detestation: a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc." Now I know that it is our sin that will send us to hell without Jesus Christ and that homosexuality is no greater than any other sin. But the problem I have is that the Bible calls this particular sin out several times. God destroyed two cities over this sin. Shouldn't we consider these examples and stay as far away from this as possible?

Now that the door is open for homosexuals to openly serve I believe that recruitment will suffer and that will affect our national security. Christians and Muslims alike will be less inclined to enlist alongside men and women who are openly homosexual. Muslims and Christians are both taught that homosexuality is sinful and disgusting. Conservative Christians and Muslims will not want to expose themselves to that lifestyle. This will result in more friction and tension within the ranks than is necessary. A soldier has enough stress as it is. To add to that unnecessarily is wrong.

Well, chalk another bad idea up to Obama I guess. Sodom and Gemorrah were the only two cities to bless homosexuality and look what happened to them. The Greeks and Romans were very into homosexuality but it was never blessed by the State. The United States is on the precipice of blessing this vile act. We have removed the barriers to serving in the military, have allowed adoption, and have started the process of blessing weddings/unions. There are several states who now recognize gay marriage and who force benefits to be provided to partners by employers. We have begun the slide down the slippery slope. There is no turning back.

How long can we expect a just God to continue to bless us when we continue to violate His laws and commandments? How long can we expect Him to protect us from threats to our security and from things like the weather? Anyone see what's going on in California and Arizona? How about the terrible weather in 2010? Maybe we should heed the warning...

kev

Tired of Being Targeted

Iraqi army soldiers stand near a massive crater outside the office of the Al-Arabiya television station in Baghdad after a suicide bomber driving a minibus struck. Iraqi authorities say al Qaeda is now planning suicide attacks in the West this Christmas season. (AP PHOTO)

I've really done my best to try and not let this kind of stuff get on my nerves but it's really taking a toll. We are 1 week away from Christmas, the Holiest Holiday in Christianity and al-Qaeda is planning more attacks. Whatever happened to Islam being a religion of "peace". I suppose it is a religion of peace if you're Muslim and happen to adhere completely to what the radicals believe. That doesn't sound like faith to me. That sounds like slavery.

There have been so many different things going on lately. The one thing that really comes to mind is the IMF report on the global currency, BANCOR. This was a report by the IMF that is calling for the world to adopt a global currency and it is named in honor of John Keynes. This is one of those, "are you serious", moments. It is so blatant and obvious and has so much prophetic meaning that volumes of things can be said about this. Truly it's as though someone opened up the Book of Daniel and said, "ahh, this is a great idea, let's do this." I still may post something on this but it's just one of those overwhelming topics that it would require a great deal of time and thought. Let's get back to the terrorism thing, ok?

The enemies of God are selecting the time of the celebration of Christ's birth as a time to go on the offensive. To target and kill innocent Christians as they celebrate their Savior is one of the most evil things you can imagine. These radical Muslims have become the fists of Satan. They are under his control and if given the opportunity will kill many innocent people without regard to their race or station in life. They will have no mercy as they slaughter the elderly and children. All this from a religion of peace!?!?

Another thing that is startling about this is how the media has always played this off as a radical and fundamentalist group within Islam that makes up only a small percentage of practicing Muslims. While I agree with the statement that it's a small percentage, 5-10% at most, the scary thing is the actual number that we're dealing with. By some estimation there are 1.2 to 1.6 billion people who are practicing Muslims. Do the math! That is 1/5 of mankind. Another way to look at it is that 5% of 1.2 billion is 60 million radical Muslims! Yes, 60 million. That is the population of California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania COMBINED. See what we're up against?

This has become something that is absolutely uncontrollable. The world is being taken hostage by a radical element within a religion that is growing and festering with each passing day. It won't be long until there is another terrorist attack against the US. It's not a matter of "if" but only a matter of "when." The goal is to create as much damage and death as possible.

When are people going to wake up to this undeniable fact? Are we just going to lay down like sheep before the slaughter? How are we going to respond to this growing threat? I know how I will answer that question. My answer is "..and for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." There is nothing left to be said. My wife, my children, and I will continue to worship our God and we will continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We know that He won the battle at Calvary and we're proud to be His followers, His children. The terrorists can have this world because the Bible says that I'm a stranger in a strange land. My home and my future is in Heaven. My destiny is to spend eternity with God the Father and His ONLY begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Their future is something totally different....

kev

Rapture Timing

I had a very good conversation the other day with a close friend of mine. Our topic was the timing of the rapture (pre-trib, post-trib, or mid-trib) and why. I am definitely a pre-tribulation rapturist. There are several reasons for this belief. I'm sure there are volumes that can be written on this subject by those much smarter than I am but I think it's worth it for me to toss my little "nugget" out there for those who may someday care enough to read this. At least you know where I stand!!!

I suppose I should briefly describe what each possibility is just so you know what I'm talking about. The pre-trib theory contends that Jesus Christ will come back for His church some time PRIOR to the Tribulation. Of course we don't know when that will be other than it's before the Tribulation. The mid-trib theory states that the rapture of the church will happen in the middle of the tribulation which is 3 1/2 years into the tribulation and since the tribulation is 2520 (7 years X 360 days) days the half way point is 1260 days. Oh, the 360 days in a year is for a Jewish year and since the point of the Tribulation is to reach the JEWS then it only makes sense to use their calendar. Well, as you can now imagine the post-trib viewpoint states that the rapture will happen at the end of the 7 year tribulation.

As I said before I am a pre-tribber for a couple of reasons. Let me first state that my fundamental belief is that the Bible makes absolute sense! It flows perfectly because it came from the mind of a perfect Creator. From the creation to the fall of man to the provision. All of it points to Jesus Christ. The parables, the literal interpretations, it all makes sense. You must start from that viewpoint to get what I'm talking about. Jesus sacrificed Himself for our sin. Those of us who have accepted that sacrifice are the true church or the bride of Christ. Jesus said Himself, "if I go to prepare a place for you then I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am there you will be also." See, this goes along perfectly with the Jewish custom of marriage. Once the proposal is accepted the groom goes off to prepare a place where the couple will live. Once the home is prepared he will return unannounced and will take the bride away. This is what Jesus has promised. He is preparing a place for His bride and He will one day come again to claim His bride. The pre-trib viewpoint is the only viewpoint who doesn't know when this event will take place. That's one reason.

Another reason for the pre-trib viewpoint has to do with the restrainer. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church that the restrainer would have to be taken out of the way before the man of lawlessness could be revealed. That's the antichrist for those who don't know. The Holy Spirit is now restraining a level of evil that has not been seen. The antichrist will start the tribulation by signing a peace agreement with Israel that will be for 7 years. But this cannot happen if the Holy Spirit is restraining the AC from doing his job. The Holy Spirit resides in every believer. A pre-trib viewpoint is the only one that makes sense here. Once the church is removed from the scene the Holy Spirit is removed also which would allow the AC to step forward and get the ball rolling. Another reason for the pre-trib view is because there are things that are supposed to go on in Heaven during the Tribulation here on earth. During the Tribulation the church will go through the Judgment Seat of Christ where rewards will be given and crowns will be laid down at the feet of Jesus. Also, the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place. These things are not possible (time wise) if the rapture were to take place at the end of the Tribulation.

There are several other reasons but these should suffice. Hopefully this will strengthen your faith and most importantly will cause you to realize that time is running out. The world continues to spiral out of control and lost people are dying every day. Hopefully this will place a burden in your heart for the lost. Witness to people, don't waste any more time. We have so little of it left.

God bless you!

kev

A New Perversion

What does this look like to you? To me, it looks like a picture of someone's lost crucifix that landed on an ant hill. I would never look at this and think this is a representation of an AIDS patient. Well, that is exactly what your tax payer funded Smithsonian wants you to be reminded of. Martin Sullivan, the director of the museum had this to say, "I regret that some reports about the exhibit have created an impression that the video is intentionally sacrilegious," the statement read. "In fact, the artists's intention was to depict the suffering of an AIDS victim. It was not the museum's intention to offend. We are removing the video today. The museum's statement at the exhibition's entrance, 'This exhibition contains mature themes,' will remain in place." REALLY?????

The Smithsonian has hired an "artist" to produce a video celebrating Gays & Lesbians. The video depicts a crucifix with ants all over, Ellen Degeneres grabbing her breasts, naked brothers kissing, and men in chains. Does it seem odd to anyone that this is happening during the Christmas season?

I'm sick and disgusted by this. There is no other way to interpret something like this. This is an attack on Christianity. Now I'm not one who is really all too thrilled with a crucifix. Truth be told, Jesus is no longer on the cross and any depiction of Him still hanging there is missing the point of the Gospel. That aside, I definitely understand a crucifux to be a symbol of Christianity.
I don't know what else to say other than I hope those involved with this "art" really finds out who Jesus truly is. I'm sure that if they really knew then they wouldn't even consider being a part of something so blasphemous and disgusting. Here is what the Bible has to say about this kind of thing.

2 Timothy 3
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Verse 3 "Without natural affection..." is speaking directly about homosexuality.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are truly living in the last days. Time is running out for people like Ellen. Soon it will be too late and she will have condemned herself to an eternity of torment in Hell. I pray that she finds Jesus before it's too late. I pray that those who took part in this, including the museum director who was fine with it until Christians like Boehner found out about it are won over and get saved. This is just too disgusting. It is a mockery of my Lord and one day all will bow before Him.

kev

The Prophetic Rollercoaster

There are times when you just shake your head and pray you don't live anywhere near people like this. Let me introduce you to Mr. Muhamed. He is a 19 year old Somali born citizen of the United States. His goal in life is to blow up a van full of explosives at a tree lighting ceremony in Oregon. Hmmm, who attends tree lighting ceremonies? Men, women, CHILDREN, all types of people who want to celebrate the Holidays (sorry, I should say Christmas). This kid wanted to blow up a bunch of people wanting to celebrate Christmas. He said he basically picked Portland becaus you wouldn't expect anything to happen there. That really makes me rethink any plans to attend a public events where I live.

There are several questions about this that immediately come to mind. Why would a naturalized citizen want to do this? Where are his parents? If a 19 year old can get this far imagine what an experienced, well organized, well planned, and well funded small group of individuals can do? That may be the scariest question of all. The terror threat has not diminished at all. It is only a matter of time before one of their plans is realized.

One thing I've come to understand as someone who watches these "prophetic indicators" is that it is really easy to get caught up on the roller coaster of events. Over the last several days we've seen this terror attempt, the Korean situation deteriorating, China and Russia quitting the dollar, Dept of Homeland Security indicating its intent to expand pat downs and body scanners to maritime ports and bus stations, not to mention the continued violence so pervasive in our society. We've also seen a steady decline in our relationship with Israel. All things that were once considered immoral and sinful are now considered ok and if you disagree with society on this then you are a hate monger and bigot. Oh, Heaven forbid you may be called a conservative Christian.

When you see these spikes in activity your natural inclination is to think "pack your bags, we're outta here!" Don't get me wrong, I would love for that to be true. The truth is this, we don't know when the rapture of the church will happen and it very well may be today. Believe me, I'm totally fine with this. I don't belong here, my home is somewhere else. But we shouldn't confuse the timing of the rapture with the 2nd coming of Jesus because that's an event where He physically sets foot on the Mt. of Olives. We know based on Matthew 24 that the events described above are things that have to take place before Christ comes back physically to earth. So dont' get all caught up in the stuff going on around us. To take it in the proper perspective is to understand that all these "end time" indicators point to Christ's physical return to Israel which is at least 7 years away. For the Christian we need to see these things going on around us and know that the rapture will take place before that 7 year period BEGINS! We need to witness to the lost without ceasing. We can't stress enough that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven. He says, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No man comes to the FATHER except by ME."

kev

Korea, World Markets, etc., etc.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24: 3-8

Don't anybody panic. This Korea thing isn't going to be the end of the world. Jesus said so. Now, it may end up very violent with lots of death and destruction. A renewed conflict will have a very negative impact on markets around the world but again, it won't be the end of the world. Jesus said so. The Korean Conflict isn't technically over anyway. 'Ole Kim Jong Il is crazy and always has been. They have just named his son as his successor so maybe this is just a little saber rattling but with teeth. Hopefully this blows over and this is the end of hostilities. But, it doesn't matter because ultimately God is in control and Jesus's words are not only final but are soothing.

We Christians are going to be ok. Jesus said so. If we have truly committed ourselves to Him and are truly relying on Him as our provider and our Lord then why should we give any thought to what this world is turning into? What we should worry about instead are the lost. There are too many people who don't know Jesus and sadly, many who don't want to know Him. Jesus, in His Word, talks of two possible roads for mankind. One is the wide road which leads to destruction and the other is the narrow road which leads to salvation. The wide road is "wide" because it has to accommodate all the people that are going to travel on it towards hell. The narrow road is for those of us who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Not people who claim to be Christian but those of us who truly are. It's narrow because there aren't that many of us. Sad! As we see these things happening we should know that "...the sign of your coming..." isn't here yet. Jesus says the world has to endure these things first. Of course this passage is talking about His physical return to earth. What every Christian needs to remember is that if we can see these "birth pains" then we know that our redemption (rapture) is that much closer.

Look Up Christian!

Jesus is coming for us soon. Take every opportunity to spread the Gospel, don't delay. Don't wait and be afraid of what people will think. Our train is soon leaving the station.

kev

Looking for Holes

This week Jack Kelley wrote an article about the 3rd Seal Judgment of Reveleation. This is the Black Horse Judgment.

5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”Rev 6:5-6

Of course this passage of Scripture is talking about a day when a person will have to spend a day's wage in order to buy 2lbs of wheat or 6lbs of barley. What does this mean? How can we apply this to our lives? These are questions that most Christians ask when studying the Scirptures. This one seems to be pretty straight forward. The question is do we have a practical application for "two pounds of wheat for a days wage?" I would say, "absolutely YES." We call the phenomena described in these verses inflation. This is where you have lost so much value of your currency that it's practically worthless and takes a whole lot of it to buy basics and essentials (i.e. food).

What Kelley is suggesting is that you can see signs of this Judgment beginning to take shape. Kelley is quite clear though that he does not believe we are in the Tribulation and affirms the idea that the Seal Judgments will be sequential. I absolutely agree with this.

I'm not the type of person to just adopt every writer's opinion because there are alot of goofy people out there. :-) This is especially true as it relates to eschatology. I respect Kelley a great deal but wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't look for holes in his theory. When you look at the current economic landscape around the world you can't help but shutter. Europe is in absolute chaos as the EUs member states have dug themselves an economic hole that many won't be able to get out of without a HUGE bailout. Greece seems like it's in a perpetual riot, Ireland is in deep trouble as well as Spain. Germany has major issues with immigration and they're all suffering from the same security threats as the US, terrorism. The US has put itself in a very dangerous situation as we've spent more money in the last 2-3 years than at any point in our history. Why is it that our lawmakers and our President can't understand that you can't spend yourself into prosperity?

Through its spending the US has damaged the dollar in a way that I don't see how it can recover. The world is mad at how the dollar has fallen. There is a group who represents the 400 largest banks in the world and it is now calling for a world currency because the dollar is a little above "junk" status. The truth is this, the dollar isn't as valuable as it was which by definition means inflation.

Kelley says that it's this inflationary environment combined with crop prices that represent the elements of the black horse. Food is becoming more and more expensive. The dollar is dropping. Could there be a more clear example that the Black Horse is taking shape? After a lot of consideration I have to say, "no, it couldn't be more clear."

What I love most about what Kelley said in his latest article is that as the black horse gets more and more into focus that means tha the Rapture is that much closer!

Maranatha!!

kevin

4th Amendment and TSA

Wow!!! This has certainly turned into a hot topic pretty quickly. I think it had a lot to do with the guy who talked about his "junk" and the picture posted on Drudge which showed the nun getting a nice little pat down....

Where to start on this one? There are probably a few more "nun jokes" in the world as a result of the picture but I won't get into any of that. It does however bring a major issue to the forefront of our National Consciousness. See, most people don't worry about things that happen to other people, generally, until it happens to them. Take the nun and the "junk guy" for example. The whole enhanced pat down never got the exposure it merited until these two stories went national (thank you Matt Drudge). Now all of a sudden there are unions wanting exemptions, lawsuits being filed, and Senators introducing bills. What I want to know is where has the scrutiny been? I mean this garbage has been going on for a while...

I personally believe this falls under the 4th Amendment and my right to be protected against unreasonable searches. What probable cause do the agents of the TSA have against me to warrant the use of these methods of search against my person? What evidence do they have? The truth of the matter is this: they don't have a way to do what needs to be done. Patting down nuns, children, old women, etc., should not be tolerated.

But here is the issue. If we were to look at the people who commit acts of terrorism on aircraft then you have to look at a specific group, age, and the afiliations. We look at the shared characteristics of these people and call that profiling. Of course we have written laws against profiling and have therefore handcuffed ourselves without making us more secure. Maybe we should consider more secure means of identification. The use of biometrics is gaining steam among other things. The truth of the matter is this, until we have removed our handcuffs and look at this issue seriously then we'll never truly be safe. Yes, some will be inconvenienced and offended if they are scrutinized at a higher level than others because they fall into certain "profiles." My response to that is "sorry, it's not male caucasian Christians blowing up airplanes."

kev

Been Away for a Bit

There are good and bad points about having a blog. The good is that it can be a great place to vent. The bad is that if you happen to get anyone who reads your blog and if you don't keeep it up (me) then you've let those readers down. Well, I'm gonna try to post at least once a week and see how things go. If there is alot going on then rest assured I will have something to say as I am a pretty opinionated person and it's just my way.

I do want to reaffirm that I will be posting and using a whole lot of Biblical perspective behind my posts. God is in everything so why not talk about Him particularly since this will be a cureent events type blog.

See, already have 1 blog for the day.

Be posting again in a minute.

kev

Iran's Threats

I'm really getting sick and tired of the US being threatened. It's not only Iran but it drove me crazy when North Korea would "saber rattle" during the Bush Administration. I don't care who's in Office but just once I would love to see a President get on tv and reply to a threat like the one Iran issued today. I would be won over if a President ever responded with something like this, "I want to be absolutely clear about these threats to our existence. Everything is on the table and you know what I mean. You will be completely destroyed if you attack the United States of America. I have complete discretion as to what form a retaliatory strike would look like. Make no mistake, you are very close to inviting the destruction that we are capable of invoking." I want the US to issue a response similar to that. Or, how about this for a response? "Do you know how close we are to allowing Israel to wipe you off the planet? You know they want to and better yet, are capable of it". That's something I could see myself saying as President. Maybe it's a good thing for everyone that I'm not! :-)

We are so close to being called Home. I'm longing for Heaven! It has turned into a home sickness of sorts. Nothing is getting better. In fact, it's getting worse with each passing day. Look up Christians for our redemption draweth nigh.

Kev

Strange Day

Sorry, no pictures today as there's no way to really describe my mood. Afterall, pictures are meant to enhance the post. Have you ever felt like you have so much to say but don't feel like you can organize your thoughts well enough for others to understand where you're coming from or afraid that if you just start writing that you'll look like a blathering idiot? Well, that's how I feel now!

I feel like something should be said about the Koran burnings, the Imam's threats, his unwillingness to move the Mosque, the storms on the horizon, our economy, our spiritual condition as whole. See, I've got a ton of stuff on my mind.

My plan is to take things one at a time because I want this to be meaningful. I want this blog to glorify God.

I plan is to post at least two times a week and maybe even more depending on what's going on.

Stay tuned, these are exciting times and I will be reporting...

Kev

Birth Pains

6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matt 24:6-8

This is a very important passage of Scripture and to be honest one that should stay in the forefront of any conversation whenever a natural disaster strikes. I don't believe that any recent natural disaster carries any prophetic significance by itself. In these cases you need to take a step back and look at the totality of these disasters in order to get an idea of where we are on God's prophetic clock. That's what Christ was saying when he compared these things to birth pains. Labor pains and contractions intensify as the moment of the birth approaches. As we all know, the birthing process is not always quick and could take many many hours before the baby is born. We have to examine natural disasters, wars, famines, etc., through these lenses first. The worst thing we can do after an earthquake or hurricane is to start setting the clock and claiming a major prophetic sign.

As a Christian we yearn for Heaven. We look forward to being with our Savior in eternity. We are supposed to live on this earth but not be a part of it. We are supposed to be strangers in a strange land. It can be very difficult to live this way though. But those who do can get really caught up in individual events like Katrina, Earl, New Zealand Earthquake, 911, etc., etc.. They take the bait and start declaring this or that. They fall into the temptation of date setting. They make foolish statements that only wind up discrediting themselves. This only hurts the cause, it never helps it and more people tune out the Gospel as a result.

This recent quake in New Zealand was nothing more than another contraction. It was another birth pain. The fact that it happened in a town called Christchurch has no prophetic significance in and of itself. However, when you step back a bit and look at the world as a whole and include this earthquake along with the seven earthquakes to hit Oklahoma, the mulitple hurricanes experienced recently, the threats of violence, terrorist attacks, the Middle East peace process, the threats against Israel, then you get a better idea of where we are.

As time goes by the frequency of this stuff intensifies. Barely a week goes by without a prophetic indicator leading the headlines. There always seems to be an earthquake here, a hurricane there, a volcano erupting here, a Christian killed there, a terrorist attack here, another threat against Israel there, you get the picture... But no matter how many birth pains we see we need to remember what they're for. They're meant to motivate us to fulfill the Great Commission. Just as the Bible points to Jesus Christ so do these birth pains. Yes, they seem to indicate that we don't have much time left before Christ comes for His church. So we should endeavor to win as many people to Him as we possibly can before it's too late. We need to witness any chance we can. Take the opportunities, ask the Lord for strength, time is running out. Be vigilent.