Chapter 11 of Daniel continues the dialogue between Daniel and the Messenger. Jesus tells Daniel about the near future then He takes Daniel on a journey to the rise of the Antichrist and the end of the age culminating with the gathering (rapture) of all those found in the Book of Life.
Messenger begins to disclose the power kingdoms that soon would rise to power. He states that there would be three more Kings rising up in Persia. The first of these would be Cambyses II who rose to power six years after Daniel received this prophecy after Cyrus dies in a battle in 530BC. Cambyses II would rule until 522BC when Darius I would rise to power, and he would rule until 486BC. Then Xerxes I would reign until 464BC. Then the Messenger speaks of a fourth King rising up who would be "far richer than" all the others. This king was Darius IV. His great wealth, great power and his lust for more power led to a delusion of grandeur which led him to "stir up all against the realm of Grecia" which would be against Alexander the Great.
Verse three is speaking of Alexander the Great who would rout the Persian army. He was the male goat with the "conspicuous horn" that would rule the world in Daniel chapter 8. He would rule from 334BC to 333BC until his untimely death due to a great fever. Then, as Daniel eight states, his empire was divided into four kingdoms, and none of his own would rule the empire. "His kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven."(v.4) All of this happened some 200 years after the Messenger reveals it to Daniel. This proves the accuracy of Scripture. Everything happened just as Daniel recorded it would.
Verses five through twenty of chapter eleven deal with the nations of the South; Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, as well as the nations of the north Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey. These verses also follow various intermarriages and wars between Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. Since our subject matter is focused on the end times we will not go in depth in looking at these verses. But may I say that Daniel recorded these events that history has proven them to be exactly as he stated hundreds of years before they occurred. If he was accurate on these events, it only leads one to believe the end-time events he spoke of will occur with the same accuracy.
Old school thought attributes verses 21 through 34 to the reign of Antiochus IV (175-163BC)who obtained his rule by flattery (v.21). He desolated the Temple by boiling a pig and sprinkling the broth throughout the Temple in Jerusalem. He sacrificed a pig on the brazen altar. He then consecrated the Temple to Jupiter Olympious (v. 31). Now that "knowledge has been increased" (12:4), theologians now understand that these verses are referring to the end of the age and the Antichrist. We see in verses 21 to 24 that the Antichrist will come to power while speaking peace and safety--flatteries (v.21). Remember, I Thes.5:3 tells us that one of the signs of the end time is that there will be those who are proclaiming peace and safety when destruction is at the door. "For when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with a child, and they shall not escape (I Thes.5:3)."
As we have seen in Daniel 9:27 the Antichrist will make a seven-year treaty with Israel which begins the Tribulation period, and he breaks this treaty 3 1/2 years after it is ratified. He then will stop the daily sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem (v. 31).
When verse 24 says, "he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his father's fathers," I believe we are given another hint as to where the Antichrist shall come from. The language used here referring to "his fathers" is a terminology used almost exclusively among the Jewish people and the direct descendents of Abraham. For example, the Middle Eastern people always refer to the religious actions of their "fathers" by such terms as, "Return to the land of thy fathers." My fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." "The God of your fathers has sent me." "The Lord God of your fathers." "Which the Lord swore unto thy fathers." "For I spoke unto your fathers." "Which I commanded your fathers." "Covenant which I made with your fathers." "Because your fathers have forsaken me." "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus." Etc. etc.
Because of Jewish traditions, as well as those who descended from Ishmael, of referring to their "fathers" of their faith, the Antichrist is here referring to at least three generations in verse 24 and even further back in his family tree. This is a terminology of the descendants of Abraham, including those of Ishmael. We must remember that Israel is still looking for her Messiah to come and establish His kingdom on earth. A Messiah who will come from the root of David, from the tribe of Judah (Gen.49:10; Is.11:10; Rom.15;12; Rev.5:5;&22:16). Before they acknowledge someone as their Messiah he must prove that he is of the lineage of David, the tribe of Judah. Does this mean that the Antichrist will be Jewish? Not necessarily. This only means that he must have the ancestry of a Jew from the tribe of Judah. And remember this could be centuries back in his family tree. The Jewish Messiah not only has to prove his ancestry but he must also be perceived as a prophet sent by God.
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethern. Him you shall hear.---I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethern, and will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." (Deut.18:15,17,18)
The Antichrist will appear to be speaking on behalf of God with great wisdom and signs, miracles and wonders confirming his words. The Jews will see this as proof that this is the long-awaited Messiah. He will speak flattering words to the Jews and with his ability to broker peace in the Middle East he will be received as the Prince of peace (Is.9:6). The Jews will see the "government upon his shoulders" (Is.9:6) as he becomes recognized as a world political leader. The Antichrist will appear to fulfill the prophecies pertaining to the Messiah right down to his establishing his kingdom on earth. He will convince the Jews that he wants only the best for them while all along plotting their demise.
For the Jews to accept the Antichrist as their Messiah he must also have a forerunner. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord: make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Is.40:3) "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Mal.4:5).In these sriptures we see where a forerunner is prophesied to come before "the dreadful day of the Lord." In John 1:19-28 we see where the priests and the Levites questioned John as to whether he was the one prophesied to lead the way for the Messiah. He said he wasn't Elijah nor the Prophet but he said he was, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord." (John 1:23) John was the one sent to prepare the way for the Lord's ministry among men. But since the Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah,they are still looking for a forerunner as well as their Messiah. Thus enters the false prophet (Rev.13:11-17; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10). The false prophet will lead the way for the Antichrist to be worshipped and followed. Then the real spirit behind Antichrist will be revealed and the Jews will see him for what he is, but it will be too late. They have no recourse but to "flee to the mountains." (Matt.24:16)
Verse 37 of Daniel 11 further substantiates this line of thought pertaining to the Antichrist. "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers." The word "God" is from the Hebrew word, "Eloyiym" which is the plural for God or gods. It is the name used for God in the creation story in the book of Genesis, "let us make man in our image." (Gen. 1:26). Again, this is language used among the descendants of Abraham. The Antichrist will respect no God, especially the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, "for he shall magnify himself above all."
So we see from the book of Daniel that the Antichrist will most likely come from, or come to power from, Shushan (Dan.8:2), which is modern-day Susa in Iran. He will be a direct descendant of Abraham. His family tree will include the tribe of Judah. Although he has Jewish roots he will be a follower of the Islamic faith. He will use Islamic radicals as his enforces. The Islamic faith will see him as their Messiah, the long-awaited twelveth Iman--the Madhi. The Jews will see him as their long-awaited Messiah. The true followers of God will know him as the Antichrist. Keep your eyes on the Middle East for this leader to rise up. I believe he is alive right now!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
2012--THE END--Pt.3
As stated, God's judgment is coming to cleanse us of all of our clutter. Whatever it is that hinders our relationship with Him. It could be our jobs. If our jobs are consuming more of our time than He does or our jobs consume our thoughts more than He does, they may have to be removed. Maybe it's our recreations and our pleasures that are consuming more of our time than He gets. If this is the case He may have to remove the funds to maintain our pleasures and recreations. With some of us our relationship with God is hindered by our pursuit of houses, cars, and other possessions that we pursue more than Him. If this be the case they may have to be removed. Sometimes it's something as simple as our character or immature attitudes or sometimes just laziness in the word and prayer, or possibly we have a lot of spiritual pride. If these things hinder our relationship with God they will be removed beginning in 2012. Even our religious activities such as church services with no real true worship. Prayer that is self-serving. Bible reading and studies that show no maturing in our lives. All these religious activities do is lead us into a false sense of security, and they just clutter up our relationship with God. These too may have to be removed from our lives beginning in 2012.
It may be false experiences with God that are preventing us from having a relationship with Him. A lot of people in the church today are going around and stating, "God told me," just to validate their opinions. Many preface their opinions with, "Thus saith the Lord." And my favorite one that I'm hearing the most today is,"Let me tell you what God showed me." In the book of Ezekiel chapter 13 the Lord had a stern warning for those who just loosely declare,"Thus saith the Lord." Verses one through three say, "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of Man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord: 'woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!'" Then in verse six Ezekiel states, "They have envisioned futility and false divination saying, 'thus says the Lord!' But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed." We have a many self-proclaimed prophets and prophetesses in the church today who go around constantly saying,"Thus saith the Lord." They're speaking out of their flesh, out of their opinion or sometimes right out of Scripture, and yet it's not the Holy Spirit speaking through them. They are in hopes that once they've spoken it the Lord will confirm the word by letting it come to pass. I personally have received numerous prophecies over myself or my family that never came to pass through no fault of our own; and yet these prophets, though false, continue right own with their ministries. It's time that the church holds people accountable for what they say when they state,"Thus saith the Lord,"or"God told me," or "Let me tell you what God showed me."
In verses 10 to 15 of Ezekiel chapter 13 God again gives a stern warning against false prophets. He speaks here of bringing his judgment to the church which has been "plastered with untempered mortar" or, to say, with false word or shallow use of the word. Please take the time to read these verses for yourself. Many voices are speaking to the believers today, many of which are designed to draw us away from God. Some are deceiving us with the message of, "I'm okay you're okay." Many voices speaking today are imitating Jesus or the Holy Spirit all again designed to lead us away from God. We're in the last of the last days and we must hear only one, His. This is the purpose of the judgment of God coming to His house beginning at a much accelerated rate in 2012. He wants us to get rid of everything in our lives that is hindering our relationship with Him. When we are in a close father/child relationship with God, we will hear only one voice and obey it.
Jesus said in John chapter 10:2-5,"He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep, to him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, they do not know the voice of the strangers." And verse 17 says, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me." It was not uncommon in Jesus' day for shepherds to bring their sheep into Jerusalem and into the holding pens to be used for Temple sacrifices. Let's say that 25 shepherds would bring 50 head of sheep into the corral for holding. When it was time for the shepherd to bring his sheep in he would simply stand and call out to his sheep. The only ones that would leave the pen and come to him were those sheep that belonged to him for they knew his voice. All 25 shepherds could stand at different times and even speak the same command but only their sheep would come to them because they knew only the voice of their shepherd, and they would not come to a stranger. This is what Jesus is hoping to accomplish in His church beginning in 2012 by bringing judgment to remove the clutter out of our lives; that being, that we will hear only His voice and will follow Him and not yield to any strange voice.
Yes, 2012 will hold many things for the church. We will begin to see the end of the deception that has caused self righteousness. We will begin to see the practice of holy humanism brought to an end. Anything that has caused us to rebel against His set authority in the church will be removed. 20"12", (from its Hebrew meanings), we will see God's people, flowing in the perfect plan of God, being led by God's set authority!
Rest assured, judgment is coming. It will touch all of us! The consuming fire of God's glory will either destroy all of our clutter or it will destroy us! We will fear Him or be consumed by His judgments! When it seems like a lot of bad things are coming your way don't be so quick to rebuke demons, it may very well be God's judgments brought into your life to remove the things that are hindering your relationship with Him. God wants to give His people a holy visitation. He wants to reveal His glory to His church as well as empower it. But He must first cleanse His house, His Temple, His church(know you not that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit). Just as it was with Jesus when He entered Jerusalem for His triumphal entry, He first entered the Temple and He cleansed it. Then during His passion week He taught in the Temple, but it had to be cleansed first.
In times past God showed long-suffering with His children in that He would at times take years maybe even decades to deal with the clutter in their lives. But because the time is short and we are entering the end times and the church must the made ready for the harvest of souls, God will no longer be so patient. He's going to turn up the heat in the pressure cooker of life as He makes His bride ready for the soon return of Christ.
Are you ready for 2012? Are you ready for the purging that "is" coming? Maybe we ought to pray, "Lord, here I am. I submit to Your cleansing. Please reveal all my "clutter". Whatever hinders my relationship with You reveal it to me. Give me the strength to submit to the cleansing process and the courage to do Your will in 2012. Amen."
It may be false experiences with God that are preventing us from having a relationship with Him. A lot of people in the church today are going around and stating, "God told me," just to validate their opinions. Many preface their opinions with, "Thus saith the Lord." And my favorite one that I'm hearing the most today is,"Let me tell you what God showed me." In the book of Ezekiel chapter 13 the Lord had a stern warning for those who just loosely declare,"Thus saith the Lord." Verses one through three say, "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of Man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord: 'woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!'" Then in verse six Ezekiel states, "They have envisioned futility and false divination saying, 'thus says the Lord!' But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed." We have a many self-proclaimed prophets and prophetesses in the church today who go around constantly saying,"Thus saith the Lord." They're speaking out of their flesh, out of their opinion or sometimes right out of Scripture, and yet it's not the Holy Spirit speaking through them. They are in hopes that once they've spoken it the Lord will confirm the word by letting it come to pass. I personally have received numerous prophecies over myself or my family that never came to pass through no fault of our own; and yet these prophets, though false, continue right own with their ministries. It's time that the church holds people accountable for what they say when they state,"Thus saith the Lord,"or"God told me," or "Let me tell you what God showed me."
In verses 10 to 15 of Ezekiel chapter 13 God again gives a stern warning against false prophets. He speaks here of bringing his judgment to the church which has been "plastered with untempered mortar" or, to say, with false word or shallow use of the word. Please take the time to read these verses for yourself. Many voices are speaking to the believers today, many of which are designed to draw us away from God. Some are deceiving us with the message of, "I'm okay you're okay." Many voices speaking today are imitating Jesus or the Holy Spirit all again designed to lead us away from God. We're in the last of the last days and we must hear only one, His. This is the purpose of the judgment of God coming to His house beginning at a much accelerated rate in 2012. He wants us to get rid of everything in our lives that is hindering our relationship with Him. When we are in a close father/child relationship with God, we will hear only one voice and obey it.
Jesus said in John chapter 10:2-5,"He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep, to him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, they do not know the voice of the strangers." And verse 17 says, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me." It was not uncommon in Jesus' day for shepherds to bring their sheep into Jerusalem and into the holding pens to be used for Temple sacrifices. Let's say that 25 shepherds would bring 50 head of sheep into the corral for holding. When it was time for the shepherd to bring his sheep in he would simply stand and call out to his sheep. The only ones that would leave the pen and come to him were those sheep that belonged to him for they knew his voice. All 25 shepherds could stand at different times and even speak the same command but only their sheep would come to them because they knew only the voice of their shepherd, and they would not come to a stranger. This is what Jesus is hoping to accomplish in His church beginning in 2012 by bringing judgment to remove the clutter out of our lives; that being, that we will hear only His voice and will follow Him and not yield to any strange voice.
Yes, 2012 will hold many things for the church. We will begin to see the end of the deception that has caused self righteousness. We will begin to see the practice of holy humanism brought to an end. Anything that has caused us to rebel against His set authority in the church will be removed. 20"12", (from its Hebrew meanings), we will see God's people, flowing in the perfect plan of God, being led by God's set authority!
Rest assured, judgment is coming. It will touch all of us! The consuming fire of God's glory will either destroy all of our clutter or it will destroy us! We will fear Him or be consumed by His judgments! When it seems like a lot of bad things are coming your way don't be so quick to rebuke demons, it may very well be God's judgments brought into your life to remove the things that are hindering your relationship with Him. God wants to give His people a holy visitation. He wants to reveal His glory to His church as well as empower it. But He must first cleanse His house, His Temple, His church(know you not that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit). Just as it was with Jesus when He entered Jerusalem for His triumphal entry, He first entered the Temple and He cleansed it. Then during His passion week He taught in the Temple, but it had to be cleansed first.
In times past God showed long-suffering with His children in that He would at times take years maybe even decades to deal with the clutter in their lives. But because the time is short and we are entering the end times and the church must the made ready for the harvest of souls, God will no longer be so patient. He's going to turn up the heat in the pressure cooker of life as He makes His bride ready for the soon return of Christ.
Are you ready for 2012? Are you ready for the purging that "is" coming? Maybe we ought to pray, "Lord, here I am. I submit to Your cleansing. Please reveal all my "clutter". Whatever hinders my relationship with You reveal it to me. Give me the strength to submit to the cleansing process and the courage to do Your will in 2012. Amen."
Thursday, February 9, 2012
2012--THE END--Pt.2
This message about the end of many things coming to an end in the year 2012, came to me as a result of a dream that God gave me Jan.19,2012. In this dream my wife and I were looking at Pike's Peak from our dining room window. Dark clouds began to cover the top of Pike's Peak and they appeared to be rolling as it were and had a red glow to them almost like dripping blood. Then suddenly columns of white fire began to rise out of Pike's Peak, and then suddenly one by one they launched off Pike's Peak like arrows or missiles, and the number was too great to count. They landed all over Colorado Springs and vicinity as far as one could see. They fell all around us but never hit our house. This dream caused me to wake up at 3:30 in the morning, and I was able to immediately go back to sleep. Usually when a dream comes to me from God I have to get up and immediately write it down and seek the interpretation. But with this one I just went back to sleep. When I got up at 5:30, two hours later, and began my morning of seeking God's face and reading His word I received clarity as to what this dream was about.
In my morning devotions it just so happened I was reading Ex.19. As I read verse nine I began to understand what God wanted to show me my dream. Exodus 19:9 states, "And the Lord said to Moses, behold I come to you in the thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak to you and believe you forever." In the wilderness experience God was establishing his governmental authority among His people. He was showing that it is He who selects and sets leaders among His people. And on down in Ex.19:16-18 we read, "And it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thundering and lightning, a big cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." Even with God's presence so real to the people and all the miracles that they witnessed that set them free from Egypt, they still rebelled against God and his chosen leader Moses.
I believe God is going to make His presence known once again beginning in 2012! The clouds and the missiles of fire that I saw in my dream represented God's judgments that are going to begin in earnest in 2012. God said, "I am a jealous God." He also said, "I am a consumming fire." God is going to make these characteristic traits of His very visible beginning in 2012 for all to see. Ex.20:20 states,"for God has come to test you and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." God's judgments are not being sent to necessarily destroy us but to test us, to cause us to fear him and all of this is done that we may not sin. We are told all through the book of Leviticus that we are to fear God. All through Deuteronomy it says the same things, we are to fear God. I Sam.12:14,15 states "If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you." God is saying here that as long as His people serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against his commandments, or to say His word, then both the people and those who rule over them, the set leaders, will continue to follow God. But, if the people of God choose not to obey and rebel against Him, His word and His set leaders, that His hand will be against them. This is what I believe is coming in 2012. Those who are being stiffnecked and hardhearted toward God and rebelling against His authority, His word and refuse to obey Him are going to see His hand against them.
Even in the New Testament we read, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The fear of God is something that is sorely missing in the church today, as well as in the world, yet God requires us to fear Him. It's not the kind of fear that one has of scary things but it's more of a wholesome fear like the fear we should have for electricity. I like the convenience of electricity and all that it can do for us but at the same time I fear it to the point that I would not put my finger into an electrical socket. This is a wholesome fear. God wants us to realize that it is He who determines our eternal destiny and that should cause us to fear Him. Yes we must accept the fact that God is love and we are in a period of His mercy and grace, but at the same time we must balance this with a wholesome fear of God.
How did the church grow when it was in its infancy? Through a wholesome fear of God. In fact Acts 9:31 says it this way, "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." Notice the early church had peace, were edified, comforted by the Holy Spirit, and multiplied when they were walking in the fear of the Lord.
In Rev.14:7 we read, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come." Notice this scripture says that the hour of God's judgment has come not the hour of His wrath. This is where many people go wrong when they state that the rapture will occur before the tribulation period. They see the entire seven years as the wrath of God. God's wrath is not poured out until the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which occurs at the end of the Great Tribulation. In fact I Peter reads, "The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"(I Peter 4:17) Notice Peter states this in the past tense, "has come." Upon Jesus's ascension everything had been given to man by which we would be judged, that being the word of God taught by Jesus Himself which would soon be recorded for every generation to have. The church is currently being judged by the word of God whether we are obeying it or not. This scripture is saying that if God is judging His people based on their obedience to His word, then where does that leave those in the church, professing to be Christians, and are not obeying His word?
God is going to bring judgment to His house at an accelerating rate beginning in 2012! This judgment is coming to cleanse us of all the clutter in our lives that is hindering our relationship with God and bring us to humility before God and man.
I will post Pt.3 of this teaching next week.
In my morning devotions it just so happened I was reading Ex.19. As I read verse nine I began to understand what God wanted to show me my dream. Exodus 19:9 states, "And the Lord said to Moses, behold I come to you in the thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak to you and believe you forever." In the wilderness experience God was establishing his governmental authority among His people. He was showing that it is He who selects and sets leaders among His people. And on down in Ex.19:16-18 we read, "And it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thundering and lightning, a big cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." Even with God's presence so real to the people and all the miracles that they witnessed that set them free from Egypt, they still rebelled against God and his chosen leader Moses.
I believe God is going to make His presence known once again beginning in 2012! The clouds and the missiles of fire that I saw in my dream represented God's judgments that are going to begin in earnest in 2012. God said, "I am a jealous God." He also said, "I am a consumming fire." God is going to make these characteristic traits of His very visible beginning in 2012 for all to see. Ex.20:20 states,"for God has come to test you and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." God's judgments are not being sent to necessarily destroy us but to test us, to cause us to fear him and all of this is done that we may not sin. We are told all through the book of Leviticus that we are to fear God. All through Deuteronomy it says the same things, we are to fear God. I Sam.12:14,15 states "If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you." God is saying here that as long as His people serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against his commandments, or to say His word, then both the people and those who rule over them, the set leaders, will continue to follow God. But, if the people of God choose not to obey and rebel against Him, His word and His set leaders, that His hand will be against them. This is what I believe is coming in 2012. Those who are being stiffnecked and hardhearted toward God and rebelling against His authority, His word and refuse to obey Him are going to see His hand against them.
Even in the New Testament we read, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The fear of God is something that is sorely missing in the church today, as well as in the world, yet God requires us to fear Him. It's not the kind of fear that one has of scary things but it's more of a wholesome fear like the fear we should have for electricity. I like the convenience of electricity and all that it can do for us but at the same time I fear it to the point that I would not put my finger into an electrical socket. This is a wholesome fear. God wants us to realize that it is He who determines our eternal destiny and that should cause us to fear Him. Yes we must accept the fact that God is love and we are in a period of His mercy and grace, but at the same time we must balance this with a wholesome fear of God.
How did the church grow when it was in its infancy? Through a wholesome fear of God. In fact Acts 9:31 says it this way, "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." Notice the early church had peace, were edified, comforted by the Holy Spirit, and multiplied when they were walking in the fear of the Lord.
In Rev.14:7 we read, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come." Notice this scripture says that the hour of God's judgment has come not the hour of His wrath. This is where many people go wrong when they state that the rapture will occur before the tribulation period. They see the entire seven years as the wrath of God. God's wrath is not poured out until the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which occurs at the end of the Great Tribulation. In fact I Peter reads, "The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"(I Peter 4:17) Notice Peter states this in the past tense, "has come." Upon Jesus's ascension everything had been given to man by which we would be judged, that being the word of God taught by Jesus Himself which would soon be recorded for every generation to have. The church is currently being judged by the word of God whether we are obeying it or not. This scripture is saying that if God is judging His people based on their obedience to His word, then where does that leave those in the church, professing to be Christians, and are not obeying His word?
God is going to bring judgment to His house at an accelerating rate beginning in 2012! This judgment is coming to cleanse us of all the clutter in our lives that is hindering our relationship with God and bring us to humility before God and man.
I will post Pt.3 of this teaching next week.
Friday, February 3, 2012
2012 --THE END!!!!--Pt.1
Before we continue our look at Daniel chapters 11 and 12 I would like to share with you what I believe God has revealed to me about some upcoming events for the year 2012. Is 2012 the year that all the world will end? I don't believe it's going to be the end of the world but I do believe it's going to be the end of the way we do some things among the body of Christ. The number 12 in the Hebrew has three basic meanings. The first one is it signifies the mystical number of God's people. The second meaning is it represents the elective purposes of God. The third meaning is the government perfection or rule of God. God is showing me that this is going to be a pivotal year for God's people for they are going to rise up to fulfill the purposes of God, and we shall see God's government of perfection reestablished in His church. For far too long the church has been ignoring the Scriptures founded in Heb.13:17,"Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not grief, that would be unprofitable for you." Due to the fact that so many leaders in the church have abused their leadership, have been fraudulent in their activities, have been caught in acts of immoral behavior, become very self serving, etc. etc., most people in the church no longer find themselves willing to be submissive to any leadership, especially in the church. Yet we are supposed to be the army of the Lord, a body built by Christ who is the head, unified in our quest to make disciples. Everyone desires to be the ruler of their own lives and destiny in the Lord. But if all we had in this army of the Lord are generals will we accomplish the purposes of God? We must once again see the reestablishment of God's government in his church, and I believe the year 2012 is going to see the beginnings of God's government restored to the church.
God has been showing me that in the year 2012 we will be seeing the end of doing God's will "our way." We declare that we desire God's will in our lives and yet we want to continue doing things our way whether it lines up with God's will or His Word. In the year 2012 we are going to see the end of church as we know it. Those in the church will no longer settle for anything less than God's presence and the fire of the Holy Ghost in their services. There will still be those churches who are so steeped in their religion and traditions of man, from which the Spirit of God has long since departed, that will still be in existence; in fact it will be these churches that will rise up to oppose the true church as the presence of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit begins to settle down upon them. Also in 2012 we are going to see the end of self righteousness in the church where we measure ourselves by ourselves or by those around us. 2012 will usher in the end of "holy humanism." This is where those in the church have their own plans of salvation all worked out; they have a claim to a righteousness that cannot be substantiated with Scripture. Their interpretation of Scripture is unprecedented and unmatched by any other, thus they are of the mindset that they are right and no one has the right to ever tell them that they are wrong. They are the ones that are always making the statement when you try to correct them with Scripture, "Everyone interprets the Bible differently; who's to say you're right and I am not?" This kind of a mindset will be exposed for the error that it is and will come under the full impact of God's judgment in the year 2012. In the year 2012 we are going to see the end of no authority in the church. We are going to see the fullness of the fivefold ministry brought back into the church starting in 2012.
Eph.4:11-16 states, "For He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, and may grow up in all things into him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
It was Jesus Christ Himself, the head of the church, who set these five offices in the church. Not man. Not a church board. Not denominational leaders. But Christ himself. Until we reestablish these offices in the church we will not see the church equipped for the ministry of making disciples. The body of Christ will never truly be unified until the fivefold offices listed here in Ephesians are in place in the church and the people being submissive to their authority. It's due to the lack of these five offices in the church today that is causing so many people to be like "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." I have never witnessed so much unsettledness among the members of churches as I see today. They are easily offended giving them an excuse to leave that church and go to another. They claim that they never fit in. They claim to not being fed in the church that they are attending. There is such a restlessness in the body of Christ today. It's as though the church is lacking a multi-vitamin to bring it to the fullness of its strength and vitality. That vitamin is the fivefold ministry!
God has been showing me that He's about to bring judgment into His house. His presence will be known once again among His people. 2012 is going to be a pivotal year in the church as well as in the secular world.
God has been showing me that in the year 2012 we will be seeing the end of doing God's will "our way." We declare that we desire God's will in our lives and yet we want to continue doing things our way whether it lines up with God's will or His Word. In the year 2012 we are going to see the end of church as we know it. Those in the church will no longer settle for anything less than God's presence and the fire of the Holy Ghost in their services. There will still be those churches who are so steeped in their religion and traditions of man, from which the Spirit of God has long since departed, that will still be in existence; in fact it will be these churches that will rise up to oppose the true church as the presence of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit begins to settle down upon them. Also in 2012 we are going to see the end of self righteousness in the church where we measure ourselves by ourselves or by those around us. 2012 will usher in the end of "holy humanism." This is where those in the church have their own plans of salvation all worked out; they have a claim to a righteousness that cannot be substantiated with Scripture. Their interpretation of Scripture is unprecedented and unmatched by any other, thus they are of the mindset that they are right and no one has the right to ever tell them that they are wrong. They are the ones that are always making the statement when you try to correct them with Scripture, "Everyone interprets the Bible differently; who's to say you're right and I am not?" This kind of a mindset will be exposed for the error that it is and will come under the full impact of God's judgment in the year 2012. In the year 2012 we are going to see the end of no authority in the church. We are going to see the fullness of the fivefold ministry brought back into the church starting in 2012.
Eph.4:11-16 states, "For He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, and may grow up in all things into him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
It was Jesus Christ Himself, the head of the church, who set these five offices in the church. Not man. Not a church board. Not denominational leaders. But Christ himself. Until we reestablish these offices in the church we will not see the church equipped for the ministry of making disciples. The body of Christ will never truly be unified until the fivefold offices listed here in Ephesians are in place in the church and the people being submissive to their authority. It's due to the lack of these five offices in the church today that is causing so many people to be like "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." I have never witnessed so much unsettledness among the members of churches as I see today. They are easily offended giving them an excuse to leave that church and go to another. They claim that they never fit in. They claim to not being fed in the church that they are attending. There is such a restlessness in the body of Christ today. It's as though the church is lacking a multi-vitamin to bring it to the fullness of its strength and vitality. That vitamin is the fivefold ministry!
God has been showing me that He's about to bring judgment into His house. His presence will be known once again among His people. 2012 is going to be a pivotal year in the church as well as in the secular world.
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