One of America’s biggest exports is pornography and next is music.  Sixty years ago one of our greatest exports was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.    Our goal was to spread the Word to every nation on earth.  Read the Old Testament and you will get an idea of what happens when a nation rejects God and turns to the world’s ways.

Every time I study the Book of Revelation, chapters two and three, I think of what has happened to America.  We are told in Revelation 2:1 – 5 – “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.   Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Let us apply this Scripture to America:  There was a time in America when its people were full of good works and had many Christian programs and teaching about God in our schools.  But a time came when they felt they were not receiving enough blessings from God.

History tells us sin among them at the beginning of America, was not tolerated.  False witnessing was not allowed either.  Those who professed to be believers of God but did not live that way were looked down on.  Very few were unscrupulous in business or impure in conversation.  Most did not live immoral lives, they were not habitually intoxicated or drug addicts, give fits of rage, unfaithful to their pledges or convicted of lying.  These acts were not acceptable to the general population.  Sexual immorality was not acceptable and those who did were shunned.

Gradually they began to walk away from their love of God and their love for others.  They allowed man-made-laws to become more of a guide for life than God’s Commandments.  They lost their passion for Christ.  Scripture tells us many times that love was the authentic proof of the gospel.  Anyone not having love in their heart for God and others missed what America was founded on.  At first, they realized that America’s success was mainly due to its morality of treating others as they would want to be treated.

God kept telling the church and Christians, as they continued to fall away, if you do not repent you will fall like Lucifer fell.  Or, God would no longer protect and prosper America.  This is exactly what had happened to Israel.  Scripture says: “Your light will go out”.

Revelation 3:15 – 17 – “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

We believe the Scripture would say to Americans: I wish you were cold, meaning living lives that were pure and holy.  Or, by being hot, they would have a passion for Christ and the Word.  America became a very prosperous and powerful nation believing that it was because of God’s blessings and His plan.  They gradually developed an attitude of self-sufficiency and that they could survive very well on their own.  Many no longer tried to grow spiritually and determined to rely on themselves rather than God.  They lost their passion to care for the needy and allowed the government to take over.

Over the years America’s leaders have changed morally.  From the foundation of America, most were Christian men believing in God and put God and country before themselves.  That is not apparent today.

Romans 8:8 – 9 –  “Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.   You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

A leader without the Holy Spirit is unable to subject themselves to God as God intended.  1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”  One’s belief system determines the quality of life on earth.  The Holy Spirit brings freedom and government can take away that freedom through laws and regulations.  Accepting Christ requires a repentant heart and a desire to go a different direction.

Bible prophecy tells us what happens to nations that reject God.  It also tells us what will happen in the end times.  Unless America and the world change its direction we are headed for times worse than any time in the history of the world according to Scripture.  What are the chances our leaders and the world’s leaders will repent and change their ways?  I would like to see the odds that Las Vegas casinos would give to that happening?

If you have read physiology books you have learned that what we believe affect our actions. What we think of ourselves and what we think about we become. What we become determines our behavior and the acts that we commit. Our life will be shaped by what we believe, who we listen to and who is our role model. Our final destiny will be determined by how we live our life while on this earth. The Bible tells us how we must live to please God:

I Thessalonians 4:1 – 12 – “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Do you think you can please God if you are not living up to your potential? What we believe about ourselves is how we will live and most feel their lives do not have value, great potential or they are worthy. Having been a high school coach, a production foreman and a store manager I have worked with hundreds of people. When coaching there was a need to instill a positive belief system and help improve one’s self-esteem. Sometimes a transformation from who they were to who they could be was necessary. Sometimes because of a lack of initiative and lack of discipline, the best athletes were not always the best players. I learned through effort one could change oneself. As an athlete and coach I learned that I needed to aspire to excellence in everything I did. My goal was to work harder than anyone else. As a Christian I have adopted the same attitude. If I am told by Christ to love God with all of my strength and others as myself, I needed to learn how to love. Love changed who I was and how I acted. God did not want me to be a boss but a leader and a mentor to others.

As a manager, I learned that what we believed about ourselves is how we live. I read a number of books, especially the Bible and attended a number of leadership seminars to develop leadership skills. I did not believe God wanted a Christian leader that could not connect with people. I remember a quotation from John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach who said: “How you run the race is more important than winning the race.” As important as performance is, it is all about getting results but doing it morally and in a Godly way is the only way? The Bible told the importance of people able to believe in a leader and one they could trust. They needed to see a person with a moral belief system. I wanted to have defined principles, have a purpose in life with certain boundaries I lived by and as a Christian example to others.

I was surprised how many I coached and people who worked for me were unwilling to take risks and accept leadership roles. To best describe it can be an illustration in history. Those who have studied the Civil War know that it was fought over whether to maintain or free the slaves. Once the war was over congress adopted the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. On December 18, 1865 slavery was officially abolished. All slaves were released from slavery. What was unexpected, most slaves continued to work as if nothing had happened. Their lives remained unchanged. Why had freed slaves stayed as slaves to cruel owners? In most cases they had no place to go. There were few alternatives. How would they have supported themselves? Or, was it because of having a poor self-imagine and afraid of taking risks? A poor self-worth can be developed at an early age and then most difficult to change as one grows older.

Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us that all were born into bondage and are slaves to sin. (Romans 6:6 – “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”) Some Christians, once saved, continue to allow past sins to be their master. There could be a number of reasons. They feel unworthy, they continue to be negative, pessimistic and they live with little hope. They have allowed Satan to steal their independence and remain as slaves to sin and negative self-imagines.

The majority of the world’s older population suffers from guilt and unhappiness. The way we were raised, the teachers who taught us and the people we associated with had a tendency to develop who we are. The things we heard, the way we were treated and the things we did all became a part of us. How much baggage do we carry? Did we feel accepted, were we praised and encouraged? Words are powerful! What we did, the things we said or what is said to us can make an impression and may affect who we are and how we react as adults.

Some of us will say, it’s not my fault, if you knew what I went through you would understand why I am this way. If you think you cannot change you are only fooling yourself. As a child we may have felt rejected, unloved or even inadequate. If not one or more of these occurred in your life, you may be one of a very few. If we suffer from a sense of not belonging or we have a problem with feeling unworthy; we may suffer from a negative attitude or are hesitant to take risks. We may need to start life all over again. And that is a major reason God sent His Son that we might begin again as a new person. Have we accepted His promises and have we gotten rid of the baggage that as Christians are holding us back from becoming a new person free from guilt? We need to teach young people what we have learned and the importance of developing Christian principles at an early age.

II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” How many Christians do you know who have failed to become totally new? Most believers have read Scripture, John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” To me this means if you believe in God’s promises, you can be set free from all of the baggage that anyone has been carrying around. We must continually strive for Christian excellence in everything we do and God will not only be pleased but will have rewards for us in Heaven as told in Scripture.

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Do you realize how many promises Scripture tells of the rewards that can be received once a person gets to heaven?  We are told we will be judged on our conduct and service to others while we are on earth.

In 1975 Dr. Raymond Moody wrote “Life after Life.”  He recorded experiences from 150 people he had interviewed who were clinically dead and then recovered.  The book gave me a new outlook on what death was like.

He describes what generally occurred.  Their spirit would hover over their body and they could see and hear those surrounding their person.  Some, out-of-body and in spirit, might leave the room or even travel to specific places and hear people talking and repeat what they had heard after reviving.  This refutes the skeptics who believe it is a phenomenon that takes place in the brain and believe they were never really dead.

Dr. Moody explains that many who died went through a dark tunnel and came into a very brilliant light at the end.  Others just felt they were rising above the clouds and viewed earth as an astronaut would.  Christians who saw the bright light believed it was Christ Who had said: “I am the light of the world.”  John 8:12 – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Some spoke of family and friends who had previously died were there to meet them.  Others believe that they met with a religious figure such as Christ who showed them a review of everything they had done to other people.  They were asked: what have you done with your life that you can show me?  It was not asked in a condemning way.  They were then asked if they wished to stay or to return.  Of course those who returned requested to do so.

Revelation 20:12 – “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

To read about the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth read Revelation Chapters 20 thru 22.

Einstein, Edison, Ford, Jobs and others made a difference.  Don’t you think God can create things we could only dream about?  God created the enjoyment of marriage.  He will do whatever it takes to keep us happy with peace and joy in our hearts.  Some of us will die and go to Heaven where God has had years to prepare mansions for us to enjoy.  We then will return with Christ to populate the earth under His control.  He will be able to control the weather as He did on the Sea of Galilee.  We will have an economic system that will be fair to all.  We will have jobs and responsibilities.  We will be given new immortal bodies and will never get sick or die because of how we think, live and what we eat will preserve our imperishable bodies. Do you realize how many health problems and deaths result from having an unforgiving attitude?

In the new world when we live with Christ, we will have our same temperaments; we will remember what we have learned under the world’s old age.  We will live as families and know those who were our friends on earth.  Imagine what the earth will be like with no Satan and everyone living at peace with each other.  There will be no hostilities or fear.  We will get up each day looking forward to what’s ahead.  After the 1000 years on earth those remaining true to Christ will be transported to a new heaven and earth where there will be no oceans only the river of life.  The old world will be destroyed by fire and those who never believed and did not accept Christ will be destroyed forever.  Imagine what God has created for His children who continually obey Him.  I believe it is an impossible dream to envision.

Revelation 21:1 – 5b – “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”   He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

The importance of living a holy life on earth will depend on the rewards we receive in Heaven and with Christ during His reign on earth.  Matthew 5:11 – 12 tells us we will receive a great reward.  Hebrews 6:10 – 12 God will not forget what we have done one earth.  I Corinthians 9:25 – 27 we will receive a crown for overcoming temptation and living a pure life.  I Thessalonians 2:19 we will be given a crown of joy.  II Timothy 4:8 we shall receive a crown of righteousness.   I Peter 5:4 a crown of glory for those who were Christian leaders, such as a ministers,Sunday School teachers or small group leaders.

Revelation 4:10 – 11 – “the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Would you not want to have a crown that you can lay down before Christ?   Don’t you want to live to please God and keep His commandments?  When we stand before Christ to be judged what do you want written in the Book of Life as described in Revelation 20:12 above?

The devil and his demons know their time is close to being up and that Christ will return to replace him.  He is not going without interrupting God’s world and God’s people.

For 6,000 years, in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been planning to take over the world and replace the God of our Jewish/Christian Bible.  Every generation he has deceived a certain amount of people.  To get people to help him prepare, he has promised and provided all kinds of power, fame and material gains.  There are probably more people now involved in devil worship or worshipping Lucifer than any time in the history of the world.

The devil’s plan is to place the world in chaotic conditions with wars and rumors of wars that people would cry out for peace and a savior.  In addition, he was aware of weather conditions that would become so severe that the world could not feed itself.  His beliefs were to get people in a position to accept anything that would bring peace to a world about to destroy one-third of its population by nuclear weapons.  When all of this devastation occurs people will cry out for a savior.

Revelation 12:9 & 12 – “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him”..….”Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

God established a Christian nation to bring peace to a world that worshipped pagan gods.  The U.S. was the world’s peace keeper during World War I, World War II and later wars.  It has been America that has kept Satan from establishing his one-world government and one-world religion.

Satan realized that he could not get control as long as America remained the world’s peace keeper.  He had to find a way to destroy the Christian nation that stopped his eventual goal of ruling the world.   He had to get men willing to establish a United Nations and the beginning of establishing the one-world control.  He had to develop a plan that would eventually destroy America.  He had to refute the belief that everyone should have the same opportunity to rise as high as their talents and efforts could carry them.

Satan saw that if technology was made available it would change people’s habits and ways of doing ordinary business transactions.  He has connected the world through technology and the Internet.  Once every nation is totally dependent on technology he realizes that hackers would interrupt the economic systems of the world.  Thus, he could then promote the necessity of having a mark placed on every individual to avoid the stealing of one’s identity and assets.

He had to create a new political and economic system.  The old ways had to be destroyed.  His belief was to promote a cashless society that everyone would use the same currency.  He convinced a number of politicians to begin changing America’s free market capitalism system, a system that brought many out of poverty, to a socialistic form of government.

Lucifer had to take God out of our schools and separate Christianity from our government through a belief in separation of church and state.  Satan encouraged leaders to spend thousands each year on American students, more than any other nation in the world.  The educational outcome trails other nations.  It was important to “dumb down” American children.  He wants a world of self-centered people who are willing to break God’s commandments.  In the Book of Daniel, those God fearing people who refused to worship the king were placed in a fiery furnace or a lion’s den.  A similar fate may face Christians in the end times and as Satan’s anger explodes.

Satan then had to develop a one-world, new age religion run by pagan leaders.  He had to require all churches to remove their crosses from public display.  He then had to get Christian and Muslim leaders to assimilate Christians and Muslims into believing they are worshipping the same God and have the same religious goals.  He deceived many church goers to no longer wanting to hear Biblical truth.   They wanted to hear good news about how God is going to take care of all their problems and make them prosperous.

Satan must find a way to cause a world-wide economic collapse.  In addition, he needs a World War III to make people desperate for peace and a Messiah.  He is promoting nations to develop technological weapons so powerful that there is no defense.  He needed to force people to stop using cheap fuel and escalate their energy costs.  He convinced world leaders this could be done through man-made global warming and climate change.

His plan is to start his war in the Middle East.  He will use Israel as the enemy of the United Nations and all Muslim countries.  However, he will assist in establishing a temporary peace treaty between Israel and Palestine using certain politicians.  This will allow the Israelites to build their Temple.  When they start their animal sacrifices it will cause an enormous protest.  Israel will become every ones enemy.  This causes World War III to happen.  Eventually, the Antichrist stands in the Temple and stops the slaughtering of animals and states he is the messiah and will bring the world to total peace as described in the Bible.

The above is what I hear from ministers on TV and from what I read.  We are told we all are gradually going to lose our freedom.  We also read where soon we will be given a chip, the size of a grain of rice that will be placed in our right hand or forehead.  Without it we can neither buy nor sell.  It will allow the government to know who we are, where we are and what we are doing at all times.  Freedom will no longer exist for America and the world.  We will live under Satan’s Antichrist’s control and believers in Jesus Christ will be persecuted.

Does this sound like a story from the Twilight Zone?  Read Matthew chapter 24 & 25, the prophets and Revelation.

This is a question people have been asking for the past 2000 years.  Christians want to know if they can be sure that they belong to Jesus Christ.  Or, how can we be sure we have chosen the truth or that we are Christians?

There are two questions the Bible tells us to ask: Do we obey God’s Word and do we live as we know Christ wants us to live?  Scripture tells us that we can know without a doubt if we are obedient to God’s Word.  Do we accept and submit to God’s will?  Do we live to the best of our knowledge as Christ said we were to live?  (Matthew 28:20 – “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”)

1 John 2:3 – 6 – “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.   Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.   But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”  Anyone who claims to know Christ but lives a worldly, unrepentant life shows the truth is not in them and they are a liar.

We must understand what God wants us to do.  We are to continually strive toward spiritual perfection through study, prayer and worship.  The result is our love for God and for others.  The intensities of our love can be a measurement of our spiritual maturity.

John writes that he is bringing us a new command based on an old one.  Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”  This new command, brought by Christ, is found in John 13:34 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  Christ showed us the definition of love in the new commandment.  It is a practice of love.  The old was not an unconditional love.  John 13:35 – “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I John 2:9 – 11 – “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.  Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.  But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”

You cannot have love if you have hate in your heart.  You cannot have light if you live in darkness.  Darkness represents sin and evil as Scripture instructs us.  We may dislike people and hate what they do but there is a difference in hating someone.  Not everyone will agree but I believe this means we are not to hate anyone.  If we believe God loves everyone and He hates no one, then why would there be an exception for us?  There will be people who make us angry, but our reaction or response must not be to hate them.

John says if we love we live in the light.  If we hate we live in darkness and it sounds like we live in sin and evil.  Or, we are not grounded in the Word and can be easily led astray.  Believers who hate are in darkness and not light, in sin and not in fellowship with God.  They wander in the darkness and don’t know where they are going.  They have lost their spiritual perspective and sense of direction because the darkness has made them blind.

John continues to tell us when the Father is not in us.  I John 2:15 – 16 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.   For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

John warns us it is very easy to love the world and worldly things.  We are born into the world and live as the world lives until we accept Christ.  It is not easy to change habits.  Our carnal self-centered nature wants what others have regardless of what they have done to get it.  How many of us actually believe if we are living as the world lives and putting worldly things first in our lives that the love of the Father is not in us?  We have read that where our heart is that is where our treasures will be.

Sinful man is self-serving.  Spiritual man is God-serving.  Sinful man craves satisfying his or her physical desires and boasting about what he or she has done.  Spiritual man values self-control, a spirit of generosity and a commitment to humble service.  It is possible to avoid worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly attitudes in our heart.

We must get rid of our excessive wants.  Wanting something too badly can cause stress in our lives.  Sinful man will never fulfill his wants.  No matter what they have they will want more.  This is why many people call themselves Christians but truthfully they do not qualify according to John’s teaching.  However, if Christ is the priority in our lives we will have fewer wants and the wants are not really that important.

As the world changes, we recognize signs that Jesus talked about in Matthew chapter 24 concerning the end times. Scripture tells us not to allow false prophets to deceive us. In the Old Testament, false prophets would proclaim that all is well and peace is near, things people wanted to hear. Today, we are hearing of more devil worship, people selling their souls to the devil and society appearing more selfish and atheistic.

The signs will continue to indicate there will be more evil than in the past. People will become angrier; have more addictions, develop increasing depression, seeing many paranormal activities occurring and hearing about potential for wars, famine and seeing natural changes in weather. All are indicators of the end times.

What is a Christian told to do? Mark 12:30 – 31 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

Christian love can create circumstances in which conflicts can be solved. The gospel message is that love corrects man’s selfishness and perverted love. God’s love, as we know, is unconditional, unlimited and impartial. This love is not automatic or mechanical. It is this love that changes a person’s life. This is the kind of love Christ wants us to accept and practice. The more people that practice this type of love the more peaceful the world would become. Love is the one thing that can change everything!

The moment one is saved from our sins, our goal is described in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians verses 2 to 8 – “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

The Bible tells us to live a holy life. Living a holy life is not possible without love. Love only exists when a person feels free. You cannot force someone to love.

Romans 13:8 – 10 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”   Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love fulfills the law.”

How can we learn to love others as ourselves if we first do not love ourselves? It is a Christian’s obligation to love others. To a degree, it is our responsibility to help others that are unable to help themselves. We need to be aware and actively engaged to see that their needs are met. Whenever love demands, we are to do to others as Jesus would certainly do for us. This used to be something that we did for others. Now we are asking the government to release us from this responsibility. However, God hasn’t!

Paul wrote that God is love. It is God’s nature to love and man’s carnal nature is to serve self. Christian love is neither weak nor spineless. Love comes from courage. Strength comes from a pure heart. God’s love allows for a difference of opinion, others to be free and creative in voicing their beliefs. This love does not destroy indifference or isolationism.

A Christian can love their neighbor, with a universal love, not confined to one sect or party. It is not restrained to those who agree with him or her on opinion or in having different forms of worship. We are not to love only those who love us or those we are intimately acquainted with.

Christ says we can know who His disciples are by how they love God and how they love others. This love that God asks us to have is not easily defined but it can be demonstrated. It is a love that is not partial and it is a love that is forgiving. Someday, we will live with people all having an unconditional love. There will be nothing on this earth to be feared. Animals, snakes and nature will all be under control of God and will be compatible with each other as described in Isaiah 11:6 – 9 – “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Will there be pets at that time? Sounds like it to me. Could that 15 year old pet dog come back to life when Jesus returns to rule for 1,000 years? Who knows?

A number of times I have written on the subject: “Where do people go after dying?”  When I write a blog on the end-times or the Tribulation, people want to know what happens to those who die.

There are many different beliefs but I believe Scripture makes it very clear.  Whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian your soul and spirit leaves your body at death.  For those who teach that your soul sleeps while your body is in the grave miss Scriptural teaching.

I Kings 17:21 – 22 – “And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.”  The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived.”  His soul had to be gone in order for it to return.

Philippians 1:23 – 24 – “I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.  But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.”  His body remains in the grave but his soul will be with Christ immediately. Would Paul be satisfied with dying and his soul being asleep with his dead body?

I Thessalonians 4:13 – 14 – “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.”  They have to be with Him for Jesus to bring them back.

The question is where does one’s soul and spirit go once they die?

Luke 16:19 – 26 – “Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.  As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.  “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead.  There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.  “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’  “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.  And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’”

Prior to Christ’s resurrection those who were God fearing, their souls went to Paradise.  Those who were not God fearing went to Hades a place of torment.  Scripture says as the poor man died, angels brought him to Abraham’s bosom or Paradise.  We are then told they can remember what transpired while they were on earth.  We have learned that those in Hades are tormented by flames.

When Christ was crucified He went from the cross to Sheol or Hell.  Matthew 12:40 – “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  Those who died under the Old Covenant could not enter Heaven because the sacrificed blood of animals could not forgive their sins.  Sinners, not having been forgiven, could not enter the presence of God.  Christ, taking the thief on the cross beside Him, went to Paradise where God’s people were being held.  All those who had been waiting temporarily in Paradise were forgiven of their sins by Christ and then ascended to Heaven.

Acts 2:34 – “For David did not ascend to heaven”   John 3:13 – “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.”  Ephesians 4:8 & 9 – “This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?)”

Paradise is no longer in Hell.  We believe Scripture says that Jesus descended into Hell to release those saints who were waiting to enter God’s presence and that He also gave the gift of salvation to those still alive by grace through faith.  After Pentecost those having received the Holy Spirit, at death, go to join those Old Testament saints in Heaven where Christ remains until His second coming.

Revelation 6:9 – “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.”  Many Christians will be martyred as the Antichrist comes to power and their souls will go to Heaven.

Those in hell and those who will go to Hell will be there until the Day of Judgment when they will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:14 – 15 – “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

We are told that some prophecy would not be understood until the end times.  It describes the time when our knowledge will be increased.  There will be a time of trouble, such as no nation has ever seen before.  This time is described as the Tribulation.  For 2500 years people have only wondered what the prophecy in the twelfth chapter of Daniel and other prophecy meant.   Today it is being understood, indicating the end times are nearing.

Technology, such as TV, cell phones, computers and an increase in technology surveillance on what everyone on this earth is doing has made this prophecy understandable.  This is all leading up in preparation for the Antichrist and a one-world economic system as described in Revelation 13:16 – 17 – “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

We are seeing preparation for a worldwide cashless economic system that will be available soon which will be able to monitor all financial transactions made by anyone in the world.  The Antichrist could not take over until our present technology system was possible.  With the mark of the beast, every individual that has that mark will be under constant surveillance.  This one-world government will be able to track all purchases, all public activities, your computer and phone activities and they will have enough information to know your behavior.  It will be possible to track everything we do and there is nothing we do that will not be recorded.  They will even have drones watching all that is going on.

Are you willing to give up your freedom and allow a government to control what you do and who you are?  If you think this is farfetched, listen to some conservative citizens who have been testifying before congress on being harassed by government agencies now and the Antichrist hasn’t taken over yet.  All they did was apply for tax exempt status for their Tea Party type conservative cause.  Their business and personal status had IRS audits, OSHA examinations, FBI investigations, etc.  Think what it will be like when the devil takes over.  Let’s hope theologians are right and the Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation period.  Otherwise, can you imagine what it would be like for a Christian to live under the Antichrist?  There would be no underground churches, no swapping for food or any religious activities allowed.  How long could you stay alive?

In addition, there will be major earthquakes, weather disasters, droughts and famine, plagues and major corruption.  Think what the Egyptian people went through when Moses was asking Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.  It will be even worse daily.

We must understand that Satan must disguise what is about to happen.  Most Americans that knew what is about to take place would put a stop to it.  Crafty as Satan is he has to have his false prophets deceive the people.  Some of these false prophets are famous people, politicians, scientists, wealthy citizens and some educators.  If Satan promised you a billion dollars would you work for him?  Think that is not possible.  There are well-know people, movie and singing stars plus athletes who confess to being Satan worshippers.  They have stated they sold their souls for fame and success.

As I study the Old Testament the Israelites were continually being deceived by false prophets and this did not please God.  I just read the 13^th chapter of Ezekiel and God was rebuking the people for allowing these false prophets to deceive them that they would live in peace with enemies all around.  They were being criticized by God for not preparing spiritually as well as physically.  I wonder if God is being displeased with Americans for their lack of spiritual preparation.  Terrorists are out to destroy Israel and America.  I hope we are prepared and armed.

If you believe what you have just read, should you not be a Christ follower and spiritually prepared?  What are Christians told to do?  Pray and spread the Gospel and be spiritually prepared for everything that is ahead.   Pray that the Rapture is pre-Tribulation and that none of our friends and relatives are left behind.

Christ was talking to a crowd.  He told them, as many were farmers; they could interpret weather signs but were unable to see the signs of the time.  He stated that there would be a time, prior to His return that certain things would occur.  He stressed: you must be able to interpret the signs and be prepared for there will be many who will try to deceive you.  (Luke 12:54- 56)

There will be weather problems, unusual earthquakes and starvation.  First they tried to convince us in 1974 we were headed for an ice age and now it is global warming or weather change caused by man.  The Bible tells us there will be an increase in wickedness and there will be a loss of love for our fellowman.  English speaking nations will drift into Pagan types of religions.  There will be increased devil worship.

There will come a time when nations will have the technology and nuclear armament to destroy everyone in the world as prophesized.  For our nation to believe we can talk Iran into stopping their building of a nuclear bomb, either our leaders do not understand history or have little knowledge of Bible prophecy.  The Bible says that if Christ does not return to stop the final war, there would be no one left.  We could all be destroyed.  Does that mean we should build bomb shelters?  That means our nation and the world need to repent and become more spiritual.

Another sign was for Israel to become a nation.  They are then to reach a peace agreement with Palestine and build their Temple next to the Muslim Dome of the Rock.  There will be a world war III or Armageddon as an army comes from the north to fight Israel as described in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39.  It will be led by Gog from the land of Magog with Iran and other nations.  Gog is normally thought of as Russia but some believe it is Germany, (with the ten kings or the old Holy Roman Empire described in Revelation) and others think it is led by Turkey.  However, Israel will be protected and the army destroyed.  Those Jews living on the West Bank or Judea will be destroyed.  This is territory that the United Nations has been deemed Palestine’s land and Israel will be required to give up in their peace agreement.

Many believe that God will cause the world’s financial institutions to collapse thus causing starvation. If you have watched the world’s economies and banking problems this could be likely.  Prior to that happening we believe the Antichrist will be revealed and the mark of the beast will be required to buy or sell.  The Tribulation is a time of world punishment for the sins of men.  It isn’t some kind of a picnic.

We know that the gospel must be preached to the entire world.  Instant communications was necessary for that to happen.  Also Scripture says that God’s two Jewish witnesses who came back to life will be viewed by the world.  We are told that everyone will see Jesus return.  That has only been possible in the past few years with TV and satellites.

What Scripture tells us is to be aware of the signs predicting the beginning of the end times.  We are told to not be deceived.  Yet millions have already been deceived into believing that our capitalistic free-market system is the evil that is causing the signs to appear.  They believe that communism and socialism is the answer.  The answer is for everyone to repent of their sins and accept God’s ways.  We know that too many have hearts that will not be convinced by the Holy Spirit that Christ is the Son of God and our only hope.  Their hearts will not allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate them.  Thus, the end will come as predicted.  The reason is told often in Scripture: “You have not obeyed me.”  If you were to assess our present administration and congress, would you honestly be able to say: “They are obeying God?”  If you took a poll of the average American and asked the same question, what would their answer be?  Americans as a whole have not been obeying God.

Are you spiritually prepared to withstand the pain and suffering that will happen?  Will you be one of those who Scripture says will be deceived and lose faith?

God is a loving God and He will give one last chance for a world revival.  We are seeing this happen now in the Middle-East.  Once we begin seeing the signs take place, many will come to churches to get more information.  Then hearing the Word, many will be converted.  There will be no excuse at judgment not to have accepted Christ as their Lord.

(Judges 6:10b – “But you have not obeyed Me.”  Daniel 12:10 – “Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.”)

Scripture is very clear; no one knows the time or day when the end will come. However, Christ in Matthew chapter 24, tells what it will be like in the end. What are the chances that an investment advisor would be able to predict the start of the Tribulation—slim to none? However, having spent 30 years studying the prophets and teaching Revelation, this is what I see.

We are going through a time when the stock markets around the world are going through a correction period. Many believe it is a result of the emerging-markets who are moving from a free-market capitalistic economy to a more socialistic economy. It is countries like India, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and others moving away from what once attracted capital, stabilized their currency and caused their economies to grow to abandon the free-market and follow America’s example.

Other changes are occurring in the world. The United Nations will require Israel to agree to return Judea, the West Bank, into a Palestinians state. Should Israel fail to reach an agreement, the Palestinians have said they will file charges against Israel through the United Nations.

In that agreement will be stipulations that the Temple Mount will be shared and Israel can build their Temple as stated in Revelation 11:1 – 2. Israel’s Knesset has agreed to share. Both Jews and Muslims will be free to worship on the mount. The Jews plan for the Temple is complete and all furniture and apparel for priests and the high priest are made and waiting. Upon completion animal sacrifices will take place in the Temple.

I believe that God selected President Obama as an end-time president. It is the United Nations, President Obama and Secretary Kerry that have demanded a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine be reached by April 29, 2014 or in less than four months of this date: Feb. 3, 2014.

A number of theologians believe that the signing of the peace agreement is the start of the seven years of the Tribulation. If this is true, we could begin expecting what is predicted in Matthew 24:4 – 14 – “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 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. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (In a number of foreign countries Christians are being persecuted and murdered now.)

Coming soon after the Tribulaton, there will be a peace that we have not had since the beginning of Adam and Eve. The Bible tells us that the Lord Himself will come down from heaven to rule the earth for 1000 years. For those of us who are believers we will be with Him forever. After our lives on earth, we will be transported to a new heaven and a new earth forever as this earth will no longer exist.

I Corinthians 15:52 – 54 – “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” NLT

We are told that we will be given new bodies that will be without any disabilities. We shall never be sick or die again. We are then told in I John 3:2 – “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” When we are all like Christ we will live in a different world. It will be a world filled with love and peace. At that time we believe the curse that has been on this earth will be removed. It will be an environment similar to what it was like prior to Adam and Eve’s sin.

Revelation 21:1 – 4 – “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Then I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” NIV

Revelation 13:7 & 8 – “And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.” NLT – If a person’s name is in the Book of Life, because he has trusted in Christ for his salvation, apparently they will be given a power, so great, that enables them to withstand the powers of Satan and allows the Antichrist to do whatever without a Christian losing faith or accepting the mark of the beast.

Not one promise has God made that He has never kept. Our faith is based on His promises and we are told that God will never leave us or forsake us. However, what the saints go through during the end times will be remembered forever. As a result, when Christ is with us, during His reign on earth, we will be completely obedient and live according to His ways, a holy life.

Before the end times I believe there will be a great spiritual revival. God is going to give everyone an opportunity to repent and live a holy life. Times will be so disastrous that many will accept Christ as their Savior.

One of the most dramatic stories unfolding in the Middle East that you won’t read in the mainstream press is the explosion of Christianity inside Iran. In 1979 a survey of Christian Demographic Trends reported about 500 Muslims who have converted to Christ. Today they estimate approximately 250,000 Christians and 600 churches. It is believed after the destruction of the Russian and Iranian armies as prophesized in Ezekiel, chapters 36 – 39, Christian churches will be overflowing around the world as masses turn to Jesus Christ and the church for wisdom and comfort amid such cataclysmic events. Will the church and Christians be able to handle the overflow?