The Final Warning

"I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm, neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16).

Even though this is a message to the Church at Sardis, it applies to all Christians who believe in Jesus, and those that believe who have fallen away from their faith. There are many who have fallen away and they are all ASLEEP! Time to ring the alarm bells folks! We're going home very soon! 

The rapid pace of things that are happening around us, especially in the Middle East and with Russia, all fits with biblical prophecy. It is a sign, and we better get the lead out if we wish to use the time we have left to be witnesses for Jesus. So many are still lost! We should all be burdened for those that are not saved, not keeping quiet about our faith. They are dying in their sins, and if we don't witness to them when we have the chance? They may not ever get saved and that would not only be tragic, but it will cause us to lose some of our rewards! Why do you think I harp on this subject???

Revelation 3:15-16, is a warning that comes right before John is taken up into heaven for God to show him all that would come after. Back in the early 80's, I got an administrative assistant position working for a division of Hughes Aircraft that was contracted by the Army to build the AH-64A Apache Attack Helicopter. If I've ever seen anything that looked like a giant locust, that helicopter totally fits! "They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle." (Revelation 9:9). 

The US Army's AH-64A Apache Attack Helicopter

Of course, if we are Raptured with the Church, we won't be here to confirm this, but it does look like a giant locust doesn't it? Revelation 9:9 seems to describe this helicopter to a T! A lot of biblical scholars, preachers, etc., have thought that John, in his 1st century mind, couldn't understand what it was he was actually seeing, so he just described it the best way he could for his limited knowledge at the time. They fly low and point out targets for fighters and they are also very lethal all by themselves! I got to see the prototype roll out just after beginning my job with Hughes and I'd never seen anything like it! It could move in ways that most helicopters cannot, and they gave us all one heck of a show when they rolled it out. A memory that I will never forget. And boy, was it ever LOUD! (Just like thunder)!

Here is the point: In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus is warning us! He is saying "You need to be on fire for Me!" If we're not on fire for the Gospel, and we're not looking for Him to return, there is probably a very good chance that He could come with the sound of the trumpet (Shofar), and it won't wake those who are slumbering, thinking that Jesus is a long way off! So, yeah! It's time to wakey wakey! 

Revelation 4:1 denotes the actual rapture of the Church. The anti-christ isn't even revealed until Revelation 6. Did you get that? 4 and 6? 4 comes BEFORE 6! Now, if the church disappears in 4:1, and the anti-christ isn't revealed until chapter 6? We won't know who he is, so stop trying to figure it out! It won't matter! We'll be in heaven for the judgment and a huge party with Jesus called "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb!" Personally, I cannot wait and I truly believe that we are not that far away! 

So, please? If your bible has been collecting dust on a shelf, pull it down and start reading it! Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to do His will in your life. Pray A LOT! We are to "pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

The days are short and we all need to get our acts together! God will not hesitate to leave you behind if you're asleep at the wheel, I don't care how much you go to church! If you are a true follower and know your bible then you know that I'm right. I believe there will be a huge revival if we are here to see the Lord destroy those who come against Israel in the Gog/Magog invasion. The United States relationship with Israel is really tenuous, at best, if not completely destroyed, so I think we are more than close. Gog/Magog is at the door! It's forming right now!

I hope this encourages you to get right, start living for Christ and Him alone and letting people see the light in you shining so bright, that they can't help but ask themselves and you, "what is different," and it won't just be a hair cut! 

Be at peace. Jesus loves you! He wants you in heaven with him! It's not too late to change course and serve the Lord the way He wants you to serve! 

Let's face it. We can choose to make it all about ourselves or all about Him. It's our choice! Just remember, He is at the door! We are watching Matthew 24 and Luke 21 happen right before our eyes! 

We just need to be awake enough to see it!

End Times & A Ticking Clock

I believe with everything that is just plain ole upside down in this world, there are a lot of people SEARCHING for something to fill that big God shaped gaping hole in their lives. The things that are happening are the reverse of what things used to be and that has a lot of people very frightened about the future and what it may hold.

Since 1979, we have had no diplomatic relations whatsoever with Iran. Now, not only are we negotiating a very dangerous treaty with them on nukes that has a 10 year sunset clause, meaning after 10 years they can build a bomb, (which they won't wait 10 years to do), we are completely double minded in our current foreign policy when it comes to fighting ISIS and the Iranian backed Houthi's in Yemen. In Iraq, the Shia militias left the Iraqi Army to fight on their own because we dropped a few bombs to help them get the ISIS cancer out of Tikrit. But in Yemen, we are fighting AQAP and the Houthi's backed by Iran. It amazes me that Obama is still calling Yemen a success. Huh? Success? If this is what "success" looks like to him, I don't think I could bear his definition of "failure!" This is all totally backwards.  

On the other side of the coin we have Vladimir Putin threatening the Danish with a nuclear attack. Huh? Okay, I simply HAVE to give you a word key to understanding Ezekiel 38. This might just wake a few of you who are slumbering up!

Gog is a man - Putin
Magog is a kingdom - USSR
Meschek is Moscow
Rosh is Russia
Persia is Iran
Ethiopia - Think "Arab Spring Nations"
Put is Libya
Cush is Northern Sudan, Somalia & part of Ethiopia
Gomer is Germany
Beth-Togarmah is Turkey
Land of unwalled villages refers to Israel w/o the USA as an ally
Sheba is part of Yemen
Dedan is Saudi Arabia
Merchants of Tarshish is the UK
Villages (Side Notes say "Young Lions") is the United States of America

Sheba, Dedan, the Merchants and the Young Lions will say in that day "Are you coming to take great plunder?" DUH! Maybe it's a rhetorical question? Nope! They will really say that! The Gog/Magog invasion, if you read Ezekiel 38 with the key above, is actually forming right now! I'm waiting for the Shia and the Sunni's to look at each other and say, "Why are we fighting each other? It's all Israel's fault. Let's go kill them instead." I'm waiting for them to drink a beer, pass the peace pipe and then devise an evil plan to destroy Israel as it says in Ezekiel 38. Russia wants their oil and they are as thick as thieves with Iran! The Russians have been having secret meetings with the Chinese and Iran, one of them in Kaliningrad where the Russians have been flying jets over Lithuania and other Baltic States with their transponders turned off! Putin is sabre rattling! 

These are very exciting days because Jesus could come at any moment to take His Bride, the Church, home to heaven with Him, where we will "ever after be with the Lord." So I will pray for all who read this post, that you will take Ezekiel 38 out and check out the key above. Then keep up on world events. Things are happening at a very rapid pace now! I pray that you will greet the challenge with boldness, faith and a great love for Jesus! It's time we started reaching out to those who aren't saved. Our family, friends and even our acquaintances! If you rely on only Him, He will give you the words!

God bless you as we celebrate Palm Sunday tomorrow. Jesus is calling us to be His hands and feet and we're running out of time! Let's return His faithfulness by being faithful to Him!

Love others, as Jesus loved you and most importantly? Love them with the truth!

The Great Delusion

If you are a Christian, one who is fully awake, then you know that what our President said in his video statement to the people of Iran last week is pure hogwash. He said that the Ayatollah had put a Fatwah on the "development of nuclear weapons." Talk about delusional! The first time I saw him say that? My heart was about to leap out of my chest! It was so stupid, that I thought it was probably a prophecy fulfilled. He is completely deluded, as are so many others, probably too many to count! He truly thinks if we are nice to the Mullah's, that they won't launch a nuke our direction. If it wasn't so scary, I'd be laughing like crazy because his delusional thinking is proof that Jesus is at the door, readying Himself to come in the clouds and take us to heaven.

Let me explain what I mean about delusion. 

In October 1995, I was in a support group of women who, along with myself, had gone through an abortion. I wanted to be a Crisis Pregnancy Counselor, but it was mandatory that I go through "Post Abortion Counseling," before I could become one. While I was going through this counseling process, I had one private meeting with my counselor and one group meeting each week. One afternoon, the leader of the group said she was having trouble forgiving the gray haired grandmother who told her, "It's not a baby honey, it's just the product of conception." 

She seemed to really be struggling with this and I suddenly heard God say in my head "the woman was deceived." When I shared this "word of knowledge," with her and the group, the look of relief that came over her face was absolutely amazing! She was then able to forgive the woman for saying what she had said. She was now ready to pray for her instead of staying angry at her. It was an amazing moment and I will never forget how strong the Holy Spirit was in that room that day! 

"For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." (2 Thessalonians 2:11). If you think people are delusional now? Just wait! It's going to get much worse. Many are lost. They have been told a pack of lies and they believed them, rather than believing in Jesus Christ or the Word of God. 

So, if you are a Christian, "WAKE UP! SNAP OUT OF IT!" If you aren't, then get it together! Accept Christ as Lord and Savior! The time we have left is diminishing with every tick of the clock and we are running out of time. He could literally snatch us off the earth in the next minute! When you see the kinds of things that are going on in the Middle East, ISIS running wild, Iranian's now taking back the land and killing the cancer called ISIS, but can we trust them to leave Iraq when it's over? There were recently, two meetings between Russia, China and Iran, so our President's statement that Iran put out a Fatwah on the development of nuclear weapons, is ludicrous! Trouble is a comin! This is bible prophecy happening right before our very eyes! 

I know. We are living in crazy, evil times, but remember always what Jesus said in Matthew 24. "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near." (Luke 21:28).

It's going to get scary, but He is going to protect us! There is no reason to fear! The bible says, "No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent." He'll help us! He'll take care of all the details, we just have to show up! 

Time to wake up and start understanding the things we are about to go through. Just don't forget, Jesus is with you always and He will give you the words, the faith and the boldness to do what you are called to do! 

Just do your best. Jesus will take care of the rest!

Truth or Consequences?

I have a friend that I've been friends with for over 15 years. I've tried to witness to her over the years, but today, she asked me a question and I thought, "WOW!" Normally she doesn't like to talk about it, but today she did!

She was asking me about who she should pray to. She says she prays and always talks to "God." Bless her heart, she wanted to know if she should be saying the name of Jesus when she prays! I was FLOORED! This is my best friend, who believes in a lot of things that are completely opposite of Christianity. She just asked the one question, but I was spurred on! I explained salvation, how it is achieved through the grace of God when He gave us the "lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world," and she was asking even more questions! This from a person who always changes the subject when I mention it.

I've been witnessing to her for a long time, so please pray for her? Her name is "D." I am protecting her anonymity, but would love it if some of the readers of this blog prayed for her? That would be so cool! We could accomplish what God wills together. She's very confused, but I am highly optimistic about her accepting Christ and making a proclamation about it! 

It can be exciting leading people to Jesus! You just never know what He might do! Bless all who read this and may we all go out and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Gravity vs. The Christian!

Have you ever played the game of baseball? I've played a lot of baseball/softball in my day, earning me the nickname "Good Eye." Now if you don't understand the game, a person with that nickname usually never swings at a bad pitch, never strikes out, and always either winds up on base by a hit, or by a "base on balls," which means the pitcher threw 4 bad pitches that the batter did not swing at which were considered outside of the "strike zone." Sometimes I would get a good pitcher that I could hit off of and would hit a grounder in between 1st and 2nd base trying to advance another runner and get called out at first base, which in baseball, is called a sacrifice. I got called "out" plenty of times, but usually it was to advance the runner or trying to steal a base. I might not be able to do those things now, but as an object lesson, baseball is a good fit, so read up!

One thing we as Christians need to realize is that there are people in our lives we might be witnessing to that watch a perfect pitch coming at them, but refuse to swing at it as it sails over the plate, thru the strike zone and into the mitt of the catcher. Point being, while witnessing to those who are lost, some people will bring you down, (refusing to swing), while others will lift you up, accepting Christ and coming into the Kingdom of God, (hitting a home run!).

Gravity people tend to try to bring everything and everyone in their lives down, giving Newton his due. (I still do that sometimes, but hey, none of us is perfect). Depression, disappointment, illness, or a feeling of not being loved is just enough to put someone in the dumps because of the way they've been treated by others or by fate. This causes us to have this tendency to leave a wake of emotional or physical destruction in our path, not just to ourselves, but to others as well. Even after someone gets saved the devil will still use their past to keep them down, thus gravity continues to win, just like the ball sinking just before it goes over the plate, the result of which is usually a strike or a strike out.  

Those who pitch the ball, the ones who try to reach out to the "gravity" crowd, find out pretty quick that perhaps they are not meant to lead that particular person to Christ and that it will take others along the way to help that person get there. While we should never stop praying for them or give up on them, it is not our job to save them. Once they've heard the "Good News" only they can save themselves. That job belongs to them and the issue is between them and God alone. They are the only ones who can swing at the ball or let the ball go by into the catchers mitt.

They have to walk into the batters box and as the balls are pitched, they need to either let it go and get a ball or a strike or swing and get a hit. Some just need to learn how to play the game, but others? They may not want to play at all. It's almost like teaching a kid to trust that you will catch them when they jump off the side of the pool into your waiting arms. They have to learn to trust. Some can, some won't. With swimming, baseball, whatever it may be, you can only do so much "for them," before they have to do it "themselves."  We can only preach the gospel, tell them of the saving grace of Christ's death, burial and resurrection and how Jesus took all of our sins upon Himself so that if we simply believe in Him, we will be saved. He died for all of us and He is coming soon to take His "team" (the Church), back to the original "Home Plate" which resides in heaven!

Nobody can make the choice for someone else to swing at a good pitch or even a bad one. If you've ever been to a minor league baseball game or even a little league game, no matter what is shouted from the dugout or by the crowd, only the batter with his full attention on the ball, can make the choice whether to swing, or not to swing. While you can teach someone the principles of Christianity, you cannot make the choice for them to accept Jesus, that is up to them. When someone we've pitched the Gospel to decides it's all nonsense, it can cause a lot of gravity in our lives as Christian's. It could take a lot of innings to save just one person! And in any baseball game, if the game is tied, it goes into "extra innings," in which pitchers come in from the bull pen to pitch until one team scores, thus ending the game, and it can go as many innings as necessary to determine the winner. (Trivia Fact - The longest Baseball Game in History was on May  1, 1920, with the Brooklyn Robins at the Boston Braves.  The game went 26 innings with a final score of 1 to 1 meaning the game was finally called as a "tie"). In a lot of cases, when you "pitch" Jesus to somebody, they may not swing right away, but somewhere towards the end of the bottom of the 26th inning, they may decide to swing and hit a grand slam! Just to clarify, I'm not talking about a Denny's Grand Slam with pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. A Grand Slam in Baseball is when the bases are loaded and the player at bat hits a home run, scoring all three runners and himself to score four runs on one hit. 

Wouldn't it be awesome if in our Christian walk, we could all pitch to a friend who hit a grand slam every day? Don't let the gravity get you down. Have some steadfastness and never lose heart! Jesus doesn't want us to give up on people. He wants us to pray them into the kingdom, even if they tell us they don't want to hear about God or Jesus anymore and want to be left alone. Everyone swings at a pitch once in awhile, and that's all you'll need to keep you going and moving on towards the next "batter up!"  Sometimes you will find people who are totally clueless no matter how hard you try to explain it to them. You can try and try, but they are so busy making it all about themselves that they just can't see the gift of Jesus right in front of them, which means, the game isn't quite over, and God may be calling for a relief pitcher to take your place. After you leave the mound, all you can do for that person is pray for them and the one that is now witnessing to them. Just remember, God works on them even after we've finished witnessing to them and at some point, they might get a hit that gets them home! 

But there is something known as boundaries that a Christian must pay attention to as well, or they are likely to fall down to the level of those they are witnessing to. That means we need to be aware of when God is telling us to walk away. You can still be their friend, but don't compromise yourself spiritually to keep them as a friend. Show them you have principles and don't ever waver, because that is exactly what the devil, (the other team?), wants you to do. 

In baseball, there are white chalk boundary lines that run down the 1st base line and the 3rd base line. They are there to determine whether a ball that has been hit down either of those lines is either foul or fair. If the ball is called fair, it is still in play, meaning the ball can be fielded by the other team to get the runner out at 1st or another runner out at 2nd, 3rd, or home plate. If the foul ball is caught, the runner is automatically out. If it is foul and not caught by a player from the other team, the batter gets another chance to hit until he actually gets a hit or strikes out. 

Just like those white chalk lines on a baseball field, there should be a type of "boundary line" that exists in our hearts and minds for when we witness to others. It's really easy to get ripped apart ourselves when the person we've been witnessing to doesn't accept Christ. We must simply trust God for them and expect good things to happen because even in the worst of times, God does not disappoint. Getting caught up in whether the person gets saved or not can shatter our own faith so we must protect it. We must learn to pray about it, walk away and wait for God to send another "pitcher" to pitch the same ideas, maybe in a different way, so that the person can be saved. God has plenty of "relief pitchers" so don't get so caught up in the question of their salvation that you yourself end up burning out! That's exactly what the devil wants! Please don't let him win? 

Sometimes a batter will swing and hit nothing but fouls anyhow, meaning they will bombard you with more and more questions, simply to waste your time. But never stop praying for them because you never know when they might hit a "fair ball," or what Jesus is going to do with your prayers for them!  Don't lose heart, just keep praying!

Sure you'll get rejected, but remember.  You are planting a "mustard seed of faith," (Matthew 17:20), and someone is going to come along and water that seed by throwing a pitch, then another, and another!  You just never know what that rejection might produce! And we should be sharing the love of Jesus with everyone!  You never know when they might hit the ball past you so fast it grazes you on it's way over the fence sending chills right up your spine!

God Bless you all for reading and I hope you will all enjoy watching your favorite teams as they play this season. I'm still waiting for the Tigers to win another World Series myself. Hopefully, someday they will actually do it! Aw, hope springs eternal! They haven't won the Series since 1984! So GO TIGERS!  

I hope you all enjoy the upcoming Major League Baseball season, or just being out with your kids while they play little league! Remember, while you are sitting in the stands this season, that the Lord's return is very near and there are many out there who need Him! The harvest is ripe, so witness your faith! (John 4:35). 

God bless you all! Now get out there and.....

PLAY BALL!