Saturday, March 28, 2020
Please consider offering to help those high risk individuals who really should stay in as much as possible. You may be able to run errands for them. We all need to pitch in any way we can at this time.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Many may be wondering about the significance of this pandemic in regards to biblical prophecy. If you ask a dozen different bible scholars, you may get a dozen different opinions. Now I do not claim to be a bible scholar, but I have an opinion that might surprise you.
While I still believe that all that is going on is a warning from the Almighty, a warning that we should show remorse and repentance, I am now thinking that the gracious Lord may have a reprieve in mind.
We know from studying certain passages that as end time events unfold, a dynamic and diabolical world leader will emerge who will, through diplomacy and deceit, come to rule the world. You can't have a world leader without a one-world government, a coalition of all the countries of the world. Now each nation will have their own leader or leaders, but they will have to answer to this world leader that the bible identifies as the anti-christ. One of the things that the anti-christ will institute is the mark of the beast. There can be no mark of the beast, a system that enables the tracking of every individual on the planet that receives it, without global cooperation.
During the past three decades or so, our country, the most powerful and influential nation on earth, has been developing policies that support globalism. We have linked ourselves economically, politically, and militarily. We have sought to give the United Nations more political clout. Many countries have opened their borders to allow anyone in who wants to come. Many of our nation's leaders fully support more and more globalism programs. Several want to totally open all of our nation's borders with no vetting.
To even the casual observer, it is obvious that the push towards a one-world system has been accelerated, especially in the past decade. To students of prophecy, this is an obvious sign, a harbinger of end time events.
But now countries are closing their borders, severely limiting travel between countries, and thinking more inwardly. Our own nation has learned that total dependence on another country for medicines and medical supplies is not a good thing. Many are finally realizing that our conversion from a manufacturing economy to a service economy has major disadvantages during times of crisis. I would imagine that some of the European countries are starting to realize the same thing.
Once the critical phase of this pandemic is over, there will still be the fear of it recurring. Perhaps another virus similar to it will emerge, one that can be transferred from asymptomatic individuals for up to two weeks, making it extremely contagious. The shock waves of what has happened will continue on for a long time. It will take awhile for the world to recover. Some nations may never fully recover. The fear of another contagion spreading uncontrollably has put the brakes on the globalism movement, at least for now.
That is why I believe that we have been given a short reprieve, a timeout, if you will. We Christians need to use this lull in the prophetic time sequence to reach as many as we can. We may be entering a period of new nationalism and stronger patriotism, a period of cooperation and of looking out for one another. No one knows how long it could last, but our window of opportunity will quickly close as soon as prosperity returns. Eventually, our nation will again forget God and push towards those things that will bring about the end time events foretold in the scriptures.
It is written. It will happen.
This is Holy Week! Normally we would be having bible study tonight, Maunday Thursday service tomorrow, and of course our Resurrection Sunday service on Sunday. But what we are going through right now is anything but normal. I will have more thoughts on this later. God bless all of you and I pray for your protection.
April 8, 2020
Here are some thoughts and information regarding Holy Week:
Maundy Thursday is observed during Holy Week on the Thursday before Easter. Also referred to as "Holy Thursday" or "Great Thursday" in some Christian denominations, Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. In contrast to joyful Easter celebrations when Christians worship their resurrected Savior, Maundy Thursday services are typically more solemn occasions, marked by the shadow of Jesus' betrayal.
While different denominations observe Maundy Thursday in their own distinct ways, two important biblical events are the primary focus of Maundy Thursday services:
Before the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. By performing this lowly act of service, the Bible says in John 13:1 that Jesus "showed them the full extent of his love." By his example, Jesus demonstrated how Christians are to love one another through humble service. For this reason, many churches practice foot-washing ceremonies as a part of their Maundy Thursday services.
During the Passover meal, Jesus took bread and wine and asked his Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples and said, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Then he took the cup of wine, shared it with his disciples and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you." These events recorded in Luke 22:19-20 describe the Last Supper and form the biblical basis for the practice of Communion. For this reason, many churches hold special Communion services as a part of their Maundy Thursday celebrations. Likewise, many congregations observe a traditional Passover Seder meal.
What Does "Maundy" Mean?Derived from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment," Maundy refers to the commands Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: to love with humility by serving one another and to remember his sacrifice.
Just some thoughts about Good Friday
Talk is cheap, and it is easy to mouth the words “I love you.” But really showing it is another story.
There is a children’s song which states “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” If one believes the scriptures to be true, then His love is undeniable.
Everything that happened to Jesus from His arrest to His death on the cross was allowed by Him. He is God. No one lays a finger on Him without His permission. He could have called it quits at any time.
Matt. 26:50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out [his] hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
72,000 angels! Yes, that would have probably been enough to take care of things, don’t you think?
It is important for us to understand that Jesus didn’t just have a fleeting thought about dying for us on the cross, and then once things got started, he couldn’t stop the train of events that was to unfold.
No, Jesus was the conductor of this train. His entire life’s purpose was to have a ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, designed to set up the birth of His church. The culmination of His life was His sacrificial death, and there was nothing on heaven or earth that could stop Him from that goal.
Satan gave it everything He had and didn’t come close to stopping Him.
I want you to notice two things about each of the two parallel verses below.
Matt. 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
After having spent six hours on the cross, pushing painfully against the spike driven through his ankles in order to expand His diaphragm and breathe, He was still able to cry in a loud voice, to shout. Also, He yielded, He commended, He gave up His spirit. Yes, He allowed His spirit to leave. He didn’t die because He couldn’t take another breath. He died because He had completed His mission. He had accomplished His task.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
“Tetelestai” It is finished. What drove Him to do it? What drove Him to persevere, no matter what?
Love. His love for us. The cross is absolute proof.
April 12, 2020
This is a reminder to pray for the heroes. The ones on the front lines: the medical staff; doctors, nurses, aides, EMT's, ambulance drivers; firefighters; police. But we must also remember the ones less obvious: grocery store workers, department store workers, hardware store workers, plumbers, electricians, repairmen, power plant workers, linemen, bankers, post office workers, truck drivers, warehouse stockers, mechanics, HVAC workers, tax preparers, restaurant workers providing carryout and drive-through meals, UPS and Fed Ex drivers, laundromat workers, carpenters, some office workers. If I have left some out, I am sorry. All of you are heroes. You are the ones getting us through this. None of these lockdown strategies would work at all if it weren't for you. Our country is indebted to you. We appreciate you and are praying for you.