Category: End Times

Deceptions

Recently I heard a very well-known minister make some disturbing comments.  This pastor of thousands, author of several books, the son of a very well-known minister, made comments about the Bible that are simply scary.  Early in the video I saw of one of his teachings, he makes it clear that the Old Testament books are nothing more than manuscripts.  He further states a little further in the video that Matthew took it upon himself to add women to the genealogies of Jesus, dismissing the idea that Matthew was inspired by God to mention them.

 

If that wasn’t enough, referring to Matthews first recorded encounter with Jesus in Matthew 9:9, he discounts the teachings of some that are based simply on what the Scriptures tell us, that Matthew simply responded to Jesus’ command to follow Him by immediately getting up to follow Him, on the basis that there isn’t enough information to draw such a conclusion.  He then proceeds to take about five minutes to throw in what he believes took place between verses 9 and 10 of the same chapter, as though it were a fact, even though there is absolutely no reference or hint of such in the passage.  This is a double-standard on his part.

 

In response to questions the disciples of Jesus asked Him about His return and the end of the age, the very first thing He tells them in Matthew 24:4 was to “Take heed that no one deceives you.”  Jesus didn’t tell this to people who were not His followers, people who are already deceived, but to those who are His followers.  Despite His warning to those who follow Him to not be deceived, we can see that many within church circles, including the leadership, have become deceived in one way or another.  I heard it once said that the best lie is the one that is 99% true, realizing it is the 1% that can lead people astray to “another gospel”.

 

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and that most definitely includes what we know to be the Old Testament.  Paul also goes on to say in the same passage that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.  Scripture is to be the final authority in the life of a Christian, and to view Scripture in any other light leads us to the “another gospel” Paul referred to in his letters.  In 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Paul shares how he’s afraid that they have embraced “another gospel” just as Eve believed the lies of the serpent, and in Galatians 1:8-9 Paul makes it clear that anyone who preaches “another gospel”, different from what he had already given them, they should be accursed.

 

As previously indicated, Paul tells us that all Scripture, including the Old Testament, is given by inspiration of God, so any gospel that minimizes the value and role of all Scripture in the life of a Christian is a gospel different from the one that he gave us.  In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul also tells us that in the last days many Christians will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and the doctrines of demons.  Paul gives us one of the biggest reasons why Christians will pay attention to seducing spirits and the doctrines of demons in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  In that passage many Christians in the last days will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires will instead embrace teachings and teachers that satisfy their itching ears, turning from the truth and unto fables.  I had a person once tell me that the doctrines of demons were in reference to doctrines about demons, but that is not what the passage indicates.  Rather, it is about doctrines that are inspired and promoted by demons.

 

In Colossians 2:8, Paul further instructs us not to be taken captive by the hollow and deceptive philosophies of some, philosophies and teachings that are based on human tradition and the basic principles of this world.  This could easily point to teachings that are based more on Christianized “pop psychology” than on what Scripture tells us.  One of the biggest problems of Christianized “pop psychology” is that it attempts to deal with symptoms that interfere with life and relationships, instead of the root cause of sin and the subsequent results of unrepented sin.

 

It has been the attempt of the world for centuries to devalue and discredit the Word of God, a tactic of the enemy of our souls to keep us from what God has for us.  In fact, we can see this all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  It is in the garden that we see Eve having a conversation with the serpent, the mouthpiece of the devil, a conversation focused on the serpents attempt to get Eve to question what God had said and become disobedient to God.  While it has been the world that had been trying to convince people to question and discredit the Scriptures, now we are seeing that happen within church circles.  It used to be that some Christian leaders would focus their teachings on certain portions of Scripture, often ignoring or twisting other portions to conform to the beliefs they were promoting.  But now, there are some that would like for us to question the intent behind what the Scriptures say, and then to interject what they believe God would have us to know despite the clear contradictions they have with Scripture.  They take the apparent approach that at least part of the Bible is not inspired of God, which gives them license to change even the obvious that contradict their beliefs to promote “another gospel”.  Sometimes they even have the attitude that God didn’t really mean what was written, and that God needs them to help clear up these issues and make known what God’s intent originally was.  These mindsets seem to be especially common among those who believe the church and its teachings should “evolve” into what is best “relevant” to the world, teachings and mindsets associated with some “seeker sensitive” churches, as well as the “emerging church” that believes a “new church” needs to be the influential church in the days we now live in.  This is a spiritual “cancer” of sorts to the Body of Christ.

 

Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are not to be conformed to this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  What I just described is a picture of many churches and church leaders who are being conformed into the same mindsets of the world, mindsets that question and challenge the all-inspired, infallible Scripture and God’s original intent behind it.  The person I mentioned in the beginning of this blog is doing just that.  He denies that all Scripture is inspired of God and infallible, he questions even the clearest of passages and those who teach accordingly, and then interjects as fact his opinions of what was going on.  For this person, the Bible is not the final authority, a clear contradiction to what his dad is known to teach.

 

It may not be up to us to target and expose those who embrace such teachings, but it is our responsibility to study Scripture to know the truth, and to steer clear of cancerous teachings and their promoters, being careful with how we influence others in this.  In 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV), Paul tells us to study [the Scriptures] to show ourselves approved to rightly divide the word of truth.  No matter who the person is, never take what they say or write about as gospel without first checking the Scriptures for yourself.  Don’t just focus on the Scriptures they are presenting, but check with how it holds up to all Scripture.

 

Deception will be rampant in the last days, the days we are now living in.  Deception will manifest itself in many different forms, whether it is the twisting of or taking out of context portions of Scripture, or simply denying it as fully God inspired and being the final authority in the life of a believer, just to name a couple.  The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:8 gave us some sobering advise we should heed, and even more in the days we are now living in.  Don’t be deceived by those who don’t value Scripture or believe it to be the final authority in all areas of a Christians life.  Don’t be fooled into thinking you can embrace what you think is good and okay while rejecting what is not, because the very beliefs and mindsets these teachers have will bleed into every other facet of their life and ministry, and before you know it you will be embracing all their teachings.

 

One last thing.  Don’t be fooled into accepting what they teach just because the supernatural is present in their life.  While it is true that the supernatural should be present in the life of a believer, we need to remember that the devil can counterfeit some of what God does in the supernatural.  Scripture should be the final authority even in the midst of the supernatural.  Some argue that if it’s not in Scripture then it’s not of God, but as I pointed out in a blog I wrote sometime back, just because it’s not in Scripture doesn’t mean it’s not of God since Scripture tells us not everything Jesus did is recorded.  The issue isn’t whether it is or is not in Scripture, but instead whether it conflicts or contradicts with what is already in Scripture.

 

Don’t be deceived!!

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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The Great Divide

I recently heard someone comment on how this election process is so different in regards to the Evangelical community.  Historically, the greatest majority of Evangelicals would rally around the same candidate, usually a republican, but in this election, there is great division within the Evangelical community in regards to how they should vote.  It’s not so much between the two major candidates, but more importantly, between the two major choices they have and their own moral and Biblical convictions.

 

This election has created quite a mess of sorts.  Where you could in times past look at a candidate, one that professes they are a Christian and attempts to live accordingly, whose history and reputation is in line with Biblical standards and morality, and someone you could feel comfortable casting your vote for as a Christian, that is not the case in this election.  While it may be possible to view some of the policies each of these candidates promote as Christian and godly in nature, to say they are living a life exemplifying Christianity or per Biblical standards and morality would be a gross misjudgment to say the least.  And this is where the great divide comes in.

 

On one side of the great divide you have Christians making their choice out of their sense of patriotism, patriotism reaching for the greatness America once had, or patriotism reaching for their idea of what America should look like in the future.  You have Christians making their choice based on the future of the Supreme Court and the judges the next President will appoint, as well as the candidates stated positions regarding abortion, marriage, the economy, and equal rights, just to name a few.  Some have even resorted to voting strictly in line with the political party they are associated with and the platform of that same political party.  If you are a Republican, to vote per your party can be both a scary and dangerous thing to do, especially since there has been in recent years a push from deep within the party to abandon some of the conservative positions that Christians generally associate with.  The Republican party is struggling to at least maintain the appearance of being conservative and embracing Judeo/Christian values.

 

In the mix of the quagmire of this election is the growing manipulation by some to force people to vote for one major candidate over another.  Perhaps you’ve already heard some version of this; to not vote for one candidate automatically means a vote for the other major candidate.  I’ve even heard Christians tell Christians that they are not voting for Jesus, or even a “perfect” candidate, but instead for one that they believe best reflects their ideas of the direction America is to go in, or in other words, “the lesser of two evils”.  This is hard when Christians are truly wanting to represent and honor God with their vote, but now they are having to deal with the ever-increasing pressure to vote for one of the two major candidates.

 

I recently heard someone that has become popular the past several months, especially with a book he’s written in favor of and supporting a specific candidate.  As I was listening to this person he made a comment that got my attention.  He indicated that about 60% of Christians are on board with this one candidate, and that the remaining 40% were missing God regarding who they should vote for.  For some reason, he believes that Christians who refuse to compromise the Biblical standards and morality by which Scripture instructs us to live by and to promote, that those Christians are missing God.  After all, that has been the main source of the Great Divide between Christians in this election.  The biggest reason more Christians are not supporting this candidate, or are very reluctant to, is the fact that this candidate has not demonstrated a life surrendered or changed by God in word or deed, much less a heart that desires to be, but instead one that is not godly.

 

Another thing this person said was that this election is a test for Christians, namely a test in their ability to discern the will of God and who to vote for, making it clear that he believes a discerning Christian will know that they are to vote for this candidate.  While I do agree that this is a test of sorts, I do not believe it to be the test he’s thinking of.  I believe this is a test regarding the heart of those who profess to be Christians, seeing what is most important to them and what they are willing to lay down for it.  To be more clear, I believe Christians are in a test to see if their heart is more for pleasing and representing God in and with their lives, or for America and its past greatness and subsequent benefits.

 

When I think of what the above person said, how that 60% of Christians are supporting this candidate while 40% are not, what comes to mind is that God always has a remnant of followers wholly devoted to Him.  When the Hebrews (Jews) were in captivity in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, all but three of the Hebrews bowed to the image of the king, who were subsequently thrown into a fiery furnace God delivered them from.  When Daniel was told that he could no longer worship or pray to God as was his custom to do, he went to pray to God as he always did, and thus was cast into a den of lions that God also delivered him from.  When Elijah thought he was the only one that would stand for God against king Ahab and Jezebel, God made it clear to him that he had 400 others that had not bowed their knee to popular opinion or the wickedness that was prevalent in the country at that time.  God always has a remnant!

 

I have said for years that there is coming a time when the line between those who are truly living with a heart for God and those who are not will become as clear as night and day, and I believe this could be the start of this great dividing between true followers of Christ, and those who are just fans.  A few years ago, there was a bit of a stir within church circles when it appeared that charitable giving to churches and religious organizations may no longer be allowed as a tax deduction.  At that time, I said we would learn who was giving out of a heart for God, compared to those who were more focused on the tax benefits they were getting, noting that those who lost the tax benefit would stop giving.  Now, we are facing the daunting position of choosing where or in whom we will place our trust for the future of this country.

 

When contemplating who to vote for, some are basing their decision on “prophesies” pointing to one candidate over another, or on who some well-known Christian leaders are giving and proclaiming their support for.  Is this really the way we as Christians are to choose who to vote for?  Some Christians have said that we are to vote for the lesser of two evils, trusting that God can still change and use them for His purposes in the future.  Is that really faith in action, or is that a way to rationalize why we’re voting the way that we’re planning to?  I know that God used a donkey to speak to a prophet in the Old Testament, and I know that God used one of the most wicked and vile rulers in history, Nebuchadnezzar, to bring judgment to Israel, but does that mean our faith in God is to be limited to one of the two major candidates?  If God is limited to these two major candidates, then is He truly God?  And if the Evangelical community is such an overwhelming influence on elections as history records, then how is it that Christians were not able to bring a better candidate to the forefront that most Christians would feel comfortable casting their vote for?  Could it be that there is a great divide between Christians who truly want to live and vote in a way that honors and represents God, and those who are looking more to restoring the greatness of America’s past and how they and others could benefit from it economically and morally apart from God?

 

Some argue that the Republican candidate is God’s choice to restore America to greatness.  It’s possible that he is God’s choice, but not necessarily in the same way some believe.  It could be that he is Gods choice to bring judgment to America.  How many people have even considered that possibility?  King Cyrus was chosen by God, but I don’t think He expected the Israelites to vote for him.  Two or three times God mentions that King Nebuchadnezzar was His servant, yet the Israelites not only didn’t want him but they also wanted to be free of him.  Whether or not God is choosing this candidate, it is our responsibility as ambassadors of Christ to vote in a way that best represents the heart and nature of Christ, which we see clearly lined out in Scripture.  As one person put it, while they are a very patriotic American, they are first and foremost a Christian, and their vote needs to reflect that.  No matter what, we know from Scriptures like Daniel 2:21 and Romans 13:1, that God is the only one that puts people in seats of authority and removes them, which even means our current President.

 

Tough questions that each of us need to ask ourselves.  Are we seeking to honor and please God with our vote, or are we trying to hang onto a way of life that is comfortable and pleasing to self?  When we look at the two major candidates, there is very little doubt regarding the corruption, perversions, and self-centeredness of both.  We can say that one is worse than another in one way, but then say the opposite to be true of them in another way.  One thing that has been proven to be true of both, even as recently as the last and final debate between them, is that they are both serious liars.  There are several scriptures that talk about liars, one of which goes so far as to say liars are an abomination before the Lord, and another that all liars will find themselves in the lake of fire, Proverbs 6:16-19 and Revelation 21:8.  The scary thing about liars is that they can’t be trusted to do what they say, yet many Christians are willing to ignore this fact and what Scripture tells us to embrace either of these candidates.  Their willing to put the convictions and Biblical standards for which they live by, and some even teach and preach, on the altar of American greatness by placing their trust in those whose lives are surrounded in lies promising them many things that tickle their ears.  It is utter foolishness to embrace and place your hope and trust in someone that is proven to be a liar.

 

It’s been said that one of the candidates had recently given their life to Jesus, and if that is true then that is great!  While that claim has only been made through third parties, nothing has been said by the candidate to support that.  This is especially disheartening when this candidate keeps saying things that contradict what those close to them say on his behalf.  Despite no public claims of a life surrendered and given to Jesus, despite no apparent change in behavior or mindsets that would reflect such a decision and change of heart, we are being told that we are to be tolerant and understanding as this person is a baby Christian.  Yes, I agree we need to be gracious and understanding towards new and young Christians, but even when there is obvious evidence of a life changed for Jesus, Scripture gives us some instructions we should heed.  In 1 Timothy 5:22, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to not be hasty, or to be quick, to bring someone into church leadership, and to keep ourselves pure by not sharing in their sins.  I realize that this is about church leadership, but when you’re talking about putting someone into any area of leadership as someone that represents the Body of Christ, we need to be very careful not to put someone in there that has not grown and matured in the faith.  It could be argued that we are not voting for someone to represent the Body of Christ, but that is exactly what one is doing when the person they vote for should reflect what they believe and stand for.

 

There is a great divide taking place in this presidential election.  Who you decide to cast your vote for is between you and God, however, I would like to ask you a simple question.  If, and that is a big if, your eternal destination was determined by how you vote, would you be comfortable with your vote?  Your vote may not be a determining factor for eternity, but it could reveal where your heart truly is, and that could determine your eternal destination.  I’ve heard it said by some, “I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world, than to stand with the world and be judged by God”.  If Christians got together and cast their votes in a way that honors and represents God, whether it was for any one of the few names on the ballots or a name handwritten in, Christians would have a very significant effect on the outcome of the election in a direction that God would bless.  The problem is, instead of the church coming together to vote with the mind of Christ, we are divided and fractured in multiple ways.  Don’t fall into the trap that says God can only work through one of the two major candidates on the ballot, because the God I serve is big enough, and God enough, to still do His will and fulfill His purposes however He chooses to do so.

 

The “great divide” is starting, and you need to decide which side of it you’re going to put your trust on, and on whom you will place your allegiance.  Is your God big enough to trust Him by honoring Him with your vote, or is your God only capable for working within the two major candidates?  If you truly want to see change come to America, change that brings God back into every area of this country, change that restores the greatness it once had, change that will not and cannot come through any candidate, then it’s time we as Christians and the Body of Christ heed the following Scripture on behalf of our country more earnestly;

 

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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World Changers!

The world we now live in is going through a lot of changes.  We’re seeing it economically, socially, politically, and even religiously, just to name a few.  These changes are coming about as a result of political corruption and political agendas, various people groups claiming and demanding their rights at the expense of others, the overflow of violence and ideologies bleeding over into other cultures and societies that don’t share in their way of life, as well as the desire of various religious groups seeking ways to be more appealing and acceptable in the eyes of society.  Much of what we are seeing is a reflection of the overall perceptions of people where what is evil is now considered good, and what is good is now considered evil.

 

When I think of world changers, I think of something written by a physician in the first century named Luke.  In Acts 17:6, Luke quotes the statement made by some about the Apostle Paul and Silas, as well as other Christians, when they dragged Jason and others before the rulers of the city; “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”  What a statement that is, validating the ministry and influence of the Apostles and Christians on the world at that time.  They apparently had a tremendous impact on communities wherever they went, an impact that couldn’t be ignored.

 

Several years ago I had the privilege of sharing a message to graduating students, and the message I shared focused on the above passage.  In the days we now live in, I believe many, especially youth and young adults, are looking for a cause not only to live for, but one that is worth dying for, and when they find it they will be effective in impacting the world around themselves for that cause.  That is how we need to view and live our lives for Christ and the Gospel.  Are we willing not only to live for Jesus, but are we also willing to die giving ourselves for Him and to Him?

 

So, how do we change and impact the world around us for Christ?  While there are many different opinions out there on how Christians and churches are to accomplish that, I wonder what we can learn from Scripture and 2,000 years of history.  Do you want, as I do, to impact and turn the world around you upside down for Jesus?  Please know that as I write this I’m also talking to myself, looking at how I fall short in this area and what I need to do to change that in my life.

 

“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”  What were these men doing to illicit such a charge against themselves?  They were simply living a life blameless before God and man, boldly proclaiming whenever they could the good news of Jesus, manifesting signs and wonders to support and confirm the message they were proclaiming, all along with a strong conviction to give their lives for the furtherance of the gospel even if it meant death.  That is all we really read about in the Book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament.  Is this the model we must follow if we are to impact and transform our communities for Christ, or should we consider a different approach more in line with current culture and society?

 

While I couldn’t put a name on it until recently, I’ve seen over the past several years a push by some churches that have sought to impact and transform their communities through community involvement and works.  Yes, one way of outreach to the community is through community involvement and works, but to seek to impact and transform a community in this manner is like “getting the cart before the horse”.  Often times I’ve heard it said that the harvest field is outside the four walls of the church, but it seems like the majority of the time the community outreaches some employ are simply ways to entice people to come to church, and not so much pointing them to the cross where there is salvation, hope, and healing for them.  It’s almost as if they are trying to move the harvest field they talk about back into the four walls of the church instead of reaching them where they are at.  I’m reminded of a powerful movie that stars Gavin MacLeod, one that you should see if you haven’t already.  In the movie, Time Changer, it takes a look at how the push for morality apart from the name of Jesus deteriorates over time, and that we can never leave Jesus out of the equation.  In the same manner, community involvement without the proclaiming of Jesus and the good news of the gospel will become a community minded church with a very weak message of salvation to the very ones they seek to reach.

 

I mentioned the phrase “getting the cart before the horse”, and this is what I mean by that.  The approach of some churches is to impact a community through community involvement and works, expecting people to come to church and receive salvation when they do.  However, this is the opposite approach we see God used both in the Bible and the great revivals of the last 2,000 years.  The approach we see God using is what I described a couple paragraphs earlier.  When the early church took the approach as I described a couple paragraphs earlier, people were not only getting saved, but they were getting transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a result the communities were being transformed and turned upside down for Christ.  The transformation of the communities came as a result of lives being transformed by the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, and not the other way around.

 

When we look at the great revivals of the past, we see the same thing happening.  The focus was to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus, calling sinners to repentance with signs and wonders confirming the message, and where they experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.  It was then that bars and saloons were shut down, gambling halls closed their doors, and places of prostitution were put out of business.  In one revival, the Welsh Revival, it was reported that the work animals had to be retrained in regards to the commands they were given, commands that were once made up of obscenities and profanities were replaced with more appropriate and wholesome commands.

 

The focus of the early church and the great revivals of the past was not to impact and transform a community, but instead to point sinners to the cross for salvation, which as a result impacted and transformed communities.

 

The approach by some in recent years is to use what is referred to as a “missional” approach.  In this approach the idea is to be community minded, involved in community events and practical works.  They seek to live and reach out to people in the way that they think Jesus did; through community involvement, practical works, not holding people accountable for sin that is clearly identified as such in the Bible, being tolerant of other people’s beliefs, and being as appealing and attractive as possible to society and culture.  Several years ago a well-known pastor put together a guide for churches seeking to attract people to their church.  In this guide he pointed out that churches needed to do away with anything that might deter people from coming to their church, or that might make people feel uncomfortable for being there.  Some of the things he mentioned was to eliminate from the premises any crosses, to avoid any singing, preaching or teaching about the cross or the blood of Christ, and to definitely not mention or deal with sin or the repentance of it in any way.  This approach has the form of godliness but denies the power of God as the Apostle Paul told Timothy would be present in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

 

In regards to Jesus, the apostles and the early church, I’m not sure how they come up with how they lived to support their approach.  Where do we see in Scripture that their ministry was made up of community involvement and practical works?  Yes, we read of Jesus’ illustrated sermon washing the disciple’s feet on one occasion, but that is the only time that we see or hear of Him doing anything practical, so to speak.  And we can see from the disciple’s response that doing anything practical like this was not something they ever saw Him do before.  What Jesus was trying to convey to them was a mindset like He had (Philippians 2:5-11), willing to do whatever the Father asked of them to do no matter how low or hard it was.  If Jesus was wanting them to do practical works as a primary means of ministry and reaching the lost, then they apparently missed the point as we can see in Acts 6:1-7 they focused their attention on prayer and the ministry of the Word, giving to specially appointed disciples the responsibility of meeting the necessary practical works.

 

We also read in John 10:32 that Jesus did many good works that He had shown from the Father.  And in Acts 10:38 we read how that Jesus was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit and with power, doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.  Yes, Jesus did many good works; healing the sick, raising the dead, opening blind eyes and deaf ears, casting out demons, feeding thousands, changing water to wine, calming the winds and the waves, walking on water, talking to the forbidden and forgiving the judged.  To say that the good works mentioned in these passages were practical works ignores the context in which they were written, and it’s inconsistent with what we read regarding Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church.  Not only that, but Jesus also tells us in John 14:12 that not only will we do the works that He did, but greater works we will also do because He will go to the Father.  Each of these passages refers to the spiritual, signs and wonders, and not the practical works as some would like us to believe.

 

What am I trying to say?  If we are to see a community impacted and transformed for Christ, then it needs to start with living lives blameless before God and man, boldly proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, manifesting signs and wonders to confirm the message being given, and a strong conviction to give our lives completely to Him and the furtherance of the Gospel, even if it means to our death.  Community involvement and practical works, though good and a form of outreach to the lost, will never reach and transform a community if that is our mindset and focus apart from what we see in Jesus, the Apostles, the early church, and in the great revivals of the past.

 

If you want to be a world changer, to see your community impacted and transformed for Christ, then it has to start with prayer.  While prayer for the needs of others is great and important, prayer for the lost and the manifesting of the power of His Holy Spirit in our lives to reach the lost needs to become our hearts cry.  If we are to impact our community, then we need to make sure we are living blameless before God and man.  If we are to see souls saved and lives transformed, then we need to have more boldness to proclaim Christ to those we come in contact with, seizing the opportunities that God gives us to this end.  If we are to see lives reached and communities set ablaze for Christ, then we need to become instruments God uses to manifest the power of the Holy Spirit in signs and wonders to confirm the message.  Jesus said for those that believe signs and wonders will follow (Mark 16:15-18), and again He said we would be baptized with the power to be witnesses to Him (Acts 1:8).

 

Be a world changer for Christ!  I want to be a world changer for Jesus, and my prayer is that He will make me more of one for Him in my life.  What about you????

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Now Is The Time

It sure seems like things are getting pretty upside down in the world right now, and getting turned inside out on top of that.  One can’t help but wonder what is going on, and where is it all going to end up.  Unrest is growing in intensity, not just in other parts of the world but also here in America.  Lines are being drawn between different groups of people, and different ideologies of life and government.  Corruption is widespread from the highest levels of government all the way down to some of the most impoverished in society.  Violence is increasing to the point, and stirred up by some, that cold-blooded murder is becoming rampant from coast to coast, even to the point of targeting law enforcement.  What do we have to look forward to?

 

Have you ever been in one of those situations where the time had come that you had to react?  You know what I mean, where you just know it’s one of those “it’s now or never” moments?  We are speedily approaching that point in time where “it’s now or never”, if we’re not already there.  Am I talking about taking up arms to protect and defend ourselves and others?  Am I talking about moving to the mountains to get off the power grid and live in isolation, living as a hermit of sorts?  No, I’m not talking about either of those, or anything else of the sort.  What I’m referring to is something far greater in importance than any of those I mentioned.  I’m referring to one’s eternal destination.

 

Ever since God placed Resounding Shophar on my heart some 25 years ago, it has been my desire first and foremost to sound the alarm of the soon and imminent return of Jesus for His bride.  That desire was coupled with the sense of urgency to encourage and challenge people to make sure they are ready and prepared for His return.  That doesn’t mean that I have all the answers, or that I’ve mastered in my life what it means to be a child of God or His ambassador.  It just means that I’ve been willing and available to do it.

 

Over the years I have written short stories to help people remember Christ is returning and to refocus their eyes with that truth in mind.  I’ve challenged people in areas that they may have thought was unrelated to, or had no bearing on, the return of Christ and their readiness for it.  I’ve written about what it means to be ready when that trumpet sounds, as well as mindsets and behaviors that may cause some to not be ready when that time comes.  I’ve encouraged people to not live in the regrets or the “what if’s” of the past, but instead with an assurance of an eternity with Christ that awaits those who live for and place their trust in Him.  I’ve routinely written about the condition and attitudes of one’s heart, as well as the two mindsets I refer to as “kissing cousins”, legalism and extreme or hyper-grace.  I’ve written about the presence of unconfessed sin of an unrepentant heart, and those who choose to continue in sin finding ways to justify or rationalize why it’s okay to continue in it, and how that sin and mindset can interfere with their readiness for Christ and their plans for an eternity in heaven.  I’ve tackled the idea that all Christians will go up in the rapture when that trumpet sounds, and even the views held by some that there will be no literal, physical rapture of any kind.  I’ve even attempted to not only show Biblically how we can be assured of a coming rapture for the Church, but also why I believe it to be one that takes place prior to the seven years of God’s judgment we call the Tribulation Period.

 

I’ve shared my heart with Biblical support over the years regarding Christ’s return and our need to be ready when that trumpet sounds.  I realize there are different views regarding this subject matter within church circles, and some can even be supported in part with scripture.  I learned a long time ago that each person chooses what they believe, who they will believe, and what information they consider true and factual whether or not it truly is.  With that realization, I know that it is entirely up to you what you say or do with what I’ve written and presented over the years.  Do I have all the answers on this subject, and am I 100% right in what I’ve shared?  No, and probably not, but I have shared to the best of my ability and understanding what I believe God’s word has to say on the subject, and what God’s heart for us is as we see that day quickly approaching. 

 

I believe humanity in general, and Christians more specifically, are now in a position, or quickly speeding to it, where the term “it’s now or never” is sounding long and loud for people to get ready for Christ’s return for His Bride.  When we see things unraveling all around us and the world, and things speedily lining up for events specifically laid out in Scripture for the tribulation period, we have to understand that time is quickly running out for people to prepare and get ready for Christ’s return.  The abundant fulfillment of Biblical end-time prophesy right before our eyes I believe is the midnight call of Christ’s very imminent return.  No matter what your views are regarding the return of Christ, it would be wise for you to take the necessary steps to be watching and ready for Him when that time comes.  It’s not so much an issue of when you think He will be returning, but whether or not you are going to be ready when He does.  It doesn’t matter what you believe about the continuing presence of unrepentant sin in your life, sin that you’ve justified as okay and acceptable in your life, it would be wise to deal with it and get it out of your life.  No matter what you believe, are you willing to risk losing eternity in heaven by choosing to continue in a sin you have justified as acceptable and okay in your life on the basis of grace?  No matter what, NOW IS THE TIME for you to make sure you are ready and prepared for Him!

 

NOW IS THE TIME!!

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Don’t Blink!

Have you ever been on a trip heading to a specific destination, but because you blinked you missed it?  Oh, you were watching for it, but in that moment you blinked or got momentarily distracted you went right past it.  Or what about that time you thought for sure you still had another 10 or so miles to go before you would be at your exit, only to find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly going right past it?  At those moments you probably felt frustration, surprise, and possibly anger towards yourself for missing it.  It probably didn’t help much if there were others with you at the time, too.

 

Can you imagine what it would be like for those who get left behind when the rapture of the church takes place?  Especially for those who thought that they would be one of those caught up to meet Jesus in the air?  I don’t know about you, but I definitely do not want to be one of those left behind.

 

I’m hearing more and more Christians take the position that Jesus isn’t returning anytime soon, if at all.  For some, they think that things have to get much worse before Jesus will return.  Others believe that there has to first be a great revival.  And still a growing number of Christians are taking the position that Christ isn’t returning for His church at all in what we call the rapture.  Is this okay, or is there a danger for embracing such positions?

 

In Matthew 24:42 and Matthew 25:13, as well as in Mark 13:35-37 and Luke 21:34-36, Jesus tells us to watch for His return because we don’t know what day or hour that He will come for us.  Jesus isn’t casually telling us to be watching for Him, but He is saying so as a command with strong emphasis to heed and take seriously.  To emphasize the point, Jesus tells us in Revelation 16:15 that the one that watches for Him and takes care of their garments will be blessed, while those who didn’t watch or take care of their garments would find themselves walking naked, or without their robes of righteousness they once had through Christ, and others will see their shame.  Jesus doesn’t pull any punches, commanding His followers to be watching for His return, and rebuking those who didn’t heed His commands regarding His return.

 

So, where does that leave those who are taking the position that Jesus is not returning anytime soon, or that He’s not returning at all?  We’re told in 2 Peter 3:1-13 that in the last days there will be those who will mock the idea of Jesus returning for the Church, and we are seeing that more and more all the time.  How many times have you heard someone say something to the effect that “people have been saying He was coming back for 2000 years”, as if that is a good reason to assume He’s not coming and that they can live as they please?  These are the very people that the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told us would be scoffing at the thought of Christ returning in the last days.  If you are someone that doesn’t believe, for whatever reason, that Jesus isn’t coming back in the very literal and physical event we call the rapture, you are the very ones that God warned us about in these last days.  If you are a Christian and you still don’t believe that Jesus is coming back for the literal and physical rapture of the church, then you are embracing what the Apostle Paul referred to in Galatians 1:6-10, a “different gospel”, and he said to let those who preach and teach it to be “accursed”.

 

I heard of a Christian, a minister that doesn’t believe in a literal and physical rapture of the church, that said he’s convinced that if he was wrong regarding the rapture he would still be raptured up.  To take that position just shows how little he knows of what the Bible teaches regarding the rapture of the church and the consequences of those who aren’t looking and watching for it.  If a person can’t receive salvation if they don’t believe in it, or receive divine healing if they don’t believe in it, how can someone expect to be raptured up if they don’t even believe in it?  The logic this minister is using just doesn’t add up as sound or credible logic in the face of what Scripture tells us.

 

What about those who do believe in the rapture of the church but don’t think it will happen anytime soon?  As I mentioned earlier, some think things have to get a whole lot worse than they are before He will return, and others believe a great revival must first take place before He comes back.  Those who think that things need to get a whole lot worse before He returns, they often times take the approach that Christians in America have to first experience the physical persecution Christians experience in other countries.  Whether or not that is true is really a mute issue, especially when Jesus told us to be watching for His return as He will come at an unexpected moment.  If we think things need to get worse before He will return, then we are at least subconsciously lowering our guard on the premise that He’s not returning anytime soon, as if we really know that.  There is a very real danger with this mindset that I will address shortly.

 

Some Christians seem to think that there has to be a great revival before Christ will return, and like those who believe things have to first get much worse, there is a very real danger with this mindset as well.  While it would be great to see a tremendous revival happen before He returns, to think it has to happen prior to Jesus’ return is a dangerous position to embrace.  Yes, both Joel and the Apostle Peter talked about a great outpouring in the last days, but is it what we think it will be?  After all, when Jesus came the first time, fulfilling the prophesies of how He would come to a “T”, the people and the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him as the messiah because He didn’t come as they thought He should have.  I hear people talk about the prophesied revival of the last days, and what they think it should look like, but have you ever taken a really good look at the revival Joel and Peter described?  When you look at the description of the revivals they prophesied about, we’ve already been experiencing it the past 50 years, going back to the mid 1960’s.  I do believe there is a great revival yet to come for the whole world, but I believe the revival many people are talking about is one that will take place AFTER the rapture of the church.  Like I said, to be thinking that Jesus won’t be coming back until after one last revival is a very dangerous position to be in.

 

How can it be dangerous to believe that things have to get much worse than they are now, or that there has to be one more great revival before Jesus will return?  To begin with, most people who take such a position tend to lower their guard and take their relationship with Christ more casual and laid back than those who are expecting Him to return any moment.  It is here that people are less diligent to keep their robes of righteousness clean without spots or blemishes from sin and the world.  They become lax, thinking they still have tomorrow to “tidy up and get prepared” for His return.  Are these the only reasons why it’s dangerous to embrace such positions?  No, they are not.  We read in Matthew 24:45-51 that the servant that thought his master was delaying his return, and therefore paid little attention to the how he lived in the present, when the master returned at a time when he wasn’t expected to he cut the servant into pieces and gave him his portion among the hypocrites.  We see in Matthew 24:42-44, Luke 11:46-52, and Luke 12:35-48, that those who thought that the master was delaying his return not only got rebuked, but they also were dealt with along with those who were evil and hypocrites.  Luke 12:47 is especially sobering because it speaks to those servants, Christians, that know the masters will and did not prepare themselves or do the will of the master, that they would be beaten with many stripes.  Earlier we saw how strongly Jesus commands us to watch and prepare for His return, and now we’re seeing the consequences of those who don’t because they think His return is still a way off.

 

We are living in a time when we can’t afford “to blink” in our walk with Him, to get distracted with the cares and pleasures of life, or with the idea that He’s not coming back anytime soon.  We’re living in a time when the signs pointing to His very real and increasingly more imminent return are screaming out to us to watch and prepare for Him.  This is not the time to “blink”, because to do so may very well cost us eternity with Him.  To think that this isn’t possible, especially because of His love for us, that we don’t have to worry about it and that we’re a shoe-in for the rapture, is to discount both the commands and the warnings of Christ regarding His return and the times we are living in.  To embrace a teaching that says He’s not coming, or that He’s delaying His return, is a very dangerous position to take and could be viewed as playing a form of “Russian Roulette” with eternity.

 

You might be getting tired of hearing about Jesus’ return and the signs pointing to it, and perhaps finding yourself despising or rejecting any thoughts or conversation on the topic, but Jesus, Himself, tells us as He did the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13, to persevere.  He tells us that it is in our persevering that we will obtain the crown of life Jesus promises for us, and will keep us from the hour of trial and testing that will come to the earth.  Jesus said in Luke 21:36, that we are to watch and pray that we are counted worthy to escape that which is coming to the earth.  Watch!  Don’t blink!

 

Don’t blink!

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Looking for the Anti-Christ?

I remember as a kid growing up hearing people talking about the anti-Christ, trying to figure out who he was and whether or not he was even alive yet.  At the time most people seemed to think that it was Henry Kissinger, citing various reasons including one that suggested his name equaled the number 666.  Over the year’s people have speculated about who is the anti-Christ.  For one reason or another, people have speculated that it was Nero, Hitler, John F Kennedy, Prince Charles, and even Mikhail Gorbachev, just to name a few.  In recent years, it has been largely speculated that President Barak Obama is the anti-Christ, a position I have been hesitant to embrace though I believe he’s done a lot to propel us into the waiting arms of an anti-Christian, One World government.

 

Several years ago I was watching something on TV that looked at some of the leading candidates of our time for being the anti-Christ.  One name seemed to pop out at me more than the others because of where this person is from, who he associates with, and his desire to be the foremost world leader with a plan on how to accomplish that.  While his name has been in the news from time to time over the years, it hasn’t been until recent weeks that he’s been in the news a lot, and he’s become more aggressive in his attempt to position himself as the world leader he’s envisioned himself becoming.  His desire is to unite all the different Muslim groups under his leadership and control, sharing common goals and ambitions, and to create a Muslim caliphate state ran by Sharia law that has not been seen in centuries.  His name is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey.  Could he be the anti-Christ, or just someone helping to usher him in?  I can’t say one way or the other, but what I can say is that he is a viable candidate for the position.

 

Why am I sharing this with you?  Are we supposed to be focusing our attention on who is the anti-Christ, or is our attention supposed to be somewhere else?  While I do keep an eye out for the leading candidates to fill that position, I also think it fruitless to focus our attentions on it and try to speculate who that person will be.  There are two main reasons why I take that position that I want to share with you.

 

Listening to some I find that many believe we are already in the tribulation period, the period of time that marks the years the anti-Christ will rule.  They see and hear of all the persecution against Christians, the natural disasters and other calamities taking place throughout the world, and their answer to all of it is to say we’re in the tribulation period.  This leads to the first of two reasons for my position.  In Daniel 9:20-27, we read of the angel Gabriel telling Daniel about a period of 70 weeks.  In verse 24 we learn what the purpose of the 70 weeks is for, and in verses 25-26 we learn how the first 69 of those 70 weeks will conclude.  In verse 27 we learn about the 70th week, the last week of the 70 weeks Gabriel is talking about, and what will mark its beginning.  The beginning of this last of the 70 weeks, a period of time known by Biblical scholars as the 7-year tribulation period, starts off with the anti-Christ confirming a covenant of sorts that includes Israel.  This confirming of a covenant is the only sign we are given to identify when the tribulation period will begin, and that has not happened yet.  Yes, the times we are living in are tough and brutal, especially for Christians, but it is a result of sinful mankind rebelling against a holy God and His Children.  While some of what we see in the area of natural disasters and calamities may be specific and isolated judgments of God, what we are seeing is nothing near the judgments of God that will be poured out upon all mankind alive on earth during those seven years.  So, contrary to what some believe, based on the above scripture, we are clearly NOT in the tribulation period at this time.

 

The second reason for the position I take is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.  In this passage, specifically verses 3-8, the Apostle Paul mentions the anti-Christ, identified in this passage as the son of perdition, and when he would be revealed.  In verse 7 we are told that the anti-Christ is being restrained at this time, and that he will not be revealed until he who restrains is taken out of the way.  There is some debate within church circles as to who is being mentioned that is restraining the anti-Christ at this time, debating between the Holy Spirit and the Church.  I personally believe it is the Church, especially since we know that we’ve been promised that God would never leave or forsake us.  If the Holy Spirit were to leave He would have to take the Church with Him, but if the Church were taken out of the way, the Holy Spirit could still be working here on earth though His role may change since the Bride of Christ is no longer here.  With that, I believe Scripture is telling us that the anti-Christ will not be revealed until AFTER the rapture of the Church.  If that is the case, then why is it that so many Christians are caught up in this quest of sorts to identify who the anti-Christ is, often times at the neglect of watching and preparing for the return of Christ?

 

As Christians, we are told to be watching for the return of Christ for us, His Bride, and not for the anti-Christ.  We are also told to prepare for Christ’s return, not for the appearance of the anti-Christ.  I just saw a video of a woman proclaiming that God had revealed to her in two visions who the anti-Christ will be.  While I believe she is well intentioned and sincere in what she believes, I can’t say that I agree with her.  First off, we are told by God that the anti-Christ will not be revealed until AFTER the rapture of the Church.  Why would God tell us he won’t be revealed until after the rapture, only to reveal to someone who he is before we are even raptured up?  That is a contradiction of Scripture, and I choose to listen to Scripture more than someone’s visions.  Whenever someone says or proclaims something that clearly contradicts Scripture, we need to align ourselves with Scripture more than their supposed “revelations”.  Another reason I take what she says with a grain of sand is because the person she identifies doesn’t match up with Scripture that gives us clues to his identity.  We are told in Daniel 9:26 that the anti-Christ will come from the people that destroy the city and His temple, and it is on this basis that we have concluded he is to come from the ancient Roman empire.  The person this woman identifies doesn’t come from those who made up the Roman empire, though some have stretched things a lot on the basis that America was once a British colony.  Going back to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple of God, which took place in 70 A.D., we see that the Roman empire did lay siege upon Jerusalem and had a part in the destruction of the temple.  However, when we take a closer look at the historical accounts by two historians that saw these events first hand, we find that the Roman soldiers that took part in this siege was not primarily made up of natural born Romans.  Yes, the leadership were clearly Roman, but the soldiers themselves were primarily Syrians and Arabs, arch enemies and direct neighbors of the Jews.  This is another reason why I discount the person this woman identified, and why I mentioned the President of Turkey, understanding that modern Turkey was a part of Syria in 70 A.D.  Based on Scripture, the anti-Christ has to come from the middle east, and more specifically the area that made up Syria in that day, which included Turkey and Iraq.

 

So, if the anti-Christ will not be revealed until after the rapture, why do we need to know who he is?  Well, we don’t.  God gives us events and details of the last days for a number of different reasons.  I believe He gives us this information as part of the signs we are to be watching for to show us how imminent Christ’s imminent return for His Bride is, seeing the final steps taking place for things that will be taking place in the tribulation period.  I also believe He gives us this information to validate that He really knows what will take place long before any hint of them becoming reality was ever seen or imagined, and that we can have greater confidence in how things will be in the end.  Another reason I believe He shares these things with us, I believe, is more for those who are left behind, giving them information of events to come and what to expect, and to know when and how He is going to finish things off.  This information will be a big comfort for those who are left behind.

 

While it is important for us to be aware of the events of these last days, and to know the signs of His return, it is more important for us to be watching for the return of Jesus for His Bride, and to make sure we are prepared for Him when He arrives for us.  Don’t get so caught up trying to identify or speculate who the anti-Christ is, especially since God makes it clear that he will not be revealed until after the rapture of the Church, to the point that you are not actively watching for Jesus and making sure you’re prepared for Him.  Jesus is very adamant about us watching and preparing for His return, and gives us no instructions for watching and identifying the anti-Christ.  Don’t get caught up in the trap that so many others have fallen into.

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Rapture – Part 6

Well, this is the sixth and final installment of the rapture series.  In the previous installments we briefly covered how scripture supports the rapture teaching, the differences between the rapture and the second coming of Christ, the seven feasts of God, and the harvest cycles.  In this blog I want to present to you what I believe is one of the strongest Biblical pictures of a pre-tribulation rapture, and that is found in the ancient Jewish wedding.

 

A lot of times when we read of marriage in the Bible we tend to view them through filters based on the American culture.  When we do that, we end up missing what it is that God is trying to reveal to us in Scripture, especially when it comes to our relationship with Christ.  There is little resemblance between the wedding process of ancient Jews and what we practice here in America.  When we view our relationship with Christ in the context of marriage, we rarely see that it is also a picture of end-time events and the fulfillment of Biblical end-time prophecy.  When we realize this, it begins to really open up our understanding of what is in store for the Church and how the last days will take place.

 

To begin with, the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:2 that we are betrothed to Christ.  Betrothed is different than the western practice of being engaged to be married to another.  The practice of being engaged to be married is pretty much a commitment only as strong as the weakest commitment between the two getting married.  With betrothal, the two parties are considered married civilly, legally, relationally, and religiously, even though the marriage has yet to be consummated.  Unlike engagements that can be terminated simply by one of the two parties indicating they are backing out of it, the only way to break a betrothal is through divorce or death.  When Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he was planning on putting her away privately until an angel appeared to him, Matthew 1:18-25.  Even though they had not yet consummated the marriage, what Joseph was planning on doing was to give Mary a letter of divorce, ending the betrothal stage and the marriage.

 

In Ephesians 5:22-33 the Apostle Paul gives us some instructions regarding marriage, and in that portion of Scripture he likens marriage between a man and a woman to that of Christ and the Church.  The relationship between Christ and the Church is a marriage relationship, and in it we find clues that point to the rapture of the Church and other end-time Biblical prophecies.  Let’s take a look at some of these.

 

In the ancient Jewish wedding, it was initiated with the groom choosing his bride.  We see that in John 15:16 and in Ephesians 1:4 where Jesus chose us first.  If the groom’s father approved of his selection, then the groom would approach who he wanted with what is called a ketuba.  The ketuba was a proposed contract of sorts that the groom would present to the anticipated bride, one that would stipulate both what would he would commit to, and what was expected of her, in their relationship.  For the Christian, the Bible is our ketuba.  After approaching the prospective bride, if the bride consented to his proposal they would then take the necessary steps to contractually enter into marriage with each other, which often times included both of them drinking from the same cup.

 

After the new bride and groom enter into this marriage with each other, before they ever consummate the marriage, the groom would leave to go to his father’s house to prepare a place for his new bride.  We see this in our relationship with Jesus in John 14:1-2, where He tells us that He is going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for us.  When the groom left to go prepare a place for his bride, this period of time was usually around 12 months long, but the groom didn’t know how long as that was to be determined by his father.  Speaking of His return for the Church, His Bride, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 that He doesn’t even know when that will take place, but only the Father knows.

 

While the groom was gone preparing a place for his new bride, the bride was set apart for him alone, and she was to present herself to others as someone’s wife.  During this period of time, the betrothal stage, the bride was considered married to her groom legally, civilly, and religiously.  Anything on her part that could be viewed as being unfaithful or uncommitted to her groom drew very serious consequences.  This was a period of time that she was expected to prepare herself for her groom and his return for her, being ever watchful for him not knowing when he would return.  Throughout the New Testament we read of how we are to grow up and mature in Him, how we are to find our identity in Him alone, and how that we are to live a life pleasing and honoring to Him as we prepare ourselves for His return.  Furthermore, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:43 and Matthew 25:13, that we are to be watching for His return, not knowing when that will be.

 

In our relationship with Christ, we are in the betrothal stage.  Contrary to popular opinion, our marriage to Christ has not been finalized yet, and it won’t be until after we are raptured up to meet Him in the air.  Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 11:2 that we are betrothed to Jesus.  If our marriage to Him has been completed already, then he wouldn’t tell us we are betrothed to Jesus.  This is an important fact to remember.  Many people believe that once they enter into a saving relationship with Christ, their relationship with Him is complete and final, and that they are guaranteed a ticket to be a part of the rapture when it takes place.  Having this mindset is contradictory to what we see in Scripture, especially in the parables and teachings of Jesus that tell us that many who call themselves Christians will not be raptured up or enter into Heaven with Christ for eternity.  However, when we view our relationship with Jesus through the eyes of the ancient Jewish wedding, we can clearly see how that is.  When the groom returned for his bride and found that she wasn’t faithful to him, or that her affections were elsewhere, or even that she hadn’t prepared for him like she was supposed to, he would give her a letter of divorce and leave without her.  This is what Joseph planned to do with Mary when he heard that she was pregnant, but an angel intervened and told him not to put her away as he was planning to do.  When Jesus returns, if He finds that we’ve been unfaithful to Him, or that our affections are elsewhere, or that we hadn’t prepared ourselves for His return as we ought, He will also give us a letter of divorce and leave us behind.  A scary and very sobering thought to consider.

 

When the groom returns and finds his bride watching and ready for him, he would then take her back to his father’s house where they would then consummate the marriage.  This would mark the beginning of a week full of festivities attended by family and friends of the family, a period of time that was usually seven to 10 days long.  This period of time coincides prophetically with the tribulation period.  At what is known as the “Lord’s Supper”, Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:26-29 and in Mark 14:24-25 that after that time He would not again drink of the vine until He drinks it with us in His Father’s Kingdom.  Jesus was having the Passover meal with His disciples, and in understanding the Passover meal and the four cups they would drink from, we can know that they drank from the third cup of four cups.  They do not drink from the fourth cup, waiting for Elijah to return and drink from it announcing the arrival of the Messiah.  That fourth and last cup of the Passover meal has a unique name to it, the Cup of Consummation.  That will be the cup that Jesus and His Bride will drink from after the rapture of the Church, consummating the marriage between Jesus and the Church.  This is all happening during the tribulation period.

 

When the wedding festivities conclude seven to 10 days later, the bride and groom return to be seen publicly as husband and wife, and the groom will have a year where he does no work or go to war so he can focus his time and attention on his new bride.  In regards to Jesus and the Church, His Bride, we see this in Revelation 19:11-14 when Jesus returns with His Bride, the armies of Heaven.  It is at this time that the millennial, 1,000-year reign of Christ begins.

 

As you can see, the parallels between the ancient Jewish wedding and Christ’s relationship to the Church, as well as Biblical end-time events, are amazing.  Jesus is coming for a Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:25-27), and it’s up to the Bride to make sure her garments are clean and pressed for Him.  Jesus gave us His robe of righteousness when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, but it is up to us to keep that robe clean and free from sin and the marks of this world. If we don’t, then we risk getting a “letter of divorce” from Jesus and left behind.  In the midst of John recording what he was seeing with the judgments in the book of Revelation, Jesus pops in for a quick commercial to emphasize this important point.  In Revelation 16:15, Jesus tells us “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (NKJV).  If we miss the rapture, we lose our robe of righteousness that He gave us, and Jesus doesn’t want that to happen to us.  Are your garments spotted with sin, especially sin that you choose to continue in?  Jesus isn’t pulling any punches.  He wants us to be watching for Him with robes ready and prepared for Him.

 

Are you ready for Him?  If not, then this is the time to do so!  You can’t wait until a better time to prepare for Him, or to get sin out of your life.  Don’t allow your robes of righteousness to remain blemished and spotted from the world!  Jesus is coming back, and by all indications much, much sooner than most care to believe.  Don’t be caught off guard and unprepared!

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Rapture – Part 5

In part 3 and 4, we took a look at the seven feasts God established for Himself in Leviticus 23, and how that in them we not only see the rapture, but also a pre-tribulation rapture.  This was one of three Biblical pictures we will be briefly looking at that point to a pre-tribulation rapture.  In this blog, part 5 of the rapture series, we’re going to take a brief look at the second of three Biblical pictures I want to give you that point to a pre-tribulation rapture, and that is found in the harvest cycles.

 

Every year, there were three feasts that God instructed all the men to attend, and each of these feasts were identified with three different harvests.  The three feasts that required the attendance of all the men were Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  The Passover feast emphasized the barley harvest, Pentecost emphasized the wheat harvest, and Tabernacles emphasized the harvest of fruit, namely grapes.  How each of these harvests were conducted represents not only the three phases of the harvest, but also in them the three resurrections.

 

The first harvest, the barley harvest, involved a process of winnowing where the entire stalk was thrown up into the wind.  When the barley was tossed up into the wind, the wind would separate the shell from the barley.  This harvest represents the rapture of the Church before the tribulation period begins, where those who are in Christ are caught up in the air to meet the Lord.  We can also see this when Elijah was caught up into a whirlwind and when Jesus was taken up in a cloud in the presence of His followers.

 

The second harvest, the wheat harvest, involved a more aggressive form of harvesting.  In order to break and separate the shell from the wheat it requires a threshing process.  This process was done in the time of Christ with a Roman threshing roller called a tribulim, the word we get tribulation from.  It means to press or squeeze, creating pressure that causes separation.  This harvest represents those who come out of the tribulation period.  Christians who were not ready and prepared when the rapture took place will be a part of this group, those who will have to give their lives for Jesus.

 

The third harvest, the grape harvest, is a harvest involving a crushing.  Grapes do not have a shell but instead have flesh and skin that needs to be crushed in order to get the juice.  The tribulation period is the “grapes of wrath” and the “winepress of God”.  This represents the harvest, the resurrection, at the end of the tribulation period, Revelation 14:17-20.

 

Barley is soft and represents the church and the overcomer, Revelation 2-4.  Wheat is hard and must be separated from the shell through the pressures created in the tribulation period, Revelation 14:1.  Grapes are crushed representing the winepress of God, Revelation 14:19.

 

Biblically, the way that a field was harvested provides another picture of how God will harvest His people in these last days.  This process involved three phases in order to harvest the whole field.  The first phase was about the first fruits, the overcomers (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).  In this phase the priests would go through the field and select portions of the field that was ripe and ready for harvest, and then they would harvest the portions they selected with either a sickle, or simply pull it out of the ground, to take back to the temple.  This represents the rapture, the resurrection of the dead in Christ out of the ground, and the catching up of the living who are in Christ who are ripe and ready for harvest.

 

The second phase of the harvest was when the main field was harvested, leaving the four corners of the field to provide gleanings for the poor and the widows.  This represents the second harvest that takes place in the middle of the tribulation period, where people have washed their robes by giving their lives for Jesus (Revelation 14:15).  This phase includes the 144,000 Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel, as well as possibly those Christians who missed the rapture because their garments were spotted with sin and they were not ready when He came for them.

 

The third and final phase of the harvest is when the four corners of the field are harvested (Matthew 24:31).  At this point the entire field has been harvested.  This final phase of the harvest represents those who are gathered together from the four corners of the earth at the end of the tribulation period.  These are called the remnant, those who lived and gave their lives for Christ in the last part of the tribulation period.

 

Understanding the different phases associated with the harvesting of a field helps us understand both the manner and the order in which God will harvest His people from the earth.  Some people get confused when they read in the book of Revelation the saints and elect having to go through the tribulation period, thinking that these terms refer to the church.  This is not necessarily the case as both terms, the elect and the saints, have been used throughout the Bible referring to different individuals or groups.  The term “elect” has been used to identify Christ, of the angels, Israel, Jacob, a woman, and also the church.  The term “saints” in the New Testament means “a holy thing”, and it represents anyone who has been washed in the blood of Christ.  While both terms can obviously refer to the Church, one is hard pressed to arbitrarily conclude that the references in the book of Revelation is speaking exclusively of the Church.  There are some problems when we try to say that it is referring strictly to the Church.  When we see indications that in Heaven there are those who would have been resurrected and raptured up there, all the while seeing saints and the elect on earth going through the tribulation period, this can lead to confusion when attempting to say they are all the Church. The last time we read of the church in Revelation is chapters 2-3, after which in Revelation 4 we read about John being called up to Heaven and what he sees when he gets there.  Like others, I believe this represents the rapture of the Church.  From that time on there is no mention of the Church, except for it being identified as the Bride of Christ at the end of Revelation.  The saints and elect mentioned after chapter four more than likely refers to those who are living and giving their lives for Christ after having realized they had been left behind. 

 

During the tribulation period those who were raptured up observe the transition of Jesus from High Priest to King, appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ, receive rewards, and are present at the wedding between Christ that His Bride, the Church.  Once the wedding is complete, Jesus and His Bride return to earth to establish Christ’s reign on earth for 1,000 years.  In the next part of this series on the subject of the rapture, I’m going to cover what I believe is one of the strongest pictures of a pre-tribulation rapture.  In the meantime, the most important question to ask yourself is whether or not you are ready for Him if He were to return before your next breath?  If you are not ready to meet Him, then this is the time to get ready.  Time is short, and this is not the time to be taking this casually and risk getting left behind.  Now is the time to get it right with Him, and to keep things right with Him.

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Rapture – Part 4

In my last blog we covered the seven feasts that God established for Himself, feasts that were to mark future points in time in God’s plan of redemption for mankind.  While these feasts were God’s feasts, they were given to the Jews to keep and observe every year, and the Apostle Paul told us in Colossians 2:16-17 that they are a shadow of things to come.  It hasn’t been until recent years that the Christian community has even stopped to consider the possibility that in these feasts Biblical end-time prophecy can be found, much less that it had anything to do with us.  In these feasts we can not only see the rapture of the church, but also that the rapture is a pre-tribulation event.

 

Of the seven feasts that God established for Himself, one of them clearly represents the rapture of the Church, and that is the fifth feast known as the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah.  It is in learning more about this feast that the words of the Apostle Paul regarding the rapture of the Church begins to make more sense.

 

So, what do we know of the Feast of Trumpets?  The Feast of Trumpets represents a day of the blowing of trumpets.  On that day the shofar, a trumpet made from the horn of an animal, is sounded 100 times.  There are four distinct sounds it makes, and three of those sounds are blown 33 times each, with the fourth sound only being blown one time after all others have sounded.  Each of the four sounds represent something different.  The first is called Tekiah, a long single blast, which represents “the sound of the Kings coronation”.  The second one is called Shevarim, three short wail-like blasts, which represents “repentance”.  The third sound is the Teruah, nine staccato blasts of alarm, which represents “to awaken the soul”.  The fourth, and final, sound is the Tekiah Ha-Gadolah, a great long blast, which represents “for as long as you can blow”.

 

Here is a list of some of the things this feast represents.

 

–          The day of the blowing of trumpets

–          The day of the awakening blast

–          The day of the resurrection

–          The day of the coronation of the King

–          The day the King takes His bride

–          The day of the King’s wedding

–          The day God divides mankind into three groups, the wholly righteous, the wholly wicked, and the intermediates (those in between)

 

Do you see the parallels between this feast and the rapture of the Church?  The resurrection of the dead, Jesus receiving His bride, the Church, and the wedding between Christ and the Church?  Or, what about God dividing mankind into three groups, taking the wholly righteous while leaving the wholly wicked and those Christians unprepared for His coming for them?

 

There are two phrases from both Jesus and the Apostle Paul that alludes to this Feast of Trumpets.  The first one is by Jesus in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32, “but of that day and hour no one knows”, referring to the rapture of the Church.  Of all the seven feasts, it was only this one that no one knew when it would take place.  Oh, they knew it would be within a 48-hour span of time, but when exactly they did not know.  There would be at least two witnesses set to observe the phases of the moon, and when the moon reached a certain phase they would report to the priests what they had seen.  Once the priest got word from the witnesses that they had seen the specific moon phase, then the priest would declare when the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah would begin.  Until that moment, they never knew when it would start as it was dependent upon the “new moon”, and as a result ancient Jews identified this feast as “the day and hour no one knows”.

 

The second phrase alluding to this feast was by the Apostle Paul, referring to the rapture of the Church in 1 Corinthians 15:52.  It was the phrase “last trump”, or in some translations “last trumpet”.  Some people argue that the trumpet Paul is alluding to is the last of the seven trumpets sounded in the book of Revelation, but this is not the case.  To begin with, the book of Revelation was written about 35 years after Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, and there is no indication that people questioned what he was even talking about.  However, ancient Jews in Paul’s day were well aware of the phrase “last trump”, and that was in direct connection to the Feast of Trumpets.  Remember I mentioned there were four distinct sounds on Rosh Hashanah, and the first three were blown 33 times each, and that the fourth sound was only blown once and after all the others had been sounded?  That fourth sound, the final blast of the shofar on that day, was known by all Jews as the “last trump”, or “last trumpet”.  A definite connection to the Feast of Trumpets.

 

Another facet of this feast that corresponds to the rapture is what is called the Teshuvah season.  The Teshuvah was a period of time that spanned 40 days, starting 30 days before the Feast of Trumpets.  Teshuvah is translated “repent” or “repentance”, and it is believed to stem from the third time Moses ascended Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights to get the second set of tablets.  The theme of this season is repentance, and Isaiah 55:6 is considered thematic of the season.

 

The first 30 days of this season of repentance are set aside for soul searching, repentance, and forgiveness, and it ends on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets.  This is a period of time when people are to repent of sin in their life, give and seek forgiveness of those we’ve wronged seeking to make things right with them, and finally to prepare for judgement.  The primary motivation for them is to be found worthy to be resurrected and called up by the King so they won’t have to go through the remaining ten days of this season.  We can see the scriptural parallel with this period of time in Luke 21:36 and Mark 13:32-33, where we are told to watch and pray to be counted worthy to escape that which is coming to the world, knowing that the day He returns will be the “day and hour no one knows”.  Other scriptures that should be noted with this time are Matthew 24:36-38 and Luke 17:26-30.

 

The last ten days of the Teshuvah season are called “Days of Awe”, which ends on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.  These last ten days directly correspond with the tribulation period, and it’s a time of serious introspection and opportunity to change the books your name is written in.  This is a period of time Jews know they do NOT want to go through because it will be that bad.  Only the righteous who are resurrected and called up on the Feast of Trumpets will escape this period of time.  Jesus mentions this in Revelation 3:10-11.  Those who were not wholly righteous or are wholly wicked that are left behind are given an opportunity during this period of time to solidify their eternal destination in heaven or hell by their works during this time.  Even those who were wholly wicked will have an opportunity during this time to get their names in the Book of Life by works starting with repentance, works that will probably include giving their very lives for the name of Jesus Christ.

 

In the middle of the judgments being poured out in the book of Revelation is a scripture that almost seems out of place, Revelation 16:15.  It’s like Jesus is popping in for a quick news flash making sure people know that they are blessed who are watching for His return and keep their robes of righteousness, otherwise they will be found walking naked and people will see their shame.  This is also why it is so important for us to consider what the writer of Hebrews tells us in, Hebrews 12:1-2, to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily trips us up.  This is not the time to playing with eternity nonchalantly.  If you haven’t been taking your walk with Jesus seriously, now is the time to start as His return is imminent as the signs of the times are so clearly screaming out to us.  Even the Jews, and I’m not talking about Messianic Jews who accept Jesus as the Messiah, know that the period of time between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are not anything anybody in their right mind wants to go through.  If they recognize that, how much more should we when we see God’s plan of redemption for mankind unfold before our very eyes?

 

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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Rapture – Part 3

In a previous blog I briefly touched on what is the rapture.  We covered where the word “rapture” came from, and some of the reasons why some discount it as a Biblically sound teaching.  We also touched on the three primary views surrounding its timing; pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation.  Among the three different views, I believe that the pre-tribulation position is the strongest of the three, and I want to cover why that is.

 

As I stated in the first blog of this series, there are some who discount the rapture as a Biblically legitimate view.  They either take the position that there is no Biblical evidence of a rapture, which we’ve already proved to be incorrect, or they take the position that all Biblical end time prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D.  Those that take the position that all end time prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. also believe that God has been done with Israel since then, and that the law found in the Old Testament is null and void, completely done away with for all mankind.  This is a scary position to take.  We’ve already showed in the Old Testament individuals that had been raptured to heaven, a shadow of what God has in store for the Bride of Christ.  What about the other references in the Old Testament to a rapture yet to happen?

 

In Leviticus 23, God lays out to Moses feasts that he is to proclaim to be holy convocations, feasts that are Gods.  Many people tend to view the seven feasts that God instructs Moses on as feasts for Israel and the Jews to abide by, but this is incorrect.  While it is true that the Jews are instructed to keep and observe these feasts, God makes it clear that they are His feasts and not theirs.  God established these feasts in part so the Israelites would remember what He had done for them in times past, but they were also set up to mark future points in time relating to His plan of redemption for humanity.  When we take a look at these feasts we see that Jesus fulfilled the first three feasts on the actual day of each feast, and then the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost marks the fulfillment of the fourth feast.  If what God laid out in the Old Testament was done away with and made null and void with Christ and the subsequent destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., then when and how were the last three feasts fulfilled?  If these feasts were not fulfilled prior to 70 A.D., and now they are of no importance to us, then does that mean God didn’t know what He was doing when he established them?  Or that He made a mistake in His calculations of time, which seems rather odd to think considering He’s the creator of time itself.  To say that those feasts are of no relevance to us, especially if they hadn’t been fulfilled, that is to say God is not all knowing or in control of times and events, especially ones that He has established for Himself.

 

Are these feasts something that we don’t need to be concerned with, or is there something about them we do need to be aware of?  The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia that he is concerned about them and how they were becoming legalistic in their observations of the days, months, seasons and years (Galatians 4:9-11).  Paul isn’t saying it’s wrong to keep the feasts, as he even told the Corinthian church to keep the feast in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, but that we shouldn’t be in bondage to them.  Later in Colossians 2:16-17 Paul tells us that they are a shadow of things to come.  This would indicate that future prophetic events can be identified through the feasts, and that it is important for us to be aware of them to properly discern what is and will be happening in the future.

 

So, what are the feasts we are referring to, and how did Jesus fulfill the first three?  Can we find evidence within them not only of a rapture, but also a pre-tribulation rapture?  Let’s take a brief look at them.

 

1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening (John 19:14). 2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life. 3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.” 4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter’s great sermon and his first proclamation of the gospel. 5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52). 6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they “look upon Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36). 7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34) – Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).

 

We can see from above that the first four feasts have already been fulfilled through Jesus and the birth of the Church.  We can also see that those feasts were fulfilled in the order that God established them.  If God continues to fulfill the feasts in the order that He gave them, then it only makes sense that the next feast to be fulfilled would be the Feast of Trumpets.  The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, is the feast that represents the rapture of the Church to Christ.  Everything about this feast and what it represents screams rapture.  I’m not going to go into all the details of this feast in this blog, but the period of time between it and the sixth feast, the Day of Atonement, represents a seven-year period of time that we identify as the seven-year tribulation period.

 

I will go into more depth regarding the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, in the next installment of this rapture series of blogs.  In the meantime, no matter what your position is with the timing of the rapture, the most important thing is that you are ready for it no matter when it takes place.  If you’re not ready for it, today is the day to get ready.  Time is short, and the rapture is just around the corner.

John Johansson (Pastor John)

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