watching – Resounding Shophar Ministries

Spinning

Is your head starting to spin a bit? Do you find that a lot of what is going on in the world around us, both domestically and globally, is starting to become overwhelming to follow and to grasp? On the domestic front, we’re not seeing division growing between two different groups, but worse, a splintering of many different groups at odds with one or more other groups. No matter what your position is, it is becoming more and more evident that America is beginning to implode as a nation, and outside of wishful thinking the final outcome is yet to be known. Violence, including school violence, is rapidly increasing from coast to coast. Besides the exposure of long-term corruption in government, the Union is beginning to lose the national unity it once had seeing government agencies from the local level all the way up to the Federal level that are attempting to establish themselves as independent of the others to do their own will according to their own agendas. Where there were once only two genders, now there is the recognition of over 12 different “genders”. Where it was a crime and a disgrace to be a pedophile, there is now a push to “normalize” pedophiles within society. And the list goes on.

On the global scene, we see Russia beginning to position itself as a world super power and the primary voice in the Middle East. We see Iran expanding its presence and influence all around Israel with the primary objective to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. We see Turkey rearing its head up and trying to become a force to be reckoned with, expanding its position in the Middle East. And, we see what a civil war in Syria was once become the battle ground of multiple wars, with the biggest and fiercest of these conflicts centering in and around the city of Damascus. Like no other time in history, we are seeing, for those who have been watching and paying attention to what’s happening around the world, the final pieces coming together for the beginning of the great Tribulation period, Jacob’s Trouble.

Spiritually, deceptive teachings are becoming more and more the accepted norm, with false teachers rising up all around promoting many of these false teachings. The Apostle Paul told us that in these last days there would be Christians turning from sound doctrine only to embrace that which tickles the ears. We have people more concerned about exposing and ripping out the tares in the field than they are the health of the wheat, alluding to the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, and as a result are hurting and destroying some of the precious wheat God has planted “in the field”. Division is growing in church circles between authentic followers of Christ, and those who are not. The majority of the church here in America has lost sight of what it means to be followers and ambassadors of Christ and have embraced teachings that are incompatible with what we’ve been commissioned and commanded to do.

In December of 1989, George W. Bush, Sr. met with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev on the island of Malta. I don’t remember much of the events surrounding that meeting, but there is one thing that has stuck with me ever since then. I don’t remember which popular TV news anchor of that era it was, but I remember one reporting from a boat amid a storm out on the Mediterranean Sea, and he made a statement I have never forgotten. It wasn’t so much what he said, but what God spoke to me immediately after this news anchor made the statement. This TV news anchor, braving the raging storm around him, issued an apology to the networks viewers. At that time so many different things were happening all around the world, major events of sorts, that he apologized that they were having problems covering all that was taking place, letting the viewers know that they were trying their best to keep them informed of things. He indicated things were happening too fast for them to cover everything, and God immediately told me that what they were experiencing was just a taste of how fast things are going to happen leading up to the return of Jesus for His bride. When God quickened that to me, I immediately knew things would happen so quickly when that time comes that people’s heads would be “spinning” trying to grasp and comprehend all that was happening. I also became acutely aware that things will happen so fast, that only Christians who are watching and preparing for the return of Christ for them will experience a peace during this time that only God can provide, and with that those who had not been actively watching and praying regarding His return would be caught unaware of His return.

Some people are really bothered with me talking and writing about watching for and praying that they are counted worthy regarding the return of Christ in what we know as the rapture, as though I’m making it into something more than it needs to be. Yes, Jesus tells us on multiple occasions to watch and pray regarding His return for us, His bride, and on one occasion even to watch and pray that we’re counted worthy to escape that which is coming to the earth. Yes, Jesus tells us in Revelation 3 that if we’re not watching we’ll miss His return. Yes, Jesus tells us in Revelation 16:15 that those who were watching and kept or took care of their garments, robes of righteousness, they are blessed. But the reality of how vitally important it will be for us to be watching and praying became so very real to me on that day some 28 years ago, a reality that I have not been able to shake since then. If a person is not watching and praying before everything starts “hitting the fan”, so to speak, things will be happening so fast that it will be the last thing on many of their minds to do, and even then, they may experience the same plight of the five foolish virgins Jesus tells us about in Matthew 25.

Things are not just heating up all over the world, but things are happening at an ever-increasing rate, which includes the fulfillment of Biblical end-time prophesies. Now is not the time to be sticking your head in the sand pretending things are not as they truly are, or that things are not going in the direction that they clearly are. Now is the time, if you haven’t been already, to start watching and praying as we so clearly see how imminent Jesus’ return for His bride is. Don’t be caught up with the deceptive tactics of misdirection, where the enemy keeps our eyes and focus off what it needs to be at this time, staying aloof to the growing signs all around us, domestically and globally, pointing to our redeemers return. Don’t get caught with your head spinning trying to grasp and comprehend what is going on!

Again, don’t get caught with your head spinning trying to grasp and comprehend what is going on! Keep a clear mind by keeping your eyes and focus on Jesus and His imminent return for us and keep watching for Him!

John Johansson

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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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Are You Watching?

A number of times in the New Testament Jesus is recorded as commanding us to watch. Usually this was in reference to His return for us, His bride. Over the years, and especially in recent months, I have talked with people who took one of three positions regarding this idea of watching and what it means to watch. Some have indicated that they believe they don’t need to watch for Jesus’ return as long as they are living for Him, and others have shared that there isn’t a need to be watching for him now as they don’t believe Jesus will be returning anytime soon but instead 20 to 100+ years from now. And, there is a third group of people who believe Jesus could return at any time and are actively watching for it.

So, what does it mean to “watch”? Perhaps this is why some people take such a relaxed approach to Jesus’ return, not really understanding what it means to “watch”? According to Dictionary.com, the definition of “watch” is;

to be alertly on the lookout, look attentively, or observe, as to see what comes, is done, or happens:
to look or wait attentively and expectantly:
to keep awake, especially for a purpose; remain vigilant, as for protection or safekeeping:
to look or wait attentively and expectantly for:
to guard, tend, or oversee, especially for protection or safekeeping:

For those who think that just living for Jesus qualifies as watching for Him, we can clearly see from this definition that this is not the case. Imagine with me for a moment that two people are cruising down the interstate at 70 mph, both of them are in the farthest lane to the left. Both of them are heading to the same destination, maybe a vacation resort of some sort. One of these people are in deep conversation with someone else in the car, listening to some music or intently observing the scenery as they go along. The other person is also talking to someone, listening to the radio or looking at the scenery, but all the while they are paying close attention to the signs along the interstate so at to make sure they don’t miss the exit.

After traveling for several hours and hundreds of miles the second person begins to make their way making one lane change after another until they are in the farthest right lane, yet the first person is still in the fast lane and busy talking to someone and taking in the sights as they go. After a few more minutes the second person activates their turn signal and prepares to exit the interstate, but the first person is oblivious to the fact that they are about to go right past their exit at 70 mph.

The correlation is that the first person is too busy living and enjoying life and not paying any attention to the signs alerting them that their exit is just ahead, but the second person, while they are still living life, are paying close attention to the signs and begin making the necessary preparations to safely exit the interstate when they reach their exit. The first person wasn’t watching at all, or even felt the need to be, but the second person knew that they needed to pay close attention to the signs so as to not miss the exit. Some Christians are too busy living and enjoying life and are not paying attention to the signs all around alerting us to Jesus’ soon and possibly imminent return for His Bride, and that is a dangerous place to be in.

The second group of people don’t feel the need to really be watching and preparing for Jesus’ return because they think it will be another 20 to 100+ years from now before He returns. Many of them like to say that it’s been 2000 years since we were first told He would be returning, and therefore it’s going to be quite a while still before He actually returns. This, also, is a very dangerous view to be embracing. One of the indicators we see in Scripture regarding the last days, which only confirms that we are in that day, is that people would mock or scoff at the idea of Christ returning any time soon. Don’t be one of those who take that position. It’s not going to be worth it!!

Like I said earlier, several times Jesus instructs us to watch, and in Mark 13:37 Jesus commands us with emphasis to “watch!” So, if Jesus is telling us so strongly to be watching for His return, and the signs that point to it, why do so many seem to think that they don’t need to? I know some think that all Christians will go up in the rapture, and because of that they feel secure enough that they don’t see the need to watch for Him, as if they know more than Jesus on the subject. Jesus wasn’t telling the non-believer, those who were not following after Him, to watch, but instead He was telling those of us who are believers and follow after Him to watch. If that is the case, apparently He knows something that many choose to ignore or refuse to believe, and that is not everyone who call themselves Christians or follow after Him will go up in the rapture.

Others seem to think that Jesus will not be returning any time soon, even though they do believe He will one day return. These people are basically sticking their heads into the sand and wanting to think nothing but positive thoughts, listening to teachers and preachers who tickle their ears. These same people are choosing to ignore for one reason or another the signs along the interstate telling them that the exit is just ahead and not as far away as they would like to think. Multiple times Jesus describes these individuals, Christians who believe Jesus won’t return any time soon and live as they choose, as wicked servants. Pretty harsh words, but Jesus is making the point of how foolish it is to embrace such a mindset. Nowhere do we find that Jesus complimented or praised those who didn’t live watching and preparing for His return, but instead He chastised them for believing and acting accordingly.

When we talk of watching for the return of Jesus for His Bride, the church, we also have to remember some other words of Jesus regarding this. In Matthew 24:32-51, Jesus reiterates the need to watch for His return. He indicates that it was the good servant who watched, prepared and guarded his household against the thief’s arrival, but it was an evil servant who did not watch and take the necessary preparations against the thief. Jesus used that illustration to point out that the “good” follower of Jesus will be watching and preparing for His return, and that the “evil” follower of Jesus will not be, and when Jesus returns he will give to the “evil” follower his portion among the hypocrites. This also corresponds with the parable of the 10 virgins who represent 10 Christians. The five wise ones who were waiting and prepared for Him left with Him at His arrival, but the five foolish ones who had not made enough provisions to last until He returned missed Him when He arrived and were later denied access to the wedding.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus tells us not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father. Some think that just because they said a prayer and go to church they are a shoe-in for heaven, but Jesus doesn’t say that. According to Jesus, what kept some from entering heaven even though they acknowledged Him as their Lord and had an impressive Christian resume was the fact that they did not do the will of God in their life. Instead they lived as they deemed sufficient and appropriate in their sight, practicing lawlessness in the sight of God. Part of God’s will for each and every one of us is that we be watching the signs that point to Jesus’s return and taking the necessary steps in preparation for it, which according to the signs screaming all around us is imminent.

Are you watching? If not, then perhaps you should start, paying close attention to the signs around us that point to His return. Jesus warned us, not the non-believer, of deception in these last days, as well as wolves in sheep’s clothing who deceive us into thinking and believing things that are contradictory to Scripture, ignoring what is said in the Bible regarding the days we are in which will only get worse. An apathetic and complacent attitude and behavior in our relationship and pursuit of Christ, as well as in regards to Jesus’ return, is one of the biggest weapons the enemy of our souls is using to ensnare and trap Christians into. Keep watching and don’t get caught up in the lies of the enemy promoted by wolves in sheep’s clothing, no matter what his or her Biblical credentials or resume may be like.

Are you watching???? Keep watching!!!!

John Johansson

As in the days of Noah …

I often times will take a minute and just observe people and what they are doing. As I observe them I can’t help but wonder if they even have a clue about what is coming to this earth. I see them in their cars talking to others in the vehicle, some going in and out of various establishments, and others just walking down the street seemingly without a care in the world. Well, some of the people I observe are actually carrying a lot of the cares of the world on their shoulders, and it shows. I don’t know how many of these people are followers of Christ, or for that matter mere fans of Jesus, but I believe it is safe to say that the majority of them are not. For many of them, Jesus is the farthest thing from their minds, being more concerned about the party the night before, looking for that perfect dress, checking out the sights and feeling the excitment of a relationship they’re in.

In Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus tells us that the time of His return will be as the days of Noah, a time when they were more caught up with enjoying life than they were in heeding the warnings of this man named Noah. After all, who could’ve imagined a flood of any type, much less a global one that would destroy all life as they knew it. It sounds just as absurd as the rapture, doesn’t it? Well, the flood Noah told them was going to come actually came, and only those who heeded the warnings of Noah was saved. People are so caught up now with living life that they are not heeding, or even listening to, the warnings of Jesus’ soon return. They are more concerned about living for the moment than they are in preparing their lives for eternity.

In Luke 21:34-36, Jesus tells us to be watching for His return, and I wonder how many people are heeding these words of Jesus. Sadly, the majority of people, both Christian and non-Christian, are not watching for Him. Obviously, those who are not Christians wouldn’t be looking for His return, but what about Christians? You would think that Christians would be watching, but many of them are just content with living life under the premise of ‘occupying till He comes’. Yes, we are to ‘occupy till He comes’, but Jesus made a point in telling us, no, commanding us to be watching for Him. So, why is that many Christians are just not watching?

I find myself listening, watching and reading the news only to see Biblical end-time prophesies jumping off the pages more and more. I can’t help but see that Jesus’ soon return is very soon. Who knows, perhaps He’ll come back tonight while we’re sleeping, but seeing how so few are even looking for His return I can only imagine how many will be caught off guard.

I encourage you to take another look at Luke 21:34-36, and see how clear Jesus is that we keep watching for Him. Don’t be careless with your eternity and not take His return seriously. In watching for Him, it would only make sense that we make sure we’re ready and prepared so that we won’t be left behind. I can’t help but wonder how much peoples lives would change if they were to take His return seriously and lived a life watching for Him.

Jesus is coming back, and if what is happening throughout the world is the fulfillment of Biblical end-time prophesies and the final steps in lining things up for the tribulation period, then we need to realize His return is very, very, very close.

Be watching!!!!

John Johansson

www.resoundingshophar.com

Making Your Decision Count

It is evident from world events that things are winding down and the return of Christ is very, very near. I’m reminded about the parable Jesus shared in Matthew 25 regarding 10 virgins, five of which were wise and five were foolish. I don’t know about you, but I want to be counted among the wise. It is commonly believed that the virgins represent Christians, and if that is the case that causes problems with the theology of some who believe once your saved you’re always saved. I personally believe the virgins in this parable represent Christians, and that just because someone sincerely says the ‘sinners prayer’ does not automatically guarantee their entrance into Heaven. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about ‘deathbed confessions’. I’m talking about people who have asked Jesus to come into their heart and believe that is enough to get them into heaven no matter what happens in the future.

While it is true that nothing can seperate us from the love of God, there is nothing in scripture that indicates we lose our free will to choose or to change our minds. There are plenty of scriptures that would indicate one can get shipwrecked in their faith, and that they can die spiritually which wouldn’t be possible unless they had first come alive spiritually. When Jesus tells us that there will be some who will say, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not …. in your name” only to hear Him tell them to depart from Him for He never knew them, that is a sobering situation.

One scripture that comes to mind is Revelation 3:5, where Jesus tells us that the names of the overcomers will not be ‘blotted out of the Book of Life’. Two things come to my mind regarding this scripture. The first thing that comes to my mind is that Jesus is talking about overcomers. I’m not going to get into who are the overcomers in this blog, but the question that comes to my mind is if our salvation is a free gift, and if sincerely saying the ‘sinners prayer’ will securely take us right into heaven with no more effort on our part, then what are we ‘overcoming’? I’m thinking there is more to this Christian walk leading into Heaven than just sincerely saying the ‘sinners prayer’.

The second thing that comes to my mind about this passage refers to names being ‘blotted out’. If once our name is put into the Book of Life, which indicates a true conversion, they remain in it, then what is this ‘blotting out’ Jesus is talking about? A name can not be blotted out of something unless it is first there. I can’t use ‘white-out’ to remove an entry on a document at work unless the entry was first made, and just the same a name can’t be blotted out of the Book of Life unless it was first put into it. So, that tells me that even though I gave my life to Jesus I am responsible for how I live it.

I don’t want people to think that they are ‘okay’ and will automatically enter heaven. Jesus was even adamant about His followers making sure they are ready for His return. Be ready. Seek the Lord if there is anything in your life you need to change to be ready for Him, and do what the will of the Father is for your life. While there are some things that is the will of the Father for all followers of Christ, there are also many things that are specific to each believer. I just don’t want you to be caught unaware and unready when Jesus comes.

Luke 21:36 says, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man”.

Article: Bobby Makes a Decision; https://rshophar.com/bobbydecision.html

John Johansson