Author: jdwvaw2

Most of you, I’m sure, have heard a statement like “He was a God-fearing man”. The bible tells us clearly and often that we should fear God. What does scripture mean when it says to fear God ? Should we be cowering and cringing in terror when approaching the Father ? I’ve been taught by many preachers that to fear God means to revere God with awe and respect. But, is that all it means ?

The Greek word for fear in the bible is phobos or phobeo (verb form) from which we get the English word phobia. I think we all know what phobias are; a mostly inordinate fear of something that prevents us from interacting with that something, whatever it is. The word fear is used 400 times in the KJ version of the bible about half the time in reference to the fear of God. In the new testament, it is evident that fear of God is for the Christian as well as the unsaved. “...beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2Cor. 7:1) “...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12) “...since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1) Jesus Himself was very clear when instructing His disciples; “And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ” (Matthew 10 :28)

Clearly, we, as Christians are to fear God, not just in the sense of awe and respect, but also in dread of the coming horrific judgment if we do not ‘endure to the end’. We must do all we can to avoid the easy road toward sin that so easily entangles us and could lead to eventual apostacy and alliance with the antichrist’s economic system. Fear of God’s judgment on the unrighteous should be incentive enough to keep us on the narrow path that leads to eternal life. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10: 31)

Though the above scriptures might sound scary, it is also clear from the scriptures that God does not desire that we should live in fear of Him. Just like our earthly fathers, we can expect discipline when we err in His eyes, but it does not mean we should dread approaching Him. We should “…come boldly to the throne of grace , that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) He is a God of infinite love. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. ” (2Timothy 1:7) Jesus said to His disciples “Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) John says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear….” (1John 4:18) The word ‘perfect’ here means complete. Jesus showed us perfect love when He completed the greatest act of love the world has ever known. He is our example. Perfecting love in our lives will drive out all fear. Those who follow the ‘god of this world’, either wittingly or unwittingly, have every reason to fear what’s coming. “mens hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth…” (Luke 21:26) We need to continually be confronting those around us of the nearness to God’s judgment coming soon to the whole earth. And, yes, fear God.

Maranatha, Jim

Jesus instructed the apostle John to write letters to seven churches in Asia Minor that may also have been written with the eschaton in mind. Consider the following scriptures from Revelation:

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations... ” (Rev. 2:26)

“…Therefore if you will not watch, I will come to you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” (Rev. 3:3)

“Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Rev. 3:10)

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” (Rev. 22:12) “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches…” (Rev. 22:16)

While there is no question these seven letters were directed to seven real churches existing in John’s day, it is also evident from the above scriptures that what is contained in them is important teaching from Jesus Himself specifically for last-days Christians as well. We are those last-days Christians. Therefore, it behooves us to study and meditate on both Jesus’s criticisms and praises of these seven churches. They likely represent a microcosm of Christianity today. Allow me to sum up in my own words Jesus’s praises and criticisms contained in the letters to the seven churches.

Praises; Good works, Much fruitful labor, Patience, Intolerance of evil, Testing of those who say they are apostles, not growing weary of doing good, Enduring tribulation, Enduring poverty, Enduring persecution, Holding fast to the name of Jesus, Faithful even unto martyrdom, Showing love, Latest works better than the first.

Criticisms; Abandoning your first love, Idolatry, Sexual immorality, Toleration of false teaching, Seduction by false prophets, Adultery.

I think you can readily see all of the above present in world wide Christianity today. Read and study the seven letters. The consequences of not taking seriously Jesus’s criticisms are severe and eternal. The rewards, however, according to John are awesome. ” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates and into the city.” (Rev. 22:14)

Maranatha, Jim

I’m reposting this article because… it’s still the most important!

The most important thing for every individual to determine is this: Is my name written in the Lambs Book of Life ? Of this you must be absolutely sure -there is no room for error. It’s this important; “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). John was given a vision of this concerning those judged at the “great white throne judgment”.

In the Old Testament book of Exodus, Moses heroically volunteered to take the penalty for the rebellious Israelites. He said; “Yet now if you will forgive their sin-but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” The Lord answered; “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My Book.” (Exodus 32: 32-33) David in his psalm asks God to deal with his enemies; “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalm 69: 28) The prophet Daniel writing the angel’s words about the great tribulation makes things very clear; “….And at that time your people shall be delivered, Everyone who is found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, these to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12: 1-2)

Jesus addressed the returning seventy who were filled with joy over their miraculous ministry by Jesus’ authority by telling them this; “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven. ‘ (Luke 10:20) The apostle Paul talks about his companions and fellow laborers in the gospel; “and I urge you, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” (Phil. 4:3)

The book of Revelation has much more to say. About overcomers; “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels. ” (Rev. 3:5). About antichrist followers; “All who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev. 13:8) and “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition, and those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Rev.17:8) About those granted entry to the New Jerusalem; “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or lie but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:27) About those who spurn the book of Revelation; “and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev. 22:19)

I’m sure you can see from the above scriptures that having your name written in the Book of Life is of paramount importance. But, you may be wondering, how can I be absolutely certain ? The bible says clearly that you are able to possess that knowledge. The apostle John wrote “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1John 5:13) This knowledge comes by simply obeying the gospel. “…..Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). These actions done in faith will cause a “new birth” in all who participate. Then, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16).

Each individual needs to search his/her heart and test what they truly believe. In the above actions of obedience to the gospel leading to salvation, they are actions of the heart, the inner man. If your name is written in the Lambs book of life, the Holy Spirit will let you know beyond any doubt where you stand. Be forewarned, however, that unbridled practice of sin can lead to blotting out, or erasure from the Book of Life. We are approaching perilous times and need to be prepared to take our stand and endure to the end.

This is the first time that I’m recommending another blog. Tim Warner, my favorite student of biblical Greek, (the author of the LGV New Testament translation) has started a new blog. You may not agree with all of Tim’s scripture exegesis, but it will surely challenge your thinking and, hopefully, spur you on to dig deeper in your own personal studies. Check it out here :

Deception in the Last Days (Pt. 3) – TIMOTHEOS’ BLOG (4windsfellowships.net)

Most of us have read the book of Job and pondered the sufferings of this righteous man. Why did God choose this servant to undergo such severe attacks from Satan ? The Lord said to Satan: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1: 8) Satan answered: “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” (Job 1:10) The Lord then proceeds to give Satan permission to destroy all that Job has, his herds, possessions, even killing his servants and his sons and daughters. In all this, Job did not sin, but kept his trust in God. In a second occurrence, in chapter two, God gives Satan further permission to attack Job physically with painful boils from head to foot. Even his friends reject him. We know the end of the story; during all that time of testing, Job remained faithful to his Creator. In the end, God restores more to Job then he ever had before.

So, what might this testing of Job have to do with end-times? Remember that all scripture is given to us as examples for us to live by and benefit from.

Let’s consider for a moment a typical church-going adult Christian residing in the United States. Also assume that it’s time for the great tribulation to start, that last three and one half years of this age when Satan, newly kicked out of heaven, has free reign to exercise his demonic wrath on the earth. The following scenario might take place. God may say to Satan; “Have you considered My church? They are blameless and upright, faithfully following my Son.” Satan may say to God: “You’ve been protecting Your church; those so-called Christians. You’ve tasked Michael that nasty archangel to watch over them and keep me from destroying them. Take him out of the way and let me at them. They’ll reject your Son soon enough !

Are you beginning to see the end-time parallels the church has with Job? Oh yes, the church will be tested-big time. The restrainer will be removed (2Thess. 2:6), and Satan will be given his time. Unfortunately, many Christians will not fare well. Daniel says this about the coming antichrist: “He (antichrist) shall persecute the saints of the Most High….Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” (Daniel 7:25) Jesus said “The love of most will grow cold” (Mt 24:12).

This current generation of Christians here in the US has known only prosperity and favor from God all their lives. We need to prepare our hearts and minds for a time of testing unlike the world has ever seen. Will we persevere and hold fast to Christ as Job did with his God no matter how severe our existence? Scripture couldn’t be more clear. Those who persevere to the end will be saved. I’m certain we are fast approaching great tribulation. We need to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand in that evil day. (Ephesians 6:13-18) Job is our faithful example.

https://www.ubm1.org/?page=roymoore

Genesis chapter nine describes something called the Noahic Covenant. This covenant describes God’s unilateral promise that He would never again destroy the earth and all flesh with a worldwide flood. He stated: “I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13). He further states: “and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:15-16) It’s hard to imagine why God needs a reminder like the rainbow to keep Himself from destroying the earth again with a flood, but I’m glad for this covenant. Except for those with faith in His Son, conditions on the earth are probably not far from those during the time of Noah. In fact, Jesus predicted this about the state of the earth just prior to His coming. (Matthew 24:37) I believe we are there.

The LBGTQABC movement currently sweeping the earth has gone beyond sexual perversion and into what the bible calls blasphemy. They have co-opted the rainbow sign as a universal symbol of their blatant homosexuality. And, it seems to have world wide acceptance. The USA, for example, defiantly flies the rainbow flag at it’s embassies around the world. This in-His-face mocking of God’s eternal covenant is truly blasphemous. Even though some of them may not be aware of it, this satanic misuse of God’s symbol is a direct invitation to horrific judgment. We should look on their use of the rainbow with disgust, as God does.

Though God promised not to destroy the earth with a flood ever again, He will destroy all evil on this planet. As the song says “fire not a flood next time”. Biblical prophecy is clear that evil mankind will be destroyed by fire at Jesus’ second coming. The appropriation by the LGBTQ community of God’s beautiful symbol will only compound their ultimate judgment. As Christians, let’s not give any place to this abomination.

Jim

The apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians about the days just prior to Jesus’ return: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” (2Thess. 2:11). The text is clear that the “reason” God does this is because “they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”(verse 10). The “lie” is Satan’s “unrighteous deception among those who perish” (also verse 10). So it appears from a quick reading of the text that God is sending some sort of deception so that they will believe Satan’s lies. But, this doesn’t seem to fit with God’s character. After all, isn’t He love, mercy and grace ? Is this really a fair interpretation of the text ?

After a review of the internet to see what prophecy teachers are teaching about this it’s soon evident that there is a wide range of opinion on what this strong delusion is. Opinions range from mind interference to angelic visitations to alien UFO’s or a recurrence of Nephilim. I think that all these wild theories miss the boat, as simple objective hermeneutics quickly resolves the mystery. (See the article on Hermeneutics below). One of the simple rules is to look to the context to find answers. So, let’s look at the context where this “strong delusion” is presented.

In the earlier verses of this chapter just before the verse in question, Paul is describing the revealing of the antichrist. In verses 6-8 Paul says this:” And now you know what is restraining, that he (antichrist) may be revealed in his own time.” “He who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way“. “And then the lawless one will be revealed.” (For a discussion of who the restrainer is scroll down to the recent post “The Restrainer”). Verses 9&10 follow: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception….” Then comes the verse 11 about the strong delusion from God. The Greek words for strong delusion are energia plane, or a ‘powerful working of error’. The context here clearly connects the strong delusion from God with His removal of the restrainer allowing Satan and his man their “own time”. This will be a 3 and 1/2 year period of great tribulation where lying wonders will be the order of the day. So, no, God is not sending a specific deception to unbelievers, but reassigning the one who has been restraining Satan permitting verse 12: “that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” This is entirely consistent with God’s character as demonstrated throughout scripture. “And their soul delights in their abominations, so I will choose their delusions, and bring their fears on them; because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke they did not hear; but they did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I do not delight.” (Isaiah 66:3-4). Paul says this about men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness: “Professing to be wise, they became fools….Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts….For this reason God gave them up to vile passions….And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness…” (Romans 1: 22,24,26,28,29) In Ephesians, Paul says this about the pagan mindset; “They walk in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:17-19). Here “past feeling” is, in Greek, apalgeo or being so inured to sin that one is not bothered by what he is doing. God gives them over because they have given themselves over. To use modern vernacular, it seems God has a “red line”. When one crosses it, God gives them over to a reprobate mind, and no longer draws them by His Spirit. This is, no question, a harsh reality, but one justified by God as He has given them every opportunity, over and over. However, only God knows where this red line is with any individual, and it is not for us to make such a judgment. We must continue to pray for and witness to all no matter how lost they might seem to be. Judgment lies completely with God.

There is a time coming in the near future when the antichrist will be revealed and a huge portion of humanity will be be given over en masse by God to follow the lies and deception of the antichrist. He will do this by removing the restrainer from his present task of battling on our behalf in the spiritual realm. We need to be fully prepared so as to not believe the lies that that will bombard our senses. Stay strong in the Word.

Maranatha, Jim

Several prominent prophecy ministers are teaching a soon coming ME war based on Psalm 83. They say it will be a war won by Israel that will devastate Israel’s surrounding neighbors. And, supposedly, it will be a stand alone war, prior to the final conflict of Ezekiel 38 &39. If that is true, then we certainly need to be watching for it in the very near future. But, is it what the Psalm declares ? Here is the text of Psalm 83; Psalms 83 | NIV Bible | YouVersion

Let’s analyze this Psalm. First, who is the author, Asaph? Asaph was the Temple Musician/song writer during the time of David and Solomon. He is credited as the author of 12 Psalms, with 83 being the last. While many Psalms are prophetic in nature, the focus of this Psalm is prayer. Specifically, prayer to God for protection of God’s people from the enemies that surround Israel. These enemies are listed in verses 6-8. Notice what the Psalmist says about what they are plotting; They “make a tumult‘, they have “lifted up their head“, they have “taken crafty counsel against your people“, they have “consulted together” they have said “let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more“, they have consulted together with one consent“, they “form a confederacy against you“. (Psalm 83:2-5). Sound familiar ? Following is a map of these nations and their modern day counterparts;

During the time of Asaph’s ministry, these nations were not much of a threat, so, perhaps Asaph wanted this song sung by the Israelites as an ongoing prayer to prevent a future threat. There are no biblical accounts of a decisive war against these particular nations all at the same time. But, there is one that comes close in our modern era. The 1967 war. Against incredible odds, Israel fought against the combined militaries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon. the PLO, and the Saudi air force. It was a miraculous victory for Israel giving her control of the Golan, Gaza, the West Bank, the Sinai peninsula, and Jerusalem including the temple mount. It was a relatively short war that included all the modern counterparts of Israel’s enemies listed in Psalm 83. Might this have been the object and fulfillment of Asaph’s prayer ? It is certainly an obvious candidate. However, there may be another fulfillment in our near future.

As I write this, Israel has just ended an aerial conflict with Hamas on its southern border involving thousands of missiles fired from Gaza. Hamas is an Iranian military proxy devoted to the destruction of Israel. Hamas is not the only Iranian proxy so inclined. To the north is Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Syria. To the east are Iraqi Shiite militias and Iran itself. To the south are the well armed Houthi Shiites, another Iranian proxy. They are all “consulting together to cut Israel off from being a nation”. I think this looming situation may be a focus of Asaph’s prayer. A war between Israel and Iran’s proxies seems imminent. I think this Gaza war was Iran testing Israel’s capabilities. Iran will probably coordinate a massive attack by her proxies in the near future. If the prayer of Psalm 83 is answered, these proxies will be totally destroyed.

So, to sum up, Psalm 83 is primarily a prayer that likely was answered in 1967, with a future 2nd fulfillment imminent between Israel and limited to Iran’s militant Islamic proxies. We can have a part in the outcome of that. When you read Psalm 83, quote it as a prayer to God for the safety and peace of Israel.

Maranatha, Jim

You may recall news of a UFO cult called Heavens Gate, that committed mass suicide in 1997. They were following a couple who claimed to be the two witnesses of Revelation. They believed that physical death would allow them to ascend to a space ship associated with the comet Hale-Bopp. Thirty nine of them died in this incredible deception. Jesus warned us that the last days would be filled with deception. The belief in super-intelligent life forms piloting UFO’s is wide spread in our day. Various unexplained sightings, alien abductions, reports of ancient alien visitations, the popularity of sci-fi movies, government cover ups, etc. fuel this belief. Even the bible is used as a source of belief in extra-terrestrials. Following is my take on this subject.

First I’ll make a simple observation about UFO’s. They’re unidentified. Until such a time arrives that we have clear visual and mechanical details complete with inspection, even the most controversial incidents will remain just that; unidentified.

Next, lets get into the bible. All the descriptions of so-called UFO’s in the bible, such as Ezekiel chapter 1, constitute visions where the prophet is given a glimpse into the spirit realm. There is a spirit realm where God and His angels reside, but it remains outside of the physical realm we inhabit. These visions do not depict UFO’s from another place in our physical universe. Various commentators try to invoke the “fornicating angels” theory whereby the Nephilim of Genesis are making last days appearances in UFO’s. A sound rebuttal of this theory is contained in the article permanently linked below entitled “The ‘Sons of God’ and the ‘Daughters of Men’ “. Yes, angels do appear in this physical realm from time to time as clearly seen in the bible, but, only as god’s messengers, not UFO pilots. And yes, we do need to be wary of Satan and his minions. They will as Jesus said “….show great signs and wonders to deceive….” (Matthew 24:24). “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2Corinthians 11:14)

Does the bible allow for beings from other than planet earth to exist elsewhere in the universe? Specifically, beings much more advanced than humankind in order for them to travel impossible distances to get here? In the beginning, God and Jesus created man in Their image. ” Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (Genesis 1: 26) “For man …. is the image and glory of God” (1Corinthians 11:7). These statement and others indicate that man as created by God was special in that he was God-like. Adam, before the fall, was the smartest being ever created with the exception being Jesus Himself. Adam was at a level where he walked and talked (communed) with his creator. If there exists in this universe advanced beings of greater intelligence than Adam, they would have to fit in between Adam and God. However, the fact that man was created in God’s likeness does not give room for such beings. IMHO, the bible does not allow for super intelligent ET’s that could pilot UFO’s across the universe.

But, you may be wondering, what about simpler life forms, plant and animal, could they exist on other planets ? Concerning this, the bible is silent. Life is only described here on earth and in the spirit realm. We can only speculate. On the third day of creation, God created the sun, moon and the stars. Then He “stretched them out” to the expanse we now see. This stretching is described in Isaiah 42:5,45:12, 51:13 and Jeremiah 10:12,and 51:15. For all you Astro-physicists out there, this was the real “expansion” big-bang theorists try to describe. God doesn’t do anything without a reason. While we know He created this earth to be inhabited by His creation (Isaiah 45:18), He also had a purpose for creating the vast universe. I suspect His perfected creation after the millennial reign will be involved. Could God have designed vast Edenic real estate for His people throughout the universe to inhabit ? I’m only speculating, of course, but some sort of life may be awaiting us just as Eden was prepared for the creation of Adam. The Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah thusly; “”Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1Corinthians 2:9). He also said this about when perfection comes; “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1Corinthians 13:12) The implication here is that Paul (and us) will “know”(have knowledge) just as God does.

So, to sum up, the bible seems to prohibit super intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and thus, ET UFO pilots. However, I would not be surprised if non intelligent flora and fauna were to be eventually found on other worlds, most likely after His second coming. For now, UFO’s remain unidentified. We absolutely need to be prepared for all sorts of deception in these last days. I hope you’ll spend more time reading and studying God’s word then pondering UFO mysteries.

Jim