"Lies, lies and more lies!"

It seems to be getting harder by the day to believe anyone, about anything!!  I know that doesn't sound very encouraging, but it is simply stating the obvious.  People lie to cover up their real thoughts, their intentions and their purposes.  Many have gotten so used to lying that they believe their own lies ... a sad and desperate state in which to live.  I don't blame people for being disillusioned and discouraged as we live in this world today.  Whether in politics, the workplace, the "news," or even in the church, people have a hard time being honest.  As someone has said, "They wouldn't know the truth if it hit them between the eyes!"  

But there IS a source for truth that CAN be trusted and that exposes the lies and deceitfulness of those who do not know the one, true and only God who reveals Himself in His Word, the Bible.  The writer of Hebrews explains, "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).

That should strike fear into the hearts of those who have not confessed their sin before this holy God and who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and found new life and freedom in the power of His Spirit ... but it doesn't.  Those who don't know God don't care what He says, or what you and I who believe say.  But there is another problem today ... 

It is not a new problem, but it spells disaster for millions and for our nation.  People who CLAIM to be "Christians" or "people of faith" reject the clear teaching of God's Word and lead millions astray.  They lie ... and then they lie some more ... and people think they are "good people."  But apart from Jesus Christ and the work of His Spirit not one of us is a "good person!"  So "Christians," from the Pope to the President (former and current), along with countless "pastors" and even "Christian" professors, and many "in the pews," declare abortion to be a woman's right, homosexuality and all kinds of sexual immorality to be acceptable, along with lying, stealing, cheating and all sorts of other sins.  In fact, these "Christians" now declare that you don't even need to believe in Jesus for forgiveness.  "You're fine!  It's those pesky judgmental CHRISTIANS that are the real problem.  They need to be silenced!"

The foundation of our nation is NOT "cracked," it is GONE!!  Yet as sad as that is, and as horrible as the consequences of that truth are and will be in the very near future, the Church, the true Body of Christ, has real TRUTH to proclaim.  Our God is not wringing His hands, wondering what He is going to do.  God has revealed His plan throughout His Word and judgment is coming.  God speaks truth in His Word, and though some twist and distort it, to their own destruction and to the destruction of those who listen to them, all that God says points to the soon return of Jesus Christ.  But first ... some things must happen.

In the third chapter of my book, " ... the end.", I look at four "snapshots" of the events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.  The passages are Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:1-15; II Thessalonians 2:1-12; and Revelation 11:1-3, 12:1-6 13:1-5.  Look those passages up and read them if you want to know the truth about the future.  I close the chapter with the following words ... 

"Why is God so specific?  So the wise will understand!!  People today fall away, deny God exists, reject His Word and live without hope because they don't know God!  People today leave the church because they never knew or trusted the God who works all things together for good to those who love God and who are called according to HIS purpose!  People are afraid and anxious because they don't believe that 'if God is for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31) ...

Live with hope every day!  Live in victory over doubt and fear and anxiety every day.  Know that you live in His presence every day (if you believe in Jesus) and that He is with you now and will be with you forever.  Then testify to the TRUTH, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes!"

THIS is the only way to combat the lies being told all around us. Expose the darkness, speak the truth of God's Word as you have opportunity to those who may listen, but don't get caught up in all the political turmoil and think that you and I are going to somehow save our nation for God's impending judgment.  We have a greater responsibility!!  Live for Jesus.  Live with Jesus.  Point people to Jesus Christ, the only Savior and Lord!  Testify to the truth amidst all the lies, and one day you will stand before Him clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ that is yours as the gift of God received by faith.  Be encouraged as you hear the words of David in Psalm 37:

"Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.  Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act" (Psalm 37:1-5).

"Be strong in the LORD!"

Some weeks are longer than others.  A lot can happen in seven days.  A lot can change in seven days ... especially when those "seven days" are "seven years!"  God reveals in His Word that He has ordained a period of seven years at some point in the near future where He will fulfill His purpose to establish Jesus Christ as King on this planet, on the earth.  As events unfold around you today, God is at work in the leaders of the nations, in His true Church and even in those who are evil and who are rebelling against Him and His Son Jesus Christ, to "set the stage" for an all-out attack on the Jewish people who dwell in the land He gave to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This attack will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ ... but before that ... other things must happen! 

I write in my book, " ... the end." ...

"Your life can very quickly spiral out-of-control if your heart and mind are in the wrong place.  How do you face the 'unknown' of today, tomorrow, next week, next month, unless you understand what lies ahead?  Most people today are like the proverbial ostrich, who sees trouble coming from a distance and sticks his head in the sand, thinking he is protected!  So people today pretend that all is well when it isn't, and rarely if ever, think of the God who promises to pour out His judgment upon mankind ... EXCEPT for those who are truly His children through faith in Jesus Christ.

We live in difficult times and the Bible says clearly that they are going to get worse!  But we who are part of Christ's Body, His Bride, the one true Church, the 'ekklesia,' the 'called-out ones,' are called to be light and salt right up to the sounding of the trumpet calling us to meet Jesus in the clouds!  Satan does his best to distract you and me so we will not set our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ, so we will forget that we who have been born again by His Spirit and who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ have all we need to persevere and to live for the glory of our God!!

That's why the Apostle Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus about the need to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-13:

'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.'"

More and more and more people are being misled today, whether it is by the news media, politicians, or even the medical community and pastors and leaders in churches!!!  The only source of absolute truth is God's Word, the Bible, yet even here Peter warns that there are some things in Paul's letters that "the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures" (II Peter 3:16).  In these days you must be a student of God's Word and know what it says or you will be deceived.

There WILL BE a seven-year period during which a world leader will arise, the "Anti-Christ," whom the nations of the world will follow.  His agenda will be to deceive, and God will allow him to appear to succeed as he is indwelt and empowered by Satan.  We will examine these things further throughout this year.  What is crucial for YOU today is to know the God who rules over ALL the events going on in your life and in the world around you!  

He is "the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."  You will find in studying God's Word that He is always faithful to those who know Him, who trust Him, who seek Him, who draw near to Him through His Son Jesus and who live to obey Him.  Do YOU know Him?  Have you placed your trust in Him?  Or is He "the unknown God?"  I pray today for YOU as you read these words, that HIS Word will speak to your heart and call you before His throne to find rest for your soul.  "Come to ME," He says, and if, by the work of His Spirit your ears are now open and your eyes can see the foolishness of living without Him, He will receive you as you come!  HE is Lord!

So be strong in the LORD!  Rely on HIS strength and not your own.  You can KNOW that He is with you and that nothing happens by chance.  Through His strength you can and will overcome ... even death!  Rest in Him and find in our God, our Creator, our Savior and our Lord all you need for today and every day!

If you would like a copy of my book, " ... the end.", please contact me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.  The cost is $15, plus $5 for shipping.  If you have always wanted to study Revelation, you can do so by reading it in the context of the rest of Scripture.  Gather a small group together in your home or in your church.  Study guides are available for $10.  Both the book and the Study Guide contain 12 color timelines that will help you understand the sequence of events of the final seven years leading up to Jesus' return.  May the Lord use His Word to prepare His Bride for the return of her Bridegroom!

"Perseverance comes from knowing GOD!"

An amazing number of people today refuse to acknowledge that God exists.  Even amidst the chaos around us, they imagine that mankind can and will somehow find a way not only to survive, but to "advance" civilization toward their goals ... which are centered around a world without God!!  Truly, as the Psalmist writes, "The fool says in his heart, there is no God!" (Psalm 14:1).  

The result of such foolishness is hopelessness and despair.  How do you overcome the temptation to give up and then to give in to the flesh and just live for the things of this world?  You get to know God, the one TRUE God, your Creator, the Creator of all things, and you come to the point where you draw near to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the One who suffered and died to pay the penalty for sin for all who believe, who rose again, who ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, bringing all things to pass according to His will and His plan.  You confess that HE is wiser than you are and that He is at work in your life and in the world ... and in this you find the comfort, hope and strength to persevere through trials and uncertainties.

In my book, " ... the end.",  I write, "How few people today KNOW this God, the only TRUE God, our Creator?!!  Psalm 121 begins by declaring 'I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth' (Psalm 121:1-2).  Knowing the one true God is not only essential for eternal life, but necessary for living in this world with hope and peace and joy.  Because of the ignorance of many concerning faith in the sovereign God who rules over all these things and who is in control of the future, the hearts of millions of people are filled daily with doubt, fear, worry and anxiety, OR with anger, despair and a sense of hopelessness.  

The study of 'end times' can be just an academic study that has little bearing on your life unless you understand that this is God's Word and it reveals truth about God, about life in this world, about the purpose of your life and everything that is happening all around you.  When you know God and His plan to establish His eternal kingdom in the new heaven and the new earth, and you see His plan unfolding just as He said it would, doubt, fear, worry and anxiety are replaced with faith, hope, peace and joy in Christ.  As Isaiah says, 'How beautiful on the mountaintops are the feet of those who bring good news; who say to Zion, OUR God reigns!' (Isaiah 52:7)."

"Zion" refers to Jerusalem and to God's plan to send Jesus to defeat the enemies of His people, literally, and to reign in Jerusalem, literally, for 1,000 years.  While the previous administration in our own nation was surrounded by people who believed what God's Word says about His future plans for the Jewish people and for Jerusalem, the current administration appears largely ignorant of what the Bible says about these things.  What effect that will have on the relationship of the United States to Israel, or upon the recognition of Israel by other Arab nations around them, we do not yet know ... but THIS we do know:  God's plan for the Jewish people, for the United States and for our world continues to move toward the return of Jesus and judgment for those who do not know God, but salvation for those who by His grace know Him as "Abba, Father," through faith in Jesus Christ.

All of this affects how you live your life today!  When you KNOW the God who chose Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and who continues to gather their physical descendants to a narrow strip of land that HE gave to them more than 4,000 years ago ... when you KNOW the one, true God who sent Jesus Christ into this world to save YOU, the God who gave you new life by His Spirit and enabled you to believe, then you live today with hope AND with zeal for HIS kingdom.  What happens in our own nation, while important and part of God's plan, is less important than what God is doing in His Church and through His people all over the world.  There is ONE true Church, and God knows those who are His.  Are you one of His children by faith in Jesus?

Only if you are, will you persevere through life's trials and testify that "God is good ... ALL the time!"  You will know that He is with you, that He will never leave you, and that when your time in this world is finished you will be with Him forever, and will one day live in a new heaven and and new earth of His making.  Perseverance comes from knowing God!!  Draw near to Him today, reading His Word, praying in the name of Jesus, trusting Him in good times and in suffering, trials and even death, for we who believe in Jesus have victory and we WILL overcome!  Praise GOD, our Creator, our Savior and our Lord!!

"Jesus is NOT returning today ... or tomorrow!"

Much like the news media today many keep saying they hope Jesus will come today ... that the Rapture will take place and we will be whisked off to heaven ... but GOD says otherwise!  Quoting from " ... the end." ...

"Where does your knowledge of 'end times' currently come from?  Is it what you have heard from others, read in books, watched in the latest television movie or film, or just imagined yourself?  There is only one source of truth on this subject and it is the unchanging Word of God, the Bible.  So what is it that God has revealed?  Where do we start?  How can we know that we are part of the group called 'the wise,' who will understand and be ready for these things?

To begin, understand this:  Jesus is NOT going to return TODAY!  I know that most people who talk about this subject believe the Rapture is the next event in God's timetable to the end, but that is not the case.  This is part of my purpose in writing this book.  If Christians believe the Rapture is the next thing that will happen in the entire 'end times' scenario, then the study of these things is purely academic because we will be gone before any of it begins to take place.  But the Rapture is NOT the next thing on God's prophetic calendar!  How can I be so sure?  Because the Bible says THERE WILL BE SIGNS PRECEDING JESUS' RETURN!" (" ... the end.", pages 19-20).

Someone commented recently that there is no such thing as a "Rapture," that the word is not even in the Bible.  Sometimes it is better to remain quiet than to open your mouth and reveal your ignorance.  The word, "rapture," comes from the Latin, "rapturo," which means "caught up."  It is the term used in I Thessalonians 4:17 to describe the gathering up of believers prior to the pouring out of God's wrath on "the day of the Lord."

Matthew 24:1-3 is a crucial passage in understanding the sequence of events as Jesus laid them out.  Jesus was telling the disciples what would happen BEFORE He returned.  Verses 4-14 give a general overview (this passage is parallel to Revelation 6 and the opening of the first six seals of the scroll of God's judgment on the earth and upon mankind), and then Jesus gets more specific in Matthew 24:15-31.

Why is this important for YOU ... TODAY???  Jesus told His disciples, "In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  Indeed, Jesus WILL come to defeat His enemies and ours at the battle of Armageddon, but BEFORE that happens the Antichrist will appear, the governments of the world will be united against Israel and the Church, true believers, will be persecuted and will go through the Great Tribulation.  Over the coming weeks I will continue to share verses and passages of Scripture that make these things clear.  I offer you my book, " ... the end.", because it puts all of these Scriptures together, along with timelines, so you can study it yourself and/or with a group of believers.  You should accept nothing I say unless it is in accord with the Word of God.

But think about this:  if most people in churches all over this country and the world are being told either that Jesus is coming ... sometime ... so don't worry, OR that the Rapture could happen at any moment, what are they to think when these signs begin to unfold and when the Antichrist is revealed and the Great Tribulation begins??  They will question the Bible, their teachers, and perhaps God Himself!!  God even tells us that many (those who do not truly know Christ or trust in Him) will fall away.  Why?  Because they did not love the truth!  (II Thessalonians 2:12).

What is happening in our nation today is part of God's plan to bring judgment, and the censorship of "conservative" voices is following the rejection of God's voice that has been taking place in our nation and in the visible church for the past 60 years or more.  It will not get better.  So how do we respond?  In speaking of the destruction of the earth by fire Peter writes, "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  BUT according to His promise WE are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (II Peter 3:11-13).

The true Church, God's chosen ones, in whom His Spirit is at work, will receive wisdom from God to know the truth and to be ready to endure, to persevere AND to testify!!  Let your voice be heard and point people to Jesus Christ.  He is not returning today ... or tomorrow ... but He WILL return according to the Father's plan, and it will be glorious for those who know Him as Savior and Lord!!

"UNITY is a mirage!"

It is only in the imagination of people who don't know God that "unity" appears to be a possibility.  The only time there was true "oneness," true spiritual unity among those who lived on planet earth, was in the Garden of Eden BEFORE Adam and Eve sinned.  And the only time there will BE unity among all those on planet earth will be following the return of Jesus Christ, after His reign and the final defeat of Satan, after the final judgment, when those who have not believed in Jesus are cast into hell and those who have been saved by GRACE through faith in Jesus enter into the new heavens and the new earth, to live in the presence of God forever in a perfect world of HIS making.  Until then, there will be division.  What we are seeing in our country is sinful division caused by a rejection of His Word, His truth, by those without His Spirit.  Even those of us who have His Spirit still give into temptation and think, say and do things that are contrary to His perfect will.  Unity is a mirage.

I describe in my book, " ... the end.", those who have rejected God's truth, whom He has "given up" to do what they want to do:

"These declare their freedom from the mountaintops, all the while revealing their horrible bondage to sin.  They are spiritually dead and without hope.  They are broken cisterns without water.  And as they go to their destruction, they lead many with them on the broad road that leads to eternal death, while those of us who cry out with the good news of Jesus Christ and call people to repentance and faith in Jesus are declared to be judgmental bigots filled with hate.  Such IS the state of our world and of mankind."

"The end of this world as we know it will bring judgment on many, but it will be a new beginning for some, and the Bible tells us who these are.  They are those who know the true God and who by His grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit within them, confess their sin, trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and who rest in God's promise of eternal life. 'The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 6:23)."

I conclude Chapter 1 with this:  "The 'scoffers' are here, as we proclaim the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Many are being deceived, but in God's Word, the Bible, is truth so powerful that it can change not only your mind about these things, but also your heart toward God, your Creator.  God reveals these things to us so that we who by His grace are born again by His Spirit will be moved to set our hearts and minds on Him and live with hope in this world until the very end."

If you are discouraged, overwhelmed and frustrated, or if you think that we should all be on board the "unity train," realize that light has nothing to do with darkness.  The two cannot "COEXIST."  Darkness cannot exist in the presence of HIS light!  The closer we who believe draw to our Father in heaven, the more divided we will be from those who are going the opposite direction.  "Unity," without Christ, is a mirage.  It is a figment of the imagination of men.  It does not exist, and never will.  Stand for truth ... GOD's truth, and know that to be on HIS side is to be opposed to evil.  The issues before us are rarely a matter of opinion, but almost always a matter of principle, and your choices will be determined by where you get your principles ... from man or from God.

I urge you who believe in the one true God who reveals Himself in His creation, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in His Word to stand firm in His truth.  Do not waver.  For there will come a day when Jesus returns and separates the "sheep" from the "goats" ... a division that will be final, and in that day you will hear the Father say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).  Whatever you may be called to endure in this life in this world, it will all be worth it in " ... the end."

To purchase a copy of the book, " ... the end.", send an email to pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.

 

"God's patience is running out!"

Who will be saved from the judgment God is going to bring upon the earth?  Only those with whom He is at this moment being patient ... which brings me to one of the most misunderstood verses of the Bible:  II Peter 3:9.  Most people THINK the verse says, "God wants everybody to be saved!"  Here is what the verse says, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

Here is an excerpt from my book, " ... the end.":

"The author of a book entitled, 'Love Wins,' twisted and distorted this verse by asking the question, 'Doesn't God get what he wants?' and then making it appear that what God WANTS is for every human being, without exception, to be saved from His just judgment.  ... If that's what God wants, why won't that happen?  That certainly sounds like a plausible question.  Many in the church today have been taught that God wants to save everyone, but we must choose.  It's up to us!  However, taken in its immediate context, as well as the context of the rest of the Bible, that is NOT what God says ... OR what He wants or 'wishes.'  That comes as a shock to many people, but consider this:  If God truly WANTS to save every human being from His just and perfect judgment, He could come up with a way for that to happen, couldn't He?  After all, He IS GOD!!!

In order to understand the Bible and to rejoice in the salvation God provides to those who believe in Jesus Christ you need to first understand that out of a sinful human race where NO ONE deserves God's grace ('undeserved favor'), where ALL have sinned and fall short of His glory, His perfection, God has chosen SOME to be saved! It is to these that Peter's letters and the rest of the New Testament are written, as Peter says in II Peter 1:1:  'To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ ...'

So in verse 9, when Peter writes that the Lord 'is being patient toward YOU, not wishing that any (of you) should perish, but that all (of you) should reach repentance,' he is speaking to believers!  It is all of THESE that God is being patient toward, and it is all of THESE that He desires should come to repentance and all of THESE who should be saved.  God WILL get what He desires because He Himself will make it happen!  The idea that God wanted all people to be saved and that He tried to save all people but they just wouldn't cooperate presents God as impotent and dependent on mankind to accomplish His purpose.  Nowhere in the Bible is that picture of God presented."

I share this with you today because millions of people have a false hope and a false security that all is well when it isn't!  God's IS being patient with the whole world and mankind in general at this moment, but only those who are born again by the Spirit, who place their trust in Jesus Christ and who now live to serve Him are "safe" from His coming judgment.  It is for these that God is exercising His patience in bringing His final judgment on the earth and all of mankind, "as in the days of Noah," only this time with fire!  

To some in Rome who relied on their "religion" to save them, Paul wrote, "Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God?  Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?  But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed" (Romans 2:3-5).

Some console themselves by calling Christians "hypocrites," and they are sometimes right.  Not everyone who claims to be a Christian really is one, and not one of us has yet reached perfection.  But all that means is that ALL those who have not confessed their sin and believed in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life will perish in hell, whether they are "religious" or not!  That's not very comforting!!  "Misery loves company" will not apply in hell.

There IS a way to avoid God's wrath and that is through faith in Jesus Christ, a faith produced by the very Spirit of God who transforms God's chosen people from the inside out, giving us a new heart, a new mind and a new will, enabling and empowering us to believe and to turn from sin to righteousness.  We can KNOW that what He has begun, He will complete, and we will escape the judgment to come.

Are you "testing" God's patience, or have you come to Jesus for forgiveness?  God's patience is running out and this world as we know it will come to an end.  Your life could end today and what would be your eternal destination?  As people all around us talk about being "safe," few are!  May God open your eyes to see the reality of His coming judgment and give you a new heart, mind and will to repent and believe!!

If you would like to ask questions about what the Bible teaches or purchase a copy of " ... the end.," please email me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.

"How much time do we have left?"

It seems that everyone knows a few phrases or verses from the Bible, but people often take them out of context and are unwilling to consider these phrases or verses to mean anything other than what they have been taught or think they mean.  One such phrase is "we cannot know the day or the time of His coming" ... of Jesus' return.  The actual quote from Matthew 24:42 says, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."  Jesus goes on to say, "Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).

In the first chapter of my book, " ... the end.", I refer to II Peter 3:1-13 as a crucial passage in determining that we are nearing the end.  Peter writes, "First of all, scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.  They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation'" (II Peter 3:3-4).  

I write in my book, "It was not until the late 1800's and early 1900's that 'Zionism,' the idea of a Jewish homeland in the very place God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was even discussed.  And it was not until the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 that some people began to sit up and take notice.  A few within the Church began to search the Scriptures with renewed zeal, considering for the first time that perhaps, just maybe God's promises to Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were meant to be taken literally!!  Maybe all the prophecies about the future glory of Israel being restored through the coming of the Messiah to reign, including the coming of the Antichrist, the Rapture and the battle of Armageddon, were actually descriptions of literal events that would take place prior to Jesus' return!!

Since 1948 and the events surrounding Israel, the Jewish people and the rest of the nations of the world, more and more signs spoken of in the Bible appear to be nearing their fulfillment.  And interestingly, the more Christians and the Church talk about 'end times,' the more the 'scoffers,' both inside and outside the visible church, have attempted to distract people by coming up with their own theories of cataclysmic events that may lie ahead, from radical changes in the climate, to weapons of mass destruction, asteroids striking the earth, disease and war and a host of other possibilities.  Even those in the secular world talk about financial ruin causing social chaos or the need for social change to preserve the fabric of society ... whatever is left!

What the Bible describes, however, is not the natural consequences of mankind's activities, but rather, the hand of God guiding the people of the earth and the nations of the world toward His desired end."

We are living today near the end of what some call "the church age." According to God's plan, His promise to Abraham to bless all nations through His promised "Seed," the Messiah, was fulfilled in Jesus' first coming, as the Spirit was poured out and the Gospel proclaimed.  What is happening today in the Middle East, in Russia, China, Turkey and other places ... and what is happening in our own nation this week ... is part of God's plan to align the nations to accomplish His purposes prior to Jesus' return ... to gather His people and to pour out God's judgment upon the rest of mankind.  

The only escape from God's just judgment is faith in Jesus Christ, His anointed King!  While most of mankind lives in darkness, God says to believers, "You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief!" (I Thessalonians 5:4).  It's time to WAKE UP!  May God use His Word either to awaken your soul or to bring you comfort and encouragement as you place your hope and trust in Him today and live to serve Him.  Jesus Christ is Lord!!

If you would like to purchase a copy of " ... the end." email me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.

"Are you ready???"

What is going to happen in the few days or weeks?  Wouldn't you like to be able to see into the future to know what lies ahead?  The purpose of looking ahead would be and should be to be prepared for what is coming.  That just makes sense.  We all try to plan for the future in one way or another.  Some are saying that we are about to witness dramatic events that will shake our country and the world.  Truthfully, we have already witnessed events that are having a great impact on our nation and that have repercussions all around the world.  Whether it is the virus, the lockdowns, our national election or a thousand other things, life has changed in ways that are perhaps even more dramatic than they did twenty years ago on September 11th, 2001.  So what's next?

I shared back in October, 2020, that I completed the book I had been working on for years:  " ... the end."  In reality it is not "my" book, but rather a compilation of Scriptures with commentary as to why you and I need to know what God says about what is coming upon mankind and upon the earth.  I am writing this blog today to ask you to help me distribute the book and the accompanying study guide to a broader audience.  To date I have sold about 150 copies, but I am praying that God has plans to get it in the hands of more of His people.  This is not about making money, but about getting the truth of God's word into churches all over our country and throughout the world in order to help prepare the true Church for what is to come.  The cost of $15 for the book and $10 for the Study Guide offsets the costs of printing.  We are printing it at the church here at Lighthouse and putting it in spiral binding for easy reading and studying.  The book is 177 pages, printed on 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch paper.  In regular size it would be about 300 pages, so it's not "light" reading.  It is, however, as I said, filled with Scripture from beginning to end, so much of it is not my word, but God's!

In the days ahead I am going to share some brief passages from the book, filled with quotes from God's Word, in an attempt to stimulate interest.  At the end of each post I will continue to let people know how they can order the book and the study guide.  I believe more than ever that many in the visible church are not thinking about "the end" and I am praying that God would use His Word to prepare the "remnant" for the time of tribulation.  In the book I explain that the Church will be called to endure "the Great Tribulation" and that now is the time for God's people to seek wisdom.

So watch for future posts that will include excerpts from the book.  Urge your family, friends and neighbors to purchase a copy.  Think about starting a small group in your church or neighborhood and study God's Word together to see if these things are so.  Pray for the Spirit to give you understanding so that you will be ready to bear witness to Jesus Christ and to stand firm on His truth until He comes.  

I don't know what is going to happen in the coming week, but GOD does!  I DO know what is going to happen in the days and years prior to Jesus' return, because God tells us in His Word.  You and I should want to know all that He has revealed ... no more and no less.  May His Spirit give you a deep spiritual hunger for His truth!  These things are the most practical truths imaginable.  I have seen people gain an understanding of these things and become more confident in what they believe, trusting God in a way they hadn't previously trusted Him.  The study of "end times" need not be a frivolous rollick through a meadow filled with speculation.  God's Word reveals the truth for all who are given eyes to see!

" ... the end." can be ordered by emailing me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.  Begin reading II Peter 3 and I'll continue next time.  And know this:  Whatever happens in the days ahead, our Father in heaven is watching over His children, "and if God is for us, who can be against us?!"

"I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me ... GOD!"

Whom do you believe today??? GOD!!  But how do you know what God says?  His Word. Period.  Often, as I teach and preach God's Word, I remind people that they must not accept anything I say UNLESS it is confirmed in God's Word.  They must do as I do:  pray and ask for wisdom as the Holy Spirit teaches us through His Word.  You cannot "make the Bible say anything you want" when you seek to understand every verse in its immediate context and in the context of the rest of the Bible.  Why is this important??  Because people all around us desperately NEED a reliable source for TRUTH!!!

As Jesus was about to ascend into heaven the disciples asked Him if this was the time foretold by the prophets when God would restore the kingdom to Israel.  Jesus answered, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be MY witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).  

You and I who believe in Jesus Christ in the year 2021 are called and sent to be witnesses of Jesus Christ!  HE is the Way and the Truth and the Life and we know that NO ONE can come to God except through faith in HIM!!  This is the truth we are called to proclaim in the midst of this crazy chaos in which we find ourselves.

Political parties, like denominations, have reached the point where they exist for their own purposes and to promote their own "SELF-existence."  What is happening in the political realm is also happening in the "religious" realm.  People are, and have a right to be, disillusioned.  Ten years ago Lighthouse was still part of a denomination ... a denomination that cared more about its preservation than about the truth!  Rather than take a stand on God's Word, they decided to have a dialogue.  We left.  The denomination will soon cease to exist.  TRUTH is not debatable.  Truth must be proclaimed.  "Witnesses" are called to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ... with God's help and for His glory.

Since some churches have been closed down we have had an opportunity to minister to some people that we did not previously know, and we hear from many of them similar things.  We are told that they did not know there was a place that was committed to proclaiming God's Word.  Isn't that what the "church" is supposed to be about??  What are the rest of you doing out there????

I was asked this week, "Why are there so many denominations and divisions in the church?"  My answer is that too many in the "church" have turned away from the truth of God's Word, the very thing to which they should be witnessing, and have replaced it with human "wisdom," leaving those who hear them hungry and longing for "a word from God."  So they read the latest book and imagine they will find it, instead of reading GOD's book and understanding what it says.

Know this, the Bible has one message and it all points to Jesus Christ, from beginning to end, and to the coming of His kingdom to earth.  The true CHURCH bears witness to the One who IS the Truth!  I don't know what is going on in our nation, but I DO know that Jesus Christ is ruling at the Father's right hand and all of this will lead where HE says it will lead, to Jesus' return, to judgment for those who do not believe in Him, and to salvation for those who do!

I pray that YOU know the Truth and that you are not being "shaken" from the firm foundation who is Jesus Christ!  As I look at the world I have opinions about a lot of things, but the world doesn't need to hear my opinions; they need to hear the truth!  So as for me, "I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me ... GOD!"

"Speaking the truth ... requires SPEAKING!"

You hear a lot of people in Christian circles quoting Ephesians 4:15 ... well, actually part of it.  The part that is quoted is usually the words that tell Christians to "speak the truth in love."  This is interpreted to mean that we who are followers of Jesus Christ must always speak out of an attitude of love toward others, never raising our voices or expressing frustration or anger.  

II Timothy 2:24-26 seems to go along with this idea:  "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.  God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."

So what do we do with Matthew 23???  I can't quote the whole chapter here, but Jesus is talking to the crowds that followed Him, among whom were some of the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jews.  Among other things He says, "Woe to you, blind guides ... You blind fools!! ... You blind men! ... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ... You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"

How do we bring these passages together to give us guidance in our lives today as we seek to speak truth and to honor God in doing so?  The answer is not that difficult.  Ephesians 4 is a passage that is speaking to those who are united in Christ and in whom the Spirit of God is at work.  To these Paul writes, "Speaking the truth in love, WE are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the Body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Within the Church, like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ are to encourage and build up one another by teaching true DOCTRINE.  He is warning against the danger of receiving false teaching and being "carried about by every wind of doctrine."  RATHER, "speaking the truth in love" will build up the Body and help others to mature in their faith.

Secondly, the passage in II Timothy 2 is addressed to a young pastor who is being confronted by those who oppose the teaching of the true Gospel.  God tells him through his mentor, Paul, to be kind and gentle, even enduring evil, praying that God will use his words to lead others to Christ, knowing that if they do not repent and believe they will perish under the just wrath of God.  Whenever we have the opportunity to speak and to share God's truth in the Gospel we must do so with an attitude of humility and gentleness, thinking about the spiritual welfare of those who hear.

As to Jesus' words to the scribes and Pharisees, they were not the only ones who were on the receiving end of Jesus' criticism.  He told Pilate that he had no authority over Him except that it had been given to him from above.  When warned that Herod, the governor of Judea, wanted to kill Him, Jesus told the messengers to "go tell that fox" what they were seeing and hearing.  Jesus was radically honest as He pointed out the sinful actions of those who were opposed to His kingdom and to the truth concerning His kingdom.  We who are His disciples must  likewise be committed to exposing the darkness of those around us who oppose the truth we have been sent into the world to proclaim.

That doesn't mean we should go off on rants and rage on about everything that is going on in our nation and in the world today, but it DOES mean that we must point people to the truth about CHRIST's kingdom and His reign, without hesitation, and with confidence and boldness, pointing out what is evil, what is contrary to righteousness and truth, and declaring that evil will not win in the end, though it may appear to be having victories in many places around us.  

Let me close for today with some verses from Psalm 2:  "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, 'As for me, I have set MY KING on Zion, my holy hill.' ... Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled.  Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."

"A Voice in the Wilderness ..."

"A voice cries, 'In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God'" (Isaiah 40:3).  

God's people needed comfort and hope.  God used the prophet Isaiah to point to what was then a distant future:  "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:4-5).

In the days of the beginning of Jesus' ministry, God's people needed comfort and hope.  "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight'" (Matthew 3:1-3).

Today, God's people need comfort and hope.  We are living in a wilderness, where there is a drought of God's Word.  The prophet Amos wrote, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land - not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12).  Those words were spoken concerning a specific time in the history of the people of Israel, yet they are applicable to the church today.

We are in the days leading to the return of Jesus Christ to establish His reign on the earth during the Millennium.  The United States and the nations of the world are in chaos, not only because of a virus, but because of lawlessness due to a rejection of God's Word.  False religions have enveloped the nations, including our own, and the "counterfeit church," as in the days of Jeremiah, cries, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace!!

As we head into this new year, it has become obvious already that there can be no unity and peace where there is no proclamation of the Word of God ... the one, true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  To you who believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, YOU are called to be "a voice in the wilderness today," preparing the way for the Lord by proclaiming the Gospel to all, knowing that God will give to some "ears to hear," and they will be saved from His coming judgment.  You must know what God says and believe His Word is found in the Bible, not through some other means or from some other source.  Be careful of those who say they have "a word from the Lord" that does not come from God's Word.

We who know Jesus today know HIS joy, the joy of living to please our Father as we proclaim His truth and stand firm in our faith.  Do not lose heart, for He is with us and will never leave us.  And do not be quiet!  Keep speaking of God's plan and pointing people to Jesus Christ.  HE IS LORD!!!

"Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:4-5).

"All the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD!"

There will come a day, says the prophet Habakkuk, when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).  That should give all who know the one true God a reason to have hope and to rejoice in His grace and mercy to His children every single day!

Our tendency is to forget about God's plan unfolding as we live in this world day after day.  It is so easy to be distracted and to get caught up in the advance of evil that we who have the Spirit of God within us can see so clearly.  I think of what the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8 when we says, "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved" (Romans 8:22-24).  "Groaning" is a part of the life of a Christian as you live in this world, longing for Jesus' return.

"Change" is hard for most of us, and the changes we have seen in our nation and in the whole world over the past year have been and are dramatic.  There will be more!  God says so.  Many in the visible church are looking for the Rapture and expecting the Rapture to be the next event on God's prophetic time clock, but I encourage you to study God's Word and to be prepared for a time of tribulation such as the world has never seen.  Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 24:15-29.  You can read that whole passage, but I point you especially to verses 29-31.  Jesus says,

"Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  THEN will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then ALL THE TRIBES of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN TO THE OTHER."

I know that some believe this is a "second" rapture that is only Jewish people, or they have some other explanation, but what is being described here is the same as what Paul describes in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, the Church being gathered together to meet Christ in the air.  God is preparing the world for the coming of Jesus Christ and the Church must be ready to endure the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist, who together with the False Prophet (see Revelation 13) and the leaders of the world WILL set up some kind of one-world government and a one-world religion.  Most people already see this happening and welcome it!!

Meanwhile, those who know the one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible, and in the living Word, Jesus Christ, must believe all He reveals and be ready to endure.  It is clear that most are NOT ready as they "melt" at the least trial that they are called to face.  Suffering and trials and struggles of all kinds are real, BUT God is with His children and we have a heavenly home if we leave this world before Jesus returns.  God says in Psalm 37:1-2, 8-9:  "Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. ... Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.  For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land!"

We who believe will reign with Christ for a thousand years and will then inherit the new heavens and the new earth, and "All the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord!"  That day IS coming, and if you have placed your hope in Jesus Christ YOU will SEE it!!!  Until then, be strong in the Lord and set your heart on serving Him.  He will give you what you need, one day at a time, and will carry you through the times of trial.  Rejoice in His goodness, trust in His promises and give thanks for His gift of life through Jesus Christ!

If you want to know more about the unfolding of God's plan you can purchase a copy of " ... the end." by emailing me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.  Study God's Word and pray for wisdom, for every prophecy you find in the Bible will happen, just as He says, and for those who know Him ... it will be GOOD!!!

"Lawlessness is NOT an acceptable response!"

Having spoken against lawlessness and violence over the summer months, it grieves me to see the events of yesterday in our capitol.  While I share much of the frustration of those who believe that there were very real issues with our election, the response of the relative few who committed unlawful acts at the capitol building yesterday now overshadow the real issues that we need to address going forward.

How then do we respond as Christians, knowing that our God is at work in the midst of all these things?  I want to share the words of the Apostle Paul to his young friend, Timothy, as they speak to us today:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people (people in every area of life), for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people (Jews and Gentiles) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (Jews and Gentiles), which is the testimony given at the proper time.  For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (I Timothy 2:1-7).

God calls us to pray for our leaders, no matter who they are!  Why?  So that we will have the freedom to live "a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way."  As followers of Jesus Christ we must not forget who we are in the world and where our hope comes from.  We must point out injustice and speak truth to our neighbors, using every opportunity to point them to Jesus Christ.  We are "Christian Americans," not the other way around!  We are followers of Christ first, and American patriots second.  Our first and greatest "loyalty" must be to Jesus Christ and to His kingdom.  While we are extremely blessed to live in what is yet, a relatively free country, we must continually pray for God's mercy and for wisdom and endurance to continue to speak of Jesus Christ, "the ONLY Mediator between God and men."  It is only through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, leading to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, that any person will avoid the inevitable judgment of God that is coming upon our nation and the world!

OUR response is not in question:  "YOU are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  YOU are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16).

As I have shared over the past months in sermons and many conversations, politics is not separated from "religion." Jesus Christ is Lord over every area of life, even in the political realm.  Pray for godly men and women to rise up and to continue to stand for biblical truth and the principles found in God's Word, to defend human life, to promote peace and genuine love and compassion toward all.  As I wrote in a previous post, evil has an agenda, but OUR agenda, if it is GOD's agenda, will eventually overcome, when Jesus Christ returns.  Until then, we must be that light in the darkness.  Peter writes it this way,

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (I Peter 2:11-12).

Jesus Christ is coming again to reign as King over the entire earth.  That is a fact!  Until then, by our words and by our deeds, we who believe are ambassadors of His kingdom, being sent into the world to speak and to act on His behalf, calling people out of darkness and into His marvelous light.  When He comes, may we be found so doing!

"WHY the United States is 'in trouble'!"

Many prayers are being offered today for the outcome of the election being held in Georgia for two Senate seats, and for the Congress as they meet on Wednesday to certify (or not) the results of the Presidential election.  One thing is certain, our nation is "in trouble" ... with GOD!!!

Romans 1:18-32 tells us what happens when a "people," a nation turns away from the Lord:  He "gives them over" to their sinful desires.  This is clearly what has happened in the United States.  Having rejected God's Word and turned away from His truth, we are a nation without direction.  Listening to some of the people in Georgia explain why they voted one way or another, most had nothing to say about basic truths or principles that guided their thinking, or in many cases, their feelings.

Our nation is in trouble because a larger and larger majority of people have rejected the perfect law of God and are following the sinful nature that thinks first about itself!  Long ago the Psalmist wrote, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules" (Psalm 119:105-106).

"Righteousness" and "holiness" are a foreign language to most in our nation.  Of course, not one of us is perfect, which is why we need a Savior!!  Our Father in heaven sent His Son into the world to redeem sinners and, as the Apostle Paul wrote, "I am the worst!"  Yet the desire of my heart, and of those who know the one true God who reveals Himself in His creation and in His Word, the Bible, is to please Him, to live in obedience to His Word.

What is wrong with our nation is that there is no longer a moral compass.  There is no truth that people believe is true for everyone.  So people have no direction to guide them.  But God's Word IS true, whether people accept it or not.  Voting should never be based on feelings or self-centered motives, but rather on biblical principles that God reveals in His Word.

I long to hear people say they voted for someone because they stand for life for the unborn, for personal responsibility regarding work and moral choices, for community support for law enforcement, for legal immigration, for education that teaches morality based on biblical truth, for parental responsibility for education, for family based on God's definition, for religious freedom from governmental control, etc.  Voting is a privilege and a responsibility ... before GOD!!  But when a congressMAN prays to "the one monotheistic god," and the first order of business is to remove "gender specific" pronouns from use in political debate, you know our nation is in trouble ... with GOD!!!

He has given us over, and rightly so.  No matter what the outcome of the election today or the proceedings tomorrow, we are not going to get the toothpaste back in the tube.  Too many of the young people in our nation have been indoctrinated, by schools and even by some churches, to believe in a false god who is no god at all ... a tolerant god who does not exist.  And they are not alone.  Those who reject God's Word, whether outside the church or inside it, are part of the problem.  And increasingly, THEY think that I/WE who stand on God's Word are the problem.

In the very first Psalm God makes it clear that HE is not "inclusive:" 

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:1-6).

The United States is in trouble ... with GOD!  To those of you who know the one true God, pray to our Father in heaven in the name of Jesus Christ and ask for mercy, that we may have a little more time, according to His will, to proclaim the Gospel, which is still "the power of God unto salvation to those who believe."  Difficult days are ahead, but our God reigns and He is with His people.  It is hard to ask God to "bless America," but I do pray for mercy and for strength to stand when others fall.

Pray for the true Church, that we may be strengthened and empowered by the Spirit of God to stand firm upon His Word and to continue to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, calling people to repent, to turn from their sins and to believe in Him for forgiveness and life!

If you live in the United States and would like a copy of my book, " ... the end.", please email me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.  Rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to Him, for HE IS WORTHY!!

"EVIL has an agenda! ... But GOD ..."

 The naive believe that evil, if it exists, has no agenda, no plan.  Those of us who believe that Satan is real, that there are demonic powers at work in our world and that the majority of mankind is being deceived are called "conspiracy theorists." But while it is true that some go beyond reality to imagine that Satan is hiding behind every bush, evil DOES exist in our world and Satan and those whom he is deceiving DO have an agenda!

Remember God's warning to the early Christians through Paul's letter to the Ephesians:  "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Not only does evil exist in our world today, but God tells us that as we approach the return of Jesus Christ, deception will grow and the forces of evil in both the spiritual realm and the physical realm will unite in an attempt to establish a "kingdom" that is in every way opposed to the kingdom of God and to God's anointed King, Jesus Christ!!

In my book, " ... the end.", I explain in detail what God's Word says about this evil agenda.  In Chapter 3 I write about the one whom Daniel predicts will arise, a "prince" who will establish or confirm a "strong covenant" with many, including Israel, for seven years.  Those who refuse to enter the covenant, or treaty, will be subject to great opposition.  While there is an attempt to bring peace to the Middle East, wars will spring up in other places of the world.  There will be famine and disease and death on a scale previously unimaginable.

All of this is part of the agenda of evil to establish a one-world government and a one-world religion that will "take over" the world for the welfare of mankind.  In the middle of this seven year covenant or treaty this "anti-christ" will actually be "possessed" by Satan and will stop the sacrifices at the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and will declare himself to be God, performing signs and wonders to deceive the population of planet earth.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this time in his second letter to the Thessalonians:  "That day (the day of the LORD) will not come, unless the rebellion (apostasy) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to BE God!" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).

He goes on to say, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming.  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (II Thessalonians 2:8-12).

Evil is real, and it has an agenda:  to take over the world and to establish a "kingdom" that excludes the one true God.  Just yesterday, a Democrat congressman, Emanuel Cleaver, prayed the opening prayer for Congress and prayed to "the one monotheistic god," and then closed the prayer by saying, "A-men ... and A - woman," revealing an ignorance that is so deep that it is clearly the result of intentional deception.  "One monotheistic god" is intended to include Jews, Muslims and Christians, even though their belief about Jesus is radically different and impossible to reconcile.  And as far as saying, "A-men and A-woman," such ignorance of the meaning of the word "amen" would be laughable if it weren't that so many people applaud what he prayed.  "Amen" is the Hebrew word for "truly" or "certainly."  It has NOTHING to do with GENDER!!!!!

Evil has one agenda:  to deceive in order to control.  In our nation today evil is using deception in churches who believe the "social gospel" or the "prosperity gospel" are the true gospel.  In our nation today evil is using deception to make people believe that government control is a better form of government than freedom and true representative government.  In our nation today evil is using deception to convince people that the "freedom" to kill unborn babies, to reject the fact that there are TWO genders, male and female, that sexual immorality, greed and self-centered living of all kinds is better than living according to God's laws and the morality given in His commandments.  The transition from a nation based on Biblical principles to a nation of lawlessness is almost complete ... and most people will not see it because they choose not to see it.  Their eyes are closed and their hearts are darkened by the pandemic of sin that affects the entire human race ... BUT GOD!!

There is a remnant of the human race, chosen by God, known by God, who are being saved and who are speaking truth to the world.  We, too, were "by nature children of wrath. ... BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by GRACE you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5).  This is the only escape from deception:  God's truth, found in His Word, the Bible.

We know that evil has an agenda, but we also know that GOD, our Creator, has a plan that supersedes all that Satan and his evil host attempt to do.  Yes, evil is growing and will grow as we draw near to Jesus' return.  Speaking of Daniel's "70th week," the final seven years prior to Jesus' return, Jesus says "there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.  But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short" (Matthew 24:21-22).

These things will happen, and even now are beginning to happen, just as God says they will.  BUT GOD has a plan to save all those who are His, who by His grace believe in His Son Jesus Christ.  Though we will be persecuted, as many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have been in the past century, and are being even now, our God will be with us as we continue to proclaim the truth that sets people free, the true Gospel of forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus Christ.  As the events of this week unfold, know this:  while evil has an agenda, GOD has a plan to ultimately overrule evil and to establish His eternal kingdom where righteousness is the standard by which all His chosen people will live.

Take heart today in God's promise to be with His children and know that He is at work to accomplish His purpose IN you and THROUGH you for His glory as you serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ!  He will reign and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of our Father in heaven.  Know Him today and trust Him for tomorrow.  Put your hope in Him and do not be afraid.  Trust in the Lord and He will give you perfect peace as you rest in Him!!

Evil has an agenda ... BUT GOD!!!

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD!"

 The prophet, Habakkuk wrote a relatively short message, compared to Isaiah and some of the other "major" prophets ... even most of the other "minor" prophets, but the message he brought to God's people bears the power of the Spirit to encourage those who believe to "live by faith!" 

Habakkuk begins with a "complaint" to the LORD, his God.  "How long shall I cry for help, and You do not hear?  Or cry to You, 'Violence!' and You do not save?"  It is almost as if the prophet is living today!!  God's answer was to tell Habakkuk that HE was going to send the Chaldeans (Babylonians), a desperately wicked people with an overpowering army filled with evil, to bring judgment on His own people, Judah.  Thousands would be killed, the temple would be destroyed and nearly all the rest would be taken into captivity in a foreign land.

When Habakkuk heard God's plan he was astounded!  How could a holy God permit such evil to take place?  Surely this would not happen!  But God gives to Habakkuk the truth that several hundred years later would be quoted by the Apostle Paul in explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ:  "The righteous shall live by his faith!" (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17).  God was telling Habakkuk that those who would be saved spiritually would be those who believed His promises, who trusted in Him and who did not lose hope, for HE would save them.

Habakkuk then prayed, "O LORD, I have heard the report of You, and Your work, O LORD, do I fear.  In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2).  All of this was pointing ahead to the coming of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin for all who would believe ... all whom God had chosen to be His.  The mark of a true believer is "living by faith," enduring trials and suffering in this world, all the while believing in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  One day we will live by SIGHT, but now we live by faith!

God taught the prophet Habakkuk a lesson we who know Him need to learn today.  Throughout 2020 God was with His people and was and is working to accomplish His purpose to bring judgment on some, while bringing hope and salvation to those who believe in Him.  In spite of what we SEE, evil will not win!  Whatever happens this week, evil will not win.  Judgment is coming upon our nation and the world ...  of that we can be certain.  How?  When?  Only God knows. But our testimony must be the same as that of Habakkuk:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places!" (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

May you have a truly blessed new year as you live by faith and as you rejoice in the Lord, your God!!

"Behold, I am doing a new thing!"

 Turning the calendar into a new year is not like waving a magic wand and seeing everything suddenly change from what it was just 24 hours ago, but when GOD says He is doing a "new thing" it is worthy of taking note.  So it was in the days of the prophet Isaiah, as God brought His judgment on Israel for their idolatry and other sins.  Israel would soon be destroyed by the Assyrian armies and scattered throughout the nations of the world.  Judah would not be far behind, as the Babylonians would destroy the temple and take the people into captivity for seventy years.  Things couldn't look much worse for those who were supposed to be God's chosen people!  What about the promises God had made to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob?

Ah, but God was not finished.  The people could not know that even this was all part of God's plan to reveal the stubborn, sinful, rebellious nature of mankind in order to usher in what the New Testament writers would later call "the day of salvation."  Yet, in the midst of what many may have thought were the worst of times, God spoke through Isaiah to those who were given "ears to hear."  He said,

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise" (Isaiah 43:18-21).

Though WE may be overwhelmed by the circumstances all around us, God never is!  To know the sovereign God who reveals Himself in His Word, the Bible, is to understand that this "new thing" was and is His plan to save those who believe in Jesus Christ, those from every people, tribe, nation and tongue whom He has chosen for Himself, who will be born again by His Spirit, who will confess their sins, trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for forgiveness, and then live to testify that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of our Father in heaven!

All who believe in Jesus today are part of the fulfillment of what God promised to do in the days of Isaiah.  We have seen and are seeing prophecy fulfilled in our day and we know that God is with us to accomplish His purpose until Jesus comes!  

As you head into this new year there is one way to live with hope each day and that is to know what God is doing.  The true Church is a gathering of faithful followers of Jesus Christ who have one goal in mind:  to glorify the God who created us for His glory and to give thanks for His salvation as we proclaim His truth to the world around us.  Some will be given ears to hear, most will ignore or reject the Gospel we proclaim, but God will accomplish His purpose no matter what mankind attempts to do to stop Him or to stop us.  Our goal must be to remain faithful to our calling, for God says,

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!" (I Peter 2:9).

Make it your goal in this new year to be an active part of Christ's Body, to be part of the "new thing" God is still doing in the world today.  If you live nearby Allendale, Michigan, we invite you to join us at Lighthouse Community Church.  If not, familiarize yourself with our website and watch online and learn and grow with us.  Form a small group around you and study God's Word together.  Order "... the end." by emailing me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org and see what God's Word tells us about the events leading up to and surrounding the return of Jesus Christ.  We have other resources available for Bible studies as well.

January 1st, 2021 ... "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!"