"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!