The Rapture Will Occur Before The Tribulation -

By Daniel Payne - For generations, true believers-born-again of the Spirit-have been waiting for their Savior to suddenly appear in the clouds above them, and deliver them from their earthly trials. Many of these watchful believers have been mocked and scorned for their patience and hope in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. False teachers, who either do not understand or deny God's Word, have led the charge against the hope of the Rapture occurring before the Tribulation. How can anyone - after actually reading and believing God's Word - conclude that the Rapture happens after the wrath and horrors of the Tribulation and not before? God's Word lists the order of events as plain as day: First... "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Then-just two verses later... "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Rapture: (1 Thess. 4:17) before Tribulation: (1 Thess. 5:2-3). Again, first "we shall be caught up together...in the clouds". "Then sudden destruction comes upon them"-not us. The Apostle Paul had just revealed the Rapture to the Thessalonians in chapter four. Then, literally just two verses later, he answered the obvious question as to when the Rapture would take place: "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you" (1 Thessalonians 5:1). It's obvious that the Rapture is to take place before all of the destruction of the Tribulation (Day of the Lord), otherwise Paul wouldn't have focused on the fact that the Day of the Lord will arrive as a thief in the night. Paul was associating the timing of the Rapture with the arrival of the Day of the Lord. What difference would the sudden arrival of the Day of the Lord make if the Rapture was to take place at the end of it? Remember, Paul was still on the subject of the Rapture when he said that the Day of the Lord arrives suddenly and unexpectedly, as a thief in the night to those who are not ready. If the Rapture was to take place at the end of the Tribulation, then Paul would have talked about the events that will take place at that time (cosmic signs, etc.). He said that those who are ready and watching-the true believers-have no need to be concerned about the arrival of the destruction of the Day of the Lord. We need not concern ourselves with the judgment of the Tribulation because we will not be here. If Paul was teaching that the Rapture is to take place at the end of the Tribulation, then 1 Thessalonians 5:2 should say something like: "For you yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord lasts seven years, so..." or "the time of wrath during the Day of the Lord lasts seven years, as spoken of by Daniel...." However, Paul did not speak of any of the events that are to occur during the Tribulation or how long they will last; Paul only spoke of the arrival of the Day of the Lord. It's obvious then that the Rapture has no part during the Tribulation, let alone after: "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). We are commanded to watch and be ready for the Rapture, when we will meet our Savior face to face and when: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief... Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober... For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:4, 6, 9). Now, concerning Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians. Apparently, false teachers had used Paul's teaching of the Rapture from his first letter, and its associated timing with the arrival of the Day of the Lord, as a pretext to trouble them into a cold-hearted deception. They were tricked into believing that the persecution they were currently enduring was in fact the actual Tribulation, i.e. the wrath of the Day of the Lord. They were frightened into believing that the Tribulation had already begun. (Side Note: This cruel tactic is vulgarly similar to that used today by those who seem to enjoy ridiculing those of us who believe in the doctrine of the Pre-Trib Rapture. Just as the false teachers in Thessalonica knew full well that the Thessalonians were taught that the Rapture will occur before the arrival of the Day of the Lord, so also do the false teachers of today know that we're also taught that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation. Both sets of cruel-hearted false teachers try to deceive those who long for the return of their Savior into believing that they will miss a gathering to meet the Lord in the air before the Tribulation. Consequently, we will then have to endure the trauma and pain of God's Tribulation judgment on the world that currently rejects His salvation and the legitimacy of His nation Israel. They love to mock us as if it's some sort of satisfaction for them that we'll be suckered into having to endure the wrath of the Tribulation, exactly like the false teachers did way back in Thessalonica). How was it that the Thessalonians could be so easily deceived by the false teachers? Because they were already enduring persecutions and tribulations that they were no doubt told by the false teachers were signs that the Tribulation had already begun. "So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure" (2 Thessalonians 1:4). Paul began his letter of comfort to them-2 Thessalonians-by commending them for their "patience and faith" in all their "persecutions and tribulations." Paul then went on to speak of the rest that the faithful Thessalonians would have during the time "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those" who are persecuting them (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). In order to make sense of exactly what Paul was teaching the Thessalonians in reference to the Day of the Lord-whether or not he taught them that they would have to endure through it or be raptured before it-let's make all of the Thessalonians part of either group 1, or all part of group 2 below: Post-Trib Rapture Gathering: The Thessalonians were taught by Paul and believed that they would somehow have to endure through the entire Tribulation (Day of Christ, Day of the Lord), survive (to be alive for the gathering in the air) and not take the Mark of the Beast. They would have to wait to be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air until after the Tribulation ends. Pre-Trib Rapture Gathering: The Thessalonians were taught by Paul that they would be gathered together in the air to be with the Lord forever before the Tribulation (Day of Christ, Day of the Lord) begins. Again, we know from Paul's letter that the Thessalonians actually believed that they were already in the Tribulation. If they were all part of group one from above-and since they believed that the Tribulation had already begun-why then would they be upset (before Paul's second letter arrived) that Christ was absolutely about to return within seven years or less and end their Tribulation suffering? You might say that they would be upset that they would still have yet to endure the remainder of the Tribulation woes, and that is why they were so troubled. That makes perfect sense except for one thing... (Please keep in mind that we're still talking about Group 1 from above here.) Why then would it be a comfort and a relief to them if the Tribulation time clock had not already begun counting down to the return of their Savior? How could the fact that the Tribulation hadn't yet begun-as Paul is telling them in this his second letter-and that now the return of the Lord would even be farther away, be of any immediate comfort to them? Especially when the true horrors of the Day of the Lord could still arrive at any time? How is it such a great comfort to know that the Day of the Lord has not yet begun even though you're still going to have to be present on earth throughout the destruction once it does finally begin? That just doesn't make any sense. It's far more likely that they belonged to Group 2, and they were upset that Christ had already returned and they missed the "gathering together to Him," and that He left them behind to endure the Tribulation. The great comfort to them would then not be that the Tribulation has not yet begun and could still arrive at any time, but that the Lord Jesus had not yet arrived and the Rapture can still occur at any time. In keeping with his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul associated the timing of the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:1) with the arrival of the Day of the Lord: "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). Paul told the Thessalonians that the Antichrist will "be revealed in his own time" (2 Thessalonians 2:6). Paul is still associating the Tribulation with a time ("his own time") after the Rapture. He was telling the Thessalonians that they could know that the Rapture (2:1) had not yet taken place because the apostasy and the revealing of the Antichrist had not yet taken place. The Antichrist will be revealed-to those who read or have read a Bible-the moment he confirms the peace treaty with Israel. Many false candidates have come over the generations, but only one will be revealed by exactly matching the biblical description. Paul's primary focus was not on the Thessalonians having to watch for the events that would occur during the Tribulation; his primary focus was on them being aware of the details that would happen before the Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 5-7). Then he explained what would happen after the Rapture, beginning in verse 8: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). Then, after Paul explained some of the events that would take place during the Tribulation, he reminded the Thessalonians that they would not have to endure such events: "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Interestingly, in the verse above, the Greek word used for "salvation" is "soteria." Its precise meaning is determined by the surrounding context. The same word "soteria" is found in Philippians 1:19: "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." Paul was assuring the Philippians that their prayers were powerful enough to affect his escape from a Roman prison. Paul never spoke of any major celestial events that would immediately precede the Lord's return for His saints at the Rapture (in 1 Thessalonians chapter four). However, when the Lord returns with His saints, there will be great cosmic signs and wonders: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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" (Matthew 24:29-30). "Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all...'" (Jude 1:14-15a). In closing, God's Word explicitly lays out the timing of the Rapture as occurring before the arrival of the judgment of the Tribulation. Jesus and His apostles warned us to specifically watch for only Jesus Christ Himself, not the many events that will take place during the Tribulation. We were also exhorted by Jesus and His apostles that while we are watching for His return, we should not give ourselves up to the errors of the false teachers who increasingly say He is not coming. "This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles" (2 Peter 3:1-2). What "commandment of the Lord" is Peter referring to? "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will" (Matthew 24:42-44). The Lord Jesus exhorts us again in Revelation to persevere and continue to watch for His return: "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10). Jesus commends us for our perseverance in holding to the traditions of our hope in His imminent return. Then He tells us of a crown we will receive if we continue to love, hope in, and watch for His soon return: "I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (Revelation 3:11). Paul describes this same crown: "In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). Paul tells us again to stand firm in his teachings of our hope of the Rapture: "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Peter also tells us to stay focused on the return of Jesus and not be deceived by the false teachings of unprincipled men: "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation'" (2 Peter 3:3-4). "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness" (2 Peter 3:17). We cannot let the evil that is rapidly closing in around us cause us to lose our hope in the Rapture by being deceived by false teachers. We must continue to persevere, no matter how much longer we have to wait, while continuing in our hope and love of the imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

DRAW CLOSER TO THE LIGHT

 - Nathele Graham -

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19.

 

The world is in a mess. Everywhere we look we see doom and gloom. Chaos seems to rule and liberal beliefs are infesting the hearts of men...and women. In the United States there were two tragic shooting incidents recently, and the nation has had our hearts broken. These tragedies are becoming all too frequent. Though we are horrified, this shouldn't be a surprise to Christians because we are in the last days and Scripture tells us that the hearts of humanity will grow colder. I'm not writing today about those shootings, but about the darkness that lives in the hearts of secular people. That darkness permeates our world and is trying to extinguish the Light of God. That darkness is from Satan.

 

People will often blame God when tragedy strikes. Whether that tragedy is a mass murder, an evil rape, or a single murder of any kind, the first reaction is to blame God. In many cases it's our choice that puts us in a perilous situation. Not always, but quite often that's the case. Did the young woman who cries rape choose to go to a frat party? The rape shouldn't have happened, but if she wasn't in the wrong place she wouldn't have been put in danger. When a person chooses to pursue carnal lusts and worldly pleasures, they choose to follow Satan. Christians must learn to make choices based on Biblical truth and turn from the wickedness of the world. "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19. The god of this world is Satan. Many video games, TV shows, movies, and song lyrics glorify Satan and mock the one true God. It isn't always easy to turn from the darkness because those things tempt us to sin. They often offer temporary pleasure, but that pleasure doesn't last.

 

Christians make a mistake by keeping silent and playing the games, watching the shows, and listening to the music that promote evil. Those things control our hearts. How many hours do you spend studying Scripture, talking with God, or doing good works in His name? How many hours do you spend in secular activity? Parents...take the Iphone away. Look into the vaccinations your children get and the mind-altering drugs they are prescribed to counteract the side effects of those vaccinations. Learn about the drug list that most, if not all, of the shooters were prescribed. Parents put your foot down and don't allow the secular music and movies to shape your child's life. Parents, here's the tough thing you can do, homeschool your children. Easy? Not really because most parents have given into the temptations of this world. You might have to give up some of your toys...multiple cars, big mortgage payment, or that spectacular vacation, but the soul of your child is more important than the secular teaching you allow them to be brainwashed with. 

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6. 

Lead by example. Most parents encourage secular sports or allow their kids to "hang out" with secular friends. Ask the parents of the young girl who was brutally stabbed by two "friends" who were obeying a demon what they would do differently. Give your children the courage to stand for Jesus rather than wanting to be accepted by secular friends. Teach your children to not be ashamed of following Christ, even if people mock them. Teach them what Jesus did for them on the cross and how He endured the mocking and rejection of many people around Him. He chose men to "hang out" with who were willing to draw closer to the Light of the World rather than follow the darkness of Satan.

 

Here's another very real part of the mass murder tragedies, or any other death: How many of the victims knew Jesus? That question won't be addressed by the news media, but it could be the eternal tragedy of these deaths. The partiers in Dayton, the shoppers in El Paso, the crowd in Las Vegas, and even those sitting in the pews when a killer entered a congregation with a gun, have all stepped into eternity. If you're a victim tomorrow, your choice today makes the eternal difference. Jesus Himself sent Paul on a mission to spread the Gospel. 

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18. 

That mission is given to every Christian. If we don't put Christ first in our lives, live so others can see Him in us, and speak boldly for His truth then the darkness will grow stronger and the power of Satan will infect everyone. A person living in darkness and serving the god of this world can repent and turn their life over to Christ if a Christian will be a witness to him. Jesus will forgive every sin whether homosexuality, abortion, mass shootings, or telling lies. If you've led someone to a saving faith in Jesus, don't walk away. That new babe in Christ must be guided in their walk. Teach them to follow Christ. Use Scripture, both the Old and New Testaments. Be firm about what Scripture discloses as sin and help them to turn away from darkness. Don't let failures stumble them in their walk, but teach them to recognize their sin and confess to Jesus and seek His forgiveness. 

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9. We all need to examine our way of life so we can turn from the darkness and draw nearer to the Light of Jesus.

 

Everyone was dead in sin before accepting the free gift of salvation only found in Jesus. Prior to accepting Christ you may have willingly participated in much sin and found temporary pleasure in it. True acceptance of Christ's gift of salvation should change your mind about what things you find pleasure in.

 "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of the light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:8-10. 

Christ saves us but then we have a responsibility to allow Him to change us. Darkness and Light cannot exist simultaneously, and we can't continue in sin and claim to follow Him. Temptations will always come our way, and those stumbling blocks are satanic. Be careful about the things you see. The eye can allow darkness into your whole being and even the strongest Christian can stumble.

 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, they whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness!" Matthew 6: 22-23.

 It's a sad comment on life today that Christians cannot be distinguished from non-Christians. Rather than putting Christ first He is put on a back shelf. Because of our silence we have allowed Satan to take over our schools, our politics, and even our churches. Jesus said "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46. No wonder Satan's darkness is overshadowing the Light of God...Christians choose to abide in darkness rather than drawing closer to the Light.

 

We never know when our life will be taken. No matter how you die or when you die, you have a choice as to how you will live. You may be shopping at Wal-Mart when a demon possessed person pulls the trigger and your life is over. Make your eternal choice now. When you choose to accept Jesus Christ for salvation you then need to draw closer to His Light. If you've accepted His free gift of salvation, no matter how you die you will live eternally with Him. Don't leave the choice of your eternal destination until it's too late. Draw near to the Light of God today or forever dwell in darkness.

 

God bless you all,

 

ISRAEL, THE KEY TO END TIME PROPHECY

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                                                     By Pastor Mike Taylor
   "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and it’s leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”
   
   Look at the world around us. Are not the signs of the soon return of our Lord and Savior not displayed according to God’s Holy Word on the condition of this world? What are those signs? Let’s list just a few:
   
   1.the moral decay of this world,. The USA is the last nation to expound Godly principles, unfortunately its star is fading as the last great hope of the world. It was likened unto a shining city on a hill, but moral decay will bring her to the pit.
   2.the death of 50 million individuals upon the altar of convenience through abortion, or a whole generation in our nation alone, not counting international. This is synonymous with passing the children through the fires of Molech in land of Canaan and ancient Israel. A practice God says He loathes.
   3.the decay of the foundation of the nation, the family. Homosexuality, same sex marriage, civil unions, and adoption of children into these families, (sic) and whole generation void of the teachings of the Word of God that’s found in your bible.
   4.The push recently for a One World government based on climate change? Who really buys this scientific (sic) junk? Catholicism wanting all religions to unite as I spoke in my last message (One World Religion)?
   5.the removal by legislation of God from all aspects of legal and civil proceedings, from our schools, from our courts, and from our lives.
   6.the removal of our basic freedoms in the USA and a socialist agenda to match Europe and the rest of the world.
   7. Wars and rumors of wars and the preaching of the Gospel world-wide.
   
   These are just a few, and we could name many more of the symptoms of a world ripe for judgment and the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
   
   THE RETURN OF CHRIST IMMINENT
   
    As Christians we should be cultivating fruit worthy of repentance, as we see the possible end of days approaching. We should be aware of our surroundings, as Christ commanded us “to watch”. We are to be prepared for what could be coming on the earth very soon. We should be living like He will come today, and He just might.
   
   Just think of the world that we may be living in.  Even worse than what we are witnessing right now and it’s hard to imagine. The symptoms of the end of the age are piling up quickly, but as the old saying goes, “you ain’t seen nothing’ yet!”
   
   Jesus warns in Matthew. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” ( Matthew 24:24)
   
   We see that happening today and it will get exponentially worse in the coming Tribulation...We see it in our news, on our TV sets and publications and rampant on the internet. Obviously, unless you are well grounded in the Word of God and sound doctrine, a person could be deceived when counterfeit miracles are performed and will lead the person away from the truth. If a true Christian hides the Word of God in his heart and his mind, no manner of lies that mimic God’s truth will fool the redeemed child of God. But we must stay close to God by His Holy Spirit and grounded in His Word. That’s a warning from our God and Savior as quoted in the verse coming from Matthew's Gospel.
   
   But what should we be doing as Christians in these last days of the closing Age?
   11. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
   12. teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world:
   13. 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
       14. Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."( Titus 2: 11-14)
       
       And Jesus Christ gave us a command found in Luke ,
       
       “watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”( Luke 21:36,)
       
       Jesus commands us to be watchful, alert, studying to “show thyself approved” (II Timothy 2:15) and not neglectful, sticking our heads in the sand and trying to blend into this world. This should be, for each of us, a time of joyous anticipation of the soon return of our King, our Savior, and our Redeemer. Not a time to be fearful , but sharing the  Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.
       
       ISRAEL’S REBIRTH, AN END TIME EVENT
       
       Now to the topic of this message.  Jesus gave us hints in the Word of God to the time of the signs of His return. Let us look at what our Lord said in Matthew:
       
       “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and it’s leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”( Matthew 24:32-33)
       
       I have often pondered what Jesus was saying concerning the fig tree. What do you think? Let’s look at examples in the Bible where the fig tree was used, as in these scripture passages to prove a point.
       
       Matthew 21:18-20:
       “In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs on it, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, ‘may you never bear fruit again!’ And immediately the fig tree withered up. The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, ;How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
       
       At first glance, it appears that Jesus was upset and disappointed because He was hungry and no figs were found, but was that all He meant? Jesus knew when He went to the fig tree that He would find no figs, as it was not their season. Jesus never did or said anything that did not have a deeper meaning. Figs are symbols of the nation of Israel and its faith, or the lack thereof. Israel was like the fig tree with full leaves. It looked righteous, and looked like it was following Jehovah, but produced no fruit of righteousness, faith, or obedience.
       
       
       
       In other places in the Bible, Israel is compared to either a fig tree or an olive tree. Let’s go to Jeremiah chapter 24
       
       1  "The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
       2  One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
       3  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
       4  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
       5  Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good."(Jeremiah 24:11-5)
       
       The people of Israel are compared to figs here, both good and evil in the mentioned verse above.
       
       When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He symbolically and prophetically placed a curse on Israel for their unbelief. The reason for the curse is straightforward. The fig tree, (Israel) failed to bear fruit (faith) even though its leaves indicate it was in season (the appointed time for the coming of the Messiah). Due to it’s lack of fruit, the fig tree withered,. Likewise, Israel’s lack of faith when presented with her Messiah led to the eventual destruction of the Jewish Temple at the hands of the Romans in AD 70.  For 2000 years, the nation of Israel ceased to exist and its people persecuted and cursed. They were sent into exile and dispersed into all the other nations. And Israel was no more.
       
       Let’s look at another parable concerning the fig tree, Jesus speaking:
       
       “He spake also this parable; a certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none..
       then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come  seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none; cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
       And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
        and if it bear fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”(Luke 13:6-9.)
       
       For three years, Jesus spread His message throughout Israel performing miracles, exhibiting unprecedented knowledge of the Scriptures, and offering ample evidence of His claim to be the long awaited Messiah. Yet despite three years of testimony, Israel refused to believe in the One whom God had sent.
       
       But God in His mercy, will give Israel another chance very soon and the dung He speaks of will be intense persecution, so He may refine them as silver in a hot fire, until He can see His image in them. (Malachi 3:3).  The coming Tribulation is a time of God’s wrath and judgment on the earth, and for refining Israel, as she has had 4000 years with God trying to teach and reach her. A question to you.  Is it meant for God’s church to be caught up between God’s wrath, and judgment of the earth and refining Israel in the fire? We will answer that in a moment.
       
       ISRAEL IS THE KEY
       
       Everyone knows that Israel became a nation again after almost 2000 years of not being a nation. Never, I repeat, NEVER in the history of mankind, has a fallen nation resurrected to become that nation again, except Israel. Israel is compared to a flowering fig tree and putting on new growth in yet another parable found in Luke chapter 21, starting in verse 29,
       
       29 “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
       30  "When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
       31  So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
       32  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
       33  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.........
       
       36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."(Luke 21:29-33,36)
       
       This whole 21st chapter is pregnant with meaning. I see Jesus putting the order in reverse and the fig tree is stated last, when time wise, it would have been stated first. In verse 29. - And he spake to them a parable. "It is certain," went on the Lord to say, "that summer follows the season when the fig tree and other trees put forth their green shoots. It is no less certain that these things - the fall of Jerusalem, and later the end of the world - will follow closely on the signs I have just told you about." But I would like to key on the word “generation” in verse 32. What is a generation? Many people have tried to develop a time line for the return of our Lord. The Jehovah Witnesses have been doing that since the late 1800s and failed. You and I can’t do that. But when does a generation start?  Speculation had it that a generation started in 1948. Makes sense, as there are numerous illustrations found in your bible that shows God deals with people in lots of 40 years, before judgment is passed. But is that applicable here?
       
       1. so Jesus would return in 1988, as a generation was theorized to be those 40 years…as previously mentioned. Did not happen.
       
       2. They reasoned further, that a generation started when Jerusalem became the capital of Israel again in 1967, so 2007 was calculated to be the time of His return. Wrong again. Those dates have come and gone. Symptoms of the end time are piling up even faster, as time goes on and we’re still here.
       
       I believe here that God is speaking of the life span of those born around this time, as some will be alive to witness His coming. The bible speaks of that generation being 70 years, 80 years by strength. (Psalm 90:10). Do the math.
       
       The whole point of the parables about the fig tree is that the fig tree is Israel. It’s been seven decades plus since Israel was once again declared a nation against all worldly odds. In Matthew 24, again, Jesus promises that the generation which witnesses the birth of Israel as a nation again, will not die off until the end of the age comes to pass….What is the end of the age? The return of Jesus Christ as Lord and King and ruler of this world  for a 1000 year reign. A lot of you reading this article were born in the 1950s or earlier, right along side the people who were born in Israel during this time of Israel being gathered and becoming a nation. I was born in 1951, so it is possible that I will see my Lord coming in the clouds for His elect before tribulation starts and so will you, if the Lord wills and you have a long life proclaimed..
       
       Given the Bible’s impeccable track record, we have every reason to expect the soon return of our Lord to this earth and a wise person will prepare accordingly.
       
       But of this time, Jesus, God of the Old and New Testament gave us comforting words to show us that we have nothing to fear. Let’s ponder on a few scriptures that speak of this comfort and our hope in Christ Jesus and answers my question, will the church be caught between the wrath of God and refining Israel?
       JESUS REMOVES HIS BRIDE BEFORE THE TRIBULATION
       
       Let’s go to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, but after we read it, I will go to  Isaiah 26:19-21. After we have read these two passages, if you put them side by side and look at each verse, you will see that Isaiah in the Old Testament states in different words the same thought pattern that Paul expressed in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4:
       "13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
   14. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
   15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
   16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
   17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
   18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."(1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18)
   
   Now compare these verses with Isaiah:
   
   "19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
   20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
   21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”(Isaiah 26:19-21)
   See how close these two passages resemble one another, one in the Old Testament and another in the New Testament, but both speak near the same thing. Isaiah speaks of God's Wrath and hiding us until He is done.
   
   
   Just as God protected His people during the Passover in Egypt, by the sign of the blood over their doors, God in His wrath, will pass over us because of the blood of His Son and remove us to where He is. Because in the first part of verse 20 in Isaiah 26, the prophet speaks of chambers and shutting thy doors about thee? And about hiding till His indignation passes by? What does it mean?  I believe it is explained in by Jesus, when He said:
   
   "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
   2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
   3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."( John 14:1-3)
   
   Again in Revelation 3:10..when He speaks to the church in Philadelphia:
   
   "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

   
   

   I have used these passages many times, as the last one with the phrase, “Keep thee from” in Revelation 3:10 is the Greek word “EK” which is a small word that means :

   'ἐκ • (ek) (governs the genitive) (of place) (of motion) Out of, from. from, with the source of. to denote change from one place or condition to another.”

   We are removed from the time and place of His coming wrath, as the wrath of God will cover the whole earth, but His church is not found on this earth.

   Note how these verses sprinkled all over your Bible which are just a few, as there are many more, speak of a time when God our Lord Jesus Christ will remove His bride from this earth before His wrath of Almighty God is poured out on an unbelieving world.
   
   Till He comes again, He tells us how to be ready and not be found wanting:
   
   In 1^st Thessalonians Paul writes under the guidance of the Holy Spirit:
   
   1, "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
   2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
   3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
   4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
   5. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
   6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
   7. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
   8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
   9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
   10. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."(1^st Thessalonians 5:1-10)
   
   I have heard sermon after sermon dealing with these scriptures and you could go into great detail of doctrinal teachings of their meaning, but without rambling on the subject and just letting the Words of the Living God speak for itself, we can read these verses and see that in the first 3 chapters of Revelation, that God is dealing with His church. Then taking all the other scriptures that I have quoted, supports that God will remove us from His coming wrath and move us out of the way, as many examples are shown in the Word of God. These examples show God’s people being removed before His Wrath is unleashed. When will that be? Many have tried to speculate the Lord's return just as the Jehovah Witness have done to their error.
   
   We don’t know for sure, not with any certainty, as Jesus told us. Only the Father knows the exact date and the exact hour, BUT we know the season. And that my brethren, we are living in the last days of that season. Are you prepared and waiting for His blessed return? Have you put on the likeness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Have you put on the whole armour of God  (Ephesian 6:11-18) and seeking to endure to the end. If not, I believe it’s time to get prepared based on the clear instruction of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

   
   

   BACK TO ISRAEL

   
   

   But getting back to Israel as the sign of the end of the Age of Grace, we notice through news sources the unrest in the Middle East. Russia, along with Turkey and Syria have made the Middle East on the verge of war. Iran now building more missiles and seeking to enrich enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon to use on Israel. All the while hiding that they were not living up to their “nuclear deal” that the last idiot in chief forced onto the world. We see Hezbollah in the north of Israel, Hamas in the south, and Iran on the borders of the Golan Heights and wonder, is Israel prepared for a war on three fronts? War could break out at any moment, but never fear, God is on the side of Israel and will destroy those who come against His land and His people....God said it, it will be done.

   
   

   THE THIRD TEMPLE GROWS CLOSER TO BEING BUILT

   
   

   I read in the news that the Sanhedrin has asked President Trump to support their effort to build the Third Jewish Temple. As the Persian King, King Cyrus gave Israel the command to build the second Temple, Trump is compared to this Persian King to be the “king” who allows the building of the Third Temple, and that is how the Sanhedrin are looking at our USA President to be that man. Trump has already moved the embassy of the USA to Jerusalem, recognized Jerusalem as the sovereign capital of Israel, and has proclaimed the Golan Heights as belonging to Israel much to the anger of the Arab nations. Trump has shown himself a friend of Israel and the blessing brought upon the USA because of it, are showing in our economy. But will it last?

   
   

   My question is this. If the plans for the building of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem are being planned and supported by the USA, then how close is the Anti-Christ who will confirm a covenant with Israel and allow the Temple to be rebuilt?? I don't believe Trump is that man, but he is setting up a plan the “Real” man of sin will use to usher in the Tribulation. And if the man of sin is close to being revealed, then we are even closer to the rapture of the Church.

   
   

   24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

   25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

   26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

   27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”(Daniel 9:24-27)

   
   
   

   There are many things happening right now that says we are at the end of this age:

   
   
   

   From many sermons on the end times, we know that 69 weeks passed till Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, and the time clock stopped. We still have a week of years, or 7 years that God promised Israel and God will fulfill His promise to them.

   
   
   

   President Trump is trying to hammer out a “deal of the century” for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but I believe it will fail, as the Palestinians led by Abbas are not interested in peace, but the annihilation of Israel being driven into the Mediterranean Sea.

   
   
   

   Could this be the covenant that the Anti-Christ confirms with Israel and allows the temple to be built, or possibly even finish its construction? It says he will “confirm a covenant”, not make a new one, but enforce one that has already been presented.

   
   
   

   War is on the horizon within the Middle East and may even lead the Gog-Magog war found in Ezekiel 38-39. I believe that this war will be so Divinely one sided, as those who attack will die on the mountains of Israel destroying 5/6 of this invading army with only 1/6 having a chance to go back home to their countries, and the plagues possibly following them to their home towns. Thus the Anti-Christ will reveal himself by confirming an already present treaty to prevent another disaster in the heart of his rising empire. As the verses above tell us, he will make a 7 year treaty with Israel, but will break it in the middle of it, and abolish sacrifices in the Temple of God and set himself in the Holy of Holies and proclaim himself to be God.

   I am a firm believer that we may see the run-up to this war, but will NOT see its devastation, as Jesus will remove us before the Anti-Christ is revealed.

   6 “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

   7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

   8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

   9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

   10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”(2^nd Thessalonians 2:6-10)

   Many have tried to theorize who “HE” is....but the only “PERSON” who is holding back the complete assault on this earth of unimaginable evil, is God's HOLY SPIRIT that resides in each born again, washed in the blood Christian residing on this earth. So if “HE” is holding back evil through residing in His people, Christians on earth when “HE” is taken out of the way, then His people will be taken out of the way as well, as Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us and God does not lie. But notice that Israel is the “KEY” to this mystery of when the Lord will enter our world again and shout with a loud trumpet voice “come up hither”.

   
   
   

   MAKE DECISION THIS SIDE OF THE TRIBULATION

   
   
   

   Reader, time is growing short, and the end of this age we call the “age of Grace” where salvation is by faith through grace. The coming tribulation will be a faith drenched in the believing martyrs blood. None of these new believers will be guaranteed to endure to the end, as the Holy Spirit has been removed back to Old Testament times, and a man or woman could very well succumb to the trials, torture and threat of death and loose their salvation and take the mark of the beast. With all the evidence surrounding us, and the drums of war beating continuously, what should you do right now to be taken away from the literal “Hell on earth” that is coming....easy because it only takes faith and true belief in the One Whom God hath sent.

   
   
   

   15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

   16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

   17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

   18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:15-18)

   
   
   

   Believe and put your faith in Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into your life as your personal Savior, in true repentance of your sins, and you shall be saved...what saith God through the apostle Paul?

   
   8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

   9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

   10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

   11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

   12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

   13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)

   
   
   

   Do it today, my friend, as the Tribulation and the Anti-Christ are just out of sight, and the rapture is even closer. Don't be left behind to face what is coming.

   
   This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying God’s mercy on all who seek Him. If you have troubles, need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online for more biblical commentary at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, . God bless you all,

   
   

   till we meet at Jesus feet.
   
   
2. 
   

CHRISLAM, THE FALSE PROPHET PROMOTES A ONE WORLD RELIGION

BY Pastor Mike Taylor

11 “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:11-14)

I was reading about the coming One World Government that is in the planning stages right now through the new U.N. Charter of Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development and wondered to my self, “How will the world fall sway to the likes of the Anti-Christ and how will it start?” I've spoken of this before, but the Lord laid it on my heart to sound the warning again.

There are three foundations that must be in place for the Anti-Christ to rise.

1. there will have to be a one world economy. No borders, and all sovereignty of any nation will be submissive to the economy of the coming cashless society.
2. There will have to be something present that will steer all the nations to one leader that will come, and the man, called the “false prophet” will be the mouthpiece that brings all nations under one “king” or dictator and he will use “religion” as the beginning of the next foundation stone, by using a One World Religion to unite them.
3. Total control of all functions of government over the entire world that combines religion, government, and the economy into one Satanic effort to rule the world through sinful men.

Those are the foundation stones that will bring about the rise of the Anti-Christ, but how do we get from here to there? Let us explore the wide road that will lead to the destruction of this world we call earth. According to Bible prophecy, these three foundations must be in place before the Anti-Christ will rise to power.

THE RISE OF ISLAM

Back in 1979, when Iran first came upon the scene by capturing American hostages and the Mullahs of Iran formed a theocracy by overthrowing the Shah of Iran, they created what many believed were nothing but a bunch of Persian and Arab nations that embraced a 1400 year old primitive “religion” that was not a threat to any Western nation that held onto democratic principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Without making a formal declaration, Islam had declared war on the rest of the world they called “infidels” and had their target placed on the Great Satan (America) and the little Satan (Israel). For the last 40 years, Islam has grown worldwide as the 2^nd largest “religion” on earth by the sword, or by blinding those who look for something to fill that empty void inside of their own lives and have looked to Islam, as they have rejected Christianity because mainly, they see idolatry and hypocrisy within it's ranks. The formal church within Christiandom as fallen into “luke warm” apostasy, paganism and it has done nothing but send the young and impressionable likes of this last generation into its evil clutches. Islam now is the fastest growing “religion” in America.

As the opening title suggest, there has been a strong push to unite the world under one banner. Such an effort has seen one man visiting Muslim mosques and praying along with the Imam of the mosque to a “god” they both claim to be the same God we serve, Jehovah, Yahweh, or God Almighty. He has been trying to convince the religions of the world, found mainly in Christianity to unite and embrace one another in a show of unity. The cry is “come back to the mother church”. Without me saying a word, you should now know who I am referring to.

The present pope, namely pope Francis has been on a world-wide swing to unite all faiths into one religion and makes pilgramages to Muslim countries to convince those of this pagan religion to come together as “brothers” in a blend of both Christianity and Islam, coining the name Chrislam.

This pope by his actions, tries to convince with soft words and logic that both of the two major religions of the world serve the same God. Allah is god, Jehovah is God, and they are one and and the same! But let us compare these two deities that billions of people worship . Are they the same? (one true, one is false) Guess which is which?

Jehovah, (Yahweh) is a God of grace and mercy. The Bible says that God is Love!

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1^st John 4:16)

The Holy Attributes of the true God of the Bible is a God without sin, perfect, Holy, omnipresent, omniscient, all knowing, Creator of the Universe who gave His only Begotten Son as a ransom for the sins of mankind.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“Be ye holy, for I am Holy” (1^st Peter 1:16)

Yet, the Pope would have us believe that this “allah” is the same Holy Being we read in our bible. What are the attributes of “allah”?

1. Allah was one of many “gods” worshiped in pagan Arabia at the time of Mohammed. Mohammed got rid of all gods, but one which was worshiped as the moon goddess. By attributes, this god has feminine characteristics, but was changed to a male that made women inferior.
2. Allah is a “god” of war. To demand “jihad” or holy war to convert all other people of other religions to Islam by the sword. He demands that you sacrifice yourself in acts of murder and martyrdom to promote the “religion” and to die in his service is to be rewarded paradise where you will be waited upon by 77 virgins to fulfill you every wish of the physical including your sexual needs.
3. This allah, denies he has a son, as his “prophet” Mohammed said that allah has no son, so they deny the deity of Jesus Christ and reduce Him to a prophet or a teacher.
4. Islam claims that this “allah” has 99 different attributes that fly in the face of the God of the Bible and His Ten Commandments for righteous living.

Just on these few attributes, one can see that there is a vast difference between a God of love, and a god of war and murder. But note that the “false prophet” will speak as a dragon although giving the false impression of being righteous and a leader of purity and holiness as of a lamb.

1) He will claim authority over pure Christianity. The references to 'the lamb' are pretty much self-explanatory. It is a reference to something 'like' Christianity, but a counterfeit. . . . "he spake as a dragon." (Revelation 13:11)

2. It will share political power with the first beast. "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him."
   3) Participation will be mandatory. "cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." (Revelation 13:15)
   The method employed by the false prophet's religious system as the penalty for refusing conversion is decapitation.
   
   
   

"and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast." (Revelation 20:4)

For more than a 1000 years, the Catholic church has used various means to destroy opposition to its rule of the earth. It has been a blend of political and religious theological ideas, but that is where the similarities end. I believe the Catholic church will rise again, and impose another Grand Inquisition to dwarf that of the Dark Ages of Europe.

Yet, there is another religion that fits John description of death by beheading like a glove. Islam claims to be the third and final revelation from God that give it authority over Christians and Jews. Islam is not just a religion, but a political system that fulfills the first two points above of the rise of a One World Religion better than the Vatican can alone. Through Sharia law, Islam is a religion of the sword, that has used decapitation as the supreme penalty for not submitting to their hateful religion. Even the name Islam is interpreted as “submission” and on its use of Sharia law fulfills point three above. So fulfilling point 3 is a matter of existing religious doctrine -- not a new doctrine forced upon an existing system by a mad pope.

BUT WHERE WILL THE ANTI-CHRIST COME FROM?

I have explored many avenues that this “man of sin” could come from, but I am beginning to believe that it is more likely that the man is either a closet Muslim, or a moderate Muslim that will come upon the scene and promoted by none other than the false prophet who will blend all religions, Islam and Christianity into one religion, called Chrislam. But in the middle of the coming Tribulation, the Anti-Christ will eventually reject all forms of religion based, save the worship of himself, and indwelt by Satan and will sit in the Temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Why do I say he could possibly be Muslim?

The prophet Daniel identifies the antichrist as being of "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." (Daniel 9:26)

Hence the interpretation that the antichrist comes to power through some form of a revived Roman Empire that serves as a de facto global government.

In this generation, the countries of the old Roman Empire united under the banner of the European Union, uniting Europe as a single empire for the first time since the fall of Rome. They are loosely connected, as Daniel spoke of the 10 toes of the statue that the King of Babylon dreamed of, consisting of iron mixed with clay. (Portions strong, and portions of it weak). So is the popular belief, but is that entirely true, or is there more in this slight of hand the devil doesn't want us to focus on?

There is a point at which people live in the dark willfully as a result of self-imposed ignorance and I think this is it. That’s sad to me.

Alas, I lament that so many lovers of prophecy are missing the very things they have been longing to see!

Watching people look for the rise of the Antichrist’s kingdom in Europe while it’s forming right now in the Middle East is the closest we will come to watching the Jews miss the First Advent of Christ while He was standing right before them. They, too, were looking in a different geographic area.

As history shows us, Titus who became Emperor Titus, destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. Now we know that Roman soldiers burned the Temple to the ground and any structures left standing where taken down to reveal any gold that was present, to even the stones leading to the Temple structure. Understand that the Roman soldiers were not “Italian” by ethnicity, although they came from “Rome” they were of Middle Easter descent. They were a conglomeration of many cultures that adhered to Roman authority and law. Many within their legions that could have been Arabs or even Persian, or some other race that hated the Jews. Note that the Anti-Christ is called the Assyrian?

“5 And this man(Jesus) shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders..”(Micah 5:5-6)

Jesus will come to Israel’s aid when the Assyrian invades. So, the question for you to consider is, has there ever been a time in history when Jesus has led an army against Assyria to save Israel from an invasion? No, He has not.

What is the implication, then? Since this has never happened in history, the implication is that when Jesus returns, He will defend Israel against the invading Assyrian, or the Antichrist. Why is he called the Assyrian? Well, logic suggests that in order to be called an Assyrian you must come from Assyria. So, where was Assyria and what are the modern-day countries that inhabit this geographic area? If we identify these things, we can know the geographic location of the Antichrist’s kingdom.

The Assyrian Empire, the second Biblical World Kingdom, encompassed Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Notice the glaring relationship between them all? They are all today, Islamic.

THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE USA AND EUROPE

Note also, that since the failed so called “Arab Spring” that the last “president” so foolishly created has caused terrorism to have gone rampant. For all the dictators that have fallen, that kept the people in check, out of the chaos has risen the likes of ISIS. The purpose and the objective of ISIS or for that matter, Islam in general is to rule the world. But there is one problem, the Western nations of the North American Western Hemisphere. ISIS is reported to be on our border, and has committed acts of violence and bloodshed in various places like San Bernadino, Orlando, Baltimore, Boston and surely there are plans for more.

Now comes the insanity of it all. Refugees from the failed Syrian state of President Assad have all but infiltrated our borders with these people who we don't know if they are members of ISIS or not. But make no mistake, whether they are or are not terrorist among them, the population that embrace Islam is anathema to our way of life. Only our current POTUS understands that we must stop illegal immigration that plans are nothing but to destroy us. And to further this insanity, we have allowed tens of thousands of these refugees to enter into our country and the next Democrat that could be elected after Trump's two terms, if one be so sadly elected, plans to increase that amount by 500%...you heard right....with all the terror that is in the world, the Democrat idiots in Washington D.C. who think they know what is good for us, are inviting our conquerors to come invade our land and take over. It will be a brutal war for them to finally take over this country and impose Sharia law as the law of the land. That's where we are headed folks. I believe this will all happen in the Tribulation, after the removal of God's Chosen Bride at the rapture.

IT IS ALL COMING TOGETHER IN OUR LIFETIME

As began this journey, we began with the foundation stone, a religious order that will spread world-wide. To embrace all religions by one religious leader who the world trains their ears to listen to every word he says. This man will promote a One World Religion with a blending of all religions into one super religion called Chrislam. Again, why Chrislam? Why blend the two together? Short answer: Power!

The concept is likely to be embraced by a few non-fundamentalists on either side of the divide, such as Universalists, Unitarians and maybe some Buddhists. There are Hindus and Shinto faithful who are willing to add Christianity and Islam to their belief spectrum — rejecting that there is any single path to God.

However, Christianity has at its very core that Jesus is the only way to heaven — and that eternal salvation is a gift of grace, earned for mankind by Christ’s crucifixion, shedding His blood and rising from the grave three days later. However, Islam holds the firm view that eternal damnation awaits those who do not earn salvation by submitting to the requirements of the Koran, which describes Jesus as a noteworthy prophet who didn’t really die on the cross.

Right now it is already flourishing in places like Africa. In Nigeria, a “preacher” Shamsuddin Saka seeks to bridge the religious divide. It doesn’t take much to spark religious violence in the West African nation of Nigeria. Just this past weekend, rioting erupted in the town of Bauchi after Muslims parked their cars in front of a church. Bauchi lies along a line between Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north and the Christian south. Tensions in the region often spill over into violence, but one man is trying to bridge the gap. He preaches a liturgy that blends Christianity and Islam.

Saka preaches that Christians and Muslims are both children of Abraham — which is historically accurate, according to both the Bible, the Koran and DNA studies.

Saka was born Muslim, and, the PRI report notes: ” it was after returning from a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca that he was inspired – he says instructed by God – to launch his new ministry: “That was about 22 years ago. I was praying and I [laid] down and the Lord told me, make peace between Christian and Muslim.”

But from what is happening in Africa, and what is the Pope preaching to his Catholic parishioners? it's the perfect vehicle to bring all religions into a one world religion united and led by one man in the religious affair of the coming One World order, the pope of Rome. Already the pope is wooing the likes of Evangelicals Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and even from reports, Rick Warren to come home to the Catholic Church.

ANTI-CHRIST COMES ON THE SCENE

What unites a people, any people into a cohesive unit? Either in a community, a state, a nation, or thinking on a grand scale, the world? To control the people, you must have something in common, a uniting principle. To gather all the religious orders of the world into one, you must blend the two largest religions into one and have a spokesman that the world will listen to. The pope is not only a religious leader, he is a political leader that nations actually listen to. Accomplish this and you can begin the foundation of controlling the economy and promoting a cashless society, although they may go hand in hand.

Now, is Pope Francis the coming false prophet? Not sure, but I read where his secretary who is named “Pietro”, (can you say Peter the Roman) will be elected when Pope Francis leadership is over upon his death, prophesied to be the last pope, the False Prophet.

If the coming Anti-Christ is indeed an Islamic, then the spokesman of the one world religion will promote him as a leader of the secular world, because in word, the man will embrace this new religion, Chrislam to his own advantage for power and control. The bible says that they will join forces for a temporary amount of time.

This religious personage actively promotes worship of the Beast and does miracles in the context of religion to deceive people. A woman in the Bible is a symbol of a church organization.

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” (Revelation 17:4-8)

Who has killed millions in the name of her religion and drank the blood of saints? Yes, the answer: the Catholic church!!

In Revelation 17, the Woman is controlling the Beast, bringing the worship of the coming Anti-Christ. But even then, she and the Beast are, in fact, antagonists competing against each other. Furthermore, she is heavily involved in politics (influencing kings), manufacturing, shipping, craftsmanship, and merchandising. That has been the focus of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages.

The Woman indeed has a relationship with the Beast, but she is not part of the politics, economics, or military of the Beast. She and the Beast are separate entities, even though both are part of the overall one world system. The Catholic Church has always been part of the Beast, influencing it from within. Conversely, the Woman is portrayed as an external influence, competing with, riding, and at some point exercising control of the Beast.

WHEN WILL THIS BE FINALLY COMPLETE

The plans are already in the works, using the false narrative of “Climate Change”. The U.N. has drawn up plans that the whole world will follow ultimately. Their spokesman at this time, is the pope in Rome. But the final draft and implementation will not be complete until the Anti-Christ is actually revealed and I am a firm believer that we won't even see who the man is. We may have a good idea, but to see Chrislam flourish all over the world, the economy being controlled by a central government, and the Anti-Christ to come to the forefront of the poltical, secular world will not happen until the Church is removed from this earth. We may see the signs of it coming clearer and clearer and we MAY, I say MAY see what men will attempt to put in place as a One World system before Christ comes for His Church, but most all of this will happen when the Holy Spirit is removed from His fullness found in His people who occupy the true Church of blood born and washed Christians bought and paid for by our Lord Jesus Christ.

6”And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:6-12)

My friend, you are seeing the beginning of the coming New World order...it begins with economic and religious underpinnings that must be in place, before the Anti-Christ can be revealed and dominates the world. With the false prophet scheming and using false miracles to convince the masses that a “False Christ” has indeed arrived, be he proclaimed as the Mahdi of Islam, or deceptive adherent to any religion, either Christian, Muslim, or Chrislam, he will worship none of them, because he advances only his agenda and his complete control of the world. And both aspects of each system are working feverishly to bring it to pass.

36 “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

38But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.” (Daniel 11:36-39)

I have spoken on this subject many times, but warnings must abound as the time grows closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul warned in 2^nd Thessalonians about “he will let will let, till HE be taken out of the way”, God can send His Son at any moment in time. I have believed it will be on a certain day of the Feast days of the Lord in some future year, per many sermons on the subject, but God is sovereign, and can do His own will and His plans are perfect. Should you be so foolish to stand by and see the moral and economic collapse of this nation, and the world around you, and not think “it can't last this way much longer”, then you play Russian Roulette with your very soul. Jesus could come at any moment in time and your chance of being found washed in His blood and forgiven your sins, this side of the Tribulation will just have become exponentially smaller. I wouldn't take the chance for “all the tea in China”. Your soul is that important, as it will live forever, either in God's presence, or banished from His sight to be tormented for all eternity. The tribulation is right at the door. But before that happens, our Lord Jesus Christ will sound a trumpet cry:

51 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality.

54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”(1^st Corinthians 15:51-55)

Don't be caught unaware. There is no excuse for denying what has been taught as long as I've been alive and before...all have heard. Some believed, some have rejected the free gift of salvation that is there for the asking.

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.( 2^nd Corinthians 6:2)

Take that offering of the free gift of God, before your chance during the Age of Grace comes to a final close. To receive Jesus in the coming Tribulation, most likely will mean your death by that terrible way to die...decapitation after unspeakable torture. I pray you will heed the warning and the call to repentance. In Jesus Name.

8  “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying for your deliverance from the clutches of this dying world. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, send me an email to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online blog for more messages that speak of this coming time of Tribulation and the means to be delivered from it at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, t, God Bless you,

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET