Some Thoughts About Jesus' Return and Islam

Over the past four years I have studied, prayed, and studied some more about Second Coming of Christ and how it will play out in a practical way. As a result of my intense studies, I have changed my belief system about the Rapture of the Church,  Jesus’ Second Coming, and how it will affect us as Christians.

Walid Shoebat will be at Victory Church this weekend, so I want to address some of the the insights I have received from him and others about Jesus’ return. Walid is a former Muslim turned Christian and has written an excellent book, God’s War on Terror in which he reveals a belief that Islam and its Jihad ideology may be a key player in bringing the events spoken of in Revelation to fruition.

I also read a book entitled The Islamic Anti-Christ by Joel Richardson which again reveals an eerie parallel between the coming Islamic leader called the Mahdi and the Anti-Christ reveal as the arch-enemy of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. I encourage your reading of both of these books.

As I was studying in the spring of 2010, I saw some things that I had not seen before. I saw that the book of Daniel mentions a “reviving” of the old Roman Empire prior to Jesus return. Most Eschatology (the study of end-times) teachers believe strongly that the Western Roman Empire will “revive” before the return of Jesus, and that the Anti-Christ will come from that region of the world.

But as I studied and refreshed myself in world history, some things began to change for me. I saw that the Western Roman Empire lost its power just prior to 500 AD. But the Roman Empire continued as the Byzantine Roman Empire through Constantinople in modern Turkey for almost a thousand years.

Now follow me here for just a moment in a short history lesson. Islam was founded by the prophet Mohammed in the 600 A.D.’s and shortly afterwards was pushing through the Middle East and Europe in a world conquest. The Ottoman Empire (Islamic) toppled the Byzantine Roman Empire in Constantinople by 1453 A.D., and changed the city’s name to Istanbul.

The former Catholic cathedrals in Constantinople (now Istanbul) were transformed into mosques and for almost 500 years Islam and the Islamic Caliphate (rule) dominated the Middle East. After World War II, the Ottoman Empire lost its control of the Middle East to other nations. Its’ Islamic influence ruled Israel and the Middle East, and was a force to be reckoned with by other nations. One stanza of our Marine Hymn reads: From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we will fight our country’s battles, on the land and on the sea, and is actually speaking of the battles engaged by Marines from the newly formed USA in the early 1800’s against the Muslim pirate ships of the coast of Northern Africa that hindered free trade.

The Islamic Caliphate dissolved in Turkey in the 1920’s and was replaced by a secular government. No longer did Islam play a major role in the governing of that nation, until recently! The current government of Turkey has been turning towards to re-emergence of a combination of Islamic rule with the government of that nation. There is a striking and possible parallel with this development found in Revelation 17.

Notice Revelation 17:8-11 :The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (9) "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. (10) There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.  (11) The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

In short, here’s what the above verses from Revelation reveal: The woman mentioned is a false religious system that will be utterly defeated at Jesus’ Second Coming (Islam?). The Anti-Christ will be affiliated with this false religion. The seven heads are kings or leaders, and the seven mountains are seven empires that have ruled over Israel since its inception as a nation. From history, we know that the first six of these empires that ruled over Israel are Egyptian Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire.

The Empire mentioned as the seventh (the one in verse 10 which has not yet come) was not yet an empire at the time of the writing of the New Testament. But notice that if you follow history, the next Empire to rule over Israel and the Middle East after the Byzantine Roman Empire is the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic Empire. That could easily be the seventh Empire mentioned!

Then, notice that verse 11 states: The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.  The beast is the anti-Christ and his kingdom. This verse says that the eighth kingdom to rule over Israel is from the seventh kingdom, and will be destroyed by Jesus (is going to perdition) at His return.

Let simply state it again. The last empire to rule over Israel before the Second Coming of Christ will come from the Seventh kingdom that ruled over Israel. The exact match from history is the Ottoman (Islamic) empire that ceased to exist in the 1920’s after World War II. That empire is now re-emerging as a huge player in the Middle East through Turkey, where the seat of Middle Eastern power was for almost 500 years. Could it be that the emerging of Turkey as a strong Middle Eastern influence with its increasing Islamic lean be the emerging of an eighth empire, an Islamic Empire, that will eventually rule over the Middle East and then seek to attack Israel? Time will tell, but it is very possible!

Now let’s talk about the most interesting part of this whole scenario. Recep Erdogen, the Turkish Prime Minister, is becoming a huge player in rallying the Arabic nations into a political unity. He is involved in talks with the leader of the Palestinians, Mahmoud Abbas, and is encouraging him to make peace with Israel. Turkey carries a lot of political clout in the Middle East and is the one nation that may be able to bring the different factions of Muslims together reaching for a common goal of unity among the Islamic nations in the Middle East and Northern Africa, then complete domination of Israel.

Turkey has the 2nd largest army in NATO, and is re-emerging as a key player in the Middle East. Keep watching as this nation is mentioned more and more.

The turmoil in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and other nations there will eventuate into radical Islam being integrated and Sharia law being integrated into the fabric of these nation’s governments. The eventual end of this will be these nations uniting under the rule of the anti-Christ and attacking Israel.

Jesus will come back in His blazing Glory to defeat these nations at the battle of Armageddon (Ezekiel 38-39, Revelation 19). I’m sharing these things to show you that world conditions are ripening to the soon return of Jesus.

Joel prophesied that a huge revival with encompass the earth at the same time that the anti-Christ comes to power (see Joel 2:28-32). This is a day for you and me to really get serious about Jesus in our lives. It’s time to be through with compromise and lukewarm living. The day of Jesus return is shorter than you may realize. It’s time to wake up! World condition are quickly lining up with prophetic revelation from the Bible!

I’ll leave you with Paul’s comments on the day:

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (12) The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. (13) Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. (14) Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires (Romans 13:11-14 –NLT).

Allowing God To Work In The Details Of Daily Life

So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed (Acts 19:20).

Acting on the Word brings God into the details of your daily life. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12- Amplified). Acting on the Word causes God to watch over your actions! He pays attentions and gets involved when you act like His Word is important to you!

 

The Holy Spirit is attracted to the Word. He’s called the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17). When we show our love for Jesus by walking in obedience to the Word, the Holy Spirit is pleased!

The Holy Spirit takes the Word that we feed on in our personal times and reminds us of what we’ve heard. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you (John 14:26).

His major ambition is to help us act, think, respond, love, speak, and live like Jesus does. As He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). That’s why it’s so important to adhere to the Word.

Where the Word is esteemed, the Holy Spirit manifests to bring it to pass. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. For healing to manifest, it’s important to say what God says and as much as possible, act like you’re healed by believing you receive. This brings the Holy Spirit into the situation with your body. He is the one who materializes the healing that Jesus purchased for us 2000 years ago. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

 

Acting on the Word brings you into realm of the limitless God who is able to do infinitely more than we can ask or think!

 

Take time today to meditate on the Word. Speak the Word. Intertwine the Word into your work, your family, and your leisure. Become conscious of what the Word says about what you’re involved in today. If you do, and act and speak in line with the Word, then the Holy Spirit will aid you with His ability, and the Father will watch over you and do amazing things. Magnify the Word!

Freedom From Deception

In our postmodern culture, we have the same personal ideology as the culture in Israel during the time of the Judges. Every person did what was right in his own eyes.

 

As Christians, we’re admonished not to be of the world (Romans 12:2). That is, we’re not to be swayed by the attitudes and actions of unbelievers. And instead of doing what we feel like doing any given moment, we’re to obey the Word! Our blessing in God is in obedience! What some folk don’t realize is that if we refuse to obey the Word, we’re turning a deaf ear to the Spirit of God!

 

We’re entering into the time period just prior to the time of difficulty spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and found in Revelation 6-19. It’s a time of great challenge and change. To navigate successfully through this time, it’s important for us to be people of the Word!

 

Notice 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (Amplified): But the Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized).    

 

Then also notice 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 (God’s Word translation):  A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.

Demonic forces are working today to separate people from truth. They seek to twist truth to turn people from the path of right living. Here’s the way to stay with the Spirit of God, and to stay safely in the protection and care that the Father has for you during this time. It’s real simple! Obey the Word!

 

The verses above reveal that doctrines of demons will urge people to turn away from the faith, and only hear what pleases them. So, when I hear the truth of the Word, but the Word disagrees with what I feel like doing or want to do at the moment, and I ignore the Word and act on my feelings, I actually open myself up to demonic deception!

 

As a pastor, I’ve had the unfortunate experience of having people sit in front of me in my office and tell me that adultery for them is ok, that fornication, for them for the moment, is ok; that lying, in this situation and for the moment, is ok; and the list goes on and on!

 

Here’s the bottom line: Any believer that decides to ignore the Word and do what he or she knows is wrong, defies conscience and opens themselves up to demonic deception! Don’t do that!

If God says love your neighbor as yourself, then love your neighbor as yourself! If God says, be angry and do not sin, then be angry and do not sin. If God says, don’t gossip and say bad things about your fellow worker, then don’t gossip and say bad things about your fellow worker. If God says, don’t lust, then turn your eyes away!

 

The Father’s protection, favor, and care in this hour will be with those who choose to love Him by obeying His Word! Don’t compromise the Father’s care in this time with loose living; doing what is right in your own eyes. Defy your own thoughts and feelings and obey the Word! That’s where you will find the blessing, protection, and favor of the Father today!

Connect With God In A Private Place

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:6). (I’m intentionally using the King James Version today for emphasis on the word closet.)

 

The Father wants us to share our heart with Him. He wants to be our burden bearer. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you  (1 Peter 5:7). Heart fellowship was the reason He created us. It’s the reason He redeemed us.

Jesus said that when we pray, we’re to go into our most private room. He called it a closet. This is a place of closeness. The Greek word here could be translated bedchamber. This is a place where a husband and wife share intimate moments. Life comes from that sharing.

 

The Father wants to be close to us. He wants us to share our secret thoughts with Him. Life will come out of those moments.

 

I want to encourage you to take time to develop closeness with the Father in your closet, your bedchamber. Find a place that is undisturbed, and just begin to talk to Him about the concerns of your life.

I’m going to leave you today with Psalm 139: 1-18. The Father has used this passage to reveal to me how tenderly He thinks of me. Allow it to minister to you:

 

Psalm 139:1-18 (God’s Word Translation)

O Lord, you have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before there is a single word on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. You are all around me—in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me. Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it. Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run to get away from you? If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, you are there. If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, even there your hand would guide me and your right hand would hold on to me. If I say, "Let the darkness hide me and let the light around me turn into night," even the darkness is not too dark for you. Night is as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop. Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place. How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are! If I try to count them, there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.

Thoughts On Developing a Close Fellowship With God

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).

The Father created us for His pleasure. He created man so that He could have someone with which He could enjoy rich fellowship. We are created to bring Him pleasure. He has brought us into relationship with Him through the New Birth. And once the relationship is established, He longs for close fellowship with you.

 

Sometimes there are roadblocks to personal fellowship. A person raised in a harsh family environment where their thought and opinions were not welcomed or valued will at first struggle to have a close fellowship with the Lord. Some people are just naturally inclined to hold themselves back, and not share their heart with others.

 

This deeper level of communication with the Lord must be developed. It takes time to break habits of holding yourself back. The first key to having deep, rich fellowship with the Lord is knowing that He loves you, accepts you, and forgives and cleanses you from sin.

 

You are righteous in His presence.  When you confess your sin, it is as though you have never done wrong! As a righteous person in Christ, you have the same standing before the Father that Jesus has! The Father unconditionally loves and accepts you! Because He does, He has an open ear to listen to you and understands everything you think and feel.

The next step to rich fellowship with the Father is to force yourself to go there! Go to a private place and begin to share your heart secrets with Him. Tell Him everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hold nothing from Him. At first, this is uncomfortable if your experiences have caused you to hold yourself back from others. But you’ll find that the moment you get real with the Father, His love and joy will rise up in you by the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of your close communion and fellowship with Him.

 

As a new believer and a young man in my late teens, I would go to my room and read my Bible for a period of time. Then, I would begin to pray, and I found myself for the first expressing to the Father my deepest heart thoughts.

 

At first I was afraid that He would be upset with me as I was so honest. I shared motives, thoughts, fears, questions, longings, and wrong desires. I found that when I did this, the Father did not judge me, yet He held me to the standard of the Word. And by the Holy Spirit He would speak to me and comfort me. He would encourage me to trust Him to change me.

In time, it became easier and easier to bear my heart to Him. He became a place of refuge when I felt emotional pain, or when the pressures of life seemed too much to bear. He is the kindest, most understanding person you will ever know.

The Father is a refuge from the storms of life. In His shadow you will find protection from the harshness of life. If you’ll give Him your heart life and open yourself up to Him, He will become an ever present strength and will sustain your mind and emotions in every challenge life brings. He will be the vine and you will be the branch. His life will pour into you as you unreservedly give Him your heart.

Come with me on this journey of closeness with the Father. He’s longing for your fellowship today. Let the walls down!

Relationship With God Comes By Birth, But Fellowship With Him Comes Only By Will

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9).

 

We have relationship by birth and fellowship by will.  Being birthed into your family does not mean that the family members fellowship together. Fellowship is on purpose. We are called to fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Too many have the relationship with the Lord, but lack the sweet, intimate fellowship that He so longs to have with all of His children.

 

Fellowship is a heart sharing. It’s two people with commons goals and interests connecting at the heart level. Fellowship is the mother of faith. Strong faith comes from deep, intimate fellowship. Weak faith comes from a lack of personal intimacy with the Lord.

  

Intimate fellowship with the Lord is possible because through the New Birth, He has made us righteous! Righteousness is the ability to stand before God as though sin, fear, condemnation, or inferiority had ever been a part of your life! Righteousness produces boldness (Proverbs 28:1). The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17). Once you renew your mind and know that your Father loves you even when you fail, you’ll be able to enter into fellowship with Him.

 

Fellowship produces light in your life. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light (Psalm 36:9). It gives you the ability to see clearly the issues in your life and around you. The will of God becomes clear and focused.

 

Fellowship produces joy. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11). You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Joy makes Christianity attractive. It brings with it evangelism. E.W. Kenyon says that fellowship in its fullness is the joy life with the throttle wide open on a downgrade.[1]

 

Fellowship produces freedom from deception. Truth becomes clear and error apparent when fellowship is strong (see 1 John 2:20, 27). Rich fellowship will keep you clear of the false doctrine spoken by the clever wrong motives.

 

Fellowship produces strong faith. As we enter the dangerous time period before us that precedes the rapture of the church, fellowship will be our anchor in the storm. We’ll know how to act in every circumstance. The Father will guide us through the turbulent waters and protect us as we dwell in the shadow of the Almighty!

  

If you lack fervent joy, if the Word seems dry and lifeless, if you seem gullible to every new wind of doctrine blowing by, if it seems that your faith is weak, check up on your fellowship with the Father.  He longs for you to share your heart life with Him. In tomorrow’s post, I’ll talk about how to find rich, deep fellowship with the Father.

 

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[1] In His Presence by E.W.Kenyon (1969,Kenyon Gospel Publishing Society, Inc), p.89.

Four Things To Put Into Practice In 2015

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall (Matthew 7:24-27).

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me. All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.' (John 16:13-15- NLT).

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 -NLT).

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:7-NLT)

The times we live in are intense. Yet we live in the providence of God. God knew what we who live in this hour of history would face, and has made full provision for us to thrive! 2015 will be a year of increasing turbulence internationally, nationally, culturally, politically, financially, and spiritually. We need to fill our lives with at least four things to thrive this year.

First of all, we would be wise to make a choice to act on God’s Word in every circumstance this year. Jesus told us that those who act on the Word when trouble comes (the rain, the wind, the flood), would survive. God watches over His Word to bring it to pass wherever it is believed and acted upon (Jeremiah 1:12; Isaiah 55:11).

When challenges come mentally, cast your cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) and act as though He is working out the mental challenge.  When challenges come financially, act as though He is honoring His word to supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). When physical challenges attack, rise up and act on His word that Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). When circumstances seek to pin you down this year, act on His Word that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Romans 8:37).

Secondly, we would be wise to tune in to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom for every situation life brings this year. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would be our life Helper and would tell us of things to come. THe Holy Spirit expects us to first of all act on the Word! So, in seeking His guidance, we must first honor the Father by listening to and acting like His word is true. Then, if we need to make life adjustments or change direction, He will speak to our spirit what He hears from Jesus. We can have confidence that if we put the Word first, He will make sure that we succeed in every endeavor He has planned for us each day in 2015.

Thirdly, we would be wise to develop close friendships this year. There is great strength gained when we choose to hang out with fellow believers. When we’re in a tough place, close friends can encourage and lend a hand. And likewise, when those we befriend are challenged, we can be there for them to motivate and help lift their load. Being alone is a bad option in 2015.

Fourthly and lastly, we would be wise to choose to walk in love in every situation that arises. When a relationship becomes challenging and demanding, ask yourself: what would love do. Don’t forget that God’s love has been poured out in our spirit by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), and that God’s love within: is patient and kind; is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude; it does not demand its own way;  it is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged; it does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out; it never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

We enter 2015 fully prepared by the Father for everything we will face. Let’s choose to commit every day to Him, fully trusting that He causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28-NLT)