Eyes to See
I say this often, but I hear the Lord highlighting it this am: it will ALWAYS take faith to see the events of Jesus' return. Always:
Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
This means that all around you, especially in the Church, there will be people who cannot see what God is plainly working out. This has much to do with a carnal mind. I am surprised at how often I hear the same thing: "i just hope Jesus doesn't return until...x..."
Life only gets better when the Author of Life shows up. Because it is most common to avoid PRACTICALLY thinking about Jesus' return, most people have a very unrealistic...a negative...idea of what Jesus' return is all about. If you belong to the King...and He is truly the most powerful one...you want Him as close as possible, as soon as possible. But the prevailing attitude is to settle into life without Jesus physically present and assume He actually wants something less than coming back and making things right asap.
Just like in the days of Noah, mankind is willing to accept depravity as kind of normal, and because of this, the mind becomes dulled and stops seeing how desperate the situation is. Friends, the situation is desperate.
The signs are actually overwhelming IF you have faith to see them. Aside from the political signs, the unbelievable increase in natural disasters, the nearly unbelievable events taking place in Israel, and the amazing plan of numerous countries to unite the armies in the world all focused on the year 2020 (that is less than 7 years away, I have written about this quite a bit lately but let me know if you want to know more about this) ...set all that aside for a moment...look at the simple MASSIVE increase in depravity! The Bible promises four spirits would increase in the nations of the world as the events of Revelation draw near:
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Murder: seriously, have you looked at the news this year. Rampant mass murder is a weekly occurrence in our country. We are so used to the headlines they hardly move us. 10 years ago we would have been shocked...literally...at the level of violence and mass murder in the US alone...not to mention the huge increase in global genocide cases.
Sorcery: this, again, has enjoyed a huge leap forward in the last 20 years. Look at childrens books, tv shows, and movies. We literally spoon feed our kids witchcraft and sorcery from the crib. Wicca, paganism, and shamanism is mainstream in our culture as a result. 20 years ago this would have been unthinkable.
Sexual immorality: Primetime TV would now make the "risque" Cinemax of the 90s blush. What is on TV now would have literally been illegal 30 years ago.
Theft: theft is at an all time high. Millions of people are compromised and exposed to theft in a single event as huge credit card theft is perpetrated at national and international retailers on a near monthly basis. Do you just kind of assume someone likely has your credit card info at this point? You should if you shop at Target or any other large retailer that has been compromised in the last two years.
All this to say, it is as plain as it could be that we are in a very intense and unique season, but most people continue to take a "wait and see" approach to the return of Jesus. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus recommended! The events that are transpiring will result in a "flood" of trouble. This is what God says to the end-time generation of HIS children. He isn't talking about unbelievers! He is talking to people that are INTERESTED in what the prophets are talking about!:
Isaiah 30:1-5, 10-14 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the lord . “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced. For though his power extends to Zoan and his officials have arrived in Hanes, all who trust in him will be ashamed. He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you.”...
...They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’” This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down. You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”
Right now there is rampant bad prophecy out there. Everything from the "Pope is here to unite all believers" to "God is promising technological breakthrough that will make us all uber prosperous." These are flat out lies. If you know what the Bible says...even just a little...it is plain to see that Pharaoh...the ultimate symbol of man-based strength...is going to get "shamed", along with everyone who puts their trust in the man-based systems on earth. Right now is the time to "come out" of the world...to set yourself apart...to sanctify yourself. Right now is the time to build the arks that will hold the people of the earth through the flood. This time instead of one family in a boat, whole cities will be safe zones in the coming storm, BUT only for those who say "yes" to what God is doing.
This isn't "choose your own adventure" time...the plan is set, the course laid out...there are 100's of chapters in the Bible that tells us exactly what will happen...to the day, but you must agree with the plan...you must enter in...in order to benefit from it.
Clarity is not going to increase. Jesus promised that confusion (from false teachers prophesying smooth things rather than warning people into building the refuges), betrayal, and offense are what will increase. It isn't going to get easier to see and know the time, the pressure is going to make it harder:
Matthew 24:9-14 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
If you wait until you see the water rising to prepare for a flood, you are going to have a lot of trouble dealing with the flood. In the same way, you are supposed to know what is happening and sober-mindedly enter into the plan. Do you know Jesus has a very specific plan to recreate "upper rooms" all over the earth!?...Whole cities will contend for power from on high until they are filled with a great outpouring of the Spirit and go out to gather in the harvest globally. It is a really straightforward and simple plan, but you have to see the coming storm to really make building the cities of refuge what your life is all about...just like Noah did.
Hebrews 11:6-7 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Many are waiting for the "big event" that will shake them into really knowing it is time to live all in on Jesus' return. That is not how it works. God has chosen the "still small voice"...not the roaring wind, the breaking rocks, or the fire display to speak to His people. The mighty rushing wind and the flame of fire comes to those ALREADY in the upper room...those who have already fully committed to the instruction of the Lord. This is the only way it works.
I Kings 19:11-13 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord .” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
A simple conversation with God...a real conversation..."God, what time is it? Give me eyes to see where we are in YOUR end time plans and what I am supposed to know, in Jesus name." Contending for this in faith is what will put you squarely in the middle of what God is doing, but you have to take a break from what you are doing in order to actually hear Him.
Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
This means that all around you, especially in the Church, there will be people who cannot see what God is plainly working out. This has much to do with a carnal mind. I am surprised at how often I hear the same thing: "i just hope Jesus doesn't return until...x..."
Life only gets better when the Author of Life shows up. Because it is most common to avoid PRACTICALLY thinking about Jesus' return, most people have a very unrealistic...a negative...idea of what Jesus' return is all about. If you belong to the King...and He is truly the most powerful one...you want Him as close as possible, as soon as possible. But the prevailing attitude is to settle into life without Jesus physically present and assume He actually wants something less than coming back and making things right asap.
Just like in the days of Noah, mankind is willing to accept depravity as kind of normal, and because of this, the mind becomes dulled and stops seeing how desperate the situation is. Friends, the situation is desperate.
The signs are actually overwhelming IF you have faith to see them. Aside from the political signs, the unbelievable increase in natural disasters, the nearly unbelievable events taking place in Israel, and the amazing plan of numerous countries to unite the armies in the world all focused on the year 2020 (that is less than 7 years away, I have written about this quite a bit lately but let me know if you want to know more about this) ...set all that aside for a moment...look at the simple MASSIVE increase in depravity! The Bible promises four spirits would increase in the nations of the world as the events of Revelation draw near:
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Murder: seriously, have you looked at the news this year. Rampant mass murder is a weekly occurrence in our country. We are so used to the headlines they hardly move us. 10 years ago we would have been shocked...literally...at the level of violence and mass murder in the US alone...not to mention the huge increase in global genocide cases.
Sorcery: this, again, has enjoyed a huge leap forward in the last 20 years. Look at childrens books, tv shows, and movies. We literally spoon feed our kids witchcraft and sorcery from the crib. Wicca, paganism, and shamanism is mainstream in our culture as a result. 20 years ago this would have been unthinkable.
Sexual immorality: Primetime TV would now make the "risque" Cinemax of the 90s blush. What is on TV now would have literally been illegal 30 years ago.
Theft: theft is at an all time high. Millions of people are compromised and exposed to theft in a single event as huge credit card theft is perpetrated at national and international retailers on a near monthly basis. Do you just kind of assume someone likely has your credit card info at this point? You should if you shop at Target or any other large retailer that has been compromised in the last two years.
All this to say, it is as plain as it could be that we are in a very intense and unique season, but most people continue to take a "wait and see" approach to the return of Jesus. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus recommended! The events that are transpiring will result in a "flood" of trouble. This is what God says to the end-time generation of HIS children. He isn't talking about unbelievers! He is talking to people that are INTERESTED in what the prophets are talking about!:
Isaiah 30:1-5, 10-14 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the lord . “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced. For though his power extends to Zoan and his officials have arrived in Hanes, all who trust in him will be ashamed. He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you.”...
...They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’” This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down. You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”
Right now there is rampant bad prophecy out there. Everything from the "Pope is here to unite all believers" to "God is promising technological breakthrough that will make us all uber prosperous." These are flat out lies. If you know what the Bible says...even just a little...it is plain to see that Pharaoh...the ultimate symbol of man-based strength...is going to get "shamed", along with everyone who puts their trust in the man-based systems on earth. Right now is the time to "come out" of the world...to set yourself apart...to sanctify yourself. Right now is the time to build the arks that will hold the people of the earth through the flood. This time instead of one family in a boat, whole cities will be safe zones in the coming storm, BUT only for those who say "yes" to what God is doing.
This isn't "choose your own adventure" time...the plan is set, the course laid out...there are 100's of chapters in the Bible that tells us exactly what will happen...to the day, but you must agree with the plan...you must enter in...in order to benefit from it.
Clarity is not going to increase. Jesus promised that confusion (from false teachers prophesying smooth things rather than warning people into building the refuges), betrayal, and offense are what will increase. It isn't going to get easier to see and know the time, the pressure is going to make it harder:
Matthew 24:9-14 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
If you wait until you see the water rising to prepare for a flood, you are going to have a lot of trouble dealing with the flood. In the same way, you are supposed to know what is happening and sober-mindedly enter into the plan. Do you know Jesus has a very specific plan to recreate "upper rooms" all over the earth!?...Whole cities will contend for power from on high until they are filled with a great outpouring of the Spirit and go out to gather in the harvest globally. It is a really straightforward and simple plan, but you have to see the coming storm to really make building the cities of refuge what your life is all about...just like Noah did.
Hebrews 11:6-7 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Many are waiting for the "big event" that will shake them into really knowing it is time to live all in on Jesus' return. That is not how it works. God has chosen the "still small voice"...not the roaring wind, the breaking rocks, or the fire display to speak to His people. The mighty rushing wind and the flame of fire comes to those ALREADY in the upper room...those who have already fully committed to the instruction of the Lord. This is the only way it works.
I Kings 19:11-13 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord .” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
A simple conversation with God...a real conversation..."God, what time is it? Give me eyes to see where we are in YOUR end time plans and what I am supposed to know, in Jesus name." Contending for this in faith is what will put you squarely in the middle of what God is doing, but you have to take a break from what you are doing in order to actually hear Him.
Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
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