I know that you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, or on Facebook. However, I follow an Israeli news outlet online, and a couple of recent articles indicate that we are getting very near the time of the end. Bible prophesy (100% accurate so far in history) declares that when the Antichrist sets up his image in the Holy of Holies (the abomination that causes desolation), the end will come swiftly.  Well, in order for that to happen, there must first be a Holy of Holies set up, meaning the Temple must be rebuilt.  Obviously, this would cause a world-wide stir, since there is a Muslim mosque (the Dome of the Rock) on the Temple mount, where the outer court of the Temple would be. I believe a temporary truce is coming where the Jews are allowed to build their temple – minus the outer court. (Revelation 11: 1-2: I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers.  But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.”) This truce would allow the Temple and the Mosque to coexist on the Temple Mount.

Besides the world political climate, one thing has stood in the way of rebuilding the Temple: no one has seen the Ark of the Covenant in over 2000 years.

So here is where these two news articles shed light on the nearness of the final days.  The first article claims that two very senior rabbi’s have indeed seen the Ark in a hidden room underneath the original Holy of Holies.  It will only be brought out when there is a place to take it (i.e. the new Holy of Holies).

The second article claimed that high ranking Israeli ministers are now calling for the Temple to be built, saying the time has come.

It’s getting interesting over there, folks!

Our God is a great God! He has created and continues to sustain everything that exists. Nations rise and fall by His will. He has allowed evil in the world so that we can see our need for Him, and to separate those who are with Him from those who are against Him. He is perfectly just, perfectly loving, and perfect in all ways. His ways are so much higher than our ways, we struggle to imagine what His true nature is like.

We hear it in the news all the time: against all odds, Trump was elected. Although he supposedly had less than a 2 percent chance of winning, he won. Although the entire liberal world was against him, he won. Although the media lied and slandered their way through the entire election cycle, he won. Although the Republican establishment was against him, he won. Although his opposition garnered millions of illegal votes against him, he won. Mr. Trump was not a perfect candidate by any measure. He was rude, he was politically inexperienced, he was a bully – intentionally insulting his opposition, both within his party and in the other party – yet, he won.  How do you explain what many see as unexplainable?

I believe a large part of Mr. Trump’s success was a direct result of prayer. Millions of decent, hard-working people prayed, and then they voted. They appealed to our Almighty God to save our nation from the ravages of those who have thrown God out of our nation and our society. Millions of people have prayed based on 2 Chronicles 7:14: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

The liberals’ numerous attempts to discredit Mr. Trump and his election have all seemingly backfired. They demanded recounts. The result was more votes for him. They made a big push to have the electoral college go against him, resulting in more votes lost for Mrs. Clinton. They have mounted a sustained attack claiming the Russians helped him win the election. After four months of intensive effort, not one single shred of evidence has been found, yet reports are surfacing that it was the Democrats in bed with the Russians. How do you explain every single attack hurting the attackers?

These attacks on Mr. Trump are like the attacks of David’s enemies: “They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves.” (Psalm 57:6). Indeed, God has set a principle in place: Proverbs 26:27: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.”  Not that Mr. Trump is as holy or righteous as David, but he is God’s instrument to bring decency and leadership back to America. We would do well to recognize that fact, acknowledge that “all authority is established by God” (Romans 13:1), and pray for God’s protection and guidance for our new President and his administration.

We must continue to pray! We must not become complacent ever again. The forces of evil are fighting desperately to rid the world of our Christian influence. Real demonic forces are waging war against us. We know that someday, there will be a one-world government and financial system. But it doesn’t have to be in our generation! God is patiently waiting for “the full number of saints” before he comes again. Let us pray and work to bring as many as possible into the family of God.

Frank

The Bible clearly reveals that the end times will be characterized by a one-world government and a one-world finance system. We aren’t there yet, but we are rapidly screaming down the tracks to that inevitability. Take a look around the world – listen to the news and bounce that news off of Daniel and Revelation.

BREXIT, or the British exit from the European Union was fueled by a groundswell of British nationalism from those who were sick and tired of the globalization of Great Britain. Prime Minister Merkel of Germany has recently backtracked on her liberal ideas of globalizing Germany because she sees the harm being done by their attempt at de-nationalizing their society.  President Trump was elected for the very same reason. Enough Americans were sick and tired of the devaluation of American citizenship, the globalization of industry and commerce, and the loss of national sovereignty, that they rose up across the nation to throw off those who would globalize the world.

The whole idea of “open borders” is necessary for all nations to find a common ground, a common faceless society free from national pride, in order to form a one-world government. The beast is waiting in the wings, and quite possibly is alive today, just waiting to be revealed.

This generation of 40-somethings and above, who have pushed back against this tide of globalization will soon be too old to make a difference. The younger generation that clearly seeks a socialist, borderless society will throw the doors to America wide open and the beast will waltz in on the resulting geo-political-financial disaster that will bring the world to its knees.  I can see it as plainly as reading the morning newspaper.

I may not see the second coming of Christ in my lifetime, but it will most certainly be shortly thereafter.

As the writer of Hebrews said, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.”

As with most matters of morality and eternal substance, our culture has redefined the meaning of “faith”. We are told that one faith is as valid as another, that “all roads lead to the same god.” Faith is looked upon in our culture as a weakness, not a strength. We people of faith are accused of using our faith as a crutch, because we are not mentally strong enough to handle situations through our own reasoning. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Faith is being defined nowadays as a blind hope for which there is no solid evidence. It is seen as an excuse for those who don’t know better, for those who aren’t “enlightened”. (There is a strong irony in that statement.)

Biblical faith is the polar opposite of what we are accused of having.  The difference is in the object (the substance) of faith. The world considers faith to be in something that we cannot be certain of. Their “faith” is a blind hope in something we might wish to be true, but could not prove. They refuse to acknowledge the blatantly obvious evidence of God. In fact, Romans chapter 1 tells us this is a “willful ignorance”:

^“18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

“People are without excuse.”  Rather than being a blind, unjustified faith, true faith is in knowing the object of your faith for certain. We KNOW God. We are absolutely convinced of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. There is no uncertainty in those facts, for the believer. We recognize God’s hand in all of creation, in the miracles of life, in the history and the affairs of humankind, and in the events of our own life.

When a person goes to college, they work for about four years of their life. They struggle through classes and labs, tests and exams, professors and lectures. And when the time comes for them to graduate, they look forward to that day when they will walk across the stage and receive their diploma. They know for certain that it is going to happen. Everything necessary to achieve that graduation has been accomplished. They are excited and filled with anticipation. They have faith they will graduate and receive that diploma, because they are totally and utterly convinced of its certainty. That describes the Christian’s “faith”.

The Christian has worked though the fact that he or she is a sinner. They recognize that there is nothing they can do to save themselves. Then they learn about Jesus, our Savior, who has done everything necessary to win our salvation. We know that he has gone to prepare a place for us, and that we will be with Him in total and complete sinless perfection for all eternity! We know for certain that this is going to happen. We are excited and filled with anticipation for that day to arrive because we are totally and utterly convinced of its certainty. Faith is not blind: it knows the person in whom it is placed. Faith is not a hope because we want something to happen. It is an anticipation of what we know is going to happen. Our faith should be the source of the greatest excitement in our lives. It should empower everything we think and do.

This definition of faith mirrors the biblical definition of “hope”. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is the anticipation of what we know is going to happen.

Frank