Will We Go Through the Tribulation? (Pt. 3)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days | Tags: , , ,

Believing and expecting the return of Jesus Christ is something most Christians can agree on, but the question that rankles the hearts and minds of many believers – and sometimes even divides Christians into separate camps and denominations – is the issue of whether believers will have to experience some or all of the rough times described in the book of Revelation and other prophetic Scriptures.

Basing their beliefs on information found in the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation, conservative Bible scholars generally concur on the fact that the Great Tribulation will last a total of seven years. During that time the earth will undergo a horrendous time of chaos, including unparalleled earthquakes, floods, famines, pestilences, meteor strikes, and wars. Out of the chaos, rising on a platform of peace and security, will be the Antichrist, a powerful world leader under the direct control of Satan himself. The question is this: will Christians who are alive at that time (which I believe is coming upon us in the near future) escape the Tribulation, or will we have to go through part or all of it? Sincere Christians and intelligent Bible scholars can be found on both sides of the issue, holding to radically different opinions of just when Christ will come and when His church, the body of true believers, will be removed from Earth.

For many years I believed and preached adamantly that Christians would not be here to see the horrors of the Tribulation period. Admittedly, most of my thoughts on the matter were not original; nor were my views arrived at by years of studying the Scriptures and coming to biblically based conclusions. For the most part I simply believed what my mentors had taught, naively accepting their positions as absolute truth. When I continued to teach the things I had heard other sincere men and women of God proclaim – namely, that Jesus was coming back before the seven-year Tribulation, in an event we called the Rapture.

(To Be Continued)

Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 1
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 2
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 4
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 5
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 6
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 7
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 8
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 9
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 10
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 11

Excerpt from Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse

Published in 1998

Will We Go Through the Tribulation? (Pt. 2)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days | Tags: , , ,

Procrastinators, Beware!

Maybe Jesus did not get more specific so we would live with a constant sense of expectation, looking for His soon return.  Clearly that was the message of His story about the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), five of whom were prepared for the bridegroom’s coming and five of whom were not.  Jesus emphasized the point of the story:  “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (25:13 NKJV).

God knows that some of us are terrible procrastinators.  We would gladly put off until tomorrow what we should have done yesterday.  On the other hand, my mother always prepared well in advance.  She had a disciplined manner, and my family members could set their clocks and calendars by Mother’s schedule.  She washed clothes on Monday; she ironed on Tuesday.  She bought groceries on Friday.  Her pattern rarely changed.  If we planned a picnic, and something happened that we could not go, my mother cried because her plans had changed.

Perhaps as a reaction to Mother’s rigidity, I have always been just the opposite.  I hate to prepare for trips ahead of time.  An hour (or less) before it is time to go, I will be scouring my clothes closet, tossing shirts, socks, and underwear every which way, trying to figure out what I should pack.  Similarly, if I am preaching at a church, I wait until the last minute before getting dressed, usually arriving just in time to walk onto the platform.

By not telling us the exact time and date of His coming, perhaps Jesus was being especially gracious to procrastinators like me.  If Jesus had given us an exact date for His return, some people would no doubt waste much of their time, talents, and treasures on meaningless or trivial pursuits.  They would wait until the last minute to prepare to meet the King of kings face to face.

When it comes to the Second Coming, we will not read an announcement in the newspaper the day before Christ’s return.  You will not hear an anchorman declare on the evening news, “And tomorrow at five o’clock, Jesus Christ will return to earth in power and glory, with His holy angels, Film at eleven.”

Yet, if you listen carefully, you will hear prophetic “voices in the wilderness” proclaiming the message that Christ’s return is imminent.  It is “gettin’ ready time.”  This is no dress rehearsal, this is the real thing.  Furthermore, we need to fall in love with Jesus now, and not wait until the last minute.  If Jesus really is coming soon, how much more important it is that we get to know Him better, and that we center our lives around the things that are important to Him.

Years ago, an artist painted a scene in which a young woman was standing on a cliff, looking out to sea, her hand shading her eyes as she eagerly scanned the horizon, watching for the first sign of her husband’s returning ship.  Her face is filled with love and desire, as though she is recalling exactly what he had promised her concerning his return and when she might expect to see him again.  As she looks for his ship, she is already preparing a welcome for him in her heart.

Christians who truly love the Lord Jesus will have a similar attitude as we look for signs of His soon appearing.  We should be recalling His every word, studying the Scriptures to help us remember what is important to our loving Lord, scanning the horizon, watching for hints that the time is drawing near, and preparing our hearts in anticipation.

(To Be Continued)

Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 1
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 3
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 4
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 5
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 6
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 7
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 8
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 9
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 10
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 11

Excerpt from Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse

Published in 1998

Will We Go Through the Tribulation? (Pt. 1)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Teaching | Tags: , , , ,

Some dramatic events on God’s calendar must take place before the Lord returns to earth, and many of these are not going to be pretty.  Those Christians who have adopted a materialistic, escapist view of the Christian life may be terribly surprised.

Many of the world crises we are beginning to experience were predicted in the Bible hundreds of years ago.  What is shocking, however, is the rapid-fire speed at which these events are now racing ahead.  Against all odds, the frameworks of the world’s economic, political, and social systems are being shaken and are beginning to crumble.

Before going any further, allow me to make a confession:  I do not understand everything the Bible reveals to us concerning the Second Coming.  I consider myself a student of the Scriptures, but I must admit, I still have questions about many aspects of eschatology, the study of future things.  I do not know when Jesus is coming – it may be in my lifetime or it may not – but I believe He will return to Earth in power and glory, just as He said.

I used to listen in amazement (and sometimes with amusement) to some of the prophecy teachers we hosted at PTL.  With their charts and graphs they would dogmatically teach exactly when the events described in the book of Revelation were going to come to pass.  “This is going to happen, then this will happen, and then will be the Battle of Armageddon…” on and on they would go.  I do not mean to imply that these teachers were insincere in their teaching or unlearned in the Scriptures.  They were godly Bible teachers who felt strongly that they had exceptional insight or an unusual understanding of a complicated message.

Yet the truth is, we do not know when Jesus Christ is going to return.  I can point you to the Scriptures that describe what will happen before His coming; I can (and will in the pages ahead) show you Scriptures that describe His return in power.  But to set a date for His return is not my intention.  Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32 NKJV).  In one of His last statements to His disciples, after the Resurrection and just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7 NKJV).  For me to give you a play-by-play description of the events scheduled to take place in the future, events whose timing is known only to our heavenly Father, would be the height of presumption on my part.

On the other hand, I do not subscribe to the popular notion that it is impossible for us to know approximately when to expect our Lord’s return.  Many Christians are fond of saying, “I am neither pretribulational or posttribulational.  I am pantribulational.  I just believe it will all pan out in the end.”

That’s a cute (and non-confrontational) way to look at the last days, but it flies in the face of Scripture.  Jesus definitely gave us a lot of information concerning His return and, as I noted previously, numerous signs to watch for, signs indicating that the time of His return is near.

Sometimes I wish Jesus had been more specific in the information He gave to us.  Imagine all the theological arguments He could have prevented if He hand only said, “I am coming back at the beginning of the Tribulation period, or the middle, or the end of the Tribulation.”  Better yet, He could have said, “I am coming back on January 1, 20XX, so be ready.”

(To Be Continued)

Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 2
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 3
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 4
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 5
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 6
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 7
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 8
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 9
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 10
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 11

Excerpt from Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse

Published in 1998

 

 

The Pressure of the Ages

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

In 1997, I traveled to L.A. to appear on the CNN broadcast of Larry King Live.  As we drove from the airport toward the bright lights in the heart of L.A., I experienced one of the strangest sensations of my life.  It was as though my body became a human Geiger counter; I started resonating with the earth deep below Los Angeles.  I began to shake and suddenly, in the Spirit, it was as if I could see down into the earth.  I saw huge boulders, bowed upward and grinding against each other, like one fist pushing against another.

The Lord began to speak to my heart and mind as clearly as if He had called me on the limo’s car phone.  “This is the pressure of the ages,” the Lord revealed to me.  “And it’s about to let go.”  Trembling, I looked out the car window just as we whisked past the beautiful, statuesque skyscrapers in downtown L.A.  It was then that I sensed God speaking to me, words I am reluctant to actually put in print, yet words that have been seared for all eternity into my spirit.

As I stared at the tall buildings, the Lord said to me, “Not one of these buildings will be left standing.  There is going to be an earthquake unlike any other earthquake this area has experienced.  There will be nothing left.”

I shuddered in shock, shaking as if trying to awaken from a bad dream.  But this was no dream and I was fully awake.  As we drove further away from downtown, the sensation subsided, and the Geiger-counter effect stopped.  Looking back, I believe God was impressing upon me once again that I must proclaim this message before it is too late.

~ Excerpt from “Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse” by Jim Bakker, published in 1998 ~

There are many things shaking in the natural that we can see and feel.  While this natural shaking is going on, there’s a shaking in the spirit world as well.  Though I cannot reveal the entirety of what I have heard from God about this yet, I know that the Church world is going to experience a tremendous shaking very soon that will be very unsettling.  Be strong in your faith – and remember that we must look to God alone for our surety.

All this week, our guest on the show is Rick Joyner.  Rick said up until this point, he has been counseling people not to leave California unless they had a direct word from God to leave.  Now however, Rick said he feels very strongly that people should not stay in California unless they have a direct word from the Lord.  You can imagine the impact of that counsel.  Rick said that he has many who are upset with him about it – but he dare not be afraid to warn them.

It’s time to pay attention to the warnings that a loving God is giving to those who will hear.  It’s time to prepare in your heart and spirit, and in the natural as much as possible.  This is a time like has never been before.  It’s an exciting time because our Lord is coming soon, and we can take comfort in that fact!  But we need to have our “eyes wide open” and be looking for that coming with great expectation.

Love,

Jim

God Remembers Mercy in Judgment

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Prophecy

There is a lot of chatter in the Christian community and even in the secular world about the End Times and whether these natural disasters like Katina, the Haitian earthquake, and the Japan earthquake were the judgment of God or merely the results of a world gone wild. 

Rick Joyner is with us this week, and he emphasized that even in God’s judgment, He always desires to show His mercy.  Romans 2:4 says “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

The Lord always wants to show mercy rather than judgment.  The kindness of God really does lead to repentance.  When Nineveh repented, they averted God’s judgment.  But even when judgment is necessary to bring repentance, God still remembers mercy. 

The economic unraveling is coming and Rick said that it could be a major positive – a jubilee where we can start over.  Hundreds of years after King David lived, God would still do things for Israel for the sake of his servant David because David’s righteousness still had currency with God. 

America still has a foundation of righteousness with God, but we’ve departed from our Godly foundation – departed from righteousness and justice, but the Lord will give us a reset if we repent.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Rick went on to say there will be a shaking first.  The economic unraveling is the grace from God to give us a reset where we can start again.  There will be a period of time when our dollar won’t be worth anything, but we have another source.  We have a kingdom that is above all of our natural circumstances and every Christian is going to  have to come to the kingdom.

Rick said he talked to Bob Jones (another Prophet) the Sunday after the big quake hit in Japan, and Bob said  “it’s coming to California.”  This confirms what the Lord showed me in the “31 Things” he gave me in 1999.  When the Lord speaks something like that, He will usually confirm it with two or three witnesses. 

Rick said up until this point, he has been counseling people not to leave California unless they had a direct word from God to leave.  Now however, Rick said he feels very strongly that people should not stay in California unless they have a direct word from the Lord.  You can imagine the impact of that counsel.  Rick said that he has many who are upset with him about it – but he dare not be afraid to warn them.

Why is all this happening?  Is it the judgment of God? 

Many people want to remember only the goodness of God but the Bible says in Romans 11:22 NKJV “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off.”

Rick said that destruction is only one form of judgment, but discipline is up to us in America.  If the church in America wakes up, we can be a blessing to the world if we respond and repent!  That’s right – it’s the CHURCH who needs to repent! 

We have stood by as America has told God we don’t want you anymore – not in public – not in our schools – not in our judicial and government systems, and He is withdrawing His grace from us!

Whom God loves He chastens and  America will be chastened.

Rick reminded us that the Bible says to judge yourself lest ye be judged – fall on the Rock or He will fall on you!  Every one of these events are calls to His people – do it now!  Repent and return to Him, know that God always desires to show His mercy!  Intercede for America, and for the world.

Don’t miss a single show this week.  Together, we can mine the richness of God’s wisdom in all this and be prepared, both spiritually and naturally.

Love,

Jim

The Coming Apocalypse

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Prophecy, Teaching | Tags: , , ,

The signs of the end times are all around us.

The recent earthquake in Japan is presenting an abundance of end-time catastrophes that will ripple through the entire world.  Our country is certain to be impacted by the economic crises these events have triggered.  Already they are closing auto manufacturing plants that are dependent on Japanese supply chains which have broken down.  I believe this earthquake in Japan is going to trigger an economic meltdown worldwide.

A dear friend and prophet, Bob Hartley, brought a message recently about five supernatural waves that will impact our nation, and the first of these is an economic wave.  That wave is about to overtake us!  We must be prepared!

In 1998, my book “PROSPERITY and the COMING APOCALYPSE” was published.  Even as I was in the process of writing the book, I felt like the Lord was saying that although it was noteworthy information for the year 1998, it would be much more received in a future time, a time when people everywhere were seeking answers for the turmoil in our world.  I believe that time is now.  This is not just a book of prophecy, it is a book of survival.  It is available in our online store or by calling 1(888)988-1588.

“PROSPERITY and the COMING APOCALYPSE” addresses such issues as:

  • Why I believe a coming world economic collapse will lead to terrorism and possibly war.
  • How recent weather patterns, violent tornadoes, and earthquakes are just the beginning of a world out of control.
  • When and why meteors will hit the earth, causing massive, unprecedented destruction.
  • What Christians ought to be spending their time, energy, and resources doing in these “last days”.
  • How to have hope in the face of difficult times and survive the coming apocalypse.

In the days ahead, you may be stripped of everything you have ever held dear.  You may lose your money, your home, your material possessions, your career, your spouse or other family members.  Please do not be dismayed.  I have been through the stripping and I can tell you that the Savior will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter how dark or difficult the days ahead.

God will take care of us through the coming apocalypse and beyond!  And we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Love,

Jim

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse are Riding Now

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Teaching | Tags: , , ,

Revelation events are happening one right after another such as wars, earthquakes and tsunamis around the world. The world has looked on as Japan has experienced what newscasters call a biblical event of epic proportion.

Every day, we are rapidly moving deeper into the Revelation Days, the days the Bible refers to as the Last Days. Paul declares in 2 Timothy Chapter 3:1-4 “This know also, that in the Last Days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” I know you have to agree with me that everything Paul says here is happening right now! READ MORE →

Scoffers Have Come

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Prophecy | Tags: , ,

Only crazy people believe in the Book of Revelation.  That’s right – according to a popular newscaster of a leading news network, “No half-smart religious person actually believes the book of Revelation anymore.”  Really?  Well, that says a lot about you and me!  That is… if his next statement is true, “The Book of Revelation is a book of fiction…”

The events of Revelation are clearly prophesied thousands of years ago – exactly as they are happening right now!  God sent the message so that it would be written for all generations to read and take heed,  and so that “whosoever will” would have the opportunity to be ready.  You can’t even be half-smart and not believe we are in the book of Revelation!

The arrogance of an ignorant and unrepentant world to think they can roll their eyes and mock the Holy Word of God!

As we witness the events of Revelation unfolding, let those who are wise understand.  It doesn’t go well with those who mock God.  It’s time to heed the Word of God, not scoff at it!

2 Peter 3:3 says “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”

Major March “A Time of Acceleration”

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days | Tags: , , , ,

When the Lord told me back in December that this would be a “Major March”, I knew the events that were coming would be remarkable. I felt that there would be major events that would shake the World this month and it would be a wonderful time of healing and blessing for some of God’s people.

Today, I know that what is happening in the world is only going to accelerate and NOW is the time for the Church’s finest hour.  Listen to me now, and believe me when I say that when the world is coming apart, the true Church will come together and be prepared! READ MORE →

A Major March

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in "Now" Words, Last Days, Prophecy | Tags: , , , , , ,

On New Year’s Eve 2010, God showed me that the coming month of March would be a “Major March”.  A time of major upheaval but also a time of extreme answers to prayers and blessing for Gods people.    In addition to the New Year’s Eve warning, God again brought a warning  while taping  our television broadcast, that a 9.0 magnitude earthquake was coming, this was a week before the earthquake hit Japan.  We are now witnessing the apocalyptic events in Japan that were undoubtedly a part of both of those warnings.  More earthquakes and major events are coming to Japan very soon.  California and the area from Illinois and Missouri to Arkansas will have major events in the future.  Keep you eyes on the Ring of Fire.

On July 12, 2005, God showed me New Orleans under water.  Forty-one days later, on August 29, 2005, hurricane Katrina hit.

In 1999, God showed me 31 things that will come to pass shortly and most already have.

When I tell you of the warnings God gives me and how they come to pass, I’m doing so because I want you to know how much He cares for you – enough to send you a message through a watchman ahead of time so that you can be ready!  Throughout the Bible, God uses people in certain capacities to deliver His messages and warnings.  These warnings aren’t just meant for me and my family.  No!  These messages and warnings are for the entire family of God so that they can prepare, first their hearts, and then to help themselves and others in practical ways in Times of Trouble.

I do not claim to be a prophet but I am a watchman whom the Lord Jesus uses to warn others to be ready for impending calamity.  Jim Bakker is human and has “feet of clay” just like you do.  I’m not perfect – the only perfect people are the people you don’t know very well, except for Jesus!  I don’t want people to believe in me – I want them to believe in Jesus!  If you put your hope in men, they will fail you.  We are to glorify Jesus, not any man!  Jesus must be on the throne – and we are to be looking unto Jesus as author and finisher of our faith.  We are to be looking with intensity, an intense gaze!  If you lose focus in this hour, you may not have the time to regain your bearings!

The speed with which Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled is mind-boggling.  NOW is the time to get our heads on straight and get our hearts right with God.  NOW is the time to prepare for Times of Trouble.  Remember Revelation warns us when the last days events began they will happen quickly many at one time one right after another!

We will be comforted during the Times of Trouble, and we are not appointed to God’s wrath; but Jesus warns over and over to prepare, both physically and spiritually for what is coming during these times.

The Lord also gave me a dream right before New Year’s Eve about huge waves sweeping down through the streets and over people.  In the dream, I was running into a large tower-like structure and screaming for the people to follow me!  As we climbed higher and higher in the tower I could see the huge waves coming up the streets just as we see in the pictures on television from Japan.

I wouldn’t be a Friend of God or your friend if I didn’t tell you what I’m sensing and hearing.  It’s time to run to God – it’s time to run into the Strong Tower of God and be safe!  It’s time to get ready for the great waves of the Times of Trouble.  They are upon us.

Proverbs 18:10 tells us “ The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runs into it, and they are safe.”

Love,

Jim