To Our Readers:  Though the subject matter in my blogs and the book of Revelation is very serious and can appear to be dismal, never forget that the King of Glory is orchestrating every detail of these events with His Church in mind!  He watches over those who are His own and He will never leave you nor forsake you when you belong to Him.  We may experience some difficult times ahead, yet they are the most exciting times in the history of the world for we are about to see Him!  Place your faith and your future in the One who loved you enough to die on that Cross to give you LIFE ETERNAL and trust Him!  Prepare your heart, then prepare as well as you can in the natural and then leave the rest to Him! 

The third horseman is ready to ride. 

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius…and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (6:5-6 NKJV)

 The rider of the black horse carries with him famine and economic collapse, signified by the weighing scales and the exorbitant prices for food. 

It is hard to imagine the impact a major famine might have in the economically developed nations of the world.  The closest most of us get to famine is quickly changing the channel when images of starving children appear on our television sets. 

 We have grown all too accustomed to the poignant pictures of shriveled men, women, and even children whose bodies have been affected by famine in Third World countries. I believe that in the days ahead famine will be even more prevalent, and I am not alone in that opinion. 

In 1997 and 1998 freak weather conditions brought on by El Nino, declared to be the worst this century by United Nations climate experts and U. S. government scientists alike, provided a graphic object lesson concerning the fragility of our world’s food supply. 

On a one-to-five scale, “this El Nino is at least a five, if not completely off the scale,” said Joe Friday, director of research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

 In the U.S. and Canada, El Nino wreaked havoc in the form of floods, mudslides, tornadoes, and other unusual weather-related phenomena. 

Heavy rains washed away million-dollar homes in California and flooded towns in Georgia and Alabama. Unusually strong tornadoes struck in locations as diverse as Minneapolis, Minnesota; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Spencer, South Dakota; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

A five-day ice storm in Canada caused a short-term loss of over one billion dollars and a 2 percent loss in the country’s gross domestic product. 

But in Africa and Latin America, where living conditions are less developed and food, clothing, medicine, and other forms of humanitarian aid are less available, El Ninos effects put millions of people at risk of starvation. 

Christine Berthiaume, spokesperson for the UN food agency, World Food Program, estimated that “27 million people in Africa and some 320,000 people in central America were at risk because of declining food stocks.” 

The third horseman is ready to ride, and not just in Third World countries. 

Remember, put your faith and your future in His Loving Hands!

The second horseman is about to ride:

“Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace form the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” (6:4 NKJV)

This is no ordinary sword; this is an assassin’s sword, a terrorist’s sword. The result will be crime in the streets, people butchering one another. Blood red will be the color of the day.

One does not have to belabor the point in America today. Because of violent crime, in most cities it is unsafe to walk our streets at night, and in many places life feels unsafe even during daylight hours.

Senseless drive-by shootings occur frequently, not as acts of revenge or retribution, but often for no reason at all. We have so devalued human life in our society that for many people it is a small thing to kill another person. At first we were shocked when we heard of children and teachers being gunned down on school property.  Although the tragic killings continue to wrench our stomachs, we are no longer surprised by them.

Even our slang in America reflects the appalling devaluation of human life. Recently I heard a man describe a fellow employee who had lost his temper over some minor issue at work.

“He just went postal on me,” the man said.

Sadly, “going postal” no longer has anything to do with how the mail gets delivered.

Outside the U.S., terrorist-spawned violence continues to escalate as well.  Hardly a day goes by when our senses are not bludgeoned by some new outbreak of terrorism in the Middle East.

Despite our best efforts at making and keeping the peace, political, economic, and religious tensions often lead to unrest, violence, and riots. Ethnic cleansing, one group of people trying to exterminate another, continues in various locations around the world, often with terrorist backing.

In the United States we are painfully familiar with terrorist activities: the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, the bombing of the federal Building in Oklahoma City, numerous letter bombs by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, and the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

In all of these cases, a sobering truth must be faced, namely that a relatively obscure person or group was able to destroy the lives of many. I am convinced that similar senseless killings will increase, as we get closer to the coming of Christ.

Our government is rightly concerned about the growing number of nations with nuclear capabilities. Atomic bomb detonations by India and Pakistan in May 1998 reminded us once again that if the technology is out there, someone will use it to create a weapon of mass destruction.

With nuclear power spreading to Third World nations, it becomes more and more likely that terrorists will eventually get access to weapons they could only dream about in the past.

Not long ago I was shocked when I heard a message by a man who has a prophetic gift.

This man has an incredibly accurate track record—in fact, I have never known him to be incorrect on a single prophecy.

For instance, he predicted the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles area, and the earthquake took place on the exact day the man predicted. But the message that shocked me did not concern earthquakes.

The man said God had shown him that a terrorist bomb the size of a football will be smuggled into the United States in a suitcase. One of our major cities will be destroyed this prophet declared.

But the nuclear threat is not the only concern from terrorists. Think, for example, what damage terrorists could do it they could tinker with the nation’s water supply.

Just a small amount of lethal chemicals in the right place, and millions of people could die. Or think of the awful potential of germ warfare. With all sense of morality flung to the wind, what might happen if a terrorist were able to cast a lethal biohazard into those same winds?

The red horse is out of the barn.

The first horse was white in color. John wrote, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (6:2 NKJV). 

 Some Christians believe that the rider of this white horse is Christ, moving among His church conquering evil, even in the midst of the Tribulation, and ultimately conquering over all. I view this rider as just the opposite; I believe he is the Antichrist 

This imposter wants to look like Jesus, who also is pictured as a conquering hero on a white horse (Rev. 19:11). 

 Remember, the devil is the great deceiver and the great counterfeiter. He tries to give the impression that he is as powerful as Jesus, but the devil is a defeated foe. 

The rider of Revelation 6 has no arrows, only a bow. Nevertheless, do not underestimate the power of the devil’s agent on earth, the Antichrist. This satanic emissary will rise to power on a platform of peace, prosperity, and miracles. He will not have to use weapons to conquer the world and evoke the worship of man. 

The Antichrist will not use force; he will use his cunning words. His talk will be slick and enticing; he will promise peace and prosperity to a world that by that time will be ready to hand over the keys of authority to anyone who holds out hope of escaping the chaos that will have begun to plague the earth. 

Notice also that the Antichrist doe not earn a crown, nor does he inherit a crown; it is not intrinsically his, it I given to him. This crown is not a symbol of royalty but is more the type worn in ancient times by winners of the public games. Indeed, the Antichrist will win over public opinion polls as our world willingly hands him the keys to the kingdoms. 

And for about three and a half years, the Antichrist will deliver. He will provide peace and security and some measure of happiness. 

This is what alarms me so much about the materialistic Christianity that millions of Christians have been taught to accept. 

 The church is unwittingly being prepared to accept the Antichrist. We are being taught o seek happiness rather than joy, to love things more than Jesus. 

 We are being taught to seek after miracles and signs and wonders rather than to develop trust and perseverance. When the Antichrist comes to power, he will offer security for our material things, as well as signs and wonders and miracles. 

I believe the Antichrist is alive on Earth today. Somewhere in the world, probably in Western Europe or possibly in he Middle East, is a man more diabolical than any human being who has ever walked the face of the earth. 

He is more evil than Adolf Hitler; more ruthless than Stalin; more murderous than Mao Tse-Tung, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin combined. 

Within a few years he will rapidly rise to power, and he will dominate future events worldwide, until Jesus Christ comes back to destroy him. 

I know it sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie, but Hollywood could not devise a plot this intricate. 

 If you are a connoisseur of horror movies about the Antichrist, you really ought to read the Book!

The book of Revelation opens with John announcing that the things God has shown him will “shortly take place” (1:1 NASB).  Reading this, some people get confused right from the start.  “If John was writing in A.D. 95, and the events he described were meant to happen soon, what relevance does this book have to us?”

But John was not saying that these things would necessarily happen in his lifetime or any time soon.  The word translated shortly actually mean “quickly” in the original Greek.  It can also mean, “when started, it will happen suddenly, within a brief space of time.”  John was saying, “Once these things begin to happen, they will happen quickly.”  In other words, when the prophecies begin to be fulfilled, they will proceed on an irrevocable, inexorable, unstoppable course, and we will feel as though we are riding a roller coaster that has gone out of control.

I believe we are about to enter that time, and it is going to be terrifying.  What is even more frightening to me is that many Christians will be caught off guard, having been lulled into complacency, assuming that everything is going to get better.  Yet the apostle Paul warned:

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  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 Thess. 5:1-3 NKJV).

One of the most intriguing visions John records is the account of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rev. 6:1-8).  These horsemen are not Kentucky Derby winners.  In fact, there is nothing sporting about these animals and their riders.  They represent terrifying events.  We’ll discuss these four horsemen in later blogs, but for now, please understand that they have begun to ride already and it’s time NOW to prepare!  Get your heart right with God – and then listen to His warnings via His Word.

God Love You, He Really Does!

Jim

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord. And [the people] shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord [inquiring for and requiring it as one requires food], but shall not find it.—Amos 8:11-12, AMP

“These are the words of the Prophet Amos that can be directly related to the American Church today”, said Bob Jones, a well-known modern-day prophet. “The Church has been dominated by a spirit of stupor because of their continual disobedience to God.”

We are living in the Revelation years.  We, as Christians, need to be able to weed through what we are hearing in the secular world and be able to understand things with our spiritual ears.  We are not going to get the truth from secular sources.  We are going to get the truth from the Word of God. 

Bob Jones goes on to say “This famine in the land is a blanket of deafness preventing the Body of Christ from hearing the Word. In this fast-paced world the Word is made available by many forms of communication by internet, T.V., books, CDs and DVDs to name a few. There is no lack. The problem is in the hearing of the word as if the word is falling on deaf ears and bringing confusion into the understanding of the spoken Word. It’s just like the serpent did in the Garden when he spoke to Eve twisting the original Word of God.”

Romans 11:8 AMP “As it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, [that has continued] down to this very day.”

So many times, I’ve turned on the television to get the news and what I heard was more “babble” coming from the newscasters, especially in regards to political things.  We don’t get the REAL news today.  Except for crime reports and natural disasters, most all of what we hear is designed to condition us one way or another in political matters.  We can’t rely on the majority of the news stations to tell us the truth – the truth being unbiased and fair reporting of facts.

I have received so many thoughts from our partners that go along this line:  “We don’t get the REAL news – and we appreciate you telling us the truth!”

It’s time to align yourselves with people who understand the times!

People are praying for money, pleasure, prosperity and listening to anything that tickles their ears.  It’s time we stop following teachers who tickle people’s ears.  It’s time to listen to Bible teachers who will tell you the truth.  It’s time to understand what you hear and to prepare for the soon-coming of Jesus!

All of us need others who can look objectively at what we are saying or doing in the body of Christ, people who love us enough to tell us the truth, even if the truth hurts for a season.  At the same time, we need people who can encourage us to do what God has called us to do, without kowtowing, flattering, or telling us simply what we want to hear.  Honest encouragement must become a keystone in the last-days church of Jesus Christ. 

A few years ago, I was one of the speakers at a large prophecy conference.  When I got up to speak, I couldn’t get the message together!  Instead of bringing a message that hit the mark, I meandered back and forth, totally missing the target.

After the session that day, the ministers gathered together to evaluate what had been spoken.  It was a precious time of prayer and encouragement.  But that’s not all.

The other ministers firmly rebuked me for not sharing the message God had given me.  “You blew it, Jim,” one man said kindly but emphatically.  “You missed the message.  God gave you the message, but you didn’t present it.  You never got the point across.”  The other ministers agreed that I had not been effective that day.  They didn’t make me feel like a heel, but they were not about to sit by idly, pretending that I had been a blessing when I had not been.

Did I enjoy that corrective rebuke?  Absolutely not.  Did I need it, learn from it, and grow from it?  Count on it.

God wants us to be stirring each other up in a local community of believers with whom we interact daily, week by week.  He wants us to encourage and to be encouraged by spiritual brothers and sisters with whom we live out our Christian experience.

Notice again in Hebrews 10:25 how seriously God takes this matter.  Scripture says that we are to stir one another up to good works, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In other words, as we see the Day of the Lord approaching, the signs of Christ’s coming all around us, we desperately need each other if we are to mature as believers.

In the days ahead, many will need the church for food; some will need the body for shelter, transportation, child care, and basic human services.  All of us will need each other for spiritual encouragement to keep going, to keep trusting and believing.  In these “getting ready days,” we must take seriously the scriptural mandate that we encourage one another.  If ever we needed the church, we need it now!

Have you ever considered the full evidence of being a “born –again” Christian? So many believe that we can say a little prayer and be baptized and that’s it! Do you know that part of the evidence of being truly born-again is that you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? If you say you are born-again and yet you hate this group or that, or you just can’t bring yourself to forgive sister so-and-so for what she did back in ’84 – it is definitely time to read your Bible! Here’s what it says:

1 John 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
Before Paul was born-again, he had no mercy for Christians. He brought them bound to the authorities to be judged by the law. He stood and witnessed Steven being stoned and he had no mercy! Before Paul’s heart was changed, his attitude was “I’m going to report you”, “I’m going to punish you”, and “I’m going to take you before the courts!” No grace. No mercy.

After Paul’s conversion, his humbled heart shared with the other Christians that he did what he didn’t want to do, and didn’t do what he should. He also called himself the “least of all saints”. His heart was changed. He now loved what God loved – and first and foremost, that is the other brothers and sisters in Christ. He knew too, that love covers and doesn’t accuse!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Knowing how much God loved the world – enough to give His ONLY begotten Son that they could have life everlasting – if we know God, we will love who He loves!

How committed are you to God, to His church, to the people sitting around you in your local congregation? If everyone treated the church the way you do, would the church be a caring, comforting, safe place, or would it be an indifferent, unconcerned, dangerous environment? If everyone was investing in the Christian community what you are investing, would it be a place where spiritual maturity is promoted, spiritual safety is procured, and spiritually motivated care is provided?

If everyone treated the church and functioned in the body with the same commitment level that you do, would it be prospering?

Some may say, “Well, I’ve given up on the church.” Have you?

God hasn’t.

And we shouldn’t either!