Now Is the Time

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

When I awoke this morning, I heard in my spirit “Now is the time!”

Matthew 24:44 “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

The headlines are screaming the signs of the times in Biblical prophecy – are we listening? Now is the time, Church, to listen with spiritual ears and to see with spiritual eyes and to understand our times.

Every day in the news we hear about more and more things happening in this world that are straight out of the Bible! We can read about wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. and it seems our senses are dulled into believing it doesn’t have any special significance. Wake up Church!

Are we so accustomed to hearing about these things that we have begun to be dull of hearing? Do we have spiritual eyes and ears?

Now is the time to prepare!

Read again the scriptures and then compare them to the headlines:

Matthew 24:7 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Rev 6:5-6: “I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Now here are the headlines of recent days:

Spectacular Perseid Meteor Shower Due Wednesday

Solar storms to erupt soon. What will be the impact on Earth?

Nasa Warns Of Super Solar Storm 2012

Hurricane Season Promises a Rough Ride, Weather Agency Says

Scientist Says Hundreds May Die as Smog Blankets Moscow

6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Ecuador

Villagers Missing, Injured as Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

DOW drowns in sea of double-dip fears!

Analysis: Stumbling America, Debt-Strapped Europe, Booming China

U.S. jobless claims jump shows labor market ailing

Bank repossessions drive up US foreclosures

Matthew 24:32-34 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened…”.

If you really believe and understand the times, what are you doing to get ready? Be ready – have your heart ready – have your home ready! Don’t be dull – sharpen your spiritual senses!

I am called as a watchman, but sometimes I feel like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness! I can only pray that somebody somewhere is listening and taking it to heart.

Matthew 24:37-42 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Help Wanted

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

Troublemakers Need Not Apply

We need to learn to love the things God loves and hate the things He hates. It seems that much of the preaching in churches in the last few years focuses on the love of money! Jesus didn’t have one good thing to say about money. He did have a lot to say about loving one another. In fact, He commanded us to love one another, not money! (John 13:34) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

And then the Lord said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep my commandments!”

Trouble isn’t always bad. There were a few good troublemakers in the Bible. Paul and Silas made trouble for one slave owner when they cast the demons out of his best performing fortune teller. Elijah made a heap of trouble for Jezebel when he challenged the prophets of Baal.

I need a few good people who can cause some trouble for the devil, not cause trouble in the Church! I need a few good people who know how to put first things first. I need some people who know how to pray. I need some people who know how to sow peace among the brethren, not discord!

When you gossip and backbite and slander each other, you are tearing down what Jesus is building! Stop it! Stop working against each other and learn how to cover each other with love. The Bible says love covers a multitude of sins – not exposes them! 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Your first mission is SUBmission.

Why don’t we hate what God hates? The more mature we are as Christians, the less likely we are to fight. When the apostle Paul lists “the acts of the sinful nature”, sins such as witchcraft, drunkenness and sexual immorality are overshadowed by sins found often in church: “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” (Galatians 5:19-21).

We need a little more fruit! On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Fruit takes time to develop, but there are likely to be few conflicts in a church full of people who are loving, patient, kind and gentle.

Humble yourself! If you have offended or sinned against someone, go, confess and ask forgiveness quickly
(Matthew 5:23-26).

Seek reconciliation! If someone has offended you or sinned against you, go, talk to him or her and seek reconciliation (Matthew 18:15). Sometimes the other person is not even aware that he or she has offended.

Be willing to forgive! (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15)

Pray for unity, peace and love in the church! Jesus did. (John 17:20-23)

Be more concerned with looking for your own sin than with looking for the sins of others (Matthew 7:1-5). Examine yourself and your own motives.

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-45). Sometimes those in the church feel like enemies. Jesus told us to love our enemies.

Church, it’s time to put first things first. It’s time to love what Jesus loves and hate what He hates. It’s time to get ourselves aligned with the right priorities. Does anyone want to help me? I’m looking for a few good people who want to line up with the Word of God and agree to build the Kingdom of God, not tear it down! I’m looking for some people who will labor in the Word and prayer to destroy the things that are hindering God’s people!

So, please read this ad carefully. It’s not an easy job, but it has eternal rewards!

God loves you! He really does!

Preparation for Two Weddings

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Family Updates

Grace Street is in a flurry of preparation for Maricela’s wedding here on Saturday. It is being transformed into the most beautiful satin and lace vision of white loveliness we can accomplish. Maricela and John are working right alongside everyone else to get everything ready for their special day. We are united, we are focused and we are joyful! We look forward to the celebration with those we love!

We are truly acting as the family of God when we love and support one another. That’s what families do – they love each other and they work together to get something accomplished. When we work together, the work is easier for everyone and there is great joy in the process.

We are doing all of the preparations ourselves, with the help of our church family here at Morningside. While the labor is very strenuous, there is great joy and fellowship while we work. The announcements have been made, the invitations sent and the menu decided. We have ordered the cake, had the pre-wedding parties, gathered the decorations and all of us are busy getting Grace Street ready for the blessed event!

Maricela has chosen a beautiful wedding gown and is preparing herself for her groom. She is wisely making sure that all things are handled in plenty of time so that she will be ready to meet her groom at the altar!

In Matthew 25, The Bible speaks in a parable about the kingdom of heaven and the return of Jesus. The disciples asked Jesus what would be the signs of his coming.

“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus said that His return will be like a wedding. In ancient Israel, there was great anticipation and ceremony surrounding the groom coming for his bride. She would go to great lengths to prepare herself for him, that is, if she were wise.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.”

In the parable about Jesus’ return, there were five foolish brides who were not prepared, and five wise brides who were prepared. The result: the foolish brides were left behind and the wise brides arrived at the wedding feast.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut”.

While the message in this parable is referring to spiritual preparedness which is by far the most important thing, being prepared in the natural is also important. We learn in the previous chapter (Matthew 24), all of the signs of Jesus’ coming. We have been preaching and teaching those signs with a great urgency here at Morningside. Why? Because we want you to be ready so that you will not be forced to rely on the world’s systems or worse, the anti-christ, to sustain you during Times of Trouble.

As we prepare for this wedding, join with us as the family of God and prepare your family for the wedding feast of the Lamb!

God loves you! He really does!

It’s later than you think

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

Matthew chapter 24 outlines the signs of His coming. It says nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. You may brush this off because it has ‘always been that way’. But be assured that we are closer than you think!

This week in the news, North Korea says it is getting ready to use a nuclear bomb. They warned us that we better watch out! Other news this week talked about military action which is likely against Iran from Israel in a preemptive strike. There are war rattlings all over the world!

In Revelation chapter 6, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse was given power to take away peace and prosperity.

Kingdom against kingdom is bad enough, but our country is at war with itself – we are divided and polarized in this country. A nation divided will not stand.

When, not if, the economy collapses and entitlements are gone, there will be war (rioting) in our streets in this country. People will not just accept the fact that their income is suddenly dried up.

Even now, there are people killing each other every day, there are wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, plagues and disease, earthquakes around the globe, and weather that is extreme – we are breaking high and low records almost on a daily basis.

There are so many things pointing to His soon return!

Let’s not be desensitized to the signs of His coming!

Matt. 24:6-8 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

God loves you! He really does!

Troubles Ahead and Hope in Christ

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Teaching

Catastrophic calamities will soon strike the earth; economic systems are going to crumble; life as normal will be severely disrupted; and the world will be plunged into a time of tribulation such as we have never before experienced. It is not a question of if these things are going to happen; the Bible clearly predicts their occurring. The only questions are when will these things occur? And will we be ready for them? How do you plan to make it through the difficult days the Bible says are definitely coming?

Jesus said that in the last days there will be false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes (Matt. 24:5-7). We can also track the increase in unusually devastating natural disasters in the daily news. Beyond that, Jesus said, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24:7). Interestingly, the word He used for “nation” was ethnos, from which we get our word ethnic. In other words, Jesus predicted “ethnic cleansing” long before it became a descriptive term on our newscasts.

Jesus also informed us that there will be a flagrant increase in lawlessness, people will betray one another, and many people’s love will grow cold (Matt. 24:10-12). Love for the Lord will wane, as well as love for each other.

Skeptics scoff, saying, “We’ve always had these natural disasters, and men and women have been at each other’s throats since the beginning of time. What’s new?”

Plenty. Jesus stated plainly that “when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door” (Matt. 24:33). Jesus implied that the awful things that are to come upon the earth will intensify, that they will converge at one point in human history, and they will be so bad that our very survival will be in question. He said, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short” (Matt. 24:21-22).

Yes Revelation times are here and more are to come. Read Acts 2:19-21 and you will see there is hope in the midst of our storms. Verse 19 says “And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord comes”. And the next verse is the good news! Verse 21: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That means you and me, whosoever!

Are you a Friend of God?

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Teaching

This week Lori and I just happened to be in the same town where Bebe and Cece Winans were singing for a corporate meeting (the largest corporation in the world). We ran into a local pastor whose family worked for that corporation and they told us Bebe and Cece were going to be in town the next day. We were able to meet them and what a wonderful visit we had! We recounted the days when they, as teenagers, began their music ministry on our television show. What a joy to be with old friends!

One of the number one things you will need more than anything else in the days to come, the days the Bible calls the “Last Days”, is a good friend, or I should say many good friends. The Church that Jesus said He would build will withstand the gates of Hell! The Church is going to take care of those within its gates. There is a big difference between Church members and the true Body of Christ – those who are truly born again!

Jesus calls us friends and when we are born again into the family of God, we become family. We are not just an earthly family but a family that does not walk away in bad times, but one that never gives up on each other! Here is what the Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” That’s the kind of family I want to be a part of, one that does not walk away in bad times. Some earthly families fight all the time. I want to be in that family of God that loves each other at all times!

I always say Lori is my best friend and yet she is my wife and Mother of our children. How can this be family and friend? Jesus calls us friends in John Chapter 15. Read with me verses 12-17: “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.”

When I was in prison, Franklin Graham came to visit me often and told me one day he wanted to be my sponsor to help me meet the requirements to get out of prison. I told him he did not need to do that, it might hurt him and the Graham name to be associated with me, a former inmate! He told me “Jim, you were my friend before prison and you are my friend now, and if anyone does not like it I am looking for a fight!”

God is the one who never gives up on you and He will fight your battles for and with you! Hebrews 13:5 says: “God says I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” That is real friendship! Abraham was called the “Friend of God” in James 2:23, and you are God’s friend if you have been born again into the family of God! If you have not been born again, ask Him into your heart today and you will become a Friend of God!

The King is Coming. Rejoice!

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Teaching

Albert Einstein once said that “ There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Either God is there or He is not there! I have always said that it takes more faith to believe that all the universe and you and I are an accident than to believe God created all things including you and me! If there is a God, then His Word must be truth!

If you watch our program on a regular basis, you know that I often say, “The good new is that the bad news tells us that Jesus is coming back and the Bible is true! All the prophetic words in the Bible concerning the return of Jesus must come to pass if the Bible is truth and praise God they are all coming true in this hour we are living! Redemption is coming – do not fear!

Look at Luke 21:25-29: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”. So when all these things we have been sharing from the Word daily come to pass, it should not discourage us, but cause us to rejoice!

The King is coming so rejoice! Jesus tells us to rejoice even when people hate us. Look at Luke 6:22-23: “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”

Have a blest day and rejoice! The best is yet to come!

Revelations Today: Solar Systems

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

Rev 16:8-9 The Message
The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun: Fire blazed from the sun and scorched men and women. Burned and blistered, they cursed God’s Name, the God behind these disasters. They refused to repent, refused to honor God.

I grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. Not too far from there, the city of Grand Rapids and a close neighboring city, Holland, Michigan experienced horrific fires on the same night, October 8, 1871. Across Lake Michigan from those two cities, another city literally burned to the ground in one of the greatest fire disasters ever recorded in history. It took place in Peshtigo, Wisconsin on October 8, 1871 and claimed more than 1,200 lives. Does that date ring a bell? It should. It’s the night of the fire that received the most news coverage simply because it occurred in a large metropolitan area, the famous Chicago fire – the one they blamed on Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.

Solar storms are certainly not new and have occurred throughout the history of the world. In fact, I believe that’s what happened on October 8, 1871. We are learning more what the Bible says about them and we are also increasing in natural knowledge about these storms.

The scriptures are very clear; we are going to have solar storms as the time of His coming draws near.

Luke 21:25-28 “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On earth, nations will be afraid and confused because of the roar and fury of the sea. People will be so afraid they will faint, wondering what is happening to the world, because the powers of the heavens will be shaken. THEN people will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, look up and hold your heads high, because the time when God will free you is near!”

NASA warned recently: “Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that’s new to human history”. They went on to say “The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. Power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity”.

Fox News makes these statements: “Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm – the type expected to occur about once a century – could cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million people or more in this country alone. Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning; sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on. Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks might close, and trade with other countries might halt. Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost. Whether it is terrestrial catastrophes or extreme space weather incidents, the results can be devastation to modern societies that depend in a myriad of ways on advanced technological systems.”

As the time of His coming draws nearer, we should not be afraid of the things which may occur because He has us firmly in His care. But we certainly should be prepared in our hearts, and in the natural as much as possible for any catastrophic event.

Be Ready to Live and Be Ready to Die

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days

This title may sound like an apocalyptic message and it may well be – in more ways than one. For today, we will focus on the message dying to self. It’s time for the Church to understand that being the Church is not always about prosperity, your gifts and callings, or even your church and its ‘vision’ except that they edify or build up the entire Body of Christ. It’s time for the Church to understand what being the Church means.

Years ago, when I came out of prison, I began to warn people of the dangers of falling in love with money. And today I’m finding there is even more that needs to die within religion and the religious hearts of those within the church. I’m not calling for anybody to do anything that I’m not willing to do myself, so this message has come to me first and now I use whatever means I have been given to share it with you.

It’s time for the foolishness of building kingdoms unto men or climbing the church’s social ladder to cease. It’s time for lifting up Jesus and Him alone. It’s time to put away the minor things, and take up the major things. It’s time to eat the meat and be weaned of milk. It’s time to understand the seriousness of the hour. It’s time to grow up in Jesus.

A full-grown, mature Church is one that unites herself in one accord in the ministry of the saints and in the ministry unto the Lord. Self is not just laid aside, it is put away, it doesn’t exist and can’t. Self melts away into the greater good of the Body. It is without individual identity except that we know one another by our love. The spiritual recognize each other by their love for the greater good of the Body, not the manifestation of the personhood of an individual.

Have you ever experienced the kind of love that is irresistible? Irresistible love is a term many have thrown around without a lot of depth. But the kind of love the Lord has for His Bride, manifests itself differently than anything we can produce in our ‘self’. The Lord’s love is irresistible. The Lord’s love covers, heals and restores and melts away our ‘self’. When you encounter the Lord’s love, you will die to ‘self’ quickly and without resistance because it is absolutely irresistible. You are a part of His Body and you will recognize others by their love!

John 13: 34-35″A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

More to come…….

Morningside Vision

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Ministry Updates

Within the vision for beautiful homes and lovely surroundings at Morningside, I see a community that is knit tightly together in all things. Most of you know that I teach and proclaim to the Body of Christ that there are perilous times to come. When perilous times come, a Christian community is a place not only of refuge, but also of strength, fellowship, and spiritual power. It offers hope for difficult days and practical help for making it through tough times – together in Christ.

As I have stated in my book “The Refuge”, “in the days ahead, the only place you will find the help you need will be the community of believers, the church, the refuge.” Morningside is being developed with a vision for the New Testament pattern for the body of believers and for discipleship. Morningside represents an exciting portrait of the Body of Christ as it was meant to be – and an inspiring invitation to all believers to experience the fullness of God working in their midst.

The vision for Morningside includes individual homes, apartments, condos and an RV park nestled within the natural beauty of the Missouri Ozarks. There is something for everyone here. We designed it that way for you and your loved ones.

Morningside represents New Testament Christianity applied to twenty-first century living.

Security cannot be found in money, materialism, or church infrastructure. Our true security rests in Christ and in His family, working to overcome the obstacles of life. Morningside represents the Body of Christ, gathered together in one accord, to bear one another’s burdens, to open our hearts to a fresh outpouring of God’s supernatural presence in our midst.

We must learn to love one another with a fervent faith that counts everything as joy and transforms every difficulty into an opportunity to live out the love of Christ.

We are busy here at Morningside with building and developing the infrastructure for a beautiful community of believers. If your spirit resonates with what is going on here, we would love to have you come and preview Morningside and all it has to offer. Just as the body needs every part, we will not be complete until every part is here, working together as a vibrant, living organism – The Body of Christ – in action!