August 2nd, 2010
Most Americans, even “Christians,” are living as if there will be no final judgment. So many people say, “I just don’t think a God of love would send me to hell.”
The recent story of the conversion of a famous English atheist to Christianity is a timely reminder that the Bible really does warn unbelievers that they will be sent to an eternity without Christ if they ignore his love and the salvation he has provided.
Recently on our Apologetics Central site we posted an article about Peter Hitchens, a Marxist atheist, who was deeply disturbed by what he saw in Rogier van der Weyden’s painting, “The Last Judgment.” He was impressed with the terror on the faces of those who were being condemned to hell. “They’ve obviously just heard the last trump,” Peter said. “And one of them was actually vomiting with fright.”
Peter admits he was afraid, but quoted the Scripture, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). He is now a strong believer in Christ, and has written an apologetics book entitled, The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith.
Christian apologists often refer to the biblical truth that The Lord does not want anyone to perish, “but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). Those who reject God’s offer of salvation are instead choosing to pay for their own sins. In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis said, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ ”
The “Great Awakening” in the 1700’s started with Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” Maybe Hitchen’s experience is just what this generation needs. Maybe we are ready to allow a great revival in these End Times.
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
July 1st, 2010
I recently read the book, “Son of Hamas” by Mosab Hassan Yousef. It was the exciting autobiography of the son of one of Hamas’ founders.
As a young man he admired his father and was involved in leadership of the youth of the movement.
When he was imprisoned he witnessed the brutality of Hamas members against their own people.
He became disillusioned with the movement. After he was released from prison he was drawn to a Bible study in Jerusalem where he became a born-again Christian.
Working with the Shin Bet, Israel’s intelligence agency, he was responsible for saving hundreds or even thousands of lives, helping them stop suicide bombings.
Yousef is only 32, but he has had a lifetime of experiences.
He now lives in the United States. He just won a major court victory that will allow him to stay in the country.
A little over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland of Security wanted to deport him because he had “engaged in terrorist activity” and was considered a “danger to the security of the United States.”
After obtaining new information, the DHS reversed its position and recommended that the court grant Yousef asylum.
We should pray for his safety and that He will continue to experience God’s direction in his life.
U.S. court grants asylum to ‘Son of Hamas’ – Prophecy Central
Son of Hamas Website
Posted in Middle East War, Peace, Terrorism | 2 Comments »
June 22nd, 2010
The Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria said that the current situation “place us at the beginning of the Gog and Magog process where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption.”
This is a shocking statement, coming from Jewish scholars. The War of Gog and Magog is described in Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. These chapters follow the amazing prophecy of the rebirth of the nation of Israel in chapters 36 and 37.
Israel was reborn, just as Ezekiel predicted in 1948.
Many Bible students equate the War of Gog and Magog with the Battle of Armageddon, but we think it is most likely the same as the war of the Second Seal in Revelation 6:3-4.
This is the great war at the beginning of the Tribulation, while the Battle of Armageddon takes place at the end of the Tribulation.
The Tribulation is the prophetic period of time predicted by Daniel as the last seven years of Israel’s history.
It takes place just before Messiah returns to begin the peaceful Millennium (Daniel 9:24-27; Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48).
The Rabbinical Council is referring to the universal outrage against Israel because of the armed struggle that resulted when they stopped a supposed relief flotilla that was actually a ship-load of terrorists. The event caused a major realignment in the Middle East, with Turkey, recently a close ally of Israel and the U.S., but now siding with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Let us remember Jesus’ words in Luke 21:28:
“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Posted in Gog and Magog, Israel | 14 Comments »
June 8th, 2010
Our tour group enjoyed a thorough pilgrimage of the Holy Land during the last two weeks. The greatest thing about the trip was actually being where Jesus walked, and taught. We could imagine Him teaching the crowds on the shores of the Galilee, or being on a boat with Him there. We pictured His ministry in Jerusalem while we stood on the Temple Steps. And we visited the empty Garden Tomb and saw the Place of the Skull where He was sacrificed for our sins!
But we were also there at a time that reminds us that the prophecies of the last days are being fulfilled. While we listened to our guide at Bethsaida, we could hear the distant explosions of a full-scale military drill involving all the officials of the country and the children in school. Air-raid preparations were practiced and gas masks were passed out in the cities.
Another day we were on the same cable car taking tourists to the top of Masada with President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. This reminded us of the fragile peace process that was going on at the time and of the deteriorating relationship between Israel and the U.S.
And then, on our last full day in Israel, we visited the Temple Mount. We saw the Islamic holy sites built there where the Jewish Temple once stood, and understood the importance of this most valuable piece of real estate in the world. Within minutes of our visit, while we were still on a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount was suddenly closed to visitors because of the conflict between Israel and a flotilla of ships bringing aid (and hundreds of activists) to Gaza!
Yes, we were there, and the past came alive for us. And we were there as the ancient prophecies continued to unfold!
Posted in Israel, Middle East War | No Comments »
May 30th, 2010
While we are in Israel the nation has taken its hardest blow from the US. We voted with the rest of the world for a call by the UN to ban nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Who can deny that this would be good, but the resolution singled out only Israel while ignoring Iran! God will surely withhold his blessing on us if we fail to bless His chosen people.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/05/30/netanyahu-canada-visit.html>Israeli PM Rejects UN Nuclear moves.
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Posted in Israel | 2 Comments »
May 25th, 2010
Today we visited Caesaria, which was definitely not a holy place. Our excellent guide, Khader Mascobi, told us that this seaport was built by the evil Herod the Great to attract pagan Roman soldiers to spend time in a Rome-like place in the Holy Land.
It might have been a bad idea, but God used it as the place where Christianity would be given to Gentiles and then spread to the Western World!
Posted in Israel | 1 Comment »
May 22nd, 2010
Dead Sea Scrolls at APU
I am leading a tour to Israel and the world-famous passion play in Oberammergau, Ger- many. It’s a great combination: all the major holy sites that make the Bible come to life, and a dramatic presentation of Jesus’ life in the beautiful setting of the Bavarian Alps!
I wish you all could be with us. At least you can come along on the Internet. We will post our impressions here from day to day (Starting Tuesday, May 25), and you can see pictures on Facebook as we go along.
What a time to be in Israel! There is constant news about the danger of war between Israel and her neighbors. If these aren’t the last days, I can’t imagine how things can get much more dramatic.
I always feel safe in Israel though. Statistically, we are much more likely to face danger in Los Angeles than in Israel. The Lord is in control of our lives isn’t He?
In the meanwhile, if you live near Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, you can treat yourself to an amazing exhibit of the history of the Bible and see their newly acquired fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls! It is almost as good as going to the Holy Land in person!
Treasures of the Bible: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond!
Tour Pictures on Facebook
Posted in Apologetics, Israel | No Comments »
May 20th, 2010
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Daniel 12:4 (NIV)
When Daniel wrote these words he may have had a vision of someone like me using his Droid to compose a blog.
This phone has more power than my laptop computer. It has dual processors and 19 gigabytes of onboard memory. I was able to copy and paste the verse from the searchable Bible in the phone’s memory. This paragraph was translated from my spoken voice.
Next I will post this blog on the Internet directly from the phone.
Daniel would have been amazed at such increased knowledge and such going here and there on the Internet!
Posted in Technology | 3 Comments »
May 10th, 2010
We’re getting mixed messages from the news about how God may be feeling toward the United States these days.
Some say we are blessed because of the multiple failures of would-be mass murderers, such as the older case of the shoe bomber and two more recent botched attempts by terrorists.
Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad was apparently trained by the Taliban in Pakistan to construct a massive car bomb, but his detonation device failed to bring about the desired calamity.
Last Christmas, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year old Nigerian, tried to destroy a Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit, but his detonator also failed to ignite the explosives he carried in his underwear.
It certainly is possible that The Lord Himself has intervened in these failures.
On the other hand, some of my fellow prophecy-trackers have pointed out the possible correlation between the many disasters that have plagued our country recently and the weakening of support for Israel by our administration. Unusual floods, hurricanes and tornados have stricken us, sometimes coming right on the heels of disappointments to Israel by President Obama’s policies. Now a major oil spill threatens our ecology and our economy while U.S. negotiators make harsh demands on Israel’s building programs.
Which is it? Is God blessing us or cursing us? Could it be a little of both to remind us of the ancient, unchanging, covenant with Abraham? Let’s all read it again and ponder what it means for our nation in these last days.
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:1-3 – NIV
Posted in Fearful Events, Israel, Terrorism | 7 Comments »
April 27th, 2010
In the past decade there have been a “flood†of reports that Noah’s Ark might have been found. Some of the discoveries have been on Mt. Ararat in Turkey, and some have been on mountains not too far away in Iran.
But now the South China Morning News describes a find that could be the real thing. A team of 15 explorers, including a documentary filmmaker have brought back startling evidence of an ark-like structure at 13,000 feet on Mt. Ararat. A sizeable piece of wood was determined by Carbon dating to be 4,800 years old. The date and size of the structure make the find very interesting. The Hong Kong-based filmmaker, Yeung Wing-cheung said, “It’s not 100 percent that it is Noah’s Ark but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it.”
Time will tell. But I have always been a believer in a last-days revival, and that the greatest proof ever to those who are willing to believe would be the discovery of the remains of Noah’s Ark.
Have we ever seen so many of the “Signs of the Times†as we see now? Most prophecy scholars would agree that this is what we would expect of Jesus’ prophesied “beginning of birth pains,†just before the Tribulation of the last days. The time is also ripe for a final harvest of believers before the beginning of that time of judgment.
Maybe this find will be validated, and stimulate that great world-wide turning to Jesus Christ as their Savior! Wouldn’t that be just like the Lord to save the best proof ever for the last days?
Evangelists claim Noah’s Ark found – Prophecy Central – from a WorldNetDaily article
Have Hong Kong evangelists found the biblical Noah’s ark? – South China Morning Post
Caution: Time will tell if this is credible. Latest Noah’s Ark ‘just wood planted on Ararat’ – WorldNetDaily
Posted in Creation, Revival | 4 Comments »
