Enemy Territory

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on all the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.  Therefore take up all the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  Ephesians 6:10-20 VW-Edition   “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For...

What Happened?

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  1st Corinthians 15:51-52 VW Edition   “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  1st Corinthians 15:51-52 KJV   “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”  1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 VW Edition   “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV   The surest sign that you have that you have entered this time period known as the Tribulation is the fact that there...

Cloudy, with a Chance of Jesus

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”  1st Thessalonians 4:17   Everyone has seen and experienced, whether partly or fully participating in the precautionary measures placed on citizens of their respective countries around the world regarding COVID-19, governmental and medical professionals dictated measures that were both voluntary and involuntary throughout their respective states and areas of authority.  Many followed these guidance measures out of fear of contracting the virus and becoming very ill or dying from doing so.    To this day, even in South Dakota, there are still a measure of people who continue to follow certain policies, even though they are no longer enforced or in many cases recommended.  The fear is still held in their heart regarding their longevity and well-being.  Yet where is the fear of God (Matt. 10:28)?   Late last week I noticed that the forecast had a chance for substantial snowfall in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.  Paying attention, as I must plan accordingly my work schedule, there was first a winter storm watch and finally a warning.  The snow began late Tuesday afternoon.   While both Dakotas have a well-known history of severe blizzards from time to time, nothing of that sort was being called for.  What would be considered simply a winter storm, in the era of an insurance based risk assessment from governmental weather forecast centers, was all that was forecast.  However, turning on the nightly news,...

Falling Away

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is unveiled, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is honored, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, declaring of himself that he is God.”  2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4   Recently I spent some time researching churches found in Rapid City, South Dakota, in many instances, if they had a head organization, ending up on their website to see what it is they have in their Statements of Faith.   There are several things that I look for when looking into Churches that preach the truth of God, which ones are closest to following what the Bible says.  Here is a short list:   1.) Do they preach repentance towards God and faith in Christ (Acts 20:21) or simply neglect repentance?  Do they have a basic ‘sinner’s prayer’ that is found nowhere in the Bible telling the person if they just prayed that to contact them and let them know?   2.) What is their type of music?  Is it traditional or not?  Do they have flashy lights and a stage?  Is it a rock concert?  Is it honoring to our Creator or not?   3.) Do they believe in a literal six day Creation as the Bible teaches in Genesis chapter 1?   4.) Do they believe in a literal Flood that only Noah, his three sons and their wives (8 in all) were Saved through (Gen. 6-8; 1 Pet....

Eventually…

“And in that day Jehovah of Hosts called for weeping and mourning, and for baldness, and for girding with sackcloth.  But behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, saying, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!  And it was revealed in my ears by Jehovah of Hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be atoned until you die, says the Lord Jehovah of Hosts.”  Isaiah 22:12-14   “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your calamities that are coming upon you.  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.  Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.  Indeed the wages of the laborers who reaped your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.  You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.  You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.  Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient. Make your hearts firm, for the coming of the Lord draws near.  Do not grumble against one another, brethren, that you not be condemned. Behold, the Judge stands at the door.”  Jacob (James) 5:1-9...

Temple Rebuilt First?

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”  2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4   “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”  Daniel 9:27   There a belief out there that such things as described throughout this book regarding the Rapture, Tribulation, etc., can not take place unless there is a Temple rebuilt.  This portion of the book is not going to go in depth about the Millennial Temple (Ezek. 40) that will be rebuilt –AFTER- the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), but rather focusing on the simple argument of waiting to see a temple rebuilt, which if one is, will be the Antichrist temple.    There was a huge influx of teaching from the pulpits and interest in end-times event back particularly in the 1990’s.  While the year 2000 (then 2005, finally 2012) in and of itself certainly would have led to a significant amount of interest in such events, however, the EU formed approximately seven years prior to the year 2000.  Right there set off an avalanche of end...