Was it really just an Apple?

Ready to have your world rocked? Hang on to your hats… 

If I haven’t lost you on the whole End Times discussion thus far in this blog, I might lose a few of you here with this one. I’ve come to learn that quite simply, most in this world are way to busy to allow themselves time to think and consider information that strays too far from the common narrative. Even some will entertain new thought, and then search until the first post against this thought comes up, and then they stop and form an opinion. The challenge that I see is that God’s adversary (satan) is both the author of the common understandings of our time, and he’s the guy keeping us so busy that we haven’t the time to spend to consider other truths. I heard it said once that Satan is 99.9% truth and .01% lies. So I hope you can take a  moment to join me on this alternate journey. Please remember as you consider, that satan is working against YOU understanding fully.

I will be presenting information to you that will challenge some very fundamental understanding that we have all been taught, literally, from the beginning. It will require that you put aside much of the common knowledge that we’ve lived with for so long on this subject. If you do, and you give this new information a chance, I think you, as I have, will discover an amazing bible secret that has been hidden (by Satan) for millennia – and this secret will explain SO MUCH as to what is not right in our world today. In fact, the more I sit with it, the more understanding I have, and the more I find myself saying “OK now THAT makes sense!” Not that things in God’s world need to make sense (to us,) but when they do, I find often is like God giving us a huge neon sign of understanding.

First some background. In the book of Daniel, the prophet whom the book was name after was being shown visions of the time of the end (the times we now live in) by an Angel of the Lord. Revealed to Daniel were many things to write about – prophetic things that are happening right now almost daily in the world in which we live. in Daniel 12:4, the angel said:

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

The angel was instructing Daniel not share what he had just been shown until the “times of the end.”  And that those times would be indicated by “many running to and fro” and “knowledge being increased. I believe this has two levels of meaning: a) at the physical level, people are running to and fro around the globe like no other time in history, and knowledge is growing exponentially. However I also believe this to mean that people are “running to and fro” through the Word of God, seeking for their “kingdom” knowledge  to increase. I believe we are seeing these things happen now like never before. The implication is easy to draw – if Daniel was told to “seal” the books “until the time of the end” that then implies that an unsealing will take place.  I think we are seeing this happen right in front of us. God is revealing, to regular folk like you and I (not necessarily big name theologians) many new biblical interpretations, and understandings (aka “knowledge shall increase.“) Now, I’m not saying the Bible has “Changed” – please don’t hear that – but I do believe that God is allowing new understandings that shed new light on old knowledge, adding clarity, and answering questions. And He’s doing so through his most humble servants.

What I am about to share with you is new light on old understandings. And if you are one of those that tend to hold on to knowledge even in the face of new information, you will likely struggle with this. If you are like me, and you are always challenging and reinventing your existing knowledge, you will likely have one of the biggest “ah-hah” moments of your Christian walk in the next few minutes. I’ve prayed that you, the reader, will be in that latter category.

Let me start with a question.

What happened in the Garden of Eden? 

No, I mean what REALLY happened?

What happened such that mankind for 6000 years has been cast out of the Garden of Eden, and as such has been unable to “walk in the garden” and commune with our creator ever since that time? The common knowledge that we have been taught (since Sunday school for some of us) was that Eve ate an apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a tree that God himself forbid the partaking of.

Simply stated: Eve, mother of all mankind,  made a bad produce choice and disregarded a directive from her creator, resulting in our loving, gracious creator banishing us from his direct presence and the ability to commune directly with Him for approximately 6000 years. I’m not sure about you, but the more I think of that, the more I have a hard time reconciling that action with the “loving” and “gracious” part. It seems, throughout the bible God’s punishment usually fits the crime – and this one seems unblanced.

I wonder if there’s more to the story?

Let’s go to Scripture:

Before even Eve was spoken into existence by God, Adam had been given the following command:

Gen 2:15-17 – 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

So essentially, partake of this fruit and really bad things will happen. Now enters God’s crowning creation, Eve, having since been created from Adam’s very side. Eve comes into the scene where she encounters the Serpent (widely known to be either Satan or another being acting on his behalf.) The serpent proceeds to converse with her. But first, there’s this that  the bible says  about the serpent:

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made

According to Strongs, the original Hebrew for “subtle” is:        

Notice the word “Cunning” (usually in a bad sense.)

And we all know the rest of the story, where the serpent proceeds to discuss the Knowledge of the Tree of Good and Evil with Eve. The serpent questions God’s consequence for eating of the tree, to which Eve replies:

Gen 3:2-6  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Consider if you will some of the different uses of the Hebrew word for “touch:”

Notice that “to lie with a woman” early in the definition. Also note that “eat” has many figurative uses as well as literal uses.

Succumbing to the cunning words of the serpent and his insistence that death is not really a consequence, Eve disobeys the only limitation that we are aware of that existed in the garden at that time.  This can’t be good. 

Note: To keep this article from getting any longer than it already is, I enter into this conversation with two assumptions, that can be supported well with research: 1) Trees often refer to beings in the bible, and 2) We are not 100% sure if Satan inhabited the serpent,  became the serpent, or simply directed the serpent, but it’s highly likely one of those points is true, and will work for our discussio

The scripture goes on to record what happens when God confronts Adam (who also partook of the “tree”) after the two of them had both partaken. Before we proceed with that, let’s make a note of Adam and Eve’s condition in the garden prior to partaking of the fruit:

Gen 2:25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (emphasis added)

And then after partaking of the tree:

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

So what happened? Eve, then followed by Adam both disobeyed God’s command, and in that process became ashamed of their bodies, and what’s more, they covered their private parts with fig leaves as a result of that shame (there’s more here likely, in that they were also at this time clothed with flesh giving up their glorified bodies that we will soon have again, but that’s for another article.)

Here’s my first question… If the eating of the fruit (done through the mouth) was the method used to sin, then wouldn’t they be ashamed of the part of their bodies that participated in the offending sin? In other words, wouldn’t they place fig leaves coverings over their mouths, where they supposedly partook of the fruit?

Hmmn… Is it remotely possible that we are not getting the full story? The book of Genesis is not an extremely detailed book as some of the other books are. Could it be that something more than the eating of fruit took place? Let’s read on to the part where God confronted Adam and Eve, and Adam shares that he hid from God because he was naked:

Gen 3:11-13  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Side note… Check out verse 12 above. So little has changed about our human nature. Remember when Adam was awestruck by Eve when God presented her to him? Remember the whole “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” thing? Look how fast he bailed on her when confronted and instead says “the woman that YOU gave me, ate of the tree…” Oh how our sinful nature has lasted through the millennia!
 
But I digress..
 

Take a look in verse 13 – Eve states that the serpent “beguiled” her. Strongs Hebrew tells us that one of the meanings of beguiled is “to seduce.”

OK so just “go there” with me for a minute… If the Serpent “seduced” Eve in a way that our modern 21st century minds would consider seduction, could this be why they covered their private parts with fig leaves? Is it possible that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was fornication? Without mincing words, is it possible that the sin of the garden was Eve having sexual relations with the Serpent (fornication,) and then sharing this newfound experience with Adam?

But WAIT! You say… Seduced by a snake?

When we hear “serpent”, we think snake – a cre ature that slithers along the ground. Anatomically, there’s a few things that clearly would not add up, let’s just say – are you with me?

I totally get it. However we then have to ask ourselves why does God dole out this consequence:

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

The implication here is that before God handed out the punishment, the serpent did NOT crawl on it’s belly. Now, this could turn into another complete topic, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s just say there’s a lot of information that lends itself to the Serpent having at once been a biped, the most intelligent of the animals.
(Gen 3:1 again) just below man, but still an animal. 

Have I lost you yet? 

Please hang on with me – there is so much more supporting this idea, and there are very many well researched articles and books that have been written on the topic – it’s just not a very popular opinion, as most people cannot allow their ideas to stray too far away from the common knowledge. This short article can barely scratch the surface -but let’s touch on some of the finer points.

Consider this:

Trees  in the bible are often indicators people or families
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was likely referring to the serpent, and Satan either being behind or in control of the serpent in some way.

Fruit is often used to refer to offspring
Offspring was the result of this event – both Cain and Abel were born

Adam and Eve were created as sinless beings in paradise (foreshadowing what it will be like when we are re-united with our creator  at the close of the church age, btw) and they knew only perfection. In fact, they had no knowledge of sin, and thus  were able to commune directly with God. I think it’s safe to say that they could have sinned, they just had no knowledge of sin, until the serpent (Satan) caused eve to question God.  It is my opinion that When Eve shared with Adam, he knew it was wrong, but he also knew that death (or the end of the life they knew) would come, and he could not imagine being without Eve. So in order to remain with her, he also partook – but this is speculation on my part. At that point they both became aware  of good and evil, and the rest as they say, is history. And when you start from current day, and look back at history, I think you will see as I have that the consequences of that original sin still plague us today – not just because of the fall, but specifically results of how they fell. 

Just let your mind consider this for a moment. That would mean that Cain’s father was the Serpent, and Abel’s father was Adam. Apply THAT knowledge to the known lineage throughout history, and you will find that it makes tremendous sense – lineage of Cain is wrought with the “fruit” of evil – and the bible tells us we shall know them by their fruit. Yes, I know that Cain and Abel were twins – but remember, Eve partook of the knowledge of the tree of good and evil (satan/serpent), and then she shared that “tree” with Adam. So how does one have twins from two separate fathers?  Follow the link and you will learn about Superfecundation  twins. Not at all uncommon.

Need more? Check out this tidbit: When God was handing out punishment, He said:

Gen 3:14-15 -1 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God tells eve that her two children will have enmity (hostility/hatred) between them. And there’s yet another clue that I think we’ve overlooked.

Strongs says this about Enmity:

Enmity = hostility & hatred. Take a look throughout both the old testament and the new testament of the bible, and see if you don’t see this occurring between cain and able, and their “seed” through the years.

This is a lot to take in, isn’t it?

And there is SO MUCH MORE, such as:

  • The bible tells us that the Nephilim are the offspring of angels and human women. Wonder where that idea came to them from? Could it have been from Satan himself, as the example he set through the serpent?
  • Why was God always commanding Israel to not “mix seed” in so many places throughout the bible? Could it be that the evil part of our flesh today is literally the seed of satan within us? Think about that one for a while.
  • Is it possible that it is through this original sin, lust and fornication became central issues in society today?
  • Just follow Cain’s lineage. Can it be traced to the Pharisees and Sadducees? So then did the seed of Satan actually take Jesus’ life?  

If you take a step back in context – you will see that it has always been the intent of Satan to  contaminate the lineage of God’s creation with his own defiled seed. He started in the garden, hoping since the very beginning to corrupt and prevent Genesis 3:15 from happening:

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.


Surely satan thought he had this one locked up for good. And then came the virgin birth, that involved NO corrupted seed of any human male father.  Could this be part of why Jesus was completely sinless? God wins, yet again.

OK one more for you to ponder. In the 1st Century, Aramaic had become the primary language spoken by the Jews, and Hebrew was mostly relegated to temple ceremonies. Because new generations came along that did not speak and understand Hebrew, they could not understand the scrolls in Synagogue. Thus the “Targums” became common – they were Aramaic paraphrased “story form”  of the Torah – so that new generations could understand the Word. They predate the KJV bu hundreds of years, and were used for teaching by the temple scholars.

Take a look at how it presents Genesis 4:1:

We know from many common translations that “knew” means to know very intimately. Combine that with “desiring” the angel (Satan) and that her offspring was “of an angel of the Lord” (again, satan, the serpent.)

So… (you ask) –  If this is true, why did God allow us to misinterpret things for so many years? My opinion goes back to the beginning of this article  and Daniel 12:4 – “knowledge increasing.” So how did the message get watered down? Do a study on the lineage of the scribes, and you just might get your answer. Not only were they fleshly humans prone to error, but some make the case that they were of questionable lineage. 

And then my favorite part – this has totally shifted my view of Grace forever. As I unpacked this study, I sensed the father reminding me that our sinful flesh was not His original intent for us – and that our battle of the flesh is really and truly an internal and spiritual battle of good and evil OF THE FLESH–  a result of our lineage. Sure, we need to unpack things like “how did that lineage make it past the flood,” but trust me – entire articles can be written on that that easily convince. The concept still remains very strong.

Remember – Paul tells us:

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Due to the fall into the flesh, in our fallen state we don’t have the capacity to see 100% clearly our own true reality, and our creator. But this passage reminds us that we will soon,  when we will “know” our creator just as deeply as he”knows” us. Wow, that still gives me chills.

In closing, I would like to point out that in my opinion, this incredible information has nothing to do with salvation – and everything to do with better understanding our position in His kingdom. You don’t have to accept this, but my heart says that for those of us who are seeking, it’s there for the taking. Remember that: 

Pro 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.


If you do not know Christ,  perhaps this changes everything for you. You now know that God’s adversary seduced Eve, causing the biggest upset in the history of civilization. Consider then that God sent His one and only son into the flesh to “save” you from everything evil in eternity – and it all started back at that one fateful day in God’s once perfect garden. And all you have to do is believe in Him and seek Him with your heart.

Have an amazingly blessed day!

PS- I have since become aware of some early writings called the “Targums.” If I understand correctly, the early Torah was in Hebrew. After the Jewish diaspora, the people began to adopt the language of their locale, and Hebrew died out, remaining only as a “temple” language – and upcoming generations could not understand. So Rabbi’s would create Targums, their rewording of the Torah in current language (Aramaic) of the time. While not “scholarly” translations, they are some very early written copy of the books, predating many of the “scholarly” translations.

Take a look at Genesis Chapter 4 verse 1 from the “Targum Jonathan” – it is quite supportive of the notion that the fall was more than a bad produce choice.

Nothin’ to see here… except EVERYTHING!

Regarding current events of the world, whether they be domestic, geopolitical, environmental, or otherwise, I think there are basically two camps at this time. The first is the bucket of the majority – this group has not connected any dots and does not see anything abnormal – good folks with their nose to the grindstone, hacking out life via the routine that has worked for them for years. “Nothin’ to see here…” is the mantra, mostly because to acknowledge that there may actually be something extraordinary going on requires a huge break from one’s routine – which can be difficult, especially when your life is so tightly engineered that there’s no margin whatsoever to deviate. I was in this group for a big part of my life. The second group is the minority for sure – it’s the weirdos like me who think they are seeing trends, some disturbing, and at the least very irregular, and managed to acquire the faith to think that this matches biblical end times and that we really are the chosen generation who shall not die.

To join the smaller group of weirdos, you have to allow yourself to speak up and say that something seems out of place or abnormal. The challenge is that when you do that, the initial reply is opposition from the other camp – as your comments cause disruption of that tightly engineered process that creates “normal” for the larger group. In fact, it can cause so much disruption that often times the response is:

“Nothin’ to see here…” 

Which quickly reestablishes normal for this group, at least for a time. 

Sometimes, challenging people’s normal with abnormal data can actually exhibit violent reactions – and I can actually understand why. If I share “normal disrupting” facts, and someone receives it as such, they either have to a) dismiss it quickly and attempt to return to their regimen, or b) risk becoming out of balance as they take the time to explore the information. The result in some cases can be complete disruption – some of the things going on in our world right now are VERY far from normal – but here’s a hint, the Bible warned us of these things.  The bible even warned us of the opposition headed our way when we try to raise the issues. It calls these folks that fiercely defend their normal “scoffers:”

1 Peter 3:3-4:3 knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Isn’t the Bible amazing? It’s speaking the truth, telling us exactly what is happening – folks will disregard truth when it threatens their normal – and biblical end-times definitely threatens normal. And so out of fear they quickly re-establish normality, convincing themselves that the world will continue on as it is now, forever (or at least until they die.) Isn’t it crazy to think that the biblical text quoted above was written almost 2000 years ago? The bible will blow most people away if they will allow it. Unfortunately, most don’t.

And I don’t think it’s their fault.

(Say What?)

I think the modern church plays a big part in the problem.

Watch this: Raise your hand if your church regularly speaks about end times events and prophecy…

Hmm.. No hands… What’s up with that?

Remember that snake, Satan? God’s enemy? He is not omnipotent, as God. But he is the god of this world, and he is the great deceiver (not sure if I’m supposed to capitalize any of that, but I just can’t bring myself to honor satan with caps.) Satan (capital S for beginning a sentence) has convinced the church, somehow, to ignore end times events (nothin’ to see here.) Approximately 1/3 of the bible is prophecy, and around 150 verses of the Bible (at least) are in reference to end times events. Instead, we preach on prosperity, becoming a better person, dealing with brokenness, reaching the lost – all GREAT stuff. But we’re missing something really huge, and without that mindset, we don’t have the space to accept that we might really be in end times. So when some nutcase like me mentions end times since folks have not heard it from the pulpit, their check engine light comes on, and they go into protect mode because they’ve not been taught what to do with this truth. It’s kind of like who most people feel uncomfortable speaking to a handicapped person with a speech impediment – they get uncomfortable because they’ve not been taught how to work with it. What’s even worse, some will quote some 400-year-old doctrine about end times determined by the fathers of their denomination that completely ignores the fact that Daniel was told to “seal up” his prophecy until the times of the end, and that in the end times (now) many of these scriptures are unsealed (made to make sense in our time – instead of just being considered allegory.) This, I believe, is why so many people are asleep to the times we live in – they have not been taught to even consider it.

Do you know what the bible refers to the end times as?

Titus 2:13-15: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

Our BLESSED hope.

How can we not get excited about that? Or more importantly, why would we not teach about this wonderful topic? For me, the instant I started to really learn that this world is truly temporary and that I truly am a foreigner here, the easier it’s become to sort out good and evil. This is NOT my world, and I LONG for the world that I was truly designed for.

I think that may be what “woke me up” from the sleep I was in, called “normal.” Now that I am aware, I can take in events in light of that truth, and consider them for what they are. It’s taken the focus off of my routine, and onto His routine.

Now, when I hear talk of nuclear war, west coast earthquakes and tsunamis, and the like, I know this is all part of the plan – God knew of it at the beginning and caused some to write about it 4000+ years ago.

How about fake pipe bombs sent to high profile politicians? A false flag by satan and his minions to disrupt the shift in our political climate that gets closer to honoring God

Then there are thousands “marching” (in place on the back of semi flatbeds paid for by an American millionaire btw) to our borders? Satan causing dissension in our world.

It’s all part of satan’s last-ditch effort to disrupt and keep just one more of you from being with Jesus at the wedding supper of the lamb (or at least be surprised by the end coming so quickly, when you had thought you had more time to reach someone for Christ.)

Friends, don’t be surprised by end times. All of the things that have been happening lately are way too statistically improbable to be a coincidence – we are clearly a match for the end times that the bible speaks about. Do we know the day? No, not the day, but the bible says we will know the season – and those that are watching know the season is here. By the way, don’t buy this other big satanic lie- there is NO scripture in the bible that prevents us from trying to read God’s signs in an attempt to figure when He is coming for us. In fact, He commands us to watch for His return. It keeps us very engaged. And don’t worry about the other scoffers – just consider it as one more confirmation of the times, as that, too, was spoken of in the bible.

Watch with a biblical eye – there is so much more to see. Don’t be afraid of a little disruption, the God of the universe promises to be there for us – how can we go wrong with that? I know, it’s easy to slip into it all being “up to me” I can tell you about this battle first hand.

I encourage you to open your heart to Jesus’ soon-coming return. At the very least you will learn more about your bible. At the most, you won’t be surprised, and you may even take on an urgency to attempting to reach that extended family member or coworker with the Gospel. It’s not too late, but time is running out. And please remember, everyone gets eternity – the question is which eternity will you choose? The Bible, that has proven itself over and over, also promises this and tells us that the “good” eternity is only a decision, and a relationship away. Please accept Jesus and follow Him – if you need help doing that please contact me. Really nasty stuff is coming to this world pretty quick, and you don’t want to be here for that.

Be honored that you were chosen by God (because you WERE chosen) to be a part of a season of world history that has been written about, prophesied about, and generally admired by Christians for thousands of years.

TONS to see here. Truly.

With much love,

What Will It Be Like?

Hi Friends,

For those of you that don’t know me – I’m a fairly regular, usually fun-to-be-around type of person.  I mean, I’m a contributing member of society, have worked at companies like many of you, been self-employed at times like others of you, and even un-employed for a season, like the rest. I live in a suburban neighborhood with my wife and three teens, love eating pizza once in a while and catching a good movie.

For the most part, I’m “normal” in many ways.

I do love Jesus, so that sets me apart from some measure of the world, but we all have friends that have specific religious beliefs, so nothing earth shattering there.

I say all of this, because, in most cases, I’m not someone you would generally avoid, and among my friend circle, I’m usually fairly well respected. I’m sure I’ve alienated some along the way, and I do apologize for that – but all-in-all most people are not afraid to be around me – some may even “enjoy” me!

So what happens when you are around a friend like me, and they share something that is other-worldly, and WAY outside of your “normal?” Like, when I share with folks that the world as we know it is going to change drastically very soon?  Sadly, most of us are so busy, with so little margin left in our lives, that we don’t have time to investigate and prove or disprove things that come our way, so we stick with “normal” and the belief that everything will, for the most part, stay the way it is. No matter how much you may respect the source of the information, it’s just too far out of your normal. Instead of investigating, most will dismiss things that are way outside the norm because they take time to investigate, and time is a commodity that most of us don’t have an excess of.

You now have the view from my seat.

You see, thanks be to God that He made me not afraid of disruptive information (Information that challenges “normal”) – I’ve always been the one to consider alternate views. It’s actually served me fairly well, as it’s given me permission in my life to question “normal” and search for better ways.

Unfortunately, some of my circle won’t investigate for themselves, and because of that I’veI’ve probably alienated some – and it makes me sad because the information I have is so amazingly joyful once you understand what is ahead.

I spent most of my adult life as a “Christian” but it’s been the last 10 years that I really took that walk personally. Through learning by reading, and through the teaching of others, I’ve come to be incredibly impressed that the bible has been proven so incredibly accurate over the years ( some parts of it many thousands of years!) I learned more about Bible prophecy (foretelling of events) and this really cemented my faith. The bible is real! This set me up well for my next stage of learning.

Over the last year, I have become aware of how many prophetic things are happening, things that the Bible referred to as “the times of the end.” So think about that for a moment – I am aware of the thousands of prophecies that prove the Bible’s authenticity beyond a shadow of a doubt. So given that the bible has such an excellent reputation of pre-sharing the future, if it then speaks of things happening in the “end times” and we are seeing those things come to pass (almost daily) – would it not make sense that given it’s track record, that we should believe these things? Even if they are somewhat other-worldly? (maybe that’s the idea…)  If you are not convinced of the bible’s accuracy, watch this short video:

Well, I have – and do- believe what the bible says about what is upcoming. Now, you are back to the view from my seat again. Sometimes when I bring these things up among friends, it’s suddenly like I have the plague. Honestly, even fellow Christians sometimes don’t investigate for themselves these things (that fact, oddly, is prophesied in the bible as well.) I just want folks to know the truth, and not be “duped” by the world (after all, it’s the world that says “everything is normal.”) Sometimes folks go to their pastor for clarification when they hear these things – unfortunately, as good as their pastor may be, the enemy has convinced many church organizations that the time is not near (read my article  about doctrine called “Challenging Normal.”)

It’s not that it’s lonely from this view – I’m part of a worldwide community of “watchmen” that are fully aware of the times that we live in, and we share our findings with each other daily, and with great joy.  But my heart is extremely heavy for the rest of you.

The Bible shares truth to us, describing us as eternal spirits living in temporary, mortal bodies (remember, the bible does NOT lie.) Without the Bible, we tend to slip into thinking that this life is “all that we got.” Truth is, if we trust in the Bible (remember, I do…), we learn that this life is simply a blip of time on the spectrum of eternity. The bible also tells us that we have a choice as to where we can live that eternity out once our mortal body is finished here – one of those places is described as absolutely the most amazing world that you can ever imagine, such that not ONE thing from this world will you wish for. The other option is described as complete misery, pain, and suffering. The big problem is that BOTH of these places are eternal. Forget harps, angel wings, and clouds – both of these places (Heaven and Hell) are REAL place. Trust me. (want a taste of how amazing and tangible the good one is?  Watch this and be blessed:

So we all have a choice, and that choice is the root of the sadness I feel when I look around me. We have a book (bible) that tells us ALL of these things, in advance based on past accuracy. It tells us that by trusting in Him (Jesus) we are part of the most amazing eternity, all in exchange for choosing to trust in Him and pursue a relationship with Him. No prerequisites, no pre-qualifications, just make the choice and begin to learn more of Him, and of His ways. It’s really that simple. And when you make that choice and perform that action, you can look at all of the scary stuff happening in our world, and know that you will NOT have to endure it much longer. That’s why the Bible calls the knowledge of the end of the age “Our Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:12-13.)

There is a trap, however. A lot of well-intentioned people believe that they are “good to go” because they are a “good person.” Unfortunately, the bible tells us that most of our “works” (what we do here on earth) will be burnt up and worthless before God, and that the only way to participate in God’s eternity (the good one) is to accept His free gift – accept that He (Jesus) has saved you (salvation) from the bad eternity. That’s it – no works, just choose Him, talk to Him, and learn to follow His ways. But please remember – not choosing Jesus is a choice for the not-so-desirable eternity.

The Bible tells us of a world (where we get to spend eternity) where the streets are of gold, and there is no evil (none.) When you read that, do you think “that’s a fairy tale” or do you think “God said it, so it must be so?” If you lean toward fairy tale, please consider all of the truths that the Bible has presented that have come to pass. It’s an accurate document.

We really are eternal beings in carnal bodies. This “life” that we strive so hard for, is NOT the end game. If it were, the bible would have said so, and instead, it says the opposite – that the “end” of this “age” is fast approaching. How fast? Well, the bible says that when Israel reforms as a country, that “This generation shall not pass” (Matthew 24:34).  It also says in Psalm 90:10 that a generation is 70 years (80 years if by strength, and that last part will be full of labor and sorrow.) So back to Israel – it became a nation in 1948, and just celebrated it’s 70th birthday. Combine that with all of the other things that are happening in the world (floods, fires, earthquakes, Volcanoes, and more) and folks we are THERE. Yep, end of an age. The rapture is real (or, for those hung up on the “R” word, the “snatching away.” My challenge to you is this: If you have a hard time swallowing that, please research and learn. And please don’t stop at the first piece of research that supports your current premise – go deep! Read this blog, search for other sources, contact me if you need more info. Time is short – VERY short. The signs are all around us, so we are here at that point. And all that you have to do is accept and love Jesus, and the end of this age will only be a glorious beginning of your eternity.

I titled this post “What will it be like” referring to Heaven and eternity. When God takes us from the earth, we attend the most amazing banquet “the wedding banquet” where we (as Christians) are the guest of honor – WE are the ones being served (and this is happening while the current earth is pretty much destroying itself, and those that chose NOT to follow Jesus are losing their lives. Now imagine being shown to your new home – remember that God created YOU, including all of your likes, dislikes, and tastes. Knowing this, you will step into your room, and there will not be ONE THING that you would have done differently as it wil be a perfect match for your tastes that The Father put within you. Then think about your life, how you’ve struggled all of it to find your passions, trying to do them as a profession, or squeeze them in outside of your profession. Those passions were placed in you by GOD for HIS eternity, where in His eternity, there will be a place where exactly WHO you are and WHAT you are created for will perfectly fill a need. You will experience more fulfillment than you ever have on this earth. I could spend paragraphs talking about what I think it will be like, but I know enough now to know that I need NOTHING from this earth for eternal satisfaction (see why it’s the Blessed Hope?) Think no bills, no conflict, no danger, no evil. Truly, I can’t wait. Un-impeded relationship with God and full relationship with others? All in a tangible eternity? Wow, that’s what I think it’s going to be like. Please, please don’t choose the other eternity.

I once said that If I could get paid to just go have coffee daily and talk out life with friends, that would be a great gig. I think I’m going to like eternity. Please accept Jesus and come have coffee with me in eternity? You really don’t have much to lose. Contact Me with any questions!

~Bryan

p.s. It’s NEVER too late to accept Jesus, and your past does NOT disqualify you form eternity.

Signs of the Times – August, 2018

Dear Friends,

NOTE: I have had this blog post “in the works” for over a month – but things are happening in the world SO FAST that every day that I thought to post it, it was outdated and I needed to update the list.  I was also talking with a friend who is aware of the times we live in, and we were commenting that we are sure thankful for the peace that we have, because a) we know why this is all happening, and b) we know who wins in the end! If I did not, then I would be absolutely freaked out by so many 6+ magnitude earthquakes (several very deep.). But it all is coming into line. If you are not aware of what’s happening, please be sure to read all the way to the bottom.   ~Bryan

I’ve been watching the turmoil in the world lately, wondering if these are “signs of the times.” Sometimes it’s hard to discern, as whenever a natural disaster or weather phenomenon is brought up, inevitably the response is, “yeah, but we’ve always had X…” And there’s truth to that for sure. But then I start to notice “convergence” – a LOT of these events happening in parallel is a wake-up call. And before you scoff at this, honor yourself and at least try to disprove it – otherwise you confirm even more prophecy from the bible that there will be scoffers in the end times (2 Peter 3:3, Jude 1:18) so be sure to seek truth.

When we look at the bible in Matthew 24, we are told that the “times of the end” will be much like the times of Noah, and specifically in verse 24, we are told “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.” I believe this to mean that people will be behaving as normal, doing the normal things that people do. I wonder if this is a warning to us to pay closer attention to what is going on around us, and maybe to consider that yes, natural disasters are a common occurrence around the world, but that this manyof them convergingat one time is definitely NOT normal, and should be a warning to us to take heed (especially when events agree with the historically accurate bible.)

Let’s just take a look at some weather and natural disaster happenings of late: 

Worldwide Temperatures are on the upswing (no, sorry, it’s not “global warming” or “climate change” – that’s been debunked many times over. First it was “global Warming” then they found out the earth was actually cooling, so it was changed to “climate change) – it’s all just Satan’s way to try to label it something other than biblical.
     —> Yeah, but we’ve always had hot years…

Volcanoes: As-of 8/25/2018, 50+ active volcano warnings at volcanodiscovery.com. Kilauea just finished 3 months of eruption!
 —> Yeah, but we’ve always had volcanoes erupting…

VolcanoDiscovery.com

Worldwide flooding (Romania, Spain, Thailand, Mexico, Chile, China, Greece, Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, Egypt, Several US Cities (Pittsburg,) and more – check www.floodlist.com
     —> Yeah, but we’ve always had floods

Wars, and Rumors of Wars (Syria Civil War, Iran uranium production, threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, just to name two…) Iran, Turkey and Russia with weak or collapsing economies (which almost always spells war) Ezekiel 38 & 39 anyone?
     —> Yeah, but we’ve always had wars

Hailstones the size of golf balls and softballs  (South Dakota, Chicago, Colorado, etc – internet search for more)
     —> Yeah, but we’ve always had hail

Worldwide mass animal deaths seems to increase every week. Florida and it’s seawater turning red (algae) which also kills marine life (and is also prophesied in the bible.)
—> Yeah, but animals have always died

Animal Deaths Tracking Page

Earthquakes on the Rise (some related to Volcanoes, some not – USGS says no, others analyze the data and say YES). 22 earthquakes 3.7 and above in the last 30 days (from 8/26) INCLUDING many 6.0+, some 7+, and at least one 8.2, often in unusual places (bible says in Luke 21:11 that “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”

The Pacific “Ring of Fire” is extremely active. Hawaii is at the center of the Ring of Fire.

EXCELLENT article here from ZeroHedge

Here is the  USGS last 30 days list

 

    — Yeah but we’ve always had earthquakes

Apostasy (falling away from God) – One just has to look at the world. The USA was once considered a “Christian” nation (and was likewise blessed.) Jesus is being denied more than ever before, and the world is falling into moral failure. Pedophilia rampant in the largest religious organization in the world. And the fact that many will scoff at information like this is again falling away – how many prophecies do you hear taught from the pulpit? Prophecy makes up a SIGNIFICANT portion of the bible.

Why Prophecy Matters

And on and on it goes, with each passing day.. Convergence.

As with any data sets, I’m sure with enough searching one could find plenty of data to ease the mind that “everything is OK.” But when I combine these, with other signs that I am seeing mentioned in the bible, I tend to want to do what the bible commands… which is to “Look Up!”

Anyone noticing a trend, or is it just me?

If I have your attention, you can go deeper by reading THIS excellent article, as well as THIS one.  If I don’t yet have your attention, I recommend you look back over this and study for yourself. Please consider that I would not be sharing this with you if I had not become quite convinced myself.

Friends and loved ones: I only bother to make posts like this because I’m concerned for those that don’t have an ongoing relationship with Jesus. Eternity is a real thing – there’s waaay too much proof in the bible to doubt it – and our society has done an EXCELLENT job through science and technology to convince us otherwise. My heart wants every reader here to make the correct eternal choice – the default choice is not a very desirable one (lack of a conscious choice is still a choice with a less-than-desirable outcome.) If you are not sure of your eternal status and would like to be sure, please reach out to me – I’d love to share more with you! If you are a lover of Jesus, please make sure that he “knows”  you – yes, we are saved by grace and not by works, but choosing Him without chasing Him (relationship) may result in Him saying “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23) – the original language of the word “knew” implies a very deep and intimate “knowing.” It’s NEVER too late to cultivate this with Him! (Eternity is for everyone – we are completely free to choose where we spend it.)

~Bryan

This is a GREAT YouTube channel to keep up on the latest with Bible Prophecy and current events.

Concerned For My Friends

Howdy, all,
Sorry for not posting recently – I’ve been a little bit consumed by other activity in my world, and I’ve also been struggling with what to write. I spend my time straddling a delicate fence – most of you know that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and that I am a follower of “eschatology” – the study of biblical “end times.”
And it’s right there that I probably lose a lot of you.
Why is that? 
Please read on – this is the part where I often get stuck – how do I retain your interest long enough to describe how the busy-ness of the world has caused a masking of these relatively blatant signs from the creator of the universe?
Quick side note – most all of you are pretty smart folk, many of you more academic than I. So let’s just real quick remind each other that the more that science tries to disprove “divine creation” – the more it actually proves it (click), and with it the existence of God. We are not a cosmic accident, the odds of that being true are literally unfathomable. And so if we are not a cosmic accident, then we must have been created, and If we were created, then the creator probably had a plan for his world, and those of us in it. Our creator actually gave us a document, complete with thousands of events over the period of known history, that were intended to provide ongoing proof of how real the bible – and He – really is. These are called “prophesies” and, the majority of them have come to pass with flawless accuracy. Jesus’ birth was a prophecy. His death was a prophecy. The times of those events were prophesied – all with incredible accuracy. (click for more).
God’s own chosen people, The Jewish people, had a portion of this document available to them, to tell them that their “messiah” was coming, and when to expect Him. I was not alive at the time, so I pass no judgment on the Jewish people from that time, but even with all of the documentation surrounding the first coming of the Messiah, they missed Him. In fact, they even had him crucified because they thought he was a heretic. And guess what? The fact that they would fail to identify him, AND that they would have him crucified, was, you guessed it, prophesied.
Ladies and Gentleman, most of the churches that exist today, who love Jesus, and whose congregants worship Him on a weekly basis, and even try to live the lives that He has called them to, are about to miss Him again. There are so many reasons for this, all of them being tactics employed by Jesus’ enemy, to distract His followers from being aware of the times. But if you are having a hard time believing that Jesus is coming for you, I can tell you that this means those tactics have been effective on you, and you are going to have to CHOOSE to think beyond them. It gets easier as you dive in, I promise – Jesus did not want us to miss him this time for sure.
Most everyone with a basic understanding of Christianity understands that Jesus promised to come back for his “bride” (the church) and take us with him to where he resides. The Bible (the same bible that prophesied thousands of historical events with accuracy) is replete with signs that describe what will be occurring in the world right before he comes, with very accurate detail (and it pretty much resembles today.) Yet today, so many Christians, when an attempt is made to point out the enormous signs that are being fulfilled even daily, tend to shrug it off. “Maybe in my kids’ lifetime” some will say. Others just can’t even fathom it, choosing to believe the world will go on, just as it is today (sorry for the broken record, but even THAT is prophesied in the bible.)
Here’s just a taste of some of those signs that speak of His return. And before you dismiss them, please research them yourself (don’t just take someone else’s word for it.) Many see a list like this and often will say “well, we’ve always had XYZ…” Folks, you have to dig deeper – we’ve NEVER had all of these world events happening as the Bible foretold, all converging at the same point in time. (article about convergence.).
  • Wars and rumors of wars
  • Flooding
  • Increased volcanism ( sorry – always wanted to use that any geological word…)
  • Increased mass animal deaths
  • There are so more, this is just a taste.
Thankfully, the consequences of missing Him the second time are not quite as dire for the active believer who cultivates a relationship with Jesus as it was for the Jews – a believer with a solid relationship with Jesus can expect to be “snatched away” from the world just before a very challenging period of time takes place on the earth, that has very few survivors(think – like never before challenging.)
OK stop for a moment. If you are a Christian, please don’t shrug this off – this is real stuff. Do we know the exact time of Jesus’ return? It is possible, He seems to continue to reveal more and more information to the Watchmen (people looking for Jesus’ return) – but at this moment, we can scripturally prove that we shall know the season of His return- and folks, we’re here in that season. Sorry to be bold, but you really have a choice – you can ignore these points that folks like me bring up and you can just be extremely surprised when you end up in the presence of Jesus soon. Or, you can set out to prove or disprove some of these points, and see what you, your bible, and the Holy Spirit come up with. I’m confident if you take that path, you will find truth there. You will also find that Jesus commanded us to watch and expect His return.
Or you can take the path that I started on about 18 months ago. I “discovered” eschatology, began to dive in and discovered first that I had to expand my thinking quite a bit. The whole topic is way beyond normal. In fact, it’s completely at odds with the “everything will remain as it is” theory of life sold by the world – so it took me a time to allow myself to process bigger things – to talk about meeting Jesus in the clouds was definitely mind-expanding – but once I allowed it, truth started to unfold in a big way.
The world (Jesus’ arch-enemy) does NOT want you to be aware of these times. Think about it, if you knew that in a matter of days, you would be removed from this world and taken to a MUCH better place – would this not change the way you behave? Would you perhaps spend more time sharing Jesus with that family member or friend that you know does not have a personal relationship with Him?  Think hard about that – when you are taken to “forever” – they will NOT be. But both of you will live for eternity – just one in a better place than the other.
I took six months to prove to myself that Jesus was really coming before ever sharing it with another soul. When I finally “crossed the line” I remember telling my wife “This changes everything.” Once you know and believe this in your heart, it’s hard not to focus on maximizing the remaining time.
So.. Do we know when? That’s a deep discussion, and others on the web and YouTube have done it much more justice than I can. But beware, some of the Christian population is at odds with each other over some of the details (yep, that’s prophesied too) but if you focus on what really matters in your study and research, I think you will come to the same conclusion that I have – that there’s not much more (if anything) that has to happen before Jesus meets us in the clouds. Seriously, I’ve been aware of the “season” for over a year and a half – and with each passing week, and with each passing “I wonder if XYZ is the date he comes,” The urgency of the situation becomes more and more apparent. Do I have some ideas of the day? Yes, I do, and it’s not far off. Might I be wrong? Yep, but with all of the increasing signs called out by one of the most accurate books ever printed, it’s not far, not at all.
Consider giving “end times” some thought, would you please? Allow yourself to digest what is being said by those in the watchman community. Realize that not everyone agrees on 100% of the points, but don’t let that distract you from knowing the season. And please, remember – it’s not a biblical crime (aka “sin”) to know, or even try to guess the date He’s coming for us – Satan loves to use that on us to keep us from looking – but like Pastor Sandy Armstrong has said many times, no one has ever brought me evidence of the “Thou Shalt Not Try To Predict The Date of the Rapture” commandment (hint: it doesn’t exist.) And a caution, Satan has crept this thinking into our own beloved churches – so just beware – your senior pastor, who is probably amazing at creating an environment for saving souls – is so focused on that task, he may not be fully aware of the times – and you need to let yourself be OK with having a different viewpoint from your pastor – he will still love you, and so will Jesus.
Remember when I mentioned that the bible tells us that the world will be oblivious as a whole to the end times, even to the point of ridiculing those of us who DO believe we are at that time? Please allow yourself to receive the information – the eternal life of your friends and family could be at stake. Could we be wrong? It’s possible, but not very likely – I don’t believe that God would have made it that hard for us to discern the times incorrectly – he even chastised the Jews for being better at predicting weather than being aware of prophecy – so it can’t be that difficult.
Finally, please be sure that Jesus will “know you” when you meet Him. Accepting him is just the start, but there’s more – the bible is very clear that He’s looking for a relationship with you – He wants to “know” you. Not your good works, that’s junk to Him – your active relationship is what He is after.
Said with much love,
~Bryan

Convergence

Hello Friends!

I’ve had this word on my heart now for a good solid week or more – time to share!

Please consider the word “Convergence

After having been tracking the end times now for over a year, that word seems to be the order of the day – things coming together. With all due respect, if you still deny we are in the end times, I am 100% certain that you are just choosing not to devote time to proving or denying it to yourself – the information is out there. Were you to do that, you would them realize I’m not a nutcase – the facts are overwhelming.

All because of “convergence.”

The bible tells us that in the end times, we will experience things like:

  • Earthquakes in diverse places – Earthquakes are definitely on the uptick. If you are still on the fence about the amount of order in our universe, take a look at the LAST drawing on this page.  Four earthquakes spaced EXACTLY the same spacing apart from each other, as they are spaced apart from four blood moons in 2014-15 – AND with biblically significant numbers making up the spacing (153 fish of John 21:11) Allow yourself to see this – you can’t make this stuff up!
  • Floods / Weather disasters – Secular AccuWeather even sees it.
  • Disease / Pestilence – We hear it in the news every day that there’s a new flu virus that is unbeatable, and this or that country is having deaths from {insert name of previously beaten disease here.} Well, it’s trending up too..
  • Nation rising against nation – Does this one even need to be cited? Have you heard of North Korea, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and other countries in the news lately? Remember to watch Israel – God’s chosen land – the bible shares that not good things happen to peoples that try to carve up God’s chosen real estate.

It continues on, wildfires, drought, mass animal deaths, Meteors, solar flares, and more.

The Bible (1 Timothy 4:1) also speaks of an “apostasy” or “falling away” in the church – meaning departure from truths known for thousands of years about Christ and the Bible. Don’t believe this is happening?

Are you having a hard time swallowing the concept of End Times?

A concept that has been taught for centuries in the church, is now foreign to us?

Now do you get it?

I know what you might be saying now – I said it too… “We’ve always had {insert issue here} in the world.” And you would be 100% correct. However there’s a characteristic to our current situation that easily gets overlooked if you don’t take a step back and look at it in context.

That issue is: “CONVERGENCE”

ALL of these things (and more) are happening at the same time. And THAT is what the bible tells us to watch for:

Luke 21:31 – “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

That is the key- convergence. God tells us that when these things are recurring frequently, then the Kingdom of God (Jesus coming for the Church) is at hand. And this convergence of natural events is only one characteristic of the end times – there are countless signs telling us to look up. Want some more? Watch this video from Jan Markell:

I continue to write this blog, because I CARE about you and your family. And so I continue to share facts to hopefully WAKE the reader from the comfortable sleep that the church seems to be in (and that the bible predicted):

Consider the time of Noah ( considered a “type” of the end times ):

Luke 17:27: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

In other words, they were asleep to the times. Could you imagine being Noah? Building the ark for 120 years? Talking about the coming “rain” and having people say “It’s never rained before? (There was never “rain” per-se in Noah’s time until the flood.)

And here we are today, where good people are so busy that they have no ability to step back and take in the context, and see the convergence. The church does not talk about it much, and so when the watchman (those of us watching for His return) bring attention to it, it’s so easy to dismiss us as a bunch of wing-nuts and “conspiracy theorists.” Incidentally, did you know that the term “conspiracy theory” was developed by our corrupt CIA as a way to dismiss truth?

As watchmen, we will continue to share dates that have a lot of significant things pointing at them (like the video below.) Remember, it’s much more than just the dates, it’s convergence. When you see this, you can take the easy road and dismiss it (and based purely on odds, you will probably be right.) Or you can consider the date presented, and know that God clearly has SOMETHING planned for that day, when a lot of things point to it. I can’t convince you, all I can do is prayerfully offer you truth for your consideration.

I pray that you can allow yourself to consider things outside the standard normal. Continuing to say “it’s never rained before” will likely result in a significant personal surprise (and possibly regret.) If I’m correct, the best case is that by sharing this, you might save a life. Worst case, you lose a few Facebook subscribers. But then when the inevitable date does come (as the time are pointing to) you will at least have planted seeds in the minds of your left behind friends and family, that might give them the tools that they need to cope with a very difficult 7 years. There is SO MUCH more that I could share here, so much more than you know – please know this is just the tip of the iceberg.

(Please watch the power-packed video below.)

Love you all.

 

Handcrafted

Have you ever been at the point where you need to buy a “thing” – and you have a choice between a decent product that is mass-produced, or you have the option of a product that is handcrafted, usually by a craftsman that was passionate about creating whatever it was. It could be a tool, a musical instrument, or any number of things that are mass-produced, or lovingly created.

What makes that handcrafted product so special? I think one of the things that is attractive often is the heart with which a craftsman-made product. The craftsman wanted to create the thing. The craftsman actually visualized the characteristics of this thing before the first tool was applied to the material to shape the product. The craftsman knew what the end product would look like, feel like, and about every other characteristic that will make up the persona of this device.

That hit me like a ton of bricks about 5 minutes ago, and directed me to write this post.

I have loved Jesus for 30+ years, and I’ve never had a feeling of understanding like this moment.

This is what we are. We are 100% handcrafted by the God of the universe. I mean, think of this… God knew exactly what he wanted to make when he made us. He had a specific set of characteristics in mind before we ever existed in the flesh. Before the flesh, we existed fully in His heart.

Friends, we were WANTED.

The ultimate designer created us to fulfill HIS desire – and in His eyes, he created nothing short of perfection (and He’s not a happy camper about what the evil of the world has done to us, but that’s another discussion.)

Let that sink in for a few minutes.

Do you know Him? He’s given you completely free will to choose to know him and receive His love, or reject him. He has oh so many things in store for you, if you simply accept what He has done for you, and choose Him.

If you haven’t, please consider doing so. Time is short where that decision gets a whole lot harder.

Much love,

~Bryan

One Very “Messed-Up” Day!

Have you ever thought about what the moments after the rapture will look like?

NOTE: If you’re doctrine of “it’s not for us to know” just kicked in, then please allow me to do you a favor –  stop here and move on to something else – otherwise this is going to seem very strange and unfathomable for you ( but I do pray that you would give the facts a chance – truly…)

For those of you who a) believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God, and b) have opened your thinking to actually believe that God is really coming for his Bride, and is literally pelting us with signs all around that He is coming very soon, then please think along with me.

Back to the original question – have you thought about what the condition of the world will be moments after the rapture (harpazo, ‘snatching-up’) of the church will be like? I was giving it some thought today – and if you think about it, the ugly condition of the world described as the tribulation is a little bit easier to imagine. And I think it some of that “ugly” is something that happens a lot more suddenly.

Think with me on this…

Let’s do something difficult, and lets try to figure out how many Christians that fall into the classification of being those that Christ claims are “His own,” and not those that he will say as in Matthew 7:23: “ …I never knew you. Depart you from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Wait.. What?

Oh sorry, yeah, I don’t think the 75% of the American Population that writes “Christian” in the “Religion” blank on government forms meet the qualification of being someone that Jesus “knows.” And that is the great debate – that we’re not going to go into here – but “claiming” the name of Jesus seems to be a lot different in Jesus’ eyes than “knowing” Him – in fact, simply claiming His name (acknowledging He exists) is more like “knowing OF Him” than actually “knowing Him.” Knowing tends to imply relationship, and relationship requires time, effort, and risk. Bottom line, if you are not sure if He “knows” you – now would be an excellent time to call out to Him now for clarification.

Now we have another very difficult task. We have to “ball park” how many people we think will actually be a part of the snatching away event. Let’s focus on the US. With some exceptions, the US will likely have a higher percentage of “rapture candidates” than many european countries – where the falling away from God has progressed even further than our own since the founding of this country. We are going to have to do some “guesstimation” and we will probably be way off one way or another, but the point should still illustrate.

Gallup says (as of 2015) that 75% of Americans “identify with a Christian religion.

Wikipedia says the current population of the US ( November 2017) is about 326 Million

Keep in mind that 77 Million (Pew Research) identify with Catholicism Pew Research 2014) and there may be a significant portion of that number that are not known by Jesus.

Please don’t throw tomatoes at me, Im just the messenger! But do know that Catholicism teaches a works-based faith with deification of many other players than Christ – and the bible warns us against that type of thing, so some percentage of this number may not “qualify” for the rapture. In truth, it is similar to those that go to church every Sunday at a protestant church, and don’t personally know Jesus – so please don’t shoot the messenger! Again check with Jesus to confirm your qualifications!

Only God knows these numbers, but for our little illustration, lets take a shot at some math. I realize your math may be significantly different than mine, please feel free to substitute your own – the illustration will work either way.

Let’s consider the following numbers (rounded off.)

US Population:                              326 Million
75% “Identify” with Christ             245 Million
Self-Identified with Catholicism     76.7 Million
Church attendance (2013)             37% of Americans, or 121 Million

Simply for illustration purposes, lets “low ball” the number at 25 Million people that “”Know” Christ as in Matthew 7:23 and Romans 10:9. Again for illustration purposes only – the actually number may be much less, and the problem lessens somewhat (it could also be much more, and the problem worsens significantly.) In either case, I think you will see that the world will become a VERY different place after that moment that the Church is snatched away.

Here are just a few of the innumerable issues that will immediately become apparent.

Immediate issues:

  1. Roads will immediately be gridlocked with driver-less cars and trucks resulting in tens of thousands of crashes within moments. There may be cars with Christian drivers – and non-christian passengers that are about to be in for quite the ride. Imagine having to navigate around cars crashing all around you, from the passenger seat of a driverless car. Unfortunately, there will be deaths.
  2. Airplanes – a broad estimate is that 500,000 passengers are in the air at any one time. If we go with 200 passengers per flight, that leaves 2500 aircraft in the air at any one time. Some percentage of those aircraft will have both a captain and first officer as Christ-followers. That airplane (and it’s 200 passengers) will immediately become pilotless. If that happens at altitude, survivability will be somewhat higher, but if it happens on approach (or even shortly after takeoff) the results could be disastrous.
  3. Utilities like water and sewage treatment plants will immediately become short-handed – and any real-time decisions that are not automated will become un-monitored for a time. Power plants will be in the same position, and the rather active electrical power trading grid will be at huge risk for load imbalance. Imagine unmonitored (or under-monitored) nuclear power plants?
  4. Panic will ensue, and pandemonium will follow as people disappear. The world will be without 25 million watchdogs, so crimes like looting will immediately occur (unlocked unmonitored facilities, wallets left behind, homes left open, etc.)
  5. Factories that have flame or chemical processes that are human controlled & monitored will suddenly become un-monitored, resulting in some cases in disaster.

Issues over time:

  1. The world will have lost 25 Million people. That’s 13% of the population. That’s over 1 in every 10 people. This will have a detrimental effect on manufacturing, industry, and business. I believe that it could be significant enough to crash the US markets – as the US will have lost 13% of it’s output capability, without the ability to “backfill” for quite some time.
  2. The US will have also lost 13% of it’s consumer base – which is a much larger percentage than the profit margin that many corporations operate with. This could also further markets to crash. Corporations would cease to exist, and where several in the same industry were to fold, there would be shortages especially in commodity items.

If we take this thought to the world population, it gets even worse. Countries that depend on US exports will experience supply-chain shortages shortly after the Rapture. Also US exports will drop significantly, as a large percentage of the workforce will have disappeared.

This is just the first layer. You can take a similar thought process to just about any area that you come into contact with on a daily basis, and you will see a similar crisis. Add to this that the bible says “the restrainer” leaves the earth as well during the rapture. Many believe The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit that dwells within each and every Christian – and that spirit is what repels evil in the world at the level we experience today. Once that force leaves, Satan is free to run wild and do his thing. I would expect martial law and one-world government forces to swing into high gear, and with that bring their one-world religion which will have a fertile ground to grow in after the mysterious and miraculous disappearance of almost 10% of the population.

Please don’t stall out on my estimates of the Christian population – whether it’s 5 million or 100 million, this illustration still works – it just gets even worse the more Christians that are actually raptured away.

This will not be a fun time for sure. My purpose was not to scare anyone, but to take time to consider what a world with and without Christians will look like – both the immediate effect and the long term effect. I also want to remind everyone that each and every one of us has a choice. We can choose to accept Jesus and his work on the cross for us immediately. Once we do that, we now do not have to experience the post-rapture horrors – as we will be in another place. If you’ve fallen away from Jesus, or don’t know Him at all, won’t you consider asking Him to come into your life? You have absolutely nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Please consider choosing to not be left behind…

Much love,
~Bryan

p.s. If this  kind of supernatural talk bothers the scientific types that struggle with miraculous signs and wonders, consider this: we are made up of energy. Energy does not “go away” it just changes form. We are energy for eternity. In that light, “eternal” life can take on a new meaning. So can eternal damnation. Choose wisely dear friends!

Challenging Normal

When I began this blog, the purpose was to shed light on the fact that in most cases, information IS NOT as it seems at first glance – and that has never been more true at any other time in my life than it is now. From the political world, to fake news, to church and eschatology, most everything today is not as it initially seems, and one must dig deeper for the truth.

Over the past year, I’ve asked this question of myself many times – “what has caused us as a people group to be so averse to thought that differs from the mainstream view?” I believe this to be a worthy question, as the lack of truth in mainstream thought is becoming a very real thing. “Fake News” is not a conspiracy theory, it’s the real, provable deal – but you have to search for information outside of the mainstream channels to discover that which exposes the fallacies – and that’s something that’s never been easier than now in our internet-connected world.

Folks have gotten to the dangerous point where when someone brings up an alternative thought, the answer is “La La La La – I’m not listening to you…” (remember Beverly Hills Cop?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_RYIylWEp4

My first question at this point is, what are we afraid of? I mean, that type of response usually comes out of a fear of discovering that we may be thinking (or assuming) incorrectly on a given topic. But why do we respond with fear, and immediately seek to protect our way of understanding? I’ve come to realize that the more we challenge our own thinking, the more refined our thinking becomes. Every time we are given a new viewpoint is a great opportunity to test that viewpoint against our current knowledge – which either proves our current understanding, or sheds new light that we have to consider. But I think that’s the problem  – this process takes time.

Our Enemy has done a great job of attracting us into a “busy-ness as normal” way of life. We rarely have time to study on our own, and prove or disprove what’s in front of us. I also think this is a result of “teaching” rather than “practical knowledge transfer” – one being informational and the other being experiential – but that’s another subject to address later.

I think our faith is affected by the same problem – with limited time, we look for thoughts and ideas from people that we know we can trust, that we know have done the research. I get that, but the problem is when we stop with the source that is right in front of us, and go no further – that leaves us locked into a limited view. I’ve been guilty of this for large portions of my life, so I’m not excluding myself here. Many of us have pastors in our lives, we trust them, and that’s good enough for us. Again, guilty here – I’ve lived the Word of God through other men’s interpretation, rather than dig deep myself, for a large portion of my life.

Except for this year – when I stumbled on the study of end times (eschatology.) I had to look beyond my normal mainstream sources for the real meat – up until that point everything was very general, things like “Oh we can’t know when,” or “That’s for a future time, etc.” Yet my curiosity drug me to information presented by others who have gone deep on their own, and made very interesting discoveries. When I went down some of these roads, I started to feel a challenge to my standard schools of thought on these subjects.

So my next question is, what’s the information delivery mechanism in the church that causes this? There’s got to be one, and I think in the church, there’s even a word for it that we all know, and it’s a “normal” thing to most of us:

“Doctrine”

Definition of doctrine

1 archaic  teachinginstruction
2a something that is taught

a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief dogma
Catholic doctrine
c law  a principle of law established through past decisions
a statement of fundamental government policy especially in international relations
the Truman Doctrine
a military principle or set of strategies

church doctrine – the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generallyaccepted by that group

Church Doctrine (Bryan’s version): principals and opinions on bible subject matter handed down from church fathers and leaders, and taught through institutions. Often times these are defining items for a particular denomination and they are rarely ever challenged. The originators of doctrine are usually a group of people with titles signifying educational level or licensing.

Or perhaps more clearly stated, “stuff that a bunch of really smart people figured out in previous times with info they had available, and in turn taught to their followers”. Its the “Status-Quo” of a given subject in that organization, given by people with a lot of letters after their names. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dogging education, however a title or letter suffix that comes after someones name (like Pastor) is no guarantee at all that of their information and knowledge is well researched and vetted by them. No, there’s no guarantee at all that they’ve been taught anything but doctrine. Again, please don’t hear me wrong – I’m not saying that everything our pastors tell us is wrong – but what I am saying is that we should never excuse ourselves from the requirement to apply critical thinking at all times to all information.

Consider the Book of Daniel, written by the prophet thousands of years ago. Take a look at the passage below:

Daniel 12:8-9 – Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel shares openly that he does not understand what he has been told to write. He asks for clarification on the time of the end, and is told that that is “sealed till the time of the end.”

At some point in the future, Daniel’s words will make more sense to the reader, as in the times of the end they will be “unsealed.” But at the time of writing, and up until the time of the end, Daniel is told that it is not to be understood. So for thousands of years, the “doctrine” has been that “this information is only for the end times.”

So how will we know? We will know by context. Based on the conditions of our world, some of these passages will start to make sense, as they are right now. But here’s the challenge:

We have to continually test our assumptions (doctrine.) This is done by challenging that doctrine – if it passes the test, that doctrine is still sound. If we don’t continually test our understanding, we may miss the cue.

Consider this passage:

Daniel 12:4 – Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

If we read this passage through the filter of “the book is sealed until some point in the future” – how will we know when it becomes unsealed? When do we allow it to be “that point in the future” so that we re-enable our critical thinking cap? If we continue to look through the “future” filter (doctrine,) then when we read the second part of Daniel 12:4:

“many shall run to and fro” and “knowledge shall be increased”

We would have no reason to look more carefully, as we have convinced ourselves that it’s a future event.

Question: can you think of a time in world history where knowledge is growing faster and is more accessible than at this time? How about travel – are more people traveling “to and fro” than in Daniel’s time?

You decide for yourself, but don’t let the doctrine prevent you from asking the question. Don’t let the doctrine that the end times are some “future event” miss the queues that perhaps that time is approaching.

Theres’ something else that trips us up in this area – and also prevents us from digging deeper and challenging our assumptions – and that’s social status. Someone with a degree from a seminary carries more weight in biblical circles than someone with a degree from Cal Poly, or your neighbor, the electrical contractor. We give so much weight to titles and letters after our name. I’m not saying to discount people’s education in any way, but because they have the title does not make their doctrine “law.” Your neighbor, the electrical contractor, may have a more accurate view of end times than the Seminary graduate – because your neighbor formed an opinion likely from study guided by the holy spirit, without the power of doctrine. When you build a life of purely on doctrines without any critical thinking, it can become very difficult to see a different view.

Friends, I’m not a biblical scholar. In fact, I’m not very academic at all – so I’ve received much less doctrine over my years than most of you reading this. While I’ve had some catch-up to do,  my lack of academic education has made it a bit easier for me to consider alternative thoughts – as those thoughts don’t have years of academics to compete with them. The more knowledge we have in a given area, often times means that we already have an understanding or opinion on a thing. Sometimes the less knowledge we carry, the more we can consider new thoughts.

Again, knowledge is amazing but this sword cuts both ways .I’m not saying that “lack of knowledge” is a better state – not at all; but what I am saying is that those that come to the table with prior knowledge may need to work extra hard to evaluate and challenge their own doctrines.

So when you read a passage of the bible, and it speaks of end times, instead of going just with what you have heard from the pulpit or in school, ask your Father in Heaven if those assumptions that you hold from doctrines taught to you in years past are still valid. Just don’t be afraid to hear a new view.

Oh, and also, brace yourself for a little conflict – not everyone will see what you see – challenge assumptions and you create fear in others – so do it gently. And when you get the “conspiracy theory” label placed on you, wear your tinfoil hat as a badge of honor!

Love,
~Bryan