Once again the land of Israel has gained center attention in the news. It has been in the thoughts of every biblical Christian since its re-formation in 1948, and to be sure one of the most significant signs of the Last Days is the return of ethnic Jews to the physical land, but I wonder if we truly understand the spiritual nature of that particular piece of real estate. When someone decides to take on the issue of who should possess the land of Israel, whether through a negotiated treaty or by taking it by outright force, in reality they are taking on God Himself. It is not just that God is the greater protection of the nation, but that this is the place He has actually calls His own. This is why God chides Edom that they tried to take the land “although the Lord was there“. You cannot have one without the other.
(more…)

Something happens in the Last Days which compounds the spiritual compromise found in God’s people. It is not only that they are bombarded by false prophets who only say what everyone wants to hear, but they are led by false shepherds who no longer feed them God’s Word. The very leaders entrusted with the greatest responsibility to maintain the integrity of God’s Word among His people become the most corrupt. In our time we can see the evidence of the lack of spiritual care and feeding of the flock when the majority of those claiming the label Christian no longer believe in a literal heaven and hell, no longer believe in the inerrancy of God’s Word, and flock in stadium-sized numbers to false religious events and personalities. It takes very little research into the lifestyles of people like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch and a myriad other faces of Western Christianity to quickly come to the conclusion that these are people focused on feeding themselves at the expense of the body of Christ.
(more…)

It seems to be a universal characteristic of the human personality to suggest that we would never stand idly by while witnessing prophecy coming true. And yet that is not only exactly what happened in nearly every prophet’s day but will be even more pronounced in the Last Days. God’s people are not supposed to be “interested” or even “educated” in His Word coming true; the right response is to be moved to the point of living a life in accordance with His Word with even more fervor than before. I do not think the average Christian is ignorant of the times we live in. To the contrary, the greater problem is that they are well aware and yet choose to continue living business as usual.
(more…)

I have come to believe that at least in the church in Western industrialized nations that the worldly approaches to running an organization have at times crept in and taken root. In particular is the business need for consultants and specialists which, when applied within a church setting, have given rise to things people call a “ministry” for which I can find no firm biblical example. At the very least, I think this notion has created in some people’s minds a kind of loophole wherein they don’t have to engage in all the traditional activities of a Christian if they are not part of their customized “calling”. One of the biggest areas of so-called Christian “consultants” claiming to have a ministry today is often called a “discernment ministry” and this is one of the verses they love to quote to justify what they do.
(more…)

It is obvious even to the most casual observer that the historical, age-old associations are present with us even to this very hour, even if they do not want to face their testimony to our living in the shadow of the Last Days. Historically these representatives of nations all around Israel from East and North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula to modern-day Turkey were repeatedly found to not just be allies with Egypt in their ventures, but hired mercenaries. What has been established as a historical precedent becomes even more amplified in its intensity in the shadow of “the day of the Lord” in what Jesus terms “birth pangs” ^[1]
(more…)

Some of Israel’s enemies had common family roots such as Ammon, Moab, and Edom who in varying ways acknowledged the One True God and desired to elevate themselves in Israel’s place. Technically speaking every nation was descended after the flood from one of Noah’s three sons, so even if one wanted to ignore the distant familial connections, one couldn’t ignore that everyone originally had the same information, the same spiritual history handed down to them from the same source. But there were those like Egypt who re-wrote that history in an attempt not to elevate themselves before God but to replace Him completely. Egypt is an example of a false religion which claims no common Judeo-Christian ties who attempts to provide a spiritual path completely outside God’s Word and ways.
(more…)

In the course of expounding His judgment on the literal and historical King of Tyre, God takes the opportunity to connect him to Satan and provide insight into the very nature of our most vaunted adversary. Ezekiel 28 is filled with nuggets of information about the ultimate enemy of God and God’s people. But one attribute I find particularly interesting is something that seems to contradict the notion that a true believer cannot truly fall away from God. Here is someone who was not just created in the most perfect of circumstances, but who is initially characterized as “blameless in your ways“. It is quite a testimony to the fact that we not only exercise free will in our initial choice to come to Christ, but exercise the same in deciding to stay with Him.
(more…)