We all make choices, and ultimately, we are responsible for the results of our choices. God has given us Scripture to help us to know the difference between a good choice and a bad one, but Satan doesn’t like us to make good choices. He is doing everything he can to make evil look good so our choices will be poor. The Bible is the word of God, and that is our guide in life. It’s been said that BIBLE stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. As Christians, we need to use it as a guide to our way of life.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). 

What is doctrine? It’s teachings. So, if you attend a Christian church, but the doctrine found there doesn’t align with Scripture, then you need to leave that fellowship. Reproof means conviction. You may hold some idea as to what is right behavior, but when you check that behavior with Scripture, your life choices may be wrong. Scripture is always correct. Correction means that you check your way of living with Scripture, and if your choices don’t line up with God’s word, then you need to change. Instruction in righteousness means that Scripture is our teacher in life. Scripture needs to be our guide in moral decisions and life choices.

What a lovely world this would be if everybody followed God’s instructions. Although God is clear about how we should live, being a “good” person will not bring eternal life. Even the most moral people we know are sinners who need salvation through Christ.

Consider this: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Maybe we should work harder to come up to God’s standards. You know, do good works and earn our way to salvation. The truth is that none of our “good works” will bring salvation.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

God has made salvation very easy, yet many people reject it. We are all sinners, and it is only the grace and love of God that can bring salvation. That doesn’t mean that everybody is saved no matter what they believe or how they act. Faith must be real, and that faith should result in a change in the way you live.

Faith in Jesus is the only means of salvation. Jesus explained this to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was searching for truth and the way to gain eternal life. Jesus told him that he had to be born again.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). 

Born again? Even Nicodemus was confused about this, so he asked how he could reenter his mother’s womb. Jesus wasn’t talking about becoming an infant again, but He was talking about experiencing a life change.

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6). 

In these verses, Jesus speaks of two births. The first one is the one we all experience. We grow in our mother’s womb, protected by water. That water breaks, and we are born of the flesh, and our choices are based on selfishness. When we are born again – born of the Spirit – we gain eternal life. Water baptism does not bring salvation but is a symbol of our choice of a new life in Christ. If you were baptized as a baby and think that brought you salvation, think again. You have to make your own choice, and nobody can make it for you. When you were a few days old, did you understand that you are a sinner and need salvation through Jesus? Did you even know what sin is, and could you confess Jesus with your mouth?

Scripture says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Once you realize that you are a sinner, you must repent of your sin and place your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then you are born again. Salvation is a reality when you confess Christ and believe.

Once you’ve made that decision, it’s time to grow in your faith… that is, start walking the walk. Look to Scripture for “…doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

Instead of looking to worldly sources for the standard of living, look to Scripture.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). 

When you earnestly confess Christ for salvation and truly mean it, things happen that we aren’t fully aware of. Things on a spiritual level. We are born again and need to live life in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sealed within us, and He will lead us along the path of righteousness. We need to put our own selfish lusts and desires away and seek the things of God.

“For ye are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them” (Colossians 3:3-7). 

Sometimes the King James’ words are confusing, but this means that we need to live our life in obedience to Christ. Our actions need to reflect our new life in Him. Children grow and usually reflect the attitudes of their parents. As a born-again believer in Christ, you need to grow and reflect Him in your life.

We are to put to death old ways of living, along with our sinful thoughts, and seek a closer walk with our Lord.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). 

Today we think of a conversation as people speaking with each other. That’s not what this means. It’s important to study Scripture to find the real meaning by looking up the original words in the original language. The Greek word “anastrophe” is translated in the King James as “conversation,” but it means “the manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment.” In other words, your way of life. When you’re born again, you need to begin each day as a new person in Christ. Reflect Christ in your conversation – both in speaking with others and in the way you conduct your life. Examine your attitudes and see if they reflect your faith. Are you always upset because you don’t feel you get the respect you deserve? Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place for respect. Be humble and let God work through you.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10). 

It can be hard to learn humility, but when we look at Jesus, He never tried to bring glory to Himself. He did display anger, but it was a righteous anger. His anger happened when God was disrespected. Practice humility.

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). 

That’s not always easy, but it is important.

I struggle with all of this, too, so I’m not just pointing fingers at others. We are all in a spiritual battle and must choose which side we serve. I yearn to serve Christ better and to be a stronger soldier in His army.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds:) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). 

We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow His lead.

Brothers and sisters, we all need to share our faith with others, but if our attitudes and actions don’t reflect our faith, how can we be a good witness for Christ? There are many signs that the end of days is near. Before the final seven years, all believers in Christ will be called Home. Christians are not appointed to face the wrath of God. Live your faith openly and share with friends, family, and even strangers. In all things, be obedient to Christ.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

 

For some reason, the Rapture is a very controversial subject. Scripture gives many signs of it happening, but many people seem to discount it or argue about the timing. Although it’s a blessing from God, the Rapture isn’t for everybody. The only people who will be taken away from the final seven years of earth as we know it are Christians. That doesn’t mean we won’t face persecution or turmoil. In fact, Jesus promised we would have troubles in this life.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Jesus had just had a very serious talk with His disciples. He told them some unnerving things they could expect but also some very comforting words. He talked of His death, and that upset His disciples. He told them of His resurrection, which they had no way to fully understand. He told of the Comforter and how He would guide them (and us). There is a big difference between the tribulation that Jesus had described to His disciples and the Tribulation talked about by Daniel, Jesus, and described in Revelation.

God is love, and that love makes sure people have every chance to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, we tend to go against God’s will. We need to understand that the rules God has given us are for our own good. We bring our own troubles about by not following His directions. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam only one rule.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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” (Genesis 2:16-17).

That’s pretty clear. Then Eve chatted with the evil being, ate the fruit, and in total disobedience, Adam also joined in the sin. God’s words were true, and the couple was expelled from the Garden and lost Paradise.

Life outside the Garden was filled with turmoil. Children were born, and those children had children. Soon, the population on Earth had grown. The forces of evil had their own plans; they wanted to corrupt the human genome so God’s creation could no longer have hope of salvation. Rebellious angels mated with human women, and the result of this ungodly union was hybrids called Nephilim. Unredeemable evil corrupted humanity, and the entire creation was corrupted.

The only way God could bring life back to the way He created it was to send judgment. This judgment was to flood the entire world. All of creation would drown except for those few who were obedient to God and protected in the Ark: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives, as well as some animals. Prior to God’s judgment being poured out upon a corrupt and disobedient world, there was a Rapture. Noah’s great-grandfather came to a right place with God and was removed prior to God’s judgment.

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

It’s so important for all of us to obey God. Are you walking with God? Or are you living in disobedience and rebellion? There are many signs given in Scripture that we need to pay attention to. These signs tell us that the time of God’s wrath will soon be poured out again.

The disciples asked Jesus about the end times. It’s interesting that the signs Jesus told them to look for are very Jewish in nature. He told them, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” (Matthew 24:15-16).

The Olivet Discourse is not about Christians or the Rapture but about the time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, so by mentioning the “abomination of desolation” standing in the Temple, we know the Temple will be rebuilt. In fact, Jesus says that Daniel had spoken about this, but when Daniel gave that prophecy, the first Temple had been destroyed. Today the Temple Institute has been working diligently and faithfully to create the items needed for Temple worship as well as training priests to perform the rituals. The fact that they have red heifers that are required for cleansing just adds to the excitement of prophecy being fulfilled.

This is all amazing and a very huge sign of the fact that we are nearing the Rapture. It’s not only one or two signs, but so many are happening. In the same passage in Matthew, Jesus gives some “signs” that are just things that always happen and aren’t really indications of the end, but they are becoming more frequent and stronger.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7-8).

There are wars between nations and civil unrest within nations. If you follow earthquake reports, the number of earthquakes is growing as well as the magnitude. Pestilences? Remember the trouble in 2019? Famines? Food is getting expensive and hard to afford, and it’s being genetically tampered with, so it isn’t food like God intended humans to ingest. There are many food allergies and behavior problems in children, and I think food tampering plays a part in the trouble. These signs are all just the beginning.

Jesus didn’t stop there. He spoke of false prophets who will deceive many. He wasn’t just talking about woke pastors but government organizations like the UN, WEF, WHO, and others that are deceiving the world. Jesus began this discourse by warning against deception.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).

If you’ve listened to any reports out of Israel, periodically, someone claims to be the Messiah. The other day, I heard an interview with a woman who claimed to be an Arcturian hybrid. Don’t be deceived, brothers and sisters; study Scripture so you know the truth.

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12).

It’s the agape love that grows cold. People just don’t care about others. Mothers can kill their children in the womb without a second thought; husbands have no problem sitting on the couch doing nothing while their wife works a couple of jobs in addition to cooking, cleaning, and running the kids to activities. Then there are the people who walk into a school or a parade and start shooting people. There are any number of other cold-hearted actions that happen daily.

The word “iniquity” means wickedness, contempt, and violation of law. We see it every day. People violate the law of the land, but more than that, God’s law is violated. Jesus talked of the signs leading to the final seven years of life in this fallen world. All the events that will be so terrifying are falling into place today.

The Gospel of Luke also records this discourse by Jesus. Luke records two major signs of the end times.

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 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” (Luke 17:26-27).

Matthew also recorded this. It’s important to study all of Scripture in order to understand. Very few pastors preach about the iniquity happening during the days of Noah. They try to say that Seth’s sons married Cain’s daughters, so God destroyed the world. That’s a false statement against God. He doesn’t just wipe out everything because humans married each other. The truth is that the fallen angels were mating with human women, and hybrids called Nephilim were created. There was genetic tampering happening, and humans were no longer fully human. All of creation was corrupted, and God couldn’t allow this to happen.

Noah was directed to build an ark to save 8 people and some animals with pure, non-genetically tampered with blood. As stated above, Enoch was taken away from the judgment of the flood because he “walked with God.” The other evil that Luke records is perverse sexual activity.

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28-29).

Ungodly things were happening in the Days of Noah and in the Days of Lot, but people weren’t paying attention. They were “woke” and accepted all manner of sin. Enoch was taken prior to the judgment in Noah’s day, and judgment couldn’t happen until Lot was safely away from Sodom. Are we paying attention today? How many pastors stand firm upon God’s word and reject the homosexual agenda that is trying to corrupt God’s truth? How many Christians keep silent about how it is an abomination to God?

We can’t force truth upon an unbelieving world, but within God’s congregations, we can’t allow sin to rule. Our world is like the days of Lot, and Christians are going about normal life, fully accepting or ignoring these ungodly lifestyles, not caring what God’s word says but twisting His truth to condone sin. Likewise, genetic manipulation is destroying normal life. Not only are doctors mutilating people to change male to female and female to male, but the food we eat isn’t pure. Pesticides are genetically put into crops, cattle are injected with hormones, and synthetic meat is being sold. Genetic tampering happened in the Days of Noah, and we are much the same today.

The good news is that God always takes those who are righteous away prior to judgment. As Christians, we are righteous only through our faith in Jesus. We can see that the days are becoming more and more wicked. All nations are turning against Israel, which is prophetic. The same happenings of the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot are thriving in our day. Christians need to stand firm on God’s truth and not take part in any of the evil we see in our world today. Christians are promised that we will be taken to Heaven prior to the final seven years of history. Not because we are righteous but that Christ is.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We need to honor Christ by truly repenting of our sin. We can never be righteous by our own efforts, but we are righteous through Christ. We need to be like Enoch and walk with God.

Christians will be taken away from the soon-coming judgment. We can’t let fear of being ridiculed by others stop us from living for Christ. In fact, we need to use our voices to witness to people around us.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:18-19).

Christ will call us Home soon, and the works we have done for Him will be judged at the Bema Seat. That’s where I want to be while those who have rejected Christ are facing the evil reign of the Anti-Christ and living with demons. Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will allow you to be taken from the horrors of the Tribulation.

Will the Rapture happen today? It could, but we can’t set dates. We can read the signs of the times, and it’s getting close. Brothers and sisters, be vigilant and stand firm on God’s word.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).