God Speaks in Near Death Experiences

 There is a lot of rubbish on social media and You Tube. So many fakes! But God also speaks in dark and confusing places. 

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 
At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 
beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: 
“To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. Pr 8:1–4 NIV

God sends his messengers to speak in churches, in prisons, in schools, in businesses,  in hospitals and in social media. 

God speaks through evangelists, doctors, nurses and teachers. 

Some evangelists speak to crowds with microphones. Others pray for strangers in city streets. God sent a prominent German evangelist to visit a brothel to rescue a victim of human trafficking.

Jesus visits brothels, temples and mosques. So many Muslims report seeing Jesus in dreams. There are even reports of men seeing Jesus in a vision in mosques. Many Muslims have become Christians through dreams and visions. 

I love You Tube. The is so much evil there, so many fakes, so much confusion. But … 

... where sin increased, grace increased all the more, Rom 5:20 NIV

In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in reports of people who have been near death or clinically dead and they have reported supernatural experiences. Many report seeing Jesus. Many describe heaven or hell.

Many Christians believe we are in the last days before Jesus returns. Would not a loving God want to warn people about eternal realities? Wouldn’t God want to reach atheists, criminals, drug addicts and prostitutes before it is too late for them?

Another reason for the increase in these reports is the rapid advances in medical science, which has increased the number of people who have been revived after hear attacks.

So many Christians restrict themselves to Christian gatherings and activities, but Jesus was not like that and he is not like that today.

I have read a dozen books about Near Death Experiences and I love watching interviews and testimonies on You Tube. Please consider watching interviews with Randy Kay and John Burke. 

Randy Kay himself left his body when his heart stopped for 30 minutes. He reports an encounter with Jesus before he returned to his body. In his You Tube channel, he interviews many people who have had similar experiences. Some have been clinically dead for much longer. Some have visited Heaven.

https://www.youtube.com/@RandyKayMinistries/videos

John Burke was a sceptical agnostic before he researched Near Death Experiences. He has interviewed more than a thousand people about their experiences outside their body, including visits to Heaven and seeing Hell. He has written books about these testimonies and shown how they confirm Bible teachings.

You can follow this link to John Burke's podcast where he interviews people who report Near Death Experiences. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YfKmJYfHyI&list=PLllPdD1Oj_72pGRk-sUy4VkA33-vQPdIu 

Some Christians prefer not to look into these things. They may prefer a more intellectual approach. They may want to stick to more familiar, traditional bible teaching. But the Bible encourages us to look into heavenly things.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:1–2 NIV

Miracles in the Last Days

 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2.17 NKJV

When did that happen? ‘In the last days.’ What does that mean? In the last days of the old Jewish nation.

But this expression also has another meaning. We now live in the end times, shortly before the return of the Lord Jesus, the time when the last of all terrible world rulers will appear.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Acts 2:20 NIV

But Peter’s message is also a message of hope.

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapour of smoke. Acts 2:17–19 NKJV

Some Reformed Christians believe that prophecy, signs and wonders were only for Bible times, but Martin Luther and John Knox shared prophecies that were fulfilled.

In 1909, some conservative Christians in Berlin declared that the signs and wonders in the Charismatic Movement came from below.

The Pharisees made exactly the same mistake when they declared the miracles of Jesus to be demonic.

I know a woman in Australia who visited heaven during an operation.

I spoke to a Persian woman in Germany who saw Jesus in a dream when she was a Muslim. Eight years later, she converted to Jesus.

A woman I know very well escaped certain death when God saved her from a collision.
It was too late for the brakes. She couldn't avoid a collision. Then she felt a terrible heat. The vehicle went right through her car, without noise, without causing any damage. It was like something out of a fantasy film.

The sensation of heat lasted for a few days.

The extreme multiplication of signs and wonders in our time is a problem for many conservative Christians.

Not all stories are true and not all supernatural phenomena come from God.

We have to test revelations, but if we condemn all strange events as counterfeit, we will also reject the miracles of God.
Maybe you come from a conservative background. You find these dramatic testimonies doubtful, but you are not sure.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

Don't stay where you are. A true disciple is one who always wants to learn from God Himself.

C. Peter Wagner was a conservative lecturer at a Bible school in America. He heard amazing testimonies of miracles in Argentina and Brazil.
He attended meetings in which poor people received new teeth or gold fillings. He was then convinced that it was not a deception.

End Times. Alarm and Hope

 We see so many natural disasters today. Our survival on this troubled planet is precarious. So many conservative people, even Christians, refuse to recognise climate change. They condemn environmental activists. They call them left wing alarmists.

But why don’t these conservative Christians seriously read bible prophecies about increasing natural disasters in the last days before the return of Jesus?

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Mt 24:7 NKJV

There have always been wars, famines, epidemics and earthquakes, so why does Jesus emphasise these things in His prophecy about the End Times? Clearly, Jesus is speaking of an alarming increase of disasters, including natural disasters.

I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Acts 2:19–20 NIV

Nevertheless, in spite of alarming droughts, heatwaves, hurricanes, floods, terrible wars, horrible hi-tech weapons and genocides, God warns that the return of Jesus will come as a surprise to most people.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Mt 24:42 NIV

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night … 2 Pet 3:10 NKJV

But God has a plan to restore everything, to make everything healthy and beautiful again.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Rev 21:1 NKJV

Your life in this world is also temporary. We will not remain here forever. I am now 75 years old and I do not want to remain in this body forever. It is not nice to become old and frail.

But Jesus rose from the dead and promises us a completely new life if we trust in him.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NKJV

An Australian was waiting to die. He heard the terrible sound of the massive bush fire that was inevitably advancing. He was an atheist, but in the panic of despair, he pleaded for God's help.

Suddenly, the wind shifted direction. The man and all those with him were saved from death.

But the man was not only alive, he was no longer an atheist.

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:20–21 NRSV

Wisdom from God in the End Times

 The stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Mk 13:25–26 NIV

Do you understand this prediction of Jesus that the stars of heaven will fall? Neither do I, but if we only believe in what we can understand, then we no longer believe in God, whose wisdom is much higher than our limited understanding.

Jesus says that he will come back from heaven bodily and visibly. If we don't want to believe this because it seems too strange, then we limit ourselves to our small human minds.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Is 55:8–9 NIV

In this time of crisis, many Christians want to hold on to familiar, conventional Bible teachings. We must not abandon our biblical faith, but when our conventional theology is inadequate to explain current events, we need to seek God's wisdom in the Bible.

It will not help if we only look to the Bible for confirmation of our favourite conspiracy theories, or if we only study with our human minds. Only the Holy Spirit can be a reliable guide in confusing times.

Will Jesus come again? He has promised so many times. But do you understand how, where and when he will appear?

We must seek wisdom from God and trust God Himself in our uncertainty.

Your Time Will Come

Have you been a believer for a long time? Do you read the wonderful promises of fruitfulness in the Bible? Are you fulfilled and satisfied, or is your Christian life just a religious routine?

Maybe you have already broken out of the religious routine, but you can't see any fruit. You love God and you have a close friendship with Jesus.

You want to win disciples for Jesus. You want to lay hands on the sick and see miraculous healings. Maybe you love Jesus, but you haven't received a miracle healing yet, even though you desperately need healing.

You love God and your trust in God is real and strong, but your hoped-for miracles are not appearing. And you need these miracles because you are disabled by illness, because your relatives are not yet believers, because you must wrestle with financial problems.

In the Gospel of Luke, we find an elderly woman who served God with a faithful heart for decades. She had prayed for children since her marriage, but she never had a single baby. Yet she never became bitter.

Had God abandoned her? Not at all. God had a marvellous plan. She was to experience a miracle, but without the long years of disappointment, God could not bring about this miracle.

Her husband Zechariah was a priest serving in the temple when an angel of the Lord appeared and shared an amazing message.

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. Lk 1:13 NIV

Elizabeth was to be the mother of John the Baptist, the great prophet who would announce the coming of God's Son.

Everywhere in this chaotic world there are faithful disciples of the Lord who are waiting for the second coming of Jesus. Some are well-known prophets, good pastors, or well-known evangelists, but there are also many unknown saints who are frustrated because their prayers seem to be unanswered.

Are you one of them? Take courage. God has not forgotten you. God has prepared a spiritual army that He will release in the great end-time revival. Hold on to your hope. Your time is coming.

I prayed for years and God healed my depression.
I prayed for years and God saved my parents on their deathbed.
I prayed for years and .... I am not disappointed.

“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD. Is 54:1 NIV

Falling Away or End Time Revival?

 No matter how weak you feel right now, you can rely on God's strength.
God has brought you this far in his love. He wants to be your helper and friend for the whole of your life.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. Ps 23:6 NRSV

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Php 1:6 NLT

God has a very special plan for his people.

When we look around us, we no longer see a Christian civilisation. It is hard to see how God is in control of this world.

In families and nations that took the Christian faith for granted 100 years ago, we see all kinds of other worldviews and ways of thinking.

Many faithful Christians see an urgent need for revival, but others don't believe because they point to Bible passages that warn of apostasy.

Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. Mt 24:10–12 NRSV

The apostasy has long been underway in Western countries. Before the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, atheism was almost unknown. In formerly Christian countries, we see how biblical laws are increasingly being disregarded and abolished.

There are some Bible readers who claim, ‘So if apostasy prevails, we should not expect revival.’

But this is not the case. In this age of increasing unbelief, God has brought about the most amazing revivals of all time.

In 1727, a prayer movement began in Herrnhut, Germany. Under the leadership of Count von Zinzendorf, faithful Christians prayed around the clock for 100 years without ceasing.

The awakened Christians in Herrnhut sent missionaries all over the world.

It was through these missionaries that John Wesley came to a living faith. John and Charles Wesley became fires for Jesus. Their ministry transformed England.

The influence of Zinzendorf and Wesley reached North America, where amazing revivals emerged and shaped the whole culture.

In 20th century Russia, communist atheism became dominant, but they could not extinguish God's light. A persecuted underground church caught fire and a hidden revival was unstoppable.

The communists in China and the Muslims in Indonesia tried in vain to suppress powerful Christian revivals.

For 300 years we have seen apostasy and revival manifest simultaneously.

In the midst of the deepest darkness, God keeps producing new life in this difficult world. The devil wants to stifle God's life in you and around you, but God is still at work.

God is still the almighty God, the God of love and dramatic miracles.

The Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to exterminate the Hebrew babies, but Moses was saved by his own daughter.

Herod wanted to kill God's Son as an infant. All the babies in Bethlehem were slaughtered, but God had a plan for Jesus, and Herod could not overrule God's plan.

What does God want to say to you in this difficult time?

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 NRSV

God Gives us Hope

The environmental activists may be right. Our planet is so poisoned that it could become uninhabitable. But God is the Creator, and He has not retired.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Rev 21:1 NIV

We will all die. What is the most dangerous job? Retirement.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NRSV

Have you failed? Are you stressed or threatened because of your mistakes or sins?

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22–23 NRSV

Are you harshly persecuted? Are you being harassed? God stands by you.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31 NKJV

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. Ps 57:1–2 NKJV

Are you sick? Jesus healed all who sought healing. He never rejected anyone who was sick. He never changed.

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” Mt 8:16–17 NKJV

Have you prayed but are still sick?

He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Is 40:29–31 NRSV

Before the war there were no antibiotics. A British preacher prayed for healing from tuberculosis, but he did not experience a quick miraculous healing. He continued to pray and God instructed him to pray for two hours every day. He obeyed and gradually got well.

Please never give up!

Are You Ready for the Coming of Jesus?

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 20–21 NIV

It is so important to build yourself up in your faith. So many of us are too dependent on others for our spiritual inspiration. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity, but many Christians have been this way for years.

It's not wrong to ask a pastor or evangelist to pray for you.

But the Bible speaks over and over about your faith, your prayer, your devotion.

These two verses talk about your holy faith.
This includes your holy faith, your prayer in the Holy Spirit, how you keep yourself in the love of God, how you prepare yourself for the return of the Lord Jesus.

This text is not only meant for the church, but also for each individual Christian.

• You must build up your holy faith.

• God wants to hear your prayers.

• You must keep yourself in the love of God.

I love events where the blessing of the Holy Spirit flows, and my faith is inspired by the faith of others.

But neither Jesus nor Paul ever described the Christian life as a series of blessed meetings.

• Are you ready to stand before Jesus when he returns?

• Will Jesus ask how often you have been to church?

• Will Jesus ask if you have always been a good member of a church?

A very active young member of the church felt frustrated because his busy life made it difficult to spend quality time with non-Christians and he realised that he was not reaching out to people who needed Jesus.

He arranged to spend some time with a friend who didn't know Jesus, but this meant missing one of the several weekly church meetings he normally attended. His absence was interpreted as unfaithfulness by his group leader.

Unfortunately, this pressure to conform to church expectations is not uncommon. This religious pressure creates a powerless Christianity.

If you are constantly trying to please other Christians, it affects your relationship with God.

Jesus said:

How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Jn 5:44 NIV 

In Matthew 13, Jesus explains how the gospel is like seed. He who believes is like a plant from the seed.

“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. Mt 13:20–21 NASB95

In difficult times, many Christians withdraw from the faith. What determines your destiny is not your regular attendance at church or your ministry in the church.

How is your time with God in your bedroom? 

Miracles Still for Today

 There is a highly questionable and controversial teaching that the supernatural spiritual gifts that appear in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians were taken away by God in the first centuries of the Christian era.

This idea is supposedly supported by some verses in 1 Corinthians 13.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Co 13:12 NIV

This clear recognition is intended to point to the appearance of the New Testament. But neither Paul nor most of the Corinthians had seen the complete New Testament.

How many Christians in our day who know the New Testament have a clear recognition of God that so surpasses the revelations of the apostles themselves? This makes no sense.

This verse in 1 Corinthians is not a new idea. David had the same revelation in Psalm 17.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness. Ps 17:15 NRSV

The psalmist was David, who believed that in his afterlife he would see God himself directly.

I once looked for this text in various Bible commentaries in a Christian bookshop. The commentaries were not Pentecostal, but they all explained that 1 Cor 13:12 is supposed to be a reference to our encounter with God in the next life.

David expected that he would meet God directly and visibly after his death. This had nothing to do with the appearance of the New Testament.

In our time, we need God's supernatural help like never before.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mk 16:17–18 NRSV

In our time, millions of Muslims are becoming Christians. In millions of cases, they are converted after seeing Jesus in a dream or vision, and in many others they are converted after experiencing healing miracles.

I know an Arab Christian who was formerly a Muslim. A Muslim Arab tried to kill him with poison, but he was unharmed. When the would be assassin saw him alive, he was shocked.

The Christian man quoted Mark 16:18. … and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Co 13:8 NIV

When will prophecies and tongues cease? When we see Jesus.
What about knowledge coming to an end? We still need knowledge because we are not face to face with God.
 

Salvation and Healing go together

 Many Christians think it is better to focus on our eternal destiny rather than on miraculous healings.

Forgiveness of sins or healing from all diseases. Which is more important?

If a cancer patient believes in Jesus and dies anyway, he will go to heaven and enjoy eternal love, joy and peace. There is no sickness of any kind in heaven.

If a cancer patient is cured but does not believe in Jesus, he may remain healthy on earth for many years, but after his death he will suffer eternal distress separated from God's blessings.

Jesus himself said that it is better to die disabled but in faith than to go to hell physically healthy.

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. Mt 18:8 NIV

So if you have a pornography addiction, you may have to give up the internet for a while.
If your job makes it impossible to work without sin, you need to find another job.

God's first priority is to save our souls, to save us from sin and condemnation. That's why God's eternal Son died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. God is just, and no sin can go unpunished.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

But when we hear how Christians are doing missionary work in Asia and the Third World, we come up against a contradiction. Where many miraculous healings are taking place, countless people are turning to Christ. Churches are multiplying dramatically and discipleship is dynamic.

In the West, we see traditional Christianity in retreat. Whether the focus is on humanistic theology or reformed biblical teaching, we are not seeing dynamic growth.

Some Christians try to justify this sad state of affairs by pointing to passages in the Bible that indicate a falling away before the return of Jesus. But there are also passages that point to a great harvest.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Mt 24:14 NIV

How is the gospel being preached in the Third World today in Asia, Africa and South America? With signs and wonders, as in biblical times.

Conservative or Reformed churches focus on salvation rather than healing, and we see disappointing results. Humanistic churches emphasise theology, psychology, tradition, politics and good works. The world outside the church does not take this seriously.

In the Bible, we see something very different.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Ac 10:38 NLT

Healing and deliverance from sin go together in the Bible.

 … who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Ps 103:3 NIV

The same God, in the same Bible, in the same verse, promises forgiveness of sins and healing from all diseases.

Jesus is Coming Back

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. Jn 1:6–8 CSB

We all know the story of John the Baptist in the Bible. He was a man sent by God. He proclaimed the message of salvation.

This message is still relevant. This world is shaking. We recognise that nothing is safe anymore. We need salvation from a better world.

Some are fascinated by fantasy films. There must be something out there.

And there really is something more, much more than we understand.

Religion has become dry and bland because the Bible has been reduced to a book of fairy tales or theology.

But people in the Bible really did see angels, and that still happens today.
Lazarus died and was in the grave for four days, and then Jesus came and raised him back to life.

An American preacher named Richard Sigmund was dead for 8 hours and came back. He told what he had experienced in heaven.

...I heard someone say, ‘He's been dead for hours.’
I sat up and replied: ‘I'm not dead yet.’
Someone from the medical staff screamed out loud. Another lost control of his bladder.
https://big-ideas-with-god.blogspot.com/2024/09/are-near-death-experiences-real.html

‘’But that can't be!

If it can't be, why are you wasting your time reading the Bible, where impossible miracles are presented as historical facts.

If God could perform seemingly impossible works in the Bible, why shouldn't he do the same today?

But perhaps you don't want to believe because it doesn't seem reasonable.

God is not at all impressed by our reasonable worldview.
Look around you. What kind of world has our reason created? Everything is shaking.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. John 1:6-7 CSB

There are people today who work miracles with the power of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles in the Bible. Like John, they declare that Jesus is coming, but this time not as a baby in a manger, but as the Lord from heaven.

But that is surely an old fairy tale. It can't be. We are modern and sensible now.

What kind of world has our modern rationality created?

How long can this planet continue to exist if Jesus does not come back?

The Throne of David

 Luther and Calvin got some things right. Eternal life is a free gift from God. We cannot earn salvation through works.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—
not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8–9 NRSV

But in one area they went right off track.

Luther and Calvin did not understand that God would restore the Jewish nation in the future.

When the archangel Gabriel visited Mary, he spoke of Mary's calling to be the mother of God's Son. Gabriel also declared the following promise about Jesus:

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Lk 1:32–33 NRSV

David never had a throne in heaven, only on earth in Jerusalem. When Jesus of Nazareth lived his earthly life, he never sat on a throne. Jesus has a throne in heaven but it is not David's throne, because David is only a man and in heaven only God sits on the throne.

When and where will Jesus sit on David's throne? It must be after his promised return, and it must be in Jerusalem. Otherwise this promise in Luke is totally meaningless, illogical and impossible.

We read here that Jesus will sit on David's throne and that he will reign as King of the Jews. The house of Jacob means the Jewish nation.

Luther and Calvin have misguided Christians.

When biblical prophecies declared a future for Israel or Jerusalem, they taught that God was not really speaking of the Jews, but of the Church. According to Luther and his followers, Israel and Jerusalem were only symbols for the church.

As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Ga 6:16 NRSV

Many understand these words ‘the Israel of God’ as an allusion to the Church. That is perhaps possible. But then they go much further and claim that many unfulfilled prophecies about Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews no longer apply to the Jews.

But Paul teaches quite clearly. This is not the case.

And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” Ro 11:26 NRSV

Is Paul talking about the Christian church here? No. Who is ‘Jacob’? It can only be the Hebrew nation.
At the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return from heaven. He will not appear anywhere on earth, but precisely in Israel.

That is why the restoration of the Jewish nation in Israel is so important, because Jesus will return to his own Hebrew people right there.
 
And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zec 12:10 NRSV

End Time Chaos and God's Plan

 Everywhere around us, we see intensified conflict. In the USA, we see aggressive white supremacy pitted against raging cancel culture and Black Lives Matter.

In the UK, we see aggressive English nationalism in England and angry Scottish nationalism in Scotland. We see friendships and families broken on political lines.

The immigrant community in Germany is divided between those who want to become patriotic Germans and those who want to conquer Europe in the name of their religion.

In the Middle East, there are some Muslims who hate Christians and Jews and want to destroy Israel.
There are others who want to live in peace and friendship with their neighbours and respect diversity.

In historically Christian countries, we have seen the long smouldering problem of sexual child abuse explode into public scandals. The Roman Catholic Church has been devastated and has lost its firm grip on power in the Irish Republic.

In the last two decades, we have seen a dramatic acceleration and hotting up of all of these conflicts.

Now we are in the middle of a terrible pandemic. Some are terrified of the Covid virus, are eager to be vaccinated, and want to cooperate with government control policies. Others are full of fear and rage against governments and vaccination programs.

The instability around us makes us afraid. People react with panic and anger.

If we read bible prophecies of the last days, it all fits in.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Mt 24:3 NIV84

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Matthew 24:6 NIV84

The wars since 1900 have been terrible. Jesus warns us not to be alarmed. The violent shaking of everything around us must not lead to panic if we trust God.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”

The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, Hebrews 12:26–28 NIV84

What is the purpose of this shaking? God loves the world. It is like mining for gold. Extracting gold from sand or rocks involves shaking, crushing and often exposure to violent chemical reactions.
God is searching for loving human souls who will come to Him and trust him.

Jesus likened God’s violent love to a woman in labour before childbirth.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:7–8 NIV84

Does this mean God is inciting people to hate, abuse and kill each other? Of course not.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. James 1:17–18 NLT

The violent conflict all around us is a sure sign that Jesus is coming again soon. The trouble is accelerating like a woman in labour. Her contractions become stronger and more frequent until the baby is born.

At the same time, as the pain and trouble increases, the baby begins to be pushed out into a new life.

If you are a believer, expect God Himself to dramatically accelerate his intervention as he delivers you from evil and sickness and answers your prayers with wonderful miracles.

Signs of the Return of the King

Wonderful things are happening. Prepare to be surprised.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)

If we belong to Jesus, we believe in a God who delights to do new things.

“You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. Isaiah 48:6 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

God is bound to be true to His wonderful and perfect character but He has never restricted Himself to merely repeat what He has done before.

Some people get upset when Christians report miraculous experiences which are different from the miracles recorded in the Bible.

Two preachers were having a meal in a café in Berlin. A pile of gold dust appeared under the table. A preacher in America was upset about such stories because there is no record of gold dust appearing in the Bible. He preached a sermon against gold dust but the babies in the church creche were covered in gold dust.

Some people are afraid of “lying signs and wonders.” The bible warns of lying signs and wonders but the only reference is in the story of the Anti-Christ in the book of Revelation.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV)

The only protection against being deceived in spiritual matters is to stay close to Jesus, to be led by the Spirit of God, to live in faith, hope and love, to obey God and to live by His Word.

Does that mean we should only believe in miracles if they are exact copies of miracles recorded in the Bible?

Why?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (ESV)

How many of the people who criticise contemporary miracle stories are working the signs and wonders that Jesus did on earth? None that I know of.

If God is only allowed to repeat what He did in the Bible, how can it be possible for us to do GREATER works than Jesus did?

If God is only allowed to repeat what He has already done, how then can Bible prophecy be fulfilled?

But weren’t the miracles of Jesus all practical acts of mercy, like healing the sick and raising from death the son of a widow?

I wonder what was the practical benefit of Peter walking on water?

If the prophecy of Jesus is to be fulfilled, then people in these last days will see manifestations more amazing than Peter walking on water. If that does not happen, then the prophecy of Jesus will not be fulfilled and that would make the Son of God a false prophet.

But why should God be doing these things?

At the birth of Jesus, the wise men from the pagan east brought Jesus wonderful gifts, GOLD, frankincense and myrrh. If mankind gives God a gift of gold, should we surprised if a gracious God gives gold to mankind?

And what about the jewels?

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:11-12 (ESV)

But doesn’t this refer to the jewels in Heaven itself? Of course it does. But did not Jesus announce the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven? Did not Jesus teach us to pray: “Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN?”

If the first visit of the Son of God was heralded by human gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, why should the approach of the return of Jesus not be heralded by supernatural gifts from the Heavenly Bridegroom to His Bride to be, the Church. What could be a more appropriate gift to a bride from her husband to be? Does not a man announce his intention to marry a woman with a gift of a diamond ring?