Showing posts with label prophecy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prophecy. Show all posts

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Prophecy Update 2014

(the following are the notes from my End Times Prophecy Update, Dec 28th, 2014)

Prophecy Update 2014
Mark 13
  
At Christmas we focus on Jesus FIRST coming, this week we’re going to focus on His SECOND coming.

Once a construction worker that checked into a hotel, and when he sat on the bed and took his boot off, it dropped to the floor and made a huge “Thud.” Thinking to be sensitive to the person in the room below, he slowly took off the other boot, and gently placed it on the floor. About 30 minutes later a knock came at the door, and when he answered it was the man from the room below… “would you please let the other shoe drop, it’s driving me crazy!”

And so it is today, there are so many things happening around the world, sometimes it feels like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.

During an interview, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, answering a question about Americas role in the world, stated that "the world is experiencing 'historic defining times that will result in a new world order'. Elaborating further Hagel said 'This is a time of global transformation. We are essentially seeing a new world order evolving and being built. I don't think we've seen such a time since right after World War II.”

1.         We’re seeing growing global chaos,
a.    Financial crisis, where entire regions are mired in debt, some countries many times their entire GDP.
b.    Wars - almost every continent has some conflict going on…
c.    Religious conflict - terrorism - persecution
d.    Social unrest even here in our own country
2.         ...all of these things are indicators that we are living in the last days.

3.         The last days will be days of apostasy: As time moves along, Scripture warns there will be a growing universal revolt against God and authority that will manifest itself in a humanism in which man (2 Thess. 2:3, 11; 2 Tim. 3:1).
4.         The last days will be days of globalism: Because of wars, rumors of wars, and the threat of international crises that will build in preparation for the scenario found in the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24 and Rev. 6-19),
a.    More and more the human race will look to a one-world international system to bring peace and safety (1 Thess. 5:3).
5.         The last days will be days of false messiahs: This hope and search for some form of a one-world system will lead to the longing and search for someone who can come on the scene of human history and mold the world into unity and peace.
a.    Such a person arises in the form of the Antichrist, the Beast of the tribulation period (Matt. 24:5, 23-24; 2 Thess. 2:3b-4; Rev. 13:1f).

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Thursday, November 14, 2013

How the bible is crazy accurate - Ezekiel 29



Earlier this year during our “Basics” series, I taught a message on the bible, and why we can trust it (listen HERE).  In that message, I noted that one of the key reasons we can trust the word of God is its predictive accuracy: Every prophecy given in the bible has come to pass with 100% accuracy!

Today I ran across two small prophecies related to Egypt, buried in the book of Ezekiel, that reminded me of what Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” (Matt 24:35).

The first prophecy is in Ezek 29:14-15:

I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors. Ezek 29-14-15

In this prophecy God is telling Ezekiel that He will use Nebuchadnezzar to crush Egypt, but after forty years He will bring the Egyptians back to their land, however “Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom.  It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.” This was spoken during a time when Egypt was a strong nation with a long history of being a mighty empire.  Today Egypt is still a country (just as God said), but she has never regained her previous glory and power.  With an economy in shambles, Egypt is one of the lowliest of nations in that region.

The other prophecy is contained in verse 21:

“And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”  Ezek 29:21

Think about it, Israel is once again nation, and it’s the strongest nation in that region (economically and militarily).  No one messes with Israel.  And what about Ezekiel’s words?  True to His promise, Ezekiel’s words are part of our bible today, the most widely printed and sold book in all of history.  His words are studied by scholars and laymen alike, and Ezekiel is held up as one of the major prophets in the bible.

Jesus was right:  “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” Matt 24:35

Pastor Clay