But First the Apostasy Must Come

 Friday, September 18, 2015

 "Let no one deceive you in any way, for it (Day of Wrath) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.  who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thessalonians. 2:3-4).

 "Know this first of all, that in the Last Days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." (2 Peter 3:3-4).

 Hey Gang:  I was checking out the weather when a program marquee came on that got my attention advertising, ‘The Highway to Hell'.  It is the story of a tow-trucking firm in Alaska that answers the call when accidents occur on “The Highway to Hell”.   I haven’t a clue why anyone would want to drive a semi load of steel up the side of an icy mountain road in a blinding snowstorm- but for the almighty buck. It seems we can find someone to do just about anything. 

 As I watched the program, and I admit I kind of got caught up in the tug of war that was going on between tow-truck operators and vehicles that had found their way off the mountain roads. I even got a wee bit excited when I saw the tow-truck being pulled ever closer to an embankment by a huge semi that had gone over the side.

 As I watched the process, I thought of Anne Graham Lotz’s challenge to the church to get serious, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22).

 So, what is the connection between the ‘Highway to Hell' story and Paul's teaching on what Christian conduct should look like? Is that not a picture of the church today?  Satan seems to be on a roll, and one might get the idea that the church has dug its heels in but is slowly being dragged toward the precipice.  

 The tow-truck tug of War went on for several hours, frustration growing with each failure.   But just as they were ready to throw the towel and await the light of day a savior arrived on the scene, a second huge tow-truck.  Within the hour they not only had the truck out of the ravine but it was upright.  I found myself rooting with the tow-truck drivers.

 Soooo, In our Scriptures we are given clear warning that before the final chapter of man’s governments can begin there will be a rapid growth in apostasy.  It will be a time when even many of the saints will be led astray.  I believe we are seeing this happen today.  But we need to read on in both of these Scriptures.

 Notice 2 Thessalonians 2:8: “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming”; and In Peter we read: “Be on your guard so that you are not led astray.  Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (3:17-18). 

Blessings,

Gramps

Tough Times Have a time Limit and We Have Much to Say About How Long They Last!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012  Notice this date!  God is still trying to get our attention.  Pray for Israel!  This message must be important. I had much difficulty getting it to copy!! Be blessed.

 

Gramps Bible

Hey Gang,  I like Chuck Swindoll!   He rings my bell with his common- sense approach to presenting God's Word.  He made a comment one day that I believe with all my heart to be true. He said:  "Many preachers would be far more effective if they just got up on Sunday Morning and read the Word to their flock.” The news coming from the four corners, in the past several days, has been especially depressing.  I am sure you who avail yourselves of ‘Gramps messages’ on a regular basis get a wee bit tired of hearing me use the prophetic words of Haggai, "Everything that can be shaken will be shaken" but I do not believe we can deny "everything that can be shaken is being shaken".  SO. this morning I felt I should follow Pastor Swindoll's suggestion and just let the Word speak to your hearts.  The following verses area few of the promises God gives us for tough times:  Isaiah 43:2-3 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.  Nor will the flame burn you.  For I am the Lord your God,  The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  Jer. 29:11-13 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks,  it will be opened.” Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”. Phil.6:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produced endurance.  And let endurance have its prefect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalms 91:1-2; 14-16 “He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust.”  Soooo, yes, one does not have to be a rocket scientist or brain surgeon to see that God is doing all in his power to get our attention.  My heart aches when I see folks going through very deep waters, but I also know that the honing of the wheel produces endurance for the long fight that lays ahead and through endurance we become perfect in God's sight.  (James 1:1-4). Blessings Gramps

What Time Is I

 Wednesday, October 9, 2013

  “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff, and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts. “So that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1).

 “So at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ IS LORD.” Philippians 2:10-11

 Hey Gang:  Do you think this day has arrived or is just around the corner?  What say you? Are we living in that time referred to by the prophets of old as the “latter days” or the ”last days?”

 Mathew tells us, "Jesus came out of the temple and was going away when the disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him" (Matthew 24:1).  It appears from Mark's account that "they" the disciples were mesmerized by its beauty. They exclaimed: "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings! (Mark 13:1b).  

 His response, "Not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down" (Matthew 24:2).  His words must have brought them back to the world of reality for we see a change of focus from man-made beauty to "Tell us, when will these things happen and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age"(Matthew 3b). Read Matthew 24.

 Their question? “When shall these things happen and what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the Age?”  His first words in answering their question is one that we need to take to heart - “Do not be deceived!”   I recently heard a salty old preacher warn his sheep "beware of wolves in sheep's' clothing.  He mentioned three rapidly moving blasphemies that are leading even many of the elect to be taken down the Prime Rose Path.  Perhaps we had best read John 14:6, " I am the way, truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me."

 The first he referred to was the ‘Oprah road’ where there is more than one road to God. Notice in the Olivet Discourse Jesus said, “Behold I have told you in advance?" (Matthew 24:25).  In other words, you have choice; you can be as the five prudent virgins and have your lamps prepared for the coming of the Husband or hear the door slam shut when the bridegroom comes unexpectedly.

  The second blasphemy, called ’Replacement Theology’, teaches that Israel is no longer the "apple of God's eye" but has been replaced by the church.  Again I would draw your attention to God's Word:  "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from Jacob,'” (Romans 11:25-26).

 The third, in the opinion of the writer is most damaging, is that to "believe" is all it takes to gain the eternal Kingdom of God and spending eternity with the Lord.  Well, folks, I have very bad news for those that have been caught up in this web of deception.  James tells us "even the demons also BELIEVE and shudder". (James 2:16).    

 Soooo, my good buddies, what am I trying to say here?  Very simply stated: "Be Not deceived".  "See that no one mislead you for many will come in My name saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many" (Matthew 24:4-5).  And how do we make sure we are not deceived?  By filling our minds and hearts with His Word and staying in communication with Yeshua and keeping our eyes on Him.

 READ and share these Scriptures to assure your salvation and your loved ones.

“ALL have sinned and com short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“The wages of sin is DEATH.” Romans 6:23a

“But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23b

“Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

“If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

 Blessings,

Gramps

Gramps

Be Strong in the Strength of His Might Today

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

 “I do not cease [to pray] for the eyes of your hearts to be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of your calling and what is the wealth of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:16-18).   “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)

 Hey Gang:  As you traverse through the day, do you look for those wonderful object lessons that God provides for us?  Several days ago I was cutting and splitting some wood in preparation for the coming fuzzy-white-stuff season.  There were several types of wood in the pile, some easy and some more difficult.   I had forgotten about an old elm tree that came down in a recent storm; it was hard as flint.

   I learned very rapidly that if I tried to go at the strength of those pieces, the eight-horse splitter did not have the power to penetrate and split the log.  But, if I studied the piece and looked for the fault line in the log and zeroed in on that weakness, I was able to split the log and. Once it was split, the rest of the splitting process became much easier. 

  Throughout the day, each time I ran into a piece of that tough elm tree, God reminded me of Paul's words in Ephesians 6:10:  "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might".   I have mentioned, in morning messages before, that I am a very weird person for I love to cut the grass.  I get great joy in getting on that noisy machine and making a ‘skillion’ revolutions around the yard.  Why? Because I can sing at the top of my lungs and no one can hear me. I have found that singing brings joy to my heart.  Nehemiah tells me, "The joy of the Lord is my Strength".  

 Paul continued, in his letter to the Ephesians, giving us the formula for living a life of victory and joy. First, and foremost, "put on the full armor or God".  Why?  "So that you can "stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  Matthew tell us that when our house is built on the sand, we are like the foolish builder whose house could not stand against the storms. 

  Paul does not leave it there.  He always states the principle he is trying to teach us and then hangs the ‘whys and wherefores’ on the knobs that follow:  "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  (Eph. 6:11-17). 

  Do you agree with me that we are in an evil age when everything that can be shaken is being shaken?   Paul closes his teaching on the importance of having every piece of the armor of God in place with this challenge "Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, so stand firm" (vs, 18) 

  An old salt country preacher, after reading these words, "Stand firm having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the veil one and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' (Eph. 6:14-17) said, when all the parts are in place, Satan cannot tell you from Jesus Himself!  

 Sooooo, time for me to close this and for you to do a quick inventory - make sure you have all the pieces of the armor in place.  Why don't you drop what you are doing for a moment or two and join me in prayer.  Your eternal life may depend on it.

 Blessings, 

Gramps

A More Opportune Time!

 Monday, October 7, 2013

 

God’s power principle for this morning: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11).

Hey Gang:  I have a very important piece of wisdom that I need to share with you this morning: In order to beat the devil at his own game, we must have a solid understanding of his “wiles” ie., “enemy tactics”.  And how do we beat him at his own game – ‘put on the full armor of God!”

Jesus did battle with Satan shortly after He was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist.  Notice the sequence: he was baptized, and His Father declared He was His Son in whom He was well pleased.  In essence, He was equipped for warfare and did not tarry.  He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and, I sense, to let the Devil know ‘his existence was going to become exceedingly more difficult’. 
 .

Satan said, “If you are the Son of God…”; Jesus responded, “IT IS WRITTEN”.  And again Satan said, “If you are the Son of God” and Jesus responded “IT IS WRITTEN”.   And a third time Satan said, “If you are the Son of God” and Jesus said, “IT IS WRITTEN”! The battle was over and Matthew tells us “The devil left Him”.  But  Luke adds these seven words to Matthew’s account and  we must be aware!,  “He (Satan) left Him (Jesus) until an opportune time.” (Lu.4:13)!

The point: Jesus said we are to go to the cross daily, put on our armor and speak the WORD of Truth!  Satan's opportune times have no time limits and are always present, and just around the corner. BUT We have the Sword of the LORD, His Holy Spirit and Victory in Jesus!!

Soooo, my young warriors, Be advised - you have someone looking very your shoulder this morning.  He cannot read your mind, but he certainly can read your actions. Be sure you are covered with His armor.  Every second of the day you will have opportunities to be a seed planter –positive and negative.  Every second of the day you will be a Pin-Hole or a Pipe-Line Christian.  When you lay your head on your pillow tonight, will you win with God’s word and will your seed planting program for the day be blessing to the Lord?

Blessings,

Gramps