Let me start off by saying ... NO, I'm not claiming to be a prophet, I haven't heard the Lord tell me to say, "thus saith the Lord". But I am called as a voice of warning. And NO I am not setting dates. I am, however, WATCHING, as commanded by the Lord and I will speak up when potential dates seem to be a higher potential for His coming to get His bride. Those dates may well come and go but it's up to all of us to watch and be ready all the same.
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." -Jesus {Mark 13:37 KJV}
So, with that said ... I find that many people *miss* the purpose of the prophet/watcher (I prefer to call myself a Porter, see linked article below); whether from the OT, or the NT, or even today. Prophets have always been those that warn of impending destruction if those they are sent to don't turn from their ungodly, wicked ways. If they do repent then what the prophets said would not come to pass at that time (but surely would in a future day, more on this below).
Jonah is an example of a prophet prophesying for which the people took him seriously and repented and God's judgment (which at that time would have been imminent) was stayed {postponed}, for a time ... it did fall on that city and nation later when they once again fell into wickedness. Jonah was quite upset but God has sovereignty over all things. Jonah was sent to warn, not to sit and watch judgment fall. God doesn't want that any should perish ...
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." {2 Peter 3:9 KJV, God has been 2,000+ years worth of patient ... sit and think about that for a few minutes!}
... and if enough people turn away from their wicked ways He is merciful and will turn from His judgment, and many times He leaves a blessing, as He's promised.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." {2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV}
"Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." {Ezekiel 3:19 KJV}
"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die." {Ezekiel 18:21 KJV}
"Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. ... Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? ... Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; ... But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." {Ezekiel 33:9, 11, 14, 19 KJV}
God does, in His compassion, change His mind. So, don't shoot the messengers (see link below) if things don't come to pass ... they surely will come to pass at some point in the future because mankind's heart is evil continually, and has been from the beginning.
"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually." {Genesis 6:5 KJV}
Let us NOT forget, Jesus prophesied of the complete and total destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, yet it didn't happen until 40 years after His death & resurrection. Why? Because of God's grace, and the bible prophesied that "it was accounted to Him for a generation" (70 years), which is the “days of one king” (in this case the King is Jesus) ...
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot." {Isaiah 23:15 KJV, king David died at the age of 70, so he is the example.}
I believe this is also a soon coming prophecy regarding Jerusalem {Tyre} and her seventy years from 1947/48 to 2017/18, after the church (ready bride) is taken out, who will Israel have to turn to then? She shall sing as a harlot (go into idolatry), but I have already covered this in a previous TLW Blog post, here's that link ... http://thelambswife.blogspot.com/2016/12/120516-where-is-that-great-city.html
"A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation." {Psalm 22:30 KJV, “a seed” is Jesus, Who is serving the Father. Even tho Jesus died young, that generation of a full 70 years of what should have been His lifespan was accounted to Him ... in other words, because Jesus walked among us in His day, a whole generation was spared God’s wrath for an additional 40 years after His death & resurrection. That is grace.}
To summarize: Jesus' ministry began when He was about 30 years old, then 40 years later (in 70 AD) the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was sacked, and the Jews were dispersed into the nations for their idolatry (harlotry against God).
"But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods." {Jeremiah 44:5 KJV}
Don't be fooled. Just because something doesn't happen as hoped or expected doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Perhaps enough of the church has awakened and so God is waiting yet a little while.
It’s only because of God’s love and compassion for His creation that we even live and move and have our being. Our very breath is a gift, water is a gift, food is a gift, all good things come from the hand of God. You receive many gifts daily for which you likely don’t even give thanks for much of it.
"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." {Acts 17:28 KJV, the writer here, believed to be Luke, is talking to fellow believers and it is they who are "also his offspring", the children of God who have accepted Jesus as their Savior.}
"[There is] nothing better for a man, [than] that he should eat and drink, and [that] he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it [was] from the hand of God." {Ecclesiastes 2:24 KJV}
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." {James 1:17 KJV}
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" -Jesus {Matthew 7:9-11 KJV}
Notice, those that give their lives to God are His children ... NOT those that don’t. We are all creations of God, but we are NOT all children of God. That is done by the process of repentance, confession of sins, and turning to God from your heart (not just your head), through His Son, Jesus (Yeshua) as your sole/soul Provider. Those that don’t are lost and have no future with God but rather, as per their own wish, they are separated from all His goodness for all of eternity.
"The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God." {Psalm 14:2 KJV}
Unbelievers, you must understand this. You are NOT one of God’s children until you: 1) repent of your sins against Him {look over the 10 commandments and compare your life and deeds to those: have you ever lied, stolen, cheated, etc ... be honest ... you are only deceiving yourselves if you deny you are guilty of many sins}; and 2) you turn {walk away from} from your sins; and 3) ask Jesus into your heart & life to be your personal Lord & Savior; and 4) confess He is the Son of God come in the flesh. Understand this, once you truly repent and cry out to God for forgiveness, then and only then do you receive His seal of adoption, that is, the Holy Spirit that will come and live inside of you.
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together." {Romans 8:14-17 KJV}
This is how God will take His own at the resurrection of the saints (aka: rapture). Those with His seal, the Holy Spirit, will vanish in the twinkling of an eye ... those without will be “left behind” to go through great tribulation. If you think things are bad on this earth now, you have no clue what’s coming. Read the book of Revelation. My estimation is that we are right now somewhere between Revelation chapters 5-6! https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/rev/5/1/s_1172001
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." {1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV, "asleep" or "sleep" in this instance is the KJV's word for "dead", speaking of those in Christ that had/have already passed away.}
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." {1 Corinthians 15:52 KJV}
Jesus {Yeshua} is the Son of God, and He told us what we must do to be saved ...
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" {John 11:25-26 KJV, Martha's response, for which I wholeheartedly agree & confess: "She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." {John 11:27 KJV}
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." {John 14:1-7 KJV}
The apostle Paul put it this way ...
"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." {Romans 10:8-11 KJV}
And more sobering words from the mouth of the Lord ...
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." -Jesus {Mark 16:15-16 KJV}
Believers, our soon coming resurrection/rapture IS our blessed hope, and you need to keep vigilant watch. Your job is to STAY AWAKE, having your lamps lit along with an extra cruse (flask, container) full of oil so that you are equipped to go the distance should our Lord tarry. Keep watching and warn others that the fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles" is at hand. The time of our redemption {resurrection/rapture} is near, certainly nearer than when you first believed! Behold {Look}, the Bridegroom cometh.
"And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." -Jesus {Matthew 25:6 KJV}
"And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, [that] thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." {Hosea 2:16 KJV, Baali means Lord; Ishi means Husband.}
Maranatha to our Husband {Ishi}!
Here are a couple of previous articles I did that relate to this one ...
http://thelambswife.blogspot.com/2017/09/091317-dont-shoot-messengers.html
http://thelambswife.blogspot.com/2015/11/110615-porters-watchmen.html
Thanks for reading ;o}
{Curly bracket comments within or after scripture are mine. Red letter text is Jesus speaking. This page is Firefox Reader View friendly at the time of it’s posting.}
