Friday, May 8, 2020
In just eight weeks the world has been plunged into economic calamity. And the speed with which people were quarantined, and 33 million jobs vanished as thousands of businesses closed is absolutely stunning. The world has irrecoverably changed for the worse. But Christians who discern the truth with spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear know what’s occurring; for God, the Restrainer of evil, is withdrawing His restraint from evil forces, allowing demonic authorities to increase their habitation in globalist men and women to execute God’s prophetic end-time plan. We are now living in the phase one debilitating onset of much, much worse to come.
Discerning Christians led by God’s Word and Holy Spirit discern the times and Revelation events now multiplying in the earth. And globalists inspired by evil know that many people are now angry and connect the dots of their nefarious agenda, for which they have a plan: to distance people even more one from another by cutting off cellular/internet communications! Phase one of their plan destroyed the economy and herded people into their homes while being surveilled. Phase two will likely cut off the internet, thus gaining globalist’s more control.
Discerning Christians know that God’s will is to bring this present age to its prophetic end and bring His Bride, the Church, to Himself. Likewise, discerning Christians will align their prayers with God’s will that His end-plan be accomplished. It may be difficult for Christians to hear this truth, but prayer that opposes God’s well-written end-plan is fruitless. One of the problems with prayer among evangelical Christians is not knowing God’s written will and thus pray according to their own will and not God’s, and then wonder why their prayer goes unanswered.
We know the spirit of Antichrist inhabits many people who do not love the truth and that “rulers of the darkness of this age [and] spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) are being unleashed on the world. We know too that the time has come when “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thess. 2:9–10).
Many political leaders are exercising crushing authority over people, and it appears that many of them enjoy their totalitarian authority. Here in America, swat teams arrest business owners who need to be open to produce an income so they can feed their families. Some sheriff’s even take the names, addresses and phone numbers of people going to church. Other church-goers have been given $500 citations in their church parking lots! Many of these liberal ungodly leaders, especially those at the federal and state levels, seem to be drunk with power.
Some might muse that the COVID-19 lockdown has worked out well as they enjoy working from home. But what about the tens of millions whose jobs can’t be done from home, people who worked in factories, slaughter houses, and thousands of small businesses the government deems non-essential? How will they earn an income to feed their families? Will the government fund small businesses the way its funded giant banks and enterprises deemed “too large to fail”? Certainly not! Though America’s fiscal strength lies in small businesses, half of them received nothing of the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package by the government!
And the overblown, famine-causing response to COVID-19 will only escalate from here, though the reasons for government overreach will change. Through it all, dear saints, be encouraged in knowing that none of this takes God by surprise. But it shouldn’t take us by surprise either as the testimony of Jesus Christ has foretold all these things. Thus, we make it our priority to know the truth, to prepare as numerous biblical examples demonstrate, and endure to the end of this age.
Dr. Tom Horn, a former Assemblies of God pastor of over 25 years and CEO of SkyWatchTV makes this profoundly true observation: “Get Ready for End-of-Days Demons in High Places”. Sadly, select portions of God’s prophetic Word is still not being taught or even permitted in the organized evangelical church. In response to that faith-crippling truth God said “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Truly, due to the pre-trib rapture lie of the ages, many believers who otherwise would have believed the truth, had they been taught it, will be destroyed by deep offense when their cherished and promised pre-trib rapture utterly fails.
It’s a thief and a robber, who, for traditions’ sake, exercises erroneous authority over fellow believers for the return of Christ and His gathering of the elect. Yet, that’s what thousands of church leaders, theologians and pastors have done in the teaching of their pre-trib rapture while they raked in millions of dollars selling their people-pleasing books, videos, movies, and more, convincing believers they’ll be raptured pre-tribulation! They’ve defrauded the testimony of Jesus; they have exchanged His Word for their own enrichment, by making His testimony subject to their own selfish will and gain. And the Day of the Lord will reveal it!
Some are asking if the seven-year tribulation has begun. No, it hasn’t, but it’s not far off. And Jesus reminds us that “he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). That includes every professing Christian who actually believes Christ who promised that He gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). Church tradition has caused many sincere Christians to disinherit Christ’s Word of truth that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16), but not until “Immediately after the tribulation”, for “He [Christ] must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything” (Acts 3:21 NIV). And we know that God does not restore everything until the last day of this present age.
I have confidence, fellow believers, that, having the testimony of Jesus Christ laid out before you, your desire is to believe God and His Christ over church traditions. But that requires an action of faith on your part. Consider Jonah who ran from God’s Word as he idolized his will over God’s will. Jonah’s unbelief cost him three days in the belly of a great fish. So too, when Christians idolize church tradition, in this case the pre-trib rapture, over the clear testimony of Jesus, the Word comes to them saying “Those who regard worthless idols, forsake their own Mercy” (Jonah 2:8). Think on that: God is our Mercy, He brings us lovingkindness, but those who idolize false church traditions, “forsake their own Mercy”. We must talk of this, often!
Marlin J. Yoder
