Are You Ready?
The much
waited for return of our Lord Jesus Christ is finally at hand. The world has had many false wake up calls over time, but this one is for real. The
question is, are you ready for Him and for the
devastation that precedes His arrival?
In the
year 2000, we unveiled the prophecy of
Jesus
Christ knew that there would be little faith in the world when He returns, and
that is why He said that the world would be taken by surprise by the Great
Tribulation that precedes His arrival.
Mat 24:37 "But
as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
"For as in the days before the flood,
Mat 24:38 they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the
ark,
Mat 24:39 "and
did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be.”
There are
many people who do not wish to see Jesus Christ coming too soon, thinking that
a delay in His return would give them time to prepare for His arrival. But that is a false hope, for if they are not
ready to face Him now, there is little chance that they will ever be. All adult human beings are supposed to be
ready to face their Creator and their Saviour any time anywhere. The problem is,
Christian preachers themselves are postponing Jesus’ return to an indefinite
time, supposedly because many other prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. Well, having looked carefully at both
Scriptures and history, we can tell you that no prophecy is yet to be fulfilled
before the return of Jesus Christ, other than the worldwide Great
Tribulation. All prophecies about this
time, have been, or are in the process of being fulfilled.
There
has never been a more urgent and appropriate time to turn to God than it is
now. Turning to God in the midst of
widespread unbelief, gives you greater merit in heaven. That is why Jesus Christ said that:
Mat
The
whole world will soon bend their knees and bow their heads before the Almighty,
but most people will get little reward for doing so at the last minute, at
judgment time when they have no alternative.
Isa
45:22 "Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Isa
45:23 I have sworn by Myself; The word
has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me
every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”
One must
be ready to face his Maker and answer for himself at all times. That is why
those who do not wish to see Jesus Christ now will end up paying with their
life.
The main
reason put forward by preachers who think that the return of Jesus Christ is
still a long way off is that according to them Antichrist must come and deceive
the world first. They do not know that
Antichrist has been in the world ever since the time of the Apostles. Here is
proof of it.
1 John
4:2 “By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
1 John 4:3 and every spirit that
does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming, and is now
already in the world.”
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers
have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
Antichrist
was already in the world when Apostle John wrote those words. And who is an antichrist? Anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ
is coming in the flesh. In other words,
anyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is living His life in us
through the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that lived in Him when He was in the
world, is an antichrist.
There is
no need for another Antichrist to come into the world, because the world has
long been deceived by a great Antichrist.
People do not know who that is because he masquerades as a man of God
and an angel of light.
Satan
has been posing as an angel of light for a long time, and his servants as
ministers of righteousness for just as long. That is why Jesus Christ began and
ended His prophecy about the Great Tribulation that precedes His return with a
warning against ministers that preach falsehood, all while claiming to preach
the true Christ.
Mat 24:4 “And Jesus answered and
said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
Mat 24:5 "For many will come
in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.”
Mat 24:11 "Then many false
prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Mat 24:12 "And because
lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
Mat 24:13 "But he who endures
to the end shall be saved.” "For
then there will be great tribulation,
Mat 24:21 such as has not been
since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 "And unless those days
were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
will be
Mat 24:23 shortened”. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is
the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.
Mat 24:24 "For false christs and false
prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible,
even the elect.
Mat 24:25 "See, I have told
you beforehand.”
Three
times Jesus Christ used the word ‘deceive’ in that chapter, every time
associating it with ministers who admit that He is the Christ, yet who deceive
their followers. How do they do that? By
preaching a false gospel in His name.
Notice what Apostle Paul said.
Gal 1:6 “I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different gospel,
Gal 1:7 which is not another; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But even if we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to
you, let
Gal 1:9 him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again,
if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him
be accursed.”
Now if
they started deceiving the people whom the Apostles had converted even at that
time, how much worse do you think things might have gotten by now? The answer may come when you understand that
closely linked with the gospel of the Antichrist, is that of the ‘man of
sin’. He too is supposed to come and
conquer the world before the return of Jesus Christ. And guess what? He was in the world at the time of the
Apostles too.
2 Th 2:1
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 Th 2:2
not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word
or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of
2 Th 2:3
Christ had come. Let no one
deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away
comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
2 Th 2:4
who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is
worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of
2 Th 2:5
God, showing himself that he is God.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these
things?”
Like the
Antichrist of Apostle John, the ‘man of sin’ of Apostle Paul was also in the
world at that time. That ‘man of sin’
was already sitting in the
The fact
that Apostle Paul was not able to reveal his identity at that time tells us
that he was a greatly feared man – one who could have caused much damage to
those who spoke evil of him. With the
passage of time this is exactly what the papacy has done to the true followers
of Jesus Christ. Countless people have been burned at stake for refusing to
accept the counterfeited religion of the ‘man of sin’. As Jesus said:
John 16:2 "They will put you
out of the synagogues [and churches]; yes, the time is coming that whoever
kills you will think that he offers God service.”
Now it
should come as no surprise that the Antichrist and the ‘man of sin’, which is
really one and the same, have been in the world from the beginning of Christianity,
because the Devil himself has been the ‘god of this age’ from the beginning of
the world.
2 Cor 4:3 “But even if our gospel
is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this
age has blinded,
2 Cor 4:4 who do not believe, lest
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine on them.”
It is an extraordinary fact that no other
powerful religious institution and position has been in the world at the time
of Jesus Christ that would still be in the world at the time of His return,
except the position of Pontifex Maximus – the papacy.
2 Th 2:8
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume
with the breath of His mouth and destroy with
2 Th 2:9
the brightness of Hid coming. The coming of the lawless one is according
to the working of Satan, with all power, signs,
Two
important prophecies come out of this passage.
First, that the lawless one will be revealed and destroyed at the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The people of
God have known who that person is for a long time; only the world at large will
be surprised to discover his true identity at the last minute.
Second,
the ‘lawless one’ deceived those who did not receive the truth and had pleasure
in unrighteousness. And what happened to
them? God gave them strong delusion that
they should believe the lie. What lie? The false gospel of salvation! See TCH No
11 if you do not know the difference.
Apostle Paul used similar language in his letter to the Romans.
Like a
collective death wish, the entire world has been covered by the stench of
homosexuality. Those who ought to cry
aloud about it are just as likely to indulge in it themselves.
It is
unbelievable that such a small number of people would wield such a
disproportionate influence with world governing institutions. Two and three decades ago they used to claim
that upwards of ten percent of the population had homosexual orientation. But every study done since then has shown
that their number is no more than one to two percent. It only shows what a powerful spirit is
behind this abominable practice.
The
Bible says that religious leaders ought to be the repositories of scriptural
knowledge and upholders of the Law of God, but instead they have done their
best to steer people away from that Law under the pretence that churches must
keep up with the times.
Mal 2:7 "For the lips of a
priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the
Mal 2:8 messenger of the LORD of
hosts. But you have departed from the
way; You have caused many to stumble at the law.
Mal 2:9 You have corrupted the
covenant of Levi,” Says the LORD of hoists.
"Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base before all
the people, because you have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the
law."
1 Cor 2:6 “However, we speak
wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the
rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
1 Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for
our glory,
1 Cor 2:8 which none of the rulers
of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory.
1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
People
have refused to hear our message because we did not come with polished publications
and great pomp and ceremony. They have
been led to believe that God’s messages come form well dressed, wealthy and
fashionable people. But what do the Scriptures say?
Mark 1:6 “Now John was clothed
with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts
and wild honey.”
Mat 11:7 “As they departed, Jesus
began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into
the wilderness to
Mat 11:8 see? A reed shaken by the
wind?” But what did you go out to see? A
man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in
kings' houses.
Mat 11:9 "But what did you go
out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
Mat
Mat
Those
who were to come in the spirit of Elijah before the return of Jesus Christ,
whose role was to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations before the
end comes, were also ordinary people dressed in ‘sackcloth’ (Rev.11). Any wonder
that the world does not believe them and kills them. But would it do so if they were world renown
people, coming with great pomp and ceremony?
Can you see now how the world is deceived to the very core, and why it
is blind to its true condition?
James 2:5 “Listen, my beloved
brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom
James 2:6 which He promised to
those who love Him? But you have
dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you
James 2:7 and drag you into the
courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble
name by which you are called?
James 2:8 If you really fulfil the
royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbour as
yourself," you do well;
James 2:9 but if you show
partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
What
does the “law of liberty” tell us? To
keep the Law of God, abhor sin. Tell that to the United Sates Supreme Court,
which in June 2003 equated freedom with homosexuality. Little do they realise that in so doing they
signed the death warrant for their own nation.
God does
not change (Mal.3:6). What was abominable in His
sight in ancient times is abominable to Him in modern times too, and always
shall be. That is why those who have not
learned the lesson of history, particularly that of
The
change that is about to hit this world is so great, so radically different from
anything that happened in the past, that most people find it hard to comprehend
the size and scope of it.
Mat 24:21 "For then there
will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the
world until
Mat 24:22 "tis time, no, nor
ever shall be. And unless those days
were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
will be shortened.”
For the
elect’s sake God will intervene and cut those days short, lest no flesh be left
alive. Unless you are among the elect of
God, you cannot make it into the Kingdom of God. You may survive the Great Tribulation and
live a little longer into the Millennial Kingdom, but that is hardly a
consolation for not being among the elect who will not only be spared the pains
of the Great Tribulation, but receive eternal life as well.
Rev 3:10 "Because you have
kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which
shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Not
long ago the leader of the Crystal Cathedral in America told his immaculately
presented and attentive audience how he conducted his prayer before the
Almighty. What did he tell God when he
got on his knees? Nothing! And what did God answer him? Nothing!
He
seems to have done pretty well with his formula for prayer, but do you think a
poor man would get very far if he prayed that way? We do not know what Bible he is using for
inspiration, but we do know that our Bible says something very different about
prayer.
Mat 6:5
"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that
they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their
Mat 6:6
reward. "But you, when you
pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father
who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
openly.
Mat 6:7
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard
Mat 6:8
for their many words.” Therefore
do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of
before you ask Him.”
Our
Father knows what our needs are before we ask Him, but He still wants us to
talk with Him as we would talk with our human parents. The wealthy of this world can afford to pray
whichever way they want, their prayer carries as much weight with God as a bird
feather.
Mat 19:23 “Then Jesus said to His disciples,
"Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the
Mat 19:24 kingdom of heaven. "And again I say to you, it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God."
James 5:1
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming
upon you!
James 5:2
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
James 5:3
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness
against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in
the last days.
James 5:4
Indeed the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept
back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of
the Lord of Sabaoth.
James 5:5
You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened
your hearts as in a day of
James 5:6
slaughter. You have condemned,
you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
James 5:7
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how
the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it
until it receives the early and latter rain.”
James
5:8 You also be patient. Establish your
hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Unless people do what Jesus
Christ and His Apostles said, they can pray standing on their head, it wouldn’t
make a difference. The man who prays in
silence before God came to Australia recently in an evangelistic campaign,
charging $25 for anyone who wanted to hear his precious pearls. Now $25 is a lot of money for a poor person,
but do you think he was concerned with the poor? One does not charge $25 if he wants to reach
the poor. But if he wants to ‘enlighten’
the wealthy, he can charge anything he wants, they
would all make good company in their “heaven”.
Now
do you know why Jesus Christ said that it is hard for a rich man to enter the
Kingdom of Heaven?
Mat 19:16 “Now behold, one came and said to Him,
"Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have
Mat 19:17 eternal life?" So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But
Mat 19:18 if you want to enter into life, keep
the commandments.” He said to Him,
"Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall
not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false
witness,'
Mat 19:19 'Honour your father and your mother,'
and, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'"
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, "All
these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you want
to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
The
heart of the young man could not let him follow Christ because he had great
possessions. Riches are a deadly snare
as far as salvation is concerned. Men
have a hard time parting with their possessions, and that is why it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for the rich to enter the
Kingdom of God. In other words it is
virtually impossible to save rich people.
And when Jesus Christ says something, you better believe that it is
true.
Now
isn’t it extraordinary that this world honours the very people who have the
least chance of being saved? They look at those who are well dressed,
influential and wealthy, who come with great pomp and ceremony, when these are the
least likely people to have an open line of communication with God and receive
His messages. Why do you think God gave
His great end time work to two poor people, ‘clothed in sackcloth’ (Rev. 11:3),
instead of to well off people?
Poor
people know their condition and pray to God in the right manner, with the right
heart, and the right attitude. God is
able to communicate with them, because they communicate with Him. But He cannot pass on His messages to people
that remain deaf-mute before Him?
Prayer
is an interactive process with our heavenly Father. It should contain an eulogy for His wondrous
creation, gratitude for His compassion, grace, and blessings, request for
forgiveness of our sins, and a petition to help us overcome the tests, trials and
tribulations that often come our way.
Our
requests to Him must be moderated by the knowledge that if we ask anything
amiss He does not respond to our prayer.
Our prayers must be in accordance with His will, and that is why it is
important to know what He expects of us in the first place. This is what James said about prayer:
Did
you notice? “The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Prayer and faith go hand in hand.
For a prayer to be effective, it must be done in complete faith. But faith does not come overnight. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God” (Rom 10:17). But if you
cannot find anyone who can inspire you to have faith, you can increase your own
faith by combining prayer, meditation, and study of the Word of God.
James
had a few more golden things to say about prayer too.
James 1:2
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
James 1:3
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
James 1:4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it
James 1:6
will be given him. But let him
ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea
James 1:7
driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the
James 1:8
Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways.
James 1:9
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
One
cannot talk about prayer without mentioning the Master of it – Jesus
Christ. This is what He told His
disciples.
Mat 6:5
"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that
they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their
Mat 6:6
reward. "But you, when you
pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father
who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
openly.
Mat 6:7
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard
Mat 6:8
for their many words.
"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you
have need of before you ask Him.
Mat 6:9
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be
Your name.
Mat 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we
forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the
kingdom and the
Mat 6:14 power and the glory forever.
Amen. "For if you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Mat 6:15 "But if you do not forgive men
their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Millions
of people recite this formula by heart without stoping for a minute to consider
what it really means. Each verset
contains a profound meaning, so speak it slowly, stop and think about every
word of it. Above all, remember the
verset that says, ‘forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors’, and take note how Jesus Christ elaborated on
it. More often than not, people’s
prayers are ineffective because their heart is not right before God. As Apostle Paul said:
2 Cor 13:5
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.
Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?; unless indeed you are
disqualified.”
Indeed,
Jesus Christ lives His life in his genuine followers, and answers their
prayer. This is what He told His
disciples just before He rose to heaven.