Articles
Religious Robots or True Disciples?
they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ~ Acts 17:11
Teaching or Indoctrination? Why Most Religious Education Misses the Point. Too many people today are being trained to repeat what they ve been told, instead of being taught to open the Bible and discover truth for themselves. That s a serious problem. God didn t give us His Word so we could outsource our thinking to some religious system. He gave us His Word so we could read it, believe it, and live by it, personally.
If a teacher truly cares about his students, he won t just hand them a creed or a church manual and say, Here, believe this. He ll put a Bible in their hands and say, Search the Scriptures. That s exactly what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11. They didn t just take Paul s word for it, even though he was an apostle. They searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. That s the mindset every believer should have, test everything by the Word of God, not by someone s authority or tradition.
When people are taught to rely on human opinion instead of Scripture, they end up enslaved to a system, not submitted to God. They become parrots of a doctrine rather than disciples of Christ. The Bible warns about this. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day because they taught for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:7). Paul said plainly, Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:4). That means if someone s teaching doesn t line up with the Bible, we throw it out, no matter how respected they are.
We need to criticize religious education that doesn t teach people to think for themselves with Scripture, but instead turns them into mindless followers of tradition or a specific creed.
Real faith isn t built on blind obedience to man. It s built on the truth of God s Word. God never tells us to follow a man. He tells us to follow Christ (John 10:27). And you can t follow Jesus if you don t know what He said. That s why every believer needs to study the Bible for themselves. Not with the goal of winning arguments or becoming a theologian, but with the goal of knowing God and walking in His truth.
Let s stop raising up people who just inherit religion and start equipping people who actually believe the Bible because they ve read it, wrestled with it, and submitted to it. That s what discipleship looks like.
Not indoctrination, but only what comes from the Word of God. Break Free from the System, Study the Word.
Beware a lot of seminaries today teach things that go against the Bible. Some say the Bible has errors or is outdated, but God says all of it is true (2 Timothy 3:16). Some say you need to do good works, be baptized, or follow church rules to be saved, but the Bible says we re saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Others say repentance just means changing your mind, not turning from sin, but the Bible says real repentance means turning to God (Acts 3:19). Some even say Jesus didn t really rise from the dead, even though the Bible says our faith is useless if He didn t (1 Corinthians 15:17). They also try to erase hell or say it s not forever, but Jesus said it is (Matthew 25:41). Many teach that Genesis isn t real history, but Jesus believed it was (Matthew 19:4). Some twist the Bible to match what culture wants instead of sticking to what God said (Isaiah 40:8). Others say everyone is God s child, but only those who trust Jesus are (John 1:12). They act like Jesus never talked about sin or judgment, but He warned people constantly. Worst of all, they say doctrine doesn t matter, but the Bible says it does (1 Timothy 4:16). This kind of teaching doesn t help people, it confuses them and keeps them lost.
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Jesus Is God: Scripture’s Testimony from Prophecy to Revelation
The Bible, from beginning to end, proclaims a remarkable truth: Jesus Christ is God. This affirmation is woven throughout Scripture, revealed progressively through prophecy, realized in the Gospels, preached by the apostles, and ultimately displayed in the glory of Christ’s return. Relying on Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura), we will trace the biblical witness to Jesus’ deity – starting with Old Testament prophecies, moving through Christ’s life and claims, and concluding with the apostolic testimony and the future revelation of His glory. All along, we’ll see that the entire Bible affirms that Jesus is truly God.
Old Testament Prophecies of the Divine Messiah
Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of a Messiah who would be more than a mere man – He would be God with us. Isaiah, writing centuries in advance, announced a child to come who would carry divine titles: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This promised child is explicitly called Mighty God, indicating that the Messiah would embody God’s power and presence. Similarly, Isaiah prophesied the miraculous birth of a son from a virgin, saying “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means “God with us,” a sign that the coming Messiah would be God Himself dwelling among His people.
Other prophets echoed this hope of a divine deliverer. Micah predicted the Messiah’s birthplace and eternal nature: “But you, O Bethlehem… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2). Though born in Bethlehem, the Messiah’s origin is “from ancient days” – from eternity – an attribute only God can claim. Jeremiah likewise spoke of a righteous king from David’s line who would be called Yahweh Himself: “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch… and this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5–6). To call the Messiah “The LORD (Yahweh) Our Righteousness” is to identify Him with Israel’s God.
In these and other prophecies, the Old Testament lays the foundation for Christ’s deity. The prophets anticipated a Savior who is God coming to save His people. Malachi, for instance, recorded God’s promise, “Behold, I send my messenger… and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (Malachi 3:1). In the New Testament, this was fulfilled when John the Baptist prepared the way and Jesus – the Lord – came to the temple. Likewise, Isaiah 40:3 declares, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD (Yahweh); make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” All four Gospels apply this verse to John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus (e.g. Mark 1:2–3). In doing so, Scripture equates Jesus with the LORD God for whom the way is prepared. From these prophecies, the message is clear: the expected Messiah would be God Himself entering history.
The Gospels: “God With Us” in Jesus Christ
When we turn to the New Testament Gospels, we see those ancient prophecies coming to fruition. The very beginning of Matthew’s Gospel proclaims Jesus’ divine identity. Matthew recounts the angel’s message to Joseph that Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that this fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23). From His birth, Jesus is identified as God come in the flesh, dwelling among His people. The title “Immanuel” isn’t just a name – it’s a reality fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The apostle John opens his Gospel with an even more direct statement of Christ’s deity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Here John calls Jesus “the Word” (in Greek, Logos) and plainly states that He was God and existed with God from the beginning. A few verses later John continues: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This is the essence of the Incarnation – the eternal Word, who is God, took on human nature and lived among us as Jesus of Nazareth. John even reiterates, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18, ESV). Jesus, as God the Son, makes the Father known because He shares the Father’s divine nature.
Throughout the Gospels, the narrative repeatedly affirms Jesus’ divine identity through His works and titles. Jesus has authority that only God has – commanding the forces of nature, creating abundance from nothing, and even raising the dead. In one striking scene, Jesus forgives a paralyzed man’s sins, saying, “My son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The Jewish scribes react with shock: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). Indeed, forgiving sins is God’s prerogative, yet Jesus exercises that authority, demonstrating that God Himself is present in Jesus. Likewise, when Jesus walked on water and calmed a raging storm with a word, His disciples worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). They recognized in that moment that Jesus was no mere prophet – even the winds and waves obey Him, just as the Old Testament says the seas obey only the LORD (cf. Psalm 107:29). The appropriate response was worship, an honor reserved for God alone, and Jesus accepted it. Repeatedly, the Gospels show Jesus being honored in ways that affirm His deity: at His birth wise men fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:11); after His resurrection, disciples “worshiped him” (Matthew 28:17). Jesus never rebuked such worship. On the contrary, He declared, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Clearly, the Gospel writers present Jesus as “God with us,” fulfilling the promises that God Himself would come to save His people.
Christ’s Own Claims and Divine Works
Jesus not only fulfilled prophecies and inspired worship; He explicitly claimed divine identity and demonstrated divine authority during His ministry. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes a series of profound “I AM” statements that echo the very name of God revealed in the Old Testament. Most striking is John 8:58, where Jesus tells the Jews, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” This statement, “I AM,” hearkens back to God’s self-identification to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM WHO I AM”). The crowd understood Jesus’ meaning immediately – they picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy, because He, a man, was claiming to be the eternal God (John 8:59). On another occasion Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and again His Jewish listeners accused Him: “You, a mere man, make yourself God” (John 10:33). Far from correcting them, Jesus stood by His claims, even as they sought His death for it. In fact, the charge against Jesus at His trial was blasphemy – the high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?” Jesus answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61–62). In this reply, Jesus not only accepted the title Son of God but also applied to Himself the prophecy of Daniel 7:13–14 (the Son of Man coming with divine authority). The council understood this as a claim to divine status and condemned Him for blasphemy (Mark 14:63–64). Jesus plainly asserted His equality with God, leaving no room to view Him as just a human teacher or prophet.
Beyond words, Jesus’s works bore witness to His deity. He displayed sovereignty over creation by instantly calming storms (Mark 4:39) and walking on water (Matthew 14:25). He showed authority over life and death by raising Lazarus from the tomb (John 11:43–44) and by His own resurrection power – He declared “I have authority to lay down my life, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18). Jesus also exercised divine judgment and forgiveness. He claimed the authority to forgive sins on earth (Mark 2:10) and to execute final judgment, saying “the Father… has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father” (John 5:22–23). Think of that: all people are to honor Jesus just as they honor the Father God – anything less, Jesus says, dishonors the Father (John 5:23). This only makes sense if Jesus shares in the Father’s divine nature and glory. Indeed, Jesus spoke of the glory He had with the Father “before the world existed” (John 17:5), a clear claim to His pre-existence and deity.
Finally, consider the testimony of Thomas, one of Jesus’s own disciples. After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas initially doubted, but when the risen Christ appeared to him, Thomas cried out in worship, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus accepted Thomas’s declaration without hesitation, commending the faith that led to it. If Jesus were not truly God, this would have been the moment to correct a disciple – yet Jesus did not correct Thomas. Instead, He affirmed Thomas’s belief and pronounced a blessing on all who would likewise believe in His divine identity (John 20:29. In sum, Jesus’ own words and miraculous works consistently point to one conclusion: He is God incarnate.
The Apostles’ Testimony to Christ’s Deity
After Jesus’s resurrection and ascension, His apostles continued boldly proclaiming that Jesus is God. They did this in sermons, in letters to the churches, and by applying to Jesus Old Testament passages about the LORD. The apostle Peter, for example, opens one of his letters by addressing it “to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). Peter explicitly calls Jesus our God and Savior. The apostle Paul uses similar language, looking forward to “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he describes Christ as “God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:5, NIV). Paul had been a strict monotheistic Pharisee, yet after encountering the risen Jesus, he did not hesitate to refer to Jesus as God.
Paul also teaches Christ’s deity in many ways beyond just the title “God.” In Colossians, he writes of Christ: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9, NASB). Everything that makes God “God” – His essence, nature, and attributes – fully dwells in Jesus, even as He has a bodily form. Earlier in that letter, Paul exalts Jesus as the pre-existent creator: “He is the image of the invisible God… for by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15–17). Such descriptions go far beyond any mere human. Jesus is the perfect image of God and the agent of creation itself – roles only God can fulfill. Paul also writes that before Jesus became man, “though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant… And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:6–8). Yet after His resurrection, Jesus is highly exalted so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11). Paul here deliberately echoes Isaiah 45:23, where the LORD (Yahweh) says, “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” The apostles take what was said of Yahweh and apply it to Jesus, declaring that all creation will bow to Jesus just as God commanded it bow to Himself. Clearly, they viewed Jesus as one with the LORD.
The author of Hebrews likewise presents Christ as fully divine. He writes, “[The Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is the shining forth of God’s glory and exactly shares God’s nature – a strong statement of deity. In that same chapter, the writer quotes Psalm 45: “Of the Son [God] says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever’” (Hebrews 1:8). This is astounding: Scripture records God the Father addressing the Son as “God,” enthroned forever. Furthermore, Hebrews 1:6 tells us that when Jesus came into the world, God said, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” Only God is to be worshiped, yet the angels are commanded to worship Jesus, underscoring that Jesus shares the Father’s divine honor. The apostle John adds his testimony in his epistles, stating in 1 John 5:20, “We are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” By calling Jesus the true God, John leaves no doubt about who Jesus is.
Everywhere we look in the New Testament, the earliest Christians declare Jesus is Lord – and in the context of their Jewish faith, “Lord” (Kyrios in Greek) was the word used for Yahweh in the Greek Scriptures. For example, when the disciple Stephen was martyred, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59), the same way Jesus Himself had prayed, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Calling on Jesus in prayer shows the church regarded Him as divine. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul describes Christians as those who “call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” an expression that reflects worship and prayer (and echoes Joel 2:32’s “call on the name of the LORD” applied now to Jesus). To sum up: the apostles – Peter, Paul, John, and all – uniformly taught and confessed that Jesus Christ is God, one with the Father, worthy of worship and equal in divine honor.
The Future Revelation of Christ’s Glory
The Bible’s final book, Revelation, pulls back the curtain of time to show the ultimate reality of Jesus’s divine glory. In Revelation, the apostle John has a vision of the risen, exalted Christ and falls at His feet. Jesus reassures him saying: “Fear not, I am the First and the Last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:17–18). “The First and the Last” is a title God uses for Himself in Isaiah 44:6, yet Jesus now applies it to Himself, having conquered death. Similarly, at the end of Revelation, Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13). The Alpha and Omega, the eternal beginning and ending of all things, is clearly God – and Jesus unabashedly owns that title. This is the triumphant affirmation that Jesus is eternally God, Lord of all history.
Revelation also depicts worship of Jesus in heaven, completing the biblical picture of Christ’s deity. In one scene, all the angels and elders in heaven sing praises to Jesus, the Lamb, saying “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12). Soon “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea” joins in worship, singing, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13). The Lamb (Jesus) shares the throne and the worship with God Himself. The vision is unmistakable: in the heavenly throne room, Jesus the Lamb is glorified alongside the Father, with equal praise. And the elders “fell down and worshiped” (Revelation 5:14). In a monotheistic faith where worship is due to God alone, the Lamb’s reception of universal worship means that Jesus is God Almighty, worthy of all glory.
Moreover, Revelation 19:16 portrays Christ’s return as King of kings and Lord of lords, a title signifying that He reigns supreme over all rulers, a role only God can fill ultimately. When Christ returns, “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7), echoing the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 where the LORD says, “they will look on Me whom they have pierced.” The one pierced on the cross was Jesus – thus Revelation identifies Jesus with the LORD who spoke in Zechariah. He comes on the clouds in power and great glory, as Jesus Himself predicted (Matthew 24:30). In the final chapters, we see the New Jerusalem needing no sun, “for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). The Lamb shares the very glory of God, illuminating all of the eternal city. And in that city, John writes, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him” (Revelation 22:3). God and the Lamb share one throne, and His people serve and worship Him (singular). This is a breathtaking picture of the unity of God and the Lamb – Jesus reigning as God in the ages to come.
Conclusion: The Whole Bible Affirms Jesus is God
From the first promises of a Redeemer to the final vision of the risen Lord, Scripture consistently testifies to the deity of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets prepared us to expect a divine Messiah – “God with us.” The Gospels unveil Jesus as that promised divine Savior, in whom the fullness of God dwells bodily. Jesus’ own words and works left no doubt that He claimed and proved equality with the Father. The apostles, convinced by His resurrection and taught by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed Jesus as Lord and God, deserving of worship and Lordship over all. And the Book of Revelation crowns this testimony with a portrait of Jesus in heavenly glory, ruling forever as God King.
This magnificent truth is not based on later legends or human tradition, but on the unified voice of Scripture itself. As Jesus said, “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), and Scripture declares Christ’s identity in plain terms. Therefore, standing on the foundation of God’s Word alone, we confidently affirm: Jesus is truly God. He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus we behold our Lord and our God – from now into eternity, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).
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666: What the Bible Really Says About the Number of the Beast
There are few numbers in the Bible that grab people’s attention like 666. You’ll find it in Revelation 13:18, where it says, “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” That’s not superstition. That’s the Word of God. And when God says something is worth understanding, we’d better pay attention.
Some think 666 is just a symbol or a scary number, but the Bible tells us exactly what it is, the number of a man. That means it’s not some mystical or magical idea floating around in darkness. It’s tied directly to mankind. Revelation says the Beast will rise with great power and authority, and people will be forced to receive a mark, on their right hand or forehead. Without it, no one can buy or sell (Revelation 13:16–17). So the issue isn’t about the number alone, it’s about what it represents: control, worship, and loyalty.
The number 666 shows up right in the middle of a warning about a world system that demands total obedience. It isn’t just about a tattoo or a chip or a barcode, it’s about giving in to a system that puts itself in place of God. Revelation shows that this Beast is not just political, it’s spiritual. It opposes everything about God and demands that people worship it instead. That’s why this number matters. It marks someone who has chosen the wrong side, not by accident, but by aligning with a system that rejects God and exalts man.
So why 666? Throughout the Bible, the number 7 often represents God’s perfection and completeness. For example, the Bible speaks of seven days in creation, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven churches. But the number 6 falls short of that. It represents man, created on the sixth day. Stack it up three times, 666, and you get man trying to be God but never measuring up. It’s man-centered religion, man-centered government, and man-centered salvation. But none of it saves. It’s the ultimate counterfeit.
The danger today is real. We live in a world where more and more control is being handed over to systems that promise safety, prosperity, and peace, but only if you comply. Revelation is warning us in advance, a day will come when people will be asked to choose between loyalty to God and loyalty to this world system. And those who choose the Beast will bear its mark. They’ll go along with the crowd, but they will lose their soul.
But God hasn’t left us without hope. Revelation 14 shows a different group, those who belong to the Lamb, Jesus Christ. They have His name written on their foreheads. These are the ones who refuse to bow, refuse to compromise, and refuse to take the mark. The Bible is clear, if you belong to Christ, your name is written in the Book of Life. You don’t need to fear 666 if you’re sealed by God.
This is not about fearmongering. This is about choosing your master. The world offers temporary comfort in exchange for eternal loss. Jesus offers eternal life, but it comes with a cost, faithfulness, even when it’s hard. Revelation is not about guessing who the Beast is. It’s about warning us not to join him. You don’t need to know every theory about the end times to understand the main message, don’t bow to anything or anyone that tries to take the place of Jesus Christ.
So here’s the bottom line. 666 is not some random number. It’s a warning. It points to a future time when the world will be forced to decide. And that decision will reveal your heart. Are you living for God, or will you sell out to a system that stands against Him? Don’t get caught up in speculation. Stay grounded in the truth. Know what the Bible says, and trust Jesus alone to save you.
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When They All Look UP!
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
By Mike Wingfield
During the April 8 solar eclipse that moved across America, God’s Spirit reminded me of how utterly uniformed people are about what is about to take place across our planet. As I watched the eclipse on TV, I was reminded that there will be a day every person on earth will be looking toward the heavens. On this day, they will not be looking at a solar eclipse. They will be looking in utter awe at the supernatural heavenly sign that will accompany the King of Kings to this earth!
This recent eclipse was a rare celestial occurrence and was certainly worthy of our attention. However, that eclipse pales in comparison to the amazing supernatural events that will take place during the Tribulation Period. And especially to the last day when Christ returns to earth. Predictably, people were mesmerized by the recent solar eclipse, because of the media hype leading to April 8.
For months, we were bombarded with details of this eclipse, and its direct path across North America. We also know that the next eclipse that will sweep across America will take place in 44 years. How can scientists make these accurate and precise predictions? The Bible has the answer. In the beginning of His creation, the Lord placed the sun, moon, stars, and planets in the heavens for the benefit of man on earth. The Bible says, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).
God set the order of these heavenly bodies in an exact arrangement and orbit in relationship to earth time. Since the time of their creation, the heavenly bodies have continued to travel through space with incredibly accurate precision. God made the heavens to be a giant clock and calendar. The exact movements of the earth and the heavenly bodies are very predictable because God made them that way. People around is with woke agendas say there are no absolutes. These people need to look up! God’s testimony of faithfulness and sovereign design are all around us!
As I watched the eclipse on April 8, I was drawn to comments being voiced by news reporters and people they interviewed. I was captured by the superlative words they voiced to the viewing audience. Words like “miraculous,” “incredible,” “amazing,” and “awesome,” were commonly used to describe the eclipse. Some people even called it a “supernatural moment.”
As I heard these comments, I thought to myself, “These people do not know what awaits the inhabitants of earth.” As we approach the end of this age, it is critically important that we inform all people that God created and appointed the position and path of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. And the same God has also informed us in His written revelation concerning what He has in store for the world. God has ordained that the incredible signs in the heavens and earth when Christ returns to earth, will be the most awesome manifestation of the power and glory of God ever witnessed by man.
I continue to be amazed and dazzled by the written revelation of God concerning man’s final days on earth. The Bible refers to the unique seven-year period of the Tribulation Period as “the day of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:12; Joel 2:11). This will be the day the Lord of heaven will miraculously intervene into the affairs of man. In His wrathful anger He will pour out His vengeance upon all the wicked, rebellious inhabitants of earth. Isaiah 24:5 tells us why the Lord will do this, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, [and have] broken the everlasting covenant.” This simply means that God will have reached His final toleration point because man defiantly rejected His spiritual and moral code of conduct that is summarized in the 10 Commandments. Man is continually defying God by attempting to change His creative order. This is at the heart of man’s Artificial Intelligence rebellion. People refuse to accept “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7) that God established with Israel 3,400 years ago, giving them the Promised Land as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).
Furthermore, the nations are once again united in their goal to destroy the Jewish people and to annihilate the modern nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah declared that this violent rejection of Israel will be at the center of God’s wrathful judgment that will be inflicted upon all the nations. Concerning the Tribulation Period, Isaiah declared, “For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8). The current attacks we are witnessing on Israel for defending itself against Islamic enemies are a testimony to the world’s commitment that will be fulfilled when they march against God and Israel at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation.
“Signs” are a manifestation of the power and glory of Almighty God. They are aimed at bringing mankind to a point of awe and humiliation as they recognize God’s supernatural intervention into the physical world of finite man. They are designed to cause wonder and fear, bringing man to repentance and submission to God.
The entire seven years of the Tribulation will be marked by continual supernatural events in both the heavens and the earth. The Bible calls them “signs.” This word could also be translated as “wonders” or “miracles.” In other words, a sign is a supernatural event that is the direct work from the hand of God. These signs are a manifestation of the power and glory of Almighty God. They are aimed at bringing mankind to a point of awe and humiliation as they recognize God’s supernatural intervention into the physical world of finite man. They are designed to cause wonder and fear, bringing man to repentance and submission to God.
For example, near the beginning of the Tribulation, the Lord will strike the world with a massive global earthquake that will trigger a multitude of volcanic eruptions (Revelation 6:12). This will be accompanied by great signs in the atmospheric heavens. “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (Revelation 6:13-14).
As a result of these devastating and threatening signs on the earth and in the heavens, the people of earth will all flee to the mountains to find some shelter from the supernatural storm of God. They will cry out to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand” (Revelation 6:16-17)?
The Tribulation Period will be filled with deadly and destructive signs that will bring about an unparalleled global death toll and global devastation that will destroy civilized humanity as we know it in these modern times (Isaiah 24).
When the final day comes, all the inhabitants of earth will look up to the heavens to see the sign of the coming of the Son of Man.
By God’s design, the climax of all these signs will culminate on the final day of the Tribulation Period. A multitude of Scriptures give the awesome details of this final day when the Messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus, will be unveiled in all His glory, power, and majesty (Psalm 18:7-15; 97:3-6; Micah 1:3-6; Nahum 1:5-8).
When the final day comes, all the inhabitants of earth will look up to the heavens to see the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. The apostle John said, “and every eye shall see him” (Revelation 1:7). Matthew recorded the words of Jesus about this day, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. … Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:27, 29-30).
Yes, people cheered with amazement as looked toward the sky to see the recent solar eclipse. However, when people all look up at the sign of the coming of the Lord in the heavens, they will have a different reaction. Luke reports about their response on that day, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:25-27).
Unlike the predictable eclipse Americans just witnessed, the earthly and heavenly signs that will unfold during the Tribulation are unparalleled in human history. And these coming events are not on the radar of the world’s astronomers. The human mind and all our God-given senses have never experienced what will transpire in God’s final chapter of man’s rule on earth. God has promised that He will not only violently shake the earth (Isaiah 2:19-21), but also the heavens above (Hebrews 12:25-26).
What the Lord will do in the future is reminiscent of what He did in the days of Moses when He set His people free from the cruelty and unjust oppression of the most powerful nation on earth in those ancient times – Egypt. Before Moses was sent to Egypt with His divine assignment, the Lord told him what would happen, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them (Exodus 7:3-5).
God unleashed His arsenal of terror upon Egypt because they refused to yield to His will to allow His people to go into the Promised Land that God had given them (Exodus 6:1-8). In a similar way, God is calling His people from their exile from the land of Israel for 2,000 years. He has promised, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).The world has wrestled with God concerning the land of Israel and the Jewish people from the beginning of the modern nation of Israel to this day. It now appears that we are entering into the final phase of the world’s attack upon the Jewish people. The final chapter of this war between God and the nations will be concluded during the Tribulation Period.
It is important to note what happens to those who oppose God. He hardens their hearts and leads them to their demise. Throughout the Exodus account, the Scriptures remind us that Pharoah hardened his heart against the call to let the Jewish people leave Egypt. Then, suddenly in the narrative, the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This hardened heart of Pharaoh led to His own demise, the death of his people, the destruction of his nation, and the death of his army in the Red Sea (Exodus 7-11, 14). God unleashed His divine power in a series of deadly plagues.
A similar development took place during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. God hardened the hearts of the people living in the land of Canaan so that they would war against Israel, ultimately bringing them to their demise. Joshua 11:20 reports, “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
History is repeating itself. It is very apparent that the global population has reached the spiritual point of no return. They reject His commandments. They are attempting to confuse and rearrange His creative order. They refuse to recognize and honor the everlasting covenant that God established with Abraham, giving his descendants the Promised Land.
History is repeating itself. It is very apparent that the global population has reached the spiritual point of no return. Except for a small remnant of true believers, the nations are in rebellion against God. They reject His commandments. They are attempting to confuse and rearrange His creative order. They refuse to recognize and honor the everlasting covenant that God established with Abraham, giving his descendants the Promised Land in “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7). God has given the Jewish people their land as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).
By Mike Wingfield
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