Comet ISON: a Sign of the Lord's Return?

When we look at all the signs of the times that have been happening around us, if we know how to interpret them, it's easy to see that we are about to experience the Lord's return to collect His Bride.  If you go back and look at some of the things I've reported on in this blog in the past, and then you look at what is happening now, you get the sense of what time it is on God's clock.  We're at less than a second before midnight -- in other words, there is no time left.

Jesus said, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Mat 24:29-31)

Final Run Up to the Rapture
Here is the sequence give by our Lord Jesus:
1.  Jerusalem surrounded by armies - "...But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near..." (Luk 21:20; compare Mt 24:15, regarding the abomination of desolation).
2. Cosmic disturbance and darkness - "...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." This indicates that there will be a period of worldwide darkness without any light from the sun or moon.
3. Sign of the Son of Man - "...then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky." This indicates all mankind will be able to see "the sign" of Jesus Christ in the sky.  Oden Hetrick taught that this sign is the City and Throne of God that will be seen in the sky.
4. Jesus Coming on the Clouds of Glory - "...they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."  This means mankind will see the Lord coming in the sky on the clouds of glory.

We know that the next event after Jesus comes on the clouds of the sky is that He will collect His Bride (the rapture), because He says, "He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect."

The Tie in with Comet ISON
So what does this have to do with comet ISON? First, let's begin by looking at the name of the comet.  ISON is an acronym for International Scientific Optical Network, which is the location of the facility in Russia where the comet was first discovered.

I'd like to share with you what has been impressed on my spirit about this comet's interesting name. I feel that if this is the sign of the Son of Man, this name could mean "I Son."  By the way, I am not the first one to postulate this idea.  I have heard someone else say it, and it could certainly be true.  In other words, it would be the Lord's signal to His Bride that "I am the Son of God," or that He is the "Number One Son," as in the Roman Numeral One, signifying the fact that He is God's only begotten Son, the Firstborn (Luke 2:7,23; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15,18; Heb. 1:6; 11:28; 12:23; Rev. 1:5).

Secondly, in addition to the unique name for the comet, which may be significant and symbolic of things to come, this comet is also unique in that it was the first comet discovered during the second half of September 2012, and it is not periodic, meaning its journey is not a recurring event.  That means this is a one-time deal!  Our Lord referred to "THE sign of the Son of Man," and He did not simply call it "A sign."  He used the definite article to indicate it's unique character.

Even the media called it "THE Comet of the Century," because it was so impressive.  It's outer coma was ten times the earth's diameter, the inner section is about twice the width of the earth, and it was traveling at around a maximum speed of 635,000 miles per hour (176 miles per second)!  The last time we saw an object like this was never. And it will never come back.  Its not an insignificant sign, by any means.  And this is just one of seven comets right now.

Throughout history, comets have been seen as harbingers or signs of impending disaster, such as war.  So when Jesus predicted that "the sign of the Son of Man" would appear in the sky, it is possible that it may be a comet.

Thirdly, there is a chance that a meteor shower could occur in connection with the comet, in which case, the stars would appear to fall from the sky.  A meteor shower on Earth is the result of an interaction between our planet and streams of debris from a comet. We have already seen this happening at an unprecedented rate this year without any help from Comet ISON.  According to the American Meteor Society, by the middle of October 2013, there had already been over 2,100 meteors year-to-date, which was as many as there had been in the entire previous year of 2012!  There have been thousands of recent sightings of fireballs falling from the sky to the earth.  You can see spectacular video footage of some of them here.  During the period from 2009 to 2013, my wife and children cumulatively saw a total of three fireballs, and that is just in Hungary, and just one family!  Our Lord told us the stars would fall from the sky right before His return.  In 2007 and 2008, there were no fireballs with sound, and only one in 2009.  In 2010 there were fifteen of them.  By 2011, there were 182, and in 2012 there were 249.  You can see an exponential increase in the number of them.

As these things fall, they remind us of missiles.  And I know some people have gotten prophetic warnings about asteroids hitting the earth, so we know that is going to happen in the last days.  However, lately, the thought has come to me that nations may mistake these objects as incoming missiles -- whether they be asteroids or meteors -- and launch their nuclear missiles out of fear.  In fact, I shared this with my family on November 25, after I posted this blog.

What Are the Odds?
You may think we should dismiss these possibilities, since the odds of these events happening are slim to none, but remember this one thing.  God usually operates on astronomically small possibilities.  In fact, He has a long track record of doing the absolutely impossible.  For example, raising the dead, causing barren women to have children, causing a virgin to conceive a child, walking on water, healing incurable diseases, feeding thousands with the meal of a small boy, and ascending bodily from earth to heaven, just to name a few.  Therefore, don't be too quick to dismiss the possibilities I've mentioned regarding connections between ISON and the Lord's return.

The Three Days of Darkness
I'd like to say a word about the coming days of darkness, which are so controversial. The Lord has spoken prophetically to His Bride (the Elect) that there will soon be an unspecified cosmic disturbance, followed by an unspecified cataclysmic event that all mankind will see and hear, followed by three days of darkness. Although the reputable evangelist, Oden Hetrick taught this back in 1977, and since then many believers have independently sensed the Lord speaking to them about this same thing, some people have rejected this as a false prophecy.  So it is important that we test the spirits and discern whether this is Scriptural.

First of all, when our Lord hung on the cross, it became as dark as night time outdoors. The Scripture states, "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two." (Luk 23:44-45).

This was a fulfillment of the Scripture that says, "'It will come about in that day,' declares the Lord GOD, 'That I will make the sun go down at noon And make the earth dark in broad daylight.'" (Amo 8:9)

For three hours from noon to three o'clock, it was dark across the land, because the sun was obscured.  It was a darkness you could feel. At the end of that time, He indicated the palpable nature of it in His prayer to the Father.  "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' That is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"  (Mat 27:46)

This reminds me of the Ninth Plague, recorded in Exodus, which was darkness.  "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." (Ex 10:21-23, NKJV)

The darkness was over the whole land of Egypt for three days, and it was a darkness which could even be felt.  During that time, all the people stayed in their dwelling places, and it was dark inside their homes.  But the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Amazingly, we are seeing some of the Exodus plagues of Egypt repeated in our day, which I have reported on in the past.  For example, if you review my previous posts, Something is Going on in 2012  and Something is Going on in 2013, you will see that rivers have even inexplicably turned blood red, which was the First Plague that God sent upon Egypt through Moses (Ex 7:14-25).  In that plague, the fish in the Nile died, and today we have also seen that millions of fish have inexplicably have died in the water. The terrible and extensive judgments which are going to fall upon the world just before the return of Christ, as prophesied in the book of Revelation, are similar to those plagues that God sent upon Egypt when He was about to deliver Israel.  And since Jesus Himself prophesied that there would be a period of darkness before He comes to collect His elect (Mt 24:29-31), we know it will happen!

During the coming three days of darkness, I believe we, too will feel the darkness.  We are to stay in our homes, repenting, praying, and seeking the face of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. His people will be protected by the blood of Jesus.  I urge you to read about this event at this link and this link.  These are links to prophetic messages given to a sister in Australia, named Bonnie, whom I think is hearing clearly from the Lord.  She is one of numerous people around the world separately receiving this same message from the Lord.  I also recommend reading the prophetic word called These Three Days. Also see Psalm 105:28.

Christ experienced a palpable darkness in His suffering and death on the cross for us. And the apostle Paul taught that "it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." (Phil 1:29).  In fact, we should pray as Paul did to know Christ, which is not only knowing the power of His resurrection, "but also participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Phil 3:10).  It should not surprise us if we must experience a period of darkness, participating in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. Peter said, "But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Pe 4:13)

The Lord declares, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa 60:1-3).

In the midst of this crisis, even while darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, we must arise and shine for our Light will come and the glory of the Lord will rise upon us.  After the days of darkness, the Lord will rise upon us and His glory will appear upon us.  Peoples will come to our light.  In other words, people will be drawn to the light in us.

Regardless of whether or not this darkness occurs in conjunction with a comet, and whether or not it lasts for three days, it is going to happen before the Lord returns, because the Scriptures say so (see Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; 60:2; Joel 2:1-3, 9-10, 20, 31; 3:14-16; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:24; Ac 2:20; Rev.6:12-13.). I now refer you back to the sequence given by our Lord Jesus in Scripture, pertaining to the final run up to the rapture, which I have already covered above.

Comet ISON: a 911 Emergency
In this section, I would like to highlight some of the confirmations that took place after I published this article.

First, I sent this blog to a brother in Christ on November 25th to evaluate.  The next morning on November 26th, I received a link from him to his short video testimony, in which he said he prayed and the Lord confirmed to him that there would be an emergency in connection with this comet. I assumed he had read this article, and that it might have influenced his actions or the outcomes.  But when I spoke to him by phone later on in the evening, he didn't even know I had sent this blog to him.  He had no idea what it was about.  So what he got from the Lord was completely independent of what I was led by the Lord to write here. [November 30, 2013 Update: Since the comet disintegrated after its trip around the sun, this brother stated, "The word I got from the Lord was only 'Emergency,' the rest was only speculations and assumption so let's wait and see.God bless."

Secondly, after posting this article, I also saw a scientific and mathematical approach by a watchman that predicted a disintegration event will occur with ISON.  Since then, we know the comet did disintegrate during its trip around the sun. The debris trail behind the comet is perhaps 5 million miles wide and growing wider each day.  He estimates that for a period that may be around a total of seven days, the earth will pass along its orbital path through that debris trail.  That is how this debris could strike the earth.  I highly recommend watching this brother's video for the details.

As I said, all of these things happened after posting this article, so they all served as confirmations to me.  Since then, more confirmations have happened, resulting in my follow up article Confirmations About ISON as a Sign of the Lord's Return.

Putting it All Together
I had wondered if Comet ISON was the sign of the Son of Man in the sky, and I originally raised that question through this article.  However, it passed behind the sun on November 28, 2013, and only part of its nucleus survived intact initially.  Unfortunately that seemed to fizzle by November 30, leaving nothing more than a cluster of comet remnants with no ionic tail.  Please bear in mind that some of those remnants are perhaps as big as the earth itself, so we will have to wait and see what comes of them in December. Yet even if this comet is not the sign of the Son of Man, I believe that when put together with all the other signs happening, we can safely conclude that one of the many signs that His coming is near.

There are still some major events that we can expect to see before Jesus comes. We know from Scripture that Jerusalem will be captured (see Ezk.38,  Joel 2,  Zec.14:2-7,  Mark 13:14), then there will be worldwide darkness (no sunlight or moonlight), followed by the appearance in the sky of "the sign of the Son of Man." This sign will appear for an unspecified period of time. Afterward we will all see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of glory with His holy angels.  He is coming now to collect His Bride, and will send His angels to gather His elect from the four winds.  Will you be ready?

I am not setting any dates for the Lord's return.  But this is not the time to be caught up in the distractions of the world or the busy-ness of life, and neglect the Lord.  It's time to wake up from our slumber, repent, seek the Lord Jesus while He may be found.  Draw near to Him, and spend time with Him.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (Jas 4:8-10)

It's time to get ready, so that you don't miss the rapture of the Bride of Christ.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photo of comet ISON on April 30, 2013, courtesy NASA.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

Please prayerfully listen to the prophetic messages I have linked to, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these individuals.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.  Please allow me to encourage you to read "Testing the Spirits of False Prophets," "Discerning the Things of the Spirit," and "A Warning to the Nay Sayers."

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Confirmations About ISON as a Sign of the Lord's Return,  Urgent: Jesus Christ's Return is Imminent - 2013, Comet ISON, Emergency Call 911, Outline of Endtime Events, my daughter's poem The Midnight Hour, and the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar.  You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Urgent: Jesus Christ's Return is Imminent

I have already written to you earlier this month about how Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality and the fact that America’s Destruction is at Hand. These things alone should be enough evidence of where we are in God's timeline.

However, today I want to share with you the following message about the nearness of our Lord's return.  Jesus Christ is coming very, very, very soon.

The Day of Our Lord’s Wedding is at Hand

Please be ready!  He is coming now!  If you are not right with Him, please repent and turn everything in your life over to Jesus.  If you are walking with Him already in holiness, righteousness, and truth, then look up, for your redemption draws near!

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

Please prayerfully listen to this the testimonies I have linked to, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these individuals.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.  Please allow me to encourage you to read "Testing the Spirits of False Prophets," "Discerning the Things of the Spirit," and "A Warning to the Nay Sayers."

 If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Tsunami and Earthquake Vision, my daughter's poem The Midnight Hour, and the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. The "Time is at Hand" painting © 2012 is by Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality

Francis' 1st address as pope, St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013.

I have written previously about the changing of the popes in Something's Going on in 2013.  In that article, I pointed to the prophetic signs surrounding the resignation of Pope Benedict and the rise of Pope Francis on 13 March 2013.  Recently I heard Elvi Zapata say that the Lord showed him Pope Francis is the second beast of Revelation 13, which is the false prophet.  In that July 2013 broadcast, Elvi predicted that the pope would be pro-homosexual and would say so soon. So I decided to check on the pope's position on homosexuality, and found that he has already vocalized his stance on homosexuality, in fulfillment of Elvi's prediction.  I was amazed to see just how explicitly he has done so!  He has not simply implied his position through innuendo, but come out openly in favor of it.

The Advocate reported on October 10, 2013 that Italian Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group Kairos of Florence wrote a letter to the pope in June, and the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members.

"The group declined to reveal the contents of its original letter or of Pope Francis's response, but confirmed that the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members. Kairos also received a letter from the Vatican's secretariat of state, which reportedly said Pope Francis ‘really enjoyed’ the letter and the way it was written, according to The Tablet."

"Pope Francis continues to make headlines for statements that seem more tolerant and accepting of LGBT people than those of his predecessors, though there has been no change in official Catholic doctrine condemning homosexual acts and opposing marriage equality. In September, Francis said the church shouldn't ‘interfere spiritually’ with the lives of LGBT people in a wide-ranging interview in which he also said the church cannot focus solely on opposing abortion, contraception, and marriage equality. A month earlier, the pope told a group of reporters that he wouldn't judge gay priests, asking, ‘If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’”

Read more at Pope Francis Writes Private Letter to Gay Catholics.

Time magazine reported Pope Francis also challenged Catholic attitudes about homosexuality:

“In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this,” the Pope said before restating his unprecedented July comments about not judging gay people. “Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.”

“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality,” he continued. “I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”

Read more: Pope Francis Expresses Tolerance of Gays, Support for Women

Codewit reported on October 8, 2013, “Pope Francis said today that he favors the right of gays to marry.”

Pope Francis on 20 March 2013

“In an interview with Lithuanian newspaper Rausva Plunksna, the leader of the Catholic Church explains that since gays are part of God's creation, they deserve the same rights and respect as all human beings.”

"We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years," he told a reporter aboard the papal jet. "We now know that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with. If our Lord decides that someone should come into this world  a certain way, who are we to judge His choice?"

"And for those who do judge, where exactly in the Bible does it say marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships? Is it in the Ten Commandments? I don't see it there. You'd think if stopping gay marriage were so important Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible.

"The Bible mentions not eating shellfish more than it mentions homosexuality. And yet many anti-gay activists - including some Catholics - are running around eating shrimp and telling others what to do with their lives. I view these people as bigoted and ungodly and I will confront them during my time as pontiff. Who are we to tell anyone who to love? "

Read more at Pope Francis Says He Supports Gay Marriage.

It's evident that Pope Francis has done a complete turn around from the position he previously once held as a Cardinal. When he, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, was an archbishop in Argentina, he called that country's legalization of same-sex marriage "a 'move' of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God."  He used to refer to same-sex marriage as a tactic of satan, the father of lies, to confuse and deceive the children of God.  As an Archbishop, the future Pope also once said, “The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children … At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.”  Look how much he has changed since becoming Pope only a few short months ago.

Pope Gave Blessing to Lobby Group
On his flight from Rio to Rome on the papal jet, the Pope answered questions from reporters about a wide range of topics including his view on homosexuality and lobby groups.  I read the entire transcript of that interview.  In it he expressed his sound disapproval of lobby groups of any kind, saying:

“There is so much being written about the gay lobby. I haven’t met anyone in the Vatican yet who has “gay” written on their identity cards. There is a distinction between being gay, being this way inclined and lobbying. Lobbies are not good. If a gay person is in eager search of God, who am I to judge them? The Catholic Church teaches that gay people should not be discriminated against; they should be made to feel welcome. Being gay is not the problem, lobbying is the problem and this goes for any type of lobby, business lobbies, political lobbies and Masonic lobbies.”

So there are two important points to learn from this statement.  First, he said "being gay is not the problem" Secondly, in spite of the Pope's statement that lobby groups of any kind are "not good" and are a problem, he assured the Italian LGBT group Kairos of his blessing.  This seems rather hypocritical, or at least inconsistent.  Aren’t they a gay lobby group like all the rest of those listed online?

Imagine if a parent said to their teenager, "Being a sexually immoral person is not the problem.  The problem would be if you organize into a group that advocates for the rights of sexually immoral people in the political arena or in Vatican City.  A group of people seeking to influence politicians or public officials on that particular issue would not be good. I won't try to interfere if you want to be a sexually immoral person, but just don't seek to influence a politician or public official like the pope on the issue." Would it make any sense for a parent to say such a thing?  I respectfully submit that I see a definite parallel between that and how the Pope is handling the gay issue.

Biblical Truth
We have now heard from the man whom the Catholic Church considers the vicar of Christ.  When this man speaks, his words are considered the Words of God. This is the Catholic dogma of papal infallibility, which says that the pontiff may speak "ex cathedra" on matters of faith and morals without the possibility of error, and his teaching must be upheld by the whole Church.  Therefore he has essentially spoken on behalf of God about his views on homosexuality.  So are his views consistent with Scripture?

The Scripture states that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

Moses, who received the Ten Commandments from God wrote the book of Genesis, including the account of creation.

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27)

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)

The word that Moses used for "wife" is "'ishshâh," meaning woman or wife.  So Moses taught that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Jesus affirmed what Moses wrote.

And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mat 19:4-6; cf., Mk 10:6)

Jesus did teach on marriage, contrary to the pope's remark.  Jesus explicitly said that marriage must be between one male and one female. He said a man is to be joined to his wife, not his husband, and the two will become one flesh.

The apostle Paul clearly affirmed the teaching of Moses and Jesus, when he wrote:

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." (Eph 5:22-33)

In this passage, the apostle Paul used the Greek word "gune" for wives, which means "a woman; specifically a wife" (Strongs).  This is the same Greek word used for "wife" by the gospel writers when quoting Jesus, too. Paul taught marriage between a man and his woman or wife is a sacred and mysterious type of the relationship with Christ and the Church.  It must not be tampered with, perverted, or deviated from. Paul also wrote:

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Rom 1:21-32)

Paul taught what God did to those who did not honor Him as God, or give Him thanks. This was not something they were born with.  Their foolish hearts had become darkened.  So God gave them over to a depraved mind. He gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts.  Just note all the negative expressions Paul uses regarding homosexuality, in order to see how God views it: "sinful desires," "sexual impurity," "shameful lusts (degrading passions)," "unnatural functions," "indecent acts," and "depraved mind."

If you want to know what their depraved minds were filled with, Paul tells us they were "filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful."

Paul also wrote: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)

He was explicit that effeminate people will not inherit the kingdom of God.  In referring to the effeminate, Paul used the Greek word "malakos," meaning "figuratively a catamite: - effeminate, soft."  A catamite is an adolescent boy used by a young man for the purpose of sodomy.

Paul was also explicit that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. This doesn't mean that God doesn't love them or that we shouldn't love them as people.  But Scripture is clear that for a person to burn in his or her desire toward another person of the same gender is impure, it's a lie, it's unnatural, indecent, and it dishonors their body.  Such persons receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error, which means that they bring on themselves the appropriate penalty in their bodies.

And Moses recorded the rampant homosexuality in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which brought down the wrath of God from heaven (Gen 18:20-33; 19:1-29).  Those cities were destroyed because of this very sin, which is now named after Sodom.  The apostle Peter affirmed this account in the New Testament, when he wrote:

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment," (2Pe 2:4-9)

Peter taught that Sodom and Gomorrah  were destroyed and reduced to ashes, because the men of those cities were unprincipled, living ungodly lives of sensual conduct.

Jude taught the same thing, when he wrote: "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7)

Moses, Jesus, Jude, the apostle Peter, and the apostle Paul, who wrote half the books of the New Testament, all taught that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships.

The Evidence of Ex-Homosexuals
In the sixth chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the Corinthians cited above, in which he states that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God, he states: "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1Co 6:11)

Some of the members of the Corinthian church had been homosexuals, before they were washed in the blood of Jesus, made holy and righteous by Him.  And still today there are many Christians around the world, who can testify that they have been delivered from the bondage of homosexuality.  I encourage you to read the testimony of my brother in Christ, Stephen (see here).  For the pope to say that people are born this way is contrary to Scripture.  The fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with.  It is not something a person is born with any more than being a drunkard is.  Millions of people like myself who were once drunkards and much more, have been completely set free by the blood of Christ.

Judging Those In the Church
The Pope does not wish to judge those inside the church, who are leading a homosexual lifestyle. His exact comment was, "Who are we to judge?" Yet that is his responsibility to do so.

The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.  Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1Co 5:9-13)

This is an explicit teaching to expel the wicked man from the church.  If anyone claims to be a brother in Christ, and yet lives a wicked life as defined by God's Word, and is unrepentant, it is the responsibility of the Church, particularly the appointed rulers, to remove that person.  Any pastor or ruler in the church who refuses to do so is neglecting their duty.

Mind Control and Tradition vs Truth
This man is not a novice, but an elder, who has spent over half his life in ministry as a Christian spiritual leader.  He has been trained in theology and Catholic doctrine, and he has taught others.  For him to come out vocally tolerating homosexuality in the Church, it seems as if he has been the object of mind control.  And for those of you who are not aware, the science of mind control is already far advanced into the future.

Worse yet, it seems almost as if the pope is performing a subtle form of mind control on the masses by making such permissive statements.  He contradicts the written position on homosexuality of his own Church, and that of the Bible.  He is essentially creating a new, oral tradition regarding homosexuality by verbally setting direction, casting vision, and sharing his personal opinions.  As with past traditions set this way by the Catholic Church fathers, these teachings are viewed as having the same authority as the Word of God, even though theoretically they would admit that the Scripture is supreme.  As I have written about in Tradition vs. Truth, such man-made traditions nullify the Word of God and cause people to disobey the clear teachings of Scripture.

The Beast on the Throne
On January 21, 1995, the Lord revealed to Dumitru Duduman, a Romanian prophet of God, that the Pope will sit on a throne, fighting against the Protestants.  (Brother Dumitru Duduman was in Romania at this time). He stated:

I fell asleep sometime around midnight.  About 2:00 a.m. I heard a loud voice saying to me "Dumitru!  Wake up!  I must show you something!"  Even though I was ill, I jumped to my feet, without realizing that I was awake.  Then I realized I wasn't even in Romania.   I saw myself in America.

A powerful voice spoke sternly to me, "Why have you become discouraged?  Why did you try to question God, thinking in your heart that I have left you?  Why do you keep so much sadness in your heart, and such a great mourning because I took your wife?  Why have you allowed yourself to become discouraged so that you will no longer be able to work for me as you have until now?  This is why I have come to you, to show you a revelation, which you must tell the American people."

The voice boomed at me, telling me to look to my right.  I was awake - not sleeping.  I was standing, and I turned my head as ordered.  When I looked, I saw that there was a great flock of black birds, with very sharp, large beaks.  Out of the beaks came a blinding light, which you could barely look at.  From their tails I saw flames of fire shooting out.   I became very frightened.  I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was asleep and dreaming. But I was neither sleeping nor dreaming.

This flock of birds suddenly turned into airplanes that did not make any noise.  American airplanes would go up, trying to attack.  But as they would draw close, they would fall to the earth in a blaze of fire.

Once again, I heard the voice, but I could not see who was speaking to me.  The voice said, "Look higher than the black planes."  When I looked, above the planes, I saw a helicopter which hovered above them.  On the side of the helicopter there was a plank, like on a ship, where soldiers were lined up, dressed in black, all armed the same, and of about the same size.  From the center of the helicopter, a platform began to raise up.  It rose higher than the helicopter itself.

On the platform was a throne.  The Pope was on the throne, yelling with a loud voice, "I have been given the power to rule the earth and to fight against the Protestants, that I may overtake them."

As I watched him with terror and fear - because he was surrounded by a powerful force which was formed by planes and personnel - suddenly a white cloud appeared and covered them, so I could no longer see anything.  Out of the midst of the white cloud came a man dressed in shining clothes, wearing a shiny crown on his head.  He spoke to me.  His voice sounded like thunder.  When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground.

He said, "Remember everything you've heard, everything you've seen, and everything you will hear.  Tell my people, because once again I want to work with you more than I have until now.  The armies, and the planes that you saw, and the Beast that sat upon the helicopter - these are the catholic powers which will overtake the holy, that the words prophesied in Revelation may come to pass.  A majority of my people will be overtaken and trampled because their lives are not clean before their Lord.  Tell this message to them!  Do not be quiet!  For if you are quiet, I will punish you!  The churches are fraudulent (counterfeit, fake).  They live a life as their hearts desire, with their hands stained in blood - in adultery, in sodomy, and worshiping strange and foreign gods.   Because they have forsaken the true God, He has allowed them to go as their hearts desired.  Now, tell them!  Cry out loud!  Tell them to stop treading the path their hearts desire - to repent with all their hearts, that in the day of the Beast's anger I may be able to save them, so they would not deny me.  The time is very short, and the army of their salvation is already prepared."

Again, He spoke to me, "Look to your right."  When I looked, I saw such a vast army that my eyes could not encompass it.  "This is the army I have prepared to save my people from the Beast's grasp.  Do not forget to tell them the words that I have told you.  I will give you a spirit of remembrance."  The voice continued speaking to me, "I will come and bring you more revelations about the times of the end."

Then again, I heard a thunder.  Then the white cloud and the being disappeared.  I was so terrified that I was unable to sleep the rest of the night.

Calculate The Number of His Name
A website called Biblelight.net shows how the names or titles of the Pope have been calculated and found to be equal to 666:

VICARIUS FILII DEI is a title for the Pope that literally means “substituting for, or in place of the Son of God.”  The value of the letters in each of these three Latin words is 112 + 53 + 501 = 666.  DUX CLERI is another title for the Pope.  Translated means Captain of the Clergy.  The value of the letters in each of these two Latin words is 515 + 151 = 666.  LUDOVICUS translated means Vicar of the Court, and the value of the letters in this Latin word is 666.

"Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." (Rev 13:18)

Testing the Fruit of False Prophets
In a separate post, I have previously written about the biblical way to determine if someone is a false prophet.  We don't just go around calling everybody we disagree with and everybody we don't like a false prophet.  This is a very serious thing to say about someone, no matter how great or small they are, whether they are with or without renown.  Jesus taught us to test their fruit.  So if we test the fruit of Pope Francis, we will determine what kind of roots and tree he has.  If his fruit is good, then the tree is good.  If the fruit is bad, the tree is bad.  You be the one to test his fruit, and decide whether he is a good tree or a bad one.  For more on that, please read Testing the Spirits of False Prophets.  Now here comes the fruit test below.

Putting it All Together
I am grateful that Pope Francis welcomes people to tell him if they disagree with him, as I have just done. He says, "I like people telling me when they disagree with something."  Maybe my little blog will make a difference.

So let's summarize what we've learned today.  A prophet of God said the Lord showed him that Pope Francis is the second beast of Revelation 13, known as the false prophet.  He predicted the pope would be pro-homosexual.  It has since been publicized that the pope has issued his blessing to a Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group and its members, even though he has stated that lobby groups are not good and are a definite problem. This is inconsistent. Francis said the church shouldn't interfere spiritually with the lives of LGBT people, in fact he said it is not possible to do so, and that he wouldn't judge gay priests.  In doing so, he directly violates Scripture, and neglects his duty to judge those inside the Church.

He said "being gay is not the problem," which is inconsistent with Scripture. He said, "God in creation has set us free" (implying we are free in the area of sexuality).  He said, "We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years." This is a reference to the beliefs of modern psychology, which contradict the Bible. He is essentially saying he has learned from those who profess to be wise.  And as the apostle Paul said, those who did so became fools.

The pope said that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with.  Yet the fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with. And he has explicitly said it is the Lord Who decides that certain people will come into the world as homosexual.  He also states that the Bible does not say even once that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. He considers anyone who speaks out against homosexuality as "bigoted and ungodly," and he vowed to confront such people, rather than the homosexuals. He also referred to the unnatural affection that men have for men and women for women as "love," and said we cannot tell anyone "who to love." His words on these matters of faith and morals must now be upheld by the whole Catholic Church.

Yet we have seen from Scripture that the Bible does teach that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. Moses, Jesus, and the apostles Peter and Paul were all in agreement that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between two people of the same sex. Therefore, when the pope says, "If stopping gay marriage were so important, Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible," he demonstrates either his gross ignorance of Scripture, or his enormous disregard for the authority of God's Word.

Someone might protest that this article is incorrectly titled, "Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality," but I stand by my title. If a pastor does not preach against sin, and does not preach repentance and holiness, then he is essentially permitting sin. Yet the pope has gone beyond that by giving Catholic homosexuals a pass, making excuses for them, giving them his blessing, and tolerating sin in the Church.

There is no other Christian leader in the world with as much influence as this one man.  Over a billion people look to him with great respect for spiritual guidance.  Yet rather than giving them godly counsel and preaching the Word of God, he is deceiving the people and leading them into sin. That is not good fruit.  He is a false prophet, and I believe he may be the very same false prophet depicted as the second beast in Revelation 13.  This is what the Lord showed Dumitru Duduman and Elvi Zapata.  His number is six hundred and sixty-six.  A great evil has come into the world, as this man has ascended the papal throne. 

Now that he has vocalized his personal opinions, there is no longer anything restraining the homosexual spirit in the Catholic Church.  It has been unleashed to demonize millions.  All of these priests, who have taken vows not to marry, and who are closet homosexuals, now have permission from their top leader to practice this sin.  He has promised not to judge them, but only to confront those who dare to judge them.  They must be celebrating.  Some of these priests may already be in homosexual relationships with other priests, or at least desire to be.  Meanwhile others may be in such relationships with boys or men in their parishes.  They are all "free" now to do as they please.  Then there are the homosexual parishioners themselves, who have been given a license to sin.  This will bring about the destruction of the family, society, and ultimately contribute to the destruction of the world in a short period of time.

Although Pope Francis seems like a very nice man, and may seem like a lamb outwardly, or claim to represent the Lamb, he speaks like a dragon.  This is another sign of the times. And now some Scriptures to consider, right before I share my closing comments:

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.” (Rev 13:11).

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."  (Matt 24:24, NKJV)

"...they have misled My people by saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace..." (Eze 13:10b)

"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,' declares the Lord GOD." (Eze 13:8)

"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the LORD! 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.”’” (Eze 13:2-3)

Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered." (Eze 34:1-5)

"For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered And his right eye will be blind." (Zec 11:16-17)

A message to homosexuals
If you are a homosexual reading this today, I want you to know that Jesus loves you, and died for you on the cross. He suffered a lot, so that you would not have to go to hell. But the only way you (as with every other human being) can avoid your just punishment is to repent and believe on Him as your Lord and Savior, for the forgiveness of your sins.  When you repent, you turn from your sin. His blood not only cleanses you from sin, but gives you power over sin.  When you make Him Lord, you promise to do whatever He says, obeying Him in everything.

He still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high.  He requires truth, righteousness, and holiness, without which no man will see God. 

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The photo of Francis giving his first address as pope at St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013, is used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The photo of Pope Francis on 20 March 2013, one week after his inauguration, is also courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading my articles Something's Going on in 2013, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, Angelica Zambrano's Second Visit to Hell, The Peace and Love I've Come to Know, and New Age-New World Order. I also recommend The Next Pope and  Pope Francis is the False Prophet From Revelation. You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Blood Moons of 2014 and 2015

For those of you who have not already heard, I want to alert you to the fact that there are going to be four blood-red moons back-to-back on the first day of Passover and Tabernacle in 2014 and 2015.  That's called a "tetrad," and it has only happened seven times in 2000 yrs.  The next time this happens will mark the eighth occurrence of this supernatural phenomena since the days of our beloved Lord Jesus.

After this next one, it will not happen again for a hundred years.  The last two times this happened were in 1948-49, following the blessed nation of Israel becoming a State once again, and in 1967-68 in connection with the famous, six-day war.  So whenever it happens, there is always something very significant happening in Israel. 

There are so many articles and videos about this that you could read. But let me simply direct you to two relatively brief explanations of it online, if you are interested in more info.  First, an excellent article by Pray 4 Zion.  And secondly, a video by Hebrew roots pastor, Mark Blitz, of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash. 

There are two Scriptures we should review together in closing.  First is an excerpt from the prophet Joel:

"...Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? 'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.' Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil." (Joe 2:10-13)

"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls." (Joe 2:30-32)

This is a solemn warning.  It's an alert to prepare yourself for this terrible day that is coming.

The second prophecy about this day was made by Jesus Himself, regarding the time of His return to earth:

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Mat 24:29-31)

Dear friend, are you ready?  Please don't put off until later the need to get ready.  Do it now.  Read the prophet Joel chapter 2, and the gospel of Matthew 24.   After that your next steps to prepare are 1) to return to the Lord Jesus with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the LORD your God. You need a baptism of repentance. Then 2) you need to believe on Jesus, and call upon the name of the Lord.  He has promised that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered.  Once you have done that, please share this article with the people you love, especially the Jewish people.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

If you enjoyed this post, I also recommend the following:

Something is going on 2012	Trumpet Sounds Heard Around the World	Are You Rapture Ready?
The End Has Come	Very Few Will Hear the Trumpet	Grieve and Lament for the Church
Urgent Revelations of Christ's Imminent Return	The Amazing Sign of Jonah	Mark of the Beast (666)

You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Faithful Until Death: The Glory of Martyrdom for Christ

It's one thing to give your life to Jesus, but how much greater it is to give your life for Jesus. Many have given their lives for the gospel down through the ages.  This is the highest act of love for God.  These people did not love their own lives even to the point of death.

And we're in those last days when more believers than ever are doing so.  More Christians were persecuted in the twentieth century than in the entire previous 1,900 years of history combined.  And this trend will only continue accelerating as we approach the soon return of Christ.  In fact I have published an article about one such recent case of persecution with a miraculous ending. There's an army of martyrs arising! 

The Blood of the Martyrs is Seed
Tertullian, the founder of western theology, wrote: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”   He was arguing that when saints are killed for the glory of Christ, it only results in many others turning to Christ.  When people witness the love and devotion that believers have for the Lord Jesus, they are touched to the depth of their souls. They realize that if Jesus was worth dying for to those saints, and they laid down their lives willingly for Him, then He is real and they want to serve Him, too.

In Foxes Book of Martyrs, it is recorded that during the reign of Serverus, “Rhais had boiled pitch poured upon her head, and was then burnt, as was Marcella her mother....Potainiena, the sister of Rhais, was executed in the same manner as Rhais had been; but Basilides, an officer belonging to the army, and ordered to attend her execution, became her convert.”

Whenever there has been great persecution, it has also brought great revival and many people into the kingdom of God.  This has been true since the first church, as recorded in the book of Acts.  When Stephen was stoned to death, Saul of Tarsus gave approval to it.  Then he went about ravaging the Church, and many Christians were scattered.  But they went about preaching the Word (see Ac 8:3-4).  And Saul later came to know Christ himself, taking the name of Paul.  He realized when he met Jesus in person that when he persecuted Stephen and other disciples, he was persecuting the Lord Himself.  That really got him, and he was never the same after that.  He became a fiery preacher that made disciples all over the known world, and wrote half the books of the New Testament. Tertullian was right! The blood of the martyrs is truly the seed of the Church.

Those Who Would Not Accept Their Release
For Christ, some believers must experience the life of refugees, mockings, scourgings, chains, prison, torture, dismemberment, lack of decent clothing, financial destitution, affliction, being treated badly, homelessness, and constant fleeing from danger. The apostle wrote about it, describing what they suffered, and said some would not accept their release from torture, since they preferred a better resurrection:

“And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” (Heb 11:32-40)

Those who are martyred will obtain an even better resurrection.  The wicked will be resurrected to eternal damnation, but the righteous to eternal life.  And those who die for Christ will receive the greatest glory in the resurrection among the saints in heaven.   The greatest reward awaits those who will lay down their lives for the Savior.

Resist to the very end like the three Hebrews
When the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar forced his subjects to bow to an idol in honor of him under the threat of being thrown into a blazing furnace, the three Hebrew young men refused to bow.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Dan 3:16-18)

Let’s trust the Lord to deliver us, but let us also have the same attitude as these courageous teens, who said, “Even if our God does not deliver us from the blazing fire, we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image.”

A Certain Number of Believers Must be Killed
Did you know the Scripture teaches that there is a certain number of saints who must be killed? 

The apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation about the souls of the martyrs in heaven: “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” (Rev 6:9-11)

Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he wrote to the Colossians about his sufferings filling up a cup of affliction, so to speak.  "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." (Col 1:24)

He taught that we as the Body of Christ are called not only to believe in Christ, but to suffer for Him.  The afflictions of Christ on Calvary were all that was needed to pay for our eternal salvation.  But if we refuse to suffer for Him, then we do not have true saving faith to begin with.  And if we could use the analogy of a cup of affliction, then we could say Christ's afflictions went into a cup, which His Body on earth continues to fill up.  Whenever someone persecutes the saints, they persecute Jesus (Ac 9:4; Mt 25:40,45).  Until He returns, that cup is still not full yet.  So any afflictions we endure for Him are added to the cup and help to fill it up until it reaches the full measure that God has appointed.

Some Believers are Destined for Captivity, Some to be Killed by the Sword
Scripture makes it clear that it is the destiny of some believers to go into captivity for the Lord and for others to be killed by the sword.  "If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints." (Rev 13:10)

Faithful Even to the Point of Death
We are called to be faithful, even to the point of death.  Jesus said to the church in Ephesus: "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev 2:10)

Betrayed to Death by Family Members
In some cases, people are betrayed to death by members of their own family.  "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. (Mat 10:21)

War Against the Saints
The beast will make war with the saints and overcome them: "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." (Rev 13:7)

Those who do not worship the beast will be killed
"And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed." (Rev 13:15; cf., 14:11)

Beheading the Saints

One form of execution for those who refuse the mark of the beast is beheading . "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."  (Rev 20:4)

Witnesses Overcome and Killed
The beast will even overcome the two witnesses and kill them: "When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them." (Rev 11:7)

Whoever Loses His Life for Jesus’ Sake Will Find It
"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Mat 16:25).  Are you willing to lose your life for the sake of Jesus?  Start doing so now on a daily basis, and then you'll be ready to lose your physical life.

Fear the Lord, not those who kill the body
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  (Mat 10:28)

Present your body as a sacrifice to God
Paul told the believers in Rome to offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God.  “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Rom 12:1). 

In fact, many Roman Christians literally did this, offering their bodies during the days of persecution.  Many were tied or nailed to stakes and then the Romans poured boiling substances over their heads. There were also twilight executions where Christians were nailed to a cross and burned alive as torches to light the arena of the Colosseum. Still others were thrown to the wild beasts in the arena.  They preferred to die rather than deny the Lord to save their lives.

Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”  (Mat 10:32-33)  There is great glory awaiting those who are martyred.  But everlasting shame and disgrace for those who deny Him.

Flee from Persecution
Nevertheless, when faced with persecution, our Lord taught us to flee, just as He always avoided those who were plotting to destroy Him (Mt 10:23; Joh 7:1).  We should beware of human pride, and not actively seek a martyr's death, by making self-confident statements or purposely trying to be arrested.  Among those who have done this in history, some have denied Christ, including the apostle Peter (Mt 26:33-24). We don't seek death.  We are already crucified with Christ, and we seek to be made like Him in His death (Phil 3:10).  We seek to do the will of God (Mt 7:21), and then accept whatever the consequences may be for doing so.  We do not shrink back to destruction, but live by faith (Heb 10:38-39).

Putting it All Together
At this moment, around the world, many believers are being persecuted for Christ, and some even unto death.  The blood of the martyrs is still the seed of the church. For Christ, some believers must experience the life of refugees, mockings, scourgings, chains, prison, torture, dismemberment, lack of decent clothing, financial destitution, affliction, being treated badly, homelessness, and constant fleeing from danger. Some believers are destined for captivity.  Many end up in concentration camps or in prison for their faith. Some are destined to be killed by the sword.  There is a certain number of believers who must be killed.

We are called to be faithful even to the point of death. In some cases, people are betrayed to death by members of their own family. Don't let that catch you by surprise, because the Lord told us in advance that it would happen.  Some people will do anything to save their skin.

The Word explicitly says the beast will make war with the saints and overcome them. Those who do not worship the beast will be killed.  One preferred method of execution will be beheading. 

Persecution is almost upon America.  The Lord said to sister Deborah Rennier on September 9, 2009, “'Remember MY saint Corrie ten Boom and what she endured? This is almost upon you. Whoever denies ME before men, I will deny before MY Father.'” For more on sister Deborah's encounter, see America’s Destruction is at Hand.

We must not deny the Lord, but confess Him freely and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.  Whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it.  This is not a message to put the fear of death in you, but the fear of the Lord.  These days, there is very little talk about fearing the Lord. Yet Jesus said, we must fear the Lord, not those who kill the body.  

We live in perilous times, dear saints.  This is the most serious period in the entire history of the earth.  It's time now to get your heart right with God, and daily fortify your spirit.  Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation when the devil comes to tempt you.  Teach your children to become martyrs. Be prepared to take a stand for Christ, even unto death.  This will require perseverance and faith on the part of the saints.

There's a better resurrection for those who do so. The glory of the martyrs is a greater glory than other saints receive. A crown of life awaits the martyr.  Let's encourage one another while it is still called Today.

We cannot do this in our own power, and the Lord doesn't expect us to.  He will give you the grace to do whatever he asks you to do.  Trust Him to do that.  Grace and peace to you!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  I invite you to also read these related articles of mine: Mark of the Beast (666), America’s Destruction is at Hand, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins, Hiding Place, Holy Fire Baptism, Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality, Covenant Prayer, and Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice. My daughter has written a poem related to this same topic called Die or Deny. You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. For a look at actual stories of martyrs, I suggest reading Foxes Book of Martyrs, which is available online for free (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3).  For current events related to persecution of the saints, visit Voice of the Martyrs. The "Crown of Life" painting © 2012 is by Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.