“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:11-12a). In August of this year, the Southwest Believers’ Convention assembled in Forth Worth, Texas. The meeting was hosted by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and included an “all-star” lineup of various prosperity gospel preachers. Prosperity theology, also known as the word of faith movement, is a belief system that teaches that God provides material prosperity for those He favors. It is often used by its promoters to elicit donations, as was the case with the Southwest Believers’ Convention. It is not unusual for prosperity preachers to own large houses, expensive cars, airplanes, jewelry, boats, and a whole lot of other stuff. In fact, the whole system revolves around material possessions and good health. One thing you will never hear from a prosperity gospel preacher is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—why Jesus came and what one must do to be saved.

The prosperity gospel is nothing new. Paul confronted it head-on in his first letter to Timothy: “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Notice the Bible doesn’t condemn money. Money isn’t the problem. The problem is one of the heart—“those who want to get rich.” In other words, the desire for material wealth is far more dangerous than the wealth itself. Furthermore, the notion that God provides material prosperity for those He favors is deceptively deadly. It is deadly because having material wealth and good health doesn’t necessarily imply God’s favor. The opposite is also true. Being poor doesn’t necessarily imply godliness. There are numerous examples in the Bible of godly men who were unbelievably rich—Abraham, David, and Solomon. There are just as many, if not more, godly men who were materially poor—Lazarus from Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus, as well as most of the disciples.

The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of suffering. In fact, Jesus bids us to leave all that we have and come follow Him (Mark 10:21). It is a call to a sold out faith and obedience to Christ. This is why Paul says to “flee” from the desire for riches and material possessions. Instead, we are to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” He describes this as “the good fight of faith,” and “[taking] hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” I recently witnessed this kind of faith and obedience firsthand. Allow me to introduce you to Brother Herman. Bro. Herman and his wife are from Europe. Following God’s call to missions nearly twenty years ago, they literally left all that they had—good jobs, good retirement, even medical and life insurance—and came to another land to establish Siloam, a home for orphaned, abandoned and terminally ill children. He seeks to provide a home for any needy child, no questions asked. And the amazing thing is he does it entirely on faith. He never asks anyone for anything other than prayer. When asked what donations he might need, he refuses to ask for a single item. Instead, he humbly asks, “If you have the time, pray for us—the most important gift you can give us is prayer.” There is no hint of prosperity theology here. Meeting Bro. Herman absolutely transformed my life. This guy oozes Jesus! He is fighting “the good fight of faith.” Nearly every testimony he shares about God’s faithfulness and provision is prefaced by the words, “To be very honest…” His simple faith in God is contagious.

The prosperity preachers are liars, cheats, and frauds who misuse God’s Word because they think it is an avenue to riches. When the Gospel is presented in this way, it makes followers who are completely unprepared for tough times and have no idea what true Christianity is. To be very honest, we need to see Christians who are more concerned with what glorifies God than with what benefits me. So which Gospel do you choose to believe—the one that promises health, wealth and prosperity and ends in hell or the one that requires faith, promises suffering, but ends in heaven with Christ and joys immeasurable?

“Now learn the parable of the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”(Matthew 24:32-35). Matthew 24:32-35, verse 34 in particular, is a difficult text for Bible interpreters. Matthew 24 is known as the Olivet Discourse. The problem is that Jesus appears to be predicting a particular period of time in which we can expect His glorious and visible return to this earth. The argument goes like this: The fig tree represents the nation of Israel. The “branch [becoming] tender and [putting] forth its leaves” refers to the rebirth of the nation in 1948. Therefore, the generation born around the time of Israel’s return to the land will be alive at the Second Coming of Christ. Many conclude such an interpretation cannot possibly be correct given Jesus’ words in verse 36: “But of that day and hour no one knows.” He said the same thing to the disciples in Acts 1:7, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” Paul repeated this in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you” (1 Thess. 5:1). Those who have been following my writings for any length of time know that I believe the Bible says what it means and means what it says. In other words, God doesn’t have a speech impediment. I use the Historical-Grammatical method of interpretation and the rule of thumb I follow is if the plain sense of the text makes sense; seek no other sense, lest you end up with nonsense. So what is the solution to this difficult text?

Hank Hanegraaff, radio’s “Bible Answer Man,” and author of The Apocalypse Code (I do not recommend it), believes the entirety of Matthew 24 refers to events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Therefore, his conclusion is that “this generation” of Matt. 24:34 refers to the generation alive at the time Jesus spoke this prophecy. Since Jesus spoke this prophecy around A.D. 32 or so, there were some still alive when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. Hank, although he does a splendid job answering most questions posed to him, is a partial Preterist who is thoroughly confused on matters of eschatology. As a partial Preterist, he believes all prophecy except for the Second Coming and resurrection of believers and unbelievers at the end of the age has already been fulfilled. It is obvious that Hank is seeking “other sense” in the passage thus ending up with nonsense. Another solution to this difficult passage is offered by Pastor Bob DeWaay, a man I highly admire and respect. He believes this prophecy is used in a pejorative sense in the New Testament and is therefore qualitative and not setting a time limit. He sees the issue of “this generation” in Matt. 24:34 in the sense of Jewish hardness to the gospel and their rejecting Jesus as Messiah down through subsequent generations. He uses passages like Matt. 12:41-45, Luke 9:40-45, Acts 2:40, and others to support his interpretation. His argument is well thought out and he may very well be correct.

Although it is possible the fig tree here refers to Israel’s rebirth, I believe Jesus was using this parable to say that when the people of Israel see all the end-times signs He described, they will know that His return is really near. Notice I said “the people of Israel.” I believe the Olivet Discourse, though contained in three Gospels, is meant for Israel, not the Church. The fig tree is among the last to get its leaves in the spring. So when it begins to bud, you know that summer is really near. However, there is one important thing to keep in mind. No end-times prophecy could be fulfilled without the existence of the nation of Israel. In other words, the Jews must be back in their biblical lands, and prior to 1948 there had been no nation of Israel for over 2000 years. Therefore, I sincerely believe Israel’s rebirth signals the time of the end has begun. For this, I look to Ezekiel. His detailed prophecies of the end of the age are given chronologically. Chapters 36-37 predicted Israel’s rebirth as a nation. Chapter 38 said it would occur after the land had long lay desolate and had recovered from war. Its people would be gathered from many nations. All of this clearly happened in and since 1948. Chapters 38-39 then describe a great battle known as the War of Gog and Magog where the Lord Himself will intervene and bring His people back into a covenant relationship with Him. This hasn’t happened yet, and whether it happens before or shortly after the Rapture I do not know. But when it does occur, it will set the stage for Daniel’s 70th Week to begin. During that period the signs Jesus spoke of will appear making it clear that His return is near—we see the foreshadowing of these signs today. Ezekiel chapters 40-48 talk about life in Israel during the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth.

Another interpretation, one that I like better than my own (and it might very well be the correct interpretation), suggests Matthew 24:34 says that the generation being born when the end-times signs begin will still be alive when all signs are fulfilled and Jesus returns visibly to this planet. According to Psalm 90:10, a biblical lifespan is 70-80 years. Most scholars worth their salt agree that the first of the end-times signs was the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Therefore, the generation born around 1948 can expect to see everything fulfilled in their lifetime. If this interpretation is correct we must keep in mind that Israel recently celebrated 61 years as a nation. If a biblical lifespan is 70-80 years, what does this say about the lateness of the hour? Israel has been a nation since May 14, 1948. Since that time the nations that made up the ancient Roman Empire have been coming back together in the European and Mediterranean Unions – a key end-times prophecy. Russia has been entering into military and economic alliances with several Moslem countries, not the least of which is Iran (Persia in biblical times). This is astounding because 2600 years ago the Prophet Ezekiel foretold of a confederation of nations led by Iran and armed by Russia that would form a confederacy in an all out assault on Israel to annihilate her. The most astounding part of this prophecy is when it would take place. Ezekiel carefully pinpoints the exact time – a specific generation. We’ve never seen anything like this in history until now. It is coming to pass just as the Bible predicted. Another thing we are seeing in this generation, something we’ve never seen before in history, is the overwhelming push for a comprehensive Middle East peace. Daniel 9:26-27 says a pseudo-peace is coming between Israel and her enemies. This peace will be brokered by a European—a descendent of the people who destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Romans. The Hebrew word used here indicates this peace agreement will be forced upon Israel. This is amazing considering the rhetoric we’ve heard over the past few weeks—that a two state solution is non-negotiable and Israel must accept this. Furthermore, Jerusalem has become the point of contention over Middle East peace—who will own and control it. And we must remember, the Bible says when they say, “Peace and safety!” that is the time to expect the Day of the Lord—God’s judgment upon unbelieving Israel and the unbelieving world leading up to the return of Christ. But before all this happens, the Bible foretells another event, one that requires absolutely no signs or prophetic fulfillment—the Rapture of the Church. I believe this event will happen at any moment with the Tribulation period quickly following. So regardless of which interpretation is correct, I do believe we are the generation to witness the Lord’s return! Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air? If not, your time is running out. Maranatha!

"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Both of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonian believers are highly eschatological in their content. Eschatology, of course, is that branch of theology that deals primarily with prophecy related to the end-times. Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reference to the second coming of Jesus. According to Acts 17:2, Paul was with the Thessalonians for only a few weeks. In that time he taught them more about the end-times and the return of Jesus Christ than most churches cover over a period of years. In fact, Paul would be amazed and disappointed that some people today consider the study of end-times prophecy to be unimportant. It is no wonder that most people in the church today have absolutely no idea about the nearness of the Day of the Lord.

What is the Day of the Lord? It is a phrase that identifies events that take place at the end of history and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” It always identifies the span of time during which God will personally intervene in human affairs, both directly and indirectly, to accomplish His plan. It will begin with the Rapture of the Church and will continue through the tribulation period. The Rapture is that event when Jesus comes in the air for His Church. Paul clearly taught this in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. The tribulation period, known by its technical name as Daniel’s 70th Week is a period of seven years when God will pour out His wrath on unbelieving Israel and on the unbelieving world. It will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26). Scripture always presents it as an imminent event that will come quickly, like a thief in the night: “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). It will come upon the world silently and unannounced. Jesus said, “Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42). Therefore, we as Christians must be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ at any moment: “For you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4).

Paul tells us when we can expect the Day of the Lord: “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’” (1 Thess. 5:3). In other words, although the unbelieving world will not expect it, Christians should see it coming and be ready. One thing that has really stood out to me lately is the intensifying push for peace in the Middle East. A recent news article reports that, “Israel, Syria, Lebanon and other Arab nations should sit down together to try to resolve the Middle East conflict under a new ‘combined approach’ currently under discussion with the U.S. What we are discussing today is a combined approach of bringing together Arabs, Europeans and the United States as a team to create the circumstances over the next several months that allow Israelis and Palestinians to sit at the table, but also with Lebanese, Syrians and Arab nations.” Another article reports, “There is not an alternative to a two-state peace settlement between Israel and Palestinians.” All of this is right in line with what the Bible says will occur in the last days, right before the return of Christ for His Church and the ensuing Day of the Lord. Daniel 9:27 tells us one is coming on the scene who will finally bring peace to the Middle East, albeit a false peace: “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” One week, of course, means seven years. In Daniel 11:39, we learn that this peace agreement will be based upon the concept of “Land for Peace”: “He will…parcel out land for a price.” Jeremiah 6:14 tells us this process will be totally one-sided in nature and leave Israel completely vulnerable: “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” It will center on the city of Jerusalem—who will own it—and will be imposed by a global coalition: “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it” (Zech. 12:3). We are seeing this today—all nations, including America, are turning on God’s land and people. The world is in turmoil. The global financial upheaval of late has many blaming the Jews! If only we could work out the Middle East problem then all would be well—or so the world thinks. But remember this: “He who watches Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Ps. 122:3). Very soon, perhaps today, millions of people worldwide will disappear, suddenly and without warning. The Day of the Lord will quickly follow. Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air? If not, your time is quickly running out.

“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19). Life is full of choices. We are bombarded with them each and every day. Some choices are weightier than others. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual matters. I talk with people all the time who are struggling with sin. Some are believers, others are not. In either case it always comes down to the same choice—Jesus or Your Sin. When I say sin, I am not referring so much to the day-to-day struggle with sin—we all do that—but I am speaking of that sin which would be described as ongoing willful disobedience. For the unbeliever, this is a matter of urgency. Whether or not they recognize it, eternity is on the line. For the believer it is equally, if not more so, urgent. That is because if one claims to be a believer yet is involved in ongoing willful disobedience with no conviction whatsoever, their salvation is called into question. A believer is continually sensitive to the sin in their life and is in a continual state of confession and repentance (see 1 John 1:5-10).

I was reminded of this recently by someone who informed me they were happy in their sin. I know this is a false statement for two reasons. First of all, the Bible is clear no one is ever happy in sin. Sin robs us of our joy! I’m a living testimony of that. Secondly, if they weren’t under conviction they wouldn’t have brought it up. But rather than deal with the conviction by repenting and turning from their sin, in willful ignorance they continue to embrace it. It is amazing the price people are willing to pay in order to embrace their sin over Christ. Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). We could paraphrase that question by saying, “What will it profit a man if he embraces his sin over Jesus?” The answer is simple—it won’t profit him anything and the end result will be the forfeiture of his soul for all eternity. The stakes are enormous. Yet most folks don’t stop to think about this one truth—life is indeed short. Regardless of how long a person lives on this earth, they live forever somewhere—either in the presence of Christ and everything that is good with joys unspeakable or separated from Him, in hell and torment, for all eternity. James tells us, “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).

We have every reason to believe the Bible is true. One of the most powerful and compelling reasons for believing this is that of fulfilled prophecy. Did you know that Bible prophecy is 100 percent accurate, 100 percent of the time? Because Bible prophecy is so specific and accurately fulfilled down to the very letter, the Bible has “WRITTEN BY GOD” stamped all over it. This is why Peter said, “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). His point is this: Through fulfilled prophecy, God has declared once and for all that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to salvation (see Acts 4:12). Therefore, you have a choice to make. Will you embrace forgiveness through Jesus Christ or continue to cling to your sin? Remember, the stakes are enormous.

So what is required? Faith that leads to repentance. Peter said, “Therefore, repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). He’s not speaking about head knowledge here. Many people claim to believe in Jesus yet they are still lost. He is speaking of a heart knowledge—the kind of knowledge that brings about a change. When one exercises this kind of faith, they willfully turn from their sin and embrace Christ. In fact, they throw the sum total of their hope onto Christ. We call this conversion. It is not walking forward at the end of a church service and praying the so called “sinner’s prayer.” It is a total change that takes place on the inside and works its way outward. Paul put it this way: “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:8-10). Notice he tied Jesus as Lord and faith together. When one truly believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they not only believe He is the one and only way to salvation. They also submit their life to Him in obedience. They choose Christ over their sin. Jesus or your sin—which do you choose?

“Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6). Are we living in the end-times? This may very well be the second most important question one could answer—the most important being, are you born again? So much is happening today to set the stage for the return of Christ that I can hardly keep up. Every day the Lord tarries, I am challenged to sound a warning to believers and unbelievers alike. To believers, the warning is to wake up! To unbelievers, the warning is to believe and obey the Gospel, for time is running out. We are living in the generation that will witness the fulfillment of all end-times prophecy up to and including the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In light of current events and Bible prophecy, this truth could not be any clearer. Yet, most in the church are asleep and many refuse to believe the message of salvation by grace through faith. Paul tells us we are to “be alert and sober.” In other words, all these things should not “overtake [us] like a thief.”

There are numerous reasons why we know we are living in the last-days. Since 1948, this generation has witnessed the miracle of the modern nation of Israel. A modern version of the ancient Roman Empire, “partly strong and partly weak,” as the Bible predicts (see Dan. 2:40-43), is rapidly coming together in the European and Mediterranean Unions. In fact, the scenario we see today is very close to the prophetic scenario that is found in Bible prophecy. The current worldwide financial crisis is pushing the world rapidly towards globalism and some form of global governance. I would not be the least bit surprised if the nations of the world eventually come together in a confederacy of ten political unions led by 10 kings who eventually surrender their power to a strongman arising out of the European Union (see Dan. 7:7-8). Multiple prophecies are at work with Iran, Syria, and Israel. The prophet Ezekiel predicted an end-times alliance among Russia, Iran, and other Moslem nations that will launch a surprise attack against Israel in the last-days. We’ve never seen anything like this in history until now. The wildcard in this alliance has been Turkey. Current events in Turkey indicate she is moving slowly but surely into her prophesied role. The “burden of Damascus” (see Is. 17:1) could be fulfilled in a moment’s notice. The quest for peace in the Middle East is intensifying. The Bible says when everyone is talking about peace, especially in the Middle East, the world is ready for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. Furthermore, the Bible says when contention arises over the control of the city of Jerusalem, as we see today, the end is indeed near. With all this and more occurring daily, I am amazed that so many in the church are asleep—that is to say, they simply do not care about these things, and some care little more for reaching the lost. Even more amazing is the fact that most unbelievers refuse to believe the simple Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith.

Of all the generations in history, it is to this generation that the prophecies of the last days are addressed. Although every generation since Christ’s first coming have looked for the signs given in Scripture, only this generation is witnessing them all come together at the same time—which is itself a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34). Both Jesus and Paul described these signs as birth pains. These birth pains (or signs) have begun and are only intensifying with each passing day. Everything Jesus spoke about regarding the signs of the times at His return is happening right before our eyes. A lot sooner than most people are willing to believe, the same Spirit that inspired the amazing accuracy of the last-days prophecies will be removed, taking the Church with Him. This event, known as the Rapture of the Church (see John 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:50-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18), is a signless event that will occur at any moment. It must occur before the prophesied Seventieth Week of Daniel (see Dan. 9:27) can begin. Since all the signs we see today are really God getting the world in position for Daniel’s Seventieth Week to be fulfilled, we know that the Rapture is all the more close! It could happen this very moment. Christ is coming soon for His own. Make sure you are one of them! The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). That simply means repent of your sins and believe the Gospel (see Rom. 10:9-10).

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). We are saved by grace through faith (see Eph. 2:8). We are secured by the sovereign purpose of God and the continual, faithful intercession of our great High Priest—the Lord Jesus Christ (see Heb. 7:25 and Jude 24). We are admonished to, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” But wait a minute! Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace received through faith and guaranteed by Christ Himself. What’s all this talk about working out your salvation? Well, let me say up front that Paul is not teaching salvation by works. It’s not Christ plus works but Christ plus nothing! His point is simple—make sure you are indeed counted among the redeemed. Don’t base your salvation on anything other than true faith in the crucified, risen, ascended, and soon to return Savior. And true faith—the kind that appropriates salvation—gives evidence of not only having occurred at a point in time, but by continuing day-by-day. In other words, true faith produces a changed life. It gives evidence of its reality through “good works” (see Eph. 2:10). These good works are really “God working in you to act according to His good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). So, as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ask yourself, “Do I see God at work in and through my life? Does my life give evidence that I am truly saved?”

One question to ask yourself is do you enjoy sweet fellowship with Christ and His people? Many people claim to be saved but never attend church. They have little, if any, interest in spiritual things. How can one be born again and not enjoy spending time in God’s Word in fellowship with the risen Lord? John wrote, “Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:5). The Psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Clearly those who belong to Christ love Him and His Word. But not only that, they enjoy regular, consistent fellowship with God’s people. In other words, they go to church. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25). Attending church and hanging out with God’s people certainly doesn’t guarantee salvation. There’s no such thing as salvation by osmosis. But, when you were saved the Bible says you entered into fellowship with Jesus Christ and the redeemed. If you enjoy sharing in the prayers, praises, and fellowship of God’s people, that’s an indication you belong to Him! Furthermore, if you find yourself willingly and joyfully making sacrifices for other believers, even better. John wrote, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). A few verses later he writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:16-17). There are a lot of self-centered, stingy folks around these days—but Christians must not be counted among them. A sure sign you belong to Christ is that you are constantly looking for ways to help others.

Another marker of a changed life is that of being able to discern between truth and error. This really grows out of love for God’s Word and faithful church attendance. As you spend time in serious Bible study and sit under faithful preaching and teaching, you develop discernment. Discernment is the ability to distinguish truth from error, truth that is oftentimes obscure. John wrote, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (1 John 4:1-6). The ability to discern truth from error guarantees you will not be “carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14), and is yet another sign you belong to Christ.

“Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians. 13:5). My wife pointed out last week that my article, “Are You Sure of Your Salvation,” might be received in one of two ways. She suggested some might misunderstand and conclude I am teaching a works oriented salvation—nothing could be further from the truth! Then she suggested others might believe I am teaching one can be saved and then lost—a biblical impossibility. Maybe you concluded something different. But the truth is I purposely left out any application from the previous article in order to cause you to stop, think about and evaluate your own life, and determine if indeed you are counted among the redeemed. My reasoning is that there is no more as important an issue than that of one’s eternal destiny. A lot of things in this life we can get wrong—but not this. So I will ask you again, are you sure of your salvation? And I will follow up with this question—how do you know? How can you be sure of your salvation? Paul wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith.” I believe the Bible teaches several ways we can test ourselves to see if we are of the faith. Some of these ways are objective, others subjective. I will discuss three in this article, others in future articles.

First of all, does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you belong to God? In other words, do you experience the internal work of the Holy Spirit? Paul wrote, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). John wrote, “We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:24). He later wrote, “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The first thing that happens to us at salvation is the Holy Spirit indwells us, forever sealing us as children of God (see Eph. 1:13-14). Elsewhere, the Bible refers to this indwelling, occurring at the moment of salvation, as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 11:16; 1 Cor. 12:13). This baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some “second blessing” that comes later but is something that occurs at the very moment of salvation, when one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them gives evidence of salvation. So, does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you belong to God? Paul wrote, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

Secondly, do you believe and obey God’s Word? I do not know how many professing Christians I have met that express doubt in God’s Word or only give it lip service. One of the primary identifying marks that you are a true born again believer in Christ Jesus is that you believe God’s Word and obey it. John wrote, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:3-5). I cannot help but think about some people I know who believe because they walked a church aisle and prayed the “sinner’s prayer” they are saved—never mind they do not believe and obey God’s Word. Notice John said, “By this we know Him.” It is by our faith in and obedience to God’s Word that we know we belong to God.

A third way of testing yourself to see if you are of the faith is that of being sensitive to your sin. Do you have a continual sensitivity to the sin in your life or do you just live any way you want to live, assuming you will go to heaven when you die? A true believer is sensitive to the sin in his or her life. John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). If you are able to sin against God in a continual, habitual way then it is highly possible and quite probable you do not know Him—or worse, He does not know you. This is the case with many so called believers who think they are right with God because they walked a church aisle or prayed the “sinner’s prayer”, were baptized or had some charismatic experience but do not give evidence of a changed life. About these, John wrote, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). “Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5).

"Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you" (2 Peter 1:10-11). Are you sure of your salvation? This is an important question. All throughout the New Testament we are warned not to assume we are on our way to heaven. The teachings of the apostles are clear—make certain about His calling and choosing you. But how do we do this? Many wrongly assume they are on their way to eternity with Christ because they are members of a certain church or denomination, regularly attend church, walked an aisle, prayed the "sinner’s prayer", signed a card, raised their hand, were baptized, "had a special revelation from the Holy Spirit" known as a "burning in the bosom", or had a charismatic spiritual experience. But none of those things are valid proofs for affirming your salvation. The New Testament teaches two ways we can be sure. These are sound doctrine and holy living.

If one is going to be sure of his or her salvation, then sound doctrine is essential. Doctrine, of course, means teaching. We must be sure our understanding of the Bible’s teaching particularly that of who Christ is and how salvation is obtained, is sound. In other words, theology matters. John wrote, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son" (2 John 9). Paul wrote, "He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard" (Col. 1:22-23). I can remember a couple friends from my first year of college who attended a church that taught in order to be saved one had to have the words "In Jesus name" said over them at their baptism followed by the experience of speaking in tongues. Obviously, such teaching goes against the very heart of the gospel—that salvation is by grace through faith (see Eph. 2:8-10). Quoting Romans 10:13, the pastor of this church insisted that, "Calling on the name of the Lord will not get you saved. It is a good step but it will not get you saved." Basically she called God a liar for it is He who said through the Apostle Paul, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom. 10:13). My point in all this is that this church clearly had a misunderstanding of the Doctrines of Christ and Salvation. As a sad result, they proclaimed and believed "another gospel" (see Gal. 1:6-9).

Just as important as sound doctrine is holy living. In fact, holy living is the key to being sure you possess salvation. Jesus said, "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit" (Matt. 7:18). His point is if you see consistent and habitual corrupt fruit in your life, it is safe to assume you are a corrupt tree. In other words, true salvation produces holy living which in turn produces good fruit—the fruit of righteousness. This is Peter’s point in 2 Peter 1:1-11. The reality of our salvation leads to responsibility. The reality is that salvation is a gift of God’s abundant grace received through faith (1:1-2). He has given us everything we need to live a life of holiness (1:3-4). Because of this, it is our responsibility, not to earn our salvation, but to be sure we possess it. Notice he says we are to do so diligently: "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love" (1:5-7). Verse 8 is the key: "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." That means those things should be not only present but increasing in a believer’s life. The absence of such qualities is cause for alarm. This is why Peter said, "Therefore brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble" (1:10).

If those things Peter mentioned in verses 5-7 are a reality in your life then you have cause for assurance. But if they are lacking, verse 8 is clear; you become indistinguishable from one who is unsaved, robbing you of your assurance, and implying a sobering reality—you do not belong to God. So, are you sure of your salvation? There are a lot of things we can get wrong in this life—but not this. "Test yourselves to see if you are of the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?" (2 Cor. 13:5).

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins”(John 8:24). A radical change—the Emerging (or Emergent) Church—continues to sweep evangelicalism. We are told this change is necessary if we are to reach the post-modern generation. Unfortunately, this change has left many Christians starving for God’s Word in their churches and chapels. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for these change agents to label as judgmental and out of touch those who resist the movement away from Christ-centered preaching and Bible teaching. The utterly shameful fact is this movement proclaims a different gospel from that of the Apostles “once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3), and is deceiving many with a false hope. For Emerging Church leaders, the Bible is more about doing good works, as God’s people, for the benefit of all people; it is not about revealed truth. A tragic result is they end up with a Jesus far removed from the one revealed in the Scriptures.

The false “gospel” being preached today says that Jesus came to save people from a lack of purpose, lack of happiness, or from living a stress filled and problem filled existence. The New Testament pattern is gospel preaching (which includes the person and work of Christ and the need to repent and believe) followed by nurturing the flock with the whole counsel of God. The gospel must answer four questions—who Jesus is, what He did, why we need Him, and what He expects us to do. Otherwise, Jesus said, “you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). This is a far cry from the “gospel” preached by Emergents. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—a lot of things in life we can get wrong, but not this. Eternity is at stake. So the question is, “Who is Jesus and Why does it Matter?”

Paul told the Philippians of Christ’s pre-existence with God and as God : “He existed in the form of God” (2:6). In his second letter to the Corinthian believers he wrote it is Satan who “has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (4:4). So, Jesus is God who became human without ceasing to be God. But what did He do? Paul wrote, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus died for yours’ and my sins, which answers the next question—why do we need Him? To the Roman believers Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…For the wages of sin is death” (3:23; 6:23). We need Christ’s atoning death and subsequent resurrection because we need His righteousness over our own to be found blameless before a holy God. So, what are we to do? Exactly what He expects us to do: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…for whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:9, 13). This is the gospel—but you won’t hear it in any “Emerging” congregation nor will you read it in any “Emergent” manifesto. For some strange reason, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not boldly preached, the message of the blood atonement is overlooked, and the verse-by-verse teaching of God’s Word is absent. Perhaps this is because it really is offensive to preach Christ Jesus and Him crucified.

So why does it matter? Because, “having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). The certainty of future judgment is the reason Paul laid before us the necessity of repentance. This is in keeping with Jesus’ words, “for unless you believe I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Like Jesus, Paul proclaimed that we must “repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20). In other words, it is not merely mental assent to certain facts about Jesus. It is belief that results in lives actually changed. Regardless of the radical change taking place around us, the gospel will always remain the same—that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). And it is faith in this crucified, risen, ascended Lord that is required of all who desire salvation. This is the message of the Apostles—“God is commanding all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). There are no exceptions.

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3-4). Each and every day we are nearing the Rapture of the Church and the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th Week. Living to see these events, and to witness God’s Word fulfilled in our own lifetime, is a desire that many Christians have had throughout the history of the church. In fact, many Christians over the course of the last 2000 years fully anticipated that Christ would indeed return in their own lifetimes. However, this perpetual expectation of Christ’s return has exhausted the hope of many Christians throughout the ages. In addition, a large number of false prophets have set dates which led to initial excitement and to eventual disillusionment. It is no surprise that today, even Christians are asking the question, “Where is the promise of His coming?” The promise of His coming is found all throughout Scripture. Jesus promised He would one day return for His church, conclude His program for Israel, and establish His Kingdom on earth. We know this will happen because of the Bible’s track record concerning fulfilled prophecy. There are over 1000 predictive verses in the Bible concerning around 737 separate matters. Over half of these predictive verses have been literally fulfilled in history. This gives us tremendous confidence the rest will be fulfilled just as literally and completely as the others! The prophecies concerning the Second Coming will not occur in a vacuum. This means God will set the stage for the fulfillment of all end-times prophecy. As we review 2008, I want to share five primary trends that I believe are strong indicators that the hour of Christ’s coming for His church is near—“right at the door” (Matt. 24:33).

The first trend began well over 100 years ago. It is known as Aliyah, and refers to Jewish re-gathering to the Land of Israel. It began prior to the rebirth of Israel and has accelerated since Israel became a nation—the fulfillment of millennia-old prophecy (see Isaiah 66:8). Born on May 14, 1948, the modern nation of Israel remains an enigma to the world. The Jewish people's successful struggle for nationhood against all odds was seen as a miracle by the nations, and a fulfillment of ancient prophecies to students of the Holy Bible. Despite this, there are many today who teach the modern reality of the nation of Israel is nothing more than an accident of history and has no bearing on Bible prophecy. Many of these teachers are in the church! The amazing thing to me is that they ignore huge portions of Scripture to arrive at their position. Even more amazing is that they would continue in their foolishness even after seeing the sovereign fulfillment of Bible prophecy on May 14, 1948 and its continuation to this day as Jews return en mass to the Holy Land, thus fulfilling Aliyah! Furthermore, the re-establishment of Israel as a nation is a prerequisite to the fulfillment of end-times prophecy. Without an Israel, no end-times prophecy could be fulfilled and Jesus could not come back.

The second trend began unfolding with World War I but has accelerated in recent years. This trend is known as Alignment. It refers to the alignment of nations predicted in Scripture for the last days. World War I resulted in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire which had ruled the Middle East for centuries. World War II resulted in the realization of the nation of Israel and those nations surrounding Israel we know today to be intense enemies of Israel, denying her very right to exist as a nation. Since 1948 and especially in the last 15 to 20 years we have seen the collapse of the former Soviet Union which is giving rise to the Russia prophesied in Ezekiel as a major end-times player. We are seeing the reunification of Europe and the nations surrounding the Mediterranean rising to form a union that looks exactly like the ancient Roman Empire—a major last days prophecy! We see Russia entering into military and economic agreements with nations named in Ezekiel 38-39, a 2600 year-old prophecy that calls for an Iranian led, Russian armed confederacy of six nations that will come against Israel to try to destroy her in the last days. We have never seen anything like this in recorded history—until now. This is indeed astonishing!

The third trend is known as Anticipation. By this, I mean the anticipation for a comprehensive Middle East peace. It seems this one trend is in the news more and more these days. Even as 2008 concluded and a new year dawned, there were “wars and rumors of wars” raging in the Middle East with Israel’s offensive against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. A recent news headline captured the world’s quest of an elusive Middle East peace: “Obama Inherits Century-old Headache in Mideast.” The problem with the quest for Middle East peace is that God has promised this land to the Jews in an everlasting covenant. Any attempts to divide God’s covenant land, especially the city of Jerusalem, will incur God’s ire (see Zech. 12). A pseudo-peace is coming and will be brokered by a world leader the Bible describes as “the prince”. He will guarantee a 7 year covenant of peace with Israel that he will break midway through (see Dan. 9:27). The quest for peace in the Middle East today indicates the lateness of the prophetic hour. Jesus is coming soon!

The fourth trend is known as Arrangements. The Jews are making arrangements for and are ready to rebuild the Temple! The Bible clearly calls for a third Temple in the last days. Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and John all prophesied a third Temple. They were looking specifically to the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th Week (see Dan. 9:24-27). Jesus, Paul, and John all looked back to Daniel’s prophecy on this as the key to understanding end-times events. Each indicated the Temple would be in full operation by the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week, also known as the Tribulation. Did you know that sixty-three of the 103 implements used in Temple worship have been completed? Furthermore, in 2005, the Israeli rabbinical council involved with the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin called upon all groups involved in Temple Mount research to prepare detailed architectural plans for the reconstruction of the Jewish Holy Temple. They are closer than ever to laying the cornerstone and initiating construction. Something major will need to happen before this becomes a reality and I am convinced God has “something major” on the horizon! The question I have is will true Christians be here to witness it?

A fifth and final trend, and probably the most frightening, is that of Apostasy. This is referring specifically to the professing Christian church. Paul wrote, “It will not come unless the apostasy comes first” (2 Thess. 2:3). This is a trend I thought I would never see in my lifetime but it has begun unfolding in recent years and 2008 saw a dramatic increase. There is a movement known as the Emerging (or Emergent) Church Movement that is clearly an apostate movement. It is a movement that questions or outright denies the very foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. It is a movement that is incorporating Medieval and New Age pagan practices that they refer to as “Vintage Christianity”. I, along with others who are watching this movement, often refer to it as “the Road to Rome.” It is so named because it is a resurgence of religion in world affairs, the growing influence of the Roman Catholic Church, and the movement of other professing Christian churches back towards Rome. This resurgence is attracting people who are primarily looking for an experience—and it is deceiving untold millions! I cannot help but think about the words of Paul: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work…the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:7-10). The world has already begun experiencing what these “signs and false wonders” will be like. We see this deception in the so called “Mary Apparitions” such as the Fatima appearances in Portugal in 1917 and others of recent years—appearances that contradict Scripture in more ways than one! We saw it during the Presidential Campaign when millions of professing Christians were deceived into voting for “the one”. Furthermore, this apostasy is nothing more than a substitute for the true gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—salvation by “grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8).

As we look through the lens of Scripture back over the events of 2008, we see clearly that God is setting the stage for the final fulfillment of all prophecy. These trends, along with other world events, such as the political and financial upheaval we are witnessing, natural disasters, and the worldwide spread of the gospel, tell us the return of Christ for His church is very close. I believe He will return at any moment. The “mockers” keep asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Well, based upon the signs of the times and the ever increasing mocking, I would have to say that “the promise” is near—“right at the door” (Matt. 24:33). So the real question is, “Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air?” Have you been saved? Have you repented of your sins, believed and obeyed the true gospel of our Lord and on Savior, Jesus Christ: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).