" Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction..." ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3, NASB)      There has been a lot of talk through the years about the "apostasy" that Paul spoke of. Apostasy, in Biblical use, refers to an "act of rebellion against, forsaking, abandoning, or falling away from what one has believed."** Some of the arguments revolve around if the apostates referred to are genuinely believers or merely followers "in name only". Call me simple, but I believe that when the Bible tells us that some believers will fall away, then it means that some believers will fall away. (see 1 Tim. 4:1-2)    What precisely is Paul referring to when he speaks of the apostasy? We do not know when it will take place, or what it will look like. I think most of us will agree to this point. But, Paul informs us that the return of Jesus, in what w...

"I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the the LORD." - Ezekiel 38:23 (NASB)    Ezekiel 38 is speaking about end-times events. Gog and Magog are speaking of the battle of Armageddon as we know it as presented in Revelation. This is the context of the verse above. We always want to make sure that we keep Scripture in its proper context.    Notice what the LORD says that He is going to do in view of the world. First He is going to magnify or elevate Himself. Since creation man has created other "gods" in his own image. God will make Himself known in such a way, working such magnificent wonders, that mankind will have no doubt that He is the LORD. Second, He will sanctify or separate Himself. We usually think of sanctification as a separation from sin. However, God has not and cannot sin. The sanctifying He is speaking of is setting Himself apart from every other "god"...

" But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." - Mark 13:32 (NASB)      There is a lot of talk about "the end" these days, and depending on your eschatological view (end-time theology), there are various ideas even within Christianity. Recently I have read articles from several sources telling us that Jesus' return would coincide with the comet Ison. The Jehovah's Witnesses "prophesied" the return of Jesus at least four separate times in history. Many of us will remember, back in 1988, the book "88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988," and it's companion volume, "99 reasons...."  I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that they were wrong.    The problem is that Scripture is perfectly clear that no one knows when "the end" will be here. Supporters would argue that since Jesus said "day nor hour" that we can know the year, mont...

"And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth..." - Rev. 14:6-7 (NASB)     We came to this passage during our verse-by-verse study last night at church and I wanted to share a couple of thoughts with you. The NT is clear that the preaching of the gospel is the responsibility and privilege of the church (see Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:7-8 ). The task was never left to an angelic being. In fact, after the birth of Jesus, the only angelic proclamations that we see is that which announced Jesus' resurrection at the tomb. If this is true, then why is this angel, in Revelation 14 , flying around preaching? There is no one else to preach. Dr. Stanley Horton and others agree that by this time in the tribulation all Jewish and Gentile believers across the globe have been decimated by the antichrist and his reign. Although there is no one to preach, the gospel message is still valid and available This is reminiscent o...