THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

There are three spring Holy Days that represent the true church of God - whose members were called by God before the Second Coming of Christ to fulfill His Master Plan of Salvation for Mankind. The remaining four fall Holy Days represent salvation for the rest of manknind - probably a hundred billion or more people who have ever lived on planet earth since the creation of Adam and Eve.

In order for all mankind to be saved, God's Master Plan involves the atonement of all their sins. Since the Lord Jesus said in John 12: 32, If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL PEOPLES to Myself', and it is God's desire that none should perish, God's Master Plan of Salvation involves Christ Second Coming and restrainting the great deceiver and his proxies who have blinded the world from God's truth!

The Day of Atonement, observed just after the Feast of Trumpets, gives answer as to how this is to be achieved. For six thousand years, Satan, his demons and their human representatives have ruled the world with much injustices and sufferings for the majority of mankind. This is accomplished through a world system of distorted values and deceptions, accomplished largely through complicated webs of political and religious hidden agenda with the control of the monetary system and mass media (Eph 2:2, 5:11-12, 6:12, 2 Thess 2:9-12, 2 Peter 2:1-3, Rev 17:17). Their ultimate goal is world domination (codeword: NEW WORLD ORDER) to usher in the Antichrist!

For God's Plan of Salvation to be accomplished, not only sin has to be removed, but the source as well. Scriptures tell us that Satan is the primary instigator of all sin, though human nature has a part too. Not only is Satan the primary cause of sin, he is also the one who blinded billions to God's truth (2 Cor 4: 3-4). Many things that we think we know to be the truth turn out otherwise, and this more so in these last days.

The command to keep the Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 23:27 and Numbers 29:7. It is a day of fasting in remembrance of the time when God will save all mankind after the establishment of the kingdom of God by Jesus Christ in the Millennial Age with His resurrected Divine Family. The sons of God who will be in the first resurrection will help Christ to rule and teach all the rest of humanity (probably a hundred billion or more) to be resurrected in the second resurrection towards the last one hundred years of Christs' thousand year reign. These sons of God (kings) of the royal Divine Family will be endowed with supernatural power and knowledge like in the days of Jesus when He first walked the earth, perhaps even more! They will perform the humongous tasks of teaching, ministering and ruling the countless billions to turn to God's truth and way of life! Hence, they need to have the Christlike character qualities to fit the tasks.

The Day of Atonement is meant to look forward to the time when Satan and his demons will be incarcerated to deceive the world no more (Rev 20: 1-3), so that all humanity can be saved. This is symbolised in the Old Testament two-goats sin offering performed by Aaron and found in Leviticus 16:5-10. The priest was to select two goats as a sin offering for the people. Aaron as the high priest was to cast lots to select the one for the Lord - which typologically represents Jesus Christ as the sin offering to pay for our sins - and the other to be released into the wilderness as the escape goat ( escape goat is a more accurate translation than scapegoat)." The sending of the sin-laden goat... signifies the complete removal of the sins of the people and the handing over, as it were, to the evil spirit to whom they belong" (The One Volume Bible Commentary, page 95). The escape goat represents Satan and his demons. However, God will remove them from humanity before establishing Christ on the throne as the King of kings and Lord of lords during the coming millennial rule.

Once Satan and his demons are removed, mankind will be free to understand and apply the truth and Laws of God. 'For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.' (Isaiah 11:9).The command to fast is to represent our dependence to God in repentance and humility to remember the horror of sin that has wreck mankind for generations! As the High Priest takes the blood of the slain goat into the Holy Place - the mercy seat - it is a symbol of God's throne with His Laws and Government established over all His creation. Similarly, we are reminded of Christ in heaven who is our High Priest making intercessions on our behalf.

Since Christ had done all for us, we need not come with animal sacrifices, but a humble spirit and a contrite heart to remember God's Master Plan of Salvation for mankind. For those whom God has called, it is a time to reflect in preparation of the coming tasks ahead to bring in the great harvest into the kingdom of God. The Day of Atonement also reminds us that until Satan and his demons are put away, sin will continue to wreck havoc worldwide. But with the faith of Christ, we can overcome and look forward to the day when humanity will be at peace with God and with one another !

GOD'S END-TIME WARNINGS

The Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth some two thousand years ago to deliver the gospel message of the kingdom of God from the Heavenly Father. After preaching the gospel for three and a half years, only one hundred twenty believed what He preached (Acts 1:15). The rest who heard the gospel either disbelieve it, or worse, distort it into 'another gospel'. Throughout the centuries that follow, except for a small group of faithfull believers, the church has ignored preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. For those preachers who do so in the end-time, they either misunderstood or misinterpreted the gospel to suit their agenda. Looks like it has come full circle since the days of the first century Apostles!

The kingdom of God is the Government of God which will be established on earth for a thousand years after the Second Coming of Christ, with Jerusalem as the headquarters. But before this is to happen, the Great Tribulation will come upon earth as Satan unleashed his vengeance on planet earth before being dethroned with his incarceration for a thousand years (Rev 20:1-3). It will then be followed by judgment from God known as the Day of the Lord or the time of Jacob's Trouble!

Before Adam was ever created, the angels walked and inhabited the earth. The Government of God was over them. Unfortunately, they sinned and rebelled against God. God created Adam and Eve with the plan to restore the Government of God but they failed. The Word finally came, incarnated as the Son of God (John 1: 1-14) - aka Jesus Christ - the second Adam to save the world from ultimate destruction! Even Jesus Christ had to pass the test at the wilderness to qualify as the King of kings and Lord of lords to rule in the Millennial Age. Testings and trials will be required of His true disciples.

The prophet Ezekiel was given the message by God to warn the house of Israel - the lost ten tribes of Israel - about the impending judgment to come (Ezekiel 2:3, 3:1,17). However, Ezekiel himself was a slave from the house of Judah, not that of Israel. The house of Israel was taken to captivity by the Assyrian more than one hundred years before the house of Judah was taken to captivity by the Babylonian. The people of the house of Israel would have migrated to Britain and Western Europe by the time Ezekiel issued the warning. There was no record that Ezekiel left the Middle East and go west to deliver the message. In all probability, the warning of Ezekiel to the house of Israel was not meant for that time. It could mean that the warning message of Ezekiel was meant for the modern descendants of the house of Israel - people who have since taken roots in modern day United Kingdom, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America.

The warning is a call to repentance before the coming of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the time when God supernaturally intervenes in the affairs of this world. Currently, it is the day of man when man manages his own affairs. Though the prophecy targets specifically the house of Israel, it is also applicable to all who would heed the call. For God is no respecter of persons. God commanded Ezekiel to convey the message of warning of the coming judgment (Ezekiel chapter 2) as it contains lamentations, mourning and woe (2:10).

The sixth chapter of the book of Revelation shows the opening of the first six seals of judgment. The sixth seal ushers the world to the Day of the Lord with catastrophic signs of the sun, moon and the stars.The seventh chapter unleashes the seventh seal which consists of the first four trumpets of the seven trumpet plagues. Only the servants of God - at that time will be the 144,000 and the multitudes from all nations - that have been sealed on their foreheads will be protected (Rev 7:3).

Seven trumpet plagues make up the seventh seal. The first plague burns up one third of the trees and grass, the second turns one third of the seas into blood , the third fell upon the rivers and water source and the fourth struck the sun, moon and stars (Rev chapter 8). The last three plagues, called woes, struck and killed one third of mankind (Rev 9:18). But still man will harden their hearts and not repent of their sins (8:20-21). The seventh trumpet consists of the seven last plagues, and will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth with the sounding of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15!

Ezekiel was called to be a watchman to warn the house of Israel - not for his days but for end-time such as ours. It will continue on with the two witnesses preaching much to the same drumbeat (Rev: 11:3). The call to repentance with the coming of the kingdom of God is God's work of pre-eminence in these last days. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, 'And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.'  The true church is tasked to complete this Great Commission in this end time. Sadly, few would heed the call.

The primary reason is found in Ephesians 2:1-2, 'And you He made alive, who were dead in trepasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.'  Most who claim to be Christians lack the faith to believe Christ - His very words - though many believe in Him, of who He is. As such , many were being deceived to follow the slippery path of the great deceiver. That is why pop stars and sports personalities command more attention, wealth and influence than preachers and politicians. The mass media has been sold out to lure fame and fortune, and generally does not care what values and morals are being conveyed.

Even if the Lord tarrys His coming, a new world will dawn in the horizon. In it will be a totally new paradigm where values and systems will be based on the laws of God. The coming Millennial Age will be ruled by Christ with the resurrected born again saints as kings and priests to reign and teach God's truth and to reclaim all that have been lost to evil during the six thousand years of man's history (Acts 3:19-21). Will you heed the call and be a partaker of the most exciting time ever ?

THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

The Feast of Unleavened Bread follows on from the Passover as the Israelites came out of Egypt, signifying a life of sin and the old way of life. They are to adopt a new way of life of obedience to God's Laws and commandments. Similarly, for a new believer in Christ, once he has been forgiven of his past sins he has the opportunity to start anew going forward. This is a necessary stage for a Christian to undergo once he makes a decision to follow Christ - its kind of a rite of passage.

Exodus 12:15-20 is the biblical basis for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast is to be celebrated after the Passover and the first and seventh day kept holy with an offering to God. Exodus 12:17 says it is to be observed 'as an everlasting ordinance' - meaning that it is still applicable in modern times. The primary purpose of this Feast is to remember this phase of God's Plan of Salvation which is a typology of putting sin out of our lives.

Leaven is a sign of sin in biblical terminology. By calling for repentance and putting away of sin, it is a sign of being called out of this world to follow Christ. There can be no turning back if one to is qualify as a son of God. It is to be kept as a remembrance annually (Exodus 13:10). It is worthy to note that both the parents of Jesus and Christ Himself kept the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. (Luke 2:41-43; Mark 14:1-2 & 12-16). Interestingly, the early Apostles of Jesus Christ also celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3; 20:6-7). I believe that it is the Lord's command for us to observe these Feasts as well though not in a ritualistic manner, as given to us in 1 Cor 5:7-8, ' Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrified for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.'

To purge off the leaven is to resist sin and pride, much like a leaven which 'puffed up' the loaf of bread. This takes persistence and perseverance to overcome and much effort is often needed. Though salvation is free and nobody can earn it, but to become mature and attain the status of being a son of God requires sustained effort and time. After all, it was the pride of Satan that ultimately caused his downfall and deceive mankind into sin. The Christian has to overcome the deception of Satan, the temptations of society and the selfish nature of man to become an overcomer in order to inherit all that God has installed for us.
 (Rev 1: 6; 2:7,10,11,17,23,26; 3:11-12,21). The give way of life, rather than the get way of life is God's plan for those whom He called.

The seven days of Unleavened Bread typify believers leaving behind spiritual Egypt which is in bondage, to a life in the promised land which signify freedom from sin and to receive blessings from God. To achieve that requires sustained effort on the part of the believer and God will assist through the power of His Spirit working in the lives of those whom He called and responded to His call (Philippians 2:12-13). When the Israelites fled Egypt, Pharaoh pursued right to the very end with the objective of destroying them. Only through God's supernatural intervention were the Israelites saved from imminent dangers. Much like what the great deceiver is doing now to hinder believers from abandoning the pomp and glamour of this world of which he now reigns. Only by cooperating with God's Holy Spirit can believers succeed in overcoming the afflictions of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4).

Since a little leaven can leaven the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6), we are admonished to put away sin as a way of life. One small sin can distort the mindset of a believer and eventually corrupts his character. It is your attitude, mindset and character that will eventually outlive your physical life, and these are what God is looking for with those who qualify as members of His Divine Family! The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22: 1-14 shows that those without the wedding garment (righteous character will inevitably produce righteous acts and spiritual fruits) will be barred from partaking the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19: 8-9). Which means to say, those without the righteous character and spiritual fruits will not enter the kingdom of God to become members of God Divine Family!

The Apostle Paul stated this truth clearly in 1 Cor 6:9-10, 'Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homesexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.'  It is true that the following verse goes on to say that those who were once corrupted but are now washed clean will be accepted. However, believers have no licence to go back to the former way of life once they leave spiritual Egypt. In a similar vein, Galatians 5:19-21 warns us of the works of the flesh. For those who do will NOT inherit the kingdom of God - they will be barred from membership in God's Divine Family.

From my own personal journey and working experiences, I have had come across many instances where people of immense talents and giftings were capable of producing great results in all that they do. However, when one looks into their characters, they fall far short of what is to be desired. It is somewhat ironical that people will work diligently to achieve all their dreams and goals but never give a thought to work on their character, which is what matters from an eternal standpoint. This is made worse when people in power and authority made themselves appear what they are not. None of us is perfect no doubt, but what is crucial is the heart. Does one has the heart to please God by obeying Him or just to please man (could be your boss or anyone) or ourselves. The choice is yours to make.

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus 23:24-25, the Lord told Moses to gather the people for an annual Sabbath called the Feast of Trumpets. This celebration begins the four fall festival seasons which commences from the first day of the seventh month depicting the completeness and perfection of God's Plan of salvation for mankind. In the Jewish community, this holiday is observed as the Rosh Hashanah - which means the beginning of the Jewish civil year. In Scriptures, it is called the Yom Teruah - the Day of Trumpets - as the children of Israel are to blow trumpets on that day.

A ram's horn - shofar - is blown announcing the commencement of the festival. It was also used to warn of imminent danger such as a call to arms when enemies are near the gates. According to Numbers 10:8, only the sons of Aaron of the Levitical Priesthood had been given the authority to blow these trumpets. In our days, we are no longer required to literally blow these trumpets as Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 6:20).

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of this in His Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24 of a time before His return (Second Coming) when the whole world will be entrenched in war, epidemic, famine and natural disasters. Such is the time of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21; Rev 7:14), a time of immense sufferings and disasters that the world had never seen until that time - which is yet to happen. Without God's supernatural intervention in the affairs of man, humanity would tip over the brink of total destruction! The day when God intervenes in the affairs of man is also called the 'Day of the Lord' - a day when the blowing of the trumpet is called for.

In today's context , the work of the true church of God is to be the watchman (Ezekiel 33: 5-9; Jeremiah 6:17) to proclaim the Gospel of the coming kingdom of God to all the nations (Matthew 24:14) and to warn the people of the impending dangers yet ahead. Unless they repent, many will perish when the wrath of Satan is unleashed, followed by the punishment of God - the Day of the Lord! Therefore, God's watchmen are to raise their voice like a trumpet to warn the people to repent (Isaiah 58:1), especially in these last days.

The Day of the Lord has its former and latter days fulfillment. The former part had been fulfilled in ancient Isreal and Judah while the latter part has yet to happen in the future. Zechariah 14:1-4 prophecies that the Day of the Lord is coming when nations of the world will gather together to wage battle in Jerusalem. The battle will be so intense that Christ has to return for the sake of the elect (the potential sons of God who are living then -Matt 24:22) or else mankind will be totally annihilated -probably through nuclear weapons!

Matthew 24:29-31 gives a clear account of what will happen after the Great Tribulation. The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth accompanied by the sound of a trumpet (verse 31). Those who are His elect who are dead (sleeping) will hear His voice and be the first to resurrect - for His sheep know and hear His voice (John 10:4, 16), follow by the elect who are alive then. This will be the last trumpet call (1 Cor:15:52) - the seventh trumpet - when all His elect (to be born again as members of the divine family - a new creation) will be resurrected to immortality (1 Cor 15:53-54). Then and only then is their salvation complete.

The Apostle Paul warned the church in Thessalonica not to sleep - meaning not to be spiritually blurred, blinded or deceived - but to watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6). For the Lord will return at a time most unexpected and those who are spiritually blinded, deceived and not prepared will not escape the cataclysmic events that will unfold before their very eyes (1 Thess 5:3; Matt 25:1-13). Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). Yes, Christians have to be found worthy as overcomers to escape the cataclysmic events of the Great Tribulations(Matthew 25:1-13). The testing for them is already in progress (1 Peter 4:17)!

Revelation 8:7-12 describes the four trumpet plagues that will affect mankind. The first plague affects one third of all plant life and hence the source of food for mankind. The second plague affects the seas with one third of all sea creatures dead, another important source of food. The third plague affects a third of all waters in the rivers and springs, an essential life source. The fourth plague affects the light source, without which mankind is doom. Through God's grace, only one third of mankind is affected but man will still refuse to repent and turn to God. With humanity unrepentant, God will unleash His wrath.

God will destroy the Beast power and the false religious systems of this world. When the last trumpet is sounded, Christ will resurrect His saints to His divine Family to set up the kingdom of God on earth (Rev 11:15). The armies of this world will turn against Christ and His resurrected divine Family for one final battle. The King of kings (Christ) and the resurrected saints (sons of God) will completely rout the rebellious human army (Rev 19:17-21). The seventh bowl plague will result in a cataclysmic earthquake that completely change the face of the earth (Rev 16:18-20) and finally a loud voice from heaven saying, 'It is done!' (Rev 16:17).

The Feast of Trumpets is to remind us of the coming events culminating in the resurrection of the saints (First Resurrection), the destruction of the world's false religious systems and the Return of Christ to set up the kingdom of God on earth. Proverbs 25:2 tells us that 'It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,but the glory of kings (sons of God) is to search out a matter.' God's elect (sons of God) will continue to sow in tears, but they shall reap in joy (Psalms 126:5-6). For the sufferings and hardship of this world will never last since they are only temporal. But the overcoming saints will last as they inherit the divine Family with immortality to gain eternal joy when Jesus Christ return to rule and reign the world with His Headquarters in Jerusalem!

GOD'S WAY TO UNIVERSAL PEACE

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth is the consummation of hope not just for the saved, but also for humanity as a whole. The world cannot find any enduring solutions to all its problems - wars, famines, pollutions, natural disasters, racial and religious conflicts, poverty, terrorism - and the list goes on. No government or organisation can solve them -not even the superpowers or the United Nations!

Man has to come to the end of his tether before God will come to intervene in the affairs of man. The timeline for the six thousand years of man's rule is coming to an end. Christ will come to rule with His resurrected saints for the next one thousand years (Revelation 20:6) to restore all that has been lost to the great deceiver (Acts 3:21) - Satan. The whole of creation is groaning in pain awaiting the revelation of the sons of God to accomplish the great works yet ahead (Romans 8:18-23)! But take heart, as night follows day, this will surely come to pass as the sure Word of Prophecy says so (Rev 19:10e).

The prophet Isaiah refers to Christ the Messiah as the Prince of Peace -Isaiah 9:6 - and following on in verse 7, it reads 'Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.' Many sermons have had been preached from these few verses over the centuries but with so little understanding. God is saying through the good prophet that the time of universal world government will be the time when Christ will come (Second Coming) to govern the world as King on the throne of David (based in Jerusalem). That will be the time of peace the world had never known (Isaiah 59:8a).

The Bible records for us God's blueprint to accomplish universal peace that will endure. The seven biblical festivals and feasts are a typology of what is to come. It depicts what Christ and His resurrected saints (sons of God) will do to bring about universal peace and prosperity.

The first is the Passover (Exodus 12:11; Deuteronomy 16:1-2). In Old Testament days, the slaughter of a lamb signifies the future sacrificial death of Christ. In New Testament era, the sacrifice has already been accomplished by Christ's death on the cross, and hence the slaughter of an animal has become unnecessary. However, the meaning and significance is still relevant in this time and age. The celebration reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ to atone for the sins of mankind. In fact, Christ and His disciples kept this festival ( Mark 14:12-16) and the Lord Christ was crucified in the midst of the Passover celebration!

The second festival is the Days of Unleavened Bread. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, the Apostle Paul explains that we are to keep the feast not in the ritualistic way, but with the unleaven bread of sincerity and truth. This festival was celebrated following the Passover, signifying that once delivered from slavery and bondage to sin, they are to become slave of righteousness.

The third festival showing God's divine plan is the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1) when the New Testament church was born. In the Old Testament it was known as the Feasts of Weeks and the Day of the Firstfruits (Numbers 28:26). Christ calls out a small group of people as His church (Luke 12:32) who will be the salt and light of this world (Satan is god of this age, 2 Cor 4:4) -Matthew 5:13-14 - until He returns. This 'little flock' has been endowed with the power of His Holy Spirit for inner transformation in preparation for the tasks of great harvest during the millennial age. The Apostle James calls it a kind of firstfruits of His creatures (James 1:18). Many have been deceived thinking that they are called and chosen to be part of this group. The sad truth is that not all have truly repented and been transformed by the Spirit of God to be in this 'first harvest' (Matthew 7:20-23). Just like parents have their firstborn child, second born, third born and so on; there is a first harvest (firstfruits) in this age and subsequent harvests in the age to come.

The first three festivals are a typology of spring harvest. They laid the groundwork for the last four festivals which will serve to gather in the harvest of all humanity who will repent and accept the forgiveness of Christ's atoning work on the cross. All the last four festivals take place in the autumn harvest when crops harvest are gathered in and stored in the northern hemisphere. Such spiritual harvest is yet to take place in the future when Satan will be incarcerated and Christ will sit on the throne of David (currently occupied by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain) with His Headquarters in Jerusalem! There will be no more wars as swords will be turned to plowshares (Isaiah 2:4), deceptions and spiritual blindness will be removed so all knees will bow down to worship Christ as King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9; 14:16). Those who refused will find themselves on the wrong end of the stick (Zechariah 14:17-19).

Only the establishment of God's kingdom on earth will there be universal peace. Christ and the resurrected born again sons of God will rule with an iron fist in the initial stage until all rebellion that has its root planted by the great deceiver are pluck out of existence! For the God of Peace (Christ) and His kings (sons of God) will crush Satan (all those values and principles which had their source from the great deceiver) under their feet (Romans 16:20). A new economy that is based on solid principles of honest weights, savings and prudence rather than debts will be implemented worldwide. Man will be taught the truth about life's principles right from the pages of Scriptures. What a wonderful world that will be!

PREDESTINATION AND THE PLAN OF GOD

Throughout my Christian life, I have heard several messages about the subject of predestination and free will. Some will preach that predestination is nothing more than two sides of the same coin - we are now on this side of heaven, but when we get there we will understand what God has installed for us even before we were born! Yet others will teach that it is a hundred percent man and a hundred percent God at work. Frankly, it leaves me even more puzzled and confused after all these talks!

But I discover that God has all along revealed the truth to us about predestination and His marvellous plan - it's just that we have not searched the Scriptures enough to comprehend it. Think about this, if all things were predestined by God, then man is not created with a free will to make decisions for himself. If that is so, can man be made accountable for all his actions? That would fly squarely in the face of revealed Scriptures!

Did God predetermine who will obey Him, who will be righteous, and who will be 'lost' or 'saved'? Is God trying to saving all of mankind now - in this time and age? If that is so, as most evangelical Christians believed, then God is 'losing' the battle against Satan! As one-third of mankind has never heard of Jesus Christ. Another one-third who do, believe Him not. And for the other one-third who claimed to know Him, most paid cursory attention to what He taught and commanded as recorded in Scriptures!

Is now the only time to accept or reject Christ, failing which man is doomed for eternity? Evangelists and preachers often use 2 Corinthians 6:2 which is a quotation from Isaiah 49:8 that now is the acceptable time. In truth, the word 'the' in the King James version is nowhere found in the original Greek or Hebrew text. Bible translators had added in the word mistakenly thinking it will add clarity, but instead, the result is confusion. In Isaiah 49:8, God says 'In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee.' If salvation was available only in Paul's time or in Isaiah's time, then all of us are doomed! Clearly, they failed to understand the Plan of God as reveal in God's seven annual Holy Days and the festivities.


However, having said that, it is certainly true that for those who are called now in this age, with the truth of God opened to the minds of their understanding there is no turning back. For those who are called, they must act on it now, for there is no second chance for those who reject God's truth (Hebrews 10:26).

Christ came to save the whole of humanity, not just for a small minority. For it is God's will that none should perish. Do you think the Almighty God will leave the salvation of all mankind to just a small band of sinners saved by grace? I think man is thinking too highly of himself! The answer is an emphatic NO. God will not trust puny men for such an important task, no matter how 'righteous or Godly' they are!

Readers may wonder how to reconcile the truth of God with reality when Satan seem to have the upper hand in the battle for souls. Modern Christianity is subtly depicting God as a sadist who will send man to suffer for all of eternity in the 'pits of hell forever', over which most have no idea who and what is the true God! Nowhere in the whole of the Bible is there a single verse which says that all man must be converted now. The prophecy in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4:1-4 reveals a time in the coming Millennial Age when all nations - Israel and Gentiles - will be taught the truths and laws of God. Only then, when Satan is bound will human nature be reformed and even the animal kingdom will live at peace with one another!

The truth is, God is not calling everybody now. He is only calling a small group of people in every generations who are predestined to become the sons of God. These potential sons of God will be judged in their lifetime through trials and tribulations to have the character, knowledge, attitude and mindset of Christ. God will never allow those who cannot be ruled and submit to His authority in their mortal life to become rulers in His coming kingdom (Luke 19:12-27). They will be given great power and authority that even the angels will have to submit to them (1 Cor 6:2-3)! Only members of the God Spirit Family are qualified to rule and reign with Christ. To enter and inherit this Royal Family of God, they have to die physically and then reborn as eternal spirit God beings (John 3:3-8, see 1 Cor 15). It is God's will for the saints of today to undergo training for great power, authority and responsibility for the salvation of whole humanity during the coming Millennial reign of Christ. Sadly, most theologians and preachers believe that Christians are born again once they accept Christ and all mankind must be saved now or else they are eternally doomed - they are sincerely wrong and miss the Plan of God by a galaxy!

In John 5:28-29 Christ said, ' Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (last trumpet call) and come forth -those who have done good, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation (Greek: judgment and NOT condemnation)' Similarly, Christ warned of a coming judgment in Matthew 11:21-25 to Chorazin and Bethsaida that it would be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon and even Sodom on the day of judgment because they would have repented had they witnessed what had been done by Christ! The only way this can happen is when all people from all ages were to be resurrected to physical mortal beings again (Acts 24:15). This will happen in the second resurrection during the Millennila Age when all people who have ever lived (except the sons of God in the first resurrection) will face the Almighty God at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11).

The sheep and goat parable in Matthew 25:31-41 talks about the process Christ carefully works with all those who are called to become sons of God and those who will ultimately end up in the lake of fire! God knows in advance who will have the potential to become members of His Royal Family and those who do not. The Apostle Paul in Romans:8:28-30 describes this process. God foreknew those who have the potential to become His sons. He then predestinate them to be equipped with the right knowledge and revelation of the truth so as to conform to the image of His Son Jesus Christ in character, attitude and mindset. At the right time, He calls them to come on board to be His 'A' team which will ultimately form the supergovernment of God for the whole universe for all eternity! Please note that only that those with the right qualities will qualify (Matthew 22:12-14). They will undergo tests, trials and tribulations to justify their positions in the kingdom of God. By yielding to the work and leading of God's Holy Spirit this is possible while with human effort, this is almost impossible. The last step is to be glorified when the saints are resurrected to become spirit God beings to inherit the kingdom of God. By then Satan will be dethroned and Christ enthroned with all the resurrected saints helping Him to rule and reign (Daniel 7:18,22,27; Rev 3:21)!

The long and short of all these is that God did predestine a small group of people from each generation to become His sons - as only the spirit Royal Family will govern everything, starting with Planet Earth in the Millennial Age and then onto eternity for the whole universe! Does that mean all not predestine to be called will be 'lost'? By no means - they will be given the opportunity to learn of all the truths and ways of God and to accept Christ or reject Him in the Millennial Age. Those who accept Christ for the forgiveness of all their sins will be resurrected into spirit beings as childrren of God. Those who refuse to accept Christ despite being given all the truths and understanding will be annihilated in the lake of fire as if they were never born (Malachi 4:1-3). A merciful God will put them out of their misery. So for the large majority, they are neither lost nor saved. They are not yet being judged. Their time will come as the sure Word of God says so. Meanwhile, only God's true saints are being judged (1 Peter 4:17) to qualify them for high office, power and authority. So make your calling and election sure to enter and inherit the kingdom of God (2 Peter 1:10-11)!

The subject of predestination has nothing to do with being saved or lost. It has everything to do with the calling of God for a small group of people to become the sons of God - the firstfruits of salvation (James 1:18). However, many are being called but they failed to qualify because of distractions and the lure of this world (Matthew 13: 18-24). Only those who ultimately overcome will make the grade!

THE TREE OF LIFE

We know that every person born into this world has had to learn every conceivable piece of knowledge within the span of a lifetime that ultimately forms his/her character and personality. But what about Adam and Eve, the first parents that God created as mature beings at the very onset of life on earth? In all probability, their minds were devoid of any knowledge. So God has to teach them knowledge for them to function as individual beings.

Interestingly, the very first thing recorded in Genesis 2:15-17 is: Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Man is made to become the overseer of God's creation - to improve and develop upon it. Following that in verses 16 and 17, God commanded Adam to make a choice - Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in that day they you eat of it you shall surely die.

From this passage of Scriptures, we can infer that the first piece of knowledge taught to Adam was the TREE of LIFE and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.The tree of life and tree of the knowledge of good and evil are probably the crucial knowledge that God would have Adam learnt at the onset, before anything else. As Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, these two trees would form the basic foundation of all knowledge on which human civilization later build upon. In fact, these two trees form the foundational stone of the doctrine of the Bible.

According to Herbert Armstrong, the main trunk of the tree of life is the Spirit of God. On one side of the tree of life are the four main branches which represent the first four of the Ten Commandments and they depict man's love toward God. On the other side are six main branches which represent the next six commandments of the Ten Commandments and they depict man's relationship toward fellow man. From the tree of life will flow the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God which is love, joy, peace,longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23).

If Adam and Eve had not sinned and partake of the tree of life as commanded by God, life inherent in God would have imparted to Adam and Eve and to all generations that follow. The Spirit of God would have flow up from the root of the tree of life to produce true life for man to live it God's way. Had Adam taken of the tree of life instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, human civilization would have taken an entirely different course!

However, by partaking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man had rejected God's way and dependence upon Him for all true knowledge. Instead, man would rather choose to make his own decision based on his understanding and worldview of what is good and evil, right and wrong. In other words, man had rejected God and instead, chose the course of self-reliance. Apart from a select few chosen ones who have received the Spirit of God indwelling in them, man had been cut off from the true life source of the Spirit of God. The concomitant result is death. Had Adam and Eve partook of the tree of life, they would have all knowledge and understanding sourced from God. Their human spirit would have been connected with the Spirit of God to become a begotten child (conceived but not yet born) of God, just like a converted Spirit-begotten Christian.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil looks good and attractive on the outside, but within is rotten to the core! From it springs forth the spirit of Satan which is manifested by the works of the flesh like adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,revelries (Gal 5:19-21). Those who practice such things WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God. Since most of mankind falls prey to the ways of Satan, troubles and problems of this world abound in every society of every generations!

A sound knowledge of the two trees will help to underpin our worldview of Bible prophecies, world events and even human nature. Because of the Fall at the Garden of Eden, due primarily to deception on the part of Eve and disobedience on the part of Adam in partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mankind and the world at large are in a mess that only the Return of Christ can avert total destruction! The knowledge of good is only man's level best of goodness which falls far short of God's best for mankind. So no matter how much good man tries to reform the system of this world, human nature remains unchanged and it will ultimately end in failure and disappointment. All governments and man made systems, including the financial architecture of this world which is based on greed and fear, unfair weights and deceptions will someday collapse just prior to the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is like the Titanic heading towards its prophetic destiny!

Tragically, the best of minds of this world cannot fully understand mankind because they partake from the wrong tree, which is sourced from Satan. And Satan has hidden the truth from them. I learn with disbelief that bright minds from some of the world's most learned universities would spend their life trying to trace man's ancestry back to the apes! The Bible is clear that the spirit in man is what distinguishes man from animals. This spirit in man combines with the human brains are what make man unique with all the fullest potential beyond comparison with any other living species! Yet the wrong premise on the foundation of all knowledge and education have led man going off target researching all in vain.

Today, you can choose to eat from the tree of life instead of eating from the 'tree of death'. The disciples of the Ephesus era were given the promise that to him who overcomes I(God) will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev 2:7). For the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30). Most of mankind does not know and understand this as it is hidden from them by Satan (Rev 12:9). But he who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son (Rev 21: 7).

The Bible begins with the tree of life that was proferred to man, represented by Adam. It ends with the tree of life on either side of the pure river of life flowing from the throne of God, yielding twelve fruits and with the leaves given for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:1-2). This tree of life is the fountain of the water of life that will flow forth from the New Jerusalem to bring true life, peace and joy, happiness and prosperity to all nations. Those who obey God's commandments shall have the right to the tree of life and to enter the New Jerusalem - the Headquarters of the kingdom of God! (Rev 22:14).

Have you grasped the significance of true and trusted knowledge that only God the Father has revealed? Anything else that is premised on agnosticism and human reasoning comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which will ultimately fall flat comes the Day of Reckoning!

TRUE TRANSFORMATION

As a young believer in the faith, I often hear of Christians sharing in their testimonies about being called of God to go into full-time Christian Ministry. Their testimonies are often revolved around some events or incidents that happened in their lives where they take it by faith that God is calling them into full-time Christian service. The truth is, a call from God is a process where it all begins with a journey and end with the ultimate transformation - eternal life when mortal flesh is changed (born again) into immortal spirit God being ('you are gods' - Psalm 82:6; John 10:34) to dwell in eternity.

Nobody comes to God the Father in this church age unless He calls those whom He has predestined to become the sons of God (John 6:44-45; Romans 8:29-30; Eph 1:4-5). However, only those who are willing to pay the price of obedience will ultimately be chosen to be born again as sons of God in the first resurrection when Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth. Indeed, many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 20:16,22:14), because most will pay lip service with all the nice cliches but lack the faith and will to believe and obey the commandments of God.

A person called of God will begin to experience a deeper and broader understanding of Scriptures like never before. His/her mind will begin to understand and wise up to the things of God because it has been given to those who are called to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (God) - Matthew 13:11. God only calls a small group of people in this age to form the true church (the firstfruits) to prepare and equip them for the great work of salvation and equipping of the masses yet ahead during the millennial age when most of mankind living then and resurrected to flesh and blood in the second resurrection will be given the truth and offer of salvation!

Those whom God calls, He expects them to change - in their attitude, mindset and behavior. This is the stage of repentance where those who are called begins to understand the nature and evil of sin manifested in every strata of life and society. They realise that the prince of the power of the air is at work to draw man to darkness (Eph 2:2). But God is drawing them out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9). True repentance is changing the mindset, attitude and actions to conform to the image and mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). Psalm 51 is a good example of king David's repentance after he committed adultery and murder.The Lord Jesus' remarks in Mark 7:20-23 about the conditions of man's heart bear stern warning to all of us. Similar truths are found in Jeremiah 17:9-10 and Isaiah 55:7. We know that because of man's fallen nature, repentance calls for radical change. In short, we need to be transformed inside out and nothing short of a 'spiritual heart transplant' will suffice!

Acts 2:38 commanded all those who repented to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This is for two main purposes - the forgiveness of past sins and to receive the gift of God's Holy Spirit. Some think that water baptism is only a Christian ritual. Nothing is further from the truth. Water baptism has deep spiritual significance - it is an outward symbolism of a deeper inner transformation. The Apostle Paul in Romans 6 teaches us the true meaning and significance of water baptism. It signifies death, burial and resurrection to a new life!

The step of going through the water baptism shows the convert's understanding and acceptance of the shed blood of Christ's death on the cross for his/her sins, and the baptismal grave as his/her former life. This is also an acceptance of the truth that the believer will one day be resurrected to eternal life like the Lord Jesus Christ. This is to be followed by prayer through the laying on of hands by a pastor or elder to receive the gift of God's Spirit for empowerment to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)- a life of obedience and righteousness and not of slavery to sin (Romans 6:16-18). The baptism is a symbol of being buried with Christ in the old self of sin and shame to live a new life free from slavery to sin.

Through water baptism, the believer is cleansed of his/her past sins. Going forward, God gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit to empower us to live a life worthy of His calling. The impartation of the gift of God's Spirit after baptism through the laying on of hands is taught in Acts 8:17&19, 19:6 and 2 Timothy 1:6. The purpose is to set apart the believer as a child of God to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the truth so as to set him/her free from the grip of Satan and demonic stronghold. And also to replace the human nature of the get way of life with the divine nature of the give way of life. This is made possible with the Holy Spirit leading and guiding the believer (Rom 8:14).The role of the church is to properly teach and guide the young believer into understanding and obedience of the Word of God. When all the right doctrines and teachings are put into practice by the disciple, he/she is on the way to become a member of the God Family with a potential that is out of this world! When persevere to the end (overcomer - Revelation 3:12), the disciple will inherit eternal life as a son of God in His coming kingdom to rule and reign with Christ.

The Apostle Paul chided some believers for being ignorant of God's truth and ways - what a shame(1 Cor 15:34). If a believer would not spend time and effort to study the Scriptures, how can he/she knows the will of God (Romans 12:2), let alone do His will (2 Tim 3:17)? Little wonder that many are always learning (like hopping from one seminar to another) and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 3:7). Those who proclaim to be ministers of God but are leading the flock in the wrong direction are in grave spiritual danger (2 Cor 11:13-15)- their very own salvation is hanging by the skin of their teeth!

Since only God the Father and Jesus Christ have life inherent in them, only they can impart life, for life comes from life. We can only receive eternal life through the LIFE of Christ (Rom 5:10). It is in the future tense ('shall be saved')for we are NOT YET SAVED, only forgiven. Salvation is yet of the future when Christ returns and resurrection occurs. Even the patriarchs Abraham and David are still in 'deep slumber' up till now (Acts 2:29,34; 13:36). All the saints who died in their faith are not in heaven playing the harp or riding the clouds in everlasting bliss - at least not yet. The soon coming millennial age will have lots of hard work for the resurrected saints to do to help Christ restore all things (Acts 3:21)that has been lost to the kingdom of darkness since humanity began. That is why only those who have being transformed from the inside out in character, attitude and mindset (the only sure things that survive physical death)will be qualified to share the throne as joint heirs with Christ - nothing else matters!

It is worthy to note that God will only give His Spirit to whom He calls (Acts 2:39)and to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Repentance is toward God since all sin is against God, but faith is toward Christ because of His sacrificial death on the cross (Acts 20:21). Many may say that it is too hard to obey all the commandments of God. Humanly speaking, this is true. But with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). What this means is that all believers have to depend on the power of God's Spirit to help them overcome all obstacles in his/her journey of faith toward spiritual maturity. For Christ says that only those who endures to the end will be saved (Matt 10:22, 24:13). Hence, the Christian faith is a test of endurance. For only those who persevered to the end are ultimately transformed to become an immortal spirit God being to inherit everything that only eternal life can offer! There is simply no comparison, not even if you are a trillionaire in British pound sterling or Euro currency. The joy and glory, bliss and fulfillment that eternity awaits is simply beyond description!

MYSTERY OF LIFE AND DEATH

I am always bewildered about life and death even when I was a young boy barely in school going age. I used to spend considerable amount of time gazing at the stars, wondering the mysteries of it all. When I was twelve, my beloved paternal grandfather (I was his favorite grandson) passed away due to diabetes. In the 1960s when medical science was still rudimentary in Singapore, the chances of survival were slim, especially for those without the means to spend a small fortune for treatment overseas. As we were of Taoist background then, the Taoist priests advised that one of the rituals involved waiting for seven and fourteen days for the spirit of my late grandpa to return to visit his loved ones and feast on his 'favorite foods'.

We were advised to stay awake on those appointed nights to 'welcome' the return of his spirit from the 'dungeons of purgatory' ! Frankly, there were indeed noises and rumbling of the altar table where the foods were placed. I was so fearful that goose bumps were all over me even with my blanket covered from head to toe! Now I know that these were mere demonic interferences, part of what the Bible calls witchcraft.

To date, I have attended countless funeral wakes and rituals. Some for the passing on of my family members, others of relatives and friends. Other than for a few exceptions, most of those facing death and their family members have no clue what life and death mean. They can try all sorts of religious beliefs, undergo all types of ritual practices including seemingly endless chantings with burning of paper mansions, luxury cars, printed currency notes and consult all kinds of psychic mediums - all of no avail!

What I'm going to share with you readers may shock and surprise some of you, but nonetheless they are true and nothing but the truth. The basis of my faith ? - the Holy Scriptures - the unadulterated Word of God. If God has not revealed the truth, no man can find it!

The Almighty God of the universe place man on earth with the vision of reproducing Himself - the God Family. Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) - the God kind. Lucifer (now known as Satan) and some of the angels were placed on earth long before man was ever created. God is the Creator and He assigned Lucifer and the angels to develop and beautify His creation. The books of Isaiah (chapter 14) and Ezekiel (chapter 28) tell us that Lucifer and the fallen angels (now known as demons) rebelled against the government of God
due to pride and arrogance. So there was darkness and ruin on the surface of the earth, (Gen 1:2) probably due to some kind of conflict and warfare between the spiritual forces of good and evil. Perhaps that is why even the planets of the galaxies are in disarray - basically barren and absent of life forms.

God send forth His Spirit to renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30) in six days to make way for man - His prize creation! But why must man be created in flesh and blood to undergo temptations, sufferings and death? Why not make man immortal being to enjoy heavenly bliss at the very outset? This is the crux of the matter that man fail to understand the grand plan of God. In a sense God did, but Adam and Eve failed the test. With the tree of life cut off, all human beings are 'on trial' here on earth to develop the spiritual character qualities necessary to become immortal spirit beings for eternity. A small group during the church age, the rest during the millenial age. In order that they can become members of the God Family that will rule and reign the whole universe for all of eternity. Is it a big deal? No, it is the mother of all deals! Whether you and I can make the grade largely depend on us - what you think or don't think, what you do say or don't say, what you do or don't do - with proof of performance in the fruits that result therefrom.

Those who ultimately fail to repent despite being given the whole truth during the millennial age when Satan is restraint and with no interference from him and his demons will be annihilated in the Lake of Fire as if they were never born. A gracious and merciful God will put them out of their misery. This will not be possible if man were to be created immortal first without the testings as spirit beings live forever. The question is where and how they will live out their immortality in eternity! Those who ultimately make it to enter the kingdom of God will be born again as immortal spirit beings like Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50; 1 John 3:2), who does not sin (1 John 3: 9).

God sent Christ to earth some two millennia ago to set up a church (those called out of this world's system with Satan on the throne - 2 Cor 4: 4) as the firstfruits to become the king priest to win the whole of all His creation back to Him during the millenial age. If God had created man as immortal beings first without learning and mastering the necessary spiritual character qualities, there will likely be millions if not billions of 'Satan look-alikes' inhabiting the universe for all of eternity! That would be the mother of tragedies for all of eternity!!

So make no mistake folks, we all have to die physically in order to live as immortal spiritual beings in eternity. Physical death is not the end of it all, but spiritual death is (the second death - Rev 20:14). Physical death is the gateway to all of our inheritance God has installed for us. Man's best is yet to be. But there is a condition. We must show our love through devotion and obedience to God through Christ based on the revealed Word of God. 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him' (1 Cor 2:9).

What God has created for good, man has defiled and perverted almost everything through a civilization that is Satanic and demonic influenced. God has designed the family to propagate His God Family vision, but man is in hot pursuit of an 'alternative lifestyle' with same sex marriage advocates passionately challenging societal norms. That is Satan snubbing at God's plan for mankind. God has created everything good for our enjoyment and well-being, but man has perverted all good values and polluted the earth to the point of no return. God's will for mankind is to worship Him in the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29), but man turns to idol worship under the cloak of being a fan of some well-known celebrities!

Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2;2) working in the minds of people devoid of the Spirit of God - up till today. The good news is that it will soon come to an end. Christ will return to be enthroned as the King and Satan dethroned to be incarcerated (Rev 20:2-3). Till then, the whole world is being clouded in deception with the self-centred 'get way of life' instead of God's 'give way of life'. Without the Spirit of God indwelling the human mind, man is automatically tuned into Satan's wavelength. The carnal human mind is often incapable of understanding the whole truth. Even for some reason they do, they often do not believe. And even if they believe, they are powerless to obey. Only with the Holy Spirit baptised by the Lord Jesus Christ into their mind to write the Word of God onto the tablets of their hearts for the repentant sinners to reconcile back to God the Father (Romans 5:10), then there can be a transformation of life to produce spiritual fruits (Gal 5:22-25).

Coming back to my grandpa's story, was his spirit floating around in search of his home and loved ones? Certainly not, but this is what the Chinese celebrating the annual 'hungry ghosts' festival would have you believe. The Bible is unequivocally clear that the spirit of a human being returns to God when a person dies (Eccl 12:7b; Ps 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). Other than Christ who is God in the flesh and was resurrected to return back to the third heaven where He came (John 3;13), all human beings who have died are asleep in unconsciousness awaiting their resurrection. Their next moment of consciousness will be their resurrection. Those called and chosen by God the Father will be amongst the firstfruits in the first resurrection to be born again as immortal God-like spirit beings when Christ returns to set up the coming kingdom of God on earth. All the rest of mankind who have ever lived will be in the second resurrection to be resurrected as flesh and blood human beings beginning with the Israelites and the Jews from the northern and southern kingdoms respectively reunited as one (Ezekiel 37) towards the close of the millennial age. All the unborns (those aborted and died prematurely) together with all the youngs will probably be resurrected as spiritual babes to be raised to full maturity with the knowledge of the whole truths and given ample opportunities for acceptance of Christ for salvation (Isaiah 65:20).

The seven thousand years of God's plan is on track, and the time given for man's government on earth is six thousand years of human history since Adam and Eve and is soon coming to an end. The seventh thousand years of Christs' millennial rule is dawning (the Sabbath rest -Hebrews 4;9-11). God's vision and master plan for mankind cannot be thwarted no matter what and how Satan does to frustrate God's purpose. Many are called but not all will accept God's offer to become the chosen ones to qualify as sons of God. Spiritual fruits of character transformation and lasting impact on lives through service of love are proof of performance qualification to inherit the kingdom of God as sons of the Most High God! Jesus' parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14 in part, is a typology of this truth. I kid you not when I say that God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11;Eph 6:9;Col 3:25)- titles, positions, social status, IQ, EQ, bank accounts, accomplishments and everything else mean nothing to God, unless they are used for His purpose. He is looking for the heart attitude and character qualities that will stand for all of eternity.If you are reading my blog, you are probably called by God (John 6:44-45) but you have to make up your mind to be among the chosen ones.

The Spirit of Christ is knocking at the door of your heart with an incredible offer of royal membership in the coming kingdom of God (Rev 3:20-21). For those who choose to walk by faith with a vision of the imminent coming kingdom of God, eternal life of immortality and immense glory like the stars in the heavens are all within the grasps of your hands!

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM

The book of Daniel of the Old Testament gives a very descriptive narrative of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, who was the king of the Chaldean Empire some six centuries before the first advent of Jesus Christ. The prophetic book reveals the succession of world empires which will culminate in the setting up of God's government on earth at the Second Coming of Christ. Besides, it also reveals what is to happen in the times of the end which we are living in.

God gave Daniel, a young Jewish man serving as a cupbearer to king Nebuchadnezzar, the wisdom of understanding dreams and visions. With his solid faith in God and true humility, he took no credit upon himself but gave the glory to God Who alone is able to interpret dreams (Daniel 2:28). All his wise men were unable to narrate his dream as was required by him.

In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw an image whose head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2:32-33). Verse 38 gives God's interpretation through prophet Daniel that the gold represents the Chaldean Empire. History tells us that that was followed by the Medo-Persian Empire (Silver), the the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great (Bronze) and then the Roman Empire with the eastern capital at Constantinople and the western capital at Rome (two legs of iron). The Roman Empire attained world domination for over 500 years from 30 B.C. till their fall in A.D. 476.

But how does this fit into the overall scheme of things since A.D. 476, with the fall of the mighty Roman Empire, up until now? To get the full picture, we need to look at Daniel 2 and 7, Revelation 13 and 17 to have a full understanding of what is to follow in the latter days. In Daniel 7, the four Empires are represented by four beasts. The first was like a lion, the second was like a bear, the third was like a leopard (with four wings and four heads representing the split up of Alexander's Empire after his untimely death to his four generals), and the fourth beast representing the Roman Empire has ten horns on its head (Daniel 7:7-8).

What is so unique about this fourth beast is that ten kings or ten kingdoms shall arise from this (7:23-24). After the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476, ten succeeding governments were to grow out of it. The current government is the ninth with the final one yet to come before the Second Coming of Christ! What is so intriguing was that a little horn - symbolizing the great false church - will grow out among them (7:8). Out of the ten, the first three horns were plucked out by the roots (7:8a). There were three barbarian kingdoms that ruled the territories of the Roman Empire but were eradicated by Justinian who restored the Roman Empire in A.D. 554. That left seven horns representing seven resurrections of this empire to be dominated by the liitle horn to become the Holy Roman Empire!

Revelation 17 specifically identifies the seven-headed beast as the seven resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire. Since A.D. 554, six resurrections have materialised and the last one to come is currently in the forming stage awaiting prophetic fulfillment! Note that the ten toes with mixture of iron and clay (Daniel 2:41-43) represents a fragile union of ten governments within a united Europe.

However, in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (2:44). Revelation 11:15 tells us that the kingdoms of this world shall become Christ's and it shall reign forever and ever. Daniel 2:35 says that the kingdoms represented by iron ,clay, bronze, silver and gold were crushed, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. All the kingdoms of this world will finally disappear -gone with the wind - to make way for the kingdom of God to come upon earth. Daniel assures us that the God of heaven has made these things known. The dream is certain and its interpretation is sure (2:45).

When Nebuchadnezzar heard these, he fell forward on his face, prostrate before Daniel (2:46). It is worthy to note that whenever someone encounters God or His faithful servant, he always fell forward, never backward. God never acts on anything without letting His people know first through His faithful servants (Amos 3:7). These prophecies were sealed till the time of the end - which is now! (Daniel 12:9). And the prophetic clock is ticking towards the midnight hour!

The seventh and last of the resurrected Roman Empire will soon take place albeit a short-lived one. For it will be smashed to make way for the coming kingdom of God - the supergovernment of God on earth to be administered by His Family. The God Family will be the immortal God-like beings of the first resurrection (a better resurrection - Hebrews 11:35) who are all the true sons of God throughout the church age. They will be the firstfruits of the church that were called and chosen. Their tasks will be to help Christ in saving, teaching and governing the rest of mankind who had ever lived during the Millennial Age.

Some who survived the Great Tribulation as humans will be first to know the truth, followed by all the dead to be resurrected in the second resurrection as flesh and blood human beings again. For there will be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15). The pre-believers have not being judged yet in this present age, thus they are neither saved nor condemned. Only the called and chosen are judged in this present age. The resurrected pre-believers in their physical form will be given the truth, a chance for repentance and forgiveness based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ and resurrected to become spirit God-like beings - albeit of a lower hierarchy - to become children of God. They too will enter to inherit the kingdom of God. Christ will become the King of kings (the resurrected immortal sons of the royal God Family) and the Lord of lords (the resurrectd immortal children of God). All these truths are hidden in God's Holy Days and the Festivals that celebrate each of these events!

Why are so many Christians ignorant of such truth? Simply because the pulpit of modern Christianity covers only about 5 to 10% of the whole Scriptures. Often, sermons were quoted out of context to be preached around the Bible instead of through the Bible. The end result is that much of the sermons that are preached are nothing more than 'social gospels' that feeds the ego and pampers on feelings and emotions. Hence, the full truth is not preached, the mind is not fed and God's Spirit has insufficient or only substandard 'clay' to work on for the disciple to be enlightened. Perhaps some of them are wasting their time and energy in unfruitful practices and rituals babbling away!

SPEAKING OR BABBLING IN TONGUES

The issues of speaking in tongues have plagued traditional christianity for decades with church splitting and division that cause acrimony and disunity. This is to be expected as people who play with fire will eventually be burnt by it. This short blog intents to answer some of the controversy surrounding the issues of speaking in tongues or more appropriately called, babbling in gibberish tongues. The former is biblical but the latter is another man-made theology that has it root tracing all the way back to the tower of Babel (confusion) from where the English word 'babble' comes from.

People who babble in gibberish tongues have no idea what they are talking or even doing. As speaking in tongues is listed as a spiritual gift, then babbling in gibberish tongues is a violation of 1 Cor 12:1 which states, 'Now conserning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be IGNORANT.' Obviously, what the tongue babblers are doing is contrary to what the Scripture is teaching as it is not God's intention for people to be ignorant or unable to understand spiritual gifts. Simply put, they are exercising the 'gift of confusion' by confusing people, both believers and non believers alike! Such a practice is common among idol worshippers whose trademark is confusion, with its root originated from the Mystery Babylon Religion. During the time of the Apostle Paul in Corinth, pagan temple prostitutes were among the gibberish tongue babblers. Perhaps those who are adamant on such practices should research their ancestral lineage!

Much like banks' toxic assets, they are repackaged and resold under the Christian brand with the Charismatic logo tagged onto it! Under the aura of fear, eloquence and emotional mesmerisation by nothing more than snake charmers in staged settings, gullible and naive people are led to undergo and practise such spiritual charades without even understanding what it's all about. They were told simply to exercise faith and trust God and viola! they're spirit filled! Truly, the white horseman of the apocalypse is charging ahead to slaughter like the knight templar, all in the name of Christianity.

It is true that all believers must have the Holy Spirit indwelling them in order to be saved for eternal life (Romans 8:9,11). But must all speak in tongues? The Apostle Paul asks some rhetorical questions in 1 Cor 12:29-30, 'Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?' The answer to each of these questions is obvious and does not require a degree in theology to understand. Disciples of Jesus Christ are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:20) and by their love for one another (John 13:35). Nowhere in Scriptures is it mention that they are known by their speaking in tongues, let alone babbling in gibberish tongues. It goes to show that the propagators of gibberish tongues to the mass congregation are doing so outside the ambit of the Bible!

The next question to ask is, 'What exactly is speaking in tongues?' Simply put, it is speaking another known human language unknown to the speaker. For example, I neither speak nor understand the Tamil language, and if God would give me the gift of speaking in Tamil to bring some of my Tamil friends (who can converse and understand only Tamil) to salvation, He would endow me with the gift of speaking in the Tamil language to reach out to the Tamil folks in our midst. This was what happened at Pentecost when devout Jews from every nation under heaven heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:5-6). 1 Cor 14:22 clearly states that tongue is a sign for unbelievers and not for believers. In fact, the word 'unknown' in 1 Cor 14 is in italics, meaning that the word was added by translators but not in the original Greek manuscript which is the true inspired Word of God!

Many Christians, especially those from the Pentecostal camp, believe that to fall backward after being prayed for to receive the 'gift of tongues' is to be 'slain by the Holy Spirit'. Some were even coerced to move and roll their tongues in rituals that often fringed on the bizarre. But examples abound in God's Word that those who face the Lord or His angels fell forward like Abraham did, and so was the soldier when he confronted Jesus to arrest Him. However, while those who faced the demons fell backward like those who were demon possessed. Man loves to seek exciting thrills and experiences to spice up their lives. The music and drumbeat of the Pentecostal's Holy Ghost meetings are often a draw for those seeking the mysterious and unknown like 'speaking in tongue' and 'miraculous healings'. But such is not the way given in Scriptures, for man's way is not His way. That is why many fall prey to deception.

Speaking in tongues is a gift that only God can dispense as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). But thrill seeking men are trying to invoke the gift by playing all kinds of spiritual poker games to lure and entice the uninitiated. They become mere pawns in the hands of Satan whose sole purpose is to confuse and deceive so that they will fail to inherit the kingdom of God and hence no eternal life! The end result is that all participants are being deceived as the demonic forces lay hold of their victims like the lamb being led to the slaughter. In these days and age, this gift should be few and far between as modern communications and interpretations render it almost unnecessary. There has to be a purpose for God to invoke every gift but in most 'Holy Ghost' meetings where I had attended, I see no purpose for the clairvoyance other than to exalt the preacher. The Lord Jesus warned of the severe punishment to be inflicted upon the unprofitable servant who will be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30)- if they still have them! Indeed, their end shall be according to their works (2 Cor 11:15a).

It is ironical that man will seek what God never tells them to and not to seek what God wants them to. There are only two pre-conditions to receive God's Holy Spirit - to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). By this the Word of God means genuine repentance, going through proper water baptism as a sign of death and resurrection and being laid hand upon with prayer by someone with the proper authority in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is as simple as that but man complicates the whole process to push their own agenda. 1 Cor 12:13 should be correctly read as, 'For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.' Most translations use the preposition 'by' is incorrect as the Holy Spirit baptizes no one. It is Jesus Christ who baptizes His disciples with the Holy Spirit as the means of baptism!

The Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 16:18, 'I will build My church' , note that He did not say churches. So how do all the divided and disunited churches of the Pentecostal Movement fit into the scheme of things in Christ's church? This is a question that many Pentecostals would rather avoid to concentrate on 'flowing with the tide' while the going is still good. Such flirting with spiritual poker games could well land them on the wrong side of the great divide come the day of reckoning!

Remember, the Church is called out of the world to live the way God teaches, as written in the Bible. No one has the right to do as he/she pleases. The Church started on the day of Firstfruits called Pentecost in June A.D. 31. Never has such supernatural display occurred before or since. The Greek heard the 120 speaking the Greek language. The Parthian heard the same 120 speaking the Parthian language and the Medes heard the 120 speaking the Medes language! Most of the Pentecostals failed to understand the truth about the Holy Spirit and also what is true repentance, conversion and baptism. Sadly, many will continue to worship Christ in vain as they failed to obey God's commandments (Mark 7:7-9). Since a leopard cannot change its spot (Jeremiah 13:23), many who are already hooked are unlikely to change their ways. But hopefully, it will prevent others from being misled onto this spiritual deception!

DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

Many of us Christians were brought up with the belief in the doctrine of the trinity - the triune God of three-in-one. But a closer examination of Scriptures will show that the Bible never states such a concept. This goes to show that many are being deceived into worshipping the wrong God of the Bible! Since the truth can only be revealed by the true God, anything else is at best falsehood spiced up with some sprinkling of truth to make it look real. Little wonder that relatively few disciples have the real truth embedded in their understanding because they are worshipping some deities other than the true God of the universe, what a tragedy!

I am shocked and flabbergasted at Christians singing and prancing around without knowing what they are singing and confessing. Frankly, they are most to be pitied because they are sincerely wrong in their belief and understanding. They are totally ignorant of the fact that the doctrine of the trinity was conceived outside of the pages of the Bible! Satan is the chief architect of the false trinity doctrine that have deceived millions the world over down the centuries. His main motive is to confuse Christians into believing the lie that God had closed His Family for good since the Fall of man. On the contrary, God is opening up His Family to the multitudes who will eventually become God beings in His Family to rule and reign in His Kingdom! The reason it is not happening now is one of TIMING. Only those who live by faith and not by sight will inherit all things. The all wise God has His own timing and plan of accomplishing His purpose for mankind which only a select few of this church age will understand. Because many are called but only few are chosen, and the latter have been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (God) - Matthew 13:11.

The doctrine states that God is made up of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In truth, Scriptures is clear that God is made up of Two Supreme Personage - the Father and the Word, before the Latter was made flesh through incarnation to become the Son of God. John 1:1-14 is unequivocal in explaining the Father and Son as the Godhead of the whole universe! The Holy Spirit is God's Spirit projecting out from Himself. Man also has a spirit (spirit of the man - 1 Cor 2:11) that diffentiates him from animal. When a man dies, his/her spirit returns to God (Eccl 12:7b), though it is totally unconscious and that is why Scriptures tell us he/she is sleeping when dead. But God is Spirit and is able to project His Spirit outside of Himself. The Spirit is the POWER of God that is often symbolises as the wind, water, oil and dove descending from above. God lives in the third heaven and not on earth (Eccl 5:2). The only time epoch in human history when God dwells on earth was when Jesus Christ walks the earth some two millennia ago.

Theologians and bible scholars explain away the concept that since God is omnipresent, the Holy Spirit is able to split Himself into millions of beings to indwell each and every believers, making the 'third person of the trinity' like 'Gasper the ghost'! What a great misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the Godhead that they claimed to worship. If the Spirit of God is the third person of the trinity, then is not the spirit in man also another man?

Some proponents of the trinity doctrine conclude that since the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters when God created the earth (Genesis 1:2), it must be the third person of the trinity. But looks what Jeremiah 27:5 states, 'I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.' This verse clearly states that the Holy Spirit is God's power and NOT a separate God Being. The Holy Spirit is from God but is not the third person of the Godhead! The Father and Son theme is consistently revealed in all of Scriptures. Let's look at some of them.

David in Psalm 51:11 repented of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and asked God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. If the Holy Spirit is a separate God Being as the doctrine of trinity suggests, David would have asked the Holy Spirit directly not to depart from his presence! King Solomon in Proverbs 30:4 asked, 'What is His name, and what is His Son's name?' There is no mention of the Holy Spirit.

John chapter 17 records the Lord Jesus' prayer to His Heavenly Father the night before He went to the cross to be crucified. Throughout the whole chapter is the conversation between the Father and the Son and none else. In the Lord's prayer recorded for us in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, there is no mention of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews chapter one records the conversation between the Father and the Son, again no mention of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, there is no Scripture verse anywhere in the whole Bible teaching us to pray to the Holy Spirit!

The Apostle Paul understood the concept of the Godhead clearly when he greets God the Father and the Son in all his epistles but there was no greeting of the Holy Spirit. His signature greetings come with the words, 'Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ'. It is through the power of God that enabled us to be saved for eternal life (1 Cor 1:18). In Acts 8:18-20, when Simon the sorceror saw Peter and John imparting POWER through the laying of hands, he offered them money to acquire the same power. Peter did not rebuke him for blasphemy but for desiring the gift of God for the wrong reason! The Holy Spirit is addressed as a 'He' in Scriptures is purely a translation preference as the original Greek is neutral and can also be translated as 'It'. Romans 8:16 of the King James Translation states, 'The Spirit ITSELF beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' The saying of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:31 about the blasphemy against the Spirit is kind of a figure of speech much like saying 'the rock will cry out'. In any way, it is not wrong to say so as the Holy Spirit comes from God. Just like insulting an emissary sent by a king is indirectly insulting the king. But unlike Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is NOT A SEPARATE GOD BEING.

Trinitarians often quote 1 John 5:7-8 to substantiate their stand in the doctrine of the trinity. However, most do not realise that these two verses were NOT present in the original Greek manuscript which is the true inspired Word of God, but were added by translators in the years leading to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The Council was convened by Constantine, Roman's favorite general who was made Caesar. It was an ecumenial Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Because the Council had political backing from Constantine, it won out on their own brand of man-made theology to suit their political agenda!

God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33) but man is. God reveals Himself clearly to His own sons but man seems not to want to know Him and creates all kinds of doctrine to confuse one another - the Mystery Babylon Religion. Only God Himself can reveal truth to whom He has called (John 6:44-45), all the others will 'keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' - Isaiah 6:9. The Holy Spirit is His agent for accomplishing His purpose for His true church on earth.

The rest of mankind are shut off from the Holy Spirit of God since the TREE OF LIFE was barred from Adam and Eve after the Fall, save for the chosen few. The reason why we must be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is because it is God's Holy Spirit that will resurrect the dead to immortal spirit being at the first resurrection! Will you have the faith of Jesus to believe God and take His revealed truth at face value? Stop being like the many charlatans clamouring 'Lord, Lord' but believe Him not (Matthew 7:21-23), for they SHALL NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD! Man can say and do anything they want, but if they fail to believe and obey the Word of God rightly (fail to fear God and tremble at His Word), they will be in for a sorry state as the cataclysmic events will unfold before their very eyes that even the angels in heaven will await with bated breadth!

THE PALE HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE

My last three blogs of the first three horsemen touched on religious deception, war and famine. The fourth seal that was opened reveals a pale horse (Revelation 6:8). This signifies PESTILENCES which are already circulating the globe and are prophesied to get worse as the church age draws to a close. The word 'pale' symbolises sickness and disease, which is translated from the Greek word 'chloros' from which we get our English word chlorophyll - a symbol of health and wellness. A pale horseman signifies the pestilences travelling around the world as is currently happening with the H1N1 virus!

The cumulative effects of diseases, war and famine will wipe out up to one-fourth of mankind (Rev 6:8) during the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord! This is all because of man's continuous rebellion against his Creator God. The Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear the certainty of these happenings in Matthew 24:7 that unless He intervenes, 'no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened' (Matthew 24:22).

Of all the past plagues in history, The Black Death - also known as the bubonic plague - of the 1340s to 1360 was probably the worst. The pandemic plague, caused by flea bites and rats, killed tens of millions in Europe between 1347 to 1350 ! Eventually, the plague died out because more and more people developed immunity against the disease. Similarly, terror struck in 1664-65 from the Great Plague of London and the outbreak in Canton and Hong Kong in 1894 resulted in more than ten million deaths worldwide. During the First World War, a sudden mutation of the influenza virus caused a worldwide epidemic in 1918 that reportedly killed 25 to 40 million people worldwide. Some historians feel that that was a major factor which hastened the end of World War I.

God warned us in Deuteronomy 28:21-22 that pestilences will strike if His people refused to obey Him. Such warnings are repeated in Leviticus 26:15-17. For years, I was deceived to think that all these were behind us as 'Jesus had nailed these curses to the cross'. I discovered that I was sincerely wrong! Yes, the Lord Jesus had taken away all our sins and wrongdoings up to the time of our conversion. Subsequent to that, blessings will flow only on conditions that we abide in Him and obey His laws and commandments. It is worthy to note that most of the pandemic diseases are caused by animals, and that rings home the verse in Revelation 6:8c, 'and by the beasts of the earth'.

The list of diseases is long and growing that even modern medical science found baffling. God's promises in Deuteronomy 7:15 is assuring for those who will repent and obey Him, 'And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.' Medical science can find cures but these will treat only the effects and not eradicate the root cause, which is due to man's continuous rebellion by turning away from his Maker. Only by obeying God's commandments can one be protected from worse epidemics to come.

When the four horsemen of the apocalyse take their ride, it will be after repeated warnings and patience on the part of the loving Heavenly Father. After these, the 'fifth horseman' in Revelation 19:11-16 - the Lord Jesus Christ - will return to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10a) in the first resurrection. The King of kings and the Lord of lords will usher in the blessed hope of the new world order when God will intervene in the affairs of man. That is the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD - the 'Good News' and promise that kept the faith of the patriarchs and prophets of old and the early apostles of the New Testaments through trials and tribulations so that they can overcome Satan, the temptations of society and the pull of self-centredness through faith in God on all His promises!

God wants to turn our human nature into the 'spiritual nature of God' (partakers of the divine nature - 2 Peter 1:4) as given in the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and also in Christ's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 to 7 so that we can be born again in the resurrection into the God Family to rule and reign in the Kingdom of God. In this life, we are only 'begotten of the Father', meaning 'not yet born', like foetus in the mother's womb. What the Holy Spirit deposited in us is God's promise that we belong to Him (heir of God - Romans 8:17). The church is the 'mother' commissioned to feed and grow the 'foetus' so that he/she can become mature unto the likeness of Christ. Currently, 'the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God' (Romans 8:19) to become the 'new creation' (2 Cor 5:17 ) to ultimately become RULERS OF THE UNIVERSE that even angels will become subjected to them ( 1 Corinthians 6:2-3)! What a vision to behold!

For those who will say 'yes' to God and obey Him in order to receive His Holy Spirit as promised in Acts 5:32, the fear of the Lord will be upon us to keep us from the fear that will come upon this world that has Satan on the throne. In Psalm 91:5-10, the Word of God promises thus, 'You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the PESTILENCE that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any PLAGUE come near your dwelling.' Only the sure word of prophesy can be fully trusted to protect you in times of calamities. Trust no man for your eternal destiny, check out the sure Word of prophecy for yourself, and that surely includes me!

THE BLACK HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE

We saw in my earlier blogs that false religion can be forced upon the people through violence and war. When the third seal was opened (Revelation 6:5-6), the horseman riding on the black horse signifies FAMINE. Though famine usually follows after war, it is not always the case necessarily. Sometimes, it is due to freak weather conditions resulting from global warming, at other times it could be due to pestilence or poor soil conditions due to over-cultivation. Whatever the reason(s), famine has plagued mankind for centuries and will contine with greater intensity as the final phase of the end times draws to a close before the Lord Jesus Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth.

The main difference between famines of the past and the big one yet to come is that the latter will fall upon the FIRST WORLD. This is prophesied in Ezekiel 5:12 when the Word of God reveals that the peoples inherited from the birthright nations of the lost ten tribes of Israel (mainly the modern nations of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some of the nations of Western Europe ) will be inflicted so badly that one-third will perish. This is because of their disobedience of God's laws and commandments and the resultant curses that follow as given in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28! The scenario to come is so gruesome that some will resort to cannabalism...yuk yuk!! (Ezekiel 5:10). This had happened before as recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus during the Roman siege on Jerusalem. As duality is a principle of bible prophecy, this will happen again during the close of the church age.

Tragically, most will have to undergo such severe sufferings before they will surrender to God (Philippians 2:10). For the minority that believe and obey God and do His biding, they will be shielded from such calamities for the Word of God promise so, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?' (Romans 8:35). Only those so protected will hear from God as the rest will experience a severe 'spiritual famine of the Word' (Amos 8:11-12).

Man thinks he is wise enough to solve all his problems. But God tells us that all manmade solutions will ultimately fail, as it will lead to disaster (Deuteronomy 12:8; Proverbs 14:12, 16:25; Jeremiah 10:23). Christ warns us ahead of time that famines would immediately precede His Second Coming (Matthew 24:7). God promises in Leviticus 26:1-13 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14 that blessings would follow for all who would obey His laws and statutes and warns of curses to follow in Lev 26:14-39 and Deut 28:15-68 for all who disobey, and that includes famine. Sadly, most are either ignorant, being deceived into thinking that Christ had done away with all that on the cross, or showing a cavalier attitude towards the Word of God. As the prophecy relates to the whole world, there is no way of escape, save for the elect. Most will be paying a very high price for their disobedience!

Consider that most nations' food warehouses do not have more than a couple of months food supply, should there be a major war and or severe famine, pandemonium will strike as society will operate on the principle 'of every man for himself '.The seven-year famine that befell Egypt as recorded in Genesis 41:30 is not the only one in their history. Around the end of the twelve and beginning of the thirteen century, the nation of Egypt was plagued by famine, plague and civil unrest that according to some eyewitnesses, many parents ate their own children!

According to some 'think tank experts', water shortages in some countries could lead to war as they fight over shrinking water resources. I am utterly amazed at the countless reports of government investigations reacting to recurring accidents and disasters which nobody seems to have learnt anything from past experiences! Proverbs 22: 3 states, 'A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.' It goes to show that the only thing people learn from history is that they don't learn anything from history. Those who failed to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

God says in Leviticus 26:3-4, 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.' It is clear that the weather - sunshine and rainfall - and food yields are under the soverign hand of God. Looks like only through severe discipline and punishments will mankind wake up to realise their own folly and turn to the Almighty for mercy!

Throughout the 6,000 years of man on earth, hardly any country or land has not been ravaged by drought, famine or natural disaster in one form or another. Whatever food aid and mercy relief - noble as they are - will only address the effect and not the root cause of all the problems that has plagued mankind. The main reason is simply because human nature remains unchanged with Satan on the throne, and man's systems of government are but his proxy. Unless and until God's law such as the land sabbaths (Leviticus 25:1-7) and crop rotations without the use of fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals for cultivation are put into effect when Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth, paradise is only a fool's dream anyway! The good news to follow after the bad news is that 'Thy kingdom comes'.