Happy New Year!

As we say goodbye to 2008 and welcome 2009 let us hope for a better start than the ending of this year. Overall, we have seen an economic
downturn of global proportions that we have only begun to sense and feel.
I fear it will get much worse before it gets better for many. One advantage to living in Texas is that we are larger and stronger than quite a few countries worldwide. I hope that out of all this that people all over the world will take a hard look at what they believe in and what their founding principles are based on. My foundation is in Jesus Christ, therefore I stand on Him and He shall not weaken or shift! He is my Hope and He does not change! His words are the foundation of all that is and shall exist forever.
One day soon, this world will be shaken by tribulations like never before and many peoples foundations will be destroyed. If you choose to except Jesus Christ today as your foundation, it doesn't mean that you will not suffer or have trials and tribulations. It does mean that you will not be alone and you will have changed your eternal destiny for the better.
Your best new years resolution would be to put your trust in Christ.
There is no better foundation than Him now or in what is to come.
Choose Christ today!

A decade of Freedom!

It was Christmas Eve ten years ago that I came to know Christ as my Lord and Savior.
What a journey it has been! At first I wasn't sure what all would transpire and immediately I noticed nothing significant, but now I can look back and see a world of change!
You have to understand that it is a developing relationship.
After the initial first step unto your own true personal path with God
is when your journey begins and what you choose to give and take
is determined by your faith in action! May I tell you somthing?
Give Him everything you have to give!
Take all that He pours out to you!
Be more real with Him than anyone else in your life!
He will bless your socks off if you let Him!
Jesus was there even before I welcomed Him into my life,
patiently waiting for me to tear down the walls that I had built.
Since then we have built so many more things together.
If you haven't started your journey you need to ask yourself why.
It truly is the greatest decision of your lifetime.
With it comes freedom for Etertinity!

Look Up!

Has the present world economic crisis and uncertainty of what is to come in the new year giving you the blues? Here is a little fact you might want to ponder. When you go to bed if you had a meal and you have a roof over your head that puts you in the top 10% of our worlds most blessed! Now if you are sitting in front of a computer reading this I would bet you are at least in the middle of that category! So when I say you are blessed it is a fact, not just an empty statement.

In my last post I mentioned that I would touch upon what would be the kick-off of the last seven years before Christ will return to set up His kingdom.

12:1 “At that time Michael,

the great prince who watches over your people, ¹

will arise. ²

There will be a time of distress

unlike any other from the nation’s beginning ³

up to that time.

But at that time your own people,

all those whose names are ⁴ found written in the book,

will escape.

12:2 Many of those who sleep

in the dusty ground will awake –

some to everlasting life,

and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence. ⁵

12:3 But the wise will shine

like the brightness of the heavenly expanse.

And those bringing many to righteousness

will be like the stars forever and ever.

12:4 “But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will dash about, ⁶ and knowledge will increase.”

Christ Himself even prophesied about what to expect.

Luke 21:5-38 (The Message)

Watch Out for Doomsday Deceivers

5-6One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, "All this you're admiring so much—the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of rubble."

7They asked him, "Teacher, when is this going to happen? What clue will we get that it's about to take place?"

8-9He said, "Watch out for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One,' or, 'The end is near.' Don't fall for any of that. When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end."

10-11He went on, "Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Huge earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. You'll think at times that the very sky is falling.

12-15"But before any of this happens, they'll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You'll end up on the witness stand, called to testify. Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. I'll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.

16-19"You'll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. There's no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.

Vengeance Day

20-24"When you see soldiers camped all around Jerusalem, then you'll know that she is about to be devastated. If you're living in Judea at the time, run for the hills. If you're in the city, get out quickly. If you're out in the fields, don't go home to get your coat. This is Vengeance Day—everything written about it will come to a head. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Incredible misery! Torrential rage! People dropping like flies; people dragged off to prisons; Jerusalem under the boot of barbarians until the nations finish what was given them to do.

25-26"It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.

27-28"And then—then!—they'll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!"

Matthew 25

The Story of the Virgins

1-5 "God's kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn't show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.

6"In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!'

7-8"The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, 'Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.'

9"They answered, 'There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.'

10"They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

11"Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, 'Master, we're here. Let us in.'

12"He answered, 'Do I know you? I don't think I know you.'

13"So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.

The Story About Investment

14-18"It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.

19-21"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

22-23"The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

24-25"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'

26-27"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

28-30"'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.'

The Sheep and the Goats

31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

44"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

45"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

46"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

Now if you have listened, you may ave heard about a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.

27"And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of ^(BC)abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a ^(BD)complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

The last quote is from the book of Daniel where he speaks of the 70 weeks ( a week meaning 7 years ) and this is the last week he refers to where the anti-Christ makes a deal with Israel and her enemies for a 7 year peace treaty which he himself breaks after 31/2 years.

Bible Prophecy = What's on the horizon?

For those of you fairly new to Bible prophecy you may be asking where are we on Gods timeline for mankind?

That is a good question to be asking and let me help you get there by going over some basics of Bible prophecy that have already been fulfilled.

If you are new in the christian faith and have recently come to recognize Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, congratulations and welcome to the family! Your Eternity is secured in Him!(John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.) Now that your eyes have been opened to the truth let us get on with some prophecy 101.

A key prophetic event to occur in this generation was when Israel became a nation again in 1948. Everything revolves around Israel because it is the apple of Gods eye. (1Ki 6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”) Almost immediately Israel was attacked by the Arab nations that surrounded it just for the sake of existence.

Presently we our experiencing what Jesus referred to when asked by His disciples when would be the end of the age and the signs of His coming.

(MATTHEW 24:3 As 7 he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things 8 happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 24:4 Jesus answered them, 9 “Watch out 10 that no one misleads you. 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ 11 and they will mislead many. 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. 12 24:7 For nation will rise up in arms 13 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines 14 and earthquakes 15 in various places. 24:8 All 16 these things are the beginning of birth pains.)

Now there is speculation as to whether or not the war in Ezekiel 38 is to occur during or before the last seven years of mans rule of this earth.

(EZEKIEL 38:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 38:2 “Son of man, turn toward 1 Gog, 2 of the land of Magog, 3 the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 Prophesy against him 38:3 and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, 5 I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 38:4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them fully armed, a great company with shields of different types, 6 all of them armed with swords. 38:5 Persia, 7 Ethiopia, and Put 8 are with them, all of them with shields and helmets. 38:6 They are joined by 9 Gomer with all its troops, and by Beth Togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops – many peoples are with you. 10
38:7 “‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around you, and be a guard for them. 11 38:8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, 12 with many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people 13 were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely. 38:9 You will advance; 14 you will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the earth, you, all your troops, and the many other peoples with you.
38:10 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind, 15 and you will devise an evil plan. 38:11 You will say, “I will invade 16 a land of unwalled towns; I will advance against 17 those living quietly in security – all of them living without walls and barred gates – 38:12 to loot and plunder, to attack 18 the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center 19 of the earth.” 38:13 Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors 20 will say to you, “Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a great amount of spoils?”’
38:14 “Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice 21 38:15 and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army. 38:16 You will advance 22 against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself 23 through you, O Gog.
38:17 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants 24 the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days 25 that I would bring you against them? 38:18 On that day, when Gog invades 26 the land of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, my rage will mount up in my anger. 38:19 In my zeal, in the fire of my fury, 27 I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake 28 in the land of Israel. 38:20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will shake 29 at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs 30 will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 38:21 I will call for a sword to attack 31 Gog 32 on all my mountains, declares the sovereign Lord; every man’s sword will be against his brother. 38:22 I will judge him with plague and bloodshed. I will rain down on him, his troops and the many peoples who are with him a torrential downpour, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 38:23 I will exalt and magnify myself; I will reveal myself before many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’)

I will go into more detail on Ezekiel 38 in one of my future posts.

Today I want to touch upon what is commonly refferred to as " The Tribulation" also known as " The time of Jacob's trouble". This will be the final seven years of mans rule over the earth before Jesus Christ returns. After the tribulation period, Christ will rule & reign from Jerusalem with all His saints for a period of one thousand years which is referred to as " The Millenium Kingdom".This next passage of scripture is what is to happen at the end of the tribulation period, the return of our glorious king! (REV. 19:11 Then 26 I saw heaven opened and here came 27 a white horse! The 28 one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice 29 he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery 30 flame and there are many diadem crowns 31 on his head. He has 32 a name written 33 that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped 34 in blood, and he is called 35 the Word of God. 19:14 The 36 armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, 37 were following him on white horses. 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. 38 He 39 will rule 40 them with an iron rod, 41 and he stomps the winepress 42 of the furious 43 wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 44 19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
19:17 Then 45 I saw one angel standing in 46 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: 47
“Come, gather around for the great banquet 48 of God,
19:18 to eat 49 your fill 50 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals, 51
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, 52
and small and great!”)

The tribulation period is fairly peaceful for the first three and a half years and after that it doesn't look to promising for mankind to fix things, only Christ can do that. (We loose about 80% of the worlds population at this time due to Satan's full reign over mankind.)

Most information on the tribulation period can be found in the bible in the book of Daniel & Revelation. This period could begin at any time with a very visible kick-off and that will be discussed in the next post.

What kind of Legacy will you leave?

Many men and women in the past have made notable history by bringing about change for those that they serve, some for better while some for worse. History is full of examples:

Biblical examples:
Abel / Cain
Noah / Nimrod
David / Goliath
Moses / Pharaoh
Jesus / Satan

Recent historic examples:

Mother Teresa / Madalyn O'Hair
Winston Churchill /Adolph Hitler
Billy Graham /Allister Crowley
John F. Kennedy / Charles Manson

I believe personal foundations of ones belief and faith have a lot to say
about what kind of mark one will leave on society and mankind as a whole.
Remember, you will be judged by the choices you make not only by others
here on earth but one day by Christ himself as well.
Do your best to leave a legacy that is honorable and worthy.