Who Are You Putting Your Trust In?

You've probably heard the saying, "God helps those, who help themselves," and often times people will say that comes from the Bible. Did you know that it isn't? It is actually God helps those who cannot help themselves as a way of summing up the Bible. When we look at today's study, we are going to be studying all of man's greatest efforts as it references the best people in the world today, such as Apple, Microsoft, man's ability to establish cities and cultures, it's all going to come down. Man's attempt to govern himself, will fail and all of this stuff begins to crumble. So what should we be doing? We should be trusting in God. Earthly powers will always let you down.

You may have heard people say, "Well, I don't go to church because it's full of hypocrites," or "I don't believe in God because I had a pastor rip me off." "I don't believe in God because, and they will always cite something that plays on their emotions. Yet God never asked you to trust in any of those things. He asked you to trust Him.

You hear people saying, "Well I'm going to do this or we're going to establish that, or we're going to fix the environment for example," I hate to burst your bubble on what you ,for example the the Park Service, of all people in Alaska, has stated that the glacier is not shrinking but it's growing. It's getting bigger. When will you ever hear that on the news? Man's perception is constantly changing and shifting, to the point where it will crumble, but God's Word is always true!

When creation begins to break down, humanity will be brought to its knees and look who is affected.

Revelation 6:15 ~ "Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains."

There will be no earthly power that will come to its help. The "kings of the earth," means the greatest of politicians. Are you looking to the government to be your answer? I hope not. When this great cataclysmic event happens, not even the kings of the earth, the greatest of politicians will have the answer. The "princes" are influential lords, we don't have that so much here in America, but in England they do. Kings, Princes, Queens, Blue Bloods, but even they won't be able to stop it. There will be no decree that anyone will make that will stop what is happening at that time. They won't be able to do anything. This is the frustration of human government. God will bring all of man's devices to a conclusion.

The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but that way ends in death. Decision making, those choices that seemed right, the Bible says will end in destruction. "The rich," those are your wealthy influential merchants and traders, those who traverse the world for trade. Can you imagine what it would be like to be Bill Gates for just one day? I say only one day because beyond that most of us would get into trouble with that. Can you imagine being the richest man in the world and you can't do a thing about what is happening? That's usually certainly true when some life threatening disease comes and all those avenues have been exhausted, but can you imagine that on a global scale?

Want to know a stupid analysis of Bill Gate's money? They actually broke this down. For every American at the time of when this study was written, that he could buy every single one a $44,000 vehicle, every American? Did you know that he is worth more than some countries? Than most countries actually? What are you going to do when the entire world begins to shake violently and asteroids fall from the sky and the mountains and islands are moved? Build a bomb shelter? What are you going to do? It gets even more interesting. "the generals," even the admirals and the top military minds can't do anything. They have no answers.  Interesting. "The mighty," refers to power brokers, they don't necessarily have money or the military at their disposal they have amazing global persuasion and influence. They can't do anything about it either. Now you can see why these times are truly dark and sinister days coming. Aren't you truly glad that you are a Christian today? Aren't you glad that we don't have to go through what is coming?

Then it goes on to say, "and every slave and every free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountain." There were two other people who tried to hide when they blew it, Adam and Eve. What were they thinking? I'm not saying that we would have done anything different, we probably would have done the same thing, but think about it. They knew God, they walked and talked with Him! If you read the Bible carefully, you will know that Eve was by herself when this happened. She was alone when the serpent came. A lot of people try blaming Adam as if he was there, but he wasn't. We don't know where he was, but he wasn't there when the serpent tempted her. She saw, she listened, she sinned! The Bible says, by the way, Adam never sinned like that, she sinned, he entered into her sin. She blew it.

Adam could have walked in and said, "Girl! What in the world has happened to you?" He didn't do that. In fact a lot of people see the story of the redemption of Christ and His people, she sinned willfully. Timothy, in the Book of Timothy, tells us that she sinned willfully, but Adam was not the one deceived, she was. She was deceived by Satan, but Adam just went for it, he entered into her sinful condition, willfully. It may be that Adam, in a sense, was acting out how Christ came and entered into sin willfully to redeem us in an act of love! Regardless, they hid themselves. How strange it is, that we can become so deceived that we begin to hide ourselves, and look we all do it. We do it because we are afraid of being known, because if we are known fully, we are afraid of being rejected, isn't that right? You are so afraid that if people knew you fully, they wouldn't like you or love you. That is human nature! It's wrong but it's human nature.

You want to know why? Because we all long for unconditional love! We yearn for it! We long for the love that accepts us just the way we are. A love that is not critical or judgmental, a love that loves us! Either when we don't see that love or believe that it is available, or we don't have it, we veil ourselves. That might be why vanity is so prevalent in our culture, I mean its one thing to look nice and you're not committing some sin to wear make up or to not wear make up. If it makes you look good, wear it. J. Vernon McGee once said, "If the barn needs painting, paint it!" Every body likes to focus on things that don't matter and make a big deal out of it. That's not the issue, but when you cross the line and vanity becomes such a big deal that a person surrounds them self with such falsehood because they are so afraid of becoming accepted. People can be so great looking but when you truly get to know them, they are mean, cold, cutting and they don't look so great anymore. You don't want to be around them anymore.

Then there are some people who are so-so and when you get to know them they are truly the most beautiful people on earth because they are tender, sweet, compassionate, and that is on the human scale. The amazing thing is that God loves us. He loves us all, despite how calloused, cutting, mean, prideful, selfish, rude and harsh we can be. Why don't we see ourselves that way? God loves you! It's not someone else's standard that we  have to live up to. They didn't make us. God made us. Yes we we need to repent of our sin. Yes, we need to be born again. Yes, Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me." It's true. But He loves us and wants us to come to Him.

There is no safe place or place of refuge for these people that are left on the earth. Let's look at their bizarre prayer in the final verses. They pray but it's the wrong prayer. Why don't they call out to God? It shows how hard their heart have become.

Revelation 6:16-17 ~ "They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall of us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Have you ever been to a petting zoo? Have you ever warned your child to stay away from "that mad lamb over there?" You ever seen a lamb out of control eating people up? It doesn't happen. Seems like a contradiction, "an angry Lamb?" That just weird. It's like getting bit by a worm! How does that happen? Lambs aren't supposed to be angry!

Jesus Christ came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, John the Baptist said. But now that Lamb that has been sacrificed and has risen from the dead, and is enthroned in heaven. He comes back in the Second Coming exercising His judgment. Why? Because it is a Christ rejecting age. It was an age that was religious but didn't know Him personally. It was an age that did they own thing and didn't consult God. It was an age that lived for themselves and cared a less about God. It was an age, which the prophet said, they did right what was in their own eyes. Are we not living a time similar to that? Where anarchy is happening in our own state at this very hour the breaching of the law? We have mayors in the state of California refusing to uphold the law on certain issues while looking away at others! That is a crime and it is the first step of anarchy! Unbelievable.

The Bible says that every man will do what is right in his own eyes. That is anarchy! These last two verses tell us that the earth will tremble before God and they are going to say a silly prayer, "Mountains, rocks and hills, fall on us! Fall on us and hide us from Him who sits on the throne."

God is not out of control at this moment, He is never out of control, but He is holy and just, and sin must be judged. You might not like to hear things like this, and believe me I don't like writing blog posts like this, but if one person today decides, "Wow! I don't want anything to do with that time!" You don't have to have anything to do with that time. Jesus Christ has provide the way, that we can escape the terrible age that is coming. Have you made that decision to say to Jesus Christ, I don't want to live in that time.

Now look we don't know when that time is coming, but honestly you look around at the world and you say it can't be long, but let's just think way out. What if everyone of us dies of old age, we are still going to go into eternity, and it all comes down to where you want to spend an eternity? Let alone the fact that things could happen, that bring in the advent of this horrific time. What is your decision, what is your choice? I will be put the invitation out before you, the scripture says that as many as who receive Jesus Christ, to them gave He the power to become children of God, to as many as who believe in His name.

Don't be mistaken, this has nothing to do with being religious. It has nothing to do with your church attendance, or history of giving or service, it has nothing to do with belonging. You know if this was my last day on earth today, I would say this to you, knowing that I would stand before my maker today, I would say this to you, my last chance, that the Bible says, to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that word repent means to change your mind. Trust in Him and if you confess that God put both Jesus Christ on the cross and that He rose from the dead, and if you believe that and confess it with your mouth, you shall be saved. That is what the Bible says.

You might say, "Well that is too simple!" Well then go ahead and try it. A lot of people can't do it. They find that offensive, but have you ever done this? Now hang on to your seat, when the scripture says that these things have been written so that you might know you have eternal life, that word means that it is a tangible, factual knowledge of, we would say today in our modern tongue, you can sink your teeth into it. Do you know that you are saved, going to heaven that securely? Do you know that? Here is the catch, everyone of you that are going to heaven, the Holy Spirit inside you bears witness with your spirit says the Book, says the Bible and you are assured of it. In other words, those of you that are going to heaven, and you know it because of what Christ has done, YOU are going!

For those of you that are saying, I hope so , I really really hope so. Listen, you aren't sure. You don't have that confidence. You don't really know. Those of you who are thinking well I hope it will balance out in the end, you're in trouble. If this was my last invitation to give you today, I would not change a word I am saying right now. YOU can decide NOW to have your guilt removed, your sin forgiven, your name written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, and have heaven assured to you, forever. It's called a relationship with God and do you have it?

You might remember the when your TV programming was interrupted by these words, "We Interrupt this Program... and they would announce things like President Kennedy was shot or the Apollo 13 astronauts are in peril or President Reagan has been shot...and it was gripping! The point I am making is that none of us are promised we will see the sun rise tomorrow or if we will even see the sunset tonight. Our lives will be interrupted with the events of life, and ultimately with the end of life. God reserves that right. To Him it is not an accident. The Bible tells us that all of our days have been numbered by the Lord. But to us it would come as a shocking interruption...we interrupt this program of your life that you have been called into question now to give an answer to your soul.

The Bible says we must all appear before God. When you look at these things, are you ready to meet Jesus? I hope this blog post has interrupted your normal way of living today.  I want to interrupt your life today with the offer and invitation today to call out to Jesus that He might save you from your sins and give you a life worth living, a life that is more sure and more firm, than the foundations of this very earth. Will you accept this invitation today?

Why Blood Moons Never Will Line Up With The Bible!

There has been a lot of talk lately about the blood moon, and it seems like there is always someone who will take that opportunity to tie that lunar eclipse into Bible prophecy but as you will soon see, the facts simply don't line up with what the Bible has to say. I'd love to be able to say, look out your window this is a sign from God, and I know that I will probably upset some people who believe that this things tie into Bible prophecy as well, just like the four blood moons that have been discussed lately and how those are prophetically significant. I simply don't see that because the verses that are sited to qualify this cosmological event for example the Book of Revelation, Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Joel, all in which that context verses are used for the Tribulation Period. Yes, these things will happen, but during the Tribulation period. We need to read the Bible carefully, every time I have made a mistake, it has because I have not read it carefully.

The Bible says that during the Tribulation period, the moon will turn into or look like blood, and the sun will not give its light. We haven't been there yet. You can't pick and choose, what astronomical thing takes place and what doesn't. In that day, in its singular, the moon will look like blood in the sky, because of the smoke or the ash in the sky, and the sun will not give its light. Not moons plural. It's very specific that these other events are taking place on earth, when this happens. As much as I'd love to say that we are in Revelation 6, in the Tribulation Period, and when the recent "blood moons" happened, they didn't turn red, more like dark brown. It was brown, it wasn't red, and the sun came up the next day. My point is to know your Bible very, very, carefully. Don't try to read things into the Bible, let the Bible read itself into you.

All of creation is under the curse of mankind, and is waiting for the day of redemption to come. When you look at nature all around you, you can't help but marvel at the hand God has played in the brilliant paint job that you see in the colors of birds like hummingbirds. Why would God do that? Why didn't He just make all birds black? He didn't and that is spectacular. I think He did it for our viewing pleasure and to show us His handiwork! God made nature and the creation that is. But if you look real close you will see its flaws and factually it is under the curse of man, according to the Bible. Beautiful creation that is out of balance. When you see a beautiful bird and then a cat comes along and catches it and eats it. That is the result of a fallen world. It was not supposed to be like that according to Father God, not Mother Nature. This is the fall out from man's sin. The Bible says that sin marches onward, its scaling upward. The Bible says that sin has to reach a certain point before God intervenes. When we look around, we see nature being held hostage, by sin and the power of sin.

What we do see here now is God's intervention via judgment into the affairs of men. Verse 12, tells us that it is Jesus Christ who is executing His wrath. The Bible tells us in Luke's gospel, when Jesus went into the synagogue preaching, the attendant brought Him the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus would have turned to Isaiah 61 and begins to read the first verse. He just gets into the second verse when he pauses, at that comma.

Luke 4:18-21 ~ "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

What is interesting is that Jesus stopped at a comma. He didn't complete the verse. He didn't complete Isaiah 61:2. Why didn't He complete it? Because 2000 years ago, He came to take away our sins on the cross. He died on the cross. His ministry was to set people free who were bound free and that comma has lasted 2000 years. If He would have kept reading would have stated:

Isaiah 61:2 ~ "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (comma), And the day of vengeance of our God:"

It is the announcement of the great Tribulation Period of God that would come upon the world. Jesus stops at the comma. It is the time to preach the acceptable year of the Lord at this time through the gospel. There is a time coming where the vengeance of God will be deposited upon the earth. Right now, we need to understand that we are living in a time of grace. We are living in a time that is referred to as the 'church age.' Where the good news of Christ is preached around the world. That you can be forgiven of your sins. God says in the Book of Genesis, "My Spirit will not always strive or put up with mankind and his antics." A day is coming when God will execute judgment.

This is where our studying and teaching and focus really needs to be in tune. God is Judge, and when He comes to judge it will be like no other event in human history. It will be greater than the great flood and will be greater than anything He has ever brought upon the earth. It was be greater than Sodom and Gomorrah. You might be tempted to say, "Well that is why I don't want to know your God!" But you have to understand something, God doesn't go around judging people. He doesn't walk around with a giant fly swatter waiting for you to step out of line. God, who is Holy, has implemented a law of righteousness, and if you violate that law, you pay the price. There is only one way that you can get out of paying the price, and that is through Jesus Christ, that is why He is called the Savior. It's so simple.

You might say, "Well if it's so simple, than why are people going to be judged?" I don't know, that is a great question. Why would they resist Him? Think about it. If we were in an airplane and it began to go down and we had parachutes, and we began to disburse parachutes to you, would you not take a parachute to jump out of the airplane? " I don't know, that just isn't my color." or "I don't want it to wrinkle my shirt." That's insane! That's crazy. Why is it that people even on their death bed, that say, "I don't want to hear about God!" It's in our hearts. It's in our minds to reject God and His goodness and His love. Just like that Muslim girl who heard about the love of God, it stopped her in her tracks. Tears filled her eyes. Why would you reject the love of God? These people in this portion of Scripture have rejected God's offer of love. Jesus Christ, must execute judgment upon the world.

He came, he was beaten, he was scourged, His beard was plucked out of His face (Isaiah 53:6), He was treated worse than any other human ever. Isaiah says He was disfigured more than any other human being ever. You couldn't even distinguish Him as a man. And yet the Bible says that God put this upon Him for our redemption. Jesus didn't suffer one iota beyond what was necessary. When you think about what He paid for us on that cross, why we don't fall on our knees and say, "God you are so awesome! You are so wonderful and I pledge my allegiance to You Lord!" He is so good!

These people have decided to reject God, and Jesus Christ at this time and judgment is coming. It's a terrible thing and the Bible says that these great cataclysmic things will happen. It is amazing to understand that Jesus Christ is the One who holds it all together.

Colossians 1:13-17 ~ "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the Invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

For any of you that have a background in Physics, that is a wonderful answer if you're willing to accept it. What binds the universe together? They have nicknamed it "cosmic glue." The Bible says, it is Jesus Christ! God said, "Let there be light." To some people that is unacceptable, so they believe in a Big Bang instead. Well this is cosmic glue, but if you knew better, you would know that is Jesus Christ! The Bible says there is a time coming where He will let go. You begin to see in Revelation that He begins to loosen His grip and things begin to happen. What are those things?

Revelation 6:13- ~  and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind."

The word "fall or fell" here means "pipto," the falling or casting earthward of a celestial matter ( a comet, a star, an asteroid), or to be cast down, to strike the earth, to arrive.

Scholars believe that it is not planets that will fall from the sky but asteroid or that kind of activity instead. Things are going to start happening in the heavens! After the Tribulation period begins, radical things, and you would think that when people see these things, they would say, "I give up!" But they don't do that.

Revelation 6:14 ~ "The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place."

There are going to be geological problems. The word "receded" here means like if you have ever had a poster or map that when its laid out flat, and you are holding it down, and the moment you let go it snaps back into a roll again. That is the word here that is used in the original Greek language. That when Jesus lets go of the universe, it rolls back up. But then look at what happens. It says that every mountain and island was removed out of its place. We are talking about an earthquake that brings forth all of these strange events and at the same time atmospheric disturbances are going to take place in the heavens above. It will affect the earth beneath.

This is what is referred to as cosmological equilibrium. It is amazing when you consider that we are sitting here right now, while our planet is rotating on its axis and all the things in our solar system are rotating around us in a general proximity and within 24 hours from this moment, all of the movements taken into consideration, we will have moved 1,000,000 miles from this distance now that we are at, 24 hours from tomorrow, we will have moved 1,000,000 miles. It is as if everything is on a flat bed truck heading down the freeway, while everything on the back of that flat bed, and total all of those movement together and we will have moved 1 million miles in 24 hours by this time tomorrow. And it's in perfect order!

We are not going to bump into anything. We are not going to hit anything. It's all under the command of God. Do you remember Job, and he was questioning this and saying that, and God said, "All right Job, you've done all the questioning, now sit down I want to ask you a question. Where were you, Job, when I brought out Orion, and Pleiades and the constellations and can you steer them through the air? Through the sky?" You could just imagine Job in a small voice answering No to God.

That is exactly what we see. Not only is God steering the universe, but did you know that there are universes, and clusters of universes? And there are clusters of clusters of universes? God steers them all. If we were just 5 miles closer to the sun, it's 93 million miles away, you'd be throwing off your clothes in an effort to stay cool enough. You'd burn up. Did you know that? If we were just 5 miles farther from the sun, we'd be freezing to death. God holds it. He ordains it. This is all the Hand of God.

We marvel at the computers who have landed on Mars and have said water may have been here at one time. Who cares? My God put it there. What's the big deal? "Well we are searching for intelligent life!" Look at it! It all speaks of God's handiwork! It's all His doing and everything has His fingerprints on it! But God is going to start releasing it in the Tribulation period of time. Things are going to go terribly wrong in that day. We have these laws that are in effect now, and when those begin to be altered it affects everything else. For example, what causes our tides today? The slight influence of the moon. Can you imagine if God began to shake things up. Did you know that some scientists believe that our earth on its 23 1/4 axis was not always that way? That shift may have cause the polar shift and the great disaster that resulted in the loss of prehistoric life that was? Evidence shows that something happened. Just a little movement.

Can you imagine if things began to wobble, what would happen? Because everything is tied together atmospheric and geological disturbances. The Bible says that that is coming.

Isaiah 24:18-21 ~ "Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - never to rise again. In that day, the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below." 

The Bible says that there will come a day and the Book of Revelation agrees, that the earth will stagger. Thank God if you are a Christian today! You are going to miss this stuff. This is stuff that happens during the Tribulation period, after the church has been removed by God, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells us.

Hard to imagine the sky above us, rolling up like a window shade in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Imagine the celestial stars shifting that dramatically? Everybody in the world will see that in the Tribulation period and every mountain and island will be moved out of its place. The earth will shake, in such a way that the mountains will be moved and islands in the sea will be moved.

Isaiah 24:18-21 ~ "Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - never to rise again. In that day, the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below." 

Remember this, there will be no escape for those on the earth at that time. Notice the reason why this happens, "so heavy upon it is the guilt of rebellion that it falls." The world is weighed down by its sin. It will collapse and never rise again. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. So who is being punished here? Those who refuse the salvation that is offered through Jesus Christ.

We will finish up this chapter in Revelation 6 Monday. It's just getting interesting!

Are You Ready for the Big One?

Why should we care so much about what is going to happen about the future, if there is very little we can do to prevent what will ultimately happen? Why is it relevant to us today? Jesus told us that in the last days, there would be a quickening, it's an Old English medical term, it describes a pregnant woman whose birth pains increase the close she gets to delivery. The quickening is the increase in frequency and intensity, and timing of the birth pains. So who cares about Revelation 6?

Today we are going to talk about creation quite literally becoming unhinged, the mountains crumbling. We can understand that living in California, but not in the magnitude that it will be happening one day. When some of the largest quakes here in California happened, the dust that settled from the mountain ranges was intense as they sunk by 3 feet in some places. When this event happens, it WILL get your attention. You might say well who cares? As we study Revelation 6, and we see an increase in violence, an increase in earthquakes, increases in war, all of these increases that we are seeing, what does it mean? It means that these are stages being set for a grand and awesome presentation that is coming. Notice that earthquakes are not ending, they are increasing. Famine isn't going away it is becoming more prevalent. Man is not becoming more peace loving, he is becoming more hateful and violent.

So what does this mean? It means we are leaning, trending and are moving toward, like a pregnant women, is going to increase as Jesus said in the last days. He promised that when these things begin to happen in intensity and frequency it is pointing to these biblically revealed events. We are reading and studying Revelation 6 to recognize that the stage is being set for the future. When we see these things, Jesus said to "Look up, for your redemption draws near." We rejoice in knowing that Jesus remains on the throne no matter what we are going through.

God wants you and I to know the Book of Revelation. It is the only book in all the 66 books of the Bible that comes with a special blessing of those that read it and hear it words. But it is also the least read book of the Bible, because people are afraid of what it says or they simply do not understand what they are reading so they avoid it. The reason most people find it difficult to understand is because it first demands that we read the Old Testament. It can never be understood without first reading the Old Testament. Every chapter in the Book of Revelation will point you back what was given via the Old Testament and the Old Testament prophets. God has given us the Bible so we can understand it. But the portion of scripture we are going to study today we will not want to get it. We don't want to understand it. Yet not all of it is terrifying news.

Chapter 6 in Revelation begins the advent or the unveiling of the Tribulation Period. You don't even have to be a Christian to have heard of the Tribulation Period. It is a time yet coming and it hasn't happened yet. We have already studied about the rise of the Antichrist and the coming of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and from Revelation 6:12-17, you can nestle this portion right in between the first 3 1/2 years of the 7-year Tribulation, right in the middle. These verse launch us into the second half of the Tribulation period. You may be wondering just what is the 7-year Tribulation Period.

The Bible promises us that just before Christ comes back to earth, there will be a consecutive and specific 7-year period of time, that will be triggered or commenced by a peace treaty signed by a European political leader, with Israel and it's neighboring enemies. You can read more about that in Daniel, chapter 9, and 2 Thessalonians 2 and 3. As you read that, you will understand that God will put His eyes back on the nation of Israel. The significance of that is that prior to 1948, there was no nation of Israel. That for nearly 2000 years, Israel has been dispersed as a country and as a people, and as a nation to all the world. Again the Bible is accurate and true and the scriptures said before Christ returns this Antichrist or instead of Christ, this impostor Christ, will come to the nation of Israel via Europe, out of the Ancient Roman Empire, and the very day of his advent will be known to the world, no one will be mistaken as to whom this man will be. The scriptures say that he will sign a peace treaty, with Israel and its surrounding neighboring enemies for a duration of 7 years. That is amazing because Israel and peace is top news. Peace treaties with Israel is what all nations of the world are seeking after. It would be such a benefit if Israel and its neighbors had peace. Things would calm down, trade would do better, the markets of the world would do better, so much would be better and the Bible anticipates this. The Bible is more current than tomorrow's newspaper. As we begin our study, we are now 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation, and I wish I could give you a feel good message about what we are going to be studying today, and we can't skip it because we are instructed to give the full counsel of the Word of God. So how do you present this horrific future event, very, very terrible and look at it today?

We can look at it this way. YOU do not have to be here when this happens and the things we are about to read, unless you are crazy. You'd have to sign up, so to speak, to be involved in the hellious things that are coming to the earth. You would have to deny everything that history and the Bible has to say about God and His redemption through Christ. You'd also have to lie against your own logic. You'd even have to sin against your own conscience. You'd have to go against historical accuracy and facts. You'd have to discredit and discount all the things that have gone on in your life, and in the lives of those people who have been around you who have come to know God. You'd have to spend all of your time, all of your effort, to discredit the fact that the Bible is real and accurate. The Word of God.

It is better to read this study, thank God for what you are going to miss, and tuck it under your belt so to speak as a witnessing tool for others, because it is very very likely, as it is for every generation of Christians for the last 2000 years that we certainly could see the advent of Christ in our lifetime! When you look around at the things that are taking place in the world today, it is amazing especially when we get into today's topic of earthquakes. When you mention the word earthquake, what do you think of? Probably California! Most people around the world ask how people handle earthquakes or what is one like if they have never experienced one? Most people in fact don't want to live in California for that very reason. They don't want to experience an earthquake! The great thing about earthquakes is just when you realize you are having one, it's over!

Being a native Californian, we can remember those really powerful quakes, Sylmar, Northridge, even Landers/Big Bear. The great thing about earthquakes is on the days following them, church attendance is packed. It would be great if we had an earthquake every Saturday night, the churches would be packed! Everybody always turns to God for the moment anyway. There are things that go on that you never forget them. It has that affect on us. There are certain events that do that to us. I am sure you all remember where you were when September 11th happened. You remember it like it was yesterday.

The Bible speaks of a time when the natural and created elements breakdown and not only that but God's creative powers begin to break down as well. The Bible is amazing because it reminds us that it is God that is holding all of the universe together. He is doing it by the command of His power and by the keeping of His Word. As we get into Revelation 6, this morning, remember you don't have to be here when these things begin to take place.

Revelation 6:12-17 ~ "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall of us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

These people have seen very bizarre and cataclysmic events and now we come to the division of the seven year period, right in the middle of the 3 1/2 years and atmospheric disturbances are taking place in the heavens above. Not only that but there is a great earthquake. The largest earthquake in US history happened in 1812, in New Madrid, Missouri.  Three earthquakes within 24 hours, the first one 7.4, 7.6, and 7.7. Some even estimate that it was in the 8's. We don't really know because the Richter technology hadn't existed yet. This is what we do know. Imagine an earthquake in Missouri of all places, and that shaking was felt by people living in Alberta, Canada, and Denver, Colorado. It was felt in Mexico City. Seismologists tell us that if the earthquakes are centered in just the right place, and are great enough, they could be felt simultaneously around the world. This is a scientific possibility. The truth of the matter is that God said, there is going to be an earthquake that will be felt by the world. We will see more about this in future studies.

When an earthquake hits, you are immediately humbled. There is nothing you can do. We see a humbling of a great host of people at this time. Don't get discouraged. We don't have to be here when that happens. When creation breaks down, it is the day that God releases His grip. These divine judgments begin to come to pass. What is significant about the sixth seal of all the seven seals that we are reading through is the one that directly releases God's judgment. This is the judgment of God. This is one of the reasons some church don't talk about this, is they are trying to grow their churches. You don't talk about stuff like this if you want people to come to church. But the fact is that it needs to be studied so you are rooted in truth than to give you an update on a church picnic. You don't want a church packed in on falsehood. This is serious stuff. Maybe it will help you to share the good news with others you meet today that this world is burning up. It's falling apart and God has given us a way to salvation to skip all of this stuff.

The Bible says that God is going to release His grip upon this earth.

Romans 8:22-23 ~ "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, you have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. "

How does someone get through this Tribulation time? How do they get saved by Christ? You don't have to go through the Tribulation period. You can accept Jesus Christ today, and the Tribulation could start at any time after the rapture of the church. The point is, you could die today, irregardless of what we are studying today, you could die today. You need Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior, today, right now. If you are granted time to live, Jesus has said, He is coming back for the church in John 14:1-3, where He says, He is going to pick you up and take you to Himself. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Jesus is coming to get us. Here's the thing, you don't have to go through this time on earth. You can be taken away from it, Luke 21:36, Jesus makes these promises. So trust Him now as Lord and Savior, be ready at any moment to go up with Him, because you don't have to go through any more suffering including the Tribulation period without Him. Jesus Christ has promised a way out. It is vitally important that you understand that order to things. Accept Him now because you could choke on your dinner today, or you could die of old age. Accept Him now. Jesus has promised to rapture His church out before the great Tribulation period begins. You don't have to go through it, you can go up with us if He comes now. Trust in Him today by calling out to Him.

Who Are You Trusting For the Answer to the Problems of the World?

You've probably heard the saying, "God helps those, who help themselves," and often times people will say that comes from the Bible. Did you know that it isn't? It is actually God helps those who cannot help themselves as a way of summing up the Bible. When we look at today's study, we are going to be studying all of man's greatest efforts as it references the best people in the world today, such as Apple, Microsoft, man's ability to establish cities and cultures, it's all going to come down. Man's attempt to govern himself, will fail and all of this stuff begins to crumble. So what should we be doing? We should be trusting in God. Earthly powers will always let you down.

You may have heard people say, "Well, I don't go to church because it's full of hypocrites," or "I don't believe in God because I had a pastor rip me off." "I don't believe in God because, and they will always cite something that plays on their emotions. Yet God never asked you to trust in any of those things. He asked you to trust Him.

You hear people saying, "Well I'm going to do this or we're going to establish that, or we're going to fix the environment for example," I hate to burst your bubble on what you ,for example the the Park Service, of all people in Alaska, has stated that the glacier is not shrinking but it's growing. It's getting bigger. When will you ever hear that on the news? Man's perception is constantly changing and shifting, to the point where it will crumble, but God's Word is always true!

When creation begins to break down, humanity will be brought to its knees and look who is affected.

Revelation 6:15 ~ "Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains."

There will be no earthly power that will come to its help. The "kings of the earth," means the greatest of politicians. Are you looking to the government to be your answer? I hope not. When this great cataclysmic event happens, not even the kings of the earth, the greatest of politicians will have the answer. The "princes" are influential lords, we don't have that so much here in America, but in England they do. Kings, Princes, Queens, Blue Bloods, but even they won't be able to stop it. There will be no decree that anyone will make that will stop what is happening at that time. They won't be able to do anything. This is the frustration of human government. God will bring all of man's devices to a conclusion.

The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but that way ends in death. Decision making, those choices that seemed right, the Bible says will end in destruction. "The rich," those are your wealthy influential merchants and traders, those who traverse the world for trade. Can you imagine what it would be like to be Bill Gates for just one day? I say only one day because beyond that most of us would get into trouble with that. Can you imagine being the richest man in the world and you can't do a thing about what is happening? That's usually certainly true when some life threatening disease comes and all those avenues have been exhausted, but can you imagine that on a global scale?

Want to know a stupid analysis of Bill Gate's money? They actually broke this down. For every American at the time of when this study was written, that he could buy every single one a $44,000 vehicle, every American? Did you know that he is worth more than some countries? Than most countries actually? What are you going to do when the entire world begins to shake violently and asteroids fall from the sky and the mountains and islands are moved? Build a bomb shelter? What are you going to do? It gets even more interesting. "the generals," even the admirals and the top military minds can't do anything. They have no answers.  Interesting. "The mighty," refers to power brokers, they don't necessarily have money or the military at their disposal they have amazing global persuasion and influence. They can't do anything about it either. Now you can see why these times are truly dark and sinister days coming. Aren't you truly glad that you are a Christian today? Aren't you glad that we don't have to go through what is coming?

Then it goes on to say, "and every slave and every free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountain." There were two other people who tried to hide when they blew it, Adam and Eve. What were they thinking? I'm not saying that we would have done anything different, we probably would have done the same thing, but think about it. They knew God, they walked and talked with Him! If you read the Bible carefully, you will know that Eve was by herself when this happened. She was alone when the serpent came. A lot of people try blaming Adam as if he was there, but he wasn't. We don't know where he was, but he wasn't there when the serpent tempted her. She saw, she listened, she sinned! The Bible says, by the way, Adam never sinned like that, she sinned, he entered into her sin. She blew it.

Adam could have walked in and said, "Girl! What in the world has happened to you?" He didn't do that. In fact a lot of people see the story of the redemption of Christ and His people, she sinned willfully. Timothy, in the Book of Timothy, tells us that she sinned willfully, but Adam was not the one deceived, she was. She was deceived by Satan, but Adam just went for it, he entered into her sinful condition, willfully. It may be that Adam, in a sense, was acting out how Christ came and entered into sin willfully to redeem us in an act of love! Regardless, they hid themselves. How strange it is, that we can become so deceived that we begin to hide ourselves, and look we all do it. We do it because we are afraid of being known, because if we are known fully, we are afraid of being rejected, isn't that right? You are so afraid that if people knew you fully, they wouldn't like you or love you. That is human nature! It's wrong but it's human nature.

You want to know why? Because we all long for unconditional love! We yearn for it! We long for the love that accepts us just the way we are. A love that is not critical or judgmental, a love that loves us! Either when we don't see that love or believe that it is available, or we don't have it, we veil ourselves. That might be why vanity is so prevalent in our culture, I mean its one thing to look nice and you're not committing some sin to wear make up or to not wear make up. If it makes you look good, wear it. J. Vernon McGee once said, "If the barn needs painting, paint it!" Every body likes to focus on things that don't matter and make a big deal out of it. That's not the issue, but when you cross the line and vanity becomes such a big deal that a person surrounds them self with such falsehood because they are so afraid of becoming accepted. People can be so great looking but when you truly get to know them, they are mean, cold, cutting and they don't look so great anymore. You don't want to be around them anymore.

Then there are some people who are so-so and when you get to know them they are truly the most beautiful people on earth because they are tender, sweet, compassionate, and that is on the human scale. The amazing thing is that God loves us. He loves us all, despite how calloused, cutting, mean, prideful, selfish, rude and harsh we can be. Why don't we see ourselves that way? God loves you! It's not someone else's standard that we  have to live up to. They didn't make us. God made us. Yes we we need to repent of our sin. Yes, we need to be born again. Yes, Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me." It's true. But He loves us and wants us to come to Him.

There is no safe place or place of refuge for these people that are left on the earth. Let's look at their bizarre prayer in the final verses. They pray but it's the wrong prayer. Why don't they call out to God? It shows how hard their heart have become.

Revelation 6:16-17 ~ "They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall of us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Have you ever been to a petting zoo? Have you ever warned your child to stay away from "that mad lamb over there?" You ever seen a lamb out of control eating people up? It doesn't happen. Seems like a contradiction, "an angry Lamb?" That just weird. It's like getting bit by a worm! How does that happen? Lambs aren't supposed to be angry!

Jesus Christ came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, John the Baptist said. But now that Lamb that has been sacrificed and has risen from the dead, and is enthroned in heaven. He comes back in the Second Coming exercising His judgment. Why? Because it is a Christ rejecting age. It was an age that was religious but didn't know Him personally. It was an age that did they own thing and didn't consult God. It was an age that lived for themselves and cared a less about God. It was an age, which the prophet said, they did right what was in their own eyes. Are we not living a time similar to that? Where anarchy is happening in our own state at this very hour the breaching of the law? We have mayors in the state of California refusing to uphold the law on certain issues while looking away at others! That is a crime and it is the first step of anarchy! Unbelievable.

The Bible says that every man will do what is right in his own eyes. That is anarchy! These last two verses tell us that the earth will tremble before God and they are going to say a silly prayer, "Mountains, rocks and hills, fall on us! Fall on us and hide us from Him who sits on the throne."

God is not out of control at this moment, He is never out of control, but He is holy and just, and sin must be judged. You might not like to hear things like this, and believe me I don't like writing blog posts like this, but if one person today decides, "Wow! I don't want anything to do with that time!" You don't have to have anything to do with that time. Jesus Christ has provide the way, that we can escape the terrible age that is coming. Have you made that decision to say to Jesus Christ, I don't want to live in that time.

Now look we don't know when that time is coming, but honestly you look around at the world and you say it can't be long, but let's just think way out. What if everyone of us dies of old age, we are still going to go into eternity, and it all comes down to where you want to spend an eternity? Let alone the fact that things could happen, that bring in the advent of this horrific time. What is your decision, what is your choice? I will be put the invitation out before you, the scripture says that as many as who receive Jesus Christ, to them gave He the power to become children of God, to as many as who believe in His name.

Don't be mistaken, this has nothing to do with being religious. It has nothing to do with your church attendance, or history of giving or service, it has nothing to do with belonging. You know if this was my last day on earth today, I would say this to you, knowing that I would stand before my maker today, I would say this to you, my last chance, that the Bible says, to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that word repent means to change your mind. Trust in Him and if you confess that God put both Jesus Christ on the cross and that He rose from the dead, and if you believe that and confess it with your mouth, you shall be saved. That is what the Bible says.

You might say, "Well that is too simple!" Well then go ahead and try it. A lot of people can't do it. They find that offensive, but have you ever done this? Now hang on to your seat, when the scripture says that these things have been written so that you might know you have eternal life, that word means that it is a tangible, factual knowledge of, we would say today in our modern tongue, you can sink your teeth into it. Do you know that you are saved, going to heaven that securely? Do you know that? Here is the catch, everyone of you that are going to heaven, the Holy Spirit inside you bears witness with your spirit says the Book, says the Bible and you are assured of it. In other words, those of you that are going to heaven, and you know it because of what Christ has done, YOU are going!

For those of you that are saying, I hope so , I really really hope so. Listen, you aren't sure. You don't have that confidence. You don't really know. Those of you who are thinking well I hope it will balance out in the end, you're in trouble. If this was my last invitation to give you today, I would not change a word I am saying right now. YOU can decide NOW to have your guilt removed, your sin forgiven, your name written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, and have heaven assured to you, forever. It's called a relationship with God and do you have it?

You might remember the when your TV programming was interrupted by these words, "We Interrupt this Program... and they would announce things like President Kennedy was shot or the Apollo 13 astronauts are in peril or President Reagan has been shot...and it was gripping! The point I am making is that none of us are promised we will see the sun rise tomorrow or if we will even see the sunset tonight. Our lives will be interrupted with the events of life, and ultimately with the end of life. God reserves that right. To Him it is not an accident. The Bible tells us that all of our days have been numbered by the Lord. But to us it would come as a shocking interruption...we interrupt this program of your life that you have been called into question now to give an answer to your soul.

The Bible says we must all appear before God. When you look at these things, are you ready to meet Jesus? I hope this blog post has interrupted your normal way of living today.  I want to interrupt your life today with the offer and invitation today to call out to Jesus that He might save you from your sins and give you a life worth living, a life that is more sure and more firm, than the foundations of this very earth. Will you accept this invitation today?

Why the Blood Moons Don't Line up with the Bible!

There has been a lot of talk lately about the blood moon, and it seems like there is always someone who will take that opportunity to tie that lunar eclipse into Bible prophecy but as you will soon see, the facts simply don't line up with what the Bible has to say. I'd love to be able to say, look out your window this is a sign from God, and I know that I will probably upset some people who believe that this things tie into Bible prophecy as well, just like the four blood moons that have been discussed lately and how those are prophetically significant. I simply don't see that because the verses that are sited to qualify this cosmological event for example the Book of Revelation, Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Joel, all in which that context verses are used for the Tribulation Period. Yes, these things will happen, but during the Tribulation period. We need to read the Bible carefully, every time I have made a mistake, it has because I have not read it carefully.

The Bible says that during the Tribulation period, the moon will turn into or look like blood, and the sun will not give its light. We haven't been there yet. You can't pick and choose, what astronomical thing takes place and what doesn't. In that day, in its singular, the moon will look like blood in the sky, because of the smoke or the ash in the sky, and the sun will not give its light. Not moons plural. It's very specific that these other events are taking place on earth, when this happens. As much as I'd love to say that we are in Revelation 6, in the Tribulation Period, and when the recent "blood moons" happened, they didn't turn red, more like dark brown. It was brown, it wasn't red, and the sun came up the next day. My point is to know your Bible very, very, carefully. Don't try to read things into the Bible, let the Bible read itself into you.

All of creation is under the curse of mankind, and is waiting for the day of redemption to come. When you look at nature all around you, you can't help but marvel at the hand God has played in the brilliant paint job that you see in the colors of birds like hummingbirds. Why would God do that? Why didn't He just make all birds black? He didn't and that is spectacular. I think He did it for our viewing pleasure and to show us His handiwork! God made nature and the creation that is. But if you look real close you will see its flaws and factually it is under the curse of man, according to the Bible. Beautiful creation that is out of balance. When you see a beautiful bird and then a cat comes along and catches it and eats it. That is the result of a fallen world. It was not supposed to be like that according to Father God, not Mother Nature. This is the fall out from man's sin. The Bible says that sin marches onward, its scaling upward. The Bible says that sin has to reach a certain point before God intervenes. When we look around, we see nature being held hostage, by sin and the power of sin.

What we do see here now is God's intervention via judgment into the affairs of men. Verse 12, tells us that it is Jesus Christ who is executing His wrath. The Bible tells us in Luke's gospel, when Jesus went into the synagogue preaching, the attendant brought Him the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus would have turned to Isaiah 61 and begins to read the first verse. He just gets into the second verse when he pauses, at that comma.

Luke 4:18-21 ~ "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

What is interesting is that Jesus stopped at a comma. He didn't complete the verse. He didn't complete Isaiah 61:2. Why didn't He complete it? Because 2000 years ago, He came to take away our sins on the cross. He died on the cross. His ministry was to set people free who were bound free and that comma has lasted 2000 years. If He would have kept reading would have stated:

Isaiah 61:2 ~ "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (comma), And the day of vengeance of our God:"

It is the announcement of the great Tribulation Period of God that would come upon the world. Jesus stops at the comma. It is the time to preach the acceptable year of the Lord at this time through the gospel. There is a time coming where the vengeance of God will be deposited upon the earth. Right now, we need to understand that we are living in a time of grace. We are living in a time that is referred to as the 'church age.' Where the good news of Christ is preached around the world. That you can be forgiven of your sins. God says in the Book of Genesis, "My Spirit will not always strive or put up with mankind and his antics." A day is coming when God will execute judgment.

This is where our studying and teaching and focus really needs to be in tune. God is Judge, and when He comes to judge it will be like no other event in human history. It will be greater than the great flood and will be greater than anything He has ever brought upon the earth. It was be greater than Sodom and Gomorrah. You might be tempted to say, "Well that is why I don't want to know your God!" But you have to understand something, God doesn't go around judging people. He doesn't walk around with a giant fly swatter waiting for you to step out of line. God, who is Holy, has implemented a law of righteousness, and if you violate that law, you pay the price. There is only one way that you can get out of paying the price, and that is through Jesus Christ, that is why He is called the Savior. It's so simple.

You might say, "Well if it's so simple, than why are people going to be judged?" I don't know, that is a great question. Why would they resist Him? Think about it. If we were in an airplane and it began to go down and we had parachutes, and we began to disburse parachutes to you, would you not take a parachute to jump out of the airplane? " I don't know, that just isn't my color." or "I don't want it to wrinkle my shirt." That's insane! That's crazy. Why is it that people even on their death bed, that say, "I don't want to hear about God!" It's in our hearts. It's in our minds to reject God and His goodness and His love. Just like that Muslim girl who heard about the love of God, it stopped her in her tracks. Tears filled her eyes. Why would you reject the love of God? These people in this portion of Scripture have rejected God's offer of love. Jesus Christ, must execute judgment upon the world.

He came, he was beaten, he was scourged, His beard was plucked out of His face (Isaiah 53:6), He was treated worse than any other human ever. Isaiah says He was disfigured more than any other human being ever. You couldn't even distinguish Him as a man. And yet the Bible says that God put this upon Him for our redemption. Jesus didn't suffer one iota beyond what was necessary. When you think about what He paid for us on that cross, why we don't fall on our knees and say, "God you are so awesome! You are so wonderful and I pledge my allegiance to You Lord!" He is so good!

These people have decided to reject God, and Jesus Christ at this time and judgment is coming. It's a terrible thing and the Bible says that these great cataclysmic things will happen. It is amazing to understand that Jesus Christ is the One who holds it all together.

Colossians 1:13-17 ~ "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the Invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

For any of you that have a background in Physics, that is a wonderful answer if you're willing to accept it. What binds the universe together? They have nicknamed it "cosmic glue." The Bible says, it is Jesus Christ! God said, "Let there be light." To some people that is unacceptable, so they believe in a Big Bang instead. Well this is cosmic glue, but if you knew better, you would know that is Jesus Christ! The Bible says there is a time coming where He will let go. You begin to see in Revelation that He begins to loosen His grip and things begin to happen. What are those things?

Revelation 6:13- ~  and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind."

The word "fall or fell" here means "pipto," the falling or casting earthward of a celestial matter ( a comet, a star, an asteroid), or to be cast down, to strike the earth, to arrive.

Scholars believe that it is not planets that will fall from the sky but asteroid or that kind of activity instead. Things are going to start happening in the heavens! After the Tribulation period begins, radical things, and you would think that when people see these things, they would say, "I give up!" But they don't do that.

Revelation 6:14 ~ "The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place."

There are going to be geological problems. The word "receded" here means like if you have ever had a poster or map that when its laid out flat, and you are holding it down, and the moment you let go it snaps back into a roll again. That is the word here that is used in the original Greek language. That when Jesus lets go of the universe, it rolls back up. But then look at what happens. It says that every mountain and island was removed out of its place. We are talking about an earthquake that brings forth all of these strange events and at the same time atmospheric disturbances are going to take place in the heavens above. It will affect the earth beneath.

This is what is referred to as cosmological equilibrium. It is amazing when you consider that we are sitting here right now, while our planet is rotating on its axis and all the things in our solar system are rotating around us in a general proximity and within 24 hours from this moment, all of the movements taken into consideration, we will have moved 1,000,000 miles from this distance now that we are at, 24 hours from tomorrow, we will have moved 1,000,000 miles. It is as if everything is on a flat bed truck heading down the freeway, while everything on the back of that flat bed, and total all of those movement together and we will have moved 1 million miles in 24 hours by this time tomorrow. And it's in perfect order!

We are not going to bump into anything. We are not going to hit anything. It's all under the command of God. Do you remember Job, and he was questioning this and saying that, and God said, "All right Job, you've done all the questioning, now sit down I want to ask you a question. Where were you, Job, when I brought out Orion, and Pleiades and the constellations and can you steer them through the air? Through the sky?" You could just imagine Job in a small voice answering No to God.

That is exactly what we see. Not only is God steering the universe, but did you know that there are universes, and clusters of universes? And there are clusters of clusters of universes? God steers them all. If we were just 5 miles closer to the sun, it's 93 million miles away, you'd be throwing off your clothes in an effort to stay cool enough. You'd burn up. Did you know that? If we were just 5 miles farther from the sun, we'd be freezing to death. God holds it. He ordains it. This is all the Hand of God.

We marvel at the computers who have landed on Mars and have said water may have been here at one time. Who cares? My God put it there. What's the big deal? "Well we are searching for intelligent life!" Look at it! It all speaks of God's handiwork! It's all His doing and everything has His fingerprints on it! But God is going to start releasing it in the Tribulation period of time. Things are going to go terribly wrong in that day. We have these laws that are in effect now, and when those begin to be altered it affects everything else. For example, what causes our tides today? The slight influence of the moon. Can you imagine if God began to shake things up. Did you know that some scientists believe that our earth on its 23 1/4 axis was not always that way? That shift may have cause the polar shift and the great disaster that resulted in the loss of prehistoric life that was? Evidence shows that something happened. Just a little movement.

Can you imagine if things began to wobble, what would happen? Because everything is tied together atmospheric and geological disturbances. The Bible says that that is coming.

Isaiah 24:18-21 ~ "Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - never to rise again. In that day, the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below." 

The Bible says that there will come a day and the Book of Revelation agrees, that the earth will stagger. Thank God if you are a Christian today! You are going to miss this stuff. This is stuff that happens during the Tribulation period, after the church has been removed by God, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells us.

Hard to imagine the sky above us, rolling up like a window shade in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Imagine the celestial stars shifting that dramatically? Everybody in the world will see that in the Tribulation period and every mountain and island will be moved out of its place. The earth will shake, in such a way that the mountains will be moved and islands in the sea will be moved.

Isaiah 24:18-21 ~ "Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - never to rise again. In that day, the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below." 

Remember this, there will be no escape for those on the earth at that time. Notice the reason why this happens, "so heavy upon it is the guilt of rebellion that it falls." The world is weighed down by its sin. It will collapse and never rise again. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. So who is being punished here? Those who refuse the salvation that is offered through Jesus Christ.

We will finish up this chapter in Revelation 6 Monday. It's just getting interesting!

A Great Shaking is Coming! Are you prepared?

Why should we care so much about what is going to happen about the future, if there is very little we can do to prevent what will ultimately happen? Why is it relevant to us today? Jesus told us that in the last days, there would be a quickening, it's an Old English medical term, it describes a pregnant woman whose birth pains increase the close she gets to delivery. The quickening is the increase in frequency and intensity, and timing of the birth pains. So who cares about Revelation 6?

Today we are going to talk about creation quite literally becoming unhinged, the mountains crumbling. We can understand that living in California, but not in the magnitude that it will be happening one day. When some of the largest quakes here in California happened, the dust that settled from the mountain ranges was intense as they sunk by 3 feet in some places. When this event happens, it WILL get your attention. You might say well who cares? As we study Revelation 6, and we see an increase in violence, an increase in earthquakes, increases in war, all of these increases that we are seeing, what does it mean? It means that these are stages being set for a grand and awesome presentation that is coming. Notice that earthquakes are not ending, they are increasing. Famine isn't going away it is becoming more prevalent. Man is not becoming more peace loving, he is becoming more hateful and violent.

So what does this mean? It means we are leaning, trending and are moving toward, like a pregnant women, is going to increase as Jesus said in the last days. He promised that when these things begin to happen in intensity and frequency it is pointing to these biblically revealed events. We are reading and studying Revelation 6 to recognize that the stage is being set for the future. When we see these things, Jesus said to "Look up, for your redemption draws near." We rejoice in knowing that Jesus remains on the throne no matter what we are going through.

God wants you and I to know the Book of Revelation. It is the only book in all the 66 books of the Bible that comes with a special blessing of those that read it and hear it words. But it is also the least read book of the Bible, because people are afraid of what it says or they simply do not understand what they are reading so they avoid it. The reason most people find it difficult to understand is because it first demands that we read the Old Testament. It can never be understood without first reading the Old Testament. Every chapter in the Book of Revelation will point you back what was given via the Old Testament and the Old Testament prophets. God has given us the Bible so we can understand it. But the portion of scripture we are going to study today we will not want to get it. We don't want to understand it. Yet not all of it is terrifying news.

Chapter 6 in Revelation begins the advent or the unveiling of the Tribulation Period. You don't even have to be a Christian to have heard of the Tribulation Period. It is a time yet coming and it hasn't happened yet. We have already studied about the rise of the Antichrist and the coming of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and from Revelation 6:12-17, you can nestle this portion right in between the first 3 1/2 years of the 7-year Tribulation, right in the middle. These verse launch us into the second half of the Tribulation period. You may be wondering just what is the 7-year Tribulation Period.

The Bible promises us that just before Christ comes back to earth, there will be a consecutive and specific 7-year period of time, that will be triggered or commenced by a peace treaty signed by a European political leader, with Israel and it's neighboring enemies. You can read more about that in Daniel, chapter 9, and 2 Thessalonians 2 and 3. As you read that, you will understand that God will put His eyes back on the nation of Israel. The significance of that is that prior to 1948, there was no nation of Israel. That for nearly 2000 years, Israel has been dispersed as a country and as a people, and as a nation to all the world. Again the Bible is accurate and true and the scriptures said before Christ returns this Antichrist or instead of Christ, this impostor Christ, will come to the nation of Israel via Europe, out of the Ancient Roman Empire, and the very day of his advent will be known to the world, no one will be mistaken as to whom this man will be. The scriptures say that he will sign a peace treaty, with Israel and its surrounding neighboring enemies for a duration of 7 years. That is amazing because Israel and peace is top news. Peace treaties with Israel is what all nations of the world are seeking after. It would be such a benefit if Israel and its neighbors had peace. Things would calm down, trade would do better, the markets of the world would do better, so much would be better and the Bible anticipates this. The Bible is more current than tomorrow's newspaper. As we begin our study, we are now 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation, and I wish I could give you a feel good message about what we are going to be studying today, and we can't skip it because we are instructed to give the full counsel of the Word of God. So how do you present this horrific future event, very, very terrible and look at it today?

We can look at it this way. YOU do not have to be here when this happens and the things we are about to read, unless you are crazy. You'd have to sign up, so to speak, to be involved in the hellious things that are coming to the earth. You would have to deny everything that history and the Bible has to say about God and His redemption through Christ. You'd also have to lie against your own logic. You'd even have to sin against your own conscience. You'd have to go against historical accuracy and facts. You'd have to discredit and discount all the things that have gone on in your life, and in the lives of those people who have been around you who have come to know God. You'd have to spend all of your time, all of your effort, to discredit the fact that the Bible is real and accurate. The Word of God.

It is better to read this study, thank God for what you are going to miss, and tuck it under your belt so to speak as a witnessing tool for others, because it is very very likely, as it is for every generation of Christians for the last 2000 years that we certainly could see the advent of Christ in our lifetime! When you look around at the things that are taking place in the world today, it is amazing especially when we get into today's topic of earthquakes. When you mention the word earthquake, what do you think of? Probably California! Most people around the world ask how people handle earthquakes or what is one like if they have never experienced one? Most people in fact don't want to live in California for that very reason. They don't want to experience an earthquake! The great thing about earthquakes is just when you realize you are having one, it's over!

Being a native Californian, we can remember those really powerful quakes, Sylmar, Northridge, even Landers/Big Bear. The great thing about earthquakes is on the days following them, church attendance is packed. It would be great if we had an earthquake every Saturday night, the churches would be packed! Everybody always turns to God for the moment anyway. There are things that go on that you never forget them. It has that affect on us. There are certain events that do that to us. I am sure you all remember where you were when September 11th happened. You remember it like it was yesterday.

The Bible speaks of a time when the natural and created elements breakdown and not only that but God's creative powers begin to break down as well. The Bible is amazing because it reminds us that it is God that is holding all of the universe together. He is doing it by the command of His power and by the keeping of His Word. As we get into Revelation 6, this morning, remember you don't have to be here when these things begin to take place.

Revelation 6:12-17 ~ "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall of us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

These people have seen very bizarre and cataclysmic events and now we come to the division of the seven year period, right in the middle of the 3 1/2 years and atmospheric disturbances are taking place in the heavens above. Not only that but there is a great earthquake. The largest earthquake in US history happened in 1812, in New Madrid, Missouri.  Three earthquakes within 24 hours, the first one 7.4, 7.6, and 7.7. Some even estimate that it was in the 8's. We don't really know because the Richter technology hadn't existed yet. This is what we do know. Imagine an earthquake in Missouri of all places, and that shaking was felt by people living in Alberta, Canada, and Denver, Colorado. It was felt in Mexico City. Seismologists tell us that if the earthquakes are centered in just the right place, and are great enough, they could be felt simultaneously around the world. This is a scientific possibility. The truth of the matter is that God said, there is going to be an earthquake that will be felt by the world. We will see more about this in future studies.

When an earthquake hits, you are immediately humbled. There is nothing you can do. We see a humbling of a great host of people at this time. Don't get discouraged. We don't have to be here when that happens. When creation breaks down, it is the day that God releases His grip. These divine judgments begin to come to pass. What is significant about the sixth seal of all the seven seals that we are reading through is the one that directly releases God's judgment. This is the judgment of God. This is one of the reasons some church don't talk about this, is they are trying to grow their churches. You don't talk about stuff like this if you want people to come to church. But the fact is that it needs to be studied so you are rooted in truth than to give you an update on a church picnic. You don't want a church packed in on falsehood. This is serious stuff. Maybe it will help you to share the good news with others you meet today that this world is burning up. It's falling apart and God has given us a way to salvation to skip all of this stuff.

The Bible says that God is going to release His grip upon this earth.

Romans 8:22-23 ~ "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, you have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. "

How does someone get through this Tribulation time? How do they get saved by Christ? You don't have to go through the Tribulation period. You can accept Jesus Christ today, and the Tribulation could start at any time after the rapture of the church. The point is, you could die today, irregardless of what we are studying today, you could die today. You need Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior, today, right now. If you are granted time to live, Jesus has said, He is coming back for the church in John 14:1-3, where He says, He is going to pick you up and take you to Himself. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Jesus is coming to get us. Here's the thing, you don't have to go through this time on earth. You can be taken away from it, Luke 21:36, Jesus makes these promises. So trust Him now as Lord and Savior, be ready at any moment to go up with Him, because you don't have to go through any more suffering including the Tribulation period without Him. Jesus Christ has promised a way out. It is vitally important that you understand that order to things. Accept Him now because you could choke on your dinner today, or you could die of old age. Accept Him now. Jesus has promised to rapture His church out before the great Tribulation period begins. You don't have to go through it, you can go up with us if He comes now. Trust in Him today by calling out to Him.