My reaction to: End Time Thoughts and Theories : Summary of My Current Understanding

Dear Nelson,

Well...... I finally had time to watch the 35 minute video.

End Time Thoughts and Theories : Summary of My Current Understanding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHBiAUl4Jzo

It was like watching a movie.

And the visuals make listening to 90% Scripture readings entertaining.

I think this should be shown everywhere Christians meet and have an interest in this topic.

I've never seen or read anything as comprehensive as this "work".

I must give God the credit. 

He was truly behind this work ( and still is ).

You really should have waited until you finished it ( and presented it to me ) before asking for additional funds.

The finished product justifies your request.

I'm guessing you've never done an animation / narration that long and involved before.

I am "moved" to send an additional one time "gift" of thanks for creating this video.

It truly presents the overview, 

and important points that God has put in my heart for the years of study of the topic.

And I was happy to see that what is presented in this message ( written in 2011 )  is still 99% the same as what I believe / understand to be true about both Salvation and the End Times.

Thank you my friend ( and partner ).

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

The Final Warnings of the Apostles Paul, Peter, John and Jude

The Final Warnings of the apostle Paul,

that are recorded for us in his second letter to Timothy.

Please take a few moments to consider what you can learn from these warnings.

From 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3,4 and then 2:22-26

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

The Final Warnings of the apostle Peter

that are recorded for us in the 2nd letter of Peter.

From 2 Peter 2:1-3, 12-14, 18-19, 3:3,4, 17,18

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

The Final Warnings of the apostle John

that are recorded for us in the 2nd letter of John.

2 John 7 - 11

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. 9Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

The Final Warnings of the apostle Jude

that are recorded for us in the letter of Jude.

Jude 3,4, 12, 16 - 25

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 4For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;

These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
17But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." 19These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
24Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

These warnings, I believe, could be applied to many of the popular and charismatic preachers you have seen on TV.

And now all over Youtube and the Internet.

They twist the Word and distort the facts,

while claiming to be speaking the truth in God's name.

I urge you to EXAMINE these teachers closely.

Are they True believers?

Are they sharing the true Gospel?

Salvation by grace through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross?

Or some other message involving "works" of any kind?

Are they sharing their message to instruct and encourage people,

or is it all part of a show to get donations?

Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you discernment.

And spend as much time as you can in the Word.

Reading and rereading, until it becomes a part of your daily thoughts.

The better you understand the truth found in the Bible, the easier it becomes to spot a counterfeit message.

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

The Trinity - how Three can equal One

God's design of the physical universe shows us how 3 can equal 1.

To understand the concept of the Trinity ( Father, Son, and Holy Spirit )

we can look to our natural world.

All matter can exist in 3 forms.

Take H2O for example.

We know it as WATER ( its liquid form ),

as ICE ( its solid form ),

and CLOUDS ( its vapor or gaseous form ).

All three are WATER.

God's design of the physical universe can help us to understand

how the one true God is manifested as the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit, yet is still One.

Video version of this text = https://youtu.be/I5yqsc5Puss

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

Rapture - When - Two Clear Passages from Scripture

I Thessalonians 4:16-18,

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 

and the dead in Christ shall rise first; 
then we that are alive, 

that are left, 

shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, 

to meet the Lord in the air: 

and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

And when does the Lord ( Son of Man ) come and gather His elect?

Matthew 24:29 - 31

But immediately after the tribulation of those days 

the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 
and 

then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: 

and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 

and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 
And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 

and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, 

from one end of heaven to the other. 

For more on the subject of who and when,

Reference:

https://cloudsonthehorizon.blogspot.com/2019/12/who-is-caught-up-we-who-are-alive-who.html

 

Video = https://youtu.be/cYvA9XZ_ZHw

and 

https://cloudsonthehorizon.blogspot.com/2008/08/return-of-jesus-christ-and-believers.html

What the Bible Actually says about the Antichrist ( aka the Beast ).

The Book of Daniel, and Revelation tell us the most details about the antichrist.

Also called the little Horn, and the Beast from out of the Abyss.

Paul mentions him in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2.

So, here are the verses with limited commentary. ( Please let me know if I have left any out and I will add them ).

Much better to read the actual scriptures, and seek understanding through prayer ( and reliance on the Holy Spirit ), then reading the many "theories",

and conjectures written by men ( many of whom are not even Children of God, by faith in Christ alone as their "merit" for salvation and eternal life ).

I don't think it's wise to try to "guess" in advance who he might be.

And totally unnecessary. 

As his actions will clearly identify him to those who have any understanding of what the scriptures tell us about him.

Daniel 7:1-28 === The 4 Beasts

Noting verses 7, the 4th Beast,

"behold, a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; 

and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: 

and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. "

and 8, the Little Horn,

"behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, 

before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: 

and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. "

and 24, 

"And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; 

and he shall be diverse from the former, 

and he shall put down three kings. "

and 25, things he does, and amount of time he is in power ( a time and times and half a time ),

"And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; 

and he shall think to change the times and the law; 

and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. "

Daniel 8:1 - 27  === The Ram, the Goat, the 4 Horns, and the little Horn

Noting verse 9, a little horn,

"And out of one of them came forth a little horn, 

which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. "

I am skipping Daniel 9:24-27, as the passage is one of the hardest to properly translate,

and the "he" and exactly "what" that is happening in Verse 27 is the subject of much debate, and deserving of a complete study of its own..

Daniel 10:20 thru 12:4 === From the "Writing of Truth"

Noting 11:21, after the fall of 2 other leaders in a short time, comes the last,

"And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, 

to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: 

but he shall come in time of security, 

and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries. "

and 11:31 ( referenced  by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:15 ), abomination that makes desolate,

"And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering, 

and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate. "

and 11:36, magnifies himself above every god,

"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, 

and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; 

and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; 

for that which is determined shall be done. 

And a predetermined end after 1,290 days ( Daniel 12:11 ),

"And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, 

there shall be a thousand and two hundred and ninety days. "

***

II Thessalonians 2:3 - 8  === The Lawless One

Noting verse 4, 

"he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; 

so that he sitteth in the temple of God, 

setting himself forth as God. 

***

I John 2:18-22 === Many antichrist

Noting verse 22,

"...This is the antichrist, even he that denieth the Father and the Son."

***

Revelation 11:7  === The Beast out of the Abyss

Revelation 13:1-18  === The Beast and the 2nd beast actions

Revelation 17:7 - 18   === The common "goal" to destroy the "Harlot that sits on many waters"

Revelation 19:19 - 21 === thrown alive into the lake of fire and brimstone

* Note: Scripture quotes are from the American Standard Version.

To See / Watch an animated / narrated version of this article go to https://youtu.be/7mwp8JOZAlw

Self Confidence can be a hinderance to living the Abundant Life

Chapter 12 of "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee is about the problem of self sufficiency.

Relying upon your "natural" ability is a problem for everyone to one degree or another.

I have always been very self confident in my abilities.

This means it's difficult for me to be "dependant" upon the Lord in the way He wants me to be.

Now, put me in the Emergency room having a heart attack, 

and I can be "very dependent" upon the Lord.

I had NO "self sufficiency" to rely upon.

I found it easy to put myself completely into the Lord's hands.

Looking to Him - Trusting in Him for my life ( whether it was to continue or end that night.. totally up to Him ).

And I had peace through the whole process ( being fully awake the whole night ).

But in everyday life....

I think I can "do things", 

and therefore forget or find it hard to "depend" upon the Holy Spirit.

To look to Jesus. 

To pray to the Father.

I just "do" what comes to my mind, and use my "ability" to "do".

So.... being a "self starter" and having "confidence" in one's own ability 

can prevent the Lord from doing His Work.

We must learn to rely on the "Vine" and be the "Branch", 

because without Him, we can do nothing. ( John 15:5 )

Youtube version =

https://youtu.be/qhoooD5BBDQ

Born Again - Into the Family of God - Made Sons / Heirs with the Firstborn

Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  

John 3:3

But as many as received Him, He gave them the authority to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; 

who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 John 1:12,13

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

And all things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,

2 Corinthians 5:17, 18a

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
And if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together, so that we may also be glorified together. 

Romans 8:15-17

Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified

Romans 8:29,30

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

not by works of righteousness which we did, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
 that having been justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Faithful is this word, and concerning these things I want you to strongly affirm, so that those who have believed in God may take thought to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Titus 3:4-8

For it was fitting for Him, on account of whom are all things and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the Author of their salvation through sufferings.
For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Hebrews 2:10,11 

* Jesus Christ is the first born Son, of many son's.

The Gospel of John points out that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son in the beginning 

became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father

( John 1:14 )

And after His crucifixion / resurrection, we ( His brethren ) are referenced as part of the same family ( same father ).

 Jesus said to her, "... go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "

John 20:17 

Therefore we can "rejoice" in the knowledge that we  ( all the brethren - believers ) have been "born again" into God's family,

and that we can ( should ) call / think of God as "our Father" ( and His Great Love for us ).

The better you can understand ( know as a fact ) this new relationship,

the stronger your faith ( confidence ) in what God has done for you, the easier your "burden".

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:29, 30

 

And you can find "rest" in this knowledge ( your secure relationship and all that God has already done for you IN CHRIST ).

Therefore, a promise being left to enter into His rest, let us fear lest any of you should seem to come short of it. 
For also we have had the gospel preached, as well as them. But the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 
For we who have believed do enter into the rest, 
Since then it remains that some must enter into it, and since they to whom it was first preached did not enter in because of unbelief, 

Hebrews 4:1-3a,6