These thoughts encompass the many things of prophetic progression going on as we enter 2023. Issues and events are, indeed, speeding full bore toward that twinkling-of-an-eye instant when we hear Christ shout our names, saying, “Come up here!”
However, I’d like to think a bit with you on the “race” Paul the apostle consistently worked into his great epistles. I want to bring our thoughts down to our individual sprint toward that God-ordained finish line, giving every ounce of our spiritual ability and strength to the effort.
Okay. At the risk of raising an eyebrow or two from the skeptics, I’m going to bring it up again. I can’t and won’t apologize for telling it—at least in part—again, because it is an experience I was given, and I know that not using it when appropriate would run counter to God’s purpose in the entire matter.
I’m talking about my widow-maker heart attack more than ten years ago. (The “widow-maker” occurs when an artery that runs directly into the heart is blocked. The heart stops if it isn’t cleared immediately.)
My heart did stop—on, the hospital records show, four different times. I remember three of those times, because each time it stopped, I was instantaneously in front of the same huge throng of magnificent heavenly beings. They were handsome and beautiful young men and women—smiling broadly with great, energetic enthusiasm—who were bidding me to come to them. They looked no older than their mid-to-late twenties.
Each time I was with them, things shortly started darkening from the spectacular brightness of that realm. That’s what happened when the doctors in the cath lab kept hitting me with the defibrillation paddles to restart my heart. By the third time it happened, I definitely remember not wanting to leave that joy-filled place.
That third time, I wasn’t in front of the group, but among them. We were running swiftly and effortlessly toward a destination I couldn’t know at that moment. They had their hands raised, and they were looking over at me, laughing out of sheer delight, making me sense they were saying, “Isn’t this the most wonderful thing ever?!”
It sure was, and I didn’t want to leave. But, being blind, things started fading to black yet again, and I was again in darkness on the table. The doctor had removed the blockage, and I was back to stay.
I now know the raised arms and bright smiles were the way these runners were saying as they looked over at me: “This is a race we are running together…and we are already in a victory lap!”
To add validation, that experience occurred on Good Friday, April 22, 2011. Meanings of the details of that heavenly visit were provided and remain at the center of what it was all about that strange day.
The Scripture assuring me the Lord is in that experience is constantly on my mind:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)
I was running along with that “cloud of witnesses” toward the throne where Jesus sits with God the Father, wanting to award us for our victory. Our victory, of course, is possible only as we overcome this sin-filled world through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has already overcome this world of wickedness.
The race is full of obstacles made up of evil and corruption at every level, with luciferian maliciousness toward God becoming overwhelmingly evident at this hour.
We’ve looked at all of the levels of resistance to godliness throughout the past year. The “woke” insanity that has assaulted America and the world, bringing about recognition that God has turned much of our country over to the “reprobate mind” of Romans 1:28, is undeniable.
Defection from a strong stance against such insanity by even formerly staunch Christian churches has risen to apostate levels. Devilish practices (including transvestites being allowed to perform for children) have even entered some denominations.
And 2023 portends even more hellish lasciviousness. This, while at the same time the globalist-cabal—the demonic and human powers and principalities described in Ephesians 6: 12—make plans in the New Year’s first month to bring on Antichrist’s rule as quickly as possible.
Karl Schwab’s World Economic Forum (WEF) seems at the moment to be the primary force in this accelerated effort to bring about a one-world government. January 16, 2023, the WEF will meet to deal with the following agenda items to create systems of control, according to reports. This is the nucleus of their much-ballyhooed “Reset.”
- A new system to deal with energy and food crisis.
- A new system to deal with high inflation, low growth and high economy.
- A new system based on the use of technology.
- A new system to deal with social issues.
- A new system to deal with dialogue and cooperation in multi polar world
The satanic powers are in a race to have everything in order when the real Reset takes place. The demonic minions among them, at least, understand that the real Reset will be the one God interjects into this world. They believe in the Rapture, because they know God cannot lie. They just don’t know when it will happen (it will be cataclysmic for the world of rebels, but not for Christians).
You and I are in an even more profound race of destiny. The race God has chosen for us to run is all-important within His eternal knowledge. We are to run it all out and give all we can to God’s great calling in our lives–individually and collectively as His Church.
Paul the apostle informs about his own race, which he carried out spectacularly to the very end of his life and until his beginning at home in Heaven:
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14)
Let us run this race in which we’ve been placed for this time at the very end of this Church Age. Like Paul heard, we want to hear what the Lord said will be His words for us when we finish this race to the best of our ability:
…Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21–22)
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
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I’m still reasonably strong physically, despite certain medical problems, even at my present age of 70, but my coordination has always been terrible. I dreaded all the years of gym class when I was in school. One of the events each year was a 600-yard run and I can still remember how those last steps were the hardest – the “fuel tank” was really bouncing on “E.” It feels a lot like that now dealing mentally with a world turned upside-down morally and entropy bearing down on this old body physically.
I suspect that this also means the finish line is really close now and, if I persist, I will definitely reach it. However, this time, it isn’t to be found looking ahead – but looking up (Luke 21:28)!
A new year and a lot of looking forward to I suspect if this is the year the Lord gives the come up hither shout! I’m sorry to hear you’re having or had some medical issues Ed! Hopefully these are only temporary. I had the same dread in school in a 600-yard run but always finished it even though I was exhausted! I never took up jogging for this reason. I’ll be 69 in May and thank the Lord every day for the additional years He’s given me since I almost died from an auto accident in ’73, and probably would’ve ended up in Hell even though my brother explained Salvation to me at 12–he asked me to accept Jesus as My Lord & Savior. Although I said yes to him at the time, I never really felt it in my heart until much later. Remarkable, too because when I think back being raised in Judaism all those years ago–my dad was Jewish–my brother who went to be with the Lord in 2020, was the one who 1st told my dad about Jesus. My mom was raised Methodist–her brother a Southern baptist pastor–she was the one who told my father we’re leaving the Temple. She said she wanted her kids to hear about Jesus. We started going to Temple in 1958, and went to lots of Shabbat services on Fridays, and some Passover Seders at a close friend’s house. But we never had a Menorah in our house however we did have a Christmas tree! And I don’t believe in ‘Dual-covenant’ theology such as John Hagee(CUFI) espouses! In Israel he’s their favorite evangelical pastor because he’s never said there’s only 1 Way for both the Jew & Gentile to receive eternal life! I think he’s going to have some explaining to do when he meets Jesus face to face but that’s only my opinion.
Thanks for the kind words, Dave. Unfortunately, my health issues are permanent (heart trouble), but I continue to mystify both my health care people and myself by feeling much better than I should. I am almost totally asymptomatic. I take the pills, do the exercise, watch the diet – and that’s as far as I’ll go. No invasive procedures for me, something I’ve made clear over the years, so they don’t push these things with me. When it’s time to go, it’s time to go, and where I go will be far better than anyplace I’ve ever been.
Thanks for sharing your faith journey with me. I knew God really existed since I was six years old. We were singing “All Things Bright and Beautiful” in Sunday school one spring morning. I looked out the window into a deep, blue sky, saw large, white cumulus clouds just floating in it and suddenly knew that everything that song said was absolutely true! I have never forgotten it, even in all those times I messed up since then.
I agree with you on this so called “dual-covenant” business. The Bible makes it clear – Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. After all, 2 + 2 always equals 4 and never anything else. God established certain absolute rules like this for our universe and the means of salvation is one of them – the most important one of all, as far as I’m concerned.
So, thanks for sharing and may you and kin have a great New Year.
Maybe this one will feature “moving day” to New Jerusalem – and a grand reunion that will include!
Jesus is indeed coming soon!
God bless!
First I need to respond to the two whippersnappers above, lete’s just say any year which has a ‘3’ on the end is not welcome as I have had way too many of them. However. some people really believe things could not become much more evil so I want to tell you that, “yes”, they will, even with the Restrainer holding back evil. I believe when paedophilia and bestiality become acceptable by those who are ‘woke’ that is when you could say things could not become more evil. Right now, I experienced dreadful evil as a young child but what happened to me is not yet worldwide, but it will be. Personally I believe that Lot’s daughters were, shall we say, under the age of consent.
Back to the topic in hand, I hated sports and gym, I did not realise it at the time but my body is not in proper alignment and so some things were impossible for me to do and the rest were just really, really difficult, the only thing which was good, was swimming.
I agree – things will continue to get much worse even now in these Pre-Trib times. All we have to do is look at the past few years to see the exponential increase of the spread of evil and its magnitude and project this trend into the future.
In the United States, our economy is shot, inflation is rampant, the national debt is skyrocketing, our borders have ceased to exist, no one respects our country internationally, we’ve stiffed Israel, and perversion is praised and protected. It was believed that most of the voters here would be so fed up with the “wokesters” that there would be a big “red wave” to sweep them out of office. It ended up more like a slight ripple. People were just not as angry and disgusted as predicted, so, they put back in office the same people responsible for this mess.
We still have a way to go before that last believer is made and that will be the point when the Rapture occurs, I believe.
Gonna get a lot worse before then.
I think Moses and Lot would have felt right at home in the 21st Century, except for the technology.
Soon. Amen.