By Jan Markell
Author and commentator Jonathan Brentner wrote a provocative article titled, “How Can You Not See It?” He was asking the question, how can you not see the fulfilling of Bible prophecy wherever you look?
Is it biblical illiteracy, indifference, or busyness, that keeps the majority from acknowledging the obvious? Time is running out. Predicted events are exploding. Things are in decline. Even nature is screaming that Jesus is coming soon! All of creation must be set free, not just humans.
Most reading this magazine have seen things in their lifetime that are, quite frankly, astounding:
- The re-birth and prospering of the nation of Israel
- The rise of artificial intelligence
- The preparation of the coming digital currency
- The use of a pandemic to hasten global government
- The rise of Mark of the Beast technology
- The rise of apostasy in the church the last 60 years
- The death of discernment
- Talk of a third temple in Israel
- The scoffing of Bible prophecy
- A cancel culture that cancels Christians
- The exponential rise of evil
- The rise of anti-Semitism
The list could go on with another twenty bullet points!
A headline on the Drudge Report said it all: “Global Economy Struggles Amid Inflation, Pandemic Aftershocks, and War.” The world’s a mess.
All Set for the Antichrist
As Jonathan Brentner states, “Twenty-five years ago, it would have been impossible for the Antichrist to control commerce in the world in the way that we read in Revelation 13:16-18. He would have needed a massive army of devotees to do so.
The Silence of the Shepherds
I personally believe that the root of today’s blindness to these facts is the silence of the church. Some 30 years ago, our seminaries dropped eschatology from their class line-up and pastors have not been trained in things to come. What a tragedy! At such a time as this, the shepherds are not equipped.
Many pastors state they don’t wish to take a “controversial” stand when it comes to last days’ eschatology. Is it pre-Tribulation, mid or post? Is it Amillennial, Premillennial, or Postmillennial? And will the addition of these topics really grow a church or just divide it?? It might be better to set such topics aside and deal with day-to-day needs of a congregation and its hurting people.
Desperately Needed Hope!
But they have robbed them of the “blessed hope”! (Titus 2:13) How can pastors not see the signs of the times, and as a result, provide those in their charge with the hope they desperately need in these perilous times?
As Jonathan Brentner summarizes in his article, “We are living on borrowed time. God is sovereign, but from our perspective we see His patience with a nation and world gone mad. He’s holding back the full explosion of evil and destruction that will happen at the beginning of the Day of the Lord.”
He concludes, “I know that the majority of those reading this article agree with me, and the intent of my question is to reinforce your valid beliefs. It takes a purposeful ignorance of biblical prophecy not to recognize that the world, and especially the U.S., rests on the edge of a cliff.”
You Have Eyes to See!
You can see the nearness of His return! Very few reading this would disagree. What a blessing that God has opened your eyes to this truth and to the lateness of the hour. You cannot be accused of being in ignorance! You devour all the issues and news of the day to keep up and to help you look up!
You are the righteous, eager remnant. May your numbers increase as we wind down the Church Age.
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Amen! Even so come, Lord Jesus! Meanwhile, Beloved Shepherd, please help me to know when to speak and when to be still.
Judy Moore
I have an “answer” that many will nod “yes” to. Pastors fear teaching bible prophecy is “gloom and doom” …… I mean after all people have PLANS and they don’t want to hear about such things and let’s face it, does it even fill seats? I look at men like J.D. Farag and I think we need about 1000 more pastors like HIM … as in: RIGHT NOW! I have zero roots in this world now and I am awaiting my/OUR “blessed hope” because it’s going to be the bazinga of all rescues….amen?! God bless you SO MUCH and may God keep us all in His perfect peace!
Jan I appreciate you and your insight in simply asking the question why? Instead of saying purposeful ignorance I say deliberate ignorance. The people who are supposedly filled with the Holy Spirit, have deliberately closed their hearts as well as their eyes. I don’t understand it, but it must be demonic. But we are called to be light in the darkness. Noah must have experienced this too. He probably looked stupid building a giant ship for a hundred years. He must have warned them of the impending doom, and they must have laughed at him. He probably felt stupid working at something for decades upon decades with people walking by and laughing at him . I know it is hard because I find life so frustrating that Christian friends just closed their eyes and totally ignore me. Thank you for expressing my own frustration. Ezekiel was told to warn even though the people would not respond. If he didn’t warn, their blood would be on his hands. I have to do this to please God, because I don’t get the responses that would warm my heart. It is a real challenge. It would be all doom and gloom if not for the blessed hope, the pre-tribulation rapture. If you study scripture, it must occur before the tribulation. In the black night, the rapture is the the light in the midst of a black night.
Amen and amen!! But Ezekiel was OldTestament. No blood will be on our hands. Jesus is why. But we have a strong desire to tell others about the times we are living in so they won’t be left behind…we can’t help it. We just do it naturally as the opportunity presents itself. But I am so grateful to have a couple of people in my life that I can converse with about the subject…which is such an encouragement. We are to encourage others as we see the day approaching.
Yes sharing Jesus and the gospel of salvation in Christ is what we are here for. In Ezekiel 33 God told Ezekiel that if he did not warn the people of trouble approaching and they perished God would hold Ezekiel responsible and their blood would be on his hands. But if he warned the people and they chose to not respond, their blood would be on themselves but Ezekiel was clear and he did what God required of him. The fact is that rarely does a person hear the gospel and immediately respond positivity. In fact you can expect a negative reaction. It’s like an occupational hazard. The psalms talk about sowing the seed in tears. This is where a believer must do it to serve God, because there rarely is any joy otherwise. We read about springs in the valleys but often it’s like preaching in a desert to an audience of rocks. We need to encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:25) “and all the more as you see the day draw near.”
Amen Terry.
What I hear often, and really dislike, as if it’s a copout, is the phrase, “It’s all a matter of interpretation.” At a prayer meeting one evening, my Pastor told me that phrase when I was sharing my excitement that Jesus is coming soon and we’ll escape the Tribulation. I mistakenly assumed he was on the same page. He refuted me by saying that phrase, that he plans on witnessing to people in that seven year period, for “who else will be there to do it?”, and he added, “I learned all about it in Bible school.” When I was ready to share 2 Thessalonians 2:7-9 he stopped me and said that he didn’t want to discuss it any more. I stopped going to his prayer meetings because of how he replied to me. Instead of inviting me to further dig into the Scriptures with him at another time, he ended that topic then and there. I lost my respect of him and his theology. I was new at the church, was disappointed, but after much thinking, realized I have no other church to go to in my area. So, I continue to go as I haven’t heard or seen any other red flags in his sermons. People don’t know because they aren’t taught. And to be honest, I’d rather have my Pastor NOT teach on it if he is going to teach it wrongly. There are many other valuable sources like JD Farag, Jack Hibbs, Tom Hughes, David Jeremiah, Don Perkins, and of course Jan Markel, to name a few,
that teach on the pretribulation rapture today, and they have proven to be valuable, inspirational and enlightening as we look up for our blessed hope in Jesus’ return for us. Maranatha!
And Tyler at generation 2434 also gives excellent, and in depth information about the pre-trib. rapture. My pastor does touch on the pre- trib. rapture and the times we are living in, but even though he does, I have found the people at my church still don’t want to talk about it. “We don’t know the day or the hour” they say. O.K.!…. Whatever.
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Christianity was hijacked by those who push “religion” for their own purposes (usually money, power, and aggrandizement). And because this religion has nothing really to do with Jesus anymore, they mirror the world rather than The Precious and Blessed Hope. In keeping with this, they no longer study and teach Bible prophecy, nor do they preach on sin. It doesn’t fill the seats, right? So most churches exist in a bubble that is indistinguishable from the world. They teach you how to have your best life now, empowerment, self-actualization – even yoga! The strong delusion God’s word says they will be given over to is the pathetic clinging to the belief that everything will continue as it is, with the expectation that once they get rid of those who tell the Truth, they will have their perfect world, because “they are good people.” No one wants to hear what happens if you die in your unrepented sins without Jesus as your Lord and Savior. They are literally marinating in pride of self and throwing away God’s gift of eternal life with Him.
Spot on PJ ! I’m not shy at people when I hear them take God’s name in vain. I’ll come back with, “He loves you”, or “He died for you and me”. I think I’ll add to that statement, “He wants you to know Him and follow His ways”. It certainly startles people. The worldly need to wake up. Christians need not be afraid to speak up.