Month: May 2024

Any Day Now – Day 30

On May 8, 2024

1 Th 5:3-5 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

What’s next on God’s prophetic calendar? The Rapture is the next major event according to God’s Word. Notice who is spoken of in the verses above? The Apostle Paul describes two groups: “they/them” and “ye”! Those referenced as “they/them” will say “Peace and safety” meaning that they are not looking for judgment from God – they think everything is OK. However, Paul says “they shall not escape.” Escape what? They shall not escape the Tribulation.

Then Paul changes to the ones he’s speaking to. He tells the Thessalonians that “But ye brethren” are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief! Wow! Paul starts the very next sentence with the word “But”! Then he continues to say that the brethren (those who are in Christ, born again) are NOT in darkness that that day (what day – the Tribulation) should overtake them. He had taught them about the Rapture and he is reminding them of that teaching.

Born again believers world wide are looking for this next prophetic event on God’s calendar!!! As a reminder, the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible, but neither is the word “bible”! The terminology used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is “caught up”:

1 Th 4:16-17 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: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

As you recall from my previous posts, the New Testament was written in Greek and translated into English. The Greek word for “caught up” is:

ἁρπάζω
harpazō
har-pad’-zo
From a derivative of G138; to seize (in various applications): – catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).STRONG’S CONCORDANCE

Either way you look at this term as it relates to 1 Thessalonians 4:17, you see that “caught up” indicates that there will be some kind of removal of believers that will be done and those believers will meet Christ “in the air” and we’ll be with Him forever. Who will be caught up?

the dead in Christ will rise first
and then we which are alive

How will they be “caught up” according to the Greek word “harpazo’s” definition? They:

will be caught away
will be caught up
will be plucked
will be pulled
will be taken by force” from this earth into the air!

This same Greek word was used in Acts 8:30 when Philip was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord after he led the Ethiopian eunuch to salvation and afterward baptized him.

Act 8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Either definition you pick from the Greek definition, Christians will be removed quickly: in the twinkling of an eye!

1 Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Only two types of Christians will be raptured, reader! Those who are already dead and those who are alive at the time the Rapture occurs. The picture at the top of this post is a wonderful depiction of the blessed event! Notice that there were two in the grave, two in bed, and two in the field working. Only one of each category was caught up and the others stayed on earth. Paul says that sudden destruction will come upon those people who remain on earth after the Rapture. These people may have already heard the gospel preached and decided they loved their sin more than living for the Lord. How sad is that?

Praise the Lord! Does this topic excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not born again, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 29

By Kate Plourde

On May 6, 2024

In Any Day Now, Devotionals

2 Ti 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

As I first read these verses (above) when I was first saved in 1980, I could not “see” this happening in the Church yet. Now, 44 years later, I see it so clearly! This is why Paul was reminding the Thessalonians that they were not in the end times yet because a great falling away had not occurred yet:

2Th 2:2-3 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Current events are proof to us that we are in the end times. When we look at the church today in comparison to early American days, we see that people have been drawn away from the Scriptures. The Scriptures can change the heart and draw the unsaved to salvation in Christ. We see people who are more interested in listening to a motivational speaker like Joel Osteen than hearing and learning the Scriptures. This is the “falling away” which is also called apostasy. It simply means they have turned away from the original foundation of the Scriptures. They prefer to hear messages that make them feel good so as not to expose their sin. They appear religious because they are “attending church” – having a “form of godliness”! Can you put your name here? Please, I beg of you, keep reading!

2 Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Those who “profess” Christ but are not born again fit perfectly in this passage. Joel Osteen is known to pastor the largest church in our country. He says he’s not there to preach the negative but to preach the positive. What does the Bible say about preaching of this kind? Jesus preached on the negatives and made it clear that one must be born again (John 3:3, 3:7). He pointed out sin to the woman at the well. He preached about Hell. The whole Gospel must be preached, not just the feel good stuff. It would be like only potato chips three times a day. You would not have a balanced diet and you would become malnourished, lacking vitamins and proper nutrition. The long-term effects of such a diet would lead to clogged arteries and death. It’s not any different from hearing only the positives. This also will make you spiritually malnourished and will lead to spiritual death and eternity in Hell.

If you sit in a church service long enough and truly listen to what is being preached, you can tell if what you’re hearing is appealing to your flesh or pricking your heart. The single most important truth of Scripture is that God loves you and wants you to be saved. The truth of 2 Timothy 4:4 is just that: Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

No one can enter Heaven except by Him. The Gospel message on how to be saved is the core of Christianity. After salvation, the Bible becomes the best self-help book there is! It teaches you all about God, His plan and His character (Old Testament), His wonderful salvation (New Testament), how to live our lives (i.e., the Book of James for example), etc. However, the Bible will mean nothing to the reader without salvation.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

I heard a lot of people talking about salvation when I was first saved in 1980. Now, not so much. Fortunately, the church I attend is blessed to have a Pastor that believes in preaching about it. When you look through YouTube, you hear many preachers who don’t. But if the Pandemic brought out anything good is that we now have on-line preachers who stand on the Word of God!

There has never been more “other ways to get to heaven” than today. That path is only through Jesus Christ and Him only. Some churches have added to this doctrine and claim there are a bunch of things you have to do or you have to have another book to go along with the Bible. Jesus made it quite clear what needed to be done in one Book and that is His Holy Word alone. If we see these signs of the end times, does it not stand to reason that the Rapture is at the door? It seemed “at the door” when I was first saved; all the more now. Now I see clearly that in 1980, the total apostasy had yet to arrive. It surely has arrived now.

Let’s get back on topic of 2 Timothy 4:3-4. In the world today, there are many religions. According to reference.com, it is mind boggling how many there are:

The precise number of religions in the world is not known, but available estimates show the number to be about 4,300, according to Adherents.com.
HTTPS://WWW.REFERENCE.COM/WORLD-VIEW/TOTAL-NUMBER-RELIGIONS-WORLD-FF89AE17C6068514

Wow! Pay attention to what verse 4 says! If these religions are not preaching Christ as the only way to Heaven, they are preaching fables to their congregation and adding to this great falling away. Unfortunately, many fables are preached in “Christian” congregations as well. The United Methodist Church has announced that they will marry homosexuals. They also allow homosexual pastors. That is why it is so important for us to be familiar with our Bibles so that we can easily spot errors quickly. The Lord God would not lie to us nor would he have many roads to Heaven. If He did, what would have been the point of Christ coming to earth to die for our sins?

2 Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

This tells us to study ourselves approved unto God, not to be approved by men! Study what? The answer is the word of truth! Jesus tells us what “the word of truth” is as He’s praying to His Father in Heaven:

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

God’s Word, the Bible, is truth. If the Bible is truth, then all other books or man-made doctrines are not! Is it any wonder why in these end times there is a great falling away? This great apostasy has been around for a while but it is a lot more noticeable now! Those who are part of the apostasy have turned away their ears from the Truth (God’s Holy Word) and they only listen to what makes them feel good. One only has to read Revelation chapters 2 and 3 which have the letters to the different churches of John’s time. Jesus had much to say about them.

The hearts of man today don’t want revival because of the times we live in. The times are evil and the hearts of men are primed for these end times and the Tribulation. They will follow the one world religion because they cannot discern what is truth. Hopefully this pricks the searching heart today and one person will want to be saved. If you are this person, don’t give in to the fables of this world.

2 Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

You may say that this has been going on for a long time and things are no different today. However, the Bible says that apostasy will increase more and more. Paul warned of this:

2 Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Be honest, is this you? Are you part of the apostasy of the end times? It’s not too late to change that. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 28

By Kate Plourde

On May 3, 2024

In Any Day Now, Devotionals

How do we know we are in the end times? Are we close or is it far into the future? Like any other teaching, we Christians must back everything with the Scriptures! The Bible’s Old Testament Prophets (major prophets and minor prophets) can be found from Isaiah to Malachi. One of the major prophets, Daniel, reveals a lot about these end times. For example,

Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Let’s take a look at this verse for a bit. Daniel was told that in the “time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel recorded these things between the 6th and 6th century BC. One may say that knowledge has been increasing ever since Daniel penned the words. Cars appeared in the late 1800’s but they really didn’t go faster than a horse at that point. However, it wasn’t until the Wright Brothers airplane set the balling rolling with “many shall run to and fro.” Since 1905, the knowledge put into traveling by air has jumped leaps and bounds. And let’s not forget the fact that we can put a man on the moon! Before the 1900’s, man traveled pretty much the same way as in Old Testament times. Then cars, bullet trains, and planes just kept getting bigger and better. We can see how “many run to and fro.” You might say that I am stretching it here but just think about Daniel for a moment. He never saw a car, train or plane: yet he was trying to describe his vision. He finished writing this book around 530 BC so to him, it must have appeared as though “many shall run to and fro.”

Secondly, Daniel 12:4 states that “knowledge shall be increased.” Homes began having their own version of a computer in the late 1980’s. I know this because I lived in one of those homes where my computer had a 10MB hard drive!!!! I thought that was wonderful, LOL! According to IBM in 2009, “In the next couple of years, information will double every 11 hours.” Today, there are thumb drives that are 2 terabytes (TB)!!! (10 MB = 0.00001 TB). Today’s cellphones and laptops are millions of times more powerful than the original UNIVAC computer built in 1951! I think we can safely say that knowledge has increased since Daniel’s time. Now homes have smart TV’s, lights, Alexa, Ring doorbells, etc.

To further “blow your minds,” let’s just think about those cell phones for a minute! Do you remember the first ones and how big in size they were? The only thing this cell phone could do is make a call. Nothing else! Now cell phones fit in your hand and can go on the internet while you are talking on its speaker and sending an email, all at the same time!

Rev 11:8-9 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (9) And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Can you see now how the two witnesses’ death in Revelations will be seen all over the world? Friend, we are most certainly in the end times. If the Thessalonians thought they were in the end times, how much more are we in those end times today?

1Th 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) 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: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Bible is clear as to what events lead into the end times, as we see in Daniel. And since we are in those end times, then we can look up and see that the Rapture is not only imminent but if we are still alive, WE will be the ones to experience it! Praise the Lord!! According to the Apostle Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, there is no need for fear. Before the Tribulation begins, the Lord Jesus will come in the air to take the Church to Him! He is currently in Heaven preparing a place for us and awaiting the Father’s command to go get His Bride!

Joh 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (2) In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

There is comfort in these end times. We do not have to be afraid of all the progress if we are born again! Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 27

By Kate Plourde

On May 1, 2024

In Any Day Now, Devotionals

2 Pe 3:3-9 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ( 8 ) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

I’m thankful to be alive in a time such as this! How exciting it is to see prophecy unfolding before our very eyes! We get to see what new story or event will occur that will excite us about that “any moment” coming of the Lord and the Rapture of His Church!

Today’s verses are extremely appropriate for today, don’t you think? Today, people ridicule everything. Just try spending but a few minutes on social media and you’ll understand why I say this! Due to social media’s anonymity, people think they have the freedom to castigate and belittle others without fear of repercussions. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines them as:

SCOFF’ER, n. One who scoffs; one that mocks, derides or reproaches in the language of contempt; a scorner.

As we see the end times’ events that are upon us, we can just imagine what will happen as it relates to the topic of Christ’s coming.

The world has seen the makings of a one-world religion already. The ecumenical movement is alive and well and compromise between religions has been in the makings for some time. Because of this, the conservative evangelicals are being scoffed at and division is becoming more prevalent. In Muslim countries, Christians are the most persecuted people in the world at the moment. Then the divisions have set in, sadly even amongst Christians, families and friends. The pandemic is one of these and it produced a division between the vaxed and unvaxed! There’s division amongst believers! If this can happen, can you imagine how it will be in a few years? I’d be interested in reading my post for today in five years and see how much worse it has gotten.

On one of my posts about salvation and the Lord on Facebook, I was vehemently ostracized by a relative. She interpreted it as me being boastful and self-righteous. She accused me of thinking I was better than her. She claims to be religious and goes to church but her religion has misguided her. She is convinced that she MIGHT go to Heaven because of the church she belongs to. Wow! But her fight is not with me but with God and His Word. Today’s verse says that she is “willingly ignorant.” The world does scorn the faithful and they will do so much more as the end comes nearer.

Peter’s prophecy was written over 2,000 years ago, reader. The scoffers he references that will be in the last days began in the 1800’s and has gotten worse. We had Darwin and his “Origin of the Species” published in 1859. People began to say that Noah’s flood never happened. We can thank Charles Lyell’s book “Principles of Geology”! He stated that the geological strata were laid down gradually over millions of years. Of course, before then, scientists and the whole world knew about Noah’s flood and believed it. Then creationism was being questioned and the “Big Bang” theory came about, thanks to Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. His theory was supported by scientists like Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan. It is still considered a “theory,” yet the world has accepted this as fact!

Can you see that we have scoffers? Furthermore, if we get right down to it, we can say that even the church is scoffing. Why? Supposed “Christians” are living together and not married. Supposed “Christians” are homosexuals. Supposed “Christians” believe there are more than two sexes! Friend, if it feels as though our world is falling apart and its moral values have gone out the window, it is because they have!

The saddest of the scoffers is found in 2 Peter 3:4:

2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

This is coming from the mouths of believers! The division amongst Christians can be found in the various views of when the Rapture will occur. Peter tells us that in the end times, people will be skeptical about when Christ will come get His Bride. Their skepticism removes the comfort believers should have as they longingly await the Rapture!

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Furthermore, just ask those in your own circle who claim to be “Christians” if they read their Bible. If they do not, they are “willingly ignorant“! You cannot go to church once, twice or even three times a week and expect to grow spiritually if you don’t read your Bible. What if you only had the opportunity to eat at the same time that you were reading your Bible? Would you get enough to eat? Would you die of starvation? Would you be anorexic? Think on this.

Be prepared, Christian! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!