It is evident that antichrists and false prophets, teachers, and apostles will dominate Christianity and despots will dominate the nations by the time the Man of Sin arrives. When a sufficient number of professing Christians and secular people believe evil is good, and good is evil, they will elect ungodly individuals to the highest offices in the religious and secular divisions. Ever wonder how close we are in our nation to that happening? How close is Christianity to being dominated by heretics and other diabolical individuals? How close are the democratic nations from committing that error? It appears that we are already inundated with bad leadership and fighting a losing battle to even curb the infiltration. The rise of diabolical people to principal leadership in the world could result in a global government and cashless global economy. These key events and subsequent events, such as worldwide oppressive antichristian laws and a one-world religion, would put a great strain on the Remnant of God’s people. And I am not referring to the Tribulation Period.

Although many individuals believe all the inhumane events will come immediately after the Tribulation period begins, there are no verses in the Scriptures that declare that. Yes, there will be brutal persecution during the Tribulation, but it has already begun in many nations. Additionally, it is not logical to believe that all will be well one day and the next day the world will be plunged into satanic darkness. There will necessarily be a number of tumultuous transitional precursory years becoming increasingly harsher as the Tribulation Period arrives. I believe that we are in that transitional season evidenced by widespread godlessness and inhumane persecution of Christians in other nations.

We do not have any solid information as to when or how long a one-world government and cashless economy, or even a one-world church may exist before the advent of the Tribulation. Furthermore, we do not know how many one-world leaders might rule before Antichrist ascends to power and begins his ruthless reign. The United Nations is one worldwide crisis away from becoming a one-world government. The Roman Catholic Church, ecumenical movement in Protestantism, The World Council of Churches, World Parliament of Religions, and the invasion of Christianity by New Age doctrine and practices, make it very possible for a one-world church to quickly form.

In my opinion, God is allowing the faith of true Christians to be severely tested to prepare them to endure. It is representative of God’s mercy. Why would God allow us to enter such a period unprepared and incapable of surviving it? He knows what we need spiritually and mercifully allows a series of increasingly difficult trials to equip us. The testing will stimulate His people to the greatest exercise of faith providing optimum strength and perseverance. Could that potential to endure be the “oil” that they need to keep their lamps burning to the end?
Continue reading

My wife Cheryl’s old (1997) Suzuki Sidekick has more miles on it that the average Canadian goose flies in a lifetime. It has been a pain to drive for several years. It’s major problem is not idling well and dying when she slows down significantly or stops at a red light or stop sign. It got to the point that it was dying 5 to 10 times each day.

She loves that old vehicle (named it Winston) and does not want to part with it. However, I have prayed often for the means to get her another vehicle. I was really discouraged when there was no solution after several weeks of praying. This Saturday morning when I was praying I had the thought that I should try to repair it.

Now I have tried before, but that Japanese motor is an anomaly. It is not anything like the old American cars I grew up working on. I took it to a mechanic a couple of times. Although he regularly works on imports, he could not figure out how to make Winston run smoothly and idle properly. An online search of forums revealed that I might need to replace an expensive module.

But this Saturday I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to tackle the project again. So I bought some new spark plugs and went to work. First, I removed some plates and tubes so that I could reach what I thought were spark plugs. They were on the side of the block, but when I had removed all the bolts and screws and pulled on the wires, they turned out to be tubes for the fuel injection system.

I eventually discovered that the spark plugs were deep under the valve cover on top of the engine. I had to go buy a special locking extension to reach them and get the socket off after replacing each one.

However when I started to put all the tubes and plates back on, I noticed a idle screw. What a surprise! The mechanic and I had looked in vain for that adjustment, but it was hidden under a plate.

Continue reading

I firmly believe that the Remnant of God’s people are going though a purifying and strengthening process by waves of trials. I know many Believers who are wrestling with great hardships. My family has not been exempted from that purging process. It seems that you barely get through one trial, have a brief period of peace, and another one comes rolling in. I sometimes feel like a rock in the surging tide. We have no option but to accept it, stand in God’s armor (Ephesians 6:11), and wait for the wave to pass. It is essential to remember to put on His armor—not ours. Trying to fight in our armor would be a disaster.

When the Believer attempts to fight the enemies of righteousness in his or her own strength and abilities, it is a huge mismatch. Sometimes all that we can do in the firefight of light against darkness is to cry out for more light. Like a solar powered vehicle, we are “light-powered” and must stay in the light to function at optimum performance. It means to overcome evil by doing good, to walk in the light, and not descend into a mêlée designed by Satan with his rules and on his battlefield. Instead we commit our battle to the Lord and trust in His faithfulness.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. – Psalm 37:5

The Hebrew word for “commit” is galal, which means to “roll off or roll oneself.” When I discovered that blessed nugget long ago it became a source of great comfort and relief for me. It means to roll off my burden onto the Lord. That is much different than handing Him a burden. A burden that can be handed off does not appear to be much of a burden.

When working on a farm I carried heavy bags of feed on my shoulder. One did not lay such a heavy burden down—it had to be rolled off. Sometimes I would carry it to the entrance of the barn and roll it off onto another guy who would take it inside and stack it. The relief is instantaneous and you feel light-footed as you head back to the truck for another bag. Continue reading