His lord said unto him, Well done, 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.

Matt 25:23

 

 

God is a Romantic at heart!

Sometimes people ask me why I write romance. Aren't there more important things to write in these trying times? I always answer them that I write about God, and God is a romantic!  In fact, the entire Bible is one huge love story composed of a bunch of little love stories. 

It goes something like this.

• God seeks out a bride for Himself. A people who will love Him and follow Him and be in relationship with Him. He wants a bride who will tell the rest of mankind about Him.  He chooses the Jewish people. He saves them from bondage (Egypt), marries them on Mount Sinai, and then intends to bring them into the promised land where they will live happy and free with Him. 
• The Jewish people cheat on God. They run off after other lovers. 
• God divorces them. 

Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. Jeremiah 3:8

• Jesus becomes a man in order to pay the penalty for everyone's sin and bring the Jews back into relationship with God.  God loves the Jewish people (all people) so much that He is willing to sacrifice His own Son in order to win them back.  
• The Jews reject Jesus.
• Jesus turns to the gentiles to seek a new bride.  God has sent His Holy Spirit to earth to call each individual member of the bride and help them get ready for her wedding! 
• Note:  In the end, God will save Israel when they turn to Jesus, and they will once again be His bride.. He's not done with them yet. (This is mimicked in the story of Jacob listed below)

So you see, the entire Bible is a love story!. It's all about how much God loves us, how much He is willing to pay to set us free from our prison of sin, how much He is willing to lose to bring us back to Him, how much He is willing to suffer.. It's the greatest love story of all time., and embedded within it are a dozen great love stories that all illustrate and point back to the major one:

God loves you with an undying, sacrificial, unconditional, immense love! And He never leaves you and never gives up on you, and He pursues you as if you were the only object of His great affection. Don't ever forget that!

Look how God has woven the same story throughout Scripture!

Adam and Eve
What a grand love story. Adam was lonely. He needed romance in his life. He needed to fall in love. So what did God do? He brought him Eve. What is God preparing for His Son now? A Bride, which He will bring to Jesus at the rapture. Note. Jesus doesn't come down to earth. We go up to meet him in the clouds! Just as God brought Eve to Adam.

Abraham and Sarah. What a grand love story!  Apparently she was so beautiful he had to lie and tell other men she was his sister so they wouldn't kill him for her. Not his best moments.

Isaac and Rebekah!  Who could forget this great love story that mimics the love story between Jesus and His bride. Abraham (Father God) sends Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) back to his homeland (earth) to find a suitable bride for his son, Isaac (Jesus). Eliezer finds Rebekah, who agrees to marry Isaac. He pays the bride price and brings her willingly home to her new husband (Jesus)

Joseph, who many scholars believe is a typology of Jesus, took a gentile bride from Egypt, an Egyptian princess. Just as Jesus is taking a Gentile bride (the church)

Jacob, who was forced to marry a bride he did not want at first, Leah, in order to get the bride he did want, Rachel.  Sounds a lot like Jesus who is now about to marry a gentile bride, (the church), but that is not the original bride God wanted for His Son. The Jews were to be the chosen people, the chosen bride but they rejected him. However, after Jesus marries the gentile bride, the Jews will be saved during the tribulation and they will once again become part of God's family.

Moses took a gentile bride.

Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho who sided with the Jews. She married a Jewish man and from their union, Jesus was eventually born.

David and Bathsheba - who can forget this love story, as immoral as it started out. It was through their lineage that Jesus came as well.

Ruth and Boaz, one of my favorite love stories. It it the perfect analogy of Jesus and the Church. Boaz was Ruth's kinsmen redeemer, just as Jesus is ours. If you don't know the story, I encourage you to read the book of Ruth. 

Esther - who doesn't love a story about a young girl who is nobody but who then becomes Queen of the Realm!  

And of course the ultimate love story.

Jesus, who loved us so much, He gave up everything to become nothing, who was beaten and scorched and crucified so badly, He didn't even look human. He was rejected by men, a man well acquainted with sorrows, belittled, mocked, spit on, and harassed. And He did all of that to win your love,. to save you from eternal fire. Now, there's a love story for the ages! 

In fact, many of the things Jesus said are idioms for a Jewish wedding. It's a fascinating study, and I encourage you to read this article about the Jewish Wedding and Jesus

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Remember you are bought with a huge price--the death of the Son of God. It is the bride price God paid for you to become His Son's bride. That makes you the most valuable thing in all of creation. Highly loved and exceedingly precious!

Divided we Fall

I recently was contacted via email by an X-friend whom I hadn't spoken to since Donald Trump got elected. We had been good friends once. She's a writer like me, a Christian, and we both had grandkids at the same time, so we really enjoyed each other's company.  Honestly, I miss her very much, so I anxiously opened the email with hope that perhaps she wanted to put our differences aside and make amends. 

I couldn't have been more wrong. The reason I bring this up is because in all my 60 years, I have NEVER seen my country so divided. NEVER. Yes, there have always been two parties in government with different views on how to do things, and there have always been people on either side, but overall we've always been able to discuss ideas and listen to other points of view.  One important thing came out of my email exchange with this friend, and that is that its not so much that we are vastly different people deep inside, but that we believe vastly different things. 

This is her belief system, her reality:  Trump is the antichrist. He is pure evil. He wants to deport every Mexican and lock their children in cages. He is a racist, a misogynist, a liar, he hates the poor, and he wants to destroy this nation.   She could not understand how anyone could ally themselves with a man like this. In fact, she told me that I couldn't be saved and support Trump, that I was going to hell if I continued down this path. 

This is my belief system. My reality:  Trump is just a businessman who became president. He is not a racist. He doesn't believe all Mexicans are evil. He simply wants people coming over the border to obey our immigration laws. I do not know if he is a Christian. His past certainly doesn't speak well in that regard. I don't believe he hates women. Quite the opposite. Perhaps he loves them a little too much! He's arrogant and boastful and sometimes uncooth. He talks more like a construction worker than a president. But this is what I do know. He has made our country energy independent. We now have the lowest unemployment rate for both blacks and women EVER in this country. He's brought back jobs. He's made fair trade deals with other countries. He's strengthened our military. He's building the border wall. He's broken up Thousands of pedophile rings worldwide!  He is against last term abortion. He's defunded Planned Parenthood, at least in part. He is a huge supporter of Israel. Based on all those things, I truly believe he cares for his nation. 
Do I think he is God or the savoir of mankind. NO. My opinion is that so far, he seems to be doing a good job. However, if I ever discover that he is lying or cheating or not doing things that are good for this nation, I will change my opinion.   I can only look at results.

Now, I ask you, how can two people who both believe in Jesus and who are decent honorable people have such a huge difference of opinion?  And what is really going on in our country?  As you know I have already blamed much of this on our Media. Most of our mainstream media is simply an arm of the Left, liberal and democratic party. They only report what they are told to report and typically it is all against Trump.  They make up stories, spread lies, and pick apart every word he utters.  Now, before you come down on me, the right-wing media is not much better. But it is slightly better. At least there you will hear some facts reported, though I advise caution in believing anything. 

Yet, let's dig a little deeper. Why is the media so complicit with government? How and why did we lose our free press?  I believe there are much more nefarious reasons for this than simply winning elections and gaining power. I believe this entire thing has been staged and planned for years. Call it the Deep State, the Illuminati, the Global cabal, or whatever you want, their end game is a One World Government, and currently their biggest obstacle is the United States of America. How do you take down such a super power? You take it down in a multitude of ways and all from within. This is all part of the playbook of Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals

My biggest fear is that we are ALL being played. I fear that Trump was hand selected by these people to take a far right position while left-wing politicians are told to go far left. (Honestly, have you ever seen such FAR LEFT ideology in your life?)  And then they tell both sides to fight fight fight. They feed the Media what lies to tell in order to get people mad and riled up, and then groups funded by George Soros pay people to go out and riot. Meanwhile thousands of people pour over our borders and head to Sanctuary cities and states where the already bankrupt governments feed, house, and take care of them, and thousands of Americans die each year from taking the opiods that also stream over our border (72,000 in 2017). They want division. They want riots.  They want to put such an overwhelming burden on our economy that it collapses.  Look at what has happened in just 3 years. We live in a country where if I was to go out into my city wearing a Trump Make American Again Hat, I'd probably be beat up. In fact, the chances are pretty good. 

So is Trump a part of this plot? Honestly, I have no idea, but I'm keeping my mind open to the possibility that they are just putting on a huge show for us dumb Americans and it's going along perfectly according to plan. I cannot seem to come to any other rational conclusion for the madness that is occurring. I mean white supremacy, racism? Sure there have always been a few people like that. But only a few! Why, all of a sudden, are all white people racists? Why has this become such a huge problem? Why are cops being assaulted when they are out protecting people from criminals. Why are politicians even talking about a "Green new deal" that would, if implemented, plunge the USA into poverty, chaos, unemployment, and despair?  The world has gone nuts!

 Regarding my friend and I, there are only there possibilities. 

Either she is highly deceived
Or I am highly deceived
Or the most frightening option of all -- we both are.  

If at all possible, please don't allow good friendships to fall apart over our current political climate. That's exactly what they want. They want to divide us. They want to instill hate in us, to make us fight and hate each other. For when we are weak, when we are divided, we will most certainly fall. 

Is God enough for you during the hard times?

And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:22

In case you haven't noticed, Christians are not exactly very popular these days. Yet maybe you haven't noticed. Perhaps your family and circle of friends and associates are all Christians. Or maybe you don't let anyone know at work or school what you believe?  But I guarantee if you start wearing Jesus shirts and hats and proclaiming your faith out there in the world, you are going to see how much this world has changed in a very short time. 

I see a growing hatred for Christians in our culture. We are made fun of on TV and movies, we are belittled by Hollywood, we are called crazy, old-fashioned, even dangerous. Check out this article that lists 72 types of Americans that are now considered possible terrorists.  And see how many of the beliefs you hold.  Also check out this article where the Department of Homeland Security actually deems some Christians as Terrorist.  The Antichrist will use this term to round up Christians and have them beheaded, all in the name of protecting society.  

Hopefully, none of us will be here when it gets that bad. In the meantime, we struggle, not only with being hated and maligned, but we struggle in our own lives. Satan hates us. He's actually looking forward to us leaving in the rapture because while we are here, we are holding back his plans for world domination. Hence, he is spending his time harassing us, trying (if possible) to get us to turn away from God.  I don't know about you but I feel like I am surrounded by more problems than I've ever had. I pray for God to help me, to answer my prayers, but sometimes it seems He just isn't answering.

Then I read Hebrews 11, the hall of faith of those great men and women who came before us. I encourage you to read it for yourself. These great saints of faith believed the promises of God. They believed God was who He said He was, that He answered prayers, that He rewarded righteousness, that He would do what He promised. And they suffered greatly while they waited. 

Yet many of them never actually saw their prayers answered.  
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Hebrews 11:13

Not only that, many of them suffered greatly while they waited
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,[d] and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  Hebrews 11:35-38

How many Christians do you know who give up on God during the hard times? If their prayers aren't answered in the time and way they want, they walk away and go back to the world. Even worse, when things get rough and they face persecution, they give up.

Think right now of that one prayer you want most for God to answer, that one prayer you've been praying for a long time. What if you died before ever seeing it answered? And what if during the meantime, your life only got harder?  Would you still worship God? Would you still follow Jesus? Or are you just in love with Him for what He can do for you? Is your faith so weak that it falters when things don't go your way? 

Yes God loves you! He adores you! He died for you!  But He doesn't want you to follow Him just so you can have your prayers answered anymore than you would want your child to love you just for the things you can give them. Does God answer prayers? Absolutely! Often and miraculously!  But as our world is getting increasingly evil and Satan is getting increasingly anxious, our lives our going to become increasingly difficult until Jesus comes to get us. Some of your prayers may not get answered right away. In fact, you might have to endure some suffering in the meantime. Why? Because it's not all about you!  God has a master plan that involves millions of living souls, all of whom He desperately loves and longs to save!

What is the key to enduring, even if our prayers aren't answered in this life? Let's read how these great men and women of faith did it.

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them Hebrews 11:16

They knew this was not their home. They had no ties to this place and time. They kept their eyes on eternity and realized they were just passing through.

Jesus said in John 14:2-4
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am

If Jesus said it, I believe it! He is coming back to take us home. And soon. So, don't stop praying and don't stop believing! 

For one day in Your House is better than a thousand elsewhere
I would rather be a common maid in the house of my God
Than dwell as a favored guest in the mansions of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
He bestows favor and honor, grace, and glory
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly

Psalm 84  (MaryLu Translation) .

When is the start of the Tribulation?

If you haven't yet read my post from last Monday, please do, or none of this will make much sense. In that post I explained how a theologian by the name of J.R. Church found hidden prophecies in the Psalms. He wrote a book by that title. He has since gone on to be with the Lord, but several pastors have read his book, done their own research, and agreed with him. If you want to watch one of my favorite pastors on You tube discuss this, he is currently doing an entire series on the Psalms.   In other words, it isn't just some crazy idea I had.  In my last post, I list several hidden prophecies found in various Psalms.

Once I came to believe this and understand it, I began to wonder whether there might be a hidden prophecies about the end times in the Psalms.  Since the Psalms correspond to years (see my last post), I wondered if they might give me some indication of when the rapture or tribulation might be. After all, that's a pretty huge event. So, I began to read through the Psalms after Psalm 119 (which corresponds to our current year 2019) 

And guess what I found?
Psalm 124
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
The stream would have gone over our soul;
Then the swollen waters
Would have gone over our soul.”
Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

After I read that, it sounded VERY familiar, so I flipped over to Revelation 12:13-16

Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth

If you're like me, your jaw should be on the floor right now. Both Psalm 124 and Rev 12 speak about a time in the future when Israel will have to flee from their land because of evil men and how a flood would come to try and destroy them. Both mention their escape by a bird, one from an eagle and the other escape as a bird from the snare.

We know that this event in Revelation 12 marks the midpoint of the Tribulation when Satan is cast down to earth and takes over the antichrist who then enters the temple in Jerusalem and proclaims himself to be god, demanding that all worship him.  Jesus spoke about this time in Matthew 24

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  24: 15-16

This "abomination of desolation" is also mentioned in Daniel 9:27
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Daniel 9:27 

Most theologians believe the "he" in this verse is the antichrist. He strengthens an existing treaty with Israel for 7 years, and in the middle of those 7 years, he stops the temple sacrifices, enters the temple and declares himself to be God.  To prove this would require an entire post, so I will lead you to this excellent article on what is the Abomination of Desolation

So we know that when the Jews flee Jerusalem after the Antichrist enters the temple, it is the midpoint of the Tribulation and right before what Jesus calls the "Great Tribulation"  

Hence IF the Psalms indeed hold prophecies that will occur which correspond to their respective years, 2024 will mark the mid point of the Tribulation, which is 31/2 years into the Tribulation. If we count backward from the middle of 2024, we arrive at Fall of 2020 as the start of the Tribulation.

Which means the Rapture MUST occur (if you're a pre-trib believer like me) before that time. Honestly, it could be any time before that time. Hence, at the least we have a minute, at the most, a year left. 

I'm NOT setting a date. I'm just telling you something I believed the Lord revealed to me. I sent the info to my pastor and he actually studied it and agreed with me and even did a sermon on it. 

But that's not all. If Psalm 124 marks the middle of the Tribulation, surely we would find hints of the rest of the Tribulation in Psalms 120-127. 

Psalms 120 (The Beginning of the Tribulation)

In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree! Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. 

Interestingly enough it speaks of deception, lies, Russia (Meshech) and war! Which corresponds to the Ezekiel 38 attack on Israel

Psalm 121 is an appeal to God for help. Here are a few verses of God's response to his people
He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

Psalm 122 - is all about the joy of going to the Temple in Jerusalem (the House of the Lord)
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem! Verses 1-2

We know that the Third Jewish Temple must be rebuilt in order for the Antichrist to go in and pollute it and announce he is god. Currently the Dome of the Rock sits atop the place where the Jewish temple used to be. Many theologians believe that part of the 7 year treaty will provide for its building. If that's true, then it should be completed roughly 2 years into the tribulation. Hence, this joyful psalm about going to the temple!

Psalm 123 - the year before the start of the GREAT Tribulation. Check out these verses
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.

Israel is crying out for God's help and rescue because by now many of them are realizing that the Antichrist is not who he says he is. 

Psalm 124 - I've already shown this to be the midpoint of the Tribulation above

Psalm 125 - Year 5 of the Tribulation, Things are really bad now. A remnant of the Jewish people have fled to the mountains (many believe to Petra) where God is keeping them safe. Here's a few verses
Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous,

Apparently, the wicked are now dwelling in Israel and Jerusalem, but God is promising His people, they will not be there forever


Psalm 126 - We are nearing the end of the Tribulation now.  Soon Jesus will return. This Psalm speaks of a joyful return to Zion for the Jews. It talks of a time in the past when the Lord was faithful to return the captive Jews to the promised land. Then it goes on to beg God to do the same now. Of particular interest are the last 2 verses:

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

Who is the one who left weeping, who has the seed for sowing? Jesus! He came the first time, a man acquainted with sorrow. He planted seeds of truth and life and the Gospel. Now, it says He is returning, but this time with rejoicing. Look at that last verse. "Bringing his sheaves with him".
Who are His sheaves? Sheaves are bundles of wheat. Who are the wheat? We, those who trust in Jesus and left in the rapture are the wheat!  Jesus is bringing us with Him when He returns.  This is confirmed in various other Scriptures.

Scriptures that refer to God's people as Wheat
Matthew 13 is that famous parable of Jesus's where He describes the Kingdom of God like a field where good seed was planted but then the devil came and planted bad seed among the good. the good seed grows into wheat and the bad into tares. 
 
His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  Matthew 3:12

Verse that prove we are coming back with Jesus
so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 1 Thess 3:13

 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Revelation 19:14

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all,  Jude 14

Now the Last Psalm of the Tribulation

Psalm 127 - Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth. He destroys the third temple and builds a temple fit for a King! He begins his rule and reign over His beloved children on earth as they multiply and are fruitful.

I'll post the entire Psalm here

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

I know this may seem far-fetched to some of you, but you have to admit that there is something here!  Not every psalm is prophetic, but come on... this is amazing!  I had been asking the Lord to reveal something about the timing of the Tribulation to me and BAM! He showed me Psalm 124 .  I encourage you to pray about this. Ask the Lord if this is true.  If it is, we have less than a year to go before the Tribulation starts.  If it starts in 2020, i believe it will start in the Fall, but that's just because of the timing of the Jewish Feasts. I could be wrong about that. 

Either way, 2020 is just around the corner!  

I hope this not only blesses you but that it encourages you to live your life for Jesus and to share His love with others!