|
A
Personal Message From Kevin Swift
Dear Friend of Almighty God,
Now is the time to laugh, hug, love,
forgive others, seek restitution and enjoy moments with those you
love. Without warning, life-altering events will explode upon this planet,
turning our lives up-side-down. Millions will
face death without knowing the Savior, and for those who remain during the final days many
will turn to Jesus -- Yeshua our Messiah to find hope
during uncertain days when every foundation will be shaken beneath us.
Many professed Christians will be unprepared for these events, expecting a
"rapture escape" from the horrors of a disintegrating society and last day events
portrayed in the books of Daniel and Revelation. The secret rapture is a popular modern-day
teaching, although introduced and promote only in the last 200 years of church history.
Prior to that, no such view existed. Jesus taught and church history
proves that persecution is an expected part of being a disciple of Christ.
Even today, many Christians around the globe are
already in tribulation. Thousands face persecution and death each
and every year, while America has been a safe harbor. However, terror and confusion will
soon reign throughout society at large, along with churches, governments
and institutions. In the end, God's chosen
will escape the great tribulation, but only just before God's wrath is
poured out.
When Jerusalem is shaken and the Temple
Mount and its structures collapse into ruins, and the West confronts Iran
-- Israel's archenemy, the end-times will explode onto the world scene with World War
and calamities. Understanding Bible prophecy will
become one of the most sought after pursuits. As students of prophecy and followers
of Yeshua, it is our duty to have answers to the many probing
questions that will be asked as our world plummets into the long-foretold,
yet unexpected, final chaos and
confusion.
The Last Days that
Proceed the Eternal Kingdom of God are Upon Us
Sin is rampant (but Christ offers us
personal victory). As stupendous earth-altering events
explode and shatter world peace, fear, turmoil and rebellion will increase. Paul
foretold of this generation: "Mark this..."
he wrote,
"there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a
form of godliness but denying its power" (2
Timothy 3:1-7) to change the heart. May God help
each one of us to live with conviction and a steadfast faith in Christ
that leads to overcoming sin's hold upon us. Starting with
repentance and the desire that Jesus be the LORD of your life, the new birth and a
victorious life is the power given to us by God's Holy Spirit through
faith, if we desire to hold onto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our
faith. Yes, we all struggle to maintain holy and sanctified
lives for our LORD; we find ourselves
"doing what we didn't want to do". But now is the
time to surrender our whole heart to God as a living sacrifice... to give
Him our all as His Kingdom approaches.
The world will unite
to survive (but instead, we must unite with Jesus Christ--Yeshua our
Messiah). The political landscape is
moving full-speed towards a global union. From the United Nations to
the worldwide web, the world is reuniting once again with one language in
pursuit of a New World Order. In the fall of 2008, the US and
worldwide financial free-fall was a
foretaste of the greater global collapse to come a decade later. A
full-blown global crisis is ahead, which will bring the world's
economies in line to the prophetic predictions of Revelation 13. Big institutions and any reliance upon them, including city, state and
federal governments, education, real estate and finance, will break down; they will all be in
shambles. Banks and insurance companies will no longer be solvent. The
downfall
of non-profit
charities, organizations and larger church financial structures is certain. All
that will remain worth holding onto is God, and our opportunity to trust fully and completely
in Messiah to see us through the final ordeal, moment by moment.
The prophetic Scriptures depict this scenario,
if we stand at God's defining moment:
Troubles will
begin to escalate and will grow into full-fledged conflict and expanding Middle East
battles with a major earthquake/crisis that will bring down the Temple
Mount Islamic structures and the Western Wall, causing untold devastation to
Jerusalem, and angering Iran and many other Muslim nations for the loss of
the Dome of the Rock and control of the area. As a result of the
destruction, daily worship at the Temple
Mount and Western Wall will be taken away, as turmoil escalates among the
three primary religions of Jerusalem (Judaism, Islam and Christianity). This continuing chain of foretold prophetic events
will lead to global-wide financial collapse and world war
involving Russia, Europe, the U.S., and other nations in the weeks that
follow. War, pandemics and natural disasters
will escalate quickly,
bringing about massive death and sudden destruction. Chaos and fear
will crescendo as any semblance of anticipated world peace gives way
to global conflict and untold holocaust.
Satan will
intervene with powerful sky events, deceptive signs and supernatural occurrences; and, in response the world community will align under one religious/political
leader who will emerge onto the world scene. The prediction is given, "All the world [will] wonder
after the beast" (Revelation
13:3), who will rise up from the ashes of holocaust in miraculous
signs and wonders to reign and deceive for "forty-two
months" (3 1/2 years). Global unity will be considered the only answer to what will
be seen as the approaching annihilation of all mankind on Planet Earth; therefore, the world will be taken captive by
Lucifer's chosen one. "Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs
and lying wonders, and
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because
they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie," 2
Thessalonians 2:9-11. This
deception God allows, so that Satan's character can be unmasked and God's
final work can be accomplished, which will end in the crushing defeat of
Satan and all rebellious ones, and the establishment of Messiah's eternal Kingdom.
Demonic visitations will increase
(but the wise will understand their evil source, and will resist them).
For decades now, apparitions from demonic sources have been seen in hundreds
of locations around the world. We are forewarned, "In the
latter times some shall depart from the faith [of Jesus Christ], giving
heed to seducing spirits [both visible and invisible], and
doctrines of devils," 1
Timothy 4:1. Followers of Jesus our
Messiah are, by no
means, exempt from the demonic visitations and devious deceptions that
will overtake our planet. These signs will be overwhelming and
convincing, and the majority of earth's inhabitants will follow in-step,
turning their backs on the truths and warnings of God's Word. Standing firm
in unwavering faith, moment by moment, in the person and work of Jesus Christ and on His
Word, including Messiah's testimony recorded by John in the book of Revelation, is our only means of spiritual
survival beyond this world and to the world to come -- the Kingdom of the
Most High (Revelation
1:1-3).
Over the last
two to three decades there has been
a growing enthusiasm among sincere prophecy students to dig deeper into the books of Daniel and
Revelation, to see how they are linked together. And, although prophecy is better
understood today more than previous generations, it will not be fully
grasped until events become reality: "O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro [in the unsealed
scroll], and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel
12:4)
concerning the prophecies. The books of Daniel and
Revelation have now been combined into one overarching prophetic
presentation, and an
end-time chart called The Kingdom Calendar has been
uncovered. The Biblical timelines in Daniel and Revelation fit
between the Biblical Festivals -- mysteries which have long been sealed and hidden
away in the Book of Truth (Daniel
10:21) since before time began, establishing a pattern of fulfillment
which connects to the Festivals.
Our
Personal Response to Events that will Overtake Planet Earth
First and foremost, it is time to prepare
spiritually. When the world shakes, we need a personal shaking
as well; to
awaken
from spiritual slumber with renewed determination to live a life dedicated
to Jesus our Messiah, and His divine precepts. It's our responsibility
to pray for a faith that breeds spiritual tenacity and sacrifice, for holy living
begins with each of us individually. We must look into the mirror of
our own lives to prepare spiritually for the trials ahead, instead of focusing on others.
We
are responsible to God for our own behavior. Set your eyes on Yeshua --
Jesus. John
eloquently wrote that everyone who "has this hope in Him [of
Messiah's
appearing] purifies himself, even as He is pure," 1
John 3:3. With the Spirit of God in our lives,
we can live a set-apart life with balance and
integrity. If God's Word will not move us towards a deeper personal
relationship with our returning King and a
life of righteousness, then perilous events certainly will cause us to stop and listen to the Holy Spirit's voice of
holiness.
Second, we need to pursue wisdom that
only comes from God's Word. We need to, of our own fruition, understand
the Sacred Scriptures and His prophetic warnings, and in personal pursuit take the time
to learn about God's visionary roadmap for the end of the age. The last generation will
face life and death decisions. The Insights In
Prophecies Series on this website is an avenue for study. Don't relegate
knowledge of God's Word to
your minister, priest, rabbi or teacher. It is our individual
responsibility to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman
that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth ( 2
Timothy 2:15). The
Scriptures confirm, "We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit," (2 Peter
1:19-21). We are
admonished without reservation, "Follow
the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially
prophecy," (1 Corinthians
14:1).
Third, it's time to prepare
physically. It seems appropriate to prepare to invest
in personal commodities, such as food, seeds, gardening and hand tools, etc. Consider the physical needs of your family.
We provide here an
informational list of links to help you plan called Family
Survival. Be ready at a moment's notice to store a few supplies and prepare for
disasters. You may want to prayerfully consider leaving the larger cities to
move to a rural setting where you can grow food as needed. Be prepared
to develop safety
plans with your neighbors to protect against gangs and crimes that are bound to increase as our society
disintegrates into chaos. This is sound advice, no matter what part of
the world you live in.
Fourth, it
is time to teach others to prepare for the Kingdom of God. Trusting
in Jesus Christ and His gospel message of hope is the basis of our faith and life
eternal. This is good news, because Yeshua is about to wrap up the sin
problem and establish His universal Kingdom. End-time warnings and events,
along with His counting periods, will take us through these trials; every
essential detail is revealed in the books of Daniel and Revelation (Revelation
1:1-3). His spiritual roadmap must be shared with our
family, friends and acquaintances -- all in need of hope in these troubled
times.
The future involves important decisions for you, your family and your
friends. By standing firm by faith, we have the promise of a
Better City whose builder and maker is
God, which will replace the worn out and distressed cities of this planet.
Jesus noted about the last generation, "because
of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who
stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will
be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the
end will come... Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust
also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you [the New
Jerusalem]. 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 [in Heaven]," Matthew
24:12-14; John
14:1-3. It is our personal responsibility to tell others the
truth, to lead them to the crucified and risen Savior of mankind, and to stand unwavering to the end.
As the song goes, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing
through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue... and, I
can't feel at home in this world anymore."
By God's grace and guidance, by trusting in the LORD hour
by hour, day by day, we will endure to the end and meet together at
His Heavenly Temple (Revelation
7:13-17). What an honor it will be to serve in the most sacred and
marvelous location in the universe... the Sanctuary of the Most High, in the
very presence of the Father and Yeshua -- the Creator of the Universe and our
conquering King!
Yeshua our King Will Show Us the Way!
This NASA satellite photo of Israel is a
unique view of the land that has been, and will continue to be, the center of the spiritual
controversy. From a great distance it seems but only a dry
wilderness; however, as we
get closer we discover a land teeming with millions of people and lives
filled with daily activities. At the epicenter is Jerusalem, and in
the center of Jerusalem we find the Temple Mount. Here is where
prophecy finds its nexus and will play out on the world stage, and where Antichrist will set up his abomination
that will usher in God's wrath.
Yeshua humbled Himself, descending from Heaven's throne 2,000 years ago to the
womb of a Jewish virgin, to be born in the land of Israel to meet with mankind
personally and to reveal His Father's love. He died a
martyr's death on a blood-spattered cross just outside of Jerusalem, so that we might find life, and the way to a better country
and to the New City which is from above.
However, before we reach the New
Jerusalem a wilderness journey must, of necessity, be traveled. About 3,500 years ago, the people of Israel entered this dry wilderness
land on their way to Canaan; and likewise, our modern journey towards
Heaven will either harden us
or will purify, refine
and make spotless our compromising hearts (Daniel
12:10). Most of
us will be unprepared for the trials and persecutions that we and our families
must face. And, even the betrayal by our own friends and family for
standing on God's Word. For the most part, we are not accustom to hardship and
struggles. Words cannot begin to describe what lies ahead; our minds
cannot fathom the strangeness of it all -- when fear will strike our souls,
and death and loss will bear down upon us. However, the Word of God reveals a spiritual journey of three and one-half (3 1/2) years
that we must endure; perilous
tragedies of the appointed time that leads to Heaven's long-awaited
Kingdom, which will never end. Just as events will begin on His Festival schedule, so too we can have enduring hope and confidence in the
appointed times and counting periods will end right on time, as His Festival
Calendar template reveals.
The answer to life's final trials are found
in a
personal relationship with our LORD and Savior, and a better understanding of
end-time events portrayed in the books of Daniel and Revelation. God provides hope through His prophetic predictions,
promising on His good Name that He will finish the work of His redemptive
plan and usher in His Kingdom on the counting Calendar
of His choosing. With God's loving guidance provide in His Word, and by following Messiah's Festival
counting Calendar during these last days, we can live with sincere hope and eager
anticipation of the returning King, knowing that time is short. In the midst of sickness,
poverty, threats, sorrow, pain and even death, we can know that Satan's days are
numbered, and the end of this world's troubles are in sight. It is our duty to be an advocate
of hopeful thinking, even during the darkest trials. God provides the reassurance that on that future
Day
there will be no more death, sorrow and crying (Revelation
21:1-4).
Keep
looking up,
Kevin
R. Swift
"Now
when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because
your redemption draws near,"
Luke
21:28.
There
is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the
heavens:
a
time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to
uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to
build,
a
time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to
dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to
embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to
throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to
speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time
for peace.
|
|