And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.
Genesis 49:1-2
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them . . .And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
Daniel 7:21, 25
And Jesus said unto them, "See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?" And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you; for many shall come in My name, saying, `I am Christ,' and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many lose faith and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:2-14
But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'
Acts 2:16-21
I would that ye all spoke with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, unless he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I shall speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
1 Corinthians 14:5-8
Be not deceived: "Evil associations corrupt good manners." Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of [them] all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned [them], and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:1
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they...
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
James 5:1-8
Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 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 creation."
For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is] salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable [people] twist to their own destruction, as [they do] also the rest of the Scriptures.
You therefore, beloved, since you know [this] beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him [be] the glory both now and forever. Amen.
2 Peter 3
And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" . . .And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause to be killed as many as would not worship the image of the beast. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads,that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:4,15-18
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:11-16
He Must Be Our First Love
Rick Joyner | www.morningstarministries.org | 2008
Five Basic Principles
As we proceed toward how we can help build the highway for our God, we want to occasionally fortify the foundations of our own spiritual lives. Just as there were five pillars at the door of the Holy Place in the tabernacle of God and the Holy of Holies, there are five basic principles that enable us to enter the deeper realms of the spiritual life. These are basics which we should have growing in our lives, regardless of how mature we become. They are:
1) To continually grow in our personal relationship to the King.
We must never forget that loving God is the highest calling and our main purpose on this earth. Seeking to continually know Him better, and love Him more is the most important element of our lives. If we are not growing in these, then anything else we are pursuing will be shaky at best.
2) To continually grow in faith.
Hebrews 11:6 states, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Therefore, it should be a basic devotion to also be growing in our faith and trust in Him.
3) To continually grow in effective prayer.
As it is said of the Lord, "...He always lives to make intercession....", Hebrews 7:25. If we are abiding in Him, we, too, will be making intercession continually. This is why we are told in I Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing." However, the evidence that we are truly abiding in Him will be answered prayer, not just prayer activity.
4) To continually grow in our knowledge of His Word and sound doctrine.
If He who was the Word would continually stand on, "It is written..." (see Matthew 4), when challenged or tempted by the devil, how much more should we, knowing the Bible is fundamental to a strong and successful Christian life.
5) To continually grow in and strengthen our relationship to the body of Christ.
It is not possible to be properly joined to the Head without also being properly joined to His body, the church. In truth, the strength of our relationship to the Lord will be revealed by the strength of our relationship to His church.
To be effective members of the body of Christ, we must also grow in the knowledge and exercise of our own spiritual gifts and ministries. This is stated succinctly in Ephesians 4:15-16, "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
Just as a hand could not function without knowing it is a hand and being properly joined to a wrist, we, too, must all know our own function in His body and be joined rightly to it.
True vs. Pseudo
There are true Christians and pseudo Christians. There are true churches and pseudo churches. As we proceed into the times ahead, both will become increasingly manifest. By the end of this age, there will be a church on this earth that is a worthy bride of the King. We can expect the Head to be joined to a body, which will be more perfect in beauty and function than any human body. His church will be a city set on a hill, which can be beheld by all because of her great light in the midst of the darkness.
The church will be a clear demonstration of His Kingdom on the earth, the ultimate fellowship of the citizens of another realm--the realm of Heaven. Ultimately, every citizen of the Kingdom will walk in all of the benefits of that citizenship. By this, the church will help to establish a highway between Heaven and earth that all may enter and likewise be elevated and transformed.
This cannot happen without the church becoming the community of those citizens of the Kingdom that she is called to be. Those who are growing in their purpose will become increasingly identified with the Kingdom above all other relationships. The community of the saints will become the greatest and most powerful community the world has ever seen. Ultimately, this community will even eclipse the great community that the church was in the first century, which was but a seed of what will come to full maturity at the harvest which is the end of the age.
From this community, which will also be an impregnable fortress of truth, will extend righteousness and justice to set others free. In the foundational pillars of a healthy Christian life, many include being a witness, and this is a result of a healthy life more than a discipline. However, if our life is not a witness--a demonstration of what it is like to be a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom, then something is certainly awry in our walk.
Our Life Must Be a Witness
Our witness should be on two levels--the personal and the corporate. A strong church will be a strong witness to individuals. A strong church will be a strong witness to its community. When the church worldwide becomes strong, then the whole world will see the light of the gospel. This does not mean that those who see the light will necessarily come to it. Those who love darkness more than the light will react viciously to the light, but they will see it.
We are commanded in II Corinthians 13:5: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" It is right that we should regularly evaluate our lives to ensure that we are growing in these basics. If we are growing in these, we will be bearing fruit. Just as biology teaches that once any living thing stops growing, it starts the process of deterioration and dying; the same is true of us spiritually. If we are not continually growing spiritually, we are dying spiritually.
The process of dying spiritually begins with slipping into lukewarmness. How could anyone who knows the living God be lukewarm about Him? This is an ultimate insult and affront to the One who would even give His own Son for our redemption and restoration.
Is He Our First Love?
If He is our first love, then seeking Him and doing His will is the most basic devotion of our lives. More than advancing in our profession, more than accumulating wealth or any other accomplishments, we will measure the success of our lives by how close to God we have become, and how much more we love Him above all things. If we love Him as we should, we will love everyone and everything more than we would otherwise.
What we really love and esteem is measured by what we devote most of our time and efforts to. We will discipline ourselves for what we truly love. Tragically, many who start to seek God are led only to religion, and there are few things more boring than religion. However, there is nothing in creation more interesting than God, nothing we can experience more fulfilling than a relationship with Him, and there is no adventure greater than the true Christian life.
The true Christian life is the greatest quest, the most noble cause. There is nothing more exciting than following the King. However, just as in any sport, the two or three hours spent in the game are backed up by many, many hours of disciplined conditioning and practice, the same is true of the Christian walk. For every pass a quarterback throws in a professional football game, he has probably thrown thousands in practice from the time he was a child. The Christians who will do great exploits are those who have devoted themselves to being ready.
Worldly Team vs. God's Team
I have occasionally spoken to NFL teams in their chapel services. One team asked me to eat the pre-game meal with them. As I sat with some of the best players in the game, I asked some of them how they had risen to the pinnacle of their sport. Each one described having a dream of playing professional football from the time they were very young. Through their teenage years, they spent hours a day practicing. While their friends spent their time in various pursuits of entertainment, they worked at developing their skills, and building up their bodies for endurance and strength--hard work. Most had started to focus on a single position they wanted to play while a young teen, and had not deviated.
There are millions of kids who dream of playing professional football, but not many have the discipline, focus, and resolve to actually get there. Anyone who plays any sport at the professional level has accomplished something truly remarkable. However, just as Paul the Apostle pointed out, these do so for "a perishable wreath" (see I Corinthians 9:25), just a few moments of fleeting glory, but we are running the race for eternal rewards!
What would happen if Christians began pursuing their purposes, their place on God's team, their place in His body, with thekind of discipline, focus, and resolve that athletes do for their team? If a sports team reaches its goal of winning it all, their reward may be an occasional rerun of the game on ESPN, but ours is an eternal reward--a wreath that will never perish!
True faith is recognizing who the Lord is. Those who recognize Him, serve Him accordingly. His team is far more glorious, fulfilling, and wonderful than any human team. To acquire any position on His team is the highest purpose that one can have in this life. When His people wake up to this reality, and begin to order and focus their lives accordingly, even two from this team will be able to again turn the world upside down, and shake the mightiest empires of man.
That is precisely what we are soon to witness--God's people waking up to their high calling in Christ and giving themselves to their calling in Him with the resolve and focus that it deserves.