Edition 503: January 7^th 2020.

Suddenly!

Introduction:

These are words of life!

How quick is “suddenly”? What does it mean? Why suddenly? Who will be suddenly affected?

These are some of the exciting issues for this edition.

•Sudden destruction is coming to this world – very soon. •The rapture will be sudden. •The salvation of Israel and her coming holiness and peace will be sudden. •Peace will come suddenly to the world.

A fuse is short, small and insignificant, but when it goes off it creates a very sudden response.

My main message to you from the Lord for the year ahead is two-fold. It will be a year of great growth in the Lord in the short time left for some, and it will be a year of fierce, terrible times for the unsaved.

As I look back to the year just passed, I am eternally grateful and thankful to our Lord for bringing us forward into so many new things, and a greater depth of experience with Him. And of course for all the wonderful and incredible mercies He has bestowed on us.

As I look ahead, I get a feeling of great excitement and also of ominous, foreboding, and impending disaster for the world. The divide between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world is widening, and it must be so.

I must tell you that most times, when I sit down to write these editions and reports I have a tingling fear in my heart. It’s here now – big time!

Sudden signs of the times:

Right now we are seeing the Middle East situation turn explosive quickly. For a long time, Iran has believed that the US is the great Satan and Israel is the little Satan. In Iran’s perverted view, the US and Israel are directly linked – joined at the hip.

But at the push of one button, a US strike killed an Iranian commander, more strikes followed and the world, Israel in particular, awaits Iran’s response. It all happened suddenly!

The Bible lists signs of the times and signs in the run up to the tribulation period. Some of the signs have been brewing and stewing for a while, but many will come upon the world suddenly.

• Economic collapse will occur so that the antichrist can seize and control the world economy. This sort of thing normally comes about gradually, but all financial markets are based on confidence, fear or greed and those can disappear in a flash.
• Natural upheavals have been increasing over the years, but these also have a very sudden element to them. Floods, wildfires, disease, famine, earth’s upheavals and more, are examples.
• Moral decay comes in slowly, but is escalating now like never before.
• Wars and conflicts often occur after a lengthy build up, but also often blast onto the stage suddenly.
• The gospel is going to all nations of the world, as prophesied, much faster than ever before. The Prophetic Scroll is evidence of that.
• A large part of the church is falling into gross error and deception very quickly, and many are simply falling away completely. Please bear in mind that God’s grace can be removed suddenly from a person a church or even an entire nation.

Psalm 73:17 “When I went into the sanctuary, I understood their end...O how they are brought to desolation in a moment. They are consumed with terrors.”

This profound verse above has one very important element to it: It is that we only really see the end of all these things when we are in God’s sanctuary, or Spirit-led word. Otherwise it’s just multitudes of man’s opinions – all dead, meaningless and boring.

Sudden war and destruction:

Since the killing of the evil Iranian commander, Soleimani, by the US, world war and conflict is suddenly a lot closer.

Hatred poisons you. It makes you bitter, which spreads to others. But worse is that it blinds you too, because it is a form of pride, which always blinds you.

Islam and its proxy nations like Iran are blinded by their pride. Their pride wants to put down all others who won’t submit to the ultimate goal of Islamic world domination.

Iran has declared its desire numerous times to wipe Israel off the map. In all of these situations, the nations have sat back and done nothing. The stupid leaders of many nations now say that the Iran nuclear deal is under threat or dead.

How dumb can you be? If Iran had any intention of ceasing its nuclear aspirations it would have simply done so. What is there to negotiate about? The EU and UN are blind in their arrogant deception.

Here are some possible responses from Iran: They will attempt to hurt the US. This may be through oil wars in the Straits of Hormuz, or oil tankers or refineries being hit. This would send the oil price way higher and potentially cripple the world economy.

But Iran knows well that it can get at “the great Satan” by hitting the “little Satan” – Israel, which is now a target.

This may develop into the early stages of the Ezekiel 38 & 39 war of Gog and Magog. (More on that soon, with some surprises!)

The big thing here is that all of this has and is happening suddenly!

By the way, the war of Isaiah 17 in which Damascus is destroyed, culminates suddenly, in one day (Isaiah 17:14)

The sudden rapture:

The rapture will take in a “moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” (1 Corinthians 15:52)The word “moment” is the Greek word “atomo” and means and atomic moment, or the shortest division of time possible.

That’s spectacular news for those on the receiving end, but why so quickly?

►Firstly it’s to make a clear distinction between the rapture and the Second Coming, which will be a much slower process, with all eyes on our Lord’s return, just as our Lord left.

►Secondly, it is to end the church dispensation as quickly as it started, making a distinction between dispensations, separating them and their members from each other.

Here is the verse showing the sudden start of the church age at Pentecost:

Acts 2:2-4 “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The rapture of Elijah happened suddenly:

2 Kings 2:11 “Then it happened, as they continued and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

A lightning fast rapture will leave behind everyone who is not ready beforehand!

The church age began on the day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Spirit, the arrival of tongues and the gifts of the Spirit.

Tongues are in fact a unique identification and characteristic of the entire church age.

1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails, but where there are prophesies, they will fail (dissipate), where there are tongues, they will cease, and where there is knowledge it will vanish away.”

Here is the interesting thing: The word “cease” in the verse above, means to suddenly cease or come to an end. The word “vanish” refers to a gradual vanishing away over some time. So tongues, the sign of the church age will end suddenly, with the church in rapture, while the others continue into the tribulation period.

That’s a somewhat obscure, but amazing indication of a pre-tribulation rapture.

Suddenly – the new you:

The word, “sudden” carries the connotation of the unexpected and without warning.

Often times, death comes suddenly. In my days as a journalist / photographer covering wars and conflicts, I often saw instant death right before me. I always wondered where those people had gone! For most, it would have been too late to make right with God.

Even when death comes slowly, so many people do not make right with God.

But for true believers, death marks an instant sudden, supernatural, miraculous and glorious transformation into an eternal state beyond imagination.

It will not take an age for you to acquire eternal youth! You will be changed in an atomic moment. You will then be eternally young, fully healthy, with no impurities, fully complete and with full knowledge of all things. You will have choice and free-will, all purified.

All the positive aspects of your character and personality will continue – but purified.

You will never age. You will be set at around 30 years old or so, in today’s terms, although that is speculation. Your appearance will have certain characteristics that will make you identifiable to all who know you, but with no blemishes of any sort.

You will have interchangeable physical and spiritual properties, which will be able to manifest separately and together, just like our Lord after His resurrection.

You will be a perfect being.

You will be a great friend of renewed nature and environment everywhere in the universe and it will be your great friend too.

You will be surrounded by angelic beings and creatures of great wonder. You will have our Lord Himself as your Father and close friend.

You will be known forever by your “countenance.” This is your reward state or “brightness.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those that love Him.”

Isaiah 65:17 “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

Israel’s sudden repentance:

The temple veil represents the veil of blindness on the hearts of the Jews to their Messiah. The veil did not take a long time to split. It happened suddenly. Yes it has already happened, but the Jews are still to see it.

This veil of spiritual blindness on their eyes is starting to lift, even now. The Jew’s are beginning to see with new eyes!

Note in the verse below that the temple veil was torn suddenly

Matthew 27:51 (Amp) “At once, the curtain veil of the sanctuary of the temple, was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split.”

2 Corinthians 3:16 “When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

The point is that the temple veil was removed suddenly, but you need to have repentant eyes to see it! Sight will come to Israel suddenly as they suddenly repent. But is it all Israel who will be saved? It is all of the remnant that will repent!

The book of Revelation opens with our Lord walking majestically between seven golden lampstands. (Menorah) The lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)

The messages to the seven churches are profound in meaning, coving the past, present and future. It is the now-message and the future-message we are concerned with.

Only two of the seven churches are clean and pure and without condemnation. Does that offer some insight and advice to you?

Note the horror declared to some churches: “I will come and remove your lampstand.” “I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 2:5, 3:16) These are the unrepentant, lukewarm churches.

Many churches have had their light removed and now they are ministries of dark light!

The message to the church at Philadelphia is a perfect example of the successful end-time remnant church with a heart for Israel. (Revelation 3:7-13)

This is all an excellent type of God’s work with Israel too. They are His lampstand. Only a remnant of the Jews will be saved and become God’s light to the Gentiles. Do you see the frightening parallel?

The menorah was first given to Israel signifying that its light is the light of the world. The church then became that light as Israel rebelled, but Israel will again, suddenly become a living menorah to the world!

Numbers 8:2 “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘when you arrange the seven lamps they give light in front of the lampstand.”

This verse above means that God’s light goes forth ahead of Him, and ahead of His people. God lights the path forward He has for you.

The menorah or lampstand is seen in Zechariah 4:1-10 as the plum-line, which is like a light-beam, which is the eyes of the Lord scanning through the whole earth.

Isaiah 10:17 “So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and the Holy One for a flame. It will burn and devour His thorns and briers in one day.”

It will be the sudden rapture of the church that will cause the repentance of the left behind Jews.

The two verses below reveal God’s emotions with Israel. Do you see the great contrast?

Jeremiah 5:22 “...My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will run down with tears because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.”

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Mighty One will save you (Israel). He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quite you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

God’s own tears and weeping will turn to singing and rejoicing. In fact this same principle applies to the church as well, and especially to prodigal backsliders returning.

Some incredible “suddenly” verses relating to Israel:

Isaiah 66:8-10 “Who has heard of such a thing, who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion (Israel) travailed, she gave birth to her children...rejoice, O Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you who love her.”

Jeremiah 6:26 “O daughter of My people, (Israel) clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and roll about in ashes! Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the plunderer (tribulation) will suddenly come upon us.”

Zechariah 3:9 “Behold the stone I have laid before Joshua; upon the stone are seven eyes. I will engrave its inscription says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”

Ezekiel 37:7 “I prophesied as I was commanded and there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling and the bones (Israel) came together bone to bone.”

Isaiah 48:3 (Israel refined for God’s glory.) “I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly, I did them and they came to pass.”

Isaiah 29:5 “The multitude of your (Israel) foes shall be like fine dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passes away; yes it shall be in an instant, suddenly.”

Many times explaining Yeshua to a Jew is like describing a beautiful painting - the work of a great master. But imagine this: You are explaining some details of the painting and suddenly his eyes open and there the real thing is before his eyes – he sees it in full glory! That is exactly what is coming! And He is no painting!

The sudden fall of the end-time world (Babylon the Great):

Revelation 18:10-11 (The kings of the earth see her burning) “...Alas alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgement has come...And he merchants of all the earth will weep and mourn over her...”

Jeremiah 51:8 “Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed...”

Isaiah 47:9-11 “These two things shall come upon you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood. They shall come upon you in fullness, because of the multitude of your sorceries, for the great abundance of your enchantments. For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, ‘no one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you, and you have said in your heart, ‘I am and there is no one besides me.’ Therefore evil will come upon you...and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know.”

The great tragedy for the world is that they will say “All things are going to carry on as normal – where is the hope of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4)

Is this verse below, the now-word of the Lord for the world, Israel and the church? You bet it is:

Ezekiel 12:23-28 “...But say to them, ‘the days are at hand, and the fulfilment of every vision. For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel’...’The word which I speak will come to pass and not be postponed any more’...’None of My words will be postponed anymore, but the word which I speak will be done, says the Lord God.’”

Yes, we are suddenly on the brink of great, glorious, mighty and terrible things!

Finally

With “suddenly” being such a central theme in the scriptures, for me it bring home one major issue: You need to be prepared and ready now, before “suddenly” arrives at your door.

You need to have a strong, solid foundation in the shaking, even if we only go through the forerunners to the tribulation.

Of all the people saved, I think most will be with regrets for a half-baked life while here on earth. Don’t be one of them wishing you could have your life over again - if you could!

Do you see that little title-picture at the top? After all is said and done – peace, eternal peace that surpasses understanding will be here. That is our future. That’s where it’s all leading to. What good news that is! (Philippians 4:7)

I took this picture in the beautiful Etosha Game Reserve early in the misty morning.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!