Be Gathered

Be a Berean who searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

John 12:15, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Be Gathered

Those expecting a pre-tribulation rapture have always spoken of it with joy and excitement, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”  I have found that speaking of the coming reality has brought quite a different response than expected.  The thought is generally not of His coming, but of a sudden “catching up” that brings many sobering thoughts and fear.  I can see it in the eye immediately.  Not the least of these fears is, “He can’t come yet, I have unsaved family,” or the heart rending admission, “My children are not ready.”   The most common response I have heard when confronted with the idea of an imminent rapture is, “I think I am supposed to stay here for those left behind.”  “I can’t leave my own.”  Luke 14:26, Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”  This is under the passage heading, “Leaving All to Follow Christ.”  All the words of Christ are true and an ever present reality.  Be encouraged dear sisters and brothers, Jesus is coming, not to leave behind, but to gather.  Yes, He is coming for His faithful ones.  He is coming for His persecuted ones looking to their blessed Hope.  He is coming for His Betrothed, looking for the Bridegroom.  He is also coming to call and gather the lost sheep without a shepherd.  He is coming for His remnant from the the North, South, East and West, from the ends of the earth, from the nations., lame, outcast, hungry, thirsty, poor, anyone with desperate need of Him.  He is giving every son and daughter of Adam opportunity at His coming to incline the ear, seek Him while He is near, to call out for His salvation, believing on Him.  He desires nothing more than, that your children, your family, and you would all be gathered to Him now.  You must be gathered to Him immediately!  There is no second call.  Just one.  You can not run back into the house or go back to the plow or grindstone.  When you receive the knock, open immediately.  When you hear the voice of the Shepherd, follow.  When you see the Bridegroom, go out to meet Him.  When He gives the invitation to the hungry and thirsty, run to Him!

Jesus wants you to be prepared for His coming.  His purpose is for the gathering of His children.  He tells us to gather our children, we who know of His visitation.

We are to discern the times and know of our visitation.

Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Matthew 16 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

Did we have such a sign?  August 21st, a total solar eclipse spanned a nation just like Ninevah, a modern day Gentile nation, at the time of sundown on the 1st day of Elul 5777.   From the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur the shofar blows for 40 days for calling a Jewish nation to repentance in preparation for the Day of Atonement, the day that the Jews remember the story of Jonah.  Should this nation have attended to that call?  Jonah went to a watery grave, the belly of a fish for three days and then was spit out on dry ground to live again and warn of God’s coming judgment in 40 days upon the beautiful, rich Assyrian city.  Luke 11:32“The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” The Day of Atonement brings into the remembrance the day of darkness when the sun was fully eclipsed from the 6th to the 9th hour; the day the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom; a day the earth shook and the graves were opened; (Matt 27:45-54) the day the atoning blood of Christ finished the work of salvation for whosoever believes in Him; the day that points to the fulfillment of the prophet Jonah with the resurrection on the third day, and the repentance and belief of a church born again.  Did the Lord give us a sign for today?  Does He want us to wake up, repent, and believe?  Was He giving a sign to watch and pray?

Luke 1:16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Micah The Great Day of God

4 

“For behold, the day is coming,

Burning like an oven,

And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.

And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“That will leave them neither root nor branch.

2 

But to you who fear My name

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise

With healing in His wings;

And you shall go out

And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

3 

You shall trample the wicked,

For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet

On the day that I do this,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

4 

“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,

Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,

With the statutes and judgments.

5 

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

6 

And he will turn

The hearts of the fathers to the children,

And the hearts of the children to their fathers,

Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Joel 2:16, Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.

The Lord has gathered, is gathering and will gather us together as one, one Church, One Bride, One nation.

John 11:51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

Ezekiel 37:21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

Two nations, Israel and Judah, Jew and Gentile, will no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

Hosea 1:10 

“Yet the number of the children of Israel

Shall be as the sand of the sea,

Which cannot be measured or numbered.

And it shall come to pass

In the place where it was said to them,

‘You are not My people,’

There it shall be said to them,

‘You are sons of the living God.’

11 

Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel

Shall be gathered together,

And appoint for themselves one head;

And they shall come up out of the land,

For great will be the day of Jezreel!

Isaiah 27:12 

And it shall come to pass in that day

That the Lord will thresh,

From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt;

And you will be gathered one by one,

O you children of Israel.

13 

So it shall be in that day:

The great trumpet will be blown;

They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria,

And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt,

And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is left desolate.  The heart of the Father is to gather her children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.  Jerusalem was unwilling!  This is why He has the gathering of the Gentiles, the gathering of you and your children under His wing as a preserved remnant, sons and daughters.  He has the heart of a Father, gathering His children as well as the heart of adoption, as He comes after the adopted sons and daughters.

Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;

Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

Hebrews 12:18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 3:25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Acts 7 - This is our story.  This is what the Lord has accomplished and is accomplishing now.  Read every single word of it.

5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’

17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

23 “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 

Note that verse 17 is the verse of promise.  The revelation 12 sign, 33 days after the 1st Elul eclipse is the sign in the heavens of PROMISE, a spiritual child of Israel caught up to the throne of God to be preserved as the dragon comes to devour.  The 24th verse is the avenging of the oppressed Israelite.  Revelation 6:9, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” I believe He does 7 years later, as in 7 verses later.

The gathering of the remnant of the Gentiles, representational people that grew and multiplied in Egypt as adopted sons and daughters of Israel, Abraham’s inheritance, are being brought out of Egypt and the greater second Exodus will be our story of being gathered to the wilderness, living in temporary shelters for a few days as in the Feast of Booth, and then crossing the spiritual Jordan to the high hills of heaven to be in the Lord’s sight forever!  We are also the baby Moses being preserved in the basket and caught up to the King’s palace!   Only the Lord of Heaven and Earth can do this.  This will be a work of His Hand.  We will only believe it in hindsight!

Micah 7:15 

“As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,

I will show them wonders.”  We are in the fulfillment days!

Acts 13:33

32 And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. 33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.’

34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:

‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’

35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’

36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

41 

‘Behold, you despisers,

Marvel and perish!

For I work a work in your days,

A work which you will by no means believe,

Though one were to declare it to you.’”

Why does He come to gather?

The Bride of Christ, as one body, is justified and raised up with Jesus.  The pre-tribulation rapture of the Church is the gathering by Jesus, gathered on the basis of His atoning blood, Him sanctifying and cleansing His bride as one assembly with the washing of water by the Word, being presented to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish, entering into the vows and promises, the everlasting covenant with Jesus, members of His body, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, being rejoined with Him forever, in the resurrection, the resurrection of the living, on the third day to the Father’s house, the throne of God.  Eph. 5:24-32, Hosea 6:1-3

The gathering, washing and purifying of His bride is a spiritual truth that has been going on for 2000 years.  I believe it will be a manifest climax in the pre-tribulation gathering of the believers in this generation that have not passed away.

  

Gather your children and be gathered to Him.

This part of the post is for those not in the catching up.  Not for now.

 There will be those that are not gathered, that are not expecting Him, that are not expecting a knock on the door, a Shepherd’s call, or that they must go out to meet Him.  There are many that will not be watching.  They have not discerned the time or understood His coming.  They will be too busy, too absorbed in the cares of this world, or simply unwilling to leave their temporal home.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, cut off from the sheepfold, but they are not cut off from the Kingdom.  There will be a great falling away with the departure of the Bride, the Body of Christ, but there will also be a “multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, people, and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”  

Revelation 7:14, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Members of the six churches that did not repent before His coming, may come to repentance and overcome, rejoicing in the crowning glory of suffering with Jesus, dying with Him for His name’s sake.  These are those that overcome by the blood of the Lamb.  

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

The work of evangelism will advance, and the gospel of Jesus Christ will be heard in every tongue before the end will come.

Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

You are not abandoned.  You are not left as orphans.  You are not forsaken.  John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  You have the Word of God, the sword of His Spirit, the comforting words through the brethren and apostles that went before you. The Scriptures are all written for you to be fulfilled with you to the very end. There is a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before you and so many have suffered unbelievable tribulation.  Hebrew 12:1-3, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.You can overcome by the blood of the Lamb.  You must live and breathe His Word to keep yourself pure and undefiled.  There will be signs and wonders, great delusions to deceive many.  Keep the faith and endure to the end.  The Spirt says to “Overcome.”

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

A Gentile Look at Elul (Repentance)

Compiled and Written by my Brother, Seth.

August 21, 2017 America’s coast to coast solar eclipse GENESIS 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons (moed; מ עֵד: Definition appointed time, place, or meeting), and for days, and years.
We Gentiles only use the Sun for the last part (our solar calendar), while the Jews continue to use the Moon for their calendar, their feasts (appointed times), and understand that the lights (sun, moon, and stars) are also for signs.
August 22, 2017
(Sunset began the last month of Jewish lunar calendar year 5777; Elul)
From Judaism 101: http://www.jewfaq.org/elul.htm
The month of Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Tradition teaches that the month of Elul is a particularly propitious (favorable) time for repentance. This mood of repentance
builds through the month of Elul to the period of Selichot, to Rosh Hashanah, and finally to Yom Kippur.
The name of the month (spelled Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed) is said to be an acronym of "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li," "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine," a quote from Song of Songs 6:3, where the Beloved is G-d and the "I" is the Jewish people. In Aramaic (the vernacular of the Jewish people at the time that the month names were adopted), the word "Elul" means "search," which is appropriate, because this is a time of year when we search our hearts.
Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people...This process of seeking forgiveness continues through the Days of Awe (Ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, a time for introspection and considering the sins of the previous year.)

As the month of Elul draws to a close, the mood of repentance becomes more urgent. Prayers for forgiveness called selichot (properly pronounced "s'lee-KHOHT," but often pronounced "SLI- khus") are added to the daily cycle of religious services.
The first Selichot service will be held around midnight on the following days of the secular calendar:
• Jewish Year 5777: midnight September 16/17, 2017
Rosh Hashanah is September 21/22, 2017
Followed by 10 Days of Awe (Ten days for a time for introspection and
considering the sins of the previous year) leading to Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:

•

Jewish Year 5778: sunset September 29, 2017 - nightfall September 30, 2017
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.
The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year.

What I think we (American’s/Gentiles) can learn from the Jew...
Instead of crying out to God for mercy, while we yet remain non- repentant, let’s do what God says...repent and believe (put our TRUST in Jesus Christ).
Mark 1:15 Jesus’ words recorded
“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Act 20:20-24 Apostle Paul states the following...

...how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the
Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
As the month of Elul proceeds, is not the mood of repentance building?! Today’s statements in the news...
“Wildfires are chewing across dried-out Western forests and grassland, putting 2017 on track to be among the worst fire seasons in a decade.”
"Obviously Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said at a press conference Friday morning. "We're going to have a couple rough days.”
“It is unfortunate that just as our nation has begun the process to repair the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Harvey, that we are faced with another extreme storm,”
“At least 60 people were killed after a magnitude-8.1 earthquake rocked Mexico late Thursday night, leveling buildings in southern Mexico, triggering tsunami warnings in several countries and causing people to flee into the street. Buildings swayed and lights went out in Mexico City, some 650 miles from the epicenter.”

“Hurricane Katia is strengthening as it bears down on Mexico's Gulf coast. And it's likely to strike land just about a day after the country was hit by a major, magnitude 8.1 earthquake.”
“The Israeli military is in the midst of its largest military exercise in nearly two decades, focusing on a potential war with Hezbollah”
“In a statement, the Syrian army said the Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from Lebanese air space, and warned of the “dangerous repercussions of such hostile acts on the security and stability of the region.”
“President Trump is expected to hold Mideast peace- focused conversations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York later this month, CBS News has learned.”
“Kushner is spearheading the peace initiative, which remains in its infancy. He recently visited Israel, Palestine, and other influential Arab states in the region in what diplomats said appeared to be an attempt to survey the landscape and explore what might be possible. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar were among the stops.”
““Implementing the Sustaining Peace Agenda requires an inclusive strategy that supports the diverse range of our missions and takes account of the entire peace continuum, from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and long-term development,” Ms. Mohammed said, underscoring the vital role the Security Council plays.”
Possible unique factoid...UN International Day of Peace, Coincides with Rosh Hashanah this year Sept 21, 2017.

We live in a unique time in history...
We have the advantage of reading the Bible with 20/20 hindsight, and can see that it accurately has prophesied many world events... Here is just one example from The Book of Daniel.
Excerpt from: answersingenesis.org/is-the-bible-true/4-fulfilled-prophecy/
Among the many amazing evidences that confirm the Bible’s divine origin, surely the wealth of fulfilled prophecies is near the top. Just a few examples should suffice to dumbfound all but the most hardened critics.
Accurate predictions of future events that have virtually no probability of occurring by coincidence are spectacular precisely because they seem so suprahuman. Popular prognosticators like Nostradamus have entertained generations with their elaborate fortune-telling, despite their pitiful track records of inaccuracy.
But biblical prophecy is different from all other predictions. With incredible detail, forthright clarity, and impeccable accuracy, the Bible has consistently unveiled the future for centuries.
Critics of the Bible, for instance, have squirmed over the prophetic insights of Daniel, the sixth-century BC Jewish prophet in Babylon. With eye-opening precision, Daniel interpreted two sets of dreams, one by a pagan ruler (chapter 2) and the other by the prophet himself (chapter 7), thereby forecasting the entire course of Middle East history over the next five centuries.
Daniel describes the exact ebb and flow of four empires from Babylon to Medo-Persia to Greece to Rome. He even foresaw the meteoric rise to power of the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great, as well as the final division of his Greek empire by four of his surviving generals (Daniel 7:6, 8:5–8, 11:2–4).
Desperate to counter the implications of this prophetic phenomenon, nineteenth-century skeptics concocted dating schemes that placed the time of Daniel’s writing after the events. Careful research by modern textual scholars, however, has validated the early origin of this prophecy, establishing Daniel as the authentic author.1 Daniel’s prophecy is a genuine “Wow,” which clearly gives evidence of the Bible’s divine nature.

LUKE 21:25-36
The Coming of the Son of Man
25“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the
earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
The Lesson of the Fig Tree (In biblical prophecy Israel is always the “Fig Tree”)
29And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Watch Yourselves
34“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
The Day of the Lord
1Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the

night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For
God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
11Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
2 Peter 3:9
9The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to
perish but for all to come to repentance. 

Come to the LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Light to the Gentiles

Luke 2:30 

For my eyes have seen Your salvation

31 

Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32 

A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Isaiah 9

2 

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.

Isaiah

60 

Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2 

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

3 

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see:

They all gather together, they come to you;

Psalm

27 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

Micah 7

8 

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;

When I fall, I will arise;

When I sit in darkness,

The Lord will be a light to me.

9 

I will bear the indignation of the Lord,

Because I have sinned against Him,

Until He pleads my case

And executes justice for me.

He will bring me forth to the light;

I will see His righteousness.

John 1

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John’s Witness: The True Light

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

John 3

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

John 8

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 12

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 

Acts 22

6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

9 “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. 10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

 Acts 26

13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now[a] send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 21 For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— 23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

2 Cor 4

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

2 Peter 1

19 And so 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;

Isaiah 49

6 

Indeed He says,

‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

7 

Thus says the Lord,

The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

To Him whom man despises,

To Him whom the nation abhors,

To the Servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise,

Princes also shall worship,

Because of the Lord who is faithful,

The Holy One of Israel;

And He has chosen You.”

Psalm 36

5 

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

6 

Your righteousness is like the great mountains;

Your judgments are a great deep;

O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

9 

For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

Repent and Believe the Gospel

Repent and Believe

Mark 1:15, Jesus saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Acts 2

13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s First Sermon

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 

‘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.

18 

And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

19 

I will show wonders in heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 

The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

21 

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,

For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

26 

Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;

Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

27 

For You will not leave my soul in Hades,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

28 

You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

35 

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Repentance and belief are intricately woven together, you can not have one without the other.   Repentance is a conversion of the soul that gives rise to belief.  Repentance and belief are the work of faith.

Repentance comes with a change in understanding at the core of your being or a change of your heart.  Take note in Acts 2:37, that the people that heard Peter’s message of the Christ who they crucified and put to death were cut to the heart.  

The revelation of who God is, the revelation of Jesus Christ will cut to the heart.  This change of the heart is expressed in repentance.  A physical picture of repentance is a laying down low in the dust, your belly to the ground.  It is a realization that before God, I am nothing but dust.  From dust I came and to dust I will return apart from Jesus, life giving Spirit.  Job was a blameless and upright man.  He was one who feared God and shunned evil.  He knew God through the hearing of His Word.  He was quite secure in His knowledge of God.  When he was tested, Job had no sins to repent of.  He was a just and blameless man who was afflicted and ridiculed by his friends.  He complained to God justly.  He never put away his integrity.  But then, the Lord reveals Himself to Job.  The Lord takes Him through all His creation, the work of His hands in the wonders of the earth and heavens, displaying His indescribable strength holding it all together by His power, His all-knowingness from everlasting to everlasting, and His incomparable wisdom.  

Job answers, 4 

“Behold, I am vile;

What shall I answer You?

I lay my hand over my mouth.

5 

Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;

Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

God does not let Job off the hook there; He is not finished with him.

6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

7 

“Now prepare yourself like a man;

I will question you, and you shall answer Me:

8 

“Would you indeed annul My judgment?

Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

9 

Have you an arm like God?

Or can you thunder with a voice like His?

10 

Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,

And array yourself with glory and beauty.

11 

Disperse the rage of your wrath;

Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.

12 

Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;

Tread down the wicked in their place.

13 

Hide them in the dust together,

Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

14 

Then I will also confess to you

That your own right hand can save you.

When the Lord was done, one and a half chapters later,

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 

“I know that You can do everything,

And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

3 

You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 

Listen, please, and let me speak;

You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

5 

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

6 

Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.”

Many of us are not blameless like Job, but look at ourselves by our own standard and compare ourselves with others.  We don’t think we smell, look, or sound so bad.  “I am not that bad a sinner,” one might say.  “I might eek into God’s presence by being a good person.”  “I’m quite satisfied with all the services and care I do for others, shouldn’t God be?”  Or even, “I believe in Jesus, go to church every Sunday, put money in the offering, and volunteer in church related ministries.”  This is all works based religion and not faith.  This is a perilous place to be because it is not repentance and belief unto salvation.

Jesus gave a parable to illustrate this point.

Luke 18

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

We must see ourselves in relationship to God, not other people!

Romans 3

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

We are all in need of Amazing Grace.  We were all wretched, lost, and blind.  Some of us need eye salve.  Many knew that they were miserable, poor, trapped sinners, needing to be set free.  These were at an advantage for coming to Jesus through repentance and saving faith.  

Matthew 9

12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Mark 2

“How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

I rejoice in the amazing grace of God in my life that He gave me this record of Job.  I am one with a self-righteousness akin to Job.  But when the Lord revealed  Himself to me, I was completely broken.  I was broken by His love.  I saw myself according to God’s standard, by the standard of the old law, a woman standing in my nakedness, unclean in my monthly flow, untouchable.  Uncleanness often meant you were to remain outside the camp until one could go through a purification rite.  But because of the blood of Jesus, I can draw near the Holy of Holies.  I am covered in Christ’s righteousness.  I can stand in my own naked skin before the Father.  I can have the Holy Spirt filling me!  I can stand in the shower naked and the Holy Spirit can pour over me like the water!  

On an ongoing basis He reminds me to keep my head low.   “I have uttered things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”  I know why Job laid himself in the dust and ashes.  “I put my hand over my mouth.  I will proceed no further” in my own knowledge and understanding.  

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Repentance is not condemning, punishing, hurtful, or oppressing.   Repentance brings tears, but tears that are washing and cleansing.  Repentance brings us into a knowledge of our standing before God; It brings us into a right standing before Him.  It brings a humility, a proper positioning before God that a person can rest in.  REST.  I am not a god, holding the world in my hands.  I can let Him be God.  Repentance may bruise, as in a contrite heart, but it is a good pain that brings blessing.  Repentance brings relief.  Not only are your sins forgiven, but they are blotted out, no more.  Repentance brings us underneath God, a place of safety under His protection.  Repentance circumcises the heart, it cuts away parts that tempt us to distance ourselves from God. Repentance draws us near to Him.  Repentance brings REFRESHING.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Repentance is foundational.  Repentance is an elementary principle of Christ.  We can not truly believe in Christ Jesus without a knowledge of our profound need for Him.  We can not believe without a knowledge of our standing before God outside of Christ Jesus.  We can not believe in the salvation of Christ Jesus without the understanding of our need to be saved!   

Matthew 5 - The Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount describe the fruits of repentance.  

3 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 

Blessed are those who mourn,

    For they shall be comforted.

5 

Blessed are the meek,

    For they shall inherit the earth.

6 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    For they shall be filled.

7 

Blessed are the merciful,

    For they shall obtain mercy.

8 

Blessed are the pure in heart,

    For they shall see God.

Repentance shows us our poverty, our nakedness, our uncleanness before the holiness of God, that we might be clothed in Christ’s righteousness for the Kingdom.  The knowledge of our offenses towards God, the seriousness and darkness of our rebellion, and that He would love us so much to redeem us with His blood,  produces a godly sorrow, a mourning in the gloom of our own souls.  He removes our sins and comforts us in His love.  Repentance brings a meekness, a humility before God, a surrender to His will that transforms us into weak vessels that may display His power and not our own. Repentance shows us the great mercy of God, that we might extend and receive mercy.  Repentance brings purification of the heart that we can see God.

Repentance turns us from our own dead works, our own salvation plan, and turns us towards Jesus Christ’s finished work, His one and only salvation plan, faith in Him.

Hebrews 10:10, By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

John 6:29, Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

The gospel is Jesus Christ, seeing that there was no mediator, intercessor between God and man, He came from the throne room of heaven Himself and became flesh for the purpose of your salvation through the sacrifice of Himself, the shedding of blood.  He bought you back from the death sentence, and gives you the free gift of eternal life.  This is to everyone who believes on Him. 

Isaiah 53:3, He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  Philippians 2:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.   Galations 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

John 3:13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

This is the Door to the Kingdom.  Repent and Believe on Him.

The evidence of God is displayed in the creation, so that I am without excuse.  What am I in the eye of the hurricane?  What am I in the wake of the earth rolling beneath my feet and shaking like a freight train?  What am I faced with a forest fire roaring and licking up everything in its path?   Who can tame these things?  Can I save myself from their path of destruction?  Who has the power to save?  The Lord of Heaven and Earth made the winds and seas roar, the earth shake and the wildfires to consume the mountain forests.  Did we heed the warning?  Did we pay attention to the wake up call?  Do you know that these things are the signs of the end of the age?  Did you know that when He lifts His restraining Hand, that we will be in the Great Tribulation?  His restraining Hand, His merciful Hand, displayed His power over all flesh.  Did we pay attention?  We have lived under grace and the merciful Hand for so long, generation after generation.  Do we take it for granted?  Is it our prayers that saved our loved ones?  Is He compelled to hear our prayers?  Must He obey us?  Is He at our command?  Do we have any fear of Him?

Job 28:28 

And to man He said,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

Psalm 111:10 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.

Proverbs 1:7 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 15:33 

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,

And before honor is humility.

Isaiah 11 - Even Jesus with the Spirit of the Lord upon Him delights in the fear of the Lord!

2 

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

3 

His delight is in the fear of the Lord,

Isaiah 33:6 

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,

And the strength of salvation;

The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

We are to fear Him!  The knowledge of God, seeing Him in His glory, power, strength, holiness, majesty is fearsome!  We can not even imagine.  We posture ourselves under Him so carelessly.  Bow yourself low before Him under His Hand of mercy and grace!

Romans 2

4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

1 Corinthians 7

9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Jesus is coming!  The Lord of Heaven and Earth, the King of Kings, the Risen Lord is going to be in our midst.  The Light of the world is coming!  Malachi 3:2 says,

“But who can endure the day of His coming?

And who can stand when He appears?

For He is like a refiner’s fire

And like launderers’ soap.

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;

He is going to be purifying His people!

2 Thessalonians 2 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

Jesus is coming!  He is going to gather us together to Him from all the ends of the earth!  Are you watching for Him?

Micah 7:15 

“As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,

I will show them wonders.”

16 

The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;

They shall put their hand over their mouth;

Their ears shall be deaf.

17 

They shall lick the dust like a serpent;

They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth.

They shall be afraid of the Lord our God,

And shall fear because of You.

18 

Who is a God like You,

Pardoning iniquity

And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,

Because He delights in mercy.

19 

He will again have compassion on us,

And will subdue our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins

Into the depths of the sea.

20 

You will give truth to Jacob

And mercy to Abraham,

Which You have sworn to our fathers

From days of old.

Jesus is coming and as He gathers us together to Him, His first priority is the work of repentance, pardoning ALL our iniquity, and giving truth and mercy!  You must just come through the Narrow Gate, the Door of the Kingdom.  Repent and believe the Gospel!!

Isaiah 9:

10 

“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,

Who shall stand as a banner to the people;

For the Gentiles shall seek Him,

And His resting place shall be glorious.”

11 

It shall come to pass in that day

That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time

To recover the remnant of His people who are left,

Hosea 6 

Come, and let us return to the Lord;

For He has torn, but He will heal us;

He has stricken, but He will bind us up.

2 

After two days He will revive us;

On the third day He will raise us up,

That we may live in His sight.

Psalm 111

2 

The works of the Lord are great,

Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 

His work is honorable and glorious,

And His righteousness endures forever.

4 

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

Amen.