May 15, 2024 • 31 mins
Have you ever wondered if the unprecedented events shaking our world are more than mere coincidences? This week on Renewed Mindsets, we peel back the layers of Biblical prophecy to uncover how today's headlines might just be the celestial signs foretelling the return of Jesus. From my own spiritual awakening to the unfolding of ancient scriptures, we'll connect the dots between the prophecies in the Book of Daniel and the rapid technological advances that have transformed our society—echoing the once-dismissed predictions of Sir Isaac Newton on human knowledge surpassing divine wisdom.
The spotlight then shifts to the enigmatic land of Israel, whose very existence and history are tightly woven into end times prophecy. Amidst a culture where the term 'woke' has come to symbolize a departure from traditional values, I question the blurred lines in today's 'woke church' that often embrace sin under the guise of modernity. As we recount the miraculous birth of Israel and the prophetic return of its people, I present evidence that may very well position our generation as witnesses to the Messiah's second advent.
Our journey culminates with the essence of Christian faith—salvation through unwavering belief in Jesus Christ. I lay bare the transformation that true faith should engender, challenging the complacency that sometimes creeps into our spiritual lives. It's a clarion call to embrace the Holy Spirit, renew our spirits, and prepare with earnestness for what many believe are the final days before Jesus' triumphant return. Join me, Rick, as we confront these profound topics with reverence, seeking to inspire and ignite a renewal within.
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Thank You. I Love You!
SEE YA!
Rick
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coming up on Renewed Mindsets.
Today, we're diving deep intosome fascinating stuff Biblical
signs of the end of times.
Yup, we're talking about allthose wild prophecies and what
they might mean for us today.
From wars and crazy naturaldisasters to some seriously
strange stuff happening up inthe sky.
(00:20):
It's all on the table.
So grab your coffee, get cozyand let's explore these ancient
predictions together, and whoknows, we might just uncover
some mind-blowing insights alongthe way.
Let's go, boys.
Hey, welcome to RenewedMindsets, where we study the
(00:45):
basics of the faith through thelens of our middle-aged
experiences.
I'm Rick.
Welcome to the show where Ihelp you, gen Xers and
Millennials, navigatespiritually through a world that
looks nothing like we expectedback, when cars were square and
mullets were totally awesome.
I am so glad you're here.
So who's ready to be blessedtoday?
(01:07):
Let me show you how we can knowthat the time of Jesus' return
is very near Now.
The first thing, I know you'veheard it.
If you're in church, you'veheard about birth pains, just
like when you or your wife wasabout to have a baby.
Right before the big thinghappened, there was birth pains,
(01:28):
right?
Well, this might come as ashock to y'all, but I've never
personally had a baby.
Even though the pregnant manemoji now exists, the reality is
men can't have babies.
I just wanted to make sure youknew that.
But I have witnessed a wife ortwo have a baby, and I've got a
baby.
That's going to have a babyhere in a few weeks.
Now you might wonder where I'mgoing with all this.
(01:49):
Well, jesus relates the sign ofthe end of times to birth pains
.
Mark 13.8, new LivingTranslation Nation will go to
war against nation and kingdomagainst kingdom.
There will be earthquakes inmany parts of the world as well
as famines.
But this is only the first ofthe birth pains, with more to
(02:11):
come.
So now that we know there'sgoing to be birth pains, things
are going to start happening.
First thing I want to talk aboutare our spiritual visions.
Now, not too long ago, the HolySpirit led me to read 1
Thessalonians.
The book ends by reassuring thechurch that Jesus is coming.
It even explains what's goingto happen when he comes.
(02:33):
And after I was done reading,the Spirit of God filled the
room.
I became overwhelmed with aninexpressible peace and joy, and
as I sat there, I kept sensingthe Spirit of God saying Soon,
soon, rick, soon.
Now, like I said earlier, I'mnot one who thinks about the end
(02:57):
times, so this was a veryunusual experience for me.
I've had a few encounters likethis with the Lord, but this was
the first one regarding hiscoming.
I can't even put into words theexperience that I had that
morning, but it took me bycomplete surprise and I left
that time with God with completeconfidence that I'm going to
(03:18):
see the coming of Jesus Christin my lifetime, now, with these
signs Christ in my lifetime Now,with these signs.
There's other signs Fast traveland increased knowledge.
The Old Testament prophetDaniel.
He prophesied greatly about theend times.
(03:38):
He even let us in what it'sgoing to be like in the last
days.
That's from Daniel 12 and 4.
But you, daniel, keep thisprophecy a secret, seal up the
book until the time of the end,when many will rush here and
there and knowledge willincrease.
(03:58):
So back in the 1600s there was agreat scientist, sir Isaac
Newton, and he read thisscripture and he wrote down what
he thought about it and it saidPersonally, I cannot help but
believe that these words referto the end of times, but there
may be some inventions whichenable people to travel much
more quickly than they do rightnow.
Now, he later speculated thatthese inventions might surpass
(04:22):
50 miles an hour.
Wow, now, 80 years later, whichwould be 1680, let's just say
1680, there was a French atheistthat read Sir Isaac Newton's
words and he stated See what afool Christianity makes an
otherwise brilliant man.
He's forgotten that if a manwere would travel at 50 miles an
(04:45):
hour, he would be suffocated.
His heart would stand still.
Yeah, what an idiot.
Oh wait, turns out the Bibleenabled Sir Isaac Newton to
accurately predict the future,while the atheist was left in
the dark.
Now we know who the real idiotis.
(05:06):
So Daniel reveals to us thatthe end times are marked by fast
travel and increased knowledge.
So, from the time at the Gardenof Eden to the early 1900s,
people either walked around orthey rode on horses to get where
they were going.
Then, in a span of less than100 years, mankind invented the
(05:33):
automobile, the jet plane andthe space shuttle.
Now that's talking aboutrushing here and there.
My grandparents grew up withoutelectricity.
That means that there was notechnology, but it only took a
few decades and everybody hadradios and TVs and many of the
modern conveniences that westill use today.
(05:55):
When I graduated high school,the iPhone didn't exist.
The smartphone of my day wasattached to the wall in the
kitchen.
The smartphone of my day wasattached to the wall in the
kitchen and in just a fewdecades we've made major medical
advances.
Tiny babies weighing less thana pound can survive outside the
womb, and there's unborn babiesthat can undergo surgery while
(06:19):
they're still in the womb.
We can clone sheep.
We can clone mice and cattle.
We can even have the technologyto clone humans, if they aren't
doing it already, but I'm sureit's coming.
Talk about increased knowledge.
The world has never experiencedwhat we have experienced in
just a few generations.
It's a sure sign that we're atthe end of the times.
(06:41):
The sad thing is, is all thisdrastically increased knowledge
has made us dumb?
It's been to our detriment?
That is another sign of the endof times.
The knowledge of man.
Society now worships humanknowledge over the wisdom of God
(07:05):
.
Man, that's a bad sentence tohave to speak.
Society now worships humanknowledge over the wisdom of God
.
There's highly educated peopleout there in the world right now
coaching the world on therebirth of morality.
It's no longer wrong to embracea lifestyle of homosexuality.
It's wrong if you speak againstit.
(07:26):
It's no longer wrong toslaughter a baby in the womb.
It's wrong if you speak againstit.
We've become so smart that wefinally realized all this time
that gender is subjective.
You just can't look in yourpants to find out who you are.
You gotta wait and see how youfeel.
(07:47):
Aren't you grateful that humanknowledge has led us to redefine
morality?
The results speak forthemselves.
Right now, around 70% ofAmericans believe that sex
outside of marriage isacceptable.
Around 40% of kids have nofather in the house, and since
(08:08):
abortion was legalized in 1973,there's been 63 million unborn
babies killed right here in theUnited States.
That is the equivalent towiping out 20% of the US
population right now.
Now, as long as we're talkingabout that, let's talk about
(08:33):
abortion, because right noweverybody's talking about
abortion.
I read a Facebook post from achurch leader online that blew
my mind.
She said we don't know whenlife begins.
It's a great mystery.
If we look at the book ofGenesis, adam's life didn't
begin until God breathed intohim, so maybe life doesn't begin
(08:54):
until our first breath.
Unbelievable, a church leaderthat talks like this.
Yet if you pay attention toscripture, you know that God
says before I formed you in thewomb.
I knew you Now.
I've preached on this issue ofabortion before and it all boils
down to this.
Listen and hear me If you sidewith abortion, you side with
(09:25):
Satan.
Don't trust a Christian whosides with abortion.
People don't appreciate it whenI say that, but it's the truth.
This issue of abortion is one ofthe easiest ways to determine
if someone is part of the wokechurch or part of Jesus' church.
You know them by their fruitand as long as I'm there, let's
(09:49):
talk about the woke church.
The woke church or a harlot?
I recently found out that it'sdescribed in Revelation 17 as
the great prostitute, the church.
Let's take a look at how it'sdescribed Revelation 17.2.
This is from the NLT.
The kings of the world havecommitted adultery with her and
(10:12):
the people who belong to thisworld have been made drunk by
the wine of her immorality.
Now, as you can see, the wokechurch consists of churches who
side with the sin over God'sword.
The woke church consists ofchurches who side with the sin
over God's word.
They wrap it up in a beautifulpackage and they call it social
justice, and people are drunk inthe immorality.
(10:35):
Now, here recently, I readabout a church that's hosting a
drag queen show.
I'm sure you've seen it online.
If you're on Facebook, you'veseen the videos, and I already
told you about the church leaderwho's promoting abortion.
Now these are just two of manyhorrifying stories about those
(10:57):
who call themselves Christiansbut are nothing more than a
whore.
The woke church will thriveduring the first half of the
tribulation as the Antichristshares his power with this
harlot, but he won't share hispower for long.
The prostitute called the wokechurch will be destroyed by the
Antichrist midway through thetribulation, when the Antichrist
(11:19):
doesn't need her anymore.
The woke church is nothing butSatan's prostitute to be used
and discarded.
So one of the ways you can besure we're living in the end of
times is because we live in thegeneration of fast travel and
increased knowledge, just likethe prophet Daniel said.
(11:40):
Now, one of the signs that I'mnot going to get into today is
what's been going on with themoon and the stars over the past
few decades.
You know, in 2017, the starsaligned exactly as described in
Revelation 12.
And if you're into astrology,you'll enjoy researching that
one.
And we've also had four bloodmoons over the past 70 years,
and all of them aligned, withsomething significant that
(12:01):
happened in Israel.
Now that's what I want to getinto.
Next, the super sign of the endtimes Israel.
Now what's going on with Israelis considered the super sign of
the end times.
Now let's take a look at whatJesus said Matthew 24, 32
(12:22):
through 34, nlt.
Now learn a lesson from the figtree.
When its branches bud and itsleaves begin to sprout, you know
that summer is near.
In the same way, when you seeall these things, you can know
that his return is very near,right at the door.
I tell you the truth thisgeneration will not pass from
(12:43):
the scene until all of thesethings take place.
When Jesus references the figtree, he's talking about Israel.
So what Jesus is saying is thata single generation will see
all of the end time propheciesabout Israel fulfilled.
And here's the thing Many ofthese prophecies have already
been fulfilled in our generation.
(13:04):
This means that we are thegeneration Jesus was talking
about in Scripture.
That's awesome.
I'm going to take you throughthe prophecies that have already
been fulfilled.
This is going to encourage you.
First, israel is regathered asecond time.
So an entire generation ofIsrael lived captive to Babylon,
(13:25):
and that was as a result oftheir idolatry and rejection of
God.
But after 70 years, god didwhat he promised and brought
them back to their land.
Now this happened more than 500years before Christ.
Then, just like Jesusprophesied in Matthew 24, the
temple was destroyed and thepeople of Israel dispersed a
second time around 70 AD.
(13:46):
This was around 40 years afterJesus prophesied that it would
happen, and for almost 2,000years the people of Israel were
scattered all around the world.
Now I'm sure there were manyover that long period of time
that called Isaiah a falseprophet, because here's what he
said in Isaiah 11, 11 through 12.
(14:07):
In that day, the Lord willreach out his hand a second time
to bring back the remnant ofhis people, those who remain in
Assyria and northern Egypt, insouthern Egypt, ethiopia and
Elam and Babylonia, hamath andall the distant coastlands.
He will raise a flag among thenations and assemble the exiles
(14:29):
of Israel.
He will gather the scatteredpeople of Judah from the ends of
the earth.
God fulfilled this promise in1948, when Israel once again
became a nation after beingscattered for almost 2,000 years
.
This leads me right into thenext prophecy about Israel
that's already been fulfilledIsrael is born in one day.
(14:52):
Let's see what Isaiah saysabout that In Isaiah 66, 8,.
Who has ever seen anything asstrange as this?
Whoever heard of such a thing?
Has a nation ever been born ina single day?
Has a country ever come forthin a mere moment?
But by the time Jerusalem'sbirth pains begin, her children
(15:17):
will be born On May 14, 1948,great Britain released its
control over the land of Israel.
1948, great Britain released itscontrol over the land of Israel
and on that same day, the headof the Jewish agency announced
the establishment of the stateof Israel.
The US president at that time,harry Truman, was quick to
(15:38):
recognize the new nation.
On the very same day, othernations were slow to follow
Truman's lead, but on 14 May1948, that's the day that's
recognized as the official birthdate of the state of Israel, a
nation born in a day.
This leads right into the nextprophecy that's already been
(16:00):
fulfilled Israel is regatheredfrom the north.
Now that Israel's been born ina day, where are all these
people going to come from?
Of course, we already know thatthey were scattered across the
entire world and would come backfrom all over, but the largest
migration came from Russia.
Between 1989 and 2002, morethan one million Russian Jews
(16:24):
migrated to Israel.
In 1889 and 2002, more than onemillion Russian Jews migrated
to Israel, and when the Russianpresident opened up the borders
and allowed the Jews to leave,it fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy
Jeremiah 16, 14, and 15.
(16:44):
But the time is coming, says theLord, when the people who are
taking an oath will no longersay, as surely as the Lord lives
, who rescued the people ofIsrael back to their own land,
from the land of the north andfrom all of the countries to
which had exiled them, for Iwill bring them back to this
land that I gave to theirancestors.
(17:05):
Yet another prophecy aboutIsrael has already been
fulfilled.
Now, don't miss this.
I'm showing you right now howyou can know that we're living
in the last generation.
There's more Jerusalem isretaken by the Jews.
Jesus prophesied about thedesolation of Jerusalem.
Jesus prophesied about thedesolation of Jerusalem.
This was fulfilled in 70 AD.
(17:28):
But he also prophesied thatJerusalem would be recaptured by
the Jews.
In Luke 21, verse 24, jerusalemwill be trampled down by the
Gentiles until the period of theGentiles comes to an end.
This means that Jerusalem wouldremain outside of Israel's
control until the end of times.
(17:49):
Now, I already explained thatIsrael became a nation in 1948.
Then, in 1967, israel engagedin the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War
and regained control ofJerusalem, and it remains in
their hands today.
So let me ask you a questionhow long is a generation?
(18:11):
Hmm?
Jesus said that the samegeneration that sees the
prophecies fulfilled aboutIsrael will see the end times.
We are that generation, so youmight be sitting there going how
long is a generation?
The book of Psalms gives us theclearest explanation Psalm 90,
(18:33):
psalm 91 and 10.
Lord, through all thegenerations, you have been our
home.
70 years are given to us.
Some even live to 80.
According to this scripture, ageneration is between 70 and 80
years.
The first prophecy fulfilledabout Israel was when it became
(18:55):
a nation in 1948.
So I'm going to give you amoment to do the math.
Okay?
May 14th, israel will celebrateits 76th anniversary as a
nation, so this podcast is goingto be dropped on Wednesday, may
(19:19):
15th.
So that was yesterday.
Yesterday, may 14th, 2024,israel celebrated its 76th
anniversary as a nation, knowingGod's desire for all men to
repent and turn to him, Iimagine that our good and
gracious God is going to give usthat extra 10 years.
(19:40):
That's mentioned in Psalms, butwe're already six years in.
Hmm, are you doing the math,2018 was 70 years.
2024 is 76 years.
Four more years.
(20:02):
We're talking about 2028.
He's coming soon.
Jesus is coming very soon.
So a couple of months ago, atchurch, one Sunday morning,
spiritual gifts were moving andthe people were experiencing
deliverance at the end of themessage.
(20:23):
It was a great service and whenit was over, it hit me we all
who are born again will beraptured away at some point.
Now, some people believe thatthe rapture is before the
tribulation, other peoplebelieve it's in the middle and
others believe it's at the end.
(20:43):
Now, regardless of what youbelieve about the timing of
Jesus coming, you need to know.
You need to know that Jesus iscoming back for his church and
the important thing is he'scoming back and he told us we
better be ready when he getshere.
(21:04):
We don't know the day or thehour, but we do know the
generation and, as I justexplained to you just a minute
ago, we are that generation.
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Here we are at the end of thatgeneration and as the birth
(21:27):
pains increase in frequency andintensity, we know that the end
is near.
So I need to ask you are youready for Jesus to come back,
because if Jesus came backtonight, would you be ready?
Getting ready is very simple.
The Bible makes it very clearthat the only way to salvation
(21:48):
is believing in Jesus Christ.
You can't earn it with yourgood works.
You can only receive it bybelieving.
And you may be wondering how doI know if I believe in Jesus?
It's simple when you believe inJesus, you follow Jesus.
Following Jesus becomes thefocus of your life.
(22:10):
Following Jesus means doingwhat he says, following his lead
.
But don't misunderstand me.
What you can't do is you can'tsave yourself.
There's a lot of people who saythat they're a Christian because
they're part of a church orbecause they said a prayer one
(22:32):
Sunday morning in 1983, orbecause they care about social
justice.
None of those things makes youa Christian.
None of those things saves youfrom an eternity in hell.
The only thing that saves youis believing that Jesus Christ
died in your place and that Godraised him from the dead and
(22:53):
gave you eternal life.
Now listen to me.
There's a lot of people whothink they're saved, but they're
not.
I know it sounds really odd forme to say this, but Jesus is
actually the one who said itMatthew 7, 22 and 23.
On judgment day, many will sayto me Lord, lord, we prophesied
(23:15):
in your name and cast out demonsin your name and performed many
miracles in your name.
But I will reply I never knewyou.
Get away from me, you who breakGod's laws.
Works alone cannot save you.
God's mercy saves you.
(23:37):
Now we can say we believe inJesus all day long, but what
really tells the tale is how welive our lives.
If you truly believe Jesus iswho he says he is, you'll follow
him by following his word.
Now, I'm not saying that you'llget it perfect.
None of us do.
But what I'm saying is thatwhen you believe in Jesus and
(23:59):
something is revealed in yourlife that is contrary to the way
Jesus has told you how to live,you abandon your way and you
embrace the way of Jesus.
And this is an ongoing journeyFor me.
It all started by giving up mylife of anger and resentment,
(24:19):
and then I found out I was beingreally mean to people and I had
to give up my bad attitude andmy anger and my resentment and
my unforgiveness.
It goes on and on and on.
It's constant Living a life ofrepentance when something is
revealed in my life that iscontrary to the way of Jesus.
I make an adjustment, and ithappens all the time.
(24:43):
Why?
Because I believe in Jesus.
I believe he gave me new life.
I believe his power residesinside me and enables me to live
life the way he wants me to.
He doesn't expect me to do iton my own.
I believe that he loves me, sowhen he asks me to do something
(25:05):
that I don't particularly likeat the time, I do it anyway,
because he always has my bestinterests at heart.
Believing in Jesus means thatyou are constantly working
towards becoming holy, likeJesus, once saved, always saved,
man.
There's going to be a lot ofpeople who believe that in hell.
(25:28):
You know why?
Because believing in Jesusdidn't change their life.
It doesn't mean that people whobelieve once saved, always
saved, are going to hell.
It means that most of thepeople that believe in once
saved, always saved said aprayer when they were 15 years
old and then went on livingtheir life just like they always
(25:48):
did, unchanged, except they saythey're a Christian.
But what fruit is there?
What evidence is there in theirlife that they're changed?
There's not.
You can't say that you're aChristian and then go on sinning
and say well, I'm forgiven formy sins?
(26:10):
That's not the way it works.
Yes, the Bible says no one canpluck you from his hand, but it
also doesn't say you can't jumpout of that hand.
I believe in Jesus, so I followJesus, and I want to ask you do
(26:31):
you believe in Jesus?
Because now's the time.
He's coming back for his churchvery soon and, trust me, you
want to go with us.
Romans, chapter 10, verse 9tells us that if we confess with
our mouth that Jesus is Lordand believe in our hearts that
God raised him from the dead, wewill be saved.
So we're going to do thattogether.
(26:52):
If you truly believe God raisedJesus from the dead, listen to
me repeat this and mean it Jesusis Lord of my life.
It's that simple.
You're on a path.
(27:13):
If you said that you're on apath, now contact a trusted
church leader and tell them whatyou just did.
Or contact me, rick, at RenewedMindsets.
I'll walk with you through this.
Don't let anyone talk you outof it, not even yourself.
Anytime you have doubts aboutyour salvation, turn to Romans
10.9.
If you openly declare thatJesus is Lord and believe in
(27:36):
your heart that God raised himfrom the dead, you will be saved
, but you must be born again.
Hear this last part.
You must be born again.
You must receive the HolySpirit.
This last part you must be bornagain.
You must receive the HolySpirit.
I believe that God raised Jesusfrom the dead.
(27:58):
I declare Jesus is Lord, I amsaved, I am born again.
No one can take that away fromme, no one can take it from you.
Time is short.
People Time is short.
People Time is now.
Well, that's all for thisweek's show.
You know, the name of this showspeaks my hope for you.
(28:20):
It's taken from the words ofRomans, chapter 12, verse 2.
Do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind that, bytesting, you may discern what is
the will of God, what is goodand acceptable and perfect.
(28:41):
If you enjoyed what you heard,do me a favor, please, and tell
someone you know about it.
Send them a link in a text youknow you may even need to
download it to their phone andshow them what a podcast is.
If it was valuable to you, itwill be to them.
Visit renewed mindsetscom tohear past episodes, read the
(29:04):
blog and check out the new merchand, as always, while you're
there, send me a voicemail byclicking the button at the
bottom right corner of the mainpage.
Tell me what you think aboutthis show.
I just might play it on afuture episode.
Until next week, I'm Rick.
(29:24):
I love you, see ya.
The intro and outro music forthe Renewed Mindsets podcast is
Are you Ready?
(29:45):
By Floodgate From the album.
Are you Ready?
By Floodgate From the album Areyou Ready?
Copyright 2002.
Offbeat Ministries.
Incorporated Floodgate can befound on Apple Music and iTunes
Music used with permission.
Coming up on Renewed Mindsets.
Today, we're diving deep intosome fascinating stuff Biblical
signs of the end of times.
Yup, we're talking about allthose wild prophecies and what
they might mean for us today.
From wars and crazy naturaldisasters to some seriously
strange stuff happening up inthe sky.
(00:20):
It's all on the table.
So grab your coffee, get cozyand let's explore these ancient
predictions together, and whoknows, we might just uncover
some mind-blowing insights alongthe way.
Let's go, boys.
Hey, welcome to RenewedMindsets, where we study the
(00:45):
basics of the faith through thelens of our middle-aged
experiences.
I'm Rick.
Welcome to the show where Ihelp you, gen Xers and
Millennials, navigatespiritually through a world that
looks nothing like we expectedback, when cars were square and
mullets were totally awesome.
I am so glad you're here.
So who's ready to be blessedtoday?
(01:07):
Let me show you how we can knowthat the time of Jesus' return
is very near Now.
The first thing, I know you'veheard it.
If you're in church, you'veheard about birth pains, just
like when you or your wife wasabout to have a baby.
Right before the big thinghappened, there was birth pains,
(01:28):
right?
Well, this might come as ashock to y'all, but I've never
personally had a baby.
Even though the pregnant manemoji now exists, the reality is
men can't have babies.
I just wanted to make sure youknew that.
But I have witnessed a wife ortwo have a baby, and I've got a
baby.
That's going to have a babyhere in a few weeks.
Now you might wonder where I'mgoing with all this.
(01:49):
Well, jesus relates the sign ofthe end of times to birth pains
.
Mark 13.8, new LivingTranslation Nation will go to
war against nation and kingdomagainst kingdom.
There will be earthquakes inmany parts of the world as well
as famines.
But this is only the first ofthe birth pains, with more to
(02:11):
come.
So now that we know there'sgoing to be birth pains, things
are going to start happening.
First thing I want to talk aboutare our spiritual visions.
Now, not too long ago, the HolySpirit led me to read 1
Thessalonians.
The book ends by reassuring thechurch that Jesus is coming.
It even explains what's goingto happen when he comes.
(02:33):
And after I was done reading,the Spirit of God filled the
room.
I became overwhelmed with aninexpressible peace and joy, and
as I sat there, I kept sensingthe Spirit of God saying Soon,
soon, rick, soon.
Now, like I said earlier, I'mnot one who thinks about the end
(02:57):
times, so this was a veryunusual experience for me.
I've had a few encounters likethis with the Lord, but this was
the first one regarding hiscoming.
I can't even put into words theexperience that I had that
morning, but it took me bycomplete surprise and I left
that time with God with completeconfidence that I'm going to
(03:18):
see the coming of Jesus Christin my lifetime, now, with these
signs Christ in my lifetime Now,with these signs.
There's other signs Fast traveland increased knowledge.
The Old Testament prophetDaniel.
He prophesied greatly about theend times.
(03:38):
He even let us in what it'sgoing to be like in the last
days.
That's from Daniel 12 and 4.
But you, daniel, keep thisprophecy a secret, seal up the
book until the time of the end,when many will rush here and
there and knowledge willincrease.
(03:58):
So back in the 1600s there was agreat scientist, sir Isaac
Newton, and he read thisscripture and he wrote down what
he thought about it and it saidPersonally, I cannot help but
believe that these words referto the end of times, but there
may be some inventions whichenable people to travel much
more quickly than they do rightnow.
Now, he later speculated thatthese inventions might surpass
(04:22):
50 miles an hour.
Wow, now, 80 years later, whichwould be 1680, let's just say
1680, there was a French atheistthat read Sir Isaac Newton's
words and he stated See what afool Christianity makes an
otherwise brilliant man.
He's forgotten that if a manwere would travel at 50 miles an
(04:45):
hour, he would be suffocated.
His heart would stand still.
Yeah, what an idiot.
Oh wait, turns out the Bibleenabled Sir Isaac Newton to
accurately predict the future,while the atheist was left in
the dark.
Now we know who the real idiotis.
(05:06):
So Daniel reveals to us thatthe end times are marked by fast
travel and increased knowledge.
So, from the time at the Gardenof Eden to the early 1900s,
people either walked around orthey rode on horses to get where
they were going.
Then, in a span of less than100 years, mankind invented the
(05:33):
automobile, the jet plane andthe space shuttle.
Now that's talking aboutrushing here and there.
My grandparents grew up withoutelectricity.
That means that there was notechnology, but it only took a
few decades and everybody hadradios and TVs and many of the
modern conveniences that westill use today.
(05:55):
When I graduated high school,the iPhone didn't exist.
The smartphone of my day wasattached to the wall in the
kitchen.
The smartphone of my day wasattached to the wall in the
kitchen and in just a fewdecades we've made major medical
advances.
Tiny babies weighing less thana pound can survive outside the
womb, and there's unborn babiesthat can undergo surgery while
(06:19):
they're still in the womb.
We can clone sheep.
We can clone mice and cattle.
We can even have the technologyto clone humans, if they aren't
doing it already, but I'm sureit's coming.
Talk about increased knowledge.
The world has never experiencedwhat we have experienced in
just a few generations.
It's a sure sign that we're atthe end of the times.
(06:41):
The sad thing is, is all thisdrastically increased knowledge
has made us dumb?
It's been to our detriment?
That is another sign of the endof times.
The knowledge of man.
Society now worships humanknowledge over the wisdom of God
(07:05):
.
Man, that's a bad sentence tohave to speak.
Society now worships humanknowledge over the wisdom of God
.
There's highly educated peopleout there in the world right now
coaching the world on therebirth of morality.
It's no longer wrong to embracea lifestyle of homosexuality.
It's wrong if you speak againstit.
(07:26):
It's no longer wrong toslaughter a baby in the womb.
It's wrong if you speak againstit.
We've become so smart that wefinally realized all this time
that gender is subjective.
You just can't look in yourpants to find out who you are.
You gotta wait and see how youfeel.
(07:47):
Aren't you grateful that humanknowledge has led us to redefine
morality?
The results speak forthemselves.
Right now, around 70% ofAmericans believe that sex
outside of marriage isacceptable.
Around 40% of kids have nofather in the house, and since
(08:08):
abortion was legalized in 1973,there's been 63 million unborn
babies killed right here in theUnited States.
That is the equivalent towiping out 20% of the US
population right now.
Now, as long as we're talkingabout that, let's talk about
(08:33):
abortion, because right noweverybody's talking about
abortion.
I read a Facebook post from achurch leader online that blew
my mind.
She said we don't know whenlife begins.
It's a great mystery.
If we look at the book ofGenesis, adam's life didn't
begin until God breathed intohim, so maybe life doesn't begin
(08:54):
until our first breath.
Unbelievable, a church leaderthat talks like this.
Yet if you pay attention toscripture, you know that God
says before I formed you in thewomb.
I knew you Now.
I've preached on this issue ofabortion before and it all boils
down to this.
Listen and hear me If you sidewith abortion, you side with
(09:25):
Satan.
Don't trust a Christian whosides with abortion.
People don't appreciate it whenI say that, but it's the truth.
This issue of abortion is one ofthe easiest ways to determine
if someone is part of the wokechurch or part of Jesus' church.
You know them by their fruitand as long as I'm there, let's
(09:49):
talk about the woke church.
The woke church or a harlot?
I recently found out that it'sdescribed in Revelation 17 as
the great prostitute, the church.
Let's take a look at how it'sdescribed Revelation 17.2.
This is from the NLT.
The kings of the world havecommitted adultery with her and
(10:12):
the people who belong to thisworld have been made drunk by
the wine of her immorality.
Now, as you can see, the wokechurch consists of churches who
side with the sin over God'sword.
The woke church consists ofchurches who side with the sin
over God's word.
They wrap it up in a beautifulpackage and they call it social
justice, and people are drunk inthe immorality.
(10:35):
Now, here recently, I readabout a church that's hosting a
drag queen show.
I'm sure you've seen it online.
If you're on Facebook, you'veseen the videos, and I already
told you about the church leaderwho's promoting abortion.
Now these are just two of manyhorrifying stories about those
(10:57):
who call themselves Christiansbut are nothing more than a
whore.
The woke church will thriveduring the first half of the
tribulation as the Antichristshares his power with this
harlot, but he won't share hispower for long.
The prostitute called the wokechurch will be destroyed by the
Antichrist midway through thetribulation, when the Antichrist
(11:19):
doesn't need her anymore.
The woke church is nothing butSatan's prostitute to be used
and discarded.
So one of the ways you can besure we're living in the end of
times is because we live in thegeneration of fast travel and
increased knowledge, just likethe prophet Daniel said.
(11:40):
Now, one of the signs that I'mnot going to get into today is
what's been going on with themoon and the stars over the past
few decades.
You know, in 2017, the starsaligned exactly as described in
Revelation 12.
And if you're into astrology,you'll enjoy researching that
one.
And we've also had four bloodmoons over the past 70 years,
and all of them aligned, withsomething significant that
(12:01):
happened in Israel.
Now that's what I want to getinto.
Next, the super sign of the endtimes Israel.
Now what's going on with Israelis considered the super sign of
the end times.
Now let's take a look at whatJesus said Matthew 24, 32
(12:22):
through 34, nlt.
Now learn a lesson from the figtree.
When its branches bud and itsleaves begin to sprout, you know
that summer is near.
In the same way, when you seeall these things, you can know
that his return is very near,right at the door.
I tell you the truth thisgeneration will not pass from
(12:43):
the scene until all of thesethings take place.
When Jesus references the figtree, he's talking about Israel.
So what Jesus is saying is thata single generation will see
all of the end time propheciesabout Israel fulfilled.
And here's the thing Many ofthese prophecies have already
been fulfilled in our generation.
(13:04):
This means that we are thegeneration Jesus was talking
about in Scripture.
That's awesome.
I'm going to take you throughthe prophecies that have already
been fulfilled.
This is going to encourage you.
First, israel is regathered asecond time.
So an entire generation ofIsrael lived captive to Babylon,
(13:25):
and that was as a result oftheir idolatry and rejection of
God.
But after 70 years, god didwhat he promised and brought
them back to their land.
Now this happened more than 500years before Christ.
Then, just like Jesusprophesied in Matthew 24, the
temple was destroyed and thepeople of Israel dispersed a
second time around 70 AD.
(13:46):
This was around 40 years afterJesus prophesied that it would
happen, and for almost 2,000years the people of Israel were
scattered all around the world.
Now I'm sure there were manyover that long period of time
that called Isaiah a falseprophet, because here's what he
said in Isaiah 11, 11 through 12.
(14:07):
In that day, the Lord willreach out his hand a second time
to bring back the remnant ofhis people, those who remain in
Assyria and northern Egypt, insouthern Egypt, ethiopia and
Elam and Babylonia, hamath andall the distant coastlands.
He will raise a flag among thenations and assemble the exiles
(14:29):
of Israel.
He will gather the scatteredpeople of Judah from the ends of
the earth.
God fulfilled this promise in1948, when Israel once again
became a nation after beingscattered for almost 2,000 years
.
This leads me right into thenext prophecy about Israel
that's already been fulfilledIsrael is born in one day.
(14:52):
Let's see what Isaiah saysabout that In Isaiah 66, 8,.
Who has ever seen anything asstrange as this?
Whoever heard of such a thing?
Has a nation ever been born ina single day?
Has a country ever come forthin a mere moment?
But by the time Jerusalem'sbirth pains begin, her children
(15:17):
will be born On May 14, 1948,great Britain released its
control over the land of Israel.
1948, great Britain released itscontrol over the land of Israel
and on that same day, the headof the Jewish agency announced
the establishment of the stateof Israel.
The US president at that time,harry Truman, was quick to
(15:38):
recognize the new nation.
On the very same day, othernations were slow to follow
Truman's lead, but on 14 May1948, that's the day that's
recognized as the official birthdate of the state of Israel, a
nation born in a day.
This leads right into the nextprophecy that's already been
(16:00):
fulfilled Israel is regatheredfrom the north.
Now that Israel's been born ina day, where are all these
people going to come from?
Of course, we already know thatthey were scattered across the
entire world and would come backfrom all over, but the largest
migration came from Russia.
Between 1989 and 2002, morethan one million Russian Jews
(16:24):
migrated to Israel.
In 1889 and 2002, more than onemillion Russian Jews migrated
to Israel, and when the Russianpresident opened up the borders
and allowed the Jews to leave,it fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy
Jeremiah 16, 14, and 15.
(16:44):
But the time is coming, says theLord, when the people who are
taking an oath will no longersay, as surely as the Lord lives
, who rescued the people ofIsrael back to their own land,
from the land of the north andfrom all of the countries to
which had exiled them, for Iwill bring them back to this
land that I gave to theirancestors.
(17:05):
Yet another prophecy aboutIsrael has already been
fulfilled.
Now, don't miss this.
I'm showing you right now howyou can know that we're living
in the last generation.
There's more Jerusalem isretaken by the Jews.
Jesus prophesied about thedesolation of Jerusalem.
Jesus prophesied about thedesolation of Jerusalem.
This was fulfilled in 70 AD.
(17:28):
But he also prophesied thatJerusalem would be recaptured by
the Jews.
In Luke 21, verse 24, jerusalemwill be trampled down by the
Gentiles until the period of theGentiles comes to an end.
This means that Jerusalem wouldremain outside of Israel's
control until the end of times.
(17:49):
Now, I already explained thatIsrael became a nation in 1948.
Then, in 1967, israel engagedin the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War
and regained control ofJerusalem, and it remains in
their hands today.
So let me ask you a questionhow long is a generation?
(18:11):
Hmm?
Jesus said that the samegeneration that sees the
prophecies fulfilled aboutIsrael will see the end times.
We are that generation, so youmight be sitting there going how
long is a generation?
The book of Psalms gives us theclearest explanation Psalm 90,
(18:33):
psalm 91 and 10.
Lord, through all thegenerations, you have been our
home.
70 years are given to us.
Some even live to 80.
According to this scripture, ageneration is between 70 and 80
years.
The first prophecy fulfilledabout Israel was when it became
(18:55):
a nation in 1948.
So I'm going to give you amoment to do the math.
Okay?
May 14th, israel will celebrateits 76th anniversary as a
nation, so this podcast is goingto be dropped on Wednesday, may
(19:19):
15th.
So that was yesterday.
Yesterday, may 14th, 2024,israel celebrated its 76th
anniversary as a nation, knowingGod's desire for all men to
repent and turn to him, Iimagine that our good and
gracious God is going to give usthat extra 10 years.
(19:40):
That's mentioned in Psalms, butwe're already six years in.
Hmm, are you doing the math,2018 was 70 years.
2024 is 76 years.
Four more years.
(20:02):
We're talking about 2028.
He's coming soon.
Jesus is coming very soon.
So a couple of months ago, atchurch, one Sunday morning,
spiritual gifts were moving andthe people were experiencing
deliverance at the end of themessage.
(20:23):
It was a great service and whenit was over, it hit me we all
who are born again will beraptured away at some point.
Now, some people believe thatthe rapture is before the
tribulation, other peoplebelieve it's in the middle and
others believe it's at the end.
(20:43):
Now, regardless of what youbelieve about the timing of
Jesus coming, you need to know.
You need to know that Jesus iscoming back for his church and
the important thing is he'scoming back and he told us we
better be ready when he getshere.
(21:04):
We don't know the day or thehour, but we do know the
generation and, as I justexplained to you just a minute
ago, we are that generation.
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Here we are at the end of thatgeneration and as the birth
(21:27):
pains increase in frequency andintensity, we know that the end
is near.
So I need to ask you are youready for Jesus to come back,
because if Jesus came backtonight, would you be ready?
Getting ready is very simple.
The Bible makes it very clearthat the only way to salvation
(21:48):
is believing in Jesus Christ.
You can't earn it with yourgood works.
You can only receive it bybelieving.
And you may be wondering how doI know if I believe in Jesus?
It's simple when you believe inJesus, you follow Jesus.
Following Jesus becomes thefocus of your life.
(22:10):
Following Jesus means doingwhat he says, following his lead
.
But don't misunderstand me.
What you can't do is you can'tsave yourself.
There's a lot of people who saythat they're a Christian because
they're part of a church orbecause they said a prayer one
(22:32):
Sunday morning in 1983, orbecause they care about social
justice.
None of those things makes youa Christian.
None of those things saves youfrom an eternity in hell.
The only thing that saves youis believing that Jesus Christ
died in your place and that Godraised him from the dead and
(22:53):
gave you eternal life.
Now listen to me.
There's a lot of people whothink they're saved, but they're
not.
I know it sounds really odd forme to say this, but Jesus is
actually the one who said itMatthew 7, 22 and 23.
On judgment day, many will sayto me Lord, lord, we prophesied
(23:15):
in your name and cast out demonsin your name and performed many
miracles in your name.
But I will reply I never knewyou.
Get away from me, you who breakGod's laws.
Works alone cannot save you.
God's mercy saves you.
(23:37):
Now we can say we believe inJesus all day long, but what
really tells the tale is how welive our lives.
If you truly believe Jesus iswho he says he is, you'll follow
him by following his word.
Now, I'm not saying that you'llget it perfect.
None of us do.
But what I'm saying is thatwhen you believe in Jesus and
(23:59):
something is revealed in yourlife that is contrary to the way
Jesus has told you how to live,you abandon your way and you
embrace the way of Jesus.
And this is an ongoing journeyFor me.
It all started by giving up mylife of anger and resentment,
(24:19):
and then I found out I was beingreally mean to people and I had
to give up my bad attitude andmy anger and my resentment and
my unforgiveness.
It goes on and on and on.
It's constant Living a life ofrepentance when something is
revealed in my life that iscontrary to the way of Jesus.
I make an adjustment, and ithappens all the time.
(24:43):
Why?
Because I believe in Jesus.
I believe he gave me new life.
I believe his power residesinside me and enables me to live
life the way he wants me to.
He doesn't expect me to do iton my own.
I believe that he loves me, sowhen he asks me to do something
(25:05):
that I don't particularly likeat the time, I do it anyway,
because he always has my bestinterests at heart.
Believing in Jesus means thatyou are constantly working
towards becoming holy, likeJesus, once saved, always saved,
man.
There's going to be a lot ofpeople who believe that in hell.
(25:28):
You know why?
Because believing in Jesusdidn't change their life.
It doesn't mean that people whobelieve once saved, always
saved, are going to hell.
It means that most of thepeople that believe in once
saved, always saved said aprayer when they were 15 years
old and then went on livingtheir life just like they always
(25:48):
did, unchanged, except they saythey're a Christian.
But what fruit is there?
What evidence is there in theirlife that they're changed?
There's not.
You can't say that you're aChristian and then go on sinning
and say well, I'm forgiven formy sins?
(26:10):
That's not the way it works.
Yes, the Bible says no one canpluck you from his hand, but it
also doesn't say you can't jumpout of that hand.
I believe in Jesus, so I followJesus, and I want to ask you do
(26:31):
you believe in Jesus?
Because now's the time.
He's coming back for his churchvery soon and, trust me, you
want to go with us.
Romans, chapter 10, verse 9tells us that if we confess with
our mouth that Jesus is Lordand believe in our hearts that
God raised him from the dead, wewill be saved.
So we're going to do thattogether.
(26:52):
If you truly believe God raisedJesus from the dead, listen to
me repeat this and mean it Jesusis Lord of my life.
It's that simple.
You're on a path.
(27:13):
If you said that you're on apath, now contact a trusted
church leader and tell them whatyou just did.
Or contact me, rick, at RenewedMindsets.
I'll walk with you through this.
Don't let anyone talk you outof it, not even yourself.
Anytime you have doubts aboutyour salvation, turn to Romans
10.9.
If you openly declare thatJesus is Lord and believe in
(27:36):
your heart that God raised himfrom the dead, you will be saved
, but you must be born again.
Hear this last part.
You must be born again.
You must receive the HolySpirit.
This last part you must be bornagain.
You must receive the HolySpirit.
I believe that God raised Jesusfrom the dead.
(27:58):
I declare Jesus is Lord, I amsaved, I am born again.
No one can take that away fromme, no one can take it from you.
Time is short.
People Time is short.
People Time is now.
Well, that's all for thisweek's show.
You know, the name of this showspeaks my hope for you.
(28:20):
It's taken from the words ofRomans, chapter 12, verse 2.
Do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind that, bytesting, you may discern what is
the will of God, what is goodand acceptable and perfect.
(28:41):
If you enjoyed what you heard,do me a favor, please, and tell
someone you know about it.
Send them a link in a text youknow you may even need to
download it to their phone andshow them what a podcast is.
If it was valuable to you, itwill be to them.
Visit renewed mindsetscom tohear past episodes, read the
(29:04):
blog and check out the new merchand, as always, while you're
there, send me a voicemail byclicking the button at the
bottom right corner of the mainpage.
Tell me what you think aboutthis show.
I just might play it on afuture episode.
Until next week, I'm Rick.
(29:24):
I love you, see ya.
The intro and outro music forthe Renewed Mindsets podcast is
Are you Ready?
(29:45):
By Floodgate From the album.
Are you Ready?
By Floodgate From the album Areyou Ready?
Copyright 2002.
Offbeat Ministries.
Incorporated Floodgate can befound on Apple Music and iTunes
Music used with permission.
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