Note: This is the first of a two-part article.

Just days before our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection, He withdrew from the crowds in Jerusalem, walked with His disciples across the small Kedron Valley and climbed up part of the mild slope of the Mount of Olives, which overlooked Jerusalem from the east.

His disciples used this private time with Him to ask Jesus important questions about the destruction of the temple, His Second Coming and the final judgment at the “end of the age” (Matt. 24:3). He told them that no one knows the day or the hour of His future coming. “Only the Father knows,” He said (Matt. 24:36b; MSG).

We Can Know the Signs of His Coming

However, in the immediately preceding parable of the fig tree, Jesus taught that men can know signs of the end of this age and the general period of His coming (see Matt. 24:32-35). When the fig tree is tender and the branches put out leaves, one can understand that summer is near. It doesn’t indicate the day or hour that summer will begin, only the general time period. Thus, the prophetic “fig tree” is a sign of anticipation and approximation.

The generation of discerning believers living in the days preceding the Lord’s coming will know they are in the last days because of these indicators (Matt. 24:33). What the last-day disciples will not know exactly is the day and hour of our Lord’s soon return (Rev. 22:12-13). The unsaved world will be in the dark about these important, future prophetic events.

Noah’s Flood Teaches Us About the End of the Age

Our Lord Jesus went on to compare the Biblical account of Noah’s flood (Gen. 6-8) to teach critical truths leading up to His return: “For as in the days before the flood, they [the unsaved] were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark” (Matt. 24:38, MEV).

He did not say the pre-flood generation was gluttonous or intoxicated nor that there was anything inherently inappropriate or unwholesome in marriage. Actually, sexual expressions within the bonds of marriage are sanctified (Heb. 13:4). His issue was that the unrighteous ones were oblivious to the reality of their personal sins and would be unprepared for the impending judgment by a holy God.

The original events (recorded in Gen. 6-8) showed how the people of that age were morally twisted or “wicked,” and the culture was filled with “violence” or lawlessness and God determined to destroy that generation (the 10th from Adam and Eve) and start over (Gen. 6:1-7).

In the context of that evil society (Gen. 6:11-13), “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 8:8). God saw him as “a just man and blameless among his contemporaries.” Almost like a tombstone epitaph, the rest of the verse says simply, “Noah walked with God.” This is the same term used of his great-grandfather, Enoch, of whom Scripture says, “Enoch walked with God, and he was no more because God took him” (Gen. 5:24).

It seems that Noah’s walk with God consisted of faithful obedience to “all the Lord commanded him” (Gen. 6:22; 7:5). The degeneration of the human race was rapidly happening all around him, but Noah was viewed as righteous and blameless in God’s sight, if not also in the sight of the unrighteous and guilty ones around him.

The apostle Peter calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5b), although no Scripture specifically shows him as “preaching” or proclaiming anything. Apparently, Noah’s nearly 100 years of righteous living before an ungodly world, while he was very visibly obeying God in building a really big boat/ship, was the testimony and witness God desired of him. Undoubtedly, he repeatedly explained to those who came to watch or mock that the ark was intended for saving lives—not just the various animal kinds but precious human beings who would turn to God in repentance, humility and obedience.

Deviant Thinking and Practiced Perversion

God, who knows the very intentions of our hearts, saw that mankind was wicked and corrupt and human thoughts were “continually only evil” (Gen. 6:5). As in our day, society in Noah’s day had lost its moral conscience and discernment of values, decency and relationship to God. Deviant thinking and practiced perversion weaken and ultimately destroy a civilization.

According to Genesis 6:14-17, the ark was to be 450 feet long (equal to 1.5 football fields in length), 75 feet wide (the same length-to-width ratio is consistent to ship dimensions today), and 45 feet high, with a capacity exceeding that of 500 railroad stock cars. Its bargelike shape made it difficult to capsize. Food and animals were loaded onto the ark in the numbers and kind which God ordered.

Then, God affirmed Noah by saying, “You and your entire household go into the ark, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me among this generation” (Gen. 7:1). Noah, his wife, his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth and their three wives all boarded the ark (Gen. 6:18-22). Please remember that. We’ll mention it again next time in Part 2 of our study: “Learning about the End of This Age from Noah’s Worldwide Flood.” {eoa}

Gary Curtis served in full-time ministry for 50 years, the last 27 years of which he was part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the Van Nuys’ California Foursquare church. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly blog at and frequent articles for digital and print platforms.

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Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs says many believers are not excited about the imminent return of Jesus because they don’t believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. That, he says, is one of the reasons for the prevailing apathy that exists in the church today.

But, Hibbs says, Scripture makes it “absolutely clear” that the rapture will take place. The only questions are: When will it happen, and what will we do to prepare for the coming of Christ for His bride?

“The validity and necessity of the pre-tribulation rapture view of the church can be found in Colossians 3,” said Hibbs, the lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California. “It says, ‘if you were then raised with Christ, desire those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then you also shall appear with Him in glory.”

Hibbs backs Colossians 3 up with John 14:1-3, which says, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you back to Myself, that where I am, you may be also.”

“You can’t take away from John 14:1-3 in any form and say there is no rapture,” Hibbs says. “Jesus said himself, ‘I am leaving to prepare a place for you. I’m coming back. I’m going to receive you to Myself. That’s where I am.’

“The rapture is a biblical doctrine, and Paul stressed it in Thessalonica for about three and a half weeks when he preached and founded a church. He taught them key biblical doctrines, and two of them were predestination based on God’s foreknowledge and the rapture of the church. First Thessalonians 1:10 says … ‘and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.'”

The rapture, Hibbs says, is the believers’ “blessed hope,” and will always be that until it actually happens.

“How could you not get excited about that?,” Hibbs asks. “My mom, on her death bed, with her last words, asked, ‘What’s taking Him so long?’ That should be our last words. The rapture is biblical doctrine, and it’s something to get excited about. You are not going to be punished for your sins during the tribulation period. Your sins were already punished on the cross. So, you should be excited about Christ coming back for you.” {eoa}

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Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs says many believers are not excited about the imminent return of Jesus because they don’t believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. That, he says, is one of the reasons for the prevailing apathy that exists in the church today.

But, Hibbs says, Scripture makes it “absolutely clear” that the rapture will take place. The only questions are: When will it happen, and what will we do to prepare for the coming of Christ for His bride?

“The validity and necessity of the pre-tribulation rapture view of the church can be found in Colossians 3,” said Hibbs, the lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California. “It says, ‘if you were then raised with Christ, desire those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then you also shall appear with Him in glory.”

Hibbs backs up the Colossians 3 passage with John 14:1-3, which says, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you back to Myself, that where I am, you may be also.”

“You can’t take away from John 14:1-3 in any form and say there is no rapture,” Hibbs says. “Jesus said himself, ‘I am leaving to prepare a place for you. I’m coming back. I’m going to receive you to Myself. That’s where I am.’

“The rapture is a biblical doctrine, and Paul stressed it in Thessalonica for about three and a half weeks when he preached and founded a church,” Hibbs says. “He taught them key biblical doctrines, and two of them were predestination based on God’s foreknowledge and the rapture of the church. First Thessalonians 1:10 says … ‘and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.'”

The rapture, Hibbs says, is the believers’ “blessed hope,” and will always be that until Christ’s return.

“How could you not get excited about that?” Hibbs asks. “My mom, on her deathbed, with her last words, asked, ‘What’s taking Him so long?’ That should be our last words. The rapture is biblical doctrine, and it’s something to get excited about. You are not going to be punished for your sins during the tribulation period. Your sins were already punished on the cross. So you should be excited about Christ coming back for you.” {eoa}

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As I was reflecting on the virgin birth and God’s miracle power last week, I was reminded of a miracle I witnessed several years ago while ministering in a church in Brazil.

To recap, an unsaved woman, who had never been in a church before, felt compelled to come into the service as she was walking by the church. She observed the worship, heard my translated message and heard me share a few words of knowledge about healing God wanted to do. One of the words was quite simple: “Someone here has a problem with a left ear.”

It turns out that this woman, who had never heard the gospel message about Jesus and had never been in a church service, was also born with a deaf left ear, but she could hear normally out of her right ear. When I gave the word about a problem with the left ear, immediately her left ear opened, and she could hear out of it!

Her healing shocked her, and she came forward to share what happened. Someone even captured the moment on video. This woman was miraculously healed by God the moment I simply shared what God wanted to do—heal a problem with a left ear. God is the God of the impossible today—do not ever doubt that. Over the years, I have observed many healings and miracles; the skeptics doubt, but I can personally attest that Jesus is still performing miracles today.

Elizabeth and John Discern Jesus

Notice Luke 1:35-56 (NKJV):

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who fear Him

From generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

The angel promises Mary that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, she will conceive Jesus and give birth to the Messiah.

He promises that the Holy Spirit will “overshadow” Mary, and she will conceive (Luke 1:35).

Mary responds, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Mary, in essence, says, “Here I am Lord, use me, and let your promise come to pass according to your word!”

Mary believed the “now word”, or rhḗma word from God. This word was active and alive with potential because it was from God. Paul shares an important truth about faith in his letter to the Romans,

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhḗma] of God” (Rom. 10:17).

The Greek for “word” in this verse is rhḗma, which means “that which is said or spoken, an active word, a happening to which one may refer—’matter, thing, event.’ Faith often develops from an active word that causes a manifestation or event.

Literally, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary like a glory cloud. The very glory, or presence of God, that rested on the ark and caused Moses’ face to shine, that we read about throughout Scripture, came upon Mary and deposited the divine seed of the Son of God in her womb. The incarnation is not understood with human reasoning, logic or senses. Only by the Spirit can we understand!

This miraculous event demonstrates two fundamentals of our Christian faith: the virgin conceived by God’s power and Spirit and the resurrection occurred by God’s power and Spirit.

This confounds unbelievers, as many reject the idea of God and miracles. Former editor of Charisma Magazine, Lee Grady, previously wrote about the importance of the virgin birth. He mentioned that Thomas Jefferson called the virgin birth a fable. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins called the miracles of the Bible “religious propaganda.” Physicist Stephen Hawking, who passed in 2018, rejected the possibility of miracles.

So did 19th-century enlightenment era philosopher David Hume. Working in a deductive circle, he argued based on experience miracles do not happen. Yet he dismissed credible eyewitness testimony for miracles based on his assumption that miracles do not happen. I discuss this prevalent anti-supernatural bias in our modern culture in my book Receive Your Miracle Now: A Case for Healing Today.

As I shared about the deaf ear miracle above, many can hear these types of miracle stories and still doubt they occurred because they simply do not believe in God or in miracles.

But as we read in Luke’s Gospel about the virgin birth, Elizabeth, by the Holy Spirit, could see and discern Mary was with child. Being empowered by the Spirit, she begins to prophesy about Jesus. Even John, in her womb leaps as Mary enters—the Holy Spirit upon him as promised!

We see in this part of the story of Christ’s birth an example of how faith sees, or discerns, the unseen. In this case, both the natural reality of a child in the womb and the eternal promise of God the Messiah growing within Mary.

Real Faith Operates in the Unseen Realm

The seen realm—that which we understand with our senses and circumstances—is temporary, not eternal. Therefore, Paul could boldly say in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “the just shall live by faith.”

Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians an important truth regarding the unseen world and the role the Holy Spirit plays in revelation to us:

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). {eoa}

Bob Sawvelle is the founding and senior leader of Passion Church in Tucson, Arizona. Passion Church is a vibrant, kingdom-minded church in the heart of Tucson that values God’s love and presence. He is a doctor of ministry doctoral mentor for the Randy Clark Scholars cohort at United Theological Seminary, an adjunct professor teaching master’s-level classes in evangelism, discipleship and church planting with the Global Awakening Theological Seminary and an online course facilitator for Global Awakening’s Christian Healing Certification Program and Christian Prophetic Certification Program.

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I don’t know about you, but I cannot remember a time when more people have attacked more leaders than we have experienced over the past year. I also cannot recall a time when more leaders, both in politics and in faith, have either stumbled or fallen than the past year.

So, I can understand the feelings of those who were hurt or let down by those whom they trusted to serve. I am not going to focus this article on those who have stumbled or fallen this year. I will leave those stories for someone else to write.

I prefer to write things that are encouraging and hopefully strengthening to the body of believers. So, I thought we would look at an example in the Bible where a leader in a moment of weakness could have given up and brought destruction to the people of G-D. But, in this leader’s moment of weakness, the people he served jumped into action and kept him from falling.

Let’s look at Exodus 17 and read this narrative and hopefully we can learn how you and I can come to the rescue of a leader in their time of weakness, and by doing so, help the people of G-D to gain victory where they might have suffered a terrible loss.

“Then the Amalekites came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose men, go out, and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand'” (Ex. 17:8-9, TLV).

Just like the Israelites, you and I are in a battle—not by our choice, but because our enemy, the accuser, chose to attack the people of G-D. In our text, Moses, the leader of Israel, sends Joshua, his protege, to lead the armies of Israel against their enemy, the Amalekites. He also tells Joshua that as the battle rages he would hold the staff of G-D in his hand. The battle begins and we continue reading.

“So Joshua did as Moses said, and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. But when he let down his hand, the Amalekites prevailed” (Ex. 17:10-11).

Everything is going well, and the armies of Israel are prevailing against their adversaries until Exodus 17:12:

“Moses’ hands grew heavy, so they took a stone, put it under him, and he sat down. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So, his hands were steady until the sun went down.”

Here, we find that Moses began to become weak, and his weakness caused him to lose the strength to keep his commitment to Joshua. Moses had promised Joshua that he would hold up the staff of G-D, but he became weak. And we already read that when the staff was lowered, Israel would begin to lose in the battle.

It is this moment in time that I am referring to in this article; when Aaron and Hur saw Moses getting weak, they took it upon themselves to do two things. First, they took a stone and placed it under him. Second, they held up his arms until the sun went down. The battle is won instead of lost because when Moses became too weak to keep his commitment, Aaron and Hur stepped up to help.

Just imagine how many leaders could be saved from falling and how many of G-D’s people could be kept from defeat if the people of G-D would follow the example of Aaron and Hur.

Let’s look deeper at a couple of things. Aaron was a leader himself who could have attempted to replace Moses while he was weak. Aaron also could have allowed Moses to fail, so he could rise up to replace him. But instead, Aaron kept submitted to Moses’ authority, supporting Moses in his weakness by sharing his strength with him.

By contrast, Hur is an unknown person in Scripture up until we read his name in this text. He was a nobody who had the opportunity to become somebody by stepping in to replace Moses. Moses was weak, and it would have been easy for Hur to push him out of the way and take his place holding the staff. Instead, Hur chose to become somebody by making sure Moses didn’t fail in his moment of weakness. Like Aaron, Hur submitted to the authority of Moses and supported Moses in his weakness by sharing his strength with him.

The last part of this lesson that we may miss by focusing on the people has to do with the stone. The word stone in Hebrew is אבן (even) which can be broken down into two separate words אב (av, which means Father) and בן (ben, which means Son). Think about this word picture for a moment. Moses was getting weak and about to fail. Aaron and Hur saw what was happening and immediately made Moses rest upon the stone (symbolic of the Godhead).

Maybe it was because Aaron and Hur knew that in his weakness Moses needed to rest on G-D that they also knew it was not their responsibility to replace Moses in his moment of weakness. Instead, it was to hold Moses up and not only keep Moses from failure, but also bring victory to the people of G-D.

I hope this will encourage you to always remember that all of our leaders are human and will, at times, become weak. As part of the body of Messiah, when we see our leaders become weak, instead of talking about them or trying to replace them, our role is to help them to rest on a stone and then hold their arms up.

If we learn this lesson, we will see fewer leaders failing and more victories in the body of Messiah. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

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I don’t know about you, but the last few weeks have been pretty intense, with various spirits in full-blown attack mode.

I don’t like to highlight the enemy’s work, and I don’t like to blame everything on him. But I am very aware when he starts working.

Over the last week, I have experienced a mocking spirit, a religious spirit, a prideful spirit, a rejected spirit and an easily offended spirit. Typically, when someone has a “religious spirit,” you can experience all of these within one person. However, I have had the unusual experience of having all of these spirits attack me individually over the last week, including the Leviathan spirit. It is really good at twisting words and causing miscommunications.

It is important to stay prayed up and not give these spirits a foothold. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves operating under these evil spirits because we get our feelings hurt or harbor unforgiveness. It is important to check ourselves and ask God to reveal any hidden pain, trauma, offenses or unforgiveness in our hearts. If we don’t, we give the enemy a foothold.

I had to check myself recently and ask God if there was any truth to the negative words that had been spoken to me by a well-known prophetic voice. Sometimes we can do or say things with the right intentions, but they do not come across correctly. Sometimes this happens because we lack judgment, and sometimes it happens because of something the other person is dealing with. Sometimes both.

I too have operated under all of these spirits unknowingly; that’s why we need to fast and check ourselves often. Everyone, no matter how anointed or popular, can be influenced by these spirits.

I have seen many times where influential leaders have become prideful in their gifts. They will make their “call” superior to yours. They will make it plain to you that you could never understand their “mantle” and the warfare they must endure. To even assume you understand is foolish and immature, according to their viewpoint.

This is pride. But if you were to mention that they are prideful, you would be met with more pride.

It is best to disconnect yourself from people who operate this way—regardless of how well known they are.

While we all have different callings, gifting and ranks, we should never make ourselves out to be more than we are. The sign of a mature leader is that they won’t brag about how anointed they are; they will never compare themselves. They walk in authority but also humility.

Roman 12:3 (NLT) is clear: “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

Sometimes we can bring unnecessary warfare on ourselves just by allowing the enemy a foothold with spirits such as pride, unforgiveness and offense. Repent for anything that may be hindering your witness. Seek God, have Him search your heart daily and stay prayed up!

“Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Pet. 5:8-9, MEV). {eoa}

Gypsy Dallas Smith is called to the mountain of media. She and her husband, Daryl, are the founders of Born 2 Inspire Life, a Christian media ministry that broadcasts Voices of Hope. She is an ordained minister through Summit Bible College and holds the position of prophetic program and leadership director as well as instructor. Visit her website at , and listen to her podcast Voices of Hope on the Charisma Podcast Network.

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The biblical narrative goes back thousands of years and is full of fascinating stories. In fact, it is so full of characters and epic tales that the overarching story-behind-the-stories can easily be lost.

It is important to understand the story of the Bible because it is still going on today. It did not end with the death of Jesus or Paul or with the writing of Revelation. The story is still being written and does not end until Jesus returns.

What, then, is the story of the Bible? It is the story of God’s plan to redeem mankind and create a family to spend eternity in fellowship with Him. You might be thinking that plan began with the New Testament and the coming of Jesus. But it began long before Jesus was born.

The watershed moment of all history was when God spoke to a man named Abram and announced His plan to redeem mankind. If Abram followed Him, God would give him a national homeland and, through Abram, create a great nation through which God would bring about this great plan. He described it as a blessing to all the families of the earth. The apostle Paul said that verse was the first time the gospel of Christ was preached.

God had a plan, and He needed a people to work through to bring about that plan. Abram said yes, and it is from this point that the biblical story takes off.

To learn more about this glorious plan and the amazing story behind all the Bible stories, I invite you to Walk Thru the Bible with me. Join me today by downloading our Bible Reading Plan, and get started reading right away! Invite your friends and family to join us. I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you! {eoa}

Dr. Susan Michael is USA director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast.

It really doesn’t matter where in the world you live. We are all going through unprecedented difficulties between political upheavals, economic disruptions and plague.

It may seem as if we are spiritually in between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, which you may be surprised to learn is actually one of the best places Bible believers can find themselves.

Let’s look in Exodus 14 to see if there is a lesson we can apply today. In verses 6-9, we find Pharaoh sending his army after the children of Israel. The people saw the sea in front of them, and they saw the Egyptian army closing in fast behind them. And their response is found in verses 10-12 (TLV):

“When Pharaoh drew near, Bnei-Yisrael lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them! So they were terrified, and Bnei-Yisrael cried out to Adonai. They said to Moses, “Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt? Why have you dealt this way with us, to bring us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ It was better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

As people of faith, we know that their response was the absolute wrong response to the situation they were in. It was a real response. It was an honest response. But it was the wrong response.

However, when we read the next line of text, which is Moses’ reply to the people, we don’t often judge Moses’ response in the same way we judge the people. Though from G-D’s response to Moses, we should see both the people’s response and Moses’ response as wrong responses. Let’s look together at Exodus 14:13-14:

“But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still, and see the salvation of Adonai, which He will perform for you today. You have seen the Egyptians today, but you will never see them again, ever! Adonai will fight for you, while you hold your peace.”

When we read these words, on the surface, it looks as if Moses was full of faith and chastising the people for their lack of faith. Yet, when we read G-D’s response, we see that G-D’s reply to Moses is similar in tone to Moses’ reply to the people, and G-D actually tells Moses to tell the people the exact opposite instructions to what Moses gave.

“Then Adonai said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying to Me? Tell Bnei-Yisrael to go forward. Lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. Then Bnei-Yisrael will go into the midst of the sea on dry ground'” (Ex. 14:15-16).

Notice Moses told the people to stand still and let G-D do it. G-D told Moses to tell the people to move forward and “you'” stretch out your hand and divide the sea. I believe that we, as the people of G-D, have found ourselves in a similar situation—a situation that needs miraculous intervention, which, for the record, is the best place for believers to be because it is at these moments in history that G-D uses His people to show His power so He will receive the praise.

The Egyptians coming toward us may represent governmental attack against the people of G-D, and the Red Sea may represent natural disasters such as sickness, floods, storms and so forth. The body of Messiah is standing between them with a promise of victory.

But in order for this to happen, it is time for us to stop standing and waiting, and it is time for us to begin to move forward in faith, raising our arms and parting the sea. In other words, we have been given the power and authority to divide the sea. But instead, we are crying out to G-D and standing around waiting. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity As Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

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It breaks Amir Tsfarti’s heart when he discovers Christ followers who are deceived by false teaching of end-times events.

One belief that particularly disappoints Tsfarti—the founder and leader of Behold Israel ministry—is the widespread myth that the COVID-19 vaccine, now being distributed worldwide to combat the dreaded disease, is really the mark of the beast prophesied in the book of Revelation.

Tsfarti, who appeared recently on Real Life with Jack Hibbs, says Scripture clearly debunks this belief.

“It’s sad because a lot of those who believe that it is the mark of the beast are pre-tribulation rapturists,” says Tsfarti, who was born in Israel and has lived there most of his life. “It is not the mark of the beast, and for four reasons. First of all, you need to have a beast. The beast is a person, and such a thing has not appeared. The second thing is the mark of the beast is the sign of when you are deep into the tribulation, which definitely has not yet begun.

“Number three is the mark of the beast is something that is on your forehead or right hand, and the COVID vaccine is not being distributed that way. Fourth, it is a token of worship. And why is this key? The Bible doesn’t say believers will lose their salvation if they take the mark of the beast. Believers cannot take the mark of the beast because they do not worship the beast. No believer that is taking the vaccine today is pledging their allegiance or worshiping Satan incarnate, which is the Antichrist.”

Hibbs, senior and founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Hills, located in Chino, California, says the last point is particularly relevant in the discussion of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We have to remember that when Satan comes, he’s going to inhabit the Antichrist,” Hibbs says. “Satan wants you to worship him. You’re not going to be tricked into accepting the mark of the beast. I don’t believe the church will be here when all of this happens. I believe 2 Thessalonians 2 is very clear about this.

“Satan wants the allegiance of the populace of the world. He is not going to trick you; He is going to require you to worship him. People are going to get in line because they agree with his policies and agenda. I understand the passion and excitement of people, but we have to watch this with biblical wisdom. A lot of Christians thought the magnetic strip on credit cards were the mark of the beast, or bar codes or when they came out with a hologram chip on cards. You will have to see the church removed from the earth, and, at the 3.5 year point, (the Antichrist’s) true colors will show.”

For more of this fascinating discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine, tune into Real Life with Jack Hibbs.

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In the wee hours of the night (morning) of October 23, 2020, I had a prophetic dream which disturbed me because it depicted law enforcement, the U.S. military and hospitals being used against Americans, while all other prophecies, of which I was aware, depicted Donald J. Trump remaining in the White House for the next four years and all being well in America.

I found it very difficult to muster the courage to share this prophetic dream with you since it went against the flow of others’ “prophecies,” which unfortunately did not come to pass. I did not want my prophetic dream to be true. But I cannot help what God shows me.

Unfortunately, it has already come to pass since the inauguration—it is continually being fulfilled—and it coincides with previous prophetic dreams I shared with you, the details of which some leftists are now calling for today—the rounding up and encampment of Christians.

I understand one’s temptation to prophesy what he believes will certainly come true, such as the continual service of Donald J. Trump for the next four years. I myself wanted to prophesy this, because I, too, was certain he would; but I resisted, because I knew the difference between the voice of God and the desires of my carnal wishes. I do not believe in deceiving the body of Christ by telling them “God said …” when He did not speak.

Please do not misunderstand; I believe that Donald J. Trump won the election, just as God told me that he would. But God did not tell me that he would serve the next consecutive four years. This still remains to be seen, because the military might be conducting its own investigation, and it can intervene upon concluding its investigation. But this might not be happening. I have my doubts and do not wish to lead the body of Christ into any false hope.

If the October 23, 2020 prophetic dream is an indication, one way or the other, it might reveal that Donald Trump would not be serving the next four years due to the depiction that law enforcement, the U.S. military and hospitals would be used against Americans, and Donald Trump would, I believe, prevent this.

Though I did change the title of the article from “A Prophetic Dream of the End of America” to its current title, nevertheless, God did not give me the title. He gave me the dream. So, what follows are the exact words I shared with you on October 23, 2020:

“Many Christians are wondering and praying about the future of America and what kind of nation she will become. Many are concerned that the upcoming election might have a strong bearing on America’s future. On October 23, 2020, I had a dream that pertained to this.

“In my dream, things took a turn for the worse in the United States. I was to conduct a massive evangelistic crusade at a coliseum that was completely filled up. However, prior to this, I found myself among the trees, grass and shrubs, sleeping on the ground. There was a metal collar around my neck enabling my whereabouts to be monitored in real time. I found someone else nearby with whom I had spoken about the situation. I backed away from her and did not tell her my plan. I looked on my cell phone for the nearest hospital.

“My phone showed me the directions to the hospital. I was within walking distance. I merely had to walk a few blocks around the corner and turn right. Then it was further down a few more blocks. I gathered my belongings. My intent was to go to that hospital and report that I am being illegally tracked by subversive individuals. I was certain that hospital staff would be shocked and immediately report this to law enforcement, check out my health and remove the metal collar from my neck.

“When I arrived, I went inside the hospital to the desk to check in. It was a military hospital. I felt safe, initially. I kept looking to see if I was at the inpatient or the outpatient sign in desk. I did not think it mattered. I was certain they would get me to the right location. I kept waiting at the desk while other people who showed up after I did were lining up and being attended to. Finally, the desk closed down without calling on me. But I found another desk across the foyer.

“I went to the other desk and saw the clock on the wall to my right. I had waited for five hours to check in, yet many others in line who arrived after I did were still allowed to check in and be called upon before me. I brought this to the attention of the clerk behind the desk. He told me, ‘Leave or I’ll call the ATF!’ I realized that hospitals were not a safe place. I looked at him directly. I vividly saw his face and demeanor. He had red hair, blue eyes, fair skin and was resolute. I looked at him directly in the eyes and firmly told him, “Call the ATF!” Then I could report to proper authorities the subversive activities I witnessed and experienced.

“I waited for the ATF and looked for them, but they had not arrived. I then began to discern that they were part of the problem, and that they were not going to help me but imprison me. Otherwise, I did not know why the hospital staff would threaten me like this. So, I departed for my own safety. I began to leave the premises of the hospital. I saw several men in various uniforms in different locations as I left the premises. I avoided them. I was trying to get away. I discerned that the entire American system of government, law enforcement, hospitals and military were subverted and had become enemies of the people.” Then the dream came to an end.

Let us pray that this is merely a warning of what might become of our nation if we as Christians do not remain good stewards of this great land, getting involved to truly be the salt of the earth, and vote for men and women standing up for constitutional and biblical principles.

James F. Linzey, ., studied church growth under C. Peter Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary. He studied advanced leadership formally in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S Army. He is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible and is ordained as a Southern Baptist Convention minister. {eoa}

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