We are living in exciting times, and as the song lyrics go, "The times, they are a-changin'."  When world events seem overwhelming or confusing or changing too fast, the first thing we need to do is consult the Bible.  All the important stuff is there!

The Bible is not only a book of history, but a book of things to come, i.e. a book of prophecy.  The 24th chapter of Matthew refers to near and distant future events.  Jesus is speaking as a Jew to the Jews.  Many scholars believe that Christ is talking about pre-Rapture days.  Others feel that Jesus is speaking mostly to the Jewish nation of the days prior to His second coming, when He returns with His Church to set up His Kingdom to rule and reign from Jerusalem with His Bride for 1,000 years.  Either way, some of the events He is speaking of have already happened and the rest can take place at both times.  Surprisingly, we can see many of these predictions taking place now.  So, where are we?  We are standing on the threshold of earth-shaking times.

There are certainly wars and rumors of wars, and we are told not to be troubled, for these things must take place, but the end (of the age) is not yet.  Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

The focus of the Bible has always been on Israel and the surrounding nations.  The world has finally caught up to the Bible.  This generation's eyes are on the Middle East, beginning with the Desert Storm War and especially since the 9/11 attack on our own country.

God knows what He is doing.  He has absolutely had this war to go on in Iraq... He has used George W. Bush, and the United States, to accomplish what He could do no other way, to do what needs to be done in that part of the world.  We are living the end-time scriptures.

God brought the Israelis back to their land and will continue to do so until all have returned. Israel will say, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" when Jesus sets his feet down on the Mount of Olives.  The Messiah will walk into the Temple and take His place on the throne of David, and finally begin His earthly reign that the Jews have awaited for thousands of years.  Christ (and His Bride) will rule the earth for 1,000 years at that time.  Satan will be bound, and there will be no evil influence over the nations.  This millennial reign will be like the world was intended to be from the beginning.

Today's prophets are saying that God is using other nations to provoke Israel to jealousy.  They predict that the Arab nations will receive Christ.  Christian newscasters tell us that China is launching thousands of missionaries to take the Gospel to the Muslims.  The missionaries are reporting that hearts are hungry for the Gospel and many have been saved.  It is of far greater benefit to win our enemies to Christ than to go to war with them!  We have the potential of winning a nation for Jesus, and to change the world.  We need people who pray to stand in the gap until and AFTER the evangelists get on the scene.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi citizens have been free to buy satellite dishes, and the Gospel of Christ is now being broadcast over Iraq and neighboring Islamic countries for the very first time.  I believe that this was one of the most obvious examples of the beginning of the last movement to evangelize the world.  Hussein blocked the Gospel from being preached in his nation, so after 40 years, God removed Hussein.  God allowed that gruesome dictator a full generation to change his ways, but God also has His own timetable.

The Scripture says that the Gospel will be preached to all nations before Jesus returns to the earth (Matthew 24:14).  Through satellites, that is happening now.  Like Hussein, godless tyrants may have the power to block those signals, but God is still the Supreme Ruler and He will do what He has to do to help the Church fulfill her Great Commission.

The 1st century Church did their part, and now we, as the last generation of Believers, have to do our part.  George W. Bush has done his part, whether he was aware of God's intent or not.  The Church has a spiritual viewpoint towards current events, with an eye on the prophetic word of the Bible.  We do not see things as the world sees them.  We have a heavenly vision, and we get excited as we see the Scripture coming alive.

Prior to the coming of the Antichrist, Christ is going to catch away the practicing, born-again believers.  Jesus didn't tell us the day or the hour of His appearing, but He did give us some signs that would indicate the season of His return.  I am speaking of the "Rapture" now.

The "return of Christ to rule over the world" will occur approximately 7 years after that "snatching away."  During that period, terrible calamities will befall the earth, and the world government and the world church will be run by the Antichrist and the False Prophet... but that is another teaching.

What's happening now is the subject of this article, and I can tell you that this is a time of preparedness for the church.  The Bible tells us that the "Bride has made herself ready" for His appearing, and we remind each other that Jesus is coming soon.  The Lord is moving upon the hearts of pastors and teachers to get back to the basic Gospel:  Christ and Him crucified and resurrected, who has taken away the sins of the world, and His eminent return.  These are the bare bones of salvation, which is freely given to all men, not because of any of OUR works, but by God's grace (unearned favor).

Matthew 11:12 is literally translated as the Kingdom of God "being pressed into through ardent zeal."  It is a "precious prize to be greatly sought after with intense exertion" (The Amplified Bible, Strong's Concordance).  This is also the way a soul-winner should go after the lost.  The "prize" for them is not only their own salvation, but leading others into eternal LIFE rather than allowing them to fall blindly into eternal damnation.  The zeal for holiness in one's own life, walking in fellowship with Christ, and the passion for the unsaved will be the obvious sign that the "Bride is making herself ready" (Revelation 19:7, NAS Bible).

The Bride/Church is made up of millions of individuals, going the same direction, with one mind and in one accord.  There is a painting of the Bride going into the clouds meeting the Savior.  Upon closer inspection, you can see that her white gown is made up of polka dots, which are really individual people in white, without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

While praying with a friend, I recently had a vision of the end-times Church. I saw an army, walking side by side with arms linked, stretched out and encircling the earth, advancing in unity and unison across the world.  Oddly enough, all were dressed in those white Haz-Mat (Hazardous Material) suits, but they carried no weapons.  As I pondered this vision (see the article entitled "Visions," on this site), God started revealing the meaning of it to me. The suits were white, representing the purity of the individual (as with a bridal gown), yet to the enemies of Christ, the soldiers were "hazardous."

The Word and Spirit of God within us are like "nerve gas" to the devil and his crowd.  The Haz-Mat suit is also a shield, defending the believer from the toxins of this world.  The Holiness of God is a protective covering against the onslaughts of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The faces of the suits had a dark, filtering shield over the eyes. The Apostle Paul said that "we see through a glass darkly," which I took to mean that the army only saw as much as God allowed them to see, and all had the same vision.

This vast infantry was unstoppable in its advancement. When one soldier died, he went up, and the chain closed ranks. When a new soldier appeared, the others unlinked their arms to allow him into the rank, and quickly closed again, as they marched.

All are equal in God's army, with no individual recognition. The Lord said that this was because this last move of the Spirit before Christ's appearing, would be a layman's movement.  Not through famous personalities, nor big names from the Christian circles, and none who wished to take any personal glory (Isaiah 48:11).  Many of those well-known persons were there, of course, but nobody recognized them; they were only a part of a fearsome army taking the land for Christ, and were covered from head to toe in GOD'S glory suit.

At this point in time, I believe that the army is in boot camp, and a lot of us have been there for a while. As the majority of us graduate, others will begin their training, and many others will graduate a little after us. That shall continue until the rapture (read the vineyard parable in Matthew 20:1-14).

Each generation has had mighty warriors for Christ; some known, and many unknown. This last movement of the Holy Spirit will be the greatest, because time is short before Jesus comes, and we must redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16).

That's what's happening now!

God bless you, my friends,
Rev. C. L. Moser -- March/April, 2005