Tale of Two Seasons:
As we quickly approach the last days there are two sets of events simultaneously emerging. The one most average Christians know about, and the one fewer know about.
Tribulation:
Revelation 13:16
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads...
"The Tribulation", a period of 7 years where the earth will come under tremendous stress. Having been vacated of all the Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, who are the salt and light, and therefore restraining the darkness; the Prince of this present world's system, Satan, will cause his Anti Christ to emerge.
People will get saved under the preaching of many who knew of the Gospel but didn't believe in their heart or confess with their mouth. There will also be 144,000 Jewish witnesses, from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who will preach salvation on the earth. Primarily, they will be sent to the people of Israel, and then also to the rest of the inhabitants on earth who didn't leave in the first ride out.
During this time there will come a day when Anti Christ will cause people to be locked out of the world's monetary system of buying and selling without a special mark.
The Harvest:
Ephesians 5:27
...that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Glorious Church, is also a time that is fast approaching. Christ is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. He made us that way with His blood. The end will not come until the Gospel has been preached all over this world.
Even now people are coming to Christ in record numbers. Crusades in Africa where MILLIONS, in ONE meeting, are coming to Jesus, getting, saved, healed, delivered, having devil's cast out, etc... Muslims all over the middle east are becoming Christians in record numbers.
Healing, Miracles, and Revivals are breaking out all over the world. Places that were considered dark and impenetrable are now opening to the Gospel.
Current Events:
In light of current events there are things taking shape. As much as 10-20 years ago I was already hearing about the chips that were under development that would allow a person to have a chip implanted in the hand and be scanned to complete a transaction.
Well those days are upon us now, more than before. We now have chips implanted in Pets for identification of lost animals. As a society we are becoming more accepting of other chip implant concepts, such as chips in kids (presumably, for now, for tracking and medical information).
Now we are growing every closer to the cashless society that many Christians said would come, and many scoffers said was impossible, only less than 100 years ago. The first wave of this technology to hit the USA in full force and acceptance was a small improvement to our debit/credit cards. The advent of Visa Pay Wave was so subtle, you may or may not have noticed it yet. Look on the front or back of your debit and/or credit card for a small symbol that resembles sound waves. Backward C's that get larger left to right, as seen on the image below, and on the cards above. PayWave allows the card holder, at participating merchants (there are more and more by the day), to simply tap the card to a read. No need to slide the card or hand it over. If you only carry one card you may not even need to take it out of the wallet.See the Visa Video: Visa Pay Wave Video
In Europe they have taken a more assertive approach. Those who travel outside of the USA already know that in many places in Europe you MUST have a new card type to do business. The EMV Chip has now completely replaced the magnetic strip on cards in many places. That's right. NO magnetic strips. We've grown used to those strips in the last 30 years since they were introduced in the 70's and 80's. Well, just as the smart phone forever changed cell phones, the EMV chip has now replaced the old cards.Need to find yourself an EMV chip before you go traveling to Europe? I have a lot of people ask me where to get one. I suggest doing a Google Search for "EMV Chip Cards". I found this handy website with such a search: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2012/americas-top-emv-chip-pin-credit-cards/
But that's just one more small step... there's more... Why carry the chip on a card? That's SO 20th century! Why not just have a smart phone with the chip implanted in it, download the app for your particular Credit Card Company or Debit Card Bank and *presto chango* Your CELL PHONE has not replaced your Credit Card entirely! Don't even bring the silly plastic thing along!
The Following are Excerpts from Visa's Blog:
Visa’s mobile payment app – Visa payWave...These certifications are important and set the stage for banks and mobile operators to allow consumers to “wave and pay”, finally transforming the phone into a payment device.More and more people are noticing the rapid shift from cash and checks to electronic payments. Earlier this week, Canada announced it will withdraw the penny from circulation, citing high cost of production, transportation, storage and handling.In a blog on the Huffington Post, author David Wolman observes that the U.S. is well on its way to this kind of broad acceptance, reducing costs for merchants, consumers and society alike. In his words, cash is “inconvenience incarnate” and, with the advent of the latest technology like mobile, “cash is getting bumped further and further to the edges of our everyday lives.”...If you want a glimpse of what a cashless future might be like, all you need to do is look at what’s happening in Sweden. According to a recent AP news story, Sweden has converted almost its entire economy to digital currency, from bus fares to all kinds of business. In fact, cash today represents just 3 percent of the Swedish economy. But convenience and reducing costs are just two of the advantages of acceptance. In Sweden, it’s also credited with a significant decline in cash crime, the AP reports: The number of bank robberies plunged from 110 in 2008 to 16 in 2011, the lowest level in 30 years. Armored car robberies are down, too. When thieves know people are unlikely to carry cash, they are less likely to target them for street crimes.
So what now?
Now, if you are remotely inclined to believe the bible, you may be asking yourself... this sounds like a set up for the mark of the beast... Congratulations! It is!
In fact biochips are already in people, primarily for Identification and Medical Records. These types of chips are usually called RFID chips, and primarily nothing more than a fancy bar-code.
As Snopes correctly identifies, these ID chips and the EMV chips are completely different technologies. They also correctly site that people far too intrigued in the fear of the Mark of the Beast are taking wild leaps in their assessments of the developments and giving out wrong information as fact.
However, considering that iPhone doing more today than a bulky PC did just 20 short years ago... it's not anywhere out of reason to assume that two different technologies (RFIS - ID chips and EMV -Transaction Chips) could one day meld into a single usable chip that could do all of the above and more, and at the rate of expansion of technology, it's not out of reason to assume that could happen very quickly.
Also, there is no reason to assume that the Mark of the Beast is located in the same place on the body the chip is located. It is likely that it will be, but the mark could be a tattoo of loyalty on the forehead or hand and the chip implanted in the butt! The bible says that the mark will be required for transactions, not that it is itself the transaction tool. I agree with Snopes, these half cocked emails need to stop, but let's not throw the whole thing out, there are some good reasons to ponder these things.
Our Response:
No Fear - But rather excitement!:
There are SEVERAL things that have to take place before the mark of the beast comes. The Gospel has to be preached to the WHOLE WORLD, the Church must be taken in the rapture, and most importantly, for those of you who were either left here on earth or those who chose to stay (yes you may be able to choose to stay), the mark of the beast CANNOT be taken accidentally. The mark involves denying Jesus and swearing your worship to the Anti Christ who will have imposed himself as god incarnate and made 7 year peace treaty with Israel, in which the Temple of Solomon will be re-built right next to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
So there is no reason to fear technology that brings us closer to the end. We should be excited because that means Jesus is coming soon! We can embrace technology that makes our lives easier. I am not against the EMV chip in cards, or even the ID chip in pets. My dog has one, I think? These things are not evil, in and of themselves.
Personal Opinion Break:
(For those of you who don't believe in a pre-tribe rapture, you are not just wrong, you are deceived. I've seen nothing but evil doctrines come from churches that teach anything but a pre-tribe rapture. Teaching that Christians will stay through the tribulation are doctrines of devils and should be run from like a plague. I don't doubt the salvation, usually, of someone who teaches a post/mid trib rapture, but I wouldn't trust ANY of their doctrine for a split second. I believe that no one that teaches anything other than a pre-trib rapture is listening to God's Spirit.)
The only healthy biblical reaction for teaching about the end times is EXCITEMENT! We are nearing our departure point and we should be so excited about it that others get caught up in our excitement and hop on board the train.
FEAR is always a sign the devil is at work. So if you are a Christian and you read an article like this one and FEAR results, you need to get under more teaching from Anointed Men and Women who teach faith. If your pastor isn't teaching faith, healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, etc... GET OUT, don't wait, RUN! FAITH, BOLDNESS, CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE... these are the natural reaction of people who are taught The Word of God.
FAITH or FEAR. Your choice. See this article if you are struggling with fear in any form: Click Here
See this Message on Pre Trib Rapture: Click Here
Other Material on the subject, although I now find that I cannot find a GREAT resource among the midst of this world wide web. So many voices arguing. I will have to write some articles on the subject.
Natural:
There are things we should be doing in the natural. If you are going to travel, go get an EMV chip. Find out where to get one. You'll need it to do business. Getting a chip in the dog could be a good idea.
How far do we take it? I don't know. You pray and ask God what He is telling you for your family. Would I get a chip in my kid? Probably not. I don't trust any government to use that technology right, and the US Government controls our medical system. For that matter, as my mom has been a nurse for over 30 years, I don't trust the medical system. I don't mind centralized medical records that they can pull with my social, maybe doctors would stop making so many mistakes, they are practicing you know!
I don't know that I want any chip in my body for any reason. I like being able to unplug. I got rid of my cell phone 2+ years ago and I'm not sure when I'll get another. Just don't need it. I write blogs, I write o them weekly, if not daily, but that doesn't mean that I don't like turning it all off when I want to. For me, the idea of a chip in me is distasteful. But that is more of a moral, ethical, trust issue. It's a matter of not trusting the source of that technology or how it will be used. It is NOT a fear of the Mark of the Beast.
Spiritual:
Articles like this should re-fire you; excite you! They should remind you, yet again, that Jesus is coming! When you start to see more and more of this tech coming out, don't fear! Get all giddy! Jesus is coming! Go tell your friends. Let the concerns of this days needs wash away and roll the care of all that on Jesus. He'll take care of your needs as you seek His Kingdom Agenda and remind yourself that He has MADE you righteous!
What is YOUR calling? What ministry have you been called to? Are you a Church Minister; Business Minister; Accounting or Banking Minister; Food/Restaurant Minister? Do what you are called to do with passion and enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus is coming soon and all that will matter when it's all said and done is what you did to impact others for Jesus.
Pray about your day. I work at a call center, for now. I am learning to pray that every word I speak will minister the Life of God to people. When someone says they aren't feeling well and I wish them good health am I just saying that because that's how sales people build and maintain rapport? Sales people are trained to respond in empathy to your misfortune as it build trust and makes the conversation smoother to conduct business. It's part of the human-business model. First you meet human needs and then you can transition to business. Listen to the voice tone of the next person you tell a bad story to who is a trained customer service and/or sales person. "I'm sorry to hear that" "I'm sorry for your loss"... sound familiar? Are they sorry? Maybe. Some people truly do empathize with their customers, feel their pain with them. Some just say it because it's part of their call recording scores. Some just say it, with gusto, to make you easier to sell to.
What if... what if we did these things as Jesus would do them, or as if Jesus were the one calling. "If you give a cup of cold water in my name you gave it to me..." What if I prayed every morning about the people I would talk to that day, customers and co-workers. What if I prayed until I sensed the anointing of God on my to do what I do that day as if Jesus himself were walking into that call center. When someone says they are not feeling well and I say "Well, be healed." Did I say it because I'm just trying to employ a sales or quality assurance technique? Did I say it because it was the religious thing to say? Did I mean it? What if I actually expected the anointing of God to pass through me as I touched your arm or shoulder and said "be healed" matter of factly (not religiously) and I BELIEVED that the anointing would go into you and heal you! THERE is an idea!
Go about your day today and pray about how you can impact your world with the quite, subtle, power of Jesus. Notice that Peter didn't YELL at people on the streets to be healed. It was just his shadow that healed them as he passed by. He just did his thing and the Anointing did It's thing!
There is a GREAT HARVEST that needs to be brought in. We have a commission to go, preach, and make disciples! We have a commission to back that up with sings following. Mark 16. End times reminders are helpful to re-excite us about the coming rapture and remind us to keep our eyes focused on the goal!
Next time you see or hear something that reminds you the end is near... REJOICE!
We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)The first thing that must be said about this article, is that it should in NO WAY scare you. Somehow Christian people get nervous when talking about the end times or Anti Christ. We are WAY more powerful than the Anti Christ individually, nonetheless as a group. Each one of us has the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us! Scared? NO! Excited!
There are SEVERAL things that have to take place before the mark of the beast comes. The Gospel has to be preached to the WHOLE WORLD, the Church must be taken in the rapture, and most importantly, for those of you who were either left here on earth or those who chose to stay (yes you may be able to choose to stay), the mark of the beast CANNOT be taken accidentally. The mark involves denying Jesus and swearing your worship to the Anti Christ who will have imposed himself as god incarnate and made 7 year peace treaty with Israel, in which the Temple of Solomon will be re-built right next to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
So there is no reason to fear technology that brings us closer to the end. We should be excited because that means Jesus is coming soon! We can embrace technology that makes our lives easier. I am not against the EMV chip in cards, or even the ID chip in pets. My dog has one, I think? These things are not evil, in and of themselves.
Personal Opinion Break:
(For those of you who don't believe in a pre-tribe rapture, you are not just wrong, you are deceived. I've seen nothing but evil doctrines come from churches that teach anything but a pre-tribe rapture. Teaching that Christians will stay through the tribulation are doctrines of devils and should be run from like a plague. I don't doubt the salvation, usually, of someone who teaches a post/mid trib rapture, but I wouldn't trust ANY of their doctrine for a split second. I believe that no one that teaches anything other than a pre-trib rapture is listening to God's Spirit.)
The only healthy biblical reaction for teaching about the end times is EXCITEMENT! We are nearing our departure point and we should be so excited about it that others get caught up in our excitement and hop on board the train.
FEAR is always a sign the devil is at work. So if you are a Christian and you read an article like this one and FEAR results, you need to get under more teaching from Anointed Men and Women who teach faith. If your pastor isn't teaching faith, healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, etc... GET OUT, don't wait, RUN! FAITH, BOLDNESS, CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE... these are the natural reaction of people who are taught The Word of God.
FAITH or FEAR. Your choice. See this article if you are struggling with fear in any form: Click Here
See this Message on Pre Trib Rapture: Click Here
Other Material on the subject, although I now find that I cannot find a GREAT resource among the midst of this world wide web. So many voices arguing. I will have to write some articles on the subject.
- https://timlahaye.com/shopexd.asp?id=125
- http://www.raptureready.com/rr-pretribulation-rapture.html
- http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/a/whatisrapture.htm
- http://www.raptureready.com/rr-critics.html
- http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/defending-the-pre-trib-rapture-again/
- http://www.calvaryprophecy.com/q1034.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7DqOQzzhAk&feature=related
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91fRwre73aw
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEY6YZ7e170&feature=related
Natural:
There are things we should be doing in the natural. If you are going to travel, go get an EMV chip. Find out where to get one. You'll need it to do business. Getting a chip in the dog could be a good idea.
How far do we take it? I don't know. You pray and ask God what He is telling you for your family. Would I get a chip in my kid? Probably not. I don't trust any government to use that technology right, and the US Government controls our medical system. For that matter, as my mom has been a nurse for over 30 years, I don't trust the medical system. I don't mind centralized medical records that they can pull with my social, maybe doctors would stop making so many mistakes, they are practicing you know!
I don't know that I want any chip in my body for any reason. I like being able to unplug. I got rid of my cell phone 2+ years ago and I'm not sure when I'll get another. Just don't need it. I write blogs, I write o them weekly, if not daily, but that doesn't mean that I don't like turning it all off when I want to. For me, the idea of a chip in me is distasteful. But that is more of a moral, ethical, trust issue. It's a matter of not trusting the source of that technology or how it will be used. It is NOT a fear of the Mark of the Beast.
Spiritual:
Articles like this should re-fire you; excite you! They should remind you, yet again, that Jesus is coming! When you start to see more and more of this tech coming out, don't fear! Get all giddy! Jesus is coming! Go tell your friends. Let the concerns of this days needs wash away and roll the care of all that on Jesus. He'll take care of your needs as you seek His Kingdom Agenda and remind yourself that He has MADE you righteous!
What is YOUR calling? What ministry have you been called to? Are you a Church Minister; Business Minister; Accounting or Banking Minister; Food/Restaurant Minister? Do what you are called to do with passion and enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus is coming soon and all that will matter when it's all said and done is what you did to impact others for Jesus.
Pray about your day. I work at a call center, for now. I am learning to pray that every word I speak will minister the Life of God to people. When someone says they aren't feeling well and I wish them good health am I just saying that because that's how sales people build and maintain rapport? Sales people are trained to respond in empathy to your misfortune as it build trust and makes the conversation smoother to conduct business. It's part of the human-business model. First you meet human needs and then you can transition to business. Listen to the voice tone of the next person you tell a bad story to who is a trained customer service and/or sales person. "I'm sorry to hear that" "I'm sorry for your loss"... sound familiar? Are they sorry? Maybe. Some people truly do empathize with their customers, feel their pain with them. Some just say it because it's part of their call recording scores. Some just say it, with gusto, to make you easier to sell to.
What if... what if we did these things as Jesus would do them, or as if Jesus were the one calling. "If you give a cup of cold water in my name you gave it to me..." What if I prayed every morning about the people I would talk to that day, customers and co-workers. What if I prayed until I sensed the anointing of God on my to do what I do that day as if Jesus himself were walking into that call center. When someone says they are not feeling well and I say "Well, be healed." Did I say it because I'm just trying to employ a sales or quality assurance technique? Did I say it because it was the religious thing to say? Did I mean it? What if I actually expected the anointing of God to pass through me as I touched your arm or shoulder and said "be healed" matter of factly (not religiously) and I BELIEVED that the anointing would go into you and heal you! THERE is an idea!
Go about your day today and pray about how you can impact your world with the quite, subtle, power of Jesus. Notice that Peter didn't YELL at people on the streets to be healed. It was just his shadow that healed them as he passed by. He just did his thing and the Anointing did It's thing!
There is a GREAT HARVEST that needs to be brought in. We have a commission to go, preach, and make disciples! We have a commission to back that up with sings following. Mark 16. End times reminders are helpful to re-excite us about the coming rapture and remind us to keep our eyes focused on the goal!
As Rod Parsley once said: "The Apex of ALL Christian endeavour must become to place a jewel of a soul in the crown of our King, to bring to the Lamb the reward of his suffering!"GLORY! Thank you Jesus! THAT is Christian living!
Next time you see or hear something that reminds you the end is near... REJOICE!
Acts 5:15Darrell G. Wolfe
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
______________________________________
See Referenced Articles:
- http://blog.visa.com/2012/04/17/visa-adds-nokia-lumia-610-to-list-of-certified-devices-for-visa-paywave-payments/
- http://blog.visa.com/2012/04/05/digital-currency-is-the-future/
- http://blog.visa.com/2012/03/27/moving-closer-to-a-cashless-society/
- http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98077&page=1#.T5tmFatYshw
- http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2012/americas-top-emv-chip-pin-credit-cards/
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6237364/ns/health-health_care/t/fda-approves-computer-chip-humans/#.T5tvTqtYshw
- There are others embedded in the article too.
- http://www.kcm.org/real-help/article/fear-or-faith-choice-yours
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