Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and muggy (70 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 20 robins, 4 bunnies, 2 dogs, a cardinal and a rainbow! Thank You, Jesus!

This morning, I received an email, some of which I would like to share with you, from Dr. Mark Yarbrough, President of Dallas Theological Seminary. But, first, a little background. Forty+ years ago, a member or two from my home church in Boston saw something in me that made them think I should be a pastor. So, after working in a machine shop for a couple of years, I decided to go to a seminary my home church supported, thinking they were all the same. It wasn’t very long before I realized that they weren’t all the same and that Moses did not write the first 5 books of the Bible, though it says he did ,in Deuteronomy 31:24. It turned out that, though I was in a very liberal seminary, the Lord protected me and gave me a variety of experiences, like being a student pastor, a youth pastor, a hospital chaplain and a church planter, all of which were very fulfilling to me. I even wrote my Master’s Thesis on creating a job for myself to be like a chaplain to the Capehart Community in Bangor, Maine which was also known as the so-called “ghetto of Bangor.”

After serving the Lord for three and a half years, He called me to be the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Hartford, Wisconsin where I served for 35 years before retiring. In the meantime, I have written and had published 5 books with a sixth, “Discernment,” on the way which, I believe, is lacking in many of our churches today.

So, let me share with you some of the email from President Yarbrough which, I believe, is timely, though I know there will be others who will not agree with him and me. Dr. Yarbrough wrote: “With all the chaos, confusion, and fear in our culture right now, there seems to be a sense that things can’t go on like this forever. Something big must happen.

Through God’s Word, believers know what will happen to settle our uneasiness. Scripture teaches that the Lord Jesus will descend ‘from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Elsewhere Paul said this historic moment, which over time has become known as the ‘rapture,’ will happen ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (I Corinthians 15:52). At DTS, we believe the rapture will set in motion God’s end times program – the ‘great tribulation’ (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14) when God will judge evil. The tribulation will be followed by Jesus’ second coming when He returns to earth, defeat the forces of evil, establish His kingdom, and bring in a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 19-21).” Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will address Dr. Yarbrough’s question: “How should the truth of the rapture impact our lives today?”

Yes, dearly beloved in Christ, these are indeed exciting times to be alive, as we watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please consider becoming one today by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) Who died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings with love, Doug (8/28/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and warm (77 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 20 robins, 6 bunnies, 6 deer, 6 doves, and a dog! Thank You, Jesus!

This article, from Reuters , really got my attention this morning: “Russia’s defense minister accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a defense exhibition that featured the North’s banned ballistic missiles, state media reported. The North has said deployment of US aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.” And Jesus said, in Matthew 24:6, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of war; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.”

And, speaking of earthquakes which I love to do, over the last 24 hours, the USGS recorded: a “strong” (6.4) earthquake, 96 km, W of Port Olry, Vanuatu which was followed by 4 “moderate” (5.0, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5) aftershocks. And, there were also another 6 “moderate” quakes in or near Fiji (5.1), the Flores Sea (5.1), Indonesia (5.1), the Loyalty Islands (5.0), the Philippines (5.2) and Russia (5.3). And, Jesus also said, in Matthew 24:7, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”

And so, dearly beloved in Christ, as we see and hear of these and the other “signs” Jesus gave us in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, increasing in frequency and intensity, like “birth pains” (Matthew 24:8), we know we are getting closer to the Lord’s return which means we are to “be on the alert” (Mark 13:33, 35, 37) while watching, waiting, working, witnessing for walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes.

And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please don’t wait another day, for you might not have another day. Simply agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings & prayers, Doug (7/27/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from hazy and warm (70 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 18 robins, 3 bunnies, 3 doves, 2 cardinals, a deer, a dog and a heron! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from Reuters, caught my prophetic eye this morning: “Verified Human”: Worldcoin users queue up for iris scans.”

In the article, Elizabeth Howcroft, Anton Bridge and Medha Singh reported: “People around the world are getting their eyeballs scanned in exchange for a digital ID and the promise of free cryptocurrency, shrugging off concerns among privacy campaigners and data regulators. Founded by Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT developer open AI, the Worldcoin project says it aims to create a new ‘identity and financial network’ and that its digital ID will allow users to, among other things, prove online that they are human, not a bot.

The program launched on Monday, with eyeball scans taking place in countries, including Britain, Japan and India. At a crypto conference in Tokyo, people on Tuesday queued in front of a gleaming silver globe flanked by placards stating: ‘Orbs are here.’ Applicants lined up to have their irises scanned by the device, before waiting for the 25 free Worldcoin tokens the company says verified users can claim.

Users told Reuters they weighed concerns over data collection against their curiosity about the project which says it has issued IDs for more than two million people in 120 countries, mostly during a trial period in the last two years.”

Check out Revelation 13 to see if you think this could very well be Bible prophecy being fulfilled which could very well mean Jesus’ coming is nearer than you might think. So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please, I beg you, don’t put it off. Right now, agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Praying I’ll see you in heaven, Doug (7/26/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from hazy and warm (72 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 33 robins, 6 doves, 4 deer and 2 bunnies! Thank You, Jesus!

These recent headlines really got my attention this morning:

#1. Reuters: “Extreme Weather.”

#2. Dr. Joseph Mercola: “COVID Censorship Proved to Be Deadly.”

In the first article, Guglielmo Mangiapane reported: “Climate change has played an ‘overwhelming’ role in the heatwaves this month, according to an assessment by scientists. European and North American temperatures would have been virtually impossible without the effects of ‘climate change,’ said Izidine Pinto, one of the study’s authors.”

In the second article, Dr. Mercola wrote: “The federal government was sued for colluding with social media companies to censor Americans. U. S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty issued a preliminary injunction stating, ‘the present case arguably involves the most massive attack on free speech in Unites States’ history. The governments’ censorship efforts depict ‘an almost dystopian scenario,’ the ruling states, during which the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’ Topics that were clearly censored by the government, which, ‘used its power to ‘silence the opposition, include opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, masks, lockdowns, the lab leak theory of COVID-19 and more. When organizations talk about tackling ‘misinformation’ and disinformation,’ it’s a code phrase for censorship that’s part of a globalist agenda to control free speech and alter the perception of truth and reality.”

These articles made me think of John 8:44 where Jesus said of the self-righteous, religious leaders of His day: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father or lies.”

Jesus, on the other hand, said, in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father (goes to heaven) but through Me (Jesus).” And so, you have a choice: Jesus or Satan, heaven or hell. My prayer is that, if you haven’t already done so, you will agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior (Jesus) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life in heaven (John 3:16). By the way, there is no “global warming” or “climate change” because God is ultimately in control of both. And, according to Revelation, He will heat things up on earth as part of His judgment on those who “follow the science” and not the Creator of the science, the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13-23). And, if you are a believer in Jesus, “fix your eyes on Him” (Hebrews 12:2) and keep them there until He comes. Blessings and prayers, Doug (7/25/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from hazy and warm (66 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 12 robins, 4 deer, 2 dogs and 2 doves!

This recent headline, from Prophecy News Watch, really got my attention this morning: “Global Food Programs Are About to Get Much Worse!”

In the article, Michael Snyder reported: “It was just a matter of time before the grasshoppers joined the party. In 2023, global crops have been devastated by plague after plague. Farmers in the U.S. and elsewhere have had to deal with seemingly endless drought, unprecedented heat, nightmarish flooding and horrifying outbreaks of disease. In fact, citrus greening disease is one of the primary reasons why the orange harvest in Florida is only going to be about half as large as it was last year. It has been one thing after another for our farmers, but ravenous hordes of insects has been one plague that has been noticeably absent from the list. Unfortunately, that has now changed. Just recently, a swarm of grasshoppers that was so enormous that it was actually spotted by weather radar systems descended upon Tooele, Utah (population: 31,605, as of 2010), causing significant damage to crops.”

And Jesus said, in Matthew 24:6, 7, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” Jesus also told us, in Matthew 24:8, these “signs” would come like “birth pains, “that is increasing in frequency and intensity,” as we get closer to His return. Note: You might consider stocking up on food supplies not only for your family, but also for your neighbors as part of your witness to them.

As I have said before, read Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 or my book, “Birth Pains: An Introduction to Bible Prophecy” which is available on Amazon or from me and watch the news to see if what Jesus said would happen is happening. And, if it is and you are not a believer in Jesus, please become one right now by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for Your sins, was buried and raised from the dead to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (I Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16). Believe me, you will be eternally grateful. And, if you are a believer in Jesus, then continue to watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Blessings with love and prayers, Doug (7/24/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from hazy and cool (62 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 22 robins, 4 doves, 3 bunnies, a crow, a deer and, get this, an owl who made a sound like a dog barking! Weird! Thank you, Jesus!

Today, I would like to continue with Olivier Melnick’s article: “Have I been Wrong about the Rapture All Along?” Melnick continued: “Frankly, instead of a no-Rapture view, a lot of people believe in a post-tribulation Rapture that will happen simultaneously with the the physical return of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah to the earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. Basically, the Rapture and Second Coming are separated by a few brief moments, making the Rapture less of an important milestone in God’s program than it ought to be. One of the questions I have is, ‘How could a Rapture happening at the end of a specific period of seven years be unknown and imminent?’ How can the Rapture a be one and the same event when, in John 14:1-3, Yeshua promised, ‘Do not let your heart be troubled; 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; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Again, this is Olivier Melnick’s idea about a “pre-trib Rapture which I also believe in. Sadly, this can be a very divisive issue among Christians which is exactly what our enemy, the devil, would like us to argue about. And so, in order to keep this idea from becoming a divisive issue in the church, let me conclude by saying, let us all agree that Jesus is coming and let us fix our eyes on Him (Hebrews 12:2) while watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes.

And, if you are still not a believer in Jesus, why not become one today by simply agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven! Blessings, Doug (7/23/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from partly cloudy/sunny and warm (67 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 28 robins, 7 deer, 6 doves, 2 seagulls, a bunny and a dog! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from Olivier Melnick, really got my attention this morning: “Have I been Wrong about the Rapture All Along?”

Melnick wrote: “I have been a believer (in Jesus) for 40 years, and for that entire season, I have always believed that there would be a future event in human history when Yeshua (Jesus) would come into the sky and snatch believers away before the terrible time of the Great Tribulation started. In fact, it is through the reading of ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ by Hal Lindsey that I first learned about the Rapture. It impressed me enough that it led me to invite Yeshua (Jesus) into my life as my Messiah and Savior. That was the summer of 1983, exactly 40 years ago. Back then, I knew nothing of the Bible or the end times; however, what I was learning about a just, loving and compassionate God seemed to make a lot of sense. Fast forward to 2023, almost two decades of published daily devotionals , six books, and two degrees later, and the Rapture of the believers is still on my mind, Frankly, it is probably on my mind more today than it was twenty years ago – likely due to all the world events occurring at a rapid pace in front of our eyes almost every single day.

The more I read my Bible, the stronger I feel about a premillenial, pre-tribulation Rapture. This has a lot to do with the approach to the word of God I have been taking for the last four decades. Early on, as I was told that God left me with a love letter (the Bible) with a lot of instructions and direction about how to live with Him and for Him, I could never look at that book and not take its message literally. Otherwise, how many interpretations do we really end up with? This, of course, doesn’t eliminate the use of figures of speech in the Bible, but we need to take God’s counsel at face value and , if necessary, seek a symbolic or allegorical meaning.

What happens if I have been wrong about the Rapture for the last 40 years? So, I want to consider the possibility of the Rapture not happening. One of the first things those who adhere to a premillennial, pre-tribulation Rapture (PPR) are accused of is escapism. We are accused of trying to bail out before God’s wrath when we should go through it. I guess it would be escapism if there were a sense of selfishness in those who believe in a PPR. The opposite is often the case. Those of us who believe in a PPR have a great sense of urgency, and the imminency of the Rapture is encouraging to us to share the Good News even more so. Incidentally, the Bible never speaks of believers not going through difficulties, challenges and/or turmoil prior to the Tribulation. The days we live in seem to validate the idea that persecution is coming to believers as well as Jews, and we have not even started the Great Tribulation yet.”

I am thinking that’s enough for today. Lord willing, I will continue Olivier Melnick’s thoughts on a pre-trib, pre-millennial rapture (which I also believe in) tomorrow. In the meantime, please let me know what you think about the so-called “rapture.” And, if you are a believer in Jesus, keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, there’s “good news” from John 3:16 where Jesus said: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Lord willing, I will be teaching a class in I Timothy today. And, should the Lord tarry another day, I’ll be back at you tomorrow. Blessings with love, Doug (7/22/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and warm (66 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 16 robins, 14 grackles, 6 blackbirds, 6 doves, 3 bunnies, 3 deer, 2 cranes, 2 crows and a cardinal! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from Live Science, got my attention this morning: “A skyscraper-size asteroid flew closer to Earth than the moon – and scientists didn’t notice until 2 days later.”

In the article, Brandon Specktor reported: “A stealthy asteroid the size of a 20-story building hid in the sun’s glare before zooming uncomfortably close to Earth on July 13. Scientists didn’t notice until July 15.” And Jesus said, in Luke 21:25-28: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” And, in Revelation 16:21, the apostle John wrote: “And huge hailstorms about 100 pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.” Then, Dr. Luke reported, in Luke 21:28, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Stay tuned!

I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that my “redemption (salvation) is drawing near” because of my faith in Jesus, His death, burial and resurrection for my sins. Please know, if you do not believe in Jesus as your Savior, your condemnation and eternal hell will be drawing near. In the meantime, I will be praying for your salvation and for my brothers and sisters in Christ to watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Blessings, Doug (7/21/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from partly cloudy/sunny and warm (70 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: flashes of lightning and went back home to be safe!

This morning, I decided to do something different in my blog – share with you part of a paper written by Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, a favorite author of mine, who taught me much about Bible Prophecy in his book, “Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology,” which I highly recommend.

Dr. Pentecost wrote a paper, “In Christ: Two Words That Describe the Basis and the Joy of the Christian Life.” So, beginning today and, over the next week, I would like to share with you portions of that paper. Dr. Pentecost began the paper: “When we read the New Testament, we discover that phrases such as ‘in Christ,’ ‘in Him,’ or ‘in the beloved’ are found 200 times. For the apostle Paul, the essence of the Christian life is the profound truth that we are ‘in Christ.’

Pentecost continues: “I can remember Dr. Chafer quoting an old hymn that was a favorite to him: ‘So dear to God, dearer I could not be; for the love in which He loved His Son; such was His love for me. So nearer to God, nearer I could not be. For in the Person of His Son, I am as near as He.’ Paul affirms in Ephesians 1:6 that we are ‘accepted in the One He loves.’ This means that by divine reckoning, you and I were participants in every experience that the Lord Jesus had. We were crucified with Christ. We were resurrected with Christ. We ascended with Christ and were seated with Him at the right hand of the Father in glory.”

Most of us are familiar with Ephesians 2:8, 9. But, how about verses 4-7? Paul wrote: “being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Got to go for some “light therapy.” Please pray for me and know I love you and am praying for you. In Christ, Doug (7/20/23)

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and warm (65 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 24 robins, a deer, a dog, a dove and a big owl! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from The Christian Post, caught my eye this morning: “David Jeremiah says apostasy among pastors a sign of ‘great falling away’ ahead of End Times.”

In the article, Leah Marie Anne Klett wrote: “Influential Pastor David Jeremiah has voiced his concerns about the seemingly increasing number of pastors and churches straying from biblical truth, warning that this trend indicates the ‘falling away’ Scripture prophesies ahead of the End Times.” Note: Jesus said this in Matthew 24:10 and Paul in II Thessalonians 2:1-4 where he wrote that this “falling away” or “apostasy” would occur before the coming of the antichrist. Stay tuned!

Jesus also said, in Matthew 24:5-14 that, among the “signs of the times” leading up to His return, there would be “famines and earthquakes in various places.” Seems like, lately, we have heard more and more of “food shortages” which are even here or coming to the U.S. And, as far as earthquakes are concerned, over the last week, there have been: 20 “moderate” (5.0-5.9), 3 “strong” (6.0-6.9) and “1 major” (7.0-7.9) quake in 14 different places: Alaska, Argentina, the East Pacific Rise, El Salvador, Indonesia, the Loyalty Islands, Mexico, Japan, Nevada, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia and the South Sandwich Islands. Stay tuned!

Sadly, many Christians do not seem to sense the urgency of Jesus’ coming. For, if they did, they would be “picking up the pace” while watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please don’t put it off. Simply agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings with love, Doug (7/19/23)