“In the beginning, there always was the Word and the Word always was face-to-face with God, and the Word always was God.” Why does John call Jesus the Word? In part 4 of his line by line examination of the book of Revelation, Hal explains our words reveal our invisible self. Our invisible self has certain things to say, and words clothe our invisible self and bring it out. Jesus brings into visible recognition the invisible God, that’s why He is called by the title The Word. But He’s also the alphabet! “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God. He’s the first letter and the last letter. Jesus is not only the Word of God, He’s the alphabet of God, which means that anything God wants to let us know, He’s the one that will do it. He is the one that’s going to let us know everything.
He, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. John calls Jesus, “The Lord, God who always is, who always was, and who always is to come.” The same thing that was said about the Father is now said about Jesus. Hal explains; this is the child Isaiah foretold nearly 2800 years ago would be born to Israel: Wonderful Counselor, El Gibhor, God Almighty! The child that would be born would be God Almighty, prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the father of eternity and the prince of peace who will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more. Do you grasp in your heart what all this means? The One who holds the universe together, the One who created everything, visible and invisible. The One who has always been the object of Heaven’s worship and glory; loved each of us enough to lay aside all of that, come into this world and willingly go through the horrific pain of having our sins laid on Him. We are not worthy; the least of His favor, yet Jesus left Heaven for us. The Word became flesh and died as our Savior. What mercy, what love, what grace. This important Bible study is available in its entirety at no charge in Hal’s video archive.
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Created Equal
| By Hal Lindsey |
The American republic was built on the “self-evident” truth “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Take the words “created” and “Creator” from that sentence, and it becomes nonsense.
It is nonsense to say, “all men are equal.” We are not born with equal levels of intelligence, athletic ability, or good looks. We are born to different kinds of parents and into different circumstances including various levels of wealth or poverty. But add the word “created” and it makes sense. We are created with equal value before God—each one made with His image stamped into our very being (Genesis 1:26).
Our nation’s founders were steeped in these beliefs. That’s why they wrote a constitution which protects even the vilest criminal from “cruel and unusual punishment.” In our system, searches and seizures are to be sanctioned by a court of law after careful assessment of “probable cause.” The Constitution insists that the accused receive a public trial before an impartial jury. All human beings are due this kind of respect because each carries innate value before God.
It’s all built on the words “created” and “Creator.” Our country was founded on a theological idea. We have a Creator. We have standing in the universe. Remove God from our country, and you remove the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings of democracy itself.
The new atheism sweeping our land is intent on removing God’s name and His standards from our institutions, philosophies, and entertainments. Those who propagate such notions do so in the name of freedom. But real freedom requires a foundation. To remove freedom’s foundation means the eventual destruction of freedom itself.
And that’s what’s happening. The super-elites have lost trust in the common folk, and therefore in democracy itself. They have always tried to put their thumb on democracy’s scale. But in the past, they focused their power and influence on promoting their own ideas. Today they increasingly use their power to crush dissent and end debate.
“We the people” still have our ballots, but ballots mean little without the free flow of information. In our system of government, free speech is not a luxury but an absolute necessity. Democracy only works when people are trusted to sort through the noise and find the truth.
It’s a messy form of government. No doubt about that. In a perfect world, the people would be governed by a perfect Person — perfect in love, perfect in wisdom, perfect in justice, and perfect in every other way. That Person, Jesus, is coming! The Bible says, “The government will be upon His shoulder.”
But until that glad day, we should be thankful for what Lincoln called “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” And we should work and pray that it “not perish from the earth.”
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Revelation is a book which holds several mysteries. In part 5 of this essential Bible study, a line by line examination of the last book of the Bible, Hal goes to the original Greek. Musterion, a word that comes from the old Greek fraternities meaning something that was not known until now and which can only be understood by the initiated. Jesus tells John I will show you something that has not been known, but I am going to show it to those who are initiated by being born again, by accepting the gift of forgiveness. These mysteries are only to be understood by us. Only we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and begged Him to forgive our sins, even though we are not worthy, can see the trail and follow the breadcrumbs. It’s fitted into the Christian!
Here is one of those mysteries: Jesus explains to John, as for the mystery of the seven stars in His right hand, and the seven golden lampstands; the seven stars are the pastors of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven local churches, assembled together, and made up of believers who are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bone. We follow His breadcrumbs and learn Jesus is telling churches they are to be a light to the world, and He is telling pastors He holds them in His right hand, and they, and each local church, are not supposed to be responsible to an overseeing hierarchy, but directly responsible to Him. Radical stuff! Some pastors might be scared to death if they really got a hold of this, that Christ is directly in touch with and holds them in His right hand. God initiated this ministry whereby the Holy Spirit has never before, in the history of mankind, taken up permanent residence in every person who believes in Christ, and joined us into a living organic union with Him. Take a moment and appreciate how truly wonderful that is. This important Bible study is available in its entirety at no charge in Hal’s video archive.
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Amnesty International and Israel
by Hal Lindsey
The world’s strange and unreasoning hatred of Israel continues. It is especially shocking to see this hatred among those who have appointed themselves to be the world’s arbiters of social justice. This month, Amnesty International became the fourth major “human rights organization” to call Israel an “apartheid state.” That assertion is not only inaccurate; it is disgusting.
South Africans began using the word apartheid in 1948. It represented a specific system of discriminatory laws fully institutionalizing racial segregation. It lasted until the early 1990s. During those years, the word came to evoke a powerful emotion of repulsion in fair-minded people around the world.
Amnesty International and other groups do not use that word because it accurately depicts Israeli law. It does not. Instead, they use it for its emotional impact. They use it because they want people to feel repulsed at the very thought of Israel. They want to incite hate against a nation they hate.
Israel is far from perfect. Israelis are as human and prone to error as the rest of us. But they have created the fairest, most democratic nation in the region, and one of the fairest on earth. Amnesty International ignores real injustice toward Palestinians in the region. For instance, Palestinian refugees in nearby Lebanon are barred from entering thirty-nine professions including law, medicine, accounting, engineering, and even daycare.
For a long time now, Israelis have worked toward a two-state solution. The Oslo Accords are a result of that work. The accords gave the Palestinian Authority governmental control over Gaza along with much of Judea and Samaria. You want to see something that looks a lot like apartheid? Look in those places. Eugene Kontorovich wrote a Wall Street Journal commentary titled, “There’s Apartheid in the Holy Land, but Not in Israel.” He pointed out that, “Palestinian law makes selling land to Jews a crime punishable by death, often without trial.”
Palestinian elections are postponed year after year. The world gives Palestinians vast amounts of money in an attempt to help them end widespread poverty. But corrupt Palestinian leaders use that money to line their own pockets, fund terrorism, or strengthen their political positions by rewarding those loyal to themselves.
Amnesty International complains that there are checkpoints going in and out of the Palestinian controlled areas. Of course there are. Before those checkpoints were in place, large numbers of Palestinians engaged in wholesale murder and mayhem in two massive “intifadas” (uprisings) against Israel.
Worst of all, Amnesty International paints Israel as the fruit of a poisoned tree. That say it was an apartheid state from the very beginning in 1948. Their report makes clear that they believe Israel cannot be anything but an apartheid state as long as it remains a Jewish state.
Their report has received relatively little attention in the United States. But in Europe it is being used to delegitimize Israel. In America, only a small percentage of the population sees Israel as an apartheid state, but those who do have a disproportionately large influence on the young. They include political leaders like Bernie Sanders and the squad, as well as entertainers and educators.
The Bible says that during the last of the last days, the whole world will turn against Israel. But God has also said that He will bring that nation to safety, both physically and spiritually. And His ancient promise to Abraham still holds. God blesses those who bless Israel.
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Keep your eyes open, keep your heart full of faith and prayer, and do not be afraid. Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Hal has said many times he feels blessed to be alive at this time in history. Many prophets, who foretold of the technical marvels of this modern world, would love to have lived in these times. They would have changed places with you in a split-second! The Bible states that prophecy would be sealed until the time of the end and that people would gain knowledge, He told Daniel and so forth, and many will go to and fro. But He says that at the time of the end, the book will be opened and the wise shall understand. Well, it was only a couple hundred years ago when, for the first time, the church really began to study prophecy. For the first time since the first century, the church leaders began to take prophecy literally and not just as some allegory. And that’s when they began to notice that there’s a prophetic application of these seven churches listed in Revelation 1:11. In other words, the Holy Spirit chose the churches to put in a book of prophecy. And He even shows the order to put them in!
In part 6 of his line by line examination of the book of Revelation, Hal explores the practical, personal and prophetic applications provided by Jesus Christ in these letters. Yes, prophetic applications! God lists the seven churches in exact order because they represent seven stages of church history. You can look back in church history and see how each one of these churches chronologically shows the chief characteristics of a certain era of church history and you can spot it. The first letter is to the church of Ephesus, one of knowledge without love, representing the church years 33-100 AD. Then there’s the church of Smyrna, the persecuted poor, but rich in faith, representing the church years 100-312 AD when Constantine made the church a part of the government. The letter to Pergamos represents the church years 312-590 AD when the church was compromised with the world’s system. And then we come to the church of Thyatira, representing the church years 590-1517 AD when the church became the great counterfeit church. The church of Sardis is characterized by orthodoxy without the filling of the Spirit, representing church years 1517-1750 AD. The letter to the church of Philadelphia represents the church years 1750-1900 AD, a time of revival, evangelism, and missions. Great men of God developed during this period. For the first time Eschatology became important and was studied and carefully systematized. The last stage of church history is characterized by the church of Laodicea, dominated by compromise and apostasy, representing the church years 1900 until the rapture. This important Bible study is available in its entirety at no charge in Hal’s video archive.
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And We Will Rise
by Hal Lindsey
Students of Bible prophecy have long warned that a time of terrible destruction looms over earth’s future. Today, similar warnings are coming from scientists of all kinds. Systems are stretched to the breaking point, including medical, economic, environmental, and moral systems. A multitude of problems in many different areas have become severe enough to threaten civilization itself. But even in such a troubled time, every follower of Christ has full access to the Lord’s hope, peace, joy, and strength. In Jesus, we have “life more abundantly”—now and forever. Christians long for everyone to enjoy these same privileges. That’s why we share the Gospel. At some point in the future, things will become even more precarious for the people of earth. The last seven years before Christ’s return are often referred to as “the tribulation.” That’s when things will fall apart in astonishing and destructive ways. You can read about these events in the Book of Revelation. But before those seven years, God will perform one of His most spectacular miracles. He will remove all those who are “in Christ” from the earth. Recently, the United States, UK, Australia, Germany, and other nations began withdrawing their personnel from Ukraine. They did this believing that Russia was about to invade that country and they wanted to get their people out of harm’s way. The rapture will happen for similar reasons. God will remove His people from planet earth before the greatest calamities begin. In fact, the scripture teaches that the coming disasters cannot take place while the Holy Spirit continues to work in, through, and for His Church on earth. We see this summarized in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Referring to the Holy Spirit, it says, “Only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” [NKJV] If you are in Christ today, you will not experience the tribulation. You will either be taken out of the world at the rapture, or you will die before that event. Either way, you will go to be with Jesus. I Thessalonians 4:15-18 describes the evacuation event in some detail. It concludes by saying, “Comfort one another with these words.” Sadly, for many Christians, the thought of being lifted out of the world at the rapture is not comforting, but terrifying. It sounds so big—awesome in the real sense of that word—that they tremble at the thought. We must remember that the rapture happens at the instigation of a loving God. And when it happens, it is to Jesus that we will fly. He will take us out of this troubled world to a radiant wedding between Himself and His bride, the Church. Song of Solomon 2:10-13 gives a beautiful picture of it. “My beloved spoke, and said to me: ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away. For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!’” [NKJV] In ultimate love and care, one day soon Christ will say to His Church, “Rise up My love, and come away.”
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We need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ. That’s the first lesson in Revelation Chapter 2. How many times a day do you think about Jesus? Consider that a good test for all Christians. When you lose your first love, it’s because Jesus gets crowded out in well-meaning ways. It happens so easily, so inadvertently, and to everyone. In part 7 of his line by line examination of the book of Revelation, Hal describes what he does when he allows this to happen in his life: first realize that you’ve let things kind of crowd Him out. Admit to Him you’ve gotten careless, that’s important. Then, accept the fact that we never loved God first, He first loved us, and refocus your energy on that. We can’t initiate love for God, we can only love Him back. The more you focus on what God has done for you by grace, the more your heart responds with love. God wants us to meditate upon Him, to think about Him, to be occupied with Him. Whatever you’re doing, bring Him into it. Sometimes it’s hard, depending on what you’re doing it may even be a little embarrassing, but remember, above all, God wants us to keep our first love.
Hal explains how just thinking about Jesus and His love for us washes the stress away and puts him at peace. God delivers us from all kinds of internal conflicts. When the worries of this world become too much, even before those worries creep into your head, find time throughout your day to think about the Lord and all the things He’s done for you. I’m not talking about stopping what you’re doing at a set time, initiating a prayer circle, or cracking open your Bible for thirty minutes. Just take a few seconds to acknowledge He is with you and you are grateful. Be mindful throughout the day that the Lord is always with you. When something unexpectedly good happens, take a moment and thank God for being with you, when life’s problems begin to pile up and overwhelm you, take a moment and think about how much He loves you. If you take a second or two to acknowledge God is with you in that moment He will clear your mind and help you focus on the things that are truly important. And don’t forget to breathe! This important Bible study is available in its entirety at no charge in Hal’s video archive.
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The Romans One Effect
by Hal Lindsey
Vladimir Putin lies. He looks his opponent straight in the face and lies. He’s good at it. He says that he must invade Ukraine because NATO refuses to rule out the possibility of one day admitting Ukraine. But he knows that no one joins NATO without the unanimous consent of all existing members. He knows that France and Germany flatly refuse to allow Ukraine to join, and several others have expressed strong reservations. He knows that there is no immediate possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.
Some suggest appeasement. They say NATO should have gone against its own bylaws and officially announced that it would never admit Ukraine. But when someone uses a pretext as an excuse, removing the pretext only means the creation of another excuse. For instance, there is Putin’s silly lie that with over 150,000 Russian troops on its doorstep, Ukraine decided to begin a series of atrocities against Russians living in Ukraine. When someone is willing to lie that boldly, he can always concoct a new pretext.
Others have said that what happens in Ukraine should not concern Americans. These people either do not personally visit gas stations, or they don’t understand the recent jump in fuel prices. Over the next weeks and months, the connection will probably be made plain to everyone who drives a car, heats a home, or pays an electric bill.
But Putin’s actions in Ukraine are much bigger than a series of price increases. They threaten your savings, investments, and livelihood. More than that, they endanger your life and the lives of those you love. Russia may have the most advanced cyber-attack teams in the world. Such attacks threaten electricity, water, and food. Russia also holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. And Putin’s threats to use it, suddenly seem credible.
A few days ago, New York Magazine ran a headline that asked publicly what people have been asking privately for months. “Is Putin Sane?” The New York Times recently noted that Putin “has fundamentally changed amid the pandemic.” They say the shift seems to have “left him more paranoid, more aggrieved, and more reckless.” People who speak with him regularly, including the President of Finland, say that he is not the same man.
What happened? Romans One happened. Putin suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (verse 18). He exchanged the truth of God for a lie (verse 25). He did not see fit to acknowledge God (verse 28). Therefore, God gave him over to a depraved mind (verse 28). A “depraved mind”—or as the King James Version says, “a reprobate mind”—means in part, a mind that can no longer think in its own best interest.
The Romans One effect is not confined to Putin. The things that brought on his change are widespread among most of the world’s leaders—and not just political leaders, but also leaders in entertainment, education, religion, and business.
How does a nation survive in such a world? Through virtue and strength (Proverbs 14:34), remembering that corruption begets weakness, and weakness invites aggression.
How do individuals survive in such a world? By turning to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We don’t have to be alone. We can walk hand in hand with the God who brought the universe into existence with the power of His word.
These times prove again the reliability of the Bible. We were never promised that life during end-time events would be easy. But the same God who told us about these things thousands of years in advance, also promises to keep and protect those who have placed themselves in His hands.
Remember the wisdom of 1 Peter 5:7. “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
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Each of the 7 churches that received the letters that make up the final book of the Bible, out of the many thousands of churches in the world at the time, were chosen individually by Jesus Christ. The letters, dictated to John from Jesus Himself, includes praise, discipline and instructions for those specific churches and their specific problems, but as Hal explains, also apply to Christians alive today that may find themselves facing similar situations. Then the Lord placed them in a specific order, each individual church and their problems representing a specific church age. In part 8 of his line by line examination of the book of Revelation, Hal takes us through Revelation chapter 3 and John’s letter to Laodicea.
Representing this modern church age, the final stage of church history, the Laodiceans were dominated by compromise and apostasy. Sound familiar? The visible organizations of churches today, predominantly are going through the motions. In most of them, they’re not bold enough to come right out and say, “We don’t believe,” but there’s no fervor for God! Sound familiar? The sad thing today, when someone hears the word “church” the first thing they think of is a building with a steeple on it, right? That’s what people think the church is. That’s not the church. That’s where the church meets. The sanctuary is you. If you know God, if you’ve received the gift of pardon Jesus died to give you, you’re the temple of the Holy Spirit. But that’s been lost. Sound familiar? That’s a characteristing of this age, just as prosperity gospel and the positive confession movement are curses of the Laodiceans. If we’re just going through the motions in our own human strength and by our own human wisdom, Jesus says we’re wretched. We are miserable. Jesus says the church of this last stage of the church age would be spiritually blind. Sound familiar? This important Bible study is available in its entirety at no charge in Hal’s video archive.