Dear Mike,

This question is really simple: are we living in “END TIMES,” or is there such a thing? From reading parts of your site, it seems to me that this is very much symbolic and spiritual, so my question is, will there ever really be an “ANTI- CHRIST” who reigns, let’s say, over the “United nations” and destroys “Babylon” (America) and assumes global power in a time of chaos? Is any of this true, or it is all just baloney and completely unscriptural?

I just wanna know. I’m 17 right now, and I wanted to know if I would live to see the Sign of the Son of Man, am I just dreaming or wishfully thinking, or will this really happen soon? If so, I really need to shape up. I’m like a fat basketball player who has a game the next day and completely out of shape. That’s how I feel.

Mike, what do I do if I want to be part of the elect, but I’m surrounded by negative influences everywhere; from school, to friends, to parents who think I’m too into this religion stuff, and that it’s just a book, to my own self who can’t get away from all these negative influences. It’s really rubbing on me and caused me to fall away a great deal. At least in the past 30 days or so, ever since I was given this tremendous burden of knowing all that has been revealed to me through you. Seriously, I feel like I’m carrying a HUGE PILLAR on my back. I always ask myself, I’m so young, why did God reveal all this to me so soon; is he sure I’m ready? What makes me any different than anyone else, why should I know all this stuff? I feel like I have more information than my church, or my pastor, simply because of what you have revealed in your writings. What do I do… I feel so lost… How am I, a 17 year old that no one listens to and that if they do thinks I’m just caught up in some new fad, going to get to be an Elect? Is there a reason I have been given so much information? Is there a reason Christ has shown me all this through you?

Answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, great work. I love reading your articles. I read what I can; I haven’t read too much to be honest, but I do my best when I have time, like late at night. Right now.. boy, it’s midnight and I gotta go to sleep, but yeah…. Ok, God. Bless you!

Your brother in Christ,

A____

Hi A____,

Thank you for your encouraging words and for your questions.

The answer to your first question is, yes, there is an end to this age we live in, and no, there will not be a man who sits in a physical temple in physical Jerusalem claiming to be God. Such an attempt would deceive no one. The entire world would reject such a person. On the other hand, what the entire world accepts, has accepted and will accept tomorrow is that ones salvation is in ones own free- will hands. That is the spiritual ‘beast,’ the spiritual ‘man of sin’ sitting in the spiritual temple claiming that he is the sovereign ‘god’ who will make his own free- will decision whether to accept Christ as his savior. This ‘beast’ has this mark on the hands and foreheads of all of his adherents. All of mankind was born with this mark. What takes place in the Middle East only serves to secure the hold this man of sin has on God’s harlot, “bondwoman” wife.

This age will not be brought to an end by some one man. It will be done by God. And the way he will do it is:

Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Isa 19:2 And I will set the Egyptians [ or Americans] against the Egyptians [ or Americans]: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Zec 8:10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

There are literally dozens of scriptures detailing this ‘consumption of the whole earth:’

Isa 28:22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

In the scriptures, ‘the earth’ is the Christian church which is even now bearing rule over the kings of the world. The scriptures from Genesis to Revelation are unified in foretelling this event as the ‘Will Be’ part of the sayings of the prophecy of this book. But the ‘Will Be’ part of Christ is not Christ in His fullness. When taken apart from the rest of the Is and Was Christ, dispensationalism becomes a blindfold which keeps us from seeing the true Is, Was and Will Be Christ. ‘Is’ is primary. ‘Will Be’ is mentioned third.

So don’t concentrate on whether you are living in the last days and “really need to shape up.” Every one who has ever read this book was living in the last days simply because of how short are our lives:

Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

We are told to concentrate on the fact that “the time is at hand.”

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Your second question is:

Is there a reason Christ has shown me all this through both of you?

We are all given God’s Word as ‘grain’ and as ‘talents’ to be increased and to be used in the service of our ‘Sower’ and our ‘Lord:’

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

It is the “overcomers who “enter into the joy of their Lord and rule:

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

So don’t let some ‘greasy grace’ Christian, who doesn’t know that “grace chastens”, tell you that you don’t need to concern yourself with overcoming sin in your life. Yes, of course it will be Christ in you who will do the overcoming, but it will be in and through you and “your body.”

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [ Greek- chastens] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [ which is] your reasonable service.
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

You say that knowing all of this is like “a HUGE PILLAR on my back.” I have no doubt that living in the unbelieving circumstances you reference is difficult. But the burden of knowing that God will, in His chastening grace, save all men through the “fiery trial” experienced by all who are in the first resurrection, or through the lake of fire experienced by all the rest of mankind, is indeed a ” light burden” when compared with the burden of thinking that your loved ones are going to be tormented in real fire for all eternity.

You are young, but God is working in your life. But being young you are just beginning the process of salvation. It will take time. Be patient. Here is just how important it is to be patient:

Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Mike