WELLNESS CHECK

 HOW ARE YOU DOING? - THE BMIC BLAST, MAY 2025

THE FIRST KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

TEXTS:

RUTH 1:1-5

1 PETER 1:3-5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

END TIMES CHRISTIAN LIVING

 PSALM 46

PERSPECTIVE AND PRAYER

 TEXT: PSALM 90

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS...SOME THOUGHTS

“…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:35 ESV).

In the beginning of the Quarantines/Lockdowns, which covered almost the entire world, the excitement to reach previously unreachable via all kinds of social media was sky high. It did work for a time. Sermons, prayers, worship music, daily live devotionals and more were flooding Facebook feeds, Twitter timelines and LIVE YouTube streams.

Somewhere along the way, as the lockdowns (or shelter in place or quarantines) dragged on, interest started waning.  As of now, the majority of some of the largest states in the United States and Canada are still under lockdown. On the west coast it seems it may drag on through the summer to September! From the first, when the quarantines and mandated church shutdowns started in March, it was sold as just for weeks only. Now over three months later, with many more to go, the sense of anxiety, depression and lack of interpersonal communication are taking heavy tolls on a lot of people, not just Christians.

There is a reason Scripture exhorts us to be very careful to assemble as a body of believers- REGULARLY. We now see the fruits of not doing this for months on end.

For every Elevation Church, which I discover can have 48,000-50,000 viewers watching the Elevation Worship Band and Pastor Steven Furtick LIVE on YouTube, there  are 1000 more churches in our immediate regions, who are just struggling to pay their electric or airconditioning bills, never mind have the capability to stream services. 

Some of them have managed to improvise by having church leaders record a video on his phone at home, and post it to YouTube of Facebook, but some of our more traditional and older churches are simply out in the cold, filled with loneliness and despair, having not being able to meet for going on half a year now, being technologically or financially unable to stream services.

Why did the Lord tell us to not “neglect to meet together” as is the “norm” now? The answer can be found in the verse above Hebrews 10:25…”encouraging one another, AND ALL THE MORE as you see the Day drawing near” (emphasis mine).

The key word here is “ENCOURAGING”, which in the original New Testament language is the word “parakaleo”. We are to assemble together in worship for the purposes of “parakaleo”.

This means we meet at church to invite others (to come); to admonish (by the convicting preaching of the Word) another from the pulpit; to comfort one another (whether in grief or to come along side a fellow saint who is having a hard time) and to exhort each other, via words of enthusiastic encouragement or literal cheering on! These are just a few of the characteristics of this powerful word, “parakaleo”. It also means to instruct (Sunday School and bible study groups) and to plead or come along side someone else, to buffet their spiritual growth.

All of this is included in the meaning of this one Biblical word “PARAKALEO”! This is the sum total of the function of the church’s call to assemble regularly. When this is suddenly cut off, we are now in territory where most of our brothers and sisters in China, Asia, parts of Africa and the Middle East, North Korea, Russia etc. are experiencing due to persecution. Recently, over 250 churches in China were literally destroyed by the communist party.

Why do we do all of this “encouraging”? The verse tells us here: “as we see the Day drawing near”. Which Day? The Day of the Lord, which means Judgment Day, when the Lord Jesus comes to judge everyone who has ever lived. In many places, it is called the "terrible day of the Lord”, because Judgment Day is not going to go well. It is a time of approaching horror to the vast majority of mankind, which has unfortunately rejected both Jesus and His Plan of Salvation. At the same time, it will be a time of joy for the saints who will persevere throughout these long days of separation from brothers and sisters in Christ. The Day of the Lord will be a day for the Redeemed who have persevered, to stand before our Savior and be judged not for the purpose of getting into heaven, but for rewards (or lack thereof) for the kingdom work we did on this earth (or not).

So how do we continue to persevere throughout these times of isolation and quarantine, even as some churches, in many places slowly reopen? 

We reach out to as many as we can, by all means necessary to encourage them in their walk, to discern their prayer requests, to ask about their needs or if all is well okay with them, and to just drop by and be a friend. 

Let us continue to encourage each other, as the times are evil and the days are little flying towards an inevitable conclusion. Let us also continue to remind each other, that the Joy of the Lord is our strength and that Jesus is there fore us, now and until the End of the Age. Amen

THE RAPTURE.... AND WHAT FOLLOWS.

TEXT: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-18 (KJV) - PUBLIC DOMAIN

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

THE 3:16 VERSES OF THE BIBLE: PART 24: "STRONG HANDS HOLDING ON"

"In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp" (Zephaniah 3:16)
The last several 3:16 verses of the “Old Testament” are full of major End Time coming events which the men who wrote down these divinely inspired words, could not comprehend! One prophet after another described EVERYTHING from the conditions on the Ground during the Second Coming of Christ (Habakkuk Chapter 3) to the Armies of Heaven fighting the Final Battle of History. While they were doing this, they accurately predicted the Fall and Destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th Century BC (Before Christ).

God used His select few prophets, sometimes for decades of prophesying, so as to give people time to repent and be restored to Him. Today, in the 21st Century AD (Anno Domini - in the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ), He is giving modern man the same amount of Grace to turn back from the edge of the cliff. Today, modern man is even more corrupt than ever, and refusing to so do. But the work of the Lord continues.

Another prophet of old, who was prophesying against the corrupt city of Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian invasion (along with prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Habakkuk and others) was Zephaniah.  Even he (Zephaniah) was speaking of the end times we are currently living in, as well as the pending destruction by the marauding Babylonian army.  Zephaniah was very highly regarded as he was the great, great-grandson of King Hezekiah – the famous king whom God gave 15 extra years to live. Hezekiah was the king whose reign featured the prophet Isaiah and the well-known incident with the Assyrian King Sennacharib, where God Himself destroyed 185,000 of that Assyrian king's army which had laid siege to the Holy City.

Zephaniah Chapter 3 is very unique. Only the first seven verses pertain to the coming Destruction of Jerusalem and Judah by the rampaging King Nebuchadnezzar. The rest of the chapter (verses 8-20) are all Words about the Age yet to come - the End of Days. What is unique in this entire chapter is that the list of indictments which caused the complete destruction of Jerusalem in order to cleanse it, is the same list - on steroids - against ALL of the world today. The following is the list:

Destruction and Sorrow awaits the City (Jerusalem…and any people today) for the following reasons:

-   Their arrogance have made them smarter than God, in their own minds. So they listen to no one. They will not even think critically to an eye of correcting course where necessary. (Verse 2a)

-   Because of their arrogance and idolatry (then – in Jerusalem and now, where mankind rejects God is fiction), they will not put their Faith and Trust in their Creator God. Because of this rejection, they will not even seek and talk to Him. (Verse 2b)

-   The leaders of 6^th Century Jerusalem, namely its kings, princes, legal system,  captains of business and the clergy are all predators….always seeking to satisfy  their own physical needs and lusts of the flesh. They seek to devour more and more. Their consumerism and lusting after power, material goods and more have made them predators against the weak, poor and the followers of Jesus Christ – now AND then. (Verse 3)

-   If you read the prophet Jeremiah, the preponderance of false prophets lying to the political leaders of the country will be immediately obvious. God Himself says that He did NOT send these fakes, that they are lying and He is about to permanently remove them. Today’s false prophets are not just those who are treated with awe and respect, even though all their so-called prophesies have been wrong. But it is the leadership (and by extension, membership) of a vast majority of those calling themselves Christians are proclaiming deadly error by getting involved in everything which has nothing to do with the Gospel or making disciples. In fact, they major in “social gospel” (socialism with bible verses); politics and even cultural transformation. (Verse 4a)

-  Just before Nebuchadnezzar, following God’s instructions, headed straight for the Temple and sacked it to pieces,  the priests of God’s Temple were bowing down to pagan idols in secret INSIDE the Temple, while pretending to worship God and doing His Will as laid out in the Torah. They not only brought these vile practices into the Lord’s House but endangered the souls of an entire population of their nation.  Church and ministry leaders today are doing the same – they have brought the corrupt secular culture and world’s standards to the Altar of Christ and expect Him to bless it. (Verse 4b)

Even with all these indictments,  all 6^th century Jerusalem acted just like the world acts today.  He warned them over and over. He warned them with different prophets and circumstance, but they lied to themselves that it will all turn out fine in the end. Sounds familiar? The majority do the same thing today.  When there is a calamity or horrific event like a mass shooting or even 9/11 on September 11, 2001 – churches are filled and the talk of “thoughts and prayers” fill the air like Jingle Bells at Christmas time.

Herein lies the other indictment – there is no Faith or Belief in the God Whose wrath is obvious all the time to those who rebel and reject Him.

In the first eight verses, we see the parallels of Jerusalem’s pending destruction with life in any city or country today, and it is uncanny. In the rest of Zephaniah chapter 3, we see exactly what God is going to do – not just to Jerusalem but the nations around today. He never does anything in secret. Man has created all kinds of secret societies with weird symbols and rings. God has spoken several times, EXACTLY what He will do. Yet people ignore….and at their own peril, may I add!

In quick succession, here is what is coming down, very quickly (from Zephaniah 3:8-11):

1. God will accuse and indict all nations of the world (then and today).
2. God’s Courtroom will be packed with EVERY rebel nation (God says ALL nations) and evidence demanding a 100% guilty verdict will be presented without question.
3. Judgment will be swift and fiery. This is not some American courtroom, but God’s Recording room with every act of rebellion pulled up, with the Book of Moses’ Law as the Plumbline of Truth.  Because none of these nations of the Earth are followers of Jesus Christ – NONE of them – they will be judge righteously by the penalties required by the Ten Commandments. Those are not pretty. Read all the consequences of every of those Laws of God in the books of Leviticus etc. Nothing will be left standing. When it is over – only Jesus Christ and the New City of Jerusalem will be left standing.
4. The Remnant that remains (God’s people – Christians) will be cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb – in thought, word and deed. The dead in Christ will already be risen by the Rapture. The remnant will be those who were persecuted by the nations but are still alive.  The Lord will prepare them for the Heavenly Kingdom, in order that they will worship properly in Spirit and in Truth.
5.  However, the majority of mankind, those who are awaiting judgment and those alive now, have a lot of cause to worry. Verse 11 promises complete removal from the eternal life. Oh, they will live in eternity, just not in the way they expect. God has promised again and again, no unholy, unworthy, unrepentant and unredeemed people will live in His Holy Presence.

The amazing thing about the Lord is with the promise of pending punishment is the guarantee of gushing Grace - grace upon Grace....for those who love God. Romans 8:28a promises that ALL things work together for those who LOVE God. Our Heavenly Father does NOT leave those who are born-again and love Jesus to hang out and dry. Read verses 12-20 below. 

The hope promised in Zephaniah 3:16 is fleshed out, big time in the rest of this chapter. Still, this is not even the half of it. But for those who fear, for those who care, for those who are waiting for answers to appear, the Lord says this:

-  Hold on a little longer.  Don't give up now. Keep holding on to Him even stronger and don't let your grip "go limp" (3:16). The stronger you and I hold on to Yahweh, the easier it is for Him to hold us up.

-  God will be in our midst. This promises our future residence in the Millennial Kingdom where the enemies will not even be around. Only those who love God will be allowed in this Kingdom. He has the following in store for us: love, joy, peace, a purpose, a plan and the Son of Man - Jesus, in person...in Jerusalem, the Capitol of Peace.

-  Here is what the Lord says is the coming reward if we hang, with strong hands and stronger faith (verses 19-20): And gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. “At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Do not let go. Stay by His side. Hang on to Him. God is good.

Zephaniah 3: Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations

1Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,

The tyrannical city!

2She heeded no voice,

She accepted no instruction.

She did not trust in the Lord,

She did not draw near to her God.

3Her princes within her are roaring lions,

Her judges are wolves at evening;

They leave nothing for the morning.

4Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;

Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.

They have done violence to the law.

5The Lord is righteous within her;

He will do no injustice.

Every morning He brings His justice to light;

He does not fail.

But the unjust knows no shame.

6"I have cut off nations;

Their corner towers are in ruins.

I have made their streets desolate,

With no one passing by;

Their cities are laid waste,

Without a man, without an inhabitant.

7"I said, 'Surely you will revere Me,

Accept instruction.'

So her dwelling will not be cut off

According to all that I have appointed concerning her.

But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

8"Therefore wait for Me," declares the Lord,

"For the day when I rise up as a witness.

Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,

To assemble kingdoms,

To pour out on them My indignation,

All My burning anger;

For all the earth will be devoured

By the fire of My zeal.

9"For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,

That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,

To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

My worshipers, My dispersed ones,

Will bring My offerings.

11"In that day you will feel no shame

Because of all your deeds

By which you have rebelled against Me;

For then I will remove from your midst

Your proud, exulting ones,

And you will never again be haughty

On My holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel

12"But I will leave among you

A humble and lowly people,

And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.

13"The remnant of Israel will do no wrong

And tell no lies,

Nor will a deceitful tongue

Be found in their mouths;

For they will feed and lie down

With no one to make them tremble."

14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!

Shout in triumph, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

15The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,

He has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

You will fear disaster no more.

16In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:

"Do not be afraid, O Zion;

Do not let your hands fall limp.

17"The Lord your God is in your midst,

A victorious warrior.

He will exult over you with joy,

He will be quiet in His love,

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

18"I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts-

They came from you, O Zion;

The reproach of exile is a burden on them.

19"Behold, I am going to deal at that time

With all your oppressors,

I will save the lame

And gather the outcast,

And I will turn their shame into praise and renown

In all the earth.

20"At that time I will bring you in,

Even at the time when I gather you together;

Indeed, I will give you renown and praise

Among all the peoples of the earth,

When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,"

Says the Lord.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

www.bible.com

Image Credit Here

THE 3:16 VERSES OF THE BIBLE, PART 22: "A REFUGE IN ARMAGEDDON"

AERIAL VIEW OF SITE OF FUTURE
BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (SEE CREDIT BELOW)

The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel...(Joel 3:16)
The old country gospel goes like this “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue…” (This World is Not My Home,   ). The words to this classic are absolutely true and each day brings The Day closer, when this promise will be sight.

It is the hope of every Christian, guaranteed in Scripture, to be with the Creator Jesus Christ for all eternity. Even those who do not wish to commit to Christ as Lord, but call themselves Christians claim the hope of Heaven. Of all the gems we have studied in the Amazing 3:16 Verses in the Old Testament (so far), Joel is absolutely thrilling in the prophetic statement from the soon-coming King of Heaven – Jesus!

When the Old Testament prophets are time-lined with the Taking Up (what some called the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17); the man of sin (AntiChrist) of 2 Thessalonians 2 and then the events of the Book of Revelation are added in, we see a swift end to the current scheme of things.  The only thing holding back the End of the Church Age. Syncing with the Rapture, is the spread of the Gospel to ALL the Ends of the Earth. God loves this world and cares for lost and hurting people so much that His Grace extends to the remaining 25% of the known world, that has not heard the Good News of Salvation through Jesus.

READ JOEL CHAPTER 3 HERE
In rapid succession, here are some scary warnings of coming actions by Almighty God against rebels, as He Himself states in Joel Chapter 3:
“I will restore….Jerusalem. (Verse 1)
“I will bring together the armies of the world ….at Armageddon! (Verse 2a)
“I will judge them for hurting My people….” (Verse 2b)
“I will strike very suddenly and pay you back (for attacking my people)….” (Verse 4b)
“I will pay you back for everything you have done…”(Verse 7a) and then the Lord goes on to tell of the fate of the children of perdition.

The entire world acts like there are no consequences to their pervasive actions against unborn children, the people of God and the people of the Bible. They act in willful ignorance, unaware their actions will bring a reaction from Above which none of them will expect or can handle when the Fury of Heaven is unleashed on them.

This chapter prophesies in clear detail, the coming Battle of Armageddon (or the valley of Jehoshaphat).  Today, in the nuclear weapon-equipped 21st century, we have world-wide armies with some scary military power. While China may have the largest army of human beings in the world (47.5 million active and reserve),  the United States still has the most powerful Army, Navy and Air Force in the world. Nobody can compare to the Navy Seals or the United States Marine Corps. Still, by time of the Armageddon showdown, the world will be under the rule of the anti-Christ.

So the Lord starts almost mocking the pagan armies of the world (from Joel 3). Then He invites them to the Final Battle of all History - Armageddon. Read the Bible. It is not going to be pretty. But at the end of it, better days are coming. While all these bad things are in store for those who hate God and refuse Christ, there are two promises for those who trust Christ and are called by His Name (born-again Christians).

PROMISE #1 - It is right there in Joel 3:16! In essence, ALL Heaven is going to break loose in an extremely terrible way, but for the people of God: 
- When the Judgment of the Lord falls on an evil and rebellious world, the Lord will be a "refuge" - a hiding place...and safe place, where no one can grasp the Christian out of the Mighty all-powerful Hands of the Lord. There is no place more secure than under the Protection of the Lord. Scripture tells us in Psalm 91 that "he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide (live, camp forever, rest) in the Shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my REFUGE and my Fortress, in Him shall i trust" (Psalm 91:1-2)
- The mention of the word "Stronghold" to the people of Israel could be a reference to the place to which the newly saved Jews, at the Second Coming, could "run to" and hide until the Battle is over. There is consensus that this "stronghold" is Petra - the safe city surrounded by natural walls of mountainous stone. Petra is currently in Jordan, but when the Lord returns, that will cease as He will control all of the Land. The original language for "stronghold" has a meaning of a safe place, a strong tower or a high place.

PROMISE #2 - God Himself gave this promise in the rest of Joel 3, after He has both come greet-self serving great beans and defeated the forces of the Common Good. Immediately after the Battle of Armageddon, with the Lord Jesus Christ living in Person in Jerusalem, here is what Almighty God the Father promises:
18 And in that day
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
And the hills will flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord
To water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a waste, 
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be inhabited forever
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, 

For the Lord dwells in Zion. (Joel 3:18-21)

Photo Credit Here

WORD OF LIFE, PART 16: 'HOW MUCH LONGER?"

 When things go wrong, as they most certainly do on a regular basis, we are always tempted to ask "Where is (was) God?". The unsaved ask this question all the time. When a tidal wave hits and hundreds or thousands lose their lives? "Where was God". When a massive earthquake devastates Haiti and over 100,000 poor Haitians perish in this natural disaster, some ask "Where was God?"....and so on.

Even the most godly and observant and biblically sound Christians can ask that same question. Is it the right thing to do when we question God like this? It is. Christianity is the only thinking man's Faith system. We do know He controls everything as He is sovereign and we do not. In Luke 13:3-5, we see that the Tower of Siloam had collapsed and 18 people tragically dies in this accident. This is similar to a major construction accident today, anywhere in the world, of tragic proportions. This tragedy was reported to Jesus as reported in this Gospel passage.

The response of Jesus must have stunned a lot of people. Here is the brief account and Jesus' unexpected answer: "No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:3-5)

There is a sobering and scary message from the Keeper of the Gates of Heaven here who said twice in three verses "unless you repent, YOU TOO WILL PERISH"! The key to understanding tragedy is this - we have to be ready to leave this life at a moment's notice. We must life a repentant lifestyle, always at peace with God. We must ask God to forgive ALL our sins (and He will, if we are really seeking forgiveness). We must have the peace and knowledge of His presence in our lives, which leads to salvation and being born again.
Psalm 119:121-128
Ayin.
121   I have done justice and righteousness;  do not leave me to my oppressors.
122   Be surety for Your servant for good; do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123   My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation and for Your righteous word.
124   Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness and teach me Your statutes.
125   I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.
126   It is time for the Lord to act, for they have broken Your law.
127   Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.
128   Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:121 is about the believer who has followed Christ and Micah 6:8, which tells us to do justice and walk righteously before our God. This is a person who is ready to stand before God once he/she passes from this life. However, this believer also seeks natural (or earthly) justice from those who relentlessly persecute.

This is absolutely in order. To ask for angelic protection is sound as each believer does have a guardian angel. This is what the author is praying for in this portion of Psalm 119.  During the many Israeli/Arab wars of the late 1960's-early 1970's, some former Arab soldiers reported on the Trinity Broadcasting Network that they had several Israeli soldiers cornered and outnumbered about twenty to one, on the side of a mountain. There was no natural way for the Israeli soldiers to come out alive from this strategic box. EXCEPT THIS - the now Christian Arab former enemies reported that when they got closer to where they thought they would capture their Jewish enemies, they saw huge 12-20 foot tall beings dressed in white with swords drawn....causing them to turn and run in the other direction!

Watch this video clip from a message I gave where we know from Scripture that "the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and He delivers them (Psalm 34:7). God does answer our pleas for help. He is our "surety" in these times of oppression and persecution (Psalm 119:122). But the key is to stay grounded in His Holy Word and constantly stay at the Feet of the Master seeking knowledge and wisdom from Him (Verse 123).

There are times when the tribulation is drawn out. In the recent past, several western pastors and missionaries have been captured and tortured in several Middle Eastern countries and even North Korea.  These are righteous people who risked everything for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet their payment was prison, torture and even death. Is God dealing with them (Verse 124) in His Mercy? When you look at the bigger picture, He most certainly is! 

Is it easier for us in the comfortable west to speak like this? Yes it is, but we also have our challenges.  In the increasing number of persecuted lands – from atheist China to the major Islamic and Buddhist countries, what is being done to the people of God is obvious. In western Countries from Europe to the UK to North America, the persecution is more subtle but just as deadly to the spread of the Gospel. In order for the persecuted anywhere, to keep the fire and passion going, we do need to rely more on the Word of God and His Promises. In the Middle East and Asia, God has been showing Himself in increasingly tangible ways to encourage His people, and not just in His Word. Most Christians on the run have no copy of the Bible and no way to get one. When this is the case, cry out to Him as in Verse 125.

Revelation 6:9-10 shows what is coming down the pike with those who are killed during the Great Tribulation (after the Rapture of the Church, when those killed for converting to Christianity during the worldwide reign of anti-Christ are under the Altar of God, asking "how much longer"). Persecuted Christians from various times in the last 2000 years, from the Roman persecution have been asking the same question many ask today- "How Much Longer"?  The answer is this- when all the world has heard the Gospel. Each day is one day closer. Our responsibility is to hate, despise and stay far from every shack or mansion which contains heresy, apostasy and misdirection. Conversely, we hold on to the Truth found in ALL 66 books of Scripture and every word of every verse of every chapter on every page of the Good Book (verses 127-128). Amen. How much longer? It could be, until we first see Him Face to face! As for those in Verse 126- leave that up to The King!