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Where is all the Clashing and Colliding Coming From?

There are three simultaneous causes to the clashing and colliding of times. 1) Knowledge has increased and changed the complexity of our society. 2) A shaking in the spiritual realm has begun. 3) The fulfillment of 35 simultaneous scriptural activities are occurring and intensifying.

1) A knowledge driven society has changed our world

Without a doubt we could all start out with the premise that 1) Things in life are getting more complex than everyone desires; and 2) the basic element of time is changing at increased intervals or frequencies.

The complexity and faster intervals or frequency in time changes is a result of the increased pace of knowledge around the world.  We are living in what society has labeled the ‘K’ society, known as the knowledge society, or knowledge economy. This society or economy thrives on the advancement of knowledge. Companies realize that true wealth and competitive advantage comes from increases in knowledge and intelligence.

From a human perspective our present knowledge society has been phenomenally changed. We have reached a point in the history of the world where science and technology are merging to allow pervious breakthroughs in technology and science to be built upon. In addition to the capability of building upon previous generations of knowledge, the technology itself is capable of merging together for exponential systematic advancements. This convergence of previous inventions allows new systems and knowledge-bases to be utilized and developed into even more knowledge. A simple example is: During the past twenty years, the four key developments in technology have been 1) Personal Computers, 2) Advanced Telecommunications 3) Global Positioning systems, and 4) Databases or Business Intelligence systems.  Each of these developments by themselves have advanced in wonderful ways. What is spectacular and amazing is that the recent increase in knowledge has increased to the level that science can now converge these four developments into a combined system which allows the following scenario.   

Retail stores have the capability to use satellite technology combined with global positioning systems to instantly detect changes in weather patterns around the world to determine at what retail store locations consumers will need certain merchandise such as umbrellas, snow blowers, shovels, electric heaters, coats, swim wear, etc. This knowledge along with the advanced pricing databases gives retail stores the flexibility to raise prices and shift staff personnel within 1-2 hr time frames or intervals of time. Some retail stores have already investigated and considered the potential of having employees re-arrange their work schedules into multiple split shifts to accommodate predictable trends of buying patterns.  These work shifts would be 2-4 hour time intervals. You can quickly see the time-intervals have changed when considering that just 10 years ago the main buying patterns of consumers were based on the change of seasons and holidays. The old time change intervals only required changes in pricing and staffing patterns in 2-4 month intervals. The new convergence of multiple systems of technology has changed this frequency to once every 1-2 hours. This same concept of applying multiple systems of inventions crosses into the majority of disciplines such as the medical field, transportation field, food service, and agriculture.  Applying the knowledge and inventions across all disciplines has sped up all intervals of time, which effects most of our lives.  Keep in mind that I only mentioned four key developments out of the hundreds that have been developed. Imagine the collective changes that have taken place when applying thousands of inventions across all professions such as the medical, transportation, education, legal, research, and business development. This trend or pattern of growth within knowledge will continue to intensify at increased rates that effect our society and personal lives.

The scientific breakthroughs have been wonderful from a competitive standpoint, but it has caused many clashes in the social aspects and patterns of life. When the frequency of change continues to shrink, the expectations of workers continues to increase. In addition these changes effect the family format in many different ways.

Prior to the knowledge society most families operated in a “factory related society.”  A factory related society was based around a few simple premises 1) America was the world’s main producer of gross national products and thus the main supplier of the world’s goods. 2) The work schedule, school schedule, and church schedule all coincided around blocks of time that allowed families to grow together and manage their time and activities more efficiently. It was common to have dinner together, Bible devotions together, and go to church and school activities together.   Life seemed simple because most people and families were pulling together in the same direction.

The knowledge society has produced a clash or collision with the lifestyles that many people once knew. It is estimated that over 30 million Americans no longer work in a traditional job that starts and stops in a regular 8-10 hour schedule. These jobs are knowledge jobs where global meetings, email, cell phones, and emergency meetings do not have an 8-hour schedule or time-limit. Many of these workers no longer have their life packaged around the family dinner schedules, church schedules, and start and stop patterns that made life and family scheduling simpler. This may be the primary reason that the school and church environments that still operate an out-dated or traditional schedule clash with a large majority of society. Many of the traditional churches have lost large amounts of members, while churches who have embraced a broader venue and access to their programs seem to be thriving. It is important to note that many of the ‘knowledge’ society workers deal with guilt over the inability to have a traditional schedule, devotional time, and normal family times.  This guilt is unhealthy as the change in society dictates the shift in work patterns that no-longer align with the traditional schedules. 

Added to the scheduling conflicts of the ‘K’ society, the media industry has filled an increased portion of the void in face-to-face relationships by providing around-the-clock access to electronic and virtual information and communication. This is why so many 24x7x365 news, weather, shopping networks, and talk shows have been so successful. The media industry has added technology and knowledge which has grown well beyond the TV. The internet, instant messaging, text messaging and the social networking capabilities of Myspace and Facebook have changed the fabric of how we view time, send and retrieve information, interact with society, and share our personal life with not only friends and family, but with complete strangers. The cumulative advancements in media technologies in an online world has rearranged the way in which the world shops, looks for jobs, orders products, makes donations, expresses ourselves, dates, gambles, and experiences sexual fantasies.

In summary, the knowledge society has produced many tremendous advancements that have replaced our traditional mode of work, family time, relationships, and social life. Life as we knew it is no longer packaged into neat-and-tidy timeframes that we evaluate once every few years. Rather, our lives have become socially networked with electronics, communications, time schedules, and relationships that change in very frequent intervals.  This change which happens many times without our conscious awareness, clashes with the traditional format of family, church, and in some cases the values that we once had.

It is not my intent to paint a negative picture or claim to reveal what is right or wrong with the changes caused by the ‘K’ society. My intent is to simply make people aware of the reality of how frequent change is occurring and impacting our society. I believe this is the very reason why God had the prophet Daniel write the words which clearly state that during the last days of time people would obtain an increase in knowledge as well as travel in a more frequent and broader manner.  We are literally seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled.

“But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."  Daniel 12:4 (NIV)

2) A Shaking in the Spiritual Realm – A Clashing of Purposes

In Hebrews 12:26-27 God makes a clear statement that He will shake both the heaven and the earth one more time to see what will remain. God has made a clear statement that He wants to see what things will remain when all things we have put our hope in have been shaken. He did not say he would shake people, rather, He stated that He will shake the foundations of what has been created. This is the primary cause for what we see happening with financial structures, government structures, religious structures, social structures, political structures, and even weather patterns.  

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removing of what can be shaken- that is, created things- so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:26-27 (NIV)

It is important to recognize that in preparation for the last days God is intensifying things. Not only will the earth be shaken but the heavens as well. Even though we may not yet be in the fullness of the shaking, it is evident that there are “warm-up” sessions or cycles happening. In God’s grace, He is warning the earth that it is getting time for His return. The bizarre human behaviors and strange weather patterns are heaven and earth’s response to God’s voice…saying to get ready. In fact in Hebrews 12:26, it starts out by saying “His voice shook the earth.” 

The Bible in numerous passages is clear that nature responds to God’s voice. Upon further study you will see that God’s voice truly causes nature to respond. Considering the fact that God’s voice caused nature to be created and at the end of this world God’s voice causes it to be removed; it is completely plausible that in-between the beginning and the end, God’s voice is speaking and causing nature to respond. This thought goes beyond probable when you consider that scripture states there is evidence that before judgment there will be an increase in earthquakes, shakings, and the seas and waves will roar.  

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”  Luke 21:25-26

Verse 27 -28 of Luke 21 states that after these things we will see the Lord coming and that we are to view these things as a sign that our redemption draws near.  Because of God’s love and mercy for humanity, what we may be witnessing is the fulfillment of scripture that he is warning us that His return is near. God’s lovely voice is echoing His return, and nature is simply responding by being shaken at the sound of His voice.  

The book of Joel reminds us that God promises to sound an alarm before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Without getting caught up in theological timing, consider the fact that God warns people before its too late.  His voice is clearly going to sound an alarm and cause nature to respond. 

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble. For the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand.” Joel 2:1

Consider the two facts; 1) God says he would warn us before He returns, and 2) Nature must respond to God’s voice/alarm/shout. We could possibly suggest that the present day natural disasters are neither judgment nor global warming, but rather God sounding his voice as an alarm that He is ready to return.  In God’s love and mercy we may very well be hearing an alarm and nature is doing what it must do; respond and be shaken at His voice…causing various kinds of natural disasters.  We ought to be excited because Jesus said in His word that at these signs we should lift our heads because our redeemer is coming.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.”   Psalm 29: 5 (NIV).

The fullness of the shaking which is mentioned in Hebrews 12:26-27 is not necessarily known. However, what is known is that the shaking will take place and it will be used as a means to show what we really put our faith, hope, and love in. The sad news is that the shaking is painful for many people who have put their faith, hope, and love in things that are temporal and man-made. The good news is that God states that only faith, hope and love will remain, all else will be shaken and vanish (1 Corinthians 13:13.)   This is also the reason why Jesus asked the question in Luke 18:8 “When I return will I find Faith on the earth?” He knew that the future shaking will require faith; and that faith is a critical ingredient to our relationship with Christ.

“I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"  Luke 18:8 (NIV)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6

Keep in mind that God’s purpose is to help us to stand upon faith in Him alone. It may be that God desires the shaking to begin and take place because He clearly sees what is happening on the earth. He is fully aware of the hype and build-up of so much trust and faith in people, buildings, economies, companies, money, emotions, churches, and denominations. It has become testing time for the earth. When we have put so much hope in material and tangible things, it should be understood that when these things start crumbling, so will the people who put these very things above and/or before God.

According to a complete understanding of scripture and its simplicity, one can clearly see that Faith is the only currency used in the spiritual realm. Our earthly minds are drawn to the currency of earth called money. Therefore we spend so much time trying to earn and obtain the currency that allows us to operate in our earthly realm of understanding. However, in order to operate in the heavenly realm we need to have the currency of heaven; faith. From the moment we accept Christ we switch our currency to faith, by faith we believe, by faith we are saved, by faith we can be healed, by faith we can allow God to change our circumstances, by faith we step out of the normal realm of who we are and become who God desires us to become.  Our faith can be built upon and increased in order for us to operate more effectively in the Kingdom. God states in Hebrews 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’  Faith begins the process and faith will end the process. How has your faith account been lately? Is there a negative or positive balance in your faith account?  When we have a bank account on earth the credits into our account help build the account in a positive direction. However, the opposite of a credit is a debit. Once my debits exceed my credit I have a negative account balance. In the spiritual realm the opposite of faith is fear. Faith can be seen as a credit that builds your account, while fear can be seen as a debit which depletes your account. If you were to take a quick view of your own faith account, what would you find? Has there been a depletion of that account (your faith) by all the activities of fear that have been issued against your faith.

An added dimension to the clashing and shaking

At the same time that God’s shaking has begun, satan…who has the opposite interest in our faith has issued an all out war against our faith. Prior to any shaking, satan issues an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ command to build up a false and temporal structure. He is an expert on what the flesh loves, as well as an expert on the only currency that exists in heaven; faith. He has been getting ready and geared up for this moment in time. He is issuing debits of fear against your faith to deplete your faith account with God. This is why so many people are living a life of fear, rather than faith.

Without giving satan too much credit, let me simply use scripture to make the point crystal clear.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  Ephesians 6:10-16

In this passage it is clear that the wrestling and struggling that we will have is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. What we really see happening at the present time is a dual shaking or warm-up shaking in the heavens and earth from God. Our faith is being tested by God, while at the same time a clash in the spiritual realm from satan is depleting or destroying our faith. You can see now why it is appropriate to ask ‘what in heaven and hell is happening?’ God warns us that not only will He shake the earth, but also the heavens. What is being stated is that God will shake both the temporal structures on earth as well as the spiritual structures in the spiritual realm.   Needless to say, all the elements that are being shaken are not visible or apparent to the natural eye.  This indicates that the less spiritual a person is, the less they will see, the less they will notice, and the less they will identify with the spiritual battle that is occurring. They only see and hear the results and give shallow answers such as:

·        Awe that’s too bad

·        Well there is not much we can do when people make the wrong choices

·        Church leaders have always fallen, so this is nothing new.

·        We really don’t know what’s happening with the weather, but God doesn’t judge, so it must be global warming.

·        There is no perfect church you know.

·        I wouldn’t worry about what is happening because God is too loving to allow anyone to be hurt.

These shallow answers and many others like them are only an indicator of the lack of a person’s heart and spiritual discernment. What all this indicates to me is that there is a definite spiritual war or spiritual clashing taking place before our very eyes, causing behavior that is unexplainable.  It is much like a person who has ever lived in the northern part of the United States during the middle of winter. They find that their car operates flawlessly all year long until the temperature (without much warning) quickly drops to -20 degrees Fahrenheit and the car is suddenly tested in a whole different environment. The battery in their car that worked the day before is quickly powerless, and the water or anti-freeze that may not have been tested for -20 degrees Fahrenheit causes the car engine coolants to freeze as a result.  Within a matter of one day everything that worked, is at a stand-still. This analogy is similar to what may be happening in the world today.  We have hit a point of multi-stressful activities that are testing our ability to function in sub-normal patterns of life.

An example of this bizarre behavior are the many unassuming ministers who at one point were functioning in the fair-weather of religiosity and were caught completely off guard by a sudden tremor or shaking that shook their faith to see how well it was grounded. The shaking which was sudden and beyond their normal testing, led to uncertainty, doubt, fear and anxiety; which in turn opened the door for the spiritual realm of their life to be distorted, disturbed, and perverted toward actions unbecoming to their normal character.  The enemy is granted permission to step in and snap their spiritual logic, causing them to begin a path of behavior that turns bizarre. You may think this is a slight over reaction, and wonder why I choose to use the word bizarre. What else would you call 4,000 ministers who have been accused of molesting young boys…certainly not normal! What may be more bizarre is the in-action of the very activities that are unbecoming of criminals in prison, let alone leaders of a church.  When the church is more concerned with shutting down a porn shop, yet remain silent over clergy who have violated humanity at levels below criminals; the bizarre has taken over. Surely any normal thinking person would have to admit that something is not quite right, and in fact would be classified as bizarre behavior on the parts of leaders in churches and followers.

This same concept may explain why life appeared so much simpler 40-years ago.  40-years ago we only heard of sporadic depression cases, sexual assaults, people snapping, school shootings, suicides, mass murders, white-collar crimes, rapes, tortures, terrorism, bombings, etc. Today these and many other real life issues have become weekly occurrences. The pressures and stresses of life have increased to a point that makes a statement and case that the spiritual temperature of life has drifted below the breaking point for many people. Many of these people are in the midst of our churches, which many people naturally and blindly believe are safe from the stresses of life. Suddenly, the world and church are shocked with the recent news reports that statistically prove that the church is no better off than the world. There is new evidence that states that there are just as many divorces, just as many leaders snapping, just as much depression, just as much loneliness, and possibly more sexual misconduct within the church.

As a society we now have depression in epidemic proportions, with new forms of the disease diagnosed regularly; such as light deprivation and/or seasonal depression. Many people who want to escape the reality of the present day shaking would begin stating that these problems have always existed. This is untrue, and used as another religious or moral person’s excuse to ignore the reality. We need to be awaken and admit the issues as they occur in an honest effort to allow God’s judgment process to begin in the house of God first. We are appearing as ignorant and unqualified leaders when we allow the media to expose continual bizarre behavior both inside and outside the church on a weekly basis.   

It is true that Satan has been deceiving people for years, but it is also true that he has escalated the deception to the level that people can no longer discern truths from half-truths. In addition, I realize that it may be completely possible that just as the technology advancements have increased, have been built upon, and converged together for fuller technological advancements, that satan has converged his deceptions with truths, and half-truths along with the utilization of technology to quickly advance his mission of deception. Below is just a small list of possibilities in this pattern:

1.      Forty years ago we labeled many of the drugs by their descriptive names such as barbiturates, depressants, stimulants, amphetamines, narcotics, and hallucinogens.  Today we have lost the real names and replaced them with classier names.  Many people including the elderly and kids commonly take prescription drugs that have the classier names from the pharmaceutical industry. We have become a society addicted to a new means of using the same drugs to alter perceived issues, feelings, and illnesses with nice-named drugs. Granted that these drugs do temporarily address issues and appear to help, but twenty years later we have a society doped up and drugged up on mind-altering and behavior-altering drugs.  In many cases there are more drugs used now to counter-alter the negative effects of the classy drugs. We also have many people taking forms of vitamins that have been mixed with stimulants and hallucinogens to speed-up weight loss, or gain a quick energy boost for personal performance. This is another example of mixing half-truths with truths which allow people to feel better for periods of time.  What you learned about drugs when you were younger is just as true of the clean and classy named drugs today. They alter your mind, pick you up for periods of time, but in the end you are in a worse state than the beginning, leaving you little choice but to take more of the drugs to sustain a false sense of normality. Even fifth graders listening to the nice-named drug commercials would easily detect and discern that if a drug has more than 10 side effects it may not be a good idea to take it.

2.      The advancement of the Internet has passed on great knowledge to individuals who are able to learn more information within quicker frequencies of time. Satan has leveraged this technology to advance soft-pornography, hard-pornography, and the pedophilia industry to new riches and broader social acceptance. It is estimated that 30% of clergy are presently addicted to Internet pornography, and 40% of church men have addictions as well. It should come as little surprise that there are such various amounts of sexual misconduct amongst modern day church leaders when we have increased and glamorized the options to stimulate false imaginations of what sexuality really is, and what women or men really want through the new inventions of sensual and graphic content via the Internet.

3.      Add on top of the advancement of clean and classy named drugs the new scientific advancements labeled sexual enhancement and arousal medications that are used for breast enlargement, penis enlargements, longer lasting erections, and greater sensual arousal. Strangely enough, while all this is happening, the church world is still debating if birth-control is acceptable while many of their members are 5 -7 generations of sexual enhancement advancements ahead of their minister…who by the way may also be hooked on Internet pornography. (Wake-up).  Step back and think of the false logic and deception of the behavior. If you did a six month experiment in your neighborhood and passed out sexual enhancement and sexual arousal pills, vitamins, and/or drugs to all neighborhood animals for a six month period, what do you think may start happening?

4.      Gambling, slot machines, lottery tickets and other forms of betting have reached unimaginable advancements. Cities and states across America have believed the deception that gambling is the greatest tourist attraction and tax relief of all time. Of greater concern is the newest deception that gambling is a sport aired on ESPN and many other channels. We have advanced the addiction of gambling to the level of a clean-cut sport. Truly bizarre and deceptive behaviors.

5.      Text messaging and social networking through Myspace and Facebook have been wonderful advancements in some regards. However many kids are using the social networks as an opportunity to express themselves in a way that is not a true representation of who they are. They are pretending to be much more aggressive than what they really are. The best way to describe it is as a virtual locker room where people pretend and talk as if they are bigger than life. This behavior is a perfect outlet for pretending and thinking of oneself as bigger than life. The problem is that the momentum of this behavior is pulling young people in the wrong direction toward more aggression and bizarre behavior.

In summary, the clashing and colliding of time is all about the culmination of multiple and simultaneous events. God was clear when He said He would shake the world to see what would remain and at the same time satan has started an all out attack to deceive and prevent people from exercising what little faith they have. Satan knows that heaven operates on faith and that the opposite of faith is fear. His deception is to keep people in fear by creating distractions, deceptions, and disruptions. The majority of these are done in the spiritual realm which explains why your average person cannot comprehend what is happening. Every know-it-all Christian and minister, who couldn’t fight their way out of a spiritual paper bag, will find it impossible to wisely discern what has been taking place, or the signs of the times. In addition, the media will spend years blaming the shaking as nature’s response to El’Nino or global warming.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

The two previous descriptions of what in heaven and hell is happening are interesting society changes which have probably made you more aware of what may be happening in our time. The third facet of change described below is an iron clad promise that God has forewarned of tumultuous change which will increase and intensify.

3) God’s timing and prophecy is occurring and coming to fulfillment

God’s Word has, is, and will always remain true. There is no escaping the reality that God’s Word has come to fulfillment in hundreds of proclamations or prophecies. There is a proven track record with perfect prophetic fulfillment as much of the future has now become modern history. The majority of the prophecies already fulfilled in perfection relate to the first coming of Christ, His death, and resurrection.  Many of the remaining prophecies are foretold in relation to His second coming. Just as the prophecies of His first coming have been fulfilled to perfection, so will the prophecies of His second coming. Even though we do not know the exact timing, we can be assured that every prophecy will come to pass.

“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen; will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”  Matthew 5:18 (NIV)

The clarity in which Christ spoke and many others wrote in scripture concerning the preparation for the last days is quite amazing. A person would have to be ignorant, blind, or deceived by selfish motives, or by satan not to be aware of the signs of the times that were spoken of. I think it is worth the time to explain and describe what scripture reveals about the signs of the times. 

What is exciting, revealing, and interesting about all the descriptions is that it clearly shows that there will be a clashing of times and events prior to the second coming of  Christ. What is about to be described is an all-out confrontation between spiritual elements as well as their increase in intensity.

The following table represents 35 warnings or signs of things that will happen prior, during, and/or after the second coming of Christ.  Included is the status of each sign in order for you to see which signs are already occurring and intensifying as we get closer to

the time that Jesus Christ returns. 

Table 1 – Signs and Warnings of the Times Prior to Christ’s return

As you can quickly summarize from this information, there are many signs all occurring at the same time that illuminate the reality that the spiritual and emotional side of life will not be getting easier; but more complex. Yes it is true, we also see signs of moral improvements as a means that we are becoming a more civilized society. For instance, there are many great causes and improvements such as:

·        More environmentally aware – There is less pollution, more recycling and everyone is going “green.”

·        More socially aware – We are fighting the war on poverty, breast cancer, aids, abuse, etc.

·        More medically aware – People are more careful about their health, more physically fit, there is less cigarette smoking in public places, and overall much better hygiene, etc.

We could easily enter a debate that makes a case that things are getting better, not worse. I would challenge you to step back and see the evidence as 1) we are better in many ways on the surface across all societies, but 2) the fabric of the human heart of faith, hope, love and conduct is on a declining path. This piece of our society is often hidden and overshadowed from the improvements on the social surface.

The struggle with fighting God’s Word and promise

I have been eternally saved by the grace of God for sixteen years. God has done wonderful works in my life and blessed our family. As a natural tendency to return the favors of God, as well as obey scripture, my wife Pam and I have dedicated our finances, life, and motives to help people. We have been extremely blessed to see God use these efforts to see people’s lives change, churches started, challenging concepts get published, and many other accomplishments during our journey.  

However, the journey during the last five years has been somewhat different.  What has been different is that the same people and types of people we have been ministering to have revealed a surprising and shocking reality. That reality includes some of the following:

1.                            Much of the positive change that people have today is surface change and/or very temporal…lasting weeks or only days.  Deep within themselves they have not made the commitment to change, or made the decision to develop their faith for long lasting change.

2.                            Many of the ministers we have known who were once excited about Godly things have turned to temporal satisfaction.

3.                            Many other ministers have turned their attention to a combination of manipulative methods, love for money, and/or turned their hearts over to fear, which produces more control and manipulation to control the little they possess.

4.                            A noted increase in the irrational behavior of leaders in both the world and church – sexual sin, money mongers, false promises in exchange for money.

5.                            The statistics that sexual sin and divorce in the church is greater than divorce and sexual sin outside the church.

6.                            The spiritual health of the church and Christians are proportionately opposite of the amount of resources and funds we put toward Christian music, literature, buildings and conferences.

The last five years has been extremely difficult, but it has forced us to ask God; “What is happening?” We have been through moments of guilt, shame, and utter wonderment.  This wonderment also included the possibility that everything was just fine; and it was actually our own hearts that were wrong. In fact, we went back and forth with our own questions such as “are we imagining things, have we left our first love, are we thinking more negatively than we ought to be?” This process continued to draw us to God’s Word and more prayer and questions. The simplest way to explain the end-result of our process and questioning was a response from God that was; “Mike, what would you like me to do, change Bible prophecy so that your desire of seeing people and churches changed comes true? Don’t you know that my Word indicates what signs would take place just prior to my return? I can’t change my Word simply so you can get the results that you have been used to in the past” In other words God was directing me to the reality that in the days before His coming, His Word must be fulfilled and that by the signs that He gave through His Word, we would see a shift in behaviors both in the church and the world. In fact when you view all the signs simultaneously together you can see there is some serious shaking going on; making for a “clashing of times.”

This word from the Lord forced me to review again the scriptures to see what they said about the last days. The scriptures reveal clearly what will happen in the last days. The whole review of scripture allowed me to question and understand the ‘time’ or season of time that we are living in.

Figure 1 below assembles the information in Chapter 1 into a systematic timeline to help review the reality that God’s Word is very definitive and clear that the signs and changing of time would help us know we are getting close to His return. The numbered lines represents the 35 signs illustrated in Table 1.