Time Has Come (Pt. 7)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

John reported that the stars fell (Revelation 6:13). The word for “stars” that John used is the word aster, from which we get the word asteroid. I believe what John saw was most likely a massive asteroid shower. The phrase implies that the stars not only fall but are strewn all over the sky. To the Jews, this was especially bad news, because the order in the heavens was a clear sign of God’s unchanging attitude. Take away the heavens and there’s nothing left! To the Jews, the ultimate chaos would be for the stars to fall from their place in the heavens—but John said that’s exactly what is going to happen. Before he described the fall of the stars, it was prophesied centuries before by Isaiah (“All the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll,” Isaiah 34:4). Jesus concurred, quoting Isaiah: “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

I sincerely believe that the stars in the heavens will not fall from the sky, because one star alone would literally decimate the entire planet. I always go to the Greek for complete clarity of New Testament scripture. In my studies, I have come to believe these stars John saw were in fact an asteroid shower.

Something like John described has happened many times before. One of the greatest of these occurred on October 8, 1871, when legend tells us that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern. Within minutes, the O’Leary farm was fully engulfed in a raging fire, with the entire city of Chicago, Illinois, soon to follow.

What many don’t know is that, on the same night as the Chicago fire, there was another deadly fire about 250 miles north of the city in a Wisconsin town named Peshtigo. In Peshtigo, fire literally fell from the sky and quickly consumed the entire city, burning it to the ground. Over 1,000 people per­ished in the fire. To this day, Peshtigo holds the title of the deadliest fire in American history.

Several cities in Michigan burned that same night, including Holland, Muskegan, Manistee, and Port Huron. Scientists believe that great fire was started by an asteroid shower, as indicated by the fragments found near Port Huron, Michigan, not long after the fires had gone out.

John saw the sky split and fold up like a scroll that has been stretched open and then suddenly sliced down the middle. After the opening of the sixth seal, John saw the repositioning of mountains and islands (Revelation 6:14). The most unshakable things on earth will be shattered when Jesus opens the sixth seal.

Excerpt from Time Has Come

Time Has Come (Pt. 6)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

 

I am a builder.  I have always enjoyed planning and working on new building projects and seeing them come together step by step.  I learned early on that in reading blueprints, if I wanted to get the entire picture, I had to view each individual overlay of the master plan – an overlay for the foundation, one for the infrastructure, another for the plumbing and wiring, another for the interior walls, roofing, exterior surfaces, even an overlay for the landscaping and parking lots – and then lay them on top of each other.  Only after studying the individual overlays together could I get an accurate picture of what ws going to come into existence.

To truly understand the book of Revelation, you must review the prophecies of Daniel, ponder the words of Jesus from the Gospels, and then consider Paul’s writings to the Thessalonians.  As you add each of these layers to the book of Revelation, you can begin to see the entire picture as the Lord intended it to be seen.

One of the most important overlays to understanding Revelation is the Second Coming discourse given by Jesus to His disciples and recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.  Many of the “signs of the times” mentioned by Jesus are similar to those in the vision John received and recorded in Revelation 6.

John Kilpatrick is the former pastor of Brownsville Assembly of God Church in Pensacola, Florida, a place where a genuine revival broke out on Father’s Day 1995 and continued unabated with spontaneous services every night for five years, with more than four and a half million people going through the doors during that time.  For years John studied the passages relating to the Second Coming.  In regard to the words of the prophets and the predictions of Jesus, he said, “These days are not coming they are here.”  John added, “Every major sign of the Second Coming is in motion right now.”

You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to know that the planet is groaning.  Populations are increasing while the resources needed to sustain them are decreasing.  The oceans are dying, clean air and water are becoming scarce, natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, floods, crop failures, bacterial mutations, and shifting weather patterns), conflicts (terrorism and wars), false religions (cults and pseudo religions), and a worldwide economic meltdown are reported daily in the news.

Something big is about to happen.  We need to prepare to see Jesus!  Knowledge that we are living in what the Bible refers to as the “last days” should motivate Christians to live closer to Jesus than ever before and to more actively seek out opportunities to share the gospel with people who don’t yet know the Lord.  The clock is ticking and time is running out.  Yes, difficult days are upon us, but do not lose hope.  Jesus Christ will return, and He will take you to live with Him eternally.  Right now, however, we need to brace ourselves for some shocks.

How do I know this?  Because Jesus Himself said so in Matthew 24.

(Excerpt from “Time Has Come”)

Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Pt. 5)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

STEP 4:  THE FIRST FIRING

Almost immediately, the Lord takes you out of the wilderness and places you in large room with other dried vessels. At first you are relieved but as the fire starts to come through the floorboards and the top of the ceiling, you panic.

The Lord has moved you from the shelf to the kiln, from the wilderness to His consuming fire.  You can sense the heat.  You can feel the relentless blaze. Perspiring yourself, you suddenly look over at the sweaty people next to you and realize you don’t even like them!

The Lord never fires just one vessel at a time.  He takes a church, a family or a group of friends and sets them on fire to expose everyone’s hearts.  In the intense heat, all the impurities of the soul come to the surface. Resentment, bitterness, anger and greed are revealed.

As the fire gets hotter the pain increases, you cry out, “Lord! Everything in my life is dying!” Relationships with family and friends become strained, you experience persecution at work, and you can’t get along with the people at church.

“God, if you love me, You’ll turn off the heat!” you complain.  But the fire continues to blaze even hotter. Finally, the doors open and the Lord removes the clay vessels and places them back on the shelves.

Now you’re actually happy to be in a hidden place.  You decide to sit in the back of the church and not give prophecies or be a part of the prayer team anymore. Oh, yes, you still raise your hands and occasionally pray for people, but you’ve become lukewarm.  When the Holy Spirit stirs your heart to give a word, you say, “No! If I give a word, others will judge me.  No, Lord, find someone else.”

For a while, God tolerates your pulling back.  Then He begins to nudge your spirit.  He says, “Are you willing to settle for this, or do you want more of Me?  Do you want to become My anointed bride?”

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Have you ever been in a place in your walk where the fire got so hot you just wanted to shrink back and rest for a while?  Silly question, I know.  I’m sure we’ve all been there.

Time Has Come (Pt. 5)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Most Christians believe that Jesus will one day return in power, glory, and judgment to reward His followers and to punish those who have rejected God. But the question that divides the hearts and minds of many believers—and sometimes even divides Christians into separate camps and denominations—is whether believers will experience some or all of the tough times described in the book of Revelation and other prophetic scriptures.

For many years I preached that Christians would not have to endure the horrors of the Tribulation, that Jesus would return and take His people out of this world. Admittedly, most of my thoughts on the matter were not original, nor were my views based on years of studying the Scriptures and reaching valid biblically based conclusions. For the most part, I simply believed what I had heard sincere men and women of God teach, namely, that Jesus was coming back before the seven-year Tribulation in an event called the Rapture.

Although the word rapture does not appear in the Bible, we based our ideas on a passage from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. The apostle encouraged believers with these words:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, nkjv).

Although this passage does indeed describe the Second Coming, we drew some unwarranted conclusions about when and how this event would occur. This “catching away” of the saints, which is what the word rapture means, was to take place secretly, as far as unbelievers were concerned. Only believers, it was thought, would be able to experience and witness the appearing of the Lord. Suddenly, Jesus was to appear in the air, and in the twinkling of an eye we would be gone, whisked off the ground to meet the Lord in the sky. The dead in Christ, believers who had died prior to His coming, would rise first, and together we would all meet Him in the air. From there He would take us to live with Him eternally. Later, Christ would return again, this time in power and glory to judge the world and set up His eternal kingdom. The Rapture was to happen, of course, before any events of the Tribulation began to pummel the earth.

One of my favorite prophetic Scripture verses is, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36, nkjv). I placed a heavy emphasis on the word escape, because I was convinced it went against God’s loving nature to allow His people to go through the horrors of the Tribulation.

My thinking on the subject changed when, in prison, I searched out the passages that described the Rapture that precedes the Tribulation. To my amazement, I could not find any. I found certain scriptures that other preachers .and I twisted and conveniently interpreted to fit my “prosperity” messages, but when I allowed the Bible to speak for itself, I realized that my notions of a pre-Tribulation Rapture were not based in scripture.

(Excerpt from “Time Has Come”)

Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Pt. 4)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in General | Tags: , , ,

STEP 2: THE POTTER’S WHEEL –

The Lord then scoops up the moistened clay with His mighty hands and places you on the Potter’s wheel.  You hear His promise: “I have measured you; I know your portion; I know what destiny I have for you. For even though the enemy would want to kill you, I tell you, I have a mission and a calling for your life!”

He begins to center you on the wheel. Slowly, His gentle hands go down into the very depths of who you are and begins to pull up the walls of your new vessel. 

While you are on the Potter’s wheel, being shaped by the hands of the Master Potter, there is a wonderful mystery taking place within you.  You are growing! It is a time of great favor and blessing.

But as you go around and around, you begin to notice that other vessels are sitting on the shelves around the Potter’s house. You want to be like them!

“Lord, I love the closeness and intimacy of Your hands,” you cry.  “But I see all of these other vessels sitting on the shelf and I want to be a part of what they’re doing!”

STEP 3: THE POTTER’S SHELF

Suddenly the Lord comes with His cutting wire and pulls you off the wheel.  Then He places you on the shelf to dry.

What a change this is from being on the wheel, where you were joyfully spinning in the hands of God!

At first, you don’t mind it too much, but after a month or two, you say, “Uh…you know, Lord, I’ve been sitting on the shelf for a long time and I’m really dry. When is my ministry going to begin?”

You remind Him over and over again, “Lord, I’ve been praying to You!”  But you don’t feel His presence. In desperation you cry, “God, where are you?  I seem to be in a dry and lonely wilderness!”

“You’re right,” He answers. “You’ve been promoted!” Surprised, you respond, “But Lord, I thought promotion was getting to start my ministry!”

In His love and wisdom He explains, “Promotion is the wilderness!  I’ve called you here so you can learn to recognize My voice.  I’m testing your heart.  I’m testing your love for Me.  Will you continue to seek My face, or will you turn away?”

When you were on the wheel, there was great intimacy between you and the Lord.  Everybody said such wonderful things about your future!  But now that you’re on the shelf, everyone seems to have forgotten you.

“Does God really have a future for my life?” you begin to wonder.  “Did He really speak those things to me?” You’ve learned all the worship songs by heart, read all the books, been to all the conferences and seminars – yet there’s a dying in your heart because you feel the Lord has forsaken you.

The worst part is that other people don’t understand.  “Why don’t you have more faith?” they ask.  They don’t understand that God has taken you into the wilderness.  You see, the greater the calling on your life, the greater the persecutions from other people. This is the price behind the anointing.

“My child,” the Lord says, “as you seek My face you will find the hidden streams of living water beneath the desert floor.  For it is not the reputation and approval of man you need, it is to be so deeply rooted in Me so no matter what storms in life come, you will not be moved.”

While God works out His perfect plan, your soul is wrestling and dying in the wilderness. Finally, you stop struggling and quietly pray a prayer of resignation: “Lord, I’ll stay in the wilderness my whole life if I have to. I have found You in the desert and You are all I need!”

Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Pt. 3)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in General | Tags: ,

STEP 1: THE POTTER’S HOUSE –

 “This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Go down to the Potter’s house, and there I will give you My message.”  So I went down to the Potter’s house, and I saw Him working at the wheel. But the pot He was shaping from the clay was marred in His hands; so the Potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to Him” (Jeremiah 18:1 NIV).

Think back to the day Jesus saved you.  Remember the agony you felt as you cried out to Him from the shattered ash heap of your life.  You were just a broken clay vessel when the Lord, the Master Potter, first found you.

In biblical times, all the shattered vessels were thrown onto a garbage dump outside the village know as the ‘potter’s field.’ This field represents the world. It’s the place where broken lives are thrown after they’ve become worn out and abused; discarded and rejected by the world.

Even though you were a useless clay vessel and your hopes and dreams had been destroyed, He came for you.  Do you remember when He gently picked you up and carried you into the Potter’s house?

What wonder and awe filled your being when you first realized He loved you! How you longed to stay in His arms and bask in His presence. There was nothing you wouldn’t do for Him! Just a glance from His eyes ravished your heart.  “You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride; you have ravished my heart and given me courage with one look from your eyes …” (Song of Solomon 4:9 Amplified)

With great compassion, He tenderly said, “I know you. Your substance is not hidden from Me, for you were fearfully and wonderfully made.  When you were in your mother’s womb, you were My chosen instrument. And I have destiny and calling for you.” (see Psalm 139:14-16).

With His own scarred hands, He reached into the depths of your heart saying, “But first, I will remove all the rocks, thistles, thorns and foreign matter – all the debris you’ve picked up on the highway of life.”

Then He brought His stone of Unrelenting Love carefully down upon you – cracking open your vessel to a place where all you could do was lay in a heap of dust before Him. Perhaps you were confused because you thought there would be no more pain after you entered His house.  Surely if He loved you as much as He said He did, He wouldn’t allow any more pain to come your way!  After all, you’d been through so much already!

Next, He carefully placed your clay dust in a large bin and poured the clear living water that proceeds from the throne of God over you. (see Rev. 22:1)  Worship and the Word filled your life and brought soothing refreshing to your thirsty soul. He drenched you until you had absorbed this living water into every pore of your being.

After a while, spent in the hands of the Potter, you finally realized this crushing was not for your destruction as it had been in the past.  And you heard Him softly whisper, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11-12). Worship and praise flowed over you and you could say, “Lord, I can feel Your love like never before.”

The journey from salvation to transformation had begun!

Time Has Come (Pt. 4)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

You are not in Darkness

Many sincere people are asleep at the wheel.  Some are cavorting with the devil, veering increasingly off course toward destruction. Others see the dangerous direction we are heading, but they naively hope that Jesus will come and save us before we hit the rocks.  Escaping the coming tribulation would be wonderful, but I’m convinced that we must go through some of these tribulation events. After years of studying the Scripture, I find little evidence that Jesus is going to return for Christians before the difficult times of Revelation begin to happen on earth. Although I’m certain Jesus is coming, we may indeed be here for what Jesus called the “beginnings of sorrows,” (Matthew 24:8, NKJV) and perhaps much more.  We need to understand the signs of the times and recognize the events leading to the Lord’s return.

In churches all across America, I’ve asked congregations, “How many of you believe that Jesus is going to come for us like a thief in the night?”  It’s a bit of a trick question, but I use it to make a point.

Most hands go up.  Nearly everyone has a vague familiarity with the idea that Jesus will return when we least expect Him.  Those who have made headlines in recent years for their foolish, unbiblical predictions of Christ’s return tend only to further convince us that we cannot know when Jesus is coming.

But if you look at the Scripture carefully, you may be surprised.  The Word does not say that He is coming like a thief in the night for believers.

“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 NASB).

Do you see that?  You are not to be in darkness.  You are not of the night.  You are to be watching and waiting, already prepared for the coming of the Lord. You will have advance information, namely, signs you can recognize that His coming is near.  You will not be caught unaware.  Or at least you should not be.

Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice.”  They recognize not just the sound of His voice, but the truth of His words.  If you are a fan of John Grisham novels, you recognize the author’s voice in each of his books.  If you’ve read the great writers from the past, such as Shakespeare, you recognize their style.  Similarly, if you study the Scriptures, you can know the voice of Jesus and recognize the truth of His Word. By becoming familiar with His voice, you will be able to recognize when something is consistent with what Jesus said or whether it is an idea concocted by someone else, well intentioned though they may be. There is no reason for you to be caught off guard by the cataclysmic events that are about to happen. Revelation will help you to be ready.

(excerpt from Time Has Come)

Time Has Come (Pt. 3)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Many first-century believers—including, no doubt, the Apostle John—expected Jesus to return within their lifetime. When He didn’t, some people became disillusioned and discouraged. They did not understand that certain things had to happen in history before Christ’s return. For instance, according to Jesus’ own words, Jerusalem had to be under Jewish control before the end-times events begin to happen. That did not occur until 1948, when the nation of Israel was re-established, and Jerusalem once again came under the governance of the Jewish people, though both Christianity and Islam have sacred sites there.  Consequently, most, if not all, of the prophecies recorded in Revelation, can easily be fulfilled in our generation. Now, when the prophetic mysteries begin to unfold, they will occur in rapid succession. That’s why you need to have your heart right and your house in order now, ready today for the return of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, the Apostle Paul warned that “the day of Christ,” including the Lord’s climactic return, would not happen until the “man of sin” is revealed.  This is the Antichrist who “takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

If the Antichrist is going to be on the rise, wisdom says we should prepare to go through some difficult days before the Lord’s return. I know you are hoping that Jesus will come prior to the tribulation period, and so am I.  But what if you are living right where you are today when the “four horsemen of Revelation” begin to ride, when unprecedented natural disasters strike the world, and when the Antichrist appears?  What will you do? Will you even understand the significance of these developments? All of these things and more are definitely going to happen; the only question is when.

Excerpt from Time Has Come

Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Pt. 2)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Finally He stops before you and says, “I’m calling you to come into the high fires and let My glory fall upon you,” and gazing deeply into your being He continues, “but it will cost you. You’ll have to die to your reputation, your theology, and all of your ‘religious formulas’. You will have to let go of your fears and your control. Do you love Me enough to come, or will you be content to live out your life in the back pews of the church?”

You sit quietly for awhile, pondering what to do. You’re afraid to say yes but more afraid to say no. Glancing over at the beautiful vessels, your spirit stirs within you and your heart says yes!  But this seems dangerous … it could cost you everything … even your life!

Then you remember when Jesus said, “He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).  You think about some people you’ve known.  They started so well but ended up apathetic and lukewarm toward the things of God; more influenced by their carnal lifestyle than the truth and counsel of His Word.

You believe it’s the Lord’s desire for all to be chosen vessels.  But are you pursuing the high calling and destiny the Lord has purposed for your life, or do you shrink back … not willing to pay the price?

As a clay vessel, you must take a journey.  The steps in this journey can sometimes be painful but they are necessary for you to be transformed from broken bits of clay into an anointed vessel that reflects the glory of God.

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It’s not easy to ‘die’ to what other think of you, your reputation.  Anyone who says it is, is only trying to fool you or worse, themselves.  Your reputation is something you’ve been taught to strive to protect, and losing your reputation is like the worst thing that could happen.

But what if Mary had chosen not to believe the angel who delivered the good news that she was to be the mother of Jesus, even though she knew what that would mean to her reputation?  Jesus would have still been born, but to another… and Mary’s life would have looked much different because she missed the high call.

It would have been much easier for Joseph, or Moses, or Noah to refuse their commissions and just go along with the flow, not causing any waves.  But, they are some of the Biblical greats whose lives reflect the magnitude of the Lord’s anointing, with many other lives and souls set free because of their willingness and obedience.

And what about your theology?  Could you put aside something you learned to receive a greater truth from the depth of the Word?  I challenge you to do a word search on “you have heard it said” in the Bible.  What you will find is the teaching of Jesus that was greater than the teachers of the law.  For example:  Jesus said in Matthew 5:27,28, “You have heard it said ‘do not commit adultery.’ “ “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  In one fell swoop, Jesus called the hypocrisy of the religious crowd to account by exposing their hearts which were full of adultery even though they kept the law and didn’t actually do the deed.

What could be exposed in our own hearts, should we really, really examine them in God’s light?

Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Pt. 1)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Teaching | Tags: , ,

The anointing – most people don’t know what that means in today’s church.  The impression of anointing has far too often been associated with talent, skill, aptitude or showmanship when we see the demonstration of a skillful preacher or teacher. 

However, the anointing produces a harvest of spiritual maturity and reflects God’s glory.  It’s not intended to produce material things, though they may come through favor with God and man. 

Discerning Christians recognize the anointing and cannot be fooled by mere talent. 

The anointing is far more than anything you can learn or practice.  The anointing is a God-given thing – a special enablement to accomplish God’s purposes.  God is the giver of anointing!  Man does not give it, and man can’t take it away. 

The anointing is a costly thing.  Anyone I have ever known who is anointed of God has paid an enormous price in death to self and extensive processing in the fires of God.  Many are called to the ministry, but few choose to endure God’s processes and quit before He is finished.  

You can subvert your own destiny at any time by simple saying, “that’s enough, I’m not doing this anymore!”  But, oh how sad.

In the Bible, God uses the story of a potter and his clay to symbolize the growth process of those who are called to carry the anointing.  In a prophetic writing in 1998, the late Jill Austin uses this imagery to portray the life of those who are called and persevere to become beautiful vessels that God can use.  It touched my soul and I know it will yours.

Let’s walk through this prophetic writing together. 

 

Clay in the Potter’s Hands: The Price Behind the Anointing

By Jill Austin

ALL OF US WANT GOD TO FASHION US INTO VESSELS FOR HIS USE. BUT WE MUST SUBMIT TO HIS SHAPING AND MOLDING – AND TO THE REFINING OF HIS HOLY FIRE.

“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel, (Jeremiah 18:2-6 Amp).

Imagine that you’re sitting in church one Sunday and suddenly, the room is filled with the fragrance of Jesus. You turn to see some incredibly beautiful vessels enter the sanctuary.

These vessels are full of the Shekinah glory of the Lord, and their transparent glaze wonderfully reflects His image. You immediately know that they’ve paid an incredible price for the powerful anointing they carry and a yearning to be like them is awakened in your heart.

In your spirit, you see Jesus walking up and down the aisles with wedding gowns on His arms. “Do you want My anointing?” He asks. “Do you want My presence and My miracles?”

“I’m calling you to be My bride,” He continues as He paces, “I want you to be like the chosen vessels of honor you see here. Do you love Me enough to walk with Me?”