November 2019

Published monthly

All Bible references are from the KJV

(Examining the News in Light of Biblical Truth)

P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

Fear Not!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2).

By Mike Wingfield

In the last 30 years, I have had the privilege to travel across America and speak in hundreds of churches about major prophetic themes that relate to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This journey has led me to discover the troubling spiritual condition of the American evangelical church. It is sad to report that I have witnessed the rising apathy and apostasy that are sweeping across this land like an infectious disease. I have witnessed this plight because as a conservative pastor, I am only invited to speak in conservative evangelical churches. And while the situation in the evangelical churches is becoming grimmer every day, the plight within more liberal mainline denominations has reached a critical level.

I am convinced that the message the Lord has given me is not being well received in many churches. And this includes churches that are considered conservative and evangelical. Simply stated – many pastors and church members do not want to hear messages about the Second Coming of Christ. One of their leading responses is that Biblical prophecy frightens people. A friend of mine who attends a very large evangelical church in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, told me that he asked his pastor if he would consider inviting me to come and speak to his congregation. The pastor, whom I have met and who knows about this ministry, responded by saying he could not invite me. When my friend asked him why, the pastor answered, “If we invited Mike to come and speak, He would scare everyone.” How should we interpret this response by a pastor to the doctrine of the Second Coming?

It is alarming to me that the same people who claim that Bible prophecy is scary, enjoy the world’s entertainment that is filled with things that cause people to shriek with horror. They openly embrace this kind of entertainment, while they refuse to consider God’s prophetic truth. They support the dark side by celebrating Halloween. However, they do not want to hear the prophetic truth about the reality of an approaching war between God and Satan. These people may be members of a local church, but they are not acting like true believers. Instead, they are following the path of those who are running from God and want no association with Him.

The doctrine of the Second Coming is a major theme in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. It is estimated that more than one-fourth of the Bible is prophetic. About one-third of the New Testament is prophetic. The last book of the Bible is completely dedicated to the revelation of Jesus Christ at the end of this age. Therefore, to avoid Biblical prophecy is to ignore a major portion of the eternal, unchanging Word of God! Someone has calculated that the Bible mentions 1,846 prophetic events and circumstances of our Lord’s Second Coming that have not been fulfilled.

Any preacher who avoids this massive body of Biblical revelation in the Holy Word of God is failing to preach the whole counsel of God. When the Apostle Paul gave his farewell message to his dear brothers in Christ at the church of Ephesus, he said, “And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:25-27). I am convinced that when the Apostle Paul stated that he was “pure from the blood of all men,” that he was referring to the commission given to the prophet Ezekiel. Every pastor and teacher of the Word of God should read and heed this commission in Ezekiel 2-3. God has never called His messengers to avoid speaking words that are not offensive. He has not called us to please people. God has always called His servants to deliver a message of warning from Him. God told Ezekiel that those who heard him would not like his message and they would reject him. Yet, he told Ezekiel to go and proclaim God’s message so that the blood of the people, on the judgment day, would not be upon his hands. All of God’s messengers in Biblical days were hated and rejected by the godless people around them. Furthermore, they killed Jesus because they did not agree with His message.

Those who only proclaim a message that is popular with people are not pleasing God. The Apostle Paul said, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). God is looking for men of God who do not fear men or seek to please men, but only fear God and are determined to please God at any cost! Jesus spoke to the godless people in His day and said, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). I fear that too many pastors in conservative evangelical circles have churchianity, but not Christianity. They are building a church empire around themselves that will feed their pride, their pocketbooks, and their popularity. They refuse to preach on hell, judgment, sin, or the Second Coming of Christ. Woe be unto them!

According to the Bible, a true child of God, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, should not fear anyone or anything but God! Jesus said, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).

I have noted that throughout the Bible, the true child of God is marked by a holy boldness. When God called Joshua to take the leadership of Israel to drive out the wicked inhabitants of the Promised Land, God said to him, “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:7). Later, when God chose Gideon to defeat a massive army that had come against Israel, He instructed Gideon to send all of the soldiers home who were afraid (Judges 7:3).

Most people who attend our churches today do not know that we are constantly at war with wickedness and the spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12-13). When we proclaim God’s Word we are involved in spiritual warfare. We are confronting the gates of hell in the power of the Holy Spirit because the Lord has promise us, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

The book of Acts, which records the history of the beginning of the church, helps us to understand that God is not looking for passive cowards to serve Him. He desires for us to be kind, loving, humble and courageous servants of Christ. There is no place for spiritual cowards in the army of Jesus Christ. Those who follow Him must completely surrender their life to the Lord for His purposes, even if it means death (Luke 9:23-24). According to Jesus’ words, this is not just a mark of the spiritual giants who follow Him. It is a distinguishing characteristic of true disciples who passionately follow Him and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Years ago, when I was preaching through the book of Acts, I noted that the believers in the early church who were filled with the Holy Spirit were also filled with boldness (Acts 4:13, 29, 31). When the Holy Spirit controls a person, he is filled with courage to do what God has called him to do. God is looking for people who are “bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14).

It is our calling to warn people that the wrath of God is about to fall upon this wicked generation. That is not a message they want to hear. In today’s culture, people want to hear a nice, soothing message that lulls them into a spiritual slumber. Isaiah continually spoke of the coming of the Messiah and the day of His judgment upon Israel. The wicked people of his day refused his message and declared, “speak unto us smooth things” (Isaiah 30:10). The Apostle Paul warned us that in the last days the apostate church would have a “form of godliness, but [will deny] the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). He declared that this self-centered church would not be focused upon the truth of God. Instead, the collective churches would surround themselves with preachers that will scratch them where they itch (2 Timothy 4:3-4). We have arrived at that day!

We desperately need preachers today that will sound the wakeup call to the church. The signs of the time tell us that we shall all soon stand before Judge Jesus. Those left behind will face the wrath of God during the horrific Tribulation.

When the true child of God hears about the Second Coming of Christ, and the judgments of God that are associated with it, it should not evoke a response of fear! The Bible testifies to this statement. I am convinced that Psalm 46 was written for the people living during the future Tribulation Period. Notice that Psalmist refers to a time when the world will experience a global earthquake that makes the earth desolate (verses 2, 6, 8). It is a time when God exalts Himself by defeating the wicked nations of the world gathered for war (verse 9). As the children of God in that future day see these massive and horrific judgments that destroy the world around them, they will say, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (verses 1-2).

In Isaiah 2:10-22, when God “ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (verse 19), the wicked will go into the caves of the mountains and cry out in fear for the mountains to fall upon them (compare to Revelation 6:15-17). In contrast to this response of fear, in Isaiah 24, the prophet speaks of the massive earthquakes that will devastate the earth during the Tribulation. In the midst of this description, he writes about the response of the child of God during this period of time. “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify the LORD in [the east], even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the [west]. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs” (Isaiah 24:14-16).

The Bible clearly says that when God’s judgments fall upon man, the righteous will rejoice while the wicked are filled with fear. Therefore, it is odd that today, those who call themselves children of God say that the message about the Second Coming of Christ frightens them. This is not consistent with the message of the Bible.

When the child of God hears the prophetic message about the Second Coming of Christ, it should not produce fear. While speaking about the events surrounding His Second Coming, Jesus said to His disciples, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” Matthew 24:6). When the believer hears about the judgments of God that are coming upon this earth, He is reminded that God is sovereign and He is directing the affairs of this world to His divinely decreed consummation. This should not cause us to be paralyzed with fear. It should cause us to be filled with praise. Our God is in control!

God did not give us prophecy to terrorize us, but to bless us! The one book of the Bible that is most avoided today in the church is the book of Revelation. People do not like the message of this book. Yet, this is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read and heed its message. Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” This promise is repeated once again in Revelation 22:7, “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

Those who avoid the book of Revelation are missing out on the blessing of God! One of the greatest preachers in the Bible, the Apostle Paul, said only moments before his death that he “loved” the Second Coming of Christ (2 Timothy 4:8). Paul said that because He loved Jesus. The Bible declares, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). I believe that the people who love Jesus more than themselves will study and mediate upon the book of Revelation. Listen to what Sam Gordon, an international Bible teacher with Trans World Radio in England, said in his commentary on the book of Revelation. He said, “We study it because we passionately love the Lord and we are numbered among those who genuinely love his appearing. We approach a book like this with the adrenaline flowing through our veins, with our heart beating faster, and our mind filled with the twin components of wonder and worship. We can do no better than to come like John, and fall down in humility before the feet of Jesus” (Sam Gordon, Worthy is the Lamb, p. 21).

We are also commanded in Revelation 1:3 to “keep” or heed the words of this final book of the Bible. The late John Phillips, another world renown Bible teacher who taught for years at Moody Bible Institute and was featured on the Moody Broadcasting network, said, “The word heed literally means ‘to watch over,’ or ‘to observe attentively.’ We must keep an eye on things in light of what the book has to say” (John Phillips, Exploring Revelation- An Expository Commentary, p, 15). This is at the heart of what I am endeavoring to do in this ministry.

John MacArthur, world renown Bible expositor and conference speaker, and president of Master’s College and Seminary, says in his commentary on the book of Revelation, concerning Revelation 1:3, “Reading, hearing, and obeying the truths taught in the book of Revelation are to be a way of life for believers. Revelation is God’s final word to man, marking the completion of the canon of Scripture (22:1-19), and its scope encompasses the entire future of redemptive history (1:19). It is imperative that believers follow the truths it contains” (John MacArthur, Because the Time is Near, p. 22).

How can believers be afraid of what God says when it is to be a blessing to them?

Furthermore, the teaching of the Second Coming of Christ should bring comfort, not fear, to the life of the believer. After the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonica about the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, he said, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Later, he exhorted this church concerning the teaching about the Tribulation Period and the time of great judgment that is coming upon the earth, with the words, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

How can believers be afraid of what God says when it is to be a comfort to them?

Also, the Bible refers to the Second Coming of Christ as the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). The message of the gospel without the Second Coming is a message with no hope. Our hope is bound up in our resurrection and the completion of our salvation when we will be glorified at His coming – the Rapture of the church. To not preach about the Second Coming is to not complete the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ. A faith that has no resurrection has no hope. It is an empty and incomplete faith. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

This is why all of the apostles constantly preached and wrote about the Second Coming. The apostle Paul spent only three weeks in Thessalonica during his missionary journey (Acts 17:1-3). While he was there he evangelized and taught the new converts. A central part of his teaching focused upon the details of the Second Coming of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:5). One out of every three verses in Paul’s epistles speaks about the Second Coming of Christ. Clearly, the hope of the Second Coming was central to the teaching of the apostles, especially to new converts.

How can believers be afraid of what God says when it is to be a blessed hope to them?

God has not given us the prophetic Word to frighten us, but to inform us of His will and future eternal plans. Most of us are afraid of what we do not know. Ignorance many times leads to fear.

God wants us to know what He has in store for us. When Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica about their gathering together in Christ, he wrote, “But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Paul openly stated, as directed by the Holy Spirit, that God does not want believers to be uninformed about His prophetic plans.

I am amazed and constantly in awe and wonder at the incredible details of God’s eternal plans given to us in the Bible! The prophecies that surround the Second Coming of Christ are not vague or general. They are filled with minute details. God invites and expects us to know the details of His prophetic Word and to study the conditions in our world to know that the time of His coming is near (Luke 21:28). The signs of His coming are for seeing. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day because they failed to “discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3). I wonder what He would say to the pastors who refuse to know and teach His prophetic Word to their congregations?

God wants us to join Him in what He is doing. This is the practical part of making Him the Lord of your life. Prophecy is God’s agenda. It is what He is going to do in our world. How can anyone who is serious about following Jesus not consider the prophetic Word of God to be important? This does not make good Biblical sense!

Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Do we know what this means? To pray for His will to be done on earth means that we consider what His Word says about His will – His eternal plans spelled out in the prophetic Scriptures. He wants us to identify His will and to pray for it to be accomplished on earth as determined by His revealed prophetic truth. For example, we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem because we know what His will is for this city. Psalm 122:6 and Isaiah 62:1-7 are divinely connected together in the will of God. We are instructed to pray for what God wants (John 15:7).

We should be praying for the rapture of the church. Revelation 21:17 and John 14:3 are divinely connected together. We should pray for His coming because this is what He wants. He wants us to be with Him.

How can believers be afraid of God’s prophetic instructions that are to guide our desires and prayers?

God has not given us His prophetic Word to scare us, but to prepare us. After Jesus spoke of the conditions that will precede His coming, He said, “Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). He does not want us to just know that He is coming, but that we are prepared for His coming. To drive this truth home, Jesus gave the parable of the 10 virgins to His disciples (Matthew 25:1-13). This parable illustrates the truth that the wedding party of the bride knew that at an unannounced time the bridegroom would come to take his bride away. The bridesmaids were to be ready to take that trip to the house of the groom’s father to attend the wedding. In the parable, five were ready and five were not. The five who were not prepared were left behind. They said they believed the groom was coming. However, their procrastination proved otherwise.

The implications of this parable point to the church. As the bride of Christ, we are to be spiritually ready for Him when He comes for His church during the Rapture. Obviously, the church that is not focused upon the Second Coming of Jesus is represented in this parable by the foolish virgins who were not prepared. They were too preoccupied with themselves and not looking and longing for the bridegroom.

How can believers be afraid of looking for the coming of their bridegroom?

Friends, there are no Biblical reasons why true believers should be afraid of the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, emotions, thoughts, dreams, and ambitions, we will long to be with Jesus. When that happens, the Spirit and the bride will say to Jesus “Come” (Revelation 22:17). If you cannot meaningfully pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20), something is not right in your life. It may be that Jesus is not your Lord or groom. Or, it could mean that the Holy Spirit does not live in you or you have not given Him control of the throne of your soul. When you are in love with your groom, you are not afraid to be joined to Him on your wedding day!

The World’s Islamic Invasion

Islam has declared that it will conquer the world. A major part of the Islamic strategy is to flood the world with Muslim immigrants. Here in the U.S., we should keep a keen eye on what is happening in many European countries. The traditional culture of Europe is rapidly declining due to the flood of Muslim immigrants fleeing the war-torn areas of the Middle East and Northern Africa. Italy stands at the front of this demographic crisis. Many voices are warning Italy’s political leadership that if they do not curb these legal immigration patterns, it will be cultural suicide. Native Italians are leaving their country because of fear. In some southern cities, Muslims comprise one-third of the population.

A recent article by Gatestone Institute commented, “According to projections from the UN Population Division, the population of sub-Saharan Africa will double in 30 years, adding an additional 1 billion people and accounting for more than half the global population growth between now and 2050. Italy, which already has the third-largest population of migrants in Europe, is undergoing an “unbearable” crisis, and now faces the real risk of an “Africanisation”, as Stephen Smith called it in his book, The Scramble for Europe” (Website article on Gatestone Institute, October 28, 2019).

As Western nations struggle with their immigration policies, it should be noted that this current flood of immigrants is stretching the economic capacities of these nations. They have reached the point of economic collapse. This is changing the moral fabric of our global culture, and bringing spiritual, social, political, and financial consequences. This sounds very much like the description of the world that will exist at the end of this age. Daniel 2:43 says, “They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another.”

Our country needs to listen to the Trump administration concerning the construction of a wall at the Mexican border, and the revision of U.S. immigration policies. To refuse this is to commit national suicide!