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Himself) we actually envelope ourselves in religion rather than relationship.
To do that which we assume to be the will of God, (which is not) is the sin of presumption; To do nothing is the sin of neglect; both sins are rampant  among today's Evangelicals; let us prayerfully seek to strike a Spirit led balance between the two. Far too often, we rush ahead of the Lord, and end up suffering the consequences of our impetuosity: Moses was sidelined by God for 40 years; Paul spent years in the desert (communing with God) before His ministry began; and Jesus Himself began His ministry by retreating into the wilderness; continuing to remove Himself from others whenever He felt the need. Often, it is in the solitary place of prayer that our spiritual life grows most. Fellowship with other believers is wonderful and absolutely essential, but fellowship with the Lord Himself should always be our #1 Priority.

        One of the great misconceptions currently popular among Christians, today, is the tendency to view the Bible and its teachings as being nothing more than wise sayings left us by God whose purpose is to empower and motivate us to better achieve our own chosen goals in life. Nothing could be further from the truth!  The Bible is instead the testimony of men (like ourselves) who shared the same common experience of having had God personally intervene to redirect  their lives, from their own self serving paths, unto His eternal plans and purposes.  This is a most important distinction -- For the all consuming desire and prayer of our souls should not be self will in these final hours -- but the realization and capitulation unto God's perfect Will instead.



- Rapture and Beyond -



          The Universal Pre-Tribulational Rapture of all believers is one of the greatest lies Satan has sown into the church in our day. By simply propagating this half-truth the devil's subtle leaven of disinformation  has permeated and effectively lulled God's people into a false sense of security -- thus a very deep sleep.  Sadly, I fear, we shall only be roused from this slumber at the very last moment, when the "Midnight Cry" finally goes out (Mat. 25). This prophetic "Midnight Cry " (as we have mentioned earlier) will be dire, conclusive, and unavoidable, and will be the stark, frightening, inconceivable realization that nuclear war between the United States and Russia is imminent -- as Russia sends her armies racing towards Israel, with Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Libya and others in tow, as fully described in Ezekiel. (Chaps. 38-39). Equally important are the four nations Ezekiel leaves out of Israel's attackers: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. Look for Syria and Lebanon to shortly make a peace treaty with Israel. This will fulfill Ezekiel's precondition for Border peace which will precede World War III. What this "Midnight Cry"  forebodes for us (of the house of faith) however, is the possibility of receiving either great honor (by being Raptured) or great rejection (by being left behind) at Christ's first return (parousia). It appears from the parable of the ten virgins, that our acceptance or rejection will be based on whether or not we have procured extra oil for our lamps. (Which we mentioned earlier, symbolizes the Holy Spirit's deeper work in the lives of yielded disciples.) This oil, (we are told at the end of the parable) must be bought. Since salvation is free and cannot be bought God is confirming here that our rewards, or lack