Have you ever taken the time to read carefully the lyrics of one of the most famous Christmas Carols in the world? O Come, O Come, Emmanuel was written somewhere around 1851. Each verse of this classic carol ends with “Shall come to thee, O Israel”.

There was no nation of Israel in 1851. There had not been a formal nation of Israel since their fall to Babylon in 586 BC. Roughly speaking, the nation of Israel had been gone for 2437 years and yet the song ends every verse with, “Shall come to thee, O Israel”. The first verse speaks specifically about Emmanuel/Jesus coming to ransom Israel from their lonely exile.

What was the author of this song trying to communicate? How could he have possibly known that the nation of Israel would be reborn some 97 years later? Was the song referring only to the first coming of Jesus, or was it possibly a prophetic message of the second coming of Jesus as well?

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heav'nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This amazing carol was written 173 years ago. We don’t really know what was in the mind of its author when it was written. It’s a mystery. But we do know this. Israel was reborn in 1948 and today Israel is not only reborn, but the reborn nation of Israel stands center stage in modern day political and human events.

Who knows, maybe the song’s author was reading Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman church when the song lyrics came to him. Who knows for sure? It’s a mystery.

Romans 11:25-27 (NLT)

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.

27 And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Revelation chapter 10 reveals the voice of the Seven Thunders, an unrevealed secret that must remain sealed.

Revelation 10:4 (NLT)

When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.”

An unrevealed secret…followed by another angelic revelation that is to be unsealed…not a secret.

Revelation 10:5-6 (NLT)

Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven. 6 He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay.

The message of the Seven Thunders was sealed, but what is this next angel announcing to the world? It’s not sealed. What is this next urgent angelic announcement that will occur at the appointed time…There will be no more delay. He’s announcing the Secret and the Seventh Angel. Do you know about the Secret and the Seventh Angel?

Revelation 10:7 (NLT)

When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”

What is the secret that will finally be revealed and fulfilled by the seventh angel’s trumpet? You can find the answer to that question in in the next chapter of Revelation…right after the Two Witnesses are taken up into heaven.

Revelation 11:15 (NLT)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

Please pay close attention to this announcement by the seventh angel. The kingdoms of men, the kingdoms of this earth, the kingdom of Satan….has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.

Do you think the world knows about this secret? Do you think the world knows about the Kingdom that is coming to the earth…the eternal Kingdom of the Lord and His Christ.

Jesus told the church to pray for this future kingdom to come to earth (Matthew 6:9-10). Jesus gave the church the truth about the future kingdoms of men being transferred into the Kingdom of the Lord and His Christ. We were called by called to reveal this secret to the unknowing world. We were not to seal up this secret, but to reveal it to everyone who remains in the darkness.

Ephesians 3:1-9 (NLT)

When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. 8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

Now that you know the Secret of the Seventh Angel! What will you do with this secret knowledge?

Ephesians 3:10-11 (NLT)

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

And what if you don’t? I ask myself that question a lot when I read the Bible. And what if you don’t? I wonder if John 3:16 is the most recognizable verse in the Bible.

John 3:16 (NLT)

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

But what if you don’t? What if you don’t believe in Jesus? We might want to read John 3:16 and focus on the fact that God loved the whole world. We might want to read John 3:16 and focus on the fact that God only has One “Begotten” Son. We might want to read John 3:16 and focus on the fact that God doesn’t want anyone to perish.

Those are all facts for sure, but what if you don’t. What if you don’t believe in Jesus? How will that affect mankind’s ability to receive eternal life? And what if you don’t…receive eternal life by believing in Jesus? We only need to jump down 20 verses to find the answer to this question, what if you don’t?

John 3:36 (NLT)

And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

And what if you don’t believe in Jesus…you will remain under God’s angry judgment. The NASB translation says, “the wrath of God abides on him." The King James Version translation says, “the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Jesus’ teaching John chapter 3 reveals an eternal truth. All of mankind lives under the grace of God or the angry wrath of God. This is an issue of eternal life vs. eternal death. This is an issue of God’s mercy vs. God’s wrath.

This is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ has always been an urgent message. It must become an urgent message for the church once again. May we never take lightly this divine offer of grace and mercy from God, offered freely to us through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Hebrew writer also declares the urgency of this grace vs. wrath truth.

Hebrews 4:1-3 (NLT)

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.

2 For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.

3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Acts chapter 2 records the first church sermon preached by the Apostle Peter. It was the Jewish Day of Pentecost, 50-days after the crucifixion of Jesus. The Holy Spirit fell upon the Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem. Peter (under the power of the Holy Spirit) stood up and gave the people a Word from God.

There is so much inside that Day of Pentecost sermon of Peter. But I want to focus on two verses today. Two verses that describe God’s power over the Last Enemy…death. Peter boldly proclaimed the death of Jesus to the crowd… “ With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.” The next line in Peter’s message describes the power of God to overcome the Last Enemy…death.

Acts 2:24 (NIV)

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Death could not hold Jesus. The grave could not hold Jesus. The agony of death could not keep its hold on Jesus. Death released Jesus. The grave released Jesus. It was impossible for death and the grave to keep Jesus longer than God has allowed.

That brings up the second verse in Peter’s message. Peter is quoting the Old Testament and King David.

Acts 2:27 (NIV)

because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Two verses inside Peter’s Holy Spirit sermon. Two verses that reveal a power that is greater than the Last Enemy, greater than the grave. God was going to prove, through the resurrection of Jesus that He had the power and plan to raise people from the dead and give them eternal life.

Some of you might think today, that’s great for Jesus. I believe that’s true for Jesus. But what about me? Why do you think the Holy Spirit was having Peter preach that message. The message wasn’t for Jesus! The message was for the people who would put their faith in Jesus and the resurrection. The Acts chapter 2 message was for us.

This message about the Last Enemy is for the whole world, the whole dying world needs to hear this message. Two verses of hope for the whole world. These Words of God are for us!

(24) But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

(27) Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

God did not abandon Jesus to the grave. And God will not abandon the followers of Jesus to the grave. It’s called the resurrection! It cures death 100% of the time. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has a 100% cure rate! Think about that for a moment. The resurrection overcomes the Last Enemy.

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus proves God’s power over sin, death, and the grave. God proved it to mankind by raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus was the first of many resurrections that would follow. I encourage you to read and meditate on these two verses. Receive them personally by faith. After that, I encourage you to read and meditate on this final description (below) of the Last Enemy, when Jesus will hand over the Kingdom to the Father.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 (NIV)

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I am anxious for the arrival of our King. I think about it all the time. Our Deliverer is coming! I want to be watching and ready when He comes. It’s true that no one knows the day or the hour of our King Jesus’ arrival, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t live with anxious expectancy. Jesus told us clearly that we should always be dressed and ready to meet Him.

Luke 12:35-38 (NLT)

“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning,

36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.

37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

The Bible clearly reveals a future time when there will be a trumpet blast, a commanding loud shout and the voice of the archangel. These three heavenly events will come to announce the Rapture of the Church. The question is this…who will be caught up to be with the Lord in that moment?

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NLT)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

The caught-up people will be those who have been watching and waiting for the King’s arrival. Jesus is coming for those who have been watching for Him and expecting Him. Do you believe that? Jesus’ teaching is very clear about this watching and waiting lifestyle.

Mark 13:34-37 (NLT)

“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.

35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.

36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.

37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

Don’t be distracted by this temporary world and these temporary kingdoms of men. We are watching and waiting for our eternal King Jesus’ arrival. Don’t be sleeping when He comes for the Bride, the Church. Jesus warns the church at Sardis in Revelation to wake up from their slumber and prepare yourself for the King’s arrival.

Revelation 3:1-3 (NLT)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.

2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.

3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.

Don’t let King Jesus’ arrival catch you sleeping and distracted. Prepare yourself! Watch and wait for the King. Put oil in your lamp and keep your lamp burning. Run the earth! Yes, we must keep running the race on this earth but watch the sky. Our King is coming, and we have no king but Christ.

Luke 21:34-36 (NLT)

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,

35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.

36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

If King Jesus is coming for those who are watching, waiting and expecting Him…will you be ready?

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I remember asking a question during a sermon years ago, “Does a weed know they are a weed?” That question came from one of Jesus’ teachings about Satan sowing weed seeds alongside the good seeds of God’s Garden.

Matthew 13:24-30 (NLT)

Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.

25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.

26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Do the weeds know they are weeds? The good seeds (wheat) and the weeds were growing alongside each other, in the same field. Do the weeds know they are weeds?

Let’s compare that parable to the real-life story of Jesus’s disciples. Did Judas know that he was a weed? Does the devil have the power to deceive the weeds into thinking they are wheat? Is that possible? If so, how could you know the truth?

The Gospel of Luke reveals that Satan entered into Judas and then he went to betray Jesus. At this point, did Judas know he was a weed, or did Judah think he was wheat?

Luke 22:3-4 (NLT)

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples,

4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.

Did Judas know that Satan had entered into him? What would that feel like? It’s at that point that Jesus announces (Matthew’s Gospel account) that there is a weed in the garden. Jesus’ announcement of the weed in the garden led all His disciples to ask the question… “Am I the one, Lord?” Am I a weed?

Matthew 26:20-22 (NLT)

When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples.

21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”

Jesus’ announcement of the weed in their garden brought great distress into the room and forced each one of them to examine themselves. Is it possible that I’m a weed and I don’t know it? How will Jesus answer their distress filled question?

Matthew 26:23-25 (NLT)

He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” 25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”

Judas didn’t know! Rabbi, am I the one? Judas didn’t know he was a weed! The Scriptures prophesied in advance that a weed would one day come to betray Jesus. It had to happen. It was unstoppable. Did Judas have a choice or was he predestined to be a weed from the beginning? That question has been debated since the time of Jesus. That deception hit its irreversible climax as Satan entered into Judas.

That leads me to a final question today. Will the antichrist (a man inhabited by Satan during the tribulation) know that he is the antichrist? Will he know that he is the prophesied weed, like Judas was a prophesied weed…better to have never been born?

Revelation 13:2-4 (NLT)

And the dragon [Satan] gave the beast [antichrist] his own power and throne and great authority.

3 I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast.

4 They worshiped the dragon [Satan] for giving the beast [antichrist] such power, and they also worshiped the beast [antichrist]. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

So many questions! How can we know the truth? The weeds are growing alongside the wheat. The weed was inside the twelve disciples and there are weeds inside the church. What do we do? Look at the seed, look at the fruit of the seed! The weeds can’t produce good fruit. Jesus told us to look at the fruit of the seed.

Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Today, could I be a weed and not know it? Rabbi, am I the one?

Matthew 24:4-5 (NLT)

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,

5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Are you and I spirit beings? Can spirits die? What happens to the spirit when the physical body dies? How important do you think these questions are? Does the Bible reveal the truth about the Human Spirit?

Jesus is the way, truth and life. He would be the source of truth on these questions regarding the Human Spirit. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus brings Jairus’ daughter back from the dead. Yes, she was really dead. Her spirit had departed from her physical body.

Jesus tells the people that He is going to heal the child. The people laughed at Jesus because they knew that the little girl had crossed over the red line of death. Her spirit had left her body. She was physically dead. Her spirit had departed from her body. Then something happened. Something that only God can do.

Luke 8:53-55 (NASB)

And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

54 He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!"

55 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.

Yes, we are spirit beings, but we are wrapped in mortal human flesh with expiration dates. Before the flood, people were living very long lifespans. But God announced a change to Noah before the flood. Notice how God words this change to Noah.

Genesis 6:3 (NASB)

Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

God was going to reduce the shelf life of the Human Spirit in man. The generations that followed after Noah experienced much shorter lifespans than those before Noah.

Back to the original question. Do spirits die? What happens to the spirit when the physical body dies? Can the Human Spirit die? Jesus ordered the spirit to return to Jairus’ daughter. Jesus has dominion and authority over the spirit realm.

The Human Spirit represents the breath of life that comes from God. When the breath of life departs from the flesh, the spirit departs. But the Human Spirit doesn’t die at that point. The breath of God (the spirit life) is eternal. The question is this…where does the spirit go when the body dies?

This is the reason that God sent His Son-Jesus to the earth…so that the Human Spirit would not have to experience separation from God—eternal death. When a believer dies, the spirit person goes to be with the Lord. The physical body will turn to dust, but the spirit goes to be with God and waits for the resurrection of the last day. That’s when the person’s spirit/soul returns with Jesus for their bodily resurrection. God will bring back with Jesus, the souls of the believers who have died a physical death before the Rapture of the Church.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 (NLT)

For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

What then? What about the unsaved? Everyone in the grave will hear the voice of Jesus on that day (saved and unsaved).

John 5:28-29 (NLT)

Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,

29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.

Jesus is going to do to resurrected believers the same thing that He did to Jairus’ daughter (her spirit returned), except this time, no expiration date. They laughed when Jesus said it then and many are still laughing and mocking Jesus today. But believers aren’t laughing! Believers are watching, waiting, and rejoicing in this great promise of God.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Is it possible to make a deal with the devil? Is that real? Can a person really sell his soul to the devil in exchange for present-day power and wealth? Is that possible? Does the devil really have the power and authority to complete that deadly transaction. Would the devil honor such a deal if a person was foolish enough to enter into such an agreement? So many questions!

Let me be more specific about the question. Was the devil telling the truth when he said this to Jesus in the wilderness?

Luke 4:5-7 (NLT)

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

Is the devil telling the truth? Jesus told us that he was a liar, the father of all lies and there is no truth in him (John 8:44), but is this offer of glory, dominion and kingdom authority true?

Does the devil possess power and authority over the present world, the kingdoms of men? If so, can the devil give positions of power and authority to whomever he chooses inside the earthly kingdom of men? He’s offering it to Jesus in the wilderness temptation. Can the devil make and keep such a promise or is it all a lie?

Yes, the devil has been given authority over this present world, the kingdom of men (literally translated as the inhabited earth). And yes, the devil has the power and authority of this present-day kingdom of men. So, what is the Devil’s Deal?

Conclusion to so many questions…This is not about what the devil has power to give man. It’s about what the devil has the power to take away from man. Satan desired to take away the divinity and power of Jesus by asking Jesus to worship him instead of God the Father. The devil wants to do the same to all mankind today, separating us from God. And what would that devilish deal look like today.

Mark 8:36-38 (NLT)

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

37 Is anything worth more than your soul?

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The devil wants to take away that which God has freely offered you (Me and my message). But he doesn’t have the power to take it away himself. He must tempt you to give it up (Me and my message) by worshipping him instead of the One True God.

Don’t focus on what the devil’s deal might give you in this present life. That would be a trap. Focus on what the devil’s deal wants to take away from you. And by the way, the answer that Jesus gave the devil that day is the same answer that overcomes the devil’s deal today.

Luke 4:8 (NLT)

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

How does gratitude, thanksgiving and worship affect our walk with Jesus? Is it important to God? Should it be important to us. Let’s look at one of Jesus’ encounters with 10 lepers to answer this question today.

Luke 17:11-16 (NLT)

As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.

12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance,

13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”

16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

One in Ten! That’s not a very good percentage of gratitude, thanksgiving and worship. They were all healed of an incurable disease, but only one returned to “Praise God” for the healing and this one was a Samaritan, a Gentile. The healing from Jesus has led this Samaritan to worship at the feet of Jesus.

The fact that Luke refers to this one as a Samaritan leads us to believe that the rest of them were Jewish. This Samaritan would have the most unlikely of the ten to know the truth about Jesus. This fact is remarkable to Jesus and should be remarkable to us as well. Religion doesn’t always lead us to gratitude, thanksgiving and worship.

Jesus’ response to the one who was filled with gratitude, thanksgiving and worship is important for all of us today.

Luke 17:17-19 (NLT)

Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?

18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

This is the point for today’s word. All ten received physical healing, but only one ended the day understanding the power of faith to receive more than physical healing. “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

By returning to Jesus with thanksgiving, gratitude and worship, the one Samaritan found out the truth about the power of faith to heal, not just the physical, but the spiritual as well. He found what the Apostle Paul would later reveal to the Gentile Church in Rome, the truth about faith.

Romans 1:16-17 (NLT)

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Jesus offered physical healing to all ten lepers that day (Jews and Gentiles). Only one, a Gentile, came back to find the truth about a faith that heals not only leprosy, but also the sin of man. The saving faith that makes peace with God. The leper’s faith revelation began with thanksgiving, gratitude and worship. It ended with the truth about the saving faith of Jesus that redeems us from death itself.

May we be like the one who returned with thanksgiving, praise and worship.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Do you feel anxious about the future? Do you want to know what’s coming? Many people are super anxious about current world events. We have the escalating war between Israel and its neighbors. We have the escalating war between Russia and Ukraine. We have the crushing national debt that now has so many zeros that normal people can’t even comprehend the madness. And if that’s not enough we have the upcoming presidential elections that will surely produce riots and protests regardless of which side wins.

So, let me ask you again…do you want to know what’s coming? The Bible tells us the end of the story of the kingdoms of men. And yes, there will be an end. We don’t know the timing, but God wanted people to know how the story of man and the kingdoms of men would end on the earth.

There are many Scriptures that reveal the details of the end, but there is one that has increasingly become relevant and encouraging to me as I watch the darkness increase upon the earth. One verse inside the Book of Revelation. One verse that reveals the transfer of power from the kingdoms of men to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. One verse that sums up the future of planet earth and all its inhabitants. One verse…

Revelation 11:15 (NLT)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

I’ve memorized this verse so that I can say it to myself when things look like they are totally out of control. I memorized it so that I would never forget that the outcome of all manmade kingdoms has been announced in advance.

A King and a Kingdom is coming! That one verse is from the Book of Revelation, what we refer to as the end of the Bible. But the Prophet Daniel revealed the same outcome in the Old Testament, some 500 years before the first coming of Jesus to the earth.

Daniel 2:44-45 (NLT)

“During the reigns of those kings [the Gentile kingdoms of men], the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these [earthly] kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.

45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain [JESUS], though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

It's called faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus taught us to pray for this Kingdom of Christ to come to the earth and replace the kingdoms of men. This teaching is central to what we call the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:10 (NLT)

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Jesus also told us that no man would know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36). But Jesus did tell us to look up, keep your heads-up church! Why look up? Because you know what’s coming! Look up, a King and a Kingdom is Coming!

Luke 21:28 (NLT)

So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

As I write this word today, the war between Israel and its enemies is escalating. Worldwide antisemitism is at an all-time high. What is the future for Israel. How can they survive with such hatred surrounding them?

I know it seems hard to believe, but in the end all nations will turn against Israel, and they will be left all alone. But God has said in advance that He would not abandon them. Discipline them, yes! Abandon them, No!

The prophet Zechariah begins chapter 2 with Israel coming out of Babylonian captivity, but then turns to the future when the nations will come against the Apple of God’s eye, His most precious possession, Israel. In that day the Lord will come to their defense.

Zechariah 2:6-13 (NLT)

The LORD says, “Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds.

7 Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!”

8 After a period of glory, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies sent me against the nations who plundered you. For he said, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession [NIV & NASB…the apple or pupil of the Lord’s eye].

9 I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them.” Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.

10 The LORD says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you.

11 Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you.

12 The land of Judah will be the LORD’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city.

13 Be silent before the LORD, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.”

The Prophet Jeremiah also talks about this future time, at the end of the Tribulation, when the Lord will come and fight for Israel. Verse 7 has been referred to as, “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble or Distress”. We call it the Great Tribulation.

Jeremiah 30:4-24 (NLT)

This is the message the LORD gave concerning Israel and Judah.

5 This is what the LORD says: “I hear cries of fear; there is terror and no peace.

6 Now let me ask you a question: Do men give birth to babies? Then why do they stand there, ashen-faced, hands pressed against their sides like a woman in labor?

7 In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved!

Jesus also describes the horror of these days for Israel and the world during the Tribulation.

Mark 13:19-20 (NLT)

For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again.

20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.

That same chapter in Jeremiah tells us that people will not understand all this until the time of the end.

Jeremiah 30:23-24 (NLT)

Look! The LORD’s anger bursts out like a storm, a driving wind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this.

So, how will it all end? What’s going to happen to Israel? Can we know today?

Jeremiah 30:16-24 (NLT)

“But all who devour you [Israel] will be devoured, and all your enemies will be sent into exile. All who plunder you will be plundered, and all who attack you will be attacked.

17 I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the LORD. “For you are called an outcast— ‘Jerusalem for whom no one cares.’”

18 This is what the LORD says: “When I bring Israel home again from captivity and restore their fortunes, Jerusalem will be rebuilt on its ruins, and the palace reconstructed as before.

19 There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them.

20 Their children will prosper as they did long ago. I will establish them as a nation before me, and I will punish anyone who hurts them.

21 They will have their own ruler again, and he will come from their own people. I will invite him to approach me,” says the LORD, “for who would dare to come unless invited?

22 You will be my people, and I will be your God.”

23 Look! The LORD’s anger bursts out like a storm, a driving wind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this.

Do not touch the apple of the LORD’s eye. Pray for Israel today. Pray for peace in Jerusalem today. Pray for God to bless Israel and you will receive the blessing of God as well.

Psalm 122:6 (NIV)

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

When the sun sets this Wednesday, October 2nd, the Jews around the world will begin celebrating the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah. It’s the first day of the Jewish New Year 5785 (believed to be 5785 years since God created the earth). It is customary for Jews to confess their sins and repent of those sins before God...before the New Year begins so they can begin the new year with a clean heart toward God.

I have watched several online videos of the Jewish gatherings at Jerusalem’s Western Wall where thousands and thousands of Jews were confessing and repenting of their sins (before Rosh Hashanah). It is a moving scene to see so many people crying out to God in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, on the evening of October 11th, comes the highest of all Jewish Holy days...the Day of Atonement...or Yom Kippur. In the time of Moses, the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place of God’s presence (behind the veil) and offer a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people of Israel. The ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are called the Days of Awe. It is the time of spiritual preparation...when the people return to God through repentance. Repentance is the physical and spiritual act of returning to God.

Isaiah 30:15 (NLT)

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

These are called the Days of Awe because they will determine your position with God in relation to the Day of Atonement. Those who have confessed and repented of their sins will find peace with God on the Day of Atonement, but those who refuse to repent...will find His divine judgment instead of divine forgiveness and peace.

Jeremiah 3:21-22 (NLT)

Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains, the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people. For they have chosen crooked paths and have forgotten the LORD their God.

22 “My wayward children,” says the LORD, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the LORD our God.

Most of the Jews worshipping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem this week are still waiting for their Messiah. God is currently-prophetically regathering them into the land of Israel from the four corners of the earth, but most of them still don’t believe in Jesus as Messiah/Christ. The Jewish population in Israel has increased from 700,000 in 1948 to over 7 million today.

We (Christians) believe the Jewish Messiah-Jesus has already come to the earth…to give His life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins on the cross and He is coming again soon. We believe Jesus was the Messiah/Christ and that He was and is our Day of Atonement. In fact, Jesus was the literal fulfillment of all the spring feasts/festivals of Israel that were revealed by God to Moses.

1.  Jesus was crucified and died on the Jewish Feast of Passover (John 18:28, 1 Cor. 5:7)

2.  Jesus was buried on the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread (John 6:47-51, Acts 2:29-32)

3.  Jesus rose from the dead on the Jewish Feast of First Fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

4.  Jesus came to the earth in the form and person of the Holy Spirit on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (Acts 1-2)

Those are the four spring feasts of Israel, and they are followed by three fall feasts that begin with the Feast of Trumpets. There is a summertime “gap” in the center of the 7 Jewish Feasts. Will God use His Son, in some way, to fulfill these 3 fall feasts as well? How will Jesus fulfill the next three Jewish feasts/festivals, and what about the summertime gap, the time before the harvest?

5. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana)

6. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

7. The Feast of Tabernacles (Succot)

Nobody knows for sure how and when He will do it. But I believe Jesus will literally fulfill these remaining three feasts/festivals in some way. I believe the summertime gap (between Pentecost and Trumpets) is the time of the Church, the time when God has opened up His salvation to the Gentile world. The Apostle Paul reveals this wonderful mystery to the Gentile Church in Rome and Colossae:

Romans 11:25 (NLT)

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

Colossians 1:26-27 (NLT)

This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

So, what does this all mean to the church in these last days? We should confess our sins before God and repent by turning or returning to Him. We don’t have to travel to the Western Wall of Jerusalem to do this. By God’s grace, we can do this anytime through genuine repentance and placing our faith in the name of Jesus Christ.

We live in the Days of Awe, and we await the last trumpet and that final Day of Atonement when Jesus will come and Tabernacle with (dwell with) each of us who have received His atoning blood sacrifice through faith.

This week, I join with the Jewish people around the world as they prepare to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. I am NOT waiting for the first coming of the Jewish Messiah. I am waiting for Jesus’ second coming, and I am waiting for the sound of a trumpet.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NLT)

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The Gospels record an event between Jesus, the King of the Jews, and the Roman Governor, Pilate. That meeting represents the clash of two powers, two kingdoms. Pilate didn’t know it at the time, but he was representing the kingdoms of men and Jesus was representing the Kingdom of Heaven.

Governor Pilate was indeed troubled by his encounter with Jesus. The Scripture makes it clear that Pilate found no fault in Jesus and desired to release him. Pilates wife even sent a desperate message to her husband proclaiming the innocence of Jesus and begging him to let him go.

Matthew 27:19 (NLT)

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

But the political pressure was too great for Governor Pilate. The private meeting with Jesus and the warning from his wife were not enough to overcome the cry of the people. Politics would overcome common sense as well as the horrible nightmare of Pilate’s wife.

This is when the two kingdoms will clash. The Kingdom of Heaven will clash with the Kingdom of Man.

John 19:12 (NLT)

Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”

Do you see it? The Jewish leaders brought politics into this scene. The Jewish leaders were forcing Pilate to look to Caesar and stop looking at Jesus. When Pilate looked at Jesus and the reality of that moment, he desired to release him.

But when the Jews brought politics and Caesar into the scene everything changed. Politics would trump the reality of that moment. Politics would even trump the horrible dream and warning from Pilates wife.

Why would the Jewish leaders say such a thing? It seems to be the opposite of what you would expect to hear from the Jewish leaders who were longing to throw off the oppressive rule of Rome.

John 19:13-14 (NLT)

When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha).

14 It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”

Some would call it mockery from Pilate, “Look, here is your king!” But the Scripture is clear that Pilate desired to let Jesus go free. The battle between the two kingdoms was raging at that moment. Pilate is offering to give the Jews their King, but they refused Jesus and chose Caeser. Yes, you heard it correctly. When given the opportunity to choose King Jesus, the King of the Jews, the Jewish leaders chose Caesar instead.

John 19:15 (NLT)

“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!” “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

Many people would read this today and become confused. Why would the Jewish people reject their Jewish King in favor of Caesar?

Do you see it today? Can you see the same spiritual story unfolding today? God has freely offered the lost world access to the King of the Jews, Jesus. But the world cries out the same words as in the time of Governor Pilate. “We have no king but Caesar”.

You would have expected that statement from the Romans that day, but you would have never expected it from the Jewish leaders. What about today? We would expect the people who belong to this world to cry out for a human king, a modern-day Caesar, in times of trouble. But you would not expect it to come from the church.

The cry from the church should be, “We have no king but Christ”. But there are many in the church today who are seeking after a man, an earthly king to lead them out of troubled times. It’s a trap!

We have no king but Christ. That doesn’t mean we stop participating in our democratic form of government. That doesn’t mean we stop voting or standing for truth and righteousness. It means we have no King but Christ.

I understand the world’s clamor for a king to save them, echoing the words of the Jewish leaders when Jesus was standing in front of them…We have no king but Caesar.

I don’t understand the church’s clamor for a king to save us…because we already have our King standing beside us. We already have our Savior. We have no king but Christ.

It’s a trap! The Apostle John reveals the trap and yes it can become a deadly trap because the desire to hold onto the things of this temporary world are from the other father…the god of this world.

1 John 2:15-17 (NLT)

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

I say it again. It’s a trap! Do not be deceived by the politics of our day. We are not looking for a modern-day Caesar or any earthly king to come and save us. It’s a trap.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLT)

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.

4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

We have no king, but Christ.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Why would you hate a guy that rose from the dead? Why not be excited, amazed and happy for him? This is the story of the man named Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead for some four days when Jesus reveals his supernatural power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. As you can imagine, this created quite a stir among the people of Israel. The stir is understandable. But what happens next is not so easily understood.

John 12:9-10 (NLT)

9  When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.

10  Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,

Why would the leading priests want to kill a man who had recently and publicly been raised from the dead? Does that make any sense to you? What did Lazarus do that would cause them to seek his life, even after receiving a public resurrection of the dead? The answer to that question is found in the next verse.

John 12:11 (NLT)

11  for it was because of him [Lazarus] that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

Can you see it? If so, you can also see the reason for the persecution of Christians today. The resurrected life of Lazarus was leading people to put their faith in Jesus. Lazarus was a living testimony of one who had encountered Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. The undeniable testimony of Lazarus made him a threat to the dark spirit world and the deception of Satan, also known today as the spirit of antichrist.

Today, when a person is born again into Christ …they are spiritually speaking raised from the dead. Spiritually speaking they have become like Lazarus, and the testimony of their new life becomes an active threat to the spirit of antichrist.

The Apostle Paul talks about our Lazarus moment…when we receive our resurrected new life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Lazarus received a new life from Jesus. We have also received a new life from Jesus. Spiritually speaking we have been raised from the dead, like Lazarus. Our new resurrected life leads people directly to Jesus. This explains why Jesus said these words to Lazarus’ sister shortly before he called Lazarus out of the grave.

John 11:25-26 (NLT)

25  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.

Jesus wasn’t just talking about Lazarus. Jesus was referring to anyone in the future that would be born again by putting their faith in him as the Son of God. Today, this spiritual resurrection of the dead also makes us an enemy of the spirit of antichrist, just like Lazarus. They hated Lazarus after he was raised, and they will hate us after we have been reborn and raised from our spiritual tomb.

Mark 13:13 (NLT)

13  And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

One last thought on this topic. Jesus gives us a clear announcement of this spiritual transaction that brings life to the walking dead.

John 5:25-27 (NLT)

25  “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead [the walking dead] will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.

26  The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son.

27  And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.

That time is here now! When the walking dead will hear the voice of Jesus, the Son of God. They will listen to Jesus’ voice, the Holy Spirit, and find life, the resurrection into eternal life. Jesus told us that this spiritual transaction would also make us like a modern-day Lazarus. They will hate us, and some will even try to kill us. But those who endure to the end will be saved.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There is an interesting exchange in the Gospel of John between Jesus and his earthly family, specifically his brothers. Opposition to Jesus and his teaching was already on the rise and some of the religious leaders were actually plotting his death when the gospel writer reveals the turmoil between Jesus and his earthly brothers.

John 7:1-4 (NLT)

1 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death.

2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters,

3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!

4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!”

Do you see it? Was that sarcasm in the voices of Jesus’ brothers? You might not be able to answer that question for sure if it were not for verse 5 that follows.

John 7:5 (NLT)

5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

The Jewish leaders in Judea/Jerusalem were plotting to kill Jesus because he claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God. The Jewish Festival of Shelters was coming and that would require a visit to Jerusalem to participate in the required festival. Were Jesus’ brother actually wanting him to walk into the imminent danger of Jerusalem? Can you feel the tension in those sarcastic words to their brother Jesus?

Do you think Jesus’ brothers would have said that to him if they actually believed he was the Son of God, the Jewish Messiah? Jesus’ answer to his brothers reveals much about what it means to become the spiritual born again brothers of Jesus today. Listen to Jesus’ response.

John 7:6-8 (NLT)

6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime.

7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.

8 You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.”

Do you see it? The world can’t hate those who don’t believe in Jesus. Why? Because refusing to believe in Jesus is to side with the world. No hatred in siding with the world. No hatred in being on the world’s side.

But what if you cross over and join Jesus, becoming a born-again believer and spiritual brother of Jesus? What if a person joins Jesus and the light of Jesus begins to shine into the darkness of the world…and that light begins to accuse the world of doing evil?  That’s when the hatred comes.

John 3:19-21 (NLT)

God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

The Gospel of Mark reveals another family scene when Jesus was again confronted by his earthly family/brothers. And this time, Jesus’ mother was with them.  It’s in this next scene that Jesus reveals his true and eternal family, the blood bought children of God.

Mark 3:31-35 (NLT)

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them.

32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”

33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.

35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

We do not choose our earthly family. But the grace of God has given us a choice regarding our heavenly family. We must count the cost and choose carefully, knowing that choosing Jesus will make us an enemy of this world.

But choosing Jesus might also cause us to lose our earthly family as well. Jesus also experienced that truth. Jesus experienced opposition from inside his own family. That’s why Jesus tells us to count the cost beforehand.

Mark 10:29-31 (NLT)

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,

30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31  But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

What do you think the value of being a blood bought brother or sister of Jesus will be on the last day? Count the cost and choose carefully.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I’ve noticed that many people are easily offended today. Much of the “woke culture” of our time is a human attempt to not offend those who might possibly disagree with us on certain social issues.

Woke is a slang term that means being aware of and attentive to social and racial justice issues. Merriam Webster  

I don’t like to offend people. I get no enjoyment out of offended anyone. But what about the truth? What if the truth offends someone? As Christians, should we compromise the truth in an attempt to not offend people? Let’s look for the answer to that question in the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus travels to a Samaritan village to reveal his true identity as the Jewish Messiah to a Gentile Samaritan woman. This Samaritan woman was from a different culture and there was deep rooted hostility between these two ethnic people groups. Social and racial justice is inside this encounter with Jesus.

He begins by asking this woman for a drink of water. But that was just a conversation starter. Can you see the ethnic tension in their conversation. What happens next gives us a very important look inside the methods of Jesus to get to the real truth about a person’s heart toward God.

John 4:7-9 (NLT)

7  Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”

8  He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

9  The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus then tells her about “living water”, but she was unable to understand Jesus’ offer of spiritual water at the time. Jesus then connects her physical thirst with her soul thirst.

John 4:13-14 (NLT)

13  Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.

14  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

She’s intrigued by Jesus’ living water and thinks this might possibly be a way to stop coming to Jacob’s well so often. Then it happens. Jesus does the unthinkable in today’s woke culture. Jesus asks her a question that is surely going to offend her. But He asked her anyway.

John 4:16-18 (NLT)

16  “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

17  “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—

18  for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

Wow, that seemed pretty insensitive coming from Jesus…or not! Why bring this 5-husbands thing up? Why now? How is this going to help her to find the truth about living water?

He knows! This man that she has never met before knows the truth about her. He knows the whole truth, past, present and future. He knows it all. That revelation of truth makes her look at Jesus differently and now she’s the one asking a spiritual question. Now, she is the one searching for spiritual truth and revelation.

John 4:19-20 (NLT)

19  “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.

20  So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

How did Jesus do it? How did Jesus get her to the point where she would seek spiritual truth?  He did it with truth. He did it by revealing the physical and spiritual reality of this woman’s’ life.

Yes, that truth was surely offensive in the moment. But it was truth, and that truth set this woman free and brought her to the knowledge of the Savior of the world and the living water that Jesus came to bring to her.

We must never offend for the sake of offending anyone. But we should never shy away from the truth when sharing the human need for Living Water and the Savior that has offered us a drink. Speak the truth and speak it in love. We trust that Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to do the rest. No woke…just truth!

John 8:31-32 (NLT)

31  Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.

32  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Isaiah chapter 29 is generally titled, “A Message about Jerusalem”. The chapter begins with sorrow and weeping because Jerusalem is destined to experience the wrath and judgment of God.

Isaiah 29:1-3 (NLT)

1 “What sorrow awaits Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you celebrate your feasts.

2 Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means— an altar covered with blood.

3 I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers and destroy it.

Isaiah is prophesying God’s judgment upon Jerusalem, but he also prophesies about the future time when God will no longer fight against Jerusalem…but fight for Jerusalem.

Isaiah 29:5-7 (NLT)

5 “But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant,

6 I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.

7 All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.

Did the people believe it then (in the time of Isaiah)? Do people believe it now, today? Isaiah addresses these questions as well.

Isaiah 29:9-12 (NLT)

9 Are you amazed and incredulous? Don’t you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor!

10 For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.

11 All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.”

12 When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.”

Why couldn’t they see? Why can’t people see today? They read it in the time of Isaiah, and they read it today, but they refuse to receive and believe the Word as Truth. Like blind and stupid drunks, they cannot see or understand.

It’s at this point in chapter 29 that Isaiah writes something that will be quoted by Jesus some 750 years later in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew.

Isaiah 29:13-14 (NLT)

13 And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

14 Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

Jesus quoted Isaiah 9 because the people were putting their traditions over the Word of God. The word of man had replaced the Word of God. Like stupid, blind drunks they refused to receive the Truth from the Word of God.

Matthew 15:6 (NLT)

And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.

Today, do you read the Bible with eyes to see that which God has unveiled? Can you see and believe the Bible prophesies about the future of Jerusalem? Do you know how comforting these ancient words of Isaiah would be to the people living in war torn Israel today…if they actually believed it?

Today, do you believe these next verses from Isaiah are the ordained future of Jerusalem and for the whole world?

Isaiah 29:17-24 (NLT)

17 Soon—and it will not be very long— the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.

18 In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.

19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 The scoffer will be gone, the arrogant will disappear, and those who plot evil will be killed.

21 Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.

22 That is why the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.

23 For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Israel. They will stand in awe of the God of Jacob.

24 Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction.

Then, finally, everyone will have eyes to see and understand the Word of the Lord to be true.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Today is August 12, 2024. When the sun goes down tonight in Israel it will be the 9th of Av, also known as Tish B’Av on the Jewish calendar. Do you know what that means? Does it mean anything for us today?

The Ninth of Av commemorates the day of calamity that brought destruction upon Israel. The Jewish people observe this day of suffering in July/August each year with fasting and mourning. What happened on the Ninth of Av that would cause the Jewish people to fast and mourn and what does that have to do with us today? The answer to that question goes all the way back to Moses and the 12 spies outside the Promised Land around 1500 years before Christ.

Moses sends out 12 men, one from each tribe to spy out the Promised Land and they return to the camp on the 8th day of Av. That night, the 9th of Av, the people cry out to God, and they insist that they go back to Egypt rather than enter the Promised Land and face the giants that live there. Numbers 13:25-33

In this scene, on the Ninth of Av, the people are rejecting the very reason and purpose of the Exodus from Egypt. The people refuse to put their faith and trust in God…and God takes an oath that none of the adult men, except Joshua and Caleb, will ever enter the Promised Land. This brought 40 years of suffering to Israel as they wandered in the wilderness until all the adult men died. Do you see why the Jews set aside the Ninth of Av as a day of fasting and mourning…there is much more.

Do you know what happened next on the Jewish calendar on the Ninth of Av? Let’s fast forward from Moses to 586 BC and the time of the prophet Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Israel has again refused to put their faith and trust in God, but this time they are in the Promised Land, specifically Jerusalem. Israel has fallen into pagan idolatry, and they are sacrificing their children to Molech when God calls for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to come and destroy Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and carried off the holy vessels that were used in worship there. What day did King Nebuchadnezzar destroy the Jerusalem Temple…the Ninth of Av. Coincidence or revelation of God?

Like Moses in the wilderness…this judgment of God would cause many Jews to die, and the surviving Jewish people would be scattered. This time it will be 70 years, not 40…both begin on the Ninth of Av. God’s mercy will come upon the people again, but his holiness required a response. Jeremiah 29:10-14

This next fact about the Ninth of Av dispels any concept of coincidence. Let’s fast forward from 586 BC to 70 AD when the Romans came and destroyed the rebuilt Jerusalem Temple (Herod’s Temple).

Do you know the date that Rome destroyed Herod’s temple…the Ninth of Av. This time the Jews would not be scattered for 70 years, but 2,000 years and it all began on the Ninth of Av.

The 40 years of wilderness wandering began on the Ninth of Av when the people rebelled against God’s plan and cried out to return to Egypt. The 70 years of Babylonian Exile began on the Ninth of Av when the people turned to pagan idolatry and sacrificed their children to Molech. Why did God allow the Romans to destroy the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD. Jesus prophesied it and explained it all in advance.

Luke 19:44 (NLT)

44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

Do you see it…do you see the Ninth of Av in context of the other previous events? The 40 years of wilderness wanderings…rejecting God’s plan. The 70-year exile in Babylon…turning to idolatry and child sacrifice. Now they have rejected God’s Messiah…God in the flesh and their house will be abandoned and desolate. Do you see why the Jews fast and mourn on this day? And the terrible thing is this…many of the Jews who observe the Ninth of Av each year still do not accept Jesus as God’s Messiah.

What does this mean to the church today…how should this truth affect us today? We can see God’s hand in our generation…regathering Israel as a nation back to Jerusalem. It’s been 2,000 years now and the Jews are back in the land. Will we be the generation that sees the fulfillment of God’s ultimate promise…Jesus’ return. The Ninth of Av…a time of mourning and fasting, but also a time of hope and celebration.

God has revealed his faithfulness to many generations through the Ninth of Av.

*The 40-year wilderness wanderings…40 years followed by the Promised Land.

*The First Temple destroyed…70 years followed by the return from exile.

*The Second Temple destroyed…the church age began, and the gospel of Christ went to the whole world.

Has the Ninth of Av appeared since then…this next part is amazing to me.

*On the 9th of Av in 1290 all the Jews were expelled from England.

*In 1492 Queen Isabella of Spain issued a decree that all Jews must leave the land by a certain date.

*The Jews of Spain were given 4 months to get their affairs in order and leave the country or die.

*Do you know what that date was…the Ninth of Av…but that’s not the big mystery.

*Do you know what happened on the Tenth of Av…Christopher Columbus departed from Spain with 3 ships (Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria) on the Tenth    of Av, one day after the Jews were expelled.

*Columbus sailed from Spain to find a new world and found America.

*Do you know what country became the largest refuge for the Jewish people during their 2,000 years of exile…America!

Can you see Jesus and the plan of God in the Ninth of Av?

*On the 9th of Av in 1941, Reich Leader of the Nazi Party, Heinrich Himmler, formally received approval from the Nazi Party for the Final Solution and      the Holocaust began…in which one third of the world’s Jewish population perished.

*And by the way…both world wars began on the Ninth of Av.

*World War 2 and the Holocaust, historians conclude, was actually the long drawn-out conclusion of World War 1 that began in 1914. And yes,           amazingly enough, Germany declared war on Russia, effectively catapulting the First World War into motion, on the Ninth of Av, Tisa B’Av.

With all that background, can you see why this headline from August 2nd might be a world changing moment? This is the first line from that article…”Western intelligence sources have revealed that Iran is planning to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and that it will be coordinated with Hezbollah.” You can check out the headline and link below for yourself.

IranPlans to Attack Israel on Tisha B’Av, Western Intelligence Sources Say – TheYeshiva World 

I have no idea what’s going to happen today on the 9th of Av. I’m not making any predictions, just stating the obvious truth about this fateful day in history. I’m actually writing this article a few days ahead of time, on August 7th. But I do know this. One day Jesus will come, and He will come to save those who have put their faith in Him as the Messiah/Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Until then, we will wait and see.

You can watch my entire teaching on the Ninth of Av from our Ninevah Christian Church Roots Session given 11/8/2023 by clicking the link below:

https://www.ninevahchristian.org/media/1214185-4960964-34712735/the-appointed-times-roots-session-11 

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Have you noticed that there are many words that have changed their meanings over time. For example:

*Gay…from happy to homosexual.

*Backlog…from firewood to a pile of work

*Cell…from jail or body part to phone

*Pride…inordinate self-esteem also known as conceited to celebration of same sex attraction

The original definition of the word “pride” from Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary was considered to be a negative term. Pride and the act of being prideful was a cultural no-no. Do you know why?

The Bible tells us that human pride is a deadly sin. Like it or not, our national heritage is based on Judeo-Christian roots which come from the Bible. Human pride is the edification of self over the edification of God and God’s laws. The root of pride is self over God. God has clearly revealed through the Bible that the human sin of pride will be severely dealt with on the day of judgment.

Isaiah 2:11-12 (NLT)

11 Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment.

12 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted.

The original definition of pride was bad enough to bring the wrath of God upon a person. But now, the word is used to celebrate same sex attractions. Now the word mocks God on two fronts. The edification of self and the abandonment of God’s truth about male and female sexuality.

The use of the word might be different today, but the sin of pride is not new. God warned ancient Israel about the consequences of pride. And we would also do well to heed the warning from God’s Word today.

Isaiah 3:8-9 (NLT)

8 For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face.

9 The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves.

How should the church respond to the darkness of this world today. We must turn on the light and tell the truth. Before we look at others, we must apply the light of truth to our own lives and make sure that human pride has no place in our hearts. Our only hope is the light of truth, which is the Word of God. If we abandon the Word of God and go along with the lie and join the darkness…darkness will overtake everyone, and all will be lost.

We must hold onto God’s Word! Jesus is the Word and Jesus is the Truth. If we abandon the Word of Truth, we abandon Jesus, our only hope and the only hope of this lost and dying world.

I encourage each of you to read these next verses from the Book of James and pray that God would give us the wisdom and strength to face whatever is coming.

James 4:4-10 (NLT)

4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?

6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The Apostle Paul refers to Timothy as a “Man of God”. Paul then gives clear instructions, even commands, as to how a man of God should live in this present age…while we wait for the return of Christ.

1 Timothy 6:11-14 (NLT)

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.

13 And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate,

14 that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

How should a man of God live while we wait for Jesus to come again?

*Run from all evil things.

*Pursue righteousness and a godly life.

*Pursue a life of faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

*Fight against lukewarmness and pursue the true faith.

*Hold tight to the promise of eternal life and never shrink back from professing your faith publicly.

Then Paul makes this statement…Obey this command without wavering. Why the command? Why such strong language? Because this is a spiritual war that will have many casualties. Notice the words, “fight and hold tight”.

*Fight the good fight for the true faith…this will be a lifelong battle.

*Hold tightly to the promise of eternal life…this will be a lifelong battle.

Fight and hold tight…do these sound-like passive terms or commands to you?

Commands are given in times of war. Commands are given to save your life and win the battle. Pay close attention to these commands from the Apostle to the Gentile church today. They were given in love to save your life and so that no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus comes again. And may He come soon!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Can you see it? The spirit war is intensifying in the world around us. These are just a few of the headlines from this past week.

*Assassination attempt of former President Trump

*Muhammad Deif (military leader of Hamas) is assassinated by Israel

*Israel prepares for war with Hezbollah and Iran in the North.

*US Secretary Blinken says Iran is one or two weeks from having material for nuclear weapon

*Israel bombs a strategic seaport in Yemen sending the middle east into more chaos.

*The war between Russia and Ukraine enters a new phase.

*President Biden withdraws from election.

Can you see it? Can you see the escalation? The Bible refers to it as birth pains. Things will begin to increase in intensity and frequency, and they will be worldwide, not just localized.

Mark 13:4-8 (NLT)

4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

I ask you again, can you see it? These worldwide events are a manifestation of a spiritual war that is raging in the heavenly realms. Do you believe that?

Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

But I have some good news today. The good news is about "MORE”. Let me explain. This spiritual battle has been raging in the heavenly realms since the Garden of Eden. The battle between good and evil. The battle between God and Satan. And yes, the nation of Israel is in the middle of that spiritual war. Let me give you an example.

Somewhere around 800 BC, the King of Aram was making war plans to destroy Israel. But God revealed the evil kings plans to the Prophet Elisha in advance, thwarting the king of Aram’s plans to destroy Israel. When the king of Aram found out what the Prophet Elisha was doing, he sent his army to surround Elisha so that they might kill him.

2 Kings 6:14-15 (NLT)

14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God [Elisha] got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

The servant of Elisha could only see the physical realm and that physical realm looked dreadful…What will we do now? But God had given Elisha eyes to see the spiritual realm. Elisha saw that the battle was actually a spirit war, and this is Elisha’s response to his terrified servant.

2 Kings 6:16-17 (NLT)

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Can you see it? Can you believe it? There are more on our side than on theirs. No matter what it looks like around us today we must know and believe that there are more on our side than on theirs. Don’t be afraid.

Jesus told us to “stand and look up”. Look up when you see the spirit war intensifying around us. Look up because there are more on our side than on theirs.

Luke 21:28 (NLT)

28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

God is always more than Satan. The light is always more than the darkness. The Truth is always more than the lie. In Christ, we will always have more.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

God gave King Solomon extraordinary wisdom, and that wisdom led the king to this final conclusion about life.

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NLT)

10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.

11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Why? Why is all this toil on the earth like chasing the wind? Solomon recognized that everything that man experienced in this life came with an expiration date. Solomon came to realize that everything that he toiled so hard to achieve would eventually be left to someone else. It was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. You think for a moment you’ve caught it, but when you open your hand, it’s gone.

King Solomon lived about 1,000 years before the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Paul comes to a similar conclusion about the toils and cares of this life. But the Apostle Paul had a different conclusion. Paul knew something beyond the wisdom of Solomon. Paul knew Jesus and Paul knew about the resurrection of the dead into eternal life.

Philippians 3:7-11 (NLT)

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Paul’s conclusion:

*Everything achieved and attained on earth is useless and meaningless (like chasing the wind) apart from knowing Christ.

*It would be better to lose or surrender everything in this temporary chasing the wind life…that we might attain oneness with Christ and the resurrection into eternal life.

*To know Christ in this chasing the wind torn world is the only true treasure.

*Knowing Jesus and becoming one with Him is to finally catch the wind, the wind that is the breath of eternal life.

*All of life’s suffering and hardship will be worth it when we know that we have found and attained oneness with the source of this wind, this breath of eternal life.

John 3:7-8 (NLT) Jesus speaking to Nicodemus

7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Do you find the Bible complicated or confusing? Is it possible for the average person to read the Bible and actually understand it without outside help? There are a lot of people with many opinions about these two questions. So, I would like to focus on two verses from the New Testament Book of First John today…to Keep it Simple.

1 John 5:11-12 (NLT)

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

God looked down at the fallen world of man and saw death. There was death everywhere. Everyone was dying from death. Sin and rebellion against God had brought death to all mankind.

The sin and death of man was preventing man from reaching the glory of God and experiencing His presence. So…God gave us eternal life. God gave us a way, a single and powerful way, to deal with sin and death. God sent eternal life to the fallen kingdoms of men that lived on the earth. That eternal life of God was inside a man named Jesus, the Son of God.

Jesus is life and the eternal source of life. Jesus is literally the resurrection of the dead and Jesus is literally eternal life. Jesus is life and apart from Jesus there is no life. When we place our faith in Jesus as the Son of God something supernatural happens. Jesus, in the person of the Holy Spirit enters into our bodies, forgives our sins and gives us eternal life.

Let’s keep it simple for today. There are only two possibilities for your last day.

1. You will have Jesus and you will have forgiveness of sins and eternal life…you will receive a resurrected and eternal body and you will live forever with God in heaven as one of His children.

2. You will NOT have Jesus and you will spiritually die in your sins, unrepentant and unforgiven. You will experience eternal death because you have rejected the One who is eternal life. And you will be cast out of God’s presence into an eternal prison called hell.

Is it really that simple? Yes, and that’s only two verses!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I grew up in a church that used the word “Gentile” a lot, but never really defined what that word meant. That usually left me a bit confused. So, let’s start with the definition.

Gen'tiles (nations). All the people who were not Jews were so called by them.

Gentiles is a biblical reference to all the nations or peoples of the world that were not Jewish. With that definition in mind, we need to go back to the time when God revealed His Covenant to the first Jew, Abraham.

Genesis 18:17-19 (NLT)

17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the LORD asked.

18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”

God’s original covenant with Abraham included a plan to bless the Gentiles through what He was going to do in and through Abraham. That covenant promise of God to Abraham was some 400 years before Moses and the Law was given.

The Law required the Jewish people to remain separate from the Gentiles because the Gentile nations/peoples were godless and lived in pagan idolatry that would pollute and pervert Israel (the children of Abraham).That was the status of Jew and Gentile all the way up to the time of Jesus.

When Jesus was 8-days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the Jerusalem Temple to fulfill all the requirement of the Law. While they were there, they had an encounter with Simeon, a Jewish man of God who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died.

Simeon prophesied by the Holy Spirit something that day that brings hope to all of us Gentiles today. Remember, up to this point, the Jews were required by the Law to remain separate from the Gentiles.

Luke 2:25-32 (NLT)

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him

26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,

28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.

30 I have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared for all people.

32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Do you see it? Jesus came for both, Jew and Gentile. Jesus was going to be the light to the nations…the Gentiles…the ones who had been living in darkness and idolatry. Simeon, through the Holy Spirit is repeating the prophecy of Isaiah, a prophecy that would be fulfilled by Jesus. It’s recorded later in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 4:14-17 (NLT)

14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,

16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

There it is…the message of Jesus to the Gentiles of the world. There is now a way to receive the promises of God that were given to the first Jew, Abraham. This Gospel message has gone out to the whole Gentile world over these past 2,000 years. The message preached by Jesus himself.

“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Today, more than ever, this message of Jesus brings hope and light into the lives of all the Gentile nations of the world. The Kingdom of Heaven is near, and we (the Gentile nations) can enter that Kingdom if we would listen to the message preached by Jesus.

Luke 24:47 (NLT)

47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

All praise and glory belong to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. For in His great mercy, He has given us Gentiles the opportunity to become the children of God by placing our faith in Jesus the Son.

Romans 9:24-25 (NLT)

24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. 25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Let’s begin with the word, “sovereign or sovereignty”. God’s sovereignty is the revelation of His authority and Kingdom, His all powerful and eternal Kingdom.

*Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.

*Royal rank, authority, or power.

*Complete independence and self-government.

*Mastery; control; predominance.

And what does God do with His divine sovereignty? Anything He wants, whenever He wants. The Lord chose Jacob/Israel for Himself and who can question His sovereignty in that divine decision?

Psalm 135:3-6 (NLT)

3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.

4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.

5 I know the greatness of the LORD— that our Lord is greater than any other god.

6 The LORD does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.

God is accountable to no one at any time or in any circumstance. He is accountable only to Himself. That’s why when He swears or takes an oath…He swears by His own name.

Isaiah 45:22-23 (NLT)

22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.

23 I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”

Humans are not sovereign. We are not born unto ourselves; we do not live unto ourselves, and we will not die unto ourselves. We live, breathe and die under the authority and sovereignty of God.

With that truth in mind, I want to reflect on the current events in the Middle East. It looks like a great war is about to begin between Israel, Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Iran, with the potential for many other nations to become involved.

This battle is being led by the demonic spirit prince of Persia (Iran and its proxies) which operates under the authority of Satan. You can read more about that spirit prince of Persia in Daniel 10:13.

Iran wants to rid the earth of the Jewish Nation of Israel. But there is a big problem. The problem is with the Sovereign, and this is the historical ruling of the Sovereign God of Israel, written in that same Psalm 135 mentioned above.

Psalm 135:8-14 (NLT)

8 He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home, both people and animals.

9 He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people.

10 He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings—

11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.

12 He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel.

13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever; your fame, O LORD, is known to every generation.

14 For the LORD will give justice to his people and have compassion on his servants.

The current battle in the Middle East is a spirit war. The Prophet Daniel announced this spirit war some 2500 years ago and revealed the outcome and sovereignty of God in advance. The question for all of us today is this…do you believe?

Daniel 7:23-28 (NLT)

23 Then he said to me, “This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path.

24 Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise [he is the antichrist], different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them.

25 He [the antichrist] will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time [3.5 years].

26 “But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed.

27 Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom [the Kingdom of Jesus] will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.”

28 That was the end of the vision. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself.

The world stage is being set for the arrival of the antichrist. He is NOT sovereign, and he will be defeated by the Sovereign God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He will be defeated by King Jesus and the sovereignty of God will become the Kingdom of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (NLT)

24 After that the end will come, when he [Jesus] will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.

25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.

26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his [Jesus] authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

All power, dominion and authority has been given to Christ, the Son of God. He is sovereign and the Kingdom belongs to Him. This is what Sovereign Jesus speaks to the church in these last days…words of comfort and truth.

John 14:27 (NLT)

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I was listening to Chad preach a powerful Father’s Day message yesterday about the importance of fathers leaving a godly legacy for their family. In Chad’s message he read from Deuteronomy chapter 6. While he was reading, I immediately saw a foreshadowing of the future in that text. Let me explain. A foreshadowing is a preview or a shadow of events that will one day be fully fulfilled through Jesus in the eternal kingdom.

For example, Moses is a foreshadow of Jesus. Moses was the one chosen by God to deliver the children of Abraham out of bondage and take them to the Promised Land. That story of Moses as the deliverer of Israel really happened, but it is also a foreshadow. Moses in Egypt is a foreshadow of the Ultimate Deliverer-Jesus who will deliver us from the bondage of sin and death and take us to the Promised Land of Heaven.

With that example in mind, I would like to show you the foreshadow from Deuteronomy chapter 6 that Chad read to the church yesterday. The context is this…God is telling Moses to teach “The Shema” (verses 4-9 below) to the people and make sure that the people teach it to their children and all future generations of Israel.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

By the way, Jesus later quotes the Shema as the Greatest Commandment of God in Matthew 22 and Mark 12. Now, for the foreshadow! The next verse in Deuteronomy is a foreshadow for all who will live under the greatest commandment of God, the Shema.

Deuteronomy 6:10-11 (NLT)

10 “The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build.

11 The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land,

Do you see it? Can you see heaven in that foreshadowing scene?

The foreshadow…The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The promise of Jesus to fulfill the foreshadow…for all who put their trust in God through putting their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son.

John 14:1-3 (NLT)

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

The foreshadow… It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.

Can you see it? We won’t build our houses in heaven. Jesus has built them and prepared them for us. Israel went in to occupy the Promised Land that God had prepared for them. God fought for them and gave them the land filled with prosperous cities, houses stocked with goods, cisterns that had fresh water and vineyards and olive trees that they didn’t plant. A land prepared in advance for all who would put their trust in God…the Shema.

But there was a warning attached to the Shema. A warning that also belongs to the church today. The foreshadow comes with a warning:

Deuteronomy 6:11-18 (NLT)

…When you have eaten your fill in this land,

12 be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.

13 You must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.

14 “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations,

15 for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.

16 You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.

17 You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you.

18 Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors.

Some people today refuse to accept the warnings attached to the Shema. Jesus renews that Shema warning to the churches in the Revelation…specifically the Church at Ephesus.

Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT)

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!

5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.

Heaven’s Coming! God has prepared a wonderful place for all the children of Abraham who have trusted in God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Those who have lived their lives under the Shema. We love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We take the warning of God seriously. We guard our hearts while we wait for the foreshadow to become our reality in the Promised Land.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I preached a sermon series a couple of weeks ago about The Point of No Return. That series used events of the Old Testament and the New Testament to reveal a point on the road that no longer has any exits. A series of unstoppable end time events will begin to happen. For example, some will go to captivity, and some will be killed. And then you see the words, “patient endurance and faithfulness”.

Revelation 13:9-10 (NIV)

9 He who has an ear, let him hear.

10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

That road (without any more exits) is revealed again in Revelation chapter 22. But this time, there are two roads. One road is walking toward God, and one is walking away from God.

Revelation 22:10-13 (NIV)

10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.

11 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."

12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

We must understand that all Bible prophecy will be fulfilled. It is unstoppable. Everything written in the Holy Scriptures will happen at just the right time, according to the Word of God. Some things must happen. Yes, even bad things…these things must happen to fulfill Bible prophecy. Listed below is one example from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Isaiah 5:20 (NLT)

20 What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NLT)

1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

Some things must happen. They are unstoppable. But what about the church? What about believers? This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

This is my encouragement to the church today. We must patiently endure anything and everything that comes to us in these perilous times…leading up to the return of Christ. The increase of wickedness and lawlessness in the world leading up to the return of Jesus will test our faith. The Hebrew writer gives the church clear instructions about how we should respond. I suggest that you read, meditate, and pray over these next Scriptures and ask God to make you strong enough to stand in the time of testing that is coming upon the whole earth.

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NLT)

35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!

36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

Jesus gave us the same counsel at the end of the Olivet Discourse where He describes the events surrounding His return…we should pray this prayer every day in obedience to the counsel of our Lord.

Luke 21:34-36 (NLT)

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,

35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.

36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Everyone knows the Old Testament story of Samson. Samson was born of a supernatural birth by the will of God to deliver Israel out of the hands of the evil Philistines. This is angelic message of God that was given to the mother of Samson before he was conceived.

Judges 13:5 (NLT)

5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

The Israelites had lived under the dominion and oppression of the Philistines for 40 years.

Judges 13:1 (NLT)

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

Samson was born for a specific spiritual purpose…to begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines. And where did the Philistines live in the time of Samson? Gaza and Ashkelon!

Judges 16:1-2 (NLT)

1 One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.

2 Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, “When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.”

Samson’s spirit war had begun. Samsom was beginning to war with the Philistines in Gaza. Samson would eventually die in Gaza, but not until he killed all the Philistine rulers that had gathered in Gaza to mock him. God’s power would eventually overcome the spirit power of Gaza.

Now, there is some debate about whether or not the modern-day Palestinians who live in Gaza are direct descendants of the ancient Philistines that did battle with Samson and Israel. But one thing is sure. Gaza is still Gaza. The spirit war is real. The battle for the land of Canaan (which includes Gaza) from the people who currently live in Gaza is real! Their battle cry is this, “From the River to the Sea-Palestine will be free”. The spirit war is for the covenant land of Israel.

Samson was a warrior of God in the spirit war for the land and people of Israel. Samson lived about 50 years after the time of Joshua. God specifically told Joshua that the land of Gaza and Ashkelon would belong to Israel.

Joshua 13:1-3 & 6-7 (NLT)

1 When Joshua was an old man, the LORD said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.

2 This is the territory that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites,

3 and the larger territory of the Canaanites, extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron. It includes the territory of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The land of the Avvites …..“I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you. 7 Include all this territory as Israel’s possession when you divide this land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

The spirit war for the control of the land. Is it real? Is it ongoing today? Are there spiritual powers in the heavens now battling for possession of the covenant land of Israel…the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Why are the modern-day nations of the world planning to divide the land of Israel with the Palestinians today? And why is Gaza central in this modern-day spirit war.

It all goes back to Abraham and the everlasting covenant of God that He made with Abraham.

Genesis 17:3-8 (NLT)

3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,

4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!

5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.

6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

How will God respond when the nations of the world try to divide the land in this great spirit war of the last days?

Joel 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 “At the time of those events,” says the LORD, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land.

And what about Gaza today? Does the Bible prophecy about Gaza in the last days?

Zephaniah 2:4-7 (NLT)

4 Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned, Ashdod and Ekron torn down.

5 And what sorrow awaits you Philistines who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan, for this judgment is against you, too! The LORD will destroy you until not one of you is left.

6 The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture, a place of shepherd camps and enclosures for sheep and goats.

7 The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there. They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon. For the LORD their God will visit his people in kindness and restore their prosperity again.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The headline this morning from The Times of Israel | News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World was this: Spain, Norway, Ireland formally recognize Palestinian State; rift with Israel widens.

Do you Understand the Times? Do you Understand the Times of Israel article above? Spain, Norway, and Ireland are joining a long list of world governments that are pushing Israel to divide the land with the Palestinians. It’s called the “Two State Solution”. This plan would transfer East Jerusalem (and other portions of Israel) from Israel to the new Palestinian State.

Do you understand the times? Is this a good thing? Will this finally bring peace to the Middle East? Why are so many nations now rooting for the Palestinians? How did the horrors of the Hamas invasion into Israel on October 7th bring the world to this conclusion…dividing the land of Israel will bring peace and security to the region?

Do you think this is a good idea, dividing the land of Israel? Do you think it’s a good idea for the nations of the world to force Israel to divide the land with the Palestinians? Before you answer, maybe you should read the prophecy of Joel. And by the way, Peter quoted the same Prophet Joel on the Day of Pentecost when the church was born.

Joel 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 “At the time of those events,” says the LORD, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land.

Do you understand the times? Let me make it clear today…God did not support the Two State Solution in the time of Moses and Joshua and God won’t support the Two State Solution today.

Genesis 13:14-17 (NLT)

14 After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.

15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.

16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!

17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

Today, do you understand the times? It’s interesting to me that my morning Bible reading for today was…

Chronicles 12:32 (NLT)

32 From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

I hope and pray that the church will be like the tribe of Issachar.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen.

Terry Cooper

The Bible tells us about the time when God transferred the Kingdom of Israel from King Saul to David. I want you to notice the “Spirit role” in this transfer of kingdom power.

1 Samuel 16:13-14 (NLT)

13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

David is receiving the powerful Spirit of the Lord and Saul is receiving a tormenting spirit that fills him with depression and fear. King Saul is losing the Spirit of the Lord and David is receiving the Spirit of the Lord. The kingdom power of God is being transferred to David. The tormenting spirit of depression and fear comes upon King Saul in the absence of the Spirit of the Lord.

It’s important to realize that there was a previous time when Saul had received the Spirit of the Lord in power. God had appointed Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king of Israel and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul in power.

1 Samuel 10:9-10 (NLT)

9 As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day.

10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.

The absence of the Spirit of the Lord brought depression and fear to King Saul. Depression and fear lead to madness. That’s what happened to fearful and anxious King Saul when people started seeing the powerful Spirit of the Lord upon David while Saul was still King.

1 Samuel 18:8-11 (NLT)

8 This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!”

9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand,

11 and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

So, what does all this have to do with us today. There are only two spirits. The Holy Spirit of God and the unholy spirit of Satan, the adversary of God. The Apostle John refers to this unholy spirit as the spirit of antichrist. These spirit powers are at war with each other.

The Holy Spirit of God lives in the people who belong to God. The unholy spirit of antichrist lives in the people who belong to the world…and no one is neutral in this spirit war.

1 John 4:4 (NLT)

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

This spiritual truth should help explain the madness of our world today. The absence of the Holy Spirit of God leaves a person to live under the tormenting and lying spirt of antichrist. Depression, fear, anxiety, and jealousy came upon King Saul when the tormenting spirit came into him. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul gives us a clear distinction between the spirit war of our day.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

God the Father has given His Only Son so that He might enter into our human temples/bodies and reign in us in kingdom power and authority. The absence of the Holy Spirit of Christ will eventually lead to madness, depression, jealousy, fear and anxiety and eventually eternal separation from God.

Acts 1:8 (NLT)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I suppose it’s always been true. We need to go along to get along. Going along with the crowd is to get along with the crowd. But what happens when the crowd turns toward the darkness? What happens when the crowd turns away from God?

God has clearly called His children to be different from the world. It began with Israel. They were called out to be different than the world.

Deuteronomy 14:2 (NLT)

2 You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

Psalm 135:4 (NLT)

4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.

Many of the struggles of the Jewish people are connected to this truth. They were called by God to be different than the world. That has brought great suffering to the Jewish people in the past and that is the root of the recent rush of antisemitism (Jew hatred) today.

But what about the church? Were we also called to be different?

Titus 2:12-14 (NLT)

12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,

13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Christians were called by God to be a peculiar and distinct people. Why would being a Christian make us peculiar in this world? Because we do not go along to get along with the world. We are different. Like Israel, we are a chosen people. The church has been invited to join in the covenant promises that God made to Abraham…a covenant that would reveal the legitimate children of God.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)

9 But you are not like that [the world], for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

We (the church) are the blood bought children of the Most-High God. We are different than the world. We cannot go along with the darkness to get along with the darkness. That would abandon the calling of God upon our life. This truth (refusing to go along to get along) will bring the hatred of the world upon the church…like it has brought the hatred of the world upon the Jewish people. That’s why Jesus told us in advance that we should count the cost before we commit our lives to following Him (Luke 14:28-30). We should seriously consider the cost of being different than the world around us.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NLT)

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

The generations before us (Jews and Christians) have counted the cost and found it to be expensive and sometimes painful to be different than the world. But the ending of our story will also be different than the world… (vs 18) And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The Old Testament is filled with animal sacrifices. God sacrificed an animal to make coverings for Adam and Eve after they sinned. Abel sacrificed an animal to bring an acceptable offering to God. Why animal sacrifices?

God tells us that the life of an animal is in their blood. Blood is life and life is represented by blood. God gave the people of Israel strict instructions about blood and animal sacrifices.

Leviticus 17:10-12 (NLT)

10 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people,

11 for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

12 That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood—neither you nor the foreigners living among you.’

“I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you.” God established blood as the only acceptable payment for sin. Only a blood sacrifice could purify a person in the eyes of God. Only a blood sacrifice could make that person right with God. The blood of the animal would pay for the life of the person in the sacrifice. The animal was unwillingly giving its life in exchange for the person that was offering the sacrifice. Life in exchange for life…it was God’s way of making sinful man right with God in the Old Testament.

The Bible tells us that God knows every animal on earth. Yes, God values every animal. But God made a way in the Old Testament for animal life to be exchanged for the life of men. God didn’t need or desire the animal sacrifices, but mankind surely did.

Psalm 50:9-15 (NLT)

9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.

10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?

14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

God expected the people to bring thanksgiving to Him when they offered a animal sacrifice….understanding that the life of that animal was given by God as an atonement for the sins of man.

How much more thanksgiving does God expect from us today when we are covered by the blood of the Lamb-Jesus. How can we comprehend the value of the blood of the perfect, spotless Lamb of God-Jesus that was sacrificed to purify the church?

The New Testament Book of Hebrews reveals that all the Old Testament animal sacrifices were only a shadow of what God was going to do through Jesus on the cross. I encourage each of you to take some time and read carefully these 10 verses from Hebrews chapter ten. When you are finished, I encourage you to give thanksgiving to God for this marvelous gift of blood from His Only Begotten Son…His life for our life.

Hebrews 10:1-10 (NLT)

1 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.

2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year.

4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer.

6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.

7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses).

9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.

10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

With all the riots and protests taking place on college campuses here and in Europe, I think it would be a good time to look at the Old Testament Book of Joshua. Joshua was the one chosen by God to lead the Children of Israel over the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land, the land that is currently being disputed by many on these college campuses today.

This land thing was God’s idea, not Moses and not Joshua. It was 100% God’s idea. Yes, there were people living there at the time and yes, the Lord had a plan to remove them and give it to Israel. This plan of God was part of the original covenant that God made with the original Jewish man named Abram/Abraham some 430 years earlier.

Genesis 15:17-21 (NLT)

17 After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.

18 So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

19 the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

430-years later, Joshua steps over the Jordan River to take possession of the Land and the Promise of God. I say it again…yes there were people living there before Israel arrived. But the Lord had a plan to remove them and give the land to Israel. It was not the idea of any Israelite. It was 100% the plan of God.

I’m sure the seven nations that lived there when Joshua arrived would think that this land grab was unjust and unfair. But I’m not really sure about which court they would appeal the decision to. We must never forget the One who was the original owner of the land. This is the message of God to Israel and Egypt when they were preparing to begin their original journey to the Promised Land.

Exodus 9:29 (NLT)

29 “All right,” Moses replied. “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the LORD. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD.

If the whole earth belongs to the Lord its reasonable to assume that He can give the land to whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses. We might not agree with it, but that doesn’t change the identity and right of the original owner to do that which is pleasing to Him.

That leads me back to the riots and protests on many college campuses today. They are shouting these words, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free”. Most of those rioting students have no idea what they are saying. The river is the Jordan River, and the Sea is the Mediterranean. If you look at the map you would soon see that the River to the Sea is the entire land of Israel today.

Maybe these protests have more to do with God than Israel. Maybe they have more to do with the original owner of the land than the people that live there today. What if this battle is really a spiritual war that has its origins in the heavenly realms far above the kingdoms of men.

There is surely a demonic spirit at work in these riots and protests around the world today. They are trying to stop Almighty God from fulfilling His Word regarding the Land and the Promise. How foolish! They didn’t stop God in the time of Joshua, and they won’t stop God today. God gave the Land and God gave the Promise. It was 100% God’s idea.

Joshua 21:43-45 (NLT)

43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD helped them conquer all their enemies.

45 Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

The question for us today is this…whose side will you be on when all this is finished? Joshua also answers that one.

Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT)

14 “So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone.

15 But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There is so much talk going around about the Red Heifer that is supposedly going to be sacrificed in Israel to purify the Jewish people and make a way for Israel to build the Third Temple. I don’t know if this Red Heifer sacrifice is actually going to happen or not, but I do know that there will be a Third Temple. First, let me give you some context and history.

The first Jerusalem Temple was built by King Solomon. It was later destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The second Jewish Temple was built by Zerubbabel after the Jews returned from 70 years of Babylonian exile. That Zerubbabel Temple experienced a significant upgrade by King Herod just before the time of Christ. The second Jerusalem Temple (known as Herod’s temple) was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, approximately 37 years after Jesus returned to heaven. There has not been a Jewish Temple standing in Jerusalem for some 2,000 years now. Does the Bible reveal a Third Temple in Jerusalem?

Yes, the Bible tells us that there will be a physical Third Temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:2-8) The Prophet Ezekiel gives the last eight chapters of his book to a new Jerusalem Third Temple that Jesus himself will reign from during the millennial (1,000 year) kingdom of Christ on this present earth after Satan has been locked away in prison.

But today, I would like to focus on another Third Temple. This Temple is not a physical structure in Jerusalem, but it is a Temple that King Jesus will reign in and reign from. The Third Temple that I’m referring to today is us…the born-again, Holy Spirit filled, Church of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, your body is a type of Third Temple on the earth during the church age. Jesus reigns today in the person of the Holy Spirit from inside the physical bodies of born-again believers. We are Jesus’ present-day temples. Jesus’ promise in the Great Commission is that He will personally be with us until the end of the age. He will be with us in the person of the Holy Spirit…living inside our human bodies/temples until the church age ends.

Matthew 28:20 (NLT)

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Yes, I believe there will one day be a physical Third Temple built in Jerusalem with Jesus reigning there as Prophet, Priest and King. But, until then, Jesus desires to reign (in the person and power of the Holy Spirit) in and through the physical lives of the church (living inside our human flesh temple) while we wait for Jesus to reign in the flesh on this present earth.

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There are four verses at the very end of the letter of First John that reveal “Three We Knows” that every believer should know as absolute truth. It’s like the Apostle John summarizes his letter’s conclusion in these final verses.

With all the trouble in Israel and in our own country, I think it would be good for the church to examine these Three We Knows today to make sure that we still know them to be true in our lives. Knowing these Three We Knows as absolute truth will go a long way in keeping us focused and full of joy as we journey through this troublesome wilderness journey on our way to the Promised Land.

I encourage each of you to read each one carefully and check yourself today. Do you truly know all three?

1. We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

2. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

3. We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

1 John 5:18-20 (NLT)

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

And after you come to grips with these Three We Knows…John gives us a warning. The last verse of First John is a powerful and convicting warning to the children of God.

1 John 5:21 (NLT)

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

Oh, the power of the Word of God. It enters into our dry and thirsty soul and gives us a drink of cool fresh living water, renewing our strength, purpose and perseverance.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen.

Terry Cooper

The Apostle Paul was given a unique and special look into the future of all mankind, including the last days. God revealed mysteries to Paul that had been previously hidden.

Ephesians 3:3-5 (NLT)

3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.

4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

One of these mysteries revealed by God was regarding the apostasy or rebellion that would occur in the last days, revealing the antichrist (man of lawlessness) and bringing the return of Christ to this earth. The NASB version of the Bible uses the word “apostasy” and the NIV/NLT translations use the word “rebellion”. The word means, “to depart from one’s stand or state of standing”. By the way, its difficult to depart from something that you’ve never stood upon...which means this rebellion will come from within the church.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NLT)

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion [APOSTASY] against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica is clearly talking about events that will lead up to the return of Christ in the final days of man...when everything will change. Paul, under special revelation from the Lord, said that day (the coming of the Lord) would not come until there was a rebellion (apostasy). Paul also revealed this same topic in his letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NLT)

1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

These people will abandon and turn away from true faith and follow demons. So, what are these people rebelling against? What are these people departing from that will bring the antichrist and the return of Jesus Christ in the last days? God revealed the last days apostasy/rebellion to Paul, but what are they actually rebelling against? What are these people turning their backs on, falling away from? Do you know? Do you think it’s important to know?

I’ve always found it interesting and powerful that the Old and New Testaments begin in the same way. Do you know what the key words are? “GOD SAID...THE WORD”.

Genesis 1:3-5 (NLT)

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

John 1:1-5 (NLT)

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

The Word (God said) is the beginning of the Old Testament/Covenant and The Word is the beginning of the New Testament/Covenant. The Word actually became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and moved from heaven to earth. The Word says that Jesus will return one day and His name on that day will be “The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). So, what do you suppose the rebellion will rebel against in the last days of man? The Word...God said!

Paul told Timothy that they would turn away from the true faith in the last days...setting the world stage for the man of lawlessness to be revealed and take control. Is it possible to have true faith without the Word of God? The Bible says that true faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

I am watching this rebellion take place in our generation. I’m watching church after church rebel against the authority of Scripture, turning away from the Word, the Truth. Every week I read a new story about another church that has rejected the authority of Scripture and turned to the deceptive teaching of demons. These are churches that have previously stood upon the authority of Scripture, but now they stand in the midst of the apostasy, the rebellion.

So, what do we do? Is there any hope? God gave this special revelation to Paul and Paul has revealed it to the world. It’s unstoppable! Right? It’s going to happen in the last days! Right? Yes, it’s going to happen and yes, the final days rebellion is unstoppable, but you don’t have to be a part of the rebellion. You can be a part of the resistance and stand upon the Word of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Take this personal Word from Jesus as your encouragement today:

Matthew 24:9-14 (NLT)

9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.

10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.

11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

We MUST NOT rebel against the Word of God/God said. We MUST be those who endure to the end. We MUST be a people of THE WORD and by doing so...we refuse to join the apostasy of these last days. Yes, we will face opposition. This is a spiritual war, and this is a battle for life and death that finds its origin in the heavenly realms. This battle will have eternal consequences. Our only offensive weapon in this battle is a Sword. But this Sword is very powerful. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God...put it on and stand your ground church!

Ephesians 6:14-17 (NLT)

14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

By the time you get to Numbers chapters 13 &14, Moses and the Israelites are just outside the Promised Land. Moses had sent out 12 men to spy out the Promised Land and they return with the majority of the spies totally filled with fear. Only 2, Joshua and Caleb, had the faith to believe God and cross over into the Promised Land.

Numbers 13:30-33 (NLT)

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”

32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.

33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

They were so-so close to receiving the promises of God, when they become fearful, and that fear caused them to turn away from God and look back toward Egypt. Looking back at Egypt was an offense to God, the One who had come to set them free from their Egyptian bondage.

Numbers 14:1-4 (NLT)

1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night.

2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained.

3 “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

That was the last straw! They were going to turn against Moses, their deliverer, and choose another leader to take them back to the bondage of Egypt. That event would bring the judgment of God upon an entire generation of Israel.

Moses tried and tried to turn the people’s hearts back to God, but it didn’t work. The bad report from the fearful-10 caused the people to rebel against Moses and God. The fearful-10 majority even turned on the faithful-2 that refused to vote with them, Joshua and Caleb. They were making plans to stone them for trusting in God’s promises about the Promised Land when God suddenly intervenes.

Numbers 14:10 (NLT)

10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

That brings me to today and this ancient Word of God to the people of Israel just outside the Promised Land. One verse that crosses over to our time.

Numbers 14:11 (NLT)

11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?

I fear that much of the American Church is repeating this same scene today. Fear and doubt just outside the Promised Land. Fear and doubt that causes people to look back at Egypt…back at their former life of sin and bondage.

How many signs did the people of Israel experience on their way from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land? How many signs has the church received from God on our way to the Promised Land today? Do you really need more signs than those that are appearing around us today?

Matthew 16:2-4 (NLT)

2 He [Jesus] replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow;

3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!

4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

So-so close, but they didn’t make it. God turned that generation around and took them back into the wilderness where most of them would die…just outside the Promised Land. What can the church learn from this horrible scene today.

God has given us a Deliverer. His name is Jesus. He came to break the bondage of sin and death and His Spirit is leading us now through the wilderness on our way to the Promised Land. Do not test the Spirit or rebel against the Word.

All who place their faith and trust in Jesus will enter that glorious Promised Land of God’s presence. There are many fears and doubts in the wilderness and the lure of Egypt and sin is powerful. We must be the Joshua’s and Caleb’s of our generation. We must hold fast to the promises of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NLT)

35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!

36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

The signs are all around us today. The day of the Lord’s return is soon. Be strong and very courageous church…we’re going to make it!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

You could say that the fall of man can be illustrated by the closing of a gate. That gate was on the east side of the Garden of Eden. The closing of that gate was the separation of man from the presence of God. The sin of man caused the gate into God’s presence to be closed.

Genesis 3:23-24 (NLT)

23 So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

24 After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The closed gate kept man from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever in sin. But more importantly the closed gate kept man from fully experiencing the presence of God. God closed that gate and what God closes; no mortal man can open.

That brings me to Psalm 24, a prophetic Psalm of King David (written some 3,000 years after the Garden Gate closed) about God’s plan to one day open the closed gate. God was going to open the gate to the Tree of Life and into His Holy Presence again.

Psalm 24:7-10 (NLT)

7 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.

8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle.

9 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.

10 Who is the King of glory? The LORD of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory.

How was God going to open the closed ancient gate? God would become a man. A sinless man would be able to walk through that closed gate. God sent His Only Begotten Son-Jesus to become the Second or Last Adam. Jesus’ sinless life would open the gate that Adam’s sin closed, making a way for all who put their faith in Him to follow Him through that open gate. Through Jesus, the Tree of Life and the very presence of God would be opened again to all mankind.

The life and the choices of the first man (Adam) closed the gate. The life and the choices of the second man (Jesus) opened the gate. And what’s on the other side of that gate that Jesus opened by becoming the sinless sacrificial Lamb of God on the cross. The answer to that question is the first part of Psalm 24.

Psalm 24:1-6 (NLT)

1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.

3 Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?

4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.

5 They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.

6 Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

Everything…is on the other side of the gate that Jesus opened. Everything, and that includes the Tree of Life that gives man eternal life!

Revelation 22:14-15 (NLT)

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.

15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

Rejoice today church…the gate to the Tree of Life and the very presence of God now stands open for all who will put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Does it feel like the whole world is shaking these days? It seems like the foundational institutions of our society are all shaking and crumbling beneath our feet. We long for safety and security, but we live in a very unsafe and insecure world. We long for solid rock foundations, but we seem to be standing on shaking/sinking sand.

What’s going on? Governmental institutions are shaking. Financial institutions are shaking. Even the bedrock institution of family is shaking. What’s going on? Does the Bible talk about this shaking?

First, the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel talks about the end of days shaking that will occur at the battle of Gog and Magog. This prophesied battle will occur when Russia, Iran, Turkey and other nations come to make war against a reestablished Israel in the last days. That means, this Ezekiel prophecy would have to take place after 1948, when Israel became a nation again after some 2,000 years of absence.

Ezekiel 38:17-23 (NLT)

17 “This is what the Sovereign LORD asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people?

18 But this is what the Sovereign LORD says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over!

19 In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day.

20 All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth.

21 I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD. Your men will turn their swords against each other.

22 I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur!

23 In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Are the current events between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023 a prelude to Ezekiel’s Gog/Magog war? No one knows for sure, but the political alliance that is currently forming between Russia, Iran and Turkey sure looks like something prophetic is happening in our time. Does this present-day conflict with Israel help us understand our current worldwide shaking.

That Ezekiel prophecy was given some 600 years before Christ. That’s been some 2600 years ago for us and we’re still here. What does the New Testament say about this end of days shaking that will reveal God to the entire world? What is God’s instruction and warning to the people who live in the church age?

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NLT)

25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”

27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

29 For our God is a devouring fire.

Yes, the earthly kingdoms of men are shaking, and they will eventually fall. They fall because they refuse to listen to the One who is speaking to us from heaven. There is no escape for those who refuse to listen to the Word of God…the Word that has announced this shaking in advance.

God’s Word announces a future time when He will shake the heavens and the earth. The Gospel of Jesus announces a way of escaping this prophesied end of days shaking by becoming part of the Kingdom of Christ that is unshakeable. Those believers who have found their place inside this unshakeable Kingdom of Jesus will live with a sense peace and security that makes no sense to the rest of the world. They will also live with great expectancy, as they worship God with fear and awe.

Why fear and awe? Because our God is a consuming and devouring fire. The shaking belongs to Him. But know this…the unshakeable things also belong to Him. That’s why we worship Him with fear and awe.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

It took Moses and the people of Israel about one year (after leaving Egypt) to finish the construction of all the articles needed for the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle would be the place where the glorious presence of God would dwell among the people of Israel. The work was extremely detailed, and the work was hard, but finally “It is Finished”. The Tabernacle that would house the presence of God was finished and ready to be set up for the first time.

Exodus 40:16-19 (NLT)

16 Moses proceeded to do everything just as the LORD had commanded him.

17 So the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

18 Moses erected the Tabernacle by setting down its bases, inserting the frames, attaching the crossbars, and setting up the posts.

19 Then he spread the coverings over the Tabernacle framework and put on the protective layers, just as the LORD had commanded him.

This Tabernacle, sometimes called the Tent of Meeting would allow the presence of God to travel with Israel on their way to the Promised Land…where there would eventually be a permanent Temple structure built in Jerusalem.

This is all revealed in the final chapter of Exodus. Can you imagine the joy in the camp as Moses assembled the final pieces of the Tabernacle and turned to the people and said, “It Is Finished”?

Exodus 40:33 (NLT)

33 Then he hung the curtains forming the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar. And he set up the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. So at last Moses finished the work.

Now, God will be able to travel with the people as they move out toward the Promised Land. Can you imagine the faces of the people as this next scene unfolds in front of them?

Exodus 40:34-38 (NLT)

34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.

35 Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.

36 Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it.

37 But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted.

38 The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

Can you see Jesus in this “It Is Finished” scene back in the time of Moses? Jesus is our Moses and Jesus is our Tabernacle, our guide to the Promised Land. When Jesus said “It Is Finished” on the cross, the veil of the Jerusalem Temple was torn from top to bottom, opening a way into the glorious presence of God (Matthew 27:51, John 19:29). This is Jesus’ prayer to the Father before the He went to the cross.

John 17:4 (NLT)

4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Moses completed the work that God had given him to do. Jesus completed the work that the Father had given Him to do. Jesus became the Tabernacle, the way to dwell with and to experience the glorious presence of God.

Hebrews 10:20 (NLT)

20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

We must follow the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ is traveling with us through the wilderness as we make our way toward the Promised Land of God’s glorious presence. We must follow the Spirit’s leading just like Moses followed the glorious cloud over the Tabernacle. The Spirit is leading us so that we might find our way home to the Father.

We must be very careful in our wilderness journey because the spirit of antichrist is also working and deceiving those who are on this journey toward the Promised Land.

John 16:13-14 (NLT)

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.

1 John 4:6 (NLT)

6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

As announced yesterday, NCC will open up a new 3rd Worship Service on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM starting April 7th. We’re asking 150 of our current people to commit 6 months to seed the new Sunday night 5:00 service. This is the link to make that commitment:  Ninevah Christian Church 5:00 Service Sign Up

One of the first things that God did after bringing Moses and the Children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage was to establish a priesthood. God appointed Aaron (Moses’ brother) to become the first High Priest of Israel. Aaron’s sons were also appointed to carry on the priestly line. These priests would stand between Israel and God. God gave Moses and the priesthood very specific instructions that would make a way for the people of Israel to experience the presence of God.

The High Priest would have to wear a priestly garment that was specifically designed by God and communicated to Moses. The details of this garment are incredible, and this is just a portion of the priestly garment design.

Exodus 28:33-34 (NLT)

33 Make pomegranates out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attach them to the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.

34 The gold bells and pomegranates are to alternate all around the hem.

There would be a gold bell and then a woven pomegranate alternating and surrounding the hem of Aaron’s robe, 72 in all. The bells would tinkle as Aaron walked around the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The next verse describes how important it was to wear this priestly garment into the presence of God.

Exodus 28:35 (NLT)

35 Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the LORD, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the LORD’s presence in the Holy Place. If he wears it, he will not die.

This priestly garment would protect Aaron from the holiness of God. If he wears it, he will not die. You’ve heard me say for years that everything in the Old Testament reveals Jesus in some way. Can you see it in the priestly garment of Aaron?

Aaron was required to put on a garment that had been specifically designed by God, not man. Aaron must wear that priestly garment as he approached the presence of God, or he would surely die. What about us today? Is there a priestly garment, designed by God, that we must put on before we can approach the presence of God…or we will surely die?

The Prophet Isaiah reveals God’s future plan that would make a way for Jew and Gentile to put on the Priestly Robe of Righteousness, which is Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 61:10-11 (NLT)

10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.

11 The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.

The Prophet Isaiah equates this priestly garment to a bridegroom in a wedding garment. Jesus comes later with a similar comparison. Jesus tells about a great wedding that the King has planned for His Son. The King has invited the whole world (Jews and Gentiles) to the Wedding Feast for His Son. But there is a specific garment that is required to attend the wedding.

Matthew 22:8-14 (NLT)

8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor.

9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’

10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.

12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.

13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Can you see the priest, Aaron, with his robe of pomegranates and bells in that scene from Jesus? Maybe this will help you put it all together.

1 Peter 2:5-9 (NLT)

5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

There is a Holy Priestly Garment required to enter the presence of God and the Wedding Feast. That garment is Christ. Jesus is our High Priest and when we place our faith in Jesus, He becomes our holy wedding garment.

Revelation 1:6-7 (NLT)

6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Luke chapter 23 describes Jesus walking with the cross to the place of his execution. Luke tells us that there was a large crowd following Jesus that day, including many grieving, weeping, and wailing women.

Luke 23:27-31 (NLT)

27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women.

28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’

30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’

31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

The tree was green the day that Jesus died. Jesus’ public ministry lasted about three years and those three years had led Jesus to his ultimate goal, the cross. In this scene, Jesus tells the weeping women of Jerusalem to not weep for him, but to weep for themselves. Why? For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

It was about 40 years later (70 AD) that the Roman army came and completely destroyed Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. The Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote that 1.1 million people, the majority of them Jewish, were killed during the siege.

The horrible events that brought the fall of the Jewish people and Jerusalem in 70 AD all happened while the tree was relatively green. What will happen when it is dry?

Today, we live some 2,000 years after the green tree events of Jesus…the cross, and the destruction and scattering of the Jewish people. It is easy to assume today that the wood in Jesus’ statement is now very dry.

So, let me again ask Jesus’ question for all of us living today. What will happen when it is dry? Jesus answers his own question in the previous verse (30) when He spoke to the weeping women of Jerusalem.

Luke 23:30-31 (NLT)

30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’

31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Does verse 30 sound familiar to any of you today? Is this what will happen when all the moisture and life is gone from the wood (tree) and the wood becomes very dry? Jesus revealed the final outcome of the dry wood to the Apostle John in the Revelation.

Revelation 6:15-17 (NLT)

15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.

17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

The horrible events of Jerusalem in 70 AD were just a shadow of the even more horrible events that will occur when the wood has become totally dry before God. That 70 AD event was focused only on Jerusalem and Judea. This next dry wood event will be worldwide.

And who is able to survive? The survivors of this final dry wood judgment of God will be those who have not been trying to hide from the Lamb. No, these survivors are those who have been living and longing for the Lamb of God. Living, longing and proclaiming the Word of the Lamb to all who will listen while the wood is dry.

Luke 24:46-47 (NLT)

46 And he [Jesus] said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.

47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

God gave the Israelites regulations concerning warfare. God knew His chosen people would become afraid when faced by armies more powerful than they were. So, God gave them specific instructions for war. I encourage you to read these instructions carefully because they have application to the spiritual wars of today.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 (NLT)

1 “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!

2 When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops.

3 He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them.

4 For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’

If you go down a few verses in that same chapter, there are instructions about how to deal with people that are overwhelmed with fear in times of war.

Deuteronomy 20:8 (NLT)

8 “Then the officers will also say, ‘Is anyone here afraid or worried? If you are, you may go home before you frighten anyone else.’

Fear is a deadly trait in times of war. Fear has a way of spreading and fear can lead to certain defeat. Fear is not trusting in God’s promise to fight for His chosen people. God told the chosen people to not be afraid because He would go with them into battle. God instructed the priests to go out and address the army and remind them that God was going into battle with them, and the battle belongs to God. For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’ (verse 4 above)

This is why it was so important to inquire of the Lord before the chosen people went into battle. If the Lord was with them…the battle belonged to the Lord, and they need not be afraid. King Hezekiah was a righteous king, and this is what he told the chosen people when the battle with Assyria was at hand.

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 (NLT)

7 “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!

8 He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.

I have carefully used the term “chosen people”. God promises to fight for His chosen people because they belong to Him, He has chosen them. God tells us that He will fight for all that belongs to Him. So, that brings up the next question. What is it that belongs to God?

The Name, The Land and The Chosen People. They all belong to God. God has chosen Jerusalem to forever bear His Holy Name. God will fight for His name and for Jerusalem because they belong to Him, they are His.

2 Kings 21:7 (NLT)

7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the LORD had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.

You might say that the earth is God’s and everything in it belongs to God, and you would be right (Psalm 24;1). But there are certain things that God has promised to fight for. The land belongs to God and He has promised the Holy Land to the chosen people as an eternal covenant. It should not be divided among the nations. God will fight against any nation that tries to divide His land.

Joel 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 “At the time of those events,” says the LORD, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land.

Joel chapter 3 is a prophetic announcement of God’s plan to fight against the nations that:

Harmed His chosen people, His special possession.

Scattered His chosen people among the nations.

Divided the land that belonged to God, the Holy Land of Israel and Jerusalem.

The Bible (Romans 9-11) is clear that God has not given up on Israel, the people, the land, or Jerusalem, the place of His Name and Throne. God will fight for them because they belong to Him. God will fight for all that belongs to Him.

Do you belong to God? Does the church belong to God? Did the church join God’s chosen people and the family of Abraham by placing their faith in Jesus the Jewish Messiah? YES! If you belong to Christ the Son, you belong to God the Father…and you are now chosen heirs with Abraham, heirs according to the covenant promise.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes.

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to not be afraid because the Father is happy to give us the Kingdom because we belong to Him.

Luke 12:32 (NLT)

32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

Do not be afraid Church! God will fight for you. God is fighting for you today in this spiritual war. And one day, when Jesus stands again on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. The final battle will take place.

Zechariah 14:3-5 (NLT)

3 Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past.

4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.

5 You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.

Be encouraged today. Yes, the Battle is real, but the Battle belongs to God. He will fight for us!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I don’t know about you, but these dark days of winter get to me sometimes. I now understand why some people, like birds, fly south for the winter. I usually mark my calendar for December 21, the Winter Solstice. That’s the day when the amount of sunlight begins to increase each day.

We’re getting about 2 minutes more daylight per day now and that will increase to 3 minutes per day around the 20th of February. This increase in light makes me very happy. There is something about the long/dark days that begin to weigh heavy on the human heart.

Could this actually be a spiritual thing? Does the amount of light or the absence of light affect the human heart/mind? First, we must understand this truth about God…

1 John 1:5 (NLT)

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

The presence of God is light, and the absence of God is darkness. That truth helps explain why we are so affected by light and its absence. This is indeed a spiritual issue. The Bible tells us that God made light to shine upon the earth on the first day of creation, before He made the sun, moon and stars in day four. What was that light? Do you know?

Genesis 1:1-5 (NLT)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

God called the light “day” and isn’t it interesting that the Apostle Paul defines believers in Jesus as “children of the day, the children of light”.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NLT)

5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.

God’s light is God’s presence. God’s presence was hovering over the deep darkness. And it was good. God’s light is good! The absence of God’s light is darkness. No one wants to experience the absence of God, which would be total darkness.

But something happened…sin brought darkness to our world. Sin caused a separation between God and man. God’s presence is our light and God’s absence is our darkness. God sent a prophet named John the Baptist to proclaim the truth about a new light that was coming to the earth. This was the same Light that was there in the beginning, but now the Light would come in the flesh. The Light would become a man and His name would be Jesus. This Light was coming to take away our darkness and give us access to eternal light…making us the children of the light and the children of the day.

John 1:5-9 (NLT)

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist,

7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.

8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.

9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Jesus came! Light came into our dark world! But the darkness didn’t want the Light. The Light exposed the darkness, and the darkness rejected the Light. And now, the future judgment of all mankind would hang in the balance. The balance between Light and darkness, between His presence and His absence.

John 3:19-21 (NLT)

19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

I pray today that this Light is every increasing in your life. I pray today that you have passed your spiritual Winter Solstice, and His light is increasing in your life day by day. But I also tell you that one day, there will be no more darkness. No more separation from God. No more spiritual winter, only Light.

Revelation 22:3-5 (NLT)

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.

5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Let’s go back a few years. My son, Michael, was a toddler and we were visiting my home Church, Corinth Christian for their revival services. The preacher at the time was a dear friend, Gene Koons, who has since gone on to be with the Lord. The congregation was standing and singing when Gene Koons called on me to pray. That would normally not be a problem, but it turned out to be quite a problem that day. I was holding my youngest son Michael on my hip when Gene asked me to pray.

I did what anyone would do in that situation. I held tight to Michael and began to pray. I had gone for about 10 seconds when I heard Michael, who was facing backwards at the time, shout out in his loudest voice these words, “You people close your eyes back there, my daddy’s praying”.

I didn’t know what to do at that point. So, I decided to continue and try to stay dignified and finish as soon as possible. But it got worse. Michael then placed his hand on my jaw and attempted to turn my face toward him to say, “Those people back there have their eyes open”. It was in that moment that my prayer came to an abrupt halt, and I sat down to the sound of much laughter around me.

Michael had this habit of wanting to be heard when he speaks. That part of Michael still exists today. Michael would often grab my jaw and forcibly try to turn my face to look at him so that I would be listening to what he was about to say.

That’s been many years ago and now. Michael and our other two children have grown and given us 8 wonderful grandchildren. One of those grandchildren has picked up where Michael left off. Her name is Remington, or Remi, for short. Remi also has this habit of grabbing my jaw or the jaw of those whom she wants to communicate and forcibly turning their face toward her.

What is this trait of “face turning" that has now passed down from my son Michael to Remi? What is this all about? They want to be heard! They want to be heard and they feel like the person to whom they are speaking is not listening. The “face turning” is their attempt to force that person to listen.

These are wonderful and humorous memories for me (past and present) and I’m glad that they wanted me to hear them. I’m not offended at all. I’m glad that they wanted my attention in those moments. They sincerely desired to connect with me in those moments.

That brings me to the church and the role of church attendance in our society. Jesus, the head of the Church, desperately wants each of us to hear Him…to turn our face toward Him, to listen to Him and give Him our complete attention. But what about the assembly, what about the times when the church gathers together?

Acts 20:7 (NLT)

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight.

God had a plan for believers (those who had turned their face toward God) in the church age. The plan was for them to regularly meet together so that the church (the whole assembly) might turn their face away from the world and turn their face toward God and listen. This weekly gathering would protect the church from becoming worldly and distracted. The church gathering would be a form of recalibration, setting their face and heart toward God. The church would be in the business of “face turning”.

Each Sunday the people would assemble and turn their face to God by remembering the sacrifice of Jesus and to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Each Sunday the church would turn their face away from the world and face God by listening to the Word of God through preaching and teaching. Jesus, the head of the church is using the assembly to take hold of our jaws are turn our face to Him so that we might listen and hear from Him. He is the Head and He wants us to turn our face toward Him, individually and then as a whole.

What happens when people stop going to church services and only face the world? There comes a point where it is very difficult to turn their face to God anymore, and they drop out of church altogether. This is happening all over our country today. Church attendance is down and that leaves people to face the world without the powerful light of truth and hope.

According to Pew Research, one in five churchgoers in 2022 participated in virtual church once a month. And 57% did not attend in person or watch online. This stat is not for the general population, it’s for Americans who typically attend services monthly. So, you can’t assume that people not attending in person are watching online. The majority are not attending any services at all.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

We need each other now, more than ever. Jesus uses these church meetings to turn our face toward Him and hear from Him. These meetings force us to turn and face God instead of the world, so that we might stand strong in the darkness of this fallen world.

One day, we will all face God. The church is here to turn our face toward His mercy, grace and truth before we meet Him face to face.

1 Peter 4:5 (NLT)

5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

How would you like to grow up as a little brother to Jesus? Can you hear Mary say, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” The Bible doesn’t give us much detail about all of Jesus’ siblings. In fact, the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus had no brothers or sisters. They teach that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. It’s difficult to hold to that position when the Bible speaks clearly of Jesus having siblings.

Mark 3:31-32 (NLT)

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”

Not just brothers, but sisters as well.

Matthew 13:54-56 (NLT)

54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?”

55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?”

Again, how would you like to be the little brother or little sister of Jesus? This is where the story of Jesus and His brothers gets interesting. Jesus’ teachings have made Him the enemy of the Jewish leaders of that day. In fact, they were plotting to kill Jesus when this next scene unfolds with Jesus and His brothers.

John 7:1-5 (NLT)

1 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters,

3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

As you can see…Jesus’ brothers were mocking him when they said, “You can’t become famous if you hide like this.” Verse 5 reveals their true feelings about their brother Jesus…For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

We don’t know how, but we do know that James came to the truth about his brother Jesus. It is clear that Jesus revealed Himself to His brother James after His resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 (NLT)

5 He [resurrected Jesus] was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

Maybe that was it…seeing his brother Jesus after the resurrection. Seeing any man raised from the dead would be a defining moment of truth for all of us. Right? James would go on to be one of the leaders of the Jerusalem Church (Galatians 1:18-19, 2:9, 2:12, Acts 15:13, Acts 12:17).

James would also go on to write one of the Books of the New Testament that bears his name, “James”. This is the first verse of the Book of James.

James 1:1 (NLT)

1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

James has gone from an unbeliever to…A slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s quite a change, don’t you think? That takes me back to James’ time of unbelief. It’s the scene when Jesus’ whole family (mother and brothers) were trying to get in to see him. This scene should be powerful to all of us who believe in Jesus today.

Mark 3:32-35 (NLT)

32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” 33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.

35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Do you see it? You and I are the little brothers and sisters of Jesus now. Now, it’s our turn. How would you like to be a little brother or sister of Jesus? Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters today. I pray that we will never be ashamed to serve Him and to call our Brother-Lord!

Hebrews 2:10-12 (NLT)

10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

12 For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There is a scene in the Old Testament that I have always found interesting. It’s when Moses was leading Israel through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. God was giving His Law to Israel and explaining how Israel must walk in obedience in order to receive the blessed promises of God in the land of promise. In that context God tells Israel to “Be Careful”. Why does God tell them to be careful? Be careful of what?

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (NIV)

16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.

17 Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.

God knew that their hearts could be drawn away to follow other gods. God knew that these people could be easily deceived and led away into idolatry and fall victim to Satan’s lies. God gave them a warning of the consequences from allowing their hearts to be turned away from God. So God gave an instruction that would prevent their hearts from being led away from the One True God. This is the verse that I’ve always found amazing...

Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV)

18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

This is what it looks like to be careful? This is the power that keeps your heart and your mind from being drawn away. Yes it is the remedy! “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds”. Moses had written down the Pentateuch (Torah) and this is a reference to what we know as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (the first 5 books of the Bible). Wholehearted devotion to the content of these 5 books would keep your heart safe from the idolatry of the deceiver and the judgment of God. But that’s not the part that I’ve always found amazing...it’s the next sentence.

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

I’ve been to Israel and I’ve seen firsthand the Orthodox Jews wearing little black boxes on their foreheads at the Western Wall. It’s called a “tefillin”. Inside that little box are small scrolls of parchment with the Word of God. Those Jews do this as a physical act of observing God’s command through Moses in Deuteronomy chapter eleven. They are placing the Word of God next to their minds so they would not be led away to follow other gods.

Now, let me make it clear that I’m not suggesting that the church should attach leather boxes filled with Bible verses on our foreheads today. No, that’s not my suggestion. But what I am suggesting does apply to this command of God to “Be Careful”. Let me explain.

The human mind is a wonderfully complex thing. The things going on in our mind are amazingly personal and private. Our minds contain our thoughts and secrets, hopes and dreams, things that no one else could know about us. The human mind can be thinking something totally different on the inside than what is actually happening on the outside. Maybe you look like a faithful believer on the outside, but what’s going on inside your mind will determine that which will eventually present itself externally in your life.

When God told Moses to warn the people about idolatry and to place the Word of God on their foreheads, He was telling them to bind the Word to their minds and hearts, not just their outward expressions. God is revealing the secret to knowing Him. It’s not on the outside, but on the inside of the mind and the heart. God is telling Moses and us today that even our minds and hearts can be made holy. Our thoughts can be made holy by the Word of God. Most people want to focus on the external, but the external is only a reflection of the war that is taking place inside the mind of all mankind.

We will never overcome on the outside (our actions) until we are able to overcome on the inside (the battle of the mind). It begins with what you choose to place in your mind. BE CAREFUL of that which you allow to enter your mind. So how can we win this war, this battle in the mind and heart of man?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

God’s Word is a mighty weapon! The Word of God can capture those evil thoughts and bring them under the authority of Christ. Idolatry is a stronghold and God’s Word can tear down this stronghold and bring your mind under the control of Christ. Remember, the battle of the mind will eventually manifest itself in the life that is to follow. Reading the Bible and meditating on the Words of God prepare our minds for the battle that is coming. Reading the Bible and studying those Words of Truth release the power of Christ in our lives...preparing us for that which to come. That battle in your mind today will in many ways determine the outcome of the war that will rage in your life in future days.

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Instead of placing a leather box on your forehead today...may I suggest that you turn off all the distractions of your life and read the Bible. Allow the Word of God to transform your mind by the power and holiness of God. Idolatry has no place in the mind of a person who is filled with God’s Word and remember...Heaven’s Coming!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The Book of Malachi is the final chapter in the Old Testament. It is written about 400 years before the birth of Jesus. Malachi’s writing is followed by what many call the “400 years of silence” leading up to the birth of Jesus. For 400 years the Jewish people had no new revelations or prophetic Words from God that we know of. But those final words from Malachi were powerful indeed. These are those final Words of God through the Prophet Malachi before the 400 years of Biblical silence. Read them carefully, and then I will ask a question…

Malachi 4:1 (NLT)

1 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.

The NLT says, “The day of judgment is coming,”

The NASB says, “For behold the day is coming,”

The NIV says, “Surely the day is coming,”

Let me ask all of you a big question at this point…was that prophecy of Malachi fulfilled with the first coming of Jesus? Or it a prophecy of the events that will occur at the second coming of Jesus? Did Jesus’ first coming bring judgment on the earth, burning like a furnace?

John 3:16-18 (NLT)

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

That prophecy of Malachi (the day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace) was clearly referring to the second coming of Jesus. Yes, there looks to be a 400-year silence between Malachi’s prophecy and the first coming of Jesus, but there has been no silence since the time of Jesus. The Word became flesh, and the Word has come to the earth to reveal the future time when Malachi’s prophecy will certainly be fulfilled. The Word and the Spirit have not been silent during the time of the Church. Now, notice Malachi’s prophecy about “wings and leaping”.

Malachi 4:1-3 (NLT)

1 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.

2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

Jesus is the prophesied, “Sun of Righteousness that will rise with healing in his wings”. He has come to the earth with a message from God the Father. Jesus first gave that message to the Jewish people…the message of God that there was absolute healing under the shelter of Messiah’s wings.

Matthew 23:37-39 (NLT)

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.

38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.

39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

The Jewish leaders rejected this message of salvation and God opened up the shelter of Jesus’ wings to the Gentile world. The Apostle Paul revealed that we too can find shelter and healing in the Sun of Righteousness…under Jesus’ wings. He reveals this to the Gentile Church in Rome.

Romans 5:6-9 (NLT)

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

One day, maybe very soon…Jesus will come and fulfill Malachi’s prophecy. He will come to all who have found shelter and healing under the shadow of His glorious wings and then…you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Have you ever wondered why God chose shepherds to be the first to hear the angelic announcement that the promised Jewish Messiah had been born? Why shepherds? Why not the religious Pharisees or Sadducees in nearby Jerusalem? Why not the king or the royal family of Caesar whose army ruled Jerusalem at that time? Why shepherds?

I don’t pretend to know the real answer to that question, but I can use the Scripture to make a reasonable assumption in search for this answer. God’s ways and God’s thoughts are not like ours. God doesn’t see things on earth as we do. God revealed this spiritual truth about Himself to the Prophet Isaiah.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

God sent His earth changing announcement to perhaps the lowest social class of people on earth, shepherds. This proves that God doesn’t see things as we do. The Christ Child’s birth was announced to simple people who led a simple life. These shepherds didn’t have many distractions or burdens that would keep them from listening as the angelic light broke through the darkness that night. These lonely shepherds didn’t have to check their calendars to see if there was time to go to Bethlehem and see if this heavenly good news was true. They just left everything and walked to Bethlehem...no they hurried/rushed to Bethlehem.

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-16 (NLT)

Why shepherds? They seem to be attentive listeners. They seem to be readily available to go and to respond to this good news from heaven’s throne. But there’s one more thing. One more piece of information that is often overlooked in our Christmas story. It’s four verses that are often left out of the modern-day pageantry of Christmas. Four convicting verses that perhaps reveal the true reason and the answer to our question...why shepherds? Four powerful and convicting verses.

After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,

19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:17-20 (NLT)

The shepherds were called by God’s marvelous grace to experience the Messiah of God, the Savior of the world. They weren’t too busy and there was nothing on their lowly calendar that could compete with this glorious event. They went, they hurried, and they saw. It was true! It was all true! This revealed truth of God changed their lives. They were compelled to share this good news with those who had not seen angels in the sky. They were compelled to share this glorious event with those who had not seen the Christ Child in a manger. The shepherds glorified God by sharing that which had been shared with them.

Yes, the sheep in that field would eventually require their return, but not until they had told everyone around them about the angels, the Message and the Messiah. These good shepherds had met the Good Shepherd and they would never be the same. The message from the angels that night was clear, and God could have chosen anyone to be the first to receive this glorious, good news.

But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-13 (NLT)

God chose shepherds to be the first to hear the Message and the first to see the Good Shepherd. This reveals the heart of God, and this also reveals something about the those who have been called to follow the Good Shepherd Jesus today. They were open to receive and believe the good news (gospel) message from heaven. Not only to receive it, but to share it with the world as they praised God for the privilege and the calling.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, John 10:14 (NLT)

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There was a scene in the movie, “The Chosen” that brought tears to my eyes. Some of the guys had just come to the realization that the long-awaited Messiah was there. Jesus had started to reveal Himself to the people and one of the disciples said something like this, “Do you know how long our people have waited for this”. When I heard that statement I was moved to tears and joy at the same time. The Jewish people had waited 2,000 years for the Messiah to come. It had been 2,000 years since God made a covenant with Abraham, a covenant that would bring the Messiah and a blessing to all the people of the earth.

Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT)

15 Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven.

16 “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that

17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

That scene with Abraham and Isaac was a shadow of a future time when God would offer His One and only Son as a sacrifice to pay the sin debt of all mankind. The Jewish people then waited for this promised Messiah for 2,000 years. Generations came and generations went, but the Jewish people watched, and they waited.

The Gospel of Matthew begins with Abraham and lists of names that lead all the way up to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew describes the time when the waiting was over. Two thousand years and 42 generations of men (Abraham to Jesus) had waited for the Messiah and the promises of God to be fulfilled.

Matthew 1:17 (NLT)

17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

The Gospel of Matthew then describes the events of Jesus’ birth: “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born.” Five verses later we read this:

Matthew 1:22-23 (NLT)

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

The Prophet Isaiah had prophesied the details of the Messiah’s coming some 700 years earlier and Matthew connects the prophecy to the actual virgin birth of Jesus. Matthew doesn’t just do it once. Notice how many times Matthew connects the Old Testament prophecies to the birth of Messiah-Jesus.

Matthew 2:3-6 (NLT) The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:14-15 (NLT) They will flee to Egypt

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother,

15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

Matthew 2:16-18 (NLT) Herod will try to destroy the Messiah, but fail

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”

Matthew 2:21-23 (NLT) The Messiah will be from Nazareth

21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.

22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee.

23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

And that’s just the first two chapters of Matthew! Do you see it? Can you see why Jesus said this to His Apostles after His resurrection from the dead?

Luke 24:44-45 (NLT)

44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures that day. Do you know that He’s still doing that today? He’s still opening the eyes of the blind so that they might see and understand the prophecies that are recorded in the Bible.

There are more prophecies in the Bible about the second coming of Jesus than the first. Did you know that? Why? So that we will be watching and waiting when He comes.

Mark 13:23-26 (NLT)

23 Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!

24 “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,

25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.

Even with all those prophecies, many did not receive Him or believe Him when He came the first time. What about the next time? Do you know how long we have waited for Him? May He find us watching and waiting when He comes!

Luke 12:35-38 (NLT)

35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning,

36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.

37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The Gospel of Luke tells us that something happened shortly after the Angel Gabriel left Mary with the news that she had been chosen by God to carry the Messiah, the Son of God into the world…

Luke 1:39-40 (NLT)

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town

40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

When Mary arrived at her Aunt Elizabeth’s house Mary’s pregnancy had just begun, but Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy with her child, John the Baptist. Something happened when Mary arrived at the doorway to meet Elizabeth.

Luke 1:41 (NLT)

41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

I find this single verse to be amazing and incredibly revealing. Mary is carrying the Son of God which was prophesied by Isaiah some 700 years before.

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Elizabeth is also carrying the fulfillment of another Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3-5 (NLT)

3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!

4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.

5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”

These two 700-years old Isaiah prophesies have collided at the door of Elizabeth’s house. When Mary speaks, John the Baptist leaps with excitement inside the womb of Elizabeth. There was surely excitement in heaven in that moment. The supernatural has encountered the supernatural at the door of Elizabeth’s house. The Bible tells us that in that very moment Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. This is very interesting because that same Gospel of Luke (through the Angel Gabriel) tells us that John the Baptist would be filled with the Spirit while in his mother’s womb.

Luke 1:15 (NLT)

15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

Now to my favorite part today. Mary is carrying the promised Jewish Messiah, the Son of God. Elizabeth is carrying the Holy Spirit filled John the Baptist, the one who would clear the way through the wilderness for the coming Lord-Jesus. When the two meet…Elizabeth is suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit. When Mary (carrying Jesus) approached Elizabeth (carrying John) John leaps and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Suddenly the Spirit of God is covering them! What does it all mean?

It will be many years later that the Apostle Paul will give us insight into this Life-Giving Spirit miracle of God that even extends to us today when we encounter Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:45-46 (NLT)

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.

The Life-Giving Spirit of Jesus (inside the womb of Mary) transferred the Life-Giving Spirit to Elizabeth at the door of Elizabeth’s house. And what does that mean to us today? It’s the greatest good news of all good news for us today…for all who will believe and place their faith in the name of Jesus.

Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Rejoice today…the Life-Giving Spirit of Christ lives in us, and we have been set free from the power of sin and death. That’s why they call this Gospel…Good News!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

It’s been 7 weeks since the horrible Hamas attack on Israel. Since that time, we have seen a rise in antisemitism (the hatred of Jews) all around the world. I find this Jew hatred to be illogical, but extremely real. How could something so illogical be so powerful and real?

There is only one answer. The rise in Jew hatred is demonic and finds its origins in the heavenly realms, inside the power of Satan who is the adversary of God. I have described this sudden increase of Jew hatred as another form of darkness that is falling upon the earth. A darkness that overpowers reason, a darkness that overpowers truth. But why? What is the point to this increasing demonic darkness?

There is a spiritual war in heaven, and it will increasingly manifest itself on the earth as we get closer and closer to the return of Jesus. Jesus was and is Jewish. That fact is undeniable, and it is at the root of this worldwide Jew hatred. Jesus said they hated Him without cause. Their hatred of Jesus was illogical, but it revealed the unseen spirit war that was going on in heaven even before He came to the earth.

John 15:25 (NLT)

25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

Notice that Jesus said this hatred was the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures. It was prophesied that the unbelieving world, those who belonged to Satan, who is the god of this world, would naturally hate Jewish Jesus. Why would anyone hate Jesus? He only did good. He healed the sick, fed the poor and hungry and even raised people from the dead. Why would anyone hate Jesus? It’s illogical, but it’s real.

The Gospel of John begins with this truth. Jesus is the Word! The Word of God is powerful and unstoppable, and Satan hates the Word. Satan hates the Truth and all that is connected to the Truth. The Word and the Truth are both connected to a single individual…Jesus!

Jesus brought the Word and the Truth into this dark world that was under the control of Satan. The Word and the Truth reveal the lies of Satan. The Word and the Truth reveal the darkness that’s falling upon the earth today as well. The Word and the Truth have the power to cast out the darkness by revealing Satan as a thief and a liar.

John 15:18-19 (NLT)

18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.

19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

“The world”…that term represents those who belong to the temporary ruler of this world, Satan. The world hates the Truth and the world hates the Word because Jesus is the Truth and Jesus is the Word. That brings me to this modern-day Jew hatred, which isn’t new at all. The Apostle Paul reveals this about the Jews…

Romans 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?

2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.

God chose Abraham from all the people of the earth to be the father of what would become the Jewish people. God was going to bring the Truth and the Word to the fallen people of “the world” through the Jewish people…eventually revealing the Jewish Messiah…Jesus.

The Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God…that is why there is an illogical Jew hatred past and present. The NASB translation of that same verse reveals that the Jews were entrusted with the very oracles of God. The world (those who belong to Satan) has rejected God’s Word of Truth…which is the person of Jesus Christ. This explains the Jew hatred of today. This explains the darkness that is falling upon the earth in these last days.

What should we do? What should the church do as the darkness increases upon the earth? We turn on the Light and tell the Truth. We speak the name of Jesus into the darkness of lies and untruth. We need to be fearless and unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is life itself.

Romans 1:16-17 (NLT)

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Jesus’ instructions to the church in the last days are very clear. This is Jesus’ prayer to the Father shortly before the cross. The spirit war is real.

John 17:14-19 (NLT)

14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.

16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do.

17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

May the Lord find us faithful when He comes. In the meantime, pray for peace in Jerusalem and that God will protect those who belong to Him in the time of waiting.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The church internet was down yesterday so many were unable to watch the service online. The following link will get you to the “Comfort and Truth” sermon from yesterday…November 19th.  https://youtu.be/98G_b8_Zdyo?si=NqZP8UCjtXWWFHwP

The Bible reveals a scene in the days of the early church that causes one to stop and think. Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended to be the Father in heaven. The Holy Spirit has come to earth and the church is expanding throughout Jerusalem and Judea just as the Lord had ordained and commanded.

Acts 1:8 (NLT)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus reveals Himself to Saul/Paul and calls him to be the appointed apostle to the Gentiles. The church will now expand beyond Jerusalem and Judea…into Samaria and to the ends of the earth. All is going well with the Lord’s appointed apostles and then something happens. Something that causes everyone to stop and think. Two verses in the middle of the expanding good news. Two verses that make all of us stop and think deeply.

Acts 12:1-2 (NLT)

1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.

2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.

Why? Why did God allow King Herod to kill the Apostle James? When King Herod saw that the Jews celebrated the death of James, he arrested Peter and made plans to execute him as well.

Acts 12:3-5 (NLT)

3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)

4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.

5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

We know how this story of Peter in prison ends. God sends an angel into the jail and sets Peter free. That brings up this question…why didn’t God send an angel to save James? Verse 5 tells us that the church prayed for Peter while he was in jail. Did the church not pray for James? Is that the answer? Is it that simple…the church can pray, and nobody will die?

No one really knows the answer as to why God allowed James to die at the hand of Herod and then save Peter from the same sentence of death. Today, we don’t know why some of our loved ones die at what seems like an early age, while others seem to be given extra time from God. This question has caused many to fall away from their faith over the centuries.

I can only imagine the grief of the early Apostles when they heard about the death of James. I can imagine that it made them question their faith and their calling to continue preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. But in the end…we know that they grieved the loss of James and went back to preaching the good news. Why? What is it that sustains us during our time of grief? What causes us to persevere in our faith when we lose a “James” in our day?

That brings me to my Thanksgiving moment. This week our family will meet for Thanksgiving and there will be several empty seats at the table. Those chairs are not empty because they were killed by an evil king. No, they are empty because their time had come…it was their time to meet God.

This Thanksgiving I hold onto the words of the Apostle Peter when He was watching the crowds walk away from Jesus because the questions were getting too hard for them to answer. Jesus turns to His Apostles and to us today and asks… “Are you also going to leave”. When the questions get too hard to answer…are you also going to leave?

John 6:66-69 (NLT)

66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

There is the answer! When James died and today. There is only one answer to life’s big questions and Peter states it clearly. “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

This week, as you gather with your family for Thanksgiving and maybe there are some empty chairs at that table. Remember this…God is preparing an eternal table for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. At that table, all our questions will be finally answered.

Luke 12:37-38 (NLT)

37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There is a great war raging in Israel today. This battle began in the southern region of Gaza, but it is now expanding into Lebanon and Syria to the north of Israel. The war is escalating, and many nations have become involved, including the United States.

Is there a root cause for this war? Are we watching a physical war take place in the middle east that is actually a spiritual battle that has its origins in the heavenly realms? The Bible reveals the root of this physical/spiritual battle that’s raging in the middle east today. The battle is ultimately for Jerusalem and Jerusalem’s throne. The battle today is for Jerusalem, the city of the Great King.

Psalm 48:1-3 (NLT)

1 How great is the LORD, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain!

2 It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King!

3 God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender.

God chose Jerusalem to bear His Holy Name forever. It was His divine plan from the beginning.

2 Chronicles 6:4-6 (NLT)

4 “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father,

5 ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.

6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’”

God chose Jerusalem…not just for King David and David’s time…but for the eternal King that would come from David’s seed. The eternal King and the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the heir to David’s throne in Jerusalem. There are numerous Scriptures that describe Jerusalem as God’s chosen city, the city of the Great King that will bear the name of God forever.

Ezekiel 43:7 (NLT)

7 The LORD said to me [Ezekiel], “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died.

Ezekiel 37:26-28 (NLT)

26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever.

27 I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

28 And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the LORD, who makes Israel holy.”

Psalm 132:13-14 (NLT)

13 For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home.

14 “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that the Antichrist, the Man of Lawlessness, will claim Jerusalem’s throne for himself and declare to the world that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NLT)

3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.

4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

This is a spiritual war, and we must fight this war with spiritual power. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. The Word of God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Psalm 22 is a Psalm of King David. King David wrote it as a song that the people of Israel would sing as they make their ascent (uphill climb) to the Holy City of Jerusalem. This Psalm offers a blessing for all who sing and pray its words to God, yes even today.

Psalm 122:6-9 (NLT)

6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.

7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces.

8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.”

9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

This Psalm of David is directly connected to the eternal covenant that God made to Abraham. A covenant that would bring a blessing to all the nations of the world.

Genesis 12:2-3 (NLT)

2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Today, praying for peace in Jerusalem is equal to praying for the return of Jesus. They are the same prayer with the same outcome. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and there will be no lasting peace in Jerusalem until He comes. And when He comes…He will come to Jerusalem…

Zechariah 14:3-4 (NLT)

3 Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past.

4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.

Today, I encourage you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem…for the Kingdom of Christ to come…come Jesus come!

Revelation 22:16 (NLT)

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

May your Kingdom come, and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

It was the plan of God for the nation of Israel to become a light to the Gentiles (the nations). God was going to reveal His glory to the nations through the Jewish people.

Isaiah 49:6 (NLT)

6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

But how? How would the Jewish people reveal God to the whole world?

Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

The Spirit of God would accomplish this plan to reveal the glory of God to the nations. It would not be by human might or power, but by the Spirit power of God.

The Apostle Paul brings this up again in the New Testament, but this time Paul is speaking to the Jews and the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46-48 (NLT)

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.

47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.

That brings us to the mission of the church. The Spirit of God was going to reveal the light of God to the Gentile nations through the Jewish people. And today, the church is supposed to reveal the light of Jesus Christ to the whole world. But how? How can we accomplish such a huge task in light of such spiritual opposition? It will be the same as before…”Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Jesus makes this point clear when He meets with His disciples after the resurrection. Wait for the Holy Spirit! You can do nothing without the Spirit power in you.

Acts 1:3-5 (NIV)

3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

We (the church) are all on a mission of Jesus Christ today. We are to reveal the light of Christ to the world. We cannot do it by our might or power, but only by the Spirit. Our clever ideas have no real power. We need to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. God can do more in the power of the Spirit in one day that we could accomplish in our own strength in a lifetime. We must walk in the power of the Spirit and follow the leading of the Spirit to accomplish this task of spreading the Good News of Jesus. This requires surrender and faith.

Galatians 3:2-4 (NLT)

2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.

3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

The Spirit’s power is manifest in us when we hear the Word and truly believe the Word…truly believe with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Today, believe the Word of God and do not allow fear and doubt to have any place in your heart. This is the power of God that is at work in the church…. … Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. This is the only way to get the Light out to the Gentiles/Nations. Believe the Word (the Bible) and allow the Spirit of Christ to lead you in this mission to bring the light to the nations, our neighborhoods, and families.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Do you believe there is an unholy spirit at work in the world today? An unholy spirit power that reigns on the earth under the authority of God’s adversary, the devil. The Apostle John reveals this unholy spirit power.

1 John 2:18-19 (NLT)

18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

The Apostle John reveals two things here. First, the person of Antichrist is coming in the future. Second, the spirit of antichrist is already at work in the world. This spirit of antichrist will be operating on the earth during the same time that the Holy Spirit of Christ will also be working. Two spirit powers are working at the same time on the earth. The Apostle John says this, “From this we know that the last hour has come”.

It’s interesting that the Apostle John links the spirit of antichrist with people leaving the church. The church represents the Holy Spirit, and the unholy spirit of antichrist cannot exist in the presence of the Holy Spirit. That’s why the Bible reveals many situations where Jesus and His disciples would cast out evil spirits, but never was an evil spirit able to cast out the Holy Spirit of Christ.

The spirit of antichrist is a demonic spirit operating under the authority of the devil in the last days. That unholy spirit has come to kill, steal and destroy. That demonic spirit was clearly displayed in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th. A demonic spirit that brings unimaginable violence and destruction to the people of the earth in the last days.

Is this new? No, but it does seem to be intensifying (But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Matt. 24:8 NLT). The Apostle John reveals the difference between the Holy Spirit power and the spirit of antichrist power. The Truth is the difference!

1 John 2:20-23 (NLT)

20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

The Apostle John links the unholy spirit of antichrist to people leaving the church…departing from the Truth. John describes this time as the last hour. The Apostle Paul gives a similar description to those who reject the truth and follow after the teachings of demons, the spirit of antichrist.

1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

The spirit war is real. The Holy Spirit of Christ is working today, and the unholy spirit of antichrist is also working. The Truth is the difference between the two spirits. Jesus is that Truth! And this is what Jesus says about the last hour.

Luke 17:26-27 (NLT)

26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.

27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Like the days of Noah! The Bible tells us that the whole earth was covered with violence in the time of Noah, before God’s judgment fell upon the earth in the flood.

Genesis 6:11-13 (NLT)

11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.

12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.

13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew. Do you know what the Hebrew word for violence is? HAMAS. Coincidence or Truth? Jesus told us that His return would be like it was in the days of Noah. The earth would be covered with Hamas/violence. Coincidence or Truth?

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

It was Saturday morning, October 7, 2023. It was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jewish people call it the “Eighth Day (of feast) Rejoicing in the Torah”. Israel was suddenly and surprisingly attacked by Hamas, the terror group located to their south, in Gaza. The death toll in Israel now stands at over 1300 and Israel is currently in the process of destroying Gaza. Many are dying in this bloody war. What does it all mean? Is this part of God’s final plan? Are we approaching the end of days? Could this be the beginning of World War 3?

Is this the beginning of the Gog and Magog war from the Book of Ezekiel chapter 38. Is this the Psalm 83 war? Is this the final battle of Zechariah 12-14? No one knows for sure, but there is something we can know for sure today. Jesus is coming back soon! How can we say that word “soon”? We can say that word “soon” with confidence today because Jesus used that same word when He talked about the end of days (4 times in the Book of Revelation).

Revelation 3:11 (NLT)

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

Revelation 22:7 (NLT)

7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 22:12-13 (NLT)

12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:20-21 (NLT)

20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

The attack on Israel took place on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Eighth Day, the Rejoicing in the Torah. That day was specifically set aside by God for the Rejoicing in the Word of God.

Today, I want to give the church a word of encouragement in the time of great trouble on the earth. Rejoice today in the Word of God. Read those 4 Scriptures (above) as the Word of God to you personally. I want you to specifically notice that the last one (Revelation 22:20-21) is the final recorded words of Jesus in the Bible.

Rejoice in the Word of God today! The Word has a name! And you know the Name-Jesus! And Jesus specifically told us that when we see all these things beginning to happen…to stand up and look up!

Luke 21:26-28 (NLT)

26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.

28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

Stand up and look up…that’s what Jesus told us to do when everything seems to be out of control. The word “soon” can also be translated “suddenly or quickly” when many will not be expecting Him. So, put your house in order…then Stand Up and Look Up! No one knows for sure the exact details of how all this Israel war is going to play out among the other nations of the world and the timing of these last days that will lead us to the return of Jesus for His bride, the church.

Rejoice in the Word of God, the Bible, today. God’s grace has given you a copy and you know how to read. By God’s grace, let’s focus and rejoice in what we do know…Jesus made this part very clear.

*I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

*“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

*“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.

*So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Shrink…to become smaller or more compacted (Merriam Webster). The Apostle Paul uses this phrase to describe the responsibility that all believers have to share the Truth of the Gospel so that people will be saved from eternal death.

Acts 20:26-27 (NLT)

26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,

27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

Paul didn’t shrink back from the good news of the saving power of Jesus. The Apostle Paul considered this to be an urgent issue.

Did you know that the Book of Hebrews actually gives a contrast between those who shrink back and those who do not. I want you to notice the severe difference between these two outcomes.

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV)

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

37 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.

38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

*If we shrink back (become smaller and more compact) God will not be pleased with us (those who shrink back and are destroyed).

*If we continue to grow stronger and stronger in our faith and the power of Christ…we will be saved.

Colossians 1:23 (NLT)

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

There is nowhere in our Christian faith that we are called to become smaller and more compacted. No, we are called to grow and become larger in our faith and confidence. We are to become more and more bold in our faith and our willingness to share our faith with others. Why, so that they will not suffer eternal death.

It begins with us…we receive the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith. But it cannot end with us. We are all called to share the good news with those around us, especially our family members.

This past week, someone in the church shared a message with me that they had sent to all their loved ones about the saving gospel of Jesus. He shared that message so that his beloved family members would not suffer eternal death. Can you think of a better reason?

Today, in the midst of the great worldwide apostasy, the falling away from the faith…we cannot shrink back from our calling to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us. We, like the Apostle Paul, must take on the same attitude as Paul on this issue of shrinking back.

Acts 20:26-27 (NLT)

26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,

27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I read this past week that one in six Americans are on some type of antidepressant medicine and that number is increasing. What’s going on? Is this new? Let’s face it, we live in uncertain times. Much of the social structure that once seemed stable has become increasingly unstable and insecure. Today, many of the once stable things in our lives are looking like “sinking and unstable sand” instead of the “solid rock” that we were accustomed to as a society. And this is causing anxiety and uncertainty throughout the land and the whole world.

Maybe the use of antidepressants is new, but anxiety and uncertainty are not new at all. King David writes this in the Psalms:

Psalm 143:7 (NLT)

7 Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.

King David sounds desperate…even to the point of death. In the depths of King David’s depression and anxiety he cries out to God, “Don’t turn away from me or I will die”. The only solid rock in David’s storm was the presence of God. That truth is still true today. David then turns his heart toward God and makes his plea.

Psalm 143:8-11 (NLT)

8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, LORD; I run to you to hide me.

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.

11 For the glory of your name, O LORD, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

Do you see it? David turns to God for help. David turns to The Rock of his salvation. Notice the specifics of King David’s prayer/request to God in the midst of his deep depression.

1. Come quickly Lord and answer me.

2. Don’t turn away from me.

3. Let me hear your unfailing love each morning.

4. I put my trust in you.

5. Show me today where to walk.

6. I give myself to you this day.

7. Teach me your will.

8. You are my God.

9. May your gracious Spirit lead me on solid ground.

10. May my life today bring glory to your Name.

11. Preserve my life today.

12. In your faithfulness, bring me out of my distress.

I don’t want today’s “Word” to sound like I’ve got it all figured out. No, I too struggle with fear and doubts from time to time. Yes, this world is becoming more and more desperate. But the Truth of God has not changed! And what is that truth?

We are absolutely hopeless without God, but we have a never-ending hope with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I remember singing a song in church when I was growing up. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

I give you encouragement and counsel today with this Psalm of King David. Why don’t you pray this Psalm to God. Cry out to God with these 12 King David requests in Jesus’ name. This is the best medicine for an anxious life. And never forget… “Heaven’s Coming”.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

We all live under the authority of God. The Bible tells us that we all live and move and breathe under the power and authority of God.

Acts 17:28 (NLT)

28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

But that does not mean that God is our spiritual Father. I know that shocks some of you when I say that. Yes, we are all God’s creation. There is no one else that can give and sustain life. In that sense, we are all God’s offspring, but we are not all God’s legitimate children. Not everyone is a legitimate child of God. Only those who have been born-again can legitimately call God…Father or Abba.

This is the dividing line for all humanity. Who will be your father on the last day? The truth is this…there are only two choices and there are only two fathers to choose from. We all follow one or the other and we will all join our real father on the last day.

Jesus revealed this spiritual truth to the Jewish religious leaders while He was on the earth. These religious men believed they were the legitimate children of God, but Jesus told them they were following the other father, not God.

John 8:41-44 (NLT)

41 No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.

43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me!

44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Notice that Jesus reveals their true father, the devil, and then Jesus links their lives to sin and the lack of Truth… and you love to do the evil things he does. No one likes to think of themselves as a child of the devil, but that is what Jesus reveals to them. The Apostle John brings this up again in his first letter.

1 John 3:7-10 (NLT2)

7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Do you see it…Don’t let anyone deceive you about this? No one would be a child of the devil unless they are deceived. No one would follow the devil into the eternal punishment of hell unless they were deceived. And what does the deadly deception of the devil look like? It looks like sin, unrepentant sin and the rejection of Truth.

Jesus reveals this Truth…the father has the power to determine the life of the child. Children of God live to do what is right because Jesus lives in them. That doesn’t mean that children of God never sin. No, it means they will not continue in sin because they are under the power, influence and conviction of the Spirit of Christ that lives in them. They are under the influence of the Truth.

The children of the devil do not have the Holy Spirit of Christ living in them. They have not been born-again by the Spirit and thus they are not convicted by sin. They are deceived by the father of lies! They are not under the influence of the Truth. They are following the other father into the darkness of hell.

This is why we preach the gospel and love those who are lost and following after the other father, the devil. We too were once in darkness. We too were once under the powerful deception of the other father, the devil. But someone preached the Word of Truth to us. God used that Word to open our eyes to the Truth and Truth has a name…JESUS. This Truth sets us free from the other father, the devil and his lies/deception.

Jesus is the only way for any of us to be able to call God…Father/Abba. But we must also understand this powerful Truth…there may be suffering, and hardship associated with this “children of God” calling while we live in the flesh. But know this…it is the only way to life, eternal life.

Romans 8:15-17 (NLT)

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Be encouraged today! If you have received God’s Spirit, you are a child of God. Jesus is your brother, and we share the same Father. In front of us is glory. Glory beyond our wildest imagination. Hold fast to the covenant promises of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and never forget…Heaven’s Coming!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

To: NCC

I came across a powerful 19-minute YouTube video this past week. I would like to challenge the church to set aside 19 minutes sometime today and watch this short video. It is powerful and convicting. It’s called Revelation 12:9 and it reveals how the great dragon (Satan) is deceiving the world. Click the link below to watch it.

Revelation 12:9 (NASB)

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

https://youtu.be/0UfpnvrVonI?si=MW3grr_IL6LOqKH9

Terry Cooper

Lead Minister

I don’t know about you, but I’m struggling with “The Waiting” part of following Jesus. I see the world growing more and more dark and I quietly ask God…what are you waiting for? I’m watching as our society seems to be totally turning away from God and God’s revealed Truth (the Bible) and I say, what are you waiting for? I’m watching churches replace the Holy Scriptures with doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-2) and I ask God, what are you waiting for? Then I hear the news of the sudden death of our dear brother and friend, Steve Corn, and I say…come Jesus come. What are you waiting for?

It’s in those moments that the Word of God and the Holy Spirit both answer that question clearly. God is waiting for more people to be saved. God is holding open the door of salvation just a little longer so that people can come into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God is waiting for people to hear the Word, repent and turn to Him. He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. That’s why He’s waiting.

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

When I get bogged down with this waiting issue I often think about Jesus and His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the cross. Jesus asked them a question that stirs my soul today.

Matthew 26:40-41 (NLT)

40 Then he [Jesus] returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?

41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

Jesus knew all that was about to happen that next day and He asked his followers to “keep watch and pray”. Their human flesh was tired and weak, and they fell asleep instead. But Jesus’ words were very clear… “Watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation”.

Couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? I don’t want Jesus to say that to me today! Yes, I long for the day of the Lord’s appearing. I long for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb and our Sabbath rest with Christ. But it is the Lords will and purpose to hold that door of salvation open a little longer and I need to stand ready, like the Apostles in the Garden, to help those through that door in our time of watching and waiting. I need to be specifically praying that I would not fall into temptation in the time of waiting because our human flesh (sin nature) is weak and prone to sin. Our flesh is weak, but praise God…the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to help us in our time of need.

But one day, that day will come. Ready or not, that day will come, and the door of God’s mercy and grace will close. That’s why we must remain steadfast and faithful in the time of waiting and watching. That very next verse from 2nd Peter makes it clear that one day the door will close. I encourage you to take some time today and meditate on these clear instructions from that same passage from the Apostle Peter.

2 Peter 3:10-15 (NLT)

10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live,

12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.

13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

15 And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—

Until then, until that last day, may the Lord find us watching and waiting….helping as many as possible to find that open door before it closes.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I bet that title got your attention! But I’m not talking about the mark of the beast today. Today I want to look at John 6:66. It’s just as frightening as the mark of the beast 666 because the end result of both is the same. Forever lost!

John 6:66 (NLT)

66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

I want you to notice something…it was Jesus’ disciples that were turning away. They were at one time followers of Jesus, but 6:66 reveals that many of them turned away and deserted Jesus. What happened that made Jesus’ followers turn away and desert him? What did Jesus say that brought his disciples to the point that they would willfully walk away from him?

Jesus tells his followers that He is the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus reveals that the heavenly bread (manna) in the time of Moses was only a preview of Himself. Jesus is the bread of heaven that leads to eternal life. If that were not enough, Jesus then tells them that they must drink His blood in order to have life within them.

John 6:47-53 (NLT)

47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.

48 Yes, I am the bread of life!

49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died.

50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.

These revelations of truth made many of Jesus’ followers begin to question him. Why, because it was a radical teaching to them. How can anyone accept the idea that Jesus was literally the living bread of heaven, and his blood was life, the forgiveness of sin and the resurrection of the last day.

John 6:60 (NLT)

60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

That’s when the Gospel of John records the dreaded 6:66… At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

It’s the verses that follow that convict and inspire me today. Jesus, seeing many of his followers walk away from him, turns to the Twelve to see if they too will walk away from Him. I can’t help but wonder if this was a defining moment for the Twelve.

John 6:67 (NLT)

67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

What is this teaching of Jesus that tests the faith of so many? What is this teaching of Jesus that caused many then and today to walk away from him? Jesus’ teaching was exclusive and singular. Jesus told them that they must have HIM and only HIM inside of them to survive the events of the last day. We must have Christ in us! He must enter us by way of the Holy Spirit and live inside of us for us to survive the events of the last day. This is exclusive and singular. He is the only way! He is the only Bread. He is the only Blood. He must enter us to save us. This is indeed a hard teaching for many.

In that moment, Peter steps up and declares the truth of all truth for those who will accept the truth. Peter’s statement of truth inspires and convicts my soul. I hope it does the same for you today.

John 6:68-69 (NLT)

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

The graveyards of the world declare a single truth. We are all mortal, and we will all have a last day! Simon Peter knows the truth. There is nowhere else to go if we walk away from Jesus. He is the only One that has the power and authority to conquer the grave and give eternal life. He alone is our Resurrection and Life!

John 14:20 (NLT)

20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Is God always near? Or is He sometimes far away? Does God just feel far away or is His presence actually far from us at times? These are questions that all of us experience at one time or another. What does the Bible say about the nearness of God?

Isaiah 55:6 (NLT)

6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Call on him now…while He is near…does that mean He has departed or is it me that has departed from His presence, from His nearness? Who’s moving…me or God? Who’s departing from the nearness…me or God?

The Apostle Paul is preaching to the Greeks in Athens. These are men who do not know God at all. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is an Unknown God to the people of Athens at that time. And yet, Paul tells them that God is near…even to those who do not know Him.

Acts 17:24-27 (NLT)

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,

25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.

26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

Paul’s word to the people of Athens in verse 27 answers our question today. God’s purpose was that all the nations would seek after God. That means He is near to those who seek Him. He is never far away from those who seek Him and find Him by putting their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. In fact, the Holy Spirit led the Apostle Paul to Athens to tell the people there about the nearness of God…revealed through the Gospel Message of Jesus.

That leads me back to the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. If God is always near, why does He sometimes seem so far away? Why didn’t all the people of Athens fall down and place their faith in Jesus when he was revealed to them by the Apostle Paul? There must be a turning!

Yes, God is always near. But there is something about “turning” to God. It is our nature to turn away from God and something or someone must turn us toward God to experience His presence, His nearness. That turning is called repentance and it is an ugly word to some and a beautiful word to others. Let’s put verses 6 & 7 together to find our answers today.

Isaiah 55:6-7 (NLT)

6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Turn to our God…He is near, and we must turn to Him when we hear His voice calling us into the Truth. He is always near, but we will never experience His presence, His nearness with our back to Him. We must turn to Him! We must face Him and His Truth. The Truth is this…we are the ones’ that have turned away from the nearness of God. We have all turned our backs to God.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (NLT)

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But now, we know the Truth. Now, we know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must now turn around and face that Truth to experience the presence of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus can open our minds to understand the Truth about the nearness of God.

Luke 24:45-47 (NLT)

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.

47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

I pray that you will find Him to be near to you today!

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

There are many “bad words” in the Bible. I’m not talking about the bad words that your parents wouldn’t let you say growing up. No, the Biblical bad words that I’m talking about are the words you don’t ever want to hear from God. These next verses are some of the bad words that you never want to hear from God.

Luke 13:27 (NASB)

27 and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'

Luke 19:24-27 (NLT)

24 “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’

25 “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’

26 “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”

These bad words from Jesus are final. They describe what it means to be unredeemed, to die in your sins. The Bible is filled with “bad words” that describe the horror of dying in your sins, apart from the mercy and forgiveness of God.

John 8:23-24 (NLT)

23 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.

24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

But there is one particular set of “bad words” that has always sent a chill up my spine when I read them in the Bible. “Devoted to destruction”. These are very bad words. In the Old Testament these bad words described someone or something that could NOT BE REDEEMED. Something devoted to destruction could not be saved or brought back…it was destined to be destroyed by the will and Word of God.

Leviticus 27:29 (NIV)

29 "'No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; he must be put to death.

This is my point today…the bad words of the Bible reveal that we are all devoted to destruction if we die or face God without the being redeemed by the blood of Jesus…if we die in our sins. These are bad words that reveal the absolute truth of all mankind. Without Jesus we are all devoted to destruction. Yes, these are bad words, but these bad words then lead us to the wonderful, good words of the Bible…the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Notice the wonderful, good news that Peter preached as the church began in Jerusalem. The good words that overcome the bad words.

Acts 2:38-40 (NLT)

38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

Today, I pray that the bad words of God lead you to embrace the wonderful good words of God that reveal the One and Only Savior that redeems us, forgives us, and gives us a life that is devoted to God instead of a life that is devoted to destruction.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Most people in the church don’t realize that preachers need preachers too. Preachers need other preachers in their lives for instruction, encouragement and accountability. For me, one of those preachers is Bob Russell. I’ve read his books and listened to many of his sermons over the years. He has been a great source of instruction, encouragement and accountability for me for many years now.

When I was hospitalized on Memorial Day weekend (some virus had affected my heart muscle) Bob called my hospital room and said these words to me. “We need you, and we need you to get well”. Those words from Bob were powerful to me on that day. Preachers need Preachers too!

Bob posts a weekly blog on Twitter on Sunday nights. I make a point to read it every week. I consider Bob to be one of God’s anointed leaders in these last days. His wisdom and discernment are something each of us need in these difficult times.

We try to have Bob speak at NCC at least once a year, and this year he’s scheduled to speak for us in both services on September 17th. I am looking forward to having him back at NCC next month.

Preachers need Preachers too…so this week I’m going to share what one of my preachers shared this past Sunday night. I hope it encourages you as much as it did me. I’m copying Bob’s post below:

“I’m walking my girlfriend home” (by Bob Russell)

Written on August 6, 2023 by admin in Uncategorized

Author, pastor, and university president emeritus Dr. Rubel Shelly, PhD has been a much-respected leader in the Restoration Movement’s churches of Christ (non-instrumental) branch for decades. I recently had the privilege to read and endorse Rubel’s new book addressing the Biblical response to gender dysphoria, called “Male and Female God Created Them.” It is a comprehensive and scholarly defense of the Biblical position of marriage and family. It is full of grace and truth ­– the kind of balanced treatment we have come to expect from Rubel Shelly. It is expected to be released from College Press in the coming weeks.

I met Rubel nearly 30 years ago when we both taught in a Master’s program at Kentucky Christian University. A few years later, I had the privilege of visiting with him in his home near Detroit, Michigan, where Rubel served as President of Rochester University. On that visit, Rubel’s wife, Myra, graciously hosted our small group of Christian leaders for dinner. She was a beautiful lady, both inside and out, and Rubel and Myra’s love for each other was evident to all. I teased Rubel that he must be cleverly persuasive to have convinced Myra to marry and remain with him for so many years. He chuckled and agreed.

Sadly, Rubel notified me this past week that Myra’s health was failing.

“A personal note, if I may, Bob. My wife is under hospice care with just a short time to live. Aggressive cancer that she has fought for three years has invaded her brain and lungs. She told her oncologist she was ’tired’ and wanted no more treatment. She teases me: ‘Now don’t you be mad at me if I get to see Jesus before you do!’

November would have been 60 years married to this Godly lady. Her request to family and friends: ‘Don’t pray for a miracle of healing but for a dignified exit.’ If you can think to include that in your prayers over the next few days, I would appreciate it. The hospice nurse thinks we are down to a limited number of days.

In the old movies, it was a great moment when a girl let a boy walk her home. And I’m walking my girlfriend home!”

What a moving, Godly way to approach the final days of life. No bitterness, no straining for last-minute heroic measures to prolong life. Just a calm acceptance of the reality of death and a genuine confidence in the hope of heaven by Myra:

“Don’t pray for a miracle of healing but for a dignified exit.”

And Rubel’s perspective stirs the heart:

“I’m walking my girlfriend home.”

The rest of us could learn from Rubel and Myra’s inspirational example. When we sense our final days approaching, let us also give a resounding testimony of our faith in the promise of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…” (John 11:25). Let us proclaim with the Apostle Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Let us demonstrate in dying what we have proclaimed in living – we are almost home!

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Follow BobRussellKY on Twitter and LIKE the Bob Russell page on Facebook

Terry Cooper

There are so many parallels between Israel and the Church. Some are good parallels, and some are dreadful parallels. By the way, I do not believe the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan to redeem mankind from sin and death. No, I believe God has invited the Church to join Israel in His divine plan to redeem mankind from sin and death.

The rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 is living proof that God is not finished with the Jewish people. He is in the process of regathering them so that He might redeem them and reveal their true Messiah-Jesus to them in the coming days. What is this fundamental spiritual parallel between Israel and the Church? In the Old Testament, God wanted to reveal himself to the world through Israel. God chose them and called them out from the world.

Isaiah 41:8-10 (NLT)

8 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,

9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

God gave Israel His covenant promises. He gave them the Word. He gave them the Law. But ultimately God gave them Himself, His divine presence. It was God’s desire that the whole world would come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the people of Israel.

But something terrible happened. Instead of the world becoming like Israel, Israel became like the world. Israel became worldly and fell under the power of this dark world. This led the nation of Israel into idolatry and self-destruction before God.

Ezekiel 5:5-6 (NLT)

5 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations,

6 but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow.

Israel, the called-out people of God that were supposed to reveal the glory of God to the watching world became like the rest of the world. When Israel departed from the Word, it wasn’t long before the Word departed from Israel. The glory of God departed from the Jerusalem Temple as Babylon came to destroy Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

Jeremiah 15:6 (NLT)

6 You have abandoned me and turned your back on me,” says the LORD. “Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am tired of always giving you another chance.

There was around 2,000 years between Abraham and Jesus. For 2,000 years God worked to reveal His glory to the world through the people of Israel. But it ended with Israel’s rejection of the Messiah Jesus. For the next 2,000 years God would open a door of salvation to the Gentile world. The Church was born, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ would be preached around the world inside those 2,000 years.

Romans 11:11-12 (NLT)

11 Did God’s people [Israel] stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

Back to the spiritual parallel. God wanted to reveal Himself to the world through Israel, but Israel became like the world instead. The Messiah-Jesus came to the Jewish people, and they reject Him. God opens salvation’s door toward the Gentiles in the Church age and desires to reveal Himself to the world through the Church. But the same thing has happened to the Church that happened to Israel. The Church has become like the world. This is the dangerous and deadly parallel.

*God gave Israel His Word. God gave the Church His Word.

*God gave Israel His covenant promises. God gave the Church the New Covenant of Jesus’ blood.

*God gave Israel His divine presence. God gave the Church the Holy Spirit.

*Israel departed from the Word and the covenant promises of God…God removed His presence from them.

*Much of the Church has departed from the Word and the covenant promises of Christ.

The Apostle Paul warned the Church about a future time (before the return of Jesus and before the time of Antichrist) when the Church would turn away from the Word and join the world’s rebellion against God. Paul prophesied that the Church would eventually end up just like ancient Israel, in rebellion against God.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NLT)

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.

3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.

4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

The ancient Nation of Israel fell into idolatry and rebelled against the God that chose to save them. But not everyone rebelled. There were many inside Israel that were faithful to the Word and the covenant promises of God. They held fast to the very end even as the Jewish nation overall self-destructed.

The Church of today is following a similar path to ancient Israel. Many are departing from the Word and the covenant promises of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Church is becoming more and more worldly. Are we experiencing the rebellion and apostasy that was prophesied in the last days by the Apostle Paul (2 Thes. 2:3)?

So, what is the answer for us today. We must remain faithful till the end! Yes, there will be a great falling away, rebellion in the Church of the last days. But we cannot join in their rebellion against the Word. This is the warning to the church!

Hebrews 3:12-14 (NLT)

12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.

13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I realize this is a strange title, but please hear me out on this issue of “nakedness”. Let’s begin with the beginning.

Genesis 2:25 (NLT)

25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Adam and Eve were physically “naked and uncovered” in this Garden of Eden scene. There was no shame in their uncovered and naked condition. No shame between each other and no shame before God. They were naked and felt no shame because there was nothing to be ashamed of before God, or each other.

Then something happened. The serpent came into the garden. The serpent was covered with shame, and he came to share his shame with all mankind. The serpent lied to Eve and the result was shame and guilt. Not just shame, but fear and the realization of their shameful nakedness before God.

Genesis 3:7-11 (NLT)

7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.

9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

Why are they hiding? They tried to cover their own nakedness with fig leaves, but fig leaves would not cover their shame or their nakedness before God. It was in this scene that death entered the world. Death would cover the nakedness and shame of Adam and Eve. Not fig leaves, but the death of an animal. Blood would cover their shameful nakedness and God would provide the blood offering.

Genesis 3:21 (NLT)

21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

Do you see it? God provided a blood bought covering for Adam and Eve. Their nakedness and shame would be covered with an animal skin…the cost was blood. The covering of their sin was blood bought.

That’s the beginning, but what about the end? The Bible is clear that we all come from the seed of Adam, and we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious presence. How can we cover our shameful, sinful nakedness today? The answer to that question is found in Jesus’ words to the Church at Laodicea.

Revelation 3:18 (NLT)

18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.

And where do we get this “white garment”? The white garment is to put on the righteousness of Christ Jesus as our covering. This is the only way to cover our shameful nakedness. This white garment of Christ is blood bought and it doesn’t just cover our shame and guilt…it removes it by the atonement of the perfect spotless blood of the Lamb.

Adam and Eve tried to hide their shameful and sinful nakedness from God by making a covering of their own design. It didn’t work! Many today are trying to hide their sinful and shameful nakedness from God by coverings of their own design, but our sin will always find us out.

Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Revelation chapter 16 describes the earth in the Tribulation. The judgment of God has come to the kingdoms of men and demonic spirits are being released upon the earth. And in the middle of this horrible judgment scene there is a simple statement of Jesus…the blood bought covering for all mankind.

Revelation 16:15 (NLT)

15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

I pray today that you are covered by the blood of the Lamb. I pray today that you have put on the righteousness of Christ as your covering and that you are anxiously and expectantly watching and waiting for Him.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

I find the Psalms to be a source of strength in times of difficulty. Many of the Psalms describe the faithfulness of God in times of trouble. I was reading through Psalm 96 this morning and found it to be both convicting and encouraging. The Psalm begins with a call for all humanity to “sing to the Lord”. Sing a new song of worship. Why a new song? Because He is not just the God of yesterday, but He is our God today and His mercy is new this morning. He is worthy of our old songs of praise and the new ones as we experience Him day by day.

Psalm 96:1-2 (NLT)

1 Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!

2 Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

Verse 3 then challenges the reader to share the good news of God with the nations. This was God’s plan for ancient Israel. God would use Israel to reveal Himself to the world. This is also God’s plan for the church. God would use the church to reveal Himself to the world.

Psalm 96:3 (NLT)

3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

Why do we sing a new song? Why do we tell the world about our God and His Son-Jesus, the One that came to save us? This is the moment of truth. Why? Our song of praise is not a burden and our calling to testify of His greatness is not a heavy burden. Why? Because we know Him and because we recognize that He alone is worthy of our song. He alone is worthy of our worship and praise. There is none like Him. There never has been and there never will be. He alone is God. He alone can save us from the bondage of sin and death. He is to be feared and He is to be worshipped and He alone is worthy.

Psalm 96:4-6 (NLT)

4 Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

5 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens!

6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

Verses 7-10 are a call to all humanity. A call to recognize the One true God and worship and tremble before Him. God has given the people of the earth free will. The freedom to choose whom and what they will worship. But one day, each of us will be held accountable for our choices. There is a Righteous Judge.

Psalm 96:7-10 (NLT)

7 O nations of the world, recognize the LORD; recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.

8 Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.

9 Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.

10 Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.

The heavens above us and the earth beneath us rejoice today in the Lord God. The sea and all creation declare His glory, power, and majesty. The land, the crops and the trees reveal the glory of God for all to see. Only man has the ability to choose. The creation declares the glory of God, but man…he must choose.

Psalm 96:11-12 (NLT)

11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise.

Finally, Psalm 96 reveals the ultimate end of all mankind and God’s creation itself.

Psalm 96:12-13 (NLT)

12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise

13 before the LORD, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.

He’s coming! Jesus is coming! He’s coming to judge the earth. All creation is groaning in eager expectation for the day of the Lord’s arrival (Romans 8:22). The Bible tells us that all creation will be liberated and those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ will be set free upon His arrival. Creation is waiting with eager expectation…are you?

Romans 8:20-21 (NLT)

20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,

21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

This past week I had the privilege of leading 45 of our NCC church family on a 10-day pilgrimage to Israel. We had a great time as we experienced the Promised Land together. Tim Moore (Lamb and Lion Ministries) and Erez Bar David, (a messianic Jew from Jerusalem) led us on a 10-day journey from Tel Aviv to Tiberias and then finally to Jerusalem.

There are so many highlights from the trip, but I would like to focus on one of those that had the biggest impact on me personally. It begins with a 3,000-year-old prayer from King Solomon. Solomon prayed this prophetic prayer when he dedicated the new Jerusalem Temple to God.

2 Chronicles 6:32-33 (NLT)

32 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple,

33 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.

Our group, along with many others over the years, fulfilled King Solomon’s prophetic prayer in Jerusalem. We were the foreigners that traveled from a distant land to pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Holy Temple no longer stands there today. So, we went to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount instead.

I took with me all the names of all the people who attend Ninevah Christian Church. We had 43 pages of names (including all children). We went to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and divided the 43 sheets of names among our people. We then walked up to the Western Wall and prayed over all those Ninevah names out loud. If you attend NCC, your name was prayed for, spoken out loud this past week in Jerusalem…in fulfillment of Solomon’s 3,000-year-old prophetic prayer to God.

Yes, we all realize that we don’t need to travel to Jerusalem to pray to God. Yes, we realize that our bodies are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit. But we can never forget that Jerusalem is holy ground because it forever bears the name of God. No other place on earth bears His Name. Jerusalem is the place where our King Jesus will one day return so that He might reign as King of kings. It is indeed holy ground. This is also a 3,000-year-old prophecy of King Solomon.

2 Chronicles 6:4-6 (NLT)

4 “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father,

5 ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.

6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’”

A Temple and a King. A King and a Kingdom…both are coming to Jerusalem.

Psalm 132:11-14 (NLT)

11 The LORD swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne.

12 If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.”

13 For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home.

14 “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.

God has chosen Jerusalem and God has chosen David to be the seed by which He will bring the King and the Kingdom of God to earth. That King is Jesus, and that city is Jerusalem. Is it any wonder that Jesus closes out the Revelation with this statement?

Revelation 22:16 (NLT)

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

This is the message of King Jesus to the church. A King and a Kingdom. A forever King and a forever Kingdom is coming. Prepare yourself and prepare others for His arrival.

Matthew 6:10 (NLT)

10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

The New Testament Book of First Thessalonians was written by the Apostle Paul to a Gentile Church in Thessalonica (modern day Greece) around 50 AD (around 20 years after the cross of Christ). The letter from Paul is filled with many powerful truths about the Church and our future rescue. I would like to focus on five of those powerful church attributes found inside the first chapter of Paul’s letter.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (NLT)

8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it,

9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.

10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

1. People everywhere are talking about the faith of those in the church.

2. The Word of the Lord is ringing out/flowing out to people everywhere from the church in Thessalonica.

3. The watching world is talking about how the church has abandoned their worldly idols and turned to worship the Living God.

4. The watching world is talking about how the church is eagerly looking forward to the return of resurrected Jesus and the rescue mission of God.

5. The watching world has heard about God’s rescue mission for the church…the mission that has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

Paul says the watching world had taken notice of these 5 things that were evident inside this first century Church of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t a secret. The church spoke openly about their faith, the Word and the rescue mission of God in which they lived in eager expectation.

That first century Thessalonian Church lived, and they died. Did the rescue mission come? Did God fail the faithful believers in the first century Church? The question is this…where are those first century Thessalonian believers today? Where are their souls today, right now? Their earthly bodies have turned to dust, but what about their eternal souls? Paul addresses that question inside that same letter.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT)

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

The rescue mission of God for His Church is still on! Jesus’ return is still on! But what about the souls of those believers who have already died? God will bring back with him the believers who have died!

But, what about the church of today? Does the watching world see these same 5 traits in us today? Each of us needs to understand this truth today…the rescue mission is still on! No one knows the day or the hour, but the rescue mission is still on.

Jesus warns us about the danger of that rescue day catching us unprepared and unaware like a deadly trap.

Luke 21:33-36 (NLT)

33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,

35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.

36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Paul’s letter and Jesus’ words both talk about the coming horrors that await those who are not prepared and waiting for the rescue mission of God that is planned for His Church.

He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).

I encourage you to read over those 5 attributes of the First Thessalonians Church listed above and pray that you would be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man…when the Rescue Mission comes.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

When you read the Old Testament, it becomes clear that King David was a shadow of Jesus, even though David preceded Jesus by around 1,000 years. In many ways David was a preview of what Jesus would do in completion. In fact, Jesus reveals His connection to David in the last chapter of Revelation.

Revelation 22:16 (NLT)

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

For example, David was anointed by God as King (a king in waiting) at a very young age, but it would be 20 years before he would actually rule as King over Israel in place of King Saul. Jesus has also been anointed as King of kings and He is destined to rule on the earth…after the time of waiting.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 (NLT)

27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his [Jesus] authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

But there is another King David shadow that I want to look at today. During David’s 20 years of running from King Saul there is an another interesting parallel. The calling of the misfits.

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NLT)

1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.

2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

David became the captain of the misfits. Can you see the parallel to King Jesus? Those who were in trouble came to David. Those who were in debt came to David. Those who were discontented with their life in general came to David. They came to a king in waiting. They came to a king that was destined to rule but had not yet begun to rule. They came to the king in waiting and served under his authority during the time of waiting. Misfits under the authority of the king in waiting.

When Jesus came (1,000 years after King David) who did He choose to follow Him? Misfits! Jesus didn’t go into Jerusalem and choose the religious scholars of that day. No, Jesus chose misfits from the Galilee…fishermen, tax collectors and zealots. They would be considered misfits by the rest of the world, but God was revealing something to all of us in their selection.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT)

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Many of David’s misfit followers became the mighty men of renown recorded in the Holy Scriptures (2 Samuel 23:8-39). The anointing of the king changed and empowered their misfit lives forever. And David was just the preview of King Jesus.

Luke 18:28-30 (NLT)

28 Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God,

30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

The Jesus misfits will one day be welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Jesus as the blood-bought children of God. No longer a King in waiting and no longer misfits.

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Saul was the first king of Israel. He was chosen by God and anointed king by Samuel.

1 Samuel 13:1 (NLT)

1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.

Saul started well but ended poorly. What was his undoing? Disobedience! Saul had trouble with obeying the Word of God. God told King Saul to attack and completely destroy the Amalekites. The Word of God was clear and concise.

1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NLT)

1 One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the LORD who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD!

2 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt.

3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”