Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 NKJV)
This very thing has been happening in the Middle East today! In the Book of the Acts, we find the early rains of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Church as it was being established in the first century. In James 5:7 we find a reference to both the early and latter rain:
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. (NKJV)
In Joel 2:23 we also have a reference to both the early and latter rains:
Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you–the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
In Joel 2:28 we find a passage that describes the very time just prior to the Great and Terrible Day of the LORD. We are at the very end of the Age of Grace today and the world is hurtling into a time like none other, The Great Tribulation!
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonder in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:28-32, NKJV)
The Word of God has provided us ample warning about the signs of the times. What has commonly been called “The Last Days”, actually started with the inception of the Church of Jesus Christ in the first century A.D. This is not the interpretation of this writer but rather Scripture itself. We are now at the time accurately being labeled “The End of the End Times.” The prophecies written by the prophet Joel in the passage above describe the very day we have entered in our generation. There has never been a time when more of God’s remnant on this earth has dreamed more prophetic dreams and seen more prophetic visions than today, and it’s increasing. The Spirit of God is being poured out all over the earth, especially in areas where there is war, persecution, and general chaos. The signs in the heavens that Joel predicted are happening as I write this article. The blood, fire, and pillars of smoke are the dramatic increase in volcanic activity, meteors and fireballs which will very soon become meteor storms hitting the earth, causing great damage and death. It can also very well describe the result of nuclear weapons being detonated. What we have seen in recent months is just the beginning but is increasing very quickly. The phenomenon of the Blood Moons that we are witnessing is not happening by chance. Neither is this year of the Jewish Shemitah, especially when one examines the “impossible” events which have been unfolding on the last day of the Shemitah year which is Elul 29 on the Jewish calendar–this fall on September 13 on our Gregorian calendar.
This article is not the time to explain the chronology of events which are included in the study of prophetic events detailed in the Scriptures, but suffice it to say that we are on the very precipice of great and terrible events about to unfold. As these events dramatically increase, God will remove His faithful remnant and also His powerful restraining force which keeps unbridled evil from exploding on the earth. The removal of the true Church working in conjunction with God’s Holy Spirit will open the door for the fulfillment of the tremendous events of the Apocalypse as revealed to John the Apostle. Immediately upon the consummation of these events, the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords will take over literal rulership of this banged up planet and His millennial kingdom will begin. Praise GOD!
In the meantime, the faithful remnant of true believers which constitutes the Philadelphian Church of Revelation 3, is sprinting to the finish line–including the House of Blessing missionaries. The tremendous events of the last few weeks are hard to fathom. Great multitudes have once again been reached with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The two mass meetings at the very end of the Muslim month of Ramadan was nothing less than a miracle! It is impossible in today’s Iraq or Syria for large groups to meet for any reason, much less for a gathering of thousands to hear about Jesus Christ! But God brought this dual miracle about and many thousands of names were added to the Lamb’s Book of Life!
As I spoke with Pastor R***** again this week, he again explained to me how significant it is to be able to reach the male population. As the men are reached in a Muslim society, they then reach out to their families and friends. This is especially significant in a population where so many of the people are related to each other. Within these crowds were a great many men who have multiple wives and a great many children. The families are very large! Because of this, the tremendous miracle that happened with so many thousands being reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will prove to be much, much greater than we realize. Just as the Philippian jailor and his whole family were reached by the Apostle Paul and Silas in the Book of Acts, so are the Muslim people and their whole families being reached today!
As Ramadan has ended for 2015, war in the Middle East will continue to increase. The powder keg all around the “bull’s eye” of the Earth located in Jerusalem, particularly the Temple Mount, is becoming more in danger of exploding. Time truly is running out!
Some readers might be aware that Turkey has now become engaged in the bombing campaign. One of the areas just on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey had been bombed by forces against ISIS recently. A number of Mofidah’s widows have already been killed by being in the path of the bombs and missiles. Just a few days ago, two more of these brave widows were killed and are now in the presence of their Master. In Iraq, two of the missionary men who had been working with Brother Omar and Adel were killed by ISIS jihadists. We must continue to pray for these missionaries and for their protection, courage, and spiritual strength. Until Jesus calls His people home, the enemy of our souls will continue to wage war against them.
One of the results of the tremendous number of people finding Jesus as their Messiah these last weeks is that everyone is looking for access to Bibles! This has been the case all along, but the need has increased with so many thousands having become believers in the past days. We need to pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest so that these needs can be met. God knows the need, but He asks His remnant to be engaged. With this need in mind, I would like to share a short account I ran across when reading the stories of past persecuted Christians:
Two very dirty villagers came to my home one day to buy a Bible. They had come from their village to take the job of shoveling the frozen earth all winter long to earn money in the slight hope they might be able to buy an old, tattered Bible and take it back to their village. Because I had received Bibles from America, I was able to hand them a new Bible, not an old tattered one. They could not believe their eyes! They tried to pay me with the money they earned. I refused their money. They rushed back to their village with the Bible. A few days later I received a letter of unrestrained, ecstatic joy thanking me for the Scriptures. It was signed by thirty villagers! They had carefully cut the Bible into thirty parts and exchanged the parts with one another! (Richard Wurmbrand, Founder of The Voice of the Martyrs)
Folks, we are at 11:59 on the prophetic clock, and whatever we are going to do as directed by the Spirit of God for the Kingdom, needs to be done quickly. While I am writing this, I again thank those of you who have been so faithful and responded…not to anything I have written, but rather to the Spirit of God. Thank you from all of House of Blessing, and of course from me. I am truly humbled by what I have been privileged to witness the last 40 months, from the stories coming from HOB missionaries, and also those that have so diligently prayed and supported them. I believe with everything within me that the next 60-90 days are very critical. Here in America, the great storm that has been brewing for years is now coming ashore. We as believers need to know what we believe, who we are, and Who is it that we serve. Things are escalating quickly and we need to be very well connected in our intimate relationship with the One who died to set us free. We will be joining Him for eternity very, very SOON!
God Bless You All,
Jake Geier
House Of Blessing; P.O. Box 2093; Redmond, OR 97756
I thank God for internet and for you. Even my english is not good, I understood the message. Now I know better why this all has happened in last days.To Finland has come a lot of muslim refugees in last weeks. I ask you pray for them and pray for us. Jesus loves all.