Telling the Future Before it Happens

We just want to see today's programming.

Jan talks to author Todd Hampson. Today's turmoil is setting the stage for things to come. We hope this segment offers you some insight into issues of the day and how they tie to the Bible. Here is today's programming. Welcome to the program. For part one of our programming today, I am talking to author Todd Hampson.

We're carrying both his book and workbook titled The Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times. Todd, welcome back to the program. Had you on a couple times and it's good to have you back. It's always an honor to be here.

Thank you so much, Jan. I'm quoting you here and you say in the products that we're going to be talking about, unfortunately, the topic of Christ's return has been hijacked by caricatured notions of what the Bible actually teaches. It's not a doom and gloom scare tactic. His return is a foundational truth of the Christian faith. But in our day, we tend to treat the topic like a crazy uncle the family never talks about.

Todd, I agree. Email after email into this ministry, it's coming from folks who try to share this good news that Jesus is coming back and even perhaps today and they are shunned, they're mocked, they're ignored. You understand what I'm talking about, right?

Absolutely. I hear a lot of times from my generation, it's definitely ingrained in the culture that we've been talking about the Lord's return for so long. Even this morning, I was thinking about a microcosm, kind of a typology of this when Moses went up to the mountaintop and he's gone 40 days. Well, just in that small amount of time, they're like, is Moses coming back?

And they went back to their old ways and created a past idol and expand that out to 2000 years. And you can see the attitude that a lot of people would have. Well, you talk about in the products, I'll get more specific on the products in just a minute, folks.

But in the book, The Nonprofit's Guide to the End Times, and it's a book that we're carrying. You talk a lot about signs of the times and actually you've got a huge lineup of them. Let me just name a few that you're referencing. The terrorism around the world, the pandemic, obviously, international financial instability, division in America, record breaking natural disasters that are breaking my heart here, escalation and violence, persecution of Christians and Jews, which is unprecedented, increasing immorality and family breakdown, decline of America.

And that's, quite frankly, what I just said, a short list. Todd, I sense that God is shaking things up, trying to get people to look up. Many want to cling to this earth. Few are heavenly minded, so he allows Earth's glamour to fade. I agree 100 percent.

For everyone in general, I think it's amazing to me that just the coronavirus alone has kind of shaken everything from sports to entertainment to finances to all the things we put our trust in. And I believe he's doing that out of mercy. If we won't listen to him any other way, he'll get our attention to call us to him. He's standing there with his arms wide open, asking people, begging people to come to him. And for the believers perspective, I think he's doing the same. Many of us have been lulled into sleep and gotten our focus on worldly things.

I think he's really calling us back to him and sharpening our focus on the things that matter for eternity. We carry Todd's book in our store, The Nonprofit's Guide to the End Times. That's P-R-O-P-H-E-T. And with it is an accompanying workbook, same title. It's a book and a workbook that go hand in hand if, in fact, you're looking for such an item to use as a study guide, or you can just get the book on its own. I've read it and it's very intriguing.

And quite frankly, it's full of cartoons and drawings and all sorts of short, quick takes that I think particularly a younger person would be captivated by. And Todd, the Bible says in Isaiah 42, 9, says, I will tell you the future before it happens. Bible believers are the only people who have the privilege of having a roadmap to the future.

Literally, all of the future is laid out before us. Christianity is the only faith that has that privilege. And yet again, like we've already said, it's kind of a privilege that's abused, kind of tragic.

It really is. And you and I have talked before, and I grew up unchurched. I thought the Bible was a book of fairy tales made up by man to keep people in line. And one of the early things that broke that barrier down for me was fulfilled Bible prophecy, because that proved to me it had to be of a divine nature. And when we talk about things like the rapture or the Millennial Kingdom or all these things that we can't prove or that people have a hard time believing, they are fantastic. They are kind of crazy, if it were not for the fact that we have hundreds of fulfilled Bible prophecy examples to prove that God's a promise keeper and it's going to happen.

And you write, and it's so true, 80% of the prophecies are fulfilled and 20% are yet future. I just want to play a quick clip here. It's Mark Hitchcock. In this clip, he's kind of focusing on corona. And he's saying that, and that's what you and I have already talked about here in just about five minutes, that this corona is a wake up call. And not that our entire topic is talking about that, but it's such a major shaking that happened here in 2020 that just about every program is referred to this topic one way or another.

Here's Mark Hitchcock. Jesus' disciples, a couple days before he died on the cross, asked him the question, what's going to be the signs of your coming in the end of the age? Jesus launched into a long litany of signs. To me, I find it interesting that Jesus didn't say, well, don't worry about it.

Just live for me every day. Don't worry about signs. Jesus gave a long list of signs. And he said that what would be happening, there would be, the very first thing he says is, do not be deceived.

And I think that's interesting because there's a lot of deception out there today. Jesus says, look, the world's going to be filled with deception, and Jesus talked about false Christs and false messiahs who would come on the scene. He talked about wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. He warned about famines. He warned about earthquakes.

He warned about pestilence. And again, what we see today, I think, with coronavirus is a faint foreshadow or a foreshock of what's coming. The Bible tells us that the world's going to be decimated by plagues in the future, in the end times. What we see today, again, I don't believe is the fulfillment of that yet because we're not in the tribulation period. Why do you think there's so much mention of things like plagues and pestilences in the scripture?

You know, it's nobody's favorite topic. No one likes to talk about the judgment of God because I think we all have this sense and we know innately that we deserve God's judgment because of our sin. Of course, that's why the gospel is such good news.

The good news is such good news because of the bad news. The Bible's filled with the judgment of God. It begins all the way back with the flood and the plagues of Egypt. We're talking in this book, Corona Crisis, about plagues and pandemics. God sent plagues on Egypt.

A part of those were disease. When the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from the Jewish people, God brought plagues upon them, physical plagues and judgment. God even judged his own people for their sin and sometimes would use plagues to do that. God is a God who's judged in the past. And the Bible tells us that God is going to judge in really a manifest, direct way in the future, in the end times, during the time of tribulation. God today doesn't seem to be judging as dramatically and directly during this age because this is often called, this time we live in, the age of grace. And it's not that there wasn't grace before, there won't be grace after this, but God is uniquely working through his grace in this time. I think things like the coronavirus, while I don't think it's a direct judgment from God, the Bible doesn't tell us that.

There's no way for us to say that with any certainty. I do think at a minimum we can say it's certainly a wake-up call. Todd, I think that was the point of what Mark Hitchcock was saying, is Corona's a wake-up call. But as you point out in all the list of lineup of things that are happening, we have two dozen wake-up calls going on. Do you think people are being awakened? You know, it's funny, I just had a conversation last night with a couple guys at church and we were all talking about how now more than we've seen recently, people are asking those big questions.

I get a lot of emails weekly from people who have never studied Bible prophecy before and are asking questions and wanting answers to know why this is going on the way it is. Well, you say this, and this is I believe taken from an article that you wrote, you say this particular birth pain, COVID-19, happens to be one the entire world is feeling, again increased intensity. It's also a birth pain that has shaken all earthly things, sports, financial markets, distraction hobbies, concerts, you name it, all have been shut down. And then you say those things aren't bad in themselves, but it says if God is removing any distractions for a moment in history to plead with the world again, look up, look to me. The world is temporary.

Think about eternal things. I love you, I died for you. Please don't ignore me. Turn to me now while there is time. Very well stated, Don.

Thank you so much. A good friend of mine preached a sermon a couple weeks ago and he used this analogy that I love. He's got young kids, mine are a little older now, but I remember moments like this and he talked about how he was trying to get his son's attention and he wouldn't listen until he got down on his son's level, got on his knees and asked his son to hold, he said, hold my face. We talk about looking into the Lord's face. I think this is a time where the closer we get to the rapture and the things that are predicted in the book of Revelation, I believe God out of love, even though we see it as scary things, it's necessary. He's out of his love. He's asking the world to hold his face and look into his eyes so he can plead with them while there's still time. And I think the closer we get to the time of the end, I think the more God will use anything and everything he can because he is a God of mercy and love and also necessarily a God of judgment. And he knows that there's nothing that can change that judgment that's coming.

That's coming. And then you say, I'm quoting you again, I should also add that this is a pebble in the ocean. And that's the troubles that we're going through now. This is a pebble in the ocean compared to a yet future global event that will rock the world to its core. If one rapidly spreading virus can cause this type of global disruption, can you imagine what the rapture will do when tens of millions of people are removed from the world in an instant? And then you conclude, Todd, that singular event will set all the end time events of John's revelation into motion. There have been condensed periods of major supernatural events in the past.

Creation, the exodus, the events surrounding the first coming of Jesus, culminating with the resurrection. Now, after roughly 2000 years, we await another period of immense supernatural events, which will begin with the rapture. I want to play one more clip since we're referring to the rapture here.

This is a real short clip of Pastor Jack Hibbs. And then I want to transition for a few minutes to spend on the rapture of the church. And I'm doing that because in your book, The Nonprofit's Guide to the End Times, you actually have a chapter on the rapture. And I think it's important that we keep this topic in front of people because, in fact, it may be the next event in human history. We don't know. The Bible only indicates that it's imminent. It's at any moment. 1 Thessalonians, we saw this a moment ago.

Mark it again. Chapter 4, verse 17 and 18. We just read it. Then we, notice Paul's statement. This is a very powerful thing because there will be those who will argue that Paul did not believe that the rapture would happen in his day. Then if all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and men spoke the scriptures as they were possessed by the Holy Spirit, then why would Paul say the following?

Then we, the word then is a time statement, like when or then, time statement. We, Paul didn't say those or those then in the future. He says we who are alive and remain shall be, there it is, rapture, harpazo, caught up together with them in the clouds. We just read a moment ago in Titus and in 1 Thessalonians 1 that he's going to come from heaven and we are going to meet him. It's the blessed hope. The Bible says here we're going to meet him in the clouds. The Lord that is in the air, that is the atmosphere.

We'll see this in our study as it develops. And thus we shall always be, I love this, with the Lord. My goodness, friends, Bible students, what's implied is where Jesus Christ is, he's going to come and get us and we're going to be with him where he is, not where he's going. This is a very important thing in your understanding and you'll hear it again as we go through this, especially in John chapter 14. But that verse goes on, verse 17, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Look at verse 18, therefore, get all upset and debate and get angry about this promise. No, come for one another with it. We're to be excited about that. And I understand that because of denominational persuasions, there are Christians and Christian pastors and churches that say, no, no, no, we've got to go through the tribulation period. That's what we have to go through.

And you ask them why and they'll tell you various reasons. Yes, they'll agree the Jews and Israel become the witness of that seven-year tribulation time, but the church needs to be perfected and purified. Excuse me, I don't see that anywhere in the Bible. Jesus Christ is our purification. Jesus Christ is the one who has made us accepted, past tense, the Bible puts it, in the beloved, by his blood. If you're trusting Christ this morning, you are accepted by the Lord Jesus Christ.

You don't have to go through some boot camp to become worthy. You're listening to Understanding the Times Radio, Jan Markell here. I have on the line from the East Coast, Todd Hampson. We're carrying two of his books, The Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times with an accompanying workbook. And we also carry his book, The Non-Prophet's Guide to the Book of Revelation. You can find them in my store, OliveTreeViews.org, OliveTreeViews.org.

Give my office a call and we'll get any of those items out to you very quickly. Todd, I'm sure you picked up on Jack. Indeed, we're to comfort one another with these words. We're not scaring one another. We have nothing foreboding to look forward to as it concerns the end of the end, which would be the tribulation from which the church is absent. And that teaching was taught to 90 and accepted by 90% of the church as recently as 20 years ago. That's all changed and now there are many interpretations. Your book defends the pre-Trib rapture and I want to talk about it.

Books like Left Behind and Late Great Planet Earth have spoken into the popularity of pre-Trib. Why do you think that's fallen away? Actually, it's funny you use those words. I think it's part of the falling away. Good point.

Good point. I really do believe that the closer we get, and we don't know the day or the hour, but as Hebrews says, we can see the day approaching. And as we get closer to that day, I think the enemy is going to do his best to lay as much battle ground confusion as possible. So if he can get people confused about the end times. We have brothers and sisters who hold different views, but I believe, and again, coming from my background, I literally had to study scripture for myself. I wanted it to speak to me, not just to adopt someone else's view. And I am thoroughly convinced that from cover to cover, the Bible supports a pre-Trib rapture. And as you or Jack mentioned, it doesn't make sense that we would have to purify ourselves. That's the whole purpose of the cross. Jesus paid all of our sins on the cross. Just a few bullet points you bring out in the chapter you've written on the rapture. Scripture is clear that his bride is not appointed unto wrath. That's the wrath of God because unfortunately the church experiences the wrath of man. You talk about the church. Well, quite frankly, the church disappears after Revelation 4.1 and no longer is found in Revelation till the very end. And the tribulation is for the salvation of the Jewish nation. It has nothing to do with the church. We have the Jewish wedding and you have a lovely outline of the Jewish wedding, which parallels the pre-Trib rapture of the church. It's called the time of Jacob's trouble.

That's Israel. That's not the church's trouble. And then what we just heard, we're to comfort one another with the news of the rapture. That's 1 Thessalonians 4.18. We can't comfort anyone if a horrendous time is ahead of us, Todd. Amen. Yeah, it's not just going to be a tough time.

It's going to be hell on earth. And Jan, you hit on something that I think is key to the source of the confusion when it comes to when the rapture takes place, and that's Israel and the Jewish people. If we don't understand that it's the 70th week of Daniel 9 that is distinctly for, like you said, the purpose of winning the Jewish people back to him, where Paul said in Romans 11 that one day all Israel will be saved.

This is that time period. And if people don't realize that's the key focus of the tribulation period, that's, I think, one of the key sources to where the confusion comes in. Talking to Todd Hampson for part one of the programming today, we're carrying a couple of his books, Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times, Non-Prophet's Guide to the Book of Revelation. And Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times has a workbook.

If you'd like to have a Bible study, you could use the book and the workbook. That's only to Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times. I'm going to read a paragraph or two from your book, Non-Prophet's Guide to the End Times. You say, the geopolitical stage setting we are witnessing today is unprecedented and clearly prophesied in Scripture.

Life in our era is busy and we have a hundred things to distract us and give us tunnel vision. However, when we take the time to view the news headlines of the world in light of specific prophecies foretold in Scripture, we can see that changes are taking place that are clearly setting the stage for key end time events. And then you say, I don't see any way the current world conditions could possibly de-escalate. In other words, the stage will not be unset. The developments taking place now may speed up or slow down, but at some point the prophecies regarding the end times will come to pass and we are watching the stage being set right now.

Todd and I had Chad Thomas on last weekend talking about similar things and he said the exact same thing, we're not going back. And why don't you talk to me for a minute about what I just read from your book. Yeah, I've only become more convinced of that since writing that book and of course 2020 has been end time signs and conditions on steroids in terms of stage setting and globalism and so many other things. We hear this phrase, make America great again. And this isn't my personal opinion, this is from studying Scripture. I don't see anything in Scripture that says there'll be a return to good times or that things will get better and better before the Lord's return. Unfortunately it's just the opposite, that we'll see dangerous times, we'll see lawlessness, we'll see a falling away from truth. And even in our country we've legalized so many things from abortion to who knows what else that I don't see any way that we're going back to where our foundation was, which our country's never been perfect by any means, but at least initially its foundation was in Judeo-Christian principles.

I don't ever see that strengthening again. And I have a recent article that I wrote called Optimistic Pessimism. I'm an optimist by nature, normally I'm very upbeat and honestly even though I'm talking about tough end time things, I'm still very optimistic, I know the Lord's still in control of world events and he's intimately involved in the lives of every person, he wants them to come to him. But without that lens all we see is the world falling apart. Just to reiterate that point, I don't see things getting better, I see things getting more Laodicean-like and more lawless and that kind of thing, but God can prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies. He'll walk us through that until the time of the rapture, but we may face some tough things before that moment. Well, and for the unbeliever, time is running out.

The Bible says today is the day of salvation, don't put it off. Your world could be turned upside down tomorrow. Quite frankly that's the case all around the world.

Look at the West Coast as we speak here, I'm hearing from people on the West Coast and what they're going through. Lives are being turned upside down like never before. The time to name the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today is a really good time folks.

If you want to add to that Todd, be my guest. Yes, I agree 100%. Today's the day of salvation, now's the time to turn to the Lord.

If you have questions, now's the time to figure it out. Don't delay any longer. And I'll also add to that for us as believers, I do personally have a heavy burden that now is the time we need to be pointing people to Christ and making sure that we're loving people, that we're representing Christ well, and that we're pointing people to Him. Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.

So don't feel like you have to go out and evangelize your whole neighborhood, but if every God-given opportunity you lift the name of Jesus up and you point people to Him, you'll be surprised what God will do. I do believe that there's a sense of urgency in the church that's watching right now. I believe that the world is in a setup mode, kind of waiting for the man with a plan, the Mr. Fix-It. There's going to be more and more of a longing for this man with a plan. Perhaps he's waiting in the wings, I suspect he is. I think Satan has always had somebody in the shadows. Satan doesn't know the exact time of God's plans unfolding. He does not know the day ordained for the rapture of the church. So someone, I think, is going to be needed and fairly soon to calm the storm.

Presidential proclamations aren't going to do the trick. That is when things get out of control bad. And there's going to be a mess to clean up since the world is in meltdown. In fact, let's just talk post-rapture. Markets crash, economies tank, etc. With all stability gone, and even lives being lost post-rapture, there's going to be that longing for that Mr. Fix-It. That's what I see as setting the stage right now. More and more mankind is longing for somebody who can come along and fix everything from finances to everything. Politics, you name it. Yes, I agree.

I really do. And we often forget that what the church is doing right now as salt and light. Salt preserves and light shines a light on evil. Even as things get worse, the church is still restraining that evil. I think there's a tidal wave that as soon as the rapture occurs that it's just going to fill the void. And everything we read about that person that we call the future Antichrist says he does not regard the gods as his fathers. I mean, it sounds almost like it's going to be a completely humanistic philosophy. And that's exactly what we see taking shape today, what people are gravitating to. Well, that and idol worship and other doctrines of demons.

But it's kind of a weird mixed bag of everything but the truth is being pushed in our day. And I believe that's just an indicator of the tidal wave that's to come at the moment that the rapture occurs. Talking to Todd Hampson, you can learn more at his website ToddHampson.com. ToddHampson.com. Todd, I think you've got a Prophecy Podcast.

How would they access that? If you just go to Prophecy Pros Podcast, that's myself and Jeff Kinley tag-teaming and talking about Bible prophecy. Is that weekly or monthly?

It's weekly and it's in season two right now so they can actually go back and listen to all of season one to get caught up to speed. And sometimes it's just Jeff and I talking and other times we have some amazing guests like we recently interviewed a lady named Jan Markell and that was a pleasure. I don't know her.

She's a troublemaker is what I'm told. I want to quote you again. Why don't you give that source again where folks can find that? Sure, it's ProphecyProsPodcast.com or if you just go to TheProphecyPros.com you can get a link to the podcast and other information. I want to quote you at least a paragraph or two from you as we kind of wind down here and you say this and we're kind of going back to issues that are happening. Prophetic developments have accelerated to a new level. Literally every single condition mentioned by the Old Testament prophets, John in the book of Revelation, Paul in his epistles, others as well is in place or forming before our eyes at this very moment in history. Even secondary or subtle details of prophecies. And then you have parentheses, particularly the setup for Isaiah 17, which would be the destruction of Damascus and Ezekiel 38, Gog Magog are lining up exactly as foretold 2600 years ago. While events of the day through our natural eyes can be scary and foreboding when we realize this is exactly what we were told it would look like just before the rapture of the church and the future seven year tribulation.

We see it through different lens. Then you say along with the sobering realization of what the world is soon to go through. We should also be encouraged and excited. Titus 2 13 calls the rapture our blessed hope in the context of the rapture. Paul also shared two important and often overlooked things that we are not appointed to suffer wrath and that the promise snatching away of the church should greatly encourage us.

We're winding down here and we've got a few minutes left. How would you like to summarize what you're writing about? What you and I really represent as it concerns respective ministries here and ministries that cooperate with each other, even host each other. But what is the ultimate message of Todd Hampson? I think the ultimate message is, number one, you can understand Bible prophecy and it is very relevant today. I think there's unfortunately many, many believers today who have bought into the idea that Bible prophecy is divisive or it's so complex you can't figure it out. And what I usually encourage people to do is just pick one category, pick Ezekiel 38, study that, read the daily headlines, like really study it, not just an overview.

Really get into the weeds of one aspect and you'll see how exactly the world is lining up. I think we live in similar times to before Israel became a nation again. And if you go back to the Puritans and that era, when people returned to a literal understanding of scripture and they said, hey, one day the Bible says Israel is going to become a nation again.

And people told them they were crazy. Well, here we are, Israel's a nation again, 70 plus years. And we're saying once Israel's a nation again and all these other signs start to fall into place, that means the Lord's return is on the near horizon. Once again, and this fulfills prophecy as well, says people will mock and scoff at the Lord's return and that kind of thing. But here it is again, we're pointing to scripture with a rock solid past track record that shows that God is a promise keeper. So I would say, like you said, time is short. People need the Lord.

Christians need to reclaim a passion for Bible prophecy because it's more relevant now than it has ever been. I totally agree. And you have a style, Todd, and it's in all your books.

It's a style that is trying to catch the attention of younger people, teenagers, young adults. Tell me. And I talked a little bit to Chad Thomas about this.

Actually, I did with the two of you a year and a half ago and Chad again last week. And that is the indifference of those in their 20s and 30s anyway. And it's an indifference to what we're talking about here. And yet you've slanted your books to them.

So what kind of response are you having from them? It's funny, I'm getting a really good response because I should mention that the character of the nonprofit is an Old Testament prophet. He always gets it wrong. And he's kind of the comedy relief throughout the book.

Yes, he is. So in some senses, he breaks down that barrier and it's different. It's not something that's typically in Bible prophecy books. So that gets people's attention and also the humor and the light heartedness in the context of a very heavy topic, I think helps disarm it a little bit to where people at least put their guard down and at least engage with the content. And then once they get into it, if those tools can get people to slow down long enough to really consider the content, all of a sudden it becomes real to them again. I've had people say, I've always believed that the Lord is going to return, but I never really thought about he's really going to return. And that could happen in our lifetime. And that changes how you think, how you feel, how you act, the choices you make. And it changes your perspective of scripture and your respect for the things of God. So you are hearing from some of the younger generation then?

I am. I'm hearing from the younger generation and I'm also hearing from, I'd say a bigger segment of believers that I'm hearing from are people that have been believers for a long time, but just always assume that the book of Revelation and Bible prophecy were off limits and not relevant. And all of a sudden, especially with the events in the world the past couple of years, they're really starting to engage with it again and realize it is extremely relevant.

Do you hear from people? Are they anxious? They're anticipating something. They're skeptical.

What's the mood that you're hearing? I would say over the past five years, it's moved from skeptical to anxious to questioning. It used to be that it was just, it wasn't even on anybody's radar, but then it's almost like the worse the conditions of the world get, the more people realize, oh wait, this really is lining up with what scripture says, at least a little bit that I know.

How can I learn more? And honestly, the biggest comment I get above all else is that if I can get people to engage with Bible prophecy and the book of Revelation, they have a humongous increase in hope and joy and purpose and clarity like never before. Well, that's very well put. I like that.

I like that a lot. Let me give kind of the lineup of the product again. You can find them in our store, the nonprofit that's P-R-O-P-H-E-T, The Nonprofit's Guide to the End Times, and an accompanying workbook, The Nonprofit's Guide to the End Times workbook. So if you're thinking of doing a Bible study and you'd like a book and a workbook, we carry both. And then the other book we carry is Todd's The Nonprofit's Guide to the Book of Revelation, OliveTreeViews.org, OliveTreeViews.org. You could call my office. Learn more at Todd's website, toddhampson.com, and give the address of Prophecy Pros Radio again.

Yes, that's prophecyprospodcast.com or theprophecypros.com. Either of those will get you to it. And that's with you and Jeff Kinley. Yes, ma'am.

I've had Jeff on many times as well. Todd, keep writing. I really think you've got a unique style.

Obviously, Mr. Nonprofit here is extremely unique, and folks, you'll get a chuckle out of it, but it's a good communication tool that Todd's come up with here. It's kind of cartoonish because you're in the animation business. Am I right, Todd?

That's correct. Kind of two things from my past collided. One, I'm an animation producer, and two, as I mentioned, I was unchurched. So I think God's given me an ability to view Scripture from the perspective of someone who's never engaged with it before.

That, I think, helps me want to make it relevant to that person. Todd Hampson, we will stay in touch. Thanks for all you do. Likewise. Thank you so much, Jan. Thank you again. Thank you. Folks, don't go away. We get our mail when you write to Jan Markell and Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove, Minnesota, 55311.

All gifts are tax-deductible. More in a moment. Some people say we are in apocalyptic times. If so, isn't it time you started to understand God's plan for the end of the age? We are carrying Dr. Ron Rhodes' book, 40 Days Through Revelation, uncovering the mystery of the end times. The Bible says, Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book, that being the book of Revelation. No one puts things into easier terms to understand than Dr. Ron Rhodes. If you have been confused or intimidated by the book of Revelation, you will love this easy to understand and practical presentation of its empowering truths. The Bible is clear about the things to come, and Ron Rhodes is one gifted communicator of this vital information. Find the book in our online store at olivetreeviews.org, that's olivetreeviews.org, or call us central time at 763-559-4444, that's 763-559-4444. It will also be in our year-end print magazine.

Sign up online. I say, let's seize the moment in history. Even the secular world is noticing that we are in unprecedented times. Events are unprecedented.

Even natural disasters are called now unprecedented. Here's the bottom line, folks. Time is running out. We look at some church issues in part two of our programming, and also hear an extended clip of Pastor J.D. Farag updating a timeless classic. Consider watching our program on video, where you can see portions of the program, including all video clips played. To do so, go to our website and to radio, then complete archives, or watch our YouTube channel under Jan Markell. Here is part two of today's program.

And welcome back. Just a quick note here that we have both a print and an e-newsletter. I encourage you to sign up for those online. Those periodicals talk about everything we talk about on air and more. Check it out at olivetreeviews.org and check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the various social media sites.

We are very active. I get numerous emails every week. They're expressing various heartaches, dilemmas, and frustrations people have with important people in their lives, including their pastors, by the way. They try to tell them about the tide of our times, about how events playing out today are all outlined in the Bible in the category of things to come. And they're met with, as you've heard me say on this program before, indifference and even anger.

Now, many people can no longer cope with reality and are looking for alternative and often unhealthy ways to cope. And the church is under tremendous attack. I hear from pastors as well, many a week, expressing various dilemmas.

They have to cope and care for the flock in these perilous and kind of crazy times. So what I'd like to do is I'd like to play a short clip from a recent prophecy update by Pastor J.D. Farag. And he'll actually be live with me on programming here in the next few weeks. But this is from an update he did online in mid-August. And he is playing off the Paul Harvey 1965 classic, If I Were the Devil. And I'm going to have some further comments at the end of this clip.

Churches today are being bullied into bowing at the feet of public health experts and scientists. And you know what's sad? It's working. It's working. What the devil has set about to do, however necessary, has been done in large measure.

How? By muscling and closing and silencing the church. If you'll kindly allow me to, I would like to start by reading from the transcript of this epic and even prophetic word fitly spoken by Paul Harvey titled If I Were the Devil. If I were the devil, if I were the prince of darkness, I'd want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I'd have a third of its real estate and four fifths of its population.

But I wouldn't be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, thee. So I'd set about, however necessary, to take over the United States. I'd subvert the churches first.

55 years ago, I began with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, Do as you please. To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what's bad is good and what's good is square.

That's not a word we don't use anymore. And the old, I would teach to pray after me, our father, which art in Washington. And then I'd get organized.

Oh, seems pretty organized to me so far. I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could.

I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I'd soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves until each in its turn was consumed. And with the promises of higher ratings, I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions.

Just let those run wild until before you knew it. You'd have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. Within a decade, I'd have prisons overflowing. I'd have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress and in his own churches. I would substitute psychology for religion and listen, deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money.

1965. If I were the devil, I'd make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the devil, I'd take from those who have and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard work in patriotism, in moral conduct.

I would convince the young that marriage is old fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the devil, I'd just keep right on doing what he's doing. 55 years ago. Let's fast forward.

Please know that I in no way wish to posture myself as someone who would rise to the level of the late Paul Harvey. I seek only to update this if I were the devil in 2020. If I were the devil in 2020, as the prince of darkness, I'd want to use a global deception to engulf the whole world in darkness. To start, I would set about a scheme that would ultimately take down the United States. I would use whatever means necessary to shut down the churches first, but keep abortion clinics open. If I were the devil in 2020, I'd soon have families, churches, pastors, Christians, police, politicians, cities and nations protesting, rioting, fighting and warring with each other so as to devour and destroy each other.

I would pit black against white, race against race, right against left, and with the promise of higher ratings, I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, do what thou wilt is the whole of the law as you participate in my lawlessness. I would confide that what's evil is good and what's good is evil.

I would teach you to pray after me, our father, which art in Washington, and then I'd get organized. If I were the devil in 2020, I would fill you with paralyzing fear of everyone and everything around you for your own perceived peace and safety. Once I have you hiding in isolation, there will be a transformation which will allow me to bring about my demonic reformation. I would then succeed in making those that are left behind and still on the earth dependent on my own ruling government for basic goods and services. I would also peddle the final solution as a medical solution.

Having deified science because of the reaction to the problem I created in the first place with my global deception. By doing this, I will have that which I have always wanted, you worshipping me. If you refuse to worship me, you will not be able to work and earn a living.

Not only will this cost you your livelihood, could also cost you your life. If I were the devil in 2020, I would undress you of any remaining hope and seduce you away from the God who I blame and accuse of being evil to deceive you to believe me. In other words, if I were the devil, I just keep right on doing what he's doing. But God, I love those two words. I love those two words. I love those two words. Did I tell you that I love those two words?

And so do you, right? Because it changes everything. But God, I would argue two of the most powerful words ever spoken. The devil may be doing all that he's doing, meaning it for evil, but God means it for good for the salvation of many this day, as only he can and is and will continue to. It's important to understand that at the end of the day, the devil is still God's devil.

What do you mean by that? No, he's a created being. He's not equal to God. He was created by God. He is not omniscient like God. He is not omnipotent like God, and he is not omnipresent like God. As such, he can only do what God allows him to do. And here's the thing.

God will never allow the devil to do anything unless it serves his purpose for his kingdom and for his glory forever and ever. Amen. You're listening to Understanding the Times Radio, Jan Markell here, and I want to expand for just a few minutes on some of the thoughts Pastor J.D.

Farag just presented. You know, we are in the most biblically relevant times in history with, quite frankly, the least amount of interest in them. We are in a season of exploding signs of the times with the most amount of scoffing, and this is all predicted, by the way. Everything is now accelerated. Everything is on overdrive except interest in all of these things. And as a result, quite frankly, watchmen are growing weary. I got an email.

Let me read it. I'm going to read a couple of emails, and the writer says, Jan, I am viewed as crazy just by mentioning how excited I am for the Lord to return and about the times we are in. It makes me nervous to even mention world news and events or end-time prophecy with anyone who claims to be a Christian. The reactions I get are so very negative. I haven't found even one person at my church, work, or extended family who would be willing to discuss any of these issues, but what is most disheartening is the indifference in my church of almost 30 years. Well, I got to thinking about this, and frankly, I've thought about it for years, and I came up with some potential reasons for this, about 10, 10 quick points. Why is this happening? Why is it happening in the church?

Let me just go down a rundown here of some options. Number one, way too many people are in love with this world, and they cling to it, and they derive tremendous pleasure from it, and quite frankly, busy, B-U-S-Y, has become the new four-letter word. People are running to and fro. They just don't either have the time or want to take the time to be informed and apprised. Number two, coupled with this are the preachers who are telling people they can have their best life now. That has become people's all-consuming goal. Yeah, even in this crazy 2020 where it's obvious that things are continuing to deteriorate, and maybe our best life now, maybe that is behind us. Number three, for some, reality has become terrifying.

Some are saying our life will never return to normal, and I think that's probably accurate, and whatever that was as recently, quite frankly, is just six months ago, and those voices, sadly, they might be right. Life may have turned a dark corner in 2020, and so reality, as I said, it's just become terrifying, and people can't cope with the new reality, and so they're tuning out, and they're dropping out, and I believe that's another reason they will not listen today. Number four, Satan is a distractor.

He is in a hyperactive mode. He's keeping people from paying attention to how late the hour is, and if they aren't watching the times, quite frankly, he can lull them into complacency and even keep people from sharing the Gospel, and his goal is to keep people majoring in the minors, and lots of people are doing that, and therefore, they don't want to pay attention. Reality is distracting. Number five, detaching from reality, it's a coping mechanism, and some can't keep hearing, listening, watching the various things on the media, the natural disasters, the pandemic, the riots, the looting, the persecution, quite frankly, the suffering. These things crush the spirit, and again, their option is to tune out, to drop out, and to not pay attention, and to not listen. And number six, many churches and Christians today, they quite frankly represent Laodicea. The Laodicean church was lukewarm, it was indifferent, it very likely was totally focused on self-gratification, and if you are consumed with looking within, quite frankly, you cannot pay attention to what is happening on the outside, and I think that's what's going on with a lot of people.

They're only reflecting inwardly, therefore intentionally shutting out things on the outside, and therefore, they're tuning you out as well. Number seven, many of the church pulpits remain silent. If the pastor is not talking about the times, the sheeple feel they need not pay attention to the times, so too many pastors want to avoid anything controversial or cutting edge.

They will not address some of the stunning events taking place daily, even if the events have biblical significance. Number eight, God has turned some people over to a mindset that does not allow them to understand the times. He may have given some people you care about over to a reprobate mind that's found in Romans 1. Four of the most terrifying words in the Bible are God gave them over, but that's what's happening today to lots of people. Simply their mindset is going to earthly things, but in the fallout of all of that, God has simply turned some of these people over to that reprobate mind where they do not, they cannot focus on the things that you feel might be important that would help them understand the times. Number nine, the obsession with social justice has replaced the good news that the King is coming.

It has also replaced the Great Commission in the Gospel of Salvation. This would be the case in some churches, thankfully not all. Many would rather save our planet than save souls and talk about the Lord's return.

This is the new mood in the church today to talk about Black Lives Matter, critical race theory, things like that, rather than the King is coming. As a result, people's ears and eyes are closed to the things you're talking about. Number ten, many Christians know that they are not right with God and that causes them to avoid reality. So if the signs of the times that we watch remind them that their time is running out, they choose to tune out.

Can you blame them with that kind of a mindset? When you come to them with reality and what's going on in the world, they tune you out because they cannot deal with reality. So this email says a lot. They say, Jan, I'm looked at like I am an alien just because I track what is happening and I relate it to the Bible.

A few of you online teachers helped me celebrate my alien status. I feel like a lonely goldfish in a bowl. So much of what the Bible predicted is coming true every day. Keep sounding the alarm.

Just think back. What must the days of Noah been like? The preacher Noah talked for 120 years and was totally ignored. Noah didn't have Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

He didn't have a microphone or a pulpit, but he kept talking about the truth. Finally, the ark door closed on a scoffing society. And here's the thing.

It's going to close again. But this time it will come by way of the rapture of the church. And millions are going to miss it because they didn't listen to the watchman.

That's you. But some will. So we must not be silent. You know, a secular talk show host said that a blanket of darkness has been thrown over us. But the believer cannot and must not think that way. An opportunity has been handed to us.

Desperate people are more inclined to listen. And you can't throw a blanket of darkness over anyone who has an eternal perspective. I say let's seize the moment in history. Even the secular world is noticing that we are in unprecedented times. Events are unprecedented.

Even natural disasters are called now unprecedented. Here's the bottom line, folks. Time is running out. So share the good news. Talk to people about what's happening. Tell them that the King is coming and don't grow weary in waiting. I'll talk about the recent peace activity between Israel and her neighbors next week, folks, with Dr. Ron Rhodes.

I know there's divided opinion out there. I want to thank you for listening and we'll talk to you again next week. We get our mail when you write to Jan Markell and Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove, Minnesota, 55311.

That's Box 1452, Maple Grove, Minnesota, 55311. All gifts are tax-deductible and we again remind you that God is in control. Nothing catches Him by surprise. You are engraved in the palms of His hands and everything is falling into place.