prophecy

This IS Your End Time

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Through his years of service as a minister of Jesus Christ, my dad, Randy Stiver, often examined certain themes, and prominent among them was the “year of last things.” It started as a lesson learned during his years at Ambassador College in Bricket Wood, England, when he was asked by a faculty member if he was truly appreciating his “year of last things” as a senior. Last dance, last Bible study, last Sabbath, all the many “lasts” of his college experience.

But as he meditated on it, and we discussed it as a family, it grew into a concept that was much bigger than youthful experiences. It developed a more somber tone, are we truly appreciating all of God’s blessings in our lives because we don’t know the day or hour of our death. We could all be facing our “year of last things” in life. 2026 was certainly my dad’s year of last things, according to God’s will.

More importantly, since we know that according to God’s plan, we who are called now have this one lifetime to act on our calling, there is an exponentially more serious tone to our own “year of last things”. We have a choice in this life, we can choose God’s way on His terms or we can reject it. Closely examined, there really isn’t an “in between” choice where we can sort of follow God’s way, but by our own standards. No soap, as the old saying goes.

When “year of last things” becomes our personal end-time

I remember that, in the course of one sermon on the year of last things, dad followed the thought through to its logical end. If our life-span is the test of our true commitment to God, then by extension, the end of our life is our, personal, end-time.

Most of us think of the “end times” as a narrow period of time that precedes the last days, a period of world conflagration and tribulation, the Divine justice of the Day of the Lord, and, ultimately, the Return of Jesus Christ. Those events will come to pass, and will be the defining moment of the generations that are alive when they transpire (perhaps even our own), but if we convince ourselves that we can live an endless summer existence of “good times,” being fairweather friends with God’s Law and way of life, and then “if things get really serious, prophetically” we shape up in the hopes (possibly vain) that God will protect us, we are deluding ourselves. We miss the reality that we are living in our own “end time.”

Our convictions should have deeper roots than that. This is a “live or die” calling. We aren’t here for the good times only, or the social outlet, or the fun Feast travel, or the doctrinal dabbling, or the [insert your distraction of choice here]. We are here for the whole life-long fight, as Paul put it: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23, NKJV).

We’re here for the overcoming because there is only one goal of any value and that is our calling to be born into the Family of God at the Return of Jesus Christ. It should shape us every step of every day.

This was what motivated my dad through the years to keep on with the extremely exhausting job of pastoring, especially when not everyone was receptive to God’s way, even in the Church of God. (Imagine that.) Nonetheless, he wanted to see that internal combustion engine of conviction and true faith chugging away in all the people of God he worked with through the years. He poured his energy into his preaching to try to stir up God’s Spirit in others. Sometimes it was effective, sometimes it felt like an endless uphill climb.

Berean brethren I have known

But there is a small subset of brethren that he, and my mom and I, found endlessly encouraging through the years. Even inspiring to our own faith. My own great-grandmothers and grandparents were among them.

They were people from, primarily, another generation. They lived life before the digital revolution, a few even before the electrical revolution. I remember some of them from my very early youth, I wasn’t yet 10 years old, and they would have been in their late 70’s and 80’s, close to the century mark in the late 1980’s. The world of their youth was less distracting, and they had a unique ability to focus on what mattered. Many of them came from an agrarian background, so being attuned to the patient perseverance necessary to grow crops and work with livestock was built into their perspective.

When they came to the knowledge of the truth of God, at that time through the work of Herbert W. Armstrong and the Radio Church of God, later the Worldwide Church of God, and having proved it true from their Bibles they had a “pearl of great price” attitude. That was it, they had found the truth and a lot of the other distractions in life that people aspire to didn’t really interest them.

They loved to talk about the truth, especially as it was outlined in the literature of the church at that time. They loved to talk about what they read in their Bibles. Not to dispute or to dabble with various interpretations or misinterpretations, as is often the case, but to be profoundly amazed and appreciative that God had revealed the fullness of His plan of Salvation for all mankind to them, in their lifetime. To know that, if they remained committed to the end, they, too, would be a part of the very Family of God. Living out the most purposeful existence of which our minds can scarcely conceive.

They knew the cost and the price of being prepared for their personal, end time. One such man had been a minister in a mainstream Christian church his entire career and only came to a true understanding of Scripture late in life. Yet he embraced it with absolute enthusiasm. He knew the cost and value of God’s truth.

Their memory still inspires me, just as my dad’s unwavering commmitment to teach God’s way of life even as he declined in the hospital, inspires me. The same way that the record of the faithful in the Bible inspires me, and the commitment and struggle and suffering that the apostles lived inspires me. The way the suffering and commitment of Jesus Christ should inspire us all.

Live like this is your year of last things, as if your personal end time is upon you. Eyes forward. Onward and upward as my dad used to say. You will not regret it. We will not regret it.

– Amanda Stiver

*If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission. **All images are property of Amanda Stiver, unless otherwise noted. Please do not re-use without permission.

Operation Rising Lion: Modern Nations–Ancient Alliances

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Early in the morning on Friday, June 13th the state of Israel launched a dramatic attack on one of the primary nuclear reactors in Iran. In addition, a number of key Iranian military leaders and nuclear officials were targeted and killed after it was confirmed that Iran had likely reached the capacity to produce nuclear warheads.

Based on repeated public threats from the Iranian leadership, it is well established that they planned to destroy Israel and, potentially, other key nations and cities in the Arab world and the west with these weapons.

Israel titled its mission (which is ongoing) “Operation Rising Lion.” The lion of Judah is a biblical symbol drawn from Genesis 49:9. And is used in a number of places in scripture to refer both to the tribe of Judah, as well as to the ultimate descendant of that tribe, Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:5).

Indeed, while the state of Israel, which actually consists primarily of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, may leap like a lion in the days leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ, it is Christ Himself who will give the final roar to world events.

It is interesting to note the relationship that the Jews have historically had with the Persian Empire (what we, today, call “Iran”), and specifically with the Persian Emperor Cyrus (reign: 559-530 B.C.), who granted the freedom to return home to the Jews who had been taken captive by the Babylonians 70 years before (Ezra 1, 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Jeremiah 25 and 29). It was through his edict, an event that was prophesied nearly two hundred years earlier by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 44 and 45), that a small remnant of Judah and some of the Levitical priestly families were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of God.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel issued a statement late on Friday, June 13th acknowledging this debt to the Iranian people and encouraging to them to throw off their oppressive leaders: “The nation of Iran and the nation of Israel have been friends since the days of Cyrus the Great. The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime.”

In due time we will see what the ultimate outcome of this recent action by Israel against Iran’s nuclear weapons program will be, but we can know with certainty that it is all part of the staging of events that will ultimately lead to the return of Jesus Christ. The empires and nations of the past have by no means disappeared into the fog of history, they are the same players now, but with different names.

Be watchful, be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8)—it is an exciting and sobering time to be alive and watch these events unfold, but it is more exciting to anticipate the complete transformation and reclamation of humanity that will occur as the government of Jesus Christ ushers in a new era of history!

-Amanda Stiver, with Randy Stiver

*If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission.

**All images are property of Amanda Stiver, unless otherwise noted. Please do not re-use without permission.

How Do We Value Prophecy?

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A commentary by Randy Stiver (3-24-2023)

As we were reviewing the news last week, my daughter pointed out some interesting comments attached to a post from a Christian news aggregator (a website that collects and shares news stories with commentary). This particular news item addressed the recent, and unnerving, bank failures in California.

The comments that followed from 20-something readers were illuminating. Some admitted that their only understanding of a “bank run” was from the famous Jimmy Stewart movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, seen during the Christmas marketing season.

One commenter made an intriguing prophetic connection about events in the financial sector: “There is so much happening to prepare the way for the one world government and the beast system. This [bank collapse] is a precursor.” 

That comment was met with some agreement, but also significant, ideological resistance:  “…From a scriptural point of view, we don’t really see that happening yet, and it likely still won’t for quite a long time. There’s no need to talk about end times and fear monger amongst Christians when we aren’t quite there yet…”

Important questions and implications

A.) Do we know enough about the “Beast” system to be able to say that the financial chaos of recent years is a precursor?

Answer: Yes, we can know a considerable amount about the prophesied “Beast” power, read Revelation 13 to understand what the “Beast” is and its implications in Bible prophecy. Verses 16-17 of that chapter pertain to an all-encompassing economic system. Financial consolidation through bank failures could function as a catalyst that would allow a “Beast”-type government to arise. It is wise to be watchful of economic conditions, especially when they shift rapidly.

B.) Does Scripture instruct us to not talk about Bible prophecy if we have concluded that there aren’t sufficient signs of its fulfillment? What are the inherent dangers of that argument? 

Answer: Prophecy is a vital part of Scripture—not to be overlooked. Almost one third of the Bible, in fact, directly addresses prophecy. To neglect one of the outstanding features and proofs of the authenticity of the Bible as the revealed Word of God is unwise, to say the least.

Being well versed in all dimensions of the Bible message is vital, but watching and warning is a clear directive from our Savior, Jesus Christ (see Luke 21:35-36). If we are to watch, it follows that we must know what to watch for, and the only place to be educated in that information is through study of prophecy and prophetic events in the Bible.

C.) Another comment suggested that Christ is all about love and therefore we shouldn’t frighten His followers with scary end time prophecies and analysis. Is that a fair characterization of Jesus Christ and His love for us? 

Answer: God’s love is multi-faceted. If a child is playing near a heated stove, hot pans and skillets within reach, a parent knows instinctively that to love that child means they must intervene rather than let him or her continue in a dangerous habit. So, too, will God intervene with humanity. He won’t allow humankind to continue into sinful self-destruction.

Christ’s “tough love” warnings to mankind take up many paragraphs in the New Testament, particularly the prophecies of the end times found in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Christ knew that His followers would, through His Spirit, understand that the “scary” times are followed by a time of unprecedented peace and freedom from human suffering in His Kingdom on earth.

Aware ahead of time

One of the key elements of end-time prophecy is the unique religious deception that grows in intensity during the last few years prior to Christ’s return.

This religious deception will tempt even the faithful followers of God to abandon the truth, losing the ability to see that they are not following God, and are, instead, following the Devil and his false prophets (Matthew 24:24).

Isn’t it essential, whether Christ returns in our lifetime or not, that we remain alert, wise and warily watchful for prophesied deceptions – especially ones cloaked in apparent “Christian principles” of love, acceptance, tolerance, and diversity, etcetera? Please read thoroughly 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.

“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).  

Jesus personally forewarned all the world to be watchful of religious deception, false values and lies.

What is the inherent value of prophecy? Was it not Jesus Himself who inspired great prophecies as part of Holy Scripture to teach us His way to keenly sharpen our anticipation for, and insight into the soon-coming Kingdom of God?

End time prophecies were vitally important to the biblical Prophets, the Apostles and especially to Jesus Christ—the Lord and Savior of all mankind. Don’t dwell in denial! Those prophecies remain vitally important for us—and all mankind—today in the era leading to Jesus’ soon-to-occur second coming! (John 16:33)

Be watchful, stay vigilant, remain faithful!

*This originally appeared as a weekly note sent to my local congregation. If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission.