Episode Three: Storm Clouds. A Personal Note
Episode 3: Storm Clouds was a particularly emotional film to make. Remember that when all the research is taken into account, finding suitable images and music, days have been spent immersing oneself into someone else’s desperate world.
The real problem is we are talking about the future. This is all yet to happen, and it will involve our friends and families, our neighbourhoods and country.
“If only they would listen” is the internal gut reaction. Although God could relent – and wishes to do so, that is entirely dependant on our national actions.
One of the reactions to this film clip was to ask how a devastating world war could have come about. The world is at peace on day one of the Day of the Lord. Everyone is going about business as usual, everyone is unaware that anything unusual is in the air.
Nothing drastic occurs for a while other than the gospel message to the world. That only generates excitement from all those waiting for an instant rapture on day one. Probably the reaction from the rest of the world will be very mixed. Insult and anger from some alternative religions; total disregard from the majority of western governments; why give up their hard won political ground for a ‘dream’?
The end result is nothing will change and the inevitable will happen.
Who is at fault? Does someone invade other nations, is there a particular aggressor involved? Not from what we see in the bible. The beast is not even in existence when the gospel goes forth.
All too often I see articles and web sites pointing the finger at ‘bad’ nations. ‘It’s all their fault’. They are going to try and do away with us with some ‘nuclear skulduggery’ is the usual scenario.
It’s never our fault.
Well, that is not according to the bible. The full blame for the end time falls squarely on the shoulders of Christian nations that should have been Christian but weren’t. At the top of the list of God’s complaints are the Church leaders. It was their responsibility to gauge the temperature of the nations morals. They are responsible to God if indeed they have anything to do with God at all.
The book of Malachi condemns the Church leaders in no uncertain terms. As mentioned in the clip, when the overall situation gets to the point of no return within the nations that are supposed to be God’s nations, when they have thrown all restraint out the window what is God supposed to do?
Just let them go down the sewer pipe? God loves them too much for that.
When the Churches teach what is diametrically opposed to Christ’s teaching, their noses are headed for a grinding in the manure patch.
The ‘blame’ for the end time descending down on this world is purely in the court of the so-called Christian nations. They should have known better. Much, much better. And they will emerge from the depths, but not before some very painful experiences to make them think a little more soberly about just how ‘the cookie crumbles’.
If you share this concern, if you are sickened at some of the depraved behaviour that goes on about us, if you ‘sigh and cry’ then Please promote these videos and our website. There is work to do. Difficult and unpopular work, but necessary.
There are no promises from God of any protection from all the troubles soon to come, we will be in the thick of it or even front line of it if we are doing our job. There is work to do but there are the most extraordinary promises of reward for having done a good job. The time is coming when we will have to take up our cross. Indeed Christ says if we will not, then we are nothing to do with Him.
How does being a king or a priest forever in the kingdom sound? ‘Forever’ is even short-changing the story because the kingdom goes on beyond physical time. A King for Eternity is a better expression.
A position reserved for those that love God (more than themselves).
Michael.
Episode Three On Air
Storm Clouds
Episode 3 deals with the horses and riders of Rev 6. The so called horsemen of the Apocalypse. I can’t say the ‘four horsemen’ because the first horse and Rider are not connected to the other three. The first one on the white horse with a bow going forth to conquer is Christ. (Episode 2).
This episode depicts a difficult time for the entire world including Church members. It is not the great tribulation, that still lies ahead, but a tribulation none the less.
After the basics have been placed on the timeline, to have a framework to work with, the details will be spelt out.
The response to the videos has been very pleasing but we need your support to spread the word.
You can watch episode three here:
Episode 2 live on video channels
Episode two, the ‘First Event’ is up and running on Blip and YouTube (see blogroll links). Response has been great with extra traffic to the Read & Run site. This episode explains who and what the rider on the white horse is and it’s part in the End Time. The first seal of Rev 6 is explained.
The next episode will deal with the next three seals of Revelation.
Michael.
Return of Christ Videos
The Return of Christ Video series is underway
The first two clips are up on both Blip TV and YouTube. Get ready for a 100? more.
The first clip is an introduction to the series and the second clip is Episode 1: How does the end time start.
This is Episode 1 from YouTube:
Hopefully we will be able to keep up a production schedule of one program a week. Episode 2 is nearing completion. This episode is describing just what is the first event of the end time. It is critical to understand that , otherwise how will you know the Day of the Lord has started. More to the point, you need to know in advance. Matt 25 ‘when the cry goes up the Lord cometh’ etc. That is not the time to start getting ready!
Go to Blip or YouTube and use the e-mail link to send it on to friends.
Feedback would really be appreciated.
The Beast: What Are We Looking For?
The beast is often pictured as a ten horned monster. Are we to look for something resembling a monster or is the reality a little more down to earth, a bit more ‘homely’?
This is a brief out line of the biblical guidelines to watch for.
The Beast Scripturally Has the Following Characteristics:
An Angel of Light
First and foremost, everything Satan does is by sleight of hand. Nothing is as it seems. The beast will appear as an angel of light. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness. 2 Cor 11:14
Conclusion. The very last person you expected, the least obvious, will be the one. No one would be deceived otherwise.
Extensive Diplomatic Skills
To have the cooperation necessary in the early stages, this person will have had considerable experience on the political arena.
Conclusion: To survive in the intensely difficult times the beast presides over, this person has a lot of experience and skill to weld it all together. Later on Satan will be empowering him.
A European Leader
From two sets of scriptures we are looking for a leader from Europe. Both Revelation and Daniel show him to have descended from the long line of continuous resurrections of the Roman Empire. There are only four world empires recorded in the bible, the last one is the Roman Empire. (Not Chinese or Arab etc)
Both European And From Christian Tradition
The beast along with the false prophet are able to deceive true Christians, ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’. Matt 24:24
Conclusion: There is absolutely no way a true Christian could be deceived by a Buddhist, Muslim or agnostic leader. The deception would have to be (or appear to most as) very close to the truth to be difficult to separate fact from fiction.
The Beast Will Be A Man Of Faith
The whole powerbase of the beast is in conjunction with religion. He with the false prophet uses faith as a tool for political control.
Conclusion: Look for a person with a background involved with ‘faith’ in combination with political skill and experience.
The Beast Comes On Stage As Something New
The fifteen scriptural warnings that the Day of the Lord starts without any introduction or outward indications point to the beast and the whole political apparatus he is involved with not having been in existence long enough to be recognised for what it was when the Day of the Lord starts.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:2 together with 14 other similar verses. We should understand that perfectly as Paul says.
Conclusion: The arrival of the beast and his political system will coincide with the start of something different and the ‘End Time’ will begin almost immediately. The beast certainly will not be recognized as such at first.
The Beast And The False Prophet Linked
The beast is a secular politician when he begins his journey. The false prophet is the recognized leader of the predominant religious organization within Europe. The two are inextricably linked and dependent on each other. At some point the traditional Church is altered beyond recognition with the false prophet declaring the beast as the god that must be worshiped by all:
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. Rev 17:16
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Dan 11:37
Conclusion: The beast must have a direct and recognizable link with the religious leader of Europe.
How And When Does The Beast Gain All His Power?
The subject of how the Day of the Lord has a very unexpected and sudden start is heavily emphasised. When events do get underway it is in an atmosphere of complete panic. The fall of Babylon catapults the whole world into total financial chaos. Rev 18
All nations will struggle for continued existence. In this environment populations are only too willing to make concessions if it could mean survival.
In the jostle, war inevitably breaks out. The second seal:‘Power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword’. Rev 6:4
A lot more information on the beast is on our main web-site, Read & Run under the navigation heading: Beast
The Revival Movement: Where It Fits In The End Time
The position of ‘Read and Run’ is that there is almost nothing we are waiting for that could prevent the return of Christ from occurring right now. To be more specific, by that we mean the beginning of the Day of the Lord – the End time. The actual return of Christ will be three and a half years after the starting point.
We have held for (many years now) that the fifteen scriptures that state the day of the Lord begins without warning and very suddenly, mean exactly what they say.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1Thess 5:2
Fourteen other verses support that statement.
This leads to the conclusion that there will be no clear signs of anything that would make it obvious that Christ has determined time is up. Realistically however, some things will need to be underway for all the events to fall into place (suddenly) when the time occurs. One of those is the presence of who will become the beast. If the End Time is on our doorstep then that person must be present now. See our separate article: The Beast – What Are We Looking For? (Coming in a few days)
The point of this article is how does the Revival Movement fit into the picture?
Below is a chart, not meant to be to any accurate ‘scale’ but a rough representation of how the different Church groups fit into a category facing the issue of the return of Christ in the short term.
How ready will they be when the time comes? Where does the Revival scene fit in?
This chart is how we have represented the broad Christian community. Biblically there are going to be exceptions, outstanding ones, from all the groups.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. Rev 3:4 This is typical of Christ’s evaluation of all the Churches.
Chart: Church Groups and a Typical Response to the Return of Christ
- The Bulk of Mainstream
This would include Roman Catholics, Anglicans and all traditional large Church denominations. The typical attitude is they know all they want to know for now, ‘Yes, Christ will return one day, but we have no need to concern ourselves with that at this moment’.
- Rapture Ready. The prevailing attitude within this group is one of excitement at the prospect of Christ returning. As far as the detail is concerned, ‘Why get worked up about specifics, Christ is coming for us and I am ready’. Proponents of this attitude are spread through many Church denominations.
- Preterists. This group, of course, gets very frustrated when discussion turns to the return of Christ. For them it has already happened. You might think that the idea of Christ having returned, the resurrection as a past event and the great tribulation as nothing to be feared since it also happened in AD 71, as strange. However when you add the degrees of partial Preterism into the equation such as ‘the Kingdom of God is here now’ (i.e. ruling out a literal reign of Christ during the millennium), then this group is much larger than at first thought and has a widespread following.
- The smaller groups. These would include Messianic, Seventh Day Adventist, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Church of God congregations. They are discussed together since they have very fixed opinions and will not listen to anyone outside of their own ranks. That makes them inflexible and unreachable.
Lastly we come to the individuals, once again scattered from within all the above groups that comprise the Revival movement.
The Revival Movement.
There is one characteristic that separates these individuals from all the others and makes them unique. They are searching. Their minds are still open and they are looking for direction. They see the status quo as seriously lacking any real spiritual fibre and want to do something about it. They are burning with a zeal that is facing the right direction. As a whole they are young and energetic. God’s Word is their yardstick.
The problem this body has is one of direction and focus.
From within their ranks are divergent views that need to be harnessed if the maximum synergy is to be gained.
At the heart of their message is ‘things cannot continue as they are’. Some are saying America as we know it is about to crumble. Some go further to say that America is Babylon. Some say that Christ is coming soon. None of these views are shared by all and certainly there is no unanimity in understanding the detail of Christ’s return.
A quote becoming more popular these days is ‘If God does not deal with America, then He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah’. There is a general recognition that the world’s superpower is also the primary vehicle for the spread of much that is causing God’s name to be profaned. His own people are in effect spitting in God’s face. How much longer can that continue? God is not mocked.
To keep this article a little shorter, suffice to say that taken as a whole, taking all the views of the Revival Movement it comes down to one question: if things are not going to continue as they were, what is going to happen?
If the USA, UK and other Christian nations are facing an inevitable Muslim takeover of their populations then Christianity as we know it is as good as dead. This is only one of the problems that the Church is facing.
We know from God’s promises that the Church will never die so something has to give.
All in all with every issue taken into consideration the fact that Christ is going to return soon should be the predictable conclusion. That however is not the case. Why is that?
The answer lies in the disparate views held on this subject and that is where the lack of focus for the Revival Movement can be pinpointed.
Until this subject is clarified there will be no meaningful direction before the event.
All is not lost. I firmly believe that a real mountain of a revival will occur. It has to occur. Malachi 4 states without a ‘revival’ the earth will be destroyed (‘curse’ in Hebrew here means utter destruction):
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
God is saying ‘work it out, or I will move to plan B’.
I believe the bible indicates that it will only be after the Day of the Lord has begun that this Revival will take place in earnest through much tribulation, but the end result will be beyond the wildest dreams.
The bottom line is a huge revival is in the bible; the people that will secure this event as a reality are those that are working and praying for it now.
The sooner people realize what Christ is trying to achieve at His return, the quicker and easier it will be to fall inline with His objectives.
That is the purpose of our website Read and Run. Read all about it and run with it to others. www.readandrun.co.uk
Michael Storey
