Signs & Wonders Blog

This past week, I rewatched (via YouTube) a series of old movies produced by Mark IV Pictures that helped me understand end-time prophecy as a young believer. They are in order: “A Thief in the Night”, “A Distant Thunder”, “Image of the Beast”, and “The Prodigal Planet.” Many Bible prophecy scholars then taught the Antichrist would emerge from Europe. Some suggested he could be a Jew from the tribe of Dan. Then in 2004 while staying with a pastor in Cleveland, Tennessee, I learned of a locally-based evangelist named Perry Stone who taught the Antichrist would be a Muslim. Back then, I wasn’t familiar with Brother Perry. Since then, I’ve regularly watched his videos (including his “Manna Fest” program), plus attended a few of his meetings.  I now agree with Perry Stone’s belief regarding a Muslim Antichrist. That makes more sense to me for a couple of reasons. First, the rise of ISIS and their beheading of Christians who refuse to renounce their faith in Jesus. Secondly, I notic...

I consider myself a techie and enjoy the benefits of using electronic equipment. For years, I’ve mostly read God’s word on my smartphone, tablet, and laptop. I can quickly look up verses in different translations, plus enlarge the font to make them easier to read. The small printing in some Bibles almost require a magnifying glass. At night, I often fall asleep to an audio Bible playing on one of my devices.  Living out of a suitcase and limited to the amount of things I can pack, I strive to be as paperless as possible. I primarily communicate online to reduce the amount of snail mail that arrives at my post office box . Using apps on my iPhone, I conveniently use public transportation and make financial transactions. However, I still carry some cash in case of emergencies. One morning, I visited McDonald’s to order a coffee and breakfast burrito, but unfortunately, their computer system was down, preventing me from using my debit card. Fortunately, a woman behind me, who was a ...

A few weeks ago, I stopped at McDonald’s after spending part of the afternoon passing out gospel tracts. Because the cashier line was long, I used a self-serve kiosk to pay for my food. I was a bit surprised when noticing the order number on my receipt was 666. Just about everyone knows that number is associated with the Antichrist as mentioned in Revelation 13: 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,  17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. While many Bible prophecy followers believe the mark will be a microchip, it could also be a tattoo. Until a generation ago, tattoos in Western countries were mostly seen on military men. Nowadays, both men and women from all walks o...

One evangelistic slogan found on T-shirts and bumper stickers is, “Body piercing saved my life.” That phrase is sometimes accompanied by a picture of a punctured hand symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a way of witnessing to the Goth community and others who are into body piercing.   Two years before giving my life to the Lord, I had my ear pierced and wore an earring. Although I’ve since chosen not to wear it anymore, I still get irritated when earring-wearing men are criticized by religious folk, especially female ministers. Who decided that only women should have earrings? In Old Testament days, both men and women wore them (see Exodus 35:22). Another trend that has infiltrated the church is tattoos. Until a generation ago, tattoos in Western countries were mostly seen on military men. Nowadays, both men and women from all backgrounds have them. When I first noticed tattoos becoming popular, I thought this could be paving the way for the mark of the beast. ...

Not long after committing my life to the Lord in 1991, I developed an interest in end-time prophecy. One thing that helped me learn more about the subject was a series of films produced by Mark IV Pictures. The first of which was the 1972 release “A Thief in the Night.” As I’ve become friends with Christians from different denominations, I found out about the varying beliefs out there on how end-time events will pan out. Among the doctrines I’ve heard taught is that we are either in the tribulation, it’s already happened, or there is no tribulation. Yet the Bible talks about a world ruler who will emerge before the return of Christ. Even non-believers know about this man called the Antichrist.  1 John 2:22 says, “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” The Greek word for antichrist is antichristos which means “the adversary of the Messiah.” Other verses in John’s epistles make it clear the Antichrist...

This past Thursday, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often referred to as “Obamacare”) is Constitutional. Unless this law is repealed or modified, virtually all Americans will be required by 2014 to have health insurance or face fines imposed by the IRS. Personally I am disgusted with this legislation because it gives the government more power over individual liberties. Obamacare could also set the stage for the Mark of the Beast being introduced to this country. No, I don’t believe Barack Obama is the antichrist. But I am grieved that the President professes to be a Christian while continuing to promote policies contrary to Scripture. Obamacare could fit in this category since it encourages people to look to doctors first instead of Jehovah Rapha. It would be advisable for President Obama to read 2 Chronicles 16:12-13, “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady w...

By now many of you have seen (and perhaps attended) the Florida Healing Outpouring meetings in Lakeland. What began on April 2nd as five days of meetings at Ignited Church by Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley quickly exploded into a worldwide revival thanks to GodTV and the Internet. I was in Lakeland for six days in May and then watched more meetings via GodTV this past summer. In mid-August, it was announced that Todd Bentley was stepping down from public ministry due to failures in his personal life including a breakdown of his marriage. Many ministers have since made public statements regarding Todd and the Florida Outpouring. Until now, I didn’t plan on making my own comments mainly because I do not know Todd personally (although he added me as a Facebook friend). But then a couple of weeks ago, an incident came up that made me decide otherwise. One Saturday morning I attended a men’s breakfast at a church in Virginia. After eating and a time of worship, the pastor preached ...