Signs & Wonders Blog

Tomorrow afternoon, portions of the United States will get to view a total solar eclipse. When the last one occurred seven years ago, my hometown newspaper (the Fargo Forum) published an article about two Messianic believers claiming the eclipse represented “a seven-year judgment on America.” I agreed with their exhortation of our country’s need for repentance. However, they also stated that unless America repents, “another one [eclipse] is coming in seven years.” Eclipses happen regardless of what man does on earth. Nevertheless, God uses signs in the sky to get our attention such as the wise men being led by a star to Bethlehem in Matthew chapter 2. The rainbow in Genesis 9 was a sign that God will not flood the whole earth again. Acts 2 mentions signs of the end times prophesied by Joel… 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of ...

This past Wednesday, Tina Turner died at 83. I wasn’t a fan of the singer, but played some of her records while working as a disc jockey in the 1980s. In response to a Facebook post written about Tina's passing, someone repeatedly accused me of being hateful because of questioning her   eternal destiny (she was raised Baptist but later became a Buddhist). I soon unfriended and blocked this person. Whenever celebrities die, those who care about them will often say, “Rest in peace.” Sometimes the initials R.I.P. are engraved on headstones as well as Halloween decorations. R.I.P. originated from the Latin phrase “requiescat in pace.” The truth is that all dead people are not resting in peace. When a person dies, they either experience great joy in heaven or eternal torment in hell. There is no in-between place such as purgatory. Hebrews 9:27 says,  “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” One doesn’t magically change into an angel or get a ...

Once I heard a story about a pastor’s son who just got his driver’s permit and asked his father about using the family car. His father answered, “Son, I’ll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Bible more, and get your hair cut. Then we will talk about it.”  Two months later the boy approached his father again about driving the family car. His father said, “Son, I’m proud of you. You have brought your grades up and studied your Bible diligently, but why haven’t you gotten a haircut?” The young man replied, “Samson had long hair. Even Jesus had long hair.”  His father said, “Yes, son…and they walked everywhere they went.” Technically, the pastor’s claim isn’t 100% accurate. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. People have used that as an excuse to criticize modern-day preachers who drive expensive cars and fly in private jets . If Jesus riding a donkey is supposed to be a sign of humility, then how come these critics don...

With the holiday season approaching, many businesses and individuals have already put up decorations. Among them are Christmas trees. A popular carol “O Christmas Tree” originated from Germany as “O Tannenbaum”, which translates as “O Fir Tree.” The original lyrics had nothing to do with Christmas. Nevertheless, I remember singing the German version a time or two while in grade school. Like other holiday traditions, some Christians oppose the usage of Christmas trees. One of my Facebook friends made a judgmental comment that people putting up Christmas trees “are worshiping the devil and have a mental disease.” Before giving my life to Christ, I didn’t have a Christmas tree in my apartment because of the time and expense involved. Instead, I drove up to Mom and Dad’s house for the holidays and enjoyed looking at their decorations. Nowadays, I still don’t own a Christmas tree mainly due to my missionary lifestyle. Once I heard e vangelist Jesse Duplantis talk about the time h...