Study Outline
Laying on of Hands
The
Biblical origins of laying hands began with the patriarchs of Israel, who laid
hands on their children to impart or transfer their blessing and designate the
successor who would take leadership over the family or tribe and proclaim
divine favor on their descendants. Traditionally the firstborn son would
receive the birthright and his father's blessing with the benefits of
inheriting the bulk of their financial wealth and lands along with leadership
authority over the family, tribe, or nation.
The first
example we see is with Isaac and his twin sons, the elder was Esau, and the
younger was Jacob. Even before they were born, they were fighting in the womb,
and the mother received a prophecy while pregnant that the elder would serve
the younger, which broke with tradition.
Genesis 25:22-23 But the children struggled together
within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So,
she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her: "Two nations
(Jews and Arabs) are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from
your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall
serve the younger."
Esau was
an immoral and ungodly man, and one day he came home hungry and tired and cared
so little about his birthright that he sold it to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Esau's
disdain for the sacred honor of being the firstborn grandson of Abraham and the
privilege of becoming a patriarch of a promised future nation was considered
profane by God, leading to Esau's rejection of receiving the blessing.
Hebrews 12:15-17 … looking carefully lest anyone fall
short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause
trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest
there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food
sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the
blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he
sought it diligently with tears.
When
Isaac was dying, he called Esau to hunt a deer to prepare his favorite meal so
he could bless him before he died. But Rebekah favored Jacob, disguised him to
be like Esau, and sent him to his father before Esau could return from hunting.
So, Jacob went to his father, deceived him, and stole the firstborn's blessing
from Esau by deception.
Genesis 27:26-29 Then his (Jacob’s) father Isaac said to
him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son." And he came near and
kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and
said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the
LORD has blessed. … Therefore, may God give you of the dew of heaven, Of the
fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and
nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's
sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those
who bless you!"
Next, we see Jacob in his
old age, he is about to die, and he calls for his son Joseph to bring his two
grandsons so he can bless them before he dies. The elder grandson is Manasseh,
and the younger is Ephraim. Joseph positioned the older grandson to Jacob's
right and the younger to the left. But Jacob intentionally crossed his hands to
bless the younger Ephraim. Again, Jacob breaks with tradition and gives His
blessing to the younger. Later Ephraim became the dominant tribe in the
northern kingdom of Israel.
Genesis 48:17-19 Now when
Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it
displeased him; so, he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from
Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not
so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall
become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother
shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of
nations."
Another purpose for
publicly laying hands on someone is to recognize, endorse, and transfer power
and authority to the next leader. Moses was the leader of about two and a half
million Israelis, and during his tenure as the leader of Israel, he dealt with
several uprisings, rebellions, coups, and schisms. To have an orderly transfer
of power, God designated Moses' successor by name and told Moses to recognize
him before the nation by laying hands on him. Moses’ successor was Joshua, who
had been his assistant from the time they left Egypt.
Numbers 27:18, 19 And the
LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom
is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; "set him before Eleazar the
priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in
their sight.
According to the Old
Testament Levitical priesthood, animals were offered as substitutionary
sacrifices to make atonement for the people's sins. The Israelis would take an
innocent animal they raised and cared for, and because of their sins, the
animal had to die to pay the penalty for their sin. The priest laid his hand on
the head of the animal and confessed the sins of the people. The sin of the
guilty became symbolically transferred to the innocent animals who paid the
death penalty of sin, and their spilled blood made atonement, or at-one-ment, uniting the people with God by repentance and
confession of sin.
Exodus 29:10, "Bring the bull
to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their
hands on its head. … (vs 15) "Take one of the rams, and Aaron
and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. … (vs 19) "Take the
other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
Leviticus 8:14 He then presented the
bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
Leviticus 8:18 He then presented the ram
for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
In the case of the
scapegoats, they took two goats, one became a sacrifice for sin, and the other
one was released to carry the people's sin outside the camp.
Leviticus 16:20-22 "And when he has
made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the
altar, he shall bring the live goat. "Aaron shall lay both his hands on
the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children
of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting
them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand
of a suitable man. "The
goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land;
and he shall release
the goat in the wilderness.
Worship in the tabernacle
and temple with all the sacrifices and offerings were just shadows of the
coming sacrifice of Christ, who would be our substitutionary sacrifice to take
our sins by his death on the cross.
Hebrews 13:10-13 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
The writer of the book of
Hebrews, while chastising immature believers for their lack of scriptural
knowledge, gave them the basic foundational teachings of the Christian faith.
One of the fundamental teachings he mentioned was laying on hands, but most
churches never teach it.
Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore, leaving
the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to
perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and
of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands,
of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Jesus
placed such importance on the laying on of hands that he made it part of the
gospel message that he commanded his disciples to preach to all the nations.
That would imply that praying for the sick by laying hands on them should be as
routine for believers as sharing Christ with others.
Mark 16:15-18 And He said
to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does
not believe will be condemned. "And these signs will follow those who
believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new
tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly,
it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they
will recover."
Jesus set
an example for us by personally laying his hands on multitudes of sick people
for many long hours and healing them all.
Luke 4:40 When the sun was
setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought
them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.
Mark 5:22, 23 And behold,
one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw
Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter
lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be
healed, and she will live."
Jairus had faith in Jesus
for his daughter's healing, saying that if Jesus would just lay his hands on
her, he would heal her. Just one problem, while Jesus and Jairus were on their
way to the young girl, she died. But Jesus demonstrated that he has power over
death by taking the girl by the hand and raising her from the dead.
Mark 5:39-42 When He came
in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not
dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all
outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were
with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by
the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi,"
which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately
the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were
overcome with great amazement.
We can
see another example of laying on hands in the book of Acts. The apostle Paul
had been falsely arrested and taken as a prisoner to face trial in Rome. While
en route to Rome by way of a cargo ship, they suffered a shipwreck at sea during
the coldest time of winter. The ship dashed against some rocks and broke apart,
and the survivors floated on broken boards or swam to the Island of Malta.
While taking refuge in Malta, the father of an influential island leader was
sick, and Paul laid his hands on him, healing him. That healing attracted all
the sick people on the Island to go to Paul for healing and opened the doors
for Paul to share Christ with everyone there.
Acts 28:7-9 In that region
there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was
Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And
it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul
went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So,
when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came
and were healed.
There is
something significant about the human touch when praying for anyone, especially
those that society has rejected and made social outcasts and those disfigured
and repulsive in appearance. Divine healing can be for both the emotional inner
scars and the outer physical body. And because many suffer from being
slandered, shunned, rejected, mocked, and lost, a simple touch makes a
meaningful connection and shows compassion. Even when an Israeli laid their
hand on the head of an animal confessing their sin, that physical contact made
a connection, a transfer of sin. Israelites seeing an animal die as a
consequence of their sin, could have experienced emotions of grief and regret.
How much more meaningful is it when God's mercy, compassion, comfort,
forgiveness, and healing flow from one human being to another? Those living in
rejection, hurt, and in the pit of despair can be desperate for a compassionate
hand to help them up. One example of this would be a leper in the time of
Jesus.
The law
mandated strict requirements for lepers, isolating them from spreading their
contagious disease into society. When they entered any populated area, they had
to put their hand over their mouth and shout, "unclean - unclean," at
a distance from any approaching person giving that person time and space to
avoid making contact with them. Lepers suffered from the devastating decay and
disfigurement of their bodies, so their appearance could be shocking and
socially uncomfortable. They dealt with isolation, rejection, cruel looks, and
reactions from people repulsed by their appearance, so they had a horrible
existence.
One day
as Jesus passed through a village, a leper approached him and asked if Jesus
would be willing to heal him. You can imagine how the crowd had withdrawn to a
safe distance from the leper and how they cringed as they looked at a decaying
nose or missing fingers with gaping holes in the flesh. In a great act of
compassion, Jesus physically touched the leper. Jesus touched him! The crowd
must have reacted with an audible gasp when Jesus laid his hand on the leprous
man, saying, "I am willing," and healed him.
Matthew 8:1-3 When He had come down from the mountain,
great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him,
saying, "Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean." Then
Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Maybe the
leper's biggest shock was not getting healed but that Jesus touched him. Jesus
touched him where he was, in his worst condition, in a pit of hopeless despair.
Laying his hands on a leper revealed how unbelievably compassionate Jesus is to
the suffering and brokenhearted who call out to him. That may have been the
first time in years that he felt the touch of another human being. And it was
not just any ordinary human touch, but God himself touched him, a leper, and
accepted him openly and freely, giving him a new life after years of suffering
and rejection.
In his missionary
travels, Paul came to Corinth and found some believers who professed faith in
Jesus and were water baptized. Upon hearing that, Paul had one question for
them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They replied that they
had never heard anything about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:2 he said to them,
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So, they
said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy
Spirit."
The Corinthians knew
nothing about the Holy Spirit, so Paul instructed them, then laid hands on them
and prayed for them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied.
Acts 19:6 And when Paul
had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke
with tongues and prophesied.
After the day of
Pentecost and the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they laid hands on
believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Philip went to Samaria, and there was a
tremendous move of God with miracles, healings, and deliverance from demons.
Many people came to faith in Jesus Christ and were water baptized. When news
reached Jerusalem, they sent Peter and John, who went to Samaria and prayed for
the believers to receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-16 When the
apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not
yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of
the Lord Jesus.
The Samaritans were
believers in Jesus and had been water baptized, healed, and delivered from
demons, but they had not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, when
Peter and John laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:17 Then they laid
hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Among the
crowd was a recent convert named Simon, who was formerly a sorcerer before
making a profession of faith in Christ. Simon seeing Peter's gift to pray for
people, tried to bribe Peter with money to buy the same gift of laying hands on
people to receive the Holy Spirit. The ex-sorcerer Simon had the wrong motives,
and Peter immediately recognized a wicked spirit and condemned it. Whenever
anyone is self-promoting, power-hungry, and consumed with money and greed,
there is a risk of demonic influence and a curse.
Acts 8:18-23 When Simon
saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he
offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that
everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter
answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you
could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this
ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness
and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in
your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to
sin."
We need discernment over
who we lay hands on and why, and we should never be careless or hasty about
putting our hands on other people to pray for them. Remember the transfer of
sins with the Old Testament sacrifices? The same principle applies to us. We
must remember the transfer goes both ways, and we may unwittingly become a
partaker of other people's sins by laying hands on them or them putting their
hands on us.
Many denominations and
churches will have ordination services to recognize Pastors, Missionaries,
leaders, and elders. Usually, as part of such an ordination service, the
leadership will lay hands on that person while conducting a community prayer
over them, asking God's blessing and recognizing their authority in the church.
That is another reason why Paul said not to lay hands on anyone hastily.
1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on
anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.
Paul was a mentor to
Timothy, and Timothy received a spiritual gift through a prophecy given with
the laying on of the hands of the elders. Whether that was in a public meeting
or in private, we do not know. Paul's advice to Timothy was to remember the
elders’ laying hands on him, the prophecy, and the spiritual gift, and then
meditate and give himself entirely to reading, exhortations, and teachings, so
his progress would become evident to everyone.
1 Timothy 4:13-15 Till I
come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect
the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying
on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself
entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
In Timothy's case,
everything turned into a blessing, but dealing with leadership issues doesn't
always go well. In every church that Paul established, he would recognize some
who had proven testimonies as elders or leaders. Paul stressed godly character,
spiritual maturity, and humility as requirements in leaders. Recognizing
leaders in the church requires discernment and wisdom because giving somebody a
title and authority outside the will of God could destroy them and others.
Sadly, sometimes church
titles are like lifetime achievement awards leading to complacency, church
politics, power struggles, and sin. The deacon, elder, or pastor may be great
at the time of recognition when given a title, but in the years that follow,
they may lose their first love with Jesus and become a problem or even a curse
against the church. Leaders who are immature, worldly-minded, with character
defects, flaunting their title and authority are more susceptible to spiritual
pride and prone to fall into Satanic traps.
1 Timothy 3:4-7 … one who rules
his own house well, having his children in submission with all
reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he
take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with
pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside,
lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
After Pentecost, the
church in Jerusalem had thousands of people, and the apostles decided to
prioritize their time and give themselves to prayer and the scriptures. The
apostles chose to delegate the position of serving food and feeding widows to
seven men who were full of the Holy Spirit with sterling testimonies.
Acts 6:2-3 Then the twelve
summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable
that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. "Therefore,
brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the
Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
Sadly, today many
leadership positions are given by seniority or money concerns. The Apostles and
all the church showed great concern when they approved the character of the men
selected to serve tables and recognized them by laying hands on them and
praying. Those faithful with a little, God will make rulers over much.
To no surprise, the seven
waiters were found faithful in serving food, afterward, God promoted them to do
great works by the Holy Spirit, including martyrs, missionaries, evangelists,
pastors, and preachers. Two notables of that group were Stephen, the first
Christian martyr, and Philip, who God used to bring the city of Samaria to
Christ.
Acts 6:5-6 And the saying
pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and
the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when
they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
A group of prophets and
teachers were having a time of prayer together when the Holy Spirit spoke
clearly to separate Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work for which he called
them. They continued fasting and praying and then laid their hands on Paul and
Barnabas, prayed for the Lord's blessing on them and their mission, and sent
them on their way.
Acts 13:1-3 Now in the
church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been
brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord
and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them." Then, having fasted and
prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Being
slain in the Spirit is a historically recent occurrence that has gained
prominence within the last fifty years. Being slain happens when people pass
out and fall on the floor, usually after prayer and the laying on of hands, but
sometimes without any touch. This practice is predominately exclusive to
Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. The more traditional churches do not
recognize this experience because they believe all the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, the power, and supernatural miracles ceased after the first century
church (but they would be wrong on that assumption).
Now that we described what
slain in the Spirit is, we will say that the experience, as seen in many
churches today, does not match anything we read about in the Bible. We just
covered the examples of what we do see in the Bible, which would be:
Impart
blessing to the firstborn
Transferring
sin to a sacrifice
Healing
the sick
Praying
to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit
Dedicating
and empowering leaders for service
Many use the narrative of
the soldiers arresting Jesus falling backward to the ground as justification
for being slain in the Spirit. However, that does not fall into the category of
any of the Biblical examples we just listed. So, let's read that portion of the
scriptures to see if that hypothesis aligns with the scriptures.
John 18:5-7 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him,
stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went
backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, whom seek ye?
And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he:
if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
If we
take this verse into context, there are only two ways this can apply to
believers today. First, there was no contact, no laying on of hands. The
soldiers wanted to lay their hands on Jesus with evil intent, but they were
repelled by the power of God, falling backward. So, this incident does not
reflect the impartation of a blessing, but to the contrary, it was a rebuke
against sinful man invading the space of the holy God. This context would not
justify or give credence to making this a church blessing, function, or
tradition.
Secondly,
they fell backward after Jesus said, I AM HE, but a better translation would be
I AM, which is the name of God. When Moses saw the burning bush, God told him
to remove his shoes because the ground where he was standing was holy. Then
Moses asked God for his name, and the divine answer was, I AM. Jesus is the
great I AM that Moses encountered at the burning bush.
Exodus 3:13-14 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I
come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your
fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, what is his name?
what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and
he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent
me unto you.
Jesus
also used that name when speaking to the Jews, saying before Abraham was, I AM,
and the Jews picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Then took they up stones to cast
at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the
midst of them, and so passed by.
So, in
the garden, Jesus declared himself to be the great I AM, Jehovah God, the Holy
One of Israel. So, when Jesus said I AM, mighty power was released from him,
knocking the soldiers off their feet.
Within
the context of the second example, the justification for people falling back to
the ground is a manifestation of God's physical presence and power. And now we
are walking in areas where angels fear to tread, man's claims to divine
presence and power. When the soldiers fell backward, did that set a precedence
for church practices? Falling to the ground is not a miracle by itself, and the
big question in those situations becomes, is this of God, or is this a
religious display of the flesh? In reality, both scenarios are possible. God
can do whatever he wants, and his power and presence can manifest anywhere and
anytime he chooses. Depending on the parties involved, it can be a blessing,
harmless, or a hoax.
Falling
out or being slain in the Spirit is a common experience in most Spirit-filled
churches. Many would justify getting slain in the Spirit because of their
personal experiences. Everyone should always check all their experiences
against the word of God to prove or disprove its merits. Each one should be
firm in their convictions and conscience before God for everything they do.
Unfortunately,
some corrupt ministers have muddied the waters and brought reproach to
Spiritual gifts, so any arguments in favor of "being slain" are
diminished and overshadowed by phony televangelist types who use it as a
gimmick. However, if God supernaturally speaks or gives a vision while people
are "out in the Spirit," only God and that person would know, but in
that case, it would not be a religious show for the sake of others.
Many sincere believers
get slain in the Spirit, which does not necessarily make them heretics, kooks,
or deceived. Churches have many religious rituals, practices, and routines that
are not in the Bible, and some are a blessing. One example is the sinner's
prayer to accept Jesus, which is not in the Bible, but God has used it.
However, the safest way to live is by reconciling every experience, activity,
or practice with Biblical precepts. Either it's in the Bible or not. All
believers must exercise discernment, act upon their convictions, and in the
context of this study, be very careful about who lays hands on you and why!
1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay
hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.
So,
let’s review what we’ve seen about the Laying on of hands.
Laying on of hands ...
To
impart blessings to family and heirs.
To
transfer leadership authority with order and peace.
To make
animal sacrifices, and the transfer of sin.
To
preach the gospel, laying hands to heal the sick.
To be
included with the other foundational teachings
To pray
with compassion for the hurting.
To pray
with people to get baptized in the Holy Spirit.
To
recognize and give authority to leaders.
To send
missionaries with the blessings of the church.
To
impart spiritual gifts.
We
should avoid laying hands on unworthy leaders.
We should avoid sin with the laying on of hands.
We
should avoid laying hands hastily, and use discretion.
We
should avoid religious theatre, and have discernment.
We
should practice scriptural discernment in everything
Remember, the laying on of hands for
healing was commanded by Jesus, and it is a foundational teaching of the
Christian faith. So, be bold and step out by faith, and God will use you to lay
hands on the sick for healing. We should exercise patience, have compassion,
use discernment, be wise, and keep ourselves pure as it relates to laying on of
hands.
Because we are in the end times, our world is changing quickly
to line up with Bible prophecy. Jesus said the signs of his return would be like
birth pangs, growing in intensity and frequency and globally. All those signs
happen at once, and we can see them happening in real-time with wars, food
shortages, pandemics, shutdowns, and natural disasters, all leading to a
one-world government ruled by the antichrist. Also, there will be a great
falling away from Christ, with churches becoming perverted, politically woke,
and government-controlled. Eventually, all true believers will have to come out
of the dead institutional denominations and fake churches. Thank God we have a
blessed hope that Jesus will rapture the church before wrath and judgment hit
the earth! While we have time and freedom, we should study the scriptures,
share the gospel, and learn to live by faith. This book is part of a series of
basic teachings that all Christians should know and teach. We call it the
"toolbox series" because each study is a tool for you to share your
faith with others. For free resources and study materials, visit our website at
Ears2Hear.online.