FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Are You in Contact With Your Spirit Guide?

We’re hearing so much in this day about the New Age Movement and how we should be in contact with our “other self” through our “spirit guide.” These concepts are being taught in our public schools, even at the lower grade levels. Misguided, deceived individuals are teaching our innocent children about transcendental meditation, yoga, and the spirit world.

Numerous celebrities, such as Shirley MacLaine have publicized their involvement with such fearsome ancient spirit guides as Ramtha, Spectra, and Lazirus, who supposedly possess supernatural knowledge and can assist them in making important decisions and choices.

The truth is that most of the spirits out there are not holy. It is vitally important to recognize this fact. Sadly, too many people do not realize that when they participate in activities like “channeling,” trances, seances, etc., they are opening themselves up to all kinds of demonic spirits. Often, people actually give themselves over to evil spirits, with tragic results.

Our Guide

As Christians, our Spirit Guide lives within us. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you (1 Corinthians 6:19). Therefore, if our Spirit Guide is within us, we have no need to go outside ourselves for guidance as others suggest. He is all we need.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come (John 16:13).

Imagine, you have access to the greatest Spirit of all-the precious Holy Spirit. You can possess, and be possessed by, the most powerful force in all the universe, the omnisclent, omnipresent Spirit of the eternal God. Shiriey MacLaine and others talk about their spirit guides being so special because they are ancient. But our Spirit Guide-the Holy Spirit-helped create the world, even man.

Genesis 1:1,2 says, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. So the Holy Spirit was there at the dawn of creation-as a part of the Trinity. He is from the beginning and predates all other spirit guides.

We can have contact with this Holy Spirit and be guided by Him, but first we must possess Him. The only way that can happen is by the illumination of His Word. He must convince us of the truth. John 16:8 says, And when he is come, he will reprove [convince] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. He convinces us that we need Him and guides us to the born-again experience.

Thank God, the Spirit does strive with us and illuminates the truth to us.

Our Intercessor

Not only does the Spirit convince us of our need of Christ, He also creates intercessory thoughts in us. There are times when we don’t even know what we need-what is good for us. So many times we may not even know how we should pray or what we should ask for. So we have to join our spirit with the Holy Spirit to seek out God’s best plan for our lives. Romans 8:26 says, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

There are times when we come to God, praying only for what we want-asking for His approval-instead of seeking His will for our lives. I’m convinced that on those occasions when we come to God, asking selfishly, the Holy Spirit is saying, “No, Father, no.” When we do not ask within the will of God, then the Holy Spirit, in His mercy, intercedes for what is best.

As a young bride, I had an experience like this. I wanted a baby so much that I begged God to let me have one. I refused to consider how much a child would have hampered and burdened my calling and ministry, which at that time required me to live “on the road” for months at a time. I avoided thinking about how cruel and unfair my work load and life-style would be to a helpless, wholly-dependent little one.

Even after I knew that motherhood was not God’s will for me, I asked anyway. But the Holy Spirit, in His goodness, interceded for me-for my own good. And now, when I can see things clearly and in perspective, that knowledge brings me great comfort.

There may also be times when we experience a yearning for something that is undefined and inexpressible. It’s a hunger or yearning we simply can’t understand. At times like these, we can join our spirits with the Holy Spirit and let Him create intercessory thoughts within us. Then we can have peace that what is being sought in our behalf is for our good…and will be done. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him(l John 5:14.15).

Allowing the Holy Spirit to create intercessory thoughts and prayers brings such satisfaction and fulfillment. It goes beyond our understanding or ability to put it into words. It is so beautiful and powerful.

Our Comforter

Then, the Holy Spirit comforts us. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:18).

I love the story about a very sad unbeliever who was seated next to a Christian man on a train. During the trip, the unsaved man began to cry and weep. The believer said to him, “I see you are troubled and sad. Is there some way I can help you?”

The sorrowful man replied, “I’ve just lost my wife. Our home seems so empty. All I have left to keep me company is her parakeet.”

The believer replied, “Well, as a Christian I have the Paraclete-the Holy Spirit. He never leaves me. And He will meet your need if you’ll allow Him to.”

Paraclete, in the Greek, means “comforter” and is the name given for the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have the constant, unfailing presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.

Our Spiritual Gift-giver

The Holy Spirit also controls the spiritual gifts bestowed upon the body of Christ, the Church. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge…to another faith…to another the gifts of healing… to another the working of miracles: to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

God gives these gifts to each believer, as He wills. Each of us has been given a very special gift-and the Holy Spirit will guide us into a place of service using the particular gift He has chosen for us. He will also give us power when using that gift.

Peter had the gift of communication- the ability to preach. But after he was filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8; 2:4), he not only had the gift but also the fruit… boldness (see Acts 4:13). So the Holy Spirit not only gives us spiritual gifts. He also gives us the ability (fruit) and strength to use them.

Spiritual gifts are not given to hoard for our own benefit or enjoyment. They are given to enable us to minister to others. And the Spirit will provide the opportunity- He will definitely show us our place of service.

I believe there are times, depending on the circumstances, when more than one gift of the Spirit may be exercised through you. A situation may arise where there is no one else to depend on and the Holy Spirit manifests (or works) a particular gift through you to meet a particular need at a particular time. It may be a gift that has never operated in your life before, but when the Spirit puts you in a situation, He will illuminate your mind to meet the need. You will discover that where God guides. He provides.

The Holy Spirit is our Keeper

Not only is our Spirit Guide with us in life, but He remains with us even after death.

Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman relates a beautiful story about how he personally discovered this thrilling truth. He was sitting in his home, reading an address delivered by Dr. Moorhead at a Bible Conference. Dr. Moorhead declared that when one becomes a child of God, the Spirit of God comes in to dwell in that person and will continue in that body until the Resurrection. Even after the human spirit has departed to be with the Lord, the third member of the godhead remains with that body until the Resurrection.

Dr. Chapman said that as he thought about this, he started to cry. He said, “We hitched the horse to the carriage, and my wife and I rode out to a little graveyard where we had buried our firstborn son. As we stood there beside that little grave, we said, Thank You, Lord, for keeping watch.’ Immediately the peace of God flooded our souls.” He went on, “Later, when I stood by the grave of my mother, again I said, Thank You, Holy Spirit, for staying with Your temple and keeping watch.'”

What a comfort! On the day of Resurrection the Spirit will touch the body with new life, reunite it with the soul, and sweep our triuned body, soul, and spirit to be with God. How amazing and beautiful!

I encourage you today to get in contact with your Spirit Guide. But don’t be fooled by the false teachers of the so-called New Age Movement. Satan always has a counterfeit for the real and profitable things in life. He would like to deceive you into listening to his emissaries of evil and guide you into darkness. But he is no match for the real “Spirit Guide”-the Holy Spirit, who will always guide you into all truth. Remember, Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

A CLASSIC MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE

For nearly two thousand years we have been living in a parenthesis, a prophetic interval, a time “in between.” Daniel’s prophecy in the vision of the seventy weeks called for a period of 490 years when God would deal especially with Israel. When Christ offered Himself as the Prince of Israel, 483 years, or 69 weeks of years, had been fulfilled. When He was rejected and crucified the prophetic clock stopped, not to begin again until the Jews were back in their land and the parenthetical period had ended. During this prophetic interval, sometimes known as the Church Age, both Jews and Gentiles who are born again through faith in Christ become part of the body of Christ or the bride of Christ. The signal that the “in between” time has ended will be the removal of the church (the bride of Christ) from the earth. This great event is described in a number of Bible portions. One of the clearest is 1 Thessalonians 4:13 –18:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words

The event then that ends the Church Age and ushers in the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy is the return of Christ for His church. This coming of Christ in the air is known as the Rapture of the church; it involves the resurrection of the Christian dead as well as the exit from earth of all believers living at that time.

With the removal of the church, earth plunges into its most awful hour. Of this time Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). He was speaking of the seven-year period known as the Tribulation, or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, so named because of Jeremiah’s prophecy: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble…” (Jeremiah 30:7).

Some believe the church will remain on earth for the Tribulation. There are a number of reasons for rejecting this conclusion.

The return of Christ for His church is a sign less and always imminent event. Even the New Testament writers expected the Lord’s return at any moment: “For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

All signs of the Lord’s return have to do with the coming of Christ to set up His Kingdom. They are only indicators of the approaching Rapture because that event precedes the establishment of Christ’s kingdom by seven years. The moment the Tribulation begins, however, a timetable will be evident. Date-setting will be conclusive. During the Tribulation, Christ’s return will no longer be imminent. Therefore, the Rapture of the church must precede the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

The Tribulation will be a time of wrath: “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17). And the church is not to be the recipient of wrath. In assuring the Thessalonian Christians that they would not go through the Tribulation, Paul explained: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians. 5:9).

Wicked as it is, the world is not quite ready for the Tribulation and the Antichrist. The church is not all it ought to be, but the world is better because the church is here. Sin is rampant, but it would be far worse without the presence of the church and its hindering influence to evil: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let [hinder], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…” (2 Thessalonians 2:7,8).

The Holy Spirit, working through Christians, holds back the tide of evil sweeping the world. When His influence in this manner is removed at the Rapture, the world will be ready for the Antichrist and the Tribulation.

The church has three heavenly appointments during the earthly Tribulation.

First, Christians cannot be on earth during the Tribulation because they have important business elsewhere. When the Lord returns for His church, it will be time for the judgment seat of Christ: “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).

Second, Christians who are living at the time of Christ’s return must have time in the mansions prepared by Jesus as described in John 14:1 — 3. The only time available for the fulfillment of this promise before the Millennium is during the Tribulation.

Third, the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in heaven during the end of the Tribulation period, according to Revelation 19:9, and the bride of Christ must attend. Following this joyful occasion, those who belong to Christ will return with Him as He comes to set up His kingdom. Since believers must come from heaven to earth at the end of the Tribulation, it is clear that the Rapture must precede that time of trouble.

Finally, it must be remembered that the Tribulation is especially related to Israel. Once this truth is established, all confusion about the time of the Rapture disappears. The return of Christ for His church marks the end of the Church Age, the parenthetical period, and begins the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

What is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble? Let Daniel describe it: “…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time…” (Daniel 12:1).

This unprecedented period of tribulation is not to be confused with daily tribulations which all of God’s people pass through. Jesus said: “…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Paul had learned to glory in tribulations: “…we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3).

These heartaches, problems, and tribulations are different from the Tribulation. This seven-year period is one of immense suffering for the entire world. It is an era of unthinkable trouble. Nothing in history can be compared to it, nor will there ever be anything equal to it in the future. Chapters 6, 8, 9, 15, and 16 of Revelation describe the Time of Jacob’s Trouble under the headings of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. Next week we will look at the panorama of human pain that will be experienced by the inhabitants of the earth during the Tribulation.

CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

Good morning,

My name is Joann and I am almost 33 now and your ministry was truly instrumental in my salvation and growth spiritually in my beginning years. I am now in ministry myself and I would not have been in this place, had it not been for God giving me a ministry like yours to feed me spiritually. As a 15 year old foster child, I was not able to attend church, but God made a way through Jack Van Impe and Rexella to get the word to me!!

Joann H.

Hi Mrs. Rexella Van Impe,

You all have been a tremendous blessing to the cause of Christ for many years. Years ago, when I was a student at Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg, Virginia, (now Liberty University), your husband would come and preach and play his accordion and tell us how you met. He was so happy to have you as his wife!

And he was a blessing in how he knew and loved the Scriptures. And you are a blessing with your example to so many of us!

May the LORD bless and comfort you in many amazing ways. May you know His presence with you every day in a real way. You are in my prayers.

Sincerely,

Sharon E.

HIGHLIGHTED MINISTRY OFFERS

The Lessons of Daniel: For then – for now – for the End

Final Mysteries … Unsealed

God commanded Daniel to seal the mysteries of His Spirit-inspired work until the “time of the end.” Only when the final events began to occur would the Spirit reveal His mysteries to present-day messengers.

According to Drs. Jack and Rexella Van Impe, the wait is over.

• That time is now!
• Some of the mysteries unsealed in this booklet are:
• The Colossal End-Time Image
• The Four Great Beasts
• The Rule of the Final Madman
• The Assassination and Resurrection of the Antichrist
• The Seventh and Final Empire of History
• And many, many more!

The World of the End

We always expected life to be filled with ups and downs. But lately doesn’t it feel like the downs are winning?

Doesn’t it seem as if the hits keep coming harder and closer together? Our world is packed with lies and loss of trust. Wars and rumors of war. Devastation and disaster. Pressure and persecution. Lawlessness and lovelessness.

Some days it seems like bad news all around. And with bad news comes questions: “Why is this happening?” “When will it stop?” “What can we do?”

And perhaps the most pressing of all: “Is this the end?”

In these hope filled pages, bestselling author, pastor, and respected Bible teacher Dr. David Jeremiah focuses our attention not on the problems at hand, but on the Hand of God. That’s because Jesus Himself told us what to expect from this season of history when He delivered His Olivet Discourse — a significant sermon that scholars have called “the most important single passage of prophecy in all the Bible.”

With his trademark clarity, Dr. Jeremiah reveals exactly what Jesus promised to us — and what He expects from us — as we approach The World of the End.