FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Looking Through the Window

Have you ever heard the old gospel song that says, “This world is not my home, I’m just ‘a passin’ through …?”

Lately that’s how I’ve been feeling – like “a stranger in a strange land.” I’m completely out of step with a world filled with child abuse, wife abuse, animal abuse … with a world filled with hatred, violence, war, and famine. I can’t adjust my mind and heart to a place where many people accept no responsibility for their actions and feel no remorse for the bad things they do to others.

Nor am I able emotionally to cope with the throngs of homeless people on the streets of major metropolitan areas. It’s one thing to watch the news and hear statistics about the down-and-out people living in alleys and under bridges – something else altogether to meet these unfortunate ones face to face and look into their eyes. While in Toronto, my heart was abruptly opened to the real tragedy of homeless people.

One night Jack and I went to dinner in a downtown area and decided to walk back to our hotel several blocks away. Our route took us past Eaton Center – an enclosed mall which is open late, with people milling around inside until all hours. We started across a busy intersection near a major department store, amazed at the throngs of people out and about so late at night. Jack and I have always felt very safe in this wonderful Canadian city.

Before we made it across the intersection, a beautiful young girl we’d passed on the corner came running after us. She came up behind me and fell into step. “Hello there,” she said. “Where are you going?”

“Well, my husband and I have been to dinner and we’re on our way back to our hotel,” I said, noticing that she seemed to be one of the homeless crowd. Her face was smudged, and her clothing wrinkled and soiled. But I went ahead and asked, “Are you going home?”

“Oh, no,” she responded, “I am home!” And she pointed to the streets.

We walked the final step or two across the street and stepped up on the sidewalk – beside the department store, its window ablaze with a display of television sets and video equipment. The girl touched my arm and peered up into my face and Jack’s. “I told my friends who you were,” she said. It was obvious she seemed to recognize us.

“Sometimes at night when I can’t sleep,” she continued, motioning toward the display of TV sets, “I look through the window and watch you!”

As soon as she said it, she was gone, running, back to her friends on the street. Then a rush of people gathered behind and carried Jack and me on down the block. I looked back but I never caught sight of her again.

But I will never forget the touch of her hand and her simple words that seemed to bring the whole burden of her desperate situation crashing down upon my heart. “I look through the window and watch you,” she said.

How I wished I could have held her hand and brought her along with me, to tell her she could have a better life. I have no idea what she had run away from or where she was trying to go. I do know that life on the streets so often ends in tragedy. If only I could have a little more time to talk with her, I would tell her about God’s love, about the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I feel almost compelled to go back to Toronto soon and spend some time in the area where I first saw her. I can only hope the Lord will allow me to find her and spend some time witnessing to her. Somehow, my heart is so impacted by her words that I just can’t let go until I’ve at least tried to find her again.

For days now the Lord has been impressing upon my mind the fact that there are countless other people floundering in life who are looking through the window of our lives, seeking for answers and hope. Oh, you may not be on TV like Jack Van Impe and I, but your life, your light, is on view to someone trying to find a better way.

What would people see if they looked through the “window” at you? Are you living a life “like Christ,” filled with love, joy, peace, and purity?

Is the glass of that window dingy and soil-streaked, or is it bright and clear, clean and sparkling? When someone who has lost their way looks through your window, can they see Jesus in you? Or is what you claim blurred by who you are and how you act?

Since I met that homeless girl who said she looked through the window and watched me, I’ve been checking up on myself. The Lord has given me three checkpoints:

1. Living the life.

The great gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, cried out, “I’m going to live the life I sing about in my song!” The life we live for God must be the same on Tuesday as on Sunday. We must treat our family and neighbors, the people at work and in the marketplace, the same way we treat the people at church when everybody is watching. I promise you that the way you act when you think nobody is looking is exactly what someone will see when they look through your window!

2. Offering a pure and simple testimony.

The most effective testimony is simply to uplift Jesus – He will do the rest. We do not have to know scores of scripture verses, or be able to explain the complexities of doctrine. All that is necessary is to say, “This is what Jesus has done for me.” As one great Christian described it, “Our witness is really just one beggar telling another where to find bread” – the Bread of life!

3. Being consistent.

A nursery rhyme describes a little girl who, “when she was good she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid.” Have you ever known a person who, on one day, was helpful and kind … and on the next was cranky as can be? What does this kind of erratic behavior say about the depth and validity of our Christian experience? Our Lord is described as Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). And we are to be like Him!

Being on television these last several years has been a real challenge and amazement to me. One thing I’ve learned is that the TV camera sees through our facades and reveals us as we really are to the view of the people. On screen you simply can’t hide who you are. I believe this is why people say so often, “I know you. I’ve seen you on TV!”

I can never forget that the Lord has His divine TV camera on us all the time. He looks past our outer front and sees inside us to our very heart and soul. Lord, help me to live for You consistently.

Although I know our programs are seen throughout the United States and Canada, and in numerous places overseas, it still boggles my mind to consider the numbers of people and the kinds of individuals in different walks of life who are being reached and touched by the program.

I could never have imagined a homeless street girl going up to a department store window late at night to watch Jack and me on TV through the glass. I hope and pray that something she saw and heard will stay with her … and that God and His wonderful grace will reach her.

On that day when we stand before the Lord, this young woman will discover that she need not stand outside on the sidewalk wistfully watching through a glass. For as her eyes catch a glimpse of Jesus and she reaches out to take His hand, He will throw open that window and make it a door – a grand entrance through which she can walk freely into His presence.

Waiting to go home

Never in my life have I felt more of a longing for the coming of the Lord than in recent days. “Oh I want to see Him, look upon His face, there to sing forever of His saving grace.” I long to see Him and feel His arms wrapped around me. I can’t wait to hear His voice saying, “Welcome home, thou good and faithful servant!” Oh, how I pray that my life will allow this salutation to be so.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How wonderful that will be.

God is so good to me even here in this life. His presence never leaves me, and I take joy in intimately communing with the Holy Spirit inside my heart. But more and more I feel a strange longing to be in heaven. And I sense that time is running out. Our Lord Jesus is coming soon.

First Corinthians 13:12 says, For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

But until then, I will keep on keeping on. I will try to use all my time, all my talents, all my opportunities to shine out the story of Jesus to help all who may be looking through the window of my life. With God’s help, I will keep on living the life of love, joy, peace, and purity. I will keep on giving my pure and simple testimony about what the Lord has done for me. And I will endeavor to be consistent in my living for Jesus, daily keeping the window glass, looking into my life, clean and unsmudged.

You can do it, too, God will help you. Join me in making a new commitment to Christ’s commission and calling. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Mathew 5:16).

A CLASSIC MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

The Seventieth Week Is Rapidly Approaching

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.“

This king of the South is Egypt, combined with a federation of Arab nations that will unite with Egypt. These countries are listed in Ezekiel 38:5-6 as Persia (modern-day Iran and Iraq), Ethiopia, Libya, and Togarmah (Turkey). Syria is mentioned in Isaiah 17:1, and the listing continues in Psalm 8 3:4-8 as Edom, Moab, Ammon (Jordan), Gebal and Tyre (Lebanon), and the Philistines (Palestine).

The king of the North, Russia, also appears on the scene, coming from the north as prophesied in Ezekiel 38:15 and 39:2. Similar references to these northern military movements can be found in Jeremiah 1:13, 6:22, 10:22, and Joel 2:20. In fact, if one draws a line from Palestine of old-Israel today-to the North Pole, one must go through Russia, and actually intersect the city of Moscow. Furthermore, Gog, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are all cities identifiable within Russia today.

Furthermore, if one took the name Meshech back to its origin, it would be Meshech, then Mosach, then Moscoti, then Moscovi, and finally, Moscow. The prophecies of Daniel’s fourth revelation are now on the edge of fulfillment. The message of verse 40 is taking shape. Since God kept His promises 135 times in the first thirty-five verses of Daniel chapter eleven, there can be no argument that He will keep the promises He made in verses 40 to 45.

The Campaign of Armageddon Begins

As I mentioned earlier, Rabbi Shvili in his book Reckonings of Redemption, written in 1935, states: “We Jews can know everything about our future just from the Book of Daniel.” How true! Other Jewish Rabbinical scholars clarify the depth of teaching discovered in verses 40-45 of the eleventh chapter of Daniel. Quoting the Midrash Tehillim they state: “There will be three different attacks against Jerusalem at the time of the end.” The three military advances mentioned by these Jewish scholars will be observed and explained as we move ahead in our discussion of the forty-two-month Armageddon campaign.

When Russia heads south to do battle, she will be a mighty force as she comes against the Antichrist’s army with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. This is the first military wave of the three-pronged Armageddon campaign mentioned in Daniel 11:40 when the king of the South (Egypt and her Arab federation) and the king of the North (Russia) begin their pincer movement. Ezekiel 3 8:16 says,

“And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.“

Once Russia has made her move, the Antichrist will be furious. He will enter the “glorious land,” Israel.

Here is the upcoming scenario. The Antichrist will sit in Jerusalem-in the Jewish temple at the midpoint of the Tribulation hour-the second three and one-half years, calling himself God. Since he knows that he has only a short time to do his global mischief while incarnated by Satan, he spews forth wrath and hatred. When he hears that Russia and the Arab federation are invading the region, he moves at breakneck speed and puts an end to the militaristic activity of Russia, Egypt, and her hoards. The European Union has taken a position in the conflict and the Antichrist has subdued and driven back the first wave of Russian and Arab invaders. At this point Russia has fled to Siberia (Joel 2:20).

Now the second movement of troops is about to move into the Middle East for another invasion of Israel. Daniel 11:44 states:

“Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy.“

The Antichrist is now on a bloody rampage. He’s heard that great oriental armies are moving down into the region to do battle accompanied by the leftover rag-tag army of Russia that had previously been pushed back to Siberia. This frustrates him as he wonders how he’ll be able to fend off two hundred million troops who are out to destroy him (Revelation 9:16). He’s now overwhelmed and fears he will be unable to maintain enough of a power base to defend himself. During this juncture, the Antichrist is killed by Gog of Russia (Daniel 11:45). But, as we learned earlier he suddenly comes back to life, duplicating the resurrection of Jesus Christ-something no one in history has ever done (Revelation 13:3). He flaunts this demonic miracle and uses it to again position himself as a god among men, reestablishing himself when he needs it most-when his reputation and strength are on the line. Because of his miraculous resurrection, all the world worships him (Revelation 13:8).

Israel-a Nation Not at Rest

Verse 45 of this chapter says,

“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.“

The Bible teaches that the Antichrist is going to plant himself between the seas-the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. The holy mountain, which is Jerusalem, is where he will then live for three and one-half years after his resurrection, usurping the Jewish throne as he sets himself up as god in the Jewish temple. Second Thessalonians 2:4 declares,

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.“

This is the midpoint of the Tribulation period. Russia now invades “the land of unwalled villages against them that are at rest” (Ezekiel 38:11). Israel became a nation in 1948 but has never been at rest since that memorable day. No nation on earth longs more for peace than Israel. Daily newspapers and periodicals constantly portray the restlessness and uneasiness Israel experiences. Soon a western leader out of the European Union will arise and “confirm the covenant” of peace for seven years (Daniel 9:27). However, even this final contract made between the Antichrist and Israel will be short-lived, lasting only forty-two months, after which Russia strikes, aligned with Egypt and her confederation of Arabs. This, I repeat, is that first wave of military force marching against Israel in the Armageddon campaign.

Then China and the remnants of Russia’s fallen army join in the fray for the second wave of the Armageddon campaign, as two hundred million soldiers move against Israel-not a difficult assignment for a nation which, in the next decade, will boast a population of more than 1.4 billion people. They will march out of the Orient downward across the areas of Iraq and Syria. Revelation 16:12 says,

“The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.“

This second wave of gigantic military power eliminates one-third of earth’s inhabitants (Revelation 9:18). In spite of this colossal power, China and Russia are also defeated.

Finally, in the third and closing scene of the Armageddon campaign, the Antichrist and his armies battle Christ in what becomes the war to end all wars. Armageddon, or HarMegeddo, is the gathering place (Revelation 16:16). From there the armies march to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2). Then Zechariah 14:2 occurs as “all nations gather against Jerusalem to battle.” The Antichrist has been doing everything in his power during his final forty-two months to pour out venom on his enemies, but now he speaks the ultimate blasphemy by saying, “I will stop the King of Kings from coming to power.” Egotistically, he believes he will also be victorious against the Lord of hosts. Revelation 19:19 sets the stage for this apocalyptic event:

“I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Christ that sat on the horse, and against his army.“

In Revelation 19:11, Christ appears on a white horse to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But stubborn and rebellious to the end, the Antichrist insists he will never be defeated by any enemy, including Christ. But this time he’s wrong because Christ destroys him with the brightness of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Christ then takes this beast-the global dictator-along with the false prophet who headed up the world church-and casts them both into a lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). A thousand years later, when Satan is thrown into that same lake of fire, the beast and the false prophet are still in existence, suffering the torment of hell forever and forever.

Again, this final reminder: If God proved himself 135 times in the earlier portion of Daniel chapter eleven, He will surely fulfill these remaining prophecies-and not just some day, but in our day. When will these events take place? At the time of the end (Daniel 11:4; 12:4). It’s later than you think. Here’s why. The ancient Jewish writing-Avodah Zara 3 B-states: “The war of Gog and Magog [Russia] will be one of the key events to usher in the Messianic Era.” The revered Jerusalem Targum adds: “At the end of days, Gog and Magog shall march against Jerusalem, but perish by the hand of Messiah.” Ezekiel 39:6 verifies this. The stage is now set for the Antichrist to appear. Then seven years after the evil one’s dominion of the international scene, Jesus Christ returns to rule on earth in majesty and great glory for one thousand years-the explosive finale to this great Book of Daniel, and our focus in chapter twelve

CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

Yes indeed, I am enjoying your emailed newsletter. I am thrilled with your coverage taken from the Scriptures regarding the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It coincides perfectly with what God has revealed to me. So many people will not listen — at least to me when I talk about End Time Prophesy. You have a voice and a platform to get the word out. I am so appreciative that you keep sounding the warning.

Thank you so much!

Mary C.

I read the daily devotionals every day in my inbox and today’s reading was about God’s everlasting love. This truly is the greatest news of all and you have to have the faith to believe that. This faith has brought about many blessings in my life an I am grateful for them. Every day I read your e-mails and they ring so true. Thank you very much.

Andrew K.

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