In order to have a true prophetic perspective on the world that enables us to discern the times accurately, it must begin with a basic Christian worldview—to see the world as Christ does. To have His perspective, we must see from His perspective, which is from above. This is why we are told that we are to be seated with Him in the heavenly places in Ephesians 2:4-6:

The year 2009 will bring extraordinary growth in faith and peace for those who serve the Lord. One major reason for this is because it will also be a year of extraordinary unity. There will be a coming together in the body of Christ this year in ways that we have probably not seen in our lifetime. The result is going to be a release of even more power and light, which will result in ever-increasing faith and peace with His people. 

This week we will begin a study of the “man of sin,” or the “antichrist,” which is prophesied to come and dominate the world for a time. The “man of sin” is the personification of the sin of man in its deepest depravity, and its greatest power of corruption. We are told about this in Scripture so we can be prepared for it, and which is why we are doing this study.

This week we continue our theme about how the Great Commission was to “...make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). As discussed, the “nations” here represents ethnic groups, not political entities.

So how do we recognize nations? How do we baptize them? How do we teach them to observe all that He commanded us? In Acts 17:26-28 the apostle Paul says:

We knew that our gathering on 8/8/08 would be significant, and we were not disappointed. Eight is the number of new beginnings, and we had many prophetic indications that this day was going to release a new beginning for us. It did.

     Continuing with the commission to make disciples and connecting it with how spiritual authority is founded upon love, one way we will know who we are called to help disciple is by a love that God gives us for them. If I don’t feel a special love for a person, I won’t try to disciple them. I will consider that God has called someone else to help them. The same is true of nations.

         To understand biblical prophecy, we need the mentality of a poet rather than that of a mathematician, or that of a prophet more than a teacher. Many theologians and theological schools are mathematicians more than poets. They have trouble understanding, or even giving credibility to, a language for the heart more than the mind. Although necessary when establishing doctrine, this doesn’t work when applied to prophecy.

         Last week, I brought up a few aspects of Count Zinzendorf’s life that I think made him one of the extraordinary Christians of the church age. We will continue surveying other great Christian lives, but first I want to review why studying them can reap benefits beyond mere inspiration.