Practical application of Pentecostal theology in politics, economy and social issues
In our quest to make Thanksgiving real, we left off by thinking about ways to ground our Thanksgiving in Scripture, following the example of the very Pilgrims who left this treasure as a heritage to our entire nation. The next challenge I would offer is to ground our Thanksgiving in history—primarily the history of these […]
The post Making Thanksgiving Real, Part 2 :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
Another Easter season has come and gone. It’s Easter Monday (yes, that’s really a thing) as I write this, and I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts about the meaning and significance of the season as I understand it. These ideas really crystallized in my mind as I was […]
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The Messiah was a descendant of Abraham. More than that, we considered last time how He was, in fact, promised within the covenant that God made with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). According to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3:16 and 19, He is the ultimate recipient of that covenant! Our Savior Jesus Christ is finally the […]
The post Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19 :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
Last time, we saw how the very first promise of the Messiah proclaimed Him to be the “Seed” of the woman (Gen. 3:15). But before we can go any further into understanding the characteristics of this coming Savior, we certainly must realize that He was also to be the “Seed” of “Abraham” (Gal. 3:16). During […]
The post Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 2: Genesis 12:7 :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
I have a friend and counselor in ancient Babylon. I have turned to him countless times for wisdom, strength and direction. In fact, he has foreseen the future and has instructed me carefully regarding “days yet to come” (Dan. 10:14). I am always amazed at his dedication, courage, faithfulness and prayerfulness. What an example he […]
The post Daniel: Revealer of Secrets, Part 1 :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
I wish I could say that I was one of those smart kids who always loved history. Yet, in one sense, I guess that I did—although perhaps without realizing it. I was always enthralled with old black-and-white television shows that whisked me to an earlier time that seemed both simpler and, yet, exhilarating. I found […]
The post ‘Written for Our Learning’ :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
My journey with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry took me to Kansas this past weekend to speak four times at a church in Salina. I have now spoken on behalf of The Friends of Israel upon the soil of the following 12 states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, […]
The post More Than 7,000 Remain! :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
The nation was desperate for leadership. His improbable but swift ascent to fill the vacuum was as dramatic as it was unlikely. Humanly speaking, it was propelled solely at the behest of a praying mother. Outside of her influence, the rest of his family’s situation was, to say the least, dysfunctional. In fact, the lessons […]
The post Heaven Was Listening :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry will present its annual Look Up virtual Bible prophecy conference this weekend—Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11. The theme this year is “Unraveling the Mysteries of the Bible,” and it deals with a number of questions related to eschatology. The conference is free for all to participate and […]
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As we’ve entered into Palm Sunday and Passion Week, it is appropriate that we focus our attention on the discourse that Jesus gave His disciples in the Upper Room—most of it after Judas left (John 13:30)—on the night before His death. I asserted in the previous installment that Jesus took this opportunity to reveal many […]
The post Revealed in the Upper Room: The Church :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
One of the greatest privileges that I enjoy as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is that I get to preach in—and be in—lots of churches. For the most part, these churches are quite similar in terms of their understanding and interpretation of Biblical truth, and, of course, they find […]
The post ‘Glory in the Church’ :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
It was certainly one of the most momentous days in the history of the Earth. It began like every day before – every day they had known since “the beginning” (Gen. 1:1). It began in holiness—in perfection. But, soon enough, they faced something they had not encountered before—something for which they did not even have […]
The post Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 1: Genesis 3:15 :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.