Brother Joshua Was Wrong!

Once again, another rapture prediction has come and gone.

Social media was filled with stuff about the rapture over the past few days. This recent flurry started when a preacher in South Africa said that Jesus came to him in a dream and told him that the rapture was going to happen either September 23rd or 24th. Apparently, Jesus wasn’t sure about the exact date.

Maybe a good reason Jesus didn’t give him the exact date is because he doesn’t know the date at all.

The Bible hasn’t changed. It still tells us that.

Matthew Chapter 24:36-44

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Yet another religious nut embarrasses us yet again.

So, what’s up with this Brother Joshua?

South African Pastor Joshua Mhlakela publicly described a divine vision apparently given to him in which he heard Jesus speak directly stating his return to earth would take place on the 23rd and 24th of September. According to Mhlakela, it takes place over two days because the Feast of Trumpets itself takes place over two days.

"Pastor" Joshua Mhlakela does not belong to a specific religious denomination; he identifies as a simple person with no title and is known for his involvement in Christian prophetic ministry. So, this guy is not really a formal “pastor” and has no church organization which can hold him accountable. He is yet another self-called prophet who makes predictions to make people think that he has a special inside to God.

Many fell for this nonsense. I was not one of them. I have heard it all and seen it all during my lifetime. In the Old Testament, false prophets like him would have been stoned. What Joseph has done is further embarrass the true followers of Christ.

Do I believe there will be a rapture? Yes, I do but I do not know when and I wouldn’t even be silly enough to attempt to make a prediction. All I have ever known is that Jesus is coming “soon”. It has been stuck on soon for a long time. It just means we are closer now than we have ever been before.

What Exactly Is A "Christian"?

This is a topic that easily stirs up a debate today, isn't it?

There are so many versions of the definition of being a Christian.

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, someone who believes in his life, death, and resurrection, and who strives to embody his teachings and way of life. The term derives from the Greek Christianos, meaning "Christ-follower," and refers to the followers of the Christian faith, a monotheistic religion centered on the belief in one God and his son, Jesus Christ.

We don't see much of Christ in the American version of a Christian today, do we? Christians have become a political voice to enforce a conservative view. The Christian today is having a public relations problem, and I don't see it being fixed anytime soon.

I have seen and heard people have entire programs discussing why if you are a Democrat or Republican that you can't be a Christian.

Christianity is not a political party or platform.

Honestly, I don't even tell people I'm a "Christian" anymore because they immediately jump to the wrong conclusions which have been created by today's political activism. The good in what a Christian is supposed to represent has been highjacked and redefined into something totally different than being a follower of Christ.

The term "Christian" hasn't marketed very well in history. During the Crusades, Jews experienced severe persecution, including massacres, forced conversions, and the proliferation of antisemitic myths, which cemented a profoundly negative view of the Christian label and its followers in Jewish collective memory. These events marked a turning point in medieval Jewish-Christian relations, shifting them from precarious coexistence toward institutionalized violence and widespread resentment.

Even Jesus had to deal with an identity issue with His followers while He was here. Public opinion was that Jesus had come to establish an physical kingdom and overthrow Rome. Jesus asked His disciples to move beyond public opinion and know who He really was to them. Jesus asked them: "Whom do you say that I am?" and He repeated this question several times. Some thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the other prophets; however, when He pressed them on the issue, Peter said: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"

That is who Christ is, and He is who we should be following!

A Christian is not just a churchgoer, a moral person, a Bible-knowledge holder, or someone who merely professes Christ. True Christianity is a life transformed by grace, governed by truth, and lived in obedience to God through Jesus Christ. Anything less is counterfeit.

Work Life and Sick Days

No one plans to be sick.

I definitely didn’t have it in my Outlook calendar this week when a sudden fever took me down.  

I tested positive for some current variant of COVID that is going around. Yep, COVID is still here and it got me a second time.

I have just now been able to sit upright for extended periods of time and thankful that my fever is gone.  I’m just left with the coughing and congestion now while quarantined in a separate bedroom.

I hate being sick.  I confess that I am not a good patient.  Too often I try to rush the process.  I feel bad that my absence due to sickness has caused my co-workers to be shorthanded this week.

 

I have rarely used any sick days during my career.  When I left Government employment a few years ago,  I actually had a huge amount of unused sick leave which I had accrued.

Many times I have just pushed through whatever was ailing me.  I have worked sick and various pains many, many times.

  

The average American worker takes an average of 2-3 sick days per year with about 26% surveyed which said they didn’t take any sick days.  I don’t know about this unless they are super beings.  Those who work from home take less sick days because they feel like they can work sick from home.

Well, I couldn’t have worked sick this past week.  I was completely down for the count.

One thing that is important is that we value our health and take care of ourselves.  When we take time to take care of ourselves - especially when we are sick - we can get back to being fully functional for the people who count on us.  I mean, the nature of my job requires a lot of focus and detail so I need to be as fully functional as I can be to do it.  

It’s like I wouldn’t want to go to my dentist appointment if my dentist wasn’t feeling well or just not 100% at that moment when you need a dental procedure done.  You don’t want your doctor to have a “my bad” situation during your procedure if they aren’t feeling well.

It’s nice to have employers who understand when you are not feeling well and need to take sick leave to recover.  I think I have had one in my entire career who took an attitude with me when I called in sick.  Fortunately, those who know my work ethic and know me understand that if I’m out sick then I am really too sick to function.  

As I climb out of this recent illness, I am thankful that I have had good health over the years.  If there’s one thing that sickness shows us is that there is more to us than our work.  We have to take care of ourselves.  Work will go on with us or without us.