Hi Mike,
First I would like to say what a blessing it was meeting you in person. Also being able to get to know your wife. Wow, what a great lady! It was a real pleasure talking to her.
I have had many questions I have considered emailing you about in the past, but restrained myself as I did not want to take up your precious time with out first doing my home work.
But any way I am very alone in the Truths of God within my family and still getting spoon fed these Truths. When I read/ listen to you and verify everything you say, I can see it, but when I go and study on my own I struggle seeing the spiritual side of things. I think my issue is not knowing scripture as well as I should. Before coming to some of these Truths I have been shown I always said “Why should I read the bible, what am I going to learn that the pastors do not know and have not taught?” So I never saw a big need for studying.
Well, we both now know why that line of thinking is an issue and I have studied more in the last year than I have my entire life. So in due time my in my seeking I will find.
Well, this evening my 8 year old son, which understands the spiritual meaning of the temple, asked my wife to explain –
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
She said “I believe (emphasizing “I believe” indicating that she knows I do not agree) that it is talking about ‘The Antichrist'”. So I opened my big mouth and said “well, you know that the temple is us, so it cannot be ‘The Antichrist’.” This opened up a big discussion with me and the wife and I tried to explain to her the importance of “is, was and will be” and she kept focusing on the “will be,” and I had little I could say.
You see, I believe that end time prophecy is an idol of her heart which I can understand because it was for me. We always had interest in the end times stuff like the “Left Behind series”. I have to admit it was very interesting like a good movie, but that does not make it the Truth. But during our discussion she said that she could still be right about all this end time prophecy stuff because of the “will be”. If we are to look at everything as “is, was and will be” we cannot leave out the “will be”, correct? I understand the importance of the “is” and that it always is in the order of importance of “is” first “was” second and “will be” last. You seem to emphasize and speak mostly about the “is and was” but very little on the “will be”. I was hoping you can give me a better understanding on what is in store for us (Earth/ human race) in the future. What is going to happen to this Earth? My wife feels that God is laying it on her to prepare for some end time catastrophe. She mentioned how Joseph prepared by storing up grain. Can we apply the “will be” to the whole book as well and not just the “will be” being the lake of fire or to the end of Revelations? Does scripture help us prepare for the future (Will be)? I know I have a lot to work on ‘now’ (Is), but I am trying to understand the “will be” to be able to possibly help my wife.
Thank you for all your efforts they are a blessing to many (the Few) of us.
God bless,
B____

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Hi B____,
It was a pleasure meeting you in Marshall. I hope we can meet again some day in the not too distant future.
You ask me about the importance of the ‘will be’ part of the book of Revelation. I can do no more to answer your question than our Lord did. He told us in His parables not to bury our talents, and to be careful to give the manservants and the maidservants meat in due season. Here is what Christ tells us is to be our approach to the ‘will be,’ part of God’s Word:

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Christ thrice told Peter “feed my sheep.” The way we prepare for the ‘will be’ part of God’s Word is to “be ye also ready” by “giving [ God’s] household meat in due season.”

Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

The famine we face is not something which we prepare for as if it were in the physical future. It is not in the future. It is here now and people are starving by the billions:

Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Those who are looking for this to come to pass are totally unaware of the fact that it has been the case for going on two thousand years. There Is, Was and Will Be a famine of God’s Word until the lake of fire is emptied of its last soul and He and his word fill all in all. Until He is all in all, there is and will be (always has been) a famine of God’s Word.
The story of Joseph in the Old Testament is full of spiritual lessons in all of its types and shadows. But types and shadows have nothing to do with the words used to express the type or the shadow. The grain which Joseph stored up has much more to do with God’s Word being in abundance than it does with having plenty of physical food on hand.
The last thing in the world I want to do is to offend your wife, but if she is sincere in her search for the mind of Christ, then she will appreciate Christ’s own words which tell us that “the flesh profits nothing, the Words which I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life.” And while there is nothing wrong with discerning the physical times and putting food by for hard physical times, the REAL Truth is:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I will pray that both you and your wife will come to see that that reason ‘Is’, is always primary is because Christ has plainly told us in this parable and in many other parables that the only tense we need to concern ourselves with is the IS tense:

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

These are Is, Was and Will Be Truths.
I hope this has helped you to see that the way to prepare for the future is to live for Christ now:

Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

This is as clear as spiritual words can make it. Only a spiritual mind is capable of receiving this Truth. I pray that God will grant you both just that mind.

Mike