Predictions!

For Tuesday, April 21, 2026:

John 14:29 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.”

Q: How can you tell if a prophet is the real deal?
A: The prophecies all come true!

As his ministry draws to a close, I don’t think Jesus looked at these words as any long-term prophecy. But he didn’t want any of the believers to lose faith. He didn’t want them to give up or be scared. That could easily happen when your spiritual mentor is hanging from a cross!

As it happened, everything played out just as Jesus predicted. In death, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving mankind forgiven, eligible for life after this life. Three days later, he walked out of the tomb. Death could not hold him! And with sin and death both conquered, mankind was given a fresh start! God is good!

Even the bad things that happened should increase our faith, because it all happened just as Jesus said it would!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Wars and Rumors of War!

For Friday, October 17, 2025:

Luke 21:8 NLT: Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.”

We have all heard rumors that the world would soon be ending, that Jesus would be returning on a certain date. The predictions are always wrong. Don’t believe anyone who tells you such things. Jesus said that even he doesn’t know the exact date, that only the Father knows. If someone says they know, they’re lying!

Jesus did give us signs that we’re getting closer to the second coming, and a major sign is the proliferation of wars and insurrections. In case you haven’t heard the news lately, our world currently has wars in spades! The one conflict with Biblical overtones started about two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,000 and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, a radical terrorist organization that had taken over Gaza. Hamas would not release the captured Israelis, even as Gaza was reduced to rubble.

Today, two years later, the hostages that were still alive were finally released, and a peace agreement was signed. Israel is still complaining that all the bones of the deceased were not returned. My advice would be just to let it go. When someone has died, their soul no longer occupies a human body. Their eternal essence has (hopefully) gone to be with the Lord. The body is no longer relevant. (That’s the Christian view, not necessarily the Jewish view.)

I said the current conflict started two years ago, but the overall disagreement goes back 3,000 years. After wandering on the desert, God set the Hebrew people down in the Promised Land. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land – God gave it to us!” However, those who had previously lived there were displaced. Hence the conflict.

(Just my opinion:) I don’t believe this peace treaty will last, because at its roots, this is a religious war. We can fight over territory, over governments, over countries, but people cannot be forced to change their beliefs. Historically, people will rot in prison while hanging on to their religion.

Jesus is the only one who can straighten out this mess. Our prayer for peace should include, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Prophecy!

March 11, 2024 Monday Message:

Isaiah 7:14 NLT, Isaiah speaking the Lord’s words: “The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

We all recognize this as a prophecy or prediction of the birth of Jesus. That event happened just like God said it would. By the way, Immanuel means God with us. One important thing to remember is that Isaiah lived 800 years before Jesus! He personally had no knowledge of a virgin birth. Isaiah was simply speaking the words given to him by the Lord. Those words would come to fruition 800 years later!

Prophets have a unique job description. Some people think that prophets can predict the future, but that’s not true. Only God knows the future, and Isaiah is retelling the words God gave him. Listening for God’s voice is the end of Isaiah’s super-powers!

Are there prophets nowadays? Probably, but they don’t get a lot of attention. Journalists only focus on catastrophes, things gone wrong. Apparently Good News isn’t newsworthy. And you won’t hear about prophets in most churches. God is probably speaking, but we have our radios off and hear nothing. And it’s very difficult to hear a prophet if you don’t believe in them!

Same thing with evil demons. The subject of demons seldom comes up in churches nowadays. But let me warn you: Satan never takes a holiday! Satan enjoys an unrestricted earthly battle because so few believe in him. When churches stopped casting out demons, Satan jumped for joy! We rarely talk about the problem, so Satan runs free.

Jesus taught that we should: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.” Especially nowadays we should follow Jesus’ instructions!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship