Kingdom At Hand!

For Saturday, March 14, 2026:

Luke 3:16 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

In Jesus’ day, Hebrews were plagued with Roman oppression. They hung on tightly to a prophecy about a Messiah coming to rescue them. People would come to the Jordan and confess their sins, wanting to live a better life. They desired to get right with God. As John baptized the repentant, they questioned him: “Might you be the Messiah for whom we have been waiting?”

John assures them that he is not that Messiah. According to John, there’s a huge difference. He can only baptize with water. He warns the group that the Kingdom of God is near. They will see it soon, baptism with the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Son of God walking on Earth alongside mankind. It’s kind of hard to explain, as no one had ever seen anything like this before! John had a little inside information, being a cousin of Jesus.

I could repeat John’s message today, and the information would still be correct. We should all repent and return to the Lord, because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus said he would return. Everything he told us has been true, and we expect that this would be likewise – true! Jesus gave us signs to watch for, hints that his return was imminent. We see more and more of them all the time as the date draws closer.

Churches pray for world peace, but Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. There are currently about 40 wars in the world, people shooting real bullets at one another. The wars we hear about on the news are the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Russia and communist North Korea are attacking Ukraine with soldiers and weapons. The US and other NATO allies are pouring defense assets into Ukraine. What we have here (just my opinion) is Communist Russia fighting a world war against Democratic countries. It’s just not obvious because the fighting is all on Ukrainian soil! That war is bigger than you think!

As for the Middle East, it’s Islam vs Judaism. Christians come down on the side of the Jews, our ancestors. Russia has been supplying intelligence and weapons to Iran, while Israel and the US intend to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 2001, when hijacked airplanes demolished the World Trade Center towers, I told my Jewish friends that this was a Holy War. I still believe that.

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. If we read those signs, Jesus should be on the way. With each passing day, we’re one day closer to his return. Friends, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Rumors of Wars!

For Friday, January 16, 2026:

Matthew 24:6 NLT: Jesus speaking: “You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

Jesus is teaching about warning signs, signs that the end times is drawing near. One of those signs is wars and rumors of war. Rumors would be threats from one nation to another before actual fighting takes place. No war seems to start without some words being thrown first.

Some wars are new; some have been going on for thousands of years. Palestine has been upset ever since God settled Jews in the Promised Land. That’s a long time!

More recently, last week, the US took over Venezuela. It wasn’t exactly a war. Venezuela was so disorganized under a corrupt leader that fighting back wasn’t an option, and many in the country welcomed the intervention. Nonetheless, their president was deposed, and the US president is now setting policy for that country.

Afghanistan and Pakistan can’t agree on the border between their two countries. Russia is still trying to annex Ukraine. At least eight countries are undergoing civil wars, unable to agree on a government within their own country. The US did that in the 1860’s. Other governments are threatened by gangs and terrorists, mostly involving drugs. Illegal drugs represent a lot of money, and to find the source of the conflict, just follow the money! By the way, illegal drugs are only valuable because there’s a huge market for them. That’s our country’s problem!

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that these wars are the end. “The end won’t follow immediately.” But each war is a step closer to the end. These are times to lock in our commitment to Jesus and to God’s way. As God reveals the New Heaven and the New Earth, believer’s salvation will also be revealed. If we stick with Jesus, we’ll be given a ticket for eternal life in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom.

All aboard!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Delivered!

For Wednesday, August 13, 2025:

Mark 13:24a, 26 NKJV: “After that tribulation, they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

Jesus said, “See, I have told you all things beforehand.” So we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter false saviors, false christs. There will be many claiming the title, while in reality only seeking power for themselves. Earth will endure a difficult time as the tribulation unfolds. Believers will be separated from the rest of the world. Then the Son of Man will come in the sky to gather and protect his flock.

When Satan is conquered and subdued once and for all, God will restore the earth to his original plan, calling it the New Earth. As much as we talk about going to heaven, it’s only temporary. Our final destination is the New Earth, where God can walk amongst his people.

Each day we’re one day closer to the end times. Right now, the weather is crazy, and that’s a sign! We’re seeing excessive rains and flooding; a month’s worth of rain in a day. We might expect this in a hurricane, but two days ago it was Wisconsin! We will see wars and rumors of wars. We can’t seem to get Putin out of Ukraine, and the leaders of Gaza never should have attacked Israel, God’s chosen people.

The purpose of the end times is to deliver believers and quash Satan and his demons. You and I, the followers of Jesus, will be delivered to a glorious hereafter. God is good. Thank you, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

End Times Signs!

For Sunday, July 27, 2025:

Mark 13:4 NLT: “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”

We can identify with these disciples who had questions about the end times. Most of us have similar questions. Let’s have a look at Jesus’ answers.

Beware of false leaders who lie. Many will come claiming to be the Messiah or the Christ or his representative. They are not. Don’t be fooled. Only Jesus is the real deal! Only the Son of God deserves your loyalty.

There will be many wars and even more rumors of war. There are currently over 40 conflicts in our world where people are shooting real bullets at each other. Real bombs are being dropped, and real rockets and drones are being sent into the air. We should pray for peace, which will certainly come when Jesus returns. He is, after all, the prince of peace! We probably won’t see worldwide peace until then. Our prayer for peace should be, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

There are nearly 200 countries on our planet, lines drawn on maps by imperfect humans. I hate to say this, but most of them really don’t matter. Most countries are too small and/or lack the resources for worldwide influence. Keep your eye on China and Xi Jinping, with the world’s largest army; Russia and Vladimir Putin, who never ended their Cold War dislike for the US; the US and Donald Trump, home of the free; and Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, who seem to be running the show in the Middle East. Much will happen in the Middle East in the end times scenario, as Israel and Jerusalem function as God’s headquarters.

In a recent sermon, the pastor preached that we’re currently in the end times of the end times! Possibly! Are you ready to go, to move to the next reality? Have you repented and given up the world to return to the Father and His Son? The time to do this is now. Each of us can sign up for the Jesus team before the end times, and we would be wise to do so. If we wait until Judgment Day, it will be too late, a missed opportunity with eternal ramifications. Don’t be left on the outside!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Wars!

September 30, 2024 Monday Message:

2 Samuel 2:26 NLT: “Abner shouted down to Joab, ‘Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that bitterness is the only result? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?’”

Nowadays we think of Israel as one country. But historically, Judah and Israel were separate and opposing nations, David leading Judah while Ish-bosheth led Israel. That’s right, tribes of God’s Chosen People were fighting one another with real pointy spears! Finally Abner and Joab, the military leaders, said, “Enough killing!” The conflict was not settled, but they agreed to go their separate ways. This was about 900 years before Jesus, so Middle East conflict has been ongoing for over 3,000 years that we can document.

The irony is that at the time those battling one another were all related, probably cousins. By the time Jesus arrived, Israel was united. But right in the middle of their country were the Samaritans, again cousins, but considered unclean by the Jews. Complicating matters was Rome, who occupied most of the world at the time. Israelites weren’t sure who to battle first, the Samaritans or the Romans!

God, through his servant Moses, led the Hebrew people to the edge of the promised land, Canaan. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land; God gave it to us!” And that is Israel’s position as war once again breaks out in the Middle East.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militants invaded Israel from Gaza, killing over 1,100 and capturing about 250, some of whom are still being held. As you’d expect, Israel retaliated. It wasn’t pretty. Then, months ago, Iranian backed Hezbollah started lobbing rockets from Syria into Northern Israel. Their rockets have gone deeper and deeper into Israel, until Israel felt it had no choice but to retaliate. Now Houthis from Yemen have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea, and have longer range missiles reaching Southern Israel. Again, Israel is retaliating.

In an unrelated incident, I have felt for some time that the US and its NATO allies are battling Russia, North Korea and China in what could be the beginning of WWIII. For now, the fighting is all taking place on Ukrainian soil, and Putin doesn’t seem interested in backing down. (That’s just my opinion, not from the Bible!)

The point is that Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns, and we have war in spades! There are over 40 different war-like conflicts in the world today. But each day we’re one day closer to the second coming. We’ve been given signs to watch for, but trust me, everyone will be surprised when it happens!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Neighbors!

For Sunday, May 19, 2024:

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, telling everyone to be nice, treat others kindly and to live harmoniously. We would be wise to appropriate his teaching for the entire world!

Paul is following Jesus’ example, who was following his Father’s example. Did you ever stop and think – pretend with me for just a minute – what the world would be like if everyone followed Jesus’ example? Everyone would get along. Everyone would be nice, kind and considerate. There would be no more disagreements between countries. Wars would vanish!

There is enough food in the world for everyone, but we can’t seem to work out the logistics. In the US, food spoils daily and we simply throw it away. We have more. In other countries, children are dying for a lack of nutrition. We know that we need to get food to those who desperately need it. But various laws, countries and border lines prevent this from happening! As a human race, we could do better!

We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, so let’s define neighbor. The category is broader than it first appears. I believe that anyone you interact with is considered your neighbor and should be treated fairly and honestly. That’s what Jesus would do!

Jesus did a lot of favors for people he just met!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

End-times Signs!

For Thursday, February 22, 2024:

Mark 13:8a NLT, Jesus speaking: “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines.”

Jesus gave his disciples more signs of the end times. One sign is seemingly never-ending wars. I’ll only highlight a couple.

Russia’s effort to overtake Ukraine is in year three now, and I’m sure that – to those people – it seems like it will never end. The inability to ship grain from Ukraine to Africa has resulted in a severe famine in Africa.

Our other worldly war is in Gaza. On Oct. 7^th of last year, a Hamas-led Palestinian group invaded Israel killing 1,139 Israelites, and taking 253 captive to Gaza. Surely Hamas anticipated Israel’s retaliation which has been devastating to Gaza’s greater population.

In college we learned that our entire continent is slowly moving west, accounting for some of California’s earthquakes. Our teacher predicted the coast would crumble and fold under the moving continent. He joked that someday we’d be able to buy ocean-front property in Utah! On the nightly news last night, I saw foot-deep cracks in the 101 and watched two million-dollar houses fall into the ocean.

I heard a preacher say that we are in the end times of the end times! There’s no better time to cement our personal relationship with Jesus. Each day we’re one day closer to heaven!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus said...

For Friday, November 10, 2023:

Matthew 24:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.”

Jesus said that he and the Father are one, so if he’s describing the end times, I’d listen up! Jesus said that wars and fighting would be one sign of the end times. For the last year or so, North Korea and China have been funneling munitions through Russia from the east, while the US and NATO countries are bolstering Ukraine from the west. This worldwide battle is being played out on Ukrainian soil, so it appears smaller and less significant than it really is!

About a month ago, in the dark of night, Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,400 Israelites and taking 241 hostages. This Holy War has stolen headlines from the Ukrainian conflict. The Bible predicted a mass return of Jews to Israel. Almost 10 million have accepted that invitation. That has happened in our lifetimes, since the country didn’t exist until after WWII. The Bible says to expect a worldwide persecution of Israel. Surrounded by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, it would seem that Israel doesn’t have a fighting chance. God will intervene!

Knowledge of the end times is a gift from God. He wants his loyal followers to know the truth, to not be taken off guard by activities in this world. God wants believers to recognize the signs, and be ready to join Jesus in heaven! He’s already preparing your place!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

End Times Signs!

For Sunday, October 29, 2023:

Matthew 24:6-7 NLT: “You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.”

The disciples are asking end times questions. When do we get to join you in heaven? Give us some signs so that we know when the end is coming!

Jesus began by telling the disciples to beware of false prophets. If someone is trying to convince the world that they are the Messiah, they’re not. When Jesus returns, it will be a spectacular event and the whole world will know. No one will need convincing!

Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the largest incursion. Watch out! It’s kind of like WWIII, with the US and NATO nations helping Ukraine, and China and North Korea arming the Russian army. It’s being fought on Ukraine’s soil!

Of special interest is Hamas’ attack on Israel, the country known as the Holy Land. Gaza, home of Hamas, is a tiny strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea. But Israel is also trying to keep peace in the West Bank, and defend against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria.

Significant earthquakes struck Israel’s neighbors, Turkey and Afghanistan. There’s a great famine in Africa, unable to receive grain shipments from Ukraine.

These are all signs that the end times scenario is starting to play out. We will never know the exact day and hour of God’s victory in the world, but we have been given signs, warnings for us to get our houses in order.

Today is the best day to commit or re-commit our lives to following Jesus. Today, the end is one day closer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship