The Final Two Signs of the End — ‘As in the Days of Noah’

September Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas and greetings in Jesus’ precious name! Christ came into this world “in the fullness of time” to redeem mankind from sin and to reconcile us to the Heavenly Father (Galatians 4:4,5). And what a great salvation it was and is that God wrought for us in Christ (see Hebrews 2:3-18)! Denise and I and our family wish you a warm and wonderful Christmas season and the best new year of your life in 2022.

Today I want to talk to you about opportunities and adversaries, but first I want to say thank you for being such a faithful partner with our ministry. As I told you in my letter last month, our ministry is bursting at the seams, and I am so humbled that God would use Denise and me, our family, and our team to minister to the many people who are reaching out to us every day.

Every soul is precious, and it is our heartfelt desire to convey that truth to every person God brings to us — that they are precious to Him and to us. And your gifts are so vital to our ability to touch every one of these treasured souls! So today I want to say a special thank you for all you do with us to take the trusted teaching of the Word of God to people in Russia and all over the world. From the depths of our hearts, Denise and I THANK YOU!

This month is the last month of the year — and I know you are probably preparing for Christmas and many different kinds of gatherings. But in addition to Christmas, it’s also almost 2022. As we come to the end of this year and to the beginning of a brand-new year, the Holy Spirit keeps telling me to “stay on track” with the assignments He has given us. I hear Him saying that even if we hit bumps along the way, everything will be all right if we’ll just stay on track and maintain our God-assigned territory — the many opportunities and assignments He has given us to inspire, strengthen, and equip believers with the sound teaching of the Bible.

But I’ve learned over the years that opportunities and adversaries usually go together — and today I want to encourage you to undergird yourself so that you can stay on track with what God has asked you to do this month and in the coming year.

Over the course of our ministry, we’ve had many great, effectual doors open to us to do the work of the Gospel. I’ll never forget when I received an opportunity to minister on television in the former Soviet Union. It was as if a great door had suddenly swung open to an entire vast territory — a door that had never before been opened for anyone else — and I knew I was experiencing something miraculous. By faith, Denise and I stepped through that door and began to preach the Word of God on television in this spiritually starved corner of the world.

Given the former socialist-communist campaigns against the Gospel in this particular region, this opportunity was as miraculous as the Jordan River dividing for Joshua and the children of Israel. But with this great open door also came a slew of adversaries, specifically dispatched by Satan to instill fear and doubt into my heart. The devil desperately wanted to prevent me from touching the lives of spiritually oppressed people, so he positioned evil people with insidious plans to try to block my view of what God had in store for our ministry.

I’m telling you that it was like the children of Israel looking at the Promised Land from the far side of the Jordan River. From that perspective, they saw only the fruitful land of blessing that lay before them. But once they entered the Promised Land, they had to fight giants of every kind before they could possess that land and enjoy the blessing. In much the same way, if Denise and I had taken our eyes off the Lord during that tumultuous period — or if we had focused only on the problems and forgotten about the fruit we were pursuing for God’s Kingdom — I’m sure we would have backpedaled to get out of the situation!

But we knew this was a God-given opportunity and worth the fight, so we fixed our gaze squarely on the Lord. Girded with the armor of God and the power of the Spirit, we pushed through every obstacle and possessed the ground that God called us to take. As a result, millions of souls began to hear the Gospel for the first time. We knew that only God could have opened this door!

In First Corinthians 16:9, the apostle Paul wrote about the strategic doors of opportunity that open for the Gospel and the adversaries that usually accompany them. He said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Notice that Paul used the words “great,” “door,” “effectual,” and “is opened” to describe the opportunity that had been set before him.

The word “great” in this verse is translated from the Greek word megale, which means gigantic. The word “door” is the Greek word thura, which typically refers to a door, but in this context, denotes a rare opportunity. The word “effectual” is the Greek word energes, and it depicts something that is powerful and ready to be set into motion. Finally, the phrase “is opened” is the Greek word anoigo, which describes something standing wide open. In other words, the door in question couldn’t be any more open! Thus, an alternate translation of Paul’s words in First Corinthians 16:9 could be rendered, “A gigantic, powerful opportunity is already set in motion and standing wide open….”

Paul continued by saying, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me….” You see, Paul knew that the particular door he was referring to had never been opened to anyone else, and he stood in awe of the unprecedented opportunity. Walking through these kinds of doors is impossible without divine assistance, and Paul was fully aware of God’s role in the matter. That is why he specified that this door had been opened “unto me.”

Paul’s prayer request in First Corinthians 16:9 was not for a door to open because it had already opened. His prayer request was to receive God’s wisdom to deal with the numerous adversaries who were trying to come against him. Paul used the Greek word antikeimenoi to describe the vast number of “adversaries” that were sent to attack him. This Greek word describes something that was piled high and lying all around him. In other words, he was dealing with more than a few minor opponents. On the contrary, it felt like opposition was stacked high on every side!

I’ve learned that the enemy will try his best to keep you from stepping through the gigantic doors of opportunity God desires to open for you. Satan is afraid of what will happen when “his” territory is invaded by someone fully equipped with a full arsenal of spiritual weapons. So know this: God will open doors for you — but He needs you to make a determined decision that you will walk through them, no matter the opposition, with the help of His Spirit.

By opening the door, God has already done His part, which would have been impossible without His assistance. Now He beckons you to come, dressed in the whole armor of God and in the power of His Word — and proceed through that effectual door into new territory. It may look like enemies are everywhere, but it is simply a fact that the devil and his forces flee and collapse when they are subjected to a show of strong faith!

As I mentioned earlier, many great and effectual doors have been opened to us over the years to do the work of the Gospel. In each case, we knew these doors were unique to us and had never before been opened for anyone else. And just as Paul experienced opposition, there were plenty of enemies that came against us with each opportunity. But because we obeyed God, the devil was forced to move out of the way, and we walked right into the virgin territory that God had opened for our ministry.

Even if you think your situation looks threatening right now, I want to tell you that God is with you. He wants to supernaturally open new doors for you — doors that have never before been opened for you. He is not beckoning you to walk through these doors so you can fail. He is with you every step of the way, and He will empower you to defeat every foe and bring Him glory in that new territory that is yours to possess in Jesus’ name!

Your open door may be an opportunity to shine the light of God’s Word and God’s love to your family or friends during this holiday season. It may be a door that will open to you in the new year. Regardless of when it is or what it is, the same God who opens doors will empower you to walk through them — and then He’ll be right with you to give you the wisdom and strength needed to overcome any giant that tries to meet you on the other side.

I know this is not a typical December, “Christmas-style” letter, but this is what was on my heart to share with you today. I want you to always know that if we can join you in prayer, we would be delighted to do so. To be honest, we are praying for you anyway, but when we are alerted to know exactly “how” to pray, it increases our effectiveness as we pray for you. So if you have a special need, please either call or write to let us know how we can get in agreement with you for God to show Himself mighty to you according to Jeremiah 33:3, which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

And please pray for us as we continue marching forward by faith to push back darkness, to shine the light of God’s Word, and to take territory for the Kingdom of God. Together — as partners — we can make a difference in the lives of throngs of people who are crying out to God for help. They are waiting for God to respond to their prayers, and God wants to use us — you and us together — to bring them the answers they desperately need.

But before I close, I want to say we are specifically asking God to do something special for you this month and before the end of the year. I don’t know what it is, but that is what we are praying. We are asking God to do something special that will bless your life! And please, please pray for us as we continue pushing ahead to build our studio in Moscow, to finalize the purchase of our new headquarters in Tulsa, and to continue to minister effectually to every precious soul Jesus brings to us!

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and their families|Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus’ wonderful name! He is so worthy of our praise. Not only is He Wonderful, but He is Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6). Oh, how great He is!  

THIS IS THE MONTH!!! 

My book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood is finally released! I cannot tell you how excited I am for you to hold this book in your hands. Please don’t let it sit on the shelf. Read it and share it with others. I worked hard on this book because I want to help biblically unlock unanswered mysteries from the past that are relevant to our lives today.  

Our dear friend Joseph Z said: “Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood is captivating in every way as it unveils ancient mysteries that will usher you right up to the issues of our current day. This work is both academic and convincing; not only does it offer you a master class on biblical archaeology, but it will also powerfully guide you through arenas many would consider foreign terrain or uncharted territory…. Rick has spent much of his life walking, filming, and researching the physical locations tied to the events contained in this book, which qualifies him as a leading voice on the matter….”  

Another dear friend Sid Roth said: “You may have heard secular commentators try to explain the “unexplainable” found in the Scriptures, such as fallen angels, giants, and the Flood. Now world-class Bible teacher Rick Renner answers your questions about these and other “unexplainable” details and events from a 100-percent biblical perspective!”

If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, go to renner.org to place your order right now! 

Before I get into my message, I want to say THANK YOU for what you do. Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” Teaching biblical truths is like giving spiritual food and nourishment to both believers and non-believers. I know that teaching the Word of God to many is our calling, but we are only able to do it because of the grace and anointing of God on all our work and because of the gifts you give to this ministry. Partners like you, who regularly give to this ministry, put fuel in the tank so we can fulfill our mandate. When I call you a partner, I sincerely mean you are a partner with us. You mean so much to Denise and me and our family, our team, and the people who are reaping the consequences of your giving in their lives! 

Today I want to continue speaking to you about the words Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end times in Matthew 24. In that text, Jesus said:  

But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  
— Matthew 24:37  

Jesus prophesied that the events which occurred before the Flood would occur again in the days before His return. Since we are living in those days, we need to be awakened to what is going to happen in our times. So today, I want to cover the next two points on what happened before the Flood. Both points will happen again and are already happening.  

#5: Continuous Evil in the Heart of Man 
(Genesis 6:5) 

Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” 

This verse tells us clearly that in the time frame before the Flood, man had degenerated in his imagination into such evil things that “his heart was only evil continually.” This evil in the heart of man became especially evident and increased as the pre-Flood population interfaced with the dark spirit world and engaged in demonic activity and multiple forms of sexual perversion.  

Again, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). 

Therefore, we must ask:  

Is the world today experiencing a rise of evil in the heart of man
as it occurred in the days before the Flood? 

It is clear we are witnessing an intensification of evil in men’s minds and hearts in our own times, and Romans 1:30 states that when lost humanity continues to go astray, it leads to their becoming “inventors of evil things.”  

The word “inventors” in this verse is from an original word that means to contrive or invent, and the word “evil” depicts what is bad, base, destructive, evil, foul, harmful, injurious, rotten, vile, or morally wrong. When the word “inventions” is used in the Old Testament, it usually has to do with foul sexual activity. We find it used this way in Psalm 106:29 and 39, where we read that God was displeased with Israel for going “a whoring” with sexual escapades and sexual inventions in their times.  

When Romans 1:30 speaks of “inventors of evil things,” it seems to speak of a time when the world will throw off moral restraint, and inventions of evil things begin to emerge that will include inventions that are base and ugly in the sight of God. Keep in mind, Jesus said that what occurred in the days preceding the Flood would be replicated again at the end of the age. So how does the “continual evil” in the heart of man from the pre-Flood society connect with people becoming “inventors of evil things” in our age?  

The list of evil inventions today is nearly endless, and appearing toward the top of it is pornography and all kinds of highly sophisticated sexual technology that comes with it, including virtual sex. Without getting too explicit, our so-called sophisticated society in which we live has taken the creation of evil fantasy to such a new level that there are new, life-like robots designed to carry out sexual acts however an owner programs them. Recently published articles reveal that with the push of a button, one can get from a robot whatever concoction of sex he or she wants. This bizarre development is a sign of “every imagination of man’s heart being only evil continually” (see Genesis 6:5). 

Bloodshed was also widespread before the Flood, which begs the question: How is it being replicated in our time at the end of the age? The answer could lead us to many horrific societal trends, but one practice it painfully brings to mind is the mass killing of the unborn in our generation. Today, easy accessibility to abortion has taken this form of bloodshed to an entirely different level than has ever existed in previous generations.  

In my book Last Days Survival Guide, the documented statistics of abortion around the world (at the time of my writing) are outlined. I’ll share a part of it in the following paragraphs.  

Because accurate numbers of abortions were not kept in the Soviet Union before 1957, if we count from 1957 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 — in those 34 years alone — approximately 306,457,000 abortions were performed in the Soviet Union. This number is larger than the entire population of the USSR when the USSR dissolved in 1991.  

When we turn our attention to China, we find that the best records for the numbers of abortions performed in China before 1970 are unavailable, so research must begin with 1971, when the best information became available. Those records reveal that from 1971 to 2020 — a span of nearly 50 years — 489,936,650 abortions were carried out in China.  

To help you comprehend that number, the current population of the United States is approximately 330 million. This means from 1971 to 2020, China aborted the equivalent of the entire population of the United States, plus nearly 160 million more.  

Turning our attention to the United States, we see that since 1973 when abortion was legalized by the Supreme Court in the infamous case of Roe v. Wade, nearly 62 million abortions have been performed.  

Altogether, the most solid information shows that the worldwide number of abortions between 1980 and 2020 is estimated to have exceeded 2 billion. Think of that horrifying landmark number modern society has reached — 2 billion abortions carried out globally in a span of 40 years!  

Although these statistics are already mind-boggling, these statistics are constantly being outdated as tens of thousands of abortions are carried out every day worldwide.  

While some contend that the world today is more technologically advanced and more sophisticated, this slaughter of more than two billion babies and counting shows that we are not more civilized; rather, barbarism is escalating on an unthinkable scale. Infants are routinely brutally burned to death by chemicals injected into a mother’s womb, torn to pieces in the womb by medical devices, or aborted by means of an easily ingested pill — their lives tragically snuffed out. 

Every minute of every day in sterilized hospitals and clinics around the world, this barbaric act occurs. This is worldwide savagery of the worst kind that makes all other holocausts and genocides pale in comparison. It is murder on a scale so massive that no fiction writer could have ever imagined it. Yet this is reality in our present day and age. Murdering more than two billion babies through the act of abortion is the mass annihilation of those who cannot scream, who cannot be heard, and who cannot defend themselves. The tiny bodies of these image-bearers of God are mutilated and thrown into garbage cans, sold for parts to the highest bidder, or recycled to be used in shampoos or cosmetics.  

When godly advocates raise their voices against this genocide in the Western world, those who are pro-choice (which should be called pro-abortion) often portray objectors to this atrocity as narrow-minded, right-wing fanatics. These advocates for life are attacked with a vengeance by an evil faction that wants to intimidate, silence, and render powerless any and all opposition in order to retain the legal right to terminate the life of a child.  

Make no mistake — this present generation is tainted with the blood of innocent children. And one could argue that as a whole, it is largely guilty of the most heinous and barbaric behavior, perhaps in the entire history of mankind, because of the murder of more than two billion unborn children. 

If you have experienced an abortion, God’s grace and forgiveness are available to you. No condemnation for anyone is intended. If you need prayer for inner healing due to an abortion you had in the past and need someone to pray for you to receive healing and freedom, please reach out to us and we’ll pray for God’s healing balm to touch your soul. 

The Evil Invention of Gender Reassignment Is Destroying Lives 

In addition to abortion, think of the evil occurring as medical procedures are being regularly carried out in an attempt to change people’s gender. The preposterous notion that a person’s gender can be creatively “reassigned” is a recurring message being shoved down the throats of everyone in modern society.  

Satan, the god of this world, is deceptively working overtime through educational institutions, the courts, many forms of the media, and the entertainment industry to wear people down until the shock factor of gender reassignment diminishes and society begins to adjust to and accept the idea that changing a person’s gender isn’t so bad — or physically and emotionally damaging — but that it is, in fact, a good thing.  

This is a blaring signal that delusion is oozing into the mainstream of society at an ever-increasing rate. This seduction and deception has woven its way into the fabric of society from nearly every angle, and even the Church has been affected.  

Besides what’s being blasted over the airwaves on televisions, one of the primary ways the minds of the young are being swayed is through public education. Curriculum is being written for the classroom that promotes and pushes a narrative that includes all things ungodly — sex without limitations, abortion, same-sex attraction, gender fluidity, and pretty much anything else that undermines respect for God, Jesus, and the authority of the Bible.  

This so-called “progressive” curriculum blurs the lines of truth, incites confusion, obliterates common sense, and punishes individual thinking. Any thinking that is outside the box of the “kinder, gentler” world of progressive humanism is not only frowned on, but is often met with violent, punitive resistance.  

As incredibly challenging as this is, we as Christians need to know that it’s okay and right to recognize and acknowledge that such assertions belong in a world gone mad — not in the life of the Body of Christ. If you are still standing for biblical truth and against the lunacy that has been loosed in this last-days society to destroy it — congratulations on maintaining your spiritual fire and not caving and becoming numbed and desensitized to the changes in the moral tide that we’ve experienced over the last 50 years.  

Let me be clear and say gender confusion is a real and complicated spiritual and psychological problem that cannot be remedied with sexual surgeries to try to alter a person’s gender. This is not a reasonable answer to such a deep spiritual and psychological issue. In fact, it is delusionary. Those who struggle with the serious issue of gender confusion need mental and emotional healing — not surgery to try to make their physical makeup match their mental confusion. We need to help them with the right tools, not a surgeon’s scalpel.  

It is a sad fact that commonsense thinking has been thrown to the wind, replaced with the whims of ever-fluctuating times. To most of us, it seems that the level of evil that is now manifesting is unprecedented in human history. And it is — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood.  

But once again, I remind you that God is not in the practice of scaring us, but He is in the business of warning and preparing us. If we listen to the Spirit and build our lives and minds on the soundness of God’s Word, we and those we love can be safeguarded from this destructive spirit of the age. But if you know someone who has already been affected and you want someone to pray with you about it, reach out to us and we’ll pray with power! 

#6: Widespread Violence 
(Genesis 6:11,13) 

The sixth phenomenon that was taking place before the Flood was widespread violence across the earth. In fact, violence was so prevalent that God ultimately concluded that the only way to cleanse the earth of it was to send a flood.  

In Genesis 6:11 and 13, we read, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence…. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” 

Once more, we must recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37, where He said: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”  

Therefore, we must ask: 

Is the world today experiencing widespread violence
as it occurred in the days before the Flood? 

Today violence and corruption runs rampant in our schools, our streets, and even our homes — it is everywhere. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul forecasted that society would turn dangerously violent at the end of the age (see 2 Timothy 3:1-9), and his Holy Spirit-inspired predictions support Jesus’ prophetic warning that the things which occurred before the Flood would be repeated in the days before Christ’s return. As barbaric and violent as society has been in past times, the level of violence that will mark the end of the age will be greater than this world has ever known.  

In today’s world of entertainment, violence is one of the hottest-selling tickets. It can be found all over the Internet, embedded in music, and vividly portrayed in video games. To demonstrate just how sinisterly barbaric our world has become, consider these insights from my book Last Days Survival Guide:  

In our own time — at a time in modern history when we seem to be so sophisticated — we have taken the barbaric behavior of the ancient world to a new, unprecedented level. We no longer have to visit Roman stadiums and other venues to experience violence and bloodshed, as a pagan society did in Early Church history, because now we bring huge doses of violence directly into our homes through television, digital devices, and the Internet. Although the means by which we receive our entertainment may be more technologically sophisticated, this generation is as barbaric, or even more so, than previous generations. It is simply barbarism manifesting in a different form.  

This present generation has seen so much brutality as entertainment on screens in front of them that they have become numb to its hideousness. Today people purchase tickets to movie theaters to watch scenes of human carnage play out before their eyes as thrilling entertainment.  

So I ask you — if we as a society regularly feast our eyes, minds, and emotions on enacted scenes of human bloodshed, does that really make us more civilized than the ancient world that reveled in some of the same live scenes played out before them? 

Current statistics prove that if a person watches enough violence on television, his sensitivity to violence will become dulled and he will become numbed to acts that would otherwise prick his conscience and vex his soul. The same statistics reveal that if a person watches pornography, in time, that person will lose his sensitivity to the wrongness of this behavior; once again, he will become numb to it.  

Consider these facts: 

• The escalation of violence in entertainment is so widespread that by age 18, a child will have seen more than 200,000 acts of violence on television and witnessed more than 40,000 simulated murders.  

• The average seventh-grader watches more than 4 hours of television per day — with more than 60 percent of the programs containing violence.  

• The same average seventh-grader plays electronic games 4 hours per week — with more than 50 percent of games categorized as “violent.”  

• In most of the industrialized world, 90 percent of homes with children have more than one television, not to mention video-game equipment, a personal computer, and high-tech cell phones with the capability of showing movies. This means parents can watch television in one room while their children sit unsupervised in another room with access to “entertainment” that projects violence into their young minds.  

• Violent video games have created a thirst for violence. In fact, statistics now reveal the majority of children select “fantasy violence” as their favorite type of video games.  
• Further studies reveal that the more frequently children practice fantasy acts of violence on video games, the more likely it becomes that they will carry out real acts of violence.  

The slower, kinder, safer world many of us grew up in is nearly gone, and with every new day it seems like society is being inundated with more violence. Unfortunately, our “sophisticated” and technologically advanced generation has become a generation wholly given to violence. Who would have ever thought it might be dangerous to go shopping at the mall or go watch a movie at the theater. Nevertheless, because there have been so many shootings and killings in the past decades, many people who frequent these types of public places are now taking the time to scope out the closest emergency exits in case a shooter shows up and goes on the rampage.  

Indeed, the levels of violence we are witnessing today may be unprecedented in human history — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood.  

We Are Witnessing the Onset of a Duplicate Moment
as in the Days Before the Flood 

Once more consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37: “But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The meaning of the original text here is the equivalent of Jesus saying, “Exactly and precisely as it was in the days of Noah, thus it will be in the days preceding My coming, when I will set all things right upon My arrival.” 

But it’s time for me to wrap up today’s letter before it becomes a book! 

One final time, I remind you that God is not in the practice of scaring us, but rather preparing us! He loves us so much that He wants us to have ears to hear what the Spirit has said so we and those we love can be safeguarded from the destructive spirit that is manifesting before Christ’s return. But again, I plead with you that if you know someone who has already been affected and you would like someone really qualified to pray with you about it, reach out to us and we’ll pray with you! 

Before I close, if you have a prayer request of any kind and would like us to agree with you for that need to be met, give us a call or send us an email. Jesus promised that if we would pray in agreement, God the Father would hear us and answer (see Matthew 18:19)! I realize that, as a believer, you pray by yourself, but I sometimes find it helpful to have someone pray with me. That prayer of agreement gives me assurance and peace and it really brings fast results. Give us a call at 1-800-742-5593 or reach out to us at prayer@renner.org. I promise that we’ll keep it confidential and we’ll pray for you!

Denise and I, our family, and our team love you and thank God for you!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

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