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In Union With Christ

Is the hope for Jesus’ return close to your heart and mind as much as it was on those first century disciples who also believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime?

Living in this world, however, we also recognise the power of distraction that can so easily take away our focus from Jesus. The devil would love for Jesus’ followers to love Him less, to become lukewarm, to get distracted, or to get overly busy. After all, the devil is an expert in beguilement and deception. But, when we’re close to God, in intimate covenant relationship with Jesus, when Jesus is the focus of our waking thoughts, prayers, all our actions (spontaneous or premeditated) then there’s little threat for any serious distraction.

One of the hardest things for us to do is to openly proclaim our love for Jesus. It may have not been in our culture. It might not be in our “personality”. Excuses in that area are often aplenty. And that, in some ways, is a sad reflection. Thankfully, a faithful few have responded to their calling and continued growing in Christ despite perhaps the “lots of head knowledge” and little “love of Jesus” in their previous “non-church” experience. On that note we can be glad that the times are changing within our church fellowships and in our own personal lives; after all, Jesus is the good shepherd and we must not deny Him that honour. We can be glad that more people are coming to a knowledgeable faith in how Jesus works in our lives: that He knocks on the door of our world, but doesn’t push in. It is for us to reach for the handle and only when we swing open the door, does Jesus intimately come into our lives. And that is important to understand. We are called into a responsive relationship with Jesus – a covenant relationship that is bound by both expectation and responsibility. We’re discussing a relationship that becomes a deep, intimate and accountable friendship.

So although God the Father calls us, and Jesus knocks on the door of our lives, Jesus will not push in where He’s not invited. He did not perform any miracles in the towns where unbelief existed when He ministered in Judea some 2000 years ago. And so it is with us. God has given us freewill. We are to choose life. We are to bring our lives completely in surrender to Jesus, and only we can volunteer this. We are not puppets. The detail of our life’s journey is not completely foreordained. To Abraham, God said, “Now I know…” only after Abraham’s faith was displayed by his actions, tested to the very last moment. The future is changed and mountains are moved only by the fervent, effective prayers of the righteous.

For all the mistakes we’ve made in our lives, we can never blame God for them. For if we believed that our entire lives were preordained and that we had no choice in anything, then we could also easily pass the blame onto God for our sins. Not so. Jesus paid for my sins and your sins. God has entitled us to free will, beginning with the very choices he gave in the Garden of Eden. It is liberating to understand that we do have choice – a grace that stems from a God-ordained freedom – from which we don’t have to be clueless. We can ask for wisdom. Wisdom is something God eagerly awaits to grant to those who ask Him – so that we may be equipped to make better choices that reflect God’s righteousness.

“A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps”, is a scripture that seems to indicate that while we may dream and have aspirations, it is only when we willingly submit to God that these dreams begin to have any substance to them. That’s why we go to God in prayer multiple times each day. We invite God into our lives, in every passing moment, and in every desired outcome.

Today, in this age, our lives are being “tested”. God will never tempt anyone, but He will test us. This testing happens over a lifetime. The seed of the Holy Spirit is planted at baptism with the laying on of hands. As the years go by, the Holy Spirit grows and flows mightily, working with us and through us. When it comes to covenant relationship, baptism is the touchstone of all relationship standards, because it brings us into marriage communion with Jesus Christ Himself – sealed with the Holy Spirit. And to truly enter into the depths of that communion and covenantal relationship that will transcend and transform us into the very image of the Son of God, we, then, desire nothing that this world can offer, with our eyes exclusively fixed on Jesus and His Kingdom. Every other relationship, every other offer, and every temptation pales into insignificance. Even our immediate families, spouses, parents and children on this earth must come secondary to the relationship we have in Christ Jesus.

That is why as a collective community of believers, we have been given different gifts but the same Spirit. In union with Christ, in love with Jesus, His word, His faith, His Majesty, His righteousness, His will and purpose, His love and attention, His awe and Glory – to which nothing compares.

Thus, we find ourselves talking about Jesus all the time. He’s the head of every table. He is the Lord of our hearts. We openly confess our love for Him. His wisdom and presence adorns every grey hair – which the Father numbers. He is in our inner thoughts. His word, and will, moulds our days and shapes our lives. We approach His throne of Grace in all areas of our lives and our family’s lives, especially, for example, when it comes to matters of finding Godly spouses for our children, and praying for their spouses decades before they meet finally meet. We ask God for His help and guidance in all areas of our lives. Because of that covenantal relationship, we want Him from that moment onward to shape our destiny, and this is only achieved by willingly surrendering our will.

And each day, He wants us to innovatively look out and beyond to find ways that glorify Him. He wants us to be creative, to trust Him. He wants to bless the work of our hands. He wants us to live the surrendered life to Him. Many times God will answer our prayers when we’re totally out of any other options, when we’re “hemmed in by the Red Sea”, or watching the “setting sun” on some experience, or when we’ve struggled with a trial sometimes for decades – God wants us to confess our love for Him, our faith for Him, our trust in Him.

Those in the world who choose a different path become deluded and blinded, of course, by the god of this world. Those who have left the faith, who broke covenant with Jesus, made various choices – in a similar way perhaps to Judas. Did God cause them to leave the faith? No. God forbid! Their life’s path was formed by lots of little choices, day by day, moment by moment. Freedom and consequence walk hand-in-hand. The hosts of heaven cheer when one sinner repents. In one sense, we are indeed the centre of the universe’s attention, for what God is doing and how he is doing it – through us, inviting us into more than just a partnership, but inferring on us as joint heirs with Christ Jesus.

As the love of God grows in our lives, and we increasingly become the new creation, the new person in Christ, we become creatures of love. We’ll then tell all those around us how much we love them. Our actions will “speak” of love. That’s our testimony. Our children will “feel” loved as well as be loved. Our motives will be understood through the lens of love. Discipline will not be harsh, but loving, with kindly eye-to-eye contact. And people around us will feel and experience that love (and ultimately attribute it to God’s glory). We will truly be Jesus’ disciples when we love each other. Love has to grow for it to thrive. It has to come from God’s Holy Spirit. It has to be in everything we say. Even the truth must be spoken in love! And because of love we will listen intently to those in our families, our church and those in our communities. And those who oppose us, we will also kindly entreat them. We will also be wise to the devil’s ruses, the attractive distractions that can if momentarily confuse us – should we, God forbid, take our eyes off from Jesus. The fruits of our love in Christ, when tested, will unite families, and always bring people together who are also in Christ.

May our focus at this time, perhaps more than ever before, be open and transparent before Christ firstly, and then to each other. May we be accounted worthy, worthy to stand before Jesus. May there be no straw or chaff in our lives, but only grain – good fruit. May we be people of the Book, and use it wisely. Too many have manipulated the scriptures to suit their choices. May we be people quick to bless, quick to forgive, easy to entreat, eager to please. May the righteousness of God in us speak louder than the “rights” of this world’s life. May our lives, in every detail, reflect the union we have with and in Jesus Christ.

John Klassek

 

John Klassek

 

Ride Across Australia

We’re leaving early next Sunday morning to ride our bikes across this great country.  Pictured earlier this year is daughter Hannah and myself on the Avon Valley Black Dog Ride. Hannah is riding her Hyosung 650 and I’m on the Suzuki GSX-R1000.

BlackDogDadHannahNo, we’re not going “just for fun” (although it will certainly be fun). It will also be long, hot and tiring; having said that, it’s especially nice to sleep under the stars, far away from civilisation. It’s called TAWG. Google the acronym.

Mission: We’re taking as many copies of Hope of the Resurrection with us as we can carry, giving autographed copies to people we meet everywhere. We’ve even freighted a box of books to Adelaide, so we can restock!

So, log into this blog again, and see how we’re progressing! And if you’re really game, meet us on the road somewhere.

John Klassek

– John Klassek

The Journey to Hell

Clara was just 18 months old when she died in the winter of 1911. Her small, unmarked grave lies forgotten in the old country cemetery in Goulburn, New South Wales. She would have been Larry’s great aunt. Larry’s grandmother seldom spoke of her, and on those rare occasions when she did, it was usually in terms of looking forward to being reunited on the day of resurrection.

The contention in the local then-quite-religious community was the belief that Clara had never been baptised, and therefore she could never be saved. Her lot, it was automatically assumed, was torment in hell, for she had never confessed faith in Jesus. The irony is, of course, she was too young to know right from wrong, and too young to comprehend God’s love for her.

Today, the pulpit is somewhat conspicuously silent on the subject of hell. Thankfully, there’s a new wave of understanding and discussion regarding God’s will and purpose. Clara’s future, and the millions like her who died, must be accounted for and not escape our heartfelt affection, as guided by God’s Spirit, if we’re to reconcile her future with a loving, merciful God.

Abraham, we read in the scriptures, believed that the Judge of the earth would do right. A lot hinges on the faith that God is righteous, that he will do what is right, and that his will is indeed that none should perish.

Jesus, interestingly, spoke more about heaven than he did about hell. Our knowledge of both is thus entirely dependent on his words. What we do have are the scriptures which, in several remarkable instances, recount where men of God were carried “in the Spirit” and given visions of the throne of God. Our curiosity is naturally piqued as we read and are gripped by their distinct and vivid accounts, whether it be Isaiah, Ezekiel or John’s extraordinary testimonies. Interestingly, little imagery is equally given for what hell might be like, other than of course being a consuming fire resulting in annihilation. Medieval paintings and folklore seem to make up the rest of popular belief.

Preachers in the past often promoted the “turn or burn” mentality through their evangelism. Thus, many religious people assume that those who die in this life without ever having encountered Jesus are automatically condemned to hell, a fiery and ongoing torture of “body and soul”. Like Clara’s predicament, they believe that they simply have no hope, never had any hope, and if we carefully think it through, Jesus’ redemptive victory over sin and death at their moment of prophesied resurrection is somewhat eclipsed and rendered ineffective!

The questions that become apparent at this point are: Is this what the Bible teaches? Is such theology qualitatively little more than acquired supposition? Do the traditions we may have accepted so readily really find their origins in the Bible? In exploring the subject of hell, let’s pay attention to what the Bible actually does say, what it doesn’t say, and then exercise care by not adding or subtracting from its message.

From the outset we know that destruction by hell fire awaits those unrepentant and wicked people who refuse Jesus. This is consistently highlighted throughout many of Jesus’ teachings. God is sovereign over life and death. Jesus explained:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

To the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who refused and persecuted him all the way to his crucifixion, who misconstrued the scriptures, whose words and actions trod on God’s grace, Jesus said (alluding perhaps to what the serpent in the Garden of Eden represented):

“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33)

There is little ambiguity in Jesus’ exclamation. That’s where those professing wise men were ultimately headed! You are either a child of God, or you are not.

And yet contrasting this, to the battle-hardened Roman soldiers mocking, scourging and torturing him as well as casting lots over his clothes, Jesus’ appraisal was quite different.

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)

Jesus asked his heavenly Father to forgive those callous but ignorant sinners who were violently contributing to his suffering and death. Jesus’ petition to his Father was one of forgiveness rather than that of condemnation. We cannot dismiss the heart of a loving and merciful God, expressing grace and forgiveness to those who were deceived and who lived and operated in a spiritually darkened world through little original fault of their own. The only light they may have been exposed to up until that point was Jesus’ petition for forgiveness! (Note that Jesus’ prayer and the powerful events surrounding his death resulted, interestingly, in the Roman centurion’s belief and path to conversion).

What Jesus emphasised and taught was quite contrary to the selfish and dismissive tendencies of human nature. He admonished his disciples when he said:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;…” (Matthew 5:44-45)

This is radical teaching! Elsewhere in scripture, we’re consistently told by Jesus not to judge, not to condemn, for only God is a righteous Judge. Instead, our mandate as his children is to extend grace – unmerited favour – to those who persecute us. We are to love those who hurt us; to do good to them and to pray for them. By so doing we are then truly children of God. In other words, if we are to really be like our heavenly Father, our first and only response must be that of love. Our judgment towards others is rigorously limited to Godly righteousness in the form of grace.

That’s the kind of judgment Jesus passed towards those who did not know any better, and so he wants us to do likewise. Ultimately, judgment is Jesus’ to execute. He is a merciful, righteous Judge who, as the Creator of the world, redeemed it from destruction by his own blood. No one else is worthy of that honour and responsibility.

For those who presume that the second resurrection is a total and automatic wholesale assignment to the fires of hell, think again. The finality of hell is reserved for the wicked, who, although knowing better, by their defiance and wickedness “crucify the Son of God” all over again. This is evident in the following passage:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Now we’re narrowing down those whom scripture defines as having gone beyond the grace of repentance and forgiveness, and for whom there no longer remains any hope. They are those who knowingly and stubbornly refuse Jesus. They are those who have experienced God’s grace, who have tasted the goodness of God, who have experienced the Spirit of God, and yet have chosen a darker path. King Saul, the first Israelite king, might be an example. Anointed with the Holy Spirit at his coronation, he soon despised its counsel, and thus lived the rest of his life tormented by demonic influences. In his demise, he desperately consulted the occult before being killed in battle.

In Jesus’ day, there were people who followed a similar path, and sadly there are those who tread that same way of life today. This was illustrated when Jesus’ ministry was consistently refuted and discredited by those he reached out to. He said to those disbelieving religious leaders who opposed him:

“But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:24)

What did Jesus mean by that? How could it be “more tolerable” for anyone in the day of judgment? Did Jesus’ pronouncement, directed towards his audience, then amount to a judgment of condemnation?

Those who never knew God, never saw the light, never tasted the Holy Spirit, but instead lived their entire lives blinded and deluded in the grip of a Satanic deception, will awaken in the second resurrection when God will judge them.

Today, when we think of Sodom, we think of wickedness and depravity. Sodom is synonymous with heinous acts of treachery, homosexuality, and mob rule. God passed judgment on those wicked people, and they perished in a fiery blaze. But, one day, those same people will rise from their graves to face their ultimate judgment. So why will it be “more tolerable” for the Sodomites than it will be for the peoples of Jesus’ day? The answer lies in Jesus’ words.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

Those in Sodom, going on what Jesus is saying, perhaps had never heard of the true God. We can wonder whether they ever had the opportunity to believe in the One who became Jesus. And, if not, then how can they be accused of refusing the Son of God? But to the Jews of Jesus’ day who opposed him, according to Jesus, it seems they’ll be judged with a less-than-favourable outcome. For them the prospect of annihilation in hell is dauntingly real!

The Sodomites faced their punishment a long time ago. And yet, it would appear from Jesus’ own words, that it will be “more tolerable” for them on the day of judgment. That is, (please excuse the humour) will it be slightly less hot for them in hell than it is for others? Of course not! Does it mean that they may ultimately be given the opportunity for salvation in Jesus Christ? Think about it.

God is a righteous Judge. He is a God of mercy, and according to Jesus’ own brother James:

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

We must exercise care when we examine the scriptures. If we’ve assumed that the second resurrection is an automatic and indiscriminate condemnation to an eternal and fiery obliteration, think again. That’s not what Jesus said.

There are, however, certain characters in the Bible whose lives serve as examples, aiding our understanding of those who remain defiant despite being offered salvation in Jesus. One such man was Judas. He was one of the twelve disciples who, in the end, availed himself as an instrument of Satan. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus seems more of a deliberate and premeditated action than something conceived “on the spur of the moment”. Judas was a thief, helping himself to the disciples’ collective funds. A study of his life reveals a certain ongoing disgruntlement.

Judas lived a double life, right there among the brotherhood of disciples. Jesus knew this, John perhaps had an inkling of it, but to the others he effectively, it seems, travelled undetected. Judas sought and waited for an opportunity to “do his treacherous business”.

At a certain crucial point during Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, we read where “Satan entered Judas”, whereupon he hurriedly left their fellowship to venture out into the night. What did Jesus say of Judas?

“It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.” (Mark 14:21)

Judas was a man who experienced the fullest extent of God’s light and love in the person and ministry of Jesus, and yet he chose a contrary, dark path. Jesus alluded that Judas’ life was worth nothing. For all that Jesus had invested in him, Judas still yielded to the devil to motivate his actions and attitudes. The tragedy of Judas’ life ended in suicide.

The lake of fire exists for those who reject Jesus, the same destiny that awaits the devil and his cohorts.

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…’” (Matthew 25:41)

The religious leaders of 2000 years ago also refused Jesus. They saw the miracles, heard the preaching, witnessed changed lives, were confronted by God’s grace, and, in denying the presence of the Holy Spirit, they blasphemed Jesus, who said to them:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)

It seems from scripture that there will be those who, at their resurrection judgment and resulting condemnation, will exhibit a false display of sorriness at their imminent demise. Jesus illustrated this by using the recurring phrase of “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. With teaching directed at those pseudo-religious folk of his day who lived a lie, Jesus said:

“But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:27-28)

“Weeping and gnashing of teeth” seems to convey an agonising mental anguish, a too-late-regret tinged with anger, a state of mind perhaps much like the peoples of Noah’s day when they finally saw the rising flood waters. For years they had mocked God’s faithful herald, as they witnessed Noah building a big, wooden ship. They sneered at the idea of a global storm. God was the butt of their jokes and derision. But when the flood came, it was by then too late! The door had closed. The ark was sealed. And those wicked outside perished at God’s visitation. The account of Noah’s experience is almost a metaphor of what is set to occur again.

There is no room in God’s Kingdom for the unrighteous. God’s ultimate judgment is reflected in the closing words of the revelation given to John:

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:7-8)

The finality of hell fire is total and final death, from which there is no longer any hope of redemption. God offers everyone extraordinary hope in the saving work of Jesus Christ. The rich tapestry of salvation history throughout the scriptures, in the lives of those who have lived before us, forms and defines this thread of hope. And while we do not have all the answers, we do have the sure and adequate words of scripture, echoing Jesus’ very own thoughts, for which we would do well to take to heart:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

The truth is that God is not willing that any should perish, and thus the journey to hell only begins when the Holy Spirit is scorned through the unrepentant sinful things those who hate God intentionally say and do. Jesus reminded his listeners of the ultimate price that awaits those who don’t take him seriously:

“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:30)

Of course, as an infant, all this was beyond infant Clara. She sleeps in her innocence, awaiting the voice and justice of Jesus. The tears her parents cried way back in 1911 will be more than recompensed when they see and again embrace their little girl. She will be judged by what she had done in her short and innocent life. God’s goodness will be overwhelmingly evident and convincing!

Those who may have doubted God’s grace in this resurrection to judgment will finally be gladdened to witness the fathomless depth of God’s love and redemptive power.

Today, Clara’s grave site is unmarked and forgotten. But not in God’s mind. Not far from where she lies sleeping in that old Goulburn cemetery is a weather-beaten tombstone from an earlier generation. Dated 1889, it remembers the tragic and untimely death of a fifty year old man named David; for all intents and purposes, however, it equally speaks of Clara’s hope. David was a goodly man, and apparently deeply missed. The final words his friends and family left with him feature on his curious but hope-filled epitaph.

Earth to earth and dust to dust
Calmly now the words we say
Leaving him to sleep in trust
Till the resurrection day
Father in thy gracious keeping
Leave we how thy servant sleeping.

John KlassekWritten by John Klassek, as a new chapter for his book Hope of the Resurrection, the 4th edition currently being edited.

On location film shoot

skeleton_0044

A great morning’s work yesterday, filming for the upcoming resurrection film, probably titled, “The Awakening, Resurrection in Christ”. It’s been six months planning, scripting and sketching to get to this stage. It’s a prayer every moment, every step of the way.

Heaven is for Real

One of the conversations I’ve had with many well intentioned Christians is about their cherished belief of “going to heaven” when they die. Upon pressing them further about the details, they also assert that Jesus was fully conscious when he died and was in the grave for three days.

Sadly, they are terribly misinformed. This is not what the Bible teaches. My book Hope of the Resurrection contends that death is like sleep, and we challenge the authenticity of reported NDEs (Near Death Experiences) based simply on what Jesus taught.

Now a short video has emerged that sheds some much needed light on this subject. Can you guess which book is rated as the current best-seller in Christian bookstores?

Third edition

This week we took delivery of 5000 copies of the third edition of my book Hope of the Resurrection.

With a completely new cover, an additional new closing chapter, and hundreds of edits and revisions, we’re looking forward to continuing sharing the best news we could ever hear.

As funds allow, we’re planning on advertising in a variety of newspapers and journals. The advert we’ve developed is simple, clean and gives a short introduction to the book.

While working on this edition, several people suggested that perhaps it’s time to leave this book alone, and write a completely new book. However, I am glad to have persisted.

I received the following encouragement in an email earlier this week:

My point of all this: I see a great parallel to John’s motivation to write the book.

  • Only a MINORITY understands the 2nd resurrection
  • This truth has been held CHAINED for far too long
  • It needs to be set free - it’s time to SPEAK UP in whatever way or language
  • So that it may be PRESERVED and passed on to the next generation… by word or by film!

Keep on (re)writing this theme, John

If you would like an updated copy, or know of someone who would benefit from “the warm and hope-filled words of Jesus”, simply write, email, call or complete our online request, and we’ll post a copy to you straight away.

 

Evangelical brothers

I’m struggling with the perspective by some that our evangelical brothers, including Phil Robertson (of Duck Dynasty fame), aren’t genuine followers of Jesus Christ. If that is the case, then are we not running the risk of replicating the work of the Pharisees – creating burdens and judgemental standards we’re not entitled to? For example, I’ve heard the assertion that “keeping certain laws under the alias of Biblical tradition”, for example, are used as a test of fellowship and a requirement for salvation. If that is the case, then we have perhaps failed to discern where and how God is working.

There are many brothers in the faith, across a spectrum of denominations, and like the demographics in the Churches of God, wheat and tares seem to equally exist across most if not all fellowships. We are all sinners. The “old man” still exists in degrees in all of us. We all fall short of God’s righteousness, but the bill has been paid in Jesus’ blood. We are responsible, of course, to what God has revealed to us.

Phil Robertson’s words and warning originate from his love for Jesus, his repentance and conversion, and clearly motivated by God’s Holy Spirit, exhibits a willingness to carry his cross in this evil world. Most of the prophets of old God sent to his people were either killed or chased out of town. Phil seems, today, to have also entered their ranks!

So let’s not be too harsh or judgemental towards our evangelical brothers. Their following of Jesus must never be brought into question.

johnklassek2014b

John Klassek

Highs and lows of film making

Are you a budding film maker, script writer, or enjoy animation? We’re looking for helpers for a film we plan to shoot next year, titled (we think) The Ezekiel Vision. Much of the film will be filmed from the air. We’ll be filming at airports, cemeteries and over sweeping valleys. We will need actors, young and old. There’s a great story to tell that involves you, yes you, your family, your loved ones, your grand and great grand parents. So, what is going to happen?

We can only tell the future from what is already determined! To know the future we must understand the past. And we must also understand how the past was written and by whom.

The Ezekiel Vision will be a film like no other, and already in gearing up for production, we believe we have a story to tell.

The accident featured below happened quite unexpectedly. For me it was a great disappointment. Thinking about it now, the setback perhaps might be nothing less than the price paid (we pray) for what will be one of our best films yet.

Over the past year, apart from work on the film script, we have bought various props and equipment for the Ezekiel film. Six months ago I bought an AR Drone 2 quadrocopter and have enjoyed learning to fly it. The film quality from the inbuilt camera, however, wasn’t good enough. Besides, the AR Drone really couldn’t successfully lift the GoPro Hero3 action camera. So more recently I bought a hexacopter with a camera gimbal – and the quality of aerial footage is absolutely brilliant.

So here’s the story:

28 December 2013

There’s more to the story. After weeks of waiting for components to arrive by courier, rebuilding, testing and fine-tuning, tonight we finally took the Storm 6 for its maiden test flight.

I had waited for days for it to become perfectly calm. (I am learning what it means to spend a whole lot more time preparing and doing pre-flight checks and tests than actual flight time). This difference with this rebuild was that we upgraded to the NAZA-M V2 GPS system, giving greater stability in both take-offs and landings.

I think we’ll be able to film the Ezekiel scenes with the GoPro Hero 3 camera and without having to upgrade further. Of course, I would have liked to have filmed it with a BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, but that together with the ZenMuse Gimbal on a pro-grade UAV is still dependent on prices stabilising, and thus will have to wait.

We’ll keep you posted as we work on each individual film shoot. There’s some really exciting as well as challenging work ahead.

1 January 2014

Welcome to the new civil year. Here’s hoping that it is a good one. We’re edging closer to the filming of the Ezekiel Vision film, with more practise flights testing stability, manoeuvrability and the capacity to control in adverse conditions, such as unexpected wind gusts/shifts.

Battery time still remains an issue, and this it appears depends on the health of each individual battery. Note also, if you have a heart for this kind of ministry, as well as skills you would like to contribute to this film project, then we would love to hear from you.

January 7, 2014

We’ve finally started filming the Ezekiel Vision film. Today’s shot comes from the little old cemetery on the York-Quairading Road in Western Australia. Whether this particular shot makes it into the final film we don’t know yet as we’ll be shooting the same shot again over the next few days.

John Klassek

The Ezekiel Sketch

Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. (Ezekiel 37:13 NKJV)

Imagine that moment of realisation! Billions of people suddenly resurrected back to physical life. Imagine that moment when they “join the dots” and discover who they really are, and what’s more, who God is and that it was He who brought them back to life. “Then you shall know that I am the LORD” has to be one of the most heart-touching prophecies in scripture.

It’s the job of the preacher (or gospel film producer) to take the LORD’s words and convey it to this generation. Easier said than done, for even quite religious people can scoff at the suggestion that Ezekiel’s vision speaks of a future physical resurrection. But, that’s what assuredly it does. Sometimes God tells us things, and unless we have a humble and willing heart, our prejudice and bias will render his words null, or at best, with our own overlay and explanation.

I am slowly making preparations for a new film that will attempt to capture some of what God conveyed to Ezekiel. I am currently sketching out in black texta every shot and idea for this film. Earlier this year I bought a Hero GoPro camera, a few months ago a life-sized skeleton, and now earlier this week took delivery (from Hong Kong) of another UAV, a Storm 6 GPS hexacopter with a gimbal designed for the GoPro camera. While the first drone was good, it’s HD film quality just wasn’t adequate enough, and it wasn’t capable of lifting the GoPro camera. And so I’ve spent this week learning how to setup the hexacopter.

I am also thinking about contacting some of the sheep farmers I know in the area, and discreetly asking them for any skeletal remains of sheep or kangaroos on their farms. The sun-bleached bones scattered across the base of a huge valley will help tell the story. I also have ideas on how to film the actual resurrection, but still don’t know how to capture a sea of faces of millions of people.

For today though, it’s off to the local newsagent for some new black textas of varying thicknesses – to continue the sketchwork.