"Behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:7 KJV
Earthquakes, famines, diseases, and the rise of Islamic terrorism were recorded as our future history a long time ago. This is the time that Jesus referred to as the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8 KJV). It is a future history that was written before any of us were ever born. However, it is the frequency of all the earthquakes, the natural disasters, and the occurrence of worldwide unrest that we must pay attention to, in order to better understand the travail of a changing world, and what that means to us right now, and in very real time. Jesus said, "All these things must come to pass, but it is not the end," Matt 24:6 KJV. The Earth is presently in an effacement stage, and it is ready to enter a period of transition. This transition period is described in the Bible, as being like that of "a woman in travail," giving birth (John 16:21 KJV). If you have ever given birth to a child, or witnessed the birthing process, you know that it is very painful, that the pains of delivery come with greater frequency, and that the contractions get harder and harder before the child is born. Oddly, the last step of active human labor is called the transition period. It is the most intense phase of the birthing process, which is the bringing forth of something new.
The signs and the times that Jesus described to His disciples that would be occurring to indicate the end of the present age, and that His return was near, are described in Matthew 24:3-8. The signs and the times that He gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes. The worldwide status indicators that Jesus gave are the ones that will lead the world into a future era, known as the Great Tribulation, which is set to occur right before the end of the age of man, as seen in Matthew 24:21, and in Revelation 7:14.
We are currently living in a prophesied time of unstoppable worldwide distress.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 KJV, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." In other words, people will not believe any impending disaster is about to occur. They will be living like they always have, with no regard for the truth, and they will not heed the warning of a coming judgment. We are told in Genesis 6:6 that every imagination of the thought of man's heart was evil continually, and that was before the flood! Well, has anything changed since the flood? It is almost like we have come right back to the same dominating evil environment that took out the people before us. Does history really repeat itself? Pick up a newspaper or watch TV, and you will see that sin is out of control, and that mayhem has become a global issue. The United States military and coalition forces cannot solve the onslaught of the universal wickedness that is currently present.
The church, the body of Christ, which is filled with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is currently restraining Satan from doing all that he wants to do on the Earth. He cannot take full possession of the Earth until the Holy Spirit filled body of the church is removed. The Holy Spirit filled church has to leave the Earth to fulfill the prophesied coming of a tyrant antichrist. The world will see the most devastating time it has ever witnessed, (Matthew 24:21), right after the church has been taken away by the Bridegroom, Jesus. Daniel 12:1 NIV explains that this will be the worst time that has ever been experienced on the Earth, "at that time Michael, the great Prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered."
Jesus’ longest prophecy about the time of the end is found in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, with each giving their own accounts of the day that they were with Him on the Mount of Olives. It is commonly referred to as the Olivet Prophecy, and it is a digest of the circumstantial events that will lead to Jesus’ return. This prophecy was given during the week before His crucifixion, and it is pivotal to understanding the future events that will affect the entire world. The prophecy begins when Jesus and His disciples, having left the Temple, were sitting on the Mount of Olives. They were enjoying a spectacular view and unexpectedly, Jesus threw them a curve when He announced that the beautiful Temple they were admiring was going to be destroyed. Being curious and very concerned, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him to tell them when this prophecy of such an end time doom was going to take place. Jesus was so smart and engaging; He knew the disciples would want to know more. The apostle Mark’s account of the Olivet Prophecy which is found in Mark 13 says that Jesus revealed to them the conditions that would be present on the Earth that would lead up to His return. He said it would be a time of increasing trouble and turmoil. He warned them that at a future time on Earth, man could destroy all of human life. Matthew, however, gives a more descriptive account of what Jesus said that day, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake; those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:21-22 NKJV. No flesh saved, unless those days were shortened? This statement is a flashing light time frame indicator, which could only mean the fulfillment of “great tribulation” would be nearby in a day and time when an arsenal of nuclear weapons was actually present on the Earth.
Jesus goes on to further describe to them the political and military disturbances that would be present before His Second Coming, "and you will hear of wars and rumors of war, see that ye are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but, the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows," Matthew 24:6-8 KJV. Jesus explains that these conditions by “themselves” do not reveal the time of the end. He is simply saying that the magnitude of these tragedies is only setting the stage for greater trouble and sorrow. The worst is yet to come! By the way, in 70 AD the Temple was destroyed just as Jesus prophesied to the disciples that day on the Mount of Olives that it would be. Glory to God! Prophecy is never a prediction. Hallelujah! It is always a promise of the future.
Matthew 24:8 NASB reads, "all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs," and "sorrows" as seen in the King James version. Jesus used an analogy of a woman in labor in this verse to make us aware that wars, pestilences, famines, and earthquakes will be the beginning of the birth pains. In essence, He compared a pregnant woman's birth pains, which indicate that her child will soon be born, to be like that of worldwide conflicts and catastrophes, and they will signal to us that the end of the age is close. Jesus was not referring to just wars and natural disasters that have always occurred, but rather to a time when these life changing events steadily worsen, and occur with greater frequency. A series of terrible pains, one right after the other!
The Bible indicates that the days were already shortened on God's calendar from the beginning as a matter of history. "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:22 NIV. Jesus was teaching that God had already limited the time of the Great Tribulation on the Earth, so that it would not continue indefinitely. The Bible is so precise! The first six seals that are broken in the book of Revelation correspond to the signs that Jesus described in the Olivet Prophecy. Once these conditions begin, they continue to the very end as seen in Revelation 6. The intensity of great turmoil increases significantly right until the day that Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God on the Earth. The first six seals in Revelation 6 describe major events, which lead up to that day. In fact, it is the sixth seal that introduces the arrival of the Day of the Lord, which is the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:17).
The time of the end is described as a time of trouble that has never been seen before. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the time of the end, He reiterated Daniel’s words, "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be," Matthew 24:21 KJV. The book of Daniel indicates that the time of the end will be a period of unheard-of trouble that will conclude with the establishment of God's kingdom. The Bible reveals that specific prophetic events will mark the end of the age. Jesus cautioned His disciples to be careful, if they thought, they were witnessing the signs of the end of the age. He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name and say, I am he, and the time has drawn near. Do not go after them, but when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately," Luke 21:8-9 KJV. There it is! Plain as the day! Disasters, wars, and religious fanatics do not determine it is the end time, but rather the presence of them indicates the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). The global upheaval that the world is currently experiencing is only the beginning of unimaginable sorrow!
The apostle Peter tells us in 2Peter 3:3-6, that to both the individuals of Noah's day and to those of the present day, that God seemed so far away, and they will again "mock the truth." People were, and will continue to be blind to God's forthcoming judgment. The apostle Paul told Timothy about carnal attitudes, and lifestyles that would characterize the last days, "but know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power," 2Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV. These earthly attitudes will prevent a multitude of people from keeping an eye on any warning signs, and just like in Noah's day; a majority will be unprepared for the brewing worldwide storm.
"Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh shall find watching…," Luke 12:37 KJV. "For the Lord, Himself shall descend from heaven with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up; together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…," 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV. "…Until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity…" Isaiah 26:20-21 KJV. The indignation is the Great Tribulation! There will be a trumpet call to announce the Rapture, and then all the dead believers will be resurrected, and they will be made imperishable, and all the living believers will become immortal as well. Unbelievers will be left to face the tribulation. All of this will happen "in the twinkling of an eye," 1Corinthians 15:52.
The apostle Paul describes Jesus as "coming in the air" and adds the phrase "caught up" in 1Thessalonians 4:17. The Rapture of the Church will be just that! There is no mention of Jesus touching the Earth as we are told elsewhere that He does when he returns at the Second Coming. A supernatural removal of believers from the Earth is seen in the miraculous disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24, as well as that of Elijah in 2Kings 2:1-30. The bypassing of death is referred to as "translation" in the King James version of Hebrews 11:5, and it reads, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God…" God always gives us a reason to believe with some evidence to support what He has said will happen. The mysterious disappearances of Enoch and Elijah are Rapture evidence of being “caught up” or “snatched away” from the Earth without physically undergoing death. At His Ascension, Jesus Himself was taken up and far away into the clouds as the disciples watched, "and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 1:9-11 KJV. The Bible does not tell us why God took Enoch and Elijah to heaven before they had experienced death. Their rapture offers proof of having been alive and removed from the Earth with a summons to come up. Jesus’ Ascension, not only offered visible proof to the witnesses, but it also demonstrates the rapture removal of those who have been resurrected. Praise God! He always gives a piece of evidence somewhere!
The book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. Almost all the prophecies given throughout the Old Testament, as well as those in the New Testament converge in this one single book. The absolute objective of the book of Revelation was to reveal the future. Jesus is the One that did the revealing, and the apostle John recorded everything that he was allowed to see. This last book of the Bible details world history from the time of the early church to the time of eternity, and it must be read with the understanding that the book itself is a “gift.” Revelation 1:1 NLT reads, "This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place…" The book of Revelation describes future events that will lead to God’s ultimate goal of establishing His kingdom on Earth. It is compiled with parts of Daniel, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and you have to understand the prophecies given in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah to even get a grip on the symbolism, and the strange imagery presented in this last given book. The Bible reveals itself from cover to cover, and every word of it hinges on the next. Read it for your own understanding, and read it with a warrior quest of seeking true revelation.
The book of Revelation describes the coming of the antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus, the binding of Satan, a thousand years of peace, and a new heaven and a brand new Earth. Revelation 4:2 opens with the apostle John saying that he is "in the spirit" and the kingdom is opened to him. In his vision, he immediately sees God sitting on a throne. He then sees a lamb, which has been slaughtered, and it is standing right in front of the throne. Instantly, John witnesses this slaughtered lamb become a lion. He then realizes that this vision of a lamb, as well as the one of a lion, is really that of a King, who is standing before God. After describing the scene in heaven, John focuses in on a scroll that God is holding. He senses that the little scroll book is an extremely important document. You can almost feel him withdrawing into the background a bit to take in all that he sees, and it is revealed to him that the “one” who was not only the slaughtered lamb, but also a lion, as well as a King, is the only one who has been found worthy enough to open the seals on this scroll. This “scroll” contains the operations’ plan that is going to establish the Kingdom of God on the Earth.
The next thing that John sees is Jesus break each of the seven seals on the scroll, and each seal unleashes end time events. There is that number seven again! The number seven appears a lot in the book of Revelation. There are seven seals, seven churches, seven golden lampstands, seven trumpets, seven vials, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, seven kings, and that is not all the list of the “sevens” that are mentioned. There is no way that the patterns of seven were a literary device used by John, because we are told that he was only allowed to record what he saw and heard. So, what do all of these “sevens” have to do with us? Daniel chapter 6 describes the beginning of the seven-year period of tribulation as a culmination of human history. In the Bible, the number 7 indicates the completion of all things. God created the world in six days, and He rested on the seventh day. I told you in a previous chapter that the number 7 is very important to God. A day is like 1000 years unto God (2Peter 3:8), and we are nearing the end of 6000 years of recorded history. The next thousand years, will become the 7000th millennia, and it could very well be the "thousand years of Millennial Reign," as seen in Revelation 20:6.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24:14 KJV that the end would not come until "the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come." Today, approximately 95% of the world has heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. This has been accomplished by radio, satellite, the Internet, and good old-fashioned footwork. The gospel message has been distributed in hundreds of different languages, and the world remains anxious for the truth. God’s kingdom will become a reality! The apostle John saw all the forces within the seven seals that will be unleashed to produce the beginning of the Great Tribulation. We are presently standing on the threshold of a pivotal moment in human history. The Rapture of the Church will be like that of a bride being carried across the threshold by a groom. The lifting up of a bride is an easy seizure or a stealing away, and it signals at that moment; she belongs to him, and she is now under his protection. Glory to God! He thought of everything!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
The Revelation of the Mystery of the Rapture
"Behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:7 KJV
Earthquakes, famines, diseases, and the rise of Islamic terrorism were recorded as our future history a long time ago. This is the time that Jesus referred to as the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8 KJV). It is a future history that was written before any of us were ever born. However, it is the frequency of all the earthquakes, the natural disasters, and the occurrence of worldwide unrest that we must pay attention to, in order to better understand the travail of a changing world, and what that means to us right now, and in very real time. Jesus said, "All these things must come to pass, but it is not the end," Matt 24:6 KJV. The Earth is presently in an effacement stage, and it is ready to enter a period of transition. This transition period is described in the Bible, as being like that of "a woman in travail," giving birth (John 16:21 KJV). If you have ever given birth to a child, or witnessed the birthing process, you know that it is very painful, that the pains of delivery come with greater frequency, and that the contractions get harder and harder before the child is born. Oddly, the last step of active human labor is called the transition period. It is the most intense phase of the birthing process, which is the bringing forth of something new.
The signs and the times that Jesus described to His disciples that would be occurring to indicate the end of the present age, and that His return was near, are described in Matthew 24:3-8. The signs and the times that He gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes. The worldwide status indicators that Jesus gave are the ones that will lead the world into a future era, known as the Great Tribulation, which is set to occur right before the end of the age of man, as seen in Matthew 24:21, and in Revelation 7:14.
We are currently living in a prophesied time of unstoppable worldwide distress.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 KJV, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." In other words, people will not believe any impending disaster is about to occur. They will be living like they always have, with no regard for the truth, and they will not heed the warning of a coming judgment. We are told in Genesis 6:6 that every imagination of the thought of man's heart was evil continually, and that was before the flood! Well, has anything changed since the flood? It is almost like we have come right back to the same dominating evil environment that took out the people before us. Does history really repeat itself? Pick up a newspaper or watch TV, and you will see that sin is out of control, and that mayhem has become a global issue. The United States military and coalition forces cannot solve the onslaught of the universal wickedness that is currently present.
The church, the body of Christ, which is filled with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is currently restraining Satan from doing all that he wants to do on the Earth. He cannot take full possession of the Earth until the Holy Spirit filled body of the church is removed. The Holy Spirit filled church has to leave the Earth to fulfill the prophesied coming of a tyrant antichrist. The world will see the most devastating time it has ever witnessed, (Matthew 24:21), right after the church has been taken away by the Bridegroom, Jesus. Daniel 12:1 NIV explains that this will be the worst time that has ever been experienced on the Earth, "at that time Michael, the great Prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered."
Jesus’ longest prophecy about the time of the end is found in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, with each giving their own accounts of the day that they were with Him on the Mount of Olives. It is commonly referred to as the Olivet Prophecy, and it is a digest of the circumstantial events that will lead to Jesus’ return. This prophecy was given during the week before His crucifixion, and it is pivotal to understanding the future events that will affect the entire world. The prophecy begins when Jesus and His disciples, having left the Temple, were sitting on the Mount of Olives. They were enjoying a spectacular view and unexpectedly, Jesus threw them a curve when He announced that the beautiful Temple they were admiring was going to be destroyed. Being curious and very concerned, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him to tell them when this prophecy of such an end time doom was going to take place. Jesus was so smart and engaging; He knew the disciples would want to know more. The apostle Mark’s account of the Olivet Prophecy which is found in Mark 13 says that Jesus revealed to them the conditions that would be present on the Earth that would lead up to His return. He said it would be a time of increasing trouble and turmoil. He warned them that at a future time on Earth, man could destroy all of human life. Matthew, however, gives a more descriptive account of what Jesus said that day, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake; those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:21-22 NKJV. No flesh saved, unless those days were shortened? This statement is a flashing light time frame indicator, which could only mean the fulfillment of “great tribulation” would be nearby in a day and time when an arsenal of nuclear weapons was actually present on the Earth.
Jesus goes on to further describe to them the political and military disturbances that would be present before His Second Coming, "and you will hear of wars and rumors of war, see that ye are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but, the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows," Matthew 24:6-8 KJV. Jesus explains that these conditions by “themselves” do not reveal the time of the end. He is simply saying that the magnitude of these tragedies is only setting the stage for greater trouble and sorrow. The worst is yet to come! By the way, in 70 AD the Temple was destroyed just as Jesus prophesied to the disciples that day on the Mount of Olives that it would be. Glory to God! Prophecy is never a prediction. Hallelujah! It is always a promise of the future.
Matthew 24:8 NASB reads, "all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs," and "sorrows" as seen in the King James version. Jesus used an analogy of a woman in labor in this verse to make us aware that wars, pestilences, famines, and earthquakes will be the beginning of the birth pains. In essence, He compared a pregnant woman's birth pains, which indicate that her child will soon be born, to be like that of worldwide conflicts and catastrophes, and they will signal to us that the end of the age is close. Jesus was not referring to just wars and natural disasters that have always occurred, but rather to a time when these life changing events steadily worsen, and occur with greater frequency. A series of terrible pains, one right after the other!
The Bible indicates that the days were already shortened on God's calendar from the beginning as a matter of history. "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:22 NIV. Jesus was teaching that God had already limited the time of the Great Tribulation on the Earth, so that it would not continue indefinitely. The Bible is so precise! The first six seals that are broken in the book of Revelation correspond to the signs that Jesus described in the Olivet Prophecy. Once these conditions begin, they continue to the very end as seen in Revelation 6. The intensity of great turmoil increases significantly right until the day that Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God on the Earth. The first six seals in Revelation 6 describe major events, which lead up to that day. In fact, it is the sixth seal that introduces the arrival of the Day of the Lord, which is the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:17).
The time of the end is described as a time of trouble that has never been seen before. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the time of the end, He reiterated Daniel’s words, "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be," Matthew 24:21 KJV. The book of Daniel indicates that the time of the end will be a period of unheard-of trouble that will conclude with the establishment of God's kingdom. The Bible reveals that specific prophetic events will mark the end of the age. Jesus cautioned His disciples to be careful, if they thought, they were witnessing the signs of the end of the age. He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name and say, I am he, and the time has drawn near. Do not go after them, but when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately," Luke 21:8-9 KJV. There it is! Plain as the day! Disasters, wars, and religious fanatics do not determine it is the end time, but rather the presence of them indicates the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). The global upheaval that the world is currently experiencing is only the beginning of unimaginable sorrow!
The apostle Peter tells us in 2Peter 3:3-6, that to both the individuals of Noah's day and to those of the present day, that God seemed so far away, and they will again "mock the truth." People were, and will continue to be blind to God's forthcoming judgment. The apostle Paul told Timothy about carnal attitudes, and lifestyles that would characterize the last days, "but know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power," 2Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV. These earthly attitudes will prevent a multitude of people from keeping an eye on any warning signs, and just like in Noah's day; a majority will be unprepared for the brewing worldwide storm.
"Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh shall find watching…," Luke 12:37 KJV. "For the Lord, Himself shall descend from heaven with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up; together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…," 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV. "…Until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity…" Isaiah 26:20-21 KJV. The indignation is the Great Tribulation! There will be a trumpet call to announce the Rapture, and then all the dead believers will be resurrected, and they will be made imperishable, and all the living believers will become immortal as well. Unbelievers will be left to face the tribulation. All of this will happen "in the twinkling of an eye," 1Corinthians 15:52.
The apostle Paul describes Jesus as "coming in the air" and adds the phrase "caught up" in 1Thessalonians 4:17. The Rapture of the Church will be just that! There is no mention of Jesus touching the Earth as we are told elsewhere that He does when he returns at the Second Coming. A supernatural removal of believers from the Earth is seen in the miraculous disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24, as well as that of Elijah in 2Kings 2:1-30. The bypassing of death is referred to as "translation" in the King James version of Hebrews 11:5, and it reads, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God…" God always gives us a reason to believe with some evidence to support what He has said will happen. The mysterious disappearances of Enoch and Elijah are Rapture evidence of being “caught up” or “snatched away” from the Earth without physically undergoing death. At His Ascension, Jesus Himself was taken up and far away into the clouds as the disciples watched, "and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 1:9-11 KJV. The Bible does not tell us why God took Enoch and Elijah to heaven before they had experienced death. Their rapture offers proof of having been alive and removed from the Earth with a summons to come up. Jesus’ Ascension, not only offered visible proof to the witnesses, but it also demonstrates the rapture removal of those who have been resurrected. Praise God! He always gives a piece of evidence somewhere!
The book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. Almost all the prophecies given throughout the Old Testament, as well as those in the New Testament converge in this one single book. The absolute objective of the book of Revelation was to reveal the future. Jesus is the One that did the revealing, and the apostle John recorded everything that he was allowed to see. This last book of the Bible details world history from the time of the early church to the time of eternity, and it must be read with the understanding that the book itself is a “gift.” Revelation 1:1 NLT reads, "This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place…" The book of Revelation describes future events that will lead to God’s ultimate goal of establishing His kingdom on Earth. It is compiled with parts of Daniel, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and you have to understand the prophecies given in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah to even get a grip on the symbolism, and the strange imagery presented in this last given book. The Bible reveals itself from cover to cover, and every word of it hinges on the next. Read it for your own understanding, and read it with a warrior quest of seeking true revelation.
The book of Revelation describes the coming of the antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus, the binding of Satan, a thousand years of peace, and a new heaven and a brand new Earth. Revelation 4:2 opens with the apostle John saying that he is "in the spirit" and the kingdom is opened to him. In his vision, he immediately sees God sitting on a throne. He then sees a lamb, which has been slaughtered, and it is standing right in front of the throne. Instantly, John witnesses this slaughtered lamb become a lion. He then realizes that this vision of a lamb, as well as the one of a lion, is really that of a King, who is standing before God. After describing the scene in heaven, John focuses in on a scroll that God is holding. He senses that the little scroll book is an extremely important document. You can almost feel him withdrawing into the background a bit to take in all that he sees, and it is revealed to him that the “one” who was not only the slaughtered lamb, but also a lion, as well as a King, is the only one who has been found worthy enough to open the seals on this scroll. This “scroll” contains the operations’ plan that is going to establish the Kingdom of God on the Earth.
The next thing that John sees is Jesus break each of the seven seals on the scroll, and each seal unleashes end time events. There is that number seven again! The number seven appears a lot in the book of Revelation. There are seven seals, seven churches, seven golden lampstands, seven trumpets, seven vials, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, seven kings, and that is not all the list of the “sevens” that are mentioned. There is no way that the patterns of seven were a literary device used by John, because we are told that he was only allowed to record what he saw and heard. So, what do all of these “sevens” have to do with us? Daniel chapter 6 describes the beginning of the seven-year period of tribulation as a culmination of human history. In the Bible, the number 7 indicates the completion of all things. God created the world in six days, and He rested on the seventh day. I told you in a previous chapter that the number 7 is very important to God. A day is like 1000 years unto God (2Peter 3:8), and we are nearing the end of 6000 years of recorded history. The next thousand years, will become the 7000th millennia, and it could very well be the "thousand years of Millennial Reign," as seen in Revelation 20:6.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24:14 KJV that the end would not come until "the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come." Today, approximately 95% of the world has heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. This has been accomplished by radio, satellite, the Internet, and good old-fashioned footwork. The gospel message has been distributed in hundreds of different languages, and the world remains anxious for the truth. God’s kingdom will become a reality! The apostle John saw all the forces within the seven seals that will be unleashed to produce the beginning of the Great Tribulation. We are presently standing on the threshold of a pivotal moment in human history. The Rapture of the Church will be like that of a bride being carried across the threshold by a groom. The lifting up of a bride is an easy seizure or a stealing away, and it signals at that moment; she belongs to him, and she is now under his protection. Glory to God! He thought of everything!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Feasts of Trumpets - A rehearsal for the Rapture of the Church
Welcome the Jewish year 5777!
Rosh Hashanah—or the Feast of Trumpets—rings in the Jewish New Year with 100 blasts of the shofar. It begins the High Holy Days and is a time for celebration as well as reflection.
End time eschatology looks at the Jewish new moon festival known as the Feast of Trumpets, which is historically referred to as the Wedding of the Messiah. This particular Judaic feast becomes very important when we are looking at weddings in the Bible, because in Colossians 2:17 KJV, we are told that the festival of the new moon is "a shadow of things to come." Wow! That is a real attention grabber right there! The ancient Jews did not know on what day the new moon would appear. The new moon might have arrived on the 29th or, it may have occurred on the 30th day of the month. They simply did not know on which day they would celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. However, they would have dropped everything they were doing when they heard the sound of a trumpet, or the blast of a shofar signaling to them; it was time to go to the Temple, and celebrate the feast. Does that sound familiar? At the sound of the Rapture trumpet blast, it will be time to go to the temple of heaven to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, which will be the Wedding of the Messiah.
In Last Call for the Church, I presented many parallels regarding ancient Jewish wedding customs to that of the church, as the Bride of Christ, as well as parallels to Jesus, as our Bridegroom, who will come for the one that He loved so much; He was willing to die for. Throughout the Bible, God has provided a picture after picture to reveal His future course of action. Leviticus 23 presents an exceptional prophetic picture of a chronological outline, which is concealed inside of the seven Jewish feasts that were given by God as appointed times of the year for sacred occasions. The seven Feasts of the Lord rehearse the fulfillment of His purpose. The feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles provide a foundations timeline for prophecy, as well as eschatology. The initial four are springtime feasts, and Jesus has already prophetically fulfilled them. He was the Passover Lamb (1Corinthians 5:7), the bread of life (John 6:35), the first fruits of Resurrection (1Corinthians 15:20), and He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost after His Ascension (Acts 2:1-4).
The Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are celebrated on the Jewish calendar in the fall, and they are expected to be prophetically fulfilled with the Rapture of the Church, the Second Coming, and the Millennial Reign. The Rapture of the Church is pictured in the Feast of Trumpets. Prophetically, it is the next sacred occasion on God's calendar. The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September or October at the new moon on the Jewish calendar. We are told in Colossians 2:16-17 that the new moon and the Feasts of the Lord are a "shadow of things to come." Judaic months are lunar, and a new moon marks the start of a brand new month. The Feast of Trumpets is the only feast of the Lord, which actually occurs on an unknown moon. In ancient Israel, the blowing of a shofar was the trumpet sound that signaled to the field workers that it was time to go inside the Temple to celebrate this particular feast. They did not know exactly which day the new moon was going to appear, until it had arrived. They had to await it! The celebration of the Feast of Trumpets was always a hidden, or a concealed day, just like the time of the Rapture is, and like the return was of an ancient Jewish bridegroom to take his bride. Praise God! The blowing of a shofar was ancient Israel’s communications system. The sound of a blowing trumpet at the Rapture call for the church will be appropriate, and it will signal that our work on Earth is over. We will drop whatever we are doing, and we rise to meet our Bridegroom in the air. It will be time for us, the field workers, to go inside the Temple, which is heaven. Bless His Holy name. Thank you Father for the revelation.
Today the Feast of Trumpets is known as Rosh Hashanah, which in Hebrew means, “awakening blast.” It is commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year. There are seven days of awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Atonement. The seven days of awe in between these two feasts are a picture of the seven years of tribulation before the Second Coming. Throughout the Bible, the number seven consistently represents that of completeness. Seven days complete a week, and the seven appointed yearly feasts suggest the completion of God's prophetic calendar for the Earth. A Psalm is devoted to the Feast of Trumpets, and it is found in Psalm 81:3-7 NASB. "Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, at our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He established it for a testimony in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt…" The door to the Temple, which is symbolic of heaven, was always open on the feast day of Trumpets. At the Rapture of the Church, the door to the temple of heaven will be unfastened, just like on the Feast of Trumpets, which is the next prophetic sacred occasion on God’s calendar. Remember, His comprehension of time is not like ours. To learn more from this study, I invite you to read Last Call for the Church Today the Feast of Trumpets is known as Rosh Hashanah, which in Hebrew means, “awakening blast.” It is commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year. There are seven days of awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Atonement. The seven days of awe in between these two feasts are a picture of the seven years of tribulation before the Second Coming. Throughout the Bible, the number seven consistently represents that of completeness. Seven days complete a week, and the seven appointed yearly feasts suggest the completion of God's prophetic calendar for the Earth. A Psalm is devoted to the Feast of Trumpets, and it is found in Psalm 81:3-7 NASB. "Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, at our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He established it for a testimony in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt…" The door to the Temple, which is symbolic of heaven, was always open on the feast day of Trumpets. At the Rapture of the Church, the door to the temple of heaven will be unfastened, just like on the Feast of Trumpets, which is the next prophetic sacred occasion on God’s calendar. Remember, His comprehension of time is not like ours. To learn more, I invite you to read Last Call for the Church @ myBook.to/LastCall 
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Beginning of Sorrows… As the days of Noah
"I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed," Psalms 34:4-5 NIV.
One of the best explanations of the end time is found in the book of Daniel. It is in this book that God reveals to Daniel in chapter 12 an entire summary of major events that are scheduled to take place at the time of the end. God tells Daniel, "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great Prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who was found written in the book…. But you Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase," Daniel 12:1-4 ESV. In Daniel 12:6-9 KJV, we see Daniel asking God, "my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And He said, "Go your way Daniel, for the words are sealed till the time of the end." Why did God tell Daniel to seal up the book that he was looking at? I believe the book is the same seven-sealed scroll seen in Revelation 5, which only Jesus has been found worthy enough to open and read.
The time of the end is described as a time of trouble that has never been seen before. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the time of the end, He reiterated Daniel’s words, "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be," Matthew 24:21 KJV. The book of Daniel indicates that the time of the end will be a period of unheard-of trouble that will conclude with the establishment of God's kingdom. The Bible reveals that specific prophetic events will mark the end of the age. Jesus cautioned His disciples to be careful, if they thought, they were witnessing the signs of the end of the age. He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name and say, I am he, and the time has drawn near. Do not go after them, but when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately," Luke 21:8-9 KJV. There it is! Plain as the day! Disasters, wars, and religious fanatics do not determine it is the end time, but rather the presence of them indicates the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). The global upheaval that the world is currently experiencing is only the beginning of unimaginable sorrow!
***
Jesus used the example of what it was like during Noah’s day to reveal the attitudes of what it will be like at the time of the end. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be," Matthew 24:37-39 NKJV. These verses tell you that when an end time judgment is near again, the attitudes of people will be the same as, they were in Noah’s time. Jesus was saying that the world in the end time would mirror that of Noah's day. The world will be full of violence again, and people will be rejecting God and serving their own flesh with pleasures of the world.
In the Second book of Timothy, the apostle Paul characterizes end time attitudes in his letter to Timothy. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power," 2Timothy3:1-5 NKJV. These mindsets will exist near the end, and society will be deteriorating rapidly. The assortment of attitudes that Paul describes will prevent a tremendous number of people from believing in God, or recognizing any biblical warning signs until all hell breaks loose. Just as Noah was mocked for building an ark, the end of the age will come, and many people will not have seen a need to be prepared for a severe judgment. For your sake, I will focus only on the Rapture, which is symbolized by the ark, and why the church, as a body of believers, will not go through the Tribulation, which is symbolized by the flood.
The awesome reminder to all of us here is the fact that, in Noah’s day, there was a perverse cultural decline, and that it will be present again towards the end. Social breakdown is our indicator! "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he made man on the Earth, and it grieved him in his heart," Genesis 6:5-6 ESV. In other words, God was deeply hurt to see men and women perverting themselves. Please don't shoot me! I'm just the messenger.
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As far as the end time relates to the other eras of history, please understand that there are three known ages recorded in the Bible. They are "the world that existed from Adam to Noah" (2Peter 3:6), "the present age" which has existed since the flood, and will continue to exist until Jesus returns (Galatians 1:4), and the third age being "the world to come" (Hebrews 2:5). In Revelation 14:19 NKJV, God compares end time events to that of an angel gathering and harvesting vines that are loaded with grapes, "so the angel thrust his sickle into the Earth and gathered the vine of the Earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God." This verse makes it clear that there will be no limit to the destructiveness of God's wrath. It is going to look like the whole world was put into a blender! God will only intervene before total annihilation occurs. The end time events will be the climax of what began in the Garden of Eden, when Satan planted in Eve’s mind the thought of disobedience to God's command.
The subject of the end time is not just a New Testament idea. From the very beginning in the book of Genesis, God gave us a glimpse of the future, to a time beyond "the world that then existed" and beyond our "present age" to the time of "the world to come" with the establishment of the Kingdom of God. God is so cool! He tells the end from the beginning. He operates in the dimension of time. In the Garden of Eden, God revealed that a time would come when Satan's reign on Earth would be over. God told Satan, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel," Genesis 3:15 NKJV. In essence, God told Satan that he might hurt Jesus, but in the end, Jesus was going to crush him. In other words, Satan will never be the victor. Nonetheless, he still believes that he can win with the help of evil nations, who will believe his wicked lies. Satan is a liar, and he deceives the world. He even lies to himself! John 8:44 NIV reads, "... He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." In all honor, power, and glory, the God of all Creation will be justified! It was never His intention to share you, His creation, under the influence of Satan. Now, for the good part of God's love story, how exactly did He intend to rapture you back? Last Call for The Church available in paperback as well as Kindle at
amazon.com/dp/B01BX98RD8
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
The Trumpets will Sound
Awesome Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching View it now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPBGqgsIMSk&feature=youtu.be
All of this is covered in Last Call for The Church available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BX98RD8
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
The Bible is a book of Blood
The Bible is a book of blood. Blood is the mystery that was hidden from the foundation of the world. God never revealed the mystery hidden in the blood of His Son. If Satan had known about the significance of Jesus’ blood, he never would have harmed Him. Jesus was the sacrificial "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," (Revelation 13:8 KJV). Have you ever wondered why blood is so important to God? Well, He is the creator of life, and blood is the force that sustains it. It is a mysterious substance that God gave to the body of man to nourish itself. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood…," Leviticus 17:11 KJV. When God created Adam, He breathed into his nostrils, and Adam became a living soul, (Genesis 2:7). Satan and the angels had never seen blood before God created Adam. They are spirits, and therefore, they do not have a physical body. Blood has always been important to God. He required it to cover sin from the beginning. Through the Immaculate Conception, Jesus, the son of God, was born of a virgin woman. There was no sin in His bloodline. His blood was perfect! The Holy Spirit fell on the church at Pentecost after Jesus returned to His Father's house. The Holy Spirit is the "Comforter" that Jesus promised would come after His Ascension. The Holy Spirit manifested within the body of the church, and it is the current restrainer of the antichrist. A spirit needs a body to manifest itself in, and when the Holy Spirit filled church is gone, Satan, who is a spirit, will be able to take over inside of the antichrist. The apostle Paul tells us this in 2Thessalonians 2:7 NASB, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."
The apostle John tells us in John 16:7-8 KJV what Jesus said regarding the assignment of the Holy Spirit, "nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." The Holy Spirit is the restraining spiritual force that limits the present power of Satan on the Earth. If the Holy Spirit was not currently restraining the power of Satan; things would be a lot worse than they are right now. The Holy Spirit is the restrainer of the "mystery of iniquity," which is the antichrist. The presence of God's Holy Word is holding the antichrist back until an appointed time. When the Holy Spirit is removed with the church at the Rapture, the antichrist will emerge as seen in 2Thessalonians 2:7-12 NRSV. It took Noah many years to build the ark. He knew a season of judgment was near, but he did not know the exact date. Noah chose to believe what God had spoken, and not what the weather looked like! Undoubtedly, it was sunny and fair, and no rain was in the forecast. But, one day God gave the okay for Noah to go ahead and board the ark. The door to the ark closed, and the flood waters came. There were no weather alerts! No alarms sounded to seek shelter, other than the one that Noah had already given. The flood came quickly, and there was no longer an opportunity for those under God's wrath at that time to change their minds, and get into the ark for protection. I bring this up here, to serve as a reminder of how close we really are to a raging storm. I invite you to read, like or share Last Call for The Church which is now available at http://amazon.com/dp/B01BX98RD8
Friday, August 26, 2016
The Message of the Kingdom
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the inhabited world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14 ISV)
The message of salvation through your Bridegroom, Jesus the Messiah, is found in 1John 1:8-9 KJV, "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." A statement of faith is found in Romans 10:9 KJV, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Yet, what do Christians really believe? Christians believe that God created the world, and this is based on the story of Creation found in the book of Genesis. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He was sent to Earth for our salvation as seen in John 3:17. Christians believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary according to Matthew 1:18 NASB, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit." Christians believe Jesus suffered for our sin, and was crucified, died, buried, rose again and ascended into heaven, and will return to judge the living and the dead, as seen in 1Corinthians 15:4. Christians believe in the forgiveness of sins by confession and repentance according to Romans 10:9 NASB, "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved." Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and only He can offer eternal life as seen in John 3:16 KJV, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
We are all born under the curse of sin as children of Adam. Jesus suffered the punishment of the sin curse, so that we might be born again as children of God. This mystery was hidden in God from the very beginning, and it is revealed to you in Genesis 3:15. Jesus, the Redeemer, will one day crush the serpent’s head, and restore all the kingdoms of this world back to God. God is so awesome! He is a straight shooter! He not only made the mystery known through His Holy Word, but He also told Satan the end from the beginning of that day in the Garden of Eden. Satan just did not see the Resurrection coming, because he did not know the mystery hidden in the power of the blood of "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). God kept that one to Himself! The precious blood of Jesus was His plan of redemption. Oh, how I love Him!
***
Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all expecting a Messiah to show up. The prophets of the Bible have declared that there will be a climax of great judgment, and that Jesus the Messiah will return. In Titus 2:13, the apostle Paul said, the return of Jesus is our "blessed hope." The Bible indicates that when Jesus the Messiah returns, the world will not be looking for Him. I showed you this in the Parable of the Ten Virgins and in the Parable of the Man going on a Long Journey. However, I think the most accurate indicator of the nearness of His return is found in the teaching that Jesus gave, when He referred to the time to be looking for Him should be "like in the days of Noah were" (Matthew 24:37). All three of these parables indicate that Jesus will come for His bride when no one is expecting Him. His arrival will be totally unexpected and sudden without any notice, just like that of an ancient Jewish bridegroom! In other words, we are not going to get a text, or an email telling us to be ready tomorrow at 2 p.m., or at any particular day or time. We are to be ready to go with our Bridegroom at all times.
In Noah's day, the people did not believe the flood was coming, but it came, and so will Jesus, the Bridegroom. A long time ago, God confirmed that the Earth would be destroyed by a flood. Noah warned the people, but they did not believe a flood was coming. They laughed at the ark, but one day the clouds formed, and the rain came. The Earth was purified by water! If God did that, then He will surely do, as He has promised with the destruction of the Earth by fire. 2Peter 3:3-10 NIV reads, "Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say where is this coming he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens came into being and the Earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, my dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the Earth and everything done in it will be laid bare."
Remember, I told you the Rapture is a type of ark. The first time God used an ark was to save people that believed in Him from the destruction of water. The second time will be to save the faithful from the destruction of fire by the ark of rapture with the Bridegroom Jesus. It has never been God’s method in the past to pour wrath out on believers. Noah and his family went inside of the ark seven days before the flood. The ark was a covering like a “huppa,” which is symbolic of heaven. The church will be raptured away just as an ancient Jewish bride would have been. The Holy Spirit fell on the church at Pentecost after Jesus returned to His Father's house. The Holy Spirit is the "Comforter" that Jesus promised would come after His Ascension. The Holy Spirit manifested within the body of the church, and it is the current restrainer of the antichrist. A spirit needs a body to manifest itself in, and when the Holy Spirit filled church is gone, Satan, who is a spirit, will be able to take over inside of the antichrist. The apostle Paul tells us this in 2Thessalonians 2:7 NASB, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."
***
No one knows the hour, but people have tried to set dates for Jesus’ return. There are certain signs which are given in the Bible, and those signs are to signal to the faithfully, watching servants that the time is approaching. I told you some of the signs would be moral decay, worldwide military upheavals, and environmental catastrophes. These signs continue to mount with great frequency every day. It is the “frequency” like that of birthing contractions that we really need to focus in on. There is not a single prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before Jesus calls for His bride, the church. He may come for her at any moment. He will return for her on an ordinary day, when it is least expected. He said so in His teachings! He gave examples of what it would be like. Surely, by now, you have some insight to the urgency of being prepared. One thing is for sure; the removal of the church will be sudden. It is described as a "flash of lightning" in Luke 17:24, and as a "thief breaking into a house" in Matthew 24:43, and as "an unannounced return of the master of the house" in Mark 13:35. We are to be comforted by the romantic promise of rapture, or a snatching away by our Bridegroom, Jesus.
"Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh shall find watching…," Luke 12:37 KJV. "For the Lord, Himself shall descend from heaven with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up; together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…," 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV. "…Until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity…" Isaiah 26:20-21 KJV. The indignation is the Great Tribulation! There will be a trumpet call to announce the Rapture, and then all the dead believers will be resurrected, and they will be made imperishable, and all the living believers will become immortal as well. Unbelievers will be left to face the tribulation. All of this will happen "in the twinkling of an eye," 1Corinthians 15:52.
The apostle Paul describes Jesus as "coming in the air" and adds the phrase "caught up" in 1Thessalonians 4:17. The Rapture of the Church will be just that! There is no mention of Jesus touching the Earth as we are told elsewhere that He does when he returns at the Second Coming. A supernatural removal of believers from the Earth is seen in the miraculous disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24, as well as that of Elijah in 2Kings 2:1-30. The bypassing of death is referred to as "translation" in the King James version of Hebrews 11:5, and it reads, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God…" God always gives us a reason to believe with some evidence to support what He has said will happen. The mysterious disappearances of Enoch and Elijah are Rapture evidence of being “caught up” or “snatched away” from the Earth without physically undergoing death. At His Ascension, Jesus Himself was taken up and far away into the clouds as the disciples watched, "and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 1:9-11 KJV. The Bible does not tell us why God took Enoch and Elijah to heaven before they had experienced death. Their rapture offers proof of having been alive and removed from the Earth with a summons to come up. Jesus’ Ascension, not only offered visible proof to the witnesses, but it also demonstrates the rapture removal of those who have been resurrected. Praise God! He always gives a piece of evidence somewhere!
To find out more about the message of the kingdom and the return of Christ, I invite you to read, like or share Last Call for The Church which is now available at my Amazon/Createspace estore:
https://www.createspace.com/3540402 as well as Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
Friday, June 24, 2016
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