Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
There is clearly a pre-tribulation rapture

Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

There are some believers who teach that this is not necessary because there is only one rapture, no one is going to escape all these things taking place. A pre tribulation rapture does not mean you avoid the cross of Christ. For two thousand years saints have taken up the cross and followed Jesus, they didn't need to be in the tribulation to do that.

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Obviously those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus did not escape the tribulation, those who refused to worship the beast or its image and who did not receive its mark on their foreheads, they didn't escape the tribulation. This shows there must be several groups of Christians who are raptured or taken (those who are beheaded obviously died first).

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

However, these did. Once again there is a reward for those who keep the word of the Lord's patient endurance.

Revelation 3: 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.


What is the point of this warning if everyone is going to be raptured at the same time?

Matthew 25:10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

What is the point of this warning? Obviously some will not be taken.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Jeremiah 25:12-37 Butchers drive sheep with fear to the slaughter (or hat tip to the Baa Baa variants)

12 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

This word “fulfilled” means that there has been a full 70 years. So that would be January 24th of 2021. Once again, going back to our hypothesis that Babylon refers to the US they are saying the US will be enslaved by many nations (Europe, China, and Russia?). There is evidence that the pandemic was actually the first step in a war to incapacitate the US. There have been joint military maneuvers of China and Russia and there have been strict trade embargoes placed on both China and Russia which have pushed both countries to the brink of famine and social unrest. Europe just made a deal with China to work as partners with China picking up Europe’s debt. So it is possible that these three are already allied against the US. Also we had a massive cyber attack on the US which would be the second stage of an attack. In addition the election fraud appears to be an attack by China, Iran and our enemies to seize control of the US.

15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”

I hate to recount the hypocrisy and bald faced lies of the press that we are forced to drink and just make us mad. But for illustration purposes let's look at one example. When Jacob Blake was shot it provoked anger and riots. There was outrage at the police. The facts of the case were that there was a warrant for his arrest, he was resisting arrest, he was in violation of a court order to stay away from his girlfriend and he was potentially kidnapping his three children who were in the back seat. He had attacked police previously with a knife and was shot reaching for a knife. Still the reaction was to riot and loot and for the press to scream about police brutality. Compare that with January 6 where a woman who was trespassing in the capitol building was shot and killed. She did not have a criminal record, she did not have a weapon, and as far as has been reported she was not involved in violent behavior. But this time the outrage from the media was directed at her. Both Jacob Blake and this woman were in the wrong. We don’t like to see either person get shot or hurt but in both cases I can understand the police seeing the need to use deadly force. What I don’t understand is the incredible hypocrisy of the press. This woman, a veteran, was treated as something to scrape off of your shoe whereas Jacob Blake was treated like a martyr and a saint.

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it:18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse—as they are today; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom, Moab and Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness;25 all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media; 26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak will drink it too.

No way I want to try and figure out what each and everyone represents, only that what happens to the US will affect the entire world. We are already seeing massive censorship from Tech giants like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. There is a reason we call these corporations "multinational".

27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’

There are a lot of people who are resisting the censorship. But they will be forced to drink this swill. What has happened has been called Orwellian. The way in which China monitors its populace is certainly Orwellian. But taking control of the media is a third step in a war, you want to control the flow of information. What you are seeing is the Lord Almighty beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears His name. Once again this is about Jerusalem and the disaster will ultimately end up there. However, since the Mayflower compact the US was consecrated as a city on the hill, a light to the nations, the New Jerusalem. So I see references to Jerusalem are at times a reference to Washington DC, rather than Jerusalem in Israel. Bringing disaster on the US is the start of bringing disaster on Jerusalem.

30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: “‘The Lord will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth. 31 The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,’” declares the Lord.

A description of the Great Tribulation. Look at this 45 mile long truck convoy in Canada. The Lord is going to roar, we see these protests spreading to the whole globe.

32 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.” 33 At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.

I learned during the mortgage meltdown the extent to which they would lie. All of the indicators showed that the mortgage backed securities were worthless and should collapse and yet on paper they were still highly rated and “trading” at a high price. However, if you tried to short them you would not be allowed to so everyone knew they were going to collapse, they were just hoping to sell a few more to the unwitting public. It is the same today. The stock market is still high even though the economic devastation worldwide has been unprecedented. On top of the pandemic, and the looming economic collapse we have natural disasters that threaten to be truly Biblical in scale. I know this term has been used frequently in 2020 but the catastrophe that is about to happen is so great that in an hour the entire situation worldwide will change. We also have evidence that death rates are skyrocketing because of the vaccine. 18-64 year olds are seeing a 40% rise in death rates. It is unprecedented.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come; you will fall like the best of the rams. 35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee, the leaders of the flock no place to escape. 36 Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture. 37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

The Pandemic has been especially hard on churches that have shut down. They are being destroyed and you can hear the pastors wailing about the loss of offerings that has bankrupted them. Now consider that you are a pastor of a church that made excuses for why we no longer needed to listen to the Lord’s word. In place after place you made compromises with Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. The rapture comes and you and your flock are left behind. There will be no place for you to hide. The time of your slaughter will have come. Finally let’s consider one other thing, the Lord said “my sheep hear my voice” and they follow Him. Sheep follow shepherds because they hear the Lord’s voice. But butchers drive sheep with fear. They don’t know the butcher so they run from them and are driven by fear to the slaughter. Do you hear the Lord’s voice? Or are you running in fear from the butcher towards your slaughter?
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Mark 8:1-13 Another large crowd

1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” 5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

We saw that the rapture will result in a revival with the Lord feeding 5,000. The Mark of the Beast will also drive people to the Lord in another revival. They will come from a long way without anything to eat, why, they know it is the antichrist, the tribulation, and the mark of the beast. In the last chapter we see that we need the faith to not worry about being called a dog, or the lowest of the low, or a “deplorable”. Second we need our ears and tongue loosed so that we can hear clearly and spit out the truth. Once people hear this word they will flee to the Lord. There are prophecies that during the tribulation there will be a great revival and you will see these miracles done. Without the mark of the beast you will not be able to buy or sell, so the Lord steps in to bless the food and feed the five thousand. Now in this context imagine the Pharisees asking for a sign? The sign is that all the words of the Lord are being fulfilled. Read the Bible! The Lord telling us all this 2,000 years in advance should be enough to strengthen your faith.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Jeremiah 25:38 The first rapture

38 Like a lion he will leave his lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword of the oppressor and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.

On the one hand the first rapture is likened to a bridegroom coming for His bride, but what about the foolish virgins who are locked out of the feast? On one hand it is likened to reaping the harvest to the barn, but what about the crops that are not ripe yet? On one hand it is likened to the Lord returning from a long journey to settle accounts, but what about those Christians who buried their talent? The rapture is likened to both Noah being rescued and Lot being rescued. Noah is in Hebrews chapter 11, Faith's hall of fame, as a "preacher of righteousness". Lot is not in Hebrews chapter 11, he is called "a righteous man". Even though he was righteous he buried his talent, kept his mouth shut, didn't make waves. We see this in Genesis when they treat him with scorn "who are you to tell us what to do?" Hey, if you were a man of God you would have been taken in the first rapture, God doesn't want you, why should we listen to you.

On the one hand it is the sword of the oppressor, or the totalitarian regime. They hate the church, everyone needs to worship them, listen to them. They are completely against free thought or free speech. People are treated like dumb beasts of burden who work to build up their kingdom until they can’t and then they are killed. Look at the numbers of those killed by this pandemic closely, it is almost exclusively the elderly and the infirm. Those that are costing the State money. Their death has saved the state money in healthcare costs and pension costs. Secondly it's because of the Lord’s fierce anger. You rejected His word. You rejected His warnings.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Lepers and the rapture

Leviticus 13:45 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

Leviticus 14 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

We are all lepers cleansed by the Lord's blood. Hyssop was the little shrub that was used to wipe the blood on the doorposts during Passover. It signifies our weak faith. The yarn signifies our clothes which are the "righteousnesses of the saints". We need all our deeds to be washed in the blood. The cedar wood signifies our human nature. Not only all what we do but also all that we are needs to be washed in the blood. If this is the case then we will fly away, that is we will be raptured.

But what about those Christians for whom this is not the case? During the Tribulation the mark of the beast will cause them to be outcasts. They will wear torn clothes, they will be unkempt, they will wear a face mask covering the lower part of the face, and they will cry out "unclean! unclean!". They didn't choose to go outside the camp willingly but the Lord will give them a second chance.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
How to protest the mandates

14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

This is the most powerful protest. Shake off the dust -- sell your house, resign your job, and move to another city/country. If all those truckers did that Canada would be on their knees.

11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

The Lord tells you this twice to confirm the word.

5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

The Lord tells you this three times to establish it.


When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

Then when you get to the next city after seeing Canada on their knees these ones will welcome you and receive the gospel.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Encouraging channels

Pastor Sandy S4C Global community



Godaminute



Gevte



Ken Potter



Ty Green



The chad



The chock



Robert Breaker



Generation 2434



Stephen Dekter Prophetic parallels



Signs from heaven Revelation chapter 12 ends in 2022



pyton



cpt_warm



Steve Fletcher
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

This is such a confusing topic to so many, they think that yeast signifies sin. It doesn’t, we know it doesn’t because Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But notice, Jesus said the “yeast of the pharisees and that of Herod”. Yes, the Pharisees might teach the Bible, but that is not what He is referring to, Jesus is specifically referring to “their teaching” not the Bible’s teaching. We will need to illustrate this with two examples because the teaching of the Pharisees is not the same as the teaching of Herod even though He seems to lump the two together.

Teaching of the Pharisees

Today I was lectured by a brother on the need to keep the Sabbath, the 4th commandment of the ten commandments. So I said fine, do you know when the Sabbath is? He said it was Saturday. I said Saturday? I have never seen the Bible use that term can you show me the verse that tells you it is Saturday? He then showed me a number of verses that said that the Sabbath is the seventh day which he explained to me is “Saturday”. I pointed out that “Saturday” means “Saturn’s day” and Saturn signifies Satan. Saturday is an invention of the Gregorian calendar and has nothing to do with the Biblical calendar. I explained that in the Bible the first day of the month is the new moon. This is very clear in the Bible. From that day you count seven days with that day being the first and you come to the Sabbath. If you do it right the first quarter of the moon will be the sabbath, the full moon will be the sabbath, etc. At the end of the month you will have a new moon which will be a “long weekend” of two to three days. This also is in the bible. For example, Passover is the 14th day of the first month. You can check, it will always be on a full moon, however, since it is the 14th day it is also a sabbath day and that also is in the Bible referring to it as the “Passover sabbath”. So then he said that he decided that he would celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday. To which I responded, “oh, that is like me deciding to celebrate the Lord’s day on Sunday”.

Teaching of Herod

Likewise with the teaching of Herod. This has really been brought home this last year with the pandemic. We were told to “respect the science”. That is the teaching of Herod. When someone said that the Pandemic was the China virus they were being racist, not respecting the science where we were told matter of factly that the evidence of a natural origin was overwhelming. That was a lie, no evidence at all that it was natural origin and instead the evidence that it was created in a bioweapons lab in China that was all but conclusive. We were told that we needed to socially distance and be at least six feet apart. This was based on science we were told and it was, what they didn’t tell you is that this study showed that being 3 feet apart was virtually as good. If we were 3 feet apart we wouldn’t need to shut down the schools, or restaurants, or churches, or many other events. Once again “respect the science” is simply code for trust us we know what we are doing. When we began to ask questions of Dr. Fauci we were told that to question Dr. Fauci is to question science. So even though science is all about asking questions Herod’s teaching to “respect the science” is about shutting up, doing what you are told, and don’t ask any questions.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Mark 8:22-26 Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

We have this problem of seeing people as “experts”. This is the underlying thing to beware of with the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. They are experts, they have seen the top secret information, they have been briefed by experts, all these people know more than you so just shut up. For example I teach HS science. I have studied virus infection, what to do, why the Spanish flu was so deadly, and other things. However, I am no expert and am very willing to defer to people who are truly experts in the field. So then when the advice that came out from Fauci contradicted what we have taught for years I had questions. He is an expert, I’m not, but I want to understand this for my own benefit and so I could explain it to the students. Instead his responses to questions made me question even more. He said we had extensive evidence the virus came from bats and there was no evidence it came from the lab. Well that didn’t make sense the first person that got it worked at the lab in Wuhan which is a very long distance from the bat cave. That alone would be considered evidence. There were whistle blowers from China who were telling the world it came from the lab. So you don’t say there is no evidence, you have to debunk the evidence. But he didn’t. Then he denied funding the research there until it was irrefutable that he had. Then he denied that the research was “gain of function” research when his own definition of gain of function and his own emails and past speeches made it clear that it was. The most disturbing was his insistence that people who had recovered from Covid needed to get the vaccine. That didn’t make any sense and when asked about it he told us that to ask him is to question science. That was the point where I knew he was a liar. This is the key, you can’t look at these so called experts in the field like they are giants and you are just a puny grasshopper in their sight. This reminds me of the ten spies giving the evil report. Who is it that is left behind after the first rapture? It is those who are represented by the ten spies. Why is it that this account is not in Luke but is in Mark. The saints in Luke don’t need this, they don’t have this problem, this is the problem of those in the book of Mark, those who were left behind, the sleeping church.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
37,510
6,931
113
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”


I think that this account here correlates very nicely with the 9th of AV, the day the spies gave the evil report. Two, Joshua and Caleb gave a good report, just like Peter with this revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. The other ten gave an evil report, just like Peter rebuking Jesus for saying He would go to the cross. The cross was a horrible punishment reserved for those caught in insurrection. It is very understandable that Peter would be shocked to hear Jesus say He needed to go to be killed. But we need to dig down here. The Lord was going to defeat sin and death, He had the resurrection power. That is what it takes to defeat the corruption of the Pharisees, Herod and the talking heads. If you realize this then you would be at peace today. What can they do to you? Arrest you? Bring false charges of insurrection against you? Have a monkey trial? Kill you? Yes, they can do all that, but we have the one who on the third day can rise from the dead. So who cares. Yes, they slander you and falsely accuse you, but when you rise from the dead and God the Father declares that you are righteous, who cares what they think. The resurrection power is an awesome power.

The Way of the Cross

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”


Right now many people are thinking how to “save their life”. Do I store up food? One brother talked about buying a gun to protect your family and for hunting. That is like being on a desert island and you have a choice, take the food rations that were left on the boat, or take this airplane that just happens to be there fueled up and ready to go. Now is not the time to become political, now is the time to speak the Lord’s words.