Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Luke 2:25-35 The Deep State
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout [cautiously and carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
I love this, my favorite experience. Everyone talks about this "deep state" of corrupt wicked people highly placed in government who are secretly operating behind the curtain. But my experience is that wherever you go there are those who are devout and righteous. He is in Jerusalem, in the temple, can see her poverty, and yet he can also see the Lord's Christ.
26 And it had been divinely revealed (communicated) to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 27 And prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the little child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the Law, 28 [Simeon] took Him up in his arms and praised and thanked God and said, 29 And now, Lord, You are releasing Your servant to depart (leave this world) in peace, according to Your word.
Luke is considered the gospel for those who are raptured prior to the tribulation. These are the ones who were looking for the Lord before He was even born. Mark is the gospel to those who wake up after the rapture. For them the gospel begins with the ministry of John about 30 years after this. This chapter reveals two witnesses, Simeon and Anna. During the tribulation there will also be two witnesses (signified by the ministry of John the Baptist). We need this, all of us need this, whether you are "the mother Mary" or someone left behind.
30 For with my [own] eyes I have seen Your Salvation, 31 Which You have ordained and prepared before (in the presence of) all peoples, 32 A Light for [k]revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel. 33 And His [legal] father and [His] mother were marveling at what was said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against—35 And a sword will pierce through your own soul also—that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed.
Jesus is destined for the fall of many, not just the rising. All those who have sold themselves to do evil will fall. During the tribulation He will be a sign that is spoken against. In the end the secret thoughts and purposes of the heart will be brought out. Simeon had a secret and it was just brought out, Jesus being the incarnated God had a secret, not all secrets of the heart are evil. There is a joke about some Christians being “secret agents”. Whatever you are on the inside will be revealed at this time. This is why they hated Donald Trump. The way this deep state, the corrupt wicked people in authority can stay there is from "mutual assured destruction". No one exposes anyone otherwise they all get exposed. This is how Hoover ran the FBI, he dug dirt on everyone not to expose them but to use it for leverage against them. Why do you think the FBI had Hunter Biden's laptop for a year and were silent. They wanted Biden to get elected because then they would have maximum leverage. Trump ruined all that. He was happy to expose them all. They accused him of Russian collusion because they were colluding with Russia. They accused him of being a pervert because they were perverts. They accused him of using his power as President to unfairly influence the election because they did that. They impeached him for negligence in protecting the capital because they were the ones who were negligent. God is not going to let one word fall, this prophecy will be fulfilled.
"The secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts will be brought out and disclosed".
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout [cautiously and carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
I love this, my favorite experience. Everyone talks about this "deep state" of corrupt wicked people highly placed in government who are secretly operating behind the curtain. But my experience is that wherever you go there are those who are devout and righteous. He is in Jerusalem, in the temple, can see her poverty, and yet he can also see the Lord's Christ.
26 And it had been divinely revealed (communicated) to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 27 And prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the little child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the Law, 28 [Simeon] took Him up in his arms and praised and thanked God and said, 29 And now, Lord, You are releasing Your servant to depart (leave this world) in peace, according to Your word.
Luke is considered the gospel for those who are raptured prior to the tribulation. These are the ones who were looking for the Lord before He was even born. Mark is the gospel to those who wake up after the rapture. For them the gospel begins with the ministry of John about 30 years after this. This chapter reveals two witnesses, Simeon and Anna. During the tribulation there will also be two witnesses (signified by the ministry of John the Baptist). We need this, all of us need this, whether you are "the mother Mary" or someone left behind.
30 For with my [own] eyes I have seen Your Salvation, 31 Which You have ordained and prepared before (in the presence of) all peoples, 32 A Light for [k]revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel. 33 And His [legal] father and [His] mother were marveling at what was said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against—35 And a sword will pierce through your own soul also—that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed.
Jesus is destined for the fall of many, not just the rising. All those who have sold themselves to do evil will fall. During the tribulation He will be a sign that is spoken against. In the end the secret thoughts and purposes of the heart will be brought out. Simeon had a secret and it was just brought out, Jesus being the incarnated God had a secret, not all secrets of the heart are evil. There is a joke about some Christians being “secret agents”. Whatever you are on the inside will be revealed at this time. This is why they hated Donald Trump. The way this deep state, the corrupt wicked people in authority can stay there is from "mutual assured destruction". No one exposes anyone otherwise they all get exposed. This is how Hoover ran the FBI, he dug dirt on everyone not to expose them but to use it for leverage against them. Why do you think the FBI had Hunter Biden's laptop for a year and were silent. They wanted Biden to get elected because then they would have maximum leverage. Trump ruined all that. He was happy to expose them all. They accused him of Russian collusion because they were colluding with Russia. They accused him of being a pervert because they were perverts. They accused him of using his power as President to unfairly influence the election because they did that. They impeached him for negligence in protecting the capital because they were the ones who were negligent. God is not going to let one word fall, this prophecy will be fulfilled.
"The secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts will be brought out and disclosed".
Luke 2:36-38 Someone we have all met
36 And there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood, 37 And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 And she too came up at that same hour, and she returned thanks to God and talked of [Jesus] to all who were looking for the redemption (deliverance) of Jerusalem.
Here is the second witness. Have you ever met an elderly sister that "talked to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem". It seems to me that wherever I have gone, in whatever church gathering I was in I was always able to find this sister. I hope you didn't take her for granted, Mary never forgot her testimony and God didn't either.
36 And there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood, 37 And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 And she too came up at that same hour, and she returned thanks to God and talked of [Jesus] to all who were looking for the redemption (deliverance) of Jerusalem.
Here is the second witness. Have you ever met an elderly sister that "talked to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem". It seems to me that wherever I have gone, in whatever church gathering I was in I was always able to find this sister. I hope you didn't take her for granted, Mary never forgot her testimony and God didn't either.
Luke 2:39- Hold it! Something is missing.
39 And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.
Hold it, something is missing! Are we going to just skip over the family going to Egypt? How about the children killed? The account of Rachel weeping is only in Matthew. The thought is that Matthew refers to the Jews who are saved at the end of the age, Mark refers to those who are saved in the midst of the tribulation, and Luke to those who are saved at the beginning of the tribulation. It is the Jews who are “called out of Egypt” after Hitler who sought their life is dead.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year to the Passover Feast.
The faith that was in the grandmother and mother was also in Him.
42 And when He was twelve years [old], they went up, as was their custom. 43 And when the Feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, 44 But, supposing Him to be in the caravan, they traveled on a day’s journey; and [then] they sought Him [diligently, looking up and down for Him] among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 45 And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem, looking for Him [up and down] all the way.
Hold it, someone is missing.
46 After three days they found Him [came upon Him] in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His intelligence and understanding and His replies.
There is an interesting correlation with John. Everyone in John’s community kept their eye on him, apparently everyone in Jesus community, even all the way to Jerusalem, kept their eye on Him. We don't see this story in Mark or Matthew. Luke tells us about Mary, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna, saints who were completely committed to giving themselves to the Lord and diving into God's word. Compare this gospel with Mark which begins with everyone repenting for the Kingdom. That gospel begins with the rapture having just taken place and those who are left behind waking up and repenting. Matthew begins with a genocidal atrocity.
48 And when they [Joseph and Mary] saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Child, why have You treated us like this? Here Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You [distressed and tormented]. 49 And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father’s house and[occupied] about My Father’s business?
Look at the proud parents beaming with pride. Just kidding, Mary and Joseph have been trained to keep him under wraps, don't reveal Him. 2,000 kids died because someone with loose lips talked in Jerusalem. They had to hide out in Egypt for years. I am sure that Mary was well aware of Jesus intelligence and understanding. This takes the responsibility of parents to a whole new level, you have to understand your children and what they must be about. I fear the Lord will say the same thing about us who have fumbled and bumbled in our attempt to understand the rapture. Jame's word here is quite illuminating, if you lack wisdom ask. I suspect James saw that verse practiced often in his family while growing up. This is the ultimate "child prodigy".
50 But they did not comprehend what He was saying to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man.
Once again, the testimonies of the saints, whether children, or teenagers, or even the very elderly are a great help to the Body of Christ. In this chapter we see the testimony of two elderly saints, two parents, a bunch of scribes, and of a teenager. We are seeing the testimonies of the overcomers. They overcame by the blood and by the word of their testimony, if you want to know what that word was here it is. This is what is missing from the gospel of Mark and from the gospel of Matthew. Matthew and Mark both depict a situation that was not overcoming at the beginning, only Luke shows us an overcoming situation from the start.
39 And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.
Hold it, something is missing! Are we going to just skip over the family going to Egypt? How about the children killed? The account of Rachel weeping is only in Matthew. The thought is that Matthew refers to the Jews who are saved at the end of the age, Mark refers to those who are saved in the midst of the tribulation, and Luke to those who are saved at the beginning of the tribulation. It is the Jews who are “called out of Egypt” after Hitler who sought their life is dead.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year to the Passover Feast.
The faith that was in the grandmother and mother was also in Him.
42 And when He was twelve years [old], they went up, as was their custom. 43 And when the Feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, 44 But, supposing Him to be in the caravan, they traveled on a day’s journey; and [then] they sought Him [diligently, looking up and down for Him] among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 45 And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem, looking for Him [up and down] all the way.
Hold it, someone is missing.
46 After three days they found Him [came upon Him] in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His intelligence and understanding and His replies.
There is an interesting correlation with John. Everyone in John’s community kept their eye on him, apparently everyone in Jesus community, even all the way to Jerusalem, kept their eye on Him. We don't see this story in Mark or Matthew. Luke tells us about Mary, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna, saints who were completely committed to giving themselves to the Lord and diving into God's word. Compare this gospel with Mark which begins with everyone repenting for the Kingdom. That gospel begins with the rapture having just taken place and those who are left behind waking up and repenting. Matthew begins with a genocidal atrocity.
48 And when they [Joseph and Mary] saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Child, why have You treated us like this? Here Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You [distressed and tormented]. 49 And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father’s house and[occupied] about My Father’s business?
Look at the proud parents beaming with pride. Just kidding, Mary and Joseph have been trained to keep him under wraps, don't reveal Him. 2,000 kids died because someone with loose lips talked in Jerusalem. They had to hide out in Egypt for years. I am sure that Mary was well aware of Jesus intelligence and understanding. This takes the responsibility of parents to a whole new level, you have to understand your children and what they must be about. I fear the Lord will say the same thing about us who have fumbled and bumbled in our attempt to understand the rapture. Jame's word here is quite illuminating, if you lack wisdom ask. I suspect James saw that verse practiced often in his family while growing up. This is the ultimate "child prodigy".
50 But they did not comprehend what He was saying to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man.
Once again, the testimonies of the saints, whether children, or teenagers, or even the very elderly are a great help to the Body of Christ. In this chapter we see the testimony of two elderly saints, two parents, a bunch of scribes, and of a teenager. We are seeing the testimonies of the overcomers. They overcame by the blood and by the word of their testimony, if you want to know what that word was here it is. This is what is missing from the gospel of Mark and from the gospel of Matthew. Matthew and Mark both depict a situation that was not overcoming at the beginning, only Luke shows us an overcoming situation from the start.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place.
I don't think Shavuot was ever called "Pentecost". People have assumed that 7 complete sabbaths plus one day = 50 days but it doesn't, not ever. There are 4 Sabbaths in a month, the New Moon Sabbath will be 2-3 days. You can't go seven complete Sabbaths without one New Moon and since this count is started after feast of unleavened bread you have two new moons. So the real count would be 53 days. On the other hand the feast of New Wine was 50 days after Shavuot.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This is a wonderful image of the New Testament ministry. "Tongues of fire" spoken in every language that everyone on the earth can understand. Think about how incredible that is. You can't say that of Hindu mystics, or Muslim prophets, or Orthodox Jews. Every other religion has a very distinctive cultural flavor to it.
5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, 10 in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.
A second wonderful image. The New Testament ministry is "new wine". Shavuot is the completion of something, actually the completion of seven somethings. I would argue that the seven sabbaths refer to the seven golden lampstands. This process is designed to make us holy as God is holy. In every case those that are not holy are revealed and float to the top like dross in a refiners fire.
What is confusing about Shavuot is there is no specific date, it is the feast that no one knows the day. If you read the account of Moses giving the Ten Commandments it is quite confusing. I think you can compare Shavuot to a graduation ceremony and of course it was the betrothal and also could be a wedding ceremony. There is plenty of imagery to support all three.
But, it is also the festival where for two weeks they gave offerings as a dedication to the Tabernacle. Think of the saints who are raptured in the pretribulation rapture as an offering from the church to God. These are our "firstfruits", this is the tithe at the end of the age to God.
Here are the reasons I find this very compelling:
1. The Pretribulation rapture is supposed to take place 42 months before the mid tribulation rapture, 42 months after Shavuot is Hanukkah, the "rededication of the temple".
2. Shavuot is the feast that celebrates the harvest of the wheat and we are told the rapture is likened to the harvest of the wheat.
3. Shavuot is the only place in the Bible where we hear "the trump of God" other than at the rapture.
4. Shavuot was the betrothal of God with His people and where Moses as a type of Jesus ascended into the mountain (typifying Jesus ascension). The Lord went away for up to two years (the typology of a Jewish wedding) to prepare a place for us, so if after two weeks we are raptured that also would be very fitting.
5. One Bible teacher said that the third month signifies being caught up or lifted up (as in being lifted up into a camel) whereas the fourth month signifies "the door". These two weeks of offerings after Shavuot takes us to the end of the third month and the beginning of the fourth month, hence "The Lord is at the door".
6. The first day of the fourth month is when the tops of the mountains became visible in the "days of Noah". The rapture is when the tops of the Lord's mountains become visible.
7. The last 8 chapters of 2Corinthians, Paul's discourse on the New Testament ministry, is based on the 8 days of light of the festival of Hannukah. It seems very fitting that the church age would end with Hanukkah.
8. In 2024 Hanukkah begins on December 25th, so the account of the believers fighting against Antiochus, a type of the Antichrist is mingled with Satan (Santa) in a red suit breaking into your house (coming down the chimney) in a very creepy version of the police state (he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake) forcing every parent to buy their kids junky toys in some kind of magical deception as a bogus explanation for the rapture.
I don't think Shavuot was ever called "Pentecost". People have assumed that 7 complete sabbaths plus one day = 50 days but it doesn't, not ever. There are 4 Sabbaths in a month, the New Moon Sabbath will be 2-3 days. You can't go seven complete Sabbaths without one New Moon and since this count is started after feast of unleavened bread you have two new moons. So the real count would be 53 days. On the other hand the feast of New Wine was 50 days after Shavuot.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This is a wonderful image of the New Testament ministry. "Tongues of fire" spoken in every language that everyone on the earth can understand. Think about how incredible that is. You can't say that of Hindu mystics, or Muslim prophets, or Orthodox Jews. Every other religion has a very distinctive cultural flavor to it.
5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, 10 in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.
A second wonderful image. The New Testament ministry is "new wine". Shavuot is the completion of something, actually the completion of seven somethings. I would argue that the seven sabbaths refer to the seven golden lampstands. This process is designed to make us holy as God is holy. In every case those that are not holy are revealed and float to the top like dross in a refiners fire.
What is confusing about Shavuot is there is no specific date, it is the feast that no one knows the day. If you read the account of Moses giving the Ten Commandments it is quite confusing. I think you can compare Shavuot to a graduation ceremony and of course it was the betrothal and also could be a wedding ceremony. There is plenty of imagery to support all three.
But, it is also the festival where for two weeks they gave offerings as a dedication to the Tabernacle. Think of the saints who are raptured in the pretribulation rapture as an offering from the church to God. These are our "firstfruits", this is the tithe at the end of the age to God.
Here are the reasons I find this very compelling:
1. The Pretribulation rapture is supposed to take place 42 months before the mid tribulation rapture, 42 months after Shavuot is Hanukkah, the "rededication of the temple".
2. Shavuot is the feast that celebrates the harvest of the wheat and we are told the rapture is likened to the harvest of the wheat.
3. Shavuot is the only place in the Bible where we hear "the trump of God" other than at the rapture.
4. Shavuot was the betrothal of God with His people and where Moses as a type of Jesus ascended into the mountain (typifying Jesus ascension). The Lord went away for up to two years (the typology of a Jewish wedding) to prepare a place for us, so if after two weeks we are raptured that also would be very fitting.
5. One Bible teacher said that the third month signifies being caught up or lifted up (as in being lifted up into a camel) whereas the fourth month signifies "the door". These two weeks of offerings after Shavuot takes us to the end of the third month and the beginning of the fourth month, hence "The Lord is at the door".
6. The first day of the fourth month is when the tops of the mountains became visible in the "days of Noah". The rapture is when the tops of the Lord's mountains become visible.
7. The last 8 chapters of 2Corinthians, Paul's discourse on the New Testament ministry, is based on the 8 days of light of the festival of Hannukah. It seems very fitting that the church age would end with Hanukkah.
8. In 2024 Hanukkah begins on December 25th, so the account of the believers fighting against Antiochus, a type of the Antichrist is mingled with Satan (Santa) in a red suit breaking into your house (coming down the chimney) in a very creepy version of the police state (he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake) forcing every parent to buy their kids junky toys in some kind of magical deception as a bogus explanation for the rapture.
Revelation 5:13-14 Jesus, head over all to the church
13 And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. 14 And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.
Giving Jesus the book was equated to giving Him blessing, honor, glory and dominion. Not only does the book have seven seals but the blessings of the covenant God made with man have seven categories of blessing. I believe that if we look at these seven seals in the next few chapters we will be able to understand many mysteries. We can understand the mystery of God, the great mystery of Christ and the church, and also answer the questions that have plagued us throughout human history “why?” Why war? Why famine? Why plague? Why martyrs?
Believers will know the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. They know that His sacrifice on the cross redeemed them, it paid the price for their sins, and the Lord’s blood washes them and makes them white as snow. But, it is Jesus' victory over sin and death that made Him worthy to open the book. The world thinks that His death was weakness and it was foolishness. If that is true then it was the weakness of God and the foolishness of God, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, the foolishness of God is wiser than men.
So then, what do we learn about this book that Jesus was given when He ascended to the throne?
13 And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. 14 And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.
Giving Jesus the book was equated to giving Him blessing, honor, glory and dominion. Not only does the book have seven seals but the blessings of the covenant God made with man have seven categories of blessing. I believe that if we look at these seven seals in the next few chapters we will be able to understand many mysteries. We can understand the mystery of God, the great mystery of Christ and the church, and also answer the questions that have plagued us throughout human history “why?” Why war? Why famine? Why plague? Why martyrs?
Believers will know the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. They know that His sacrifice on the cross redeemed them, it paid the price for their sins, and the Lord’s blood washes them and makes them white as snow. But, it is Jesus' victory over sin and death that made Him worthy to open the book. The world thinks that His death was weakness and it was foolishness. If that is true then it was the weakness of God and the foolishness of God, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, the foolishness of God is wiser than men.
So then, what do we learn about this book that Jesus was given when He ascended to the throne?
- He received it when He ascended. So until that time the seven seals were sealed.
- The seven seals indicate that it is a legal document bequeathing something to Him from God. Psalm 2 would indicate that at least one of the things given to Him was the nations.
- The book is comprehensive, there is no room for additions, just like John says at the end of the Book of Revelation which is also the conclusion to the New Testament.
- It is also illegal to take anything out of this document since it is a legal document.
- Many, many people have tried to open this book but none were worthy. The first and most important criteria to opening this book is that God would determine that you are worthy.
- John also felt powerless to open this book and weeped for the implications that had for humanity. This book answers questions that are essential for the survival of man. This is not simply inferred from John weeping but even more from the seals that are subsequently opened. We will look at those in the next chapter.
- In order to open the book Jesus had to overcome. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David’s wisdom and power. Jesus had to defeat sin and death in order to open this book.
- All of mankind is referred to as the first Adam. According to the Bible the first Adam became a living soul. All of our civilization is an expression of this living soul. Song, dance, religion, history, science, and all the books in the library are an expression of man who became a living soul. The last Adam, Jesus, became a life giving Spirit. This is the key difference between Jesus and all those who came before Him. This could be the key criteria that makes Him worthy and all those prior sages not worthy to open this book.
- The Lion is the lamb that was sacrificed on the cross to redeem us and save us from our sins. His power and wisdom is of God (seven indicating God + Creature). The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. The world considers the cross of Christ to be the weakness of God and the foolishness of God. So then, the weakness of God is stronger than man, and the foolishness of God is wiser than man.
- The Lord has sent His rhema word throughout all the Earth, this is how He has carried out His ministry and built up His church.
- Jesus “takes the book” from God, similar to His word “the violent take the kingdom by force”. The crucifixion of Jesus was extremely violent. Sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh were all crucified.
- He has redeemed men from every nation and built them up to be a kingdom of priests to our God. And these people reign with Him on the earth. This is also what makes Him worthy to open this book.
- The Lord has seven eyes, just as there are seven golden lampstands. One reason that He is able to open these seals is that there are people in every tribe and nation that are walking according to the Lord's leading and who witness the things necessary to open up these seals.
- The Lord has seven horns. Horns indicate power and judgment. Again, there are seven lampstands, there are people of every tribe and nation that are walking according to the Lord's leading and are in a position to exercise power and judgement over the ruler of this age. This is another reason why He is able to open these seals.
- These seals began to be opened immediately after the Lord ascended to the throne.
Matthew 24:4-8 birth pains
Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
There is a wonderful correlation between the "birth pains" described by Jesus and the four horses of the apocalypse. See that no one deceives you, that would be the white horse. It is easy to use this to justify the "antichrist" theory of the white horse, but without the gospel how do you keep from being deceived? Wars and rumors of wars would be the red horse. Famines would be the black horse, and earthquakes are often associated with plagues like dysentery. But the Lord describes them as "birth pains". Birth pains become more and more frequent and if you look at human history this is what you see. There were great wars every 150 or 250 years at the beginning of this age, but now we have had two world wars, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, two Gulf wars, and a war in Afghanistan all in the space of a hundred years. We have had a couple of very big pandemics throughout the last two thousand years, but in just the last 100 years we have had the Spanish Flu, AIDS, Sars, Swine Flu, Covid19, and now the Delta variant. The birth pains are getting closer and closer together.
Birth pains are associated with giving birth and the birth will be to the man child who is to rule the nations. These four horses reveal that the worldly system is corrupt. The rulers are liars who manipulate the people into going and fighting wars for them. They are incompetent causing famines and having unclean living conditions that lead to epidemics.
We are learning this because of the seven eyes of the Lord and we are dealing with these liars and murderers because of the seven horns of the Lord.
For example we now know that Fauci was involved in financing the gain of function research at the Wuhan lab which created Covid19, that he then lied and manipulated the entire world to reject the lab leak theory until it could no longer be denied, he lied about treatments that would have made the pandemic less severe and easier to treat, he pushed for a complete shutdown which was contrary to the scientific consensus on the best way to deal with a pandemic. We also know that he is a Free Mason and that they think the solution to the world's ills is to reduce population from 7.5 billion to 500 million. They think that pandemics and wars and abortion are three ways to move towards that goal, but the best and most effective way would be to sterilize billions of people under the guise of a life saving vaccine.
We now see that the Democrats are pushing to nationalize the police. Think about that the same people who pushed to defund the police and in whose cities you have the worst crime want to be the ones who run the police for the entire country.
We have also learned that the leaders are pushing their agenda under the guise of "climate change". It is hard to deny the horrific forest fires in California, the only problem is that 80% of California's water goes to agriculture which is growing extremely water intensive crops. Surely this has played a major role in the "drought" and ironically as the forests burn big agriculture stands to gain more land that they can use for farms.
Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
There is a wonderful correlation between the "birth pains" described by Jesus and the four horses of the apocalypse. See that no one deceives you, that would be the white horse. It is easy to use this to justify the "antichrist" theory of the white horse, but without the gospel how do you keep from being deceived? Wars and rumors of wars would be the red horse. Famines would be the black horse, and earthquakes are often associated with plagues like dysentery. But the Lord describes them as "birth pains". Birth pains become more and more frequent and if you look at human history this is what you see. There were great wars every 150 or 250 years at the beginning of this age, but now we have had two world wars, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, two Gulf wars, and a war in Afghanistan all in the space of a hundred years. We have had a couple of very big pandemics throughout the last two thousand years, but in just the last 100 years we have had the Spanish Flu, AIDS, Sars, Swine Flu, Covid19, and now the Delta variant. The birth pains are getting closer and closer together.
Birth pains are associated with giving birth and the birth will be to the man child who is to rule the nations. These four horses reveal that the worldly system is corrupt. The rulers are liars who manipulate the people into going and fighting wars for them. They are incompetent causing famines and having unclean living conditions that lead to epidemics.
We are learning this because of the seven eyes of the Lord and we are dealing with these liars and murderers because of the seven horns of the Lord.
For example we now know that Fauci was involved in financing the gain of function research at the Wuhan lab which created Covid19, that he then lied and manipulated the entire world to reject the lab leak theory until it could no longer be denied, he lied about treatments that would have made the pandemic less severe and easier to treat, he pushed for a complete shutdown which was contrary to the scientific consensus on the best way to deal with a pandemic. We also know that he is a Free Mason and that they think the solution to the world's ills is to reduce population from 7.5 billion to 500 million. They think that pandemics and wars and abortion are three ways to move towards that goal, but the best and most effective way would be to sterilize billions of people under the guise of a life saving vaccine.
We now see that the Democrats are pushing to nationalize the police. Think about that the same people who pushed to defund the police and in whose cities you have the worst crime want to be the ones who run the police for the entire country.
We have also learned that the leaders are pushing their agenda under the guise of "climate change". It is hard to deny the horrific forest fires in California, the only problem is that 80% of California's water goes to agriculture which is growing extremely water intensive crops. Surely this has played a major role in the "drought" and ironically as the forests burn big agriculture stands to gain more land that they can use for farms.
Luke 5:17-26 -- Your unforgiveness has paralyzed you
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
So there is something quite interesting about this story, it says that Jesus saw “their faith”. This refers to the men who carried in this paralyzed man and lowered him down, yet the Lord said to the paralyzed man “friend, your sins are forgiven”. Everyone thinks that we are healed by faith and if you aren’t healed then your faith is not strong enough. But in this story there is no indication that the paralyzed man had any faith, yet he was healed. This is what the false prophets do, they tell you to be healed and if you aren’t then it is because your faith wasn’t great enough. No doubt there are going to be many believers who have already gone through this, they have already tried to speak for Jesus, they just can’t do it. They have bought into the lie that their faith is not strong enough. I can picture this paralyzed man not wanting to go before Jesus. He is going to tell me to rise and walk, I can’t do it, then He is going to say “O ye of little faith” and I will be shamed in front of everyone. He was probably very upset with the two who were taking him to Jesus against his will. Those two were obviously desperate, it is a lot of work to take care of a paralyzed man. Especially a whiny one saying “I can’t do it, I can’t walk by faith, I’ve tried”. But Jesus didn’t tell him to walk by faith, rather He said “your sins are forgiven”. Then He said something that really gives the whole story away. “Which is easier”. If you know Jesus you know that He doesn’t need to worry about which is easier, that word wasn’t for Him it was for the paralyzed man. Which is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” or to say “rise and walk”? The paralyzed man was saying that it was too hard for him to rise and walk, but can you at least say “Your sins are forgiven?” You probably just cussed out those two people, why not start with them and say “I forgive you”? That is a powerful gospel message. If you have tried and failed to preach the gospel and it is just too hard for you, then I suggest you start with “I forgive you”. It is very possible that your unforgiveness has made it impossible for anyone to receive a word you say.
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
So there is something quite interesting about this story, it says that Jesus saw “their faith”. This refers to the men who carried in this paralyzed man and lowered him down, yet the Lord said to the paralyzed man “friend, your sins are forgiven”. Everyone thinks that we are healed by faith and if you aren’t healed then your faith is not strong enough. But in this story there is no indication that the paralyzed man had any faith, yet he was healed. This is what the false prophets do, they tell you to be healed and if you aren’t then it is because your faith wasn’t great enough. No doubt there are going to be many believers who have already gone through this, they have already tried to speak for Jesus, they just can’t do it. They have bought into the lie that their faith is not strong enough. I can picture this paralyzed man not wanting to go before Jesus. He is going to tell me to rise and walk, I can’t do it, then He is going to say “O ye of little faith” and I will be shamed in front of everyone. He was probably very upset with the two who were taking him to Jesus against his will. Those two were obviously desperate, it is a lot of work to take care of a paralyzed man. Especially a whiny one saying “I can’t do it, I can’t walk by faith, I’ve tried”. But Jesus didn’t tell him to walk by faith, rather He said “your sins are forgiven”. Then He said something that really gives the whole story away. “Which is easier”. If you know Jesus you know that He doesn’t need to worry about which is easier, that word wasn’t for Him it was for the paralyzed man. Which is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” or to say “rise and walk”? The paralyzed man was saying that it was too hard for him to rise and walk, but can you at least say “Your sins are forgiven?” You probably just cussed out those two people, why not start with them and say “I forgive you”? That is a powerful gospel message. If you have tried and failed to preach the gospel and it is just too hard for you, then I suggest you start with “I forgive you”. It is very possible that your unforgiveness has made it impossible for anyone to receive a word you say.
Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cried unto Jehovah,
And he answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee,
Thou deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty,
With coals of juniper.
5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul hath long had her dwelling
With him that hateth peace.
7 I am for peace:
But when I speak, they are for war.
What a perfect psalm for 2020. The year began with the pandemic (Jewish year began at the same time NY shut down). We now know that Fauci was a liar, a deceitful tongue. It was a year of campaigning where Trump was for peace, about the only 4 years in our recent history of peace, and yet the attacks and vicious words like sharp arrows and coals. People thought that by voting for Biden we would finally have some peace but then we learned he is for war. The border has been thrown open and in the first six months has seen 500,000 cross the border, we have also begun an open war with Iran.
1 In my distress I cried unto Jehovah,
And he answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee,
Thou deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty,
With coals of juniper.
5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul hath long had her dwelling
With him that hateth peace.
7 I am for peace:
But when I speak, they are for war.
What a perfect psalm for 2020. The year began with the pandemic (Jewish year began at the same time NY shut down). We now know that Fauci was a liar, a deceitful tongue. It was a year of campaigning where Trump was for peace, about the only 4 years in our recent history of peace, and yet the attacks and vicious words like sharp arrows and coals. People thought that by voting for Biden we would finally have some peace but then we learned he is for war. The border has been thrown open and in the first six months has seen 500,000 cross the border, we have also begun an open war with Iran.
Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips
Some want to know "what lies"?
So I got this list:
Epstein committed suicide
McAfee committed suicide
Biden won the election
COVID came from a wetmarket
Conservatives are all terrorists
Ivermectin doesn’t work
HCQ doesn’t work
Biden doesn’t have dementia
The jab isn’t making anyone ill
Fauci was consistent
Masks work
COVID passports
Cuomo didn’t kill old people
Dominion systems were secure
Hunter Biden is an artist
Trump colluded with Russia
Jan 06 was an insurrection
Transwomen should compete with women
BLM is mostly peaceful
Trump had a pee pee tape
Antifa is an idea
Advanced coursework is racist
1619 is real history
Hunter Laptop wasn’t real
Trump caused asian hate
White rage is the problem
CRT isn’t poisonous
All white people are racist
A water pipe in ATL stopped the count
Juicy Smollet was attacked
China travel ban was racist
Words are violence
The military isn’t woke
The FBI is apolitical
Obama didn’t build cages
Iran never got cash pallets
Churches should be closed
The border is under control
Voter ID is racist
Biden is tough on Putin
Blasey Ford was credible
Swalwell isn’t compromised
Kids should get the jab
Teachers had it the worst
China managed COVID well
WHO is an independent body
The Great Reset isn't real
Renting forever is just fine
Bailouts are necessary
Gain of Function wasn't funded
Hunter isn’t incestuous
Double masking is best
Own nothing, be happy
Hillary had 98% chance to win
Melania was an escort
A video caused Benghazi
Trump camp wasn't spied on
Hunter was hired on merit
Hands up Don't Shoot happened
AR15s are weapons of war
Bubba Wallace noose was real
Covington Catholic kid is racist
Some want to know "what lies"?
So I got this list:
Epstein committed suicide
McAfee committed suicide
Biden won the election
COVID came from a wetmarket
Conservatives are all terrorists
Ivermectin doesn’t work
HCQ doesn’t work
Biden doesn’t have dementia
The jab isn’t making anyone ill
Fauci was consistent
Masks work
COVID passports
Cuomo didn’t kill old people
Dominion systems were secure
Hunter Biden is an artist
Trump colluded with Russia
Jan 06 was an insurrection
Transwomen should compete with women
BLM is mostly peaceful
Trump had a pee pee tape
Antifa is an idea
Advanced coursework is racist
1619 is real history
Hunter Laptop wasn’t real
Trump caused asian hate
White rage is the problem
CRT isn’t poisonous
All white people are racist
A water pipe in ATL stopped the count
Juicy Smollet was attacked
China travel ban was racist
Words are violence
The military isn’t woke
The FBI is apolitical
Obama didn’t build cages
Iran never got cash pallets
Churches should be closed
The border is under control
Voter ID is racist
Biden is tough on Putin
Blasey Ford was credible
Swalwell isn’t compromised
Kids should get the jab
Teachers had it the worst
China managed COVID well
WHO is an independent body
The Great Reset isn't real
Renting forever is just fine
Bailouts are necessary
Gain of Function wasn't funded
Hunter isn’t incestuous
Double masking is best
Own nothing, be happy
Hillary had 98% chance to win
Melania was an escort
A video caused Benghazi
Trump camp wasn't spied on
Hunter was hired on merit
Hands up Don't Shoot happened
AR15s are weapons of war
Bubba Wallace noose was real
Covington Catholic kid is racist
To escape and to stand
Luke 21:36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
I have become quite struck with this verse. We are praying for two things: to escape and to stand.
When you listen to the testimonies these two things really come out. There are many sharing how they are sick of this world, they are "strangers in a strange land" and can't wait to be raptured to escape from this evil age.
But there are others, of which I am one, and what we really want to do is to crush the enemy.
Let me share my experience, in high school I played goalie on our hockey team. Hockey is a very physical game, people are checking and taking the opponents out all the time, but as goalie you can't do any of that, you simply have to block their shots. So then in gym they had a street hockey competition and my attitude was "forget this, I want to hit someone" so I played forward instead of goalie. Then in the final game we played this team that completely intimidated everyone else. Rigano and Dissler were their two main guys, they were the two offensive tackles on the football team so they were very big and strong. I played offensive guard on the team so I knew both of them and was not intimidated by them, however, their goalie was a kid named Kiely and he I was intimidated by. I played street hockey against him all the time and knew he was the best goalie in the school even though he didn't play on the ice hockey team.
Anyway I had a blast, I would hit Rigano, hit Dissler, take a shot on goal. Kiely would block the shot, Rigano would chase down the puck and then I would hit Rigano, hit Dissler, and take another shot on goal. Everyone else huddled on the other end of the court and watched.
My point is that the rapture is not just about escaping from the enemy, later the Lord returns with His army, so it is also about standing before the Son of Man to be that army that will defeat the enemy. For two thousand years we have been taking the abuse from the enemy, can't wait to unleash on the enemy at the end of this age.
So I am here praying "Lord pick me, Lord pick me!"
Luke 21:36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
I have become quite struck with this verse. We are praying for two things: to escape and to stand.
When you listen to the testimonies these two things really come out. There are many sharing how they are sick of this world, they are "strangers in a strange land" and can't wait to be raptured to escape from this evil age.
But there are others, of which I am one, and what we really want to do is to crush the enemy.
Let me share my experience, in high school I played goalie on our hockey team. Hockey is a very physical game, people are checking and taking the opponents out all the time, but as goalie you can't do any of that, you simply have to block their shots. So then in gym they had a street hockey competition and my attitude was "forget this, I want to hit someone" so I played forward instead of goalie. Then in the final game we played this team that completely intimidated everyone else. Rigano and Dissler were their two main guys, they were the two offensive tackles on the football team so they were very big and strong. I played offensive guard on the team so I knew both of them and was not intimidated by them, however, their goalie was a kid named Kiely and he I was intimidated by. I played street hockey against him all the time and knew he was the best goalie in the school even though he didn't play on the ice hockey team.
Anyway I had a blast, I would hit Rigano, hit Dissler, take a shot on goal. Kiely would block the shot, Rigano would chase down the puck and then I would hit Rigano, hit Dissler, and take another shot on goal. Everyone else huddled on the other end of the court and watched.
My point is that the rapture is not just about escaping from the enemy, later the Lord returns with His army, so it is also about standing before the Son of Man to be that army that will defeat the enemy. For two thousand years we have been taking the abuse from the enemy, can't wait to unleash on the enemy at the end of this age.
So I am here praying "Lord pick me, Lord pick me!"
This is a great discourse on predestination. The church is like a train that is heading to glory, that is the destination, it is "predestined". But you have to choose to step aboard this train and to stay on the train and not get off. The train is predestined to arrive in glory, but whether or not you are on that train is up to you.
Luke 6:1-9 -- At what point did it become illegal for Christians to do good?
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
This is a weird law. If the disciples were at home and had an orange on the countertop they could pick it up, peel and eat the orange and that would not violate the Sabbath. But because they are standing in a field and not at home this is considered “work” and a violation of the Sabbath. We have seen some very weird laws during this pandemic. For example, a campaign rally held outdoors is a "superspreader" event, but not if it is a BLM rally. They want Americans to have pandemic passports that prove they have received a shot before they are allowed to travel, but illegal aliens who are contagious with Covid19 are exempt. Schools are being done remote to protect against the spread of the pandemic except for illegal aliens, for illegal aliens they are holding in person schools.
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
I have viewed this pandemic as a very long Sabbath. We have seen some very strange laws, particularly laws that shut down the houses of worship even though I thought freedom of religious worship was outside of the authority of the local governments. Just this week a woman was arrested by the police in a house of worship. She was pregnant and holding a newborn baby, she became light headed so she removed her mask. This was in Texas where there is no mask mandate. Didn't stop the police from coming in and arresting her.
What we are seeing is that people are hungry for the word. I have gone to the internet, to various fields to see what others are speaking. It is like finding little kernels to eat. Much of the word is about the Day of the Lord, prophecies and even the rapture. I have learned a tremendous amount in this last year from the word, probably more than in any of the last 30 years. I have also learned that the rapture is far more central to the gospel than I had ever realized. In my first 50 years in the bible it was rarely ever mentioned. It is almost like there is an unwritten rule to not talk about it and yet I can now discover it in so many places I am amazed I never saw it before. The rapture is a distinctly Christian teaching and yet it seems there are Pharisees who throw a penalty flag any time someone mentions it, “you are not allowed to talk about that”. However, the Pharisees are not "lord of the rapture", Jesus is.
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
During Jesus ministry this matter of the Sabbath was the third rail. You couldn’t touch it without getting electrocuted. This was how the teachers of the law imposed their authority. So we have the Lord’s disciples finding little kernels of truth throughout the entire Bible on this matter. This is because they are in the field with Him, walking with Him and obeying Him. Then you have those who are in the synagogue under this oppressive regime, they are not allowed to touch this topic and as a result their hand is withered.
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
So let’s talk about another 3rd rail topic in the church. What about righteousness in our government. If you go back 400 years to 1620 the pilgrims made the mayflower compact, a covenant with God to set up the new land as a city on a hill as a testimony to the whole world. Just like the descendants of Abraham we have become enslaved in this land and after 400 years it is time for our deliverance. But, you need to “get up and stand in front of everyone”. You need to take a stand for righteousness. When I read this I knew I had to go to the rally in Washington DC and then the next Sabbath to the rally in Atlanta, Ga. I am taking a stand for righteousness. I want every legal vote counted, I want every illegal vote not counted, and I want transparency so that everyone can see that the process is free and fair. But many would argue that Christians should not get involved in politics. I would say that I have seen signs from Christians at these rallies, some print out prayers, some sing hymns, and in Atlanta they said the Lord’s prayer. While in Washington DC I went to three candlelight vigils and met Christians from all over the country.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
Simple question isn’t it. At what point did it become illegal for Christians to do good?
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
This is a weird law. If the disciples were at home and had an orange on the countertop they could pick it up, peel and eat the orange and that would not violate the Sabbath. But because they are standing in a field and not at home this is considered “work” and a violation of the Sabbath. We have seen some very weird laws during this pandemic. For example, a campaign rally held outdoors is a "superspreader" event, but not if it is a BLM rally. They want Americans to have pandemic passports that prove they have received a shot before they are allowed to travel, but illegal aliens who are contagious with Covid19 are exempt. Schools are being done remote to protect against the spread of the pandemic except for illegal aliens, for illegal aliens they are holding in person schools.
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
I have viewed this pandemic as a very long Sabbath. We have seen some very strange laws, particularly laws that shut down the houses of worship even though I thought freedom of religious worship was outside of the authority of the local governments. Just this week a woman was arrested by the police in a house of worship. She was pregnant and holding a newborn baby, she became light headed so she removed her mask. This was in Texas where there is no mask mandate. Didn't stop the police from coming in and arresting her.
What we are seeing is that people are hungry for the word. I have gone to the internet, to various fields to see what others are speaking. It is like finding little kernels to eat. Much of the word is about the Day of the Lord, prophecies and even the rapture. I have learned a tremendous amount in this last year from the word, probably more than in any of the last 30 years. I have also learned that the rapture is far more central to the gospel than I had ever realized. In my first 50 years in the bible it was rarely ever mentioned. It is almost like there is an unwritten rule to not talk about it and yet I can now discover it in so many places I am amazed I never saw it before. The rapture is a distinctly Christian teaching and yet it seems there are Pharisees who throw a penalty flag any time someone mentions it, “you are not allowed to talk about that”. However, the Pharisees are not "lord of the rapture", Jesus is.
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
During Jesus ministry this matter of the Sabbath was the third rail. You couldn’t touch it without getting electrocuted. This was how the teachers of the law imposed their authority. So we have the Lord’s disciples finding little kernels of truth throughout the entire Bible on this matter. This is because they are in the field with Him, walking with Him and obeying Him. Then you have those who are in the synagogue under this oppressive regime, they are not allowed to touch this topic and as a result their hand is withered.
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
So let’s talk about another 3rd rail topic in the church. What about righteousness in our government. If you go back 400 years to 1620 the pilgrims made the mayflower compact, a covenant with God to set up the new land as a city on a hill as a testimony to the whole world. Just like the descendants of Abraham we have become enslaved in this land and after 400 years it is time for our deliverance. But, you need to “get up and stand in front of everyone”. You need to take a stand for righteousness. When I read this I knew I had to go to the rally in Washington DC and then the next Sabbath to the rally in Atlanta, Ga. I am taking a stand for righteousness. I want every legal vote counted, I want every illegal vote not counted, and I want transparency so that everyone can see that the process is free and fair. But many would argue that Christians should not get involved in politics. I would say that I have seen signs from Christians at these rallies, some print out prayers, some sing hymns, and in Atlanta they said the Lord’s prayer. While in Washington DC I went to three candlelight vigils and met Christians from all over the country.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
Simple question isn’t it. At what point did it become illegal for Christians to do good?
Who exactly gets raptured out of the 7 churches in Revelation?
If you overcome in Smyrna you get a victor's crown, in Philadelphia they are told to hold onto their crown that no one takes it. In Smyrna they were slandered by the synagogue of Satan, they were in poverty and afflictions. In Philadelphia the synagogue of Satan comes and falls at their feet and confesses that God is with them. The ones in Philadelphia are the ones who overcame in Smyrna. You have to be an overcomer to be raptured and to be an overcomer you have to overcome the accuser of the brethren by the blood and by the word of your testimony.
Thyatira tolerates Jezebel, who was Jezebel, she persecuted the prophets of God. In Thyatira it is only the simple ones who don't know what is going on there, don't know the deep things of Satan that will overcome. If you do know what is going on then you had better be the faithful Antipas who is against all and is martyred. But they must hold onto what they have (deeds, love and faith, service and perseverance) and they are told that if they do the Lord's will to the end they will get an iron scepter. In Philadelphia He says He knows their deeds and that they have kept his command to endure patiently. So Philadelphia are those who have overcome in Thyatira. The word to them in Thyatira is what they need to do to overcome, the word in Philadelphia is about what they have done.
In Sardis there is a remarkable statement, if you overcome there He promises not to blot your name out of the book of life. That is shocking, I thought once your name was in the book of life it couldn't be blotted out. Righteous judgement is "as you have done it will be done to you". Some churches excommunicate those who "cause trouble", the Antipas who is against all. When you excommunicate someone you blot their name out. There is a very specific protocol to follow in order to do this. If you violate that protocol you are not "keeping the Lord's word" and "you are denying the Lord's name". When you decide that you make the rules and that you don't need to listen to the Lord you are denying that Jesus is Lord.
The ones who are raptured in Philadelphia they have kept the Lord's word. What does that mean? Does it mean some of these other churches have not kept the Lord's word? Does it mean that allowing Balaam to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, or tolerating Jezebel and her fornication and adultery involved not keeping the Lord's word? Does it mean that in some of these churches they are saying we don't need to keep the New Testament because it was written two thousand years ago and is out of date now? We can ignore this verse and that verse and some other verse? It also says they have not denied the Lord's name! Could it really be true that there are churches out there denying the Lord's name? Are they saying it doesn't matter if you believe in Allah, or Jesus, or Buddha, it is all the same? Is this what you mean by "all types of churches"? Some churches that keep the Lord's word, others that don't think it is necessary, some that have not denied the Lord's name others that are more all embracing than that? Do you mean that we have to be broad minded, some churches hold to the teachings of Balaam, some to the teachings of the Nicolaitans, some tolerate Jezebel, is that what you mean by many types of churches? Because the Lord condemns all that and tells you to repent of all that.
What do the overcomers in the other churches look like? They look like ones who are faithful unto death, they look like Antipas who was "against all". They are the ones who were excommunicated in Sardis and persecuted in Thyatira. They reject the teaching of Balaam, they reject the teaching of the Nicolaitans, they are not tolerant of Jezebel.
If you overcome in Smyrna you get a victor's crown, in Philadelphia they are told to hold onto their crown that no one takes it. In Smyrna they were slandered by the synagogue of Satan, they were in poverty and afflictions. In Philadelphia the synagogue of Satan comes and falls at their feet and confesses that God is with them. The ones in Philadelphia are the ones who overcame in Smyrna. You have to be an overcomer to be raptured and to be an overcomer you have to overcome the accuser of the brethren by the blood and by the word of your testimony.
Thyatira tolerates Jezebel, who was Jezebel, she persecuted the prophets of God. In Thyatira it is only the simple ones who don't know what is going on there, don't know the deep things of Satan that will overcome. If you do know what is going on then you had better be the faithful Antipas who is against all and is martyred. But they must hold onto what they have (deeds, love and faith, service and perseverance) and they are told that if they do the Lord's will to the end they will get an iron scepter. In Philadelphia He says He knows their deeds and that they have kept his command to endure patiently. So Philadelphia are those who have overcome in Thyatira. The word to them in Thyatira is what they need to do to overcome, the word in Philadelphia is about what they have done.
In Sardis there is a remarkable statement, if you overcome there He promises not to blot your name out of the book of life. That is shocking, I thought once your name was in the book of life it couldn't be blotted out. Righteous judgement is "as you have done it will be done to you". Some churches excommunicate those who "cause trouble", the Antipas who is against all. When you excommunicate someone you blot their name out. There is a very specific protocol to follow in order to do this. If you violate that protocol you are not "keeping the Lord's word" and "you are denying the Lord's name". When you decide that you make the rules and that you don't need to listen to the Lord you are denying that Jesus is Lord.
The ones who are raptured in Philadelphia they have kept the Lord's word. What does that mean? Does it mean some of these other churches have not kept the Lord's word? Does it mean that allowing Balaam to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, or tolerating Jezebel and her fornication and adultery involved not keeping the Lord's word? Does it mean that in some of these churches they are saying we don't need to keep the New Testament because it was written two thousand years ago and is out of date now? We can ignore this verse and that verse and some other verse? It also says they have not denied the Lord's name! Could it really be true that there are churches out there denying the Lord's name? Are they saying it doesn't matter if you believe in Allah, or Jesus, or Buddha, it is all the same? Is this what you mean by "all types of churches"? Some churches that keep the Lord's word, others that don't think it is necessary, some that have not denied the Lord's name others that are more all embracing than that? Do you mean that we have to be broad minded, some churches hold to the teachings of Balaam, some to the teachings of the Nicolaitans, some tolerate Jezebel, is that what you mean by many types of churches? Because the Lord condemns all that and tells you to repent of all that.
What do the overcomers in the other churches look like? They look like ones who are faithful unto death, they look like Antipas who was "against all". They are the ones who were excommunicated in Sardis and persecuted in Thyatira. They reject the teaching of Balaam, they reject the teaching of the Nicolaitans, they are not tolerant of Jezebel.
Up to this point my focus has been on the pre tribulation rapture. I am all in on my prayer to escape the coming tribulation and to be able to stand before the Lord. That said, it is definitely important to understand things like the Mark of the Beast covered in this message. My plan is if I miss the first rapture to grab a Bible, head for the most rural area, and dive into the word for those portions I have skipped. Besides, there are many, many Bible teachers who love to go into the entire Tribulation.
Here is an example of the teachings available.
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Here is an example of the teachings available.
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The great sign Sept 23, 2017 showed a woman clothed with the sun, a crown of 12 stars, who is pregnant and has a gestation period of 9 months. A sign occurs prior to the event to let us know what is about to happen. Then, September 15, 2020 the Abraham Accord was signed by several states including the US, Israel, UAE and Bahrain. 42 weeks after that it is July 6th, 2021 which is the 12th day of Shavuot if you begin on June 25th.
Luke 8:16-25 Light overcomes the darkness
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
It was disgusting to see Delta Airlines object to the election integrity laws in Georgia. No one can use their airline without a picture ID, yet they have the nerve to accuse Georgia of being racist because you need a picture ID to vote. Likewise with Coca Cola, no one can buy stock in that company or attend a shareholder meeting with a picture ID, what hypocrites to blame Georgia for requiring a picture ID. The NBA is even worse, they have the gall to complain about the election integrity in the US while being partners with China where there is no election integrity. We are a light, we cannot allow businesses to cover up the light. There are a lot of things that are hidden, but they will all be disclosed and brought to light. Stacy Abrams came out against this law as being racist, but now says she was never against voter ID. The lies, the hypocrisy will all be brought out into the open.
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
To me it is like finding a vein of gold in the ground. Keep digging. They don’t conceal things unless they are really important, really valuable, so keep digging. But there is a warning, there are those who think they already have and stop digging. They even tell others to stop digging and worse they may try to stop you from digging by force. Even what you think you have will be taken away from you. Just remember, Jesus is Lord. You need to be very clear in your spirit that you are walking according to Him. Revolver.news is a news agency that did just that, digging into what really happened on Jan 6 and they have uncovered powerful and convincing evidence that the Jan 6th event was orchestrated by the FBI as an intelligence operation that they did not brief the President on. That, by definition, is treason. Tucker Carlson has been at the tip of the spear revealing this to the country and now we learn that the NSA is spying on him despite having no legal basis to do so.
19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
This is now the second time He has said this, you need to hear God’s word and put it into practice. This word suggests that many families, even Jesus' family will have people who are not interested in hearing God's word or putting it into practice. Abraham had a son according to the Spirit and he also had children according to the flesh. Once again I suspect this is what God desires to make sure the word is spoken to everyone.
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?”he asked his disciples.
This election fraud is a squall. If you read the founding fathers writings concerning this possibility they anticipated it. This is the reason we have the electoral college 40 days later, they knew that it could take 40 days to find and prosecute the fraud. This is why if a state can’t certify the vote they let their representatives vote. It is fully constitutional to decide that the vote by the public was fraudulent, cannot be properly counted and so let the elected representatives vote for the state and assign the electoral college. Finally, even if that process cannot be done you can have each state get one vote for the President. So relax, where is your faith, the constitution is not under threat. Already we have people at the highest levels in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan talking about "recalling" their electoral votes. That is enough to completely invalidate the election results. You better believe this is a big storm, but the Lord had said we are going to the other side, amen, so be it.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Some people thought that “running out the clock” was a viable strategy for the Democrats. The idea is this, if you can’t reverse the results by December 14th, then you lose. But think about this for a minute, there are 73 million people who voted for Trump. In addition there are many others who voted for Biden and are now feeling the election was fraudulent. The information and investigations will continue until it is finally resolved to everyone's satisfaction. There could be over 150 million Americans who have already seen enough evidence to feel the election was stolen by Biden or at the very least feel there is evidence that this is the case. Do you really think it matters if Biden is president for 3 months? Impeachment only needs a misdemeanor and this is a felony. The constitution is not in danger and there will be no running out the clock. Light overcomes darkness, the darkness has never understood that.
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
It was disgusting to see Delta Airlines object to the election integrity laws in Georgia. No one can use their airline without a picture ID, yet they have the nerve to accuse Georgia of being racist because you need a picture ID to vote. Likewise with Coca Cola, no one can buy stock in that company or attend a shareholder meeting with a picture ID, what hypocrites to blame Georgia for requiring a picture ID. The NBA is even worse, they have the gall to complain about the election integrity in the US while being partners with China where there is no election integrity. We are a light, we cannot allow businesses to cover up the light. There are a lot of things that are hidden, but they will all be disclosed and brought to light. Stacy Abrams came out against this law as being racist, but now says she was never against voter ID. The lies, the hypocrisy will all be brought out into the open.
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
To me it is like finding a vein of gold in the ground. Keep digging. They don’t conceal things unless they are really important, really valuable, so keep digging. But there is a warning, there are those who think they already have and stop digging. They even tell others to stop digging and worse they may try to stop you from digging by force. Even what you think you have will be taken away from you. Just remember, Jesus is Lord. You need to be very clear in your spirit that you are walking according to Him. Revolver.news is a news agency that did just that, digging into what really happened on Jan 6 and they have uncovered powerful and convincing evidence that the Jan 6th event was orchestrated by the FBI as an intelligence operation that they did not brief the President on. That, by definition, is treason. Tucker Carlson has been at the tip of the spear revealing this to the country and now we learn that the NSA is spying on him despite having no legal basis to do so.
19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
This is now the second time He has said this, you need to hear God’s word and put it into practice. This word suggests that many families, even Jesus' family will have people who are not interested in hearing God's word or putting it into practice. Abraham had a son according to the Spirit and he also had children according to the flesh. Once again I suspect this is what God desires to make sure the word is spoken to everyone.
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?”he asked his disciples.
This election fraud is a squall. If you read the founding fathers writings concerning this possibility they anticipated it. This is the reason we have the electoral college 40 days later, they knew that it could take 40 days to find and prosecute the fraud. This is why if a state can’t certify the vote they let their representatives vote. It is fully constitutional to decide that the vote by the public was fraudulent, cannot be properly counted and so let the elected representatives vote for the state and assign the electoral college. Finally, even if that process cannot be done you can have each state get one vote for the President. So relax, where is your faith, the constitution is not under threat. Already we have people at the highest levels in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan talking about "recalling" their electoral votes. That is enough to completely invalidate the election results. You better believe this is a big storm, but the Lord had said we are going to the other side, amen, so be it.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Some people thought that “running out the clock” was a viable strategy for the Democrats. The idea is this, if you can’t reverse the results by December 14th, then you lose. But think about this for a minute, there are 73 million people who voted for Trump. In addition there are many others who voted for Biden and are now feeling the election was fraudulent. The information and investigations will continue until it is finally resolved to everyone's satisfaction. There could be over 150 million Americans who have already seen enough evidence to feel the election was stolen by Biden or at the very least feel there is evidence that this is the case. Do you really think it matters if Biden is president for 3 months? Impeachment only needs a misdemeanor and this is a felony. The constitution is not in danger and there will be no running out the clock. Light overcomes darkness, the darkness has never understood that.