Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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That which has been is that which shall be.
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.
There will be a great revival after the rapture, lots of miracles. It will be a great time to be preaching the gospel and teaching the word.
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.
There will be a great revival after the rapture, lots of miracles. It will be a great time to be preaching the gospel and teaching the word.
We have many doctrines about the end times. What I have realized is that you cannot hold rigidly to these doctrines, rather hold to the word of God.
For example:
1. I was always told that Israel would rebuild their temple. They might, but the Bible doesn't say that. What the Bible says is that the abomination of desolation is set up in the Holy Place. People have assumed this means Israel builds a third temple. What the prophecies do say is that the Tabernacle of David will be raised again. Now if the temple were rebuilt we would expect to also have prophecies about what happens to it because when the New Jerusalem descends there is no mention of it. Anyway, the thing to hold to is the fact that there will be a holy of holies, there is no verse in the Bible telling us Israel builds a third temple or that a third temple is destroyed.
2. I was always told the tribulation is seven years long. Again, the Bible never says that. Revelation describes tribulation and even refers to a shorter period of time as "the great tribulation" and the pouring out of God's wrath. The Bible refers to the seventieth week which is a seven year period. But the Bible never says that at the start of this seven year period you get intense tribulation. All believers are to go through tribulation, we have had martyrs throughout the church age, so it is quite confusing to have this made up term the "seven year tribulation". The Bible uses specific terms like "day of the Lord" and "hour of trial" "Jacob's trouble" and "seventieth week". Many Christians have just equated these terms as though they all refer to the same thing, that is a theory I suppose, but that is all it is. Hold to the word of God, not to the doctrines of man.
3. We are told that no one knows the day or the hour and in some places you can certainly apply that to the first rapture which is a surprise to the world. Sodom and Gomorrah were clearly caught by surprise as were the people at the time of Noah. But that is not true of the start of the seventieth week. We know that would take place on the first day of a new shemitah. And we know that they will confirm the covenant with the many for seven years on that day. So we obviously do know the day that the 70th Shemitah starts.
4. Also, if the Lord was referring to the day of the rapture when He said no one knows the day or the hour then He wasn't referring to the day that the two witnesses were raised, that could easily be seen in the prophecies, nor was He referring to the day that Jesus steps down onto the Mount of Olives to rescue the Jews as a nation. Instead of being so focused on the one puzzle piece Jesus said you won't find, why not focus on all the puzzle pieces we can find. One possible answer is that when you put all the puzzle pieces together then you will see the answer.
5. We were taught that this generation shall not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. OK, but there are a lot of assumptions that have been baked into that verse that are not Biblical. Again, being an assumption does not mean it is wrong, it simply means you need to remember this is not something to hold onto firmly. So let's go through them. I always assumed that the fig tree was the national symbol of Israel, but it isn't. The olive tree is their national symbol. Jesus said to learn the parable of the fig tree and "all the trees". When Israel became a nation many other countries became nations as well, but again, none of them had a fig tree as a national symbol. Not only so but the UN came to be in 1945, three years before Israel. So the fig tree clearly is a reference to sin, as Adam and Eve covered their sin with fig leaves. So instead of Israel I understand the Fig tree to refer to human government by sinners. No doubt this includes Israel, but it also includes all those trees and especially to the UN. Second, the assumption is that a generation is 70 years and 80 if it is "strong" (or rebellious). This was from the Psalm of Moses and I subscribe to that Psalm being a definition of a generation. However, I think we have made an error in understanding 70 and 80. I used to teach Chemistry and the very first lesson you teach the students is the difference between accuracy and precision. If someone were to die when they were 73 years old and you said they were seventy. That would be an imprecise way of saying 73. From experience we know that an entire generation does not simply keel over on their birthday. Any number from 65 to 74 would be 70, and any number from 75 to 84 would be 80. So then I would say that the rebellious generation begins to pass away when they are 75, and the submissive generation passed away over the previous ten years. Israel turned 75 in 2023, the same year that Hamas invaded. Meanwhile the UN began passing away in 2020, the same year they issued shutdowns to the world's economies due to the pandemic.
For example:
1. I was always told that Israel would rebuild their temple. They might, but the Bible doesn't say that. What the Bible says is that the abomination of desolation is set up in the Holy Place. People have assumed this means Israel builds a third temple. What the prophecies do say is that the Tabernacle of David will be raised again. Now if the temple were rebuilt we would expect to also have prophecies about what happens to it because when the New Jerusalem descends there is no mention of it. Anyway, the thing to hold to is the fact that there will be a holy of holies, there is no verse in the Bible telling us Israel builds a third temple or that a third temple is destroyed.
2. I was always told the tribulation is seven years long. Again, the Bible never says that. Revelation describes tribulation and even refers to a shorter period of time as "the great tribulation" and the pouring out of God's wrath. The Bible refers to the seventieth week which is a seven year period. But the Bible never says that at the start of this seven year period you get intense tribulation. All believers are to go through tribulation, we have had martyrs throughout the church age, so it is quite confusing to have this made up term the "seven year tribulation". The Bible uses specific terms like "day of the Lord" and "hour of trial" "Jacob's trouble" and "seventieth week". Many Christians have just equated these terms as though they all refer to the same thing, that is a theory I suppose, but that is all it is. Hold to the word of God, not to the doctrines of man.
3. We are told that no one knows the day or the hour and in some places you can certainly apply that to the first rapture which is a surprise to the world. Sodom and Gomorrah were clearly caught by surprise as were the people at the time of Noah. But that is not true of the start of the seventieth week. We know that would take place on the first day of a new shemitah. And we know that they will confirm the covenant with the many for seven years on that day. So we obviously do know the day that the 70th Shemitah starts.
4. Also, if the Lord was referring to the day of the rapture when He said no one knows the day or the hour then He wasn't referring to the day that the two witnesses were raised, that could easily be seen in the prophecies, nor was He referring to the day that Jesus steps down onto the Mount of Olives to rescue the Jews as a nation. Instead of being so focused on the one puzzle piece Jesus said you won't find, why not focus on all the puzzle pieces we can find. One possible answer is that when you put all the puzzle pieces together then you will see the answer.
5. We were taught that this generation shall not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. OK, but there are a lot of assumptions that have been baked into that verse that are not Biblical. Again, being an assumption does not mean it is wrong, it simply means you need to remember this is not something to hold onto firmly. So let's go through them. I always assumed that the fig tree was the national symbol of Israel, but it isn't. The olive tree is their national symbol. Jesus said to learn the parable of the fig tree and "all the trees". When Israel became a nation many other countries became nations as well, but again, none of them had a fig tree as a national symbol. Not only so but the UN came to be in 1945, three years before Israel. So the fig tree clearly is a reference to sin, as Adam and Eve covered their sin with fig leaves. So instead of Israel I understand the Fig tree to refer to human government by sinners. No doubt this includes Israel, but it also includes all those trees and especially to the UN. Second, the assumption is that a generation is 70 years and 80 if it is "strong" (or rebellious). This was from the Psalm of Moses and I subscribe to that Psalm being a definition of a generation. However, I think we have made an error in understanding 70 and 80. I used to teach Chemistry and the very first lesson you teach the students is the difference between accuracy and precision. If someone were to die when they were 73 years old and you said they were seventy. That would be an imprecise way of saying 73. From experience we know that an entire generation does not simply keel over on their birthday. Any number from 65 to 74 would be 70, and any number from 75 to 84 would be 80. So then I would say that the rebellious generation begins to pass away when they are 75, and the submissive generation passed away over the previous ten years. Israel turned 75 in 2023, the same year that Hamas invaded. Meanwhile the UN began passing away in 2020, the same year they issued shutdowns to the world's economies due to the pandemic.
Consecration of the Priests (part 1)
Exodus 29:1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, 2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
This word “hallow” means dedicate, sanctify, appoint, purify. There are three animals sacrificed, as well as a whole lot of food made with wheat and oil. We need to understand what these things are.
3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
So before you become a priest you come with this stuff in your basket to stand before the Lord and be sanctified. No doubt the bullock and two rams are not in the basket, but the implication is you come with them as well. So let’s be clear, this is the law, this does apply to Christians as well as Jews. Yes, the law and its ordinances have been done away, that means when you became a Christian we never followed this ordinance, however, this ordinance is a shadow of the heavenly things so anyone who is a genuine priest of the Lord will have gone through this spiritually.
4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
In Ephesians we are told of the washing of water in the word. We should all agree that at the beginning of our Christian life we were washed with water in the word. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now do we wait until after the rapture to be washed? We are all sinners and yet according to the book of Revelation we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb before being raptured. Revelation 1:5 says Jesus “has washed us”, past tense. There is no basis to say that this will take place after being raptured. On the other hand there is a strong basis to say that those who are left behind are left behind because their robes are not white and have not been washed.
5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
The garments confer the authority of the priesthood the same way the garments of a policeman confers the authority of the police. In Acts Peter and Paul cast out demons, but when someone tries to do that who was not a priest the demon says “who are you?” Peter says we are a royal priesthood, not we will be. Jesus said He gave us all authority. That means we should have these priestly garments on now, prior to the rapture, not afterwards.
7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
Again, we are told that “we have this anointing”. This is past tense. We cannot be priests unto the Lord without this anointing. Again, this does not take place after the rapture. We are told clearly that the foolish virgins forgot to take oil with their lamps. They were short on the anointing and so they weren’t raptured.
8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Paul in Ephesians says we are girt about with the truth. This is prior to the rapture, not afterwards.
10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Putting your hands on the offering that is sacrificed means you are identifying with that offering. You are one with that offering. Jesus commanded us that if we wish to follow Him we must take up the cross and follow Him. Paul said “I have been crucified with Christ and It is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me.” This must take place before you are raptured, not after. In Philippians 3 Paul said that we have the fellowship of His sufferings before we experience the outstanding resurrection.
11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
This signifies that the priests of the Lord have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer they that live but Christ that lives in them.
12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
Pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar? That is clearly referenced in the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: When you become a priest to the Lord you are fully consecrated to Him and as a result some of us will be killed for the word of God and the testimony which we hold. If you are killed as a priest then your blood will be poured at the bottom of this altar and when the fifth seal is opened it will be for judgment on this evil and adulterous age. But some of the blood is put on the horns of the altar. The words of the priest are like the horns of a bull, they can impale and kill lions and wolves. However, our words must be covered with the blood of Jesus. Yes, they will convict those of sin but at the same time they will share the message of Jesus redeeming blood. How could this possibly happen after the rapture? Once you are raptured you will not be slain and your blood poured out. First you have the cross, the blood is poured out, then you have the resurrection.
13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
The fat is always for God. It depicts the riches that have been accumulated in your walk with God that others cannot appreciate. When this is offered to God there is a sweet smell that the saints can discern, but that is all you can do.
14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.
We were told in Hebrews that we also must go without the camp. Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. This is what the early church did, they went without the camp of the Jewish religion, bearing the Lord’s reproach. Everyone in the church in Philadelphia, the church that is raptured prior to the hour of trial, has also gone without the camp. This is why the Lord tells them they will not have to go out anymore. In the church in Sardis they were excommunicating these ones, that is why the Lord threatens to blot their names out of the book of life. As you have done, it will be done unto you.
Exodus 29:1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, 2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
This word “hallow” means dedicate, sanctify, appoint, purify. There are three animals sacrificed, as well as a whole lot of food made with wheat and oil. We need to understand what these things are.
3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
So before you become a priest you come with this stuff in your basket to stand before the Lord and be sanctified. No doubt the bullock and two rams are not in the basket, but the implication is you come with them as well. So let’s be clear, this is the law, this does apply to Christians as well as Jews. Yes, the law and its ordinances have been done away, that means when you became a Christian we never followed this ordinance, however, this ordinance is a shadow of the heavenly things so anyone who is a genuine priest of the Lord will have gone through this spiritually.
4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
In Ephesians we are told of the washing of water in the word. We should all agree that at the beginning of our Christian life we were washed with water in the word. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now do we wait until after the rapture to be washed? We are all sinners and yet according to the book of Revelation we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb before being raptured. Revelation 1:5 says Jesus “has washed us”, past tense. There is no basis to say that this will take place after being raptured. On the other hand there is a strong basis to say that those who are left behind are left behind because their robes are not white and have not been washed.
5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
The garments confer the authority of the priesthood the same way the garments of a policeman confers the authority of the police. In Acts Peter and Paul cast out demons, but when someone tries to do that who was not a priest the demon says “who are you?” Peter says we are a royal priesthood, not we will be. Jesus said He gave us all authority. That means we should have these priestly garments on now, prior to the rapture, not afterwards.
7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
Again, we are told that “we have this anointing”. This is past tense. We cannot be priests unto the Lord without this anointing. Again, this does not take place after the rapture. We are told clearly that the foolish virgins forgot to take oil with their lamps. They were short on the anointing and so they weren’t raptured.
8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Paul in Ephesians says we are girt about with the truth. This is prior to the rapture, not afterwards.
10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Putting your hands on the offering that is sacrificed means you are identifying with that offering. You are one with that offering. Jesus commanded us that if we wish to follow Him we must take up the cross and follow Him. Paul said “I have been crucified with Christ and It is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me.” This must take place before you are raptured, not after. In Philippians 3 Paul said that we have the fellowship of His sufferings before we experience the outstanding resurrection.
11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
This signifies that the priests of the Lord have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer they that live but Christ that lives in them.
12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
Pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar? That is clearly referenced in the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: When you become a priest to the Lord you are fully consecrated to Him and as a result some of us will be killed for the word of God and the testimony which we hold. If you are killed as a priest then your blood will be poured at the bottom of this altar and when the fifth seal is opened it will be for judgment on this evil and adulterous age. But some of the blood is put on the horns of the altar. The words of the priest are like the horns of a bull, they can impale and kill lions and wolves. However, our words must be covered with the blood of Jesus. Yes, they will convict those of sin but at the same time they will share the message of Jesus redeeming blood. How could this possibly happen after the rapture? Once you are raptured you will not be slain and your blood poured out. First you have the cross, the blood is poured out, then you have the resurrection.
13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
The fat is always for God. It depicts the riches that have been accumulated in your walk with God that others cannot appreciate. When this is offered to God there is a sweet smell that the saints can discern, but that is all you can do.
14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.
We were told in Hebrews that we also must go without the camp. Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. This is what the early church did, they went without the camp of the Jewish religion, bearing the Lord’s reproach. Everyone in the church in Philadelphia, the church that is raptured prior to the hour of trial, has also gone without the camp. This is why the Lord tells them they will not have to go out anymore. In the church in Sardis they were excommunicating these ones, that is why the Lord threatens to blot their names out of the book of life. As you have done, it will be done unto you.
Consecration of the Priests (part 2)
15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
The word also tells us this is something more. There is a whole lot of focus on that bullock that was offered up as a sin offering in Christianity with little or sometimes no reference to this ram that was also offered up. This ram is not taken without the camp.
16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
A burnt offering means the whole thing is burned up, given to God. The blood is sprinkled around the altar. It is not poured into the base of the altar. You can see these blood drops long before the fifth seal is opened. They put their hands on the ram so they are one with the ram, this indicates something that they are that is given wholly to God as a burnt offering, and as a testimony (the blood drops around the altar). When I was baptized I was a freshman in college at Rice University which in that year was a top ten university. To become a Christian and give myself to the Lord meant I was sacrificing my entire future. Everyone who is a priest of the Lord should have this testimony, that they sacrificed their hopes and dreams that they had had prior to giving themselves to the Lord.
19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
And yes, there is still one more ram that is to be sacrificed.
20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
It is very interesting and instructive that when Trump was shot in Pennsylvania he touched the tip of his right ear that was shot with his right thumb, he then hit the ground on his knees, his right shoe had come off and he touched the big toe of his right foot with that same thumb. When you give yourselves to the Lord, yes, you had dreams that must be sacrificed, but then you also have dreams about what your ministry will be and they too must be sacrificed.
21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
So not only are you to be sanctified but your garments are too. When I first gave myself to the Lord I was a college kid in Texas while my parents home was in New York. I didn’t have very much other than clothes when I moved into corporate living in the church. However, the Lord began touching me to throw out my clothes. I had T shirts that were not sanctified, they were thrown out. I had jeans that were not sanctified they were thrown out. I didn’t wear shoes, so I began to wear shoes. Everyone who is a priest of the Lord should have prayed over their clothes that they also would be sanctified. Once again, this must happen prior to the rapture, there was someone who came into the wedding feast that was not wearing a wedding garment and they were thrown out.
22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration: 23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord: 24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
You need all of this to be a priest. Your ministry must have some fat that is not for anyone but the Lord. Your ministry is a burnt offering to the Lord and that fat is a wave offering. The wave offering depicts the rapture just as a referee putting both hands up in football depicts a score. The loaf, cake and wafer depict three kinds of speaking of the word of God. All ministries are speaking ministries. If you think you can minister to the Lord without speaking you are worshipping dumb idols. Some speaking is very light and short, we call that elevator gospel, you can minister the word in thirty seconds or less. Some are sweet and make a more substantial snack, but are very easy to eat, like cake. Others are like a substantial meal, a loaf of bread and cheese is called a “ploughman’s lunch”. As a priest of the Lord you need all three. When you think of these experiences you should visualize the referee signalling “touchdown”.
25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Again these are burnt offerings. Remember when John said there were many other things that Jesus had done which he hadn’t written. That needs to be our experience. We are speaking, sharing, ministering, preaching and teaching. But we should never be able to share all of our experiences. Some are burnt offerings to God alone.
26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part.
This is the breast of your ministry that is offered to God. That is a substantial meal. You should be fed from the ministry. You should not feel burnt out and exhausted, if you do that is an indication you are trying to do the ministry in your own strength.
27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.
The priests eat the breast and the shoulder. The shoulder is the strength of that ministry. The breast is the meat of that ministry which should be all about care for others. When Jesus told Peter to feed my lambs and feed my sheep do you think that only takes place after the rapture? Of course not, this takes place during the church age.
29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. 30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place. 31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Consecration means you are dedicated to the Lord and separated unto the Lord. This should be your experience today, on earth. We are to be a holy people, a peculiar people, that are separated unto the Lord. You will need to eat, God knows that and He will provide for His priests. I have heard testimonies of some priests being given baskets of food by the door. I have my own testimonies of this and I am sure all genuine priests have their testimonies as well.
15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
The word also tells us this is something more. There is a whole lot of focus on that bullock that was offered up as a sin offering in Christianity with little or sometimes no reference to this ram that was also offered up. This ram is not taken without the camp.
16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
A burnt offering means the whole thing is burned up, given to God. The blood is sprinkled around the altar. It is not poured into the base of the altar. You can see these blood drops long before the fifth seal is opened. They put their hands on the ram so they are one with the ram, this indicates something that they are that is given wholly to God as a burnt offering, and as a testimony (the blood drops around the altar). When I was baptized I was a freshman in college at Rice University which in that year was a top ten university. To become a Christian and give myself to the Lord meant I was sacrificing my entire future. Everyone who is a priest of the Lord should have this testimony, that they sacrificed their hopes and dreams that they had had prior to giving themselves to the Lord.
19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
And yes, there is still one more ram that is to be sacrificed.
20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
It is very interesting and instructive that when Trump was shot in Pennsylvania he touched the tip of his right ear that was shot with his right thumb, he then hit the ground on his knees, his right shoe had come off and he touched the big toe of his right foot with that same thumb. When you give yourselves to the Lord, yes, you had dreams that must be sacrificed, but then you also have dreams about what your ministry will be and they too must be sacrificed.
21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
So not only are you to be sanctified but your garments are too. When I first gave myself to the Lord I was a college kid in Texas while my parents home was in New York. I didn’t have very much other than clothes when I moved into corporate living in the church. However, the Lord began touching me to throw out my clothes. I had T shirts that were not sanctified, they were thrown out. I had jeans that were not sanctified they were thrown out. I didn’t wear shoes, so I began to wear shoes. Everyone who is a priest of the Lord should have prayed over their clothes that they also would be sanctified. Once again, this must happen prior to the rapture, there was someone who came into the wedding feast that was not wearing a wedding garment and they were thrown out.
22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration: 23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord: 24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
You need all of this to be a priest. Your ministry must have some fat that is not for anyone but the Lord. Your ministry is a burnt offering to the Lord and that fat is a wave offering. The wave offering depicts the rapture just as a referee putting both hands up in football depicts a score. The loaf, cake and wafer depict three kinds of speaking of the word of God. All ministries are speaking ministries. If you think you can minister to the Lord without speaking you are worshipping dumb idols. Some speaking is very light and short, we call that elevator gospel, you can minister the word in thirty seconds or less. Some are sweet and make a more substantial snack, but are very easy to eat, like cake. Others are like a substantial meal, a loaf of bread and cheese is called a “ploughman’s lunch”. As a priest of the Lord you need all three. When you think of these experiences you should visualize the referee signalling “touchdown”.
25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Again these are burnt offerings. Remember when John said there were many other things that Jesus had done which he hadn’t written. That needs to be our experience. We are speaking, sharing, ministering, preaching and teaching. But we should never be able to share all of our experiences. Some are burnt offerings to God alone.
26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part.
This is the breast of your ministry that is offered to God. That is a substantial meal. You should be fed from the ministry. You should not feel burnt out and exhausted, if you do that is an indication you are trying to do the ministry in your own strength.
27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.
The priests eat the breast and the shoulder. The shoulder is the strength of that ministry. The breast is the meat of that ministry which should be all about care for others. When Jesus told Peter to feed my lambs and feed my sheep do you think that only takes place after the rapture? Of course not, this takes place during the church age.
29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. 30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place. 31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Consecration means you are dedicated to the Lord and separated unto the Lord. This should be your experience today, on earth. We are to be a holy people, a peculiar people, that are separated unto the Lord. You will need to eat, God knows that and He will provide for His priests. I have heard testimonies of some priests being given baskets of food by the door. I have my own testimonies of this and I am sure all genuine priests have their testimonies as well.
Consecration of the Priests (part 3)
33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. 34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
That is right, no storing up something for tomorrow. Take it to the Lord, I am not going to argue over this.
35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.
So what is this seven days? Paul talks about waiting 14 years before going up to the apostles that were before him. This may refer to a period of 7 years where he was fully sanctified, searching out the word and another period of 7 years where he tested the word, similar to “research and development”. Before he brought what he had to James and Peter and John. I do agree with Aaron that these seven years might refer to the seventieth week. But not for the raptured saints. I believe that is for the Jews. I believe anyone who is raptured will be a priest who is fully sanctified to the Lord. I believe that because if you read about those who are not taken the problem was they were not fully sanctified to the Lord. They were not wearing the wedding garment. Their garments were not washed white. They were foolish and had not taken oil with them. Or they had buried their talent in the backyard, they were not speaking, preaching, teaching, or evangelizing.
36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.
That’s right, the “once for all” salvation is bogus. We need daily salvation. Now it may be that your understanding of “Once saved always saved” includes a daily salvation, I can see that. But if your “once saved always saved” does not include a daily salvation you have been deceived.
37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
You make an atonement for the altar! How clear does He have to be? The Jews rejected Jesus when He was crucified, hence they will need to make atonement for the altar. All of us at one time or other rejected Jesus and so we also needed to make atonement for the altar, that is what “repentance” means. But if you have never repented for the altar then you aren’t saved and you aren’t getting raptured.
38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.
Oops, sorry, when I said you need daily salvation I would argue it is more like twice daily. I view this similar to eating two meals a day. If you don’t eat two meals a day you will get weak and sick. Once you are weak your body is susceptible to all kinds of viruses floating around in the air. Think of this twice daily salvation as prophylactic, if you keep up a regular habit of spending time with the Lord in the word twice a day you won’t get sick.
Now Aaron said that Revelation says we are going to be kings and priests in heaven. That is not what Revelation says.
Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
It is very clear we have been made priests. This is prior to talking about the seven churches or any of the future events.
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
When Jesus opens the scrolls those in heaven testify they were already made priests. The seven year period erroneously called “the tribulation” begins when Jesus opens those scrolls (that is one valid way to look at this, another valid way is that this scroll was opened at the start of the church age, but there is no valid way to look at this and say Jesus opens the scrolls after the “seven year tribulation”). Therefore they are not made priests by being sanctified in heaven for seven years because at the start of the seven years they are already claiming to have been made priests.
There is one other verse in Revelation, the only one that Aaron could have been referring to:
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Now how could Jesus be “the first firstfruit” if the first resurrection refers to our rapture? If Paul in Galatians said “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me” then he is saying he is taking part in the first resurrection with Jesus. This is what Philippians 3 is all about, showing us how we take up the cross and follow Him.
This is what Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Says as well. We have been given a pattern to follow. Our salvation experience means that we have part in the first resurrection.
33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. 34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
That is right, no storing up something for tomorrow. Take it to the Lord, I am not going to argue over this.
35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.
So what is this seven days? Paul talks about waiting 14 years before going up to the apostles that were before him. This may refer to a period of 7 years where he was fully sanctified, searching out the word and another period of 7 years where he tested the word, similar to “research and development”. Before he brought what he had to James and Peter and John. I do agree with Aaron that these seven years might refer to the seventieth week. But not for the raptured saints. I believe that is for the Jews. I believe anyone who is raptured will be a priest who is fully sanctified to the Lord. I believe that because if you read about those who are not taken the problem was they were not fully sanctified to the Lord. They were not wearing the wedding garment. Their garments were not washed white. They were foolish and had not taken oil with them. Or they had buried their talent in the backyard, they were not speaking, preaching, teaching, or evangelizing.
36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.
That’s right, the “once for all” salvation is bogus. We need daily salvation. Now it may be that your understanding of “Once saved always saved” includes a daily salvation, I can see that. But if your “once saved always saved” does not include a daily salvation you have been deceived.
37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
You make an atonement for the altar! How clear does He have to be? The Jews rejected Jesus when He was crucified, hence they will need to make atonement for the altar. All of us at one time or other rejected Jesus and so we also needed to make atonement for the altar, that is what “repentance” means. But if you have never repented for the altar then you aren’t saved and you aren’t getting raptured.
38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.
Oops, sorry, when I said you need daily salvation I would argue it is more like twice daily. I view this similar to eating two meals a day. If you don’t eat two meals a day you will get weak and sick. Once you are weak your body is susceptible to all kinds of viruses floating around in the air. Think of this twice daily salvation as prophylactic, if you keep up a regular habit of spending time with the Lord in the word twice a day you won’t get sick.
Now Aaron said that Revelation says we are going to be kings and priests in heaven. That is not what Revelation says.
Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
It is very clear we have been made priests. This is prior to talking about the seven churches or any of the future events.
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
When Jesus opens the scrolls those in heaven testify they were already made priests. The seven year period erroneously called “the tribulation” begins when Jesus opens those scrolls (that is one valid way to look at this, another valid way is that this scroll was opened at the start of the church age, but there is no valid way to look at this and say Jesus opens the scrolls after the “seven year tribulation”). Therefore they are not made priests by being sanctified in heaven for seven years because at the start of the seven years they are already claiming to have been made priests.
There is one other verse in Revelation, the only one that Aaron could have been referring to:
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Now how could Jesus be “the first firstfruit” if the first resurrection refers to our rapture? If Paul in Galatians said “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me” then he is saying he is taking part in the first resurrection with Jesus. This is what Philippians 3 is all about, showing us how we take up the cross and follow Him.
This is what Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Says as well. We have been given a pattern to follow. Our salvation experience means that we have part in the first resurrection.