Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

A Very Instructive Case Study (part 1)

I have already shared a few posts about an email exchange I have had with one person over Shavuot, Pentecost and when the day of Ascension is. These are important issues for eschatology, but are not items of the faith once for all delivered. As Paul said in Colossians

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

If no one is to judge us with respect of a holy day that would include a debate over Pentecost and Shavuot.

Anyway, he has responded to my response on this topic and this is it, in full, unedited.

I'm at work now, so I'm typing on my phone, but I'd like to get this over and done. I see now how you are getting your interpretation. You are assuming 40 different appearances instead of a span of 40 days. In your email, you are paraphrasing to your own liking and not really quoting the Bible. It does not say that He ascended on the 40th day that He appeared. In fact, the NIV says, "He appeared to them over a period of 40 days", which most definitely would be a span of 40 days. The KJV is more vague and just says, "being seen of them 40 days", which could be taken either way. However, since Jesus skipped 6 days between the meeting without Thomas and the meeting with Thomas, it means He would have to appear 37 more days with only a few skips. In other words, since He had already skipped 6 days during the first 3 appearances, it is unlikely that the next 37 only had a few skips. Granted, it is possible, but very unlikely, especially when the NIV gives a very different perspective. You accused me of only using one verse, but you are cherry-picking one translation of one verse that is the most vague. And before you go on a rage about the NIV, it is actually better than the KJV. Both were translated from the original Greek and Hebrew. The NIV used 100 scholars and modern English where the KJV used 50 scholars and Old English from the 1600's. I know what people say about the publisher, but it was all translated by the International Bible Society (IBS). It took a long time and the original publisher ran out of money, so a secular publisher stepped in and provided the funds, but the translating was still the IBS. Anyway, all that talk about new wine is meaningless because you are just making a mountain of speculation out of a joke yelled from the crowd. The notes say it could also be translated as "sweet wine." Only the KJV has the word "new" and I did not see where Peter responded with the word "new" in either KJV or NIV. Like you said, there was no actual wine, so the jokester could have said "new wine" just to make it funnier, since wine is known to get better with age. In any event, you are just making a lot of speculation from just one work from a jokester in the crowd. Anyway, saying that Jesus ascended on Shavuot was just one of many mistakes you made in your emails. It became a big deal because you said, "I think it can be confirmed from the Bible that Jesus ascended on Shavuot", which it cannot be confirmed, especially if you check the NIV, but not even definitely with the KJV.
And I don't know why you are so against saying that Shavuot and Pentecost are the same. Acts 2:1 even says "Pentecost" in both the KJV and NIV. In modern Judaism, Shavuot is 50 days from Passover and for Christians, Pentecost is 50 days after Easter, but they are essentially the same. Christians are actually more correct because like the passage in Lev I pasted before, the Bible says to start counting on Sunday, which was the resurrection, as Easter celebrates. One more thing, now you are saying that Moses went up the mountain on Shavuot, which is also incorrect. I think you are just throwing things against the wall now to see what sticks. I can't get the exact chapter right now because I'm typing on my phone, but the Israelites arrived at MT Sinai on the "third month to the day" after leaving on the original Passover, so it was either 60 or 90 days later, certainly not 50 days. This is my last time to write to you, so don't bother to respond. I won't read it. You are exactly as I said in the beginning when I said your mind was made up and would not accept the truth no matter how many Biblical facts I provided. You said something about fellowship, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you might be different, but that was wrong. I should have just deleted the original email. I learned a long time ago that most everyone who posts on those blogs and chat sites are set in their ways and just want to argue. As Paul said (I think to Titus), " Warn a divisive person once and warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him." As such, I'm done with you. I tried, but you can't be helped.

I think this is a very important to discuss this because we can learn a few lessons that I think are important.

1. He accuses me of being a divisive person. That is a very serious accusation. To be divisive is to attack the things that make us one. Paul listed them in Ephesians 4:

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Hopefully everyone reading this can see that this debate does not impact any of these points. Jesus was made Lord when He ascended, whether you believe He ascended 40 days after the resurrection or whether like myself you believe He ascended on Shavuot it does not impact your testimony that Jesus is Lord. So the first lesson I would hope everyone will take from this is to be careful about judging others, with what judgment you judge you shall be judged. It is a very big thing to accuse someone of teaching a damnable heresy, which is what a divisive person is doing. A heresy is simply a school of thought, all of us have our own schools of thought, but a damnable school of thought is one that includes blasphemies, or divisive doctrine. The truly divisive doctrine here is that either you agree with his interpretation of when Pentecost and the Ascension are or else you are cut off from fellowship.

2. I presented many different references from Acts, the gospel of John, gospel of Matthew and Exodus. He did not address any of those verses or any of the issues they raise. Nor did he argue that the key verse in question in the KJV does not say a period of 40 days. Rather he went looking for an interpretation that does agree with him. So there are two key principles here that this violates. First is that no verse is of its own interpretation. I would never have made my case by only referencing the one verse in Acts 1. Although I did not directly reference ten verses, I could have. I did reference seven, but felt that was sufficient to make the case without being overkill, but indirectly I referenced many more. So I hope everyone can learn from this, do not build an entire doctrine on a single verse. The second lesson is do not go seeking for a translation that fits your interpretation. Instead, if there is a question about the interpretation go to the original Greek or Hebrew. You can find this on the BlueLetterBible, a website on the internet that will give you the original manuscript for free. Because he raised this issue I did go back to the Blue Letter Bible, which I had looked at previously, but just wanted to make sure there is no hint of "a period of forty days" and there isn't. The manuscript is clear that He appeared to them 40 days. And the Bible is clear those were not 40 consecutive days.

3. The third lesson is ego. I seek out fellowship from many different corners of the globe because I have learned to not despise the day of small things. Many times the brother or sister that does not appear to have anything is the one who has this treasure hidden in earthen vessels. None of us have arrived, we are all pursuing the Lord. If the Lord has revealed something to another brother or sister there is no reason I should not receive that light. Do not be so arrogant that you cannot receive correction or insight or light from another brother or sister. I enjoy being challenged because iron sharpens iron. But his response to being tested was not to present a solid case built on the word of God but rather to accuse me of being divisive, and seek for a translation that adds something to the word of God that is not in the original manuscript.

A Very Instructive Case Study (part 2)

4. He says that the term "New wine" is only used in KJV and that all the other translations use "sweet wine". So, I went to the original manuscript. The word is neos which according to Vine's word study means new in respect of time. It is translated as new or young. The following translations translate this word as "new" in Matthew 9:17 the KJV, the 21st Century KJV, and the American Standard Version (1901), The Amplified, the AMPC, the BRG, the CSB, the CEB, the CJB, and Darby. Actually many more, far more than I am willing to enumerate. As far as I am concerned the three most reliable are KJV, ASV and Darby.

Now the word that KJV translates as "New wine" is a different word specifically referring to a type of wine. Both Strong's and Vine's say that yes, this wine is sweet but it is also new.

But the issue is not whether we are calling it new wine or sweet wine. The issue is why would this guy joke that they were drunk with "sweet wine" at 9am? They weren't drunk, he hadn't seen them drinking, so that is a very specific term of one type of wine. Secondly why would Peter say "they can't be drunk on sweet wine because it is only 9am". That makes no sense except for the one day that the new wine is blessed. So yes, a man could joke that on a very holy day of Shavuot all these devout Jews who had been praying and fasting are now drunk at 9am. I don't see why that would be funny, more of an ugly insult. But why does he specifically use the term "sweet wine"? Why couldn't they have been drunk on anything?

Now we can't look at where this word is translated in any other verses because this is its only use in the New Testament. This is fitting, this is something unique to the New Testament. Every book uses words unique to that book because each book has a unique agenda. This word for the "New wine" or "sweet wine" is part of that unique agenda to the Acts of the Apostles.

Now according to the email every translation other than KJV uses "sweet wine". But that is not true.

These translations use "new wine"
KJV21, ASV, BRG, CSB, CEB, Darby, etc. Again, the three translations I consider the best: KJV, American Standard (1901) and Darby all say new wine. However, I did count 32 other translations that used "new wine". All you have to do is go to Bible Gateway, select a verse, and then select all english translations. Out of all the ones they had 38 used the term new wine including the ones I consider the best.

So there are two lessons to learn here. First, don't ignore attacks, study them, they can lead to more light and insight. Second, do not trust someone else's research. He said "only the KJV has new wine" which is false. 38 translations including all the best ones. Not only so but both Strong's and Vine's word studies say the word refers to sweet new wine. New wine is sweet because it hasn't had a long time to ferment. There are two fermentations, and the first one is over in the first ten days. Hence, new wine is sweet, if you give it longer to ferment it will mature and become less sweet.

Finally -- why is this such a big deal? Very often I will think a point is a minor point, but then the enemy goes ballistic over it. We are told in the Old Testament that Satan seeks to change the times and seasons. There are many implications of this teaching that would lead us to conclude many key points about the final seven years of this age that precede the Millennial kingdom. So although this doctrine does not touch the key points of the faith, it really is important at clearing up confusion on many different levels.

A Very Instructive Case Study (part 3)

Afterword:

We are not required to convince anyone. We are witnesses, speak the truth, if they received it fine, if they don't that is on them. When he says he is done with me and will not read any more emails then I am released by the Lord. I can shake off the dust and move on to others.

Luke 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

This is why I have shared the emails. I am shaking off the dust. There is a proper way and an improper way to be done with someone. To accuse someone of lying, deceit and being divisive. That is not the proper way to shake off the dust. That is what someone who does not receive your testimony says. But just because someone doesn't receive your testimony does not mean they are wrong. They might be right, so don't be arrogant. I have gone over all their objections and shown they are dust. There are key Biblical principles that we adhere to like no verse is of its own interpretation, that if we are debating the interpretation for a verse don't go seeking a translation that agrees with you, rather go to the original Greek or Hebrew, you can use word studies and you can look at the other ways this word is used in other verses. Be honest, don't be arrogant, if you are wrong the sooner you accept that the better off you are.

Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled

Luke 21: 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

What are the times of the Gentiles? Some say it refers to two thousand years from Jesus' ascension, that would fit with Hosea 6 where the Lord says He would return on the second day and on the third day raise up the Jews. That would be at the end of the 70th week. But the 70th week is 70x7 = 490. Jesus said you need to forgive 70x7 times. So this is a complete period of forgiveness for the Jews. I suspect the times of the Gentiles refers to a complete period of forgiveness for them as well.

The gospel went out to the nations after Jerusalem fell in 70 AD and it went to the four corners of the earth. 70x7x4 = 1,960 years from 70 AD is 2030 AD. I suspect the opportunity to receive the Lords forgiveness for the nations will come to an end in 2030 and Armageddon will be in 2031 AD.

So yes, the times of the Gentiles does refer to the gospel being preached and people receiving the Lord's forgiveness. But there is a limit, a time limit on that forgiveness. When that time is fulfilled, then the Jewish nation will be revived and then lifted up.

The Truth of These Things Shall Not Remain Hidden 2-4-25@8:32 PM

More on Once Saved Always Saved

Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Balaam is a prophet of God, some of His prophecies are even in the word of God in Numbers. But he taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel that involves both idolatry and fornication.

So how do we identify Balaam and his doctrine?

2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

There is a big schism in Christianity with some forsaking the right way, they have gone astray and they have followed a preacher/prophet who loves the wages of unrighteousness. We have seen these ones, some have been arrested for tax fraud, some make millions of dollars a year, some have private planes and big mansions. What do they teach? They teach the prosperity gospel, that money and riches is equated to blessing and if you have them then it is proof you are blessed of God.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

To run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, that is idolatry. That is to eat at an idols temple. The entire prosperity gospel is teaching people to serve Mammon, not God. Now you have a problem when you do this, money is powerless to deliver you from sin. If you are eating at an idols table then you will also be filled with sin. This is also what we have seen, pastors who go to prostitutes, ministries that are involved in fornication, drugs, adultery and all kinds of perversion.

This is going to cause many people to question their salvation and that is where they come in with the doctrine of once saved always saved. The issue is not whether or not you can have the full assurance of salvation. The real question is whether or not a born again believer filled with the Spirit will continue to live in sin? If you are, then you have forsaken the right way, you have followed the error of Balaam and you have tripped over the stumbling block that Balaam taught Balac to cast in front of you.

Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Even if you yourself are not eating things sacrificed to idols and committing fornication, if you are tolerating Jezebel to teach and seduce the servants of the Lord then you will also be rebuked.

So then what does this mean to "eat things sacrificed to idols"? It is like a gateway drug to fornication. They will ask is there anything wrong with going to a football game? Not if you are going to watch your son play in a high school game, but is that what you are doing? Buying the tickets, buying the paraphernalia, that is to eat at the table of idols. You may not dress up, and go full in on the tailgate parties. But you are still at the party, and bad company can corrupt good morals. Christmas can be a time of worship of the Lord Jesus, but for most it is eating at an idols table. Same thing with Easter. Halloween is clearly eating at the idols table. The right way, the narrow way, is the way of sanctification. We should be sanctified and separated in our life from idolatry. Yes, that will make us a peculiar people. The world is an evil and adulterous age, no true born again believer should "fit in".

1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

If this is not your experience then something is very wrong with your walk with the Lord.

In conclusion if you have allow Balaam or Jezebel to teach in your church you will be rebuked by the Lord. They try to change the topic, the question is not eternal salvation, the question is sanctification. They tell you that teaching the brothers and sisters to

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

Is the works of the law. No it isn't. It is the response of a genuine born again believer to be with the Lord and to be pleasing to Him. There are two laws that operate, the law of sin and death and the law of life. If you sin, you will cause spiritual death. If you confess, repent, and set your mind on the Spirit you will experience life and peace. It is a battle that all believers should be going through and teaching them that they don't need to because twenty years ago they prayed, that is the kind of doctrine that needs to be rejected. We breath every minute of the day, we must eat and drink regularly. If the last time someone breathed or drank water was twenty years ago then most likely they are dead.

Why I find this talk about rebuilding the temple alarming

I just heard a woman teaching that the temple must be rebuilt and in order to do that the Mosque must be removed.

This is a very common teaching in Christianity though there are variations on the theme, not everyone teaches the mosque must be destroyed.

I think the basis for this is a traditional Rabbinical teaching that is based on the Bible that the Messiah builds the third temple.

This is what alarms me because the Jewish teaching of the Messiah building the third temple corresponds with the Muslim teaching that the Mahdi does something similar.

Meanwhile Jesus said He would build His church. The church is the temple of God. It is the third temple. Prophecies about the New Jerusalem say there is no temple it in it, the entire city is the Temple of God and His people.

So this teaching is not a Christian teaching, it is a teaching from those who reject that Jesus is the Messiah. There is no prophecy about the Mosque on the temple mount being destroyed. There is no prophecy about a third rebuilt temple by the Jews being destroyed prior to the New Jerusalem descending. In fact, there is no prophecy that the Jews will rebuild a third temple prior to the Lord's return. On the contrary, any verses translated as "temple" really should be translated as Sanctuary, the holy place and the Holy of Holies. No, the only prophecy is that the Tabernacle of David will be raised again.

So one problem with this doctrine is it gives Christians a false sense of security that the Lord cannot return yet because the temple is not yet built. Second, it sets Christians up to be the scapegoat. Do you think 1 billion Muslims like to hear them talking about how their mosque needs to be destroyed? Third, the oblations and sacrifices of animals is an insult to Jesus Christ and God the Father. The book of Hebrews makes that clear, so why are Christians pushing this?

Basically the account we have in the New Testament says that the Antichrist puts his idol into the Holy Sanctuary, this is not a Sanctuary to God, built by Jesus, it is a Sanctuary raised by the AntiChrist for worship to himself. When the idol is placed into the Sanctuary that would be the completion of this, and this marks the beginning of the wrath of God being poured out on the rebellious armies of the AntiChrist.

It is foolish to assume that in order for the oblations and sacrifices to be cut off the temple must first be built. They can't start building the temple until they first have the oblations and sacrifices. People have been reporting in great detail about the Red Heifers. You have to sacrifice them first, and then use their ashes to sanctify the water that is used in oblations. All that would happen prior to any temple being built. Since the Antichrist is going to put his idol into the Sanctuary that could be when the Tabernacle of David is raised or it could be when the AC temple is built, but either way it is not at the start of the seven years, it is in the middle of the seven years. You should not be looking for this sign to take place prior to the rapture and you should not be cheering on an insult to the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made on the cross.

3 Days of Darkness & Elon Musk Dream 1-29-25@6:09 PM Shared 2-5-25

Moving mountains by faith

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

I feel I should share my personal experience of this verse. I was a full time Christian worker, and then an evangelist in Taiwan. When I returned to the US I worked as a stock broker for a few years until I finally started my career as a teacher somewhat late in life. I was not a very good teacher (in my own estimation). I had gone to school in the suburbs, private school and elite university and did not have much understanding of the inner city public school in NYC. One problem I had for the first few years was that the kids did not understand my vocabulary but would rarely alert me to this. I taught HS science to kids who were scoring at the bottom 25% of NYC's test scores. Most of these kids had very poor reading and math skills. Nonetheless my goal was that the students in my class would score at the very top of NYC, these are schools like Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and Bronx HS of Science. Kids in these schools take entrance exams that place them in the top 1% of NYC students.

Now people who knew a lot about teaching and were themselves very good teachers told me this was impossible. They had several very valid reasons to say this. But the Lord says if you have faith nothing is impossible. It is critical that you believe in this, because it took me ten years with almost daily prayer for the Lord's guidance. You can't do that without believing it is possible.

So let's address their valid reasons. First of course is they start the year with a significant handicap. It is like starting a marathon far behind those at the head of the pack. The fact that these other kids had better english and math skills definitely gave them an advantage. However, I decided this was a minor advantage. First, the State exam my kids would have to take did not grade them on grammar and most of the written answers were one or two words. Second, math was a minor issue and often quite simple. At most you needed a simple understanding of algebra. Knowing calculus, trig, and geometry did not give anyone an advantage. But I addressed this in my teaching by simplifying, making sure the kids understood the language used in the exam and making sure they understood how to answer those questions in their own words.

Second, these kids were poor. There have been many studies done that show lower income children are at a distinct disadvantage, especially if their parents are blue collar workers. Children of college graduates do better than children of parents who are not college graduates. This was true, but coming from such a family I also knew there were disadvantages. Poor kids can be better motivated than rich kids. Also, although this is a distinct disadvantage studies have shown the single biggest factor in a student's success is the teacher. So I felt that this could be overcome by better teaching. We have another promise, if any of you lack wisdom, ask of God who gives liberally. I felt that the Lord and His wisdom could be a bigger factor than this. Also, rich kids tend to take vacations during school breaks and during that time they are not going to be studying. There are more distractions to rich kids than poor kids, so I felt this could even out the advantages.

Third, many of my kids came to school without books, paper or pen. This was not because they were bad students, it was because if they had a book bag on the subway they would get robbed. So I realized that I needed to make everything accessible to my kids via the internet so when they got home they could study and did not need to have a textbook with them. In the class I would hand out the textbooks, paper and pencils. I fashioned my class so that no one needed to bring books, paper or pen.

Then I also decided to focus on my strengths. I was very analytical and better skilled at statistical analysis than anyone I ever met in the school system during my entire career. So I dove into statistical analysis of my students. I used correlation coefficients to determine how effective the lessons were in each topic, and I would experiment each year with a few new methods. I also bought some books that went into great detail into all the various methods of teaching and how effective each one was.

My first year in Brooklyn my kids scored in the bottom 25% of NYC. The second year we were at the 50% mark. The third year we were at the 65% mark. By the tenth year we were scoring in the 94-95% mark. In 2020 I thought we had a real shot at making the top 1% but then they cancelled the exam because of the Pandemic.

My advice to anyone is that if you are going to pray to move a mountain it has to be a mountain you truly want moved. I spent ten years on this and on a daily basis was taking my concerns to the feet of the Lord. If you don't care that much then you are simply being frivolous. Second, if people say it is impossible then all the better. I remember Herb Brooks, they told him his goal of beating the Russians was "lofty" and his response was "that is why I want to pursue it". This was personal to me, I was very offended that my kids were being insulted, treated as though they were stupid, and many of them had come to believe it. I wanted them to know they could go toe to toe with anyone in the city.

We are saved by the blood of Jesus

In the book of Exodus we see a pattern of our salvation. It all begins with the Passover and the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. This saves us from the destroyer. On this day the Angel who is the destroyer passes over our house because he sees the blood. That is salvation.

But wait! What about when the children of Israel were trapped at the Red Sea with Egyptian army ready to destroy them? When God split the sea and they walked through on dry land and the Egyptian army tried to do that and they were drowned. Wasn't that also a salvation? When we have a public testimony of Faith in God's salvation it separates us from the kingdom of darkness. This is why the very first thing we are required to do after receiving the blood of Jesus is to be baptized. It is a public confession of faith.

But wait! What about manna? Wouldn't the Israelites have starved to death in the wilderness if it were not for manna? Isn't that a form of salvation? Eating the word of God on a daily basis is also a salvation. It gives us hope and faith and love, we need these to live.

But wait! What about the water that flowed from the rock? If the children of Israel didn't have water to drink they would have died in the wilderness. Isn't that a form of salvation being saved from dying from thirst? We need the worship service, we need the fellowship of other believers. This is also a salvation to us.

But wait! If everyone was saved by the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, figured in the Passover, why is it that the Bible calls them a mixed multitude and why is it that the only ones who actually entered the good land who came out of Egypt were Joshua and Caleb? Everyone else died in the wilderness and did not enter into the good land.

Yes, we are saved from the destroying angel by the blood of Jesus. But, there is much more to the Christian life than that. We need to be trained into an army of God that can defeat the enemy. We need our being reconstituted with the manna and water from the rock. We need to step out in faith to have a public testimony that separates us from this evil and adulterous age.

The Temple of God

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

The word translated temple in these two verses is different. The word in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is a word that refers to the Holy sanctuary in the temple whereas this verse in Matthew 4:5 refers to the building. People use 2 Thessalonians to say that the building will be rebuilt, but it isn't saying that, it is saying that the Holy Sanctuary will be set up again.

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

This word is interesting, because they would not be selling in the Holy Sanctuary, they would be selling and changing money in the outer court. This word is also not the same word as in 2 Thessalonians, rather it is the word for the building.

Luke 2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

This also is the word for the building, not the sanctuary. This woman who is a prophetess would come to the outer court but unlikely that she would ever enter into the sanctuary of the Temple, that is only for the priests.

This word is used 71 times in the New Testament to refer to the temple as a building, a compound, where people come to teach and pray.

In contrast this verse uses the same word used by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4

Matthew 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

This cannot be any clearer. The altar is in the outer court. If this word was talking about the building or temple complex it would make no sense. But a priest could be between the altar and the holy sanctuary. The Holy place and the Holy of Holies are in their own building separated by a curtain.

Now compare these two verses:

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Matthew 26:61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

They changed what He said.

But Jesus spoke of the temple of His body, this word for sanctuary can be used to refer to the human body but the other word used for Temple cannot be.

Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

This is a reference to the church, same word that Jesus used. Jesus is the Messiah, He is building the third temple, and the third temple is the church. There is no verse in the Old or New testament that says the antichrist will build a third temple. This verse in 2 Thessalonians 2 does not say he will build a third temple, it says he will sit in the sanctuary, that is the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. There is a prophecy that the tabernacle of David will be raised again, and within that tent there is the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

I am not saying that a third building won't be built, I am simply saying the Bible says absolutely nothing about it being built, or being destroyed. All it says on the matter is that when the New Jerusalem descends there is no temple in the city. The doctrine that it must be built is based on nothing. It is not a Biblical doctrine, it is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

Since the Tabernacle of David will be raised again

Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

You would have to first sacrifice the red heifer and then use the ashes for oblations. So you can't raise the tabernacle of David without sacrifices and oblations and once it is raised you could have the Antichrist put an idol in it and cause the sacrifices and oblations to cease. But this means there is no reason to think that the mosque needs to be destroyed, again there is no prophecy about that either. Likewise, the Tabernacle of David could be raised in Shiloh. I would certainly think it would be in Jerusalem, but it does not have to cause any other building to be torn down. Also this does not have to happen before the rapture, this could take place in the middle of the seventieth week.

Warning from God BEWARE OF THE SERPENT!

It shall be a Holy convocation

Leviticus 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

A Holy convocation is a dress rehearsal for some Holy event. So then, the sabbath is a dress rehearsal for some future event. What event?

There are two. First, when Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb they had to get him into the tomb before the sabbath day began. He was in the tomb for one complete sabbath day, that was the fulfillment of this sabbath day rest where no work is done. Jesus rose from the grave on the 8th day. So if you are also crucified with Christ then your old man is also in the tomb keeping the reality of the sabbath rest. You are doing no work in your old man, but you have risen with Christ in the newness of life and are now in the new creation. The reason we do not celebrate the Lord on the sabbath day is because that day is given as a dress rehearsal for the old creation, not for the new creation.

The second thing that the sabbath rest is a dress rehearsal for is Jesus reign in the Millennial kingdom. To God one day is as a thousand years. It will take six thousand years to get the Messiah and the Bride, and then they will celebrate Jesus reign for a thousand years, this day is also called the restoration of all things. Again, if we are living in the new creation in which Jesus is our Lord, ruling and reigning in our heart, then we are already in the fulfillment of the dress rehearsal.

This is why Paul said

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Preaching the gospel is the reality, the body of the Feast of Trumpets in which they announce the coming of the king. The Lord's table is the reality of both the day of Atonement in which we judge whether or not we are in Christ and the Feast of Tabernacles, the wedding feast with the Lord. At the Lord's table we remember His crucifixion (Passover), His death (feast of unleavened bread), His resurrection (First First fruit), we proclaim that Jesus is Lord (Shavuot), we drink the wine (Pentecost). We are no longer keeping the dress rehearsal, we should be living in the reality.

Leviticus 26 (1-13)

Leviticus 26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.

We have statues, but they were not made to bow down to, they were made as historical markers to remind us of our history. This is not referring to some statue to remind us of a battle or a victory. This is referring to statues of the Mother Mary or some other idol that people are bowing down to.

2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

There are two ways to keep the sabbaths. The Jews and seventh day adventists have chosen one way, the other way is to be crucified with Jesus and that it is no longer you that live but Christ lives within you. To reverence the Lord's sanctuary there are also two ways, you can have blue laws that forbid certain activities on the Lord's day making it easier for people to go to church and worship the Lord. The other way is that you are committed to being a coworker with God to build His church.

3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Initially the US did this and we did get our rain in due season and the land did yield her increase. At one point the US was called the breadbasket of the world.

5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

We also had this blessing. From 1812 to 2001 we had not foreign invaders on our land but dwelt in safety. Yes, a military base in Hawaii was attacked on Pearl Harbor, but that should be seen as the wall of this country that was not breached.

6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

Initially we had a problem with the native Americans, cowboys and Indians fighting. But no more. It is interesting, you can go to other countries like India that has deadly snakes, or Australia which has a whole host of evil beasts from jellyfish, to spiders, to snakes. By comparison the US is tame. I was in Taiwan at a local park with my wife and two young children. We were walking down a path near sundown as the park closed and I saw a bright green snake up ahead on the path. Later I learned that snake is called the 100 step snake because once it bites you that is how far you get before you die. This was in Taipei, a city of similar population to Chicago. Can you imagine deadly snakes in city parks in our largest cities in the US?

7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.

Prior to the Vietnam war this was our story.

8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

This is the story of the Revolutionary war, a rag tag army going against the superpower of the day.

9 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.

If we have respect to the Lord He also will have respect to us. If you keep the Lord's covenant He will establish it with you. Look at how the US has multiplied, we used to be 13 colonies and now we are an entire continent.

10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.

Do you remember when the campaign promise was "a chicken in every pot"? No one would campaign with that promise today because chickens are cheap. For much of the world that would be a very good campaign promise, but not for the US.

11 And I set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

Do you have any idea what it is like for God's soul to abhor a nation? There is a huge difference between having His covenant established with you and to be blessed by God with what happens when His soul abhors you.

12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

Besides being the breadbasket of the world and being the richest country in the world we had the best education system in the world and were the most scientifically advanced.

13 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

There was a time when the whole world respected the US and desired Americans to come to their country. The US dollar reigned supreme and we walked upright.

Leviticus 26 (14-17)

14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;

This is the apostasy, some actually teach that they can pick and choose which commandments to keep and refuse to hearken unto the Lord concerning the commandments they don't want to keep.

15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:

This is what we see with comedians, and Hollywood, and music moguls. They don't just refuse to listen, they despise the Lord's statutes, they abhor His judgments. As a result they absolutely will not do all of His commandments and in this way they break the covenant. Think about those who focus on "God is love". Yes, the Lord commanded us to love one another but they use that commandment to annul all the other ones they don't like.

16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Ever since WW2 the US has been terrorized by the threat of nuclear annihilation. Cancer and STDs are now major issue in the US. What is Trump complaining about other than we are not being treated fairly in the world, we sow the seed and our enemies eat it. Recently he cut off funding to USAID and we discovered tax payers were sending money to terrorists that were attacking the US.

17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Why do you think all those who used to be reigning over us are now terrified with Trump being president? The ones reigning over us hated us and now that is all coming to light.

Leviticus 26 (18-23)

18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

Get ready, the tribulation is coming.

19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

What is the pride of our power? We used to be proud in our manufacturing, we led the world at the time of WW2, but that has been broken. Simply take a look at Detroit to see how badly it has been broken. An iron rod is used to enact discipline. That the heaven is as iron indicates that we are no longer getting rain in due season. Instead, we see California going up in flames. We see hundred year droughts. Brass indicates going through the judgment of fire.

20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

This is hilarious, we are spending $7 trillion a year and what do we get for it? The average amount paid for public school students is $15,000+ a year, and yet we get the same results as Croatia which spends $8,000 a year. Our school system which used to be the model for the rest of the world has become a sad joke.

21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.

AIDS, Covid19, Bird flu, Mad cow disease, etc.

22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

20 million illegals, take a look at crime in NYC now, or in Chicago. Gangs rob you of your children.

23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;

The last eight years has shown how contrary much of the country is and how there is a battle of those refusing to be reformed by the Lord.

Leviticus 26 (24-35)

24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.

This now tells us what is coming to the US.

25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

Wow, three things. War is coming to this land, soldiers with guns and sword and weapons will be here. Second there will be a second pandemic and this one will be worse. Finally, we will lose this coming war and will become captives. The Lord has done this before, He will certainly do it again.

26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

Look at this image. Elon Musk recently chided the Federal government talking about raising the work week from 40 hours a week to 120 hours. This doesn't mean each individual should work that much but rather you could have workers working in shifts. If you do that three workers could use the same cubicle, the Federal government could sell two thirds of their buildings. Here it is talking about ten women baking bread in one oven. How long does it take to bake bread? Two hours? So this suggestion is that to save money we have ten women sharing one oven. This is like "you shall own nothing and be happy". The self driving cars are recommending the same thing, you don't actually own a car, you simply use a car two hours a day to drive to and fro from work and that same car can be used by ten other people.

27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;

Do you understand what is going on? God has given us His covenant with his statutes. Life is like a chess game, if you follow His instructions you will discover the wisdom in His strategy. But if not and you follow your own ideas you will discover where this leads and it continues to get worse and worse.

28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

What could be seven times worse than what we have already seen? Defeated in war, taken as captive and suffering from the plague. What is seven times worse than that?

29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

Cannibalism. Not just eating humans, but eating your own children. How stupid do you have to be to hold onto your own opinions if they lead you to eating your own children? You know this is what the $36 trillion in debt is, we have eaten up the future for our kids. So you see that everything we have done since WW2 has led to this. This is what 60 million abortions leads to as well.

30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

What are the high places and images of the US? Hollywood? Grammies? Superbowl? Yes, we have seen that all of those things are satanic, they worship the occult, and they will be cut down by God.

31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

Make your cities waste? Detroit is simply a warning shot. Go to Oakland California, NYC and Chicago. It is not hard to imagine these cities becoming waste and desolate with a foul smell. We have been warned. The LA fires have displaced a population equivalent to Atlanta, Georgia. After the war and the plague and the famine the homelessness will be so bad it will be on par with the worst things we have seen in the US, only it will be everywhere.

32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

Many of these enemies who have come into the country came from very poor nations. They were astonished at how rich and prosperous the US was. Once this collapse takes place they will be astonished at how poor and foul the US becomes.

33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

Wow, so not just cannibalism, homelessness, and a foul odor, but they will flee and have a sword following them. So political refugees who cannot return lest they be killed.

34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

Do you get it? God's statutes are law the same way that gravity is a law.

35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

If the US lies desolate for 7 years that would be seven sabbaths indicating that for the 49 years prior to this we did not enjoy our sabbaths. That would be from the 1970s and the time of Nixon and the Vietnam war following the hippies of the sixties and drug culture.

Leviticus 26 (36-45)

36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

The Lord warned of this, He said that men would be dying of heart attacks. Have you noticed how the media likes to keep people scared and terrified? This is a strategy of how to control a populace, only with the Antichrist this will be much worse than anything we have seen to date.

37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

I'm sorry if I am laughing at this. It is just that when I preached the gospel in the 70s and 80s I was told frequently by people how the gospel was for weak people who need a crutch, but they were strong and didn't need it. So they despised those that followed the Lord as being weak, as a result the Lord will despise them and show them to be yellow bellied cowards who cannot stand.

38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

The land of your enemies shall eat you up. We saw this in Russia with the pogroms and the Jews. We saw this in Germany when they moved the Jews to ghettos. They ate up their homes and businesses, moved them to the Ghettos and then later moved them from the ghettos to the camps where they "ate them up". Imagine being on the train to the camp and realize, "hey the Lord told us this would happen if we despised His statutes".

39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

There is no quick and painless execution, rather there is a lot of time given to you to reflect, confess and repent.

40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:

There is a proper response and an improper response. Now is the time to learn the proper response. Be humbled under the mighty hand of God. Instead of trying to get vengeance and claiming all these other people are unrighteous, focus on your own sins that led you to this. Focus on what you did to lose the covering and protection of the Lord. Confess your iniquity. Confess the iniquity of your fathers. Confess how you trespassed against the Lord. Confess how you walked contrary to the Lord. Give God the glory that He also walked contrary to you, that all these things that have happened are of God. Accept that this is God's punishment to you for your iniquity.

42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

This is the way of salvation.

43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.

The land will rest, it will renew its strength. Now you understand that all this happened because you despised the Lord's judgments and abhorred all His statutes.

44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.

And when the night is the darkest you will realize that you have not been destroyed utterly. The covenant has not been broken and God is still your God.

45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.

Then you will remember that the same God who brought your ancestors out of Egypt is the God who can save you. Then you will hallow the name of your God and you will say "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord".

The Lord Showed Me The RAPTURE AND TRIBULATION On The Same Night! I woke up Sweating After This