Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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John 19:15-22 The way of the cross
15 They therefore cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified.
Wow! They have totally sided with the spirit of the Antichrist. They are like gluttons, if you side with them you will bring shame to your father. Think about the Nazis under Hitler, they were like gluttons killing millions of innocent people, everyone who sided with them was shamed for the rest of their lives. Proverbs 28:7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son; But he that is a companion of gluttons shameth his father. Think about something else, prior to the Passover during the preparation the Jews borrowed gold and silver from the Egyptians. Why would the Egyptians loan them gold and silver? No doubt these loans were charging interest. Proverbs 28:8 He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor. What happens at the end of the age when Jesus raptures all those believers? Do they also have outstanding loans, mortgages, credit card debt? These are the people who pay their bills, that don’t commit fraud, who hold up the economy. It wasn’t just Pharaoh’s army that got destroyed it was also their economy. They lost their slaves, they lost their loans, they lost their army. When they crucified Jesus they put their own flesh on the cross, the world was put on the cross, in every way possible Satan was put to an open shame. The world was crucified with Christ.
17 They took Jesus therefore: and he went out, bearing the cross for himself, unto the place called The place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha: 18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Whoa, there is nothing about this in the Jewish law, why do we need two other criminals crucified with the lamb of God? Paul explains that we also were crucified with Christ and it is no longer us that live. Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. 10 Whoso causeth the upright to go astray in an evil way, He shall fall himself into his own pit; But the perfect shall inherit good. With one of these thieves we see that he turned his ear away from hearing the law, and we see that his prayer is an abomination. We also see that those who caused the upright to go astray, the ones who incited the mob to call out for Jesus to be crucified, we see that they fall into a pit when Titus comes and destroyed their place and they were scattered to the four corners of the earth. We see three groups here, those who caused the upright to go astray, those who were upright but were blown about with every wind of doctrine, and we also see the perfect. They shall inherit good. They inherit the Lord. Pentecost was when the Spirit was poured out as a guarantee of this inheritance, and the rapture is the fulfillment of this promise.
Again, what is the preparation? Proverbs 28:11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. It is clear from this story that this kind of oppression was standard. How do they get away with it? Most people are easy to manipulate, they don’t know the truth, they don’t understand justice. Some people are wicked, they may know what they are doing is wicked but they are easy to pay off. Jesus was the poor man who had understanding and he searched them out. It wasn’t good enough for Jesus to see through their corruption and deceit, He had to put it on display for all to see. That also is the preparation. You put the blood on the doorpost for all to see, that is part of the preparation.
But on a deeper level the preparation is about preparing our soul, our mind. Proverbs 28:12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. When Jesus was crucified we saw men hiding themselves, running away, even denying that they knew the Lord. But after His resurrection there was great glory. This experience prepared them for further persecution, and then we don’t see them hiding, we see them bold as a lion. In the same way at the end of the age you will have two kinds of Christians, the “perfect” who will be taken (these are the ones who were prepared), and those who are caused to go astray who will repent and in the future be prepared.
Let’s consider this a little more. Peter and Judas, both denied the Lord, even betrayed the Lord. Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. Peter obtained mercy, he confessed and forsook his transgression and as a result he grew by it. Judas on the other hand was incapable of confessing and forsaking. To confess your sins requires you to humble yourself before God. Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway; But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Be warned. Proverbs 28:15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, So is a wicked ruler over a poor people. There are a lot of people out there that will sell their soul to the devil for 30 pieces of silver. Wicked rulers want the people to be poor, this way they can find a Judas easy enough and once he has taken the 30 pieces of silver he belongs to them. He will be their puppet on a string, which is what Judas was, hanging from a tree. We need to hate covetousness, it is a test. Proverbs 28:16 The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor; But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days. “The prince who lacks understanding” is called “a useful idiot”.
Anyway, do not worry about Judas, Proverbs 28:17 A man that is laden with the blood of any person Shall flee unto the pit; let no man stay him. People who have this blood guiltiness on their conscience, it will haunt them.
19 And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. And there was written, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. 20 This title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
The Lord was a righteous man, He walked uprightly, it was undeniable, even to Pilate. This is the way of the cross, the way that the Lord told us we would have to take. Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered; But he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. 19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. 20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings; But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished. Once again, this is the preparation. This is the Lord preparing us for the road we will need to take. You will see that the one who walked uprightly is delivered and those that are perverse in their ways fall at once. You will see that working your own land will result in you having plenty of bread. Don’t rush to “be glorified” rather choose the cross, embrace the shame, share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and then you will also share in the outstanding resurrection. Then in the face of withering persecution you also can be bold as a lion.
Think about some of the errors, why are people so easily manipulated? They simply trust that these rulers are telling them the truth! Proverbs 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good; Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread. 22 He that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches, And knoweth not that want shall come upon him. The crucifixion taught us not to have respect of persons, don’t respect the High priest, don’t respect Pilate. Yes, we are to give honor to whom honor is due but we must know the law for ourselves. I don’t believe that the crucifixion of Jesus or any injustice is “according to the law” because I know the law for myself. The law is written on my heart. It is very hard to embrace the glorified Christ, it is much simpler and easier to embrace the despised, rejected and crucified Christ. When Jesus is glorified there is a huge crowd surrounding Him, it is hard to get close. But if you were embracing Him when He was crucified He’ll push through the crowd to embrace you when He is glorified. Proverbs 28:23 He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
15 They therefore cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified.
Wow! They have totally sided with the spirit of the Antichrist. They are like gluttons, if you side with them you will bring shame to your father. Think about the Nazis under Hitler, they were like gluttons killing millions of innocent people, everyone who sided with them was shamed for the rest of their lives. Proverbs 28:7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son; But he that is a companion of gluttons shameth his father. Think about something else, prior to the Passover during the preparation the Jews borrowed gold and silver from the Egyptians. Why would the Egyptians loan them gold and silver? No doubt these loans were charging interest. Proverbs 28:8 He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor. What happens at the end of the age when Jesus raptures all those believers? Do they also have outstanding loans, mortgages, credit card debt? These are the people who pay their bills, that don’t commit fraud, who hold up the economy. It wasn’t just Pharaoh’s army that got destroyed it was also their economy. They lost their slaves, they lost their loans, they lost their army. When they crucified Jesus they put their own flesh on the cross, the world was put on the cross, in every way possible Satan was put to an open shame. The world was crucified with Christ.
17 They took Jesus therefore: and he went out, bearing the cross for himself, unto the place called The place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha: 18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Whoa, there is nothing about this in the Jewish law, why do we need two other criminals crucified with the lamb of God? Paul explains that we also were crucified with Christ and it is no longer us that live. Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. 10 Whoso causeth the upright to go astray in an evil way, He shall fall himself into his own pit; But the perfect shall inherit good. With one of these thieves we see that he turned his ear away from hearing the law, and we see that his prayer is an abomination. We also see that those who caused the upright to go astray, the ones who incited the mob to call out for Jesus to be crucified, we see that they fall into a pit when Titus comes and destroyed their place and they were scattered to the four corners of the earth. We see three groups here, those who caused the upright to go astray, those who were upright but were blown about with every wind of doctrine, and we also see the perfect. They shall inherit good. They inherit the Lord. Pentecost was when the Spirit was poured out as a guarantee of this inheritance, and the rapture is the fulfillment of this promise.
Again, what is the preparation? Proverbs 28:11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. It is clear from this story that this kind of oppression was standard. How do they get away with it? Most people are easy to manipulate, they don’t know the truth, they don’t understand justice. Some people are wicked, they may know what they are doing is wicked but they are easy to pay off. Jesus was the poor man who had understanding and he searched them out. It wasn’t good enough for Jesus to see through their corruption and deceit, He had to put it on display for all to see. That also is the preparation. You put the blood on the doorpost for all to see, that is part of the preparation.
But on a deeper level the preparation is about preparing our soul, our mind. Proverbs 28:12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. When Jesus was crucified we saw men hiding themselves, running away, even denying that they knew the Lord. But after His resurrection there was great glory. This experience prepared them for further persecution, and then we don’t see them hiding, we see them bold as a lion. In the same way at the end of the age you will have two kinds of Christians, the “perfect” who will be taken (these are the ones who were prepared), and those who are caused to go astray who will repent and in the future be prepared.
Let’s consider this a little more. Peter and Judas, both denied the Lord, even betrayed the Lord. Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. Peter obtained mercy, he confessed and forsook his transgression and as a result he grew by it. Judas on the other hand was incapable of confessing and forsaking. To confess your sins requires you to humble yourself before God. Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway; But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Be warned. Proverbs 28:15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, So is a wicked ruler over a poor people. There are a lot of people out there that will sell their soul to the devil for 30 pieces of silver. Wicked rulers want the people to be poor, this way they can find a Judas easy enough and once he has taken the 30 pieces of silver he belongs to them. He will be their puppet on a string, which is what Judas was, hanging from a tree. We need to hate covetousness, it is a test. Proverbs 28:16 The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor; But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days. “The prince who lacks understanding” is called “a useful idiot”.
Anyway, do not worry about Judas, Proverbs 28:17 A man that is laden with the blood of any person Shall flee unto the pit; let no man stay him. People who have this blood guiltiness on their conscience, it will haunt them.
19 And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. And there was written, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. 20 This title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
The Lord was a righteous man, He walked uprightly, it was undeniable, even to Pilate. This is the way of the cross, the way that the Lord told us we would have to take. Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered; But he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. 19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. 20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings; But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished. Once again, this is the preparation. This is the Lord preparing us for the road we will need to take. You will see that the one who walked uprightly is delivered and those that are perverse in their ways fall at once. You will see that working your own land will result in you having plenty of bread. Don’t rush to “be glorified” rather choose the cross, embrace the shame, share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and then you will also share in the outstanding resurrection. Then in the face of withering persecution you also can be bold as a lion.
Think about some of the errors, why are people so easily manipulated? They simply trust that these rulers are telling them the truth! Proverbs 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good; Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread. 22 He that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches, And knoweth not that want shall come upon him. The crucifixion taught us not to have respect of persons, don’t respect the High priest, don’t respect Pilate. Yes, we are to give honor to whom honor is due but we must know the law for ourselves. I don’t believe that the crucifixion of Jesus or any injustice is “according to the law” because I know the law for myself. The law is written on my heart. It is very hard to embrace the glorified Christ, it is much simpler and easier to embrace the despised, rejected and crucified Christ. When Jesus is glorified there is a huge crowd surrounding Him, it is hard to get close. But if you were embracing Him when He was crucified He’ll push through the crowd to embrace you when He is glorified. Proverbs 28:23 He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
1Corinthians 14:1-20 -- "Brothers and Sisters, stop thinking like children"
This may be one of the most important and most misunderstood chapters in the entire Bible. Without a doubt those that attack Paul for being sexist support that claim almost exclusively on this chapter.
1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
This chapter tells believers how to meet, there is no other chapter in the Bible that gives such a clear picture of what a church meeting is supposed to be. First, follow the way of love. Jesus told us that if we love one another all will know that we are His disciples. That is the overriding principle. When faced with tough decisions for the congregation you should first make sure that you are following the way of love. In the previous chapter Paul has given us the way of love.
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
This is the overriding principle for everything the church does. However, in this chapter we are told to also desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. The word prophecy means to “speak for”, “speak forth” and “speak before”. It is not simply predicting, or speaking before something happens. A press secretary is considered a “prophet” in the Bible. They are speaking for someone, they are speaking forth something that is being pronounced, and in some cases they are speaking “before” something happens. The church, as the embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven, should be the Lord’s prophets.
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
It seems obvious reading this that tongues were an issue with the church meetings. First, tongues were not fulfilling the mission of the church as an embassy. You are here, in this city, representing God to the people. This meeting is for the Lord to speak to the people through His prophets. If the people don’t understand what you are saying, what is the point. The church is not some ridiculous secret society where people who visit have no idea what is going on. Therefore speaking a clear and intelligible word is greater than speaking in tongues unless someone also interprets. If you interpret the tongue so that people understand, then it is really no different than prophesying. But the way Paul says this it sounds like one person is speaking in tongues and another person is interpreting. Instead what I have seen is that people will speak in tongues, and then interpret what they just said. Why? Why not just tell us directly what God has said? What was the point of speaking something that no one understands first? You aren’t edifying the church that way, you are edifying yourself. Contrast that with the Dana Coverstone dreams. He doesn't interpret but when he is finished with the dream he has others step forward to interpret. This does look like the Biblically sound approach.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
Paul has had a tremendous impact on the church and the believers over the last 2,000 years. He also told us that he spoke in tongues more than us all. But that had nothing to do with the good he has been to us. It is the revelation, knowledge, prophecy and word of instruction that has built the church. So then Paul is an example of what he is saying, he is not asking us to do anything that he himself did not do. Take Paul as your example.
7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
Clear, intelligible words, that is the focus. If you play a clear tune we can all sing along. If you are sounding a clear alarm we can all react appropriately. If we have no idea what you are saying we will tune you out.
10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
The key principle is love and that means your meeting must be welcoming, inclusive. Making someone feel like a foreigner is not love.
12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
By all means be eager for the gifts. All believers are. But try to excel at building up the church. It is hard, you have to work at it, but that is what Paul is encouraging you to do. Don’t give up.
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
Now he is saying, hey if you do speak in tongues pray to the Lord that He will also give you the gift of interpretation. If you have both gifts then in the meeting simply give us the interpretation. Recently I have been seeing people share their “dreams” online but they then give us the interpretation as well. Still, you could have taken a 15 minute video talking about a dream and the interpretation and distilled it down to a 2 minute prophecy.
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
This verse is huge and always ignored. I am not aware of anyone picking this up before. The person who is hearing your speaking in a church meeting “is put into the position of an inquirer”. The church meeting is not your private worship time or prayer time. Some people are speaking and some are listening. Those that are hearing are “put into the position of an inquirer”. You cannot understand this chapter unless you understand that.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
5 intelligible words in a meeting are worth much more than 10,000 words of gibberish. What he has done is focus on “return on investment”. How can a church meeting be most effective? Clear, intelligible words, words of instruction, prophecy, encouragement, revelation, knowledge. These words will build up the church much, much more effectively than gibberish.
20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
An adult has learned they don’t want to waste their time. They don’t want to spin their wheels getting nowhere. When I listen to various youtube posts I am in the position of an inquirer. My first question is "will this person shed light from the word of God?" I listen for a minute and there is nothing from the Bible, I may skip a minute forward, still nothing, skip two minutes forward, still nothing. I don't waste my time, I find some people are full of light and insight on the word, those are the ones I am seeking out.
This may be one of the most important and most misunderstood chapters in the entire Bible. Without a doubt those that attack Paul for being sexist support that claim almost exclusively on this chapter.
1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
This chapter tells believers how to meet, there is no other chapter in the Bible that gives such a clear picture of what a church meeting is supposed to be. First, follow the way of love. Jesus told us that if we love one another all will know that we are His disciples. That is the overriding principle. When faced with tough decisions for the congregation you should first make sure that you are following the way of love. In the previous chapter Paul has given us the way of love.
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
This is the overriding principle for everything the church does. However, in this chapter we are told to also desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. The word prophecy means to “speak for”, “speak forth” and “speak before”. It is not simply predicting, or speaking before something happens. A press secretary is considered a “prophet” in the Bible. They are speaking for someone, they are speaking forth something that is being pronounced, and in some cases they are speaking “before” something happens. The church, as the embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven, should be the Lord’s prophets.
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
It seems obvious reading this that tongues were an issue with the church meetings. First, tongues were not fulfilling the mission of the church as an embassy. You are here, in this city, representing God to the people. This meeting is for the Lord to speak to the people through His prophets. If the people don’t understand what you are saying, what is the point. The church is not some ridiculous secret society where people who visit have no idea what is going on. Therefore speaking a clear and intelligible word is greater than speaking in tongues unless someone also interprets. If you interpret the tongue so that people understand, then it is really no different than prophesying. But the way Paul says this it sounds like one person is speaking in tongues and another person is interpreting. Instead what I have seen is that people will speak in tongues, and then interpret what they just said. Why? Why not just tell us directly what God has said? What was the point of speaking something that no one understands first? You aren’t edifying the church that way, you are edifying yourself. Contrast that with the Dana Coverstone dreams. He doesn't interpret but when he is finished with the dream he has others step forward to interpret. This does look like the Biblically sound approach.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
Paul has had a tremendous impact on the church and the believers over the last 2,000 years. He also told us that he spoke in tongues more than us all. But that had nothing to do with the good he has been to us. It is the revelation, knowledge, prophecy and word of instruction that has built the church. So then Paul is an example of what he is saying, he is not asking us to do anything that he himself did not do. Take Paul as your example.
7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
Clear, intelligible words, that is the focus. If you play a clear tune we can all sing along. If you are sounding a clear alarm we can all react appropriately. If we have no idea what you are saying we will tune you out.
10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
The key principle is love and that means your meeting must be welcoming, inclusive. Making someone feel like a foreigner is not love.
12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
By all means be eager for the gifts. All believers are. But try to excel at building up the church. It is hard, you have to work at it, but that is what Paul is encouraging you to do. Don’t give up.
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
Now he is saying, hey if you do speak in tongues pray to the Lord that He will also give you the gift of interpretation. If you have both gifts then in the meeting simply give us the interpretation. Recently I have been seeing people share their “dreams” online but they then give us the interpretation as well. Still, you could have taken a 15 minute video talking about a dream and the interpretation and distilled it down to a 2 minute prophecy.
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
This verse is huge and always ignored. I am not aware of anyone picking this up before. The person who is hearing your speaking in a church meeting “is put into the position of an inquirer”. The church meeting is not your private worship time or prayer time. Some people are speaking and some are listening. Those that are hearing are “put into the position of an inquirer”. You cannot understand this chapter unless you understand that.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
5 intelligible words in a meeting are worth much more than 10,000 words of gibberish. What he has done is focus on “return on investment”. How can a church meeting be most effective? Clear, intelligible words, words of instruction, prophecy, encouragement, revelation, knowledge. These words will build up the church much, much more effectively than gibberish.
20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
An adult has learned they don’t want to waste their time. They don’t want to spin their wheels getting nowhere. When I listen to various youtube posts I am in the position of an inquirer. My first question is "will this person shed light from the word of God?" I listen for a minute and there is nothing from the Bible, I may skip a minute forward, still nothing, skip two minutes forward, still nothing. I don't waste my time, I find some people are full of light and insight on the word, those are the ones I am seeking out.
One Step closer
One world government has many points that help sell it, fairness, everyone around the world is treated the same. The downside is the whole world is welcoming of everyone regardless of their beliefs as long as they are not Evangelical Christians. That is the one thing that even the Pope is openly against.
Christianity has embraced this "ecumenical" movement that says everyone is worshipping the same God whether Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, etc. The problem with this is that none of them worship Jesus as God. None of them confess Jesus is Lord. To make it worse they have issues with many verses in the Old and New Testament, so then none of them see the Bible as the word of God where you cannot add or take away anything from it.
One world government has many points that help sell it, fairness, everyone around the world is treated the same. The downside is the whole world is welcoming of everyone regardless of their beliefs as long as they are not Evangelical Christians. That is the one thing that even the Pope is openly against.
Christianity has embraced this "ecumenical" movement that says everyone is worshipping the same God whether Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, etc. The problem with this is that none of them worship Jesus as God. None of them confess Jesus is Lord. To make it worse they have issues with many verses in the Old and New Testament, so then none of them see the Bible as the word of God where you cannot add or take away anything from it.
A big claim of FreeMasons is that the purest law is the law of nature which Darwin described as "survival of the fittest". This law applies to lions, bears, leopards and dragons. This is why this new world order is called "the beast".
What they miss is that although beasts operate on this law "survival of the fittest" it does not apply to eusocial species like ants. I think there are 18 eusocial species on earth, a miniscule number compared to the millions of species that are not eusocial. However, these 18 species are the most influential species on the planet. Of these species only one has to learn to be eusocial, that is man. But if you are eusocial you can live in cities with thousands and even millions of people (beasts rarely get into packs larger than 100). In eusocial societies the children are taught by none relatives and we have differentiated jobs.
What they miss is that although beasts operate on this law "survival of the fittest" it does not apply to eusocial species like ants. I think there are 18 eusocial species on earth, a miniscule number compared to the millions of species that are not eusocial. However, these 18 species are the most influential species on the planet. Of these species only one has to learn to be eusocial, that is man. But if you are eusocial you can live in cities with thousands and even millions of people (beasts rarely get into packs larger than 100). In eusocial societies the children are taught by none relatives and we have differentiated jobs.
What does "confirmed" mean?
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
1. First mention is in Numbers
Numbers 30:14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
We are told of the daughters of Babylon and the daughters of Israel, etc. The US is the "daughter" of the UK. So if a daughter makes a covenant and the father keeps silent then that is considered "confirming the covenant".
2. Confirming the Law
Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
You confirm the law by doing the law. So if a contract requires I pay you a certain amount for the house, I confirm the covenant by paying you that amount. Jesus death on the cross confirmed the covenant.
3. Shaking hands is a confirmation of the covenant
Ruth 4:7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
Today we "shake on it". However, I think the Jewish tradition is far better when confirming anything serious after all people shake hands all the time. It could certainly be misconstrued, but no one (except Russian leaders) take off their shoes in public to confirm their agreement or disagreement.
Now let's apply this to the Antichrist. If he is the leader of the reformed Roman Empire then he doesn't have to make the covenant with Israel, he merely needs to keep silent when other countries, "daughters of the European powers" make the covenant. He also needs to abide by that law, so if the covenant recognizes that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews he would need to recognize that. The way he might "shake hands on it" would be to put the embassy for this Roman empire in Jerusalem or some other sign.
Therefore, although the antichrist has yet to be revealed (though some would dispute that saying they have seen lightning falling from heaven already) the covenant is clearly the Abraham Accords. The covenant was made by the daughter of this Roman Empire and they said nothing.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
1. First mention is in Numbers
Numbers 30:14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
We are told of the daughters of Babylon and the daughters of Israel, etc. The US is the "daughter" of the UK. So if a daughter makes a covenant and the father keeps silent then that is considered "confirming the covenant".
2. Confirming the Law
Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
You confirm the law by doing the law. So if a contract requires I pay you a certain amount for the house, I confirm the covenant by paying you that amount. Jesus death on the cross confirmed the covenant.
3. Shaking hands is a confirmation of the covenant
Ruth 4:7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
Today we "shake on it". However, I think the Jewish tradition is far better when confirming anything serious after all people shake hands all the time. It could certainly be misconstrued, but no one (except Russian leaders) take off their shoes in public to confirm their agreement or disagreement.
Now let's apply this to the Antichrist. If he is the leader of the reformed Roman Empire then he doesn't have to make the covenant with Israel, he merely needs to keep silent when other countries, "daughters of the European powers" make the covenant. He also needs to abide by that law, so if the covenant recognizes that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews he would need to recognize that. The way he might "shake hands on it" would be to put the embassy for this Roman empire in Jerusalem or some other sign.
Therefore, although the antichrist has yet to be revealed (though some would dispute that saying they have seen lightning falling from heaven already) the covenant is clearly the Abraham Accords. The covenant was made by the daughter of this Roman Empire and they said nothing.
Boiling the Frog
https://rumble.com/vfdf05-their-pla...e-3-vaccinations-completed-in-the-tribul.html
Good analogy, since this video was made the temperature has certainly gotten high enough to begin to cook the frog. Already people are being forced to lose their jobs and this is worldwide. Already they are denying essential services like life saving medical procedures to those who aren't vaccinated. Already there is plenty of scientific evidence to put a stop to this nonsensical vaccine mandate and yet no one is.
https://rumble.com/vfdf05-their-pla...e-3-vaccinations-completed-in-the-tribul.html
Good analogy, since this video was made the temperature has certainly gotten high enough to begin to cook the frog. Already people are being forced to lose their jobs and this is worldwide. Already they are denying essential services like life saving medical procedures to those who aren't vaccinated. Already there is plenty of scientific evidence to put a stop to this nonsensical vaccine mandate and yet no one is.
He describes 3 phases to the campaign.
Phase 1 you get all the fearful guinea pigs who rush to get the vaccine because MSNBC has them terrified. We have finished this phase.
Phase 2 -- you have the cautious people who want to see how this will turn out. During this phase they had a relentless marketing campaign while censoring any information contrary to their sales pitch. This phase ends with the vaccine mandates going into effect. That is where they push the final reluctant people over the edge.
Finally we get to Phase 3
Phase 3 -- won't accept cash, promote hatred against Jews and Christians who refuse to get vaccinated. Already we are seeing a vicious response to people who are not wearing masks, it will be simple to transfer that fear to direct it towards those who are not vaccinated. We are clearly transitioning from Phase 2 to Phase 3 in the US. NYC and LA are leading the way.
They will also use this fear of climate change to push many draconian laws giving the government more control over the people. Biden wants to be able to have full control of your credit cards so that when you exceed your CO2 limit for the month they stop the card.
These are two big delusions they are using on the people. Covid19 is probably not any deadlier than the flu and Climate change that we are seeing is due to this Planet X system that is approaching the Earth.
1Corinthians 14:21-34 Who are you going to be faithful to?
21 In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”
The prophecy about tongues in the Old Testament was that it would be a sign of unbelief. This is not meant to be insulting. It can be very difficult to speak for the Lord, we all start somewhere, and these dreams have helped some very young Christians to speak. It is like having a basketball court where the baskets are only six feet off the ground for small kids to play.
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
As a new believer our faith is weak, perhaps the simplest way to begin speaking in a church meeting is in tongues, just like a baby starts by speaking gibberish. But you continue to grow and you pray that you could interpret. Soon not only can you speak in tongues but you can also interpret. Now, cut out the tongues and just give us the interpretation. Now you are prophesying. But understand this, prophesying is for "the big boys". You can definitely get "hurt".
23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
This was my experience. I discounted what the preachers were saying, I figured they were well able to hoodwink me. But when other saints began to share, that is when I saw that God was really among them. There was one brother named Raul. He was learning to read and was in his thirties. I figured this brother was way too simple to hoodwink me. It is very powerful when we all speak, even if it is only five words.
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
Every single one of us should have something. It can be a hymn we were enjoying. I remember I once went on a field trip for Geology and so missed the church meetings. While on the bus I discovered a new hymn, figured out how to sing it, and sang it to myself on the bus. The next week I shared this hymn with the church. They were stunned because they also had discovered the same hymn during the meeting I had missed.
Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
The guiding principle is love, but if you love someone you will build them up. So the corollary of the Lord’s word that we are to love another and then everyone will know that we are His disciples, is that everything we do must be done to build up others.
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
Can’t get any clearer than that. You don’t speak in tongues in a meeting unless you know it will be interpreted. This can also refer to someone visiting from another country and speaking to the church. If someone came to NY speaking in Chinese we would want an interpreter. No one is going to have a church meeting where a 90 minute message is given in Chinese if no one understands Chinese.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
Once again, you have speakers and you have listeners. If you are listening you are put in the position of an enquirer and you are to weigh carefully what is said. The reason people twist what Paul says in this chapter about women speaking is they are ignoring the context.
30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
It is very clear in this chapter that men and women are in the meeting. When Paul says “you can all prophecy” there is no distinction made. This is an example of "weighing carefully". Those with an axe to grind will jump on a single word, pull it out of the context and then distort what was said.
32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Second major issue, God is not a God of disorder. I used to meet in a church that as a rule allowed thirty minutes or more in every meeting for anyone to stand and speak. But they exercised strict control to make sure everything was done in good order. It is very tough to stand in front of two hundred and speak because they are weighing carefully what you are speaking, there is a judgment going on. I have seen people rebuked. I have also seen people try to rebuke someone and have that rebuke backfire and rebound onto them. I have seen elders and church leadership rebuked. I have seen this happen in meetings with thousands of saints. These meetings can become very intense, full of light, where people are convicted of sins, the secrets of their hearts are laid bare and they worship God that He is truly in the midst.
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
This is the verse, used more than any other, to accuse Paul of being sexist. If this were the only thing that Paul had ever said on the subject they would have a good case. But already in this chapter Paul has said that they all can prophesy. He has also made it clear that those who are listening are put in the position of questioning what they are hearing, weighing it for themselves. Here he connects this woman speaking with her having a question that she wants to ask. In chapter 11 of this same letter he says that a woman should have her head covered when she prays or prophecies. Therefore it is absurd to say that Paul is forbidding her to pray or prophesy in the meeting. Instead he is forbidding her from standing up to question someone who just spoke in the meeting. I have seen this practiced, it is very difficult to keep things in good order. Therefore only the elders question, rebuke or challenge anything that is said. Generally they tell the person to sit down, occasionally they will give a correcting word. If you let everyone do this the meetings would be like social media, total chaos. What happens if an elder tells someone to sit down who was speaking the word of God? I had an experience once where Witness Lee told me to sit down in a training with thousands of saints. I was speaking on the verse in Peter about multiplied grace. No one questioned him, but over the next few meetings one by one people stood up to share how that testimony had helped them, how it matched their experience of what multiplied grace was. Even the elders began to talk to him privately about this. Over time Witness Lee publicly shared that he had made a mistake. You do it in good order, you don’t allow chaos to reign, and you trust in the Spirit. But you know that the atheists will not accept this. He said “I do not permit a woman to speak”. This is true, he also shared that in the Body of Christ there is no male or female. He shared that in Galatians, the first letter he wrote. He also shared that when you speak you need to have your head covered. So here where he says he doesn’t permit a woman to speak. He says she should ask her husband. That is her head covering. This is the secret. How do you rebuke an elder of sin? You must have your head covered. Paul says when you speak you must speak as oracles of God. How? Well every word in the Bible is an oracle of God. Speak the words of the Bible. When you speak in the church you must have your head covered. I don’t mean you must wear a doily, I mean that Jesus must be Lord of the words you are speaking. There have been a number of times I knew that if I speak this word it will cause me very great trouble. I also knew that the Lord was speaking clearly that I must speak it. It all comes down to “who are you going to be faithful to”? In the end I pray Lord have mercy on me, you know I am always going to choose to be faithful to You. That is what it means to have your head covered. Now when I speak it is not the “woman” who is afraid, but I am speaking the words of the Lord, as oracles of God.
21 In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”
The prophecy about tongues in the Old Testament was that it would be a sign of unbelief. This is not meant to be insulting. It can be very difficult to speak for the Lord, we all start somewhere, and these dreams have helped some very young Christians to speak. It is like having a basketball court where the baskets are only six feet off the ground for small kids to play.
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
As a new believer our faith is weak, perhaps the simplest way to begin speaking in a church meeting is in tongues, just like a baby starts by speaking gibberish. But you continue to grow and you pray that you could interpret. Soon not only can you speak in tongues but you can also interpret. Now, cut out the tongues and just give us the interpretation. Now you are prophesying. But understand this, prophesying is for "the big boys". You can definitely get "hurt".
23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
This was my experience. I discounted what the preachers were saying, I figured they were well able to hoodwink me. But when other saints began to share, that is when I saw that God was really among them. There was one brother named Raul. He was learning to read and was in his thirties. I figured this brother was way too simple to hoodwink me. It is very powerful when we all speak, even if it is only five words.
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
Every single one of us should have something. It can be a hymn we were enjoying. I remember I once went on a field trip for Geology and so missed the church meetings. While on the bus I discovered a new hymn, figured out how to sing it, and sang it to myself on the bus. The next week I shared this hymn with the church. They were stunned because they also had discovered the same hymn during the meeting I had missed.
Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
The guiding principle is love, but if you love someone you will build them up. So the corollary of the Lord’s word that we are to love another and then everyone will know that we are His disciples, is that everything we do must be done to build up others.
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
Can’t get any clearer than that. You don’t speak in tongues in a meeting unless you know it will be interpreted. This can also refer to someone visiting from another country and speaking to the church. If someone came to NY speaking in Chinese we would want an interpreter. No one is going to have a church meeting where a 90 minute message is given in Chinese if no one understands Chinese.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
Once again, you have speakers and you have listeners. If you are listening you are put in the position of an enquirer and you are to weigh carefully what is said. The reason people twist what Paul says in this chapter about women speaking is they are ignoring the context.
30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
It is very clear in this chapter that men and women are in the meeting. When Paul says “you can all prophecy” there is no distinction made. This is an example of "weighing carefully". Those with an axe to grind will jump on a single word, pull it out of the context and then distort what was said.
32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Second major issue, God is not a God of disorder. I used to meet in a church that as a rule allowed thirty minutes or more in every meeting for anyone to stand and speak. But they exercised strict control to make sure everything was done in good order. It is very tough to stand in front of two hundred and speak because they are weighing carefully what you are speaking, there is a judgment going on. I have seen people rebuked. I have also seen people try to rebuke someone and have that rebuke backfire and rebound onto them. I have seen elders and church leadership rebuked. I have seen this happen in meetings with thousands of saints. These meetings can become very intense, full of light, where people are convicted of sins, the secrets of their hearts are laid bare and they worship God that He is truly in the midst.
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
This is the verse, used more than any other, to accuse Paul of being sexist. If this were the only thing that Paul had ever said on the subject they would have a good case. But already in this chapter Paul has said that they all can prophesy. He has also made it clear that those who are listening are put in the position of questioning what they are hearing, weighing it for themselves. Here he connects this woman speaking with her having a question that she wants to ask. In chapter 11 of this same letter he says that a woman should have her head covered when she prays or prophecies. Therefore it is absurd to say that Paul is forbidding her to pray or prophesy in the meeting. Instead he is forbidding her from standing up to question someone who just spoke in the meeting. I have seen this practiced, it is very difficult to keep things in good order. Therefore only the elders question, rebuke or challenge anything that is said. Generally they tell the person to sit down, occasionally they will give a correcting word. If you let everyone do this the meetings would be like social media, total chaos. What happens if an elder tells someone to sit down who was speaking the word of God? I had an experience once where Witness Lee told me to sit down in a training with thousands of saints. I was speaking on the verse in Peter about multiplied grace. No one questioned him, but over the next few meetings one by one people stood up to share how that testimony had helped them, how it matched their experience of what multiplied grace was. Even the elders began to talk to him privately about this. Over time Witness Lee publicly shared that he had made a mistake. You do it in good order, you don’t allow chaos to reign, and you trust in the Spirit. But you know that the atheists will not accept this. He said “I do not permit a woman to speak”. This is true, he also shared that in the Body of Christ there is no male or female. He shared that in Galatians, the first letter he wrote. He also shared that when you speak you need to have your head covered. So here where he says he doesn’t permit a woman to speak. He says she should ask her husband. That is her head covering. This is the secret. How do you rebuke an elder of sin? You must have your head covered. Paul says when you speak you must speak as oracles of God. How? Well every word in the Bible is an oracle of God. Speak the words of the Bible. When you speak in the church you must have your head covered. I don’t mean you must wear a doily, I mean that Jesus must be Lord of the words you are speaking. There have been a number of times I knew that if I speak this word it will cause me very great trouble. I also knew that the Lord was speaking clearly that I must speak it. It all comes down to “who are you going to be faithful to”? In the end I pray Lord have mercy on me, you know I am always going to choose to be faithful to You. That is what it means to have your head covered. Now when I speak it is not the “woman” who is afraid, but I am speaking the words of the Lord, as oracles of God.
Glory to the Coming King!
This is a wonderful hymn and on the surface it is about the Lord’s first coming and yet let’s consider this more. Join the triumph of the skies, what triumph? God and sinner’s reconciled. This is what too many rabbis and Jews missed in His first coming. Second, look how it begins, “Hark the herald angels sing” -- there are prophecies like Daniel’s that heralded His coming the first time and there are prophecies that herald his coming the second time. Then look at this line “peace on earth”, that is fantastic, it is a phony claim of peace by the Antichrist and the false prophet and the Beast that will signal the second coming. Mercy mild, mercy glories in judgement, we are about to stand before the throne and be judged and the most important lesson for us to learn is to treat others with mercy. Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies -- this is a very appropriate sentiment for the rapture. The Lord is already victorious, He is already in the skies, but the call is for us to join Him in His triumph. Think of the one prophecy that is so big the angels are proclaiming it, Christ is born in Bethlehem. There is so much behind that prophecy, the town where king David was from, the place where Boaz married Ruth (a book that reveals that the Bible is not ruthless), this is a small town, not Jerusalem where all the experts were residing but none went to see Jesus. Who do the angels announce this to? To the shepherds that were out in the fields with the sheep. There is a contrast here between the worthless shepherds in Jerusalem walking around in fancy robes and the despised shepherds who were actually in the fields caring for the sheep. Then think about the story with Joseph and Mary, this goes back to the very first prophecy in the Bible about the seed of the virgin. Not only so but it combines two different lines from the family of David to fulfill other prophecies, and it fulfills the word concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Because of a census being done by the Romans, a way in which they would exercise their dominion over the Israelites, just like the end of the age with the Mark of the Beast. Today many are upset about the vaccine mandate, I suspect back then they were very upset about the census mandate. All kinds of stories like a young pregnant woman having to have her baby in the barn because of the Roman’s. But God is sovereign, He created all of Israel and that includes both Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He is the one that created Eve, Ruth, Boaz, David, Mary and Joseph. The chorus is to give glory to the newborn king, but today I think we should be giving glory to the coming king.
I think we can learn a little from the Lord’s first coming that applies to the second coming. In the second coming He is going to highlight the real shepherds that are in the field while putting to an open shame the worthless shepherds in Jerusalem who like to walk around in fancy robes. Second, when are we going to be raptured? When we have a victory and can “join the triumph in the sky”. A big sign of the Lord’s return will be the AntiChrist and False prophet telling us “peace and security”. We will also see a contrast with the mercy of the beast, according to Proverbs the tender mercies of the Beast is cruelty. They will tell you that abortion is an act of love. That is their idea of mercy, kill your baby. How do we solve Social Security being insolvent? Kill the elderly and those who are collecting social security. That is their idea of mercy. How do we fix our border? Make human trafficking big business for the cartels.
Everyone wants to know when the rapture will be, but look at the big prophecy here, it isn’t when it is where! Bethlehem, a small, insignificant city compared to Jerusalem, but a place where the shepherds are, the place where David was from, people like Boaz who have learned to judge people by the abundance of their heart rather than the outward flesh. Everyone today is seeing how corrupt Washington DC is but the Lord is saying to look at Bethlehem, not at Jerusalem, look at the Deplorables not the Great whore.
Don’t you believe there are some faithful servants at this time just like Mary and Joseph? People who have had personal experiences of the Lord, visited by Angels, had dreams, visions, and have known Jesus for thirty years before His ministry and the rest of the world got to meet Him.
So then, listen to the herald angels. The saints who have gone before, the prophets, and the faithful servants and shepherds who are here today.
- Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”- Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
- Refrain:
This is a wonderful hymn and on the surface it is about the Lord’s first coming and yet let’s consider this more. Join the triumph of the skies, what triumph? God and sinner’s reconciled. This is what too many rabbis and Jews missed in His first coming. Second, look how it begins, “Hark the herald angels sing” -- there are prophecies like Daniel’s that heralded His coming the first time and there are prophecies that herald his coming the second time. Then look at this line “peace on earth”, that is fantastic, it is a phony claim of peace by the Antichrist and the false prophet and the Beast that will signal the second coming. Mercy mild, mercy glories in judgement, we are about to stand before the throne and be judged and the most important lesson for us to learn is to treat others with mercy. Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies -- this is a very appropriate sentiment for the rapture. The Lord is already victorious, He is already in the skies, but the call is for us to join Him in His triumph. Think of the one prophecy that is so big the angels are proclaiming it, Christ is born in Bethlehem. There is so much behind that prophecy, the town where king David was from, the place where Boaz married Ruth (a book that reveals that the Bible is not ruthless), this is a small town, not Jerusalem where all the experts were residing but none went to see Jesus. Who do the angels announce this to? To the shepherds that were out in the fields with the sheep. There is a contrast here between the worthless shepherds in Jerusalem walking around in fancy robes and the despised shepherds who were actually in the fields caring for the sheep. Then think about the story with Joseph and Mary, this goes back to the very first prophecy in the Bible about the seed of the virgin. Not only so but it combines two different lines from the family of David to fulfill other prophecies, and it fulfills the word concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Because of a census being done by the Romans, a way in which they would exercise their dominion over the Israelites, just like the end of the age with the Mark of the Beast. Today many are upset about the vaccine mandate, I suspect back then they were very upset about the census mandate. All kinds of stories like a young pregnant woman having to have her baby in the barn because of the Roman’s. But God is sovereign, He created all of Israel and that includes both Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He is the one that created Eve, Ruth, Boaz, David, Mary and Joseph. The chorus is to give glory to the newborn king, but today I think we should be giving glory to the coming king.
I think we can learn a little from the Lord’s first coming that applies to the second coming. In the second coming He is going to highlight the real shepherds that are in the field while putting to an open shame the worthless shepherds in Jerusalem who like to walk around in fancy robes. Second, when are we going to be raptured? When we have a victory and can “join the triumph in the sky”. A big sign of the Lord’s return will be the AntiChrist and False prophet telling us “peace and security”. We will also see a contrast with the mercy of the beast, according to Proverbs the tender mercies of the Beast is cruelty. They will tell you that abortion is an act of love. That is their idea of mercy, kill your baby. How do we solve Social Security being insolvent? Kill the elderly and those who are collecting social security. That is their idea of mercy. How do we fix our border? Make human trafficking big business for the cartels.
Everyone wants to know when the rapture will be, but look at the big prophecy here, it isn’t when it is where! Bethlehem, a small, insignificant city compared to Jerusalem, but a place where the shepherds are, the place where David was from, people like Boaz who have learned to judge people by the abundance of their heart rather than the outward flesh. Everyone today is seeing how corrupt Washington DC is but the Lord is saying to look at Bethlehem, not at Jerusalem, look at the Deplorables not the Great whore.
Don’t you believe there are some faithful servants at this time just like Mary and Joseph? People who have had personal experiences of the Lord, visited by Angels, had dreams, visions, and have known Jesus for thirty years before His ministry and the rest of the world got to meet Him.
So then, listen to the herald angels. The saints who have gone before, the prophets, and the faithful servants and shepherds who are here today.
Would you give your daughter in marriage to a looney tunes?
Luke 17:27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
This is a sign the Lord gave us of His coming, how are we supposed to understand this? One person tried to say that the number of marriages were coming back to normal and that was a sign, I thought that was ridiculous but it got me thinking. If that is not how we are supposed to understand this verse, then how are we to understand it?
The phrase "given in marriage" really stuck out, it reminds me of matchmakers. Among the common people matchmakers are relatively rare, but among the rich and famous this is still a very standard practice. For example we need a match for Prince Charles, so a matchmaker comes along and says we have this wonderful girl named Diana, she comes from the right family, and ultimately Diana is given in marriage to Charles. This is not about the two of them "falling in love" but rather a match that makes sense for the royal family. If Diana had been from the wrong family she would never have been considered. This idea of the "wrong family" was portrayed in the movie "Look who is coming to Dinner" indicating that interracial marriages which were once shunned were now changing. We see that as well in "eating and drinking", there was a time when Blacks in the US could not use a water fountain for Whites and could not eat in a restaurant for Whites. This is how human society has been arranged for the last two thousand years. South Africa had apartheid, India has the caste system, etc.
However, you could argue that we recognized that this wasn't right in the sixties and tried to do away with it. The world's religions have become "ecumenical" with interfaith marriages happening all the time, and interracial marriages happening all the time as well. Today there is only one group that is shunned from the world and that is "Jesus freaks".
Now let's consider Noah and his day. You want your son to marry a nice young girl so you go talk to the family and say you have a wonderful son. What does he do? He is a carpenter and makes wonderful things. Like what? You are cornered and have to admit he has been working with Noah for the last 50 years on that boat which is the laughing stock of the whole town. They built a boat on land and have no way to get it to the water. No, he doesn't get paid to do that. No one is going to give their daughter in marriage to your son. He is a looney tunes.
Now let's fast forward to today. Same thing, your son is a wonderful carpenter, makes beautiful boats. Sounds good until you learn he has decided not to get the vaccine because he thinks it is a sign we are in the last days and because of that he lost his job. No one is going to give their daughter to you.
Everyone in the world has made a covenant with the world like a marriage contract. If you are a fundamental Christian who believes the Bible is the word of God and that includes the rapture, the Lord's coming and witnessing concerning Jesus then you cannot have a marriage covenant with the world. Your covenant is with Jesus. The Lord was telling us that this would be the case more than ever when He returns which is so hard to believe since we thought "we had gotten past all that".
Luke 17:27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
This is a sign the Lord gave us of His coming, how are we supposed to understand this? One person tried to say that the number of marriages were coming back to normal and that was a sign, I thought that was ridiculous but it got me thinking. If that is not how we are supposed to understand this verse, then how are we to understand it?
The phrase "given in marriage" really stuck out, it reminds me of matchmakers. Among the common people matchmakers are relatively rare, but among the rich and famous this is still a very standard practice. For example we need a match for Prince Charles, so a matchmaker comes along and says we have this wonderful girl named Diana, she comes from the right family, and ultimately Diana is given in marriage to Charles. This is not about the two of them "falling in love" but rather a match that makes sense for the royal family. If Diana had been from the wrong family she would never have been considered. This idea of the "wrong family" was portrayed in the movie "Look who is coming to Dinner" indicating that interracial marriages which were once shunned were now changing. We see that as well in "eating and drinking", there was a time when Blacks in the US could not use a water fountain for Whites and could not eat in a restaurant for Whites. This is how human society has been arranged for the last two thousand years. South Africa had apartheid, India has the caste system, etc.
However, you could argue that we recognized that this wasn't right in the sixties and tried to do away with it. The world's religions have become "ecumenical" with interfaith marriages happening all the time, and interracial marriages happening all the time as well. Today there is only one group that is shunned from the world and that is "Jesus freaks".
Now let's consider Noah and his day. You want your son to marry a nice young girl so you go talk to the family and say you have a wonderful son. What does he do? He is a carpenter and makes wonderful things. Like what? You are cornered and have to admit he has been working with Noah for the last 50 years on that boat which is the laughing stock of the whole town. They built a boat on land and have no way to get it to the water. No, he doesn't get paid to do that. No one is going to give their daughter in marriage to your son. He is a looney tunes.
Now let's fast forward to today. Same thing, your son is a wonderful carpenter, makes beautiful boats. Sounds good until you learn he has decided not to get the vaccine because he thinks it is a sign we are in the last days and because of that he lost his job. No one is going to give their daughter to you.
Everyone in the world has made a covenant with the world like a marriage contract. If you are a fundamental Christian who believes the Bible is the word of God and that includes the rapture, the Lord's coming and witnessing concerning Jesus then you cannot have a marriage covenant with the world. Your covenant is with Jesus. The Lord was telling us that this would be the case more than ever when He returns which is so hard to believe since we thought "we had gotten past all that".
He gives a very nice discussion for a response to those who argue that sharing on the Lord's coming can damage the faith of the saints.
One point that he didn't mention that is most important to me. I have heard very detailed accounts of timelines for the last seven years, some say it is the last 14 years, others say it is less than seven years, some use the Gregorian calendar, others use Hebrew prophetic calendar, still others talk about the Enoch calendar or the Essenes calendar. My point is everyone who I have ever heard on eschatology is fully convinced they have the precise timeline and yet not one of them can accurately tell you when it starts. So then there is no way to test them, check them out, or know if they are right or wrong.
The thing I like about all this is that you can dive into the word, get a better understanding of the types and prophecies and the Jewish calendar. See what key events in history took place on what days, and then see if you are actually right in thinking this could be good day for the rapture. I like that we can test these theories. No one is rewriting the word, no one is adding or taking away from it. They are simply trying to interpret it. This is how all Biblical truths have been sussed out.
1Corinthians 14:36-40 Why is it that everyone thinks they need to be original?
36 Or did the word of God originate with you?
Why is it that everyone thinks they need to be original? The Bible is a deep well of water that never runs dry.
Or are you the only people it has reached?
When you speak the word you have to keep this in mind. Those people who are weighing your words, questioning what you are saying, the Lord has reached them. They know the Lord. If you speak from your spirit it will touch their spirit. “Deep calleth unto deep”. When you are speaking you are throwing the football, have faith that they will catch it.
37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.
I am thoroughly amazed by Paul. How precise his speaking was. How he was fearless in his speaking. How much faith he had that we would catch his words thousands of years later.
38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.
We all have pet peeves. My pet peeve is people who stand in doorways. You can’t get in the room, you can’t get out because they are just standing there. In Malachi 2 the Lord shares his pet peeve. He tells people what to do, they ignore it, and then they fill up his altar with tears and long prayers because He is ignoring them. If you don't want the Lord to ignore you, then don't ignore Him.
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Social media is not an example of things being done fitting and in an orderly way. Do not pattern a church meeting after social media.
36 Or did the word of God originate with you?
Why is it that everyone thinks they need to be original? The Bible is a deep well of water that never runs dry.
Or are you the only people it has reached?
When you speak the word you have to keep this in mind. Those people who are weighing your words, questioning what you are saying, the Lord has reached them. They know the Lord. If you speak from your spirit it will touch their spirit. “Deep calleth unto deep”. When you are speaking you are throwing the football, have faith that they will catch it.
37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.
I am thoroughly amazed by Paul. How precise his speaking was. How he was fearless in his speaking. How much faith he had that we would catch his words thousands of years later.
38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.
We all have pet peeves. My pet peeve is people who stand in doorways. You can’t get in the room, you can’t get out because they are just standing there. In Malachi 2 the Lord shares his pet peeve. He tells people what to do, they ignore it, and then they fill up his altar with tears and long prayers because He is ignoring them. If you don't want the Lord to ignore you, then don't ignore Him.
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Social media is not an example of things being done fitting and in an orderly way. Do not pattern a church meeting after social media.
The Big Lie
The German expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book Mein Kampf, to describe the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."
We now have compelling, even overwhelming evidence that this virus was man made in the Wuhan Bioweapons lab. However, what very few will say is that this was intentionally released, rather they cling to the idea that it might have been accidentally released. So let's see if that makes any sense.
China shut down Wuhan immediately and would not let anyone in Wuhan travel to any other part of China and no one in China could go to Wuhan. This city is bigger than NYC, it is no small thing to quarantine a city of that size. Clearly from the very earliest they knew this was a very dangerous virus and yet they did not shut down international travel to and from Wuhan.
They told us this was from a fish market in Wuhan. There has been no evidence to support that. We do know it is a bat virus and the closest bat caves are 1,000 miles away. This would be like blaming bats in Carlsbad New Mexico for starting this virus which first appears in New York City. A very unlikely scenario, especially since there has not been any evidence that this is true.
If you want to hold to the theory that the virus was released accidentally you have to conclude that China tried to cover up their negligence, and it was gross negligence in having international travel open while locking down the city to domestic travel.
But it gets worse, the Chinese had the genome of this virus months before the rest of the world and wouldn't release it, the genome was essential to create treatments and therapies. This is no longer an attempt to try and cover up your negligence but an active attempt to slow down the world from getting a cure. So if this is not an act of war at the very least it is an act of economic war where the Chinese are trying to corner the market on the cure.
Fauci, the head of the NIH, has close ties to this lab having financed the research into gain of function of bat viruses at this lab (gain of function means you weaponize the virus, turn it into a bioweapon). Any reasonable person in charge of the US response to the virus, a virus very similar to the ones your researchers are working on in Wuhan would have contacted those researchers, especially since this originated in Wuhan. So one would think that Fauci would have been the first to find out it came from the lab, but no. He feigns ignorance for 16 months, originally he is adamant that it didn't come from the lab and any insinuation that it did is fear mongering. So even though the president of the US and the Secretary of State are both telling the American people it did, they are mocked and ridiculed because people are listening to Fauci, a man with a financial interest in the very lab it came from. An accidental discharge does not explain Fauci's behavior, on the contrary you would have expected him to have discovered this in the Fall of 2019 and counseled the president to shut down all travel to Wuhan, instead he argued against that.
Not only so, it certainly does not explain the media's behavior. They mocked, ridiculed, even slandered anyone who said the virus was dangerous or who said it came from the lab. Why? It doesn't make any sense that CNN or MSNBC wouldn't ask serious questions about the origin of the virus. 16 months later all the evidence that they are looking at that is now "compelling" was available to them. Nor does this explain the tech giants censorship of anyone who disagreed with the official narrative of a wet market origin. They did that under the guise of "following the science" even though all those who were following the science ended up at the bioweapons lab in Wuhan. It really does not explain the behavior of Governor Cuomo and Whitmer who forced contagious people to return to nursing homes where they would infect everyone else. Both Michigan and NY had very high death rates associated with those who contracted it in a nursing home and then covered that up.
Occam's razor would eliminate simple negligence as an explanation. The simplest explanation that explains all of this is something that the CCP's military published in 2015. They said that a war with the US would need to start with a bio attack to weaken and disrupt their economy. You can understand the motivation of some of those who did this was political to remove Trump from office, but that would only be one piece to the puzzle. An orchestrated attack on the US by the CCP which includes removing Trump from office is the simplest explanation of what we have seen so far.
But it gets worse. There is this overwhelming pressure to get the vaccine despite the science saying that those who previously had the virus have immunity that is better than the vaccine. Not only so but there is plenty of science that suggests certain groups should be more wary than others of the vaccine as it can spark the biggest reaction in those who were recently infected. Why the illogical response to this virus? States that ignored the official advice have done the best, whereas the countries with the highest percentage of vaccinated people (Israel and Singapore) are seeing large spikes in Covid.
We are told in the book of Revelation that the dragon has seven heads and ten horns and that is what we are seeing with the response to the pandemic. You cannot trust the CCP, you cannot trust Fauci, you cannot trust Cuomo or Whitmer, you cannot trust the tech giants or mainstream media, and you cannot trust the Gates foundation. The advice they give appears to have several key objectives: destroy the middle class (the backbone of democracy), remove Trump from office, and force a "vaccine passport" on the entire world as a way to monitor your "social score" (how compliant you are to the totalitarian pressure).
The obvious conclusion to me is that we are seeing the rise of the Beast, a one world government. We have been under a "big lie" for 22 months, time to wake up.
The German expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book Mein Kampf, to describe the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."
We now have compelling, even overwhelming evidence that this virus was man made in the Wuhan Bioweapons lab. However, what very few will say is that this was intentionally released, rather they cling to the idea that it might have been accidentally released. So let's see if that makes any sense.
China shut down Wuhan immediately and would not let anyone in Wuhan travel to any other part of China and no one in China could go to Wuhan. This city is bigger than NYC, it is no small thing to quarantine a city of that size. Clearly from the very earliest they knew this was a very dangerous virus and yet they did not shut down international travel to and from Wuhan.
They told us this was from a fish market in Wuhan. There has been no evidence to support that. We do know it is a bat virus and the closest bat caves are 1,000 miles away. This would be like blaming bats in Carlsbad New Mexico for starting this virus which first appears in New York City. A very unlikely scenario, especially since there has not been any evidence that this is true.
If you want to hold to the theory that the virus was released accidentally you have to conclude that China tried to cover up their negligence, and it was gross negligence in having international travel open while locking down the city to domestic travel.
But it gets worse, the Chinese had the genome of this virus months before the rest of the world and wouldn't release it, the genome was essential to create treatments and therapies. This is no longer an attempt to try and cover up your negligence but an active attempt to slow down the world from getting a cure. So if this is not an act of war at the very least it is an act of economic war where the Chinese are trying to corner the market on the cure.
Fauci, the head of the NIH, has close ties to this lab having financed the research into gain of function of bat viruses at this lab (gain of function means you weaponize the virus, turn it into a bioweapon). Any reasonable person in charge of the US response to the virus, a virus very similar to the ones your researchers are working on in Wuhan would have contacted those researchers, especially since this originated in Wuhan. So one would think that Fauci would have been the first to find out it came from the lab, but no. He feigns ignorance for 16 months, originally he is adamant that it didn't come from the lab and any insinuation that it did is fear mongering. So even though the president of the US and the Secretary of State are both telling the American people it did, they are mocked and ridiculed because people are listening to Fauci, a man with a financial interest in the very lab it came from. An accidental discharge does not explain Fauci's behavior, on the contrary you would have expected him to have discovered this in the Fall of 2019 and counseled the president to shut down all travel to Wuhan, instead he argued against that.
Not only so, it certainly does not explain the media's behavior. They mocked, ridiculed, even slandered anyone who said the virus was dangerous or who said it came from the lab. Why? It doesn't make any sense that CNN or MSNBC wouldn't ask serious questions about the origin of the virus. 16 months later all the evidence that they are looking at that is now "compelling" was available to them. Nor does this explain the tech giants censorship of anyone who disagreed with the official narrative of a wet market origin. They did that under the guise of "following the science" even though all those who were following the science ended up at the bioweapons lab in Wuhan. It really does not explain the behavior of Governor Cuomo and Whitmer who forced contagious people to return to nursing homes where they would infect everyone else. Both Michigan and NY had very high death rates associated with those who contracted it in a nursing home and then covered that up.
Occam's razor would eliminate simple negligence as an explanation. The simplest explanation that explains all of this is something that the CCP's military published in 2015. They said that a war with the US would need to start with a bio attack to weaken and disrupt their economy. You can understand the motivation of some of those who did this was political to remove Trump from office, but that would only be one piece to the puzzle. An orchestrated attack on the US by the CCP which includes removing Trump from office is the simplest explanation of what we have seen so far.
But it gets worse. There is this overwhelming pressure to get the vaccine despite the science saying that those who previously had the virus have immunity that is better than the vaccine. Not only so but there is plenty of science that suggests certain groups should be more wary than others of the vaccine as it can spark the biggest reaction in those who were recently infected. Why the illogical response to this virus? States that ignored the official advice have done the best, whereas the countries with the highest percentage of vaccinated people (Israel and Singapore) are seeing large spikes in Covid.
We are told in the book of Revelation that the dragon has seven heads and ten horns and that is what we are seeing with the response to the pandemic. You cannot trust the CCP, you cannot trust Fauci, you cannot trust Cuomo or Whitmer, you cannot trust the tech giants or mainstream media, and you cannot trust the Gates foundation. The advice they give appears to have several key objectives: destroy the middle class (the backbone of democracy), remove Trump from office, and force a "vaccine passport" on the entire world as a way to monitor your "social score" (how compliant you are to the totalitarian pressure).
The obvious conclusion to me is that we are seeing the rise of the Beast, a one world government. We have been under a "big lie" for 22 months, time to wake up.