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ESCHAtOLOGY
Warning –
Rapture – Tribulation - Return
Millennium –
War – Judgment - Eternity
The Bible is the inspired,
inerrant, unchanging Word of God. There is no other book.
A first word
Fortune Tellers, Soothsayers,
Clairvoyants and Prognosticators. The probability of
picking who will win a football game is a 1 in 2 chance of picking the right
one. Picking the actual score, the probability jumps up to 1 in 5000. Predicting 11 future events in sequence
is one chance in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Ten Billion times a Billion. That’s the accuracy of the Prophets.
·
Be
born in Bethlehem
·
Enter
Jerusalem
·
His
hands and feet pierced – Psalms 22:16.
Wounded and whipped – Isaiah 53:5
·
Sold
for 30 pieces of silver – Zechariah 11:12.
Spit upon and beaten – Isaiah 50:6
·
Betrayal
money thrown in the temple - given for a potter’s field – Zechariah 11:13
·
Be
silent before His accusers – Isaiah 53:7. Crucified with thieves – Isaiah 53:12
I
think we are pretty safe in believing the prophecies in the
“Revelation”
of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Above all, you must understand that no
prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will
of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. NIV
Interpretation
The smart people say there are four ways to interpret
the Bible
First: Literally…What
is says, is what it is… and is the first and most desired interpretation.
Second: Figurative Language…
What did the “saying” mean during their time.
Third: Symbolically… What could the symbol
mean based on other verses in the Bible and can
the rest of the paragraph
or thought be interpreted symbolically and still make sense.
that has another meaning
or teaching based on other supporting scriptures in the Bible.
“When the plain sense of Scripture
makes common sense, seek no other sense;
Therefore, take every word at its
primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless
the facts of the immediate context,
studied in the light of related passages and
axiomatic and fundamental truths,
indicate clearly otherwise”. (Hal Lindsey)
Approach
There are a number of Mind Sets or approaches to
interpreting the Revelation. Here are a few.
Belief that the Revelation
is just Historical, or Futuristic.
Belief in a Rapture; Pre, Mid
and Post Tribulation, or no Rapture.
Belief that Christ comes
back at the beginning of the Tribulation, or the middle, or the end.
I am entering the arena with a Historical,
Present & Futuristic mind set, and believing in the taking away of the
church before the tribulation and Christ’s return before the Millennial reign
begins. It is my intent to provide scriptures
and background information that support this view.
NOTE: The Revelation scriptures are in plain text
with sequential numbers.
My
comments are in a box, with the back up scripture in italics.
These
expand the thoughts around the primary scripture.
Believer’s Instructions Before Leaving Earth
God wants us to know and understand what’s in this book.
Rev 1:3 Blessed
is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear
it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. NIV
Rev 22:7 "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of
the prophecy in this book." NIV
CREDITS
- The Stage - is the World where life is played out before
all creation to watch.
In
the Old Testament, God is center stage with Jesus and the
Holy Spirit in the wings
In
the New Testament, Jesus is center stage with God and the
Holy Spirit in the wings.
Today, in modern times, The
Holy Spirit is center stage with God and Jesus in the wings.
The Trinity is present at all times.
- The Play Title: Revelation -
Apocalypse – (Greek) a revealing or unveiling – The last recorded
writing from the mouth of God to the pen of man.
- Author- God
- Written down by – John, known as
“The Beloved Disciple” - He was one of the 12 Apostles - Jesus committed his
mother into John’s care as he stood at the foot of the cross. – He was the
Pastor of the Church in Ephesus where he brought Mary, mother of Jesus,
for her care – He was the son of Zebedee – The brother of James - James
and John were called “Sons of Thunder” – His mother was Salome who was
believed to be the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This would make John a cousin of Jesus. -
John was a fisherman by trade – he was a relative of the High Priest
who was a supplier of fish – His partners were Peter and James – He is the
writer of Revelation as well as the Forth Gospel and three epistles. He penned more of the New Testament than
any other Apostle. (This is not John the Baptist)
- Directed by – God through Jesus Christ by an
Angel to John to help steady the Church during the awful days ahead.
- On Location – John was in a Roman penal camp
where he had been sent by Emperor Domitian to silence him, being afraid
that killing him would make him a martyr to the Christian Jews. The prison
was on
- Time Line: The vision took place on the Lord’s
Day, A.D.95 during the Persecution by the Roman Emperor Domitian. John
worked at hard labor in the prison mines and quarries until A.D.96. When Domitian was assassinated, John was
released from prison and returned to his home and lived to an old age and
his body was buried in
- Past Setting - 1st Imperial Persecution: Roman Emperor Nero
Cesar, (A.D.64-67) had persecuted both Jews and Christians 30 years before
the Revelation was penned by John.
The Christians were crucified, thrown to wild beast or wrapped in
combustible garments and burned as human torches at Nero’s parties.
- Present Setting – 2nd
Imperial Persecution: Roman
Emperor Domitian (A.D.81-96) was even more fierce and fiery; over 40,000
Christians were tortured and slain.
He promoted Emperor Worship.
Everyone was forced to address him as “Lord and God Domitian”. He was the one that exiled John to the
Isle of Patmos because of his testimony of Jesus.
- Future Setting – 3rd
Imperial Persecution: Roman
Emperor Trajan (A.D. 98)- Persecution of the Christians was just around
the corner. John had lived through
the first two and now about to enter the third. The Church was starting to show signs of
corruption and apostasy and dark days were still ahead for the Church.
- Language: Symbols and numbers speak of
a certain reality; as an example, our flag’s configuration speaks of the
existence of our particular nation.
The spiritual symbolism would be clear to Christians, but
would make no sense to the Roman persecutors. – Persecution was so great
that the Christians met often quietly and in secret. If you are into symbols and
numbers, there are over 300 symbols. – Throne is used 44 times, King,
Kingdom or rule about 37 times, Power and Authority is used some 40 times.
- The Omega Code: The Levitical
system of the Old Testament was built on cycles of seven. The number
seven was a number of fullness, totality, completeness such as; 7
Churches, 7 seals, 7 vials, 7 candlesticks, 7 trumpets, 7 signs, 7 last
plagues, 7 dooms, and 7 new things.
- Players:
Angels, Spirits, a Lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes, a Red Dragon with
7 heads and 7 crowns, A Leopard like beast with 7 heads, a Scarlet covered
beast with 7 heads, 7 mountains, and 7 kings.
- The Villain:
Satan or the Devil – Also know as the Tempter, Prince of Demons,
Prince of the Power of the Air, The Great Dragon, The Old Serpent, The
Evil One, The Father of Lies, The Thief,
a Murderer and our Adversary -
He can produce false miracles, and is the source of demonical
possession. He has angels and a
kingdom. He is thrown out of
heaven.
- The Hero: Jesus Christ – mentioned as the Lamb
26 times in The Revelation – Known as “The Messiah” - The Anointed One -
Son of Man - First Born of the Dead, - Prince of the Kings of the Earth and
Jehovah. God has determined from
the beginning that His Son would be the ruler of the Universe. In this Vision, Christ receives the
Title Deed to all creation; He returns and judges the world and then reigns
in Power and Glory.
- Plot: The
Revelation focus’s on the coming reign of Jesus Christ on this earth which
Satan wants to control. It deals
with events surrounding His return and the readiness or un-readiness of
the Church to receive Him, a description of tremendous events that will
take place in heaven and on earth and describes Christ’s complete and
eternal victory over Satan and Satan’s punishment:
- The Story Episodes: Begins with; Warnings
to the Church’s - then Rapture of
the Church - The Tribulation period - The Second coming of Christ - His
Millennium Reign - The Battle of Armageddon - the Great White Throne Judgment -A new
Heaven – A New Earth - Eternity.
Time Line Reader’s
Digest Cliff Notes Version
- First Earth Age - This is eternity past
- In the beginning God
creates the Heavens and the Earth. He sees that it is good - Gen 1:1
- Man and animals are
created with free will – They
are good
- The angels are
created with free will,
including Satan – They are good
- There is not a Law: If
you sin, you die.
- Satan is given
dominion over all of the Earth – But he wants to be worshiped as God
- Time did not exist - but probably
millions of years as we know it would pass by.
- Satan rebels – so
does 50,000,000 angels and they leave their assigned post to follow Satan
- Man’s heart becomes
filled with evil and violence and man wants to do his own thing.
- All of Heaven sees what’s happening and
waits to see if Satan will succeed.
- God gives eons of
time for Satan and man to come around, but they don’t
- God floods the earth
wiping out everything.
- The earth becomes
without form and void – Gen 1:2
- Heaven watches to see what Satan
will do about it.
- Second
Earth Age
– This is the present age – but
before Jesus Christ is born.
- The earth is still
void and the spirits of the dead are still alive, but they have no bodies.
- They become Satan’s
demonic followers.
- Time as we know it Begins - Satan is unable to
give life or create anything –
- God starts over – All
of Heaven is watching to see what Satan will do next.
- The plan of salvation of man is put into effect. “The
law of sin and death”.
- A
mystery
is also put into effect. A new
ruler of the earth will come and defeat Satan.
- Everything is recreated
or “brought forth” starting in Genesis 1:3 – Man has free will.
- God put Adam and Eve
in the Garden
– Everything is put under Adam’s authority.
- Satan
is
determined he will not report to a
man made lower than him, made
out of dirt.
- God tells Adam “don’t
eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil”, or you will die.
- Satan tricks Adam
into eating the fruit – God knew he would – Adam is now a sinner.
- Adam now has Kids –
Satan thinks Able will be the new ruler – gets Cain to kill Able.
- Now everybody is a
sinner – Satan is home free – He is king and worthy of praise.
- About 2,000
years passes
– Man is hopelessly evil – Heaven is wondering what’s next.
- God gets Noah and his
family to build an ark – fills it with pairs of God’s creation.
- God Floods the earth
for over a year. Only 8 people are saved.
This is God’s remnant.
- Noah’s family and the
animals and creatures start over populating the earth.
- About 1,000
more years pass
– Satan hears the Prophets talk about a hidden mystery.
- A messiah is
prophesied to come from the Jewish nation to rule the earth.
- Satan gets Pharaoh to
kill all the male children – Moses is saved – Moses must be the one.
- Satan gets Moses to
kill an Egyptian – Now Moses is a sinner – Satan thinks he is home free.
- The Church age begins – Jesus the Messiah prophesied.
- Another 1,000 years pass – Satan hears more
talk about a “mystery that’s been hidden”.
- A Messiah is coming -
a new ruler of earth – Now all creation is watching what will
happen.
- Satan gets the king
to kill all the babies two years old and under – But, Jesus is saved.
- Jesus is found at age
12 in the temple,
but does not start His ministry till He is about 30.
- Satan tries to tempt
Jesus into sinning – but is unsuccessful – Satan needs another plan.
- The Jews are excited
– They are looking for a reigning
Messiah to set up a kingdom.
- Jews are disappointed
– Jesus comes as a suffering
Messiah – with a message of salvation.
- Jews don’t understand
and reject Jesus as the Messiah – Satan is ecstatic.
- The prophets say
everyone that hangs on a tree is a sinner
- Satan enters Judas
and tricks him into forcing Jesus to take action as a reigning Messiah.
- It didn’t work – This
was not the Plan – Judas sees he made a mistake – kills himself.
- Jesus is crucified on
a tree–
Sinless Jesus takes all of man’s sins– Satan is dumbfounded.
- All Heaven, Hell, demons and angels both good and evil
are watching to see what happens.
- The
Church age continues – More
prophecy revealed
- Jesus goes to a
compartment of hell know as paradise or Abrahams Bosom.
- Jesus preaches to the
good guys and takes them to heaven with the keys of death and hell.
- Jesus spends time
with His disciples and about 500 others.
- Jesus is translated
to Heaven and sits at the right hand of God
- The prophets tell
that the Messiah is coming back - This time to be a reigning Messiah.
- Satan is upset –
knows his time is short. All Creation is watching and giving witness
–
- Time is given to Satan and all in
the earth to hear Christ’s message of salvation and repent.
- John is thrown into
the prison on the
- God gives a vision to
John – John cryptically writes it down – sneaks it out to the believers.
- Last
of the Church Age – John is given a Vision; the Rapture - the Tribulation – the Future
- Warnings are given to
the Church’s of all ages; the body of Christ, about the end times.
- 2000 more
years pass; time enough for Satan and all living
to respond to Christ’s message.
- All Creation is
watching as a witness of God’s patience and Satan’s total rebellion
- Satan enters into a
man and he becomes his false
prophet – The Anti-spirit.
- Satan enters into
another man and he become the
Antichrist
- Satan still sees
himself as God – he now has a trinity
– This will fool many, he is like God.
- The Antichrist is
shot in the head and appears dead – is resurrected – similar to Christ
- Many think he is the
Messiah and follow and worship him.
Satan is ecstatic.
- Jesus comes back and
raptures the believing church – It happens faster than you can blink.
- Great confusion
exists – Satan, the fallen angels, demons and the wicked are all that’s
left.
- This is the first
part of Christ’s second coming – Some get saved because of this
event.
- God
seals and marks 144,000 Jews to preach the gospel of salvation one more
time
- All creation sees
God’s love
for His creation and they are a witness to his patience.
- Seven
years of tribulation begins – The Antichrist makes a peace treaty with
- Wars, famine,
pestilence, boils, sickness, hail, earthquakes & natural disasters are
prevalent.
- The Antichrist
seals his followers with a mark on their forehead like God did.
- They can now buy food
and sell stuff - They worship the Antichrist as the Messiah.
- They are doomed
forever – this is the unpardonable sin. They cannot change their mind.
- Some do not take the
mark, many are killed. Heaven takes
note – The angels ponder it.
- Antichrist breaks the
Peace agreement with
- Antichrist stops the
sacrifices in the
- Antichrist sets up an
image of Satan in the temple – it can talk – it is worshiped.
- There is war in
heaven. Michael, God’s
- Satan and one third
of the angels are thrown out of heaven.
- God
sends two witnesses to preach one more time – They do miracles –
many are saved
- The two witnesses
might be Elijah and Enoch, both previously raptured or translated.
- They preach the
Gospel for the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation
- They are
supernaturally protected during their mission
- They perform great
miracles; call down fire from Heaven, and cause droughts
- When their mission is
complete, God allows the Antichrist to kill them
- They lie in the
streets of
- People are happy and
give each other gifts… Might be at Christmas time.
- The Heavens thunder -
The Two Witnesses are resurrected and raptured or translated
- The process is slow
enough for everybody on earth to see it via satellite.
- A great earthquake
hits - A tenth of
- Seven Thousand men
are killed. - Survivors recognize the power of God
- God has everybody’s
attention and they see His invitation to salvation. All creation sees.
- The
Third Earth Age preamble – war
of Gog and Magog. the millennium reign
- During the entire tribulation
period, one half of the world’s population is killed.
- Birds are summoned to
eat the dead. - It takes seven months to bury the dead remains.
- Antichrist and the
false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.
- Satan is bound in
chains for 1,000 years so he cannot deceive the nations.
- Christ
returns and reigns - there is peace and an abundance of everything for 1,000 years.
- Those born during the
1,000 years have borne witnessed to the love and peace of God.
- Many embraced God
because it was politically correct, but have no relationship.
- This proves mans
heart is inherently evil and is doomed without the Holy Spirit’s drawing.
- Satan is released
after the 1,000 years for a short time and starts the deception again.
- There are a bunch of
people just ripe for the picking by Satan.
- All Creation sees that God has let
man’s spirit freely choose whom he will serve
- There is another war
– The war of Armageddon – 200 million fight against the Antichrist
- All are defeated –
There are no survivors
- The unsaved are
judged and with Satan are thrown into the lake of fire forever.
- All creation now
knows
the awesomeness of God and tells the story of Satan’s rebellion.
- There is now no doubt,
only the pure and faithful are in the presence of Jehovah God.
- The
Third Earth Age– begins
- There’s a “whole lot
of shakin’ is goin’ on”. - God does Urban Renewal
- A New Heaven
and Earth are created
- The New
Jerusalem
comes down from Heaven already constructed.
- The
- Living water flows
out of the throne room both east and west.
There is no more sea.
- The walls are
transparent with its twelve gates, each made out of a single pearl.
- The redeemed of the
earth live here. We the redeemed rule
and reign with Him forever.
- The remaining Nations
of the earth make annual pilgrimages to
- There is no sin – no
tears, no trouble. Just peace and
abundance of everything.
- The fruit of the
Spirit for the healing of the nations is in everyone. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
- The
story of Satan and fallen man is told over and over again– It will never happen
again
- Time no
longer exist –
Just eternity.
RABBIT TRAILS
- Rabbit
Trails
have been included in this study so the student can see that the
Revelation is not just a “some day in the future” story, but a dynamic
story that’s unfolding all around us NOW, TODAY as we speak.
- In the last days
there will be a falling away from the church. False teachers will creep into the
church with false teachings that delude the Bible scriptures.
- Some will deny the
supernatural of the scriptures.
- Others will point to
another person other than Jesus Christ or teach “Christ plus” another who
has special enlightenment. – Or point to a different god – Or you too can
become a god.
- Some will point to
another Book other than the Bible or teach the “Bible plus” another book.
- Many will teach “cross pollination” of religious traditions
of worship, and a “deconstruction”
of Christian doctrines.
- I have included historical
information, statistics, doctrines, and fun folklore that will pull
the student back full circle to the relevance of the Revelation of
Jesus Christ.
2 Tim 3:1-7
3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
5 Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women
laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. KJV
Now to the
slow version
of the unpacking
of the Revelation.
- Christ’s first coming; knowing of His death
on the cross, came to be a “suffering Messiah”. The
Jews were looking for a “Reigning Messiah”, giving them supernatural signs. He did neither, that’s why the
Jews had a hard time accepting Him as their Messiah.
- Signs and wonders are
to follow the believer. The
believer is not to follow the signs and wonders.
- There is no
supporting scripture that says Christ came to be a reigning Messiah.
- However, that does
occur at the beginning of His second
coming during the millennium.
John 3:14-15
14 Just as
Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone
who believes in him may have eternal life.
Luke 24:46-47
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ
will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and
repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem
Mark 14:8-9
8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.
9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is
preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory
of her." NIV
THE RETURN OF CHRIST –
RABBIT TRAIL
- NOTE: A prophetical year was 360 days not 365. So, if you use the 360 days the prophets
used, the dates and times will work out perfectly.
- No one knows when
Christ will return, but it will be 360 days times 7 years or 2,520 days
from the beginning of the tribulation period to his appearing. God said it, not me.
- The concurrent
signs of the second coming
- 1) The preaching of the gospel in the whole world as a testimony to
all the nations:
- 2) Many turning away from the faith because
of false prophets.
- 3) Great
Tribulations more intense and extensive such as the world has ever
seen since the beginning, all occurring about the same time; GREAT earthquakes;
Increased frequency of Wars, terrorism, famines and pestilence.
- 4)
Matt 24:6-8
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,
but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come.
7 Nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and
earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth
pains. NIV
Luke 21:9-11
9 But when ye
shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must
first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said
he unto them, Nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. KJV
Matt 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. NIV
Luke 21:20
20 And when
ye shall see Jerusalem
Matt 24:10-13
10 At that time many will turn away from
the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and
deceive many people.
12 Because of
the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, NIV
Matt 24:21-22
21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled
from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again. 2 NIV
- There will always be
scoffers concerning the return of Christ, saying, “Where is He?”
2 Peter 3:3-4
3 First of
all, you must understand that in the
last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will
say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. NIV
2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But do not
forget this one thing, dear friends: With
the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The
Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He
is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance. NIV
- The
final and great sign of the return of Christ will be a trumpet blast when
Christ visibly appears
in clouds of glory and majesty surrounded by innumerable angels.
Matt 24:30-31
30 At that
time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of
the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
31 And he
will send his angels with a loud trumpet
call…. NIV
- The Revelation seems
to address only the Jewish nation
- What good news for
us!
Isa 42:6-7
6 "I,
the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I
will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open
eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the
dungeon those who sit in darkness. NIV
John 10:16
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of
this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd. KJV
Eph 1:11
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of
him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, NIV
Rom 11:17
17 And if
some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were
grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and
fatness of the olive tree, NKJV
Rom 11:24
24 For if you
were cut out of the olive tree which is
wild by nature, and were grafted
contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these,
who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? NKJV
- The Apostle Paul said
the mystery of the Gentiles was
made know to him by the Holy Spirit.
Eph 3:3-6
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by
revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading
this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of
Christ,
5 which was
not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by
the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles
are heirs together with Israel
- As sons of the light,
we are not ignorant of the coming of Christ, He has told us to be
watchful. It is different however for those in darkness, the message is veiled to them.
1 Thess 5:1-7
2 For
you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in
the night.
3 For when
they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon
them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the
day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore
let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. NKJV
PREDESTINATION – RABBIT
TRAIL
- The Predestination
doctrine testifies of “God’s
sovereignty” and runs from the Old Testament through the New
Testament. It’s about what God has
already said. If God has said it, then
His eternal purpose will not fail; it will come to pass.
- God sees the end from
the beginning,
from “born” to “born again”. This is
not a straight line, but is full of struggles, dips and turns, mountains and valleys.
- Man was created with free
will to do whatever he pleases, the exercise of his own volition,
Freedom of Choice, Freedom of Election, and Freedom of Spirit.
- “Devine Sovereignty”
and “Human Free will” are parallel lines.
They never meet nor cross.
- It is clear, that in
God’s Sovereignty, that before He created the Earth, He foreknew those
that would be drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit. In effect they were predestined.
- A preacher preaches
to a crowd: One stays to receive Christ – The rest leave – Not everyone is
drawn. His call has been sent out
to ALL men, some will answer, some will not.
- If on the cross, Christ
died for “all men” to be saved, then He was an utter failure as all
men are not saved. However, if He
died for “ALL” He foreknew that would be drawn to Him both now and in the future, He is 100 percent successful.
- The “Once Saved,
Always Saved” doctrine is about the Predestination of security for the believer. It’s the “believer’s security” that is predestined.
- Paul, scratching his
head over this said, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God ! How unsearchable
are his judgments, and His ways are past finding out”. Rom
- PREDESTINATION : None
drawn by the Holy Spirit will be lost to that old serpent, Satan.
John 6: 40
40 And this
is the will of him who sent me, that I
shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the
last day. NIV
Rom 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,
39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord. KJV
Jer 1:5
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart; NIV
Eph 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of
the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- NIV
Eph 1:11-13
11 In him we
were also chosen, having been
predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order
that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his
glory.
13 And you
also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation. Having believed, you
were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, NIV
Rom 8:29-30
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also
called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified,
these He also glorified. NKJV
Acts 2:39
9 For the
promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
NKJV
DEVINE ELECTION – RABBIT
TRAIL
- God elects to save
some and send others to hell. – What a
heavy statement !
- Doesn’t the potter have
the right to make a utensil for worship and a different one for feeding the
puppies.
- Devine election along with Free Will are both taught in the scriptures.
- Devine election in
the Scriptures seem to apply only to the Jew, not to the Gentiles.
- God chose Abraham,
who did not know him, to be set apart - God’s Election
- He chose his younger
son over his older son to be blessed – God’s Election
- “Jacob I have loved,
but Esau I have hated” – God’s
Election
- God will decimate
- God’s grace is in Devine
Election to bless those He wants to.
It’s Man’s Free Will that gets him in on this blessing too.
- The scriptures say
God is not “a respecter of persons”, therefore he does not send
some to hell and some not. All are
treated the same. - Yes, there is Devine Election and there is also Free
Will.
Rom 11:5 – DEVINE
ELECTION
5 So too, at
the present time there is a remnant chosen
by grace.
Rom 9:10
10 Not only
that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac.
11 Yet, before
the twins were born or had done anything good or bad-in order that God's purpose in election might stand:
12 not by
works but by him who calls-she was told, "The
older will serve the younger." NIV
15 "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." NIV
18 Therefore God
has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to
harden. NIV
21 Does not the potter have the right to make
out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for
common use NIV
Rom 2:6-11 – FREE WILL
6 And if
by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer
be grace. NIV
7 To those
who by persistence in doing good
seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give
eternal life.
8 But for
those who are self-seeking and who
reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
9 There will
be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew,
then for the Gentile;
10 but glory,
honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile.
11 For God does not show favoritism. NIV
Rom 2:6
6 Who will
render to every man according to his deeds KJV
Rom 2:11
11 For there is no respect of persons with
God. KJV
Rom 10:12-13
12 For there
is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and
richly blesses all who call on him,
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved." NIV
John 3:16
16 "For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. NIV
Deut 30:19
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and
curses. Now choose life, so that you
and your children may live NIV
Judgment #1 – There are five judgment days. – four more
discussed later.
- Judgment of man’s
sins starts with Christ on the Cross
- Christ was declared
guilty, suffered and died so that we did not have to.
Isa 53:6
6 We all,
like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the
LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. NIV
John 5:24-25
24 "I
tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned;
he has crossed over from death to life.
25 I tell you
the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice
of the Son of God and those who hear
will live. NIV
Gal 3:13
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is
hung on a tree." NIV
Some chapters in Revelation are reflective and
informative
thus they are not all presented in chronological order.
PROPHECIES – RABBIT TRAIL
The
Berean’s were commended for checking out the philosopher’s words –
Check
out these prophecies.
Prophecy Jesus Fulfillment
- Isaiah
- Psalms 2:7 be the Son of God Matthew 3:17, Mark
- Genesis
- Genesis
- Numbers 24:17 be the son of Jacob Matthew 1:2, 16, Luke
3:23, 34
- Genesis 49:10 be from the tribe Judah Matthew 1:3, 16, Luke 3:23
- Isaiah 9:6 be of the house of
David Matthew 1:6, 16
- Micah 5:2 be born in Bethlehem Matthew 2:1
- Numbers 24:17 star would announce His birth Matthew 2:1-2
- Jeremiah 31:15 Herod would kill children Matthew
- Psalms 110:1 be called Lord Mark 12:35-37
- Isaiah
- Deuteronomy
- Psalms 110:4 be a priest Hebrews
3:1, 5:7-10
- Isaiah 33:22 be a judge 2 Timothy
4:1
- Isaiah 9:7 be a King John
18:37
- Isaiah 11:2 be anointed by The Holy
Spirit Matthew 3:16-17
- Isaiah 40:3 be preceded by a messenger Matthew 3:1-3
- Isaiah 9:1 would minister in
Galilee Matthew 4:12-17
- Isaiah 35:5-6 ministry will include
miracles Matthew
- Zechariah
- Isaiah 42:6-7 be a light to the Gentiles Matthew 4:16, Luke 2:32
- Zechariah
- Isaiah 53:7 be silent before
accusers Matthew 27:12
- Isaiah 53:5 be scourged and wounded Matthew 27:26
- Isaiah 50:6 be smitten and spat upon Matthew 26:67
- Psalms
- Isaiah 53:12 put to death with
criminals Matthews 27:38
- Psalms
- Psalms 69:21 would suffer thirst John
- Psalms 69:21 gave gall and vinegar to
drink Matthew 27:34
- Psalms 22:1 utter forsaken cry to
God Matthew 27:46
- Psalms 34:20 no bones would be broken John 19:33
- Zechariah
- Isaiah 53:9 buried in a rich mans
tomb Matthew 27:57-60
- Psalms
- Psalms 68:18 ascend into heaven Acts 1:9
- Psalms 110:1 sit at the right hand of
God Hebrews 1:3
Prophecy
Jesus
Fulfillment
Chapter 1 – THE
THINGS WHICH THOU HAS SEEN – VISION OF JESUS - PAST
God sends His Angel to John
Rev 1:1-2
1:1 The revelation
of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon
take place. He made it known by sending His
angel to his servant John,
2 who testifies (signifies) to everything he
saw-that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- The Bible doesn’t say
who the angel was. Some believe
it was Jesus Christ Himself, but I don’t think so. Some think it was an
Old Testament prophet, but based on other scriptures, the angel (messenger) was probably Gabriel (God is my strength).
- The KJV, instead of using
the word “testifies” says “signifies”, which means that the
book uses signs and symbols to convey spiritual things. This writing would be clear to the
Christian, but veiled to the Romans persecutors.
- Angels
of the Lord
- Special Messengers that carry out the Devine purpose of God.
Luke 1:19
19 The angel
answered, "I am Gabriel. I
stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell
you this good news. NIV
Luke 1:26
26 In the
sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel
to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, NIV
Dan 8:15-16
15 While I,
Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood
one who looked like a man.
16 And I
heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel,
tell this man the meaning of the vision." NIV
Dan 9:21
21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the
earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening
sacrifice. NIV
Gen 19:15
15 When the
morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying,
"Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be
consumed in the punishment of the city." NKJV
Num 22:31
31 Then the
LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the
angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his
hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. KJV
- Archangels
– wars on behalf of Gods people ( A Chief Prince )
Jude 9
9 But even
the archangel Michael, when he was
disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a
slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" NIV
Rev 12:7
7 And there
was war in heaven. Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. NIV
Dan 10:13
13 But the
prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes,
came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia
Dan 12:1
12:1 And at
that time shall Michael stand up, the
great prince which standeth for the children of thy people KJV
- Seraphim’s – (Burning ones) Unearthly beings – have
6 wings – Attend the throne of God – Ministers of Gods Holy purpose.
Isa 6:2,6
2 Above it
stood the seraphim’s: each one had six
wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly. Isa 6:6
6 Then flew
one of the seraphim’s unto me,
having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the
altar: KJV
- Cherubim’s (Fullness of Knowledge) are Guardian Angels –
have 4 wings, sometimes depicted with only two - They have specific assignments. They are
NOT small children or babies, they are full grown beings. Some are assigned to each side of the
throne of God.
Ps 80:1
1 Hear us, O
Shepherd of Israel
Ps 99:1
1 The LORD
reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits
enthroned between the cherubim NIV
Gen 3:24
24 After he drove the man out, he placed on
the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim
and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the
tree of life. NIV
2 Chron 5:8
8 The cherubim spread their wings over the
place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. NIV
Luke 10:18
18 He
replied, "I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven.
NIV
Ezek 28:12-15
12 …You were
the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were
in Eden garden of God
sapphire,
turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day
you were created they were prepared.
14 You were
anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on
the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were
blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was
found in you NIV
Ezek 10:20-21
20 These were
the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel Kebar River
21 Each had
four faces and four wings, and under
their wings was what looked like the hands of a man. NIV
2 Chron 3:11
11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five
cubits long and touched the temple wall, while
it’s other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other
cherub NIV
- Common
angels
- Praise – Guide – Encourage – Interpret - Bring Judgment
Job 1:6
6 One day the
angels came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. NIV
Matt 26:53
53 Do you
think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more
than twelve legions of angels?
NIV
Ps 148:2
2 Praise
him, all his angels, praise him,
all his heavenly hosts.
NIV
Gen 28:12
12 He had a
dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to
heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. NIV
Ps 78:49
49 He
unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility--a band of destroying angels NIV
- Fallen
Angels
– One third of the Angels (stars)
created or about 50,000,000 fell from heaven - The number that remained
was 10,000 times 10,000 or 100,000,000.
Running with that concept, that would mean that there were
150,000,000 angels in Heaven.
- Probably 10,000 times
10,000 of angels actually means that the angels were innumerable.
11 Then I
looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand.
They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
Rev 12:4
4 His tail drew a third of the stars (Angels) of heaven and threw them to the earth. NKJV
Rev 12:9
9 The great
dragon was hurled down-that ancient
serpent called the devil, or Satan,
who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. NIV
Jude 6
6 And the angels
who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own
home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment
on the great Day.
NIV
2 Peter 2:4
4 For if God
did not spare angels when
they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be
held for judgment; NIV
SATAN – RABBIT TRAIL
- Satan was an anointed Cherubim angel created by God. He was”Top Dog”, the seal
of perfection, handsome and full of wisdom. God clothed him with jewels; ruby, topaz and
emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl and even
gave him a special ability with music.
(which he used to screw up the minds of the teenagers.)
Just saying.
- He was placed in authority to protect Earth, including
the atmosphere, and held court in the “
- But that was not
enough for Satan, he wanted to be “worshiped” like God. He was certainly
not going to report to Adam, a man made a little lower than him and
of all things, a being made out of dirt. There’s just no way he
would submit to any man.
- Satan in the “Garden
of Eden” introduced doubt and
unbelief - the doctrine of: “God didn’t really mean what he said” –
and “You too can become a God”.
This sin cut off that perfect access to God.
- Satan organized his
kingdom into “principalities”
and appointed “princes” to
control the earthly governmental leaders.
That’s why we should
pray for our leaders in government.
- Satan rebelled with
five I Will’s:
"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the
stars of God; I will sit
enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred
mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most
High”.
- After Satan’s
Rebellion, about 50,000,000 angels
who left their assignments were kicked out of Heaven and cast into Hell
and are currently awaiting judgment.
- Satan is not a
disease or a symbolic principal with horns, a tail and a pitch fork. He is real.
Gen 1:26
26 And God
said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. KJV
Isa 14:12-14
12 How you have
fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to
the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said
in your heart, "I will ascend
to heaven; I will raise my throne
above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of
assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the
clouds; I will make myself like the
Most High." NIV
Ezek 28:12-19
12 "`You
were the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were
in Eden garden of God
14 You
were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the
fiery stones.
15 You
were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was
found in you.
16 Through
your widespread trade you were filled
with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of
God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart
became proud on account of your
beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your
many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a
fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the
ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the
nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and
will be no more.'" NIV
Eph 2:2
2 Wherein in
time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: KJV
Dan 10:13
13 But, the prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes,
came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia
Eph 6:12
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV
Ezek 28:2
2 Son of man,
say unto the prince of Tyrus,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the
midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart
as the heart of God: KJV
Jude 6
6 And the angels who did not keep their
positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in
darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. NIV
Rev 12:3-4
4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. NIV
2 Peter 2:4
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,
but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for
judgment; NIV
- Principalities,
Powers and Ruler Angels – There are a group of Angels that I don’t
know what to call them, but they are located in heavenly places, and seem
to be the bad guys.
Eph 6:12
12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV
16 For by him
all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by him and for him. NIV
·
Demons are not angels,
but are another group of spiritual beings from a previous earth age that
occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
It’s a whole study into itself. (See the
books, The Invisible War and Dake’s reference Bible found on the last page.)
- They are disembodied
spirits that need a human body or animal to get around in, and their
presence brings torment and destruction to the person as well as to others.
- If a demon is cast
out of a person, it will return, if not replaced by the Spirit of God.
Matt 12:43-45
43 "When
an evil spirit comes out of a man,
it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
44 Then it
says, `I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house
unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
45 Then it
goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and
they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than
the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." NIV
Mark 5:9-13
9 Then Jesus
asked him, "What is your name?" "My
name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."
10 And he
begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large
herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
12 The demons
begged Jesus, "Send us among the
pigs; allow us to go into them."
13 He gave
them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The
herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake
and were drowned.
NIV
Matt 8:31
31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive
us out, send us into the herd of
pigs." NIV
- An “Arid place” is a
dry place. A demon desires a moist
place, a living being to find rest.
- They are the happiest
when they have their friends with them and are harder to cast out.
- Folks, this is REAL -
Demons are quietly active among us
today. They cause people to
kill themselves and others. We
dismiss demons by saying, “Oh, he just wasn’t in his right mind”.
14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to
the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of
God Almighty. NIV
Matt 17:15
15 "Lord, have mercy on my son," he
said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. NIV
Mark 5:2-5
2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to
meet him.
3 This man
lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
4 For he had
often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the
irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the
hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones NIV
Matt 9:32-33
32 While they
were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to
Jesus.
33 And when the demon was driven out, the man
who had been mute spoke. NIV
ANGELS - RABBIT TRAIL
- Angels are mention in
the Old Testament 108 times, and in the New Testament 165 times. That’s 273 times, if we dismiss the
notion of angels; we are in essence rejecting the Bible.
- They serve as a link
between God and believers.
While they do provide physical assistance, they do not do
miracles or do the work of the Holy Spirit. Believers have
probably interacted with an angel at one time or the other and did not
even know it.
- Angels are spiritual
beings and either posse’s bodies that are real or they assume the form of
a man, but still have the spiritual attributes. They can pass through
material objects and are not subject to distance or time. See the scriptures
below, of Jesus in His spiritual body.
- I find no record of
Female angels, or baby angels. They
do not marry.
- They can speak our
language and have their own language
- The Bible says that
angels are in charge of us, to guard our ways to keep us from danger.
- Angel hierarchy. – While I do not
find this in the Bible, I do find it in many books on angels throughout
the ages. Angels seem to be divided
in descending order into three triads of “Choirs”, of angels. This “Choir” is perhaps because we find
them singing and praising God in the scriptures. There are nine
groups. (This is just fun
information and not actually a Bible precept)
- First Choir -
Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones
- Second Choir –
Dominions, Virtues and Powers
- Third Choir –
Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
- It seems the last
two; Archangels and Angels are the only ones that interface with
man.
- Some domination’s
pray to and worship images of angels, believing that some OT saints are
now angels. This is a perversion of
the scriptures.
- Wings - Medieval
theologians writings portrayed Seraphim angels with six wings, Cherubim
with four and ordinary angels with only two. Nothing in scripture says that ALL angels have wings. Scriptures only partially addresses angel
wings - much comes from other writings and may be just myth.
- The Archangel Michael’s name means “who is as God”.
- Gabriel’s
name
means “God is my strength”, other translations say “The mighty one”, “God is great”, and “God’s Hero”.
- The Angel Raphael is mentioned in the
second book of Esdras in the Apocrypha, but not in the Bible. I include it here, only because it is so
often linked in other writings with the names of Michael and Gabriel. (It’s
only included here for “seasoning”).
- Angels through faith conquer
kingdoms, administer justice, shut the mouths of lions, save
believers from being killed, turn weakness into strength, place hedges of protection
around the Believer, bless the work of our hands, and provide
favor with others to prosper us.
- Angels escort
Believers from this World to Heaven for a royal welcome.
- Martin
Luther
said, “An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body, for
the service of Christendom and the church”.
- Billy
Graham
said “Angels, who think, will, and display emotions are ministering
servants who can appear or remain invisible as they perform the tasks
that God assigns them.”
Heb 1:14
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent
to serve those who will inherit salvation? NIV
Matt 22:30
30 At the
resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
NIV
1 Cor 15:39 -40
39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one
kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.
40 There are also heavenly bodies and there
are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind,
and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. NIV
1 Cor 15:46
46 The
spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the
spiritual. NIV
Luke 24:38-39
39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I
myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does
not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." NIV
John 20:19
19 On the
evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the
Jews, Jesus came and stood among them
and said, "Peace be with you!" NIV
Acts 1:10-11
10 They were
looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed
in white stood beside them.
11 "Men
of Galilee ," they said, "why do you
stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you
into heaven, will come back in the same
way you have seen him go into heaven." NIV
Luke 24:42-43
42 They gave
him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate it in their
presence. NIV
John 20:27
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your
finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." NIV
Ps 91:11-12
11 For he
will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they
will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone. NIV
Matt 18:10
10 "See
that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that
their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. NIV
Isa 6:2
2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings:
NIV
Ezek 1:6
6 but each of
them had four faces and four wings.
NIV
Ezek 1:11
Their wings
were spread out upward; each had two
wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. NIV
1 Cor 13:1
13:1 If I
speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal
NIV
Heb 11:33-34
33 who
through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained
what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
34 quenched
the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness
was turned to strength; NIV
Luke 16:22
22 "The
time came when the beggar died and the
angels carried him to Abraham's side.” NIV
Heb 13:2
2 Do not
forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. NIV
Job 1:10
10 "Have
you not put a hedge around him and
his household and everything he has? You have
blessed the work of his hands, so that
his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. NIV
SEVEN DAY SYMBOLIC NUMBERS
– RABBIT TRAIL
The
Bible says that, to the Lord a day is like a thousand years …. So …
A) The earth was created in
six days and then God rested on the seventh
day. Well, if a day is a thousand
years, then the six days would be 6000 years of church history and His Sabbath “rest” of one day would be
during the 1,000 year reign. That time
is now.
B)
From
the Garden of Eden to Abraham was 2000 years. That would be two days.
From
Abraham to Jesus Christ was 2000 years… That’s two more days.
From Jesus Christ until now has been 2000 years - That’s two more
days – a total of six
days. The future millennial reign
that comes on the heels of the rapture and tribulation
period
is 1000 years long…. That’s one more day … That’s a total of Seven days. It’s Time !
C)
There
were 2000 years before the Law (two
days); 2000 years under the law (two
more days); then 2000 years under the Messiah (two more days). We are now
living in the age just prior to His return and the 1,000 year reign (The seventh and last day.)
D) Christ died 2000 years ago
- That’s just two days ago - On
the third day, He arose. The millennial
reign is the third day.
E)
So,
it seems like it’s time for the rapture.
We are sitting right on the fence. - TODAY Christ can return and rapture
His Church now. Nothing else has to happen before His return in the
air. Not making a decision to accept
Christ in your life is a decision to reject Him.
Ps 90:4
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like a
day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3:8
8 But do not
forget this one thing, dear friends: With
the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
NIV
1 Thess 5:1-2
5:1 Now,
brothers, about times and dates we
do not need to write to you,
2 for you
know very well that the day of the Lord
will come like a thief in the night.
( Unexpected.) NIV
Blessed
Rev 1:3
3
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those
who hear it and take to heart what
is written in it, because the time is near. NIV
- The idea here is that
those who “study, obey and practice”
this writing will be blessed.
- Time is near means; that when the
judgment starts if will come swiftly, there will be no delays.
Seven
Rev 1:4
4 To
the seven churches in the province of Asia : Grace and
peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,
·
Seven is the number for
completeness which I will not cover here.
Three is the Trinity, Four is God’s handiwork and added together is Seven… completeness. (Read the
book “God’s Arithmetic” or “Theomatics” see the last page.)
- We know that there
were more than seven churches in
- The
seven Spirits
are seven characteristics of the Holy Spirit. All together they
represent the complete Spirit of the Lord. Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Power, Knowledge, Righteousness
and Faithfulness.
Isa 11:2-5
2 The Spirit
of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
3 and he will
delight in the fear of the LORD. He will
not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his
ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy;
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike
the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay
the wicked.
5
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness
the sash around his waist. NIV
Resurrection
Rev 1:5
5 and from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him
who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
- If we do not
believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then our Faith is
baseless, hopeless and useless.
- The empty tomb in
1 Cor 15:13 -14
13 If there
is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our
preaching is useless and so is your faith. NIV
Rev 20:6
6 Blessed and
holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be
priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. NIV
Millennial Reign – The thousand years.
Rev 1:6-7
6 and has made us
to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and
power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 Look, he is
coming with the clouds, and every
eye will see him,
even those who
pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So
shall it be! Amen. NIV
- Clouds can be taken
literally here, but may also include clouds of witnesses or saints that
accompany Him. This passage is
not talking about the rapture as we refer to it, since those that
pierced him (the un-believers)
are dead and cannot see him till His return at the millennial reign and His
establishment of His kingdom.
- This is referring to the
“second part” of His second coming and is reported out of sequence.
Acts 1:9
9 After he
said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. NIV
Matt 26:64
64 "Yes,
it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the
future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One
and coming on the clouds of
heaven." NIV
Luke 21:27-28
27 At that
time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When these
things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near." NIV
Matt 24:30-31
30 "At
that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the
nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory.
31 And he
will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. NIV
Heb 12:1
12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such
a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us. NIV
First & Last
Rev 1:8
8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who
is to come, the Almighty." NIV
- Alpha and Omega are the first and last
letters in the Greek alphabet, meaning Christ is the beginning, everything
in the middle and the end - He is our
past, present and future.
The Lord’s Day
Rev 1:9-10
9 I, John, your
brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that
are ours in Jesus, was on the island of
Patmos
- Interestingly, John
was on an
10 On The Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and
I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
- There is considerable
debate on if “The Lord’s Day”
was actually the Sabbath day or was it “The Lord’s Day of Judgment”
as seen in the vision. I find no definite
supporting scripture either way. I
embrace the latter since that’s what the revelation is about. (doesn’t matter)
- Under the Old
Covenant the Sabbath is Saturday – Under the New Covenant it’s Sunday.
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST –
RABBIT TRAIL
- The Seventh Day
Adventist
say the Lord’s Day or the Sabbath is on Saturday and this is
THE doctrine their Church hangs their hat on. If you celebrate the Lord’s day on
Sunday, you are doomed to spend eternity in Hell.
- Since a 24 hour day
was not made till the 4th day of creation, I’m not sure how anyone
can tell which day is which. This doctrine “yokes” the believer in the
bondage of legalism. Why would we go back to these “beggarly
elements” when Christ has set us free?
- We are not made holy
by keeping man made rules that somehow make us righteous.
- The “Sabbath”
originated with the Ten Commandments and Moses on
- The Jews had many
Sabbaths; The first day of the
seventh month, the eight day of
the seventh and the fifteenth day of
the seventh month.
- The Christian’s “Lords
day” is Sunday, the First day of the week; when Christ
arose from the grave; the day when the
- So for the Jew, the
Sabbath is still Saturday, but for the Christian it’s Sunday.
- We are told to not
let anyone judge us concerning our celebration of the Sabbath day.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you
eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or
a Sabbath day. NIV
Gal 4:9-12
9 But now, after
that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the
weak and beggarly elements,
whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and
years.
11 I am
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.
12 Brethren,
I beseech you, be as I am; for I am
as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. KJV
Cor 16:2
2 Upon the first day of the week let every
one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no
gatherings when I come. KJV
Mark 2:27-28
27 Then he
said to them, "The Sabbath was made
for man, not man for the Sabbath.
28 So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." NIV
Lev 23:23 -24
23 The LORD
said to Moses,
24 "Say
to the Israelites: `On the first day
of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. NI
Lev 23:39
39 "`So
beginning with the fifteenth day of
the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the
festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest.
NIV
Acts 20:7
7 On the first day of the week we came together
to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave
the next day, kept on talking until midnight . NIV
Matt 28:1
28:1 After
the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of
the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. NIV
Mark 16:9
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, NIV
John 8:32
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." NIV
John 8:36
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed. NIV
Rom 8:1-2
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. NIV
Gal 5:1
5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us
free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV
1 Peter 2:16-17
16 Live as free men, but do not use your
freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
17 Show
proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor
the king. NIV
The Letters
11 which said:
"Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus Smyrna Pergamum Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea
·
These
seven Churches are in or around Ephesus Asia
Minor .
·
These
seven churches were selected out of many for two reasons;
A)
Because of the typical congregational problems that apply throughout the ages
and
B)
It also identifies “in order” the period of time of the church ages – We seem
to be
presently in the seventh or last period of the
church age, the Laodicean Church
·
Five
out of the seven churches were told to repent.
Consequently we are led to see that five
out of seven believers today probably need to repent.
Seven Lamp Stands
12 I turned around
to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands,
Rev 1:19-20
20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw
in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lamp stands
are the seven churches. NIV
- Gold is the most precious
of metals and is signifies divine righteousness.
- While it is easy
enough to accept that an Angel was in charge of each of the seven
churches, it seems more straight forward that the literal letters were
sent to seven literal pastors or
leaders of the seven literal churches.
Son of Man
Rev 1:13-15
13 and among the
lamp stands was someone "like a son
of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden
sash around his chest.
14 His head and
hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing
fire.
15 His feet were
like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing
waters.
- The “description” of one
like the son of man is of God, in holiness and judgment. Ps 90:4 Remembering that the
Son and the Father are one, if you have seen the Father, you have seen the
Son.
- John sees Jesus
Christ – no longer in the flesh, but as the Glorified Son.
- Fine brass or bronze
is symbolic of judgment.
Dan 7:9
9 "As I
looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days (God) took his seat. His clothing was as white
as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming
with fire, NIV
Matt 16:13-16
13 When Jesus
came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14 They
replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 "But
what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon
Peter answered, "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God." NIV
Double Edge Sword
16 In his right hand
he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its
brilliance.
NIV
- The Double edge
sword cuts both ways…The Sword, which is the word of God, is
Life to the Believer and is Death to the un-believer. This message is for today!
Heb 4:12-13
12 For the
word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart.
13 Nothing in
all creation is hidden from God's sight everything is uncovered and laid bare
before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. NIV
Jer 21:8
8 And unto
this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
KJV
1 Cor 1:18
18 For the
message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the
power of God. NIV
Slain in the Spirit
17 When I saw him,
I fell at his feet as though dead.
Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the
First and the Last.
- John once laid his
head on the bosom of Christ, now he falls at His feet in honor and praise.
- Being “slain in the Spirit” is a term
used by Pentecostals for someone who is overcome by the power, glory and
presence of God and falls to the ground, and with good reason.
Gen 17:3-4
3 Abram fell facedown, and God
said to him,
4 "As
for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. NIV
Judges 13:20
20 As the
flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in
the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. NIV
Ezek 3:23
23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And
the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River
Matt 28:4
4 The guards
were so afraid of him that they shook and became
like dead men. NIV
John 18:6
6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they
drew back and fell to the ground.
NIV
Keys to Death and Hell
18 I am the Living
One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. NIV
Heb 2:14-15
14 Since the
children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by
his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the
devil-
15 and free
those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of
death. NIV
- Satan had the Keys of death and Hell, but Christ
descended into Hell and preached the Gospel for three days and He took
the keys of death and hell away from Satan and took the righteous captives
to heaven that Satan had held in captivity.
- Christ is the “Keeper of the Keys” and is symbolic of His absolute undisputed authority.
Eph 4:8-9
8 Wherefore
he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men.
9(Now that he
ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first into the lower parts
of the earth? KJV
Matt 12:39-40
40 For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth. NIV
- Before the
Crucifixion, Hell was divided into two compartments, with a gulf fixed
between them… Good guys on one side and bad guys on the other… The good
guys were held captive in a compartment of hell known as
- With the removal of
- Hell is a sphere in
the center of the earth, therefore has no bottom. No
scripture, just saying.
Luke 16:22
22 And it
came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also
died, and was buried; KJV
- We that love the Lord
do not go to the lower parts of the earth when we die, but go immediately
to Heaven to be with Jesus.
2 Cor 5:8
8 We are
confident, yes, well pleased rather to
be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. NKJV
John 11:26
26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. Do you believe this? NIV
- Hades (Greek), Sheol (Hebrew for Hades), Hell (Hebrew), and Gehenna (Greek) all symbolize
the same thing – Gehenna was a
valley outside Jerusalem where garbage and dead bodies were thrown with
gnawing worms eating the rotting putrid flesh. It burned and smoked day
and night. It is symbolic of
Hades. In the Old Testament, Hell
was referred to as going down to “the pit” or “the grave”.
- Hell – The lower parts of
the earth holding the wicked dead till the end of the millennium when it and
its contents will be thrown into the
Luke 16:23-31
23 In hell,
where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with
Lazarus by his side.
24 So he
called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip
of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 "But
Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good
things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you
are in agony.
26 And
besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so
that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over
from there to us.'
27 "He
answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,
28 for I have
five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place
of torment.'
29
"Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to
them.'
30 "`No,
father Abraham,' he said, `but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.'
31 "He
said to him, `If they do not listen to
Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from
the dead.'" NIV
- In Hell, you are not instantly
annihilated, but are tormented in the unquenchable
fires that go on endlessly, and it gets worse. Hell is thrown into the burning
Matt 3:12
12 His
winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering
his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." NIV
Matt 18:7-8
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to
sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed
or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. NIV
Mark 9:43
43 If your
hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life
maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. NIV
- In Hell, you are in
the gloom of darkness, away from the face of God, with a bunch of demons, Satan
and his fallen angels, and the entire unbelieving bunch of wicked folks,
plus you have the ordinary run of the mill burning fire and sulfur to walk
around in. There’s not much love in Hell.
2 Thess 1:9-10
9 They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the
presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power NIV
Matt 8:12
12 But the
subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, NIV
10 And the
devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where
the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever. NIV
Matt 25:41
41 "Then
he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil
and his angels. NIV
- Webster’s Dictionary - Tartarus (in the
Greek) – an infernal abyss below
Hades – a place for punishment for the wicked after death. (I’m not
sure I buy into this location, but it’s certainly possible.)
- A place where the fallen angels are bound in darkness away from the face of God.
2 Peter 2:4
4 For if God
spared not the angels that sinned, but
cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
reserved unto judgment; KJV
Jude 6
6 And the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains
under darkness unto the judgment of the great day KJV
Past, Present and Future
Rev 1:19-20
19 "Write,
therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
20 The mystery of
the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp stands
is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lamp stands are the seven churches. NIV
- Things
you have seen: The vision of Christ which John saw
- Things
which are now: The seven Churches and the church era up
until the rapture.
- Things
which will be: Events after the Rapture of the
Saints.
CHAPTERS 2-3 – THE THINGS WHICH ARE – THE CHURCH AGE - PRESENT
Rev 2:1-3
- Known as the “Supreme
Metropolis of Asia”, the market place of
- The
- One of the strong industries
was the production of silver images of the “many-bosomed” Diana. – Black
magic was practiced there.
- The Church was very busy with full calendars and
weary workers who would not put up with the worthless evil people and false
teachings. However, labor is not
a substitute for love.
- The Christian Church
Pastors had been Paul, Apollos, Timothy and John, so they were well
taught.
- Warning
to
the leader or Pastor of the Church at
- Condition: Losing their
first love. They had not
departed from their love of God, but their devotion to Spiritual
things had dwindled, their concern for others was lacking. Other worldly
issues had taken the forefront. This could be a condition of our Churches
today.
1 "To the
angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and
walks among the seven golden lamp stands:
2 I know your
deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate
wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not,
and have found them false.
3 You have
persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. NIV
First Love
Rev 2:4-6
4 Yet I hold this
against you: You have forsaken your first
love.
- Looking at some of the letters, it seems their hearts had drifted away from caring about others as they had earlier.
Eph 1:15
15 For this
reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, NIV
1 Tim 6:10
10 For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs. NIV
1 John 2:15
15 Do not love the world or anything in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. NIV
Matt 10:37
37
"Anyone who loves his father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; NIV
5 Remember the
height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from
its place.
- They are warned to
turn back or their Church will be removed from His sight. Think about this, you can be doing
good things in the community, food banks, children’s hospitals and going
to Church and Christ will say, “I never knew you”. It’s your faith, not your works.
- A bird sings because
he is a bird. He is not a bird
because he sings
- A person does not
become a Christian because of his good works. He does good works because
he is a Christian.
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and
perform many miracles?'
23 Then I
will tell them plainly, `I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!' NIV
- The removal of the
lamp stand affects only the existence of the Church itself not the
believing individual.
- NOTE: Interestingly:
the lamp stand of the Church at
6 But you have this
in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also
hate. NIV
- The Nicolaitanes (Greek; “to conquer the people”) were a religious splinter
group operating under the Christian umbrella, but were indifferent between
truth and error, developed the “priest hierarchy”, a separation of
“Clergy” and “Laity” in the church, and had unsound, if not wicked
doctrines, activities and practices which they themselves blessed and
accepted.
- God appoints
under-Shepard’s to care for the flock and to keep out the wolves. He did not appoint church bosses,
special priest or special men to pray for us or listen to our confession
of sins. But you can see that this
is where all this mess started.
Tree of Life
Rev 2:7
7 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat
from the tree of life, which is in
the paradise of God. NIV
- This message is; Whosoever
will listen to the Spirit, will live forever with Christ.
1 John 5:4-5
5 Who is it
that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God. NIV
Gen 3:22
22 And the
LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and
evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever." NIV
Rev 22:2
2 down the middle of the great street of the
city. On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. NIV
Rev 2:8-9
- The city was planned
by Alexander the Great and was located 40 miles North of Ephesus and had a
very good economy because for their safe seaport.
- Myrrh was an aromatic substance that must
be crushed to yield its perfume. When
the persecuting Roman government crushed the Church it gave a
“sweet-smelling” savor unto God.
- Warning to the Leader or
Pastor of
- Condition: Fear of things to
come. They were so concerned about their conditions, poverty,
sufferings, prison, and fear
of their lives that they were drifting in their trust in God to
see them through.
8 "To the
angel of the church in Smyrna
9 I know your
afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who
say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
- Vine’s dictionary says the synagogue of Satan was an assembly of
people dominated by the power and activity of Satan that had rejected the
Truth.
- Synagogue
means
“To bring Together” - “an assembly of people”.
- There may not
have been an actual “physical assembly”, but a category of people who just
pretended to be Christians. They
attended Church, but did not embraced His Truth in their everyday lives. This could apply today in our own church
and lives.
Rev 3:8-10
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to
be Jews though they are not, but are liars-I will make them come and fall down
at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. NIV
Crown of Life
10 Do not be afraid
of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in
prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give
you the crown of life. NIV
James 1:12
12 Blessed is
the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God
has promised to those who love him. NIV
- Some scholars think
that the ten days are symbolic of 10 periods of persecution the Church endured: Under Nero
54ad, Domitian 81ad, Trajan 98ad, Adrian 117ad, Septimius
Serveus 193ad, Maximin 235ad, Decius 249ad, Valerian
254ad, Aurelian 270ad, Diocletian 384ad.
- Who knows, it could
be the 10 years of persecution
by Emperor Diocletian or just as it says, 10 days.
- I think it just means
that by God grace it’s for a time that has been limited.
Gen 24:55
55 But her
brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go."
NIV
Neh 5:17-18
18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some
poultry were prepared for me, and every ten
days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. NIV
Dan 1:12-13
12 "Please
test your servants for ten days:
Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. NIV
Acts 25:6
6 After
spending eight or ten days with
them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and
ordered that Paul be brought before him. NIV
- Satan’s power is
limited and controlled by God.
Satan cannot make a move against God’s child without God’s express
permission.
- Why would God allow
his faithful to be persecuted? Sometimes God allows suffering for his
children in order for them to grow spiritually.
Heb 12:7-8
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is
treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are
not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate
children and not true sons. NIV
2 Cor 12:10
10 That is
why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. NIV
Heb 5:8
8 Although
he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered NIV
Second Death
11 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will
not be hurt at all by the second death.
NIV
- The
first death
is a physical death of the body here on earth.
- The second death is the spiritual death in the
- Those that are born
twice, die only once. – Those that are born only once will die twice.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of
fire. The lake of fire is the second
death NIV
Rev 2:12-13
- Pergamos: Greek
“a sad Marriage”–
Represented the era of
compromise of the
- Pergamos was Famous
for its great university with a library of 200,000 books
- It was the capital
city of
- Satan’s Throne was there; Emperor Worship and mystery cults –
The doctrine of Balaam was
there; Balaam was a traveling prophet
for hire who led
- There was a temple to
Octavius Caesar, where once a year each citizen was required to offer
incense and declare that Caesar was Lord. – Emperor Worship.
- There was an alter to
Zeus that was a wonder to the ancient world – The patron god
Aesculapius, the god of healing was worshiped in the form of a living
serpent in his temple.
- In A.D.324
- Satan switched his
tactics from persecution to protection. State taxes supported and paid its
pastors and the church. Satan was
excited.
- The local Church was now
in spiritual adultery and was no longer the “salt of the earth”.
- Warning to the leader or
pastor of
- Condition:
Doctrinal
compromise - Failure to provide a
clear distinction between Biblical doctrine and the world. Some of the followers were
allowing doctrines of Balaam and the practices of the Nicolaitans to be
mixed with their Christianity. They could follow Christ and live in sin
too – They now had Spiritual Dictators who promoted themselves instead of promoting
Christ.
12 "To the
angel of the church in Pergamum
13 I know where you
live-where Satan has his throne. Yet
you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the
days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city-where
Satan lives.
- Only this scripture
discloses that Satan actually held court in this town. The inference is that Believers lived in
an extremely evil environment dominated by satanic power and persecution,
but still remained faithful. Some
manuscripts even call it “Satan’s
Seat”.
WHERE IS SATAN – RABBIT
TRAIL
- I need to digress
here to make note that today we don’t hear much about Satan or Demons. Their activity has been strangely silent
– There is a reason – Satan has
joined the church
- The plan now is to
introduce doctrine that tickles the ears of the saints, to corrupt, compromise
and otherwise water down the doctrines of Christ.
- He Makes the Church a
victim of change not an instrument of change; to follow not lead.
- Satan deceitfully gets
preachers to preach the Bible by what they believe instead of
preaching what they believe by the Bible. Think about this one.
- He introduces other
religions that increase “the man” and diminish God: like the
- Cults
are springing up
that point to someone other than Jesus Christ, or point to writings
or books other than the Bible.
Jehovah Witness, Mormons, Christian Science, The Way, Unity, and the
World Wide Church of God all
proselyte Christians; not the unsaved.
- Out of body
experiences - UFO salvation - Ouija boards - Tarot cards - Palm reading
–Horoscopes - Herbal cures - Holistic Healing - Spiritual Guides – Channeling
- Reincarnation and Karma all tickle the itching ears.
- Satan is fanning up
interest in Eastern religions
such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
- He waters down the
Gospel of Jesus Christ with Swamis, Yogis, Gurus and Zen masters, Mediums
and Psychics, Ancient Lords, Ascended Masters and Alien Visitors,
- The New
Age message
is a hybrid mix of spiritual – social – political – sociology -
theology, physical sciences - medicine anthropology – history - human
potential - sports and science fiction. Pat
Robertson.
- “The
Force be with you” from star wars is a mix of Christianity, eastern
religions, and demonic forces, so it’s actually “the Farce be with
you”.
- It is easy to summon
up a Spirit Guide; You think
you are seeking them. They are seeking
you ! Satan walks about like a
roaring lion “seeking” whom he might devoir. He disguises himself
as an angel of light and so can his demons.
Acts 17:20-21
20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they
mean."
21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived
there spent their time doing nothing but talking
about and listening to the latest ideas.) NIV
2 Tim 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around
them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will
turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. NIV
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. NIV
2 Cor 11:14 -15
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not
surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
Their end will be what their actions deserve. NIV
NEW AGE MOVEMENT – RABBIT
TRAIL
- The
Enlightened Ones. Those that have been chosen to communicate with the Gods
in order to provide a “continuity of revelations”. These groups have been orchestrated by
Satan to soften the impact and de-sensitization of the Christian and cause
his acceptance of the new world religion.
- Some
New Age groups: Children of the Dawn - Church of
Scientology - Church Universal and Triumphant – Club of Rome -
Custodians of the Plan – Global Mind Link – Global Society – Green
Peace - Holistic Movement – Humanistic Movement - Humanistic
Psychology - Lucis Trust – New Group of World Servers – Networking the
Global Vision - New Thought -
Pacific Institute – People for the American Way - Planet Stewards – Planetary Citizens – Planetary Initiative
for the World we Choose – Sierra Club - The Hunger Project – The
Order of Christian Mystics - The Sutphen Corporation – Third wave – Third
Force - Transpersonal Psychology - Unity in Diversity Council - Warriors
of the Rainbow – World Servers for the New Age – World Future Society –
World Goodwill – Zero Population Growth - and on and on and on. New Age is not a mythical story, It’s
real, and it’s all around us.
- Names
on the Forefront: Unification Church,
Sun Myung Moon – New Age
Globalist Leader, Donald keys – Catholic priest, Matthew Fox – The Tibetan Master”Djwhal Khul - Tara Center, Benjamin Crème’s demon guide, the Lord Maitreya, the Christ - Church Universal and Triumphant, Elizabeth
Clare Prophet - Church of
Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, - Guide Post, Norman Vincent Peale, also a mason – The World Brain Trust, Mikhail Gorbachev.
- Their
Goal: To
train the minds of men to build towards Spiritual Unity through Diversity.
-
To become a “Brotherhood”; A hidden body of “Custodians of the
Plan”.
-
To respect the teachings of the prophets and sages of all times and cultures.
-
To be the inner spiritual government of the planet.
-
To deal with the Anti-Humanistic element. Christians
must be liberated and enriched by
the other paths to God or be eliminated.
·
Devine progression- We are all divine – Some
of us are more divine than others – One of us is perfect and should be the Great
World Leader; The king.
- Membership: All religions are welcome including
Satanist and Witches with the exception of Muslims, Jews and Christians
who recognize only one God, the God of Abraham.
- Groups
of Workers: Political organizers - educators of the
New Age - workers in the field of religion - trained observers – psychologists
- scientific servers – financiers – economist - telepathic communicators -
and magnetic healers.
- Military
Police arm: A
“Cosmic Secret Service”; “Warriors
of the Rainbow”, “Guardian
Angels”, “The First Earth Battalion” - Militants whose goal is “to
take out” the retraining force that is stopping peace and the unity of minds on the earth. This restraint is the Fundamentalist
Christians who claim that there is only one way to God. The Warriors believe that they
are patriotic and are doing God’s will by killing
Christians. This is so that the Christians souls can be recycled and
reincarnated to try again.
- “Sanat
Kumara”
is the new age code name for their lord and master Lucifer
- Spin
off interest:
Free Masons - The Order of the Eastern Star – Demola - The Mormon Temple -
The Order of the Golden Dawn - Yin/Yang – Astrology - Tara Cards –
Hypnosis – Silva Mind Control - Symbol Therapy - Visualization &
guided imagery – Yoga (Hindus) - Tai Chi –
Reflexology - Magnetic Healing - Transcendental Meditation – Chanting -
Spirit Channeling – Automatic Writings – Séances - Ouija boards – LSD color
experimentations – Cosmic consciousness – shaktipat, attunement or
paradigm shift – necromancy (raising
the dead for communication). - Speaking in Demonic languages
–Acupuncture – Acupressure – Biofeedback and Guided Imagery.
- New Age
signs: Zodiac
signs – triangles – pyramids – pentagrams – hexagrams - Star of David -
enneagram (9 triangle points in
a circle) wheel – circle – Sun - all-seeing eye - rainbows
(antahkarana, the rainbow bridge)
(7 colors) - perverted cross – swastika -
Egyptian ankh – crystals – diamond – dragon – serpent - yin/yang – locus –
unicorn - flying Pegasus horse - centaur and the mermaid- the lotus blossom
– cube - point within a circle - the line - a cup or holy grail – goat –
bull – elephant – dragon – lion - dog and bear – sign of the cloven hoof
or footprint of the devil. - (Have you seen Papa
Smurf on TV casting spells).
- The
perverted Cross – Inverted - lying sideways - at an angel – Broken –
misshapen - bent, disfigured -
Inside a triangle, pyramid or circle – Mixes with or affixed to satanic
symbols.
- NOTE: The cross within a circle means Christ is
contained. – The Cross is usually deformed as in the swastika or
upside down as in the peace symbol – Jewelry; the cross with a circle at
the top is a demonic signet from the time of
- The
Mark -
This will be something sought after and highly desired and will be
a badge of honor. You will be known as An Enlightened One.
It most probable will be a tattoo worn just above the eyebrow line
in the center of the forehead (the
chakra point) so everyone will know your status. A microchip implant
might also be a part of this mark.
This will be known as “the third eye”, all knowing and all
seeing. This is the point of
communication with the spirit world. -
Already on the scene is a triangle with a small circle
on the inside and a large circle on the outside surrounding it.
- Seven
Major Teachings:
1) Sin and evil do not exist; peace and love are
the ultimate realities
2) All religions lead to the same goal. – All
have equal merit.
3) The Ancient Wisdom of Babylon is the basis
for all truth – not the Bible.
4) Jesus is not the only Christ or Messiah and
is definitely not God. –
5) God is cosmic, an energy force – He is not
personal
6) Man is God himself – His creative powers need
to be awakened
7) Man can and should receive spiritual
instruction from the spirit world.
- Twin
Teachings: There is no Hell - There is no Satan or
demons.
- The law
of rebirth –
This is not the same as “Born Again” as one reconciled to God - Man does
not die, but is endlessly reborn till he perfects himself to qualify for Nirvana;
endless rest.
- The
deception: The enlightened one, through imaging and
visualization can energize and command Deity spirits to serve and do their
bidding. Their conscience becomes
seared and they desire the mark, then they find out the spirits are not
deity but demonic, but it’s too late. - At the end God will
send a deluding Spirit to
harden their hearts so they will be unable to repent. He gives them what they want.
- LSD – Drugs are
encouraged to “Open up Channels of Communications” with religious spirits.
- Dollar
Bill
Check out the all seeing eye on the dollar bill; this was central to the
Egyptian Mystery Religion, the great sun god Horus with his third
eye given to him by his mother the goddess of
- Humanism
views
man as the measure of all things – Man beginning from himself - with no
knowledge except what he himself can discover – no standard outside of
himself - All wisdom is contained within oneself.
- Bookstores: If you think this is
just whimsical thinking, check out the bookstores with the sections on New
Age, witchcraft and the magic arts. See the New Age shops at the flea market
with “smoking accessories” in the back room. Look at the T-shirts and jewelry that’s
being marketed.
1 Cor 2:12 -15
12 We have not received the spirit of the
world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has
freely given us.
13 This is
what we speak, not in words taught us by
human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths
in spiritual words.
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the
things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. NIV
Lev 21:5
5
"`Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their
beards or cut their bodies. NIV
Lev 19:28
28 "`Do not cut your bodies for the dead or
put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am
the LORD. NIV
1 John 2:22
22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the
Christ. Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son. NIV
NAZISM / NEW AGE – RABBIT
TRAIL
- Nazism
revived –
Using a comparison of the New Age roots; the new age movement is identical
to Hitler’s Third Reich, Nazism. It lived once, and then it died and is
now coming back to life in the Antichrist.
- Hitler held to the secret doctrine
that the Aryan society was a master race from Atlantis who took quantum
leaps in superior intelligence over the other races. The inferior races needed to be
purged. – New Age
“secret doctrines” come from Atlantis.
- Nazism believed in a pure Aryan master race that had evolved into a superior spiritual species. – New
age teaches that they have evolved into a “new species”
called “homo noeticus” – Jews are from a different planet and Blacks and
Orientals are from a different root race.
- A Blood
Taint rest on the Jews that needs to be corrected – New
Age; The Jews have forfeited their privilege and must pass
through fires of purification. The Messiah will not be Jewish.
- Nazism called murdering Jews, a “Cleansing action” – New
Age supports a “cleansing action” to get rid of any group
that stands in the way of “spiritual unity”.
- Nazism sought a New World Order – New Age, same thing
- Hitler had “Mein Kampf” or “My Plan” to rule – New Age has
“My Plan” of the Lord Maitreya.
- Nazism used “mystery teachings” of the East. – New Age, same
thing
- Occultism
and mind expansion was the study of the
Nazi Occult Bureau and the SS Occult Bureau - New Age
movement embraces the Occult and mind expansion.
- Quest
for a higher consciousness; the Holy Grail - New
Age – same quest.
- Hitler used drugs for mind expansion – New Age
indorses LSD for the same reason.
- Belief in the Law of Karma and reincarnation. - New Age follows the same
thing.
- Nazism holds to the belief that the
gods live in Shamballa – New
Age, same thing.
- Hitler was an “Initiate” of the Occult - New
Age requires a Luciferic type “Initiation”.
- Hitler had a militia of young “Brown Shirt” men, trained in martial arts to
patrol streets – New Age has the same thing, one group is called the “Guardian Angels”. There are many.
- Nazism believed in breeding children
controlled by the state – Leading New Agers advocate
parents to be licensed in order to have children. The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow.- Cumbey
Rev 17:8
8 The beast, which you saw, once was,
now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his
destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in
the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they
see the beast, because he once was,
now is not, and yet will come. NIV
MORMAN – RABBIT TRAIL
- The
Book of Mormon
says that the Bible is so imperfect that instead of leading men to
God, it actually causes them to stumble. Mark Twain describes The
Book of Mormon as “Chloroform in Print”.
- Jesus
Christ
lived too long ago to relate to anyone today, especially when you have a
living prophet like Joseph Smith.
- Joseph
Smith
continually informed his followers, as God’s chosen leader that he alone
had the right to revelation concerning the “whole church truth”, and every
spirit that did not confess this is of the antichrist.
- The “wife”
revelation was
given that Joseph and other faithful Mormon men were permitted to have as
many wives as they pleased. Before
he died, Joseph had between 27 and 48 wives based on the documentation
from the Mormon Church and other historians. He had married 12 women whose husbands were
still living. It was share and
share alike – He said, “I did not introduce polygamy, I just merely
restored it”, and not only did God tolerate it, but that God required it.
- The
abstinence
from tobacco, coffee, tea and alcohol is essential for entrance into
the celestial kingdom.
- A Mormon
water tradition
is that, in the beginning God blessed water, but cursed it in the last
days – many older Mormons will not get near any body of water greater than
a bathtub.
- Evil
Spirits
in a person can be detected as they “emit” an unpleasant odor and produce
a “shock” to the observer.
- The
earth was created by Jesus by “Organizing the existing Elements”.
- There
are moon dwellers according to Joseph Smith, that are six feet tall and
dress like Quakers and live to be 1,000 years old.
- Aaronic
Priesthood – When
ordained, through adoption, their blood is changed and they become
the Jewish sons of Levi.
- Priesthood
privileges
were refused to blacks. No
man with even a single drop of Negroid blood in his veins could hold the
Mormon priesthood. On
- 144,000
- The
Mormons claim that they ONLY are the 144,000 who inherit eternal life and
the remainder of their denomination will just live in
- Three
distinct Gods
– God the Father – God the Son – God the Spirit (the spirit does not have a body as does the Father and Son.)-
(There is not a three in one trinity)
- God had
many wives – A
heavenly Mother is logically a necessity. Only a part of the entities born to God
are on earth, the rest are in many other worlds.
- God is one of the
countless gods in existence. – There are also Mother gods.
- God has a body of
flesh and bones – He has a God nature and a flesh nature.
- God evolved
from
a lower form of life as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who evolved into Gods.
- God was once a man,
but has been exalted. – We too can become exalted – become a god.
- Mary was not a virgin – The Bible is in
error. Jesus had two fathers – Joseph and God Himself in bodily form -
Mary was one of God’s many wives.
- Jesus is the
spiritual brother of Lucifer and so is man.
- Pre-existence – We existed in
heaven with God our Father and our Mother before we became human. There was never a time when man did not
exist and there will never be a time when he will cease to exist. - Each person was self existent and
coequal with God. It was necessary
that at our birth, the knowledge of “pre-existence” be removed. This is
called The veil of memories. - The
fall of mankind was a blessing in the progression of humanity to the
level of Godhood.
- The
Book of Mormon
corrects the translated errors in the Bible. The scriptures in the Bible
that are correctly translated are the word of God –
- The
lost books of
the Bible that Joseph refers to are: Book of the Covenant - Book of Jasher
- Book of the Acts of Solomon - Book of Jehu - Acts of Uzziah - Sayings of
the Seers - Third Corinthians - Second Ephesians - The Epistle to the
Laodiceans and of course the Bible which contains supplementary text.
- Scripture
include;
The Book of Mormon - Doctrine and Covenants – Pearl of Great Price and the
Bible.
- The
Gospel
is the laws and ordinances of the Mormon Church.
- Salvation is achieved by
obedience to Mormon laws and ordinances.
- Works – “Once we have been
resurrected, it will be our own efforts, not Christ’s sacrifice
that will be the deciding factor.” Mormons are promised that they will
become gods with angels in subjection to them. By joining the Mormon Church, a person
makes himself eligible for eternal life.
- Baptism in the “Mormon Church”
washes away all your sins - An agreement to “tithe” is reported to be necessary
before baptism.
- Baptism
for the Dead is
practiced in their secret temple rites according to the “Doctrine and
Covenants. Mormons emphasize that the
family succession of baptized persons must form an unbroken chain
back to Adam. – They must research their own genealogy. – The doctrine of vicarious baptism is a way to save
someone who has already died.
- Secret
temple vows – Not
to reveal the secrets – “The penalty is demonstrated by a cutting motion
across the chest with the right hand.
The hand grip is given by pressing the thumb in the hollow between
the first and second knuckles of the Hand.” – There are signs, tokens,
penalties, and grips - Symbols like the Compass and Square - Sounds identical to the Masonic order to me.
Just saying.
- Damnation is anything
lesser than “Exaltation” – Becoming a God in the
- Unpardonable sin – Accepting
Mormonism and then rejecting it.
- Prophecies of Joseph
Smith: – The U.S. Government would be overthrown unless it redressed the
wrong doing to Mormons to their satisfaction - Christ would return in 1891
– Missouri Temple would be built in his generation - All nations would be
involved in the American Civil War –The earth will tremble and the sun
hidden in “not many days” – None of these things happened.
- Bible - If the thing a prophet says does not come to pass, he is a false prophet.
Deut 18:21-22
21
"How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?"
22 If what a
prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come
true, that is a message the LORD has not
spoken. NIV
Isa 43:10
10 "You
are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have
chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will
there be one after me. NIV
Balaam
14 Nevertheless, I
have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin
by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
- Balak tried to entice
Balaam, a conjurer for hire, to curse
- Balaam could not
curse the Israelites, so he led them to intermarry with the heathen without
fear of judgment. This gave birth to the concept of the marriage of the
Church and Government.
- There are people that
at first reading seem like Christians, but you find out different when you
see the fruit of their actions - God’s word says, “You shall know them by
their fruits”.
Num 22:4-5
4 So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab
5 sent
messengers to summon Balaam son of
Beor. NIV
Num 31:16
16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of
turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a
plague struck the LORD's people. NIV
Matt 7:20
20 Wherefore by
their fruits ye shall know them. KJV
15 Likewise you
also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Hidden Manna & a White Stone
16 Repent
therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth.
17 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I
will give some of the hidden manna.
I will also give him a white stone
with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. NIV
- A black stone in a court
of law was a sentence of condemnation, while a white stone was an acquittal. Each saint received a new name that was
his title to enter into eternal Glory.
Ex 31:18
18 When the
LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai , he gave him
the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. NIV
1 Sam 17:49
49 Reaching
into his bag and taking out a stone,
he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. NIV
- Manna literally means; - What is it? - It
was referred to as Angel’s food and the bread of God. It looked like a white round substance
as fine as frost, like a white coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers
made with honey or pastry prepared with oil.
- In the wilderness the
Israelites were fed a “physical” manna and knew this meaning of “manna”. A golden pot of manna was “hidden away”
in the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments. God promised to feed
them a hidden “Spiritual”
manna, the bread of Life.
Ex 16:31
31 The people
of Israel
John 6:58
58 This is
the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live
forever." NIV
Ps 78:25
25 Man did
eat angels' food: he sent them meat
to the full. KJV
John 6:33
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down
from heaven, and gives life unto the world. KJV
Ex 16:15
15 When the
Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. NIV
Thyatira Letter
- Thyatira: Greek meaning “Continual Sacrifice” – Represented the
- Thyatira’s famous
industry was dyeing cloth red or purple.
Many trade guilds were in the city and to do business you must
belong to one of the guilds. This
was a problem for believers because of the paganism and immorality in the
Guild Life. There was also a temple
for”Fortune Telling”.
- This church had grown
in their works, love, service, faith and patience, but had false doctrine
and false teachers – They had the worst disgraceful religious system every
devised for the
- Popery shut out
Christ as the head of the church.
- The doctrine of Tran-substitution
was instituted – that each time the Priest performed mass the wafer became
the actual body of Christ and
the wine became His Literal blood.
- Warning to the leader or
pastor of Thyatira
- Condition: Moral compromise -Toleration of sin by some of the followers in the Church. They embraced pagan philosophy, idol worship, witchcraft and adultery.
- The
Catholic Church points
to the Virgin Mary to be the mediator between God and man, reducing Jesus
to infant status. They pray to
images of Saints, they “sign” the cross, have rosary beads for rote
prayers, confessions to Priest and prayers for the dead. The Bible says, DO NOT have any graven
images, it says Jesus is our mediator between God and man, and when you
are dead, its’ all over. No prayers
or money paid will change the destination of the dead.
- Immaculate
Conception – refers
to the conception of Mary inside the womb of her VIRGIN mother thus preserving her from sin and is the
“co-redeemer” of man with her son Jesus.
- Catholic
Catechism – The
priest really and truly forgive sins by virtue of power given him
by Jesus Christ. The pope is not
only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ himself,
hidden in a veil of flesh.
- Catholic
ten commandments – The second commandment forbidding graven images is
omitted;
with the 10th commandment split into two, making it ten again. (See Wickapedia)
- Martin
Luther – Said
the Papacy is the seat of the Antichrist
John Calvin - We call the Roman
pontiff the antichrist
John Knox - The Papacy is the very
antichrist, and son of perdition.
John Wesley - He is the son of
perdition, claiming the prerogatives of God alone.
Perdition.
- The name
of the Pope – vicarious filii dei meaning “vicar”, is “the
replacement of Christ on earth”. In
Latin, the number is: Vicarious (112), Filii (53) Dei (501) equals
666. Just
saying.
Dan 7:25
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress
his saints and try to change the set
times and the laws. NIV
1 Tim 2:5
5 For there
is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, NIV
18 "To the
angel of the church in Thyatira
write:
These are the words
of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing
fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
- Blazing fire and
bronze; this is a description of Christ as the righteous Judge.
Rev 1:14-15
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as
white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing
fire.
15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, NIV
19 I know your
deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now
doing more than you did at first.
Jezebel
20 Nevertheless, I
have this against you: You tolerate
that woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual
immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
- Here Jezebel is
probably symbolic of the real Jezebel from a time past; She was an
idol worshiper, practiced witchcraft and persecuted the Prophets of God.
She was one of
the most evil characters in the Old Testament.
1 Kings 18:13
13 Haven't
you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel
was killing the prophets of
the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each,
and supplied them with food and water. NIV
2 Kings 9:22
22 "How
can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother
Jezebel abound?"
Rev 2:21-22
21 I have given her
time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
22 So I will cast
her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of
her ways.
- Adultery; is a symbolic of
whoring after other Gods.
Ezek 23:37
37 for they have committed adultery and blood
is on their hands. They committed
adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they
bore to me, as food for them. NIV
Hos 1:2
2 … because
the land is guilty of the vilest
adultery in departing from the LORD." NIV
Jer 3:9
9 Because Israel
Jer 7:9
9 "`Will
you steal and murder, commit adultery and
perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, NIV
23 I will strike
her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches
hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
2 Kings 9:10
10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the
plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her. NIV
Deep Secrets
24 Now I say to the
rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have
not learned Satan's so-called deep
secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):
- These deep secrets are obtained by
communicating with the dead…. God says don’t do it, so it must be possible
to do so. A “spirit guide” is none other than a servant of Satan, who can
transform himself into an angel of
light. He is who ever you want
him to be.
2 Cor 11:14 -15
14 And no
wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light.
15 It is not
surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their
end will be what their actions deserve. NIV
Deut 18:10-12
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the
fire, who practices divination or
sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts
spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
12 Anyone who
does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable
practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. NIV
Lev 20:27
27 "`A
man or woman who is a medium or
spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their
blood will be on their own heads.'" NIV
Ex 7:11
11 Pharaoh
then summoned wise men and sorcerers,
and the Egyptian magicians also did
the same things by their secret arts:
NIV
Ex 8:7
7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come
up on the land of Egypt
Acts 16:16
16 Once when
we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a
great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
NIV
Num 22:5
5 sent
messengers to summon Balaam
son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. …For I know that those you bless are
blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
NIV
2 Thess 2:7-10
7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already
at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is
taken out of the way.
8 And then
the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with
the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those
who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so
be saved. NIV
Isa 8:19
19 When men
tell you to consult mediums and
spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their
God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? NIV
Hold On
Rev 2:25-28
25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
26 To him who
overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-
27`He will rule
them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'- just as I
have received authority from my Father.
28 I will also give
him the morning star.
- There were true believers that were being called out of Catholicism, and were told to hold on till the Messiah comes again.
- Jesus is the Morning Star and promises Himself
in the heart of the over comer.
16 "I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of
David, and the bright Morning
Star." NIV
2 Peter 1:19
19 And we
have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay
attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and
the morning star rises in your
hearts. NIV
29 He who has an
ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches NIV.
THE EMERGING or EMERGENT CHURCH
– RABBIT TRAIL
- Takes its name from the
changing ideas in our modern cultures – The Catholic Church gave rise
to these pagan spiritual practices which have now permeated into most
dominations.
- The old forms of the
Gospel no longer communicates with the new generation of today and
therefore new modes of expressing the Gospel to a post modern mindset are
needed.
- The
Social Gospel
– Fix things in this world now - This movement contains a great diversity in
beliefs and practices, sacred rituals, missionary living, good works and
political and social activism, with a high emphasis on the
- Subjectivity over
objectivity
- The deconstruction of modern
Christian thinking; Scriptures are not inspired, but are only from the
minds of men - Systematic Theology prevents unity.
- Images over words – “Doctrines Divide”; The Bible is
watered down and compromised in order to unify and not offend the seeker.
- Feelings over truth - Personal experience defines and
interprets what truth actually is.
- Spirituality over
Religion
– Unity among people from
different religions and ethnic backgrounds. Everyone is connected to God – All
worship same God, just different names.
- Outward over inward – Diversity and cross pollination
of religious traditions in the expression of corporate worship makes you a
better Christian.
- Breath Prayers; Chanting, God is breath – (Buddhist and Hindu Gods.)
- Nobody goes to Hell – Emphases that God Repairs, Refines,
Rebuilds and Rebirths.
Matt 7:15-20
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come
to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By
their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes,
or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them. NIV
2 Cor 6:14 -16
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.
For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness?
15 What harmony is there between Christ and
Belial? What does a believer have in
common with an unbeliever?
16 What
agreement is there between the temple of God
1 Cor 10:20
20 No, but the
sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with
demons. NIV
1 Cor 1:18
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God. NIV
- Rebirth and Reborn are
different - Rebirth is the doctrine of reincarnation and Karma.
- Born
Again
for the believer is not an arrival – It’s a beginning. The bearer of the torch does not follow
– They lead and light the way
for others who chose to follow.
Matt 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city
on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house.
16 In the
same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
NIV
Matt 6:22-23
22 The eye is
the lamp of the body. If your eyes are
good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But, if
your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
NIV
John 8:12
12 When Jesus
spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life." NIV
John 5:19
19 Jesus gave
them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees
his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
NIV
Rev 3:1-3
- In about 500 B.C.,
- They were famous for
the dyeing of woven garments – Christ promised to the over-comer, “White
Garments”.
- The worship of the
goddess Cybele was predominant – The Church was guilty of living in the
glories of the past.
- The Church sought to
return to the “Pure Religion” which the Apostles had known and this desire
precipitated the Protestant
Reformation.
- The Reformed Church still
fell short by continuing to embracing infant baptism salvation, candles,
robes and the union of Church and state.
- Warning to the leader or
Pastor of
- Condition: Spiritual
deadness. -The church is almost dead, a “Has Been Church” and very
little remains that can be saved. They are living on their great name and
past reputation.
3:1 "To the
angel of the church in Sardis
2 Wake up! Strengthen
what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete
in the sight of my God.
3 Remember,
therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if
you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,
and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
- Christ will return
when He is least expected, like when a thief breaks into your home
Matt 24:43
43 But
understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have
kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into NIV
1 Thess 5:2
2 for you
know very well that the day of the Lord
will come like a thief in the night.
NIV
2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. NIV
White
Rev 3:4
4 Yet you have a
few people in Sardis who have
not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
- White means righteous
- they have been judged worthy.
- God does not give an
AVERAGE grade to the total membership of a congregation, then condemn or reward. He does not grade on a curve.
- Each one of us is
personally responsible and accountable to God for our personal life.
John 20:12
12 and saw
two angels in white, seated where
Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. NIV
Acts 1:10
10 They were
looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
Isa 1:18
18 "Come
now, let us reason together”, says the LORD. "Though your sins are like
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool”. NIV
Rom 14:12
12 So then, each of us will give an account of
himself to God. NIV
5 He who overcomes
will, like them, be dressed in white. I
will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge
his name before my Father and his angels.
- A cool note here: To
blot out, means our name must “already be in” the Book of Life. We
determine if it stays there or not.
Ex 32:33
33 The LORD
replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. NIV
Deut 29:20
20 The LORD
will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that
man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. NIV
Ps 69:28
28 May they
be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous. NIV
Eph 2:8
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: KJV
Eph 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God-
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
NIV
- That
the scriptures may be fulfilled, Christ has only lost one that the Father gave
Him; just the son of perdition, Judas from Iscariot Keroth, who was the
Devil in the Flesh.
John 6:70-71
70 Then Jesus
replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"
71(He meant
Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to
betray him.) NIV
John 17:12
12 While I
was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.
None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
6 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:7
- The were located 30
miles Southeast of Sardis – Destroyed in A.D.17 by an earthquake – Rebuilt
by Tiberius Caesar –
- The population was
small because of the frequent earthquakes – Correspondently the
- It was the center of
a thriving Wine business and the wine became a chronic social problem. Bacchus,
the god of wine was worshipped there.
- The Church at
- Christ’s prayer was
that the Father would not take the Church out of this world, but that He
would keep them from the evil one during their hour of testing.. John
14:15
- Commendation
to
the leader or Pastor of
- Condition: An excellent Church
where no fault was found.
MISSIONARIES
– RABBIT TRAIL
- God caused the scriptures to be handed down
in only two languages; The Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.
- In the year 1800 we had 50 translations of the Bible and 170 missionaries;
- By the year 1985 we had 1,763 translations of the Bible and 76,000
missionaries reaching 97% of the world population.
- Now in 2010
we have 2,936 translations of the Bible and 306,000 missionaries.
- During the tribulation period, 144,000 sealed
Jewish missionaries will bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those that
remain. Everyone will have a chance to
hear the Gospel.
7 "To the
angel of the church in Philadelphia
- The key of David is the governmental
authority, the grace and supplication over the Church to open and close
doors. Christ holds all the keys.
- The false church in
its popularity, influence and money tried to close the doors of opportunity for this church, but could not.
Zech 12:10
10 "And
I will pour out on the house of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
Isa 22:22
22 I will
place on his shoulder the key to the
house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one
can open. NIV
18 I am the
Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. NIV
Rev 3:8-10
8 I
know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can
shut. I know that you have little
strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
- It seems that their “little Strength”, is that they
were small in number, not small in Faith.
They were doing well with the
few that they had.
Prov 30:25
25 Ants are
creatures of little strength, yet
they store up their food in the summer; NIV
9 I will make those
who are of the synagogue of Satan,
who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars. I will make them come
and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
10 Since you have
kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon
the whole world to test those
who live on the earth.
- “Keep you (the true believers) from the hour
of trial” seems to reference “The Rapture” before the tribulation. Just
saying.
- This testing will
occur during the tribulation for those that remain, and is the
method used by God to let His people see what’s in their own hearts for
themselves.
1 Thess
5:9-10
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV
10 Do not be
afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of
you in prison to test you, and you
will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of
death, and I will give you the crown of life. NIV
Deut 8:1-3
2 Remember
how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to
humble you and to test you in order to
know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. NIV
Judg 2:21-23
22 I will use
them to test Israel
2 Cor 13:5
5 Examine
yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless,
of course, you fail the test? NIV
11 I am coming
soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
CROWNS – RABBIT TRAIL
- After we receive our
crowns, we will sit at the wedding feast as the bride of Christ. The more crowns we have earned, the
more we have to throw at the feet of Jesus.
- 1 Cor
- 2 Timothy 4:8 Crown of Righteousness – Those longing
for His appearance
- 1 Peter 5:2-4 Crown of Glory – Overseers or Elders
Crown - Those who serve the flock
- 1 Thes
Pillar
12 Him who
overcomes I will make a pillar in the
temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the
name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God;
and I will also write on him my new name.
- The over comer will
be a pillar, a strong leader in the Church body that seeks God’s face and guides
His people, keeps and defends His’s covenant.
Gen 35:14
14 Jacob set
up a stone pillar at the place
where God had talked with him… NIV
2 Kings 23:3
3 The king
stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of
the LORD-to follow the LORD and keep his
commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, NIV
Ex 13:21
21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar
of cloud to guide them on their way
NIV
Jer 1:18-19
18 Today I
have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--…
19 They will
fight against you but will not overcome you,
for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. NIV
- The New
Jerusalem
is the
- We cannot comprehend
the awesomeness of our new home with Christ. We can only see it in our spirit painted
with the limited imagination of what we have seen on earth.
- The Holy city will be elevated above everything else.
1 Cor 2:8-10
9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no
mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-
10 but God
has revealed it to us by his Spirit. NIV
Mic 4:1
1 In the last
days the mountain of the LORD's temple
will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
NIV
Rev 21:2-3
2 I saw the Holy City
3 And I heard
a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be
his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. NIV
- We have been given
the dimensions of the
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is
found in Christ. NIV
Heb 8:5
5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is
why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it
that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain." NIV
Heb 10:1
10:1 The law
is only a shadow of the good things that
are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by
the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who
draw near to worship. NIV
13 He who has an ear
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. NIV
- I have a full page article
printed in the State newspaper on
- A committee got
together in the Spiritual realm
composed of Jesus, Peter, Paul, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley,
Confucius and 12 others, Buddha and 12 others, Muhammad and 12 others, and
12 representing the Hinduism religion, Karl Marx and 12 representing
communism. All with individual worshipful
testimonies about Sun Myung Moon.
- This was published in
every city in the world on the same day.
A bunch of money was spent.
- It states that all
confirm that the Reverend Mrs. and Mr. Sun Myung Moon of the
- They also have a letter from God Himself
confirming the same thing. (I am not making this
up.)
- The
name Buddha- literally
means “light bearer”, the same meaning as the name Lucifer.
- Nostradamus
said
the False Prophet would have some kind of connection with the
“Moon”.
Matt 24:4-6
5 For
many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
NIV
Luke 21:8
8 He replied:
"Watch out that you are not deceived.
For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am he,' and, `The time is
near.' Do not follow them. NIV
OUR NATION – RABBIT TRAIL
- In 1791 our National Debt was about 75 Million dollars.
- Today it rises by 75
Million an HOUR. At this writing it
is $13,484,452,044,970.
- So far, as of
September 2010 we have paid; 375 Billion dollars in INTEREST just this
year.
- Our government does
not have any money to pay for anything.
The only money they have is our money. Guess who is going to pay down this
debt. What a burden for our
children.
- The
Supreme Court
is slowly stripping Christianity out of our schools. The Justices are appointed by the
President and can’t be voted out.
- Justice
Charles Evans Hughes states that “The constitution is what the judges say
it is”.
- It takes 2.1 live
births per woman to maintain a population at a steady rate. We are now up from the declining 1.9 to
2.1 live births, barely maintaining our nation unless the abortions
increase.
- There are currently
3.97 live births per Muslim woman. Islam
is the fastest growing religion in the world today. The Muslims will not
overthrow our government by war, but by their vote. They will be the majority.
- Since the Roe v. Wade
decision to legalize abortions in
1973, there have been over 50,000,000 abortions in the
- That’s 50 million
consumers that are gone – 50 million less workers to pay taxes – 50
million homes not purchased – and on and on - What have we done? For this SIN, God will pour out
His wrath on the
Rev 3:14-15
- Laodikeia Greek – “The Peoples rights”,
“The rule of the people”, “The Judgment of the people”, – This was the era
of Church Government during
the
- It was located 40
miles from
- People have taken
over the Church and the Lord is no longer the Head. Conventions, denominations, boards,
counsels and the like, governed by the people now run the Church with a
lukewarm-ness toward Gad and His word.
- The riches of the
town spilled over into the Church and they felt the need of nothing
including the power of the Spirit of God.
- Warning
to
the leader or Pastor of
- Condition: Lukewarm, self sufficiency…
The condition here seems to show a slipping away from a spiritually “on
Fire” church toward a cold dead church.
Outer worship with no inner Spirituality. God said this church made Him want to “throw
up”.
14 "To the
angel of the church in Laodicea
15 I know your
deeds, that you are neither cold nor
hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16 So, because you
are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I
am about to spit you out of my mouth.
- A town on one side of
- The literal
interpretation is; this church made Him want to “puke” them out of His
body. God sees and knows our deeds.
- The
Question;
what are we doing with the gifts of the Spirit that God has
equipped us with.
Don’t need God
17 You say, `I am
rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize
that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Isa 55:1
1 "Come,
all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come,
buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. NIV
- The typical person in
our country does not read the Bible.
They read the people that represent the Bible. Too often, what they
see, does not motivate them to join the fellowship.
- The actions of the professing
members of the church at
18 I counsel you to
buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover
your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those
whom I love I rebuke and
discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
- God in His love has
just let them know in this letter that if they were not His children, He would not bother to give
them a “Course Corrector” to get them back on target.
- Nothing in scripture
indicates that this “lukewarm” Church will be saved.
Heb 12:5-8
5 And you
have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My
son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he
rebukes you,
6 because the
Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a
son."
7 Endure
hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and
everyone undergoes discipline), then you
are illegitimate children and not true sons. NIV
He’s Knocking
Rev 3:20-24
20 Here I am! I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who
overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I
overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
NIV
- Interestingly, Christ
is not on the inside of this church, but is on the outside knocking.
- The condition of the
seven churches still exists today; from
REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY –
RABBIT TRAIL
- This is a concept
that Jewish Israel failed to recognize the Messiah Jesus Christ, and after
centuries has now been replaced by the Christian Church as God’s
chosen people. Israel now has no
role in God’s future work. – This is a FALSE doctrine of the New Age
movement.
- Jesus Christ is the
life giving Vine. God broke off the branches of
unbelieving
- BUT, if the broken
branches of
- LISTEN: The Vine is Jesus Christ and the
branches are Jewish Israel - When you as a Gentile are grafted into the
vine, you become part of Jewish Israel.
Your roots are Jewish.
- All Israel is therefore; the natural branches of
the vine; the believing Jews - Plus the un-natural wild branches that were grated in; the Gentiles - Plus the broken off branches
that were grafted back into the vine; the returning believing Jews.
- SO, when you see ALL ISRAEL spoken of, it includes
all believers. We are “All Israel”.
- If we are arrogant
toward the Jew, because we have been grafted into the vine, God will judge
us. God will bless those who bless
the Jews and curse those that curse them.
- If it were not for
the Jews we would not have the scriptures, prophets, apostles and our
Messiah.
Rom 11:1
11:1 I ask
then: Did God reject his people? By
no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe
of Benjamin. NIV
Rom 11:5
5 So too, at
the present time there is a remnant
chosen by grace. NIV
John 15:5
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches.
If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing. NIV
John 15:1-2
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father
is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears
no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will
be even more fruitful. NIV
Rom 11:17-21
17 If some of
the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now
share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,
18 do not
boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the
root, but the root supports you.
19 You will
say then, "Branches were broken off
so that I could be grafted in."
20 Granted. But they were broken off because of
unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
21 For if God did not spare the natural
branches, he will not spare you either. NIV
Rom 11:23-24
23 And
if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to
graft them in again.
24 After all,
if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to
nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into
their own olive tree! NIV
Gen 12:3
3 I will bless those who bless you, and
whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you." NIV
Rom 11:25-26
25 I do not
want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be
conceited: Israel
26 And so all Israel
- In the
end times,
knowledge will abound and things we could not understand before is
now being revealed, the sealed prophecies are now unlocked more and
more. Until recently man rode
horses, now we go to the moon.
Think about the telegraph for communicating to the next town, now
we have devices in our pocket that can communicate anywhere in the world.
- On the discovery of
the Dead Sea Scrolls, the first five books of the Bible were found
in Hebrew. A mathematician
discovered the word “Torah”
encoded in each of the five books.
Today, with the aid of a super computer, “The Bible Code” has been revealed prophesying many events
down through the centuries that affect our society including the election
of President Obama. This is the
sealed book mentioned in Isaiah that could not be opened till the
technology of the computer was invented.
Knowledge abounds. This blows me away.
Dan 12:4
4 But thou, O
Daniel, shut up the words, and seal
the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. KJV
Isa 29:11-12
11 For you
this whole vision is nothing but words
sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and
say to him, "Read this, please," he will answer, "I can't; it is sealed." NIV
Isa 29:17-18
17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon
18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the
words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity,
and out of darkness. KJV
- Astrologists say that
On
- Another great star
happened again in 1941 heralding a coming
King. A new dispensation has started; the re-birth of
- Before Christ could
return,
- Besides the Jew’s hearts
desire of to go home, Anti-Semitism will increase again and the Jews will
feel more and more compelled to relocate to
- The population of
- HOWEVER: The nation of
- There will be remnants
of Jewish Believers from ALL ages that finally make up the
whole saved Nation of Israel, plus the GENTILES that have been grafted
into the vine. Thus “ALL the believers” in
Num 24:17
17 "I
see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel
Rom 11:25
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this
mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel
Rom 11:23
23 And if they
do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to
graft them in again. NIV
Rom 11:26
26 And so all
Israel
Isa 43:5-6
5 I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, `Give them up! 'and to the south, `Do not hold them back. 'Bring my sons from afar and my daughters
from the ends of the earth-- NIV
Ezek 36:24
24 "`For, I will take you out of the nations; I
will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
NIV
Ezek 36:28
28 You will live in the land I gave your
forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. NIV
Ezek 37:3-11
3 He asked
me, "Son of man, can these bones
live?"
I said,
"O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
7 So I
prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a
rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on
them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
10 So I prophesied
as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on
their feet-a vast army.
11 Then he
said to me: "Son of man, these
bones are the whole house of Israel
Isa 66:8
8 Who has
ever seen such things? Can a country be
born in a day or a nation be brought
forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion
- Isaiah wrote of God’s
intention for the Jews to come back and inhabit
Isa 43:5-6
5 Do not be
afraid, for I am with you; I will bring
your children from the east and gather you from the west.
6 I will say
to the north, “Give them up” and to
the south, “Do not hold them back.” Bring
my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth- NIV
Isa 35:10
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They
will enter Zion
Isa 61:4
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and
restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have
been devastated for generations. NIV
Isa 44:26
26 who
carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his
messengers, who says of Jerusalem, `It
shall be inhabited,' of the towns of Judah, `They shall be built,' and of their
ruins, `I will restore them,' NIV
- The prophet Amos
declared that the Nation of Israel would be reborn, and restored.
Amos 9:14-15
14 I will bring back my exiled people Israel
15 I will
plant Israel
- The prophets said the
desert would blossom when
Isa 35:1
35:1 The
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. KJV
- Other scientifically unexplained signs of Christ’s
return will be; increases in natural catastrophes and climate changes and
man’s fear of the future will bring on heart attacks.
Isa 24:20
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a
drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression
thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. KJV
Luke 21:26
26 Men's
hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken. KJV
- We are far more
advanced than most folks can even imagine. Jack Anderson, columnist,
reports that we have spent 21.6 million so far on these weather projects.
Ezek 38:22
22 I will
execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and
burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. NIV
THE HOLY SPIRIT – RABBIT
TRAIL
- The Holy Spirit’s
work is seen in the creation of all things that are in our physical
realm including man. The Holy
Spirit is the breath of God.
- He was sent by Jesus to
be with us personally, to light our path, to be our comforter.
- He maintains our
spiritual life as well as our physical life. He convicts us of sin and makes us aware
that there is a need of a savior and provides the opportunity to accept or
reject.
- If we pray in
accordance to “the will of God”,
He hears us. The Holy Spirit knows the perfect will of God and intercedes for us when we don’t
know the right words to say.
- The Holy Spirit gives
us tools or “gifts” as He wills, to equip us to share the gospel of
Jesus Christ, to build up the body and for the common good of the church. These gifts are available today. The gifts and calling of God are
irrevocable. – God said it not me.
- The
Gifts;
Word of Wisdom – Word of Knowledge – Special Faith – Healings – Miracles –
Prophecy – Discernment of Spirits – Speak other Languages - Interpreting
other languages, and there are more. Jesus spoke in a heavenly language
when he said “Ephphatha”, which
means “be opened”. It’s not Hebrew,
nor Greek nor any other known language.
- The Holy Spirit
changes how we talk. We will speak in
a new tongue; No “four letter” words. Did you
know that there are no cuss words in the Hebrew Language?
- The
Holy Spirit is the restraining force of Satan and Evil on this earth and
when the Church is raptured, the Holy Spirit will leave with the church
and “All Hell” will break loose.
Ps 33:6
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath
of his mouth. KJV
Job 33:4
4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me
life. KJV
16 For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him: KJV
2 Thess 2:3
3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition; KJV
Rom 11:28
29 for
God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. NIV
1 Cor 12:7-11
7 Now to each
one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the
message of wisdom, to another the
message of knowledge by means of the
same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another
miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to
another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation
of tongues.
11 All these
are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just
as he determines. NIV
1 Cor 13:1
13:1 If I
speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal
NIV
Mark 7:33-34
34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh
said to him, "Ephphatha!"
(which means, "Be opened!"). NIV
Rom 8:26-27
26 In the
same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought
to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
NIV
1 John 5:14
14 This is
the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
NIV
8 But now you
must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,
and filthy language from your lips. NIV
John 20:22
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. NIV
Gen 2:7
7 the LORD
God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a
living being. NIV
Ps 104:30
30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth. NIV
Job 33:4
4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me
life. NIV
John 14:16-17
16 And I will
ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counselor to be with you forever-
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
NIV
CHAPTERS 4-22 – THINGS WHICH SHALL BE HEREAFTER - FUTURE
The Open Door- Just before the Rapture
Rev 4:1
4:1 After this I
looked, and there before me was a door
standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me
like a trumpet said, "Come up
here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
- John hears the voice
of Jesus Christ sounding like a trumpet inviting him into the Heavens.
- The open door is the
point where we believe the Church is “translated” or “raptured”. (The Church
is not mentioned again till Chapter 22.) The word “rapture” is not in the Bible,
but the symbolism is certainly there.
- This is when billions of people will instantly disappear and not return for seven years.
Matt24:33
33 Even
so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. NIV
Luke 13:24
24 "Make
every effort to enter through the narrow door,
because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. NIV
Luke 11:9-10
9 "So I
say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you.
10 For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. NIV
There are four doors mentioned in the Revelation
- Rev 3:8 - the door opened for service, opportunities to serve –
- Rev 3:20 - the door closed to Christ, He is knocking to come in –
- Rev 4:1 - the door into heaven, the rapture –
- The purpose of the
seven year Tribulation is a “final calling out” to the Jewish Nation,
God’s chosen people, and to punish those that have rejected His word.
- Logic would tell you that the Church will
not be present, but will have been extracted.
PRAY FOR A PRE-TRIB RAPTURE
but – PREPARE FOR A POST-TRIB RAPTURE
2 Thes 1:6-8
6 God is
just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
7 and give
relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the
Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
8 He will punish those who do not know God
and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. NIV
- Scripture supports
the view that those that love the lord will be delivered from His Holy
Judgments. For the examples of God’s extraction, look to
1 Thess 5:9
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, KJV
Gen 19:16
16 When he (Lot ) hesitated,
the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city,
for the LORD was merciful to them. NIV
Gen 19:29
29 So when
God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot
out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
NIV
Gen 7:1
1 The LORD
then said to Noah, "Go into the ark,
you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this
generation. NIV
Gen 7:23
23 Every
living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the
creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from
the earth. Only Noah was left, and those
with him in the ark. NIV
- Two letters to the
Churches in the Revelation that support the rapture.
25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. NIV
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you
have, so that no one will take your crown
There are two parts of the Advent or the second
coming of Christ.
- 1) Christ “Himself” comes back for the Church before the tribulation period starts and meets us in the air; this is referred to as the rapture of the church. When this rapture takes place, no eye will see Christ, but the voice of Christ as a trumpet blast will be heard. This gathering will be like in the time of Noah just before the flood; the ark saved Noah and his family, just as the Word can save us today. THIS ADVENT WILL BE IN SECRET.
1 Thess 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call
of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are
left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. NIV
Matt 24:37-41
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the
days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark;
39 and
they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them
all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men
will be in the field; one will be
taken and the other left.
41 Two
women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. NIV
- 2) Then, Seven years later, at the
end of the tribulation, Christ returns to the earth and the “Angels”
gather His saints of the Tribulation from the four corners of the earth,
then reigns for 1,000 years. This
time the Advent is public; EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM.
Matt 24:30-31
30 "At
that time the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on
the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. NIV
- Many will make fun of
Christian’s beliefs as they did Noah, and will say this is just plain
silly.
2 Peter 3:3-4
3 Knowing
this first, that there shall come in the
last days scoffers, walking
after their own lusts,
4 And saying,
Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. KJV
- There will be birth pains; signs before
the rapture and tribulation period.
There will be religious deception, international revolution, wars,
famines, earthquakes, plagues, strange stuff happening in the sky.
Matt 24:4-8
4 Jesus
answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many
will come in my name, claiming, `I
am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
6 You will
hear of wars and rumors of wars, but
see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines
and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these
are the beginning of birth pains. NIV
Luke 21:25-28
25
"There will be signs in the sun,
moon and stars. On the earth, nations
will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 Men will
faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At that
time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When
these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because
your redemption is drawing near. NIV
Matt 24:21-23
21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled
from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again.
22 If those
days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened.
23 At that time if anyone says to you, `Look,
here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. NIV
The
Gospel is not MAN centered - its CHRIST centered.
- Salvation is not
what “you can do”; because you can’t - it’s what Christ has already done.
- It’s not “Let’s make
a Deal”; buy one, get one free. It’s
not bartered or traded - You can’t earn it or buy it - It’s a free gift
that’s already been paid for.
- Salvation is like a PASSPORT; you need it to get into
a foreign country; but you have to
get it before you go.
The Rapture
Rev 4:2
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was
a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
- Jesus clearly states He
is coming back for us and will meet us in the air and we will
receive a crown of glory.
Christians refer to this as the carrying away or rapture of the
Saints.
- John states he was in
the Spirit in Heaven and sees Jesus Christ on the Throne. Sounds
like he was Raptured to me. – Just saying.
- John’s body was not
yet glorified, so only his spirit was allowed before the throne.
- Webster says
“rapture” is: A state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion.
Acts 1:11
11 "Men
of Galilee ,"
they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from
you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into
heaven." NIV
1 Thess
4:16-17
16 For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. KJV
1 Cor 15:51 -53
51 Behold, I
show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed.
53 For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. KJV
4 When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in
glory. KJV
1 Peter 5:4
4 And when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you
will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. NIV
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
KJV
John 14:2-3
2 In my
Father's house are many mansions: (ROOMS) if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also. KJV
1 Thess 1:10
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which
delivered us from the wrath to come. KJV
1 Thess 3:13
13 To the end
he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our
Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. KJV
- Judgment #2 – Judgment seat of Christ
- Occurs immediately
after the rapture of the church
- Jesus Christ is the
Judge
- This takes place in
heaven, since all are considered sinless. – Jesus already paid the price.
- No one loses their
life, and all are saved.
- Consistency of
Faithfulness and motive for the believers actions are exposed
- The works of the
saved are declared to be either wood hay and stubble; or gold silver and
precious stones.
- Various Crowns are given to everyone. Some get more than one. At least five are available
2 Cor 5:10
10 For we
must all appear before the judgment seat
of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done
while in the body, whether good or bad. NIV
1 Cor 3:11 -15
11 For no one can lay any foundation other
than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man
builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 his work
will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will
be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
14 If what
he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is
burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself
will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. NIV
Here’s where we are
- At this point, the
Church; Christians, both dead and alive, are now in Heaven and only the
unsaved are still on earth. The occurrence of this rapture will witness to
144,000 Jews who are still on the earth and they will accept Christ and
become His messengers.
- The Antichrist is
already on the scene, but is not yet a known world leader, but helps
establish the United States of Europe.
The Throne
Rev 4:3
3 And the one who
sat there had the appearance of jasper
and sardine. A rainbow, resembling an emerald,
encircled the throne.
- The rainbow around
the throne represents the covenant keeping God, the symbol of hope and
promise given to Noah after the flood.
A symbol of the Glory of God.
- Circles represent eternity.
- The Jasper stone was
the first stone in the second row of the High Priest breast
plate; it represented the tribe of
Gen 9:13
13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant
between me and the earth. NIV
- The Jasper stone (chalcedony) is a semi-transparent
green crystal, resembling a diamond. It representing Gods flawless
perfection and glowing radiance of His Holiness.
- The sardine (sardius) stone is ruby
red, representing the immense value of the shed blood of Christ.
- These precious stones
represent the Glory of God. They
are described as mounted in the breastplate of Aaron; they were the first
and the last of the 12 stones representing the twelve tribes of
- God is on the throne
representing everyone from the first person to the last.
- The emerald stone is green
representing “encircling” eternal Life.
11 It shone
with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very
precious jewel, like a jasper, clear
as crystal.
NIV
Ex 28:17
17 And thou
shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row
shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a
carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Ex 28:18
18 And the second
row shall be an emerald, a
sapphire, and a diamond.
Ex 39:13
13 And the fourth
row, (Last) a beryl, an
onyx, and a jasper: they were
inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. KJV
Twenty-four Elders
Rev 4:4
4 Surrounding the
throne were twenty-four other thrones,
and seated on them were twenty-four
elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
- The twenty-four elders
cannot be angels, as angels do not have thrones, crowns or sing the new
song of the redeemed.
- These twenty-four
elders or men are representative of all the raptured redeemed
Saints.
- In OT times, there were
twenty-four courses of priests that represented the 24 orders of
priest. There were thousands of priest, just as there are thousands of
the redeemed.
- They could also be
representatives of the twelve tribes of
- The number 12 and
its multiple is a number that relates to priestly government
perfection.
- The number 13 and
every multiple of it, is in connection with rebellion, apostasy,
defection, corruption, disintegration or other kindred ideas. (No
wonder # 13 is an unlucky number) Just saying.
1 Chron 6:32
32 And they
ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with
singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem
2 Chron 8:14
14 And he
appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to
their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every
day required: the porters also by their
courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded KJV
- Only the redeemed
wear the crown of life.
James 1:12
12 Blessed is
the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God has promised to those
who love him. NIV
1 Peter 5-4
4 And when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. NIV
11 I am
coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. NIV
Rev 14:3
3 And they sang
a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the
elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed
from the earth. NIV
Rev4:5
5 From the throne
came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne,
seven lamps were blazing. These are
the seven spirits of God.
- Thunder and lightning
was at
- The seven spirits are none other than
the seven characteristics of the Holy Spirit blazing forth in power and glory. Wisdom, Understanding,
Counsel, Power, Might, Knowledge and Fear of the Lord. (Seven is
completeness). See Isaiah 11:2-9
- The Holy Spirit is no
longer on earth, but is present before the throne in Heaven with this
group of born again believers. This
indicates His work on earth is finished.
- The Holy Spirit is
pictured today as the symbol of a dove coming in peace, but after
the rapture, The Holy Spirit will be seen as a symbol of fire, that
of judgment.
Acts 26:13
13 About
noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter
than the sun, blazing around me and
my companions. NIV
2 Thess 1:7
7 This will
happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. NIV
Ex 20:18
18 When the
people saw the thunder and lightning
and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.
They stayed at a distance NIV
Ex 19:16 -17
16 On the
morning of the third day there was
thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very
loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. NIV
Rev 4:6
6 Also before the
throne there was what looked like a sea
of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in
back.
- The sea of glass, in this instance, is
symbolic of the molten sea or lavers that was made for cleansing during
ceremonial rites in the
- It is also symbolic
of the sea of people that have been cleansed, made Holy and can
stand before the throne.
- The Sea in most other instances is the
restless masses of humanity.
Ex 40:30
30 He set the
laver between the tabernacle of
meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing; NKJV
2 Chron 4:2
2 Also he
made a molten sea of ten cubits from
brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line
of thirty cubits did compass it round about. KJV
- Covered
with eyes
is symbolic of the omnipotence, omniscience and
omnipresence of God: all Powerful, all Knowing, and everywhere all at
once.
Job 28:24
24 for he
views the ends of the earth and sees
everything under the heavens. NIV
Job 34:21-22
21 "His
eyes are on the ways of men; he sees
their every step.
22 There is
no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide NIV
Living Creatures
Rev 4:7
7 The first living
creature was like a lion, the second
was like an ox, the third had a face
like a man, the fourth was like a
flying eagle.
- The four living creatures (or beasts
in some translations) are Angels;
seraphim’s
- This is the same
description as seen by Ezekiel in his vision.
- Number
symbolism
- Four is the number of Creation thus can be seen as God’s covenant with beast,
cattle, man, and fowl. Creation is now before the throne.
- Each of the twelve
tribes had a “banner” or coat of arms such as a Lion or an Ox, etc.
- The Lion, (Tribe of
Ezek 1:10
10 As for the
likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion,
on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. KJV
- These four tribes
pitched their tents on the four sides of the
Num 2:3
3 And on the east side toward the rising of the sun
shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah
Num 2:18
18 On the west side shall be the standard of the
camp of Ephraim according to
their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son
of Ammihud. KJV
Num 2:10
10 On the south side shall be the standard of the
camp of Reuben according to
their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son
of Shedeur. KJV
Num 2:25
25 The
standard of the camp of Dan
shall be on the north side by their
armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of
Ammishadda. KJV
Rev 5:5
5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do
not weep! See, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the
scroll and its seven seals." NIV
Holy, Holy, Holy
Rev 4:8
8 Each of the four
living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even
under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
Isa 6:2
2 Above it
stood the seraphims: each one had six
wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly.
- Anytime a word is
repeated in the Bible, it magnifies its importance. If it was three Woe’s it would mean it’s
the worst it could be. In this
case, holy, holy, holy, is as holy as can be.
13 As I
watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the
earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three
angels!" NIV
Isa 6:3
3 And they
were calling to one another: "Holy,
holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. NIV
Crowns
Rev 4:9-10
9 Whenever the
living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne
and who lives for ever and ever,
10 the twenty-four
elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who
lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns
before the throne and say:
- The crowns are symbolic of the power
to rule, and symbolizes Christian triumph; their rewards for service
on earth and they place them at the feet of Christ.
- Unlike an earthly crown that can be lost, these crowns will last forever; a crown of life, glory, and splendor, righteous and everlasting joy.
1 Cor 9:25
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do
it to get a crown that will last
forever. NIV
1 Peter 5:4
4 And when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. NIV
Isa 35:10
10 and the ransomed
of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion
2 Tim 4:8
8 Now there
is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on
that day. NIV
James 1:12
12 Blessed is
the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God
has promised to those who love him. NIV
Isa 62:3
3 You will be
a crown of splendor in the
LORD's hand,
a royal
diadem in the hand of your God. NIV
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you
have, so that no one will take your crown.
NIV
The will of God
11 "You are
worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things and by your will they were created
and have their being." NIV
Gen 1:3
3 And God said, "Let there be
light," and there was light. NIV
Gen 1:11
11 Then God said, "Let the
land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear
fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was
so. NIV
Gen 1:24
24 And God said, "Let the land
produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that
move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And
it was so. NIV
Gen 1:27
27 So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them NIV
The Seven Seals
Rev 5:1
5:1 Then I saw in
the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides
and sealed with seven seals.
- Seals can be used to
seal up something or a seal can be a mark of a covenant with
someone.
- Seals are placed by
the owner as his mark of ownership.
- The penalty for breaking
the seal by someone not authorized or worthy; is death.
- Neither Angels, nor
Satan himself could open the seven seals on the scroll.
- The one deemed worthy
must be able to open all seven seals in progression.
Rom 4:10
11 And he received the sign of circumcision,
a SEAL of the righteousness that he
had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. NIV
Ex 28:36
36 "Make
a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a SEAL: HOLY TO THE LORD. NIV
Matt 27:66
66 So they
went and made the tomb secure by putting a SEAL
on the stone and posting the guard. NIV.
The Lion
Rev 5:2-5
2 And I saw a
mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the
seals and open the scroll?"
3 But no one in
heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside
it.
4 I wept and wept
because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
5 Then one of the
elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is
able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
- The book of Revelation
is the only place where Jesus is referred to as the “Lion”, but can be
seen in prophecies in the Old Testament.
- The use of the term,
“the Lion”, seems to indicate majesty, sovereignty,
and judgment.
- Jesus’ genealogy
stems from
Gen 49:9
9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah
Isa 11:1
1 A shoot
will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear
fruit. NIV
Isa 11:10
10 In that
day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his
place of rest will be glorious. NIV
THE SCROLL - RABBIT TRAIL
- During trying times a
Jewish family might have to give their land as a pledge to satisfy a
debt. The debtor could be taken as
a slave for six years, but at the seventh go free. Land could not be taken away permanently, but could be
pledged till the debt was paid.
- A scroll was
prepared, written on the inside describing the possession, then rolled up.
The terms, conditions and qualifications for a
redeemer to purchase back the possessions were written on the outside
of the scroll and then it was sealed with seven seals and placed in the
- When a qualified redeemer was found to
open the scroll, the possessions were returned.
- Man’s inheritance was
lost in the Garden of Eden, but was redeemed by Jesus at the cross
- God gave Adam the right to reign over the
earth. He lost that right to Satan
when he sinned and then man became a slave
to sin till the debt was paid.
The land became cursed with sorrow, thistles and thorns.
- The redeemer of the
scroll had to meet certain qualifications:
Be
a near kinsman;
Acting
freely on his own; and
Have the ability to pay the price.
- Upon redemption; the Priest verified the qualifications; the redeemer paid the price and then opened the scroll and redeemed the land
- Remembering a day to
the Lord is like a thousand years; the slave would work 6 years (6,000
years) then go free at the seventh year.
We are entering the 7th year (the last 1,000 years; the
millennium reign.). Christ will
redeem the saints and the earth; all His creation.
- Each
seal
is a day and at the seventh seal the redemption of man and earth is
complete.
- God made Adam the
dictator of the earth, but he lost it; A near kinsman, God’s Son Jesus, was ready, willing and able to redeem the earth and free
the slaves to sin. Christ’s paid the price with His death on the cross. He
has the power to lay down His life and the power to pick it up again.
- Debt Paid; we have been redeemed and not only do we get the land back, but it is recreated NEW - just like it was in the Garden of Eden. PRAISE THE LIVING LORD.
16 "I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David,
and the bright Morning Star." NIV
Rom 8:1-3
1 Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what
the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in
sinful man, NIV
Heb 2:9
But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and
honor because he suffered death, so that
by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. NIV
Heb 2:14
14 Since the
children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who
holds the power of death-that is, the devil- NIV
Matt 3:17
17 And a
voice from heaven said, "This is my
Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." NIV
John 10:17-18
17 The reason
my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again.
18 No one
takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
This command I received from my Father." NIV
1 Peter
1:18-20
18 For you
know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of
life handed down to you from your forefathers,
19 but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
20 He was chosen before the creation of the
world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. NIV
2 Peter 3:8
8 But do not
forget this one thing, dear friends: With
the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
NIV
Lev 25:23-26
`The land must not be sold permanently, because
the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.
24 Throughout
the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption
of the land.
25 "`If
one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem
what his countryman has sold. NIV
The Lamb
Rev 5:6
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing
in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the
elders. He had seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
- The Lamb is characteristic of; Christ at
his birth; meekness, grace and as Savior.
- Notice Christ is
standing, He has just returned from earth and has not set down at the
right hand of the father.
- Lamb is used 29 times
in Revelation – The Bible can be summarized by tracing the Lamb through
the Bible. – “Behold the Lamb of God” – “Worthy is the Lamb” - "Look,
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” - “For Christ, our
Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”.
John 1:29
29 The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
NIV
John 1:36
36 When he
saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look,
the Lamb of God!" NIV
2 Chron 35:1
35:1 Josiah
celebrated the Passover to the LORD
in Jerusalem
Acts 8:32
32 "He
was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. NIV
1 Cor 5:7
7 Get rid of
the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been
sacrificed. NIV
1 Peter
1:18-20
18 For you
know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you
were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers,
19 but with
the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.
20 He was
chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times
for your sake. NIV
- A horn was a symbol for a kingdom
and the mention of other horns indicates a progression of kingdoms. Here the symbol Seven means
completeness and is “The complete
- Man was made a little
lower than the angels. God sent his
son Jesus, also made a little lower than the angels that he should
experience everything as man before he is crowned with glory and honor.
Ps 8:4-5
4 what is man that you are mindful of
him, the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made
him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned
him with glory and honor. NIV
Heb 2:7-9
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that
by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. NIV
Right Hand of God
Rev 5:7
7 He came and took
the scroll from the right hand of
him who sat on the throne.
- God is the one on the
Throne and “the right hand” is His hand of authority, power and majesty.
Ex 15:6
6 "Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic
in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. NIV
Ps 63:8
8 My soul
clings to you; your right hand upholds me. NIV
Ps 118:16
16 The LORD's
right hand is lifted high; the
LORD's right hand has done mighty
things!" NIV
Isa 41:13
13 For I am
the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right
hand and says to you, Do not fear; NIV
Golden Bowls
Rev 5:8
8 And when he had
taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before
the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the
saints.
Ps 141:2
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. NIV
New Song
Rev 5:9
9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy
to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your
blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation.
- The singers have to
be the redeemed from the earth, because angels cannot sing this
song.
Rev 14:3
3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and
the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
NIV
- Many people worship
God, but not Jesus Christ. This is
an insult to the Father.
Bunch of Angels
Rev 5:10-11
10 You have made
them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the
earth."
11 Then I looked
and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They
encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
- Ten thousand times
ten thousand or 100 million is to be taken as a “figure of speech”,
as innumerable – such as sand
of the sea or stars in the sky.
- Angels cannot be
saved and do not have thrones or crowns.
But they speak, sing, praise and worship God.
- Just for fun, if you take this number literally, it would mean Satan had already took one-third or 50 million Angels with him when he rebelled. So it’s still “two to one”, God’s favor.
Gen 41:49
49 Joseph
stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records
because it was beyond measure. NIV
Gen 32:12
12 But you
have said, “I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like
the sand of the sea, which cannot
be counted.” NIV
Heb 11:12
12 And so
from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless
as the sand on the seashore. NIV
- Seventy times seven –
is a figure of speech… Forgive so many times that you will lose count
of how many times you have forgiven someone. Remember seven is
completeness.
Matt 18:21-22
21 Then came
Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus
saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. KJV
The Angels Sing
12 In a loud voice
they (the angels) sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was
slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" - These Seven words
are the attributes of Christ – Seven
is Complete.
- I can just hear 50 million Angels in the throne room, in half of the circle, singing and chant, “Power” then 50 million in the other half say, “Wealth” then passing it back, “Wisdom”, then back “Strength”, etc. What an awesome sound; a choir of 100 Million.
13 Then I heard every
creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all
that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for
ever and ever!"
14 The four living
creatures (Angels;
seraphim’s) said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and
worshiped. NIV
Here’s where we are.
- In Moses time, their tribulation
plagues “Passed over” the children of
- The tribulation period starts with the opening of
the first seal which occurs shortly after the rapture or translation of
the Church.
- Many facets of the
tribulation began long before the rapture, by as much as 30 years, such as
the birth of the Antichrist and False Prophet. So in essence you could say that the
rapture and tribulation “sort of” overlap each other.
- The
Antichrist
will already be on the scene before the rapture as a peaceful
conqueror and helps establish the United States of Europe which we
call the revived
- Isaiah warned the
Jews that the agreement would be an agreement with death.
- The last 3 ½ years are know as the “Great” Tribulations; “Jacobs Trouble”.
Isa 28:15
15 You boast,
"We have entered into a covenant
with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming
scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place." NIV
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge
sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it NIV
- Jeremiah the prophet speaks
of the second half of the tribulation as “Jacobs Trouble” and that
he (
Jer 30:7
7 How
awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be
saved out of it. NIV
Dan 12:1
1 And at that
time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children
of thy people: and there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be
found written in the book KJV
Matt 24:21-22
21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled
from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again.
22 If those days
had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened. NIV
- The tribulation is a
seven year period in which God
deals with
Mal 4:5-6
5 "See,
I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the
LORD comes.
6 He
will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the
children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a
curse." NIV
- From the Dead Sea Scrolls – The Priestly Messiah – “And now I
have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness and witchcrafts,
and idolatries which you shall practice…. And ye shall mingle in the
abominations of the Gentiles. For
which things sake the Lord shall
bring upon you famine and pestilence, death and the sword… The laying
waste of the land, the enslavement of yourselves among the Gentiles.”
Those destroyed and those to come in the future
- Solomon’s
- Zerubbabel’s
- Herod’s
- According to reports
that surfaced years ago, The Temple Society claim that they are in
possession of the Ark of the Covenant.
THE FIRST 3 ½ YEARS
- The
- In 1967,
- The
- The
- It is noteworthy to
mention here, that the Jewish
Temple Society has already made ALL the temple instruments that will
be used when the temple is rebuilt.
- A school has already
been established to train the priest of the tribe of Levi in the art of
making sacrifices.
- The Levitical “oblation
sacrifice” will be reinstated at that time. The Antichrist will allow the Jew’s to
resume the daily sacrifices in the temple.
Many will think he is the Messiah.
- The Antichrist breaks
the peace covenant with Israel, stops the oblation sacrifice and then sets
an image of himself up to be worshiped in the Temple.
- This is referred to
as the “abomination of desolation”
- This is the first
time he is revealed as the Antichrist.
Scripture also calls him the Son of Lawlessness, the son of
perdition and, that man of sin.
- The Antichrist is a “mortal
man” that is totally consumed by
Satan.
- During the first 3 ½ years we are warned of
many coming claiming that they are “the Christ” and many will be deceived.
- 144,000 Jews are
sealed with the mark of Christ and preach the gospel throughout the whole
tribulation period to the whole world.
Multitudes are saved.
Matt 24:5-8
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ,' and will deceive
many.
6 You will hear
of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still
to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. NIV
2 Cor 11:14 -15
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an
angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as
servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. NIV
Matt 24:14
And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. NIV
Rev 7:9
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could
count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding
palm branches in their hands. NIV
Mic 4:1
1 In the last days the mountain of the
LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be
raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. NIV
Amos 9:11
11 "In
that day I will restore David's fallen tent.
I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to
be, NIV
Dan 9:27
27 He will
confirm a covenant with many for one `seven.'
In the middle of the `seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is
decreed is poured out on him." NIV
2 Thess 2:3-4
3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; KJV
4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple,
proclaiming himself to be God. NIV
Matt 24:15-16
15 "So
when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet
Daniel-let the reader understand-
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to
the mountains. NIV
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