Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Luke 14:1-14 -- "Jesus Freak", the worst seat at the feast.
14 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. 2 And behold, there was before him a certain man that had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not? 4 But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.
(Dropsy refers to congestive heart failure). In the last chapter we saw the response of the ruler of the synagogue, in this chapter we see the response of the “silent majority”. In the last chapter we learned that the Lord’s goal includes exposing the hypocrisy of a corrupt counterfeit bill to the kingdom of the heavens. In this chapter we learn about the silent majority, those who hold their peace.
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer again unto these things.
According to the rabbinical law you were not supposed to pull an ox out of a well on the Sabbath. You were allowed to lower food and water down to the ox, but you had to wait till the next day to pull the ox out. They knew this, but then they also knew that this was a stupid rule. The ox doesn’t know it is the Sabbath. In the wild an ox falls into a well and can’t get out, that ox is going to die. So this ox is going to panic and may break a leg trying to get out. Imagine you were the ox, your owner sees you in the well, but just leaves you there! How cruel is that? You do all that work for him and he is just going to leave you to die? One person can’t pull an ox out, so they would need help. This is why they are all keeping quiet, they don’t want to admit that they do this in public, but they can’t deny it because everyone knows they do it. It is a stupid, cruel rule, no one obeys it, but they are afraid to say that. That is hypocrisy, that is the leaven of the Pharisees. They keep people in line with fear but no one believes them, they don’t obey them, they just don’t want to make waves. Recently we discovered that a number of very high profile NFL stars were fabricating vaccine passports, pretending they had complied with the mandate while ignoring the rule. Interestingly the vaccine appears to cause myocarditis or congestive heart failure so if you believe in coincidences then you can consider this one big coincidence.
7 And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, 9 and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. 11 For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
This is what people are really afraid of, public humiliation. What did the Lord say, don’t fear those that can just humiliate you and after that there is nothing more they can do, rather fear Him who after you have died has the power to humiliate you for eternity. Why is it that people deny the Lord before men? They are afraid to be shunned and humiliated. The Lord is not teaching us how to be social climbers. You need to connect this account with the earlier point Jesus made(Luke 12:8-9). If you confess Jesus before men you will be shunned, you will be given the worst seats at their feasts. But if you confess Jesus before men then He will confess you before the angels, at the feast that He is going to give at the end of the age He will say “friend go up higher”. If you choose to start the feast in the most despised seat, the “Jesus freak” seat, then there is nothing they can do to you, but you give the Lord an opportunity to honor you. When I tell people that Jesus is the only savior they interpret that to mean that I am telling them to sit on their hands and do nothing. They are worked up over the vaccine mandate or over climate change or concerned with election fraud. We are supposed to be the salt and the light, I am all for being the salt and the light. But let's be realistic, the Republican party is not "the savior", AOC and her $10 trillion dollar green new deal is not the savior, and Mike Lindell is not the savior. By all means expose election fraud, promote the use of cleaner energy and reject them illegally mandating an experimental vaccine. But if you are serious about real solutions you will realize that as long as our government is corrupt giving them $10 trillion will not make things better, only worse.
12 And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.
This is how you lay up treasure for yourself (Luke 12:16-21). Man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesses. If the US dollar is about to become worthless then you are in the exact same position of that rich man who died. Once he died the grain in the barn was worthless to him. He could have used it to give a feast to the poor and then when the Lord took him he would have had treasure stored up in heaven. During the tribulation our money will become worthless. But right now there are people who can’t pay their rent, can’t buy food. One minute you could have used that money to store up treasure in heaven, the next minute it will be gone. Give to those who cannot recompense you and then you will be recompensed in the resurrection. This is a tremendous investment opportunity for you, where thieves don’t break in, moths don’t destroy, a purse in heaven that faileth not.
14 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. 2 And behold, there was before him a certain man that had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not? 4 But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.
(Dropsy refers to congestive heart failure). In the last chapter we saw the response of the ruler of the synagogue, in this chapter we see the response of the “silent majority”. In the last chapter we learned that the Lord’s goal includes exposing the hypocrisy of a corrupt counterfeit bill to the kingdom of the heavens. In this chapter we learn about the silent majority, those who hold their peace.
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer again unto these things.
According to the rabbinical law you were not supposed to pull an ox out of a well on the Sabbath. You were allowed to lower food and water down to the ox, but you had to wait till the next day to pull the ox out. They knew this, but then they also knew that this was a stupid rule. The ox doesn’t know it is the Sabbath. In the wild an ox falls into a well and can’t get out, that ox is going to die. So this ox is going to panic and may break a leg trying to get out. Imagine you were the ox, your owner sees you in the well, but just leaves you there! How cruel is that? You do all that work for him and he is just going to leave you to die? One person can’t pull an ox out, so they would need help. This is why they are all keeping quiet, they don’t want to admit that they do this in public, but they can’t deny it because everyone knows they do it. It is a stupid, cruel rule, no one obeys it, but they are afraid to say that. That is hypocrisy, that is the leaven of the Pharisees. They keep people in line with fear but no one believes them, they don’t obey them, they just don’t want to make waves. Recently we discovered that a number of very high profile NFL stars were fabricating vaccine passports, pretending they had complied with the mandate while ignoring the rule. Interestingly the vaccine appears to cause myocarditis or congestive heart failure so if you believe in coincidences then you can consider this one big coincidence.
7 And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, 9 and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. 11 For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
This is what people are really afraid of, public humiliation. What did the Lord say, don’t fear those that can just humiliate you and after that there is nothing more they can do, rather fear Him who after you have died has the power to humiliate you for eternity. Why is it that people deny the Lord before men? They are afraid to be shunned and humiliated. The Lord is not teaching us how to be social climbers. You need to connect this account with the earlier point Jesus made(Luke 12:8-9). If you confess Jesus before men you will be shunned, you will be given the worst seats at their feasts. But if you confess Jesus before men then He will confess you before the angels, at the feast that He is going to give at the end of the age He will say “friend go up higher”. If you choose to start the feast in the most despised seat, the “Jesus freak” seat, then there is nothing they can do to you, but you give the Lord an opportunity to honor you. When I tell people that Jesus is the only savior they interpret that to mean that I am telling them to sit on their hands and do nothing. They are worked up over the vaccine mandate or over climate change or concerned with election fraud. We are supposed to be the salt and the light, I am all for being the salt and the light. But let's be realistic, the Republican party is not "the savior", AOC and her $10 trillion dollar green new deal is not the savior, and Mike Lindell is not the savior. By all means expose election fraud, promote the use of cleaner energy and reject them illegally mandating an experimental vaccine. But if you are serious about real solutions you will realize that as long as our government is corrupt giving them $10 trillion will not make things better, only worse.
12 And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.
This is how you lay up treasure for yourself (Luke 12:16-21). Man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesses. If the US dollar is about to become worthless then you are in the exact same position of that rich man who died. Once he died the grain in the barn was worthless to him. He could have used it to give a feast to the poor and then when the Lord took him he would have had treasure stored up in heaven. During the tribulation our money will become worthless. But right now there are people who can’t pay their rent, can’t buy food. One minute you could have used that money to store up treasure in heaven, the next minute it will be gone. Give to those who cannot recompense you and then you will be recompensed in the resurrection. This is a tremendous investment opportunity for you, where thieves don’t break in, moths don’t destroy, a purse in heaven that faileth not.
These are the days of Baal -- when you are forced to bow the knees to evil
911 was a warning, it struck on the 60th birthday of the Pentagon and on the birthday of NYC. Senate majority leaders spoke a word of defiance rather than returning to God in repentance. We are now racing away from God. Obama inscribed words on the beam that was the crown of that tower, he wrote the words of defiance from Isaiah 9:10. He spoke a word of national judgement. The ruins depicted a judgement, the tree they planted was struck down depicting God's judgement. The image of the God of death and destruction was raised over NYC. The walls of the ancient temple were breached on the 9th of Tammuz. In 2015 the Supreme court struck down laws concerning marriage. That also was on the 9th of Tammuz. Marriage is a hedge of protection.
We are in free fall. We not only call what is evil good we have gone to the next stage of calling good evil. They are actively cancelling out the people of God. If the nation does not turn back to God greater shaking will come.
Economic collapse
Military defeat
Civil disorder
Collapse of infrastructure
Calamities of Nature
How long is it between the first strike and when judgement comes. 19 years from the first strike to the greater shakings. 19 is a year of judgement. 19 years after 911 is 2020 which was the year of the plague. What was the name of the plague -- Covid19.
Jeremiah told the nation of Israel that in the 19th year of their judgement a plague would come upon the land. The Assyrians were the ones who carried out the strike on ancient Israel and they are the ones who carried out the strike on us. When the terrorists returned 19 years later they return with judgement. In Afghanistan we see that before our eyes, Taliban returned, a sign of destruction.
The overthrow of Afghanistan began when we negotiated this on 911 of 2020. Trump is following the template of Jehu. Wild man that you never knew what he was going to do. Jehu called for an assembly at the capital, those who supported him laid siege to the capitol building. Jan 6th Trump called for a meeting -- police arrested 80 people. In the Bible 80 men were arrested. In the Bible this event signified Jehu defeating the forces of Baal, for us it signified the victory of the forces of Baal, they were sworn into power and they endorse the killing of children. They endorse the ways of immorality and the encroaching of God's people. We are now living in the reign of Baal.
The reign of Jehu was a reprieve from judgement. However, there was no national revival and when his reign was over the fall accelerated. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and call on my name and repent I will turn from the evil that is planned.
Now is the time to repent. Today is the time to begin rising to your calling.
Do not fear the future. Do not fear the end times. We have been chosen for such a time as this. Serve God for this hour.
911 was a warning, it struck on the 60th birthday of the Pentagon and on the birthday of NYC. Senate majority leaders spoke a word of defiance rather than returning to God in repentance. We are now racing away from God. Obama inscribed words on the beam that was the crown of that tower, he wrote the words of defiance from Isaiah 9:10. He spoke a word of national judgement. The ruins depicted a judgement, the tree they planted was struck down depicting God's judgement. The image of the God of death and destruction was raised over NYC. The walls of the ancient temple were breached on the 9th of Tammuz. In 2015 the Supreme court struck down laws concerning marriage. That also was on the 9th of Tammuz. Marriage is a hedge of protection.
We are in free fall. We not only call what is evil good we have gone to the next stage of calling good evil. They are actively cancelling out the people of God. If the nation does not turn back to God greater shaking will come.
Economic collapse
Military defeat
Civil disorder
Collapse of infrastructure
Calamities of Nature
How long is it between the first strike and when judgement comes. 19 years from the first strike to the greater shakings. 19 is a year of judgement. 19 years after 911 is 2020 which was the year of the plague. What was the name of the plague -- Covid19.
Jeremiah told the nation of Israel that in the 19th year of their judgement a plague would come upon the land. The Assyrians were the ones who carried out the strike on ancient Israel and they are the ones who carried out the strike on us. When the terrorists returned 19 years later they return with judgement. In Afghanistan we see that before our eyes, Taliban returned, a sign of destruction.
The overthrow of Afghanistan began when we negotiated this on 911 of 2020. Trump is following the template of Jehu. Wild man that you never knew what he was going to do. Jehu called for an assembly at the capital, those who supported him laid siege to the capitol building. Jan 6th Trump called for a meeting -- police arrested 80 people. In the Bible 80 men were arrested. In the Bible this event signified Jehu defeating the forces of Baal, for us it signified the victory of the forces of Baal, they were sworn into power and they endorse the killing of children. They endorse the ways of immorality and the encroaching of God's people. We are now living in the reign of Baal.
The reign of Jehu was a reprieve from judgement. However, there was no national revival and when his reign was over the fall accelerated. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and call on my name and repent I will turn from the evil that is planned.
Now is the time to repent. Today is the time to begin rising to your calling.
Do not fear the future. Do not fear the end times. We have been chosen for such a time as this. Serve God for this hour.
2Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.
How we war.
1. It is not according to the flesh. Antifa means "anti fascist". It may be a good motive, but their warfare is according to the flesh. Doing that plays into the hands of those that would manipulate you for their own purpose and then discard you. It is a path that does not lead to victory.
Others hold rallies, protesting for Climate change and what is their solution? You want the UN to carry your banner, for the US to pass a $10 trillion dollar green new deal. If a corrupt government passes this bill and then hands the taxpayer money to the corrupt corporations to make a bunch of new stuff all you have done is strengthen the very system that is destroying the earth and keeping you enslaved. These rallies are not mighty, they are easily co-opted by the powers that be for their own profit.
2. No, we must cast down strongholds. What strongholds?
A. Jesus is Lord. The enemy hates it when you say the name of Jesus. Trying to eliminate the name of Jesus is a stronghold of the enemy. Cast it down. The more they mock, ridicule and defame the name the more we should lift it up and proclaim it.
B. The word of God. Proclaim it. The word of God is mighty to cast down every imagination and every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
3. Then we must bring every thought into the captivity of the obedience of Christ.
A. "My body my choice" is a thought that must be brought into the captivity of Jesus. Do not mandate an experimental vaccine on me, I am not a lab rat, my body, my choice.
B. "Respect the science" -- Use data, use peer reviewed studies, point out the hypocrisy and lies of Fauci and others telling them to "respect the science".
C. Kamala promised to end the human rights abuses at the border. Remind her of that promise, speak it over and over, never let them forget.
D. For four years they said "#NotMyPresident" remind them of that, don't back down on investigations of election integrity. We are the light and the salt. Shine that light.
4. Judgement begins with the house of God. The Lord is ready to avenge as soon as we have fulfilled our obedience.
How we war.
1. It is not according to the flesh. Antifa means "anti fascist". It may be a good motive, but their warfare is according to the flesh. Doing that plays into the hands of those that would manipulate you for their own purpose and then discard you. It is a path that does not lead to victory.
Others hold rallies, protesting for Climate change and what is their solution? You want the UN to carry your banner, for the US to pass a $10 trillion dollar green new deal. If a corrupt government passes this bill and then hands the taxpayer money to the corrupt corporations to make a bunch of new stuff all you have done is strengthen the very system that is destroying the earth and keeping you enslaved. These rallies are not mighty, they are easily co-opted by the powers that be for their own profit.
2. No, we must cast down strongholds. What strongholds?
A. Jesus is Lord. The enemy hates it when you say the name of Jesus. Trying to eliminate the name of Jesus is a stronghold of the enemy. Cast it down. The more they mock, ridicule and defame the name the more we should lift it up and proclaim it.
B. The word of God. Proclaim it. The word of God is mighty to cast down every imagination and every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
3. Then we must bring every thought into the captivity of the obedience of Christ.
A. "My body my choice" is a thought that must be brought into the captivity of Jesus. Do not mandate an experimental vaccine on me, I am not a lab rat, my body, my choice.
B. "Respect the science" -- Use data, use peer reviewed studies, point out the hypocrisy and lies of Fauci and others telling them to "respect the science".
C. Kamala promised to end the human rights abuses at the border. Remind her of that promise, speak it over and over, never let them forget.
D. For four years they said "#NotMyPresident" remind them of that, don't back down on investigations of election integrity. We are the light and the salt. Shine that light.
4. Judgement begins with the house of God. The Lord is ready to avenge as soon as we have fulfilled our obedience.
Luke 14:34-35 If you want to be part of the Lord's ministry you need to be salt
34 Salt therefore is good:
Strange conclusion to this chapter. To renounce all that we are is to renounce our ego, our family heritage, whatever we count as gain to us. What salt does is it causes all the water to come out of the fish or the meat that it is preserving. Without any water it can’t rot. This chapter is telling us that we need to be salted. We will be attacked, just like microbes will attack the fish or the meat. Before refrigeration this was the only way to preserve meat and fish. This section began with a warning to beware the leaven of the pharisees, but it ends with the conclusion that “salt therefore is good”. Salt tells the water to “come out of her my people”. This is what we are telling the saints concerning these tech giants that want to control what you can and cannot say, what you can and cannot think. Come out of her my people. They are controlling you through public humiliation, mocking, branding you a "Jesus Freak".
but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
My senior year in college our gospel was very effective on campus. We had a solid core of four or five brothers who would meet every day at lunch and during lunch we would preach the gospel in the cafeteria. My university had five colleges with cafeterias that we would eat at, every day we would eat at a different one. During my last semester I was eating at one of these cafeterias, it might have held 400 and this was way before social distancing. It was packed, wall to wall college kids eating lunch. Each table held ten people and I was sitting at this table in the center of the cafeteria and the other nine seats were empty. At other tables you would see two people sharing a chair, or an eleventh person standing and eating at the table or people heading to the elevators to eat their lunch in their room. It was like one of those western movies where the gunslinger comes in, and everyone else clears out. Don’t get me wrong, for three years there was a lot of mocking, a lot of insults, a lot of friends and family that opposed my stand. There were also many others on the campus that did believe, but they kept it to themselves, and you couldn’t tell them from anyone else. It must have been hard, kind of like Lot “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked”. The Lord said His yoke was easy and His burden was light, is this really easy? Let’s compare. In the world they are struggling to get to the top of the heap. There are many people who give it everything they have and yet the world still finds issues. These debates about who the greatest of all time is for the various sports is one example. Why isn’t it good enough that they gave it everything they had? Second, what about those who get injured. The Lord asks us to give it everything we have, if we get injured it doesn’t stop us from doing that. But in the world they judge you by the ugly metric of idolatry. In the world you can be an ox working hard, but if you fall into a pit they can have all kinds of reasons why they can’t pull you out. In the world you sit down to build a tower all kinds of things can happen, calamities that are completely beyond your control. Suppose you come to a team and you want to make them into one of the all time great teams whose name is respected and then they trade you? You have no control over that, but in the New Testament we have a covenant, we don’t get traded. It is up to you, you can give 100%, that is your choice. Our being salt indicates that we have a relationship with Jesus and with God. Salt had to be added to all the offerings, it was required. God requires that Jesus have this relationship with us. Also it is not up to you to keep the ark of the covenant from falling. All you need to do is follow the Lord, everything is ultimately on Him. He is the one that is coming with an army. We saw Him coming and the gospel was all about the conditions of peace with God. For the last two thousand years millions, hundreds of millions, even billions of Christians have received Jesus as their peace offering. The peace that we make with God requires that we renounce everything that we are and count it as dung. This is the road we take to the Lord’s second coming. At the time of Jesus the Roman roads were built to transport salt. From the moment Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem you see this process, He is salting the disciples. “He that is least among you shall be great” dealing with their ego. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”. Jesus Christ is our offering to God. However we are the salt: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of your covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.” (Lev 2:13). We are added to these offerings. Jesus is our peace offering, but you need to add salt to the peace offering and we are the salt. Jesus is the burnt offering, but you need to add salt to the burnt offering and we are the salt. If you have lost your saltiness then you won’t be added. If you want to be part of the Lord’s ministry then you need to be salt.
34 Salt therefore is good:
Strange conclusion to this chapter. To renounce all that we are is to renounce our ego, our family heritage, whatever we count as gain to us. What salt does is it causes all the water to come out of the fish or the meat that it is preserving. Without any water it can’t rot. This chapter is telling us that we need to be salted. We will be attacked, just like microbes will attack the fish or the meat. Before refrigeration this was the only way to preserve meat and fish. This section began with a warning to beware the leaven of the pharisees, but it ends with the conclusion that “salt therefore is good”. Salt tells the water to “come out of her my people”. This is what we are telling the saints concerning these tech giants that want to control what you can and cannot say, what you can and cannot think. Come out of her my people. They are controlling you through public humiliation, mocking, branding you a "Jesus Freak".
but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
My senior year in college our gospel was very effective on campus. We had a solid core of four or five brothers who would meet every day at lunch and during lunch we would preach the gospel in the cafeteria. My university had five colleges with cafeterias that we would eat at, every day we would eat at a different one. During my last semester I was eating at one of these cafeterias, it might have held 400 and this was way before social distancing. It was packed, wall to wall college kids eating lunch. Each table held ten people and I was sitting at this table in the center of the cafeteria and the other nine seats were empty. At other tables you would see two people sharing a chair, or an eleventh person standing and eating at the table or people heading to the elevators to eat their lunch in their room. It was like one of those western movies where the gunslinger comes in, and everyone else clears out. Don’t get me wrong, for three years there was a lot of mocking, a lot of insults, a lot of friends and family that opposed my stand. There were also many others on the campus that did believe, but they kept it to themselves, and you couldn’t tell them from anyone else. It must have been hard, kind of like Lot “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked”. The Lord said His yoke was easy and His burden was light, is this really easy? Let’s compare. In the world they are struggling to get to the top of the heap. There are many people who give it everything they have and yet the world still finds issues. These debates about who the greatest of all time is for the various sports is one example. Why isn’t it good enough that they gave it everything they had? Second, what about those who get injured. The Lord asks us to give it everything we have, if we get injured it doesn’t stop us from doing that. But in the world they judge you by the ugly metric of idolatry. In the world you can be an ox working hard, but if you fall into a pit they can have all kinds of reasons why they can’t pull you out. In the world you sit down to build a tower all kinds of things can happen, calamities that are completely beyond your control. Suppose you come to a team and you want to make them into one of the all time great teams whose name is respected and then they trade you? You have no control over that, but in the New Testament we have a covenant, we don’t get traded. It is up to you, you can give 100%, that is your choice. Our being salt indicates that we have a relationship with Jesus and with God. Salt had to be added to all the offerings, it was required. God requires that Jesus have this relationship with us. Also it is not up to you to keep the ark of the covenant from falling. All you need to do is follow the Lord, everything is ultimately on Him. He is the one that is coming with an army. We saw Him coming and the gospel was all about the conditions of peace with God. For the last two thousand years millions, hundreds of millions, even billions of Christians have received Jesus as their peace offering. The peace that we make with God requires that we renounce everything that we are and count it as dung. This is the road we take to the Lord’s second coming. At the time of Jesus the Roman roads were built to transport salt. From the moment Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem you see this process, He is salting the disciples. “He that is least among you shall be great” dealing with their ego. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”. Jesus Christ is our offering to God. However we are the salt: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of your covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.” (Lev 2:13). We are added to these offerings. Jesus is our peace offering, but you need to add salt to the peace offering and we are the salt. Jesus is the burnt offering, but you need to add salt to the burnt offering and we are the salt. If you have lost your saltiness then you won’t be added. If you want to be part of the Lord’s ministry then you need to be salt.
"Deep seated religious beliefs must be changed." Hillary Clinton
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. Jeremiah 2:11
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7:25
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. Jeremiah 2:11
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7:25
Luke 15 -- How do you prepare for the Lord’s return?
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
This is a valid point. The Lord has made a very definite point of the need to hear his word and obey. How is it that the servants of the Lord who do not obey His word will be judged strictly and yet he is welcoming sinners and eating with them when they don’t pay any attention to God’s word?
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
The Lord is comparing them to a lost sheep. The 99 are doing what they are supposed to, that is good, but one gets lost it is the shepherd’s duty to find it. The Lord is doing what he is supposed to do. Remember, Jesus is setting a pattern for the 12, for the 70 others and for the 500 witnesses. As a disciple we need to listen and obey. However, if you are put in the position of a shepherd then you have greater responsibility to seek out a lost sheep.
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
Why include this? Have you ever noticed that many testimonies and many meetings concerning evangelism focus on this experience of finding a lost sheep and bringing them home? Maybe the saints who were born into Christian homes and who were never “lost” may mutter a little. Why are the meetings always about former drug addicts and gang members? The Lord is explaining why.
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
What is going on in this age? The Lord is seeking the lost sheep, He is getting his flock of sheep together. We are not sitting in judgement over lost sheep, instead we are rejoicing with each one that repents and returns to the flock. Five years ago people may have felt they didn’t need the church, now they see how powerless and puny they are without the church. We are seeing people repent and return as the church is the only counterweight to the Satanic system. Over and over again I am continually bothered by the Lord’s charge to “watch” and to “prepare”. He says we don’t know the day or the hour so therefore we need to watch, we need to prepare. What does He mean? When you find these lost sheep you are preparing. We need every member for this battle. If you watch football you know the name David Tyree. He was a lost sheep, the coach rescued him, and when they needed it most it was David Tyree who delivered.
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Right now we are praying for the Lord to shine His light. Yes, it will expose corruption but it will also enlighten the lost coin, that one who is in a position to take a stand for the Lord. If an elected official or election official or judge repents we will all rejoice. This is what it means to prepare, we need that coin, the storm is about to hit, so right now while there is still a chance find it.
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
I am reminded of Hunter Biden. Can you imagine if he comes to his senses? Suppose he takes a sober look at his life, the way his dad and the rest of the family used and abused him. Suppose he repents, confesses his sins, and turns to the Lord! It would be stunning, millions would be rejoicing. This is the difference between keeping in power through the fear of death and having a kingdom built on righteousness where we all stand on the blood of Jesus Christ. These ones that we are seeking they are not just “sheep” in the Lord’s flock, they are not just “coins” with a like precious faith, they are sons. What we need in order to watch are “sons” of God. What we need to be doing to prepare for the coming storm are sons of God. Sons who have repented of their sins, confessed, and rededicated themselves to the Lord. If you are a shepherd, or a woman over a household or a father, you will be held accountable for how you took care of that which was entrusted to you.
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
This is a valid point. The Lord has made a very definite point of the need to hear his word and obey. How is it that the servants of the Lord who do not obey His word will be judged strictly and yet he is welcoming sinners and eating with them when they don’t pay any attention to God’s word?
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
The Lord is comparing them to a lost sheep. The 99 are doing what they are supposed to, that is good, but one gets lost it is the shepherd’s duty to find it. The Lord is doing what he is supposed to do. Remember, Jesus is setting a pattern for the 12, for the 70 others and for the 500 witnesses. As a disciple we need to listen and obey. However, if you are put in the position of a shepherd then you have greater responsibility to seek out a lost sheep.
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
Why include this? Have you ever noticed that many testimonies and many meetings concerning evangelism focus on this experience of finding a lost sheep and bringing them home? Maybe the saints who were born into Christian homes and who were never “lost” may mutter a little. Why are the meetings always about former drug addicts and gang members? The Lord is explaining why.
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
What is going on in this age? The Lord is seeking the lost sheep, He is getting his flock of sheep together. We are not sitting in judgement over lost sheep, instead we are rejoicing with each one that repents and returns to the flock. Five years ago people may have felt they didn’t need the church, now they see how powerless and puny they are without the church. We are seeing people repent and return as the church is the only counterweight to the Satanic system. Over and over again I am continually bothered by the Lord’s charge to “watch” and to “prepare”. He says we don’t know the day or the hour so therefore we need to watch, we need to prepare. What does He mean? When you find these lost sheep you are preparing. We need every member for this battle. If you watch football you know the name David Tyree. He was a lost sheep, the coach rescued him, and when they needed it most it was David Tyree who delivered.
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Right now we are praying for the Lord to shine His light. Yes, it will expose corruption but it will also enlighten the lost coin, that one who is in a position to take a stand for the Lord. If an elected official or election official or judge repents we will all rejoice. This is what it means to prepare, we need that coin, the storm is about to hit, so right now while there is still a chance find it.
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
I am reminded of Hunter Biden. Can you imagine if he comes to his senses? Suppose he takes a sober look at his life, the way his dad and the rest of the family used and abused him. Suppose he repents, confesses his sins, and turns to the Lord! It would be stunning, millions would be rejoicing. This is the difference between keeping in power through the fear of death and having a kingdom built on righteousness where we all stand on the blood of Jesus Christ. These ones that we are seeking they are not just “sheep” in the Lord’s flock, they are not just “coins” with a like precious faith, they are sons. What we need in order to watch are “sons” of God. What we need to be doing to prepare for the coming storm are sons of God. Sons who have repented of their sins, confessed, and rededicated themselves to the Lord. If you are a shepherd, or a woman over a household or a father, you will be held accountable for how you took care of that which was entrusted to you.
At that time the end will come
Matthew 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.
Because of this verse there was a teaching that became common which was "when the last person gets saved then the end will come". But that is not what this says, it doesn't say anything about people getting saved, but rather about the gospel being preached. The word translated "preached" includes preach, publish, proclaim, herald, and preached with a preacher. To publish or proclaim openly. Herald as in the idea of a public crier. The word "to all" indicates to each and everyone both individually and collectively. But what is really interesting is that the word "then" can be translated as "that time" or "when". In other words one valid translation is "at that time when the gospel is being preached, published, proclaimed, and heralded to each and everyone in the whole earth the end will come". This makes more sense. The point is not that at some time over the last 2,000 years the gospel was preached at each and every place but rather at the end of the age it will be preached at each and every place. At the time that it is preached at each and every place the end will come. This is what we are seeing now, the internet is going everywhere, to each and every place, and the gospel is being published, proclaimed, heralded, and preached to each and everyone all over the earth.
The gospel is preached "as a testimony" or "as a witness". Not as a doctrine, not as a teaching. We are witnesses. We were charged to be the Lord's witnesses. We are told that when the believers are actually doing that, witnessing of all the great things that Jesus did to each and everyone in the whole inhabited earth, then the end will come.
Luke 17:20 20 And having been asked by the Pharisees, When is the kingdom of God coming? he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
The word with means with, after or afterward. The word observation is referring to observing with your eyes. There is no sign that we would see with our eyes that will cause the kingdom of God to come. This term is only used here, it is unique to the book of Luke. There is no outward show that will reveal the coming of the kingdom to your eyes prior to the pre tribulation rapture.
In other words there is no unique observable sign to your eyes that will precede the coming of the kingdom.
Put these two verses together and the one thing that Christians can do to hasten the Lord's coming is to preach, publish, proclaim, and herald the Lord to each and everyone throughout that inhabited earth. At the time that this is done, then the Lord will come. You won't be able to observe this with your eyes, the TV won't show it, the media won't show it.
There are signs that will let you know that the day of the Lord draws near. You could certainly witness concerning those things, as well as all the dreams and visions that Joel prophecies concerning.
The point is we need to be the Lord's witnesses. Each and everyone of us needs to publish, proclaim, herald, preach. You can do it on social media, or on youtube, or on this Christian forum. You can share, repost, retweet, etc.
Matthew 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.
Because of this verse there was a teaching that became common which was "when the last person gets saved then the end will come". But that is not what this says, it doesn't say anything about people getting saved, but rather about the gospel being preached. The word translated "preached" includes preach, publish, proclaim, herald, and preached with a preacher. To publish or proclaim openly. Herald as in the idea of a public crier. The word "to all" indicates to each and everyone both individually and collectively. But what is really interesting is that the word "then" can be translated as "that time" or "when". In other words one valid translation is "at that time when the gospel is being preached, published, proclaimed, and heralded to each and everyone in the whole earth the end will come". This makes more sense. The point is not that at some time over the last 2,000 years the gospel was preached at each and every place but rather at the end of the age it will be preached at each and every place. At the time that it is preached at each and every place the end will come. This is what we are seeing now, the internet is going everywhere, to each and every place, and the gospel is being published, proclaimed, heralded, and preached to each and everyone all over the earth.
The gospel is preached "as a testimony" or "as a witness". Not as a doctrine, not as a teaching. We are witnesses. We were charged to be the Lord's witnesses. We are told that when the believers are actually doing that, witnessing of all the great things that Jesus did to each and everyone in the whole inhabited earth, then the end will come.
Luke 17:20 20 And having been asked by the Pharisees, When is the kingdom of God coming? he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
The word with means with, after or afterward. The word observation is referring to observing with your eyes. There is no sign that we would see with our eyes that will cause the kingdom of God to come. This term is only used here, it is unique to the book of Luke. There is no outward show that will reveal the coming of the kingdom to your eyes prior to the pre tribulation rapture.
In other words there is no unique observable sign to your eyes that will precede the coming of the kingdom.
Put these two verses together and the one thing that Christians can do to hasten the Lord's coming is to preach, publish, proclaim, and herald the Lord to each and everyone throughout that inhabited earth. At the time that this is done, then the Lord will come. You won't be able to observe this with your eyes, the TV won't show it, the media won't show it.
There are signs that will let you know that the day of the Lord draws near. You could certainly witness concerning those things, as well as all the dreams and visions that Joel prophecies concerning.
The point is we need to be the Lord's witnesses. Each and everyone of us needs to publish, proclaim, herald, preach. You can do it on social media, or on youtube, or on this Christian forum. You can share, repost, retweet, etc.
We are commanded by the word of God to share our testimony of salvation
Matthew 8:4 But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In John we were told to feed the lambs and take care of the sheep. In Luke we are told that we are witnesses of these things, in Acts we are told that we are His witnesses unto the ends of the earth.
At first the New Testament was published. Satan tried to keep it out of the hands of the common man and in a language they didn't understand. But then it was published far and wide in every language. Satan tried to divide the church with denominations and doctrinal issues. Then in the 20th century we saw the infiltration of the church by FreeMasons, Jesuits, Globalists, pagans, and this ecumenical movement was the cloak of the apostasy. The one thing they can't stand are evangelicals who preach that Jesus Christ is Lord and that no one comes unto the Father but by Him.
If you want the Lord to return you need to stand up and speak, be a witness of this great salvation.
Matthew 8:4 But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In John we were told to feed the lambs and take care of the sheep. In Luke we are told that we are witnesses of these things, in Acts we are told that we are His witnesses unto the ends of the earth.
At first the New Testament was published. Satan tried to keep it out of the hands of the common man and in a language they didn't understand. But then it was published far and wide in every language. Satan tried to divide the church with denominations and doctrinal issues. Then in the 20th century we saw the infiltration of the church by FreeMasons, Jesuits, Globalists, pagans, and this ecumenical movement was the cloak of the apostasy. The one thing they can't stand are evangelicals who preach that Jesus Christ is Lord and that no one comes unto the Father but by Him.
If you want the Lord to return you need to stand up and speak, be a witness of this great salvation.
You have filled the inhabited world with your teaching
Exodus 35:4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
These were free will offerings that could be made to help build the tabernacle. There are offerings that you are commanded to make and then there are free will offerings that you can make. When we share a word from the Lord that is an offering.
For example, let's consider this word "blue". The blue color was used for priestly garments and coverings. It reminded the Jews that they were "a royal priesthood". The Hebrew word was not actually "blue" but rather referred to an old world creature that produced this blue dye. They have since disappeared and according to the rabbis they will return when the Messiah returns. These creatures would live in the sea and after 70 years they would come to the surface where they would be harvested. It is a picture of the rapture. Think about it, you are fully immersed in the triune God, beneath the veil, for seventy years you are eating Christ and being filled with the heavenly Christ. Yes you live in the depths of the sea but you are seeking the things which are above, in the heavens. Then you are snatched up to the dwelling place of God. Your testimony is that blue dye and now it can be seen on the cloth used in the house of God. When you feed on Jesus you become an "old world creature". You are in the world but you are not of the world, you are being sanctified.
At the end of the age all of these creatures that had been previously hidden now rise to the surface, the ocean (depicting the world) if filled with them (the gospel of the kingdom is being preached to each and everyone throughout the inhabited earth at this time).
Acts 5:28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Exodus 35:4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
These were free will offerings that could be made to help build the tabernacle. There are offerings that you are commanded to make and then there are free will offerings that you can make. When we share a word from the Lord that is an offering.
For example, let's consider this word "blue". The blue color was used for priestly garments and coverings. It reminded the Jews that they were "a royal priesthood". The Hebrew word was not actually "blue" but rather referred to an old world creature that produced this blue dye. They have since disappeared and according to the rabbis they will return when the Messiah returns. These creatures would live in the sea and after 70 years they would come to the surface where they would be harvested. It is a picture of the rapture. Think about it, you are fully immersed in the triune God, beneath the veil, for seventy years you are eating Christ and being filled with the heavenly Christ. Yes you live in the depths of the sea but you are seeking the things which are above, in the heavens. Then you are snatched up to the dwelling place of God. Your testimony is that blue dye and now it can be seen on the cloth used in the house of God. When you feed on Jesus you become an "old world creature". You are in the world but you are not of the world, you are being sanctified.
At the end of the age all of these creatures that had been previously hidden now rise to the surface, the ocean (depicting the world) if filled with them (the gospel of the kingdom is being preached to each and everyone throughout the inhabited earth at this time).
Acts 5:28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
How do we triumph?
Revelation 12:11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
This is how we triumph.
Step 1 is to have the full assurance of faith in the redeeming work of the Lord and the cleansing blood.
Step 2 is to speak the word of your testimony.
I love how the Lord says "word of your testimony". Every believer has a testimony, but you triumph by "the word of your testimony". As long as you are quiet you don't triumph. You must speak it, share it, proclaim it, publish it.
Second He doesn't say "the book of your testimony", it is a single word. Just focus on a single word.
The word is the "logos". All of us have a testimony that aligns with the word of God. Speak that.
Matthew 18:16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
It is not your responsibility for people to believe or to be convinced. It is simply your responsibility to be a witness. Think of a trial, you are a witness, you aren't the judge, that is the Lord Jesus, you aren't the attorney that is the Holy Spirit, you aren't the jury, that refers to those who hear your witness. No one is going to believe the gospel based on one witness. It is the fact that there are many witnesses, everywhere they turn they hear the witnesses.
Reread revelation 12:11 again, it doesn't say that you triumphed over them by the word of your testimony, it says "they" triumphed over him by the word of their testimony. It is corporate, a multitude of testimonies that will win. Do not look at your testimony as being insufficient to "win the war". It is all the testimonies together that win the war.
Revelation 12:11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
This is how we triumph.
Step 1 is to have the full assurance of faith in the redeeming work of the Lord and the cleansing blood.
Step 2 is to speak the word of your testimony.
I love how the Lord says "word of your testimony". Every believer has a testimony, but you triumph by "the word of your testimony". As long as you are quiet you don't triumph. You must speak it, share it, proclaim it, publish it.
Second He doesn't say "the book of your testimony", it is a single word. Just focus on a single word.
The word is the "logos". All of us have a testimony that aligns with the word of God. Speak that.
Matthew 18:16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
It is not your responsibility for people to believe or to be convinced. It is simply your responsibility to be a witness. Think of a trial, you are a witness, you aren't the judge, that is the Lord Jesus, you aren't the attorney that is the Holy Spirit, you aren't the jury, that refers to those who hear your witness. No one is going to believe the gospel based on one witness. It is the fact that there are many witnesses, everywhere they turn they hear the witnesses.
Reread revelation 12:11 again, it doesn't say that you triumphed over them by the word of your testimony, it says "they" triumphed over him by the word of their testimony. It is corporate, a multitude of testimonies that will win. Do not look at your testimony as being insufficient to "win the war". It is all the testimonies together that win the war.
World History in light of the Gospel going forth
At the turn of the century in the early 1900s the gospel was going all over the world, it was a major move in the church and this was interrupted by WWI.
That is a preview of what the Lord is saying, this gospel will be preached throughout the entire inhabited earth and then the end will come. WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Holocaust, the atom bomb and then the Nuremberg trials are the preview of the end of this age.
Today the gospel is going forth exponentially more than it was then. We have youtube, the internet, websites and forums, and you have google translate. The bible is free online and there are many commentaries and tools that are also free.
This is the word of our testimony and it is being established by the mouths of many witnesses.
Just like Acts we have filled the internet with this man's teaching and we are determined to shine a light on evil and salt this world.
There is a wide variety of testimonies. You have a small pastor in California with the S4C Global community church. There are people all over the world watching his videos. You have wacky preachers like Dr. Barry Awe, you have retired executives like Chuck Missler, you have prophetic dreams like Ken Peters or Dana Coverstone, you have people who used to be in satanic cults, you have Ken Potter who "asks the watchmen" doing interview shows, and you have the prophecy club which also highlights prophetic speaking like Dimitri Duduman. My point is this is like all the different free will offerings used to build the tabernacle according to the word of Moses.
Remember the great commission, remember that we are witnesses of His glory and majesty, and remember in this word there is light and the light overcomes the darkness.
At the turn of the century in the early 1900s the gospel was going all over the world, it was a major move in the church and this was interrupted by WWI.
That is a preview of what the Lord is saying, this gospel will be preached throughout the entire inhabited earth and then the end will come. WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Holocaust, the atom bomb and then the Nuremberg trials are the preview of the end of this age.
Today the gospel is going forth exponentially more than it was then. We have youtube, the internet, websites and forums, and you have google translate. The bible is free online and there are many commentaries and tools that are also free.
This is the word of our testimony and it is being established by the mouths of many witnesses.
Just like Acts we have filled the internet with this man's teaching and we are determined to shine a light on evil and salt this world.
There is a wide variety of testimonies. You have a small pastor in California with the S4C Global community church. There are people all over the world watching his videos. You have wacky preachers like Dr. Barry Awe, you have retired executives like Chuck Missler, you have prophetic dreams like Ken Peters or Dana Coverstone, you have people who used to be in satanic cults, you have Ken Potter who "asks the watchmen" doing interview shows, and you have the prophecy club which also highlights prophetic speaking like Dimitri Duduman. My point is this is like all the different free will offerings used to build the tabernacle according to the word of Moses.
Remember the great commission, remember that we are witnesses of His glory and majesty, and remember in this word there is light and the light overcomes the darkness.