Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Are we really "supposed to be" surprised at the Lord's coming?
I recently watched a message on Youtube from a preacher who had "88 reasons why we don't know the date or time". He began his message with references from 9 different chapters in the Bible showing that the rapture is Biblical. It was a great introduction that had me really looking forward to the "88 reasons". However, it fizzled after that. The 88 reasons for why we don't know the date and time became one reason inferred from illustration of the rapture as the bridegroom coming for his bride. His point was "it is supposed to be a surprise". That was the most sexist teaching I ever heard.
The bride is "supposed" to be beholding and reflecting the groom. If the two were dancing the groom is leading but the bride is not supposed to be tripping all over his feet, she is supposed to seamlessly follow his lead so the two move as one. I had an experience once, I was at this big training in the Bible, Christians from the entire country were there. Each of us was going to be tested by the trainer, it was "supposed to be" a surprise. There was this very pretty sister that I liked (the daughter of an elder) and after a meeting I was standing in a group waiting on something. I was looking at her from across the room. She knew I was watching her, she made sure I had a very clear view of her, yet her head was buried in her Bible diligently studying it. From that I was able to discern that I was going to be tested that night. So I studied and sure enough I was tested that night. It has always been my experience that women are much more in the know about what is going on. They may pretend to be surprised when the bridegroom comes but that is just so they don't hurt his feelings.
Luke 12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
Understand what? Is he supposed to know? If I was in the home security business I think I would be tuned in to when thieves come, what they are looking for, and when there is a thief in the neighborhood. This simply says the owner doesn't know what hour he is coming. No doubt he has put locks on the doors and taken other precautions to protect the house.
John 16:4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,
This is what the Lord is saying, we have been warned about what to look out for.
John 12:42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
It was shocking to people that the Democrats were accusing 75 million Americans who voted for Trump of "insurrection" and wanting to "reeducate their children". But we were warned this would happen. It is shocking that they said it was unconstitutional to mandate vaccines and a few months later mandated them, but we were warned that this would be a time of lawlessness.
Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
Again, we were warned about cancel culture as well. I just heard a man share how he had become a "witch" and a Catholic priest agreed to ordain him as a Catholic Priest if he in return would ordain the Catholic as a witch. He also told of how a Catholic Bishop also made the same agreement.
Luke 19:44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
We were told specifically that we are supposed to recognize the time of the Lord's coming to us. We are told specifically that we will see "the day approaching". Imagine you were the betrothed and your fiance is preparing a "mansion" (a bridal suite) for you. I would bring him lemonade and notice that the shingles were just delivered. Later I'd bring dinner and notice the carpet is being installed. I would see the day approaching. Enough with the "ding bat" jokes and "dumb blond" jokes, I am not a fool. Go back to these same accounts used to say "it is supposed to be a surprise". The woman is betrothed, yes she may not know the hour but surely she knows it is coming shortly and to get ready. The house owner may not know what hour the thief is coming but surely he is paying attention to the news, seeing all the crime and knows it is coming. He should have prepared. Surely if you are aware you see them putting people out of the synagogue and you see the apostasy in the church.
Matthew 16:3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
There are signs of the times that we are supposed to be able to interpret and we will be rebuked if we can't. Weather forecasting is not perfect, and yet we do it every day. We understand that all the signs taken together have significance that can be interpreted.
Revelation 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, 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.
If you are oblivious to what the bridegroom is doing do you really love him? You love sleep more than Him? So yes, you may not know the hour, but you should know the time that we are living in and realize the day of the Lord is at hand.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
This is a direct contradiction of what this brother taught. You are not supposed to be surprised, you are supposed to be in the light. Imagine the house owner didn't know what hour the thief was coming, but then his dogs started barking and he woke up. Doesn't mean he was surprised. If he had prepared and was ready for him this is not a "surprise".
A servant should be like his master. Luke 9:51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
The Lord knew when the time approached, so if you are a servant like the master then why wouldn't you? In August Mayor DeBlasio said teachers would be required to have the vaccine by September 27th. I knew this would not be rescinded because this was God's judgement. Within 24 hours I was calling to inquire the process to retire. Others were protesting, complaining, crying, and wringing their hands. They were caught by surprise. I went to rallies as part of the process of shaking the dust off my feet as a testimony against them.
John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world
The Lord's second coming is not only likened to a bridegroom coming for His bride, it is also likened to a woman giving birth to a child. The woman does not know the day nor the hour that she will give birth, that doesn't mean that giving birth "is supposed to be a surprise". Surely she knows she is nine months pregnant. During the Revelation 12 sign that appeared on September 23, 2017 Jupiter was in the woman's womb for 42 months before coming out. That was a great sign in the heavens of what was coming. 42 months ago the Abraham accord was signed.
Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?
This is another analogy given to the Lord's return. The faithful servants are supposed to know the "proper time". Who wants a cook that is surprised when it is lunch time or dinner time? Think about Passover, they were given detailed instructions on what to prepare and when to prepare it so they would all be well fed prior to leaving Egypt.
Luke 14:17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
The Lord's coming is also likened to a great banquet that we have been invited to. If you are the Lord's servant what are you saying? Come, for everything is now ready. It isn't a surprise for you.
Matthew 21:34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
The Lord's coming is also likened to harvest time. Are farmers supposed to be surprised that it is harvest time? A real farmer is walking through the field every day inspecting the crops. A real farmer sees the day approaching. The farmer doesn't know the hour that he will reap but that doesn't mean he is surprised when the harvest does come.
I recently watched a message on Youtube from a preacher who had "88 reasons why we don't know the date or time". He began his message with references from 9 different chapters in the Bible showing that the rapture is Biblical. It was a great introduction that had me really looking forward to the "88 reasons". However, it fizzled after that. The 88 reasons for why we don't know the date and time became one reason inferred from illustration of the rapture as the bridegroom coming for his bride. His point was "it is supposed to be a surprise". That was the most sexist teaching I ever heard.
The bride is "supposed" to be beholding and reflecting the groom. If the two were dancing the groom is leading but the bride is not supposed to be tripping all over his feet, she is supposed to seamlessly follow his lead so the two move as one. I had an experience once, I was at this big training in the Bible, Christians from the entire country were there. Each of us was going to be tested by the trainer, it was "supposed to be" a surprise. There was this very pretty sister that I liked (the daughter of an elder) and after a meeting I was standing in a group waiting on something. I was looking at her from across the room. She knew I was watching her, she made sure I had a very clear view of her, yet her head was buried in her Bible diligently studying it. From that I was able to discern that I was going to be tested that night. So I studied and sure enough I was tested that night. It has always been my experience that women are much more in the know about what is going on. They may pretend to be surprised when the bridegroom comes but that is just so they don't hurt his feelings.
Luke 12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
Understand what? Is he supposed to know? If I was in the home security business I think I would be tuned in to when thieves come, what they are looking for, and when there is a thief in the neighborhood. This simply says the owner doesn't know what hour he is coming. No doubt he has put locks on the doors and taken other precautions to protect the house.
John 16:4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,
This is what the Lord is saying, we have been warned about what to look out for.
John 12:42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
It was shocking to people that the Democrats were accusing 75 million Americans who voted for Trump of "insurrection" and wanting to "reeducate their children". But we were warned this would happen. It is shocking that they said it was unconstitutional to mandate vaccines and a few months later mandated them, but we were warned that this would be a time of lawlessness.
Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
Again, we were warned about cancel culture as well. I just heard a man share how he had become a "witch" and a Catholic priest agreed to ordain him as a Catholic Priest if he in return would ordain the Catholic as a witch. He also told of how a Catholic Bishop also made the same agreement.
Luke 19:44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
We were told specifically that we are supposed to recognize the time of the Lord's coming to us. We are told specifically that we will see "the day approaching". Imagine you were the betrothed and your fiance is preparing a "mansion" (a bridal suite) for you. I would bring him lemonade and notice that the shingles were just delivered. Later I'd bring dinner and notice the carpet is being installed. I would see the day approaching. Enough with the "ding bat" jokes and "dumb blond" jokes, I am not a fool. Go back to these same accounts used to say "it is supposed to be a surprise". The woman is betrothed, yes she may not know the hour but surely she knows it is coming shortly and to get ready. The house owner may not know what hour the thief is coming but surely he is paying attention to the news, seeing all the crime and knows it is coming. He should have prepared. Surely if you are aware you see them putting people out of the synagogue and you see the apostasy in the church.
Matthew 16:3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
There are signs of the times that we are supposed to be able to interpret and we will be rebuked if we can't. Weather forecasting is not perfect, and yet we do it every day. We understand that all the signs taken together have significance that can be interpreted.
Revelation 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, 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.
If you are oblivious to what the bridegroom is doing do you really love him? You love sleep more than Him? So yes, you may not know the hour, but you should know the time that we are living in and realize the day of the Lord is at hand.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
This is a direct contradiction of what this brother taught. You are not supposed to be surprised, you are supposed to be in the light. Imagine the house owner didn't know what hour the thief was coming, but then his dogs started barking and he woke up. Doesn't mean he was surprised. If he had prepared and was ready for him this is not a "surprise".
A servant should be like his master. Luke 9:51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
The Lord knew when the time approached, so if you are a servant like the master then why wouldn't you? In August Mayor DeBlasio said teachers would be required to have the vaccine by September 27th. I knew this would not be rescinded because this was God's judgement. Within 24 hours I was calling to inquire the process to retire. Others were protesting, complaining, crying, and wringing their hands. They were caught by surprise. I went to rallies as part of the process of shaking the dust off my feet as a testimony against them.
John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world
The Lord's second coming is not only likened to a bridegroom coming for His bride, it is also likened to a woman giving birth to a child. The woman does not know the day nor the hour that she will give birth, that doesn't mean that giving birth "is supposed to be a surprise". Surely she knows she is nine months pregnant. During the Revelation 12 sign that appeared on September 23, 2017 Jupiter was in the woman's womb for 42 months before coming out. That was a great sign in the heavens of what was coming. 42 months ago the Abraham accord was signed.
Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?
This is another analogy given to the Lord's return. The faithful servants are supposed to know the "proper time". Who wants a cook that is surprised when it is lunch time or dinner time? Think about Passover, they were given detailed instructions on what to prepare and when to prepare it so they would all be well fed prior to leaving Egypt.
Luke 14:17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
The Lord's coming is also likened to a great banquet that we have been invited to. If you are the Lord's servant what are you saying? Come, for everything is now ready. It isn't a surprise for you.
Matthew 21:34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
The Lord's coming is also likened to harvest time. Are farmers supposed to be surprised that it is harvest time? A real farmer is walking through the field every day inspecting the crops. A real farmer sees the day approaching. The farmer doesn't know the hour that he will reap but that doesn't mean he is surprised when the harvest does come.
Luke 16:1-12 -- What is this I hear about you wasting the Lord's gift to you?
Luke 15 has three stories that are very familiar topics to preachers. The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Everyone “knows” those stories, but then you come to Luke 16 and it is “say what?” When I come to a chapter like this I have to wonder if I really understood what I was reading because if I did why is this chapter so mind boggling? In chapter 15 we are rejoicing over finding something that was lost. This chapter is about a manager who is about to lose his job because the owner has not been getting a good return on his investment. Secondly, I very much dislike the tendency of expositors to refer to “additional teachings'' because they didn’t know how they fit in. That is like rebuilding an engine, you took it apart, then rebuilt it, and now you are left with a few extra parts and you are trying to tell me these are “extra”. They aren’t extra, you just don’t understand how they fit in! Finally, I love chapters and verses of the Bible that I do not understand because I have something to pray over and I know when the Lord opens up the verse to me it will be a new revelation that I didn’t have before. That is what I hope to see here in chapter 16.
16:1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
The context is the manager is being audited with the threat that he very likely will lose his job. The analogy here is the manager of a business like Best Buy is being audited, but the greater context is that Jesus is the owner of this business, He is building His church, and this person is one of His servants. For comparison we should consider the verse where He says He gives one servant 5 talents, another 2 and another 1 and tells them to trade while He goes into a far country and then when He returns they each need to give account of what they have done with that talent. If you are the manager of a BestBuy nothing in that store belongs to you, everything belongs to the owner, and it is your job to sell it to the people in that city. Likewise, if you are a Christian nothing belongs to you, every experience and gift you have has been given to you from the Lord and if you don’t share that gift it is a waste. When I was first saved I met with a church that had the practice of giving testimonies during every meeting. The message might go for an hour but then they would reserve another 30 minutes for all the members to share testimonies. Generally there was a time limit, definitely don’t speak for more than five minutes, but usually the time limit would be shorter. It can be terrifying to stand up in front of hundreds of people and share your poor little pathetic experience. So for months I was struggling, the Spirit was bothering me to share some experience, but in my mind it was too trivial. The meeting would end and I would go home defeated. Then I read this verse and it really terrified me. I felt the Lord was speaking to me, I have given you many experiences and what have you done with them? I am hearing that these experiences are wasted on you!
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
There is a verse in Proverbs that says a word spoken in season is like apples of gold in settings of silver. To have that perfect testimony that exactly hits the point, it is like a beautiful treasure. I knew I had many experiences I wanted to share, but you want that perfect time. But once I thought I could get fired my thought was it is time to have a “going out of business sale”. Better to get something rather than nothing. I started to share my testimonies, didn’t worry if they were perfect, everything was being marked down. It didn't matter that the testimony didn't fit the message, everything must go!
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.
This word “dishonest” is also translated as “unjust” and “unrighteous”. A hard word to swallow, but true. Everyone wants to have a “perfect” testimony. Sorry, if your testimony is “perfect” then you are being dishonest. The truth is that you are unrighteous and unjust and are in the process of being transformed. You aren’t there yet. Why is it that we think we can be street smart when we are in the street, but the minute you step into the church you can’t do that?
For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
Most Chistians sit dumbly in the meeting hall. Why? They are afraid to share a testimony that reveals they are dishonest, unrighteous or unjust. Yet, look at all these prevailing ministries of people who once were in gangs or on drugs. They begin by sharing the testimony of how they were unrighteous.
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Everyone loves to quote the verse that “money is the root of all evil”. Of course, there is no such verse in the Bible. The real verse says that “the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil”. It isn’t money that is the root, it is the love of money, and it isn’t the root of all evil, but rather all sorts of evil. The Lord just threw in a side teaching here, you can use money in this age to help you get welcomed into eternity. Money is temporary, it is a vapor, it will disappear, but as long as it is here you can use it to get something eternal. There is no way to save money eternally, or to put money away so that your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren will all be rich. But the one thing you can do with money that will last for eternity is to “gain friends for yourself that will welcome you into eternity”. The same is true of that talent the Lord gave you to use in this age. There are many Christians who have helped me on my path and I intend to welcome each and every one of them into the eternal habitations. My cousin was extremely diligent to raise money to help a hospital for the disabled (his daughter was paralyzed in an accident) and also to raise money for the local lacrosse team. At his funeral it was standing room only in a church that must have held at least a thousand people.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
I sure hope you just caught that. How many people ask “if there is a God why does He allow this?” referring to all kinds of corruption and unrighteousness. God is not about to trust you with true riches until He knows how you will handle worldly wealth. In this age your behavior will prove whether or not you can be trusted with true wealth. Did you waste the experiences the Lord gave you? Did you waste the gift God gave you? If so, at the judgement seat of Christ you will lose your job as a manager, I suspect there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Or, were you honest about being dishonest? Did you share your testimonies of being unrighteous, how the Lord saved you, redeemed you, and sanctified you? Did you make friends with money that would welcome you into eternal habitations? If so there might be a thousand people cheering you as you appear before the Lord, just like my cousin. All those people who were so corrupt, robbing widows of their houses during the mortgage crisis, that will surely be a key piece of evidence as they appear before the Great White Throne as to whether they are cast into the Lake of fire or not. In the grand scheme of eternity our life is a blip on a screen, but it is enough for the Lord to know whether or not to give us the true riches, and it is enough to judge beyond a reasonable doubt if someone should be tossed into the Lake of fire.
Chapter 15 talked about all those believers who went astray, backslid, and needed to brought back to the Lord. Chapter 16 talks about those silent ones sitting in the pews. They are not the lost sheep but they are wasting the Lord's gifts to them.
Luke 15 has three stories that are very familiar topics to preachers. The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Everyone “knows” those stories, but then you come to Luke 16 and it is “say what?” When I come to a chapter like this I have to wonder if I really understood what I was reading because if I did why is this chapter so mind boggling? In chapter 15 we are rejoicing over finding something that was lost. This chapter is about a manager who is about to lose his job because the owner has not been getting a good return on his investment. Secondly, I very much dislike the tendency of expositors to refer to “additional teachings'' because they didn’t know how they fit in. That is like rebuilding an engine, you took it apart, then rebuilt it, and now you are left with a few extra parts and you are trying to tell me these are “extra”. They aren’t extra, you just don’t understand how they fit in! Finally, I love chapters and verses of the Bible that I do not understand because I have something to pray over and I know when the Lord opens up the verse to me it will be a new revelation that I didn’t have before. That is what I hope to see here in chapter 16.
16:1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
The context is the manager is being audited with the threat that he very likely will lose his job. The analogy here is the manager of a business like Best Buy is being audited, but the greater context is that Jesus is the owner of this business, He is building His church, and this person is one of His servants. For comparison we should consider the verse where He says He gives one servant 5 talents, another 2 and another 1 and tells them to trade while He goes into a far country and then when He returns they each need to give account of what they have done with that talent. If you are the manager of a BestBuy nothing in that store belongs to you, everything belongs to the owner, and it is your job to sell it to the people in that city. Likewise, if you are a Christian nothing belongs to you, every experience and gift you have has been given to you from the Lord and if you don’t share that gift it is a waste. When I was first saved I met with a church that had the practice of giving testimonies during every meeting. The message might go for an hour but then they would reserve another 30 minutes for all the members to share testimonies. Generally there was a time limit, definitely don’t speak for more than five minutes, but usually the time limit would be shorter. It can be terrifying to stand up in front of hundreds of people and share your poor little pathetic experience. So for months I was struggling, the Spirit was bothering me to share some experience, but in my mind it was too trivial. The meeting would end and I would go home defeated. Then I read this verse and it really terrified me. I felt the Lord was speaking to me, I have given you many experiences and what have you done with them? I am hearing that these experiences are wasted on you!
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
There is a verse in Proverbs that says a word spoken in season is like apples of gold in settings of silver. To have that perfect testimony that exactly hits the point, it is like a beautiful treasure. I knew I had many experiences I wanted to share, but you want that perfect time. But once I thought I could get fired my thought was it is time to have a “going out of business sale”. Better to get something rather than nothing. I started to share my testimonies, didn’t worry if they were perfect, everything was being marked down. It didn't matter that the testimony didn't fit the message, everything must go!
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.
This word “dishonest” is also translated as “unjust” and “unrighteous”. A hard word to swallow, but true. Everyone wants to have a “perfect” testimony. Sorry, if your testimony is “perfect” then you are being dishonest. The truth is that you are unrighteous and unjust and are in the process of being transformed. You aren’t there yet. Why is it that we think we can be street smart when we are in the street, but the minute you step into the church you can’t do that?
For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
Most Chistians sit dumbly in the meeting hall. Why? They are afraid to share a testimony that reveals they are dishonest, unrighteous or unjust. Yet, look at all these prevailing ministries of people who once were in gangs or on drugs. They begin by sharing the testimony of how they were unrighteous.
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Everyone loves to quote the verse that “money is the root of all evil”. Of course, there is no such verse in the Bible. The real verse says that “the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil”. It isn’t money that is the root, it is the love of money, and it isn’t the root of all evil, but rather all sorts of evil. The Lord just threw in a side teaching here, you can use money in this age to help you get welcomed into eternity. Money is temporary, it is a vapor, it will disappear, but as long as it is here you can use it to get something eternal. There is no way to save money eternally, or to put money away so that your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren will all be rich. But the one thing you can do with money that will last for eternity is to “gain friends for yourself that will welcome you into eternity”. The same is true of that talent the Lord gave you to use in this age. There are many Christians who have helped me on my path and I intend to welcome each and every one of them into the eternal habitations. My cousin was extremely diligent to raise money to help a hospital for the disabled (his daughter was paralyzed in an accident) and also to raise money for the local lacrosse team. At his funeral it was standing room only in a church that must have held at least a thousand people.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
I sure hope you just caught that. How many people ask “if there is a God why does He allow this?” referring to all kinds of corruption and unrighteousness. God is not about to trust you with true riches until He knows how you will handle worldly wealth. In this age your behavior will prove whether or not you can be trusted with true wealth. Did you waste the experiences the Lord gave you? Did you waste the gift God gave you? If so, at the judgement seat of Christ you will lose your job as a manager, I suspect there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Or, were you honest about being dishonest? Did you share your testimonies of being unrighteous, how the Lord saved you, redeemed you, and sanctified you? Did you make friends with money that would welcome you into eternal habitations? If so there might be a thousand people cheering you as you appear before the Lord, just like my cousin. All those people who were so corrupt, robbing widows of their houses during the mortgage crisis, that will surely be a key piece of evidence as they appear before the Great White Throne as to whether they are cast into the Lake of fire or not. In the grand scheme of eternity our life is a blip on a screen, but it is enough for the Lord to know whether or not to give us the true riches, and it is enough to judge beyond a reasonable doubt if someone should be tossed into the Lake of fire.
Chapter 15 talked about all those believers who went astray, backslid, and needed to brought back to the Lord. Chapter 16 talks about those silent ones sitting in the pews. They are not the lost sheep but they are wasting the Lord's gifts to them.
Luke 16:13-31 Everyone witnessing for the Lord is forcing their way into it
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
There are many reasons why someone is not faithful to the Lord. Maybe you just need a push, or maybe the real problem is that you love money and have become a servant to money. In that case your pretense at serving the Lord is only lip service and not genuine.
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
We need this vision. We have had many examples of those who justify themselves in the eyes of others. That is a terrible example for someone trying to learn how to minister. To elevate yourself above others is detestable in God’s sight, but all too common.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
This is another one of those “say what?” verses. If you want to serve the Lord you need to “force your way into it”. There is going to be resistance. Your family will resist, your friends will resist, maybe even the government will resist. No one serves the Lord without having to deal with persecution. Not only so but Satan is the “accuser of the brethren”. Imagine Paul forcing himself into ministry after having aided in the stoning of Stephen and also in the arrest of the saints. Imagine Peter forcing himself into ministry after denying the Lord three times. Satan wants to sift us as wheat. We are sinners, we are dishonest, we are unrighteous. But, we overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This is simply one tiny example of the law that is not going to disappear. The word of God convicts us of sin. But the same word confirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His blood washes us as white as snow. So then if you believe you are a sinner you also need to believe that you have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
In this story you are that rich man. It is so easy for us to point our finger at some other person, condemning others. This chapter is not about others. We are the unjust manager of the Lord’s business. We are the ones who need to make friends with the gifts the Lord has given us while we were on this earth. We are the ones who need to force our way into ministry despite the accuser of the brethren holding up all our sins. And yes, we are the rich man. Dressed in purple means we are royalty, son of the king. Fine linen indicates we are clothed in righteousness. Lived in luxury means we had all the riches of the word, and the Holy Spirit every day. At our gate is laid a beggar means the Lord has sovereignly arranged that a person in need of our help is right there, at our front door. The dogs licked the sores indicates that even the dogs are helping this beggar, where are you?
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, 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.’
Say what? We are born again Christians, redeemed by the blood of the lamb. This cannot possibly refer to us! First of all Hades is not Hell. Hades is where you go when you die. Second of all I have experienced something similar to heartburn every time I missed an opportunity to help someone. There is a regret in the pit of my stomach, and I am in agony. That was my experience for months till I finally decided to start speaking in the meetings regardless of whether or not it was perfect.
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.
Abraham calls him “son”, so he is a child of Abraham. He received good things in this life, don’t many Christians teach that “receiving good things” means you are blessed? Why would you think this person does not depict a Christian, of the household of faith, a person who was “blessed”?
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
OK, fair enough, this chasm is a pretty good indication. There is a very clear separation between the two. But I don’t see any reason to conclude that he depicts an unbeliever.
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
The gospel of Luke is not a hodgepodge of disconnected stories. Within the context of chapter 15 this refers to a believer who has received the treasure of eternal salvation. It is our job, like the manager who is being audited, to share this gift with others. You will have to force yourself into this because we all are sinners, and yes, Satan desires to sift us like wheat. But there will not be room for any excuses. You cannot claim you didn’t have an opportunity because when you appear before the Lord you will learn that there was a person right at your gate who needed salvation.
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.’”
Ouch. We often think “if I saw this” or “I saw that” then I would believe. If I saw the Red Sea parted, or if I saw Jesus rise from the dead. But it turns out that is not true. There were lots of people who saw each of those events yet they didn’t believe. The good news is this, you can get all the faith you need from the Bible. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God.
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
There are many reasons why someone is not faithful to the Lord. Maybe you just need a push, or maybe the real problem is that you love money and have become a servant to money. In that case your pretense at serving the Lord is only lip service and not genuine.
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
We need this vision. We have had many examples of those who justify themselves in the eyes of others. That is a terrible example for someone trying to learn how to minister. To elevate yourself above others is detestable in God’s sight, but all too common.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
This is another one of those “say what?” verses. If you want to serve the Lord you need to “force your way into it”. There is going to be resistance. Your family will resist, your friends will resist, maybe even the government will resist. No one serves the Lord without having to deal with persecution. Not only so but Satan is the “accuser of the brethren”. Imagine Paul forcing himself into ministry after having aided in the stoning of Stephen and also in the arrest of the saints. Imagine Peter forcing himself into ministry after denying the Lord three times. Satan wants to sift us as wheat. We are sinners, we are dishonest, we are unrighteous. But, we overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This is simply one tiny example of the law that is not going to disappear. The word of God convicts us of sin. But the same word confirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His blood washes us as white as snow. So then if you believe you are a sinner you also need to believe that you have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
In this story you are that rich man. It is so easy for us to point our finger at some other person, condemning others. This chapter is not about others. We are the unjust manager of the Lord’s business. We are the ones who need to make friends with the gifts the Lord has given us while we were on this earth. We are the ones who need to force our way into ministry despite the accuser of the brethren holding up all our sins. And yes, we are the rich man. Dressed in purple means we are royalty, son of the king. Fine linen indicates we are clothed in righteousness. Lived in luxury means we had all the riches of the word, and the Holy Spirit every day. At our gate is laid a beggar means the Lord has sovereignly arranged that a person in need of our help is right there, at our front door. The dogs licked the sores indicates that even the dogs are helping this beggar, where are you?
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, 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.’
Say what? We are born again Christians, redeemed by the blood of the lamb. This cannot possibly refer to us! First of all Hades is not Hell. Hades is where you go when you die. Second of all I have experienced something similar to heartburn every time I missed an opportunity to help someone. There is a regret in the pit of my stomach, and I am in agony. That was my experience for months till I finally decided to start speaking in the meetings regardless of whether or not it was perfect.
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.
Abraham calls him “son”, so he is a child of Abraham. He received good things in this life, don’t many Christians teach that “receiving good things” means you are blessed? Why would you think this person does not depict a Christian, of the household of faith, a person who was “blessed”?
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
OK, fair enough, this chasm is a pretty good indication. There is a very clear separation between the two. But I don’t see any reason to conclude that he depicts an unbeliever.
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
The gospel of Luke is not a hodgepodge of disconnected stories. Within the context of chapter 15 this refers to a believer who has received the treasure of eternal salvation. It is our job, like the manager who is being audited, to share this gift with others. You will have to force yourself into this because we all are sinners, and yes, Satan desires to sift us like wheat. But there will not be room for any excuses. You cannot claim you didn’t have an opportunity because when you appear before the Lord you will learn that there was a person right at your gate who needed salvation.
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.’”
Ouch. We often think “if I saw this” or “I saw that” then I would believe. If I saw the Red Sea parted, or if I saw Jesus rise from the dead. But it turns out that is not true. There were lots of people who saw each of those events yet they didn’t believe. The good news is this, you can get all the faith you need from the Bible. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God.
The 9th of Av (August 16/17th, 2021)
Israel was divided into the ten tribes and the two tribes of Judah. The US is Israel, and Israel is Judah.
Our humiliating exit from Afghanistan is not simply a humiliation to the US it is also leaving Israel open for attack.
- 1. The Spies Returned With a Bad Report
- 2. Both Holy Temples Were Destroyed
- 3. The Battle at Betar Was Lost
- 4. The Romans Plowed the Beit Hamikdash
- 5. The Jews Were Expelled From England
- 6. The Jews Were Banished From Spain
- 7. Both World Wars Began
Israel was divided into the ten tribes and the two tribes of Judah. The US is Israel, and Israel is Judah.
Our humiliating exit from Afghanistan is not simply a humiliation to the US it is also leaving Israel open for attack.
Fascinating prophecy concerning what we will see prior to the rapture
Luke 17: 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;...26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
According to this the people won't see anything. That is fascinating when you consider all the signs that we are told about that will precede the day of the Lord.
According to Joel there will be a worldwide pandemic along with a worldwide shutdown of the economy that leads to a great depression. According to the Lord you will see signs with the Earthquakes and volcanoes and even the sea having great storms. The fig tree and all the trees will put forth new leaves after a two thousand year winter. There will be great signs in the stars, the moon and the sun. There will be a sign of Jonah given to the adulterous generation. There will be great world wars as nation fights against nation and kingdom against kingdom. We will see the emergence of one world order to replace the nations. Even the Lord said that as you see these things take place look up for your redemption draweth near.
So how can the Lord tell us on one hand that there will be many signs that you can see and on the other that everyone will be clueless? That is a fascinating prophecy. He will give us fantastic, incredible prophecies fulfilled right in front of our eyes straight out of the most widely published book on earth and yet everyone will be clueless? How?
Paul tells us that because they did not love the truth God sends them a great delusion.
Think of how many false predictions of the Lord's coming have been made since Israel was reformed as a nation. Since 2000 we have had four major predictions of doomsday events:
1. May 28, 2015 predicted San Andreas earthquake
2. 2012 Mayan calendar doomsday event
3. 5/5/2000 Ice age prediction
4. Y2K prediction
As a result people are jaded with the "end of the world" predictions. Ironically this also was a prediction that there would be many false Christs that the Lord warned us not to run after.
So the prophecy is very clear, everything is fully laid out so that all those who love the Lord's appearing and are watching for Him will see and yet all those who do not love the truth will be blind and unable to see anything. I find this fascinating. He saw this, He told us, it is written in black and white in the Bible, and yet they are still blind to what is going on.
Luke 17: 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;...26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
According to this the people won't see anything. That is fascinating when you consider all the signs that we are told about that will precede the day of the Lord.
According to Joel there will be a worldwide pandemic along with a worldwide shutdown of the economy that leads to a great depression. According to the Lord you will see signs with the Earthquakes and volcanoes and even the sea having great storms. The fig tree and all the trees will put forth new leaves after a two thousand year winter. There will be great signs in the stars, the moon and the sun. There will be a sign of Jonah given to the adulterous generation. There will be great world wars as nation fights against nation and kingdom against kingdom. We will see the emergence of one world order to replace the nations. Even the Lord said that as you see these things take place look up for your redemption draweth near.
So how can the Lord tell us on one hand that there will be many signs that you can see and on the other that everyone will be clueless? That is a fascinating prophecy. He will give us fantastic, incredible prophecies fulfilled right in front of our eyes straight out of the most widely published book on earth and yet everyone will be clueless? How?
Paul tells us that because they did not love the truth God sends them a great delusion.
Think of how many false predictions of the Lord's coming have been made since Israel was reformed as a nation. Since 2000 we have had four major predictions of doomsday events:
1. May 28, 2015 predicted San Andreas earthquake
2. 2012 Mayan calendar doomsday event
3. 5/5/2000 Ice age prediction
4. Y2K prediction
As a result people are jaded with the "end of the world" predictions. Ironically this also was a prediction that there would be many false Christs that the Lord warned us not to run after.
So the prophecy is very clear, everything is fully laid out so that all those who love the Lord's appearing and are watching for Him will see and yet all those who do not love the truth will be blind and unable to see anything. I find this fascinating. He saw this, He told us, it is written in black and white in the Bible, and yet they are still blind to what is going on.
Luke 17:1-21 -- Surprise! The kingdom of God is in your midst!
17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.
We saw a video of police shooting a man walking away from them 7 times in the back. As a result there were protests that resulted in a lot of damaged property. This video of the man being shot in the back is certainly a “thing that will cause people to stumble”. I have no issue with saying they should not have responded by smashing windows. But they talked to a woman on the street and she said it very clearly, if you want people to stop destroying property stop shooting black men for no reason. That said, it turns out there was a reason to shoot him. This man had attacked police previously with a knife and he had a knife in this incident as well. There was a warrant out for his arrest at the time and he was violating a restraining order when the police were apprehending him and he was resisting arrest. Add to that there were kids in the back seat of the car that could have become kidnap victims. This rush to judgement by Lebron and the NBA was an example of this video causing people to stumble. Anyone responsible for stoking the fire of these riots, you caused people to stumble. This led to the riots where Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people killing two. He was portrayed as a white supremacist militia man who had come from out of town to shoot black people. None of that was true. None. Yet the media that stoked this narrative may have played a role in the deranged murder of six people in Waukesha Wisconsin parade. We are watching people get stumbled through stories and narratives coming to us from the main stream media.
2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.
Who caused them to stumble? Without a doubt the video being shown on the mainstream media without context, without background information was the most egregious. I don’t blame someone for videotaping the incident and posting it to a platform like Youtube. But journalists need to exercise responsibility in presenting a story like this. Lebron and the NBA should also share responsibility, not as much as the media because technically it isn’t their job to investigate, but if you are going to claim this is an instance of police shooting black men for no reason you should be sure. Then the coverage of Rittenhouse portraying the shooting as racist even though a white 17 year old shot three white men was also responsible.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them;and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
This is a very tough word. Only Jesus is qualified to say this, I think anyone else would be ashamed to say this. People talk about being transformed into the image of Jesus and "what would Jesus do". This is where the rubber meets the road. The media needs to publicly repent, if they don’t they will simply continue this irresponsible behavior. Lebron and the NBA need to repent. The police need to publicly repent when they are at fault. The looters and rioters need to publicly repent. In the last year we had 2,000 blacks killed with handguns in the US, not by police but by criminals and gang violence. This man that sparked this incident, Jacob Blake, was not killed and shooting him may have actually saved lives. A terrible thing is now taking place, you can have a "settlement" where the victim is paid money without the perpetrator confessing or repenting of any sin.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
What is the meaning of the protestors when they want to defund the police? They want this mulberry tree uprooted and planted in the sea. The thought that these protests are not having the desired effect and you need to become violent and destructive is a lack of faith. I heard someone say that they tried peaceful protests with Kaepernick, but they treated him like “excrement”. So let’s make sure we are clear on the facts. Kaepernick opted out of a contract that would have paid him $14 million, presumably because he felt he was worth more than that. There are very few people on this planet, much less the US, that would say a job offer of $14 million is an insult. Saying he was treated like excrement is only valid if there are actually people out there offering $14 million to pay for excrement. Instead of Kaepernick I would use Gandhi as the example of how faith like a mustard seed can see a mulberry tree uprooted and cast into the sea. He once was asked by the British “what exactly do you think is going to happen? Do you think we will just pack up and leave?” He said, “yes, that is exactly what will happen” and that is exactly what did happen. The response of many people seems to overwhelmingly support a just and equitable treatment of all by the police. You have popular support for justice and righteousness. However, claiming injustice exists when it doesn’t and ignoring injustice that does exist undermines any legitimacy. I have heard that the BLM movement has received billions of dollars in donations. Yes, billions of dollars. Have they spent one dollar on the inner city? I and others have looked for evidence that they have and have not found any. Instead the founders have been able to buy million dollar properties for themselves and their families. If you care about justice one of the worst things that can happen is to have a phony movement raise billions of dollars that they scam off of people.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
People are upset that Kaepernick didn’t get hired by any other teams to play quarterback. I guess he was expecting a pat on the back and a thank you. If we are servants of righteousness then he was simply doing what he was supposed to do. At the judgement seat of Christ you will be very happy if you can say you were faithful to do your duty.
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
This is the way it is today. The Lord has shown us the way of faith, how many receive this with thanksgiving? I also am quite disgusted by those who don’t return. Lebron was very vocal and prominent about condemning the police in the entire country as being racist after seeing the Jacob Blake shooting. Has he apologized? Has he returned to say he was wrong? What about the Milwaukee Basketball team, have they? What about the NBA, have they? The ratings of the NBA has tanked because of this. If they do not return, repent and apologize they will continue to be unwell.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
I remember people saying that our faith in the Lord was a “crutch” indicating that we were somehow weaker than those in the world. Well, let’s see how that works out now. These “great and powerful” kingdoms are turning into a big joke. I saw a video of people in a restaurant in China during the floods. The water in the restaurant was about a foot deep, yet it was packed. China recently required churches to put a big portrait of Xi JinPing up in the sanctuary. It would be hilarious to see all these various photos of this horrific flood in China with people sitting and standing beneath a portrait of Xi JinPing. California was very progressive. According to many in California hell is simply a myth. A very famous native of California is Ron Reagan, President Reagan’s son. He famously said he wasn’t afraid to burn in hell. That is definitely the attitude you need if you want to live in California today with their apocalyptic fires. Portland and Seattle are supposed to be very progressive cities, tell that to the protesters. There is going to be a very clear distinction made between the church, the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of man. Their house is on fire, they are in a panic, and all those weak Christians who needed the Lord for a crutch are the only ones they can lean on for support.
17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.
We saw a video of police shooting a man walking away from them 7 times in the back. As a result there were protests that resulted in a lot of damaged property. This video of the man being shot in the back is certainly a “thing that will cause people to stumble”. I have no issue with saying they should not have responded by smashing windows. But they talked to a woman on the street and she said it very clearly, if you want people to stop destroying property stop shooting black men for no reason. That said, it turns out there was a reason to shoot him. This man had attacked police previously with a knife and he had a knife in this incident as well. There was a warrant out for his arrest at the time and he was violating a restraining order when the police were apprehending him and he was resisting arrest. Add to that there were kids in the back seat of the car that could have become kidnap victims. This rush to judgement by Lebron and the NBA was an example of this video causing people to stumble. Anyone responsible for stoking the fire of these riots, you caused people to stumble. This led to the riots where Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people killing two. He was portrayed as a white supremacist militia man who had come from out of town to shoot black people. None of that was true. None. Yet the media that stoked this narrative may have played a role in the deranged murder of six people in Waukesha Wisconsin parade. We are watching people get stumbled through stories and narratives coming to us from the main stream media.
2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.
Who caused them to stumble? Without a doubt the video being shown on the mainstream media without context, without background information was the most egregious. I don’t blame someone for videotaping the incident and posting it to a platform like Youtube. But journalists need to exercise responsibility in presenting a story like this. Lebron and the NBA should also share responsibility, not as much as the media because technically it isn’t their job to investigate, but if you are going to claim this is an instance of police shooting black men for no reason you should be sure. Then the coverage of Rittenhouse portraying the shooting as racist even though a white 17 year old shot three white men was also responsible.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them;and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
This is a very tough word. Only Jesus is qualified to say this, I think anyone else would be ashamed to say this. People talk about being transformed into the image of Jesus and "what would Jesus do". This is where the rubber meets the road. The media needs to publicly repent, if they don’t they will simply continue this irresponsible behavior. Lebron and the NBA need to repent. The police need to publicly repent when they are at fault. The looters and rioters need to publicly repent. In the last year we had 2,000 blacks killed with handguns in the US, not by police but by criminals and gang violence. This man that sparked this incident, Jacob Blake, was not killed and shooting him may have actually saved lives. A terrible thing is now taking place, you can have a "settlement" where the victim is paid money without the perpetrator confessing or repenting of any sin.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
What is the meaning of the protestors when they want to defund the police? They want this mulberry tree uprooted and planted in the sea. The thought that these protests are not having the desired effect and you need to become violent and destructive is a lack of faith. I heard someone say that they tried peaceful protests with Kaepernick, but they treated him like “excrement”. So let’s make sure we are clear on the facts. Kaepernick opted out of a contract that would have paid him $14 million, presumably because he felt he was worth more than that. There are very few people on this planet, much less the US, that would say a job offer of $14 million is an insult. Saying he was treated like excrement is only valid if there are actually people out there offering $14 million to pay for excrement. Instead of Kaepernick I would use Gandhi as the example of how faith like a mustard seed can see a mulberry tree uprooted and cast into the sea. He once was asked by the British “what exactly do you think is going to happen? Do you think we will just pack up and leave?” He said, “yes, that is exactly what will happen” and that is exactly what did happen. The response of many people seems to overwhelmingly support a just and equitable treatment of all by the police. You have popular support for justice and righteousness. However, claiming injustice exists when it doesn’t and ignoring injustice that does exist undermines any legitimacy. I have heard that the BLM movement has received billions of dollars in donations. Yes, billions of dollars. Have they spent one dollar on the inner city? I and others have looked for evidence that they have and have not found any. Instead the founders have been able to buy million dollar properties for themselves and their families. If you care about justice one of the worst things that can happen is to have a phony movement raise billions of dollars that they scam off of people.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
People are upset that Kaepernick didn’t get hired by any other teams to play quarterback. I guess he was expecting a pat on the back and a thank you. If we are servants of righteousness then he was simply doing what he was supposed to do. At the judgement seat of Christ you will be very happy if you can say you were faithful to do your duty.
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
This is the way it is today. The Lord has shown us the way of faith, how many receive this with thanksgiving? I also am quite disgusted by those who don’t return. Lebron was very vocal and prominent about condemning the police in the entire country as being racist after seeing the Jacob Blake shooting. Has he apologized? Has he returned to say he was wrong? What about the Milwaukee Basketball team, have they? What about the NBA, have they? The ratings of the NBA has tanked because of this. If they do not return, repent and apologize they will continue to be unwell.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
I remember people saying that our faith in the Lord was a “crutch” indicating that we were somehow weaker than those in the world. Well, let’s see how that works out now. These “great and powerful” kingdoms are turning into a big joke. I saw a video of people in a restaurant in China during the floods. The water in the restaurant was about a foot deep, yet it was packed. China recently required churches to put a big portrait of Xi JinPing up in the sanctuary. It would be hilarious to see all these various photos of this horrific flood in China with people sitting and standing beneath a portrait of Xi JinPing. California was very progressive. According to many in California hell is simply a myth. A very famous native of California is Ron Reagan, President Reagan’s son. He famously said he wasn’t afraid to burn in hell. That is definitely the attitude you need if you want to live in California today with their apocalyptic fires. Portland and Seattle are supposed to be very progressive cities, tell that to the protesters. There is going to be a very clear distinction made between the church, the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of man. Their house is on fire, they are in a panic, and all those weak Christians who needed the Lord for a crutch are the only ones they can lean on for support.
Dumb Idols
There are two different Gods that people worship. One is a dumb idol. This dumb idol teaches you to shut up. You don't see anything, you don't hear anything you don't say anything. If you are obedient to the slave masters then you will not be persecuted. If you have the nerve to speak up about election fraud they will bust your door down in the middle of the night and drag you out of your house to threaten you to shut up. If you dare speak up at a school board meeting about your daughter being raped in the bathroom they will arrest you and call you a domestic terrorist. Those who shut up to the atrocities and do what they are told will win an Emmy, be called "the gold standard" and get the lion share of federal funding. Why do they listen to these idols, why do they allow them to boss them around? My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
The other God is the word of God incarnate, He came and tabernacled among us and we all beheld His glory. If we receive Him this word will be a seed inside of us that will grow. One word can grow into a ministry. George Mueller received one word and it became a ministry to care for orphans. But those that worship Jesus are the salt and the light. They speak the Rhema word, they live by every word of God. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. If you worship the living word there will be a response, we will see a work of faith.
So who do you worship? 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? Faith is like a seed that is supposed to grow and bear fruit. If you have faith then where is the fruit?
One deceit is that if I truly worship the Lord I must become a pastor. That is absurd, if everyone is a pastor then who are the sheep? In every one of us the word of God will operate and if we let that word grow we will have a ministry and we will have fruit. Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. You don't need to be a teacher. Instead 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.
The other thing we don't need is the world's help. 4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. So many ministries think that the world helps them. The money, the advertising, the skill sets, etc. If you make compromises with the world you become an enemy of God. Do you know that many record labels will gladly publish Christian music so long as you don't include Jesus name or the message that Jesus is the only way. If you make that deal you have become the enemy of God.
There are ministries that run ads for investing in gold or some other scheme. 3 Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. Make sure you are truly following the Lord and not just doing something because this is what everyone does, or this is the only way "I can reach so many people", etc. I would much rather listen to a ministry that is like pure water, there are no ads, no compromise, and maybe instead of 100K views they only have 10k views or even 1k views.
Do you know what a powerful ministry is? It is a patient ministry. I am not worried about convincing anyone, as long as I warn everyone I have done my job. I am not worried about this months earnings, I know how this story ends and my focus is to do my part, to be faithful in the Lord for what He has given to me to do. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
But the most important thing above all others is to make it very clear Jesus is Lord and you do not follow anyone whose rules contradict the Lord's. 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment. Absolutely no loyalty pledges to human governments. This is the essence of the Mark of the Beast.
There are two different Gods that people worship. One is a dumb idol. This dumb idol teaches you to shut up. You don't see anything, you don't hear anything you don't say anything. If you are obedient to the slave masters then you will not be persecuted. If you have the nerve to speak up about election fraud they will bust your door down in the middle of the night and drag you out of your house to threaten you to shut up. If you dare speak up at a school board meeting about your daughter being raped in the bathroom they will arrest you and call you a domestic terrorist. Those who shut up to the atrocities and do what they are told will win an Emmy, be called "the gold standard" and get the lion share of federal funding. Why do they listen to these idols, why do they allow them to boss them around? My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
The other God is the word of God incarnate, He came and tabernacled among us and we all beheld His glory. If we receive Him this word will be a seed inside of us that will grow. One word can grow into a ministry. George Mueller received one word and it became a ministry to care for orphans. But those that worship Jesus are the salt and the light. They speak the Rhema word, they live by every word of God. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. If you worship the living word there will be a response, we will see a work of faith.
So who do you worship? 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? Faith is like a seed that is supposed to grow and bear fruit. If you have faith then where is the fruit?
One deceit is that if I truly worship the Lord I must become a pastor. That is absurd, if everyone is a pastor then who are the sheep? In every one of us the word of God will operate and if we let that word grow we will have a ministry and we will have fruit. Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. You don't need to be a teacher. Instead 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.
The other thing we don't need is the world's help. 4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. So many ministries think that the world helps them. The money, the advertising, the skill sets, etc. If you make compromises with the world you become an enemy of God. Do you know that many record labels will gladly publish Christian music so long as you don't include Jesus name or the message that Jesus is the only way. If you make that deal you have become the enemy of God.
There are ministries that run ads for investing in gold or some other scheme. 3 Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. Make sure you are truly following the Lord and not just doing something because this is what everyone does, or this is the only way "I can reach so many people", etc. I would much rather listen to a ministry that is like pure water, there are no ads, no compromise, and maybe instead of 100K views they only have 10k views or even 1k views.
Do you know what a powerful ministry is? It is a patient ministry. I am not worried about convincing anyone, as long as I warn everyone I have done my job. I am not worried about this months earnings, I know how this story ends and my focus is to do my part, to be faithful in the Lord for what He has given to me to do. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
But the most important thing above all others is to make it very clear Jesus is Lord and you do not follow anyone whose rules contradict the Lord's. 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment. Absolutely no loyalty pledges to human governments. This is the essence of the Mark of the Beast.
Hanukkah — A pivotal event in human history
1. Alexander the Great had created the greatest empire the world had ever known at that time, kind of like the US in its prime.
2. When he died it split into two factions, kind of like the US right now.
3. One of the leaders was a total egotist who called himself Epiphanes (God made manifest)
4. Interestingly for one century the Jews were under the ruling of one of these factions and then for the next century they were under the ruling of the other faction (kind of like the US flipping from Republican to Democrat). Neither faction were “the people of God” and both were Greeks pushing Greek Gods, Greek culture, and Greek morals.
5. Antiochus built a statue to himself and banned the practice of Judaism in public. They had everyone in the country worship pagan gods. This is like the current laws which are moving towards banning the practice of Evangelical Christianity in public, passing bills that would make every American taxpayer support abortion, and censoring anyone who goes against the official line about Covid and other topics.
The extraordinary event was that a handful of dedicated Jews could defeat the greatest empire on Earth. All the ancient historians wrote about this event because it was the beginning of the end of Greece and the beginning of the beginning of Rome. This event was pivotal in human history.
So then why was Maccabees 1 never included in the Bible? This brings us to the second story of Hanukkah. 25th of Kislev begins the 8 days of Hanukkah. When the Jews defeated the Greeks the temple had been defiled and they went in to rededicate it and could only find one cruse of oil that still had the seal of the high priest on it that had been unbroken. It was only enough oil to last for one day and yet they lit the menorah and it lasted for 8 days.
So we have two stories about Hanukkah, one of a major military victory and no mention of this story about the oil and another where the story of the military victory is a minor detail and the big story is the miracle with the oil. These two stories indicate the separation of church and state. A high priest could not become a king and a king could not be a high priest.
But, after defeating the Greeks the first king made himself both king and high priest. This is what we are in danger of seeing again. The apostate church, like at the time of Antiochus, has compromised with the pagan rulers and as a result we have all of the horrors we see today as well as the coming tribulation. Many Christians who are called “deplorables”, hillbillies like the Jews that fought the Greeks have risen up without any assistance from organized Christianity. Organized Christianity is like the lame man at the pool of Siloam.
Just like the Romans who turned their leaders into demigods the leaders of the rebellion against the Greeks turned themselves into demigods. This is why the books of Maccabees were not allowed into the Holy Scripture. Also, because of this the victory against the Romans lasted less than a century before the Romans ruled.
That is why after many years the sages in Israel realized the major thing was not the military victory but rather the major thing was the rededication of the temple and the spiritual thing signifying Holy Spirit. We can look at the battle over election integrity, but even if you eliminate fraud in our elections you will still have the same system that became corrupt. As long as the system is corrupt you will have a thousand battles and a thousand fires to put out constantly like being on a hamster wheel. The fundamental issue is that the temple where God and Man meet is defiled.
1. Alexander the Great had created the greatest empire the world had ever known at that time, kind of like the US in its prime.
2. When he died it split into two factions, kind of like the US right now.
3. One of the leaders was a total egotist who called himself Epiphanes (God made manifest)
4. Interestingly for one century the Jews were under the ruling of one of these factions and then for the next century they were under the ruling of the other faction (kind of like the US flipping from Republican to Democrat). Neither faction were “the people of God” and both were Greeks pushing Greek Gods, Greek culture, and Greek morals.
5. Antiochus built a statue to himself and banned the practice of Judaism in public. They had everyone in the country worship pagan gods. This is like the current laws which are moving towards banning the practice of Evangelical Christianity in public, passing bills that would make every American taxpayer support abortion, and censoring anyone who goes against the official line about Covid and other topics.
The extraordinary event was that a handful of dedicated Jews could defeat the greatest empire on Earth. All the ancient historians wrote about this event because it was the beginning of the end of Greece and the beginning of the beginning of Rome. This event was pivotal in human history.
So then why was Maccabees 1 never included in the Bible? This brings us to the second story of Hanukkah. 25th of Kislev begins the 8 days of Hanukkah. When the Jews defeated the Greeks the temple had been defiled and they went in to rededicate it and could only find one cruse of oil that still had the seal of the high priest on it that had been unbroken. It was only enough oil to last for one day and yet they lit the menorah and it lasted for 8 days.
So we have two stories about Hanukkah, one of a major military victory and no mention of this story about the oil and another where the story of the military victory is a minor detail and the big story is the miracle with the oil. These two stories indicate the separation of church and state. A high priest could not become a king and a king could not be a high priest.
But, after defeating the Greeks the first king made himself both king and high priest. This is what we are in danger of seeing again. The apostate church, like at the time of Antiochus, has compromised with the pagan rulers and as a result we have all of the horrors we see today as well as the coming tribulation. Many Christians who are called “deplorables”, hillbillies like the Jews that fought the Greeks have risen up without any assistance from organized Christianity. Organized Christianity is like the lame man at the pool of Siloam.
Just like the Romans who turned their leaders into demigods the leaders of the rebellion against the Greeks turned themselves into demigods. This is why the books of Maccabees were not allowed into the Holy Scripture. Also, because of this the victory against the Romans lasted less than a century before the Romans ruled.
That is why after many years the sages in Israel realized the major thing was not the military victory but rather the major thing was the rededication of the temple and the spiritual thing signifying Holy Spirit. We can look at the battle over election integrity, but even if you eliminate fraud in our elections you will still have the same system that became corrupt. As long as the system is corrupt you will have a thousand battles and a thousand fires to put out constantly like being on a hamster wheel. The fundamental issue is that the temple where God and Man meet is defiled.