Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

Peace be with you

John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

I grew up with phrases like "chill out" and "relax". This is not what "Peace be with you" means. At this moment in time the Lord has completed 3 1/2 years of intense ministry, intense persecution, death and resurrection. There is nothing "chill" or "relax" in His ministry. Meanwhile His disciples have been trained and prepared for this moment. They are like a young NBA team sitting in the locker room before the playoffs begin. They are nervous and before they go out He says "Peace be with you". This means "you are ready", you have been prepared for this moment, you have everything you need.

Imagine Dwight Eisenhower on the eve of D day, he is going through his mind, has he forgotten anything, running through the list over and over again and the Lord comes to him and says "Peace be with you". The Lord is not saying "chill out", the Lord is saying everything has been done, everything is prepared, this is a go.

Look at what Jesus says "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." This is a pep talk right before the big game. This would be like Michael Jordan coming in and talking to the team, you guys are just as well prepared as I was. The Lord can see that this will be a 2,000 year struggle, He can see the apostolic age, He can see the seven golden lampstands with the persecution of Smyrna, the false prophets like Balaam, and the evil people like Jezebel. He knows the wolves will infiltrate the church. But He can also see the ministry of Paul, and John, and James. He can see that in addition to the Old Testament we will also get the New Testament. We will have everything we need, every blessing, every truth, every grace, every mercy. He knows that the sacrifice He has made is once for all and is sufficient for all of us to overcome the accuser of the brethren.

So, once again, "Peace be with you! Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Isaiah 1:18-20 “Let Us Reason”

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be like wool. 19 “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the best of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

How were we so successful? We were all tech savvy and used technology to the maximum. In my class I use Elearning extensively. The lessons I use with my class can be used with every class in the city with little or no cost. Everything we did could be adopted citywide. This isn’t some hypothetical program designed in an ivory tower, we use this in Brooklyn and it is proven to work. All we need to do is be willing and obedient. Dump this whole strategy of politicians using the school budget to pay back donors who don’t have the slightest concern for the kids but only to line their pockets with cash. The vision is clear, you can obey and be blessed, or you can refuse, rebel and be devoured by the sword. The kids we are teaching can be the salvation to the country and a blessing or you can refuse and the sword will devour your cities.

The story of Joseph

7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I find the story of Joseph is fascinating because of what no one ever talks about. I get it that it was hard for him to take Mary as his wife when she had already been found to be with child, but the question no one ever talks about is why? We know that he was of the line of Jeconiah which was cursed by God so in this way this cursed line of David was restored. My question is why did God choose this way to restore this line?

If we read Jeremiah 22 we learn of Jeconiah's sins that caused him to be cursed.

Jeremiah 22:

13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.

This is a reference to the sins of Jeconiah. Isn't it fitting that his descendant would be a carpenter? Jeconiah took advantage of workers, cheating them out of their wages and now his descendants are the same workers that he had cheated.

15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.

We know that Joseph was poor because of the offering they made at the time of Jesus' circumcision. This reminds me of the story Jesus told about someone picking out the best seat at a feast and then being publicly humiliated and having to go take the worst seat.

16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord.

This is what was necessary for Jeconiah's line to be restored. Joseph needed to defend the cause of the poor and needy. Who was more so than Mary when she was pregnant with the the Son of God while betrothed to Joseph. This is a picture of what a true king is. He defends the rights of the widows and the orphans.

17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”

In life there is a fork in the road, you can pursue dishonest gain or you can choose to do the right thing. When Joseph chose to do the right thing for Mary he chose a path that leads to the restoration of the kingship. Those who chose dishonest gain may not have intended to shed innocent blood, but it is simply where this road leads, and they ultimately rule by oppression and extortion. This is who Jeconiah was, that was the choice he made and as a result it led to poverty and a curse. The path that Joseph takes reverses that curse. James and Jude, two of Joseph's sons become writers of the New Testament. His wife is the mother Mary. He raised Jesus. There can be a curse on your family but you can reverse it. The same cliff you fell down you can climb back up. By marrying Mary Joseph took the lowest place at this feast yet by the time we get to the marriage feast of the lamb I suspect the Lord will tell him to move up to a better place.

It's coming

Isaiah 1:21-31 Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed

21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute [idolatrous, despicable], She who was full of justice! Right standing with God once lodged in her, But now murderers. 22 Your silver has turned to lead, Your wine is diluted with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes And chases after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the widow’s cause come before them [instead they delay or turn a deaf ear].

Is this not the case? As far as I am concerned there are only two possible explanations for Hunter Biden selling paintings for $500,000. Either he is a great artist blessed with abundant natural talent that he didn’t have to learn or study to achieve exposing how big a failure virtually every other artist in this country is (my brother is an artist who makes pottery and teaches at a highly rated university). The other possibility is that “everyone loves bribes and chases after gifts”.

24 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be freed of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My enemies. 25 “And I will turn My hand against you, And will [thoroughly] purge away your dross as with lye And remove all your tin (impurity).

This is good news, right? If you were praying for God to purge the dross away it is. We use lye as drano to open up clogged drains, so for those of us suffering from this corruption this is great news.

26 “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness, The faithful city.”

Again, this is great news. Purging dross away can involve melting stuff down with intense heat, cleaning out the impurities with lye can involve using very powerful chemicals that can burn, but the goal is great. Once again we can be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. We can get counselors as at the beginning when the US was respected.

27 Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness.

One little caveat here, “her repentant ones will be redeemed”. I guess if you aren’t “repentant” this may not be such great news. Oh well.

28 But rebels and sinners will be crushed and destroyed together, And those who abandon (turn away from) the Lord will be consumed (perish).

Oh, here it is, spelled out in the fine print. Rebels and sinners will be crushed and destroyed. Those who “abandon the Lord” (backsliders) will be consumed.

29 For you will be ashamed [of the degradation] of the oaks in which you took [idolatrous] pleasure, And you will be ashamed of the gardens [of passion] which you have chosen [for pagan worship]. 30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf withers and dies And like a garden that has no water. 31 The strong man will become tinder, And his work a spark. So both will burn together And there will be none to quench them.

We have a great illustration of this with the fires in the West. So let’s look at how exactly these great forests are going up in flames. California and the whole west was an ideal place for agriculture, the only problem was water. So what they did was divert the Colorado river and other water coming out of the mountains for agriculture. In California 80% of their water goes to agriculture. Now you can grow things that are native to the region and don’t require irrigation, or at the very least requires minimal irrigation. But they didn’t do that, they brought in crops that were water intensive like Almonds. Now the “drought” is largely man made when it takes 20 years and 80% of your water is going for irrigation of these crops. They did the same throughout the West pumping up well water from huge aquifers. Today anyone can look at the lakes to see how they have dried up and the water is gone. But this was a man made disaster, still they started claiming “climate change”. The problem with this is that some states are seeing “astounding climate change” while others are seeing little to no climate change. The drought in California is undoubtedly the result of poor water management and unsustainable practices. Calling it climate change is simply a way to obfuscate. These fires are terrifying the residents and is only one reason they are fleeing California, a state that used to be the wealthiest state in the US but is now the poorest (when comparing average income with cost of living). They destroyed this state and they will be ashamed for what they have done.

Hebrews 4 -- Apart from Jesus we can do nothing

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

There is going to be a rapture where some will enter into this promised rest. At that time some will be found to have fallen short of that rapture. So then let us be careful. We need to tie our thoughts to Jesus, tie our boat to Jesus.

2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.

It is not sufficient to have heard and received the gospel. True, if you receive the Lord’s salvation you receive eternal life, but that doesn’t mean you have entered into this promised rest. Everyone in the wilderness had also received this salvation having partaken of the Passover lamb and having crossed the Red Sea. What they needed was to share the faith of those who obeyed. Joshua and Caleb shared the faith of Moses. They entered into the promised rest.

3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

Look at the path the Lord took us on. If God had made us kings immediately we would be like the arrogant, the elites, with little sense of justice or compassion. No, first we had to be the slaves at the bottom of society so we could understand how to truly rule. We needed to see how the corruption and lies of the elites impact the poor. But the problem with that is many have the mentality of a slave. We need a new heart of flesh and we need our mind renewed by the Lord of all. You don’t need to fight to be a slave, just surrender. But to rule and reign with Jesus requires that we stand with Him on the battlefield.

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

You can’t enter into His rest if you can’t do all His works. You need to do a work of faith before you can enter into the promised rest.

6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

The Lord gives the command, you obey and follow Him, that is the work you must do, and the work you can only do if you have mixed faith with your obedience. The reason some harden their hearts and refuse to obey is because they don’t have faith.

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

We are doing a work of faith so that we can enter that rest. This is the church age, we are building the Body of Christ with gold, silver and precious stones. This warning is about disobedience, the Lord will speak to us, it will be difficult for us to obey, it will require faith, it will require us knowing the voice of our shepherd.

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The word of God is a light to our path, it is also a light that examines our innermost spirit and soul. This word judges our thoughts and attitudes. No one and nothing is hidden from this light.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The Lord is superior in every way. We have someone who will go with us and help us along the way.

Isaiah 2:1-11 A vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem

1 The word [from God] which Isaiah son of Amoz saw [in a vision] concerning [the nation of] Judah and [its capital city] Jerusalem. 2 Now it will come to pass that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be [firmly] established as the highest of the mountains, And will be exalted above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

The revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God is the rock on which the church is built. This rock is “the mountain of the house of the Lord”. There are other “mountains”. There are texts for Buddhism, and for Islam, and for other religions. There are philosophers. There are those like Locke, Rousseau, and Marx that provided a philosophical framework for government. In the last days it will be the Bible and the revelation that Jesus is Lord which will be firmly established as the highest mountain and will be exalted over all these hills. If you are not familiar with Bible codes they are scientific evidence that firmly establishes the Bible as the word of God. When this discovery was published in a major scientific journal it was a major earthquake in the scientific community.

3 And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

No one is going to do this until you prove to them you are superior. That is what the end of the age is all about.

4 And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up the sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

What a blessing it would be if we could eliminate war. Why not? WWII was fought to satisfy the whims of a megalomaniac, the Vietnam war was fought to promote US arms dealers, the Gulf war was fought over oil, all these “terrorist attacks” look more and more like false flag events designed to justify huge defense spending.

5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

How easy it is for them to lie and deceive. It didn’t make sense that Saddam Hussein would support Al Qaeda and be behind 9/11 yet the country treated anyone who questioned this as being a traitor. There were no WMDs, the idea that Oswald was a lone assassin was absurd, how many times will it take before we stop letting them lie to us and deceive us. How about we walk in the light of the Lord instead.

6 Most certainly [Lord] You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines; Also they strike bargains with the children of foreigners (pagans).

This is all being revealed. The Biden crime family, the Clinton Foundation, Epstein Island, Swalwell, Fauci, etc. One by one we are discovering the depth of their corruption, bias and compromise. AI is the latest attempt at soothsaying.

7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses And there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their own fingers have made. 9 So the common man has been humbled [before idols] And the man of importance has been degraded, Therefore do not forgive them [O Lord].

It is all about money and influence. If you have an honorable man they will slander, defame and destroy him. They can’t stand the “common man”, the “deplorables”, the people who do all the work, raise families and believe in the Lord. In their mind they are chumps to be taken advantage of, too stupid to realize they are being robbed blind. Therefore do not forgive them, O Lord.

10 Go among the rocks and hide in the dust From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.

Look at these floods and fires as a foreshadowing of what is about to happen. The cars are being washed away like someone power washing the street. The fires burn everything whether rich or poor. The smoke affects everyone.

11 The proud look of man will be degraded And the arrogance of men will be humbled, And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

The damage done in China is horrific and we are learning why. The government officials in China try to make their cities look really nice, but no one sees the sewers so they skimp on the sewers and that is where they really take in the bribes. As a result the damage from these sewers being washed out is incredible. It is a picture of what will happen to the elites, their kingdom is a facade, but the bribes and corruption like hidden rot will cause the entire thing to collapse.

Isaiah 2:12-22 A Day of Reckoning Coming

12 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against all who are proud and arrogant And against all who are lifted up, That they may be degraded.

Who thinks like this? I would think the reckoning would be against those who are corrupt, those who take bribes, those who lie, those who sell out the country, those who operate deceitfully, those involved in trafficking, etc. But what is it that all of them have in common? They are proud, arrogant and lifted up. To set aside the law of God you must be proud, arrogant and lifted up. This is becoming very obvious today with them blatantly doing things like Hunter Biden’s fraud selling his paintings. They are crooks, the whole world can see they are crooks and they don’t care. Why? Because they control the DOJ. They are proud, arrogant and lifted up. They are setting aside the first amendment, they are committing election fraud, they are opening our borders to criminals, everything they are doing is in your face, we are crooks, we don’t care that you know we are crooks, and we will do whatever we want and there is nothing you can do about it. The fundamental issue is not the individual crimes, the fundamental issue is they are thumbing their nose to God, they are in open rebellion.

13 And the wrath of God will be against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the Jordan], 14 Against all the high mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, 15 Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, 16 Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft.

What a combination or coalition. Generally we think of Cedars and Oaks as very good wood, people of the highest credentials. The experts, the talking heads, the ones who get to say what the “official” position is. The fact checkers. The high mountains and hills would be in contrast to the Bible. These are your philosophers whether they are socialists, or economic theory, or whatever. The high towers we generally call the Ivory tower, the ones who came up with Critical Race Theory and are trying to turn the US into a socialist nation. The fortified walls are the censors, the ones who are able to keep out any opposing viewpoints. All of this is to support the ships of Tarshish, the international trade. It is a global economy, a single currency, one world government, and one world religion. There are a lot of things they want to get rid of. They like dictators, just tell one person what you want done, it is simple. They like monopolies, that is how you get rich and don't have to worry about "the customer always being right". This means they have to destroy democracy, they have to destroy free press, they have to destroy the church.

17 Then the pride of man will be humbled And the arrogance of men will be degraded; The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, 18 And the idols will completely vanish (be abolished).

There will be some events that take place that completely humble this one world government that the elites are pushing. The idols refer to the currency, the money. The mark of the beast is the ultimate idol.

19 They [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] will go into the caves of the rocks And into the holes of the ground [fleeing] From the terror and dread of the Lord And from the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to terrify the earth.

Why would you hide in the holes in the ground? Is it nuclear radiation and fallout? Did a supernova burn up our ozone layer so that the sun will give everyone skin cancer and cause you to go blind? Whatever it is they are afraid of we do know they have built underground military bases, 130 in the US, and Russia, China and Europe have done the same.

20 In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship, 21 To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee] From the terror and dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to terrify the earth.

If we had such a terrifying worldwide event it would cause the global economy to collapse and the currency to become worthless. This is a very clear prophecy that during the day of the Lord they flee into caverns in the rock, underground caves.

22 Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time]; For why should he be esteemed?

Really, there are many who believe the Bible, believe these prophecies, see the coming doom and then go and talk about being a prepper, or investing in gold, or some other nonsense. Invest in the kingdom of the heavens where there is no rust and there are no thieves.

Jeremiah 4:1-9 -- What to do if you are left behind

The Lord said that no one knows the day or the hour, many believers take that to mean that we can ignore this since no one knows the day or the hour. However, the Lord says that because you don't know the day or the hour you need to watch and he gives three illustrations: a pregnant woman, a farmer prior to the harvest, and the bride in a Jewish wedding. A pregnant woman does not know the day or the hour that she will give birth, therefore she needs to watch. She should be going to the doctor, arranging for the birth, planning, etc. A woman who did not do this would be considered a very irresponsible mother. Second, a farmer does not know the day or the hour that they will reap the harvest. As a result he must carefully inspect his crops everyday while also watching the weather report and preparing. He might need to rent harvesters and hire extra laborers. Finally, the bride in a Jewish wedding doesn't know the day or the hour, her betrothed is building a house (or spare room) for them to live in. He needs to prepare that before he can come and take the bride. But just because she doesn't know the day or the hour doesn't mean she can't visit him with lemonade or a sandwich while he works and see for herself. She can get a very good idea of when it will be finished if she is visiting him regularly. If your bride didn't care enough to do that you would think she really doesn't love you or care about you.

1 “If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray,

Many want to know what they should be doing to prepare to meet God. First, get rid of the detestable idols. I discussed this a little when I talked about the frogs in Exodus 8. Also, know that money is a “graven image”. It is made out of wood (paper money) and it is a molten image (coins). This call to return or to repent is how the Gospel of Mark begins. The thought is that Luke presents the gospel to those who are taken prior to the tribulation and Mark presents the gospel to those who are left behind.

2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.”

Walk according to the truth (word of God), in a just and righteous way (the Lord’s commandment to do unto others as you would have them do unto you). Boast in the Lord, rejoice in Him, praise Him, testify of His goodness.

3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. In the gospels the Lord let us know He was talking about our heart. If our heart is consumed with the world it is like thorns choking the word of God. Do not sow the word of God among the thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.

I talk about circumcision in the posts concerning the book of Galatians. Circumcision was the sign that we have a covenant with God. A wedding ring signifies you have a marriage covenant, circumcision signifies we have a covenant with God. In the New Testament the cross of Christ is the sign that we have a covenant with God, it is the New Testament “circumcision” and it is on our hearts. You need to apply the cross of Christ to your hearts or you will invoke the wrath of God.

5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ 6 Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”

There are two possible references here. We know that the high holy days are a shadow of things to come, that the first four feasts were key events in the beginning of this age (Passover -- crucifixion of Jesus, Feast of unleavened bread -- burial of Jesus, Feast of the first fruits -- resurrection of Jesus, and Pentecost -- birth of the church). The sound of the trumpet can be both an alarm and a sound of rejoicing. The idea is that at the rapture it will be a sound of rejoicing for those who are raptured, whereas for those who are left behind it will be a sound of alarm. This chapter is dealing with those who are left behind. This isn't a reference to the pandemic, this is a reference to the need to flee. After the first rapture you will have chaos, anarchy. In a situation like that it will be much scarier than it is today. Already we can see videos in large cities that are scary, imagine if you remove all those Christians who would step into the gap to help someone being attacked. Right now the evil and wicked are outnumbered and are scared of the light. After the first rapture that will change. If you can't see that terrible destruction is coming upon these cities today, you will be able to see it then.

7 A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.

There have been several prophetic visions concerning this. First, it appears that China will have a terrible flood, their harvest will be devastated resulting in a famine. This will cause them to go to war, and before they can do that they need to take out the US. Other prophecies say Russia will do that by setting off EMP devices strategically placed to cause the US power grid to collapse. Also, once the rapture takes place the man of lawlessness will be revealed and the “riots” you have been watching will roar to life blazing with violence, bloodshed, looting, and terror. One man died and the entire country was filled with violent rioting in the streets. This will take it to a whole new level.

8 So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.

This is the seven years of the tribulation. The goal for all those who believe in the Lord Jesus and confess His name is that they will be taken by Him in three and half years. This is a time to convince God that you belong in the book of life. It is a little confusing so let me try and explain all these dates as simply as I can. September 21-22 in 2017 was the Festival of Trumpets. On September 23rd 2017 the great heavenly sign of the woman crowned with 12 stars, clothed with the sun and with the moon beneath her feet travailing to give birth was seen in the heavens. This was the sign spoken of by John in Revelation 12, the last time it appeared in the heavens was 3915 BC and was prophetic that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. That is the first prophecy concerning Jesus. Revelation begins with Jesus saying “He is the first and the last, the alpha and the omega”. It is interesting that this sign would appear at the beginning and then again at the end. It did not appear on the day of the Feast of Trumpets but immediately after. Signs appear on the highway before you get to the exit. So then It seems to me that 2018 could have been the "Feast of Trumpets" a ten year warning before the day of atonement. That would put the day of Atonement in 2028.

In the Jewish wedding the bride circles the groom three times before the wedding. The earth has circled the sun three times since 2018. Think of these three years as the first 3 days of awe out of the ten.

9 “In that day,” declares the Lord, “the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.”

The people who run the country fall into three groups. The president would be viewed as the king, the CDC would be seen as the priests, and the press would be seen as the prophets.

Harvest

Proverbs -- 7 verses

6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

We are told at the Lord's return there will be those who have filled their vessels with oil and those who haven't. The church age, two thousand years, have been a wonderful opportunity to fill your vessel with oil. We have wonderful hymns, wonderful biographies, wonder fellowship from the apostles, youtube filled with dreams and visions and exegesis. You have to be a complete sluggard to not fill your vessel with oil.

10:5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

This is the harvest time. Any believer who is sleeping now and not gathering crops is a disgraceful son. There should be millions of Christians filling the airwaves, filling youtube and forums and social media with the word.

14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.

It amazes me when you hear people going on and on about trivial issues. Did Trump tweet mean tweets? Yes. But was he like an ox bringing in abundant harvests? Yes. Did we have to clean up after Trump? Yes. Only an idiot would choose Biden over Trump, stop complaining over trivial matters. There will be no "perfect" saint. They all poop. They all make a mess. Yes, everyday you have to clean up after them, but you try and plant and harvest crops without an ox.

18:20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

We are called to be witnesses. We are given the promise that out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living water. So say amen and prove the Lord.

20:4 Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

Again, reminds me of the foolish virgins asking the others to give them some of their oil. It is like the kid who wants to copy your homework.

25:13 Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master.

This is the harvest time, we are the messengers of the Lord. Be a trustworthy messenger. Be someone who refreshes the Lord's spirit.

26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

My daughter's grade point average put her 2nd in her graduating class. She told me that she could never catch #1 because this girl would always be sick on test days and then question kids about what was on the test. I told her that if she knew this girl was a cheat so did the rest of the school, you don't need to worry about her. Sure enough she decided to graduate early rather than be the "valedictorian" in front of two thousand people who all know she is a liar and a cheat. What a fool, she never considered the end game of what she was doing.

Jeremiah 4:10-31 My life is being given over to murderers

10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!”

You may remember that a peace treaty promising a period of economic prosperity was just signed in Washington D.C. with Israel, UAE and Bahrain on September 15th.

11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.”

So China and Russia will attack Israel, most likely after a preemptive attack on the US. Prior to the first rapture we had a wind for winnowing, to separate the chaff from the wheat. But now this wind is too strong for that. There have been about 11 different prophecies from different ones seeing that 911 was the first attack, the second will be much more severe on the US and the third is when the UN takes over the running of the US.

13 Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined! 14 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?

The peace treaty was all about Jerusalem, it recognized Jerusalem as being under the jurisdiction of Israel. This is the winds of war. We don't need the Bible to tell us how bad and destructive a war today would be. We know the missiles are hypersonic, faster than horses, and we know that such an attack would cause the US to be ruined as well as the entire world economic system.

15 A voice is announcing from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim. 16 “Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: ‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. 17 They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me,’” declares the Lord.

The problem is they rebelled against the Lord. Humble yourself, repent of your rebellion. Turn to Jesus, call on His name, for that is where your salvation is. Do not trust in yourself, do not trust in man. The distant land according to various prophecies refers to Russia, Iran, N. Korea, and a few other countries from which Russia is set to attack.

18 “Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!”

Repent! Confess your sins and Repent! Our CIA, our government has brought this intense hatred from the rest of the world on us. Our profligate spending, robbing all who loaned to us is causing this hatred.

19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.

The rapture takes place at the sound of the Trumpet. But that sound is also the sound of an alarm. It signals the beginning of the tribulation.

20 Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.

The rapture takes place in a moment, in an instant. Another meaning of rapture is when the water breaks for a woman who is giving birth. The birth canal where the baby is looks like “3 gorges”. We are told that when the woman gives birth in Revelation 12 that the great dragon will unleash a great flood to wash her away. I suspect that refers to the collapse of the 3 Gorges Dam in China. That disaster will lead to others like China setting off EMPs in the US to wipe out our electricity and cause our tents and shelter to be destroyed in a moment. We know from the prophecies that the world's currency will collapse and they will take draconian measures to enforce a new world currency. All of this chaos will take place in the midst of a global pandemic. Economic collapse, famine, plague and War. Based on Ezekiel 38 the thought is that an attack on Israel to gain control of the Middle East begins with an attack on the US to destroy the petrol dollar.

21 How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 “My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”

This is reminiscent of the Lord’s word concerning the foolish virgins. They were awoken by the sound of the trumpet and the call that the Bridegroom comes. But they were foolish, they didn’t fill their vessel with oil, with the spirit, with the living word of God. As a result they were senseless, no understanding, no knowledge of how to do good. This reminds me of riding a horse or sailing a boat. Everything can seem easy and simple until the minute you lose control and then it is chaos and catastrophe.

23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

The call was to “behold the Bridegroom” But the foolish virgins are those who were distracted beholding everything but the Lord. The wise virgins are those whose eyes are firmly set on Him. Apparently this attack on the US begins with suitcase bombs being set off in our major cities: NYC, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, LA, etc.

27 This is what the Lord says: “The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. 28 Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.” 29 At the sound of horsemen and archers every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them. 30 What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you.

Many Christians and many pastors and many churches sold themselves to the world like a harlot. Revelation 17 and 18 refer to this. The Lord’s wrath will burn with fire towards them. Everyone will know that the rapture of the believers has caused a collapse of society, so they will hate those who are left behind yet have the name of Christian. Those who are nominal Christians.

31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child—the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.”

The analogy here is to two groups. The child she gives birth to is called “the man child” and he is caught up to heaven. He represents the raptured saints. The woman represents God’s people who are left on earth.

Amazing clouds

Hebrews 5 -- Learn obedience from the things you suffer

1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

These four points really stand out to me. First, He was heard because of His reverent submission. Second, He learned obedience from the things He suffered, third, when He was made perfect He didn’t abandon us, rather He became the source of salvation to all who obey him and after all that He was designated by God to be the High priest after the order of Melchizedek. My prayer for many years was that I could read the Bible. The first time I opened it myself I had no idea what it was saying. I told the Lord I’d need a crowbar to open this book up. Later I met with a group where many members were experts in the ministry of one Bible expositor. I had no interest in that, my interest was simply to be able to pick up the Bible and read it and understand it. This put me on a path that involved a lot of suffering. Those experiences were like a chisel knocking pieces of you off so that you learned to walk the narrow path that leads to life. Anyone can walk the broad way that leads to destruction but if you want to walk the narrow way you soon realize you have fat feet. It seems the way is too narrow for you to fit through, yet if you obey the Lord, if you humble yourself, if you discard all the baggage you have with your flesh and natural man you find you can walk this path. Everything you suffer teaches you one more way that you can be more obedient. Much of your suffering comes from ignoring the lord, when you reflect on that it causes you all the more to be obedient and trust Him. But then you learn that in the Body we are conduits, we don’t serve our own interests. If the Lord gives you a word then you need to pass that on, if you have a revelation, a hymn, a testimony, a dream, then you need to share that with others. Finally, if you can get through those three stages you can become a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This is different from the Aaronic priesthood or even the Levitical priesthood. You cannot be appointed to this priesthood by man, only God can make this designation. Obedience to what? The Lord told us to be His witnesses, have you been obedient to that? The Lord said that we need to love the saints as ourselves and by this all men will know that we are His disciples. Have you been obedient to that?

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

So this is strange, you can have a brother or sister that has spent 20 or 40 years in the Lord, in the word, in the meetings, in the fellowship and yet they still need someone to teach them the elementary truths. I’m not talking about spectator Christians, I’m not talking about nominal Christians, I’m talking about dedicated, serious Christians. The problem is they are not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness, they haven’t trained themselves to distinguish between good and evil. Very early on in my Christian life I was faced with a decision. The word I got from the Lord was from Galatians, where Paul said he did not give in to them for a moment that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. The elders put the pressure on me in the meetings, behind closed doors, and in many other ways. This group had a person they referred to as “the apostle” and to a large extent every church meeting hall was a “franchise” to sell this man’s ministry. During the meetings everyone was given a chance to share something they enjoyed of the Lord. The pressure was on to turn those testimonies into testimonials for this brother’s ministry. I shared often and never once spoke a negative word concerning this brother, “the apostle”. However, I also didn’t promote his ministry and simply shared directly from the Bible. More and more it became apparent that the “testimonials” for this man’s ministry were simply advertisements and were being tuned out. No one was getting life from these obligatory messages from our sponsor, which made the contrast between the genuine testimonies and sales pitches even more stark. So it became more and more difficult for me to walk that narrow way. Finally they sent an elder to take over the church I was meeting at. His messages attacked me as being a drug addict who was mentally unstable and who the elders were very concerned about and had hoped I would get better. Although he didn’t mention me by name it was clear to all in the meeting that he had to be talking about me. How do you respond to that? When the opportunity to share a testimony was given I was the first to my feet to the shock of all. I shared something I enjoyed about one of the Bible verses he had referenced and otherwise completely ignored everything else. After the meeting a brother cornered me in front of all and asked who the brother was referring to. I said I didn’t know, ask him. That infuriated everyone. The next week this elder doubled down and now accused me of being a homosexual, again, not mentioning me by name, but otherwise making it very clear he was talking about me. Once again I was the first to my feet, ignored everything he had shared and focused on one of the Bible verses that had been referenced. I felt like he was giving the saints poisoned water it was essential I give them clean water to drink. However the saints were very upset, they knew someone was lying to them and it was blatant. But then, by the Lord’s grace an elderly couple also moved to that church, a couple that had known me for my entire time in the church and they were able to state clearly that everything this elder had shared had been false. As a result he began backpedalling fast and in the next message he shared that he wasn’t talking about my time in the church after being saved and baptized but before that time. That was astounding to me as I was from NY and he was from Dallas. I thought how on earth does this man know who I was in NY? However, I knew that was a temptation, like a steep muddy bank on the side of the narrow way. The minute you address it you slide into the ditch, so I again ignored him. However, this time the saints didn’t ignore him and one by one they expressed their outrage. If you are truly walking the narrow way that leads to life you can expect to be attacked, slandered, and provoked. But regardless of what they throw at you the Lord has given you a promise, obey Him, reject temptation, and this path leads to life. This is the way to the Father. This is what it means to take up your cross and follow Him. This is how we learn obedience and this is how we learn to not just worry about our salvation but that of others as well.