Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

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ZNP

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Proverbs 24 -- Rare and beautiful treasures fill the house

Saying 20

24 Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; 2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.

Maxine Waters is a good example of someone who plots violence and her lips talk about making trouble. So the warning here is don’t desire their company, they seem to have an organization and influence, stay away from them, don’t envy what they have built up, don’t desire to get involved with them because they will ultimately all be judged for their crimes.


Saying 21

3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

We need to appreciate the wisdom that the Lord has displayed in building His house. He has filled the church with rare and beautiful treasures. Recently I was considering all the incitement to violence and hate and the attempt to divide us with a race war. What is the best innoculation to this virus? Then it hit me: love one another as Jesus has loved you. If you lived this life it is hard to believe people could fall for this transparent attempt to divide us.

Saying 22


5 The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. 6 Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.

A great example of this is given to us in the movie “MoneyBall”. The story is about a General Manager of a small market baseball team trying to compete in a league where some teams had budgets two or three times greater than him. He ultimately teams up with a guy just out of college without any experience in baseball. They use statistical analysis to find players who are undervalued, guys they can get at a big discount. He is incredibly successful setting a new record for consecutive victories in a single season. We have challenges they are not insurmountable, rather we need guidance and the Lord has already filled His house with these rare and beautiful treasures that can provide that guidance.
 

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Wisdom is too high for fools

Saying 23

7 Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Why do you think they want to censor you? They are unable to debate openly, they get exposed as fools.

Saying 24

8 Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. 9 The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker.

This was Trump’s error: he was a mocker. He thought it was his skill, talking about “sleepy Joe” or “little Rubio” or how thirsty someone was. People detest a mocker. If Trump had refrained from mocking others he would have been more popular and far less “unpopular”. The problem was that many people detested him to the point they were willing to scheme to get him out of power.

Saying 25

10 If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! 11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?


I have been very impressed with those who have not faltered in time of trouble. Mike Lindell, Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, etc. They have been working every day to hold back those staggering toward slaughter. There are clearly people who think the best thing to do right now is to keep your head down, don’t make waves, and hope everything passes. That is foolish. The only reason Cancel culture, censoring, and all the other heinous things that are being done even can happen is because of the “silent majority”. If 50 or 60% of this country would raise their voices in opposition to all these things then this would be over immediately. The best way to deal with a bully is to punch him in the nose.
 

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We have a future hope

Saying 26

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. 14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

It is a completely different view to losing, if you have found wisdom losing is simply a master class on winning. Evil people cheat so if they lose they assume the other person cheated. Wise people know that there is always a way to for them to improve and win, so if you lose they are showing you your weakness and if you learn that you will become stronger and be able to win in the future. So, there is always a future hope for you.

Saying 27

15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; 16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

After the January 6 riot they claimed that the people in the Trump rally beat a policeman to death. This turned out to be a lie that was quickly disproved, so they changed it to they killed him by spraying him with bear spray. However, no one has ever been killed by bear spray and so people were naturally skeptical and wanted to see the toxicology report. Finally they admitted he died of natural causes. The righteous do not quit because they know the accusation is a lie. Think about the movie concerning “The Hurricane”. Though the righteous fall seven times they rise again. However, now that this lie has been exposed it is like calamity striking the wicked and they are stumbling all over themselves. This is why you have to learn to be righteous and have a righteous stance. The enemy can come at you repeatedly but as long as you are standing on solid ground you can hold your ground. We stand on the blood of Christ. That is a terrifying stance to the enemy.

Saying 28

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.

How many times have we seen that. Think about this year, Jamieson Winston was gloating as the New Orleans Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice during the regular season, but the Lord turned his wrath away and Tampa beat the Saints in the playoffs. Or consider the Kansas City Chiefs, their star receiver did a back flip into the end zone in the regular season as they beat Tampa Bay, but again the Lord turned his wrath from them and Tampa beat KC in the SuperBowl.

Saying 29

19 Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, 20 for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

This is so awesome. Evil doers win by deceit. Once they have been found out it is over. This is why I was so impressed with Vince Lombardi. There was no deceit in his game, everyone knew it would be “the Packer sweep” but they executed it so well that no one could stop it. If you have to win by deceit what happens when others find out? Why do you think they are going crazy over these election integrity bills being passed in 47 states? Their deceit has been exposed and now they have no future hope.
 

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Saying 30 -- Who knows what calamities they can bring?

21 Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, 22 for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Who knows what calamities they can bring? Think about that, maybe you can think of some terrible calamities but surely you can think that the king can think of things you never even thought of. Now if that is true of the king, how about the Lord? Read the Old Testament and the Lord toyed with evil men regardless of what they tried. Read the book of revelation. The amount and variety of sudden destruction is astounding. Right now we have rebellious officials involved in voter fraud, they don’t fear the Lord, they surely didn’t fear Trump or any of the Republicans. But let’s consider that for a moment. Trump instituted the “space force” which is in charge of monitoring all communications worldwide that travel via satellite. He had access to the NSA which is able to monitor all communications via computer and phone. Also, Trump put in place very strict regulations concerning anyone involved in election fraud. You might think “hey, if he was going to do anything he would have already done it”. That is reasonable except for one thing, after January 20th anyone involved in rebellion would be emboldened. It will be easier to piece together everyone that is guilty and the extent of their involvement. You can also monitor all financial transactions, who is paying who and for what. All I am saying is this word “who knows what calamities they can bring” is a very scary thing when talking about the President of the US and who is he compared to the Lord?
 

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Further Sayings of the Wise

23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: 24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.

Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of inciting a riot by telling people at his rally to “peacefully protest”. They inferred that this was code to go and riot. Also, they accused him of “inciting” the riot when the riot began prior to Trump even speaking. In that context of the standard she was applying to Trump to then excuse Maxine Waters for repeatedly inciting people to violence is not good. Maxine telling Antifa which has had 500+ violent protests in the last year that they need to become more confrontational and that they need to let people know we mean business and that she was demanding “guilty, guilty, guilty” to the three charges. Shortly after she told this crowd this two members of the National guard were injured by shots fired. How can Pelosi excuse this? She will be cursed by the people of the US and denounced by other nations.

But what Maxine did is worse than this. The prosecution had a nine minute video which was very damning, it would be very difficult for anyone to see that and not agree that this was negligent homicide at the very least. It only took the jury one day to come back with their verdict and they never asked one question of the judge, so we can infer from that that they were all pretty much in agreement from the get go that he was guilty. However, even the judge admits that what Maxine did was a veiled threat to the jury. She told them to give a guilty verdict to all three charges even though negligent homicide contradicts murder 2 as murder 2 says he intended to kill him and negligent homicide says he didn’t. They did what she told them to do and said “guilty, guilty, guilty”. So now, thanks to Maxine, the defense has a powerful basis for a mistrial. Add to this that the jurors were all doxed by several newspapers. All of their personal information was published so that anyone wanting to know their identity could. If Maxine wanted the cop convicted why give him a powerful basis to call for a mistrial? Either you think Maxine is stupid or else the only real explanation is she wants a riot. Everyone assumed it would be a guilty verdict, but now she is giving them a chance for a mistrial which would cause riots all thanks to Maxine. Still Joe Biden also helped by leaning on the jury as well as the local mayor.

This guilty verdict was in the bag but Biden wanted to take credit for it and the Mayor was concerned about the potential damage to the city. That is the definition of mob rule, Biden is playing to the Mob and the mayor is playing to the local businesses. These are perilous times.
 

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25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

This “but” indicates we aren’t talking about the jurors who convicted Chauvin. No, “convicting the guilty” is referring to the previous verse about Pelosi, Biden, and Waters. They are guilty of jury tampering. We are referring to the papers that doxed the jurors, they are guilty of intimidation. We are talking about the mayor and the chamber of commerce who wanted to make it clear to the jury what the verdict needed to be, they also are guilty of jury tampering. We are witnessing mob rule, bullies pushing around the lily livered. You do this with someone who is clearly guilty, like Chauvin, and then you blur the lines of what is legal so you can do this to those they want to be guilty. It is not hard to see a day where people would be convicted of bludgeoning the policeman to death on January 6th even though he didn’t suffer blunt force trauma and instead died of a stroke completely unrelated to the event.

26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

27 Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

Get your priorities right. If your work and fields are in order you will be able to support your house. Most divorces are due to financial issues. These people got married when their outdoor work was not in order and their fields were not ready.

28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead? 29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”

If an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips what does it mean to use your lips to deceive? That is like what Judas did when he kissed the Lord as a sign to the soldiers. You think you are so slick but the soldiers know what you did, the king knows what you did, the Lord knows what you did. You will get sudden calamity, sudden destruction. You will get the field of blood and a name of ignominy.

30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

I see this in my job all the time. Teachers have to grade papers every day. I have close to 150 students so it is a lot of grading every day. However, it is the same amount of work whether you do a little every day or a whole lot during one weekend. You do not save yourself work by putting it off, all you do is allow thorns and weeds to grow and walls to be in ruins. By keeping my grade book up to date several times a week kids always know where they are at and I can send weekly alerts to parents of kids who are falling behind.
 

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Hosea 10:1-10 -- Hypocrisy will be judged

Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself.


This is sin. We are the branches, the Lord is the vine, and God is the husbandman. We are supposed to bring forth fruit for God, not for ourselves.

As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.

Cathedrals, a testimony to how much his land prospered.

2 Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt.

Think about the deceit. They tell you they are consecrated to the Lord and yet so much labor, so much money, so much political wrangling to build these cathedrals and to get artists like Michelangelo to adorn these sacred stones.

The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.

What happens when no one is interested in visiting these Cathedrals. They become white elephants. They become a heavy chain around your neck. You aren’t consecrated to the Lord you are consecrated to the building like a prisoner chained to a prison.

3 Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”

Once you go down this path it can seem impossible to return to the path that leads to life. Suppose you were a Bishop or Cardinal in charge of one of these cathedrals. Even if you were to completely consecrate yourself to the Lord is He going to help you rescue the cathedral? No. Even the question “what could He do for us?” is completely self centered.

4 They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

Paul said it was a defeat for us to take brothers and sisters to court for lawsuits. It is a public humiliation and shame, better to suffer loss. But I have seen Christians do this and always over some building. That is what they value, the building, not the Lord’s testimony. We have a heavenly calling, the Lord has given us many promises, we have made an oath to the Lord. But if you take your brother or sister to court over ownership of a church building you prove your oath to the Lord was false, your promises and agreements were false. You are like a weed growing up in the Lord’s wheat field planted by His enemy.

5 The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile.

Money is an idol. To an agrarian society it is a calf idol, to a society run on petroleum it is a “petro dollar” and to a tech society it is digital currency. We are a royal priesthood, all of us, yet if you view money as an idol you are an idolatrous priest. The “prosperity gospel” is preached by idolatrous priests. You will be exiled from the good land. This was very real to the Jews after the Lord’s crucifixion (the first Passover) and will be very real to the Christians left behind at the end of the age (the second Passover?).

6 It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.

The Lord’s coming will be like a thief in the night. It will be a glory to some and a disgrace to others.

7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed, swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.

Samaria represents those who try to straddle the fence between Babylon and Israel. They are a mixed multitude. These are the Christians who are very “open minded” so open minded that they are willing to ignore the fellowship of the apostles and the Lord’s word.

8 The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel.

“The high place of wickedness”. Wow. Sounds like the pedophile priests in the Catholic church or abortion.

Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars.

This is a picture of abandoned church buildings.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

Quoted straight from Revelation, or else John quoted straight from Hosea. When the rapture comes everyone knows “it is the great day of His wrath” and they call on the mountains and hills to cover them so they can hide.

9 “Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?

This refers to the story in Judges about the Levite and his concubine and the gross sin that took place. They raped her and she died. As a result there was a war and only 600 Benjamites remained. This is how gross these sins are, this is why they are so adamant to support abortion and shuffle pedophile priests around, and are involved in child trafficking. We are talking about some of the most disgusting sins. The day of the Lord will deal with them, Armageddon will deal with them. They will be overtaken.

10 When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin.

They are “two faced”, “hypocrites”. They pretend to be devout but inwardly they are filled with dead men’s bones.
 

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Hosea 10:11-15 When the day dawns the king of Israel will be completely destroyed

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground.

Ephraim here represents the ten tribes, what we generally consider “Organized Christianity”. They have been trained to keep the law (trained to use the yoke of the law) but they love to thresh instead. According to the law you don’t muzzle the ox as it threshes the corn, so organized religion gets to eat as they thresh, hence they love to thresh. Organized religion has turned into a big, beautiful, worldwide organization. So God is going to humble them, they will be forced not simply to “plow” but to be driven by a hard task master. Judah will have a slightly easier job of plowing even though not as intensely as being driven.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

When we get involved in ministry we discover we have unplowed ground. Seeking the Lord involves breaking up this unplowed ground so that seeds can germinate and grow. The rain is like a blessing, a shower of righteousness. When we are right with the Lord we are seeking Him, breaking up the unplowed ground of our heart and we will receive a blessing from God. We are right with God and man.

13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors, 14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated—as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

What the church is supposed to do and what they have done are two completely different things, though they are comparable. They have a ministry, they plant seeds, but they are seeds of wickedness. They depend on their own strength. You could have the best teaching in the world but if you are depending on financial backers, hiring experts in all kinds of areas to promote and distribute your ministry, but it is all based on your own strength. Then you are not walking by faith. It is as though you have hired soldiers from the world to fight your spiritual battles. You will be dashed to pieces. The fire will test each man’s work whether it is wood, hay and stubble or if it is gold and precious stones from God.

15 So will it happen to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is great.

Bethel means house of God. The church is being warned that if they are not walking by faith, obedient to the Lord then when He returns they will suffer loss.

When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

“The King of Israel” isn’t talking about Jesus, He is talking about the Pope, the cardinals, the bishops, and all the big leaders in the major Denominations. They will be completely destroyed. The Lord is telling us that many of those who lead us mislead us. That there are many hypocrites in organized religion and when the Day of the Lord comes they will be completely destroyed. "When the day dawns" refers to the first rapture. Many in the church will be sleeping and not watching when He comes, so it is like "day dawns". The first rapture will wake them up.
 

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Review of the key point -- It is time to wake up!

Mark 14:41-42 He came back a third time and said, “Are you going to sleep all night? No—you’ve slept long enough. Time’s up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.”

The book of Revelation chapter 12 presents a great sign in the heavens. This sign appeared on the festival of trumpets in 2017. It signaled the beginning of the ten days of awe, which refer to the last ten years of the age of the Gentiles. The book of Joel tells you that there will be a worldwide pandemic that will shut down the world’s economy at the end of the age and when this happens “the day of the Lord is at hand”. Then in chapter 2 it says that there will be a total solar eclipse which will signal the start of the Day of the Lord. In Amos it also says that there is a total solar eclipse at the start of the Day of the Lord and it says this takes place in the middle of a religious festival. Then in Ezekiel it also says the Day of the Lord begins with a total solar eclipse and that this takes place over a land that Israel doesn’t know and a nation they don’t know.

Because of this I think it is important to consider the total solar eclipse that took place December 14th over Chile and the same day that the US selects the electors from the electoral college. December 14th is in the middle of the Hanukkah celebration, which is a festival that lasts eight days. The number eight is significant because in Hebrew the word clearly refers to the rapture in many ways. In Luke the account of the Mount of Transfiguration is considered an account of the first rapture, in that account it says “after about eight days”. Hanukkah is the only festival that is eight days. 2Corinthians chapter 6 describes the feast of dedication (Hanukkah) and the last eight chapters of 2 Corinthians cover the eight days of light. Paul likens the New Testament ministry to the Festival of Hanukkah, so “after about eight days” could also refer to the end of this age close to the end of the New Testament ministry.


So then consider this “Jericho March” rally. Jesus said that the only sign that would be given the wicked generation was the sign of Jonah for just as Jonah was a sign to Nineveh for 40 days so also the Lord would be a sign to this evil generation. Jonah walked the streets of Nineveh in protest for 40 days. In Luke the Lord told the believers they were to watch and be ready for the thief to prevent their house from being broken into. In other words to “stop the steal”. At the end of the age you will have a totalitarian government over a great part of the world in which the Antichrist will be in power. Everything is ready to go, the pandemic sets the stage for requiring everyone to get the mark of the beast, a "pandemic passport" before they can buy or sell. However, they can never pull this off without first dealing with the US. Stealing the election is how the thief breaks into the house.

There is another type of the rapture in Luke and that is the birth of John the Baptist. If you read the Father’s prophecy it is very much like that for the rapture. Elizabeth (which means dedication) becomes pregnant and hides herself for six months until she couldn’t hide it anymore. When Trump brokered the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE and then Bahrain over Jerusalem, you could no longer hide the fact that the Day of the Lord was here. That peace treaty was September 15th, six months earlier was March 15th when NYC first shut down due to the Pandemic. Three months later is roughly December 15th, but according to the Jewish calendar a month is 30 days which would make it December 14th, the same day as the total solar eclipse.

What about crossing the Jordan? A river signifies the economy. During the Pandemic the Lord made the world’s economy stand up in its place so that we could walk across on dry ground. Because we had a lock down we didn’t have to commute 1 ½ hours a day, and in many other ways we were freed up to focus exclusively on the word of God and God’s move on this earth.

You will discover that the “mainstream media” are the “counterfeit apostles and prophets” the “pseudo prophets”. They are the false prophets sharing the narrative of the “globalists” the ones that want to put the antichrist in power. So then, what sources of news are credible?

NTD, Sky News and Newsmax are three news agencies that all have an agenda (every news agency does, if they say they don’t they are lying, you have to exercise editorial decisions as to what you cover and what you don’t, that is an agenda). NTD is a Taiwan centered news agency located in NY that is particularly insightful about the CCP. Sky news is located in Australia and are outside of the sphere of these mainstream US news agencies but concerned enough about China to stand their ground. Newsmax is trying to replace Fox as the mainstream conservative media. Then there are commentators who are extremely helpful. Steve Bannon’s war room is very keen on making sure every hour mentions what the mainstream media is saying as well as getting professionals that will give it to him straight even if he doesn’t like what he is hearing. He is fighting to keep his outlet from becoming an echo chamber. But he clearly identifies with the deplorables so if that is too much for you try Tucker Carlson. Dan Bongino is very funny and is like getting your commentary from a construction worker in a bar. On the flip side you have Crossroads with Joshua Phillip of the Epoch times. The Epoch times, Revolver and project Veritas are three investigative journalists organizations that are actually working as journalists (unlike Leslie Stahl of 60 minutes and Christian Amanpour who both think it is not their job to investigate and verify stories). CNN and the NY Times have both been exposed over and over again for being the mouthpiece of the Biden campaign. Project Veritas ran an expose of CNN in which their daily briefings were telling them how to cover the news in the way that best helps the Biden campaign, which includes not covering some of the biggest stories of this century. The NY Times ran a hit piece on the Trump administration that lied about who their “high ranking administrative” official was. They used that to justify keeping them “anonymous” only to be found out in the lie. Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook all censor stories they don’t like. They pretend they are an impartial platform but the algorithms they use prove they have done everything in their power to manipulate opinion against conservatives and for leftists.

Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. 10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

If Trump had won the election despite the fraud we would not have learned about any of this. If the politicians and poll workers had repented and confessed about the fraud it wouldn’t be treason and most of them would have gotten off with a slap on the wrist. If the politicians and judges had judged righteously it would have been a tough pill to swallow but would have exonerated them from guilt in this crime. However, this has now opened the door for the Lord to “punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins”. The Lord has promised to “put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and to humble the pride of the ruthless”.
 

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Hosea 11 -- Judgement on America

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.


Let’s consider a current events case, people who want to get away from having a police force. No one likes to be stopped by the police, no one likes to get a ticket, no one likes to get arrested and go to jail. It’s not hard to see why some people would think that it would be better to get away from the police.

They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.

Why do you think the politicians are supporting this? The federal government is now pushing laws and initiatives to federalize local law enforcement. There is no way for a tyrant to take over America without federalizing the police. Fighting door to door in cities is brutal, destructive and the worst form of fighting. You could never get the US military to try and invade and take over the US city by city. However, if you nationalize the police making them the modern day “Gestapo” then you can take control without hardly firing a shot. Politicians are all about increasing their power. Education and Police are the two biggest budgets in the country, if you control those budgets you become fabulously powerful.

3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize it was I who healed them.


I have lived in England as well as Taiwan. I have visited Italy, Mexico, Hong Kong and Korea. The US deals with racism far better than any country I have ever seen.

4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.

To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek,

and I bent down to feed them.

5 “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them

because they refuse to repent?


That is what is going to happen. We left tyranny, the first country ever to do that, and now we will return to tyranny. Without safety and security everything else collapses. People are afraid to go to the park or walk the street, small businesses shut down as the street becomes more dangerous. What cop is going to want to enforce some law about vagrants, or drug use, or small time crime? Look what happened to them when they tried to deal with someone selling cigarettes, or stealing cigarettes, or having a phony $20 bill. So the Deli’s and small shops will become a target. If you have less foot traffic and more crime they will begin to shut down. Once they are gone the thugs will terrorize the fast food restaurants and extortion will proliferate. Kids will be afraid to go to school. Those who can leave the cities will leave the cities leaving behind the poorest. 80% of the tax revenue comes from 20% of the people, a city could have 5-6% of the people flee and wind up losing close to 40% of its tax revenue.

6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets

and put an end to their plans.


Who is pushing this idea: the mainstream media. They will be devoured by the monster they unleash. These false prophets may understand that this is all a ruse to get more power for the political elites, but the thugs on the street do not understand that. Biden and Pelosi and Waters can use them for their design, but these thugs owe no allegiance to Biden or Pelosi. The fire will burn down the entire forest, not just the trees you select.

7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me

God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.

Many of those who are turning from the Lord and His ways are “Christians”.

8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim?

My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.


Admah and Zeboyim were destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. There are two raptures, one is likened to Noah entering the ark and closing the door a week before the rain started. The other is compared to Lot who was rescued from Sodom before it was destroyed. Noah had a glorious deliverance, Lot had a shameful deliverance. But it was Abraham who begged God for his salvation. Lot was not treated like Admah or Zeboyim or Sodom or Gomorrah. God’s compassion was aroused by the prayers of the faithful ones to rescue him.

9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.

For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come

against their cities. 10 They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion.

When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.


From the west or from the sea indicates many things. The west is the new world, it is the western hemisphere, it represents the 20th century, unlike the “old world”. The sea signifies the nations whereas the land indicates the Jews. We are talking about a modern, new world people of God from the west, from the nations. Ephraim is one of Joseph’s son’s and not the oldest, he is the younger who Israel said would be greater than the elder brother. Joseph signifies scientists, originally the center of the scientific world was Germany but after WWII many scientists moved to America and the US became the leader in science. Ephraim is only one of the twelve tribes and yet they represent a very influential group among Israel, so much so that Hosea is using Ephraim to refer to the people of God as a whole. The US was not just a center of science, they were also a center of evangelism for the world.

11 They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows,

from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,”

declares the Lord.
 

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Proverbs 25 -- To search out a matter is the glory of kings

These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Right now they are beginning a hand count audit of over 2 million ballots in Maricopa county, Arizona. This is a glory to those who were tenacious enough to stick with this despite the ridicule, insults and attacks they have had to endure for the last five months.

3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. 4 Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel; 5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.

The Stop the Steal rallies, lawsuits, and movement is all about removing the wicked officials from our government. We are “draining the swamp”.

6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; 7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. What you have seen with your eyes for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?

Once again, my hat is off to those who have stuck to it for the last five months. Many people have volunteered their time, their labor, their wealth to dig this out. No doubt, once this election is overturned many people will try to claim they helped when in reality they did nothing but see what was going on.

9 If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, 10 or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand.

We call this “what aboutism”. In a court a lawyer will object to someone bringing in irrelevant information about a trial.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given. 12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear. 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.

The ruling in the Chauvin trial doesn’t make sense. Basically they have found him guilty of killing George Floyd through negligence, and they determined he killed him while committing another felony and they found him guilty of killing him with the intent to kill him. If he intended to kill him why are they saying it was negligent homicide? Also, what was the other felony that Chauvin was committing? Watching the video it is very hard to argue that it wasn’t negligent homicide, but where is the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he wanted to kill him? He was being filmed by ten different people, who would knowingly and intentionally kill someone while being filmed? In addition, it is reasonable to assume that a person who is arrested by the police would have an elevated heart rate. If that elevated heart rate caused them to have a heart attack and die that would not be a crime for the cops. How are they supposed to perform their job? So these guilty verdicts eliminate any and all other possible causes of George Floyd’s death and say that Chauvin was the one solely responsible. That is despite evidence that the drugs would be enough to kill very many people.

14 Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given.

Kamala Harris boasted that if she were elected she would immediately eliminate the separation of children from their parents on the border. This has never materialized, rather things have become three times worse and maybe even ten times worse.

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

I am loving what these patriots have done in persisting with the investigation into election fraud. They have been patient and now the rulers in Maricopa county have been persuaded to do this extensive audit under a multitude of cameras with full transparency. There are indications that the results of this audit could “break the bone”, cause the dam to break on investigating election fraud nationwide.
 

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Proverbs 25:16-28 We need a balanced attack

16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.


We need balance, too much of anything will make you sick.


17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you.


We need to be balanced in our relationships.


18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor. 19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.


False testimony, we are seeing this done repeatedly. We were told that the policeman from January 6th who died was bludgeoned to death. That was a false testimony, like a club designed to beat down anyone who supported Trump. The 2nd impeachment accusing Trump of inciting a riot was a false testimony like a sharp arrow aimed at his heart. Accusations that the use of Hydrochloroquine to treat Covid was irresponsible was a sword used to fight back during the election campaign. Then reliance on Mike Pence in the day of trouble was like having a broken tooth or a lame foot.


20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.


Likewise you have to be careful about these trials of people like Aubry and Floyd. People feel very strongly about these incidents. The mainstream media is really pushing the idea of systemic racism, so every time a black is shot and killed they portray it in the worst possible way, whereas if the person is white or asian they completely sweep it under the rug. There is nothing to rejoice in whether the person like Chauvin is found guilty of murder or the people involved in killing Aubry are found innocent. Either way you are vinegar on a wound.


21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.


The Lord said to love your enemies and do good to them just as God your Father in heaven does.


23 Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.


A sly tongue is able to help those completely befuddled by the enemy to see the horror in their ways. Bill Maher has a “sly tongue”. He is an atheist but he is able to provoke a horrified look bringing unexpected rain. Tucker Carlson also has a sly tongue.


24 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.



Someone needs to share this verse with Prince Harry. He has a quarrelsome wife who has raised this to a historic level.


25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.



To me the news from Arizona of their audit of 2 million ballots is good news and it was like cold water to a weary soul. I went to five Stop the Steal rallies and have been praying over this issue of election fraud since November.


26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.



Stop bowing the knee to cancel culture. Get a backbone. Look at how muddied the water is to move the All Star game in MLB from Atlanta which is 50% black to Denver which is 10% black. How is that supporting minorities? Really, you are offended with voter ID? Then why are you moving to Colorado, they require voter ID.


27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.



This chapter begins with it being a glory to search out a matter. When you receive glory it is like eating honey. But it isn’t honorable to focus on your glory, to be consumed with all the press clippings, what your image is, etc.



28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.



What are these cities like that are “defunding the police”? They are like a city whose walls are broken through, they lack self control. Biden’s border policy has made this country like a city whose walls are broken through, he lacks self control.
 

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Matthew 2:1-15 -- Outwitting Satan

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

We have seen many Youtube videos concerning the heavenly signs. I will give you a link for the overview of the signs in the heavens that have taken place in the last seven years. (
) This is simply one example, there are many who noticed these signs and have put up videos concerning the significance of them.

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

This is very disturbing to me. If you look at this story Herod believes that there was a sign in the heavens, He believes there is a baby born that was prophesied of by the prophets, and yet his response is not to repent but to kill thousands of babies. How sick and twisted are these world leaders. They are incapable of repentance, their conscience has been seared, this is why there is going to be judgement seat where some will be cast into hell.

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

According to the book of Revelation the church in Philadelphia has a little power, they are not great in strength, but they have been faithful to the Lord and He promises to keep them out of the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole earth. He also says that those of the synagogue of Satan will come and worship at their feet and know that God is truly in your midst. Among God’s people the church in Philadelphia is like the town of Bethlehem. Not a great city like Jerusalem where all the Bible experts and scholars are, but rather a town with shepherds and common people that was not greatly esteemed. But when the Lord returns and the faithful ones are raptured all will know that God was in their midst.

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

He is treacherous and crooked like a snake. The arrogance of these men will be their downfall. He got to his position because of his treachery, his ability to deceive and lay traps for the sheep and those who don’t know the deep things of Satan. It has worked for him before, but he made one little mistake. He may be able to fool people, but He can’t fool God. What he has done here is to reveal how devious and evil his heart is.

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

This is a strange description for those of us who don’t pay much attention to the signs in the heavens. However, for those that do they can immediately understand this. The planets were called “wandering stars” because they were moving around the heavens. However, Earth goes around the Sun faster than Jupiter, the planet that denotes King Jesus (if you look at a picture of Jupiter it has stripes on it like the stripes by which we were healed when Jesus was scourged, and there is a big red dot in the side of Jupiter just like Jesus was pierced in the side with a spear, and it is the biggest planet). What this means is that Jupiter will appear to move backwards and even stand still at different times. By itself that could not be the star, but what also happens is that Jupiter will be in conjunction with other stars and planets. What that means is you see the two of them as one especially bright star. This is clearly a description of this process. That said, if you want to know more go to that link I provided.

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

These three treasures could signify God’s divine nature, the Holy Spirit that carries our prayers to God, and the effectiveness of the death of Jesus Christ the Son. What is quite interesting is that Mary and Joseph are obviously not wealthy. If you look at Mary’s prayer and the fact that Jesus was born in a manger that seems like a reasonable conclusion. These gifts though instantly provided what they needed to then flee to Egypt as they are about to be told. If we are children of God then God, our Father, will provide what we need when we need it.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

I think this is very interesting to anyone who has ever been deceived and taken advantage of by some scam artist. Why is it that God warns Joseph and Mary but didn’t warn you? Let me tell you a story about my wife. A friend of hers wanted her to invest in real estate so she could get rich. Knowing that she was supposed to be under the headship of her husband she asked me to go listen to the pitch so I could give my approval. I met this woman and discovered enough to realize this was a scam. I told my wife it was a scam and to have nothing to do with her. However, that is not what she wanted to hear, so she called me an idiot and went ahead anyway and invested and lost all her money. In another instance I was sitting in a large family meeting with my wife’s family. They were discussing getting involved in an investment scheme that sounded like a ponzi scheme to me. I told them that if they invested in it they would lose all their money. I was shushed, they invested and they lost all their money. The issue is not that God doesn’t warn us, the issue is that we refuse to listen to His warnings.

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Look at all these prophesies. If you had studied them at the time and knew them you they would have led you to Jesus. Some knew that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem but didn’t bother going with the wise men to see Him? Others knew about the sign in the heaven that the Magi saw. They were taught by Daniel who based it on Numbers 24 and other key verses and prophesies. The Old Testament is a covenant that God’s people had with God. It is like a contract and every little word in that contract is significant. But that is not the only place God speaks. We know that the prophecy of Enoch referred to as Enoch 1 is also divinely inspired because it is quoted and referenced in the Bible. Enoch 1 is not part of our covenant with God, but it is a divinely inspired prophecy confirmed by the apostles. There are those that make up excuses for why they don’t need to study these prophecies. I agree that there will be many who are faithful servants and yet do not know many of these prophecies, but I also agree with Jesus when He said that those who keep His word love Him.
 

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Matthew 2:16-23 The enemy is outwitted twice!

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Herod was outsmarted a second time as well. Listen to what the Lord says in Jeremiah right after that prophecy:

16 This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. 17 So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.

There is a thought that these slain children as well as the slain children at the time of Pharaoh are going to make up the 144,000. People have argued that if God is righteous how can He allow these innocent children to be slain? He is making them into an army and they will return.

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder.The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

The unbelievers are so clueless about what is going on. They missed the signs in the heavens, they moved on from the news in Jerusalem that had everyone disturbed, they even moved on from the horrible atrocity of killing those little kids. It never hits them that Sandy Hook borders Bethel. All these things happen and they just continue on with their lives.

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

There is a connection between the name of this town Nazareth and the Hebrew word branch. So the thought is that the prophecy is this

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isaiah 11:1)

and is fulfilled by calling Jesus a Nazarene (ie a branch). It is not easy to make these connections, I think without the revelation from God we wouldn’t be able to. Also, without the fellowship in the Body and the different saints sharing what they know whether it be Hebrew, or Greek, or a revelation, or a verse we would never see much of the light in God’s word.
 

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Hosea 12 -- Ephraim is Laodicea

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence.

What an interesting phrase. He feeds on the wind. Earlier in this book it said they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. When you make vain and empty promises and when your intentionally promote strife and division these things will come back to haunt you. This continues that thought, they feed on this. For example the media will take a story about a cop shooting and killing someone and feed on it. They will multiply lies and violence. Ultimately the story will be exposed as a lie but then they will move onto a new story. They pursue these stories all day.

He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.

We call this the “deep state” where behind the scenes all these different forces are allied together for some nefarious purpose.

2 The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

Jacob refers to all untransformed believers, Judah to the two tribes and Ephraim to the ten. Every believer must be transformed, none are exempt. Every believer will reap what they sow. The New Testament says “judgement begins at the house of God”.

3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God. 4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there— 5 the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name!

Life is a struggle, a wrestling match with God, a mission of seeking God and discovering who He is.

6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

This reminds me of what the Lord told the church in Ephesus. Every believer comes to the same fork in the road where they will leave their first love and they must repent and return.

7 The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud.

The enemy tries to defraud us. Our first love was when me met Jesus Christ the savior who saved us from our sins. But somewhere along the line the enemy will try to sell us on other things to replace that love using a dishonest scale to make them seem more important. If you take that road you will become self righteous, you will have to repent and return to the Lord who is our righteousness.

8 Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.”

Ephraim sounds like Laodicea. This is where the road of self righteousness leads. You are blind, you think you are wealthy and have no idea that you are poor, wretched and blind.

9 “I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed festivals.

How do you come out of Egypt? How do you get out of tyranny? Gandhi showed everyone how to do it. The British enslaved India by taking their cloth and making clothes for them. Gandhi showed everyone how to make their own clothes, it was called “homespun”. It may not be as fancy, but if you don’t need the British to make your clothes then they will have no function and will have to leave. Likewise, how do you leave Egypt? You leave in tents. If you are willing to give up your fancy house then Egypt has no hold over you. That is how we deal with Amazon, Google, Twitter, MLB, NBA, etc. If they want to indoctrinate your kids then pull them out of school and homeschool. If 40% of the kids leave the public school it would be catastrophic to the public school.

10 I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them.”

We need to leave Hollywood and the mainstream media.

11 Is Gilead wicked? Its people are worthless!

Let’s be honest, Hollywood is worthless, the NBA is worthless, the mainstream media is worthless.

Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Their altars will be like piles of stones on a plowed field.

Organized Christianity denoted by Ephraim referring to the ten tribes is filled with idolatry. It isn’t even hidden but out in the open, plain to see. When the Lord looks at the corruption that He is going to deal with you can be sure that this is at the top of His list. These altars will become a heap of rubble, trash. When these churches are exposed for their idolatry they will become abandoned and will be like a heap of rubble.

12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram; Israel served to get a wife, and to pay for her he tended sheep.

This is the path we must take.

13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him.

The word of God is a lamp for our path, it will bring us up from Egypt, from the world, from the oppression of Pharaoh.

14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger; his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt.

So if you look at God’s people Jacob had his faults, Israel had their faults, but in cases after case God made a way for them. However, Ephraim, these self righteous believers who think they are rich not knowing they are poor, wretched and blind, God will leave blood guiltiness on them. Once again this is fair, they left their first love who would have been their righteousness and they trusted in their own righteousness. They treated the Lord’s sacrifice with contempt.
 

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Matthew 5:1-20 -- Ten verses that will shine in the darkest night

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,2 and he began to teach them.

I have been teaching high school science for a number of years and I have learned to teach the most important and most critical things first. These are the things that if we run out of time will not get cut from the curriculum. So when things get serious and you feel the pressure instead of going to last book of the Bible, it's a good idea to go back to the beginning. Not only are these critical lessons but they are also presented without any presumption that you have a solid foundation. When you read chapter 1 of Revelation it is as though every single verse is referencing some portion of the Bible.

He said:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What a great word. Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to have the kingdom of the heavens? Do you want a kingdom of righteousness, do you want to see God, do you want to be called the children of God? How should you respond if people slander and insult you?

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

How does salt lose its saltiness? Why would someone put a light under a bowl? This is not the right way to respond to persecution. If people falsely say all kinds of evil against you is your response to hide your light? Do you wash away the salt from your speech? Do you stop showing mercy? Do you stop making peace?

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The apostasy refers to the people of God falling away from the word of God and from His commands. It refers to a time when people will set aside the commands of the Lord and teach others accordingly. The rapture cannot come until there is a falling away first, this is so that there is a clear distinction between the faithful servants and the unfaithful ones. Thyatira is where Satan has set his throne, it is a big temple that claims to speak for God. They tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and teaches the Lord’s servants to worship idols and commit fornication. The Lord calls it the “synagogue of Satan”. When you set aside the commands of God and teach others also you are one with God’s enemy. However, when the rapture comes and the Lord takes the church in Philadelphia then those who are in the synagogue of Satan will come and worship at their feet confessing that God was truly in their midst. So there is a contrast between Philadelphia, the meek ones and Thyatira the overbearing ones. A contrast between those who are poor in Spirit, knowing only what the Lord tells them and those who know better than God and know which laws to keep and which they can set aside. There is a contrast between those who are mourning, having suffered in this lifetime, and those who lived in luxury during this age. How can your righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? You need to show mercy. As you have done it will be done to you. You judged others with mercy, you also will receive mercy at the judgement. How can we see God? Your heart must be single, no worshipping of idols, no mixture with the world. Then when they insult you and say every evil thing about you falsely you can give thanks and praise to the Lord that you have been found worthy to suffer for His name in this age. You know that your reward will be great in that day when the Lord comes.
 

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Matthew 5:21-47

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

If you are not pure in heart, if you do not see God, then you will not be able to see God in His people. Treating God’s people in a way that is insulting, mocking, contemptuous and scornful. This is a very clear indication that you do not see God, your heart is not pure, and you need to deal with the stones in your heart.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Get your priorities straight. God is not interested in your gifts and offerings if your brothers and sisters have something against you. This is why I have repeatedly used the NBA as an example. You can’t be profiting from slavery in China while preaching to others about the horrors of slavery. First deal with the things people have against you, then you can offer your gifts and sacrifices at the altar.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

I have heard that the ratings for the NBA are down 70% over two years ago. Their response is to do away with being “woke”. That is a mistake. The problem is not that they are “woke”; it is that they are complicit. They have to deal with their involvement with China and until they do they will pay the last penny.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[e] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[f] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

You should not disconnect verse 29-30 from verse 31-32. When a man and woman are married they become one flesh. It is possible that you have become unequally yoked. Your spouse, or your job could cause you to stumble. The world has become lawless, the mortgage crisis proved that there were businesses that were pushing employees to sin. [There is an interesting little scene in the movie “The Incredibles” where the super hero is working for an insurance company and goes through great gyrations to explain to a widow being robbed of her home how to navigate the bureaucracy to get treated fairly. Because of this he gets fired by his boss.] The Lord makes it clear here, cut off these toxic relationships. If your job is causing you to do something that bothers your conscience get some fellowship, turn to the Bible and prayer, but if you are clear cut it off. The mark of the beast is an excellent example. Great pressure will be put on people to get the “mark of the beast”. You won’t be allowed to buy or sell without it. But the “mark of the beast” is similar to a brand that we put on cattle. It signifies you belong to him. It is not worth being cast into hell with him for eternity to be able to buy and sell.

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[g]

We have a covenant with God. The Lord purchased you and enacted that covenant with His blood. All you need to do is defer to the Lord. Jesus is Lord means that “if the Lord wills” is an excellent response in all situations.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

It is hard to tell, are you being merciful? Is this persecution? Does this mean you are pure in heart, not worshipping vain idols? I think the answer is yes.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Remember, when they persecute you and say evil against you falsely to rejoice, this is how they treated the prophets. Well if you want to get the reward of a prophet act like a prophet. The prophets brought the word of God to a rebellious people that they would repent and turn back to God. That is love.
 

ZNP

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Matthew 7:6 How do you get the gift of discernment

We had a discussion about Matthew 7:6, I disagreed with the interpretation that “Do not give dogs what is sacred” refers to people that we might accidentally preach the gospel to but shouldn’t. Discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit and judging unrighteousness is a requirement to be sanctified. In the New Testament we are taught how to discern false prophets (you will know them by their fruit) and we are taught to crucify the works of the flesh.

However, I pointed out that the context doesn’t make any sense, telling us “do not judge or you too will be judged” and then telling us to judge certain people as dogs and swine seems very wrong. So then, how can we understand this?

Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Let’s use an example, suppose we take someone who is clearly serving Satan to destroy the Kingdom of God. He isn’t just trying to arrest saints, get them fired, close down churches, he is even involved in stoning them to death. Yes, let’s consider Saul of Tarsus.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

So here is an interesting account and I would like to focus on Ananias use of the name “Lord” for Jesus. When you say that Jesus is Lord you are saying that Jesus is the one who judges. When you judge, you usurp the Lordship of Christ. That said, being a servant of the Lord doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to talk to him. Perhaps Jesus has been very busy up in heaven and wasn’t aware that Saul of Tarsus has come to do God’s people harm. Perhaps the Lord doesn’t know that Saul has come with authority from the chief priests to arrest the Christians. Maybe once Ananias tells Jesus about this He’ll say “Oh, my bad, let’s preach the gospel to someone else”. There is no harm in bringing this up to Him.

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Did you see that? In Matthew 7 it begins with judge not lest you be judged, then it says

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

This prayer has removed the plank from Ananias eye. What better way to judge the sin and unrighteousness of the chief priests? When they arrest Peter the Angel lets them out and they go and preach in the temple. So when they go to get them and bring them before the Sanhedrin they aren’t in prison they are in the temple preaching! That was a warning, they didn’t heed it, so now they give their disciple Saul marching orders to arrest them and then he gets converted and now he is preaching. This is how God is glorified in all that we do.

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Wow, again, this is what the Lord said in

Matthew 7: 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

So yes, Ananias does remove the speck from Saul’s eye, and yes there were some issues with Saul. But this thought that “we don’t give that which is holy to the dogs” refers to Saul was the plank that needed to be removed from Ananias' eye.

So then, what about the gift of discernment? All the gifts are like pearls that are in an earthen vessel. Ananias was the earthen vessel, Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit was the pearl. Who had the genuine gift of discernment, all those who thought Saul was a dog and we don’t cast our pearls before dogs, or Ananias? Jesus Christ, living in you, is “the gift of discernment”. He is like a geiger counter, He can give you a vision, a dream, or have some person speak a word of warning. The gift of discernment is simply learning to listen to the Lord.

How about our judging of unrighteousness? Again, you have a whole lot of Christians praying curses on the chief priests and Saul on one hand, and on the other you have Ananias laying hands on Saul. Where was the unrighteousness truly judged?

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

The gift of discernment is a pearl, if you want that gift you need to let Him deal with your dog nature and swine nature, and all your natural concepts.
 

ZNP

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Hosea 13 -- Now they sin more and more

1 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.

At the time of Eisenhower as President the US was exalted in the world. He warned us of the insidious influence of the military industrial complex. Then JFK was assassinated, that should have been the second warning. Then RFK was assassinated, that should have been the third warning. Then Watergate riveted the nation as we saw the corruption at the highest levels spying on each other and lying about it.

2 Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen.

Today, Watergate is considered elementary school. The FISA scandal reveals that during Obama’s presidency they approved warrants for the NSA to spy on the Trump campaign under the pretense of national security. Clinton paid to have the Steel dossier created to slander Trump and lay the groundwork for three years of independent investigations, but in the end it showed that Clinton and the government were corrupt. They impeached Trump because they thought he was colluding with the Ukrainian government to discredit Biden. But at the same time this is going on the FBI is holding evidence that exonerated Trump and convicts Biden. When this evidence finally does see the light of day the press censors it and refuses to listen and makes lie after lie about it. They censored it because it was “hacked”, it wasn’t, but the IRS documents that they released on Trump were. The press doesn’t ask Biden relevant questions about the information, instead saying it was Russian disinformation. By doing that they are accusing Bobulinski of being a Russian spy, adding to their sins. The FBI said the laptop was Hunter Bidens and they rule out Russian disinformation, as does the DNI and CIA. But Biden gets 50 retired agents to say this “has the appearance of a disinformation campaign” even though they also admit they have not seen any of the evidence. Biden then claims their opinions as authoritative. It is as though they have some of the most skilled craftsmen operating their spin and lie department.

It is said of these people, “They offer human sacrifices! They kiss calf-idols!”

Bobulinski was a human sacrifice. To sell out the country in exchange for money is to “kiss the calf idols”.

3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.

Amen Lord! Right now it seems all but certain that Biden's victory will disappear like the morning mist, the early dew, the dust in the wind, or smoke escaping out the window.

4 “But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
I was very encouraged to see the street filled with protestors taking a knee in prayer. We acknowledge no God but the Lord Jesus, no Savior but Jesus.

5 I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat. 6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

This country began by trusting in God. The Puritans trusted in the Lord, George Washington trusted in the Lord. But they quickly became proud and now, two hundred years later not only have they forgotten the Lord you aren’t allowed to mention Him.

7 So I will be like a lion to them, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

This is fair, if you aren’t allowed to mention the Lord then of course you aren’t allowed to warn them they are about to attacked by Him.

8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open; like a lion I will devour them— a wild animal will tear them apart.

They thought they could rob God of His children. They thought they could attack his flock like wolves. They thought they could rip babies out of their mother’s womb, well you reap what you sow.

9 “You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. 10 Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’?

This truth is being played out before our eyes. There is a parallel, a shadow, a type with what is happening in this country and what we have done to the Lord. You can look at what Trump has done as far as his policies and a fair evaluation will agree that these things were done to help the US. They help people who are out of work, they help industries that were destroyed by previous policies, they help us by keeping us out of wars. You can argue about climate change but if you look at emissions we have had the biggest decrease in emissions over the last four years as we have had with any prior administration. At the same time it is very evident that the media is against him, the tech giants are against him, the Chinese are against him, and many of these states are trying to game the election because they are against him. So if you don’t understand what the Lord is talking about and you need a concrete example you can see in “real life” well there it is for you.

11 So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.

Think about that. For four years we had Mueller investigations and impeachment hearings. Now when you can look back and say “hmm, maybe I was wrong” now God is going to take him away and give you what?

12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record.

You are going to get a man with “a laptop from hell”. It has stored up all of his sins, kept a record of every one. There are many people who will be able to confirm each and every sordid detail.

13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives, he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.

This is a time to stand up for truth, for light, for justice. Freedom is not free, now is the time to take a stand. You want to drain the swamp? Well on the other end of this fishing line we have Leviathan.

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?

This is what we are praying for. There is no God like our God, no Savior like our savior. This is a proper end to this age that began with swamp creatures crucifying our Lord.

“I will have no compassion, 15 even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the Lord will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.

The rapture will come on them like a thief in the night. Crooks and thieves do not produce anything, they are parasites, they need the faithful servants of the Lord to keep this country running. When those are raptured they will wake up and realize they have been plundered of all their treasure.

16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open.”

This judgement must take place.