Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Romans 10:1-17 -- Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God
10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
This chapter presents the way of salvation and it begins with the example of the Jewish people. So learn from them, they sought to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to God’s righteousness. If you are zealous for God that is great, but your zealousness needs to be based on a knowledge of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God. You cannot possibly understand the law unless you know Christ, He is the culmination of the law. What the Lord has done is for everyone who believes, that we may be righteous in Jesus.
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There are two very different approaches to righteousness with God. In one approach you are assembling a bunch of rules on how you must live in order to establish your own righteousness. In the second approach you are rebuked from this approach. It isn’t about you climbing some mountain, or descending into some pit, Jesus has already been crucified, died and resurrected. Righteousness by faith is not about you doing anything but rather you receive in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. If that word is in your heart then the word “Jesus is Lord” will bubble up within you. You don’t need to hope to fulfill some requirements to be righteous and be saved. No, if you believe that God has already raised Jesus from the dead and if you testify that Jesus is Lord with your own mouth, then you will be saved. It is a promise that you can take to the judgement seat of Christ.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
We all have experiences where we were put to shame. What happened? I had an experience where the Lord told me to speak something but I refused. Had I not rejected that word but been faithful to speak it as told I would not have been put to shame. Let me use a more worldly example to help people understand this. During a Superbowl, the championship game in the NFL, the entire game had come down to this last few plays. Seattle had the ball on the goal line. If they score they win. The quarterback threw the ball and the defensive back made a truly great play to intercept that ball. This player was a rookie. A few days before the Superbowl they had been in practice and they had been running that exact same play in practice and the coach had been on him about how he was to defend it. He hadn’t done it in practice but here in the game he won the game for them. You take that word, you believe it, you receive it in your heart, and then you act on it. If you do that you will be saved.
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Stop looking at yourself! You have way too high an opinion of yourself. Your salvation is not dependent on who you are, or who your parents are, or your culture, or what clothes you wear, what songs you like. We are all different, but that does not matter, it is the same Lord who is Lord of all. He is Lord of the kid in the gang, or who grew up on the street or the one with the trust fund. Jesus is the one who richly blesses all who call on Him. If salvation was of you, then you would be the one who would be glorified. Salvation is of Jesus, He is the one who is glorified.
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This is the part that we can play. We have nothing to do with our own salvation, but we can play a role in bringing the good news to others. Do you want to hear the word of God? Do you want to instill faith in others? Do you want to be a “sent one”, an ambassador of the gospel? That is what you are and what you are doing when you share the good news that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead with others.
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
What a great revelation. ‘My faith is so weak, so small, I wish I was strong in the faith but I am not.’ Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If you feel you are weak in the faith then the real problem is that you are not in the word of God. If you are physically weak, then go to the gym. Read the Bible, pray over the Bible, listen to sermons, fellowship with others, sing hymns and songs of worship. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
This chapter presents the way of salvation and it begins with the example of the Jewish people. So learn from them, they sought to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to God’s righteousness. If you are zealous for God that is great, but your zealousness needs to be based on a knowledge of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God. You cannot possibly understand the law unless you know Christ, He is the culmination of the law. What the Lord has done is for everyone who believes, that we may be righteous in Jesus.
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There are two very different approaches to righteousness with God. In one approach you are assembling a bunch of rules on how you must live in order to establish your own righteousness. In the second approach you are rebuked from this approach. It isn’t about you climbing some mountain, or descending into some pit, Jesus has already been crucified, died and resurrected. Righteousness by faith is not about you doing anything but rather you receive in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. If that word is in your heart then the word “Jesus is Lord” will bubble up within you. You don’t need to hope to fulfill some requirements to be righteous and be saved. No, if you believe that God has already raised Jesus from the dead and if you testify that Jesus is Lord with your own mouth, then you will be saved. It is a promise that you can take to the judgement seat of Christ.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
We all have experiences where we were put to shame. What happened? I had an experience where the Lord told me to speak something but I refused. Had I not rejected that word but been faithful to speak it as told I would not have been put to shame. Let me use a more worldly example to help people understand this. During a Superbowl, the championship game in the NFL, the entire game had come down to this last few plays. Seattle had the ball on the goal line. If they score they win. The quarterback threw the ball and the defensive back made a truly great play to intercept that ball. This player was a rookie. A few days before the Superbowl they had been in practice and they had been running that exact same play in practice and the coach had been on him about how he was to defend it. He hadn’t done it in practice but here in the game he won the game for them. You take that word, you believe it, you receive it in your heart, and then you act on it. If you do that you will be saved.
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Stop looking at yourself! You have way too high an opinion of yourself. Your salvation is not dependent on who you are, or who your parents are, or your culture, or what clothes you wear, what songs you like. We are all different, but that does not matter, it is the same Lord who is Lord of all. He is Lord of the kid in the gang, or who grew up on the street or the one with the trust fund. Jesus is the one who richly blesses all who call on Him. If salvation was of you, then you would be the one who would be glorified. Salvation is of Jesus, He is the one who is glorified.
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This is the part that we can play. We have nothing to do with our own salvation, but we can play a role in bringing the good news to others. Do you want to hear the word of God? Do you want to instill faith in others? Do you want to be a “sent one”, an ambassador of the gospel? That is what you are and what you are doing when you share the good news that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead with others.
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
What a great revelation. ‘My faith is so weak, so small, I wish I was strong in the faith but I am not.’ Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If you feel you are weak in the faith then the real problem is that you are not in the word of God. If you are physically weak, then go to the gym. Read the Bible, pray over the Bible, listen to sermons, fellowship with others, sing hymns and songs of worship. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:18-21 The one thing you cannot do if you want to be saved.
18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
This is a very big prophecy. Isaiah prophesied of this, Jesus said that the gospel would be preached throughout the entire earth and then the end would come, and here Paul reiterates this. This age had a mission, the Lord said “I will build my church”. That was His overarching mission for the age. Within that mission preaching the gospel to the entire earth was a critical component. Right now we are seeing all kinds of protests against governments, they are claiming that the government has not treated them justly. Perhaps it was because of who they were, or where they lived, or the color of their skin, the property they owned, or the money in their bank account. These governments are all corrupt, they have plundered their people, so there is no reconciliation. If they confess the sins and make it right they will have to give all that plunder back. But meanwhile the gospel has been preached throughout the entire earth. The church has been built and has also struggled with this. “There is no Jew nor Gentile, no slave nor free, no male or female.” The righteousness of God is the foundation that we stand on in the church. Didn't everyone hear the gospel? Yes, but not all received it.
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” 20 And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
This entire chapter on the way of salvation is framed within the context of Israel being rejected. They heard the good news but didn’t accept it. The problem is not that they couldn’t understand it, people with no understanding received it. The problem was not that they weren’t seeking hard enough, people who weren’t seeking at all found Jesus. The problem was not that they didn’t pray enough, asking for a revelation, Jesus revealed Himself to those who didn’t even ask. The problem was envy. They wanted to have their own righteousness. They wanted to be the one who climbed the mountain, the one who went into the pit and climbed out by their own strength. Think about how angry they are that they have studied, and prayed, and sought so hard and yet they have been left far behind by the church that Jesus has built.
21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
To declare that “Jesus is Lord” indicates that you obey Him as Lord. Being baptized is simply one example of this obedience, but our entire Christian life should be one of obeying the Lord’s speaking to us, even if we think we are too smart for that word. Having an attitude that the word that others obey is not something you need to obey is to be obstinate. Disobedient and obstinate both indicate that you are proud and arrogant. “Jesus is Lord” not you. Believe it and speak it and you shall be saved. You let the word come into your heart, get rooted in your heart until it flows right out of your mouth. Do that and you shall be saved.
Let’s make this really simple. The world is a heap of collapse, everyone trying to climb on top of others to get to the top of that heap. For thousands of years human history has been filled with those who want to be called “the greatest”. We have forgotten many of them, and many others had their lives end tragically or violently. In the end none of those people are able to save us. You can call on their name, read their words, it won’t matter, you won’t get saved. We have now come to a moment in history where the entire world will realize we need the savior. We’ll have famines, plagues and wars and to make it even worse we’ll realize that our rulers have played us. They took our jobs, our houses, our money and even our children to make themselves rich. Every empire has ended in a heap of collapse.
So then, if you want to be saved there is one thing you can’t do. Many people talk about the things that you need to do to get saved. You need to pray, yet some people have gotten saved who didn’t pray. You need to seek the Lord, yet some people have gotten saved who weren’t seeking for the Lord. You need to understand the gospel, yet there are people who have been saved who don’t have any understanding. In truth the Lord has already done everything you need, you simply need to receive it. But there is one thing that you can do that will prevent you from being saved. If you seek to have your own righteousness, if you pray to have your own righteousness, if your labor is for your own righteousness. As long as you want to be Lord you will not be able to call “Lord Jesus”. As long as you are envious of Jesus as Lord you won’t be able to receive His words. Your pride and arrogance will make you disobedient and obstinate.
But suppose that isn’t you. You are very happy to receive the work Jesus has done for you and to worship Him as Lord. However, you are weak in the faith, what can you do? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. How much word can you hear? You can listen to hymns and songs of praise. You can listen to sermons. You can fellowship with others. You can read the word. You can be as strong in the faith as you want. You can pray, seek the Lord, and study the word. All of these things can help you grow in grace and become strong in the faith.
“What not to do if you want to be saved”, some will assume there is some big sin. The “unforgivable sin”. So let’s address that. Matthew 12:31 For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. 32 And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming [one]. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus saying that He cast out demons by the prince of the demons. They were envious of Him. They wanted to have their own righteousness. They wanted to be Lord. As a result they couldn’t hear Him, they rejected Him and they were disobedient and obstinate. This is the one thing you can’t do if you want to be saved.
18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
This is a very big prophecy. Isaiah prophesied of this, Jesus said that the gospel would be preached throughout the entire earth and then the end would come, and here Paul reiterates this. This age had a mission, the Lord said “I will build my church”. That was His overarching mission for the age. Within that mission preaching the gospel to the entire earth was a critical component. Right now we are seeing all kinds of protests against governments, they are claiming that the government has not treated them justly. Perhaps it was because of who they were, or where they lived, or the color of their skin, the property they owned, or the money in their bank account. These governments are all corrupt, they have plundered their people, so there is no reconciliation. If they confess the sins and make it right they will have to give all that plunder back. But meanwhile the gospel has been preached throughout the entire earth. The church has been built and has also struggled with this. “There is no Jew nor Gentile, no slave nor free, no male or female.” The righteousness of God is the foundation that we stand on in the church. Didn't everyone hear the gospel? Yes, but not all received it.
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” 20 And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
This entire chapter on the way of salvation is framed within the context of Israel being rejected. They heard the good news but didn’t accept it. The problem is not that they couldn’t understand it, people with no understanding received it. The problem was not that they weren’t seeking hard enough, people who weren’t seeking at all found Jesus. The problem was not that they didn’t pray enough, asking for a revelation, Jesus revealed Himself to those who didn’t even ask. The problem was envy. They wanted to have their own righteousness. They wanted to be the one who climbed the mountain, the one who went into the pit and climbed out by their own strength. Think about how angry they are that they have studied, and prayed, and sought so hard and yet they have been left far behind by the church that Jesus has built.
21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
To declare that “Jesus is Lord” indicates that you obey Him as Lord. Being baptized is simply one example of this obedience, but our entire Christian life should be one of obeying the Lord’s speaking to us, even if we think we are too smart for that word. Having an attitude that the word that others obey is not something you need to obey is to be obstinate. Disobedient and obstinate both indicate that you are proud and arrogant. “Jesus is Lord” not you. Believe it and speak it and you shall be saved. You let the word come into your heart, get rooted in your heart until it flows right out of your mouth. Do that and you shall be saved.
Let’s make this really simple. The world is a heap of collapse, everyone trying to climb on top of others to get to the top of that heap. For thousands of years human history has been filled with those who want to be called “the greatest”. We have forgotten many of them, and many others had their lives end tragically or violently. In the end none of those people are able to save us. You can call on their name, read their words, it won’t matter, you won’t get saved. We have now come to a moment in history where the entire world will realize we need the savior. We’ll have famines, plagues and wars and to make it even worse we’ll realize that our rulers have played us. They took our jobs, our houses, our money and even our children to make themselves rich. Every empire has ended in a heap of collapse.
So then, if you want to be saved there is one thing you can’t do. Many people talk about the things that you need to do to get saved. You need to pray, yet some people have gotten saved who didn’t pray. You need to seek the Lord, yet some people have gotten saved who weren’t seeking for the Lord. You need to understand the gospel, yet there are people who have been saved who don’t have any understanding. In truth the Lord has already done everything you need, you simply need to receive it. But there is one thing that you can do that will prevent you from being saved. If you seek to have your own righteousness, if you pray to have your own righteousness, if your labor is for your own righteousness. As long as you want to be Lord you will not be able to call “Lord Jesus”. As long as you are envious of Jesus as Lord you won’t be able to receive His words. Your pride and arrogance will make you disobedient and obstinate.
But suppose that isn’t you. You are very happy to receive the work Jesus has done for you and to worship Him as Lord. However, you are weak in the faith, what can you do? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. How much word can you hear? You can listen to hymns and songs of praise. You can listen to sermons. You can fellowship with others. You can read the word. You can be as strong in the faith as you want. You can pray, seek the Lord, and study the word. All of these things can help you grow in grace and become strong in the faith.
“What not to do if you want to be saved”, some will assume there is some big sin. The “unforgivable sin”. So let’s address that. Matthew 12:31 For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. 32 And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming [one]. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus saying that He cast out demons by the prince of the demons. They were envious of Him. They wanted to have their own righteousness. They wanted to be Lord. As a result they couldn’t hear Him, they rejected Him and they were disobedient and obstinate. This is the one thing you can’t do if you want to be saved.
Over the last three years the numbers of watchmen posting apocalyptic videos has increased not decreased.
The Mysterious Egg & iPet Goat II
Matthew 10:27 What I say to you in the dark (privately), tell in the light (publicly); and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops [to many people].
The Mysterious Egg & iPet Goat II
Matthew 10:27 What I say to you in the dark (privately), tell in the light (publicly); and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops [to many people].
Fighting the Spiritual warfare
14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
The first thing any warrior learns is footwork, how to stand, how to move. My two oldest children are both black belts and 80% of their training was on how to stand, how to move forward, how to retreat. The goal is that you are always standing in a balanced way ready to be attacked. Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali were two great heavyweight fighters. They were very different, Tyson was shorter than everyone he fought and Ali was tall with a very long reach. As a result they had two completely different styles of fighting. But in both cases they had excellent footwork. In the Spiritual warfare this is a matter of righteousness. Many think that the first thing you do is tighten the belt of truth, but you do that having already put on the breastplate of righteousness. First put on righteousness, then tie it up with truth.
If your battle in any way is not righteous you are open to a kill shot to your chest. If you play fast and loose with the truth you open yourself to a vicious attack. Consider these "christians" that try to manipulate others with lies, insults, aspersions, and all kinds of inuendos. This is not righteous. You may think you are "fighting the spiritual battle" but you are one with Satan, the accuser of the brethren. Having a "good heart" is what evil people use as an excuse for the evil they do. You don't have a good heart, you need your heart covered with the blood of Jesus. Thinking that you need to correct others is what people who do not bow the knee to Jesus who is Lord, do. You are not Lord, you need your motives covered with the blood of Jesus. And you need everything kept in place with the truth.
Prior to Tom Brady everyone agreed that Joe Montana was the greatest quarterback in the NFL. These two had something in common, they didn't look like football players and they were drafted after many, many other players. It is easy to see a great runningback, receiver, or linebacker, but the skills which make a great quarterback is very different. I remember when people first started to realize Montana was great they talked about his 2 1/2 step drop. That is what quarterbacks are supposed to do, but very rarely ever do because it is very hard. Montana's dad said he bought a book on how to play quarterback, it said to do a 2 1/2 step drop and so he trained his son from a very young age. As a result Montana was able to release the ball before being hit and to be set before any defenders could surprise him. He had great footwork. Why didn't the scouts see that? Why didn't they appreciate that? I watched a video of Peyton Manning, another great quarterback, training in the off season. It was all about footwork.
Third you need to be wearing the gospel of peace. If you are not consistently preaching the gospel then you are out of training. You are like a piano player who hasn't practiced for a week. Also, it isn't the gospel of salvation, or the gospel of condemnation, or "hell fire and brimstone". It is the gospel that we have peace with God due to the sacrifice Jesus made. All these ones who think they are in the spiritual warfare but are instigating war, and hatred, and suggesting using guns? That is not the gospel of peace. That is not the message. We are not here to condemn "Democrats" or "MAGA" or anyone else. We are here to preach to everyone that the way of salvation has been opened by Jesus and all people regardless of what you think or where you live or how you were raised can enter into this salvation. Any other message that you bring is a perversion of the gospel or worse, evil.
Now above everything lift up the shield of faith. Everything you say and do needs to be hiding behind the word of God, our shield of faith. If the word of God does not agree with what you want to say or your opinion of what to say, then ditch your opinion. The word of God is an impenetrable shield that the enemy cannot get through. This is the wall that we can safely hide behind or the tower we can run into.
Not only so, but what is getting into your mind? Are you watching TV? Are you allowing Satan to play with your mind? Put on a helmet that will protect you from all that. If you discover that some show is occultic, cut it off. Are they talking about demon possession? Cut if off. Are they lying to you? Cut if off. Did this show give you nightmares? Cut if off. You need to protect your mind. The enemy is trying every which way to poison your mind.
You can't simply cut something off, you have to replace it. If you spent two hours watching harmful TV you need to replace that with two hours in the word of God, in prayer, in fellowship, in worship. So you put on the helmet of salvation by cutting off many ways Satan would get into your brain and you replace that by taking up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. This means you are focused on the word. There are a hundred ways to take up the word.
For example about two weeks ago I wanted to read through the book of Revelation each day. I soon decided it was better to listen to someone else reading it, and that took 1 hour and ten minutes. However, after three or four times I decided to speed it up and soon I was listening to it at 1.5x the speed, taking about 43 minutes to go through Revelation. Then I put on the headphones and while washing dishes or cooking a meal I could listen to the entire book of Revelation. This is called "redeeming the time because the days are evil". I have probably gone through Revelation 20 times in the last two weeks by doing this.
14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
The first thing any warrior learns is footwork, how to stand, how to move. My two oldest children are both black belts and 80% of their training was on how to stand, how to move forward, how to retreat. The goal is that you are always standing in a balanced way ready to be attacked. Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali were two great heavyweight fighters. They were very different, Tyson was shorter than everyone he fought and Ali was tall with a very long reach. As a result they had two completely different styles of fighting. But in both cases they had excellent footwork. In the Spiritual warfare this is a matter of righteousness. Many think that the first thing you do is tighten the belt of truth, but you do that having already put on the breastplate of righteousness. First put on righteousness, then tie it up with truth.
If your battle in any way is not righteous you are open to a kill shot to your chest. If you play fast and loose with the truth you open yourself to a vicious attack. Consider these "christians" that try to manipulate others with lies, insults, aspersions, and all kinds of inuendos. This is not righteous. You may think you are "fighting the spiritual battle" but you are one with Satan, the accuser of the brethren. Having a "good heart" is what evil people use as an excuse for the evil they do. You don't have a good heart, you need your heart covered with the blood of Jesus. Thinking that you need to correct others is what people who do not bow the knee to Jesus who is Lord, do. You are not Lord, you need your motives covered with the blood of Jesus. And you need everything kept in place with the truth.
Prior to Tom Brady everyone agreed that Joe Montana was the greatest quarterback in the NFL. These two had something in common, they didn't look like football players and they were drafted after many, many other players. It is easy to see a great runningback, receiver, or linebacker, but the skills which make a great quarterback is very different. I remember when people first started to realize Montana was great they talked about his 2 1/2 step drop. That is what quarterbacks are supposed to do, but very rarely ever do because it is very hard. Montana's dad said he bought a book on how to play quarterback, it said to do a 2 1/2 step drop and so he trained his son from a very young age. As a result Montana was able to release the ball before being hit and to be set before any defenders could surprise him. He had great footwork. Why didn't the scouts see that? Why didn't they appreciate that? I watched a video of Peyton Manning, another great quarterback, training in the off season. It was all about footwork.
Third you need to be wearing the gospel of peace. If you are not consistently preaching the gospel then you are out of training. You are like a piano player who hasn't practiced for a week. Also, it isn't the gospel of salvation, or the gospel of condemnation, or "hell fire and brimstone". It is the gospel that we have peace with God due to the sacrifice Jesus made. All these ones who think they are in the spiritual warfare but are instigating war, and hatred, and suggesting using guns? That is not the gospel of peace. That is not the message. We are not here to condemn "Democrats" or "MAGA" or anyone else. We are here to preach to everyone that the way of salvation has been opened by Jesus and all people regardless of what you think or where you live or how you were raised can enter into this salvation. Any other message that you bring is a perversion of the gospel or worse, evil.
Now above everything lift up the shield of faith. Everything you say and do needs to be hiding behind the word of God, our shield of faith. If the word of God does not agree with what you want to say or your opinion of what to say, then ditch your opinion. The word of God is an impenetrable shield that the enemy cannot get through. This is the wall that we can safely hide behind or the tower we can run into.
Not only so, but what is getting into your mind? Are you watching TV? Are you allowing Satan to play with your mind? Put on a helmet that will protect you from all that. If you discover that some show is occultic, cut it off. Are they talking about demon possession? Cut if off. Are they lying to you? Cut if off. Did this show give you nightmares? Cut if off. You need to protect your mind. The enemy is trying every which way to poison your mind.
You can't simply cut something off, you have to replace it. If you spent two hours watching harmful TV you need to replace that with two hours in the word of God, in prayer, in fellowship, in worship. So you put on the helmet of salvation by cutting off many ways Satan would get into your brain and you replace that by taking up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. This means you are focused on the word. There are a hundred ways to take up the word.
For example about two weeks ago I wanted to read through the book of Revelation each day. I soon decided it was better to listen to someone else reading it, and that took 1 hour and ten minutes. However, after three or four times I decided to speed it up and soon I was listening to it at 1.5x the speed, taking about 43 minutes to go through Revelation. Then I put on the headphones and while washing dishes or cooking a meal I could listen to the entire book of Revelation. This is called "redeeming the time because the days are evil". I have probably gone through Revelation 20 times in the last two weeks by doing this.
Now if you are covered in the Lord's blood as your righteousness but are not doing what He has told you to do then you are not girt about with the truth.
For example, Mike Lindell used to be a crack addict, but he got saved. The Lord led him to work with other addicts. Then he went on the Steve Colbert show to talk about election integrity. Colbert tried to attack him saying that he was paranoid and that this was a symptom of his past drug use. Lindell responded that by saying that Colbert was condemning every person who had ever used drugs and saying they can't voice their opinion. Colbert immediately was backtracking and repudiating what he had just said. That was an excellent example of someone who had on the breastplate of righteousness, girt about with the truth and his feet was shod with the gospel of peace. Lindell did not miss a beat despite all the attacks they had prepared for him.
A lot of people want to fight the spiritual warfare based on something they saw on TV. That means their head is not covered with the helmet and they are not taking up the sword of the Spirit, the sword that the word of God gives us, instead they are taking the sword that Satan or one of his minions is giving them. This is what BLM did. This is what Lebron James did when he saw Jacob shot by the police. This is what CNN did when they attacked Kyle Rittenhouse. This always ends bad, sometimes even with lawsuits for slander and libel.
For example, Mike Lindell used to be a crack addict, but he got saved. The Lord led him to work with other addicts. Then he went on the Steve Colbert show to talk about election integrity. Colbert tried to attack him saying that he was paranoid and that this was a symptom of his past drug use. Lindell responded that by saying that Colbert was condemning every person who had ever used drugs and saying they can't voice their opinion. Colbert immediately was backtracking and repudiating what he had just said. That was an excellent example of someone who had on the breastplate of righteousness, girt about with the truth and his feet was shod with the gospel of peace. Lindell did not miss a beat despite all the attacks they had prepared for him.
A lot of people want to fight the spiritual warfare based on something they saw on TV. That means their head is not covered with the helmet and they are not taking up the sword of the Spirit, the sword that the word of God gives us, instead they are taking the sword that Satan or one of his minions is giving them. This is what BLM did. This is what Lebron James did when he saw Jacob shot by the police. This is what CNN did when they attacked Kyle Rittenhouse. This always ends bad, sometimes even with lawsuits for slander and libel.
VISION/PROPHECY -- TAIWAN
TAIWAN
Revelation 6:3-4 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
VISION: I was given a vision during my prayer time with the Lord. The first thing that came into my view were several, large, red blocks. They were all perfectly square, 6-sided, red blocks. There seemed to be about 10 blocks in number. They were all connected to each other by what looked like some kind of a rope or cable, making a large circle. These blocks seemed to be floating by my view in a rotating circle. As the blocks were going around in a circle, each individual block was also spinning around and showing each of their 6 sides to me. As they went by my view one-by-one, I could see that there was some writing on each of these red blocks, and the writing was in gold letters. I could not read or understand the writing, but having been stationed for 2 years in Japan, I was very familiar and could tell that it was an oriental type of script. It was then brought into my view that these red blocks were circling an island. I could see the island, and the blocks were floating in the water just along the coastline. I then came to know and understand that this island is Taiwan. The vision ended.
I then asked the Lord about the writing on the blocks and what did it mean. He revealed to me that the writing on the blocks are warnings to the nations. He said each of the blocks contained a different warning, and they said: Danger! Stay away! Stay away or face destruction! This land is ours! Keep clear! China is one! Stealth is critical! Death! Now! Now! Now! The Lord then spoke this word to me.
My son - PROPHESY TO TAIWAN - SAYING - THE DRAGON IS ABOUT TO TEAR AND RIP THE LAND APART. I HAVE HEARD THE PRAYERS OF MY CHILDREN ON THAT ISLAND, AND I SAY - FEAR NOT! The dragon will take down all military bases in speedy fashion. The land will be taken very quickly with minimum destruction and death to non-military people. The eagle will be overwhelmed by the dragon and will not stand up again. The economy of the eagle will totally collapse as politicians try to shore up relations with the dragon. Afterward, the dragon will move on the people and land that it detests - Japan will fall next. Much death and destruction will occur as the dragon looks for payback for what Japan has done to its people (Note - this is referring to WWII). America will not be able to help as the bear has taken America's war goods. (Note - this is happening now.) My children in Taiwan and Japan - REPENT now, for the attack will be lightning fast. Trust in Me for your protection. Pray for your children. I LOVE YOU ALL - BUT NOW IS THE SEASON OF WAR UPON YOU.
Amen.
Lord Jesus
TAIWAN
Revelation 6:3-4 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
VISION: I was given a vision during my prayer time with the Lord. The first thing that came into my view were several, large, red blocks. They were all perfectly square, 6-sided, red blocks. There seemed to be about 10 blocks in number. They were all connected to each other by what looked like some kind of a rope or cable, making a large circle. These blocks seemed to be floating by my view in a rotating circle. As the blocks were going around in a circle, each individual block was also spinning around and showing each of their 6 sides to me. As they went by my view one-by-one, I could see that there was some writing on each of these red blocks, and the writing was in gold letters. I could not read or understand the writing, but having been stationed for 2 years in Japan, I was very familiar and could tell that it was an oriental type of script. It was then brought into my view that these red blocks were circling an island. I could see the island, and the blocks were floating in the water just along the coastline. I then came to know and understand that this island is Taiwan. The vision ended.
I then asked the Lord about the writing on the blocks and what did it mean. He revealed to me that the writing on the blocks are warnings to the nations. He said each of the blocks contained a different warning, and they said: Danger! Stay away! Stay away or face destruction! This land is ours! Keep clear! China is one! Stealth is critical! Death! Now! Now! Now! The Lord then spoke this word to me.
My son - PROPHESY TO TAIWAN - SAYING - THE DRAGON IS ABOUT TO TEAR AND RIP THE LAND APART. I HAVE HEARD THE PRAYERS OF MY CHILDREN ON THAT ISLAND, AND I SAY - FEAR NOT! The dragon will take down all military bases in speedy fashion. The land will be taken very quickly with minimum destruction and death to non-military people. The eagle will be overwhelmed by the dragon and will not stand up again. The economy of the eagle will totally collapse as politicians try to shore up relations with the dragon. Afterward, the dragon will move on the people and land that it detests - Japan will fall next. Much death and destruction will occur as the dragon looks for payback for what Japan has done to its people (Note - this is referring to WWII). America will not be able to help as the bear has taken America's war goods. (Note - this is happening now.) My children in Taiwan and Japan - REPENT now, for the attack will be lightning fast. Trust in Me for your protection. Pray for your children. I LOVE YOU ALL - BUT NOW IS THE SEASON OF WAR UPON YOU.
Amen.
Lord Jesus
Psalm 83 Let them be confounded and dismayed that they may know that Jesus Christ is Lord
1 O God, keep not thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
O Lord, look on us for we are calling on You. We need you to speak, to arise, to save and deliver and to judge.
2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Lord, those that hate you are not hiding anymore. They are puffed up, they are proud, they strut. They have come out of their holes and are proudly trying to groom kids in elementary school, trying to use lawfare against political opponents. They hate Jesus, they hate the word of God, they hate that we condemn sin.
3 They take crafty counsel against thy people, And consult together against thy hidden ones.
CRT is crafty counsel. Trying to turn kids into Antifa warriors is crafty counsel. This bioweapon is crafty counsel. Manipulating Putin into destroying Ukraine is crafty counsel. Weaponizing the DOJ and using the FBI as a hit squad.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
Lord, Israel, your centerpiece is at the heart of everything going on. They have to first destroy the US to get to Israel. We have a covenant with You, we have a contract that You will save, so we are calling on You, honor your word to us, your people. These elites are desperately trying to hold onto power and will do everything they can to destroy all who stand against them.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent; Against thee do they make a covenant: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre: 8 Assyria also is joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
Lord, the deep state has joined together. The NIH and CCP, Biden and Xi, the FBI and CIA, the CDC and FDA. And now we see that Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have all joined together to stand against the US.
9 Do thou unto them as unto Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; 10 Who perished at Endor, Who became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna; 12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.
Lord Jesus, this is your church, your possession, your habitation they want to steal.
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind.
O Lord, make them like the drought stricken west that we see on the news. Dry up all their reservoirs, all their lakes. Fill the air with the dust, have them chop down their trees, abandon their crops. Set them on fire like they did to Maui.
14 As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, 15 So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm.
Lord, we call on You. Pursue them like the fires in the West where they must continually retreat from the wall of flames. Create firenados, and terrify them with the storm. Fill the oceans with storms that terrify them.
16 Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
As the world collapses around them we ask that this would cause them to seek You. To repent and to call on Jesus who is Lord. To confess that they are nothing and can do nothing and that they need your salvation. May your name be glorified.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them be confounded and perish;
Lord, put them to shame over Ukraine. May all the evil deeds be exposed. May we see video clips of everything they said over the last twenty years and put them to shame. May they be dismayed over the glittering sword of the Lord that has left it’s sheath to execute your judgement on the earth. And Lord, confound them on every side. Confound them with the election audits, confound them with the recall votes, confound them with the Epstein investigation, confound them with Afghan witnesses to the CIA crimes, confound those who are compromised with foreign countries or who are secretly working with the globalists or the Satanists. Confound them with economic collapse and with inflation.
18 That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.
Yes, Lord, remember your word that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We pray that you would remember your word to fulfill it. Amen.
1 O God, keep not thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
O Lord, look on us for we are calling on You. We need you to speak, to arise, to save and deliver and to judge.
2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Lord, those that hate you are not hiding anymore. They are puffed up, they are proud, they strut. They have come out of their holes and are proudly trying to groom kids in elementary school, trying to use lawfare against political opponents. They hate Jesus, they hate the word of God, they hate that we condemn sin.
3 They take crafty counsel against thy people, And consult together against thy hidden ones.
CRT is crafty counsel. Trying to turn kids into Antifa warriors is crafty counsel. This bioweapon is crafty counsel. Manipulating Putin into destroying Ukraine is crafty counsel. Weaponizing the DOJ and using the FBI as a hit squad.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
Lord, Israel, your centerpiece is at the heart of everything going on. They have to first destroy the US to get to Israel. We have a covenant with You, we have a contract that You will save, so we are calling on You, honor your word to us, your people. These elites are desperately trying to hold onto power and will do everything they can to destroy all who stand against them.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent; Against thee do they make a covenant: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre: 8 Assyria also is joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
Lord, the deep state has joined together. The NIH and CCP, Biden and Xi, the FBI and CIA, the CDC and FDA. And now we see that Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have all joined together to stand against the US.
9 Do thou unto them as unto Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; 10 Who perished at Endor, Who became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna; 12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.
Lord Jesus, this is your church, your possession, your habitation they want to steal.
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind.
O Lord, make them like the drought stricken west that we see on the news. Dry up all their reservoirs, all their lakes. Fill the air with the dust, have them chop down their trees, abandon their crops. Set them on fire like they did to Maui.
14 As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, 15 So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm.
Lord, we call on You. Pursue them like the fires in the West where they must continually retreat from the wall of flames. Create firenados, and terrify them with the storm. Fill the oceans with storms that terrify them.
16 Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
As the world collapses around them we ask that this would cause them to seek You. To repent and to call on Jesus who is Lord. To confess that they are nothing and can do nothing and that they need your salvation. May your name be glorified.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them be confounded and perish;
Lord, put them to shame over Ukraine. May all the evil deeds be exposed. May we see video clips of everything they said over the last twenty years and put them to shame. May they be dismayed over the glittering sword of the Lord that has left it’s sheath to execute your judgement on the earth. And Lord, confound them on every side. Confound them with the election audits, confound them with the recall votes, confound them with the Epstein investigation, confound them with Afghan witnesses to the CIA crimes, confound those who are compromised with foreign countries or who are secretly working with the globalists or the Satanists. Confound them with economic collapse and with inflation.
18 That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.
Yes, Lord, remember your word that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We pray that you would remember your word to fulfill it. Amen.
The Lord is asking us a question
I had a very interesting dream, I had been chosen to be the pastor of some large denominational church. I arrived to share the first sermon and met in the back room with about six or seven other men. I was concerned because I didn't even know what I was going to share but they handed me a typed up sermon as though it were the script to a play. It was very well written with all kinds of references interweaved into the message. But I figured it had to be about the Bible and so I wanted to find the Bible verses, eventually I did.
It was paraphrased to sound like it was from Hebrews, but I knew it was in Luke. They had written "that in all things Jesus would be the winner and Satan would be the loser". It was referenced to two verses in Luke, one where Jesus descends from the mountain, a man has an epileptic boy the disciples can't heal, Satan at that moment puts him into a seizure but Jesus casts out the demon. The other from when Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus the beggar. A story that Luke strategically places right after telling us about the rich young ruler.
So when I saw that I realized the message was asking a question. Jesus wants to know if we believe He is the resurrection. That is the same question that is being asked during the tribulation when you have a choice, take the mark, worship the beast and eat, or else get your head chopped off. Yes, it appears that Satan and the Antichrist are asking you this question, but they are simply pawns of God. The real question is "do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection"? The world will appear at that time to be an epileptic mess, but that is because Satan is trying to possess and control something that belongs to Jesus. All you need to do to get healed is to confess Jesus is Lord.
However, I also realized, like the story of Blind Bartimaeus, that this group of men, the board of directors of this church, were also asking a question. Will you be our puppet, saying whatever we hand you to say without question. So the dream ended with me telling the congregation my testimony of what I had seen and understood from the Lord.
I had a very interesting dream, I had been chosen to be the pastor of some large denominational church. I arrived to share the first sermon and met in the back room with about six or seven other men. I was concerned because I didn't even know what I was going to share but they handed me a typed up sermon as though it were the script to a play. It was very well written with all kinds of references interweaved into the message. But I figured it had to be about the Bible and so I wanted to find the Bible verses, eventually I did.
It was paraphrased to sound like it was from Hebrews, but I knew it was in Luke. They had written "that in all things Jesus would be the winner and Satan would be the loser". It was referenced to two verses in Luke, one where Jesus descends from the mountain, a man has an epileptic boy the disciples can't heal, Satan at that moment puts him into a seizure but Jesus casts out the demon. The other from when Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus the beggar. A story that Luke strategically places right after telling us about the rich young ruler.
So when I saw that I realized the message was asking a question. Jesus wants to know if we believe He is the resurrection. That is the same question that is being asked during the tribulation when you have a choice, take the mark, worship the beast and eat, or else get your head chopped off. Yes, it appears that Satan and the Antichrist are asking you this question, but they are simply pawns of God. The real question is "do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection"? The world will appear at that time to be an epileptic mess, but that is because Satan is trying to possess and control something that belongs to Jesus. All you need to do to get healed is to confess Jesus is Lord.
However, I also realized, like the story of Blind Bartimaeus, that this group of men, the board of directors of this church, were also asking a question. Will you be our puppet, saying whatever we hand you to say without question. So the dream ended with me telling the congregation my testimony of what I had seen and understood from the Lord.