Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

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ZNP

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No one knows the day or the hour.

So this may be a double entendre. I have shown from many different angles that the seventieth week for the Jews should begin on the Feast of Trumpets which has the nickname of "no one knows the day or the hour". So when the Jews asked the Lord "when" these thing would be and He said that it would explain why they didn't need to ask anymore questions. Same as if today we said it would be on turkey day that would be perfectly clear to any American.

However, the church is composed of the nations that do not understand this expression, so for them it may have had a completely different meaning. In the OT there were Holy Convocations, appointed feast days which were dress rehearsals for things to come. However, in the NT we are told clearly no one is to require us to keep these feasts, they are not dress rehearsals for us in the New Covenant which would further reenforce this word that Jesus crucifixion put all those OT regulations concerning sabbaths and holy days to death on the cross.

But this doesn't mean "no one will ever know". On the contrary there are several verses that would support the faithful followers of the Lord knowing prior to the rapture. Elijah, Elisha and all the prophets knew the day he was going to be taken. Abraham learned of the judgment that would fall on Sodom and Gomorrah beforehand. Jesus said it would be as the days of Lot. Noah knew a week before the flood it was time to enter the ark. So there are many examples that the Lord gave and in every one the people of God had a heads up.

However, the feasts are very important because they are a "shadow" of things to come. So for example on the 8th and 9th of Av you can see a picture of the rapture taking place right before the judgment on the apostasy. When Jesus was on the cross you can see the Spirit leaving Him prior to His death. We can imagine that refers to the rapture of the spirit filled believers from the Body of Christ leaving the tribulation saints behind to be in the grave, the three days of darkness, etc. We can learn a lot by looking at the feasts, but we are not required to keep them like clockwork because they are not a dress rehearsal of the day and hour.

So then we learn that when Jesus (typified by Moses) returns for his bride (typified by Moses coming down from the mountain) He will see the apostasy in full celebration of a satanic worship. He will break the marriage covenant with the apostate church, they will be judged and 3,000 will die. But the levitical priesthood will be called up. We can see both the judgment on the apostasy and the rapture. But worshiping Moloch was Israel's sin, not the churches. Christianity does have worship that is pagan. Christmas is pagan, Easter is pagan and of course Halloween is pagan. We can imagine if the Lord were to come during one of those three celebrations and find the churches involved then that would be bad. However, the Lord's coming ls likened to a thief in the night. Christmas is a morning celebration as is Easter. Christmas Eve is a worship ceremony of Jesus, not Santa. The only one of these three pagan holidays that is at night is Halloween. At the same time the body of Jesus is being put into the tomb we have all these demons, goblins, and evil creatures walking around in the street. The day before Halloween is called Mischief night, that is very much a celebration of a "thief in the night". After the rapture the Lord will make the synagogue of Satan come and worship at the feet of the church that is raptured, Philadelphia. Likewise the day after Halloween is All Saints day, the day to worship at the feet of the saints. The next day is "the day of the dead" the day to worship at the feet of the dead in Christ who rose first. These holidays belong to the Catholic church, they are the "synagogue of Satan" and the ones the Lord will make to come worship at the feet.

Some may think this is simply a coincidence. I would disagree, all things that have come into being have come into being through the word of God. Jesus Christ is the Body and these holidays are the shadow of things to come. It isn't just the holidays of the Old Testament. On the 9th of Av they were worshiping Moloch because that was a day to worship Moloch. Likewise, when Samson was brought into the temple and pushed out the pillars that was a day to worship in that temple to Baal. Jesus Christ is Lord of All, not just of Jews, He is Lord of All.

So then "no one knows the day or the hour" is true, at the time Jesus said this the Catholic church had not set up their holidays and the Celts had not set up Halloween and the US had not established Mischief night.

People say that the Lord is the same today, yesterday and forever. If He had dress rehearsals in the OT he'll have dress rehearsals in the NT and sure enough these are NT holidays for both the Catholic church and the pagans and the satanists. Yes, we have dress rehearsals today, just as we did back then, but we have NT dress rehearsals. The kids going out on Mischief night are doing a dress rehearsal of a thief in the night. The kids going out on Halloween are doing a dress rehearsal of the fallen angels being cast down to the Earth.
 

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Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

I believe these verses tell us so much about the Lord's second coming, they reveal quite a bit.

27 They did eat, they drank,

Eating and drinking is not sinful. God created us so that we have to eat and drink, that is not the issue. The question is what are you eating and drinking? That is your choice. God made it this way. When the Lord appears are you in the word of God? Are you worshiping Him? Are you singing a hymn, or praying, or at a meeting or in fellowship with other saints? In Philippians Paul talks about "being found in Him". When the Lord comes will you be found in Him?

Or will you be found watching a football game, perhaps you are "tailgating". You may think this is "harmless fun". OK, but will you be ashamed to be found there? Maybe you are watching a movie, or watching TV. Again, harmless fun or are you ashamed to be found in that movie theater? When Moses came down from the mountain he found many of the Israelites caught up in the worship of Moloch. They were eating and drinking and then they rose up to play. That is how all idol worship is. Imagine you have some "Christian" and they are at a nightclub?

Compare this verse with "once saved always saved". The Lord is not saying He will come and find those who prayed twenty years ago, He is going to come and find out what you are choosing to eat and drink today, at this moment.

they married wives, they were given in marriage,

Marriage is not sinful, it is ordained by God. It not sinful to be giving your daughter in marriage or to be arranging a marriage, that is how Isaac was married. No, what we are warned about is to not be unequally yoked. When the Lord comes He will find many who are involved in a "marriage covenant". This is not simply referring to your husband or wife, but to your business partners. Many will tell you that there is nothing wrong with being in politics. OK, it is true the Lord told us to "occupy till He comes". But the question is are you unequally yoked? Politicians as a rule are "married and giving in marriage". They make all kinds of deals. They are essentially matchmakers. To be a politician and not be unequally yoked, that is the exception that makes the rule. When the Lord comes will you be found unequally yoked? You claim you are a child of the light and yet you are yoked to children of darkness. The fact that "everyone does it" is not going to justify you. When the Lord comes will you be found as you ought or will you be put to an open shame?

until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Isn't it interesting how everyone can justify themselves, everyone has an excuse. Yet Noah was there in the town building the ark. You knew about that, you thought that was OK, your insurance policy. You will enjoy the world, have fun, go to the games, go to the parties, and make all the profitable deals. You are no fool, not like that Jesus freak Noah. But just in case, you are friendly to him. Not so much that anyone would think you were a freak, but enough so that you view the ark as a contingency plan just in case Noah is right. The problem is that you will be eating and drinking at one of these games when Noah enters the ark. You will be cutting some big deal when Noah enters the ark. The Lord is not going to allow anyone who treats Him as a backup plan "just in case" to get on that ark.

28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

This is very interesting and even clearer. "They" did eat, they drank". Who is"they"? The people of Sodom and Gomorrah. You know, the ones in the mob outside Lot's house who wanted to rape his guests. Who exactly are you hanging out with? The Bible says corrupt friends will corrupt good morals. Also, just in case you decided to interpret "married and given in marriage" in the most narrow way possible, the Lord makes it quite clear here. "They bought, they sold". Is that a sin? It can be. I was a stock broker, I am actually quite good at evaluating investments and choosing "winners". But I got out of it. I realized if I bought bonds that what you are really doing is loaning money to that entity. As such you are required to do your due diligence because the very act of buying or selling the bonds makes you accountable. The US has a $35 trillion debt and they make about $4.5 trillion a year in tax revenue. So your job is to determine how much you expect the US will make over the next ten years and what that will do to the debt. Are they able to responsibly carry that debt or not? But you are also responsible to know what they are doing with that money. If you are complaining about the corruption the minute you become a bond holder it is not simply their corruption but yours as well. You are funding it. You are now unequally yoked with the kingdom of darkness. But how about index funds. Seems like the best idea for a small investor, but the companies that manage these funds like Blackrock use the fact that they are the biggest share holders of many companies to get on the board of directors of those companies. You are funding the very heart of the kingdom of darkness. What about buying stocks? In this latest correction with Japan the one stock that did very well was Lockheed Martin. Yes, if you want to invest in WW3 you can make money. It is not that hard to evaluate investments and make money if you don't have to consider the ramifications, but if you do not want to be unequally yoked, that is a very different thing. I can see that AI is the next big thing, I can see that there are certainly investment opportunities. But then you will be unequally yoked with the Beast system prophesied of in the Bible. When the Lord comes do you really want to be one of the owners of the beast system that is making the mark of the Beast? Then He says "they planted, they builded". This is the ultimate, you always hear about someone at the end of their life wishing they built something or talking about how they planted these trees sixty years ago and now they are so grand. Building up the Beast system is a huge accomplishment of fallen man. It requires the space program and satellite communications, it requires quantum computers another amazing achievement, it requires RFID technology, telecommunications, and involves the very pinnacle of science and engineering. But when the Lord returns Sodom and Gomorrah is incinerated to ash. It is just like Paul said, we must go through the fire. We can be saved and yet suffer loss. These things you are building and planting, are they going to go through the fire? Noah was building an ark because he saw the coming judgment and was building something that would pass through that judgment and he also saw what was important (people and domesticated animals) and he wanted that to survive. Everything else could be washed away. So what about you, are you planting and building with that judgment in mind or simply doing what the world is pushing?

29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Lot was saved, he went out of Sodom, but everything he had been building and planting was burned up except for his two daughters. But then that led to the Ammonites and Moabites, two cursed peoples. We can be saved with a blessing or we can be saved with a curse. Your choice.

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Make no mistake, the Lord is the one who has created this world with these choices. He has placed them before you and He knows your heart. He knows if you have compromised with the world or if you are fully consecrated to Him.
 

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HOW TO PREPARE FOR COMING DEMONIC DECEPTIONS

 

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32 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

This is a picture of the apostasy, as we can see it doesn't come in immediately, rather it comes after Moses (typifying Jesus) has been up in the mountain for a long time. This is a temptation of Satan, just as Jesus was tempted after fasting and praying for 40 days. Jesus was asked why His disciples don't Fast and He said they would when the Bridegroom was taken from them. So this is similar to Jesus being tempted after fasting in the wilderness for forty days. We can see the three temptations of Satan help us understand the apostasy. The Prosperity gospel, turning these stones to bread, making merchandise of the saints, the Living Stones, that is the first temptation. Casting yourself down off the roof of the temple, cult like behavior, that would be the second temptation. The third is when they actually worship Satan in order to "rule the world". This is where we see Freemasons infiltrating mega churches and Christian music so that only those who worship Satan can get those positions.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

This is the prosperity gospel.

3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

He "fashions" the gold into an idol. This is what Peter says about the False prophets, they fabricate phony baloney stories for the purpose of making merchandise of people, even denying the Lord who purchased us. This is what Aaron has done here, fabricated a phony salvation story denying the Lord's redemption.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

This is the worship of this idol, the worship of Satan. This worship is not to the Lord it is to this idol, so we are talking about a "feast to Satan".

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

So then let's apply this story to Church history. Late in church history, after the "40 years of fasting" in typology we had several feasts instituted. Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870, so this is obviously not something that was celebrated from the beginning. The expense in celebrating Christmas like buying a tree, lights, etc. That would be a burnt offering and the presents that are given that would be a peace offering. You sit eat and drink breakfast and then you rise up to play with your toys.

7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

Then in the 20th century Halloween became a principal holiday in the US. This could not be a principal holiday without the christians corrupting themselves with it.

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Halloween and Christmas are two holidays that drive the economy. Setting up a molten calf and saying that led us is something the government does, it isn't a real ox pulling a plow, it is representative. If we can get 360 million Americans buying candy then we will establish US candy makers worldwide and this will help them dominate the industry. Same thing with toy makers. Same thing with many other retail outlets selling stuff in the off season. They try to do this with other holidays as well. July 4th, St. Patrick's day, etc. but with very limited success.

So then we can definitely see the rapture foreshadowed n this event, but Halloween and Christmas seem to be the NT fulfillment of what happened with Israel in the Wilderness.
 

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The molten calf is a symbol we see on Wall Street and represents a bull market. Stock brokers are frequently trying to "pump up" stocks and get people to buy them. For the church to be involved in this and think that our economy is what has brought us through the wilderness is a grave insult to the Lord.

When you talk to Christians about the pagan roots of Christmas and Halloween you get a number of dodges. For example -- Christmas celebrates the incarnation of Jesus and Christians have done that for the entire church age. This conflates two different issues, no one is saying that celebrating the Lord's incarnation is a pagan practice, the issue is with a Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, Star on the tree, other idols hanging from the tree, Santa, flying reindeer, elves, and of course celebrating this not when Jesus was born but when a type of the Antichrist was born.

As far as Halloween goes some think this is an opportunity to share the gospel? Others think the verse that "all things are permissible" gives them permission to celebrate this.

This is similar to Aaron declaring this is a feast to the Lord. Aaron does not give us any word of the Torah, but this. Which is exactly what the apostate pastors do. They declare that these holidays are in fact an opportunity for the Church to have a feast to the Lord.
 

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On the 8th of Av Joshua and Caleb gave their report and then in the evening as we got into the 9th of Av we heard the evil report from the other ten spies.

So what is the evil report? Giants that will eat us up.

Do we have a dress rehearsal where the spirit of death (the raven that Noah released) goes to and fro throughout the earth, knocking on every door?

Do we have a dress rehearsal where they are giving an evil report about giants eating us up?

Do we have a dress rehearsal that starts in the evening like this?

During Halloween they do go to and fro throughout the land, they do start at night, and the monsters do threaten to "eat us up" saying "trick or treat". There is no other holiday that has this practice.
 

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Moses came down from the mountain and broke the ten commandments and called the Levites up. This is a shadow of the judgement on the apostate church. It is like Jesus coming down, rapturing up the priesthood and judging the apostates.

In church history the closest thing to this is when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, that was on October 31.

This led to the Protestant movement.
 

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Consider these verses on apostasy and Halloween

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

The man of lawlessness is revealed after the rapture. That indicates he is wearing a mask at the time of the rapture, just like on Halloween. He is doomed to destruction just like all the ones depicted on Halloween (vampires, monsters, witches, etc).

1Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

What holiday would depict everyone following deceiving spirits better than Halloween? There are churches that teach it is an opportunity to preach the gospel by participating in this holiday. That is a good example of a hypocritical liar.

Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Subjecting the Lord ot public disgrace. This could refer to a pastor caught up in a scandal, but I would think a church that is celebrating Halloween or Santa would be a much closer fulfillment of this word.

2Peter 2:20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

A fitting description of the Christians who are now celebrating Halloween, they are like dogs returning to their vomit.

2Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths

Look at the costumes the kids wear, everyone depicts a myth. It could be a superhero, or from a Disney movie, or a horror film.
 

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Our Father Will Help Us REMEMBER The Rapture Through His Appointed Times ⏲️ 🤔 ❤💭

 

ZNP

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And they remembered his words,
  1. to remind
    1. to be recalled or to return to one's mind, to remind one's self of, to remember
    2. to be recalled to mind, to be remembered, had in remembrance
    3. to remember a thing
    4. be mindful of
The rapture will be used to cause all those who are left behind to remember the Lord's words.


Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest G3415 that thy brother hath ought against thee;

Some will be left behind because of they didn't deal with the things that others had against them. When they are left behind then they will remember. We have an expression "being left at the altar" for someone who was going to get married and they wound up standing at the altar all alone. This is what it will be like for many who are left behind and you can be sure it is because of sins they didn't deal with.

Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered G3415 the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Think of Peter as representing the left behind saints. They denied the Lord three times. Remember the expression "it is one, two, three strikes you're out in the old ball game".

Matthew 27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember G3415 that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Even the antichrist and the unbelievers will remember the word of God. I think this is why they live stream the two witnesses lying dead in the street for three days. Everyone worldwide knows about the rapture and they don't trust the authorities. They want to see for themselves.

Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember G3415 how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Luke 24:8 And they remembered G3415 his words,

This is the point of the rapture. People will remember.

John 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered G3415 that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

People can mock, they can dismiss, but when the rapture happens then they will remember.

John 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they G3415 that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

They don't just remember the Lord's word, they remember these things were written of Him and that they had done these things unto Him.

You were told that some would be taken and some left. You were told that those left behind will be cast into outer darkness. You were told that the demons knew when the time was. You were told that Satan was a copycat. Jeremiah told you that this event takes place when summer ends. Everything will change from sunny and green to cold and barren. Amos told you that God would change your feasts to mourning. Not His feasts, but your feasts. Halloween is clearly not His feast. Amos told you that He would turn all your songs into lamentation. The only time the radio is filled with "our songs" is from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Those Christmas songs are turned to lamentations as for an only son. You knew that Halloween was a harvest festival marking the end of summer. You were told that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night and that Halloween is preceded by Mischief night. He told you that He would make the synagogue of Satan to come and worship before the feet of the raptured saints and Nov 1 is All Saints day and Nov 2 is the day of the dead. You were told that the Antichrist would be revealed after the rapture and you were told that December 25th is the birthday of a Babylonian god who is a type of the Antichrist. You were told that Hanukkah is when the Jews stood against Antiochus Epiphanes, a type of the antichrist, and in 2024 December 25 is Hanukkah. You were told that the ministry of the two witnesses will begin at this time and last for 42 months which would take them to Shavuot in 2028, a very significant day for all Jews. You were told that no one knows the day or the hour indicating that it does not take place on one of the OT appointed feasts. However, you were also told that you were to watch and if you didn't you would be caught by surprise indicating that if you had watched you would have known the day. You were told that the best shadow of the rapture was when Moses broke the ten commandments, and the best picture of that in the church age is when Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the church door on October 31.

You were told that Jesus begins His ministry by being baptized, the spirit coming upon Him, and then He fasts for forty days. Only then is He tempted and after that begins His ministry. The spirit steps aside at the rapture and if you are left behind you can expect to go through the same 40-50 day period. I am assuming the best day for the Antichrist to be revealed is December 25 as that is also the best day for those who stand against him since it is also Hanukkah. If we go 50 days before December 25 we come to Nov 5. This would work with all the other points made.

Imagine October 30-Nov 2 is when the rapture takes place, judgement falls on the US, and the tribulation saints are cast out into three days of outer darkness. Then on November 3 they come together on the Lord's day, get baptized, and begin a period of 40-50 days of fasting, praying and seeking the Lord. During this time all the Christmas songs playing help these ones to remember.

The ones who need to remember are the ones who have forgotten, the tribulation saints. Some will remember that they were partaking of the tables of demons. There won't be any thanksgiving so that day will help them remember what they lost.
 

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Now There Will Only Be 10 Dream 8-19-24@10:39AM

 

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Jesus is the manna which came down from heaven.

"And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less, and when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating". Exodus 16:17-18

How many times "Jesus" shows up in the Bible... MIRACULOUS!


Jesus shows up 980 times in the Bible. 490 times in the odd numbered books and 490 times in the even numbered books. The number 490 is Jesus word about forgiveness, 70x7. What is strange about that is that in the odd books they have 5,098 verses and in the even books they have 2,859 verses. There are 117,753 words in the odd books and 62,629 words in the even books. So even though the odd books (Matthew, Luke, Acts, 1Corinthians, etc) have almost twice as many words they both have exactly the same number of times in which Jesus shows up. This does not ever happen with any other word in the New Testament that is frequently mentioned.

John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

That was a reference to the term "Jesus" by itself. But Jesus + Christ shows up 1554 times in the Bible, and that is exactly 777 times in the Odd books and 777 times in the even books. So what does 777 mean? The first mention of this number in the Bible is when Lamech dies, the father of Noah who prophesied concerning the coming judgment. He died 5 years before the flood with Noah. Your father's funeral would certainly be "one of the days of Noah". Everyone tries to fit the end of the age into a seven year timeline and I think it is too restrictive. If the flood represents the pouring out of God's wrath and it takes close to a year to completion, then this would indicate that the Christians (the number seven is definitely associated with the church and the number 3 is definitely associated with the Triune God, so three sevens in one number would definitely remind us of the triune God in the church) would be gone about six years before the start of the millennial kingdom (when Noah comes out of the Ark). It is very likely that from the start of Jesus ministry until the Christians were first called Christians was five years.

What is interesting about this is that it would have been impossible for men to have done this. If you consider all the authors who wrote the New Testament, how they were removed in space and time and how they also had nothing to do with assembling the New Testament into the order we have, and how they had all died before that was done, you can see that this was impossible for man to contrive. The people assembling the Bible had nothing to do with writing it, and the people who wrote it had nothing to do with assembling it. For example, I once worked on a large construction site. They sent instructions to the factory where the steel was manufactured. Each one had to be made specific for their location in the building. Then when the steel was delivered each one had to be put in the right place. The architect is the one who designed all this, not the builders and not the manufacturers. So when you are assembling the books of the Bible it becomes clear that the gospels go first, followed by Acts and that Revelation goes last. It is also clear that 1 John goes before 2 John which is before 3 John. Likewise with 1 and 2 Timothy, Thessalonians and Corinthians. Now when we assemble the epistles it is quite logical to begin with Paul since he lays out the basic truths, and you would certainly begin with Romans which is likened to the gospel according to Paul. It would also make sense to put Hebrews at the end of Paul's epistles since it seems highly likely he was involved in the writing of that book followed by James who also seems linked to that book. My point is the people assembling the New Testament couldn't simply throw the books together in any order, there was a natural order they would have been forced to follow.

But it gets even more interesting when you look at how many times Jesus + Christ + Moses shows up in the Bible, 2,401 times. That is 7x7x7x7. If seven refers to a perfection in time of God's creation, and four represents the creature, this indicates the perfection of God's creatures.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The following verse is the 1,201st mention of Jesus + Christ + Moses. So on the left of this verse there are 1,200 mentions and on the right there are 1,200 mentions.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Jesus + way + truth* + life is mentioned 2,331 times. This is very important because "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Me" excludes all other religions. 2,331 = 777x3. So if 777 represents man transformed into the same image of the triune God (Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God) by the Spirit of God, then the only way for this to happen is not by any other religion or any other word but by Jesus Christ alone.
 

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A Promised Blessing

119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Jesus is the way, He is the incarnated word. The law of the Lord is the word of God. Think of this as the law of gravity. There is a law that impacts all who are in the word of God, who read it and meditate on it. The law is that they are blessed.

2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

Mary kept everything the Lord said in her heart. Seeking the Lord does not mean you have arrived. It is like Paul said,
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

If you sin you must confess and make restitution. Jesus' blood will wash away all sin so that our robes are white as snow.

4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

Do not listen to those who say that once you are saved you are always saved and so you are free to live in sin. We have been commanded to keep the Lord's precepts diligently.

5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

We need the word of God to adjust us, we weren't raised to keep the Lord's statutes, so we need to be reconstituted, not with the precepts of the world but with the precepts of God.

6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

The reason you are ashamed is because of a lack of respect unto all the commandments. Think of the time you did something that you are now ashamed of, what led to that? It was a lack of respect unto all thy commandments. Do you want to go forward without being ashamed anymore? You need to have respect unto all the commandments. People think that this means to "keep the law by their own strength" but that is contrary to the commandments. Jesus said "of your own self you can do nothing". Instead think of a 747 flying in the air. How do you get that heavy object full of people and luggage to fly? It is by having respect unto the law of aerodynamics. One of the most amazing feats of engineering is the jet engine. How does that work? By having respect unto the laws of physics.

7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

We need to see that in all things the righteous judgments of God are operating. When something happens to you that you feel is not right you need to go to God. Was it because of a lack of respect unto His commandments? Was it due to a generational curse? Seek the Lord until you see that what happened was righteous judgment, when you do that you will be blessed and no longer ashamed.

8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

That is a fair exchange. You keep the Lord's statutes and that gives you standing to plead that He not forsake you utterly. He may allow you to flounder a bit as you learn to swim, but He will be right there to pull you out should you begin to sink, just like He was there when Peter wanted to walk on water.
 

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Step 1 -- You need a trainer

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

We are saved out of the mire. However we don't need to remain there, take heed to the word and you will be cleaned up of all the mire.

10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Again, a fair trade. If you seek the Lord with your whole heart then it is right to ask Him not to let you wander from the path that leads to life. There are very many who started well and then turned aside. Regardless of how low and deplorable you are when you start the Christian life simply understand this principle. You seek the Lord with your whole heart and He will keep you from becoming another cautionary tale.

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Now when we cleanse our way the first step is our attitude. Many argue "I'm not hurting anyone". Wrong attitude, the clean attitude is "that I might not sin against thee". I want to be someone that when I pray God answers. If that is what you want then it is only right that you not sin against Him. What will the testimony be if God answers your prayer? If you want to be a man like Elijah that when he prays fire falls, then think of that from God's point of view. The testimony must be that God is righteous to hear your prayer just as He was righteous to hear Jesus' prayer.

12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.

The second step is we need a coach. Mike Tyson would have never been heavyweight champion of the world if he didn't have Gus D'Amato training him. We have Jesus Christ teaching us. That is a huge blessing.

13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

The third step is to get into the ring. When you declare the judgements of the Lord with your own mouth that is when "iron sharpens iron". You will get challenged, rebuked, corrected, and adjusted. You don't simply listen to Gus D'Amato or read a book. You have to actually train with him. This is your training.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

Testimonies are people's experiences of the Lord. Collect them like treasures. Some testimonies are glorious, others are "truthful" they are testimonies of failures before the Lord and yet you can learn quite a bit from others failures. Don't despise any of them, rather rejoice in them like they are riches. Then you will learn "the way of they testimonies". "They overcame them by the word of their testimony".

15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

You meditate on the Lord's precepts, the word of God. You have respect unto His ways which includes the way of testimony. This is how you are trained, how you progress, how you don't leave the path that leads to life and how you are blessed. Do you want to be one of David's mighty men? This is the way.

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

What about when you are attacked? What about when it seems calamity is upon you? Remember the Lord Jesus, after a monkey trial, after being scourged, after being crucified He remembered the word and delighted in the statutes saying "forgive them for they know not what they do". He is the champion that we are following.
 

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Step 2 -- You need a counselor

17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

We are not praying to be rich, to have a big car or a mansion. We are simply praying that God deals with us in such a way that we may live and keep His word. How many people pray to be healed from some sickness? How many prayers to be healed are so that the person can keep the Lord's word? Do you want your prayer to have a lot more pop, a lot more impact? Remember this.

18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

First you read and meditate on the word. Second you listen to others testimonies. Third that word is hidden in your heart. Fourth with your own lips you share your testimony and speak of God's judgments. Fifth you adjust your prayer accordingly, praying that God's will would be done, that His name would be hallowed, that people would be healed so that they may live and Keep the word. Sixth you pray that God would open your eyes and give you a revelation of the unsearchable riches of God. The other five are a prerequisite. God doesn't share these riches so they could be hidden. You must be one that is speaking, He gives them to you so you could give them to the rest of us. You treasured others' testimonies now He gives you treasures that others can also share in.

19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

If you get this far you will wake up and realize you are a stranger in the earth. Originally when you got saved you were earthy, of the earth. You minded the things of the earth. But now you are heavenly, you mind the things of the Spirit. As a result things that are hidden from others can now be seen by you. They are stumbling in the dark but now you can see the dangers, you can see the pitfalls, you can see God's commandments to you. You don't cast your pearls before swine, but you have dealt with your swine nature so now you have the standing to ask that those pearls not be hidden from you.

20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

You want discernment? You don't want to be a fool any longer? You want to see through scams and artifices and all the works of the evil one? Well here you are, that means you are longing for God's judgments at all times.

21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.

It used to be you were suckered by the proud, but now you will see immediately that they err from the Lord's commandments and so you will refuse to follow them.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.

Perhaps you were reproached when you were younger for being a fool, a moron, a simpleton. God will remove that reproach from you. Soon you will be the one that others realize is wiser than the rest. You aren't proud, you aren't boastful, but it will become plain to those who are not arrogant.

23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

Now you can stand in the ring. Before when the "experts" and the "wise" and the "princes" spoke you were put to shame, you needed to keep silence. You had no response. But now you meditate on the Lord's statutes. If they are off you have no problem pointing that out, if they are not off you have no problem receiving that.

24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

The Lord's testimonies. This isn't the same as "the way of thy testimonies". We learn by doing, but only when we do these things can we truly appreciate the Lord's testimonies. Larry Bird said this of Michael Jordan, he once explained to the press how the things that Jordan was doing were extremely impressive to those who played, maybe the fans didn't appreciate it, but for him he was able to see how amazing some of these things were. Now you are not just getting counseled by the testimonies of the believers, but you are getting counseled by the testimonies of the Lord.
 

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Step 3 -- Now we can come to wondrous works

25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

Resurrection from the dead, just like Paul said: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection

26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.

When our ways have become the Lord's ways, then we become those that God hears in prayer. At this point we want Him to teach us His statutes. Imagine you are David training on how to take on Goliath. God needs to teach you His statutes. You don't want to go into the ring following your own concept. You don't want to wear Saul's armor and fight the battle that Goliath wants you to fight. No, your advantage is you are light and quick. Don't give that up. You can dodge Goliath's spear. You need to become a pro with the sling and stone. That is why you have been sharing your testimony with your lips. You have been training with the sling and stone. You don't need to bring a sword, Goliath will bring his. You don't need the army to support you, when they see you holding up Goliath's head then they will follow you.

27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.

When Saul asked David who's son he was he said he was Jesse's son. The meaning was that Jesse trained him. This is the way of the Lord's precepts. He is our father, he trains us. You need to see everything that happens to you to be from His hand. Mike Tyson was an orphan. Because of that he came into contact with Gus D'Amato and he treated him as a father. That was God's doing.

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

If you have had really intense sorrows melt your soul the reason God did that is so that your soul could be reconstituted with His word. Think of the Kung Fu movies where the guy is broken down only to be built back up.

29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.

From our youth we learned the way of lying. This needs to be stripped away from us, which is why He melted your soul for heaviness. We need to lay aside every sin and the weights that so easily beset us. Then we need to be reconstituted with the law graciously. Not self righteously, not judgmentally, but graciously. That is what you see with Boaz. Everyone else saw that Ruth was a Moabite, cursed to the tenth generation. That is based on the law. Boaz saw that she was the widow of an Israelite and He was the kinsman redeemer, that also is based on the law.

30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.

Think of Ruth. She chose the way of truth. She said "your God will be my God". She understood the judgements of God, she understood she was a Moabite and was cursed, but she also knew the way of truth was the way that led to life.

31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame.

Boaz saw that, he saw that Ruth had stuck to the testimonies, he saw that she was willing to lay her life down to save her mother in law. He saw that she had taken up her cross and followed the Lord. That is the way of truth and that needs to be our testimony. If we do that we will not be put to shame. Jesus despised the shame of the cross, and was glorified by God the Father as a result. That is the way of the cross, you despise the shame and as a result you are not put to shame.

32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

Which comes first, the enlarging of the heart or the running the way of the commandments. Based on this construction enlarging the heart comes first. So how do we do that? This is truly the most wondrous work, to be given a new heart. So let's talk about how this happens because it is not automatic. Yes, our heart is enlarged before we can run the way of thy commandments. So if you can't run the way of the cross it is because your heart is not yet enlarged, therefore you need to walk the way of the cross. Maybe it starts with little baby steps. Maybe you are pleading with the Lord not to let you fail even though you know He is calling you to the cross and you can't do it, so crawl. We start the Christian life as babies. We don't come out of the womb running. Begin by crawling, then walking, and soon your heart will be enlarged and you will be running the way of His commandments.
 

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Step 4 -- Become someone with unshakeable faith

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

Sounds repetitious. This is because the first lesson was kind of superficial. Now we are getting into the depths of these lessons.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

At first we observe it because He commanded it, but we don't have any understanding and we are hesitant, questioning, even reluctant. But once we have understanding, once we realize that Jesus has the power of resurrection and that He is Lord of all and once we see the big picture, not just the next 24 hours but the next 24 months, the next 24 years, even eternity. Then we can observe with our whole heart. You were running the way of His commandments in the last few verses, but now it with your whole heart, nothing in reserve. "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead".

35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

Before you were praying to be blessed and so you heeded the Lord's commandments. Now you remember how much you delighted in going through death and resurrection and so you are praying for the path of His commandments. Before you had no trouble seeing what it was you were to do, you just didn't want to do it. Now you want to do it but must pray to see the way that you should go.

36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

Before you were talking about being all for keeping the Lord's commandments, now you are older and wiser and are praying for help from the Lord. Your heart is like a ball sitting on a table, if that table inclines towards covetousness your heart will roll that way. So you pray that the Lord doesn't incline your heart to covetousness. This is like the chess player who is now seeing two or three moves in advance.

37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

Beholding vanity is a waste of time, it slows you down. We are besieged with vanity, the internet is filled with "click bait". If Satan can't entice you to sin, at least he can try and slow you down and waste your time beholding vanity. So pray to the Lord "deliver me from evil", "turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity", etc.

38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

At this point you believe the Lord, you believe you are saved, but you need the full assurance. You need faith that is so solid it can't be shaken regardless of the attacks of the enemy. Think of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons led 21-3 at halftime. For many people that would shake their faith, but Brady said he wasn't concerned, he felt they were still in the game and sure enough they won 34-28 in overtime.

39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.

When you lead a team to a victory like that it turns away your reproach. Many felt that Brady was overrated, but not after that game. That is when everyone can see what only his teammates had been able to see, which is someone with unshakeable faith.

40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

This is past tense. Lord I have walked according to your path, I have given myself fully to you, I have taken up my cross to follow you. Now I pray that you would quicken me according to they righteousness. I am standing on your promises, on your word, and You are now righteous to hear my prayer and quicken me accordingly.
 

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Now you are ready to stand before kings

41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word.

Wow, he has learned how to pray. If the mercy of God comes unto you according to God's word then that means you have been merciful to others. James says that the royal law to do unto others as you would have them do unto you means that we are to be merciful to others. If you are merciful to others you can then pray that the Lord be merciful to you.

42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.

Again, another promise. If you trust in the Lord's word then you will have something to answer the reproaches. We have a shield of faith which is able to quench the flaming darts of the enemy.

43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.

This is another promise. We are told by the prophets that those who have ignored God's judgments will become those without any word of truth. The flip side is if you do hope in God's judgments then you will have rivers of living water flowing out of your innermost being.

44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

This is how we keep the law continually for ever. We don't lock it away in a museum. It is like the water cycle. We water the ground, the water helps plants grow. They respire water vapor into the atmosphere, this in turn becomes rain which again waters the earth continually, for ever.

45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

The law is only against criminals and evil doers. If you seek God's precepts you will walk at liberty in freedom.

46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

Now you are ready to stand before kings, just as Paul did.

47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

So many seeking happiness. This is how you will be filled with delight and with love.

48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

This is how you can do a work that will survive the fire and the judgment. Notice how many times he says we are in the word, seeking the statutes, precepts and meditating on them. This never stops. It is a continual cycle just like the water cycle or just like breathing or eating.
 

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Power in Prayer

49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

This is how you pray, remind God of His word.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

This is our declaration, our testimony by which we overcome.

51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.

This is what Jesus said about John the Baptist. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed blown about by the wind? A person in delicate clothing? No, that is what the world has, but people of faith, prophets of God, they don’t get blown about regardless of how tough the environment gets.

52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.

What was the issue with the foolish virgins? They forgot to take oil in their vessels. Remembering the judgments of old means this one has taken oil in his vessel, even when it is “dry” he can remember the past experiences of the Lord.

53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

This is what Peter said, if we suffer we are to suffer because of our stand for the Lord and not because of wrong doing. If you are suffering because of your sins and corruption then thank the Lord for giving you a chance to confess and repent. But here the reason he is suffering is because the wicked forsake the law, that is very different.

54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

This is what Paul said about being filled, speaking psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing the statutes of God in your house and when trouble comes you will be able to speak them.

55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.

Especially, above all remember the name of Jesus Christ. It is above all. It will cause the demons to flee. Hold to the word of God and the name of Jesus Christ.

56 This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Yes, how about that for the “once saved always saved” doctrine. We keep the Lord’s precepts, that is the secret to having the instant speaking of the Lord’s word, especially in the night when the enemy would attack.