Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Table of Contents of this blog


Post 1 -- The Lord’s Table -- rehearsal of the marriage feast and the coronation of Jesus, rehearsal of the Festival of Trumpets. What is the message of those who are raptured compared to the message of those who aren’t?


Post 2 -- Christ’s resurrection is the crux of our gospel, Jesus rose at the feast of firsfruits at the beginning of the age and the rapture is the harvest of the saints at the end of the age. The rapture is the testimony that Jesus has destroyed the power of death.


Post 3 -- They are trying to lead you astray. How do you discern if you are off the path that leads to life? There are many antichrists at the end of the age and in every case “they went out from us”. They pretend to be Christians but deny the Lord’s redemption by adding some other requirement other than simply to receive the blood of Christ.


Post 4 -- Marvel not that the world hates you. Our hope is not simply to “be raptured” but rather when the Lord appears we also appear “like Him”. At the end of the age the Lord is manifested again, but this time He is with His army, the redeemed, to destroy sin. To do this we must love in deed and in truth.


Post 5 -- How do we recognize the antichrist.


Post 6 -- Dealing with bullies at the end of the age.


Post 7 -- We are the salt and the light. An example of a person who has lost their saltiness.


Post 8 -- Without God speaking through you your religion is nothing but a pretense and a sham.


Post 9 -- The battle is on, the sleeping giant has risen, only the church can defeat this giant.


Post 10 -- Tell us how to fix the problems we have created.


Post 11 -- Absolute proof. How do we know who to believe, who to follow?


Post 12 -- At the end of the age we will have to deal with the Antichrist, we will have to deal with bullies. As long as we have the Lord Jesus as our captain we can do that. We may be deplorable, but we are not irredeemable. We are not "rejected silver". 1Samuel shows how we can deal with fools and bullies to bring in the kingdom.


Post 13 -- The Antichrist’s theme song, the siren song of tyrants.


Post 14 -- Common mistakes in choosing a king.


Post 15 -- what it takes to rule and reign


Post 16 -- The rapture is all about the glorious return of the king. Those who are raptured are those who have the faith to rule and reign with Jesus. So then be anxious in nothing but in everything by prayer and petition let your request be made known to God because He cares for you. In addition speak forth in praise and worship with songs and psalms being filled with the Spirit.


Post 17 -- You need to take a stand. You don’t become king simply because Samuel says you are king. That works for a few who have great faith in Samuel being a man of God. You become king by defeating the enemies of Israel. That is what everyone can see.


Post 18 -- When is the rapture? The Lord said that you need to be watch because if you are watching you would prevent the thief from breaking into the house and if you don't watch then the Lord's coming would be like a thief. Right now we see a thief trying to rob our house. Doing things that are unconstitutional, passing executive orders and bills that are heinous attack on anyone who is faithful to the Lord and walks according to the fellowship of the apostles. Now is the time for Christians to wake up and take a stand.


Post 19 -- In the book of 1Samuel we see that different people like Hannah and the Israelites need salvation from a bully and that at the same time God also needs something. Hannah needs a son to stop the incessant attacks but God also needs a son who will be His priest. The Israelites need a King to deliver them from their enemies but God needs a man to stand by faith and obey His word. The rapture is when God gets what He needs then we also will be delivered and get what we need.


Post 20 -- What is the derangement syndrome? The rebellion against the Lord is loud and clear. Likewise the hand of God against us is also loud and clear.


Post 21 1Samuel part 2 -- What is the derangement syndrome? The rebellion against the Lord is loud and clear. Likewise the hand of God against us is also loud and clear.


Post 22 -- 1Samuel 13 -- The rapture, like the resurrection, will establish the Lord and His people in the eyes of the nation.


Post 23 -- 1Samuel 14 -- No one is going to listen to your idiotic rules.


Post 24 -- 1Samuel 15 How do you produce a king?


Post 25 -- The warning God spoke to Eli through Samuel which was fulfilled a number of years later was a word meant for Samuel as much as anyone. He was able to see from a young age the cost of not dealing with sin in an absolute way. Likewise, the warnings in this chapter are as much for David as they are for Saul. It is clear later in the book that the whole country was aware of what took place. It had to be very significant to David to know that Saul's key failing was in not being absolute in obeying God's command.


Post 26 -- 2 Corinthians 6 -- The Story of Hanukkah



Post 27 -- 2 Corinthians 7 -- Bringing down the entire house of cards


Post 28 -- 2 Corinthians 8 -- The privilege of participating in God’s move


Post 29 -- 2Corinthians 9 -- I will not be on the wrong side of history


Post 30 -- Comparison and Contrast of the three gospels


Post 31 -- Wake Up!


Post 32 -- The book of Joel -- the Feasts of Trumpets and the day of Atonement


Post 33 -- Joel -- the Feasts of Trumpets and the day of Atonement, part 2


Post 34 -- Joel -- the Feasts of Trumpets and the day of Atonement, part 3


Post 35 -- Jonah and BLM


Post 36 -- Concerning the great sign in heaven seen during the Festival of trumpets in 2017


Post 37 -- Before the antichrist can be revealed the apostasy has to first be revealed


Post 38 -- Luke 1 -- Seeing the end from the beginning


Post 39 -- Luke 1 -- Seeing the end from the beginning, part 2


Post 40 -- The rapture refers to the day of redemption


Post 41 -- The Lord will gird himself and serve those servants


Post 42 -- Those who are raptured will not allow their house to be broken into.


Post 43 -- A view of the apostasy in Luke


Post 44 -- Esther -- Haman a type of the Antichrist


Post 45 -- This is what cancel culture is


Post 46 -- Esther -- With what judgement you judge you shall be judged


Post 47 -- Comparing Revelation 12 with Esther


Post 48 -- First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned


Post 49 -- Revelation 2 and two paths that Christians take


Post 50 -- The church in Smyrna, no one wants to be last


Post 51 -- To hold onto your first love you must be against all


Post 52 -- Thyatira where you learn to rule with an iron rod


Post 53 -- Sardis -- just a facade, a pretend church


Post 54 -- Philadelphia -- They have the key of David!


Post 55 -- Laodicea this is the apostasy.


Post 56 -- 1Samuel 16 -- Jesse’s son


Post 57 -- 1Samuel 17 -- I am the son of Jesse of Bethlehem


Post 58 -- Honoring your father.


Post 59 -- If you shall not watch you will not know what hour I come upon thee


Post 60 -- 2Corinthians 10 -- Weaponizing free speech

(1st three pages of the Blog)
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Proverbs 11:1-14 -- Dishonest scales

1 The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.

During this last election there has been a claim that there was election fraud, a “dishonest scale”. You can call this a “conspiracy theory” but it isn’t a “tin foil hat theory” as 49% of Americans believe the election was rigged and there is evidence that is presented (2,000 affidavits, videos, etc). So there are two possible truths here. First, there was fraud but not enough to overturn the election (since people have already been arrested for election fraud I will concede there was some fraud). I know Peter Navarro has done a three volume report on the election with three volumes of evidence in which he concludes that Trump won. Still, that is only one side, given a strong defense by Biden it could turn out that in fact Biden did win despite some fraud. If that were true all those believing that the election was rigged will find out at the judgement seat that they were wrong. So, keep that in mind. On the other hand suppose the 49% are right, that if there were a careful audit of the election results you would discover that in fact Trump won. If that is the case then legislators, judges, virtually the entire system of government looked the other way. You can be sure in that case that the Lord detests this. So then my advice is to turn to the Lord, let Him hear your prayers. If you are mistaken He will protect you from compounding your error and if your suspicions are true He will know it and He (unlike all the government officials) will listen.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

This warning goes to both sides.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

I think everyone loves the promises made by Biden. He will unite us, bring peace and civility, he’ll eliminate this pandemic, he will take care of climate change, give everyone health care, raise our salaries and the rich are going to pay for everything. Time for debate and voting is over, now it is time to deliver on those promises. If he does all those claiming “dark days ahead” will gladly be wrong. If he doesn’t and it turns out they were empty promises, then that duplicity will destroy him.

4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

To me this is what we should be focused on. The State department labeled China as being guilty of genocide. That word carries very stiff penalties with it, so stiff that China will view it as a declaration of war. Does Biden back track on this and show the entire world we are afraid to stand up to dictators? If that is the case the US is no longer the superpower that all others need to fear. No longer are we the policeman to the world. This will make America wimpy again. Even worse there are strong allegations that Biden is in the pocket of the Chinese. Backtracking on this would further enrage the 50% of the population that doesn’t trust Biden’s loyalties when it comes to China. This is a very big issue to deal with on day 1 of your administration.

5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

In reality the issue is straightforward. Is it true? Genocide is a terrible thing and surely the US and anyone who is righteous does not support it. This is the line that we do not cross. There is no excuse, no compromise with a government plan by the CCP to wipe out an ethnic minority. However, for the wicked it is not so simple. If you have been compromised by the Chinese and they have incriminating evidence on you that would destroy your credibility and expose you as a fraud and criminal you have a problem. Hence their own wickedness will destroy them.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. 7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of[a] their power comes to nothing.

I have nothing against Donald Trump and on the other hand have no first hand knowledge of any reason to dislike Joe Biden. In either case my feeling has always been that Jesus Christ is the Savior, not Trump and not Biden. My righteousness is based on Jesus Christ and nothing else.

8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead. 9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

Right now I am hearing some very disturbing things being said. Talk of making lists of anyone who supported Trump, voted for Trump, etc. They want to have them lose their jobs, cancel them, do whatever they can to destroy them. Mike Lindel was a vocal supporter and now his products are being kicked out of retail stores (he sells bedding supplies). They are talking about setting up reeducation camps for the children of Trump supporters. They are vetting the military with “loyalty pledges” to the Democrats (not to protect the constitution). They are banning books, shutting down platforms for free speech, and going after everyone they can. There is a concerted effort to destroy half the people in this country. “With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors”. Bill Maher is godless, he boasts of being godless however, he is also quite concerned about being destroyed by the godless. Talking about cancel culture he says: It’s “not just what you do” now, he said, but “anything you’ve ever done. It’s not just about what you say but what you listen to, what you order, who you say you like, any sort of association.” And “This informant thing — it’s not just what you do, it’s what you don’t report? That’s another way the goalpost moved.”

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. 11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

This year we have seen cities destroyed. Go visit Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles or Seattle and you will see the streets filled with the homeless. Why would a government leader, like Caesar Nero want to destroy his own city? Nero helped burn down Rome so that he could buy up the land at a small fraction of what it had been worth prior to the fire.

12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

Some of the language is completely senseless. They have likened Trump supporters to members of a cult and to members of ISIS. 75 million Americans are now being called dangerous radical extremists. People who say this have no understanding.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Recently, declassified documents concerning the allegations of Russian collusion of the Trump campaign have revealed some ugly behavior on the part of the FBI, untrustworthy and even of very senior people in the FBI.

14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.

Many advisers. Do you think that means many advisers who all have the same opinion and all say the same thing? Of course not. We need many voices, many opinions, we need to realize that people in the Midwest have a view, it isn’t just people from elite universities that we need to listen to. Right now we see a concerted effort to ban and censor anyone who is not in lockstep with the left. If you do that you will have a lack of guidance and the nation will fall.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Proverbs 11:15-29 The desire of the righteous ends in good

15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

It is the most idiotic thing that we have given an exemption from liability to these tech giants. They can do anything they want with impunity. They can illegally give $400 million to swing the election by tilting the scales and you can’t sue them? They can censor the president and the US can do nothing? We are suffering for this right now.

16 A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

The people who appeal for righteousness can be like a kind hearted woman who is full of empathy for someone else’s distress. They can be like the widow who went to the unrighteous judge. Or they can be like the rioters and looters, the ruthless men, who know how to manipulate, deceive, steal and kill. We have discovered that many of our elected officials, living on a government salary their whole life have amassed fortunes worth $200 million or even more. Pelosi and Biden both have huge fortunes. They have gained wealth, but no honor.

17 Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. 18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

This is so true. The wicked can have enormous wages, a hundred thousand a month, but they are paying off people left and right, and then the day comes with the lawsuits, the audits, and it is all gone. Next thing you know they are paying lawyers, paying divorce settlements, paying penalties for crimes and fraud. The business is shut down and what kind of resume do they have? Felonies, embezzlement, tax fraud, and crimes.

19 Truly the righteous attain life, but whoever pursues evil finds death. 20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. 21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

I believe this is the sure word of God. I know many are discouraged because they saw election fraud and yet have not seen those who did this get punished. They have seen the crimes perpetrated by the Russian hoax, the FISA warrants, and the impeachment hoax and yet have not seen anyone punished. They saw the FBI hide Hunter Biden’s laptop which would have exonerated Trump and convicted Biden and yet they have not seen anyone punished. If I know about it I can be sure the Lord knows about it. If I detest it I can be sure the Lord detests it. And I also know they will not go unpunished, the Lord is the Lord, His ways are the best and if He has not yet punished them that is simply because His ways are better than mine.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

Notice the contrasts in this chapter. You can have a gold ring, yet you put it in a pig’s snout and it really changes everything. You can have a stone cold killer from some cartel or gang quote the Bible. Those words are pure gold, they can save you, they can cause you to turn to the Lord but if you are using them to manipulate and deceive others it is ugly.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

Isn’t that something, they both have desires, they both have hopes, they both have prayers. One ends only in good the other only in wrath. We have seen this in history with communist revolutions. The words they say appeal to the desires and hopes of the good. What they don’t understand is that they also appeal to the hope of the wicked. Suppose you are a billionaire, a CEO of one of these tech giants. You had a great idea, put in all the work and now you are reaping the reward. I on the other hand also have a hope, that I could have your company and your wealth. I preach the communist revolution, talk about how evil these billionaires are and we need to take from the rich and give to the poor. What you miss is that in my hope I’ll be the one who takes from the rich and I’ll be the one who decides how much to give to those foolish chumps who put me in power.

24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

When I heard that Mike Lindell had given $2 million to support the Stop the Steal rallies it was the final push I needed to buy two of his pillows. I was surprised, they really are better. I slept much better that night.

25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. 26 People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. 27 Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.

These are great contrasts. Do you want to be refreshed, refresh others. Do you want to be blessed, be willing to sell even if the temptation is to drive up the price. If you look for favor you will find it, if you look for evil you will find it. My feeling about the 2020 election is that those who won the election looked for evil and they are going to find it. They will be cursed. They will come to poverty, they will be punished.

28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

The only explanation for the arrogance and pride of these tech giants in laughing at our laws and doing as they please is that they trust in their riches.

29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. 31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Be at peace, trust in this word. The righteous receive their due and so do the ungodly and sinners. The day of the Lord is at hand.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Psalm 118 -- Open the gate of righteousness

When the Lord was being crucified He quoted this Psalm saying that “we would not see Him again until we say ‘Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord’”. By quoting it He was pointing us to the entire Psalm. This Psalm is about the feast of trumpets and the opening of the gates (v.19). It is said that on that Day the Lord will take His bride back to His home. This ties into the story He told us about the wise and foolish virgins. Tie these two together, and the trumpets herald the opening of the gates of righteousness where Jesus will take His bride back to His home, the place He has prepared for us and been building for the last two thousand years. The last time we saw Him was at the crucifixion and He tells us we won’t see Him again until we say “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” and this refers to this Psalm which also refers to the festival of trumpets. “This is the day that the Lord hath made” (v.24). In the Jewish tradition on the Sabbath prior to a wedding the bridegroom is called to come up and read the Torah, this is referred to as “the calling up”. Similar to John being caught up to the heavens in the book of Revelation. When the groom approaches the congregation says “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. Those women who were weeping that Jesus spoke to would have understood this. Therefore the Lord connected this verse with this Psalm with His second coming. The Lord’s day refers to the day of resurrection, He rose early in the morning on the third day. Here it also refers to the Millenial reign of Christ. The festival of trumpets starts a new year and in this case it starts a new millennium. This particular festival of trumpets is on a Sabbath, one week before the Lord’s marriage which takes place at the end of the tribulation, likened to seven days. So this Sabbath is “one week” before His marriage.

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? 7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them. 11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 12 They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: 20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. 21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. 24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
The First Rapture is called "the firstfruits"

1Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

In Christ all will be made alive. First Jesus was raised from the dead. Second, you have the first group that is raptured, called "the firstfruits" and finally when Jesus comes you have the second group that is raptured, those that belong to Him and not to the beast. There is a proper time for the first fruits to be offered to God.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
James 2:1-6 Those who guide this people mislead them
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

First rule: no bias, no respect of persons which in turn means no disrespect of persons. When Hillary Clinton referred to the supporters of Trump as “deplorables” that is disrespect. She is running for President of the US and disrespects half of America? Joe Biden called them “chumps”. Be inclusive, there is a place for everyone. If you tell me that my students cannot do as well as those in the suburbs then you have respect of persons. If, on the one hand you claim that all are equal and on the other have respect of persons then you are a double minded man. This is the basic premise behind the law Hillary Clinton pushed and the NCLB law Bush pushed. Joe Biden said that black and brown kids can be “just as smart” as white kids. That is to have respect of persons. The fundamental premise of the “critical race” theory is to have respect of persons. Treating people equally is to not have respect of persons, requiring equality of outcome is to have respect of persons.

2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Many people are biased based on color, but I have always felt the color they are most biased about is green. For example that same business owner you think is racist against blacks will bow and scrape in front of Tiger Woods, or anyone else he thinks has money. The literature and research on education is drenched in this bias. Even though there is no correlation between wealth and how well kids do in school. What makes a difference is fathers and mothers, not money. Think about that, if fathers and mothers are the biggest factor you would expect the expensive boarding schools to be operating at a disadvantage. If it were not for the fact that there are so many broken families they would be. This is where the church is supposed to step into the gap, the elders are supposed to be the “husband of one wife” who “raise their kids well”. They become the “grandparents” of all the kids in the church. In this way the church becomes a practical salvation for broken families.

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Many who are rich in faith are considered “the poor of this world.” Jesus was considered the “poor of this world” yet among the scholars of the day they all recognized He was rich in faith at the age of 12. James, the author of this book and the brother of Jesus was also considered the poor of this world.

6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

The school is going to drag every single kid before the judgement seat, in New York we call this the “Regents exam”. I went to school in the suburbs and also to a private school in England. I have many friends who went to elite universities in both the US and England. Yet I don’t see any difference between the students in those schools and the one I teach at in Brooklyn. However, there is a very big and shocking difference, it is the way in which the teachers are coerced to teach. The lessons remind me strongly of Elementary school. If you are going to be dragged before the judge at the end of the year, shouldn’t you prepare for that? In the schools I went to it was all about preparing us for what we had to know. But at this school making sure the kids are entertained is primary. To my observation this approach does not help the kids get prepared for the judgement seat. The word here for “oppress” is also translated as “exploit”. If the suburbs focus on preparing their kids for the judgement seat while the kids in the inner city are entertained rather than prepared, I have to wonder why? Is this what James’ means when he says “you have despised the poor”? Young men of color in the inner city are oppressed, they are exploited. They are suspended from school at a much higher rate than anyone else, they have lower grades and drop out at a much higher rate. It seems to me that it is common sense that you would not allow the same people who becomes rich by exploiting the poor to design the school system for the poor. Isaiah 9:16 “Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.”
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
James 2:7-25 Those who are guided are led astray
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called?

These kids and their parents are slandered, insulted, and treated abusively. Even to this day Presidential candidates are blaming the poor outcomes on the parents and not on the system that makes them rich. There is very clearly a systemic bias in our education system, primarily based on wealth. However, there is a racial bias as well, not against blacks, but rather against Asians. Why would you let those who blaspheme the name of the Lord teach and guide your children?

8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

The Lord commanded us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” yet if we show favoritism we are violating that. It is a cardinal sin for the church and it is a cardinal sin for a ministry. I have seen the suburbs, the private schools and the inner city. The school system has seen the data and an implicit bias is undeniable. They required every teacher to go through a training on implicit bias just this year. High school in the inner city is childish compared to the suburbs and private school. There is a pressure to entertain kids. To do well in school is a lot of work and children need the support and encouragement of fathers and mothers. Without that they will not excel. The Asian students get that support and even though they are not as wealthy, they do excel.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

I want to be treated with mercy. So then, the judgement by the law of liberty asks “do you treat others with mercy?” Adjust your ministry to be merciful. I anticipate that kids will not have paper or pencils and some will not be able to take work home. You have to provide these things in the simplest way possible so that you don’t make the kids feel bad. Minimize the impact, don’t shame anyone for not having. There are a hundred ways to be merciful in teaching. I believe that church meeting halls will need to be used for homeschool children as the US becomes Sodom and Gomorrah taken over by multinational oligarchs. This is one way that we can show mercy. This is a free country, you don't have to let the "enemies of God" have your children, so when you appear before the Lord's judgement seat you will be judged according to the law of liberty.

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The difference between us and the devils is not that we believe there is one God. The difference is a work of faith. If the church allows Satan, the enemy of God, to teach the children then the church will soon be dead. It is time to wake up!

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Abraham believed God would raise the dead, that faith was made perfect when he offered Isaac on the altar and Isaac was raised in a figure. Abraham taught his son about the God of resurrection. You want to see your faith made perfect? You need to teach your children about the God of resurrection, not with lip service, but with action.

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

According to the New Testament we are responsible to take care of our families, failure to do that is sin. So, helping out a brother or sister in need can be reasoned away as “can’t afford to sacrifice my family”. But James’s couples that aid with Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac by faith. So, yes, you can help a brother or sister in need, it can be viewed as sacrificing your own family, and it can be a work of faith. The life we live is not “color by numbers”. That brother or sister in need prayed to God for help and God sent you, His friend.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Consider Rahab, a prostitute living with the enemy that God is going to dispossess. I am reminded of Oscar Schindler, a man getting rich working for the Nazi’s. He saw what they were doing to the Jews, he knew that God would judge and destroy the Nazi’s, and he secretly helped the Jews survive despite great danger to himself. Outwardly everything about Schindler screamed “sinner”. But he took every dollar he had to save the Jews alive. This had to be done secretly or else they all would have been executed. In the end he was justified, he is considered one of the righteous by the Jews. Just as Rahab also became part of the lineage of Jesus. I often wonder if the education system is designed by people who are afraid of being dispossessed? It needs to be designed by people who have a conscience and cannot tolerate the poor being exploited by the rich.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
1Samuel 29 -- Narrow is the way and few there be that find it

1 The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3 The commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.” 4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands’?”

6 So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. 7 Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.” 8 “But what have I done?” asked David. “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 Achish answered, “I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’ 10 Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.” 11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

I have to believe that David was bluffing. There is a lot of high stakes poker being played in this book and it all started with David’s dad, Jesse. We don’t know if this was answered prayer or if it was an unspoken threat from David and his men. You can certainly understand the feeling of the other Philistine leaders, who want a powerful, well trained force that you don’t trust behind you while you are trying to fight their brothers in front of you. I think that if David had gone to Ziklag on his own in rebellion to God that God would not have helped him here. But if his going was of God and he was led there by God then you can expect God to do wonderful things to support you. I can imagine there was a lot of prayer and petition to the Lord and it took faith to call the king’s bluff. The lesson I take here is that you have to really be strong in being able to hear the Lord’s speaking, follow the Lord’s speaking and trust that word. If you cannot play high stakes poker then you have no business being a king and will be brought to shame like Saul. The difficulty that many people have in expounding this chapter demonstrates how difficult it can be, how narrow that road is and how hard it is to find, even in hindsight.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Psalm 41 Blessing to the church of Brotherly love

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;

the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.

This is the church with a little strength

2 The Lord protects and preserves them—

they are counted among the blessed in the land—

he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.

The Lord is Holy and True. He is the one who shuts the doors on the foes and they cannot open it.

3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed

and restores them from their bed of illness.

4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord;

heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

They have the key of David, their prayers are heard by God and He answers them.

5 My enemies say of me in malice,

“When will he die and his name perish?”

They have not denied the Lord’s name.

6 When one of them comes to see me,

he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;

then he goes out and spreads it around.

7 All my enemies whisper together against me;

they imagine the worst for me, saying,

8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;

he will never get up from the place where he lies.”

9 Even my close friend,

someone I trusted,

one who shared my bread,

has turned[b] against me.

This is the synagogue of Satan. The enemy of God, the father of lies.

10 But may you have mercy on me, Lord;

raise me up, that I may repay them.

11 I know that you are pleased with me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

The synagogue of Satan will come and bow down and acknowledge that God has loved them. We will know that the Lord is pleased with us if we are raptured.

12 Because of my integrity you uphold me

and set me in your presence forever.

The Lord said this is because we kept His command to endure patiently.

13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.


The Lord will be praised by the people that bear His name, His image. Revelation 3:12b “I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. “
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Proverbs 12:1-12 -- Roasting the crooks

1 Whoever loves instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.

When a friend of mine took a stand to support Donald Trump back in 2016 it was a shock to me. I couldn’t understand why, so I asked, I listened, I learned, and I was corrected. When Trump was elected I did not take that attitude that the tens of millions of Americans that voted for him were “deplorable” or “irredeemable” as Clinton claimed, rather I wanted to understand why. Allowing the media to claim that 71 million people who voted for Trump in 2020 are racist chumps that need to be “canceled” is being a brute beast. It is stupid and indiscriminating.

2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked devices He condemns.

This investigation into election fraud is looking into wicked devices. It appeared to many that this was a “done deal” and the election was already stolen. I disagreed because I knew that those who were standing up for the truth would obtain favor from the Lord while those who were men of wicked devices would be condemned by Him. By faith we know that the battle is of the Lord.

3 A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall never be moved.

What an excellent word: “established”. I learned that in 2016 they used this same computer fraud to steal the election from Bernie Sanders, they told Bernie about it, and all he got was money for another very nice house. It appears that they “got away with it” and yet it will not be established. When this finally goes through the courts there will be a whole host of politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen that will be convicted of crimes. Whatever they have built based on fraud and deceit will collapse.

4 A virtuous and worthy wife [earnest and strong in character] is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

There are politicians who profited from this corruption and now are doing everything in their power to hide that, to lie about it, and to prevent a thorough and honest audit. They are a rottenness to the bones of this republic. On the other hand there are also those who are standing up for righteousness regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of the threats and bullying, and they are a crowning joy to the US. What is the rapture all about? The Lord takes His bride to Him who is His crowning joy.

5 The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are honest and reliable, but the counsels and designs of the wicked are treacherous.

This is critical. When you see companies and people behave treacherously as Adam Schiff did during the impeachment hearings in saying Hunter Biden was irrelevant to the hearings, then you know this person or company is wicked. The phony baloney polls and the way in which they called some states early and refused to call others tells you they are wicked. The censorship of the Hunter Biden story by Twitter and Facebook tell you they are wicked. The algorithms on Youtube to suppress the conservative right voices tells you they are wicked. On the other hand when you find honest and reliable news, regardless of the consequences, then you have found someone whose thoughts and purposes are righteous. This is what you look for in a counselor. This is why CNN claimed they were “the most trusted source”. A news media should be valued based on that. When Fox News lost it their ratings tanked by 30% in a matter of a couple of weeks. CNN's ratings have recently dropped 45%.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them and the innocent ones [thus endangered].

We have seen this. I watched press conferences by both Biden and Harris in which they made a statement and then simply walked off the stage without taking a question. The media hardly made a sound. Then the other day I saw Mike Pence make a statement to the media and also walked off without taking questions and they were apoplectic, screaming, shouting, raging, throwing things and having tantrums. How outraged were they by "kids in cages" and yet now with Biden the situation is far worse than it ever was and all those who were out for blood with Trump are silent.

7 The wicked are overthrown and are not, but the house of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall stand.

The wicked have the big house, but that house will be thrown down. The righteous on the other hand may have nothing but their two feet, yet they shall stand. I am hearing some claim they think this is over, they are looking at the big house, what they are ignoring are the feet of all those righteous who are standing.

8 A man shall be commended according to his Wisdom [godly Wisdom, which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God], but he who is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

So one of the lawyers is Sydney Powell, she is putting together the case against Dominion voting machines and the software used to steal the election. People all over the internet are commending her for her wisdom. On the other hand there is a perverse wisdom in those who designed this comprehensive approach to stealing an election. When their “wisdom” is revealed they will be despised.

9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed but works for his own support than he who assumes honor for himself and lacks bread.

I have watched both protests sweeping the country closely: the BLM protests and the “Stop the Steal” protests. The BLM protests are “mostly peaceful” which means that the majority of those who protests do not get involved in rioting and looting, only a minority of those protesters do that. The “Stop the Steal” protests include a wide range of people as well whether they are pro Trump supporters chanting “four more years” or walk away protestors who left the Democratic party, or Christians with signs saying “Jesus is still King”. Their protests include rap songs definitely inappropriate at church, everyone singing “God bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner”, and also hymns and the Lord’s prayer. Both protests include a number of different factions, but the “Stop the Steal” protests are distinctive in their respect for the laws and those enforcing the laws. “Stop the Steal” protests are during the day, BLM protests are at night. The “Stop the Steal” protests appear to be composed of working class people for the most part, but they are obviously working. They often will have large caravans of cars and trucks. The BLM protests often appear to become overrun by thugs who don’t even have a shirt to wear.

10 A [consistently] righteous man regards the life of his beast, but even the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

I was at both the first Stop the Steal rally in Washington DC and the one in Atlanta the next week. In both of these rallies I saw these towns overrun with homeless and I saw people going to these rallies giving these people money for breakfast and lunch. The tender mercies of Biden and Harris were that they don't separate families and put children in cages. Yet once they were in power they doubled and tripled those in cages, prevented anyone from visiting or photographing the situation, and when asked about it Harris laughed.

11 He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and is without understanding.

Calling to defund the police in a city that is overrun with crime is a worthless pursuit. On the other hand calling for an audit of the votes to make sure your vote is not being stolen is to till your own land.

12 The wicked desire the booty of evil men, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous yields [richer fruitage].

There are those who are calling for reparations from slave holders back in 1865. However, I saw a woman speaking at the rally in Atlanta saying that she was a descendant of slaves in Georgia, that she helped build this country along with everyone else, and she wants to enjoy the righteous yield from her labor.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Proverbs 12:13 - 28 -- We are going to Roast the Crooks

13 The wicked is [dangerously] snared by the transgression of his lips, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall come out of trouble.

The hypocrisy has been stunning. A week before the election Clinton told Biden not to concede under any circumstances, the day after the election the same people commending Clinton for that were vilifying Trump for not conceding. Obama eulogized John Lewis for his continued participation in protests while being an elected official saying this is what the US constitution was all about. He disparaged and ridiculed Trump for being immature for protesting the election. The media is stomping their feet screaming for a peaceful transition of power when there was no such transfer afforded by them to Trump in 2016. They spent three years claiming that Russia had interfered in our election and that we need to secure the process, yet are now claiming ‘nothing to see here, time to move on’. Biden encouraged immigrants to come to the country when he campaigned, once he took power the border was swamped and yet they tried to blame Trump for this.

14 From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hands shall come back to him [as a harvest]. 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who listens to counsel is wise. 16 A fool’s wrath is quickly and openly known, but a prudent man ignores an insult.

A fool is very quick to rant and rave, whereas wise and prudent men are much slower, they are working with their hands, these things can take weeks even months, and the little insults along the way are considered trivial to the ultimate goal.

17 He who breathes out truth shows forth righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), but a false witness utters deceit.

This will come out. When you discover who was uttering deceit know for a certainty that they are a false witness. We know that WAPO and NY Times were both uttering deceit. We know a number of people in the Federal government who were uttering deceit.

18 There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19 Truthful lips shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is [credited] but for a moment.

Remember this, the liars seem to have the upper hand for only a brief moment. Little by little cracks appear in the walls and foundation, soon the entire house is sliding into a pit and they are overthrown. Speaking the truth requires digging down to the foundation and building on that rock. Immediately after the January 6th riot some claimed the MAGA rally was responsible for a violent insurrection and riot. They impeached Trump for inciting this riot. Then it came out that the people involved in the riot were not at the rally, had been planning this online for days, and brought equipment to the capital prior to Trump speaking. So then the accusation was that Trump had not responded quickly enough to send help to the capital. But then it came out that Pelosi who is responsible for the security rejected having thousands of National guard stationed at the capital and she also ignored intelligence warnings of a possible riot. AOC had a very piercing video of how she felt threatened by the riot only for us to learn later she was half a mile away, she was in a different building, and no rioters ever came close to where she was. Still it was called a violent insurrection because a policeman had been killed, bludgeoned to death. Only we learned later he had not been bludgeoned, only had a little pepper spray. Ultimately the man charged with assault (spraying the bear spray) was not charged with aggravated assault because there is no evidence the bear spray had anything to do with the policeman's death.

20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who devise evil, but for the counselors of peace there is joy.

So when you discover who has uttered lies, who the false witnesses are, who spoke deceitfully, then pull on that thread because you will discover who devised this evil in the first place. Pelosi, Schumer, AOC, they all uttered lies, pull on that thread.

21 No [actual] evil, misfortune, or calamity shall come upon the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil, misfortune, and calamity.

Wow! No “actual” evil will come upon the righteous. There will be claims, accusations, threats, but in the end, no actual evil. On the other hand evil, misfortune and calamity are going to come on all those who were involved in trying to steal this election. At first they threatened to charge 75 million people as being insurrectionists, then only those in Washington DC on January 6, then only those who trespassed. In the end a few people are charged with criminal mischief, many of whom were not part of the MAGA rally, and the main architects of the riot appear to have been BLM activists, Right wing anarchists (not Trump supporters) and a few shady people associated with the FBI and Secret Service.

22 Lying lips are extremely disgusting and hateful to the Lord, but they who deal faithfully are His delight.

This entire investigation is like a boat sailing on the sea with a strong tail wind. We are being propelled forward because what they have done is disgusting and hateful to the Lord, meanwhile He is smiling on those who are standing for righteousness because we are His delight. The rapture is for the faithful and wise servants who were preventing the house from being broken into and stolen, they are the Lord's delight.

23 A prudent man is reluctant to display his knowledge, but the heart of [self-confident] fools proclaims their folly.

We saw the same thing with Sydney Powell who was reluctant to give away her case on the news while Tucker Carlson’s rant about her prudence can only be seen as folly.

24 The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.

This is the heart of the matter. Joe Biden’s campaign was slothful, Donald Trump’s was diligent. People who are slothful choose to cheat.

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad. 26 The [consistently] righteous man is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked causes others to go astray.

One thing that is sickening is how many were coached into going astray. Many of the affidavits were from poll workers who were not Trump supporters, but were offended by the wicked leading everyone else astray.

27 The slothful man does not catch his game or roast it once he kills it, but the diligent man gets precious possessions. 28 Life is in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), and in its pathway there is no death but immortality (perpetual, eternal life).

I heard the testimony of several very diligent people checking voter registrations of those who voted across multiple states, or comparing it to change of names for married women, or comparing it with death certificates, or looking at those who voted twice. They are all going to catch these crooks and then roast them.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Exodus 10 -- Why does it take a great tribulation for man to repent?

1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: 2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.

Many in the world are extremely arrogant. They think that it is our job to convince them to repent and if they don’t repent we have failed in our mission. That is not the mission of the gospel. We present the message and every person is responsible for how they deal with it. Every word spoken to Pharaoh will not return void because they help warn and encourage all the believers.

3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

This is the question every unbeliever needs to answer. Instead of complaining about how terrible the tribulation is going to be why not ask why it takes that much for some people to humble themselves?

4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: 6 And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

It is hard for some to understand how our economy works, what is “money”? The fact is that money is nothing, it is an illusion. The people in the world are often smarter than those in the church, they have figured this out. In the Bible we are taught that in all labor there is reward. But there have many who have figured out they don’t need to do any labor, as long as they can put a few 0s in their bank account they are fine. Well for the last six months there have been locusts eating up those 0s, you haven’t noticed it yet because push hasn’t come to shove. But once we run out of food then you will realize real fast how imaginary the money is. That is why the floods, the fires, the locusts, swine flu and the pandemic are all so catastrophic. Each has hit our ability to produce food. But the famine is coming. China sees it coming and is terrified, they know what a famine means, they would rather go to war with the rest of the world than suffer another famine.

7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

This is what I am saying.

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

There are many saints who are concerned about the rapture, “will I be taken”? Can you imagine if Pharaoh got to decide who gets to go?

9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. 10 And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. 11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.


Do not worry, the Lord is not going to leave behind our little ones.

12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

The interesting thing about these plagues is that much of the food we grow is for next year. This year we eat last year’s food. So you can see this destruction and still go home and eat dinner. But you know there won’t be anything next year.

16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only. 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord.

He could have had a genuine repentance the first time Moses came to him. That would have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble. The tribulation is because of this, the rulers and leaders of the world refuse to repent. They say they repent, they pretend to repent, but it is one lie after another.

19 And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

He thinks he is smart. Oh please forgive me this once, God clears up the locusts, and in his mind that is what it means to be a leader. You manipulate others, lie to them, promise anything, and take advantage of them.

21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

Hold it, no warning? The rules changed. The lice, the ashes, the boils and the locusts. He had four chances to deal honestly with God, he didn’t, so sorry, there is no longer any need to waste time going to him. He treats God disrespectfully, so no one needs to respect him anymore either.

22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

China is in a very bad corner, the US, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and Europe are all banding together to deal with them. Their export business is tanking and their harvests have been destroyed by floods, locusts and swine flu. They are hemmed in by India with the Himalayan mountains as a wall. The US Navy and the Japanese Navy and the fortified island of Taiwan are a very formidable force. The only way to have any chance would be to take out the US first, and they can’t do that with their navy. So one thought is they will use EMP devices to wipe out our power grid. If you take out a few major power stations the entire grid will collapse. One brother, Dana Coverstone had a dream of this happening, another person died and had a vision where there was no electricity anywhere in the US.

24 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

This is what the rulers in the world are like, always negotiating, always thinking of some trick, the fine print in the contract.

25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. 26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house, he is not a simpleton. There aren’t many like Moses in the church, but we have what we need.

27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. 29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

Pharaoh proclaimed the judgement. He is the one that just upped the stakes to death. Lice, flies, boils, locusts, this is not death. You have two options when God tells you to repent, you can humble yourself or you can harden your heart to the point it will shatter. The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart caused misery and death for all of the Egyptians, not just him.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Acts 3 -- Listen to everything He tells you

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Two thousand years ago there were no jobs in an office sitting at a computer. It was an agricultural society. If you can’t walk you can’t work. If you can’t work you have no function. Each one of us needs a function. The gospel is that in the Kingdom the Lord “goes to prepare a place for us”. Each one of us has a function, just like members of the body. You might think that hair is not a very important function, but suppose you got a disease that caused all your hair to fall out. Same thing with fingernails, or teeth. There isn’t a single member of our body that we would want to lose or would not miss if we did lose it. This is the gospel. You are necessary. The body needs you. The Lord needs you to walk.

11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

There are many, many people who have turned their lives around after being saved. They might have been drug addicts or gang members and now their testimony is that they are completely healed. It is by faith in the name of Jesus that they were made strong. People describe sinning because they are “weak”. They are unable to resist temptation. Faith in the Lord’s name is what made them strong. God desires to do this because healing you glorifies His Son. Imagine how much you would regret having disowned the righteous one and instead embracing a killer who then kills you. Imagine the guilt in having killed the author of life and then seeing Him raised from the dead. If it was a mistake, then repent of disowning Jesus, call on His name and faith in His name will save you and completely heal you.

17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.

It is easy to blame the leaders, but they are no different from us. Everyone is ignorant, everyone didn’t know what they were doing. That is why Jesus is Lord and they are not.

18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

This is the gospel. Repent of your sins, turn to God, be forgiven and your sins will be wiped out, you will be refreshed and He will send Christ, even Jesus to you. All true believers are looking to the Lord’s coming. If you see that day approaching within you there should be a rejoicing. You can be both fearful and rejoicing, just like you would be before a big championship game is about to begin. But if you are feeling dread that indicates you have to deal with sins and get right with God. Fear the Lord, Love the Lord, rejoice at His coming. Those are all healthy. If instead you want to hide when you hear Him coming, that is what Adam and Eve did when they had sinned.

21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Once again the return of Jesus the King is an integral part of the gospel and what we believe. We are all pilgrims looking for a better kingdom. Right now you are seeing worldwide condemnation of the kingdoms of this corrupt age. That is half the story, the other half of the story is that Jesus came to rescue us from this corrupt and evil age.

22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

It isn’t complicated. There are bibles everywhere, even free on the internet. Nothing could be easier than to listen to everything Jesus has told us.

24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.

The Bible is filled with prophecies that foretell the end of this age, the last days, and the great day of the Lord’s wrath.

25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Jesus was sent first to us, for us to repent and turn from our sins. But the ultimate goal of the covenant we have with God is that all peoples on earth will be blessed through us. The gospel is for the whole earth. It is going to deal with injustices. The protests going on all over this earth are from people who feel they have been disowned, that they have been treated like a murderer while the real killers go free. That may be a surprise to them, but it isn’t a surprise to the Lord, nor is it a surprise to all those who have received Him and been made strong by faith in His name. The gospel is not simply that the world is corrupt, but even more importantly that Jesus will save us from this evil age. Silver and gold is not salvation, anyone who thinks that is like a person on a sinking ship holding tightly to a chest of gold. If you want to be saved you must have faith in Jesus and you must listen to everything He tells you. Do that and we will walk through the midst of the sea on dry land while Pharaoh's armies will be swallowed up behind us.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
1Kings 1 -- Lord, Adonijah has become king, what about your promises?

Many are wondering “what is going on”? All the key points that I am going to share I have already shared in the preceding posts, but for the sake of putting everyone at ease I will put it all together here. On September 15th in Washington D.C. Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and two Arab nations for Jerusalem to belong to Israel and so that they could rebuild the temple. According to Daniel that may signify the start of the 70th week. The age of Israel was broken into 70 weeks, at the end of the 69th week they crucified Jesus and God’s move with them ceased. That was the beginning of the age of grace, the church age. The church age ended with the signing of that treaty. (The afternoon of September 15th in Washington D.C, is September 16th in Jerusalem. That was a significant day on the Essene calendar). As a result there had been tremendous speculation among many Christians that the rapture would take place during Yom Teruah, the blowing of the trumpets. Revelation 4 begins with “after these things” referring to the church age, after the church age, a door was opened in heaven. Yom Teruah refers to the opening of the gates of heaven. Then a voice like a trumpet called to John to “come up here”. This of course is similar to the rapture, it is also a direct reference to the Lord’s word “you shall not see me again until you say ‘blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord’. On the sabbath prior to a man getting married he would be “called up” to read from the Torah. When he approached the entire congregation would say “blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord”. Yom Teruah is known as the festival where “no one knows the day nor the hour”. This festival occurs on the new moon, it requires two witnesses to carefully watch the moon and once they see the new moon to go report to the Sanhedrin who will announce the day with the blowing of trumpets. When asked about the Lord’s return he told the disciples that “no one knows the day nor the hour”. He also said “except for my Father in heaven”. That is another direct reference to the marriage of the Lamb. In the Jewish tradition the man makes a contract with a woman to get married. That is the engagement contract and he pays a price for her. Jesus paid the price for us and we have the New Testament as our engagement contract. He then goes to prepare a place for her, just as Jesus said He had gone to prepare a place for us. However, it is the Father that will determine when everything is ready. So that was a second reason that many saints became quite excited about this festival (September 19th and 20th). This festival is also referred to as “the concealed day”. A day is 24 hours but this day doesn’t begin at sundown, rather it begins when they see the new moon, so you have to give yourself a two day window for that day. Also, during this day they blow the trumpet 100 times, eleven sets of nine and then one final blast. The final blast is called “the last trump”. The rapture begins with the “trump of God” and the dead in Christ are raised first. Paul calls this “the last trump” in 1Corinthians 15. Again, signifying when the rapture would take place. So then, what is going on? Didn’t God promise? I think the fundamental error that was made is that there are two raptures, the firstfruits and then those that remain. The church age does not end until after the second rapture, so we should expect this interpretation with Yom Teruah could still refer to the second rapture, not the first. Secondly it is true that the feast days are prophetic of things to come, but they were given to the Jews with their covenant, not with the christians. We are told by Paul that no one should judge us on whether or not we keep the feast days. The one day that we do keep is the Lord's table and that was instituted on Passover, at the time of the Lord's crucifixion. That is the one and only day that we have been given to keep. This year Passover is March 27th and according to Daniel there is about forty two months separating the first rapture from the time the Lord returns and those that remain are raptured. That would mean if the first rapture was at Passover the Lord's return would be around the time of Yom Teruah, which is when it is supposed to be (the trumpets alert the Jews to the coming king).

I am giving you the account of the coronation of Solomon because it prefigures the coronation of the heavenly Jesus. King David signifies Jesus earthly ministry which has reigned right up until the end of the age of grace. The story of the cross, the death and burial of Jesus, His resurrection from the dead, and the church age. The condition of the church is foreshadowed with several pictures in this account. You have David who is ready to die, like Sardis. You have the Shunamite woman who is neither hot nor cold, like Laodicea. You have the deep things of Satan seen in Thyatira trying to usurp the throne depicted by Adonijah and those with him, setting up their own Pope. And, you have the faithful servants of the Lord, (Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah). The church in Philadelphia is typified by Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. So at Solomon’s coronation you see three groups of people. There are the faithful witnesses watching for the fulfillment of the promises, you have those who were misled to follow Adonijah, and you have those in open rebellion against the Lord. When they see that Solomon is crowned King those that were misled immediately flee, and the rebellious ask not to be judged. After Yom Teruah there are ten days of awe, during this time the books are opened and the Lord puts the people into three groups. The faithful servants, the foolish and lazy servants who were sleeping, and the wicked who belong to Satan.

So then we come to the great sign in heaven that John talks about in Revelation 12. A woman crowned with 12 stars, clothed with the sun, the moon is under her feet and she is in travail to give birth to the man child. This sign has only occurred twice in human history, the first time was 3915 BC, and is considered the sign depicting the first prophecy concerning Jesus “the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head but he will bruise His heel”. The book of Revelation reveals that Jesus is the “first and the last”, the “alpha and the omega”. This sign acts as wonderful bookends to God’s redemptive plan for man. This sign appeared on September 23rd, 2017. It was preceded by a full solar eclipse over Washington D.C. Now many Christians will scoff at this as “astrology” a vile and condemned practice.

Psalm 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

The glory of God is Jesus Christ, His handiwork is His redemption. This story is placed in the 12 constellations of the ecliptic (the line gone throughout all the earth). If you look at the stars you would never be able to see those animals and creatures, God proclaimed his gospel plan in pictures in the heavens for all to see regardless of the language they spoke. Daniel understood this and told the Magi what sign they should look for, which is why they came to Jerusalem claiming to have seen Jesus star. Job refers to this extensively in his book. Balaam’s prophecy refers to a sign in the stars. In Genesis God made the stars for “signs”, not just for days, seasons and years. The two big signs are Jesus first coming and His second coming. So, let’s not scoff at God’s design,

Psalm 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

If we can be warned by them so much the better. So then on September 23rd this sign was seen. In the Jewish wedding the bride circles the groom three times before the wedding begins. The earth has circled the sun three times since this sign appeared. But it wasn’t quite three times by September 20th, so what is going on? Again, the ten days of awe are called the “Jacob’s trouble” and are understood to refer to the tribulation. However, in Daniels prophecy the tribulation is only 1 week, seven days. The days of awe are also when Jesus is discerning who is who (good and faithful servant who enters into the joy of the Lord, wicked and lazy servant cast out into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and those who belong to Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet).
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
1Kings 1:1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

“What is it you want?” the king asked.

17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Makes Solomon King

28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord Lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34 There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpetand all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”

42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”

43 “Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule,45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That’s the noise you hear. 46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. 47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.’”

49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”

52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
James 3 -- Praising God and cursing man

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Now consider the one who saw the wandering sheep, but did nothing, and yet he calls himself a friend of God. There will be some judgement, but it will be even stricter if this person is teaching others to do what they aren’t.

2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

We need empathy for those who cause to stumble. In seeking the wandering sheep you will discover a man who is stumbling others (like Saul of Tarsus or James the writer of this book) and you need mercy and empathy to rescue them.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

They put bits into the mouths of teachers, and the entire school system is steered by the politicians, wherever they want to go. Very often these decisions are driven by a very strong wind. The summer of 2019 every teacher went through an implicit bias training because the data is clear that the school system has an implicit bias and people have made enough noise to get the school system to pay attention. Twitter and Facebook are using censors as a way to put bits into peoples mouths to make them obey. We have seen that a change in administration has caused a dramatic change in which way the country is going. It is just like a ship being turned by a rudder.

5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Malcolm X revealed in his biography that one word from a teacher set the whole course of his life on fire.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Tamed and domesticated are not the same thing. Lions and bears have been tamed, not domesticated. We have trained seals, dolphins, even killer whales. But only God can tame your tongue. So then the issue we have with social media is real. You can be concerned about censorship, you can also be concerned about the untamed tongue.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

You want to know why brothers and sisters get stumbled? According to chapter 2 the key reason is favoritism, bias, discrimination, and hypocrisy. According to chapter 3 the key reason is hurtful words, perhaps accidental, perhaps inconsiderate, or maybe just careless. The Lord said you would know them by their fruit. Here is a tree that is both praising God and cursing man. There are two different fruits, like fresh water and salt water from the same spring. This is a fraud. If you are going to rescue the wandering sheep you will come across false prophets, the wolves that Paul warned us about. The Lord said we would know them by their fruit. Paul said they are deceitful workers, pretending to be angels of light. James tells us that we will see two different kinds of fruit from their mouth. Consider Hitler as an example of a false prophet leading astray the Germans. Initially he took control of a very small party, garnering only 2.3% of the vote. That is like controlling a single horse in the race. Then when the stock market collapsed he was able to gain control of Germany, like a captain steering the boat, and turning that boat with his tongue. Finally, he set all of Europe on fire, again with his tongue. His tongue expressed the wrath of man and the Nazis did not work the righteousness of God. He frequently emphasized the “pure aryan blood” in contrast to James emphasizing “pure religion”. He passed laws enabling the castration of weakest and most despised in society, his tongue cursed man. By contrast James emphasized visiting the widows and orphans in their affliction. Hitler’s tongue was set on fire by Hell. The Lord said “take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones” when a false prophet is allowed to steer the ship that is precisely what they do, they despise the least and weakest among us. Right now, in the school system young men of color are being despised. There are false prophets, they praise God and how they want to improve the school system and their words are wonderful, but the practice is a curse to the kids in the system.

Now let's apply what we have learned from history to today. Are they putting bits into our mouths, yes. Twitter and Facebook are exercising censorship, google is using algorithms to also control speech, Amazon is also colluding with them to do this. Are they trying to get control of the ship and steer it in a different direction? Yes, we have seen the most radical and extreme agenda ever. Are they shooting off sparks to try and start a forest fire? Yes, every day we are bombarded with provocative stories intended to fan into flames a race riot. Critical race theory would codify racism and bias. Prior to this the law was that everyone was given an equal opportunity. Now the law is we have an equal outcome based on the color of your skin. They are passing laws that would establish election fraud as the practice. You don't do that if you represent the majority. And with their mouth they say one thing but do another. They talk about wanting to help those on minimum wage, yet they throw open the borders to flood the country with laborers who will work for less than minimum wage. They say you will get $2,000 per person if elected on their first day in power, change that to $1400, change that to not be everyone, and then use that bill to bankrupt the nation. The money paid for Covid relief only represents 10% of the bill, the rest is paying back political debts. But immediately after a $1.9 trillion bill they then propose a $3 trillion dollar bill. You don't try to bankrupt the economy if it is your economy. Everything they are pushing through is designed to burn the US down to the ground. For example, the US women's teams have dominated sports worldwide. On day one they destroyed that. Do you think the rest of the world will allow our trans teams to compete with their women's teams? They are turning the ship towards the rocks in as fast a way as possible.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

False prophets have one kind of wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. They will boast that it was due to their “wisdom” that they got where they are. But if you dig deeper you discover that Hitler took power by killing others, the ugly facts that they will deny. 9/11 was an inside job, it allowed the Patriot act to be passed, an act enabling much greater surveillance in the US. Hitler’s public speaking created some of the most memorable spectacles seen this century, they also exhibited a man who was mentally unhinged. He was boastful, had bitter envy and selfish ambition. With the Nazi’s we found every evil practice. It was the expression of the wrath of man. The wandering sheep is the canary in the coal mine, an indicator of a much bigger problem. The mortgage crisis should have alerted all of us of a much bigger problem, NAFTA should have alerted us of a much bigger problem. The Stop the Steal rallies should alert us to a much bigger problem. Wisdom should be first pure, if someone is willing to do things that are impure for a “greater good” then beware. We are seeing political leaders like AOC willing to openly and brazenly lie "for a greater good". That is not pure. Heavenly wisdom is peace loving, a rabble rouser, someone looking to incite a riot is an indicator of someone who is full of envy. We have seen politicians jump on a shooting event to fan the flames of a race war, that is not peace loving. If they are not considerate of others, they are not submissive to authority, then that is evil and demonic. They will be full of vengeance instead of mercy, full of poisonous fruit, they will have blatant prejudices and they will be a liar. Your ministry must be that of a peacemaker who sows in peace and reaps in righteousness.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Exodus 11 -- We will take the kingdom by force

1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

God played Pharaoh. You start with some toxic algal bloom, followed by frogs, lice, and flies. Seriously, not a very terrifying attack. More like a cat playing with a mouse. But God was deadly serious. He wanted to expose all the sins, step by step, concluding with the biggest sins.

2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver and jewels of gold.

This picture of the rapture being like a thief in the night is not appreciated as much as it should be. In the US 44% don’t pay income taxes. So the country is being supported by the 56% that are working and paying taxes. Now imagine that one third of them are raptured. It might only be 10% of the US population, but a third of the workers. This will put all businesses in the country into complete disarray as well as being a crushing blow to projected tax revenue. Not only will most businesses lose a major portion of their workforce, they will also lose a significant portion of their customers. A lot of Christians believe the rapture takes place at the end of the tribulation. But at that point everything is already destroyed and lost, how would the rapture be “like a thief in the night”?

3 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. 4 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

God’s righteous judgement is based on “as you have done it will be done unto you”. In Egypt they had a law to kill the male children of the Israelites. You don’t do something like that without expecting a response from God. In the US they have a law to allow the abortion of babies in every single state of the US. Who speaks for those kids? God is the father of the fatherless.

7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

This is very weird, it seems he said this to Pharaoh yet in the previous chapter it says that Pharaoh would not see his face again. So perhaps on his way out of the palace he told whoever it was that was escorting him out? But what is abundantly clear is how abusive, deceitful, manipulative and exploitative the Egyptians were to the children of Israel.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.

These plagues have really accomplished a very important goal. They are separating those that belong to God from those that embrace the world. The Egyptians see this and they too are amazed and realize their God is the God.

10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

The violent take the kingdom of heavens by force. It wasn’t given to us, we took it. Stop whining about how the world has wronged you and hasn’t given you what you deserve. We are not beggars hoping for handout from Satan, we are children of the king, we are in His army, and we will take the kingdom by force.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
1Samuel 30 -- David completes the secret mission of God

1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

This is who they are. They are cowardly, but are opportunistic. Instead of gathering an army to fight against David they cowered and waited until they heard he was off fighting a war. As a king you cannot simply focus on the battle you will be fighting, but also on snake lying in the grass that will use that as an opportunity to kill women and children.

3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

There is no unsubstantiated conjecture to think that David was praying, inquiring and following the Lord. We see any time he had an important decision he inquired of God. So it is definitely logical to interpret that the decision to go to Philistine was a big decision that involved inquiring of God. Saul said that God had stopped answering him when he inquired and Samuel told him it was because you did not obey his command. Here we see God answering David, so it is illogical to conclude that going to Philistine was contrary to His command.

9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit. 11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

Wow, how pathetic the Amalekites are. This kind of treatment of people working for you played a role in their being caught and killed.

14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” 15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” 16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

Whoa, what? None of them got away except for 400 young men on camels? David’s entire force is 400 men (they left 200 back at the river). This is the importance of being a well trained fighting force. No well trained force would make camp in the valley. No well trained force would be revelling until the campaign was truly over and it isn’t over till you get back to your city. No well trained force would leave the sick man behind when they had 400 camels and plenty of food. Finally, why are they there for three days and nights? This is a great lesson, Sun Tzu says you can know the condition of an army by a single man. Seeing them abandon the Egyptian servant tells David a lot. Seeing them in the valley partying for three days tells him a lot. No doubt they were heavily outnumbered, but strike at night, while they are partying and there will be massive confusion. Many people will be drunk, others will be unable to find their weapons, animals will stampede in chaos, that is truly the best time. Hit them fast, hit them hard, hit them in the dark when they don’t know what is going on.

18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

Once again, experiences like this build the confidence and trust of those who are following you. Those same people who had despaired and wanted to kill David are now leading his flocks saying “this is David’s plunder”.

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.” 23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

How stupid can men be? If they had left 200 men in Ziklag it probably wouldn’t have been burned. What happens if you come back after the battle and all your supplies had been plundered? You have to start thinking like a team.

26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.” 27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Not only is David protecting Judah from the Amalekites he is also giving to them from the plunder which was taken from them. How awesome is that. I come home, my car is stolen, and later that week the police return my car to me. After that I love the police.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Psalm 113 -- He raises the poor from the dust

1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.
 

ZNP

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2020
36,407
6,657
113
Proverbs 13 -- Learning to predict the behavior of others

1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.


Wow, so even if you warn them they won’t respond. Your father is someone who cares more about you than anyone but will also tell you the truth. Why would you be so foolish as to ignore his warnings?

2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.


They just can’t help themselves. They will say things that are simply criminal.

3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

I believe we are watching a high stakes poker game being played right in front of our eyes. Trump dropped a bombshell, a nuclear bombshell on Biden about 12 hours before the inauguration. I suspect the situation was crazy at the time so Biden couldn’t respond at the time. Trump’s State department declared China to be committing genocide. That word comes with huge legal ramifications, it would be disastrous for China and their leaders. You know China will exert maximum pressure on Biden to reverse this. In addition to this Trump has declassified enough information to warrant the surveillance of Biden and a number of high ranking officials. There has to be a reason that 25,000 troops are stationed at the capital. If they have information that Joe Biden is compromised by a foreign country then we have laws in place that say it is the military’s responsibility to rectify the situation. If they are monitoring Biden’s phone calls and he speaks rashly with Xi from China that would be the evidence that would completely convince the American people. But why would Biden and the other leaders be so foolish? According to this chapter they just can’t help themselves.

4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. 5 The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.

I can imagine that Biden and the other people involved in this travesty will say things that will make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. What has happened at the border is doing that, what he has done to thousands of jobs is doing that, what he has done to women's sports is doing that.

6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. 7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

If I am right I will be very impressed with Trump. He obviously heeded his fathers instruction and rebuke. You cannot pull something like this off without being surrounded with people you trust and who are very wise. People who know how to “skin a cat”. The Lord has prepared people for this moment.

8 A person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes. 9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

As far as I can tell there is a lot of evidence that many of these people in Washington are wicked. I believe the Lord wants to snuff out their lamp. In the last few weeks we have witnessed one by one as people resign from their position or announce they will not be running for reelection. This is truly the way to do it where the American people can see and hear it for themselves. You have to be righteous to be willing to pretend to be poor, to have nothing, to be born in a manger, and yet have great wealth. The wicked just don’t get it, all those little people they despise, there is a great wealth of faith in them.

10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. 11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. 13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.

This is a recurring theme. Listen to your father, heed the rebuke, listen to instruction, respect a command. In football they teach you that when you tackle someone you need to put your nose right in the center of their chest. However, the natural response is to put your head down and tackle with your shoulder. You want to protect your head, not lead with it. But if you put your head down it is easy to break the tackle. So as much as it goes against your nature still you do it the way you were taught and guess what, no one breaks your tackle.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 15 Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

Once again, can you imagine Biden on a phone call with China committing treason, selling the US out. “The way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction”. Declassifying all of these documents that are damaging to Clinton, Obama, and others. Can you imagine the pressure they are putting on Biden to cover this up? The pressure on him to tell the AG to bury the investigation into his son? The way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

16 All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly. 17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing. 18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

He repeats this over and over because it is a hard lesson to learn. Who wants to be corrected? Who wants to be rebuked? If you are proud you are unwilling to heed instruction.

19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

You might think that once he becomes President then he would turn from evil. Fools can’t, they detest it. Remember, the definition of a fool in this book is someone who does not fear the Lord. They do not fear appearing before the Lord at His judgement seat. To turn from evil requires you pay the price, why would you do that if you didn't fear God?

20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

It is not good enough to not be a fool, to fear the Lord. You need to discern who your companions are. If you join the cabinet of a president who is a fool you are going to suffer harm. If you are a companion of the wise you will learn from them and become wise. Jen Psaki is getting ridiculed every day because she is a companion of fools.

21 Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

Sounds like the plot of a western movie.

22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. 23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away. 24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. 25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

The chapter begins with a warning to heed your father’s instruction and then ends with a warning to discipline your children. In the middle of the chapter you learn wisdom by being a companion to the wise. There is a wonderful transition here from being a child trained by your father, to becoming a young man choosing your companions and then becoming a father training your children after you. You are taking your father’s training and giving it to your son, in this way a person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children. The righteous can enjoy their children and grandchildren. But how about the wicked? Maybe they are in prison and never see their children. Maybe they get divorced and don’t see their children. They end up alone and miserable. Maybe it is the Godfather and one son learns from the father and dies as a young man. Because of his business he has to kill the husband of his sister and make his niece and nephew fatherless. The wicked go hungry.