Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

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2 Thess 2:1-8 -- The Rebellion comes first

1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him,

These are two things, the Lord’s coming and our being gathered to Him, what we refer to as the rapture. It appears that the Lord comes secretly immediately before the rapture.

we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Everyone should be very clear that a rebellion occurs first and the man of lawlessness is revealed before the day of the Lord -- the last seven years, the 70th week. There has been some wonderful exposition of Isaiah that the US is the transplanted vineyard of the Lord, the vineyard He surrounded with hedges to the East across the sea. Some have even overlaid the pattern of the temple and the items in the temple over the US and the pattern is quite fascinating. So let’s look a little closer at this, the antichrist who is to come, the “man of lawlessness” will be “impudent and brazen”. To a lesser degree we saw this with Hitler, but it will be on full display with the man of lawlessness. Second, he will be a master of intrigue. What this verse tells us is that the rebellion occurs first. We have a rebellion in the book of Esther which is a type of the end of the age and the rapture. We also have a rebellion taking place first in the story of Noah with the angels and the nephilim. We can also see a rebellion take place with Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot. So then I think we can see this rebellion of the evil Haman (antichrist) being exposed prior to the tribulation and then three and half years later when the great tribulation begins typified by the flood at the time of Noah and fire falling on Sodom we can see the rebellion taking place first then as well. You can't judge, convict and execute justice on the evil doers unless they first have their rebellion. This is what the end of the age is all about. Judgement can be a reward for Noah and Esther or it can be punishment for those living in Sodom, caught in the flood or part of Haman's treason. Of course the story of Hanukkah also relates a rebellion of the nations against God in setting up one world government to cast of God's authority.

4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

We just shifted from past tense to future tense. Before the day comes the rebellion takes place and the man of lawlessness is revealed. That takes place before we are gathered to the Lord, i.e. raptured. But in the future, after the rapture, He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped. It does not say that he does this prior to the rapture. That is not how he is revealed. He is revealed because he is uniquely impudent and brazen, because he is a master of intrigue, because he destroys the mighty. He will oppose God, even setting himself up in the temple and proclaiming himself to be God. He doesn’t destroy the mighty with his own power, but he does take full credit for it. To exalt himself over everything that is called God includes the governmental authority we see in Esther, the rebellion of the angels we see with Noah and the fleshly lasciviousness we see with Sodom. To set himself up in God's temple is a direct reference to the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem where Antiochus sacrificed a pig, but it could also be this recent example of putting a pig's heart into a man, and it could also refer to the genetic vaccines they are giving people to change their DNA similar to what the angels did to create the Nephelim.

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

We know what is holding him back. We may not be “master’s of intrigue”, we may not know the deep things of Satan, but all Christians know Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. This is what is holding him back. Think logically, if we know what is holding him back then we obviously observe this struggle and the Spirit holding him back prior to the rapture. Here we see three examples of Satan exalting himself against all that is called God and at the same time we see the end of the age in three stages. There will be a rebellion and rapture prior to the tribulation, then the Christians who remain will stand against the Mark of the Beast, and Finally the Jews will stand against the Antichrist in the temple in Jerusalem just like the story of the Maccabees standing against Antiochus Epiphany.

7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

We are the salt and the light. When we speak the word of God it restrains evil and holds it back. We must continue to do so right up until we are taken out of the way during the rapture. Many are referring to this as the "Red Sea" moment.

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

So if we are paying attention to current events what we are seeing is a rebellion. The allegations of voter fraud is based on a software company that is owned and operated by Diane Feinstein’s husband, and by Nancy Pelosi’s aid, and by Hillary Clinton’s foundation. But it is much more widespread than that. Many Governors, mayors, and the Democratic party are involved. The scale and scope of this is truly amazing. Laws were passed all over the country, often while the election was taking place. Judges were used to institute these changes. Polls were used to manipulate the impression of the election while the mainstream media has done everything in their power to create a narrative of fate accomplished. Tech giants have censored all stories that might be contrary to their narrative. Google, Facebook and Twitter are clearly pushing this agenda. What we are witnessing is a rebellion with Jezebel at the epicenter, but her protege, the Antichrist, will destroy her. Isn't that great, they bite and devour one another. However, those who are fighting this battle are Christians. You can see them in prayer for the country. They aren’t fighting for Trump or Biden to win, but rather that the election be legitimate and not stolen. They are standing for the constitution to be upheld and honored. There are also thousands of people making signed affidavits. Again, they may not be a supporter of one candidate of the other, rather they are offended at the crime of stealing this election. It is interesting that thousands of dead people have voted. It is the Satanic version of the dead being raised to help support Jezebel and now these same dead that voted for her will also escort Jezebel back to hell with them. God is omnipotent, that means He can use anyone to accomplish His will. We will see the mighty hand of God as He executes judgement on Jezebel. However, it will be the antichrist who will take credit for it and that in turn will set the stage for further judgments on those who would not receive Jesus.

 

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Detailed historical discussion of Daniel 11

 

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These two videos by Stephen Dexter are quite amazing. I hate to boil it down to a single point but he makes a very compelling case for the 70th week beginning June 1, 2022.

He agrees as do many others that prior to this date we will have this war with Russia.

When you watch Dr. Barry Awe and Pastor Sandy they make a very compelling Biblical case that the rapture will be prior to April 2, 2022.

The Prophecy Club provides modern day prophets, dreams and visions that give us a much fuller picture of this war with Russia that precedes the start of the 70th week. He also includes such prophets and dreams as Ken Peters, Dimitri Duduman, and Dana Coverstone.

Then Steve Fletcher does a wonderful job of giving you many little news events that tie in with the signs and prophesies. Everything Steve Fletcher is seeing points to March 18th as a day for the rapture, or at the very least a very significant date at this time.

My burden has not been with their research though it is obviously related to the rapture and I have been posting their videos on this blog. My burden has been with the Lord's leading at this time, walking the narrow way that leads to life. What does it mean to be obedient to the Lord and what is it that He will be judging at this time.

 

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Hebrews 10:1-10 -- Let's fix this once for all

Quick review of where we are. There are two kinds of covenants, two kinds of priesthood, two kinds of law. If this was just talking about Israel and the Jewish nation it would be out of place here in the New Testament. I will use my experience as a teacher to demonstrate these two kinds of laws, but it applies to any work that you do and it applies to governments. There are essentially two systems. In the one system the vast majority of people are “slaves” or “employees” who do what they are told. In the other system you are “the boss”. You walk by faith, you need to pray for wisdom. The ministry of Paul gives us the elemental teachings of the new covenant, James pushes us to maturity. In the elemental teaching you are justified by faith, as you go to maturity faith without works is dead.

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The offerings were “an annual reminder”. There is a regular “reset” where you must start over and over. This is because this system is not sustainable. We see this with all the empires. Egypt, Rome, Greece, Meso Persian, Babylonian, etc. They all fell and became dust. There is a fundamental shortcoming in all these empires, they treat people like they are bulls and goats; beasts of burden.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

This is exactly the same way I feel. Every year the school system has professional developments and a variety of activities to improve the experience for students and yet it seems to me like a hamster wheel. They don’t actually achieve anything. You would think that the goal would be simple, say to improve our test results from the 50th percentile to the top 10 percent. Every year we make small but incremental improvements toward that goal. Perhaps we have 4 or 5 different initiatives, we carefully monitor their impact. If three had a positive impact then we roll out those three schoolwide and come up with three new initiatives to test. In a school with 40 teachers you find the four who showed the most improvement and have them discuss what works and push those strategies out to everyone else if they are practical. But that is not what they do. Instead it is as though every year we are “reinventing the wheel”. Never once in all my experience in the public school have we had teachers at our school step forward and say this is what we did last year that was very effective. Now that is not completely true, we do have meetings and teachers do discuss things they are doing that are effective and this in turn does get shared with the whole school. But they will ask things like “what did you do last week that worked well”. There is no rigorous testing it is all anecdotal, and you can’t tie that to a goal like improving the results on the exam because how do you know if what you did last week will have a positive impact on an exam that is six months away? They treat the teachers like they are dumb beasts of burden. The Lord looked at this situation and said this is not what God desires. God wants results, He wants a perfect work. So what did the Lord have? He had a body, He had a life, instead of giving a cow or goat He gave himself. He put His life on the line. When you become an employee you agree to become a beast of burden, but when you start your own business you put yourself on the line.

7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”

I have a book that summarizes 400 different pedagogical studies and discusses how effective they were. These studies were done scientifically, with controls and tested and measured the results. I have another book that gives you the ten most effective strategies and it is quite eye opening. These books revolutionized my teaching, why should I reinvent the wheel? Why can’t I just take what they discovered and apply it to my teaching? It is a “perfect work” a “once for all” sacrifice. These studies do not specifically apply to my subject, so I must adjust and modify them. I was not directed to do this so if it doesn’t work my review will suffer. There was another teacher that I worked with. This teacher did exactly what the administrators asked her to do. They loved her lessons. She got top marks on her observations. They held her up as an example of what to do. I would visit her class and observe several times a year. We both taught the same subject. Yet despite this I never felt to adopt anything that she did in my classes. Her results were average whereas my students were scoring far above average.

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Can you imagine how revolutionary this was? If you do away with the sacrifices and offerings you do away with the Jewish religion. No wonder they wanted to kill Him.

We need to measure our work by the results. Many years ago Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind” act and all teachers needed to use data to drive instruction. That meant we had to look at the results to determine what to do. Failing schools were closed. Administrators began telling teachers how to teach and the approach was called “teaching to the test” and it was a dismal failure. Most school administrators do not have a background in math and particularly statistical analysis. Instead of saying “hey I better study up on this” they just assumed they knew what to do. They would look at your results on the exam, pick out 10% of the questions that the students did poorest on and tell the teachers to spend more time on these. Imagine a teacher is “building a house” over the course of the year. You lay a foundation, you put up the structure, you enclose it by putting the roof on, the doors in and the windows in. You connect the electricity, plumbing, do finish work, paint the walls, lay carpet and you are done. Now the student who gets 100 on the exam has a finished house. Others have a house that is almost finished, but can be lived in, they got an 80 or a 75. Still others have a house that has windows, doors, and a roof. They got a 65. What do you think will be the thing that most students didn’t complete? Maybe they didn’t lay the carpet, maybe they didn’t paint all the walls. So the administrator's instruction was like telling the teacher to spend more time on painting walls and laying carpet?! That is idiotic. But many teachers dutifully did what they were told, got horrible results and then said “teaching to the test doesn’t work”. No, assuming you know statistical analysis when you have never studied it, that doesn’t work. Any reasonable person would look at this process and say “how can we do it more efficiently so that more students will get a house that is at least 65% done or 80% done or 90% done? If the problem is that too many students are failing the exam the answer might be to skip teaching about painting walls and laying carpet altogether. Those lessons don’t help anyone get to 65% they only help you get to 100% from 95%. This is what Jesus Christ did, He made a sacrifice “once for all”. That was the most efficient, the most effective.

 

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Very important video

He clears up this confusion about when the rapture is compared with when the tribulation begins.

It seems that the rapture will be in Adar, 187 days before Yom Kippur, or 180 days before Yom Kippur (not completely clear). Still it would make March 2022 as a very high watch time for the rapture. It would also explain Jeremiah's word that "summer is over and we are not saved" as referring to those who are not saved after the tribulation which is "the summer".

Also the rapture could still be after the equinox, after "winter is over" and it is the time of springtime.

 

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Fools for Christ

Romans 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

This is a very interesting point, the people who claim to be wise have actually become fools. They think all their education and Phd's give them the standing to be "wiser" than everyone else.

Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

This is what we are seeing now. If you disagree with the elites about the vaccine mandate they call you a fool, a deplorable, etc. It is so clear today that all the censorship and insulting language is directed at anyone who would question the authorities. They hold themselves up as wise and yet they have become fools. Meanwhile the Christians and those with common sense are ridiculed as being foolish.

1Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

This is the crux of the matter. If you preach the cross of Christ, if you preach obeying Jesus word, if you preach that Jesus is Lord then it is seen as foolishness by the world. What makes a fool for Christ? You are one who honors the Lord's word to take up your cross and follow Him. There are many who claim to be the Lords but some Christians think it is foolishness to take up the cross. The Lord says if you do not do what He says then don't call Him Lord.

1Corinthians 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Remember this. God enjoys saving us through the foolishness of preaching. All of these proud and arrogant ones who claim to be so wise, God enjoys dealing with them by saving those who humble themselves to be saved by the foolish preachers.

1Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Think about this. The rapture of the church in Philadelphia, the church with a little strength, the church that was reviled by the synagogue of Satan, that rapture will put to shame all of these ones who are wise in their own thinking. God chose them not because they were strong or because they were wise but because they obeyed the Lord's word, took up their cross and followed Him.

1Corinthians 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.

At some point all of us must learn this lesson just like Moses.

1Corinthians 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ!

Who are those who are raptured? They are "fools for Christ".

1Corinthians 15:36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

That is the point, you want to be raptured, you want to "come to life" then know it won't happen unless you die to yourself first.








Matthew 7:24-26 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.





Matthew 23:17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?





Matthew 25:2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

 

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He thinks the feast of Trumpets will be when the tribulation begins which corresponds to what Pastor Sandy just taught (post #3406)

 

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"Be ready and be a part of it, that is why I preach the rapture"

 

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"Be ready and be a part of it, that is why I preach the rapture"

The church leaves





Then there is a war





There is an attack against Israel





Then the Antichrist steps forward and says we will calm all this down





Adar —month before Nisan. From Nisan 1 to Yom Kippur it is 187 days.





David rules in Hebron for 7 years and six months. Hebron is the land given to Caleb.





So what is going on for six months? Celebration!





We see this type with David ruling in Hebron as well as the story in Esther

 

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Mark 9 -- The Transfiguration

1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

This word is different from Luke. In Luke they see the kingdom of God, while here they see that the kingdom of God has come with power. It is not the same rapture. There is one at the beginning of the tribulation which catches people by surprise and they don’t know how to explain it, hence “the great deception”. But this one will come openly and Jesus will come with great power. At this point the age of grace is over. Then you will have the eternal gospel for unbelievers and Israel will need to saved. Having seen Jesus come in power they will repent realizing the Messiah was rejected by them, “seeing Him whom they have pierced”. (For those who have missed this it seems that the three gospels -- Matthew, Mark and Luke are speaking to three groups. Luke is to the church which is taken prior to the tribulation, Mark is to the believers left behind during the tribulation and Matthew is to the Jews.).

The Transfiguration

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Can we focus on the key point, this is my Son, whom I love, listen to Him. That is the message of the transfiguration, that is the message of the rapture. Christians who are left behind after the first rapture get this message loud and clear. The Jews who are left behind after this rapture get this message loud and clear. Recently I was quite surprised by someone named Stephen Dexter, he just dropped two videos in the last month that do a remarkable job of correlating the end time events. It was remarkable because he did not have anything prior to this and it was very well made. Pastor Sandy also continues to amaze with his exposition of the Hebrew revealing the message of the rapture hidden in the text and of course Dr. Barry Awe presents a tremendous Biblical basis for claiming the rapture will happen this year. I was reflecting on these three who have done a wonderful job of showing the Biblical basis to believe the rapture will take place this year (prior to Nisan 1). This is critical as one prophecy from the OT says that God doesn't do anything without telling His prophets. So it is important to bring out this point. But what interested me is I have taken a very different approach with the rapture barely even touching on the when, for that I simply post their videos. My focus is on what God says here "this is my Son, whom I love, listen to Him!" When I taught Earth Science in NY we had a state exam at the end of the year. Some teachers would have a poster in the room saying "52 days until the Exam" that they would update each day. I didn't do that. Knowing the date and the time of the exam is important, glad someone does that, but I figured if you weren't ready for the test what difference does it make if you are on time? Do you know the Son of God? Do you love Him? Do you listen and obey Him? Those to me are the main questions when preparing for the rapture.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

That is confusing, I have looked at all the commentaries and no one can figure out what “rising from the dead” could mean This is the way it seems many Christians talk about the rapture. I wonder, what could it mean?

11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

OK, so without a doubt Elijah comes first as one of the two witnesses. Is the other witness Moses? What does it mean “they come first”? If John the Baptist was Elijah who is to come does that mean they could be born and are walking around among us? Or do they descend from heaven (as the saints go up they come down)? There is a lot we don’t know, but what we do know for sure is that Elijah comes first.

 

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Mark 9:14-29 Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

This reminds me of BLM movement. It is dominated by the young, they seem to be the child of the civil rights movement and yet they often will get involved in riots and doing stupid stuff. The movement is acting like it is epileptic with leaders who buy four big houses by scamming those who contribute and by using the non profit as a vehicle for campaign donations for the Democrats rather than for social change. And why are they taking this approach, it is just like what the Lord said “how long do we need to put up with this stuff”. They see someone killed on a youtube video and they are outraged. Six months later you learn more about the story that makes it more nuanced, but the damage has already been done. For example there was this famous story of a “Karen” in Central Park who called the police on a person in the park, presumably because he was a black man. Well as this went to court we learn that this man had threatened to hurt her dog and then pulled out a doggy treat. She understandably felt threatened, she was all alone, and she called the police. How did we learn this? He boasted about this on social media. He boasted about how he set her up and then videotaped her so that no one saw what had just happened to provoke her reaction.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

We are learning that they are teaching this CRT in elementary schools to poison our kids. They even promote kids becoming social justice warriors. Schools were taking the day off to let kids go to BLM protests. However, you check and the parents of these kids who were involved in the civil rights movement and have been working for justice and a free and fair society for their entire lives are the ones who realize they need help.

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

This is what we are seeing today, parents all over the nation are rising up to cast this CRT out of the schools and demand that it never enter again. The lesson is that the schools serve us, not the other way around. Which is why the Lord takes issue with him saying “if you can”. We need to realize we are destined to rule and reign, get rid of that attitude “if you can”. All things are possible to those who believe, we can speak to this mountain of a corrupt government to be taken up and cast into the sea and it will do what we say.

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

So, it is simple, we need to be praying about the situation today. We are seeing victories everywhere. CNN has lost 90% of its viewers and has seen 5 key people resign or be fired. Facebook just lost 25% of its value in a single day. Twitter has lost 50% of its stock price over the last year. 30 Democrats have said they will not be running for reelection. We are also seeing victories in state after state concerning election fraud.

 

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1Thessalonians 5:1 Now concerning times and seasons


Context of 1Thessalonians 5

4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.


5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.


I want to focus on the times and seasons. I provided the verses immediately before this so we could all realize we are talking about the rapture and the end of the age. He tells us here that he doesn’t have to write about that because we know very well! He is telling us here exactly what we will see at the end of the age that will signal the Lord’s coming.

1. It comes like a thief in the night -- a thief will case the joint first, so you could say the apostasy is a good clue that we have thieves (the wolves that Paul said would come) figuring out how to rob the church. This indicates it is the dark night, and it is when people sleep. How many times are we warned about watching and not sleeping. Some thieves will even attempt to drug the watchmen. I read this story about how the FBI planted bugs in the Mafia’s home and they had to drug the two guard dogs prior to the breakin. But Paul says that we are not of them that sleep. The believers who are asleep are those who love the world and are in the world and have allowed the world to drug them.
2. It comes while people are saying peace and security. This is filled with meaning. If you are saying something that is obviously not true then you are being superficial and easily deceived. The words are empty without any meaning. If you gave a man a nobel peace prize just because he was elected president that would be empty and meaningless. But this is such a notable verse in the Bible that this event must be big. For example, I would have thought that a peace treaty between the UAE and Israel would be worthy of a nobel peace prize. Nope, no mention at all. However, Obama gets one for being elected president. That to me is a fulfillment of this word. Also, I can see multiple fulfillments of this verse. For example Ezekiel 38 indicates there is a war with Russia prior to the start of the tribulation, the antichrist arrives on the scene promising peace and security which is why the whole world embraces him.
3. Destruction comes on them suddenly -- many believe that the Biden administration is a puppet administration being run by a puppet master. That would make whoever is running the Whitehouse from the basement “a master of intrigue”. Many of us assume that Kamala Harris will take over as Biden is clearly incompetent, however, this would put her at odds with the puppet master. We are told that Antichrist will destroy Jezebel, so I find that interesting. Consider what happened to Cuomo, his resignation was sudden, I think we will see the same thing here. Palace intrigue, sudden destruction, the vipers eating their own. Sudden destruction is what happened to Julius Caesar.
4. As labor pains on a pregnant woman. When a woman is pregnant these pains will come in waves and become more and more frequent. However, once the baby begins to come out there is no let up, it is a constant and irrepressible force as that baby will not be denied. This is what we are seeing with the election audits. It has been 9 months since the November election. If we use November 5th as the starting date of this “Stop the Steal” movement then August 12th would be 280 days. That is 40 weeks or a full term pregnancy. From the 10th to the 12th we are seeing this cyber symposium by Mike Lindell which is putting out all the evidence of election fraud. This baby is coming out and nothing is going to stop it. I think we are about to see a flood of information as state after state passes laws and does audits.
5. And they will not escape. So when a baby is born the sack that the baby was living in will go into the garbage and then into the fire. There is a separation between the “medical waste” and the baby. If you were part of the medical waste and were destined for the fire you might feel that you have the right to abort the baby rather than for you to be burned. Seeing as it is your body that would be a logical choice for you. We know the baby will be caught up to God, but the placenta, that will not escape the fire. So this also gives us a picture of the end of the age, this thief in the night “will not escape”. Antichrist and all his minions will be involved in a palace intrigue to seize control of the world’s government only to be cast into the fire like medical waste.

 

[ZNP]

 

[ZNP]

Hosea 4:1-9 -- So, I will destroy your mother

1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.

We need to understand these three verses because it explains everything that is going on today with these protests. Yet no one wants to say this. There is no faithfulness. The government is not faithful to protect the citizens. We saw that with Vietnam, we saw that with phony WMD’s as a reason to fight in Iraq, we saw that with the mortgage crisis. There is no love. These people who make these decisions whether they are CEOs or government leaders are not doing these things for love of the people, but simply to build and protect their own little empire. Whether it is to sell more bombs or simply to get financial backing so you can get reelected. Finally, there is no acknowledgement of God. I am not referring to the complaint that they removed God from the schools or the other talking points. No one acknowledges that they have sinned, no one acknowledges following their conscience, or following the word of God. Instead we see cursing and lying. Pro abortion becomes Pro choice. Instead of financial aid to developing countries it is called “investment in emerging economies”. These lies aren’t trivial. Weapons of Mass destruction, the threat that the “smoking gun will be a mushroom cloud” was how they justified a phony war that killed many. Not only so, but also how they justified devouring widow’s houses during the mortgage crisis. Their lies lead to murder, stealing and adultery. Violate covenants, destroy families and marriages, all as a result of the lies, murder and stealing. This is why we have climate change. This is why manufacturing has left the US turning Detroit and the rest of the rust belt into desolate cities. Why has the rust belt dried up and the people wasted away. The government wasn’t faithful, didn’t love the people and sure didn’t acknowledge God. They have broken all bounds. Your kids have died, your house has been taken away, your pension fund destroyed and your job disappeared. This is why bloodshed follows bloodshed. The damage is not simply to the economy. Natural disasters, fires, floods, hurricanes and even something called a derecho. Exxon knew about climate change for the last 40 years and has lied about it all this time.

4 “But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.

Two ways to understand this. First, the people are so obstinate they will not receive correction from anyone, not even the word of God. This is supported by the word later that since you have ignored My word I’ll ignore your children. The other way to understand this is that the priests are equally obstinate, there is no distinction between them and the people. This also is supported by the priests exchanging their glorious God for something disgraceful. According to this chapter both interpretations are valid, which is why he says “Let no one bring a charge”. How confusing is this, the two interpretations should be mutually exclusive, but both are valid? We are seeing this in these protests. A 17 year old boy with an AR-15 shoots protestors. It turns out that he was hired to protect a business from the protesters who had rioted and looted the previous night. So the same people calling to defund the police are calling on the police to do something to keep them safe. At a protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake Reverend Jackson lumps the two events together. Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by the police sparking outrage and protests over police brutality. The protests turned violent with riots and looting causing widespread destruction. The 17 year old boy was hired because the police weren’t protecting the businesses. So to blame both events on the police is as convoluted as this word in Hosea. NPR reviewed a book that defended looting, but made it clear that the author was talking about mass looting of stores and not someone coming to her house to rob it. Looting is justified as long as you aren’t looting her house. A man wearing a “Blue Lives Matter” emblem is shot and killed by a man saying “there is one of those Trump supporters” in Portland. Many complain that these counter protesters had come to just cause trouble. Portland has had 90 days of protests that are clearly designed to cause trouble and people are even justifying the need to cause trouble, yet these same ones condemn other protesters for “coming to cause trouble”. It is a total confused mess and this verse accurately portrays a total confused mess. Everyone is trying to morally justify what they are doing while proving that the other person is in the wrong. Everyone is trying to use Biblical principles of righteousness to condemn others while ignoring the fact that these same words condemn them.

5 You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—

Who can understand what he is saying if we weren’t actually witnessing this. Jacob Blake doesn’t show up to court so a warrant is issued for his arrest. He does show up at a woman’s house who calls the cops on him. They attempt to apprehend him and he either attempts to flee the scene or else tries to get a knife to hold off a half dozen cops. He gets shot seven times in the back. This is how you destroy his mother. What a horrific tragedy she has to live through. Your prophets are the ones telling you to behave this way. The cops are fascists, defund the cops, and looting is justified. This kind of speaking is destroying the mothers of this land.

6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is all you need to know. People are rejecting that. “We tried that, they ignored us”. You are admitting that you have chosen to ignore the Lord’s commandment, so in return He will ignore your children. Thousands of children are being killed every year, the parents have ignored the Lord's command, so He also will ignore their children. You cannot claim that God doesn't exist and ignore Him and then blame Him for what happens to your children.

7 The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.

You know this is true because when you turn to them for guidance you get disgraceful counsel.

8 They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.

“If it bleeds it leads”. This is the guiding principle of the prophets today. This mess and confusion is fed by the media. They feed on the sins of people, scandal sells news. They relish stories of corruption. Project Veritas just exposed CNN saying this, hoping for a higher death toll, figuring out how to cause fear, and how to manipulate people into voting against Trump.

9 And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.

They will reap what they sow.

 

[ZNP]

Romans 13:1-6 and the Vaccine

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

A lot of believers says that if the government mandates that you get the vaccine then according to Romans 13 you need to get the vaccine. On the other hand during the tribulation we know that the AntiChrist will mandate the Mark of the Beast and yet the Bible commands that you not get the mark of the beast. So let’s try to figure this out with the vaccine since that is much more immediate and also much less clear cut. What is the governing authority in the US concerning this vaccine that was established by God? Of course, it is our constitution. We also must abide by the Nuremberg laws which prohibit any country to mandate an experimental vaccine. So it is clear cut for the moment that when Romans 13 says let everyone be subject to the governing authorities concerning mandating the vaccine that it is talking to the Biden administration and anyone else who wants to mandate it. God has established laws that forbid it. Instead what we see are businesses, hospitals, and other non governmental organizations “mandating the vaccine”. You should understand that they are not being subject to the governing authorities. They will claim that the letter of the law does not prohibit them from doing this, that may be true, but the spirit of the law does.

However, if the vaccine is approved by the FDA that changes the equation. This is really problematic because as a rule it is supposed to take 12 years or so to determine that a vaccine is safe without long term side effects. It is also problematic because they are not being transparent with the data on side effects and deaths as a result of this vaccine. The evidence we are seeing would say that this vaccine should never be approved. Not only so but the basic rule, again established by God, is to “do no harm”. The death rate from Covid is extremely low, there are three effective treatments if you do get sick, and the rate of mutation is very high so new variants will make any vaccine ineffective. These guiding principles and guidelines for vaccines should also be seen as the governing authority established by God.

Still it would be extremely problematic if a legitimate government authority mandated the vaccine according to the laws that were established by God. That is why the investigation into election fraud is so significant. If it turns out that the Biden administration is in power through fraud then they are not the governing authorities established by God. They were not elected according to the US constitution but rather through deceit. So then, since the 2020 election predates any mandate we need to resolve the election first so we can know who is the governing authority authorized by God.

2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

It is very easy to say that this refers to the January 6th riot at the Capital and it certainly does. But notice the word “whoever”. We have learned a whole lot more about the whoever in the last 7 months. FBI, Police, Antifa, and Anarchist groups comprise about 90% or more of those involved in the riot. The mass media spread lies about MAGA killing a cop. So they also were involved in this. There is no doubt that someone is rebelling against the authority and we need to determine who it is. Ultimately they are rebelling against what God has instituted. This is important. As believers we can stand strong for what God has instituted which includes our constitution and our government.

3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

Once again you could think this refers to the Biden administration, because they are the ones in authority. However, Jesus is Lord. Everyone, including the Biden administration is beneath the Lord’s authority. If Pelosi, or Biden, or Harris has done wrong then the Lord Jesus holds terror to them.

4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

The sword here is the US military. There are very clear protocols for dealing with treason. They have taken an oath to defend and protect the union from all adversaries foreign and domestic. The Lord is giving a very firm warning. We don’t just slump our shoulders oh well, they gave the order for me to go to the concentration camp today, I need to obey. No, not if they are not legitimate, not if this is treason.

5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

Do you get that? Losing my job is punishment. Being imprisoned is punishment. But if my conscience tells me this is the way I need to go the conscience trumps any temporal punishment. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years for conscience sake. Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned for conscience sake. Mohammed Ali was not permitted to box for conscience sake.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

The government officials are God’s servants. There will be those who do walk by their conscience. They will speak the truth, they will stand up to treason, they will act to protect you. These are extraordinary times, but our constitution anticipated extraordinary times. Be at peace.

 

[ZNP]

Hosea 4:10-19 A horror movie in slow motion

10 “They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves 11 to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding.

That is the sick reality of sin, "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave". You cannot leave a criminal organization,. They don't understand they have been hooked like fish on the line, they can't escape and soon they will be someone's dinner.

12 My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.

Superstitious gibberish. Consulting a block of wood or watching a stick fall to the ground to interpret what the spirits are saying to you.

13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. 14 “I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes— a people without understanding will come to ruin!

The children learn from the adults. There is no punishment for fornication or adultery today because these situations generally involve a lot more than what you see on the surface. The women may have been abused for years. A shrine prostitute is simply a hollywood actor. To pay money for a hollywood movie is to sacrifice with shrine prostitutes.

15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty. “Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’

This is the situation today, we need to maintain a clear line of demarcation between what is happening in the street and what is happening in the church. There are laws being passed around the world making it illegal to preach the gospel or to convict people of sin. Christian churches in China must put a portrait of Xi up in the sanctuary. They are crossing a red line for the Lord.

16 The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow? 17 Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone! 18 Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways. 19 A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

These protests, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and the white nationalists will all be swept away. Their sacrifices bring shame. Some person shoots people as a “sacrifice” to his cause. They are stubborn, they are joined to idols, they continue to sell themselves to do evil, and their leaders love it and stir them up for more. You can make a case for Ephraim referring to the US Christians.

So I will destroy your mother. The picture Hosea paints of our society is that of a horror movie more terrifying than any Stephen King book. These mothers are living in a society where there is no faithfulness. Their husband wasn’t faithful, their boyfriend wasn’t faithful, and now they are a single mother. This is a society without love. This woman has to raise a bunch of kids without any help. These kids are like little guppies being thrown into a pool with sharks every day. The movies Boyz in the Hood and Gran Torino depict a world in which gangs prowl like a pack of wolves trying to get young boys into their gang. They murder and they rape with impunity. In each movie they show how the only way to rescue these boys is with a very strong father, without that the boy really has no chance. So these mothers watch their kids grow up, day by day, knowing this, seeing it play out day by day. Their life is like the tense scene in a horror movie where you know something is about to happen. The root of the problem is faithfulness, love and acknowledging God. What are the chances that this will happen in our society today? It is nil. In the UK they want to make it illegal to preach the gospel on the street. In Canada they want it to be illegal to put a Bible verse up on a billboard. It is far worse in China, India, or Saudi Arabia. So there is a distinction. In the church the focus is on faithfulness, love and the worship of God. Yet this chapter ridicules priests and prophets. So you have to see the difference between “Israel” and “Judah”. Israel means prince of God. There are churches where the princes and rulers attend. These priests are used to wash their image much the same way as the cartels have people who wash their money. The rich, the wealthy, the powerful go there and when they need to improve their image they will give a million dollars to the church, they will show up at fundraisers, they will do what is necessary. They treat these churches like the public relations wing for their private life. Judah means praise. There are other churches that are composed of the poor, the outcasts and the offscouring of the world. There are not many wise, or rich or powerful among them. But they are known for their praise of the Lord. They are known for their worship of the Lord. You can still have a single mother with a bunch of kids go there but the pastor will take that role of strong father figure. If their kids get in trouble you call the church. If you need to keep them off the streets you put them in the choir. You can live the real life horror story that is the US or you can live a life of praise and worship which is “Judah”. I have seen this story repeated on the internet but for some reason they always think it is the “black mother’s nightmare”. That is baloney. It is the hispanic mother’s nightmare too. Gran Torino was about an asian gang, it is the asian mother’s nightmare as well. Of course that ignores Sandy Hook, Columbine, and the opioid crisis. It is the suburban mother’s nightmare too. Nothing illustrates how unfaithful and unloving our government is than our situation with guns. I lived in a small city in West Texas. I knew people who got a gun as a teenager and held onto that gun for 50 years. They would go hunt pheasant, deer, geese, ducks, etc. They didn’t need cable TV, they had an enjoyable hobby that provided a lot of food for their family over the course of fifty years. It was a father and son activity. It was something they had done in their family from one generation to another. I do not see any reason why gang violence in LA, or tragedies in Sandy Hook should require them to give up their guns. The solution is very simple if you had love and faithfulness. First, you would digitize all our gun records so that any time there is a shooting the police could determine whose gun was involved in the very first day. We have the technology to do this, we don’t because it is seen as the first step towards the government confiscating guns. It has been ruled that the government should not be allowed to keep this computerized record of every gun in the country. Therefore, the second critical step is to require every gun owner to have liability insurance just like we do with a car. If you have had a gun for 50 years without incidence the cost of this insurance would be negligible. But now you are protected if your son plays with your gun and someone gets shot. If you have your guns locked in a cabinet your cost for insurance would be even lower. But what happens is that the insurance companies keep the digital record. Now when a shooting takes place the police send a request to every insurance company with the digital footprint of the gun, they run it through their computers and come back with the person who owns this gun. But wait, no criminal is going to buy this insurance and even if they wanted to, no insurance company would sell it to them. “Young man with two felonies for armed robbery and possession with intent to distribute wants to buy an AR-15 and needs insurance.” No way, no insurance company wants to be on the hook for the damage this guy can do. So now when the cops find a gun on someone you have two violations: possession of an unlicensed gun and no insurance. But, that gun had to be insured before it leaves the factory. First it is insured by the retail outlet and then it is insured by the buyer. What gangs do is get a guy without any criminal record to act as their go between. He buys two dozen rifles then drives back to the gang and they pay him for them. But no insurance company is going to be on the hook for this guy buying two dozen assault rifles. Once we can start tracing these guns we’ll find out the stores that are selling to this person and who this person is. This allows the police to shut them both down. The solution is simple, why don’t they do it? Because criminals buy a lot of guns! It is very profitable for gun dealers, much more so than the guy who buys one rifle and holds onto it for 50 years. After a criminal commits a crime with a gun they toss it in the river and buy another one. They know that if they are caught with that gun they’ll be convicted of the crime. This mother lives in a world where the person she voted for has cut a deal with the gun dealer so that the gun dealer can get rich and the politician can get powerful, and she can live the nightmare. What is the nightmare? Perhaps her husband was shot and killed, or maybe he died while the police were kneeling on his neck. Maybe her son is shot seven times in the back while being apprehended by the police. Maybe he is shot right in front of her grandchildren. She knew this was going to happen and her life was like watching the nightmare in slow motion.