Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, G4106 that they should believe a lie:
This word delusion is translated as deceit and error. The word describes wandering in the wilderness like Israel did because they would not follow the Lord's leading. People have rejected the Lord Jesus as the great shepherd so God sends them a strong delusion.
Why did the Germans want Hitler? He was the strong delusion sent them when they rejected the path of righteousness.
This word delusion is translated as deceit and error. The word describes wandering in the wilderness like Israel did because they would not follow the Lord's leading. People have rejected the Lord Jesus as the great shepherd so God sends them a strong delusion.
Why did the Germans want Hitler? He was the strong delusion sent them when they rejected the path of righteousness.
Delude, Delusion:
lit., "a wandering," whereby those who are led astray roam hither and thither, is always used in the NT, of mental straying, wrong opinion, error in morals or religion. In 2Th 2:11, AV, it is translated "delusion," RV, "error."
2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, G4106 that they should believe a lie:
Matthew 27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error G4106 shall be worse than the first.
This is the first use of the word for "strong delusion". It is based on a lie concerning the resurrection from the dead and it will also be concerning the rapture.
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error G4106 which was meet.
This is the second appearance of this word. They chose the LGBTQ+ agenda and rejected Jesus Christ as their Shepherd, as a result God sent them a "strong delusion". The first use of this word for strong is in Ephesians
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working G1753 of his mighty power,
God's mighty power is energetic and effectual and so is this delusion that is sent to us. It will be broadcast around the world, preached by the world leaders, and be playing non stop. This word is only used by Paul and is used six times to refer to the working of God and twice with regards to Satan.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working G1753 of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
The third time this word for delusion is used in the New Testament:
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; G4106
If you had dived deep into the Bible and looked to the Lord to be trained to discern the deceit you would have been protected. But those that embrace the delusion will be those who embrace the LGBTQ+ agenda, want to reject the resurrection and fall prey to those lying in wait to deceive.
2 Peter 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. G4106
They are luring people with great swelling words of vanity. Big promises that are completely empty like a puff of smoke.
1 John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. G4106
There is a dividing, the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. This makes things simple. If it isn't the spirit of truth then it is the spirit of error. Imagine we are taking a road trip, if you are not on the right road, then you are on the wrong road. It might be a nice, sunny, pleasant road, but it is not the road you need.
Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error G4106 of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Balaam ran down the road on his donkey because he was promised a lot of gold. This entire worldly system where people are chasing after the house with the picket fence is error, deceit, delusion.
lit., "a wandering," whereby those who are led astray roam hither and thither, is always used in the NT, of mental straying, wrong opinion, error in morals or religion. In 2Th 2:11, AV, it is translated "delusion," RV, "error."
2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, G4106 that they should believe a lie:
Matthew 27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error G4106 shall be worse than the first.
This is the first use of the word for "strong delusion". It is based on a lie concerning the resurrection from the dead and it will also be concerning the rapture.
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error G4106 which was meet.
This is the second appearance of this word. They chose the LGBTQ+ agenda and rejected Jesus Christ as their Shepherd, as a result God sent them a "strong delusion". The first use of this word for strong is in Ephesians
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working G1753 of his mighty power,
God's mighty power is energetic and effectual and so is this delusion that is sent to us. It will be broadcast around the world, preached by the world leaders, and be playing non stop. This word is only used by Paul and is used six times to refer to the working of God and twice with regards to Satan.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working G1753 of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
The third time this word for delusion is used in the New Testament:
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; G4106
If you had dived deep into the Bible and looked to the Lord to be trained to discern the deceit you would have been protected. But those that embrace the delusion will be those who embrace the LGBTQ+ agenda, want to reject the resurrection and fall prey to those lying in wait to deceive.
2 Peter 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. G4106
They are luring people with great swelling words of vanity. Big promises that are completely empty like a puff of smoke.
1 John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. G4106
There is a dividing, the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. This makes things simple. If it isn't the spirit of truth then it is the spirit of error. Imagine we are taking a road trip, if you are not on the right road, then you are on the wrong road. It might be a nice, sunny, pleasant road, but it is not the road you need.
Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error G4106 of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Balaam ran down the road on his donkey because he was promised a lot of gold. This entire worldly system where people are chasing after the house with the picket fence is error, deceit, delusion.
As it was in the days
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
This is an example of how we have been given a pattern in the Old Testament that applies to the New Testament. There are many who are looking at the Holy Feast Days of the Lord in the Old Testament because they are a shadow of things to come. However, if they were a holy convocation for our rapture we would have been told to keep them, but instead Paul told us clearly that we are not to keep them and we are not to let anyone judge us concerning them. So I don't see why anyone would be looking at one of the Lord's feast days in the Old Testament as a "high watch day". That said, Jesus did tell us the rapture would be as it was in the days of Noah.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
The first thing He tells us is that they will be going about their life as if nothing is going on right up to the day the flood comes and destroys them all. That is quite amazing if you think about it. In 2017 we had the Revelation 12 sign and quite a few people have made very detailed videos about that sign. By itself it is amazing, indicating the Lord is coming. But when you couple it with Israel having returned to the Land in 1948, they took control of Jerusalem in 1967, and then in 2017, 69 years later, we get this sign! That ties in with "this generation shall in no wise pass away". According to Moses a generation is 70-80 years long. This means this sign came as a warning to us right as we were approaching the 70 year mark. We had a worldwide pandemic, the first time in human history the whole world shut down their economy. That is a fulfillment of a prophecy in Joel indicating that the day of the Lord is at hand. In 2023 Hamas attacked Israel and since that day the war has escalated to where Israel is being attacked on 7 sides. They are fighting Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iran. Jesus said when you see Jerusalem surrounded and under siege look up for your redemption draws nigh. Then on October 2, which was also the Feast of Trumpets, the UN agreed to the Pact for the Future which looks like the covenant with the many that Daniel refers to which marks the start of the 70th week. We also see AI rising (beast system) out of the nations, and we see everything in place for the Mark of the Beast. You would think every single Christian on the planet would be proclaiming that Jesus is coming and the rapture is at hand. And yet, just like Jesus said despite all these prophecies being fulfilled people are simply going about their business, oblivious. So then this prophecy is clearly about the apostasy, but more likely about how clueless and mesmerized the unbelieving world is. But Jesus also said "until the day that Noah entered the Ark". The day Noah enters the ark is also the day of the rapture. Jesus never told us this about a feast day but He did say it about the days of Noah.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
There are a number of watchmen who have gone into detail on the days of Noah, but not so much on the days of Lot. There is no mention of marriage when talking about Sodom and Gomorrah, that could be a reference to the LGBTQ+ influence. Or Jesus may be equating "buying and selling, planting and building" to the marriage contract. We consider buying and selling as a very common occurrence while marrying and giving in marriage is supposed to be once in your life. But by equating these it makes marriage and divorce seem as common as buying a house and selling a house, or buying a car and selling a car. With Noah we are impressed that they could be oblivious to what is coming and that is a sign of how the apostate church is in darkness. With Lot we are impressed with how immoral they are and things that are supposed to be sacred are treated as common.
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Look at how Jesus says this. "The same day that Lot went out of Sodom". With Lot the point is that the destruction and the escape both occur on the same day. With Noah it occurs on the day that Noah entered the Ark.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Now this might confuse us. What is the day that the Son of Man is revealed? Perhaps He is talking about at the end of the seven years? But we have two big clues. First, this account of Lot being a reference to the rapture is only in the book of Luke. I have demonstrated in comparing the three synoptic gospels that Matthew is referring to the salvation of the Jews as a nation, Mark is referring to the salvation of the tribulation saints, and Luke is referring to those raptured prior to the tribulation. So that is one big clue that we are talking about the "pre-tribulation rapture". The second big clue is in Revelation, when the church in Philadelphia is kept from the hour of trial they are revealed to be the ones who were truly following the Lord. That is when Jesus makes the synagogue of Satan to come and worship at their feet. A second clue that the day when the Son of man is revealed is the pre-tribulation rapture.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
Now this verse is in all three gospels. So when the Abomination of desolation is set up in the Holy of Holies you should flee just as in the day that fire fell from heaven. That is what both Matthew and Mark are referring to, but not to what Luke is. Luke is referring to the pre-trib rapture. Mark and Matthew are referring to the Antichrist being revealed.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
So the discussion here is of the apostate church. Abraham refers to those living the life of the altar and the tent. Lot represents righteous (saved by the blood) Christians living in Sodom and trying to get along in a very sinful world. Lot was successful, working in the gate of the city. He had a wife, two daughters and they were engaged to two men. However, only Lot and his two daughters escape from Sodom, they lose everything. Three escape and three die. So half of those in this church die, the other half are refugees fleeing to the wilderness. Lot describes the left behind saints, whereas entering the Ark with Noah could signify entering the chamber in heaven with the Lord.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
This is an example of how we have been given a pattern in the Old Testament that applies to the New Testament. There are many who are looking at the Holy Feast Days of the Lord in the Old Testament because they are a shadow of things to come. However, if they were a holy convocation for our rapture we would have been told to keep them, but instead Paul told us clearly that we are not to keep them and we are not to let anyone judge us concerning them. So I don't see why anyone would be looking at one of the Lord's feast days in the Old Testament as a "high watch day". That said, Jesus did tell us the rapture would be as it was in the days of Noah.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
The first thing He tells us is that they will be going about their life as if nothing is going on right up to the day the flood comes and destroys them all. That is quite amazing if you think about it. In 2017 we had the Revelation 12 sign and quite a few people have made very detailed videos about that sign. By itself it is amazing, indicating the Lord is coming. But when you couple it with Israel having returned to the Land in 1948, they took control of Jerusalem in 1967, and then in 2017, 69 years later, we get this sign! That ties in with "this generation shall in no wise pass away". According to Moses a generation is 70-80 years long. This means this sign came as a warning to us right as we were approaching the 70 year mark. We had a worldwide pandemic, the first time in human history the whole world shut down their economy. That is a fulfillment of a prophecy in Joel indicating that the day of the Lord is at hand. In 2023 Hamas attacked Israel and since that day the war has escalated to where Israel is being attacked on 7 sides. They are fighting Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iran. Jesus said when you see Jerusalem surrounded and under siege look up for your redemption draws nigh. Then on October 2, which was also the Feast of Trumpets, the UN agreed to the Pact for the Future which looks like the covenant with the many that Daniel refers to which marks the start of the 70th week. We also see AI rising (beast system) out of the nations, and we see everything in place for the Mark of the Beast. You would think every single Christian on the planet would be proclaiming that Jesus is coming and the rapture is at hand. And yet, just like Jesus said despite all these prophecies being fulfilled people are simply going about their business, oblivious. So then this prophecy is clearly about the apostasy, but more likely about how clueless and mesmerized the unbelieving world is. But Jesus also said "until the day that Noah entered the Ark". The day Noah enters the ark is also the day of the rapture. Jesus never told us this about a feast day but He did say it about the days of Noah.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
There are a number of watchmen who have gone into detail on the days of Noah, but not so much on the days of Lot. There is no mention of marriage when talking about Sodom and Gomorrah, that could be a reference to the LGBTQ+ influence. Or Jesus may be equating "buying and selling, planting and building" to the marriage contract. We consider buying and selling as a very common occurrence while marrying and giving in marriage is supposed to be once in your life. But by equating these it makes marriage and divorce seem as common as buying a house and selling a house, or buying a car and selling a car. With Noah we are impressed that they could be oblivious to what is coming and that is a sign of how the apostate church is in darkness. With Lot we are impressed with how immoral they are and things that are supposed to be sacred are treated as common.
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Look at how Jesus says this. "The same day that Lot went out of Sodom". With Lot the point is that the destruction and the escape both occur on the same day. With Noah it occurs on the day that Noah entered the Ark.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Now this might confuse us. What is the day that the Son of Man is revealed? Perhaps He is talking about at the end of the seven years? But we have two big clues. First, this account of Lot being a reference to the rapture is only in the book of Luke. I have demonstrated in comparing the three synoptic gospels that Matthew is referring to the salvation of the Jews as a nation, Mark is referring to the salvation of the tribulation saints, and Luke is referring to those raptured prior to the tribulation. So that is one big clue that we are talking about the "pre-tribulation rapture". The second big clue is in Revelation, when the church in Philadelphia is kept from the hour of trial they are revealed to be the ones who were truly following the Lord. That is when Jesus makes the synagogue of Satan to come and worship at their feet. A second clue that the day when the Son of man is revealed is the pre-tribulation rapture.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
Now this verse is in all three gospels. So when the Abomination of desolation is set up in the Holy of Holies you should flee just as in the day that fire fell from heaven. That is what both Matthew and Mark are referring to, but not to what Luke is. Luke is referring to the pre-trib rapture. Mark and Matthew are referring to the Antichrist being revealed.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
So the discussion here is of the apostate church. Abraham refers to those living the life of the altar and the tent. Lot represents righteous (saved by the blood) Christians living in Sodom and trying to get along in a very sinful world. Lot was successful, working in the gate of the city. He had a wife, two daughters and they were engaged to two men. However, only Lot and his two daughters escape from Sodom, they lose everything. Three escape and three die. So half of those in this church die, the other half are refugees fleeing to the wilderness. Lot describes the left behind saints, whereas entering the Ark with Noah could signify entering the chamber in heaven with the Lord.
Ezekiel 7:14 They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
For the last seven years since 2017 the watchmen have been blowing the trumpet, warning of the Lord's return. So then, have all the Christians and churches called for all night prayer vigils? For the most part, maybe 95% the answer is no. They had the pandemic and the shutdown, at that time did they all turn to the word and prayer? Maybe for 95% the answer is no. Yes, many turned to complaining on the internet, but not to praying, not to the word of God, not to seeking the Lord. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The watchmen were blowing the trumpet even more but for the most part they were either ignored or people debated with them. Hamas attacked Israel according to Psalm 83 and again, few went to their knees to pray, or to the word of God. No, they debated and they claimed Israel was evil. It was very interesting, this did cause a division, those that stood with the Lord and with the word of God did begin to stand up and to stand strong against the age. Now it was more like 10% of Christians were standing up, speaking out, praying and turning to the word of God. But 90% were debating, or didn't want to hear about it, or were even trying to justify themselves by condemning Israel.
15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
For the last four years the Christians were warned to brace themselves by the dreams of Dana Coverstone and others. They could have easily and cheaply stockpiled food. Joseph's kitchen sells wheat in barrels of grain. You can buy a year's supply of food for one person for $1,000. That is far cheaper than what people spend today. That works out to $3 a day or $90 a month. So if you are struggling with inflation you could have bought this and stocked up on this. It is much cheaper than anything else you could have been eating. But, did they heed the warning?
16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
Notice that they are on the mountains, that is where Lot fled to after Sodom was destroyed.
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
Were they arrogant before, rejecting the word of God, rejecting the warnings that God sent?
18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
Horror for what they have witnessed, shame for their being asleep and ignoring all the warnings, and baldness as a testimony that their head was not covered. They claim Jesus is Lord but they all did what was right in their own eyes and ignored the Lord's leading.
For the last seven years since 2017 the watchmen have been blowing the trumpet, warning of the Lord's return. So then, have all the Christians and churches called for all night prayer vigils? For the most part, maybe 95% the answer is no. They had the pandemic and the shutdown, at that time did they all turn to the word and prayer? Maybe for 95% the answer is no. Yes, many turned to complaining on the internet, but not to praying, not to the word of God, not to seeking the Lord. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The watchmen were blowing the trumpet even more but for the most part they were either ignored or people debated with them. Hamas attacked Israel according to Psalm 83 and again, few went to their knees to pray, or to the word of God. No, they debated and they claimed Israel was evil. It was very interesting, this did cause a division, those that stood with the Lord and with the word of God did begin to stand up and to stand strong against the age. Now it was more like 10% of Christians were standing up, speaking out, praying and turning to the word of God. But 90% were debating, or didn't want to hear about it, or were even trying to justify themselves by condemning Israel.
15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
For the last four years the Christians were warned to brace themselves by the dreams of Dana Coverstone and others. They could have easily and cheaply stockpiled food. Joseph's kitchen sells wheat in barrels of grain. You can buy a year's supply of food for one person for $1,000. That is far cheaper than what people spend today. That works out to $3 a day or $90 a month. So if you are struggling with inflation you could have bought this and stocked up on this. It is much cheaper than anything else you could have been eating. But, did they heed the warning?
16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
Notice that they are on the mountains, that is where Lot fled to after Sodom was destroyed.
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
Were they arrogant before, rejecting the word of God, rejecting the warnings that God sent?
18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
Horror for what they have witnessed, shame for their being asleep and ignoring all the warnings, and baldness as a testimony that their head was not covered. They claim Jesus is Lord but they all did what was right in their own eyes and ignored the Lord's leading.
Do you want to know what God thinks is a beautiful ornament?
Ezekiel 7:20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.
This is a very difficult verse for expositors. This word for ornament is used to depict the pride of life and the ways men deck themselves to express that pride. It can be used to describe the trappings of a horse when the horse is all decked out. It can also be translated as "mouth". Perhaps similar to Peter referring to "great swelling words". For example, when you introduce a speaker giving a lecture you might use great swelling words to describe their accomplishments. The word translated "as for the beauty" is a word used for "roebuck" which the translators think may refer to an extinct animal. But this word is translated as Roe or Roebuck 14 times, whereas it is translated as glory, beauty or something similar to that 18 times. It is not the word used in Psalm 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: H3308 for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
"It" is referring to those ornaments that they set in majesty. Think of the World Trade center, the Sears tower, and all the things the US has built that they have "set in majesty".
22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
This word translated secret place is used for a bank vault. In Exodus 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid H6845 him three months. It is translated as "hid". It is the same word used in Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide H6845 me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. So the contrast is very clear.
God will rapture "His ornament" and hide it in a secret place during the tribulation, meanwhile all those who trusted in idols, their ornaments will be taken from them by robbers and their secret places defiled and plundered. The beauty and majesty of the arrogant idol worshippers will be like an extinct animal whereas those that trusted in the Lord will shine like stars for eternity.
Do you want to know what God thinks is a beautiful ornament? Those that trust in Him.
Ezekiel 7:20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.
This is a very difficult verse for expositors. This word for ornament is used to depict the pride of life and the ways men deck themselves to express that pride. It can be used to describe the trappings of a horse when the horse is all decked out. It can also be translated as "mouth". Perhaps similar to Peter referring to "great swelling words". For example, when you introduce a speaker giving a lecture you might use great swelling words to describe their accomplishments. The word translated "as for the beauty" is a word used for "roebuck" which the translators think may refer to an extinct animal. But this word is translated as Roe or Roebuck 14 times, whereas it is translated as glory, beauty or something similar to that 18 times. It is not the word used in Psalm 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: H3308 for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
"It" is referring to those ornaments that they set in majesty. Think of the World Trade center, the Sears tower, and all the things the US has built that they have "set in majesty".
22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
This word translated secret place is used for a bank vault. In Exodus 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid H6845 him three months. It is translated as "hid". It is the same word used in Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide H6845 me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. So the contrast is very clear.
God will rapture "His ornament" and hide it in a secret place during the tribulation, meanwhile all those who trusted in idols, their ornaments will be taken from them by robbers and their secret places defiled and plundered. The beauty and majesty of the arrogant idol worshippers will be like an extinct animal whereas those that trusted in the Lord will shine like stars for eternity.
Do you want to know what God thinks is a beautiful ornament? Those that trust in Him.
Ezekiel 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man?
God took Ezekiel on a tour to see all the abominable acts done in secret by the leaders of the country. Idol worship, the influence of Islam, the industrial military complex, election fraud, human and drug trafficking and the assistance to the cartels by opening the border. In the last few years I feel like we have all been given a tour of the abominable acts done in secret in this country as well.
Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Look at the violence done in Ukraine, in Russia and in the Middle East. This is very complicated issues that cannot be sorted out in a short post, however, one thing is very clear. War is very profitable to the US. We sell the missiles, the missile defense systems, all the weapons of war, the drones, planes, etc. We sent $160 billion to Ukraine, but that is misleading. What the government actually did was take tax payer money and hand it to their donors. In return the politicians got a cut of that pie to finance their campaigns. These wars have become an essential part of the corrupt governments operations. Trump didn't help them out so of course they hate his guts. It is difficult for me to listen to someone explaining how necessary it is for a war when that person is profiting from it.
18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
God took Ezekiel on a tour to see all the abominable acts done in secret by the leaders of the country. Idol worship, the influence of Islam, the industrial military complex, election fraud, human and drug trafficking and the assistance to the cartels by opening the border. In the last few years I feel like we have all been given a tour of the abominable acts done in secret in this country as well.
Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Look at the violence done in Ukraine, in Russia and in the Middle East. This is very complicated issues that cannot be sorted out in a short post, however, one thing is very clear. War is very profitable to the US. We sell the missiles, the missile defense systems, all the weapons of war, the drones, planes, etc. We sent $160 billion to Ukraine, but that is misleading. What the government actually did was take tax payer money and hand it to their donors. In return the politicians got a cut of that pie to finance their campaigns. These wars have become an essential part of the corrupt governments operations. Trump didn't help them out so of course they hate his guts. It is difficult for me to listen to someone explaining how necessary it is for a war when that person is profiting from it.
18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
They have eyes to see, and see not
Ezekiel 12:1 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
The word of God is clear so why is it that regardless of clear it is so many cannot see and cannot hear?
3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
This is how I left NYC. We left like we were fleeing from an invading army. We did this at the end of 2021, the same time that Russia was massing on the border of Ukraine. Anyone in Ukraine could have left at that time if they wanted. But once they didn't leave they were later conscripted to go fight the Russians and die.
4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. 6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. 7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. 8 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, 9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. 12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
I think we can all see that Ukraine is a sign to the US.
13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
I just caught the dark humor here. They were obstinate saying they couldn't see it, debating non stop about Covid, the vaccine, the war, Israel, the border, the election, etc. So God says fine, you claim you can't see it, I'll make sure you don't see it. The kings eyes were gouged out before he was taken to Babylon.
14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
They don't know that Jesus is the Lord prior to being taken captive and scattered throughout the countries and nations of the world.
Ezekiel 12:1 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
The word of God is clear so why is it that regardless of clear it is so many cannot see and cannot hear?
3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
This is how I left NYC. We left like we were fleeing from an invading army. We did this at the end of 2021, the same time that Russia was massing on the border of Ukraine. Anyone in Ukraine could have left at that time if they wanted. But once they didn't leave they were later conscripted to go fight the Russians and die.
4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. 6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. 7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. 8 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, 9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. 12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
I think we can all see that Ukraine is a sign to the US.
13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
I just caught the dark humor here. They were obstinate saying they couldn't see it, debating non stop about Covid, the vaccine, the war, Israel, the border, the election, etc. So God says fine, you claim you can't see it, I'll make sure you don't see it. The kings eyes were gouged out before he was taken to Babylon.
14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
They don't know that Jesus is the Lord prior to being taken captive and scattered throughout the countries and nations of the world.
God condemns abortion and that is what causes His judgement to fall on us.
Ezekiel 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord God.
If you read this chapter it is very clear it can be applied to the blessings that the US has received. Unlike all other nations on this earth the US was consecrated to the Lord to be a Christian nation.
20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
People argue that abortion is not always about whoredom and fornication. That may be true, but if it were not for so many people involved in fornication and adultery and whoredom it is highly doubtful 50% of the nation would support abortion.
Consider what the abortionists say "my body, my choice". Is that true if you are married? Why wouldn't it be "our baby, our choice"? So that phrase presupposes that women are not in a covenant relationship concerning the child. The phrase presupposes a world of fornication and adultery. Even if a woman is married, if the child is the result of an adulterous relationship she may feel that the adulterous man has no say in the child. There is no covenant relationship between those two.
So then, enough with the hypocrisy and dissembling, referring to abortion and whoredoms is perfectly reasonable and instructive. Most likely 80% of the abortions and those that support them are because of this reason. Yes, rape and incest may make up 1%. But lets consider that as well. Who has the most to lose if a child of incest or rape is not aborted? We have DNA, we can prove who is responsible for that child and hold them accountable for the rape or incest. They might go to prison, they might have to pay for the next twenty years for that child, one way or the other. So aborting the baby is not protecting the woman who was the victim, it is protecting the person responsible for the rape and incest.
Ezekiel 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord God.
If you read this chapter it is very clear it can be applied to the blessings that the US has received. Unlike all other nations on this earth the US was consecrated to the Lord to be a Christian nation.
20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
People argue that abortion is not always about whoredom and fornication. That may be true, but if it were not for so many people involved in fornication and adultery and whoredom it is highly doubtful 50% of the nation would support abortion.
Consider what the abortionists say "my body, my choice". Is that true if you are married? Why wouldn't it be "our baby, our choice"? So that phrase presupposes that women are not in a covenant relationship concerning the child. The phrase presupposes a world of fornication and adultery. Even if a woman is married, if the child is the result of an adulterous relationship she may feel that the adulterous man has no say in the child. There is no covenant relationship between those two.
So then, enough with the hypocrisy and dissembling, referring to abortion and whoredoms is perfectly reasonable and instructive. Most likely 80% of the abortions and those that support them are because of this reason. Yes, rape and incest may make up 1%. But lets consider that as well. Who has the most to lose if a child of incest or rape is not aborted? We have DNA, we can prove who is responsible for that child and hold them accountable for the rape or incest. They might go to prison, they might have to pay for the next twenty years for that child, one way or the other. So aborting the baby is not protecting the woman who was the victim, it is protecting the person responsible for the rape and incest.
Feminazis
Ezekiel 16:45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
We call these women feminazis. The women's rights movement is not all "feminazis". Seeking basic civil rights for all is righteous. Seeking the vote for women makes sense. But there is an extreme wing of this group which is composed of LGBTQ+ women that loathe men. They loathe their husbands and they loathe their children choosing rather to abort them.
The amorites are descended from Canaan, the son of Ham. It is a cursed people. Canaan is the one that Noah cursed for what happened to his wife. One interpretation is that Ham raped Noah's wife while he was asleep. The Hittites were also sons of Canaan that was cursed by Noah. These are women who grow up in the families of rapists and incest. It is easy to understand why they loathe men. It is also easy to see that Feminazis are the curse that God had place on these rapists and incestuous men.
Ezekiel 16:45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
We call these women feminazis. The women's rights movement is not all "feminazis". Seeking basic civil rights for all is righteous. Seeking the vote for women makes sense. But there is an extreme wing of this group which is composed of LGBTQ+ women that loathe men. They loathe their husbands and they loathe their children choosing rather to abort them.
The amorites are descended from Canaan, the son of Ham. It is a cursed people. Canaan is the one that Noah cursed for what happened to his wife. One interpretation is that Ham raped Noah's wife while he was asleep. The Hittites were also sons of Canaan that was cursed by Noah. These are women who grow up in the families of rapists and incest. It is easy to understand why they loathe men. It is also easy to see that Feminazis are the curse that God had place on these rapists and incestuous men.
Let's look at the verses that use this word for "Knows" in no one knoweth the day or the hour.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
What they have shared about this word "no one knows the day or the hour" could also be translated "no one can say the day or the hour" is a very serious prohibition. Interestingly, that is how the verse is understood, saying the day and hour is like touching the third rail of the subway. This is a protection. How many people claim to have heard from a dream or from an angel concerning the day and hour? How many cult leaders tell you the day and hour. It is not a lot, you can probably count them if you really wanted to, but it is a blaring signal that this is violating the Bible. However, there is no prohibition about talking about the rapture, or about the year, or the season, or any prophecies relevant to the rapture. To my mind the one constant is "seedtime and harvest". We are told this in Genesis, when it was seedtime. Jesus death was seedtime. But the end of the age is the harvest. We are now at the time of the harvest.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
What they have shared about this word "no one knows the day or the hour" could also be translated "no one can say the day or the hour" is a very serious prohibition. Interestingly, that is how the verse is understood, saying the day and hour is like touching the third rail of the subway. This is a protection. How many people claim to have heard from a dream or from an angel concerning the day and hour? How many cult leaders tell you the day and hour. It is not a lot, you can probably count them if you really wanted to, but it is a blaring signal that this is violating the Bible. However, there is no prohibition about talking about the rapture, or about the year, or the season, or any prophecies relevant to the rapture. To my mind the one constant is "seedtime and harvest". We are told this in Genesis, when it was seedtime. Jesus death was seedtime. But the end of the age is the harvest. We are now at the time of the harvest.
Apocalypse
The Greek word for Revelation is apocalypse, it means "remove the veil". Imagine you were at a ceremony where they remove the veil to reveal a portrait, that is what the word means.
So then, why has it taken on this meaning of calamity and doom? Well, what will happen to the vast majority of people when the veil is removed to reveal that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of kings?
If your whole life is based on you gambling that Jesus is not Lord and sin is not sin, well this revelation will be catastrophic to you.
The Greek word for Revelation is apocalypse, it means "remove the veil". Imagine you were at a ceremony where they remove the veil to reveal a portrait, that is what the word means.
So then, why has it taken on this meaning of calamity and doom? Well, what will happen to the vast majority of people when the veil is removed to reveal that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of kings?
If your whole life is based on you gambling that Jesus is not Lord and sin is not sin, well this revelation will be catastrophic to you.
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Vicky Goforth Parnell has been speaking quite a bit about spiritual warfare and the kinds of things that Satan, Demons, and witchcraft might do. So I asked the Lord about this, why was I not given more instruction about this? I have been involved in ministry and missionary work since 1980, but for the most part I never worried about any of this.
1. First, there was a thorough separation for me. When I came into the church I was completely separated from everything in my past. Even the clothes on my back were replaced and the old ones burned. So I had a special circumstance, yes there were things in my life that were probably charmed and had spells on them, but they were all burned.
I think that thorough and complete separation removed 90% of the problems I might have faced.
2. Then the Lord showed me there were two times in my life when I came dangerously close to being harmed by those involved in this stuff. But I was able to walk away without a scratch and so those two things never did seem very important. The reason I walked away from the first instance was I believed in the word of God, there was a Bible verse I remembered that God does not allow us to be tempted beyond measure but with every temptation provides a way of escape. I prayed according to that and the Lord delivered. The second time I was in a "heavyweight fight" spiritually. I knew that, the enemy through a knockout punch and I just barely ducked it. I believe the reason was because the saints had my back. By ourselves we are no match, so someone was watching my back and if it weren't for them I would have been very seriously damaged.
Then there was a third time, this was just an all out attempt to kill me. I believe I was delivered because of a miraculous intervention of a guardian angel. Was I protected because I was a servant of the Lord or was it because of prayer. I don't know, but the Lord knows who are His and is well able to protect us.
But that is not the point of this post. I realized that after the rapture the threat from the occult, fallen angels and demons will be much greater. There is a protection in being separated unto the Lord. From the time I got baptized I moved into a brothers house and was separated and lived separated from that point on. After the rapture this will be a very big problem for those left behind because you will lose the covering of the spirit filled saints. It will be like the difference between the protection of living in a house with living in a tent or even under a bush.
1. First, there was a thorough separation for me. When I came into the church I was completely separated from everything in my past. Even the clothes on my back were replaced and the old ones burned. So I had a special circumstance, yes there were things in my life that were probably charmed and had spells on them, but they were all burned.
I think that thorough and complete separation removed 90% of the problems I might have faced.
2. Then the Lord showed me there were two times in my life when I came dangerously close to being harmed by those involved in this stuff. But I was able to walk away without a scratch and so those two things never did seem very important. The reason I walked away from the first instance was I believed in the word of God, there was a Bible verse I remembered that God does not allow us to be tempted beyond measure but with every temptation provides a way of escape. I prayed according to that and the Lord delivered. The second time I was in a "heavyweight fight" spiritually. I knew that, the enemy through a knockout punch and I just barely ducked it. I believe the reason was because the saints had my back. By ourselves we are no match, so someone was watching my back and if it weren't for them I would have been very seriously damaged.
Then there was a third time, this was just an all out attempt to kill me. I believe I was delivered because of a miraculous intervention of a guardian angel. Was I protected because I was a servant of the Lord or was it because of prayer. I don't know, but the Lord knows who are His and is well able to protect us.
But that is not the point of this post. I realized that after the rapture the threat from the occult, fallen angels and demons will be much greater. There is a protection in being separated unto the Lord. From the time I got baptized I moved into a brothers house and was separated and lived separated from that point on. After the rapture this will be a very big problem for those left behind because you will lose the covering of the spirit filled saints. It will be like the difference between the protection of living in a house with living in a tent or even under a bush.
[A new brother asked a question about whether or not it was wrong for a brother to have long hair. His gf had suggested he grow his hair out, he did, he said he looked better, and so he asked this question.]
What a great question! I would say you have hit upon one of the great forks in the road for all Christians.
The question is "do you want to look like a Christian or be a Christian"?
This was the temptation that Eve had at the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree will make you wise so you can be like a man of God whereas the tree of life will fill you with the life of God so you are in fact a man of God from within.
So not only does the post hit this topic but also hits the fundamental topic of who should we be listening to? Your GF tells you one thing and it is good advice, it does make you look better, but then you are bothered by some verse in the Bible, what does it mean? Once again, this is the kind of issue Christians have every day for their entire Christian life.
So then what is the answer?
If you want to be a Christian in reality and not simply an actor playing the part and looking the part you must have a relationship with Jesus where you can ask Him these questions. (I am not downplaying the importance of fellowship, but that comes second, not first). Many people pray and pray and never get an answer, so let's address that.
When I was a teenager my brother and I were putting a sound system in our car. We had followed the directions meticulously and yet no sound. After about two hours of this frustrating failure I asked my brother again "You have followed the directions exactly?" He said yes, except for the ground wire, didn't think that made any difference! So we hooked up the ground wire and poof, everything worked beautifully. The Bible is the ground wire. You can't simply pray, you have to pray and read the word both. Think of yourself as a priest wearing the priestly garments which include the breastplate with the stones on it that God shines on. The word of God is on your heart, the saints of God are on your heart, and to answer your prayers God can shine on them.
However, you must be properly attired to be a priest, it may be that before God will answer your prayers He may point out sins and trespasses that must be dealt with first. If you bypass this you are near a curse. Think of the Christian life as a continuum from a person who is unsaved, in darkness, in sin, and death all the way to the Christian like Elijah whose prayers are effectual. When he prays people are healed, the rain doesn't fall and God's fire will fall. This continuum looks like a bell curve with most Christians in the middle. Halfway between the curse and the blessed hope.
But here is the amazing thing! It is exactly the same God dealing with every single one the same when they pray. When you pray, standing on the blood of Jesus God hears and God answers. He may say that you need to first deal with something. He may respond through another person. The fact is that many people don't believe, that is the biggest insult to God. You came to Him, you prayed, He answered and yet you ignored that answer.
I learned this lesson when I was a very new Christian. The church selected a number of young brothers and sisters to share the message the next week. We were all assigned a paragraph to share. As soon as I went home I got down on my knees and I prayed over that paragraph. I prayed the Lord would make it real to me, that I would have an experience that would illuminate that paragraph in the coming week. I prayed that God would make that word experiential to me. I thoroughly prayed over this so that God would give me the message to speak. Then I said thank you and went about my business. A week later, it is Saturday night, I go before the Lord and I am angry. God, I prayed, how come You didn't answer? He responded "I did"! I was shocked, when? So I began to think on the week and nothing big stood out but there was one little experience I can't even remember that did keep bothering me. Imagine the week is before you like a big mural on the wall and a little pen light keeps pointing at one little experience. So I thought about that and the paragraph and I got it, I saw how that was relevant and that was my message. When you pray you must believe that God hears and that God will answer.
What a great question! I would say you have hit upon one of the great forks in the road for all Christians.
The question is "do you want to look like a Christian or be a Christian"?
This was the temptation that Eve had at the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree will make you wise so you can be like a man of God whereas the tree of life will fill you with the life of God so you are in fact a man of God from within.
So not only does the post hit this topic but also hits the fundamental topic of who should we be listening to? Your GF tells you one thing and it is good advice, it does make you look better, but then you are bothered by some verse in the Bible, what does it mean? Once again, this is the kind of issue Christians have every day for their entire Christian life.
So then what is the answer?
If you want to be a Christian in reality and not simply an actor playing the part and looking the part you must have a relationship with Jesus where you can ask Him these questions. (I am not downplaying the importance of fellowship, but that comes second, not first). Many people pray and pray and never get an answer, so let's address that.
When I was a teenager my brother and I were putting a sound system in our car. We had followed the directions meticulously and yet no sound. After about two hours of this frustrating failure I asked my brother again "You have followed the directions exactly?" He said yes, except for the ground wire, didn't think that made any difference! So we hooked up the ground wire and poof, everything worked beautifully. The Bible is the ground wire. You can't simply pray, you have to pray and read the word both. Think of yourself as a priest wearing the priestly garments which include the breastplate with the stones on it that God shines on. The word of God is on your heart, the saints of God are on your heart, and to answer your prayers God can shine on them.
However, you must be properly attired to be a priest, it may be that before God will answer your prayers He may point out sins and trespasses that must be dealt with first. If you bypass this you are near a curse. Think of the Christian life as a continuum from a person who is unsaved, in darkness, in sin, and death all the way to the Christian like Elijah whose prayers are effectual. When he prays people are healed, the rain doesn't fall and God's fire will fall. This continuum looks like a bell curve with most Christians in the middle. Halfway between the curse and the blessed hope.
But here is the amazing thing! It is exactly the same God dealing with every single one the same when they pray. When you pray, standing on the blood of Jesus God hears and God answers. He may say that you need to first deal with something. He may respond through another person. The fact is that many people don't believe, that is the biggest insult to God. You came to Him, you prayed, He answered and yet you ignored that answer.
I learned this lesson when I was a very new Christian. The church selected a number of young brothers and sisters to share the message the next week. We were all assigned a paragraph to share. As soon as I went home I got down on my knees and I prayed over that paragraph. I prayed the Lord would make it real to me, that I would have an experience that would illuminate that paragraph in the coming week. I prayed that God would make that word experiential to me. I thoroughly prayed over this so that God would give me the message to speak. Then I said thank you and went about my business. A week later, it is Saturday night, I go before the Lord and I am angry. God, I prayed, how come You didn't answer? He responded "I did"! I was shocked, when? So I began to think on the week and nothing big stood out but there was one little experience I can't even remember that did keep bothering me. Imagine the week is before you like a big mural on the wall and a little pen light keeps pointing at one little experience. So I thought about that and the paragraph and I got it, I saw how that was relevant and that was my message. When you pray you must believe that God hears and that God will answer.
Judgement on the US for the sin of Abortion
Ezekiel 20:30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations? 31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.
I think God is very clear that judgment is determined and He is not going to be enquired of by anyone asking Him to stay His hand.
Ezekiel 20:30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations? 31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.
I think God is very clear that judgment is determined and He is not going to be enquired of by anyone asking Him to stay His hand.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
I think we can all agree on this. Consider this election, everyone appears to agree that neither candidate is "righteous" and neither campaign is "righteous". At least not based on God's standard.
11 There is none that understandeth,
The only reason anyone would disagree with this is because they don't understand. We are all on the Titanic, every single one of us, and this ship is heading for an iceberg that will sink it. The iceberg is not inflation, or the border, or WW3. The iceberg is that we are sinners and will have to appear before God. Neither candidate is offering you salvation. What you are voting for is which hearse do you want to ride to the cemetery in.
there is none that seeketh after God.
He didn't say there is none that acknowledges God. Clearly there are those. In fact both parties claim to be representing the true God. One claims that God is inclusive, loving and forgiving, and the other claims that God is just and righteous and will judge sin. But neither side is actually seeking God. Neither side is seeking to repent. They accuse others of crimes, but there is no thought that they also should be repenting for their crimes.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
There is no way that Obama, or Clinton, or Harris or Biden could do anything evil if everyone in government was doing their job was profitable and was good. The reason they act with impunity and so brazenly is because there is none that doeth good. So then the election of one man or woman to an office is not going to change anything. I think the best example of this is the Mafia. If one of their own does something"wrong" they take care of it themselves. They don't call the cops, the mobster simply is killed and thrown into a shallow grave. Why don't they call the cops? Because they can't. They have so many crimes they could never use the criminal justice system to deal with another mobster. This is what we are seeing play out before our eyes. Two mobsters trying to deal with each other. Paul is saying that the whole world lies in the evil one. Why is it that the most incompetent people are the ones who get promoted? If the boss is corrupt he will only trust someone who is also corrupt and he has the evidence that can put them away. The whole world operates on "mutual assured destruction". You rat me out, I'll rat you out.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Think about it, an open sepulchre means you can see the thing that was supposed to be buried. People who are corrupt and sin try to hide that by "burying it". This is what both campaigns were, trying to give you a peak into the open sepulchre of their opponent.
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Nazi is a curse and bitterness, Racist is a curse and bitterness, Communist is a curse and bitterness. Tampon Tim is a curse and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
For four years they debated and railed that $4 billion for a wall on our Southern border was too expensive. But then a genuine Nazi comes and asks for $160 billion for their war in Ukraine and snap your fingers, they got it. No debate. No railing, just here is the money. That was everyone. Yes, you have a few people who spoke up, but these spending bills passed with overwhelming majorities.
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
Just take a look at all of the US presidents. Is there anyone in which destruction and misery was not in their ways? Look at their life and it seems littered with dead bodies from wars and other events.
17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
There are exceptions. In 2016 I'd say this was true of Trump, but since the assassination attempt perhaps he has been humbled.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
This is the point of this election. Anyone pointing the finger will have three fingers pointing back at them.
I think we can all agree on this. Consider this election, everyone appears to agree that neither candidate is "righteous" and neither campaign is "righteous". At least not based on God's standard.
11 There is none that understandeth,
The only reason anyone would disagree with this is because they don't understand. We are all on the Titanic, every single one of us, and this ship is heading for an iceberg that will sink it. The iceberg is not inflation, or the border, or WW3. The iceberg is that we are sinners and will have to appear before God. Neither candidate is offering you salvation. What you are voting for is which hearse do you want to ride to the cemetery in.
there is none that seeketh after God.
He didn't say there is none that acknowledges God. Clearly there are those. In fact both parties claim to be representing the true God. One claims that God is inclusive, loving and forgiving, and the other claims that God is just and righteous and will judge sin. But neither side is actually seeking God. Neither side is seeking to repent. They accuse others of crimes, but there is no thought that they also should be repenting for their crimes.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
There is no way that Obama, or Clinton, or Harris or Biden could do anything evil if everyone in government was doing their job was profitable and was good. The reason they act with impunity and so brazenly is because there is none that doeth good. So then the election of one man or woman to an office is not going to change anything. I think the best example of this is the Mafia. If one of their own does something"wrong" they take care of it themselves. They don't call the cops, the mobster simply is killed and thrown into a shallow grave. Why don't they call the cops? Because they can't. They have so many crimes they could never use the criminal justice system to deal with another mobster. This is what we are seeing play out before our eyes. Two mobsters trying to deal with each other. Paul is saying that the whole world lies in the evil one. Why is it that the most incompetent people are the ones who get promoted? If the boss is corrupt he will only trust someone who is also corrupt and he has the evidence that can put them away. The whole world operates on "mutual assured destruction". You rat me out, I'll rat you out.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Think about it, an open sepulchre means you can see the thing that was supposed to be buried. People who are corrupt and sin try to hide that by "burying it". This is what both campaigns were, trying to give you a peak into the open sepulchre of their opponent.
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Nazi is a curse and bitterness, Racist is a curse and bitterness, Communist is a curse and bitterness. Tampon Tim is a curse and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
For four years they debated and railed that $4 billion for a wall on our Southern border was too expensive. But then a genuine Nazi comes and asks for $160 billion for their war in Ukraine and snap your fingers, they got it. No debate. No railing, just here is the money. That was everyone. Yes, you have a few people who spoke up, but these spending bills passed with overwhelming majorities.
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
Just take a look at all of the US presidents. Is there anyone in which destruction and misery was not in their ways? Look at their life and it seems littered with dead bodies from wars and other events.
17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
There are exceptions. In 2016 I'd say this was true of Trump, but since the assassination attempt perhaps he has been humbled.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
This is the point of this election. Anyone pointing the finger will have three fingers pointing back at them.
A couple of thorny questions
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
First question: If every single person that is saved is a sinner then is it fair that God condemns some sinners to hell when others are saved to heaven?
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
If that were true God could not judge the world and you would nullify all the verses in the Bible that say He will. So that is not the answer.
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
This is the key point. Imagine you are on a basketball team that is terrible, the worst in the league. But on your bench you have Michael Jordan. You start playing this kid and all of a sudden you aren't losing anymore you are winning. There is more glory to this kid in taking a losing team to the championship than a winning team. We saw this when Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team in the NFL with the worst record in their history. The first year they went straight to the Superbowl and won it. So the fact that Brady went to a losing team abounded more unto his glory. But he didn't win by himself, the whole team became champions. You should not still be calling them losers, they are champions.
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
This is idiotic. The wages of sin is death. When the Lord comes on the team He begins by putting a stop to sin. It doesn't matter how big a sinner you are because the bigger the sinner the more glory to the Lord when He saves you. But the process of being saved includes cutting off sin and being separated unto the God of holiness.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
So we answered the first question as well. Every team had the chance of choosing Tom Brady just like every person has the chance of choosing Jesus Christ. Let's go back to our hopeless basketball team, they began playing that kid Michael because they were losing so bad might as well try something. But what about the best team in that league. They don't need help. This is just like the proud and arrogant. They don't need Jesus. They are judged because they rejected Jesus. They supposed they could defeat sin on their own when in reality they knew they weren't defeating sin, they were just pretending to be better than others. They chose to live a lie, while those admitting defeat were also sinners but were honest about it and were desperate to find a way of salvation.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
First question: If every single person that is saved is a sinner then is it fair that God condemns some sinners to hell when others are saved to heaven?
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
If that were true God could not judge the world and you would nullify all the verses in the Bible that say He will. So that is not the answer.
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
This is the key point. Imagine you are on a basketball team that is terrible, the worst in the league. But on your bench you have Michael Jordan. You start playing this kid and all of a sudden you aren't losing anymore you are winning. There is more glory to this kid in taking a losing team to the championship than a winning team. We saw this when Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team in the NFL with the worst record in their history. The first year they went straight to the Superbowl and won it. So the fact that Brady went to a losing team abounded more unto his glory. But he didn't win by himself, the whole team became champions. You should not still be calling them losers, they are champions.
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
This is idiotic. The wages of sin is death. When the Lord comes on the team He begins by putting a stop to sin. It doesn't matter how big a sinner you are because the bigger the sinner the more glory to the Lord when He saves you. But the process of being saved includes cutting off sin and being separated unto the God of holiness.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
So we answered the first question as well. Every team had the chance of choosing Tom Brady just like every person has the chance of choosing Jesus Christ. Let's go back to our hopeless basketball team, they began playing that kid Michael because they were losing so bad might as well try something. But what about the best team in that league. They don't need help. This is just like the proud and arrogant. They don't need Jesus. They are judged because they rejected Jesus. They supposed they could defeat sin on their own when in reality they knew they weren't defeating sin, they were just pretending to be better than others. They chose to live a lie, while those admitting defeat were also sinners but were honest about it and were desperate to find a way of salvation.