Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

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Nothing shall be impossible unto you

Matthew 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Many Christians can look at someone like Mamdani or Ilhan Omar and realize this is a harmful cancer to our society and needs to be cast out. But why can't we?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

It is because of unbelief. Jesus Christ is king. When we pray to Him things happen. We can pray that the globalists and communists would be uprooted and removed and nothing will be impossible. The reason more Christians don't pray is because of unbelief. Pray for faith as a mustard seed. If the Lord gives you this mustard seed you have to plant it, you have to water it, you have to care for it. But if you do your prayer life will grow until nothing is impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Fasting indicates a real burden. When I first started teaching in Brooklyn it was like teaching in a psych ward. We were in the bottom 25% of the city and there were many troubled and disturbed kids. But I had a burden that my students would perform with the best in the city. At the time it was an absurd goal, just like in the movie "Miracle" where the guy interviewing to be the head coach of the Olympic team wants to win the gold medal. They respond incredulously "that is a very lofty goal" and his response is "that is why I want to pursue it". Year by year we improved, it took ten years but by the end we were in the top 5% of the city. That is on par with schools like Bronx HS of Science and Stuyvesant.

22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

There is going to be a traitor in our midst. The Lord has to go through the absolute worst possible events, it is like tempering a sword so that it will be able to go through the greatest test during the battle.

23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

This is really funny. The Lord is going to prepare a Spirit that has the power over death and the disciples are "sorry"? You should be thrilled, the problem is to prepare that Spirit Jesus has to go through death, and not just any death, but the death of the cross. On the one hand it is spectacular that we have the Spirit that conquered death and that the death of the cross, but on the other hand no one is going to be all that happy about dying the death of the cross.

24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

This chapter begins by presenting Jesus Christ as the ascended king in glory. The word of God is distorted and perverse if it is played through any other voice than that of Jesus Christ. We need to hear Him. As king we see that he can heal the disease that is making everyone else lunatick. All these kids who think that if they were king they would do things better. The disciples see that they are short in healing these issues and learn that it is about faith. A tiny little word, it may seem extremely tiny, but if we apply it by faith we can heal anything. I had a tiny word when I was teaching that I applied. James says that if anyone lacks wisdom ask of God who gives liberally. I lacked wisdom on how to help my students, I must have prayed for wisdom almost every day. Little by little, piece by piece, we improved. There was no single silver bullet, instead it was a hundred little silver bullets. This is when we learn that the Spirit we have received conquers death, so regardless of how horrible the situation is, we can still raise it up in life. But now we learn the kings want Jesus (and the Christians) to give them tribute for what the Lord has done.

25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

So here is the thing, they want credit, they want tribute for what the Lord has done. If we say they had nothing to do with anything and that these people were healed in spite of them, not because of them, they will be offended. So here is what you do, go ask the Lord to give you a testimony, find the very first testimony you can and use that as a tribute to the governing rulers. That testimony will be for both you (in your job) and for the Lord Jesus.
 
Be careful to maintain good works

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Here Paul makes it clear we are not saved by works of righteousness which we have done, but rather it was by God's mercy that we were washed and renewed through Jesus Christ our Saviour. We were justified by grace.

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

And here we learn that yes, we were saved by grace, but those who believe might be careful to maintain good works. The problem with OSAS doctrine is they will often use the fact that you were not saved or justified by your good works to condemn you doing good works. That is not what the Bible says, rather it says we were saved so that we might be made heirs and that those who believe should be careful to maintain good works.
 

The Plummet Line & Rapture Express Dream 11-1-25@1:11 AM & 5:52 AM
 
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of the heaven?

Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

This is the same time that they came to Capernaum, and the same time that Peter said Jesus paid tribute to rulers of this world. The context was the same time that Jesus had been transfigured and healed that lunatick who tried to drown himself or burn himself.

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If you remember, in chapter 11 Jesus told them that John the Baptist was the greatest of the prophets but that he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John was the closest to Jesus, all the previous prophets saw Him and spoke of Him but John actually baptized Him and presented Him. Now we find out that this concept of "who is the greatest" will keep you from entering the kingdom of the heaven. So let's talk about how this works because being born again allows you to see the kingdom of the heavens, but what we want to do is to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. This is the next step.

Suppose we had our worship leader be someone who plays the piano in church, and one day she stands up in front of the whole congregation, everyone is there, and asks is there anyone that would like to learn how to play the piano, come on up right now. Who is going to run up there? It will be the little children. Everyone else is thinking about how much work is involved, or how much time is involved, or they don't want to be embarrassed in front of everyone, etc.

Consider another example, when I was younger I never played basketball and my reasoning was simple, you need to be tall, I am 5' 11". But then I was in Odessa Texas in 1982, the same year that Spud Web played for Midland college twenty miles away leading them to a championship, getting a write up in Sports' illustrated and then transferring to North Carolina State University. Spud was 5' 7" and went on to play professionally. Apparently he never got the memo that he was too short to play basketball.

Jesus hates the works of the Nicolaitans, and the thinking is that this refers to some people climbing over the laity to take the prominent positions in the church. Look at the church with the "clergy laity" you have one person doing all the work and everyone else is merely a spectator.

There is a lot of debate about "GOAT" meaning "greatest of all time". I am old enough to remember Wilt Chamberlain. He was clearly, far and away, the most dominant player in Basketball. He was taller, more athletic, stronger, etc. He scored 100 points in one game. But when they got to the championship he lost 4 out of 6. I don't judge a player by how many championships they win because it is a team effort to get to the championship, but I do judge them by how many they lose. If you get to the championship you have a team that is good enough to win it, now it is up to you to make sure they do.

Based on that analysis you have to go with either Bill Russell or Michael Jordan as Bill was 11 and 1, and Michael was 6 and 0. Both of these players learned how important their teammates were and how they had to make sure everyone on the team was involved. Football is different from basketball, you have 40 players, I don't think winning or losing can be put on any one player, that said the quarterback has the most impact of any player on whether you win or lose. I think when you look at Tom Brady's record of making his players and team better, there is no debate. He took teams to the playoffs that shouldn't have gone, he took teams to the Super Bowl that shouldn't have gone, and he won the Super Bowl 7 times and he was MVP in the Super Bowl five times. Do you know what his mindset was? He said that nothing good ever happens when he is holding the ball so his goal was to get it out of his hand as soon as possible to another player who could do something with it. He wasn't the tallest, strongest, or most athletic. He was the opposite of Wilt Chamberlain.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

So then, let us look at this verse, they asked, and Jesus answered. He did not rebuke them, he adjusted them. Everyone agrees that Jerry Rice is the greatest receiver of all time and Jerry will tell you he learned to be a receiver by helping his dad who was a bricklayer. It was a humble, menial job. But he learned how to have soft hands and wasn't about to drop any one of those bricks. So what did Tom do to "humble himself"? He was the third string quarterback on his college team, during practice he got to play for five minutes while the other quarterbacks got the rest of practice. He learned to make that the best five minutes. Don't complain about what you aren't getting, rather make the most of what you do get. Every time he thought he would become the starting quarterback they bring in another quarterback to play in front of him. So he learned he could be replaced at any moment and understood he had to perform every day because if he didn't they would replace him. Also, since he couldn't get the playing time he needed in practice he learned to spend an hour or two after practice. Also, he took Michigan to a huge win over Alabama in the Orange bowl, and yet he was drafted 199. He learned no one cares about what you have done, they care about what you can do for them now. This helped him to simply forget the things that are behind and press forward to the things that are before.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

I lived in New York at the time and I remember one year New England had gotten rid of all their talented receivers. I thought good, this year the Jets have a chance. But even without any "talented" receivers New England is the one back in the playoffs. Everyone in the NFL has talent, and you simply have to focus on what each player can do, not what they can't. Think of the situation that you are in is of God, He loves you, this is the best possible situation for you, and receive it as coming from the Lord.

Let me share my own experience. I was in the boy scouts, my dad had volunteered to be the Scoutmaster that year and so I wanted to do something that would help him the most. I had been a patrol leader for two years and could have done other jobs but I felt that patrol leader was the hardest and most important job and would be the best way to help him. Before the year started my dad called a meeting of the patrol leaders and we met at the Senior Patrol leaders house (who happened to be my best friend). In the meeting my dad had a list of the people in each of our patrols. He asked the first kid who are two people he didn't want, did the same with the second and third. He skipped me and then went to the first kid and told him to choose two kids from my patrol and likewise with the other two. I was left with the 8 kids no one had wanted.

I leave the meeting in shock and realizing I had two really big problems. As I thought on this meeting I realized what had happened is that first kid had complained that this wasn't fair. (I had won the awards for the best patrol the previous two years and each time I had also had the kid who had won the award for the premier scout, in fact those were the two other patrol leaders. Now my dad is the Scout master and my best friend is Senior Patrol leader. He thought it was rigged and it made sense.). So I didn't have a problem with that, I understood how it looked. My problems were these, one of the kids I got in my patrol was the younger brother of one of those patrol leaders, I knew him and I knew he would go home and tell his brother and so everyone would find out. The second problem was my mom was tired of having patrol meetings at our home and so had told me before hand she didn't want me to have any patrol meetings at our house. So after these kids learn that no one wanted them I'm going to have to also mention that my mom doesn't want them either. But I also realized that ironically, this is what I had prayed for. I wanted to help my dad the best I could and taking the eight kids no one else wanted was an answer to that prayer. Since God is listening to me and answering prayers it was clear I now needed wisdom on how to deal with these two problems.

Anyway I will skip to the end, that patrol also won the Premier patrol award and one of those kids in my patrol also won the premier scout award and that was by far the most memorable award ceremony.
 
Woe unto the world because of offences!

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The millstone is referenced five times in the New Testament. Three times in the synoptic gospels it is used in this verse (Matthew, Mark and Luke). One time it is used in Revelation 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Which is the fulfillment of this judgment. And then one more time it is used in reference to grinding grain. Therefore the Great City Babylon is guilty of this and since I have made a very strong case that the Great City Babylon refers to the US and Washington DC (the dollar is king dollar and reigns over the kings of the earth) and to New York City. So then, what has the US done to offend the little ones that believe in Jesus?

Our education system has been coopted, we used to have the greatest education system in the world, but little by little they coopted it, and now we have the absolute worst education system (when viewed purely as a return on investment, we spend the most money and get the worst results). I could write a book on what the school system and the NEA and the Teacher's union have done to offend the little ones. But others have already done that, no need to for me. Mom's for Liberty have exposed the attempt to corrupt the youth with pornography, others have shown how incredibly biased the system is where our suburban schools are often pretty good and since they factor into the average score for the US it demonstrates how incredibly awful our inner city schools are. Our colleges have proven to be nothing but leftists indoctrination camps, what an incredible change from the 70s when we had the best higher education in the world.

Recently we have discovered that human trafficking is a billion dollar business and much of this is not for slave labor but for pedophiles and that the US is the biggest market in the world. Epstein island is simply one example of how awful and corrupt the US is. Diddy Parties are another example. The CIA uses honey pots to blackmail the rich and powerful, so this is something that goes all the way to the top and if Epstein was not well connected to the rich and powerful they would have already released the list of names that went to that island.

7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Why is it necessary that offences must come? Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. He was not revealed to be the savior until after His earthly ministry, crucifixion and resurrection. To be savior of the world Jesus has to save people from every sin, every hell there is. Hence it is necessary for there to be these offences so that Jesus can be revealed to us as having the power to save us from every pit, every hell, every horror there is. But that does not mean that those who are inflicting these horrors are doing God's will because God's will is that sin be judged.

8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Everyone needs to take this verse to heart. Every single time the Holy Spirit has spoken to me to deal with sin it required cutting something off and there is a loss. Perhaps you are wasting eight hours a day watching TV. Throw the TV away. But what about the news? Seriously? Think of the last ten years, all the news you watched, how much did that actually help your life and your walk with the Lord? Perhaps it did, but an alert on your phone would have done the same thing. The things that cause us to sin are never 100% bad, there is always something about them that can be argued is good and useful. The question you should ask is what will give you the biggest return on investment. If I get rid of the TV and instead spend the eight hours in the word of God, in prayer and in fellowship which will have a bigger impact on my spiritual growth? When you do that comparison it is so obvious the question is idiotic.

9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

I know brothers who say they are addicted to pornography and want to stop. Cut out your eye, simple. Do you watch pornography on a computer, throw it away. Install blocking software that will not allow you to visit the sites. What are you waiting for? Take a knife to this addiction and you will put an end to it immediately.
 
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

This word translated as "take heed" means to see with the eyes. The first time it is used in Matthew is to say the wise men saw the star of the king of Israel. They were taking heed to see with their own eyes. It is also used when Herod "saw" that he was mocked. It is the word when many people sitting in darkness saw a great light.

1. However, the first time this is translated as "take heed" is when Jesus said to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

This is now the second time it is translated as "take heed". These are the only two times in the book of Matthew this is translated as "take heed".

This word to despise is first used when the Lord said you can't serve two masters because you will despise one of them. It means to think little of someone, to disdain, to belittle, to contemn. Goliath despised David. In Christianity there is no issue with despising the children's ministry, however, there is an issue with despising a youth who speaks the word of God. Did he graduate from seminary? Many people will want to see your resume. Think of when the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin in Acts. They were fisherman, unlearned, it would be easy to despise them.

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

This explains why the Lord used unlearned fishermen, as well as those who were learned like Paul. He used tax collectors and prostitutes. He wants to save that which is lost and it is much easier for someone who came out of a group of sinners to speak to that group. I can talk to the rich, the wealthy and the well educated without any difficulty. But put me in a prison ministry speaking to former gang members and they will know immediately I am not "one of them". That is not a problem if they have already received the Lord, but if they are unsaved it might cause them to avoid me. We need Paul, but we also need Peter, and John and James and Matthew.

12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

You may have a pastor who has spent 50 years in the word and never gone astray. That is fine, and he can have a ministry for the 99 sheep. But when one does go astray do not be surprised if the Lord uses a different brother or sister to go and seek that one.

13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Let me ask you a question, when they are shearing the sheep to get the wool which they are going to sell, do they rejoice more over the one who went astray and has been saved or over the 99 that didn't go astray? Jesus is not talking about eternity, He is talking about here and now. Right now we make a big deal over every person who gets saved. We do that because it is meet to do that, to let everyone know they are welcome into the house of God once they have been washed in the blood of Jesus. But the day is coming when the Lord will be rejoicing over the 99 as well as the one that had gone astray.

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

So everyone needs to understand what He is saying here. Yes, it is necessary that offences will come and that many will be offended. But it is not God's will that any should perish. Everything that happens to us is for our good, not to cause us to perish but to help us mature. In post #15,044 I shared about my experience as a patrol leader. Before becoming a patrol leader I was in two patrols. The first one was, in my opinion, the best patrol leader I ever saw, much better than me. During Patrol meetings he helped us get our badges and pass the tests for different ranks. The second patrol leader was the worst patrol leader, he was utterly horrible. Within about two or three weeks there were only three people showing up to his patrol meetings, his best friend who was a neighbor and me (who was wondering what am I doing here). That patrol leader who was so terrible was also talking a lot about winning the award for best patrol leader. The great patrol leader never talked about that. Everyone went to his patrol meetings because they were fun and we liked it. No one went to the other guys patrol meetings because they were horrible, he didn't really want anyone there but his best friend. After sharing that experience the Lord reminded me of this, why did I have to go through that experience with the horrible patrol leader? God did not want me to perish, He wanted me to be saved, and not just me but those eight kids in that patrol I had that no one else wanted.
 
ZNP said:
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
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Unfit for War – America’s Most Lethal Soldier
 
What is this chapter really about?

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

This chapter began with a question about "who is the greatest" and it quickly turned to focus on dealing with offenses. This chapter is really about ego. You have to be humbled, get rid of your ego if you are going to enter the kingdom of the heavens. If you claim you have no ego then explain to me how come you get offended so easily? Why the big debate over who is the "GOAT" in basketball, it is all about ego. Why was one patrol leader so horrible? Ego run amok.

So when we come to this matter of offenses realize that ego is the biggest part of this. People get offended at the littlest thing, but they would never go to the person and confront them. Why? Because the reason they got offended was their ego.

One example of this is the whole debate about whether or not Isaiah Thomas should have been on the Dream Team. What people don't realize is the entire story has changed. When they first went around asking basketball players to join the Dream Team the fact was that no one wanted to do it. Michael Jordan had already won a gold medal, the Olympics were for college kids (Amateurs) not for professionals, and people like Michael had a tight schedule for all 12 months of the year. This wasn't a small ask. Not only so they had issues with their sponsors, and they had issues with their contracts about not getting hurt. Whoever was behind the "Dream Team" knew it wouldn't be the "dream team" if MJ wasn't on it, they had to get him first. Larry Bird was already injured with a bad back, and Magic Johnson had already been diagnosed with HIV. It would be pointless for other professionals to join this team without those three, and everyone knew the only one who would make it imperative for the others to join was MJ. According to MJ he never once told anyone he didn't want Isaiah on the team. However, he did express that he was not very interested in this team at first and so what probably happened is those who were behind the team were trying to entice him to do it. (I am vague about who was behind this because it was likely the NBA that was the main driver as a way to sell the NBA to a global market and not the Olympic committee). My point is that no one wanted to be on this team until after MJ, Magic and Bird were on it. If Isaiah had actually organized this himself and MJ was the last holdout they could have gotten him to join based on his competitiveness or based on Nike thinking this would help sell sneakers. Isaiah didn't care about being on this team until he was left off, then he cared. This is one example of why people get offended. Then on the other hand, what was MJ's beef with Isaiah? It was based on Isaiah not shaking hands with MJ after they defeated them in the playoffs, and they actually left the court for the locker a few seconds before the game ended. He took that as a snub. Again, another example of how ego is what causes our offenses. So why was Isaiah upset with MJ in the first place? It turns out he had a cousin who wore a MJ jersey instead of wearing his jersey! People get their egos offended.

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

This entire approach to dealing with offenses is designed to deal with your ego. Do you think MJ ever took one or two other people with him to confront Isaiah? Of course not, it would look petty. He didn't shake your hand, get over it, this has happened many times in the past. Do you think Isaiah complained when they didn't choose him? I highly doubt it, from all accounts no one initially wanted to be on that team, so he probably had no issue. It wasn't until years later when the "Dream Team" became a major event in the NBA history that he felt snubbed. In Genesis God says he is going to make a help meet for Adam. People equate that term with "the help" as in servants to cook and clean for you. But that is not what the word means, it means help as in save. David cried out to God who was His helper, same word. God saw we had a problem with our ego and so he made women so help us with that problem. Women are given to men to help them deflate that big ego. This works both ways, now you are seeing women who thought they didn't need men repent and regret that decision. If you are going to enter the kingdom of the heavens you have to humble yourself as a child, and for most of us we need help. Marriage helps and family helps. I have heard Isaiah apologize for not shaking the hands of the Bulls after they lost and I have heard MJ talk appreciatively of how good Isaiah was.

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

This is what happened to Isaiah when he wasn't chosen to be on that team. He was an outcast. This wasn't to be permanent but to cause everyone to deal with their ego and to ultimately be reconciled. Initially Isaiah did not apologize for not shaking the hands, saying "that was how it was done". No one bought that explanation because everyone knew that is not how it is done.
 
Binding and Loosing

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This is certainly about prayer, but there is a lot of debate about what you are binding and loosing. But the immediate context is your ego, pride and arrogance. The overall theme is this question about "who is the greatest". So if we use the analogy of sports you have both offense and defense. You can pray to shut down the enemy, expose him, shine a light on him, have all their deeds shouted from the rooftop. You can also pray to loose a blessing, have the Lord rain on us, bless our labor, send forth laborers into the field, open up the word, etc. Many people teach this refers to binding the enemy, but others claim that the Old testament taught you to bind the word of God on your forehead. Some teach that we are to pray to loose those who have been bound by the enemy and others teach that we are praying to loose God's word. Release the truth and it will defend itself. I think this word is intentionally vague and broad.

We bind and loose legally. Our prayers are a legal document. You have to pray according to the word of God and according to the will of God, but if you do it is a legal document. I once prayed "Lord if it is Your will You can heal this person". The Lord responded "when was it ever not my will to heal?" This is the Lord's mission in His ministry, to heal. However, many times when people are sick there is a spiritual cause that must be dealt with and the that is much more important than the physical healing. This is why James said "if they sinned" it isn't always a result of sin, but sometimes the disease can be healed but the Lord wants them to confess and repent of sins. All believers should understand that nothing happens to us without the Lord allowing it, so then, ask the Lord why He has allowed this to happen. Once you know that it is easy to confess, repent, and be healed.

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

If you are praying according to God's will and His word then you will have no problem having brothers and sisters agree with you. Also, if you see someone else praying and you agree with them, then pray, in agreement. What I try to do is find the word in the Bible that agrees with my prayer. Instead of praying against corruption and evil rulers, pray for them to be saved and come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. Which would have been better to pray that Saul of Tarsus be bound, or to pray that Saul of Tarsus would be saved and come to the full knowledge of the mysteries of God and be transformed into the Apostle Paul? You already know that God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul all agree with you when you pray for someone to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of God. That prayer is a slam dunk. You also know that they agree with you praying for rulers and all who are in authority. Pray for the mayor, the governor, the CEO, the President, etc.

This is the problem with ego, you are so focused on yourself you don't see others.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

We need to gather together to pray. Here is the problem, these two or three need to have the same burden that they will not let go of until the prayer is answered. I read that Watchman Nee prayed for every student in his High school. He and a few others had been involved in evangelizing the school and they stuck with this for years. He said it took a few decades but ultimately every single person on the list of kids in the school got saved.
 
Turning offenses into funny stories

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

This is a very big number in the Bible. Seventy times seven is 490. If you count how many times Jesus is named in all the odd numbered books of the New Testament it is 490 and if you count all the even numbered books of the New Testament it is also 490. In the entire New Testament it is 980 times which is 2 x 490. The number 2 is a testimony. The entire New Testament is a testimony of Jesus' forgiveness and mercy.

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

This word therefore ties this story into the whole chapter, and this whole chapter is on our ego. On the one hand our ego is why we get offended with others and on the other hand it is why we justify ourself. Why did MJ not want Isaiah to be on that team, because he offended his ego. Why did Isaiah not shake MJ's hand, because his cousin sore MJ's jersey.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

By comparison this is a trivial debt. I think all of us would look at this dispute between MJ and Isaiah and feel "it is trivial" but in reality it is very common. If you insult my ego it will appear to be trivial to everyone but me. This is why the Lord's approach is so great, if you decide you have been offended know that you have to first go and confront the person. Then if they won't listen to you take one or two more. You have to ask yourself is anyone else going to see this as a really big offense that a person should be excommunicated for or are they going to think this is trivial and I should forget about it. Asking yourself how others would view the "offences" you have experienced is a great way to deflate your ego.

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

When Dennis Rodman was going to sign with the Bulls he had to first apologize to Scotty Pippen. Once he did that both he and Scotty realized it was a trivial dispute and now the focus is on winning a championship. Scotty said at first he didn't want Rodman on the team but when he started pulling down 19 rebounds a game he no longer cared about the past and was happy to have him on the team. There are a lot of people who are sad about this beef between MJ and Isaiah, I think everyone has come to the conclusion the whole thing is trivial.

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

We need understanding, if we have that we will soon learn that very little that we are offended with is really about us. Isaiah not shaking MJ's hand had little to do with MJ and a whole lot to do with his cousin idolizing MJ. If MJ is concerned about what other people think about him he did more to damage that with this incident with Isaiah than anything Isaiah did to him.

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

When you have a situation like this it is like torment that won't go away. Compare what happened with Isaiah and MJ and people are still talking about it forty years later. Now compare what happened between Rodman and Pippen (a dirty foul that physically hurt Pippen and could have possibly ended his career). He apologized and that was that and now it is a funny story and Pippen and Rodman win three championships together.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
 
So if the New Testament is a testimony of Jesus forgiveness and mercy by having the number 7 x 70 embedded in the name of Jesus by having that name said 980 times, or 2 x 7 x 70 then we need to see that reveals a whole lot about God. According to John all things come into being through the word of God.

When the religious leaders officially rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah saying He was casting out demons by Beelzebub He told them they had committed the unforgivable sin. The only way we can be forgiven is to receive the sacrifice the Lord made on the cross for us. They asked the Lord for a sign of this judgement. Jesus said they would get the sign of Jonah. Now that sign includes Jesus being crucified dead and buried and rising on the third day. However, the sign also included Jonah walking through the city and giving them 40 days to repent, confess their sins and accept that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. We know from temple records that God stopped accepting the atoning sacrifice in 30 AD and every year from then until the temple was destroyed on the 9th of AV, in 70 AD. This is why I believe the proclaimed Judgment for anyone refusing to receive Jesus Christ as the Messiah was prophesied in 30 AD and that people were given 40 years to make this choice before the the clock began.

The next 1,960 years is a testimony of the Lord's forgiveness as expressed through the Body of Christ. This would be until 2030 AD on the 9th of Av. At that point I expect the opportunity to be forgiven will be over, and then the next year will be judgement poured out culminating in Armageddon on the 9th of Av in 2031 AD.
 
Compare what God is doing with what Israel did in Gaza. A day before bombing they would drop flyers telling people to flee. The day of the Lord is 7 years, so we can expect 7 years beforehand God is dropping flyers warning us to flee. The major signs of the day of the Lord began with the Revelation 12 sign in 2017. We have had massive warnings escalating right up until September 23, 2025 and then everything went dark. The same is true of Israel. They drop the flyers and make warnings and then everything goes dark right before they attack.
 
Divide and conquer

Matthew 19:1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;

The mount of transfiguration was the northern border of Israel. He has been moving south since then and the coasts of Judaea are close to Jerusalem, close to where He must be crucified.

2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Great multitudes indicates this is a great populist movement that is growing throughout the country and contrast that with these bitter Pharisees, tempting Him, trying to find fault. They can see they are losing power and are close to being exposed as frauds and removed from power. Today we see the same thing happening in Iran, and in China and in Russia. There are large Christian revivals in these countries and those in power are feeling threatened by it and that explains why we are moving to war.

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The point of them asking this question is to cause some people to be offended at his answer. It is a divide and conquer strategy. Jesus says don't let man put asunder what God has joined together, that will offend all those who have been divorced.

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

There is a Biblical basis for both sides of this argument which is why they asked it, their goal is to divide, to put asunder. The family unit is the focus of Satan's attack. If you can divide the family you can keep people in poverty. Single mothers are the biggest group of those in poverty. If you are poor you are dependent on the government and if you are dependent on them you will support them. The strongest opponent to an oligarchy of elites is the middle class. The attack is on the middle class, if you can bankrupt the middle class and cause them to be poor you can have a thriving tyrant. Democracy requires a strong middle class to support it. One of the best ways to break families is with fornication. If children can be tempted into fornication at a young age then you create an evil and adulterous age that is contrary to marriage and families. This is why in the US they don't have school uniforms and they don't divide the boys and girls up into separate high schools. They want confusion, they want fornication, they want single mothers and they want poverty. All of these things strengthen the role of the government and make people dependent on them and unable to stand on their own.

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

If no one is committing fornication prior to marriage it becomes exceedingly difficult to do so after marriage. If you normalize fornication prior to marriage then it will be much easier to have fornication after marriage and thus split marriages. What we have seen happen in the US is that many women said "we don't need men". The welfare is based on how many kids they have and requires that they are not married. So the more babies they have the more money they get. We have 41 million people in the US receiving food stamps and the biggest portion of them are single mothers and all their kids. This policy is designed to divide and conquer.

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

There are two kingdoms, the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of the son of His love. In the kingdom of darkness it is not good to marry. I grew up in a wealthy town outside of NYC and I vowed not to marry, I did not see any good marriages.

11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

To be a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's sake is clearly something new in the church age. Apparently Paul may have been such a one. But what we really need are pastors who can lead the flock and set an example of what a godly family looks like. We also need ministries that will help heal those who are damaged and harmed by this evil and adulterous age.
 
Satan's strategy against the kingdom of the heavens

Matthew 19:13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

What we also need is a children't ministry that presents an open door to the kingdom of the heavens to children. Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was a great example of such a ministry teaching young children to "love your neighbor as yourself" and to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Kids are faced with the golden rule from a very young age.

15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

We need marriage ministries and we need children's ministries.

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

This man did not correct himself, he knew that only one is good, that is God. He knew that by calling Jesus "good master" he was calling him God. Also Jesus did not correct him when he said that he kept the commandments. We have someone calling Jesus God who also keeps the commandments. Later we learn that he also has great possessions. It is rare to find someone in business who has great possessions while also calling Jesus God and keeping the law and commandments. However, it is very common to find this among pastors of large congregations, in fact this would be normal, what you would expect.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

This is a young man. In business it you are often middle aged if not older before you have great possessions. However, it is not unusual to find a young man who has graduated from seminary become a pastor of a good sized congregation. With that job they provide a home, a salary, a car, and you are in charge of the entire church. But why would a pastor be asking what he must do to inherit eternal life? Every pastor knows that you cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are born again. They have altar calls in most every sermon. But Jesus is no longer talking about "seeing the kingdom of the heavens", He has been talking about entering in and that you cannot do unless you humble yourself as a child.

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Being born again does not cause you to be "perfect". Jesus said the least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than John the Baptist. If you want that experience then you have to be the least in the kingdom of the heavens, you have to humble yourself to enter in and then you need your ego continually deflated to become the least. What we are seeing in Chapter 19 is Satan's strategy against the kingdom of the heavens. First, divide and conquer. If people are in poverty then they will be easy to control and the easiest way to keep everyone in poverty is to destroy the family unit and you do that with fornication. Second, Satan wants to teach the children because if he can indoctrinate them from a young age he can better control them. Finally we see that Satan has a strategy against the church. Get wealthy Freemasons on the board of directors and lure young men who have given their lives to Jesus to be the pastors. You give them a large congregation, a house, a car, and a ministry that streams to the internet, etc. All you ask is that they focus on the increase. Doesn't sound terrible. But it is actually code for not talking about sin, not talking about hell, not talking about consecration. Make it easy, easy as A B C. Don't talk about prophecy even thought that is 25% of the Bible, don't talk about the Antichrist, don't prepare them for the coming tribulation. These churches are filled with good works, marriage ministries and children's ministries, but even the Pastor doesn't have confidence that they are on the narrow way that leads to eternal life.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Do you see this! Jesus is talking about entering into the kingdom of heaven. If you are born again the promise is that you can see the kingdom of heaven, not that you have entered in. So then, what is the difference? You can see that the world is an evil and adulterous age, you can see that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only way to the father. However, you don't have the experience of David slaying Goliath. That would be to "enter in" to the experiences in the Bible.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

What is ego but a person who thinks he has something. To be rich means you think you have something while being poor is to have the mindset that you don't have anything. If you are rich you don't need Jesus, you are not humbled as a child, and you are not able to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. This man has a choice, do you want to keep all this stuff or do you want to be one who is fully dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ? As long as you are clinging to this world as your comforting blanket it is going to be impossible to enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

Good question, every single one of us is clinging to these things at some point in our life. I like to think of this in this way. I can see the world, I can see all the stuff in the world and everything that I feel I need to have. On the other hand I can see Jesus and everything that He is. If I am clinging to something in the world the problem is that my vision of Jesus is too small. The solution is not to become ascetic, the solution is to spend more time to increase my vision of Jesus. Think of this another way, on one hand I am looking at my house, it is big, and warm and safe. On the other hand I am looking at those mountains, they are small and distant, and almost seem like a mirage. However, if I will head towards the mountains they will get bigger and more real while my house will get smaller and more of a memory. The closer we get to Jesus the bigger He gets. The more time we spend with Him the more real He becomes.

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

I have had some amazing experiences of God's intervention and supply. The more you experience this the more you can learn to trust the Lord.

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

Peter depicts your typical disciple of the Lord. When the disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens I suspect many of us reading this recoiled, 'hey you aren't supposed to talk like that' but Jesus didn't say that. He answered the question. Likewise, here Peter asks what do we get who have forsaken all to follow the Lord. Again we will think 'hey you aren't supposed to talk like that' and yet Jesus didn't say that. He answers this question too.

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

We are being trained to rule and reign. In order to do that we need to have empathy for those who don't have, and the way to learn empathy is to walk in their shoes.

29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

This is a comforting verse. Many times you have to make a choice to forsake something for the sake of the Lord's name. At those times I stand on this promise.

30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Tom Brady was last in the draft but first when it comes to his career. His NFL career is a great illustration of this verse.
 
Understanding healing

Genesis 30:1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

Whatever happens to us is of God. This is a great example, Rachel is not having children while her sister has already had four children. The problem is obviously not with Jacob, so then the problem must be with Rachel. She needs to go to God to discover the problem and He would let her know that the problem is she needs to reconcile the situation with Leah. In Leah's mind Rachel came into her marriage and robbed her husband from her. They know that it was her father who orchestrated this, but she also knows that if Rachel had refused to marry Jacob she might have been able to win him over. She feels that she is the one being held responsible for deceiving Jacob. As soon as Rachel deals with this issue then God will open her womb. God desires unity, if Rachel had not been barren there would have been this horrific rift between the two and it would have become Leah's clan vs Rachel's clan. Instead Rachel embraced all the children as hers before God opened her womb to give her Joseph and Benjamin.

If you or another brother or sister has a health issue you have to first realize that this has been allowed by God and you need to find out why and deal with that, then you can be healed. Health issues are often God's way to nudge you to do what is right.
 
Jacob becomes Israel

Genesis 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

To have your name changed indicates a transformation. Prior to this Jacob was blessed, and he had a covenant with God which he made after getting a revelation of the house of God. By all accounts he is a child of God, but only now is he transformed and the reason is that "he has power with God and with men and hast prevailed". This is what a Christian who is transformed into the image of God should be like.
 
The Ten Virgins

This parable is only in Matthew, not in Mark and not in Luke or John. This means that it is specific to the unique agenda in Matthew. I have discussed this in great length already, simply search for "synoptic" gospels and you will find every reference to the specific burdens of each gospel. Suffice it to say that Luke is to the church that is raptured before the tribulation, Mark to the tribulation saints and Matthew to the Jews who were saved as a nation. In typology Leah represents the Gentile bride (the thought is she had blue eyes while Rachel had brown eyes) and Rachel represents the Jews. Rachel was a bridesmaid at her sisters wedding, Leah was the bride.


10 Virgins: BRIDE or BRIDESMAIDs? Rapture Timing Depends on the Answer
 
The power of the blood to wash away sins

Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. 2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Notice they don't say he was a criminal but a murderer. Think of Paul's history with the stoning of Stephan. The people might not have known who these prisoners and Roman guards were initially, but by the time this event took place they probably heard about Paul. This indicates that there was a lot of slander about Paul from Satan the accuser and a lot of people probably thought he was a murderer. If you have not seen that Jesus Christ's blood washes away your sins it is reasonable to have thought that Paul was a murderer. So they believed that this poisonous viper confirmed their suspicions and "justice" a Greek and Roman god had made sure he would not escape death for his crime. So when they saw he wasn't harmed it opened the door for the gospel to see that there is a higher power than the venom of a serpent.

6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. 7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. 8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. 9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: 10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Here is the thing, everyone is a sinner, everyone is suffering from the effects of sin. When you see this person and how the blood of Jesus has delivered him from sin it opens the door for others to want that same healing. Even though I am spiritualizing what happened it should not be understood that I am in any way ignoring that this happened physically. I believe this happened by the Lord's sovereignty. He turns the boat ride to prison for Paul to be another missionary journey to bring salvation and the gospel to this island.

11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

Castor and Pollux refers to the "twins" the star constellation we call "Gemini". It is a picture of Jesus Christ being one with us the believer. In this case Jesus was one with Paul in bringing the gospel to Melita (Malta).
 
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