Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Who shall roll us away the stone?
Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
The law concerning the sabbath rest was fulfilled with Jesus' death and burial. If we are crucified with Christ and it is truly no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me, then you are keeping the sabbath. Your old man is in that tomb. He never rises from the dead. Christ rises on the 8th day and leaves the old man in the tomb.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
If they had been able to anoint Him after the crucifixion you probably would have had ten sisters doing this. The cross has separated those who love the lord from the crowd.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
This is what separates the spectators from the participants. The spectators always have an excuse for why they can't do something. They would have asked this question before going to the tomb and used it as an excuse not to go. There is a stone that is blocking the watchmen, "no one knows the day or hour". Most use that as an excuse not to watch, but according to the Bible that is the reason that we must watch.
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
This is the experience of those in ministry, there was some great stone in the way of them serving the Lord but miraculously that stone was rolled away for them. The Pandemic rolled away the stone for me. I was very busy teaching, but because of the Pandemic we moved all our lessons online. That gave me an extra 3-4 hours a day. I used that extra time to dive into the word aggressively and to start this blog.
Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
The law concerning the sabbath rest was fulfilled with Jesus' death and burial. If we are crucified with Christ and it is truly no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me, then you are keeping the sabbath. Your old man is in that tomb. He never rises from the dead. Christ rises on the 8th day and leaves the old man in the tomb.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
If they had been able to anoint Him after the crucifixion you probably would have had ten sisters doing this. The cross has separated those who love the lord from the crowd.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
This is what separates the spectators from the participants. The spectators always have an excuse for why they can't do something. They would have asked this question before going to the tomb and used it as an excuse not to go. There is a stone that is blocking the watchmen, "no one knows the day or hour". Most use that as an excuse not to watch, but according to the Bible that is the reason that we must watch.
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
This is the experience of those in ministry, there was some great stone in the way of them serving the Lord but miraculously that stone was rolled away for them. The Pandemic rolled away the stone for me. I was very busy teaching, but because of the Pandemic we moved all our lessons online. That gave me an extra 3-4 hours a day. I used that extra time to dive into the word aggressively and to start this blog.
7 TOWERS = 7TH DAY OF HANUKKAH?
There are seven lamps in the lampstand which is in the Holy Sanctuary. But a Menorah has 9 lamps, not seven.
A menorah is a candelabrum in Judaism, with two main types: the seven-branched Temple menorah, which symbolized God's light in the ancient Temple, and the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah (or Hanukkiyah), lit during the eight nights of the Hanukkah holiday. The Temple menorah has deep historical roots in the biblical description to Moses, while the Hanukkah menorah commemorates the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days.
So the seven towers burning could certainly be a sign referring to the church as the lampstand, but not really to Hanukah.
When you preach the gospel, working with the Lord, He will confirm the word with signs following
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
First and foremost we are servants of the Lord. These disciples came to anoint the body but instead got their marching orders. When I started this blog I thought that my goal was to study the word for myself because this topic is generally not discussed in the church. I had 0 intention of sharing this with anyone as it was not a popular topic in 2020. I made my blog public because I figured there might be ten other people out there interested. But I had no idea what a blog was much less how to find them, so it has been a shock to me that so many people have found this blog. But this is how the Lord works. What I am doing now is not what I had intended, I see this blog now as being similar to Watchman Nee's book "12 baskets full" where he would have daily devotionals based on the word of God.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. 9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
The first recorded incident of someone preaching the gospel of the resurrected Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and they don't believe you are following in her footsteps.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
This is what I realized when I preached the gospel, it is a team effort. If someone doesn't believe you pray that the Lord will send two more to them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
All things work together for good to those that love God. It is important for people to reject the gospel because then when they do get saved they can be more persistent in their preaching of the gospel since they can empathize with those who reject it.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Jesus Christ is Lord, that is good news to every creature. If you find it difficult to preach to humans, start with your dog, or your cat or your bird or your goldfish.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
How far as Christianity departed from the word of God? Look how clear it is that those who reject the gospel shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Again, how far has Christianity departed from the word of God, we have the authority to cast out devils, and we have the authority to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Simply pray that in the name of Jesus Christ the sickness will depart. You must be right with the Lord first, you can't be living in sin, you must be abiding in the Lord, but if you are right with the Lord you have the authority to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
That is about 50 days after, and after Jesus had appeared to them 40 times and spoken to them in those instances.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
First and foremost we are servants of the Lord. These disciples came to anoint the body but instead got their marching orders. When I started this blog I thought that my goal was to study the word for myself because this topic is generally not discussed in the church. I had 0 intention of sharing this with anyone as it was not a popular topic in 2020. I made my blog public because I figured there might be ten other people out there interested. But I had no idea what a blog was much less how to find them, so it has been a shock to me that so many people have found this blog. But this is how the Lord works. What I am doing now is not what I had intended, I see this blog now as being similar to Watchman Nee's book "12 baskets full" where he would have daily devotionals based on the word of God.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. 9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
The first recorded incident of someone preaching the gospel of the resurrected Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and they don't believe you are following in her footsteps.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
This is what I realized when I preached the gospel, it is a team effort. If someone doesn't believe you pray that the Lord will send two more to them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
All things work together for good to those that love God. It is important for people to reject the gospel because then when they do get saved they can be more persistent in their preaching of the gospel since they can empathize with those who reject it.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Jesus Christ is Lord, that is good news to every creature. If you find it difficult to preach to humans, start with your dog, or your cat or your bird or your goldfish.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
How far as Christianity departed from the word of God? Look how clear it is that those who reject the gospel shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Again, how far has Christianity departed from the word of God, we have the authority to cast out devils, and we have the authority to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Simply pray that in the name of Jesus Christ the sickness will depart. You must be right with the Lord first, you can't be living in sin, you must be abiding in the Lord, but if you are right with the Lord you have the authority to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
That is about 50 days after, and after Jesus had appeared to them 40 times and spoken to them in those instances.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
These are Pdfs anyone can download of all my posts and for the first time this includes Mark.
The Holy Bible -- King James Version
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ggLlInqsXzE3k2f_2XahguwjP-2ZMvbW/view?usp=sharing
A Letter to those left behind after the rapture
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dM18beTF9Jka3w8XUk10ARkI-cYnltH5/view?usp=sharing
I based most of my letter on the Gospel according to Mark and the Book of Acts.
Index of Bible References volumes 1-5
I would have done this for all of them but ran out of time. However, it does help those who are interested in a particular verse to find the verse and what is said about it. One reason I did this was so I could look for verses that had not been referenced.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YK4mY8xfqh13sW00JjXqcusX3a4jqZPRBFvVXh12fVA/edit?usp=sharing
This is a reference of Bible verses in these four volumes. But anyone can download these Pdfs and create an index of the Bible references for all 13 of them.
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 1)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JvGt0moH2kzWMqdxBiO73Gaj7UxxqvfD/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 2)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eAIgnWSGMkVw_Fawa_dbXyJTi1yOWwks/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 3)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dg9eD4It_H1V8XCMuAc7Im8G2UfuvEjV/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 4)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RwFhRsl7Ww5ZAn1C3ro7VrNCo5baWqPN/view?usp=sharing
Look up your redemption draws near (vol 5)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/160buxQxCAsHjuN7qfTVY7dOQft8VA4L_/view?usp=sharing
Look up your redemption draws near (vol 6)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ewv-l-yh4A2KRcPnQmOJB_51S1HQ095X/view?usp=sharing
Look up, your redemption draws nigh (vol. 7)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l7FBpjTk2NNVgYBAATm-3Th3rfeXEDhG/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (8)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OkRHsPs36DZ-gFO-UgGUj-mVa63TI1vR/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (9)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xECKmu-anfa0J_Sxn9ysUtpQSG2HVvtt/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (10)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L-3KMmo6qiJsAcP4hQGBbrNrT2Za0p3S/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your redemption draws near (Volume 11)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lc-CjfWlJPXc7D5H7ocz8WaF72zW3JqZ/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption draws Near (vol. 12)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1li_fbCxYOZrWF7No3d2DiN7k1H1rPmx0/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption draws Near (vol. 13)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVVP6WWS5TrcniRSmT_8r8xsGcpeGzby/view?usp=sharing
Who is the Great Babylon
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQatkwB8A2Xi6og2WRxNvfw3CEV0n2_n/view?usp=sharing
This Pdf goes through every verse in the New Testament and many in the Old referring to Babylon. I see which of the various interpretations fit. The main three are: Israel, Vatican and the US, though I also see if England fits any. I used to subscribe to the teaching of Darby and Watchman Nee on this, however, everyone should know that when they taught the US was not a superpower, Hollywood and Multinational corporations did not exist (true for Darby, Watchman Nee was around at the time of silent movies). The pandemic had not taken place and the apostasy in the US had not taken place. You could not compare the US to Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of Darby or Watchman Nee.
James the Keel of the Church
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1coj11i6yERgYLhtCSrKkJP44dl-7a1IA/view?usp=sharing
1 Peter the Gospel of the 2nd Chance
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13UKCQIJq7GIQl20D86x_PFC9YbCeR6mH/view?usp=sharing
2 Peter -- Ministering an Entrance unto You
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11bM_yAsaMeh_T3s_X42Pt_NP-EOTz9Uf/view?usp=sharing
1 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e9bXQV7NsQQOYdfXePMD4AD57u864e7Y/view?usp=sharing
2 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lmrtn2bHjOp431KLTrdEVMhSm5hubwJG/view?usp=sharing
3 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tgZwMD5B-1VmGcEbZ9HjIoD6d0WgzieM/view?usp=sharing
Jude
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d1oK68ijqTgfPACu31SXfHrfuYJrNDuf/view?usp=sharing
Matthew
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gao_VZffMPY7DNR0bMtx_UHATWPIwMbJ/view?usp=sharing
The Gospel of Mark
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13FdKKF_b_kuBBH3Q9Y-7vcRfKbg8x6ce/view?usp=sharing
Here is the Pdf for the entire book of Revelation
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WudDGTDeIra1nQPVOfxNKchdBtdxctrP/view?usp=sharing
The Holy Bible -- King James Version
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ggLlInqsXzE3k2f_2XahguwjP-2ZMvbW/view?usp=sharing
A Letter to those left behind after the rapture
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dM18beTF9Jka3w8XUk10ARkI-cYnltH5/view?usp=sharing
I based most of my letter on the Gospel according to Mark and the Book of Acts.
Index of Bible References volumes 1-5
I would have done this for all of them but ran out of time. However, it does help those who are interested in a particular verse to find the verse and what is said about it. One reason I did this was so I could look for verses that had not been referenced.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YK4mY8xfqh13sW00JjXqcusX3a4jqZPRBFvVXh12fVA/edit?usp=sharing
This is a reference of Bible verses in these four volumes. But anyone can download these Pdfs and create an index of the Bible references for all 13 of them.
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 1)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JvGt0moH2kzWMqdxBiO73Gaj7UxxqvfD/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 2)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eAIgnWSGMkVw_Fawa_dbXyJTi1yOWwks/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 3)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dg9eD4It_H1V8XCMuAc7Im8G2UfuvEjV/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (volume 4)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RwFhRsl7Ww5ZAn1C3ro7VrNCo5baWqPN/view?usp=sharing
Look up your redemption draws near (vol 5)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/160buxQxCAsHjuN7qfTVY7dOQft8VA4L_/view?usp=sharing
Look up your redemption draws near (vol 6)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ewv-l-yh4A2KRcPnQmOJB_51S1HQ095X/view?usp=sharing
Look up, your redemption draws nigh (vol. 7)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l7FBpjTk2NNVgYBAATm-3Th3rfeXEDhG/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (8)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OkRHsPs36DZ-gFO-UgGUj-mVa63TI1vR/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (9)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xECKmu-anfa0J_Sxn9ysUtpQSG2HVvtt/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption Draws Near (10)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L-3KMmo6qiJsAcP4hQGBbrNrT2Za0p3S/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your redemption draws near (Volume 11)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lc-CjfWlJPXc7D5H7ocz8WaF72zW3JqZ/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption draws Near (vol. 12)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1li_fbCxYOZrWF7No3d2DiN7k1H1rPmx0/view?usp=sharing
Look Up, Your Redemption draws Near (vol. 13)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVVP6WWS5TrcniRSmT_8r8xsGcpeGzby/view?usp=sharing
Who is the Great Babylon
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQatkwB8A2Xi6og2WRxNvfw3CEV0n2_n/view?usp=sharing
This Pdf goes through every verse in the New Testament and many in the Old referring to Babylon. I see which of the various interpretations fit. The main three are: Israel, Vatican and the US, though I also see if England fits any. I used to subscribe to the teaching of Darby and Watchman Nee on this, however, everyone should know that when they taught the US was not a superpower, Hollywood and Multinational corporations did not exist (true for Darby, Watchman Nee was around at the time of silent movies). The pandemic had not taken place and the apostasy in the US had not taken place. You could not compare the US to Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of Darby or Watchman Nee.
James the Keel of the Church
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1coj11i6yERgYLhtCSrKkJP44dl-7a1IA/view?usp=sharing
1 Peter the Gospel of the 2nd Chance
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13UKCQIJq7GIQl20D86x_PFC9YbCeR6mH/view?usp=sharing
2 Peter -- Ministering an Entrance unto You
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11bM_yAsaMeh_T3s_X42Pt_NP-EOTz9Uf/view?usp=sharing
1 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e9bXQV7NsQQOYdfXePMD4AD57u864e7Y/view?usp=sharing
2 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lmrtn2bHjOp431KLTrdEVMhSm5hubwJG/view?usp=sharing
3 John
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tgZwMD5B-1VmGcEbZ9HjIoD6d0WgzieM/view?usp=sharing
Jude
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d1oK68ijqTgfPACu31SXfHrfuYJrNDuf/view?usp=sharing
Matthew
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gao_VZffMPY7DNR0bMtx_UHATWPIwMbJ/view?usp=sharing
The Gospel of Mark
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13FdKKF_b_kuBBH3Q9Y-7vcRfKbg8x6ce/view?usp=sharing
Here is the Pdf for the entire book of Revelation
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WudDGTDeIra1nQPVOfxNKchdBtdxctrP/view?usp=sharing
God is the original gangster
Exodus 8:25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
The abomination of the Egyptians refers to their idols, their gods. These ten plagues refer to judgments on all their idols. But what did God sacrifice in the wilderness, what idol? It was Pharaoh and his army! Moses is telling Pharaoh this to his face, that is O.G.!
Exodus 8:25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
The abomination of the Egyptians refers to their idols, their gods. These ten plagues refer to judgments on all their idols. But what did God sacrifice in the wilderness, what idol? It was Pharaoh and his army! Moses is telling Pharaoh this to his face, that is O.G.!
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed
Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
The Bible is the more sure word of prophecy.
This word translated "certainty" is used three times in the New Testament. This is the first use. The second is also by Luke in the book of Acts, the prison was shut up with all "safety", the same word that we are translating as certainty here. The final example is by Paul in 1 Thessalonians "when they say peace and safety". Again, the word translated "safety" is the word here for certainty. The word means certainty, undoubted proof, security from enemies and danger, hence safety.
The Bible is the undoubted truth, when Antichrist tells you that he has the undoubted truth you should know it is a trap, a snare.
Security from enemies and danger
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
We need to abide under the shadow of the almighty, we don't visit, we abide. That is the most secure place from enemies and danger.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You abide in Jesus Christ, the incarnated word of God and your faith and trust in God will grow. If you trust in Him He will be your refuge and your fortress.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
This is the prerequisite in order to be delivered from the snare of the fowler. Many say they don't believe in witchcraft, but surely they do believe in the Bible and according to the Bible there are fowlers out there laying snares for us. So if you don't want to talk about witches, lets talk about someone laying a snare for you. Abide in the word, abide in the Lord, put your trust in Him and He shall deliver you from the snares that these fowlers are laying.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
As a rule we want to be hidden beneath the Lord's wings. You don't want to attract the attention of the fowlers and those in witchcraft. We can be hidden under the Lord's wings so that the enemy cannot touch us and His truth shall be our shield and buckler (a buckler is small shield to protect your hand that is on your sword).
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ and this destruction would be nullified and cancelled by Him and His blood would dissolve all the snares that have been laid for you. During the pandemic we witnessed how terrified so many people are, that is why they were driving in their car alone with a mask on. These people living in big cities with gang violence, they are terrified of the terror by night and for the arrow that flieth by the day. So many things to be scared of, AI taking your job, gangs taking your kids, pandemic taking your life, etc.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the righteous judge that you would see the reward of the wicked. Pray your eyes would be opened to see what has caused this cloud of oppression. It won't touch us but the Lord wants us to see it so that we are not naive. We can pray more effectively when we can clearly see the enemy working.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
If you make the Lord your habitation then He gets to clean house. There may be abominable things in your house that the Holy Spirit takes issue with. When I first got saved I realized my record albums were idolatrous and I burned them all. It isn't because we are the ones on guard 24 hours a day that no evil befalls us, it is because of the Lord. Demons, witches, fallen angels, they cannot enter that refuge, as long as you are within that refuge they can't touch you.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Pray to tread upon the lion that seeks whom he may devour and that the dragon would be under your feet, in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who conquered death and put Satan to an open shame. The Lord will give His "angels" charge over thee, that is plural. If you are on the front lines of the spiritual warfare then you can be sure He will appoint enough angels to keep guard. If you attract the attention of those in witchcraft the Lord will appoint enough security to keep you safe. I have had at least five experiences that stand out where the Angels stepped in to keep me from dashing my foot against a stone.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Jesus Christ is Lord, call on His name, you know His name, at His name demons must flee. How does the Lord know that you have set your love upon Him? Because you are willingly suffering shame and reproach for the name of Jesus.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
This is the goal, that when we pray the Lord answers. That is how He honors us. If you get to this point where you have effective prayers like Elijah who held back the rain for 3 1/2 years, then, in my opinion that is the pinnacle of the Christian life filled with amazing experiences of answered prayer.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
So then pray that the Lord will show you His salvation because all of this is His salvation.
And that is what Luke means when he says "that thou mightest know the certainty of these things".
Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
The Bible is the more sure word of prophecy.
This word translated "certainty" is used three times in the New Testament. This is the first use. The second is also by Luke in the book of Acts, the prison was shut up with all "safety", the same word that we are translating as certainty here. The final example is by Paul in 1 Thessalonians "when they say peace and safety". Again, the word translated "safety" is the word here for certainty. The word means certainty, undoubted proof, security from enemies and danger, hence safety.
The Bible is the undoubted truth, when Antichrist tells you that he has the undoubted truth you should know it is a trap, a snare.
Security from enemies and danger
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
We need to abide under the shadow of the almighty, we don't visit, we abide. That is the most secure place from enemies and danger.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You abide in Jesus Christ, the incarnated word of God and your faith and trust in God will grow. If you trust in Him He will be your refuge and your fortress.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
This is the prerequisite in order to be delivered from the snare of the fowler. Many say they don't believe in witchcraft, but surely they do believe in the Bible and according to the Bible there are fowlers out there laying snares for us. So if you don't want to talk about witches, lets talk about someone laying a snare for you. Abide in the word, abide in the Lord, put your trust in Him and He shall deliver you from the snares that these fowlers are laying.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
As a rule we want to be hidden beneath the Lord's wings. You don't want to attract the attention of the fowlers and those in witchcraft. We can be hidden under the Lord's wings so that the enemy cannot touch us and His truth shall be our shield and buckler (a buckler is small shield to protect your hand that is on your sword).
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ and this destruction would be nullified and cancelled by Him and His blood would dissolve all the snares that have been laid for you. During the pandemic we witnessed how terrified so many people are, that is why they were driving in their car alone with a mask on. These people living in big cities with gang violence, they are terrified of the terror by night and for the arrow that flieth by the day. So many things to be scared of, AI taking your job, gangs taking your kids, pandemic taking your life, etc.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the righteous judge that you would see the reward of the wicked. Pray your eyes would be opened to see what has caused this cloud of oppression. It won't touch us but the Lord wants us to see it so that we are not naive. We can pray more effectively when we can clearly see the enemy working.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
If you make the Lord your habitation then He gets to clean house. There may be abominable things in your house that the Holy Spirit takes issue with. When I first got saved I realized my record albums were idolatrous and I burned them all. It isn't because we are the ones on guard 24 hours a day that no evil befalls us, it is because of the Lord. Demons, witches, fallen angels, they cannot enter that refuge, as long as you are within that refuge they can't touch you.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Pray to tread upon the lion that seeks whom he may devour and that the dragon would be under your feet, in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who conquered death and put Satan to an open shame. The Lord will give His "angels" charge over thee, that is plural. If you are on the front lines of the spiritual warfare then you can be sure He will appoint enough angels to keep guard. If you attract the attention of those in witchcraft the Lord will appoint enough security to keep you safe. I have had at least five experiences that stand out where the Angels stepped in to keep me from dashing my foot against a stone.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Jesus Christ is Lord, call on His name, you know His name, at His name demons must flee. How does the Lord know that you have set your love upon Him? Because you are willingly suffering shame and reproach for the name of Jesus.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
This is the goal, that when we pray the Lord answers. That is how He honors us. If you get to this point where you have effective prayers like Elijah who held back the rain for 3 1/2 years, then, in my opinion that is the pinnacle of the Christian life filled with amazing experiences of answered prayer.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
So then pray that the Lord will show you His salvation because all of this is His salvation.
And that is what Luke means when he says "that thou mightest know the certainty of these things".
Time to turn the lights on to full brightness
Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
There is a big difference between Mark and Luke. In Mark it begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. In Luke it begins with looking at the parents of John the Baptist before John was born. Some Christians simply want the "Idiot's guide to the gospels" which is the concise version of Mark. Others want to know the full story, which is the gospel of Luke, and still others want to know the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah prophesied of in the Old Testament and that is the gospel of Matthew.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
This ties in with Romans 1:17. Many consider Luke to be the gospel according to Paul since Luke was a close coworker of Paul, and others actually teach that Romans is the gospel according to Paul. So compare this word that both were righteous with the word in Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just G1342 shall live by faith.
They walked in all the commandments and ordinances indicating they were immersed in the word of God and were walking by faith.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
This reminds us of Abraham and Sarah, the father of faith. This is why we want to know the full story. We want to know where John came from so that we know the key principles in being a disciple of the Lord.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Burning incense depicts prayers. It was while He was serving the Lord in prayer.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
John the Baptist was a pivotal figure in human history bringing the Old Testament to a close and ushering in the New Testament age. This event was brought about by "the whole multitude of the people praying". The idiot's guide to the rapture will focus on the signs that begin about 4 years before the rapture, whereas the total history will focus on the prayers that brought about the end of the age about 40 years before the rapture. There are two kinds of virgins, the foolish ones that did not take oil and wake up when it is too late to be raptured, and the wise ones that took oil in their vessels praying for this very moment in time.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
To walk in faith is to believe your prayers are heard. Many assume that Zechariah was praying for a son, that is highly unlikely since he thought that was impossible. I believe he was praying for the Messiah to come, for God to send Elijah as a forerunner, and for the age to change. The angel says 'your prayer has been heard, and guess what, you have been chosen to raise the forerunner'. The people wanted the forerunner to come, God wanted the right family to place him in. He chose the one who was praying and walking in faith.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
When our prayers are answered it causes rejoicing. I doubt many were praying for Zacharias and Elisabeth to have a son, but many were praying for God to send Elijah.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
The word for explains the previous verse that many shall rejoice at his birth.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This word for turn is also translated return and converted. This is what the ministry of a prophet is, to cause people to turn, to return and to be converted. Pray that the Lord would give you a ministry that turns people to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Israel was a people prepared for the Lord. The book, the practices, everything about Israel laid the groundwork for Jesus' ministry. John comes to make them ready. It is like those lights that when you turn them on they take a minute to warm up and get to full brightness. John turned them on.
Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
There is a big difference between Mark and Luke. In Mark it begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. In Luke it begins with looking at the parents of John the Baptist before John was born. Some Christians simply want the "Idiot's guide to the gospels" which is the concise version of Mark. Others want to know the full story, which is the gospel of Luke, and still others want to know the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah prophesied of in the Old Testament and that is the gospel of Matthew.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
This ties in with Romans 1:17. Many consider Luke to be the gospel according to Paul since Luke was a close coworker of Paul, and others actually teach that Romans is the gospel according to Paul. So compare this word that both were righteous with the word in Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just G1342 shall live by faith.
They walked in all the commandments and ordinances indicating they were immersed in the word of God and were walking by faith.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
This reminds us of Abraham and Sarah, the father of faith. This is why we want to know the full story. We want to know where John came from so that we know the key principles in being a disciple of the Lord.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Burning incense depicts prayers. It was while He was serving the Lord in prayer.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
John the Baptist was a pivotal figure in human history bringing the Old Testament to a close and ushering in the New Testament age. This event was brought about by "the whole multitude of the people praying". The idiot's guide to the rapture will focus on the signs that begin about 4 years before the rapture, whereas the total history will focus on the prayers that brought about the end of the age about 40 years before the rapture. There are two kinds of virgins, the foolish ones that did not take oil and wake up when it is too late to be raptured, and the wise ones that took oil in their vessels praying for this very moment in time.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
To walk in faith is to believe your prayers are heard. Many assume that Zechariah was praying for a son, that is highly unlikely since he thought that was impossible. I believe he was praying for the Messiah to come, for God to send Elijah as a forerunner, and for the age to change. The angel says 'your prayer has been heard, and guess what, you have been chosen to raise the forerunner'. The people wanted the forerunner to come, God wanted the right family to place him in. He chose the one who was praying and walking in faith.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
When our prayers are answered it causes rejoicing. I doubt many were praying for Zacharias and Elisabeth to have a son, but many were praying for God to send Elijah.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
The word for explains the previous verse that many shall rejoice at his birth.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This word for turn is also translated return and converted. This is what the ministry of a prophet is, to cause people to turn, to return and to be converted. Pray that the Lord would give you a ministry that turns people to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Israel was a people prepared for the Lord. The book, the practices, everything about Israel laid the groundwork for Jesus' ministry. John comes to make them ready. It is like those lights that when you turn them on they take a minute to warm up and get to full brightness. John turned them on.
Lord we ask that those who are controlled by unbelief would be dumb, unable to speak, as your truth is revealed
Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
It sounds like Zacharias is asking the same question that Mary asks, but it is very different. Mary wants to know how she is going to become pregnant since she has not known a man. She believes the word of the Angel and simply has some reasonable questions to help her understand what is about to happen. Zacharias is not asking anything like that, he is saying "hey you got the wrong guy, my wife and I are old, too old to have a kid". That is unbelief.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Now this is a good prayer to learn. If you are being attacked by a demon or fallen angel, simply command that they be dumb in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord of All.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
This is also helpful in understanding how to pray for people to be healed. A person can be speechless because a dumb spirit possesses them like the boy who was having seizures that Jesus healed. In that case the dumb spirit should be cast out. However, a person may also be dumb as a sign of unbelief, it is a temporary rebuke just like Mirriam was covered in leprosy and had to go outside the camp for a week. If you understand the cause of a condition you know how to pray for the situation.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Lord Jesus we pray that all those who accused people of being anti science and anti vaxx because they refused the experimental vaccine would be dumb, unable to speak as the truth is revealed. We pray that all those who accused the people who were at the January 6th rally seeking for justice as being insurrectionists would also be dumb as the truth comes out. We pray that all those who have been holier than thou Democrats while the Democratic party takes money from criminals allowing them to sell drugs and traffic people would be dumb, unable to speak as the truth comes out.
Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
It sounds like Zacharias is asking the same question that Mary asks, but it is very different. Mary wants to know how she is going to become pregnant since she has not known a man. She believes the word of the Angel and simply has some reasonable questions to help her understand what is about to happen. Zacharias is not asking anything like that, he is saying "hey you got the wrong guy, my wife and I are old, too old to have a kid". That is unbelief.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Now this is a good prayer to learn. If you are being attacked by a demon or fallen angel, simply command that they be dumb in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord of All.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
This is also helpful in understanding how to pray for people to be healed. A person can be speechless because a dumb spirit possesses them like the boy who was having seizures that Jesus healed. In that case the dumb spirit should be cast out. However, a person may also be dumb as a sign of unbelief, it is a temporary rebuke just like Mirriam was covered in leprosy and had to go outside the camp for a week. If you understand the cause of a condition you know how to pray for the situation.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Lord Jesus we pray that all those who accused people of being anti science and anti vaxx because they refused the experimental vaccine would be dumb, unable to speak as the truth is revealed. We pray that all those who accused the people who were at the January 6th rally seeking for justice as being insurrectionists would also be dumb as the truth comes out. We pray that all those who have been holier than thou Democrats while the Democratic party takes money from criminals allowing them to sell drugs and traffic people would be dumb, unable to speak as the truth comes out.
God our Father knows what we have need of
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Think of how times have changed. We would not consider an elderly woman who is married and without children to have reproach among men. Her husband is the high priest, he had the course of Abia to be in the Temple, that is a very prestigious job, that would be like being married to a supreme court justice.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
You can go for decades without Gabriel being sent to anyone to make a proclamation, and then in the space of a few months we have two momentous declarations from the angel Gabriel.
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
It was a huge honor to pick Zacharias and Elisabeth to have John the Baptist, it was the answer to the prayers of a multitude and God chose a man and woman who were walking by faith. Surely the same was true of Mary. Think about why she was "highly favoured".
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Again, how did she find favor with God? Isn't that the big question? We are told that without faith it is impossible to please God so she must have had faith.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Now read that promise, consider it, this is huge. This is incredible. But Mary doesn't even blink.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Most of us would be "what, me? No way". But her question is how will I conceive? This isn't unbelief, she isn't saying oh this is impossible, I am a virgin. No, she has already received this word, already said "so be it" and now she wants to know the details of how this will happen.
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
At this point you might be concerned, what about my fiance? What is he going to think?
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
No. Her immediate thought is there has to be more than this. So Gabriel tells her "behold, thy cousin Elisabeth". Yes, the forerunner is six months in her womb. Mary must have been praying, we get that from the story with Zacharias and Elisabeth, she must have been walking in faith, and she must have been praying for the Messiah to come.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
What a great attitude, "I am the servant of the Lord, as the Lord wills, so be it". This is our pattern. Think about all the different things God had already figured out. He knew He had to talk to Joseph, He knew that Mary was poor and that He would have to send the wise men to give them what they need to flee to Egypt. God is the father, the father knows what we need before we do.
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Think of how times have changed. We would not consider an elderly woman who is married and without children to have reproach among men. Her husband is the high priest, he had the course of Abia to be in the Temple, that is a very prestigious job, that would be like being married to a supreme court justice.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
You can go for decades without Gabriel being sent to anyone to make a proclamation, and then in the space of a few months we have two momentous declarations from the angel Gabriel.
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
It was a huge honor to pick Zacharias and Elisabeth to have John the Baptist, it was the answer to the prayers of a multitude and God chose a man and woman who were walking by faith. Surely the same was true of Mary. Think about why she was "highly favoured".
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Again, how did she find favor with God? Isn't that the big question? We are told that without faith it is impossible to please God so she must have had faith.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Now read that promise, consider it, this is huge. This is incredible. But Mary doesn't even blink.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Most of us would be "what, me? No way". But her question is how will I conceive? This isn't unbelief, she isn't saying oh this is impossible, I am a virgin. No, she has already received this word, already said "so be it" and now she wants to know the details of how this will happen.
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
At this point you might be concerned, what about my fiance? What is he going to think?
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
No. Her immediate thought is there has to be more than this. So Gabriel tells her "behold, thy cousin Elisabeth". Yes, the forerunner is six months in her womb. Mary must have been praying, we get that from the story with Zacharias and Elisabeth, she must have been walking in faith, and she must have been praying for the Messiah to come.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
What a great attitude, "I am the servant of the Lord, as the Lord wills, so be it". This is our pattern. Think about all the different things God had already figured out. He knew He had to talk to Joseph, He knew that Mary was poor and that He would have to send the wise men to give them what they need to flee to Egypt. God is the father, the father knows what we need before we do.
Here is the difference between Mark and Luke
Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This is the difference between the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Luke. This is why some saints are watchmen and are fully persuaded that the Lord's return is imminent and we are focused on the prophecies and signs. Listen to everyone's testimony. They have known this day was coming for forty or fifty years. It was 50 years ago in 1972 that I first learned from the Lord that I would see His return. I did not get involved with the whole 88 reasons for 1988. For fifty years I pursued the Lord and it was not until the Pandemic that I realized this was what the Lord had told me about in 1972. The Christians who poo pooed this, they assume we are superficial, got excited over a Youtube video, and have gone off the deep end. Why would they assume that? Because that is how they study the word, it is trivial and non existent. The best ones find someone they trust and let him do the study and if he isn't saying the Lord is about to come then that is good enough for them.
The gospel of Mark begins with John the Baptist baptizing others. Luke begins with Elisabeth and Mary conceiving John and Jesus more than 30 years before that.
Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This is the difference between the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Luke. This is why some saints are watchmen and are fully persuaded that the Lord's return is imminent and we are focused on the prophecies and signs. Listen to everyone's testimony. They have known this day was coming for forty or fifty years. It was 50 years ago in 1972 that I first learned from the Lord that I would see His return. I did not get involved with the whole 88 reasons for 1988. For fifty years I pursued the Lord and it was not until the Pandemic that I realized this was what the Lord had told me about in 1972. The Christians who poo pooed this, they assume we are superficial, got excited over a Youtube video, and have gone off the deep end. Why would they assume that? Because that is how they study the word, it is trivial and non existent. The best ones find someone they trust and let him do the study and if he isn't saying the Lord is about to come then that is good enough for them.
The gospel of Mark begins with John the Baptist baptizing others. Luke begins with Elisabeth and Mary conceiving John and Jesus more than 30 years before that.
Praise God with your testimony
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Joy and rejoicing when God answers prayer.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Arm yourself with this view of eternity.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
What a powerful testimony.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
A testimony of God's mercy.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
Hallelujah, a testimony of David vs Goliath.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Hallelujah! A testimony of how the mighty have fallen.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
A testimony of God's goodness.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
A testimony of God's faithfulness.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Joy and rejoicing when God answers prayer.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Arm yourself with this view of eternity.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
What a powerful testimony.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
A testimony of God's mercy.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
Hallelujah, a testimony of David vs Goliath.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Hallelujah! A testimony of how the mighty have fallen.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
A testimony of God's goodness.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
A testimony of God's faithfulness.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
What manner of child will this be?
Luke 1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
From the get go John and his parents understood what manner of child this would be.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
This was an answer to prayer, a prophetic fulfilllment and not only is his tongue loosed but also his eyes can see. God has visited His people and redeemed His people. This is what all the recent prophetic fulfillments mean as well.
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
The horn we are blowing to announce the coming of Jesus, that is the horn of salvation.
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Time for Christians to wake up, we have enemies that hate us and we need the Lord to be saved from them.
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Amen Lord, we again ask you to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember Your holy covenant, the oath which You swore to Abraham, that You would deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we might serve you without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Lord Jesus be with us that we would speak words of light that guide our feet in the way of peace, may we have testimonies of your mercy and your visitation, testimonies that give knowledge of salvation through the remission of sins. Lord Jesus may we be your witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth. Amen.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Luke 1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
From the get go John and his parents understood what manner of child this would be.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
This was an answer to prayer, a prophetic fulfilllment and not only is his tongue loosed but also his eyes can see. God has visited His people and redeemed His people. This is what all the recent prophetic fulfillments mean as well.
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
The horn we are blowing to announce the coming of Jesus, that is the horn of salvation.
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Time for Christians to wake up, we have enemies that hate us and we need the Lord to be saved from them.
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Amen Lord, we again ask you to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember Your holy covenant, the oath which You swore to Abraham, that You would deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we might serve you without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Lord Jesus be with us that we would speak words of light that guide our feet in the way of peace, may we have testimonies of your mercy and your visitation, testimonies that give knowledge of salvation through the remission of sins. Lord Jesus may we be your witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth. Amen.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Heads up, there is a person on this forum who is trying to get me booted off. It is based on my posts on a thread on the forum called "Synagogue of Satan: grieving my ignorance". In a nutshell I posted that I believe the Jews returning to the land of Israel was a fulfillment of prophecy. I included the Holocaust as a pivotal event in that return. This has been twisted into "anti semitism". I asked this poster what he attributed the Holocaust to and his answer was God. When I pointed out that blaming God for sin is blasphemy he accused me of lying. I showed him his post and I also showed him that I had asked him to clarify which he never did. In a DM he told me that was a parody! He thinks it is a joke to say that God prophesied of this event.
Now I don't believe the mods on this forum would give any credence to his complaint. However, he is threatening to go to the hosts of this site which he apparently believes is GoDaddy. If the hosts give credence to saying that the things that have happened to the Jews is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy equates to "anti semitism" then the mods may have no choice.
I have prepared already, I have everything from my blog on Pdfs on a flash drive. However, if I get booted this might be the last chance anyone else has to download these Pdfs.
From the day He was born He was given to be our Passover lamb?
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
This is important. The Bible prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, but many people knew that prophesy so if Mary had gone to Bethlehem on her own initiative to bring about the prophesy it would have been what a false prophet does. But like most prophesies there is something beneath this, a deeper meaning. Jesus is born in Bethlehem because both his mother and Joseph are of the house of David. His birth there doesn't simply fulfill a prophecy superficially, it is a strong testimony that He is of the son of David. It also suggests that Mary being married to Joseph was according to the law concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. Which is also brilliant because Joseph was from a line of David that had been cut off, his marrying Mary allows him to inherit her inheritance which is Jesus Christ, the king.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
This is also revelatory, Jesus is being moved around like a piece on a chess table. God is using the Roman rulers as pawns in this chess game.
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David
Jesus is not Joseph's son which is why it is so important that both Joseph and Mary be from the house of David.
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
The timing also was perfect. Now there is no way that this event would have taken place in the dead of winter. Nor would it have taken place in the middle of the summer. This is an agricultural region, you would time this when the harvest is in. That is when people have a few days free. The thought is that Jesus was conceived during Hanukah and circumcised on the day of Atonement.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Again, think of how incredible this is. How many babies are born and then placed in a manger? But this is how they treat a Passover lamb, they have to make sure the lamb does not have any blemish so they are very careful with it from birth. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. But did you realize from the day He was born He was given to be our Passover lamb?
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
This is important. The Bible prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, but many people knew that prophesy so if Mary had gone to Bethlehem on her own initiative to bring about the prophesy it would have been what a false prophet does. But like most prophesies there is something beneath this, a deeper meaning. Jesus is born in Bethlehem because both his mother and Joseph are of the house of David. His birth there doesn't simply fulfill a prophecy superficially, it is a strong testimony that He is of the son of David. It also suggests that Mary being married to Joseph was according to the law concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. Which is also brilliant because Joseph was from a line of David that had been cut off, his marrying Mary allows him to inherit her inheritance which is Jesus Christ, the king.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
This is also revelatory, Jesus is being moved around like a piece on a chess table. God is using the Roman rulers as pawns in this chess game.
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David
Jesus is not Joseph's son which is why it is so important that both Joseph and Mary be from the house of David.
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
The timing also was perfect. Now there is no way that this event would have taken place in the dead of winter. Nor would it have taken place in the middle of the summer. This is an agricultural region, you would time this when the harvest is in. That is when people have a few days free. The thought is that Jesus was conceived during Hanukah and circumcised on the day of Atonement.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Again, think of how incredible this is. How many babies are born and then placed in a manger? But this is how they treat a Passover lamb, they have to make sure the lamb does not have any blemish so they are very careful with it from birth. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. But did you realize from the day He was born He was given to be our Passover lamb?
A Sign unto you
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
The shepherds arrive to a barn and what do they see? A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, the same strips of cloth they use to wrap baby lambs when they are born to prevent them from being hurt. A passover lamb has to be without blemish, so the priests would help the shepherds when the lambs are first born to wrap them up to keep them from being hurt or blemished. Not only so but this little baby lamb is lying in a manger to keep him safe. To the Shepherds this looked exactly like a lamb that they might have which they are preparing to be a Passover lamb for sacrifice. That is the sign.
What they saw was God's lamb, the lamb that God was going to offer to pay for our sins and the sins of the world. We have this huge debt, we can't pay it, Satan is about to come and foreclose on everything we have and are and then God steps forward with out payment and this is what the shepherds saw. The age of grace was that grace period you have when you are late with a payment. Why do you think Satan hates the blood of Jesus? Everyone who receives this blood has their debt to Satan paid in full.
If we have a debt to Satan then we must have received something from him? That was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil where we learn how to be "like God". The price had to be paid that same day (1,000 years) which was our life. We traded this life with God for this tree that teaches us how to have a counterfeit life. On day 2 we were late with the payment. That was the day of the flood (during the second thousand years). Most people did die but Noah found favor with God and He made a deal with Noah (a covenant) to pay the price for the sin. This is called a white knight, God came in to rescue us out of bankruptcy. The Covenant was made and confirmed on the third day and payment was made at the end of the fourth day. For the last two days we have had a period of grace where you can receive the Lord's redemption to save your soul, but now that period is over.
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
The shepherds arrive to a barn and what do they see? A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, the same strips of cloth they use to wrap baby lambs when they are born to prevent them from being hurt. A passover lamb has to be without blemish, so the priests would help the shepherds when the lambs are first born to wrap them up to keep them from being hurt or blemished. Not only so but this little baby lamb is lying in a manger to keep him safe. To the Shepherds this looked exactly like a lamb that they might have which they are preparing to be a Passover lamb for sacrifice. That is the sign.
What they saw was God's lamb, the lamb that God was going to offer to pay for our sins and the sins of the world. We have this huge debt, we can't pay it, Satan is about to come and foreclose on everything we have and are and then God steps forward with out payment and this is what the shepherds saw. The age of grace was that grace period you have when you are late with a payment. Why do you think Satan hates the blood of Jesus? Everyone who receives this blood has their debt to Satan paid in full.
If we have a debt to Satan then we must have received something from him? That was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil where we learn how to be "like God". The price had to be paid that same day (1,000 years) which was our life. We traded this life with God for this tree that teaches us how to have a counterfeit life. On day 2 we were late with the payment. That was the day of the flood (during the second thousand years). Most people did die but Noah found favor with God and He made a deal with Noah (a covenant) to pay the price for the sin. This is called a white knight, God came in to rescue us out of bankruptcy. The Covenant was made and confirmed on the third day and payment was made at the end of the fourth day. For the last two days we have had a period of grace where you can receive the Lord's redemption to save your soul, but now that period is over.