Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

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The power and authority over all devils to cure diseases

Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Look at everything that the Lord has done up to this point and then you will understand.

The very last thing the Lord did before giving them this power and authority was to demonstrate it in healing the woman with the bloody flux and the twelve year old girl that had died. Prior to that He cast out the legion of demons from the criminal element and also cleaned up the corrupt politicians and all those taking bribes from the criminals. In that story we saw that those who love to make lies wind up deceiving themselves. The entire chapter begins with a warning to be careful how you hear or else the rug may be pulled out from under you. The word of God is a seed and you need to care for this the way you would care for a field of wheat. There is nothing secret that will not be manifest, this is true of those possessed by a legion of demons, it is true of the politicians taking bribes, it is also true of the woman who had faith to touch the Lord and tried to hide and it is true of the parents who believed Jesus could raise their daughter from the dead when He was being laughed to scorn.

In the previous chapter we saw the four principles of ministry:

First, do what the Lord tells you to do. If your ministry is sick and near death I would suspect the reason is that you are not doing what the Lord has told you to do.

Second, the Lord's will is that your ministry be compassionate. Be willing to sacrifice yourself in order to comfort others.

Third, deflate your ego. You must decrease so that Jesus may increase.

Fourth, love the Lord. Love is based on forgiveness. Jesus paid the debt for our sins. In order to forgive others sins you must be willing to pay the debt. The blood of Jesus is the price, that is the currency of your ministry.

Learn these lessons, practice them, and have faith in the Lord's resurrection power. That is the prerequisite for having power and authority over devils to heal all diseases.

 

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This is the good news

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

The Christian life is an exciting journey. Travel light, you don't need a stave, the Lord will protect you. (A stave is a walking stick used to fight off dogs). Scrip is a reference to a wallet. During Jesus' ministry He told them they didn't need a wallet, but at the time of His crucifixion He told them they would need it as well as a sword. Prior to the seven year tribulation you don't need this, but during the tribulation you will not be able to buy or sell, so something needs to be saved up for the tribulation saints to survive. You don't need bread, the Lord will supply and you don't need to store up anything for yourself, just what you need to wear.

4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

This is the problem with Christianity, too many Christians trying to abide in a house where they are not welcome. Why are Christians afraid to talk about the Lord at work? Because if they do they will get fired. I got suspended from Facebook for a month for talking about the Lord. I had two choices, submit to this rule and stop talking about Jesus, or leave. The Lord tells us to leave, but how many Christians are still on Facebook and chose to submit to their rules? The same thing happened to me at two other Christian forums and again, I had a choice, listen to them or listen to God. I chose to listen to God and left, but how many choose to stay? We only get to live this life once. Do you really want to submit to people telling you not to talk about Jesus? It is like becoming a welcome mat where people walk all over you. If you take a stand you will discover the Christian life is far more exciting than boring dead religion is.

6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

This is the good news. The good news is that you can follow in their footsteps.

 

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Who is this, of whom I hear such things?

Luke 9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; 8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.

Wouldn't this be awesome? To have a ministry like John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets of old!

9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

How many Christians have a ministry where they are being threatened with death and kings and rulers are wondering who this person is?

 

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Five loaves and two small fish

Luke 9:10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

"Told Him all they had done". According to Calvinists they speak of "all the things they have done" as though it is come horrible works based salvation doctrine. We are not saved by our works, but as a result of our salvation we are given the power and authority to do mighty works.

11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. 12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.

The chapter begins with them being given the authority and power to cast out devils and cure diseases. But now the Lord is going to show them He also has the power to feed the hungry and bless what you have so that it can feed thousands.

13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

Here is the example of being compassionate, and also of doing what He tells you to do and also of emptying out your ego.

14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

Do you do this? Many believers will say "I don't have anything" but they know that is not true. They have something, they just feel it is so small, so insignificant that it is the same as having nothing. When I was a young believer I was in college and our church gave the message on the Lord's day to about ten college kids. We were each given a portion of a message to pray over and share. When I got my portion I prayed thoroughly to the Lord that He would make it experiential to me and then I went about my business. A week later it is the night before the message and I am getting ready to share. I go to the Lord and say "why didn't you answer my prayer?" He said "I did". I was shocked, no great big experience, but there was one tiny little experience that was like a little twinkling light as I considered the week. Finally I decided that had to be the experience but I didn't understand how it applied to the message. So I prayed and asked the Lord to help me and ultimately I was able to see clearly how that experience was an experience of the word I was to share and how it helped everyone to see that we can experience the Lord in our daily life. I had five loaves and two fish, the Lord blessed them, and brake them and I was able to share that with the church.

17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

Do you understand? I had faith to believe the Lord would make the word of God experiential. Once I had that experience from then on I had faith that the Lord would make all the verses experiential. We want big giant experiences, the Lord gives us what we can handle and then blesses that so that it can feed a multitude.

 

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what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world and then be cast away?

Luke 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. 20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; 22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Nothing says that Jesus is the Christ like the crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. It is at this point in the story that both Matthew and Mark describe Peter being rebuked by the Lord for telling Him He did not need to be crucified. Luke completely skips that part. Why? Luke is to those raptured prior to the tribulation, these are the ones who embraced this word about needed to suffer many things. The Jews and the left behind saints have tried to reject this word, they have savored the things of the world and they were unwittingly one with Satan.

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

This is very logical. When I was twelve years old I was seeking, trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life and I realized then it all depended on whether or not Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. I knew that if He wasn't then I might want to focus on making money and not worry about harming others. But if He was real then I need to focus on the day of judgment when I have to stand before Him. To me it was very easy to understand "what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world and then be cast away?"

 

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Looking ahead unto a new beginning

Luke 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. 28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

Eight is the number of new beginnings and there are two Jewish festivals that have eight days. Feast of tabernacles which is a picture of the wedding of Jesus and the Bride and Hanukah which is a picture of the believers rededicating themselves after being damaged by the apostates. Hanukah depicts the start of the seven year tribulation and Feast of Tabernacles depicts the conclusion. Again, Peter, and John and James should depict the three agendas: the tribulation saints, the Jews, and the pre tribulation raptured saints.

In Matthew and Mark they go up this mountain after six days. That means they go up on the seventh day. In Luke it is about eight days after this saying. So they are raptured right at the end of the seventh day. There are two very different perspectives here. In Matthew and Mark they are focused on what has passed, while in Luke they are looking forward to what is about to take place. Are you focused on all the trials and tribulations you have had to go through, or are your focused on the new beginning you are about to enter into?

 

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I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live

Luke 9:29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

Would you like to talk to Moses and Elijah? Go ahead, they are right here in the Bible. Read the law and the prophets. There are so many Christians who seem to not be interested in talking to them, they don't spend any time on their own in the word of God. How do you think your raiment will be transformed into a sparkling white garment? You need to be washed in the water of the word.

31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

Guess what Moses and Elijah will talk to you about? Your decease. The death of your old man, your self, your ego, etc. Guess who is least in the kingdom of the heavens? Those that can say "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live".

 

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Everyone needs to see this

Luke 9:32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

Isn't this strange? Luke doesn't mention Peter asking to make three tabernacles. What a huge clue! In Matthew and Mark they are speaking in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles when they wake up and see Christ in His glory. But that is not the case in Luke. Prior to the Feast of Tabernacles after the day of Atonement you need to make a tabernacle to remember when you were in the wilderness. The tribulation saints will be fleeing to the wilderness. They had a chance to converse with Moses and Elijah but didn't, now that the rapture takes place they realize their error and are overcompensating. Let's make a tabernacle for all three. In Luke they don't. They see Jesus in His glory and the two men standing with Him. During the tribulation the tribulation saints will see Jesus in His glory as a number of saints are raptured and they will also see the two men standing with Him, the two witnesses.

33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.

Here is what is different. In Matthew and Mark Peter says this immediately, but in Luke it is "as they departed from him". That is the rapture. It is only after the rapture that Peter says this, referring to the left behind saints.

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Every Christian must have this experience. Some will have it before the rapture. In that case you are not going to be saying "let's make three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah" others will have it when they see the rapture and so it will be after the rapture they have this experience.

36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

This is why I am very reluctant to go around calling people false prophets without a whole lot of evidence because you never know what secret experiences they have had.

 

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The faithless ones are the ones who are there the next day, after the rapture

Luke 9:37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.

Only in Luke does it say "on the next day".

38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

It is important to see the distinction in Luke from Matthew and Mark. In Luke he makes it clear that this inability to cast out this devil and cure the child is after the rapture.

41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

This word "faithless" is used 23 times in the New Testament: The KJV translates Strong's G571 in the following manner: that believe not (6x), unbelieving (5x), faithless (4x), unbeliever (4x), infidel (2x), thing incredible (1x), which believe not (1x).

The faithless generation refers to the left behind. In both Luke and John this same word is used to describe Thomas when Jesus told him to not be unbelieving. "How long shall I be with you" is another reference to the seven year tribulation. Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, resurrected and is now in glory. But during the seven year tribulation He will go through the tribulation with the tribulation saints and suffer with them.

42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

He delivered him again to his father. This is not the first time. As a teacher you know that many kids don't get it the first time you explain it. Some do, but most don't. You have to explain it again and again.

But look at what is missing in Luke. No one is asking Him why they were unable to cast out the devil. There is no mention of the Father saying "if thou canst do anything" or of the Lord saying "all things are possible to him that believes" or the father saying "help thou my unbelief". There is no mention that this is a deaf and dumb spirit. All believers have this experience, but for those in Matthew and Mark's agenda it is a deaf and dumb spirit. How many Christians are deaf and dumb, unable to speak the great things of God? This does not apply to Luke, his agenda is with those who are speaking and who are hearing. Even in Luke they also are bringing children to the Lord who are possessed of devils, but they are not faithless. The faithless ones are the ones who are there the next day after the rapture.

 

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Ted Lasso

This is the name of a TV show about a man whose father committed suicide when he was a kid. He viewed that as "quitting" and vowed that he would never quit. But you don't learn that this is at his core until deep into the show. What you learn first is his incredible ability to forgive others. He is a coach of a team where all the players want him to fail, but then he can understand that. All the fans are incredibly insulting to him, but he can understand that. The owner that hired him betrays him hoping he would fail, but he can understand that as well. He helped this one man to become a great coach himself and that man betrayed him. But he could understand that and forgive him as well. But then we discover that all those who wanted him to fail and betrayed him ultimately became his most loyal and staunchest supporters. The owner, the coach, even the fans. A reporter who thought he was a joke, and then the final reveal is that the one coach who throughout the show had been his most loyal and staunchest supporter, we learn the back story about how he also had betrayed Ted and Ted had forgiven him as well and shown him mercy.

My point is that this is the lesson we all need to learn and if we don't learn this lesson we will be faithless and we will see our children possessed by a devil. Every time you quit it is like being tossed into the fire or into the water. Why do people quit? There are a hundred reasons but they all boil down to one, someone did something they can't forgive. The truth is they can forgive but they refuse to. This is why they are faithless and this is why the Lord asks "how long must I suffer with you?" You know when you don't forgive you get a root of bitterness. I have known people to hold onto that bitterness for decades.

For example, I knew a boy who loved his father, saw him as a great man. But his mother was unfaithful to his father. So he despised her and learned to despise all women. As a result his wife was also unfaithful to him, but that was because he was unfaithful to her, and that was because he assumed she would be so he would strike first, and all of that was because he never forgave his mother. This becomes a cycle and until we have faith in the Lord to take up the cross and follow Jesus we will be in this never ending cycle of faithlessness.

Luke 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, 44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

Let this sink into your ears. You will be betrayed by those you trust, those who you thought were friends, colleagues, etc. In the world they take revenge. We take the path of the cross. We forgive people, as many and as often as possible.

Perhaps people make fun of you and mock you. So what, people ignore what they don't want to hear all the time. Jesus tells people to take the way of the cross, they don't want to hear that, so they ignore Him. In the past you were the same, you hear what you want to hear and disregard the rest. Therefore, disregard what you can. I post every day on internet forums, I get mocked, ridiculed and insulted daily. As much as is possible I ignore it.

Now many times you can't ignore it. There is an important message and in order to stand for the truth you can't ignore what is being said. OK. Once I was in college and one of the professors at the University insulted me to my parents. It was very hurtful. I could not ignore it and the Lord didn't want me to. For a month we discussed that comment, it turned into an opportunity for me to reflect on my four years at the university with the Lord. He pointed out there were things I could have done better and I agreed. He also pointed out that the gospel work we had done on that campus was far more impactful than I understood. A few brothers had been saved and become members of the church and been involved in the campus work. But the impact was far more than that, He showed me that every student on that campus had been impacted by our work. Then after we had had a month of going over this I was no longer offended by that professor, I had forgiven him. But that is when the Lord showed me "vengeance belongs to God". What He did to that professor was far worse than anything I ever would have done. But the reason was now clear, it wasn't because he had insulted me. It was because he had touched the Lord's anointed on that campus. His attack on me was because of the campus ministry I was involved in and the Lord will deal with anyone who has the audacity to touch what the Lord is doing.

You see we can forgive everyone, we have been forgiven and every time we can forgive others we should be thrilled with that opportunity knowing that with what measure we measure it will be measured to us. However, if the Lord needs to take vengeance then chill out, vengeance is the Lord's, not yours.

45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

 

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They were amazed at the mighty power of God

45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

OK, let me share in more detail. Half of my family is black, and we were in a family meeting discussing the systemic racism in this country. So I asked them to share their personal experiences of being discriminated against (I am not black) so I wanted to know what things they have to go through that I don't.

So here is a list of everything out of that group

1. In Junior HS one person was given a very discriminatory bad grade. They had this big project of a presidential election, four people were candidates for president and four were the campaign managers. This person was a campaign manager and the candidate he was representing won the election. However, the teachers decided that everyone involved would get an A for the project except for him, he got a B. When he asked why they said "because we didn't think you worked very hard". Actually this was my experience, none of the other family members had any personal experience of bias in JHS. Also, this experience taught me a great lesson which saved me hours and hours of work in HS and helped me get into a top ten university. I would say this is one of the best lessons of my childhood.

2. In HS one person was intentionally failed on a Final exam by a teacher trying to harm them. It might have caused them to lose their college acceptance. This exam was in a class where they were at the very top three students out of sixty, and they said they aced this test more than any other test they ever took in school. They were sure they did better than the student who scored a 95 and yet the teacher gave them a 25. Actually this was also my experience, none of the other family members had any experience of bias in HS. I forgave that teacher (if I had pursued this he would have been fired) and 40 years later he was still thanking me.

3. So since they were especially upset with the KKK I asked them to share a personal experience of how they or their cousins had been harmed by the KKK. One person shared that they KKK had bombed their cousins house. Actually this was also me, none of them had had any experience with the KKK. My uncle had a lay ministry in Jackson Ms. where he was helping black churches that had been harmed and so the KKK bombed his house. He was my godfather when I was christened as a baby. Ultimately the man who bombed the house apologized and he forgave him, that was the lesson I learned from my godfather.

4. OK, so how about other kids, did any of them experience discrimination from other kids? One person shared an experience of how he was on a swim team, the anchor of a relay team. The other three kids didn't want them to be the anchor so they intentionally swam slow in the first race. Each of them gave up two body lengths so that when he swam he was so far back he had no chance to win. Actually that was me as well, they didn't have any experiences like this. Also we won that race and that team went on to be undefeated and no one had any problems with me being the anchor after that first race.

5. OK but surely some experience of discrimination. Yes, one person shared that he was in the boyscouts and was going to be the patrol leader. The Scout leader called a meeting, all four patrol leaders were there, they each had 8 members in their patrols. The leader asked each of the other three patrol leaders to give him two names they didn't want in their patrol and then to choose two members from his patrol. This was an intentional discrimination to make sure he did not win the award for best patrol that year. Actually this was my experience as well and that was one of my favorite experiences because my patrol did win the award for the best patrol that year and one of those eight kids no one wanted also won the award for the best scout.

 

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Are you sold out for the Lord?

46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

Jesus did not rebuke them, He taught them. Consider Tom Brady, he is considered great among all those who have played football. He wasn't great in HS, but he learned important lessons. He wasn't great in college, but he learned important lessons. He wasn't great in the NFL draft, he was drafted as one of the very last people but he learned important lessons. He wasn't great his first year, apparently he was very lucky not to be cut. The Lord is telling the apostles that they are all children, they need to learn a whole lot of lessons. One lesson that Brady learned was that if they are going to only give you five minutes in practice, make it the best five minutes, treat it like it is the last five minutes of the championship game. Another lesson he learned is there will always be someone coming up after you, never get complacent. A third lesson he learned is make sure you are focused on the long haul. He ate food with the intention of having a long career. Many have noted that Brady had two hall of fame careers, you could divide his career in half and each half was a hall of fame career. Everything that happened to Brady helped him to become that great quarterback, but if he had been complaining that "life is not fair" he probably never would have even become a professional. At best he would have been cut the very first year.

49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Remember, we are not the arbiters of truth. God is far too great for us to fully apprehend Him. At best we are one player on a team, we do our job, others do their jobs, and it is the Lord Jesus who is the head, not us.

51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Again, we need our attitude adjusted. Everyone needs to see the crucified Christ resurrected from the dead first, before they are going to follow the Lord. This process of evangelizing the whole earth has taken close to two thousand years, it didn't happen overnight. The day will come when fire will fall from heaven on those who have rejected the Lord. However, Jesus said to forgive 70x7 times, and we take the gospel to the four corners of the earth. So, 4x7x70 = 1,960 years. The gospel was sent out to the nations in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed, so then the nations have until 1960 + 70 = 2030 on the 9th of Av.

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

What a contrast with the comfortable gospel preached in the US. They even had "drive in" churches where you don't need to leave the comfort of your car. Ever since the Pandemic there are many people who don't even go to those comfortable gospel churches (Mega churches) preferring instead to watch the message on Youtube. Jesus lets you know right from the start, there is no comfortable position with Him.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

This is a reference to Elisha. He put his hand to the plow and then turned back to his family. As a result he represents the left behind saints while Elijah represents those who are raptured before the tribulation.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

 

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One error that was made previously in the calculations.

We have several verse references that indicate a 7 year tribulation of 84 months and 2,520 days which is 84 x 30. The mistake many made is that in a seven year period the Jewish calendar will have two leap months which means two of those seven years will have 13 months, not 12 months. This means that the tribulation will begin in one month and end two months earlier on the Jewish calendar.

For example, Hanukah in 2025 begins on the 25th day of the 9th month on the Hebrew calendar. If the tribulation were to start on that date then 84 months later would be the 25th day of the 7th month. The last day of the Feast of Tabernacles is the 21st day of the 7th month. Therefore I could see the 22nd day being the end of the tribulation. So why do we have three days missing? Well there might be three days of darkness that kicks off the tribulation before Hanukah, the feast of lights starts.

 

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I Will Purge the Earth with Fire 12-7-25@6:14 AM

 

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A thousand different directions

Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

The gospel of Luke lays out the plan on how to evangelize the world. It starts with 12, that is six groups of two. This then multiplies to where you add another 70, so that altogether we now have 41 groups of two. In 1 Corinthians we then learn there were 500 that see the resurrected Christ. Then on Pentecost 3,000 get saved.

2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Let's consider this harvest. I am a Gideon, we meet in small groups called camps, a few men and our wives. In my camp we have one brother who is very active in the gospel talking to people he meets every day, another drives a Lyft car and preaches the gospel to the people he gives rides to. Then there are two other brothers who every month go to a food give away where they will talk to hundreds of people and hand out, on average, 500 New testaments a month, there are a few other brothers who serve at a soup kitchen each month serving breakfast to about 225 people. In addition to this the Gideons as a ministry will go to the schools (JHS, HS, and colleges) as well as the Fair and all the hospitals, doctor offices and hotels. These brothers and sisters are very often retired. We had one brother who was very sick and unable to leave his house and so he used his phone to set up church reports where we go and give a report to the various churches in the city of our gospel work locally, nationally, and internationally. This is one ministry, there are many others. The wonderful thing about every real ministry is they are always open to having more labourers because it is volunteer, you aren't asking for a paycheck. On the other hand the Gideons and very likely all the other ministries have a vetting process. For one thing you must be a member in good standing with your church that the pastor will vouch for.

3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Go your ways. I am writing a blog, that is not the way that most would go. Others have their Youtube channel, again, not the way that everyone would go. This is what makes the gospel unstoppable, the Lord will work with you so that everyone will "go their way" in a thousand different directions. There is a basketball team whose mascot is a wolf, but I have never heard of any team whose mascot is a lamb. This is what makes Christians unique, our mascot is a lamb. The Lord is not sending us out as Lions among wolves, or Grizzly Bears among wolves. We are the lambs, it seems many of these cult like groups have completely forgotten this. The reason the lambs are not devoured by the wolves is because we have a good shepherd.

4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.

Purse is a bag for money, scrip is a bag for food, and carrying shoes means an extra pair of shoes. Salute no man in the way doesn't mean that we are to be rude or uncivil, it means do not combine a gospel trip with visiting family and friends. Sometimes there are people on a gospel trip who are trying to combine the gospel work with a chance to visit people they know in that city. It is really a negative influence on everyone else. What you want are people who are absolutely dedicated to the mission at hand.

5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

This is an important principle. Think of Youtube as a house, and Christianchat.com as a house. Don't come into a house to stir up trouble. In the last few years we have had people show up and within days of them joining they are criticizing, attacking, and trying to stir up trouble. Your first word should be a word of peace.

6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

I was on Facebook a few years ago and there was no peace. The same is true of two other "Christian" forums I was on.

7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

I know some like to be on several forums at the same time. I was on one forum at a time.

8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

Participate in the threads they create on these forums.

9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Minister the word of God. Pray for those who need prayer. Preach the gospel.

10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

I left Facebook and those two other Christian forums. I didn't leave because I got pushback, debates, insults or attacks. I left because in each case they suspended me for a month despite the fact that I had not broken any rules and they could not identify a single offending post. I think most people are familiar with Facebook having an agenda that is contrary to evangelical Christians. But what happens is that you stand for the word of God and soon the veneer of being a "Christian" ministry is stripped away and you learn that they have an agenda under that veneer. Think of Charlie Kirk, the universities have a veneer of being places of learning for young minds to develop critical thinking skills. However, beneath that veneer they have an agenda to indoctrinate the kids. If they can't defeat you they must silence you. This is why they don't give you a hearing, no chance for you to hear the alleged offenses or give you a chance to defend yourself. (I am not talking about people who do violate the rules and are insulting or in some other way break the rules of the forum). The Lord realizes they won't give you a chance to testify against the rulers of the city. He realizes you will be thrust outside the gates, but at that point you can wipe the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. This is why I don't go silently into the night, they thrust me out, they had no basis to do that, so I testify against them. In every case the day they suspended me without any reason that was the day I went my way and didn't look back.

 

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Equipped with boots for the gospel

Luke 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

This is something we all need to see. The day of judgment is coming, right now we are pleading with people to repent. But there will be those who utterly refuse to repent, mock and scoff at the warnings and think they are going to be exalted to heaven. Preaching hell fire and brimstone is part of the gospel just as spark plugs are part of an engine. You can't simply preach the good news without including a little warning about what is coming.

16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Wisdom is the fear of the Lord. If you are openly despising the God and the Lord Jesus, you are a fool. God is the only one that can cast you down to hell.

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

This is a message of joy. The whole world knows about devils, they try and keep their head down, don't attract any attention to yourself and maybe we can get through life without being attacked by devils. But to have power over the devils, that is joyful. We are not hiding from devils, we are taking them head on, not in our strength, we are lambs. But in the strength of the Lord, He is the shepherd. The joy being described here is the joy a lamb has when he sees a pack of wolves coming, ready to rip the flock to shreds and then the shepherd pulls out a gun and shoots them dead. You thought you were about to die and then you learned the Shepherd is on a whole different level from the wolves.

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

I spent a few weeks in the desert mapping geologic structures. We were going to be treading on rattlesnakes and scorpions. So we had to have boots that went up above the ankle. Snakes will strike low, around the ankle and scorpions likewise. If you have good boots that they can't bite through then you have nothing to fear. This is why you want to be very vocal and clear in your gospel message. Imagine you are on the street and someone attacks you, no one knows why, maybe you did something heinous. But if it is crystal clear that you are simply preaching the gospel on the street and someone attacks you, that is a very different story. In football they say the best defense is a good offense. What they mean is that as long as your offense is on the field with the ball it is very hard for the other team to score. Also this is true in nature. If you are making noise the snakes and scorpions will flee. They are striking you defensively and reflexively because you caught them by surprise.

20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

It's nice to know you can walk around snakes and scorpions without the any fear or concern. But that is hardly the gospel, the real good news is that we have our names written in heaven and have an eternal home.

 

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Baby Lions trained by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

What a great verse. This is so true. Whenever the Lord is leading you to do something there will be the "wise and prudent" counseling against it. It seems to me like this is always the case. Peter taking the Lord aside and saying that He does not need to go to the cross. I got saved when I was twelve, to me I was looking for a lifelong adventure. All these "wise and prudent" counselors are advising you on how to be safe. I wasn't looking for a safe life, I was looking for a life filled with adventure and awesome experiences.

Let me share an awesome experience I had. We were having a church softball game, we had kids as young as six years old and we had adults in their thirties. I was the captain of one team and I sent my young ten year old into right field. He immediately sat down in the grass threw off his glove and made it clear he would be a disaster in the outfield. I prayed and realized the only place I could put him was as the pitcher. So I make the move. His first pitch was perfect, right over the middle of the plate. The second pitch was exactly like the first. So I call time out and I go to the pitcher's mound. I tell him that out of five pitches only two are supposed to be any good. Now those first two pitches were perfect so the next three better be unhittable. Sure enough the next three were unhittable and the other team started complaining and he in turned cried that I had told him to pitch like this. So I said "keep it up, you are pitching great". Then every time he gave them a perfect pitch to hit I would upbraid them, "what was wrong with that?" and "That was perfect". That shut them up and he began striking out these guys, some of whom were in their twenties and thirties.

But he couldn't get a hit. People were giving him advice, choke up on the bat, keep your eye on the ball, dig in, etc. He was miserable so I go to him and say "do you want me to help you get a hit?" He was immediately nodding yes, oh yes, that is what he wanted me to do. So I told him, don't swing at the first two pitches, can you do that? Again, oh yes, he can do that. So I go up and play catcher, first pitch I call out "good eye, good eye", not too loud, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Second pitch I again say "good eye, good eye" then I get angry, throw the ball back to the pitcher and cry out very loud "Hey, throw him something he can swing at, what is wrong with you?" He understood, he choked up on the bat, dug his feet in and was fully wired to swing. He dinked a little shot down the third base line and beat out the throw. A little while later he came across home plate.

22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Pray. As the captain of the team I needed to be able to help that little kid so I prayed and the Lord revealed to me who the Father is.

23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

This is so awesome. We see and hear things that no one else knows anything of. They look at Christians and think they are a bunch of lambs and they are wolves. What they don't realize is we are also baby lions being trained by the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

 

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Who is my neighbor

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Exactly, if you are the captain of the softball team your job is to love God with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. It is your job to help that little ten year old kid. Can you? None of us can without God being revealed to us.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

If you focus on yourself you will want to reduce the criteria, let's get the number of people this refers to as the lowest possible number. But if you are focusing on God you will want to increase this number, lets get this number to the highest possible number possible.

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

We see this on the news all the time, not my problem. But this is God's problem and He needs someone to do this job and not just sit down, take off their glove and say "not my problem". If you love God with all your strength then you will be like the prophets and say "here I am, send me".

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

We are all priests, we should be waking up with this prayer, "here I am, send me". Then instead of this "being by chance" it would be an answer to prayer.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

The priest and the Levite did not have any compassion for this man? Jesus is likening Himself to the Samaritan, this story is not in Matthew or Mark. During the church age the Lord is working in the Gentiles, they are Samaritans. In the Old Testament Joseph would be like this Samaritan. He was sold as a slave, so he wasn't in the likeness of a royal family but rather in the likeness of a slave. And what did He do? He had compassion on the Egyptians and saved them alive.

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

One of the promises to Abraham was that He would be a blessing to the nations. Joseph was a type of Christ as the fulfillment of that promise.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

This is a powerful testimony of the Lord's ministry when we show mercy on others.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Martha served the Lord but so did Mary. She was the one who poured out the precious ointment and anointed His body for burial beforehand. Jesus was telling everyone that He was going up to Jerusalem to be crucified and she was the only one who understood.

 

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ISRAEL'S PEACE DEAL MATCHES DANIEL 9:27 EXACTLY? Here's What Happens Next

 

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Teach us to pray

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

The gospels teach us a lot about prayer

1. pray for those who despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matt 5:44, Luke 6:28)
2. pray to your Father in secret (Matt 6:6)
3. Do not use vain repetitions (Matt 6:7)
4. Pray the Lord of the harvest that He send laborers into the field (Matt 9:38, Luke 10:2)
5. All things whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive them (Matt 21:22)
6. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter (Matt 24:20, Mark 13:18)
7. Not as I wilt, but as thou wilt (Matt 26:39)
8. When you stand praying, forgive (Mark 11:25)
9. Serve God with fastings and prayers night and day (Luke 2:37)
10. Men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1)
11. Pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things (Luke 21:36)
12. Pray for the saints that their faith fail not (Luke 22:32)
13. Pray that ye enter not into temptation (Luke 22:40)
14. Pray for the saints that they be kept from evil (John 17:15)

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

1. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. (Ps 22:28)
2. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. (Ps 45:6)
3. Pour out thy wrath upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. (Ps 79:6)
4. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. (Ps 103:19)
5. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom (Ps 145:11)
6. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom (Ps 145:13)

1. Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which hallow you (Leviticus 22:32)
2. I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually (1 Kings 9:3)

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

1. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. (Ps 105:16)
2. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. (Ps 109:10)
3. I will satisfy her poor with bread. (Ps 132:15)

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

1. Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Ps 86:5)
2. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases (Ps 103:3)

1. save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me (Ps 7:1)
2. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked (Ps 17:13)
3. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me (Ps 18:17)
4. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people (Ps 18:43)
5. thou hast delivered me from the violent man (Ps 18:48)
6. Deliver my soul from the sword (Ps 22:20)
7. deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee (Ps 25:20)
8. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies (Ps 27:12)
9. deliver me speedily (Ps 31:2)
10. To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Ps 33:19)
11. delivered me from all my fears (Ps 34:4)
12. delivereth them out of all their troubles (Ps 34:17)
13. which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him (Ps 35:10)
14. he shall deliver them from the wicked (Ps 37:40)
15. Deliver me from all my transgressions (Ps 39:8)
16. the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble (Ps 41:1)
17. deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man (Ps 43:1)
18. I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me (Ps 50:15)
19. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness (Ps 51:14)
20. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity (Ps 59:2)
21. Deliver me out of the mire (Ps 69:14)
22. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape (Ps 71:2)
23. he shall deliver the needy when he crieth (Ps 72:12)
24. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us (Ps 79:9)
25. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence (Ps 91:3)
26. Deliver me from the oppression of man (Ps 119:134)
27. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue (Ps 120:2)
28. deliver me out of great waters (Ps 144:7)
29. deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood (Ps 144:11)