Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Since OSAS is still being debated and since this essential to the rapture, our blessed hope, I have to address this.
If you simply understand this to mean that the New Testament teaches us that we can have assurance in our salvation, that is taught.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
We have assurance that Jesus will be the judge of all men.
Colossians 2:1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
We can pray that we would have the full assurance of understanding, but that is a battle. It does not come easily.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
We can have assurance in the apostles that the fellowship of the apostles is the way of life.
But OSAS is usually taught not of having a full assurance of a coming judgement, nor do they really get into all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in the Bible, and sadly many of the people who teach Calvinism have been exposed by the manner of men that they were, mired in scandal.
No, what they teach is the full assurance of hope. Our blessed hope is in the thought that Jesus has gone and prepared a place for us and will return again to take us so that we will be where He is.
That blessed hope and the full assurance of that hope is what Hebrews 6 is all about.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
You don't get the assurance of hope unless you go on from the basic doctrines. Most people that hold to OSAS treat all works as a "works based salvation". That is childish. Yes, when we first were justified by the blood of Jesus and were baptized we laid a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God. But we must go on to build on that foundation.
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
If you are stuck debating over immersion or sprinkling, or are waiting for someone to lay hands on you, or debates about who goes to hell and who doesn't, those are the principal doctrines that we must go on from.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
The writers of the book of Hebrews (most likely Paul and James) were one with the Lord. They desired to go on from these doctrines, but it was based on how the Lord would lead. Personally I can't stand talking about OSAS but it is clear that the Lord still desires to expound on it.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Now this is what many who teach OSAS ignore. They will teach that those who fall away, crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame were never saved. But this verse clearly says that they were once enlightened, they did taste the heavenly gift, and they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, they did taste the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. The writers of Hebrews could not be any clearer, just because twenty years ago I was a burning brother in the Lord does not mean that I can't fall away. This is precisely what they are talking about here, brothers and sisters who at one time were burning for the Lord and have since fallen away, and done so in such a public way as to put the Lord to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
This is misunderstood. The analogy here is that we are the land that brings forth the herbs. The herbs refer to our works of righteousness that we do, the fruit of the Spirit. They are an expression of love, joy, and peace. But thorns and briers are an expression of the fallen sinful man. The way you clear the land of briers and thorns is that you burn it. The land is not burned, the thorns and briers are burned. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if you build with wood, hay and stubble it will go up in flames but you yourself will be saved, but so as through fire. When Jesus died, His blood paid the price for you, that means he purchased you the same way someone would purchase some land. Now if you are full of thorns and briers when the Lord returns that will all be burned. The Lord will still own the land but there is no reward. Everything you did in your life since being saved is a big fat 0. There will be others who have brought forth, some 100 fold. There will be a reward for those ones. This is repeated over and over and over in the gospels. The thing I hate about OSAS is that many who push this doctrine condemn works like a broken record. They are stuck on the fact that you can't be saved by dead works. Yes, we learned that on day one and that is why we were baptized. But the works of the Spirit are what result in a reward. If all you have is thorns and briers then you are near a curse. I would much rather be filled with blessing than with the works of the flesh.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
This is also what I hate about OSAS. They are focused 100% on being saved from hell, but what about the things that accompany salvation? What about what the Lord told us in the parable of the good Samaritan? You, go and do likewise.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
For some people the assurance of being saved from hell is a very small part of their Christian life, mostly it is filled with a labour of love which they show toward the name of Jesus. They have a ministry to the saints and they minister every day, every week. But every now and then you find one of these loonies who has completely forgotten about a work and labor of love. If you mention that they start talking like Rain Man, rocking in their chair and repeating over and over that talking about a ministry is "works based salvation".
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
If you want the full assurance of hope, you must be diligent unto the end. That is not what most OSAS pastors teach. On the contrary they teach "relax" not "you must be diligent". They say that if you prayed twenty years ago at the beginning of your Christian life you are saved, rather than saying you must be diligent unto the end of your Christian life. For example consider Jamarcus Russell, the 2007 #1 draft pick, a quarterback. There was a lot of promise a lot of talent but no diligence and so no full assurance of hope unto the end. The team that drafted him had a lot of hope, but it was a total bust. Now he had excuses. He had two close relatives die and didn't get a chance to grieve their deaths. Also after hurricane Katrina he was housing a whole lot of refugees who lost their homes. I have seen a whole lot of people who started strong but then the storms of life hit and you discover their faith was built on sand. Compare him to Tom Brady, a guy with no promise and no talent but was extremely diligent unto the end. His first year with the team he was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. The team had a star name Bledsoe who said he liked Tom, but expected him to be a guy who rode the bench his whole career. That was a fair assessment of how good he was when he came in. The coach said the same thing. His diligence and work ethic were extraordinary, which is why they kept him.
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
I have never heard one of these OSAS pastors say this. We inherit the promises through faith and patience. That word patience is perfectly illustrated by Brady. He did not get any respect for years and years and years. Today everyone recognizes that he was not slothful, but rather a follower of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
If you simply understand this to mean that the New Testament teaches us that we can have assurance in our salvation, that is taught.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
We have assurance that Jesus will be the judge of all men.
Colossians 2:1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
We can pray that we would have the full assurance of understanding, but that is a battle. It does not come easily.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
We can have assurance in the apostles that the fellowship of the apostles is the way of life.
But OSAS is usually taught not of having a full assurance of a coming judgement, nor do they really get into all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in the Bible, and sadly many of the people who teach Calvinism have been exposed by the manner of men that they were, mired in scandal.
No, what they teach is the full assurance of hope. Our blessed hope is in the thought that Jesus has gone and prepared a place for us and will return again to take us so that we will be where He is.
That blessed hope and the full assurance of that hope is what Hebrews 6 is all about.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
You don't get the assurance of hope unless you go on from the basic doctrines. Most people that hold to OSAS treat all works as a "works based salvation". That is childish. Yes, when we first were justified by the blood of Jesus and were baptized we laid a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God. But we must go on to build on that foundation.
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
If you are stuck debating over immersion or sprinkling, or are waiting for someone to lay hands on you, or debates about who goes to hell and who doesn't, those are the principal doctrines that we must go on from.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
The writers of the book of Hebrews (most likely Paul and James) were one with the Lord. They desired to go on from these doctrines, but it was based on how the Lord would lead. Personally I can't stand talking about OSAS but it is clear that the Lord still desires to expound on it.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Now this is what many who teach OSAS ignore. They will teach that those who fall away, crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame were never saved. But this verse clearly says that they were once enlightened, they did taste the heavenly gift, and they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, they did taste the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. The writers of Hebrews could not be any clearer, just because twenty years ago I was a burning brother in the Lord does not mean that I can't fall away. This is precisely what they are talking about here, brothers and sisters who at one time were burning for the Lord and have since fallen away, and done so in such a public way as to put the Lord to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
This is misunderstood. The analogy here is that we are the land that brings forth the herbs. The herbs refer to our works of righteousness that we do, the fruit of the Spirit. They are an expression of love, joy, and peace. But thorns and briers are an expression of the fallen sinful man. The way you clear the land of briers and thorns is that you burn it. The land is not burned, the thorns and briers are burned. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if you build with wood, hay and stubble it will go up in flames but you yourself will be saved, but so as through fire. When Jesus died, His blood paid the price for you, that means he purchased you the same way someone would purchase some land. Now if you are full of thorns and briers when the Lord returns that will all be burned. The Lord will still own the land but there is no reward. Everything you did in your life since being saved is a big fat 0. There will be others who have brought forth, some 100 fold. There will be a reward for those ones. This is repeated over and over and over in the gospels. The thing I hate about OSAS is that many who push this doctrine condemn works like a broken record. They are stuck on the fact that you can't be saved by dead works. Yes, we learned that on day one and that is why we were baptized. But the works of the Spirit are what result in a reward. If all you have is thorns and briers then you are near a curse. I would much rather be filled with blessing than with the works of the flesh.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
This is also what I hate about OSAS. They are focused 100% on being saved from hell, but what about the things that accompany salvation? What about what the Lord told us in the parable of the good Samaritan? You, go and do likewise.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
For some people the assurance of being saved from hell is a very small part of their Christian life, mostly it is filled with a labour of love which they show toward the name of Jesus. They have a ministry to the saints and they minister every day, every week. But every now and then you find one of these loonies who has completely forgotten about a work and labor of love. If you mention that they start talking like Rain Man, rocking in their chair and repeating over and over that talking about a ministry is "works based salvation".
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
If you want the full assurance of hope, you must be diligent unto the end. That is not what most OSAS pastors teach. On the contrary they teach "relax" not "you must be diligent". They say that if you prayed twenty years ago at the beginning of your Christian life you are saved, rather than saying you must be diligent unto the end of your Christian life. For example consider Jamarcus Russell, the 2007 #1 draft pick, a quarterback. There was a lot of promise a lot of talent but no diligence and so no full assurance of hope unto the end. The team that drafted him had a lot of hope, but it was a total bust. Now he had excuses. He had two close relatives die and didn't get a chance to grieve their deaths. Also after hurricane Katrina he was housing a whole lot of refugees who lost their homes. I have seen a whole lot of people who started strong but then the storms of life hit and you discover their faith was built on sand. Compare him to Tom Brady, a guy with no promise and no talent but was extremely diligent unto the end. His first year with the team he was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. The team had a star name Bledsoe who said he liked Tom, but expected him to be a guy who rode the bench his whole career. That was a fair assessment of how good he was when he came in. The coach said the same thing. His diligence and work ethic were extraordinary, which is why they kept him.
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
I have never heard one of these OSAS pastors say this. We inherit the promises through faith and patience. That word patience is perfectly illustrated by Brady. He did not get any respect for years and years and years. Today everyone recognizes that he was not slothful, but rather a follower of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 Biblical passages on the Rapture that align with January 6th (part 1)
January 6th is the 17th of Tevet.
There are 13 Bible passages that don’t tell us the day of the rapture, but they do narrow down what the possible days are. All these verses are the word of God and all of them apply to the date of the rapture. No man was given all the pieces to the puzzle. These are from the following writers: Matthew, Solomon, Jeremiah, Samuel, Paul, John, Luke and Daniel. You can debate how significant each one is. But, if we have a date that fits all 13, then it is very hard for me to discount that day.
Esther
The month of Tevet is when Esther became queen. The book of Esther clearly presents a type and shadow of the Antichrist in Haman, and the tribulation being when Esther and Mordecai stand against the evil plot of Haman. Esther becoming queen could be a reference to the rapture with the church being caught up and seated together with Christ in the heavenlies.
Noah
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
The ark is the church, the flood is the storms of life that we have gone through during the church age.
Meanwhile the 17th day is mentioned in the story of Noah, but not of the month Tevet. The 17th day of the seventh month, which based on the calendar that Noah was using, is the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. The 17th of Tevet is tied to that date because it is exactly 9 months later, if we tie the day Jesus rose from the dead to the conception of the manchild, then the birth would be nine months later.
The 17th day is also mentioned as the start of the flood, that is the “second month”. As believers we are saved after we believe in the resurrected Christ. He resurrected in the first month, and we are saved from the flood in the second. There are two steps to salvation, believe and be baptized. Noah’s flood in the New Testament is referred to as a baptism. Our Christian life began when we believed, then continued when we were baptized, and it ultimately concludes when we are raptured.
Colossians
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
We are told clearly that the holy days and new moons and sabbath days are a shadow of things to come, but that these are not days that Christians need to keep. In the Old Testament they are called “Holy Convocations” which means dress rehearsals. But Paul is telling us despite them being a dress rehearsal for something to come in the future, they do not apply to Christians and so we do not allow anyone to judge us in whether or not we keep them. Jesus Christ is my Passover, I don’t keep Passover, I keep Jesus Christ.
Parable of the ten virgins
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
The synoptic gospels are written with three agendas to three groups. All three refer to the common salvation and so they are applicable to all, however, they also have specific agendas. Matthew is to the salvation of the Jews as a nation, Mark is to the tribulation saints and Luke is to those raptured prior to the tribulation. This word in Matthew is specifically to the Jews, it is not in Mark or Luke. However, there are many times in Mark and Luke that we are told to watch for the Lord’s coming. So why is this unique word to the Jews? I suspect this word that “ye know neither the day nor the hour” is specific to the Jews. It is never mentioned in Luke, and so it is not specific for the pre tribulation rapture. Therefore I have hypothesized that Jesus is telling us the rapture is not a specific day in the Old Testament. Colossians tell us that the feast days are a shadow of things to come. There are probably thirty days mentioned in the Old Testament like the feast of unleavened bread (7 days), feast of tabernacles (8 days), etc. The Jews know those days. There are also other significant days as well like the 9th of Av and the 15th of Av, Purim, Hanukkah, etc. However, the parable is definitely about being called into the marriage feast of the Lord and some being locked out. It is a picture of the rapture, not of Armageddon, and we are told specifically it is not one of the feast days or holy days in the Old Testament that the Jews knew.
Judges
Judges 16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
When Samson pushed out the two pillars it was a type and shadow of the rapture. The church is the pillar and base of the truth. When the church is removed, caught up to God, then the world’s temple to their false gods will collapse. The priests of Dagon wore the same kind of hat that the Pope wears, it looks like the body of a fish. Therefore I hypothesize that the rapture takes place on a great sacrifice of the Catholic church. The Catholic church has ten universal holy days. The orthodox church has 12 universal holy days. January 6th is celebrated by both as a universal holy day. One calls it the Epiphany (appearing of Jesus Christ) and the other calls it the Theophany (the baptism of Jesus Christ). The rapture will be both a baptism and an appearing. In the New Testament we are told that the believers have died with Christ and that is what the significance of being immersed into the water means. They are then also raised out of the water again signifying the resurrection or rapture from the grave. Those who are dead in Christ will be raised at the rapture, whereas those who are not will be immersed into the death of Christ as they go through the tribulation.
John
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
This was the 17th of Nisan, and it is when Jesus Christ was conceived within the believers. 9 months later is the 17th of Tevet which this year is January 6th. So that also aligns with a reasonable date for the rapture. Now what is interesting is that the 17th of Tevet only falls on January 6th about 5% of the time. Also, the 17th of Tevet is not any of the holy days or feast days of the Jews so it lines up with that as well.
January 6th is the 17th of Tevet.
There are 13 Bible passages that don’t tell us the day of the rapture, but they do narrow down what the possible days are. All these verses are the word of God and all of them apply to the date of the rapture. No man was given all the pieces to the puzzle. These are from the following writers: Matthew, Solomon, Jeremiah, Samuel, Paul, John, Luke and Daniel. You can debate how significant each one is. But, if we have a date that fits all 13, then it is very hard for me to discount that day.
Esther
The month of Tevet is when Esther became queen. The book of Esther clearly presents a type and shadow of the Antichrist in Haman, and the tribulation being when Esther and Mordecai stand against the evil plot of Haman. Esther becoming queen could be a reference to the rapture with the church being caught up and seated together with Christ in the heavenlies.
Noah
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
The ark is the church, the flood is the storms of life that we have gone through during the church age.
Meanwhile the 17th day is mentioned in the story of Noah, but not of the month Tevet. The 17th day of the seventh month, which based on the calendar that Noah was using, is the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. The 17th of Tevet is tied to that date because it is exactly 9 months later, if we tie the day Jesus rose from the dead to the conception of the manchild, then the birth would be nine months later.
The 17th day is also mentioned as the start of the flood, that is the “second month”. As believers we are saved after we believe in the resurrected Christ. He resurrected in the first month, and we are saved from the flood in the second. There are two steps to salvation, believe and be baptized. Noah’s flood in the New Testament is referred to as a baptism. Our Christian life began when we believed, then continued when we were baptized, and it ultimately concludes when we are raptured.
Colossians
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
We are told clearly that the holy days and new moons and sabbath days are a shadow of things to come, but that these are not days that Christians need to keep. In the Old Testament they are called “Holy Convocations” which means dress rehearsals. But Paul is telling us despite them being a dress rehearsal for something to come in the future, they do not apply to Christians and so we do not allow anyone to judge us in whether or not we keep them. Jesus Christ is my Passover, I don’t keep Passover, I keep Jesus Christ.
Parable of the ten virgins
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
The synoptic gospels are written with three agendas to three groups. All three refer to the common salvation and so they are applicable to all, however, they also have specific agendas. Matthew is to the salvation of the Jews as a nation, Mark is to the tribulation saints and Luke is to those raptured prior to the tribulation. This word in Matthew is specifically to the Jews, it is not in Mark or Luke. However, there are many times in Mark and Luke that we are told to watch for the Lord’s coming. So why is this unique word to the Jews? I suspect this word that “ye know neither the day nor the hour” is specific to the Jews. It is never mentioned in Luke, and so it is not specific for the pre tribulation rapture. Therefore I have hypothesized that Jesus is telling us the rapture is not a specific day in the Old Testament. Colossians tell us that the feast days are a shadow of things to come. There are probably thirty days mentioned in the Old Testament like the feast of unleavened bread (7 days), feast of tabernacles (8 days), etc. The Jews know those days. There are also other significant days as well like the 9th of Av and the 15th of Av, Purim, Hanukkah, etc. However, the parable is definitely about being called into the marriage feast of the Lord and some being locked out. It is a picture of the rapture, not of Armageddon, and we are told specifically it is not one of the feast days or holy days in the Old Testament that the Jews knew.
Judges
Judges 16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
When Samson pushed out the two pillars it was a type and shadow of the rapture. The church is the pillar and base of the truth. When the church is removed, caught up to God, then the world’s temple to their false gods will collapse. The priests of Dagon wore the same kind of hat that the Pope wears, it looks like the body of a fish. Therefore I hypothesize that the rapture takes place on a great sacrifice of the Catholic church. The Catholic church has ten universal holy days. The orthodox church has 12 universal holy days. January 6th is celebrated by both as a universal holy day. One calls it the Epiphany (appearing of Jesus Christ) and the other calls it the Theophany (the baptism of Jesus Christ). The rapture will be both a baptism and an appearing. In the New Testament we are told that the believers have died with Christ and that is what the significance of being immersed into the water means. They are then also raised out of the water again signifying the resurrection or rapture from the grave. Those who are dead in Christ will be raised at the rapture, whereas those who are not will be immersed into the death of Christ as they go through the tribulation.
John
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
This was the 17th of Nisan, and it is when Jesus Christ was conceived within the believers. 9 months later is the 17th of Tevet which this year is January 6th. So that also aligns with a reasonable date for the rapture. Now what is interesting is that the 17th of Tevet only falls on January 6th about 5% of the time. Also, the 17th of Tevet is not any of the holy days or feast days of the Jews so it lines up with that as well.
13 Biblical passages on the Rapture that align with January 6th (part 2)
Genesis
9 Months before the rapture
Genesis 18:13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
This story is very interesting. We are told the Lord appeared to Abraham and that He appeared as three men. So we have the triune God appearing to the Father of Faith. We are also told that this takes place nine months before Sarah has Isaac. We can compare Isaac’s birth to the rapture.
What interests me in this story is the nine months. We can assume that nine months prior to the rapture the triune God visited the man of faith to let him know this event will happen. With Mary Gabriel visited her as well as spoke to Joseph in a dream. But what about the rapture, what event took place nine months earlier that would have told the people of faith "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Abraham had made a covenant with God, that story depicts the cross of Jesus Christ. In that covenant God promised Abraham he would have an heir. Likewise with the Christians God promised that we would be raptured. That is our blessed hope. This is a second confirmation that nine months after Jesus rose from the dead will be the rapture.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 8:19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? 20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
This describes the situation of those who are left behind and it is when the summer has ended. Israel has two seasons, summer and winter. Summer concludes with a harvest festival. Thanksgiving is a harvest festival so that is the conclusion of the summer. Winter begins for the entire northern hemisphere with the winter solstice, December 21. So this verse describes those who are left behind after the rapture as taking place after December 21 and during the winter.
It also says that God has been provoked by their images and strange vanities. Christmas certainly has images and strange vanities when you consider all the customs around it. The Bible does not describe Christmas trees or Santa or flying reindeer or magical elves at the North Pole. Since provoked is past tense it suggests this is after Christmas. When we look at great sacrifices to Dagon after Christmas but during winter we are left with one or two possible dates.
Amos
Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: 10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
The only feast day that Christians celebrate that has its own songs is Christmas. So the reference to the sun going down at noon and darkening the earth in the clear day is a reference to the outer darkness that those who are not raptured are tossed out into. It is a direct reference to the rapture. This reference is tied directly to the Christmas season with its festive songs. The Lord says specifically “your feasts” and “your songs”. We are not looking at a feast of the Lord but something that Christians have created. This also perfectly aligns with January 6th as the conclusion to the 12 days of Christmas.
Proverbs
Proverbs 7:19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
Jesus is the goodman who has gone on a long journey. This adulterous woman can be likened to the apostate church. She has been told that Jesus returns on the day appointed. Many interpret this word translated as “appointed” as referring to a full moon. Now if we liken her to the Catholic church it is a confirmation of the rapture taking place on a sacrifice to Dagon. The full moon is January 3rd. What is interesting is that the Catholic church is celebrating Epiphany on January 4th, they move the celebration to the closest Sunday. The odds of Epiphany being within 24 hours of the full moon is also less than 5%. So the odds of Epiphany being on January 6th and being celebrated on a Full moon is about one in 400.
3 days of Darkness
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
At the time of the rapture those who thought they would be in but are locked out will be locked out into three days of outer darkness. We could go through all the references to this from the 9th plague in Egypt, to the people who are saved are sitting in darkness when they see a great light, to Jesus being in the tomb for three days and three nights. What is undeniable is that at the time of the rapture there will be this outer darkness. It was referenced in Amos, and it is referenced here. What is amazing is that from Sunday, January 4th to January 6th is three days. If the rapture were early morning on Sunday it could correspond with three days of darkness beginning with the rapture. The odds that Epiphany would work out like this so that it is celebrated two days before January 6th on a full moon, that is 1 out of 2,800. (7x20x20 = 2,800). This means it is very likely that this is the very first time during the entire church age when Epiphany is celebrated by the Catholic church (depicting a sacrifice to Dagon) on January 4th which is also a full moon.
2 Samuel
2 Samuel 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
This is a shadow indicating that Jesus reigns in heaven for seven years and six months. That would be the 17th of Tammuz, a day that the Jews use to commemorate the breach of the wall and the destruction of the temple. It is also the day that Moses smashed the tablets witnessing the idolatry of the golden calf. It was also when sacrifices ceased when the first temple was sieged. It is also the day the Romans burnt the Torah and placed an idol in the temple. It is also the beginning of three weeks of reflection on their failures culminating in the 9th of Av. So a very appropriate day for Jesus to return to reign in Jerusalem. We are told clearly in Colossians that these days are prophetic shadow of things to come, therefore we need to see that the Lord coming to reign in Hebron and in Jerusalem is foreshadowed. Jesus comes to reign in Hebron according to Amos after seeing the apostasy of the church, and He comes to reign in Jerusalem after seeing the apostasy of the Jews.
Start of the Great Tribulation
Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
We are told to pray that the start of the Great Tribulation when the idol is placed in the Holy Sanctuary should not be in winter. It takes place roughly 3 ½ years after the rapture, and could be six or seven months after the rapture. If the rapture is likened to the baptism then that is 40 days before the start of Jesus’ ministry. That would place this event around July or August if the rapture is January 4th. So this verse lines up with a rapture in January.
Genesis
9 Months before the rapture
Genesis 18:13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
This story is very interesting. We are told the Lord appeared to Abraham and that He appeared as three men. So we have the triune God appearing to the Father of Faith. We are also told that this takes place nine months before Sarah has Isaac. We can compare Isaac’s birth to the rapture.
What interests me in this story is the nine months. We can assume that nine months prior to the rapture the triune God visited the man of faith to let him know this event will happen. With Mary Gabriel visited her as well as spoke to Joseph in a dream. But what about the rapture, what event took place nine months earlier that would have told the people of faith "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Abraham had made a covenant with God, that story depicts the cross of Jesus Christ. In that covenant God promised Abraham he would have an heir. Likewise with the Christians God promised that we would be raptured. That is our blessed hope. This is a second confirmation that nine months after Jesus rose from the dead will be the rapture.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 8:19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? 20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
This describes the situation of those who are left behind and it is when the summer has ended. Israel has two seasons, summer and winter. Summer concludes with a harvest festival. Thanksgiving is a harvest festival so that is the conclusion of the summer. Winter begins for the entire northern hemisphere with the winter solstice, December 21. So this verse describes those who are left behind after the rapture as taking place after December 21 and during the winter.
It also says that God has been provoked by their images and strange vanities. Christmas certainly has images and strange vanities when you consider all the customs around it. The Bible does not describe Christmas trees or Santa or flying reindeer or magical elves at the North Pole. Since provoked is past tense it suggests this is after Christmas. When we look at great sacrifices to Dagon after Christmas but during winter we are left with one or two possible dates.
Amos
Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: 10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
The only feast day that Christians celebrate that has its own songs is Christmas. So the reference to the sun going down at noon and darkening the earth in the clear day is a reference to the outer darkness that those who are not raptured are tossed out into. It is a direct reference to the rapture. This reference is tied directly to the Christmas season with its festive songs. The Lord says specifically “your feasts” and “your songs”. We are not looking at a feast of the Lord but something that Christians have created. This also perfectly aligns with January 6th as the conclusion to the 12 days of Christmas.
Proverbs
Proverbs 7:19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
Jesus is the goodman who has gone on a long journey. This adulterous woman can be likened to the apostate church. She has been told that Jesus returns on the day appointed. Many interpret this word translated as “appointed” as referring to a full moon. Now if we liken her to the Catholic church it is a confirmation of the rapture taking place on a sacrifice to Dagon. The full moon is January 3rd. What is interesting is that the Catholic church is celebrating Epiphany on January 4th, they move the celebration to the closest Sunday. The odds of Epiphany being within 24 hours of the full moon is also less than 5%. So the odds of Epiphany being on January 6th and being celebrated on a Full moon is about one in 400.
3 days of Darkness
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
At the time of the rapture those who thought they would be in but are locked out will be locked out into three days of outer darkness. We could go through all the references to this from the 9th plague in Egypt, to the people who are saved are sitting in darkness when they see a great light, to Jesus being in the tomb for three days and three nights. What is undeniable is that at the time of the rapture there will be this outer darkness. It was referenced in Amos, and it is referenced here. What is amazing is that from Sunday, January 4th to January 6th is three days. If the rapture were early morning on Sunday it could correspond with three days of darkness beginning with the rapture. The odds that Epiphany would work out like this so that it is celebrated two days before January 6th on a full moon, that is 1 out of 2,800. (7x20x20 = 2,800). This means it is very likely that this is the very first time during the entire church age when Epiphany is celebrated by the Catholic church (depicting a sacrifice to Dagon) on January 4th which is also a full moon.
2 Samuel
2 Samuel 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
This is a shadow indicating that Jesus reigns in heaven for seven years and six months. That would be the 17th of Tammuz, a day that the Jews use to commemorate the breach of the wall and the destruction of the temple. It is also the day that Moses smashed the tablets witnessing the idolatry of the golden calf. It was also when sacrifices ceased when the first temple was sieged. It is also the day the Romans burnt the Torah and placed an idol in the temple. It is also the beginning of three weeks of reflection on their failures culminating in the 9th of Av. So a very appropriate day for Jesus to return to reign in Jerusalem. We are told clearly in Colossians that these days are prophetic shadow of things to come, therefore we need to see that the Lord coming to reign in Hebron and in Jerusalem is foreshadowed. Jesus comes to reign in Hebron according to Amos after seeing the apostasy of the church, and He comes to reign in Jerusalem after seeing the apostasy of the Jews.
Start of the Great Tribulation
Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.We are told to pray that the start of the Great Tribulation when the idol is placed in the Holy Sanctuary should not be in winter. It takes place roughly 3 ½ years after the rapture, and could be six or seven months after the rapture. If the rapture is likened to the baptism then that is 40 days before the start of Jesus’ ministry. That would place this event around July or August if the rapture is January 4th. So this verse lines up with a rapture in January.
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
There are two ways to understand this. One is that anything that you are doing that is not bearing fruit, for example watching TV, the Father will prune it and take it away so that your time and energy can be more fruitful. That is a reasonable understanding.
But we also know that there is excommunication in the church described in Matthew 18. That would refer to a branch being a brother or sister in the church, who is not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Now this is a reference to a branch in the vine. You cannot claim they were never saved, they were part of the Body of Christ, the vine tree, but they are not bearing fruit of the Spirit.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Now this does not sound like the same thing that Hebrews is talking about. In Hebrews the ground is "near a curse" and "near to being burned". In that analogy we are the land, not the thorns and briers. But in this analogy we are the dried up branch that is burned.
Regardless of how you want to understand this term "burned" (does He hand you over to Satan the way Job was, or is this a reference to eternal damnation) either way what cannot be debated is we must abide in the Lord. People who are living in sin are not abiding in the Lord.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Being justified by the blood of Jesus is not the same thing as bearing much fruit. To bear much fruit requires labor. It requires being one with the Spirit. You don't become the Lord's disciple by being justified, you become the Lord's disciple by bearing much fruit.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
This is why I hate any teaching that we do not have to abide in the Lord's commandments. They talk about abiding in the Lord's love without saying this means we keep His commandments.
There are two ways to understand this. One is that anything that you are doing that is not bearing fruit, for example watching TV, the Father will prune it and take it away so that your time and energy can be more fruitful. That is a reasonable understanding.
But we also know that there is excommunication in the church described in Matthew 18. That would refer to a branch being a brother or sister in the church, who is not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Now this is a reference to a branch in the vine. You cannot claim they were never saved, they were part of the Body of Christ, the vine tree, but they are not bearing fruit of the Spirit.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Now this does not sound like the same thing that Hebrews is talking about. In Hebrews the ground is "near a curse" and "near to being burned". In that analogy we are the land, not the thorns and briers. But in this analogy we are the dried up branch that is burned.
Regardless of how you want to understand this term "burned" (does He hand you over to Satan the way Job was, or is this a reference to eternal damnation) either way what cannot be debated is we must abide in the Lord. People who are living in sin are not abiding in the Lord.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Being justified by the blood of Jesus is not the same thing as bearing much fruit. To bear much fruit requires labor. It requires being one with the Spirit. You don't become the Lord's disciple by being justified, you become the Lord's disciple by bearing much fruit.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
This is why I hate any teaching that we do not have to abide in the Lord's commandments. They talk about abiding in the Lord's love without saying this means we keep His commandments.
What is the Comforter's business
If we are one with the Spirit what will our business be?
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Leading people to salvation begins with them being convicted of sin. Right now the world has hired all the PR guys in the world to explain why they don't believe in Jesus. They take shots at everything in the Bible. So you have to show how all these people with these really nice stories about all the great things they are doing are simply hypocrites, scammers, liars and thieves. Think about the 9 billion stolen through fraud in Minnesota. They told you a great story that the money was "for the kids". In the end you will see that all who do not believe in Jesus are sinners, they are liars, thieves and murderers.
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Why is it that we see Jesus no more? Because the world is self righteous murderers. It was a monkey trial in the dead of night to justify murdering someone who was telling them the truth. Do you realize in the last few months since the whole scam in Minnesota came to light about 100 people have been charged, tried and convicted? Why is it so easy to do that when it is Somalian immigrants and yet so hard to do when it is Epstein and all the elites flying to his island? We know the names of all who flew there. The place was a honey pot trap with video of everything. We have the testimonies of many of the girls who were there. When it is convenient for them they will rapidly prosecute criminals, put it on the front page, and make a big deal about it. But when it isn't convenient all you get are empty promises with no results.
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
If you want to win souls and bring people to Jesus they need to see that they are on a sinking ship. They need to see that the prince of this world is judged and they can either confess, repent and be saved, or they will go down with the prince of this world.
If we are one with the Spirit what will our business be?
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Leading people to salvation begins with them being convicted of sin. Right now the world has hired all the PR guys in the world to explain why they don't believe in Jesus. They take shots at everything in the Bible. So you have to show how all these people with these really nice stories about all the great things they are doing are simply hypocrites, scammers, liars and thieves. Think about the 9 billion stolen through fraud in Minnesota. They told you a great story that the money was "for the kids". In the end you will see that all who do not believe in Jesus are sinners, they are liars, thieves and murderers.
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Why is it that we see Jesus no more? Because the world is self righteous murderers. It was a monkey trial in the dead of night to justify murdering someone who was telling them the truth. Do you realize in the last few months since the whole scam in Minnesota came to light about 100 people have been charged, tried and convicted? Why is it so easy to do that when it is Somalian immigrants and yet so hard to do when it is Epstein and all the elites flying to his island? We know the names of all who flew there. The place was a honey pot trap with video of everything. We have the testimonies of many of the girls who were there. When it is convenient for them they will rapidly prosecute criminals, put it on the front page, and make a big deal about it. But when it isn't convenient all you get are empty promises with no results.
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
If you want to win souls and bring people to Jesus they need to see that they are on a sinking ship. They need to see that the prince of this world is judged and they can either confess, repent and be saved, or they will go down with the prince of this world.
John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Heavenly Father, we ask that your name would be hallowed and that Jesus would be glorified. We pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us into all the truth concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Was it due to his requesting the DOGE audit? Was it due to him refusing to be a puppet of the prince of this world? We pray that the sin, and unrighteousness would be revealed and that the prince of this world involved in this assassination would be judged. Amen.
We also ask the same concerning Epstein island and Diddy parties. Amen.
Lord Jesus we pray that all those who have fought to know the truth in these matters would rejoice in You and that their joy would be made full. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we ask that your name would be hallowed and that Jesus would be glorified. We pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us into all the truth concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Was it due to his requesting the DOGE audit? Was it due to him refusing to be a puppet of the prince of this world? We pray that the sin, and unrighteousness would be revealed and that the prince of this world involved in this assassination would be judged. Amen.
We also ask the same concerning Epstein island and Diddy parties. Amen.
Lord Jesus we pray that all those who have fought to know the truth in these matters would rejoice in You and that their joy would be made full. Amen.
Comparison and Contrast of the three gospels
The three gospels have some very interesting discrepancies that have been the source of a lot of discussion. Some read the gospels oblivious of the differences, others simply ignore them. However, one theory that is quite interesting is that the differences indicate that the three gospels are written to three different groups. Using the word that “the last shall be first and the first last” the thought is that Matthew is written to those who are taken at the end of the tribulation, the Jews. Mark is written to the Christians who are left behind at the time of the first rapture and Luke is written to those who are taken in the rapture before the tribulation. I want to drill down on this idea and compare the three gospels. Because this will give us a really good idea of the key prophecies and signs of the Lord’s coming.
Mark vs Luke
Mark is significantly shorter, approximately 60% of the size of Luke. Mark is the “cliff notes” version of the gospels. Luke presents one long journey to Jerusalem whereas Mark bounces around some Galilaen towns and some Gentile territory. In Luke you have a goal and you are pressing towards that goal the entire time, in Mark you are more reactionary. At the beginning of the tribulation you will have the rapture of some saints and then the ministry of the two witnesses, who are called the olive trees and the lampstands. Those that are left behind will need to repent. In Mark it starts with “the beginning of the gospel” and the ministry of John the Baptist. The message that John is sharing is to repent for the kingdom. Luke begins by saying it is an orderly account. It is like a book to your honor students describing them getting everything in order before the semester begins. We then see the birth of Jesus and John with the accounts of Elizabeth and Mary. In Luke they are preparing for Jesus and His ministry a year before He is born whereas in Mark they are reacting to events thirty years later as though they were caught by surprise. Elizabeth and Mary depict your firstfruits, those who are raptured first. The first event of Jesus ministry is also very telling. In Luke the first event is Jesus reading the account that this is the year of the Jubilee from Isaiah. However, Mark begins with Jesus casting demons out of someone in a synagogue in Capernaum. It says that He entered the synagogue and began to teach and they were amazed because He didn’t teach like the teachers of the law. In Mark the major opponents are the pharisees, priests, scribes and elders. The Herodians are also an issue, these are Jewish leaders who have become married to the world. So the picture here is of the “synagogue of Satan” described in Revelation 3. Philadelphia is raptured as a church and then “those of the synagogue of Satan” realize that God was truly in their midst. The Last words on the cross are also very telling. In Mark it is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” In Luke it is “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” directed at those that crucified Him. “This day you’ll be with me in paradise” directed to the thief on the cross with Him. And “into thy hand I commit my spirit”. Mark focuses on the crucifixion as a tragedy. This event is a tragedy to those who are left behind. Luke focuses on Jesus' innocence. The last major event is also very telling. In Mark it is an empty tomb with the women leaving in fear and silence. Again, this is what those who are left behind will be seeing. In Luke it is the ascension, the rapture with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with joy and praising. Luke is one long journey with this one goal at this one moment. Also in the two books you see Jesus in two different aspects. In Mark He is always arguing with religious leaders while in Luke He is always healing and forgiving. In Mark the message to the disciples is to persevere in faith despite suffering whereas in Luke it is to leave everything and to accept everyone, especially outcasts, poor, and even enemies. In Luke we see the Spirit moving in these kids from conception along with a prophetic anointing on each one. In Mark we see the Spirit at the Baptism. The Baptism is a public declaration for all to see, whereas the events in Luke are far more hidden that only a select community would see and know about.
In Mark the basis for judgement is whether you persevere in faith despite persecutions: Mark 13:13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In Luke there is a far more detailed basis for judgement: Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. You need to use whatever you have so that you will be “welcomed into eternal dwellings”. When my cousin died it seemed the entire town turned out because he had been very active to raise money for the local high school’s Lacrosse team and for a hospital that treats those who are paralyzed. It was as though they were all welcoming him into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. “ Those who are raptured are often those who are “forcing their way into the kingdom”. The context is that you cannot change one jot or tittle from the law and yet every one of us is condemned by the law. Therefore we plead the blood of Jesus, we tell God that He must honor His son’s sacrifice in order to fulfill all righteousness. If He does not forgive us our sins then He is the unrighteous one because Jesus paid the full price. Finally we are told to listen to Moses and the Prophets: Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” In Luke we see the fulfillment of God’s plan and a reversal of fortunes. Rich rulers living in luxury suffer torments while sinners and tax collectors believe and are saved. In Mark the Lord’s return is a secret and the main disciples do not understand while minor characters believe and receive.
Luke is the gospel concerned with healing the situation and who accompany the Lord during His heavenly ministry wherever He goes. Mark is the disciple that abandoned Paul and that Paul refused to have accompany them on the next journey. Later he worked with Peter and got reconciled to Paul. So Luke typifies a believer who would be raptured prior to the tribulation while Mark typifies one who would be raptured in the middle of the tribulation.
For the most part the two gospels contain the same stories concerning the Lord’s ministry. However, there are a couple of key differences. Luke of course has accounts of Jesus genealogy going all the way back to Adam and it has the early accounts of Jesus birth and childhood. The first rapture will be to the church and they are composed of Jews and Gentiles from all over the globe. That is not in Mark. On the other hand Mark has this account of a Gentile woman coming to Jesus to save her demon possessed daughter and He says “it is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs” and she says that even the bread that falls from the table is fed to the pet dogs. In Mark Jesus is the bread that has fallen from the table, He is the scraps.
All three accounts have a record of Jesus transfiguration, but in Mathew and Mark it is six days after the prior events, in Luke it is about eight days. There have been various explanations for this discrepancy but the one that I feel is most instructive is that this is spoken to different saints and for each of them the event is different. To my understanding the reference to “about eight days” is a reference to the day of the Lord, the day of resurrection. But for now it is simply a significant difference that sheds light on the Lord’s coming.
There is also a distinction in the colors of the robe that Herod put on Him. Matthew it is a scarlet robe, Mark it is purple and in Luke it is “elegant” (sparkling white).
The three gospels have some very interesting discrepancies that have been the source of a lot of discussion. Some read the gospels oblivious of the differences, others simply ignore them. However, one theory that is quite interesting is that the differences indicate that the three gospels are written to three different groups. Using the word that “the last shall be first and the first last” the thought is that Matthew is written to those who are taken at the end of the tribulation, the Jews. Mark is written to the Christians who are left behind at the time of the first rapture and Luke is written to those who are taken in the rapture before the tribulation. I want to drill down on this idea and compare the three gospels. Because this will give us a really good idea of the key prophecies and signs of the Lord’s coming.
Mark vs Luke
Mark is significantly shorter, approximately 60% of the size of Luke. Mark is the “cliff notes” version of the gospels. Luke presents one long journey to Jerusalem whereas Mark bounces around some Galilaen towns and some Gentile territory. In Luke you have a goal and you are pressing towards that goal the entire time, in Mark you are more reactionary. At the beginning of the tribulation you will have the rapture of some saints and then the ministry of the two witnesses, who are called the olive trees and the lampstands. Those that are left behind will need to repent. In Mark it starts with “the beginning of the gospel” and the ministry of John the Baptist. The message that John is sharing is to repent for the kingdom. Luke begins by saying it is an orderly account. It is like a book to your honor students describing them getting everything in order before the semester begins. We then see the birth of Jesus and John with the accounts of Elizabeth and Mary. In Luke they are preparing for Jesus and His ministry a year before He is born whereas in Mark they are reacting to events thirty years later as though they were caught by surprise. Elizabeth and Mary depict your firstfruits, those who are raptured first. The first event of Jesus ministry is also very telling. In Luke the first event is Jesus reading the account that this is the year of the Jubilee from Isaiah. However, Mark begins with Jesus casting demons out of someone in a synagogue in Capernaum. It says that He entered the synagogue and began to teach and they were amazed because He didn’t teach like the teachers of the law. In Mark the major opponents are the pharisees, priests, scribes and elders. The Herodians are also an issue, these are Jewish leaders who have become married to the world. So the picture here is of the “synagogue of Satan” described in Revelation 3. Philadelphia is raptured as a church and then “those of the synagogue of Satan” realize that God was truly in their midst. The Last words on the cross are also very telling. In Mark it is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” In Luke it is “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” directed at those that crucified Him. “This day you’ll be with me in paradise” directed to the thief on the cross with Him. And “into thy hand I commit my spirit”. Mark focuses on the crucifixion as a tragedy. This event is a tragedy to those who are left behind. Luke focuses on Jesus' innocence. The last major event is also very telling. In Mark it is an empty tomb with the women leaving in fear and silence. Again, this is what those who are left behind will be seeing. In Luke it is the ascension, the rapture with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with joy and praising. Luke is one long journey with this one goal at this one moment. Also in the two books you see Jesus in two different aspects. In Mark He is always arguing with religious leaders while in Luke He is always healing and forgiving. In Mark the message to the disciples is to persevere in faith despite suffering whereas in Luke it is to leave everything and to accept everyone, especially outcasts, poor, and even enemies. In Luke we see the Spirit moving in these kids from conception along with a prophetic anointing on each one. In Mark we see the Spirit at the Baptism. The Baptism is a public declaration for all to see, whereas the events in Luke are far more hidden that only a select community would see and know about.
In Mark the basis for judgement is whether you persevere in faith despite persecutions: Mark 13:13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In Luke there is a far more detailed basis for judgement: Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. You need to use whatever you have so that you will be “welcomed into eternal dwellings”. When my cousin died it seemed the entire town turned out because he had been very active to raise money for the local high school’s Lacrosse team and for a hospital that treats those who are paralyzed. It was as though they were all welcoming him into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. “ Those who are raptured are often those who are “forcing their way into the kingdom”. The context is that you cannot change one jot or tittle from the law and yet every one of us is condemned by the law. Therefore we plead the blood of Jesus, we tell God that He must honor His son’s sacrifice in order to fulfill all righteousness. If He does not forgive us our sins then He is the unrighteous one because Jesus paid the full price. Finally we are told to listen to Moses and the Prophets: Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” In Luke we see the fulfillment of God’s plan and a reversal of fortunes. Rich rulers living in luxury suffer torments while sinners and tax collectors believe and are saved. In Mark the Lord’s return is a secret and the main disciples do not understand while minor characters believe and receive.
Luke is the gospel concerned with healing the situation and who accompany the Lord during His heavenly ministry wherever He goes. Mark is the disciple that abandoned Paul and that Paul refused to have accompany them on the next journey. Later he worked with Peter and got reconciled to Paul. So Luke typifies a believer who would be raptured prior to the tribulation while Mark typifies one who would be raptured in the middle of the tribulation.
For the most part the two gospels contain the same stories concerning the Lord’s ministry. However, there are a couple of key differences. Luke of course has accounts of Jesus genealogy going all the way back to Adam and it has the early accounts of Jesus birth and childhood. The first rapture will be to the church and they are composed of Jews and Gentiles from all over the globe. That is not in Mark. On the other hand Mark has this account of a Gentile woman coming to Jesus to save her demon possessed daughter and He says “it is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs” and she says that even the bread that falls from the table is fed to the pet dogs. In Mark Jesus is the bread that has fallen from the table, He is the scraps.
All three accounts have a record of Jesus transfiguration, but in Mathew and Mark it is six days after the prior events, in Luke it is about eight days. There have been various explanations for this discrepancy but the one that I feel is most instructive is that this is spoken to different saints and for each of them the event is different. To my understanding the reference to “about eight days” is a reference to the day of the Lord, the day of resurrection. But for now it is simply a significant difference that sheds light on the Lord’s coming.
There is also a distinction in the colors of the robe that Herod put on Him. Matthew it is a scarlet robe, Mark it is purple and in Luke it is “elegant” (sparkling white).
Joshua 3 -- You have not passed this way heretofore
1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
You have not passed through this way before sounds like the rapture to me. Crossing the red sea is clearly a type of the Lord’s death and resurrection and our baptism. We are told this in the New testament. So then the people of the Lord crossing the Jordan would be like that and yet something that Israel had not done before. Jesus' resurrection was the firstfruit of the harvest, at the end of the age the harvest of the saints will also be a resurrection. According to Jewish tradition they entered a new dimension of personal responsibility. When you are a slave you are told “not to worry” about certain things and you will be punished if you actually question or second guess the master. We see this change today in the US, people are not willing to blindly follow what the mainstream media declares and the more they declare the official narrative the less people listen to them. Also, people are waking up and are not afraid to question them.
5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
For 2,000 years the Christians have not been led by the ark of covenant to get involved in the political arena. Individuals like Esther and Mordecai have, and like Paul we have appealed to Caesar based on the laws of the land. But our covenant until this point has not been of this world and we have not been called to fight on behalf of it. Instead the church has acted as an embassy of the kingdom of heavens in the worldly realm.
8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
Right now we are presenting compelling evidence, overwhelming evidence, undeniable evidence and they simply ignore it. Governors and officials certified votes despite extensive evidence of election fraud. They are treating the people like they can ignore them. This is a violation of the constitution, a violation of their authority given by God, and so you will now see something never before seen. The Lord Himself, from the heavens will send His army in to dispossess these people. The first barrier they cross is the river Jordan, it separates God’s people from these tribes. In the US there is a line of separation between the church and the state. Our covenant with the Lord has led us to stay in the wilderness for this age of grace. But now, at the end of the age, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant are led to step into this river separating us from the State. Our destiny is to rule and reign with Jesus Christ and that means the prince of this world will be dispossessed.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. 14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
What has happened? The economy is likened to a river. In Egypt the Nile river represented the economy. Here the Jordan river represents the economy and it stood up in heap. This has never happened before. True. there have been pandemics before in human history, but to have the entire world’s economy just stand up in a heap as we, the people of God, cross this river on dry ground, that has never happened before. Prior to this the Christians in this country were like people in the desert, they really didn’t have anything to do with the running of the country. Of course we have had men of faith in all parts of government, but to see Christians organized, united as an army, marching in, this is something completely new in US history. Every Christian in this country is passing over. A funny term, in Egypt it was God who passed over our homes, standing guard to make sure the avenger didn’t break in. But now it is us who are passing over this river to stop the steal.
Consider when the Lord was baptized in the river Jordan. It kicked off His ministry which involved dispossessing the thieves and liars who were ruling over Israel. His crucifixion condemned them as being unrighteous. He said He would give them the sign of Jonah and for forty years both He and His disciples walked to and fro throughout Jerusalem calling on them to repent. Then in 70 AD the temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Jesus' ministry dispossessed the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians from power. He led the people out of "Egypt" on the Passover and for two thousand years we have been in the wilderness during the church age. When we cross the Jordan it is similar to our baptism in the Red Sea and yet the Lord says "You have not passed this way before". It will be something altogether new.
1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
You have not passed through this way before sounds like the rapture to me. Crossing the red sea is clearly a type of the Lord’s death and resurrection and our baptism. We are told this in the New testament. So then the people of the Lord crossing the Jordan would be like that and yet something that Israel had not done before. Jesus' resurrection was the firstfruit of the harvest, at the end of the age the harvest of the saints will also be a resurrection. According to Jewish tradition they entered a new dimension of personal responsibility. When you are a slave you are told “not to worry” about certain things and you will be punished if you actually question or second guess the master. We see this change today in the US, people are not willing to blindly follow what the mainstream media declares and the more they declare the official narrative the less people listen to them. Also, people are waking up and are not afraid to question them.
5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
For 2,000 years the Christians have not been led by the ark of covenant to get involved in the political arena. Individuals like Esther and Mordecai have, and like Paul we have appealed to Caesar based on the laws of the land. But our covenant until this point has not been of this world and we have not been called to fight on behalf of it. Instead the church has acted as an embassy of the kingdom of heavens in the worldly realm.
8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
Right now we are presenting compelling evidence, overwhelming evidence, undeniable evidence and they simply ignore it. Governors and officials certified votes despite extensive evidence of election fraud. They are treating the people like they can ignore them. This is a violation of the constitution, a violation of their authority given by God, and so you will now see something never before seen. The Lord Himself, from the heavens will send His army in to dispossess these people. The first barrier they cross is the river Jordan, it separates God’s people from these tribes. In the US there is a line of separation between the church and the state. Our covenant with the Lord has led us to stay in the wilderness for this age of grace. But now, at the end of the age, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant are led to step into this river separating us from the State. Our destiny is to rule and reign with Jesus Christ and that means the prince of this world will be dispossessed.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. 14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
What has happened? The economy is likened to a river. In Egypt the Nile river represented the economy. Here the Jordan river represents the economy and it stood up in heap. This has never happened before. True. there have been pandemics before in human history, but to have the entire world’s economy just stand up in a heap as we, the people of God, cross this river on dry ground, that has never happened before. Prior to this the Christians in this country were like people in the desert, they really didn’t have anything to do with the running of the country. Of course we have had men of faith in all parts of government, but to see Christians organized, united as an army, marching in, this is something completely new in US history. Every Christian in this country is passing over. A funny term, in Egypt it was God who passed over our homes, standing guard to make sure the avenger didn’t break in. But now it is us who are passing over this river to stop the steal.
Consider when the Lord was baptized in the river Jordan. It kicked off His ministry which involved dispossessing the thieves and liars who were ruling over Israel. His crucifixion condemned them as being unrighteous. He said He would give them the sign of Jonah and for forty years both He and His disciples walked to and fro throughout Jerusalem calling on them to repent. Then in 70 AD the temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Jesus' ministry dispossessed the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians from power. He led the people out of "Egypt" on the Passover and for two thousand years we have been in the wilderness during the church age. When we cross the Jordan it is similar to our baptism in the Red Sea and yet the Lord says "You have not passed this way before". It will be something altogether new.
Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem [to cleanse them from] sin and uncleanness.
This is a fountain for immersion, for baptism. Immersion signifies a desire to obey and serve God and it identifies us with the Lord Jesus. When the Jews prepare for the day of Atonement they have a great day of immersion. A fountain was opened to cleanse us from sin and uncleanness when the Lord was crucified.
2 And in that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will remove from the land the [false] prophets and the unclean spirit.
In that day in verse 1 refers to the day Jesus was crucified, and in that day in verse 2 refers to the day the saints are raptured and the apostate churches and prophets are judged. This is equating the two. In other words, the day of the rapture will be analogous to the day Jesus was crucified.
3 And if anyone again appears [falsely] as a prophet, then his father and his mother who bore him shall say to him, You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother who bore him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
The Lord was thrust through on the crucifixion because of the testimony of false prophets. But for eternity it is the false prophets who get the judgement. This is like the proverb that a curse unfounded is like a bird that will not roost. The false prophets dug a pit for the Lord but they will be the ones that fall into it. Righteous judgement says "as you have done it will be done to you". They thrust the Lord through when He was crucified, well after the rapture these false prophets will be the ones who are thrust through.
4 And in that day the [false] prophets shall each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, nor will he wear a hairy or rough garment to deceive,
Today we can see many televangelists and prosperity gospel prophets who wear the clothes to indicate their prosperity which they equate with God’s blessing. It is the phony baloney garments of scam artists.
5 But he will [deny his identity and] say, I am no prophet. I am a tiller of the ground, for I have been made a bond servant from my youth.
These are the “deplorables”, the blue collar workers. The same people that mocked, ridiculed and insulted these ones will later try to associate themselves with them.
6 And one shall say to him, What are these wounds on your breast or between your hands? Then he will answer, Those with which I was wounded [when disciplined] in the house of my [loving] friends.
This refers to the Lord Jesus. Think about this, the Lord suffered these blows in the house of his friends? He came to save Israel and they crucified Him. That is what a true prophet does, they tell you the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it and even if you are killing people who tell that to you.
7 Awake, O sword, against My shepherd and against the man who is My associate, says the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep [of the flock] shall be scattered, and I will turn back My hand and stretch it out again upon the little ones [of the flock].
We know this is what happened to the Lord. He was a coworker with God to bring redemption to Israel. This chapter is brilliant, we begin with the false prophets who are utterly shunned and rejected, even by their parents and then it seems the Lord appears to be one of them. The befuddled Israelites smite and kill Him, perhaps thinking they are serving God just like the parents of the false prophets. This is what we are seeing today, the world is acting cult like, as though they have been bewitched and they are accusing all Bible believing Christians of being a cult and the ones with hate speech. They are using this to justify the persecution and ultimately killing of these Christians. So when you look at the crucifixion of Jesus what you need to also see is that the things that have been are the things that will be. The false prophets treated Jesus in the same way they will be treated at the start of the tribulation after the rapture.
8 And in all the land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, but one-third shall be left alive.
Two thirds of God’s people will perish during Jacob’s trouble, the last days. People use the word “decimate” as though it is horrible, they were “decimated”. To decimate is to kill one tenth. At the time of Hitler they estimate that about one third of all the Jews worldwide were killed. So if anyone thinks that this is absurd, it could never be this bad the Holocaust proves it could be. However, as bad as the holocaust was it will be twice as bad at the end of the age. This has never happened in human history, proving that this chapter is talking about the end of the age. However, several verses are prophecies that the New Testament says were fulfilled when Jesus was crucified. So then, what happened to Jesus at the beginning of the church age will be what happens to the false prophets after the rapture.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear and answer them. I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God.
Israel is going to go through this difficult time. Prophecies like this make some interpret the Bible as though all believers must go through this fire.
This is a fountain for immersion, for baptism. Immersion signifies a desire to obey and serve God and it identifies us with the Lord Jesus. When the Jews prepare for the day of Atonement they have a great day of immersion. A fountain was opened to cleanse us from sin and uncleanness when the Lord was crucified.
2 And in that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will remove from the land the [false] prophets and the unclean spirit.
In that day in verse 1 refers to the day Jesus was crucified, and in that day in verse 2 refers to the day the saints are raptured and the apostate churches and prophets are judged. This is equating the two. In other words, the day of the rapture will be analogous to the day Jesus was crucified.
3 And if anyone again appears [falsely] as a prophet, then his father and his mother who bore him shall say to him, You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother who bore him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
The Lord was thrust through on the crucifixion because of the testimony of false prophets. But for eternity it is the false prophets who get the judgement. This is like the proverb that a curse unfounded is like a bird that will not roost. The false prophets dug a pit for the Lord but they will be the ones that fall into it. Righteous judgement says "as you have done it will be done to you". They thrust the Lord through when He was crucified, well after the rapture these false prophets will be the ones who are thrust through.
4 And in that day the [false] prophets shall each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, nor will he wear a hairy or rough garment to deceive,
Today we can see many televangelists and prosperity gospel prophets who wear the clothes to indicate their prosperity which they equate with God’s blessing. It is the phony baloney garments of scam artists.
5 But he will [deny his identity and] say, I am no prophet. I am a tiller of the ground, for I have been made a bond servant from my youth.
These are the “deplorables”, the blue collar workers. The same people that mocked, ridiculed and insulted these ones will later try to associate themselves with them.
6 And one shall say to him, What are these wounds on your breast or between your hands? Then he will answer, Those with which I was wounded [when disciplined] in the house of my [loving] friends.
This refers to the Lord Jesus. Think about this, the Lord suffered these blows in the house of his friends? He came to save Israel and they crucified Him. That is what a true prophet does, they tell you the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it and even if you are killing people who tell that to you.
7 Awake, O sword, against My shepherd and against the man who is My associate, says the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep [of the flock] shall be scattered, and I will turn back My hand and stretch it out again upon the little ones [of the flock].
We know this is what happened to the Lord. He was a coworker with God to bring redemption to Israel. This chapter is brilliant, we begin with the false prophets who are utterly shunned and rejected, even by their parents and then it seems the Lord appears to be one of them. The befuddled Israelites smite and kill Him, perhaps thinking they are serving God just like the parents of the false prophets. This is what we are seeing today, the world is acting cult like, as though they have been bewitched and they are accusing all Bible believing Christians of being a cult and the ones with hate speech. They are using this to justify the persecution and ultimately killing of these Christians. So when you look at the crucifixion of Jesus what you need to also see is that the things that have been are the things that will be. The false prophets treated Jesus in the same way they will be treated at the start of the tribulation after the rapture.
8 And in all the land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, but one-third shall be left alive.
Two thirds of God’s people will perish during Jacob’s trouble, the last days. People use the word “decimate” as though it is horrible, they were “decimated”. To decimate is to kill one tenth. At the time of Hitler they estimate that about one third of all the Jews worldwide were killed. So if anyone thinks that this is absurd, it could never be this bad the Holocaust proves it could be. However, as bad as the holocaust was it will be twice as bad at the end of the age. This has never happened in human history, proving that this chapter is talking about the end of the age. However, several verses are prophecies that the New Testament says were fulfilled when Jesus was crucified. So then, what happened to Jesus at the beginning of the church age will be what happens to the false prophets after the rapture.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear and answer them. I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God.
Israel is going to go through this difficult time. Prophecies like this make some interpret the Bible as though all believers must go through this fire.
5 Key ways to identify False Teachers
I am still focused on why the early church at the time of the apostles would celebrate both the birth of the Messiah and baptism of the Messiah on January 6th (according to the Jewish calendar it was the 17th day of the tenth month, exactly 9 months after the 17th day of the first month, the day of resurrection when Jesus breathed into the disciples and said receive ye the Holy Spirit). Here we learn that Baptism is our one "loyalty oath" to the Lord and we are not going to make a loyalty oath to the Antichrist. That is appropriate reference. The early church understood some will be raptured (manchild caught up to heaven) and some will be baptized and have to go through the tribulation.
I believe that all wisdom and knowledge is hidden in the word so I will pray that the word of God would guide me as I walk the narrow way.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
There is only one good way to take on heavy seas in a boat and that is head on. If you turn to the side you will be flipped, if you try to run with the waves they will drive you into the rocks. When you are surrounded by “group think” it is like being in heavy seas.
James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
Whenever I wondered who Witness Lee was they told me about Watchman Nee and how Witness Lee was his closest coworker. The mistake I made was to feel that Watchman Nee was clearly and undeniably a man of God, therefore if he judged that Witness Lee was also a genuine man of God (hence his closest coworker) then I could too. This is "having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons". Who better to say this than James. I suspect that many believers feel the same way about James, the brother of the Lord. False teachers exploit this vulnerability. My faith in the Lord Jesus is based on my relationship with Him and not anyone else but Him.
Consider Bernie Madoff. He was once the head of the Nasdaq. That adds credibility, people feel a guy like that is already established financially and is not going to threaten his reputation with shady deals. It was the "respect of persons" that helped him build his business and rob people. It is a proven fact that crooks in uniforms have an easier time in deceiving people. People tend to trust the uniform and ignore common sense. Consider the experiments where people were asked to administer electric shocks to strangers, why did they do it? We have been trained to be a respecter of persons.
The email’s released by wikileaks prior to the Democratic National convention expose the fact that the DNC and Clinton operated “with respect of persons”. In addition the “never Trump” movement was also symptomatic of the Republican elites operating “with respect of persons”. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have exposed the political parties operating with respect of persons.
The pillar of Hitler’s ideology was that those of pure German ancestry were better than others. This is respect of persons.
James chapter 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.
Above all = this is the most important charge of all of them. “Do not swear with any other oath”. No loyalty pledge to a man. How do you know when you have “wandered from the truth”? You know when you are forced to sign a “loyalty pledge” to “the apostle” and being baptized into Christ is not sufficient. False prophets and Jezebel require strange oaths. The World requires strange oaths. Stamping your forehead with 666 is a strange oath.
Remember, Hitler required the German military to swear a loyalty oath to him, a month after having Roehm shot. McCarthy ran the loyalty review boards used for political repression. Sacramentum was the loyalty oath required of Romans. Tertullian rejected the oath for Christians saying that Baptism is the only oath we give. Christians who refused to make an offering to the Romans God and swear by the emperor’s genius were executed.
James chapter 3:11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
This is a key indicator of a false prophet. If he was truly ministering the living waters then how could he also be ministering salt water? No spring in nature does that. Rather this reveals that in his heart there is evil. We are not able to judge the heart, but we are able to judge the deeds, the endeavors, the works of the hands. With a false teacher if you judge him by his deeds it is clear, they will be wicked, evil, and reveal a worker of iniquity. He will speak peace and security, but act in a way that is evil.
James chapter 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
The context is that they are proud and arrogant to know the things they do are sin and yet do them anyway. It is the kind of arrogance of an adulteress who thinks her “weak” husband can do nothing in response. As though the Spirit can do nothing. This is the underlying thought behind "once saved always saved" doctrine. This is why the false prophets tell the Lord "did we not do works of power in your name" and then are stunned when He responds "depart from me workers of iniquity for I never knew you". This is why some of those in the church in Sardis will have their names "blotted out of the book of life". This is why the false prophet is in the Lake of Fire before the Great White Throne Judgement. He chose to be judged at the Judgement seat of Christ, thinking he was a Christian and not even realizing his judgment was the Lake of Fire.
Our salvation is a covenant, like marriage. Just because a woman has a ring and her husband’s vow does not mean that if she becomes an adulteress there is nothing he can do. If she breaks the covenant he is no longer bound by it. Likewise, if we break our covenant with God, then God also is no longer bound by it. Balaam received God’s word, but was not saved. Judas received God’s word but was not saved. Gehazi was with Elisha in his ministry, but fell according to this example. Some of those in Sardis had their names “blotted out of the book of life”.
I will put my trust in the word of God.
I will strive to be merciful in judging others as I also would like to be judged mercifully.
I am still focused on why the early church at the time of the apostles would celebrate both the birth of the Messiah and baptism of the Messiah on January 6th (according to the Jewish calendar it was the 17th day of the tenth month, exactly 9 months after the 17th day of the first month, the day of resurrection when Jesus breathed into the disciples and said receive ye the Holy Spirit). Here we learn that Baptism is our one "loyalty oath" to the Lord and we are not going to make a loyalty oath to the Antichrist. That is appropriate reference. The early church understood some will be raptured (manchild caught up to heaven) and some will be baptized and have to go through the tribulation.
I believe that all wisdom and knowledge is hidden in the word so I will pray that the word of God would guide me as I walk the narrow way.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
There is only one good way to take on heavy seas in a boat and that is head on. If you turn to the side you will be flipped, if you try to run with the waves they will drive you into the rocks. When you are surrounded by “group think” it is like being in heavy seas.
James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
Whenever I wondered who Witness Lee was they told me about Watchman Nee and how Witness Lee was his closest coworker. The mistake I made was to feel that Watchman Nee was clearly and undeniably a man of God, therefore if he judged that Witness Lee was also a genuine man of God (hence his closest coworker) then I could too. This is "having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons". Who better to say this than James. I suspect that many believers feel the same way about James, the brother of the Lord. False teachers exploit this vulnerability. My faith in the Lord Jesus is based on my relationship with Him and not anyone else but Him.
Consider Bernie Madoff. He was once the head of the Nasdaq. That adds credibility, people feel a guy like that is already established financially and is not going to threaten his reputation with shady deals. It was the "respect of persons" that helped him build his business and rob people. It is a proven fact that crooks in uniforms have an easier time in deceiving people. People tend to trust the uniform and ignore common sense. Consider the experiments where people were asked to administer electric shocks to strangers, why did they do it? We have been trained to be a respecter of persons.
The email’s released by wikileaks prior to the Democratic National convention expose the fact that the DNC and Clinton operated “with respect of persons”. In addition the “never Trump” movement was also symptomatic of the Republican elites operating “with respect of persons”. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have exposed the political parties operating with respect of persons.
The pillar of Hitler’s ideology was that those of pure German ancestry were better than others. This is respect of persons.
James chapter 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.
Above all = this is the most important charge of all of them. “Do not swear with any other oath”. No loyalty pledge to a man. How do you know when you have “wandered from the truth”? You know when you are forced to sign a “loyalty pledge” to “the apostle” and being baptized into Christ is not sufficient. False prophets and Jezebel require strange oaths. The World requires strange oaths. Stamping your forehead with 666 is a strange oath.
Remember, Hitler required the German military to swear a loyalty oath to him, a month after having Roehm shot. McCarthy ran the loyalty review boards used for political repression. Sacramentum was the loyalty oath required of Romans. Tertullian rejected the oath for Christians saying that Baptism is the only oath we give. Christians who refused to make an offering to the Romans God and swear by the emperor’s genius were executed.
James chapter 3:11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
This is a key indicator of a false prophet. If he was truly ministering the living waters then how could he also be ministering salt water? No spring in nature does that. Rather this reveals that in his heart there is evil. We are not able to judge the heart, but we are able to judge the deeds, the endeavors, the works of the hands. With a false teacher if you judge him by his deeds it is clear, they will be wicked, evil, and reveal a worker of iniquity. He will speak peace and security, but act in a way that is evil.
James chapter 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
The context is that they are proud and arrogant to know the things they do are sin and yet do them anyway. It is the kind of arrogance of an adulteress who thinks her “weak” husband can do nothing in response. As though the Spirit can do nothing. This is the underlying thought behind "once saved always saved" doctrine. This is why the false prophets tell the Lord "did we not do works of power in your name" and then are stunned when He responds "depart from me workers of iniquity for I never knew you". This is why some of those in the church in Sardis will have their names "blotted out of the book of life". This is why the false prophet is in the Lake of Fire before the Great White Throne Judgement. He chose to be judged at the Judgement seat of Christ, thinking he was a Christian and not even realizing his judgment was the Lake of Fire.
Our salvation is a covenant, like marriage. Just because a woman has a ring and her husband’s vow does not mean that if she becomes an adulteress there is nothing he can do. If she breaks the covenant he is no longer bound by it. Likewise, if we break our covenant with God, then God also is no longer bound by it. Balaam received God’s word, but was not saved. Judas received God’s word but was not saved. Gehazi was with Elisha in his ministry, but fell according to this example. Some of those in Sardis had their names “blotted out of the book of life”.
I will put my trust in the word of God.
I will strive to be merciful in judging others as I also would like to be judged mercifully.
Comparing Mark 1:4-9 with Luke -- Two different views of the Baptism
The contrast between the two gospels is stark in the discussion of John the Baptist.
Mark 1:4 John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Luke 3:7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do? 11 And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise. 12 And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do? 13 And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages.
In Luke they are warned about what is coming. In Mark they are confessing their sins, present tense. In Luke the axe is laid a the root, the warning is the trees that are not bearing good fruit will be cut down, in Mark they are cut down. In Luke they ask wha they must do and they are told if you have two coats you have to share, in Mark the money is gone, so no longer is this an issue, everyone is poor. Likewise the tax collectors are told to not extort people in Luke but in Mark you can't be a tax collector, in the kingdom of Antichrist you would have to take the mark to be collecting taxes or working as a soldier.
Mark 1:6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: 17 whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. 18 With many other exhortations therefore preached he good tidings unto the people;
Look at Mark, it is as though he is describing the people during the tribulation. They live off of bugs and honey. In Luke there are future warnings that the Lord is going to cleanse his threshingfold and gather the wheat into the barn (rapture). In Luke he is exhorting the believers, but not in Mark, no mention at all. What would be the point after the rapture.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him: 11 and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:19 but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison. 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
This is very weird that Luke tosses in this account about Herod putting John in prison before talking about Jesus being baptized by him. The time line on this is wonky. It is almost as though Jesus is baptized by all the evil things that Herod did. The context is that the fan is in the Lord's hand to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire and then we see an example of the evil that John is talking about that will be burned up.
Now look at this baptism as a book end, at the beginning of the age the Spirit descends on Jesus and the testimony is this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then at the end of the church age and again during the tribulation with the martyred saints we see the Spirit ascend with the believers during the rapture also with the testimony these are my beloved children in whom I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
This is unique to Luke, there is no genealogy in Mark. The word "as was supposed" really stands out to me. I find all the other uses of this term interesting, people have erroneous concepts that the Lord is correcting. But if this is not Jesus genealogy, then why give it to us? There are some reasons and I will skip all that, it does fulfill prophecies that reconcile one of David's lines that was cut off permanently, and it is quite interesting why it was cut off because it sheds light on why Joseph had to go through what he had to go through to bring in this reconciliation.
But I want to skip that, I want to focus on "as was supposed". It was supposed that Jesus was a man, born like all the rest of us. Matthew shows us that Jesus was descended from Abraham and was the seed of the woman, the promised seed of Abraham. But here Jesus is not descended from Joseph and we can't understand why we are going through the whole genealogy until we get to Adam. Jesus is the second Adam and like Adam he was not born of anyone, he was born of God.
The contrast between the two gospels is stark in the discussion of John the Baptist.
Mark 1:4 John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Luke 3:7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do? 11 And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise. 12 And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do? 13 And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages.
In Luke they are warned about what is coming. In Mark they are confessing their sins, present tense. In Luke the axe is laid a the root, the warning is the trees that are not bearing good fruit will be cut down, in Mark they are cut down. In Luke they ask wha they must do and they are told if you have two coats you have to share, in Mark the money is gone, so no longer is this an issue, everyone is poor. Likewise the tax collectors are told to not extort people in Luke but in Mark you can't be a tax collector, in the kingdom of Antichrist you would have to take the mark to be collecting taxes or working as a soldier.
Mark 1:6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: 17 whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. 18 With many other exhortations therefore preached he good tidings unto the people;
Look at Mark, it is as though he is describing the people during the tribulation. They live off of bugs and honey. In Luke there are future warnings that the Lord is going to cleanse his threshingfold and gather the wheat into the barn (rapture). In Luke he is exhorting the believers, but not in Mark, no mention at all. What would be the point after the rapture.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him: 11 and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:19 but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison. 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
This is very weird that Luke tosses in this account about Herod putting John in prison before talking about Jesus being baptized by him. The time line on this is wonky. It is almost as though Jesus is baptized by all the evil things that Herod did. The context is that the fan is in the Lord's hand to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire and then we see an example of the evil that John is talking about that will be burned up.
Now look at this baptism as a book end, at the beginning of the age the Spirit descends on Jesus and the testimony is this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then at the end of the church age and again during the tribulation with the martyred saints we see the Spirit ascend with the believers during the rapture also with the testimony these are my beloved children in whom I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
This is unique to Luke, there is no genealogy in Mark. The word "as was supposed" really stands out to me. I find all the other uses of this term interesting, people have erroneous concepts that the Lord is correcting. But if this is not Jesus genealogy, then why give it to us? There are some reasons and I will skip all that, it does fulfill prophecies that reconcile one of David's lines that was cut off permanently, and it is quite interesting why it was cut off because it sheds light on why Joseph had to go through what he had to go through to bring in this reconciliation.
But I want to skip that, I want to focus on "as was supposed". It was supposed that Jesus was a man, born like all the rest of us. Matthew shows us that Jesus was descended from Abraham and was the seed of the woman, the promised seed of Abraham. But here Jesus is not descended from Joseph and we can't understand why we are going through the whole genealogy until we get to Adam. Jesus is the second Adam and like Adam he was not born of anyone, he was born of God.
Do not carry the Lord's name into what is vain
Do not lift up the Lord's name to falsehood. Do not attach the Lord's name to something that isn't true.
Do not misrepresent the Name of Jesus.
For example I saw a children's choir at a Christmas play singing Jingle Bells. Why would you lift up the name of Jesus and bring that name to something that isn't true like "Santa Claus"? That is a misrepresentation of Jesus.
Do not lift up the Lord's name to falsehood. Do not attach the Lord's name to something that isn't true.
Do not misrepresent the Name of Jesus.
For example I saw a children's choir at a Christmas play singing Jingle Bells. Why would you lift up the name of Jesus and bring that name to something that isn't true like "Santa Claus"? That is a misrepresentation of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
I recently saw someone say that Tom Brady was the greatest football player of all time. I thought how absurd that is. He wasn't the greatest receiver, or running back, or offensive lineman, or defensive lineman, or linebacker, or field goal kicker, or punter, or kick returner. Football teams have over twenty five different positions on the field. Then of course you also have coaches. Bill Belechik was a great coach but could never have played any position on an NFL team. We have had many players who could play two or three positions. But Tom Brady wasn't one of them. He could do one thing well, quarterback, and would have been terrible at any other position and for all we know would have been a terrible coach as well. My point is simple, each one of us can do do one function in the Body of Christ very well, and if you are doing what you were meant to be doing it can be awesome. But if you try and do someone else's function it can be as bad as asking Tom Brady to be a running back or field goal kicker. Belechik is famous for saying "just do your job". If I was a receiver I wouldn't be jealous of Tom Brady, I'd be thrilled to be on the same team. We have had field goal kickers who were hall of fame, but if you saw them in public you would never believe they could play in the NFL. Likewise we have had great coaches who never played in the NFL but were still great coaches. Just do your job.
I recently saw someone say that Tom Brady was the greatest football player of all time. I thought how absurd that is. He wasn't the greatest receiver, or running back, or offensive lineman, or defensive lineman, or linebacker, or field goal kicker, or punter, or kick returner. Football teams have over twenty five different positions on the field. Then of course you also have coaches. Bill Belechik was a great coach but could never have played any position on an NFL team. We have had many players who could play two or three positions. But Tom Brady wasn't one of them. He could do one thing well, quarterback, and would have been terrible at any other position and for all we know would have been a terrible coach as well. My point is simple, each one of us can do do one function in the Body of Christ very well, and if you are doing what you were meant to be doing it can be awesome. But if you try and do someone else's function it can be as bad as asking Tom Brady to be a running back or field goal kicker. Belechik is famous for saying "just do your job". If I was a receiver I wouldn't be jealous of Tom Brady, I'd be thrilled to be on the same team. We have had field goal kickers who were hall of fame, but if you saw them in public you would never believe they could play in the NFL. Likewise we have had great coaches who never played in the NFL but were still great coaches. Just do your job.
My church taught me this:
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
I was taught to share my salvation experience and other experiences of the Lord.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
This was a big lesson to learn, that Jesus Christ is Lord and all things that happen to us are allowed by Him. Since God loves us there is nothing bad that ever happens to you. On the contrary the things that happened to us are to help us see our true condition spiritually, to help us repent of our sins, and to learn how to abide in Christ. If you step outside of the Lord it can be like stepping outside of a tank in the middle of battle.
The Lord hath promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
This is the promise, we have a covenant with the Lord and every time we take the Lord's table we renew and confirm that covenant. It includes examining ourselves and confessing any sins and repenting of them. However, that covenant is similar to the Passover feast that the Israelites took and which resulted in the death angel passing over their home. If we abide in the Lord and in His covenant we are covered and protected. He is both our shield and portion. The issue is when we put our trust in some other shield, or when we make some slop from the world our portion.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
So no, they never taught me that every person on earth will repent and turn to the Lord. Instead I was taught I had a free will to choose and that would not be real if there were not other choices to choose besides the Lord. As a result the world gives you a thousand choices, but in reality it is simply one choice, to reject Jesus Christ as Lord. Also it would not be real if 99% of the world chose Jesus and only 1% were trying to tempt you with something else. No, Satan is given every advantage to try and tempt us into rejecting Jesus Christ, that is why it is a glory to God when we choose Jesus.
As for how many people go to hell, that is not something I know, that is something that Jesus Christ will determine. All judgement has been given to Him.
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
I was taught to share my salvation experience and other experiences of the Lord.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
This was a big lesson to learn, that Jesus Christ is Lord and all things that happen to us are allowed by Him. Since God loves us there is nothing bad that ever happens to you. On the contrary the things that happened to us are to help us see our true condition spiritually, to help us repent of our sins, and to learn how to abide in Christ. If you step outside of the Lord it can be like stepping outside of a tank in the middle of battle.
The Lord hath promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
This is the promise, we have a covenant with the Lord and every time we take the Lord's table we renew and confirm that covenant. It includes examining ourselves and confessing any sins and repenting of them. However, that covenant is similar to the Passover feast that the Israelites took and which resulted in the death angel passing over their home. If we abide in the Lord and in His covenant we are covered and protected. He is both our shield and portion. The issue is when we put our trust in some other shield, or when we make some slop from the world our portion.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
So no, they never taught me that every person on earth will repent and turn to the Lord. Instead I was taught I had a free will to choose and that would not be real if there were not other choices to choose besides the Lord. As a result the world gives you a thousand choices, but in reality it is simply one choice, to reject Jesus Christ as Lord. Also it would not be real if 99% of the world chose Jesus and only 1% were trying to tempt you with something else. No, Satan is given every advantage to try and tempt us into rejecting Jesus Christ, that is why it is a glory to God when we choose Jesus.
As for how many people go to hell, that is not something I know, that is something that Jesus Christ will determine. All judgement has been given to Him.
Exodus 15:1 I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 18 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
John 19:12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
During the tribulation you will be betrayed by people you thought were your brothers and sisters and father and mother to the Antichrist. That which has been is that which shall be. We should not be surprised that today most of the slander and accusations come from "christians".
Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
During the tribulation you will be betrayed by people you thought were your brothers and sisters and father and mother to the Antichrist. That which has been is that which shall be. We should not be surprised that today most of the slander and accusations come from "christians".
Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Luke 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Let us consider that the Baptism event foreshadows the rapture. At the rapture the heavens will be opened and this time the Holy Spirit will ascend and those who are raptured will have the testimony that God is well pleased in them.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 14 Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee,
In Luke we hear about John being delivered up prior to Jesus being baptized and starting His ministry, but in Mark we hear about this after the baptism event and after the time in the wilderness being tempted.
So if John being delivered up represents the persecution of those in ministry, for those who are raptured it takes place before they are raptured, and for those left behind it takes place for them after the rapture. There are many Christians who want to have their cake and eat it too. By this I mean that being a Christian is a blessing and there is no persecution.
Everyone who was saved during the church age, that took place after John the Baptist and all the evil that took place during Jesus' earthly ministry. The Lord's baptism is their baptism. But for those who are saved in the Tribulation, the rapture will be their "baptism" and John the Baptist gets arrested after that event. This is like Elijah and Elisha. Elijah represents the ministry before he was taken up, and Elisha is the ministry after Elijah was taken up.
John the Baptist represents Elijah who was to come before Jesus is taken up in the book of Luke and in Mark he represents Elisha, the ministry that takes place prior to the two witnesses being taken up.
Luke 1:17 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.
In Luke Elias coming first is in the future tense, "he shall go".
Mark 9:11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
In Mark he already came.
I have been examining the baptism because the early church at the time of the apostles celebrated the birth of Jesus and His baptism on the same day, January 6th. Now it turns out that day could not have been when Jesus was baptized. We know His ministry was 3 1/2 years ending with the crucifixion and so His ministry began when He proclaimed the Jubilee year on the day of Atonement and that was 40 days or more after the baptism. We also know that He wasn't born on January 6th from Luke which tells us what course that Zechariah was in the temple. That was around June and so John the Baptist was born around Passover and he was born six months before Jesus. Therefore I believe the apostles and early church were not memorializing the birthday or day of baptism but instead were giving us a dress rehearsal for the birthday of the manchild and the baptism for those left behind. Sure enough, that is what we see taught about the baptism.
Let us consider that the Baptism event foreshadows the rapture. At the rapture the heavens will be opened and this time the Holy Spirit will ascend and those who are raptured will have the testimony that God is well pleased in them.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 14 Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee,
In Luke we hear about John being delivered up prior to Jesus being baptized and starting His ministry, but in Mark we hear about this after the baptism event and after the time in the wilderness being tempted.
So if John being delivered up represents the persecution of those in ministry, for those who are raptured it takes place before they are raptured, and for those left behind it takes place for them after the rapture. There are many Christians who want to have their cake and eat it too. By this I mean that being a Christian is a blessing and there is no persecution.
Everyone who was saved during the church age, that took place after John the Baptist and all the evil that took place during Jesus' earthly ministry. The Lord's baptism is their baptism. But for those who are saved in the Tribulation, the rapture will be their "baptism" and John the Baptist gets arrested after that event. This is like Elijah and Elisha. Elijah represents the ministry before he was taken up, and Elisha is the ministry after Elijah was taken up.
John the Baptist represents Elijah who was to come before Jesus is taken up in the book of Luke and in Mark he represents Elisha, the ministry that takes place prior to the two witnesses being taken up.
Luke 1:17 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.
In Luke Elias coming first is in the future tense, "he shall go".
Mark 9:11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
In Mark he already came.
I have been examining the baptism because the early church at the time of the apostles celebrated the birth of Jesus and His baptism on the same day, January 6th. Now it turns out that day could not have been when Jesus was baptized. We know His ministry was 3 1/2 years ending with the crucifixion and so His ministry began when He proclaimed the Jubilee year on the day of Atonement and that was 40 days or more after the baptism. We also know that He wasn't born on January 6th from Luke which tells us what course that Zechariah was in the temple. That was around June and so John the Baptist was born around Passover and he was born six months before Jesus. Therefore I believe the apostles and early church were not memorializing the birthday or day of baptism but instead were giving us a dress rehearsal for the birthday of the manchild and the baptism for those left behind. Sure enough, that is what we see taught about the baptism.