Posted on 10/01/2011 5:51:45 AM PDT by kindred
Greetings in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ!
For a future not so distant day...
This brief letter is written to those of you who have been left behind. May I calm your great anxiety and fears with this great message of hope! God loves you and cares greatly for you. He has a great plan, purpose and future for you and your life. He wants only and always the highest and best things for you. So please give your ear and full attention to the words that follow. The days ahead will be days that will not be easy - in fact they will be quite horrendous. But be of good cheer and of good courage. Have Faith in Almighty God and His Word. (Link to Bible Study on the Rapture.)
Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but hath everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
God so loved us that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and mine! God has thus provided a way to restore fellowship with sinners (all humans), and to remove His righteous wrath that was upon us because of our sins and trespasses. Everyone that puts their trust in Jesus Christ will thus find God's pardon for sin and restored fellowship with Him (1 John 1:1-3). The proof that God will do what He says is shown in what has just transpired, i.e., “The Rapture,” which is (or was) the abrupt removal of Believers (Christians) from the earth. God foretold in His Word that He would do it and He did! Almighty God never lies and never changes (see Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hebrews 6:18, 13:8). Almighty God and His Word can therefore be fully trusted! All that put their trust in Almighty God and His Word can be confident that God will do what He says (2 Timothy 1:12).
Basic Facts About Salvation Found in Jesus Christ . All that put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (the Saved) thus find God's pardon for sin and have Eternal Life. All those who reject God’s saving grace (the Unsaved or Lost) will only receive God’s judgment and wrath (John 3:18).
The Saved will enter Christ’s Glorious Kingdom, which He will establish at the conclusion of this terrible time of Great World Tribulation, i.e., upon Christ's Second Coming to earth (Matthew 25:33-40). Facing God’s judgment, the Lost are removed from the earth prior to the beginning of Christ’s 1000-year (Millennial) Kingdom reign (Matthew 24:36-51, 25:41-46).
Another wonderful truth regarding those that are Saved is the deliverance from the power of wrath, darkness, and death (see 1 Thess. 1:10, Col. 1:13, Heb. 2:14-15). The Lost will have to experience the “Second Death,” which is eternal separation from God in Hell (the Lake of Fire) forever (Rev. 20:11-15). There is a Biblical saying that goes, “Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.”
Humble yourselves before Almighty God. Listen to His Word! Have faith to believe Him, and all will be well. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!!
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1John 5:4-5).
The Rapture of the Church and Tribulation Period . As earlier stated, the major event that has just taken place (i.e., the Great Disappearance) is called "The Rapture of the Church." This is the event spoken of in the scriptures when Christ receives unto Himself all True Believers on earth who are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He has come to meet them in the clouds to be united – Head and Body, Bride and Bridegroom - forever more.
As the Bible states: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
This period following the Rapture of the Church that you presently are in is called, "The Time of Jacob's Trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), “The Time of Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24, Mark 13), and “The Time of Indignation and Wrath (Isaiah 34:2; Revelation 6:16-17). These terms describe a seven-year period of great global catastrophe: war, pestilence, famine, desolations, false hopes, false promises and great deception such as the world has never seen (see Revelation chapters 6-19). The only hope you have during this time of great global turmoil is to trust in The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word with all your heart, soul and mind. God has made provision for your total salvation in His wonderful person. Put your trust in Him!
A Brief Overview of Current Events . 1. The first event that will take place after the Rapture is the treaty signed between Israel and their enemies. A Man from Europe will greatly strengthen this treaty and make it work. Don’t be deceived! His one goal is to destroy Israel. Don’t believe this man, his teachings and political motivations. He is Satan's Anti-Christ. From the signing of this treaty to the Second Coming of Christ is exactly 7 Years (1 “week” of years or 2520 days; see Daniel 9:26-27).
2. The Gospel message will be preached from Israel by God's Two Jewish Witnesses (Rev 11:3-14) and 144,000 Jewish missionaries (Rev. 7:4-8,14:1-5). Listen to them!!! They bring the True Gospel message. They are God's messengers to the whole earth. Hear them! The Anti-Christ will seek to destroy them and their Gospel message of Jesus Messiah.
3. Beware of the great deception at hand as Jesus spoke of in (Matthew 24:4 and Revelation 12:9). The fearful and unbelieving inhabitants of the earth will be very susceptible to this demonic deception because of the many-faceted catastrophes, conditions and circumstances of this dreadful time. Stay focused and have faith in God and His Word alone (Proverbs 3:5-7)!
4. Love and honor the people of Israel (Genesis 12:2-3). They are God's people and this time period involves them coming back to God as a nation. Love God's chosen people, the Jews (Isaiah 41:8-11). The Anti-Christ and the World system will persecute them with all their hatred and power (Revelation 12, 17:12-14). Line up with God and not with this Wicked World (1 John 2:15-17).
5. Study God's simple plan of salvation, the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and hide it in your heart as the Bible teaches, for these are the Words of Life (2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:11). Share it with anyone who will hear you (Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 3:15). Be faithful, knowing they may kill the body but not the soul (Matthew 10:28-39). Your soul and spirit are possessed by Almighty God as you possess Him. If your life is taken, God will raise you up at the end of this seven-year tribulation period (Rev. 14:13; 20:4-6). Don’t be afraid; God is still in control, and He is working all things together for good (Rom. 8:28). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou will be saved! (Acts 16:31)
6. By all means, DO NOT receive the Mark of the Beast! (Rev.13:18, 14:9-11) If you know Christ as Your Savior, you are safely His and the Holy Spirit will make it clear not to take it. If you know not yet Christ, then do not let yourself be deceived. The mark might bring temporary relief but doom for eternity! Trust in Christ as your Savior! Do not be swayed by the lies of the enemy! Don’t take the mark of the beast for any reason.
7. Again, place your trust in Almighty God and His Word alone! God is always right in what He says and does, and He is merciful and faithful in all His ways (Psalm 103:17-18; 1 Corinthians 10:13). This ought to bring great comfort and encouragement to your hearts. No matter what happens, remember that you belong to the Most High God and are eternally safe! (John 10:28)
The Kingdom Of Heaven is At Hand! Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved! (Acts 16:31) It is our desire that this brief letter may bring hope and insight about the Major Event that has just transpired. There are many links on this site that will direct you to the scripture truths about salvation and the current events at hand. Pray for God to give you wisdom and understanding in these days ahead.
The Kingdom of Heaven is truly at hand!!
"Let the postmillennial and amillennial commentators look long and steadily at this fact. This prophecy is a prophecy for Daniel’s people and Daniel’s city. No alchemy of Origenistic spiritualizing interpretation can change that." —Robert Culver
As for the literal Being, know figuratively as THE BEAST...look at what Revelation says HE does to the 2 witnesses”Revelation 11:1-133And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. “
You also quoted Revelation 13 in pieces in an attempt to make it look like I was writing of a “literal beast”. If you had read the entire chapter and looked at it dispassionately, you would have understood that I was describing the AntiChrist system or “BEAST” governing system that was to be in power over all the world. Now whether or not you agree or disagree with me on interpretations, I am fully aware that Revelation uses figurative language to help folks get a handle on the complexities of the larger spiritual reality. Just because something appears to be written “symbolically” in the Bible, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it any less seriously.
This evil one with his evil false prophet minion are refered to literally as beasts in the sense that they regard their own instinctive thirst for power, unbridled by God’s spiritual morality, as the source of all truth. They rut about unbridled uttering blashemies and doing every evil their flesh desires to do causing/encouraging all men to rut about with them. The best way to understand the use of the term “beasts” in this context is to study what happened to Nebuchednezzar when he defied God by taking glory for himself that should have gone to God. God gave him over to senslessness, living as the animals lived, following what ever perverse bestial instincts that arose from his darkened heart. His nails grew long, his hair grew overlong and tangled. Only after 7 years(like a 7 year personal TRIBULATION) when ol’ Neb’s looked up toward heaven did God restore his sanity.
What happens to the world under the “Beast” system infested with the spirit of Antichrist in a Macro sense is what happened to Nebuchednezzar in the singular sense, occuring thru-out the entire world;occuring over the course of 7 years with God’s wrath falling increasingly heavy upon the world thru-out that time.
As for fantasies Theophilus, I suspect you would have been in that camp of the scribes at the time of Christ who put no stock in some future resurrection of the dead( it did “great violence” to the gospel of the Talmud and Mishna, to take such “nonsense literally and not “symbollically”)...only to be taken aback when it actually did happen.
Perhaps, would we have found you among the scoffers who proclaimed that Israel would never again be a nation just prior to 1948?( it was all supposed to be “symbolic and figurative” not to be taken “seriously”) and all those folks who believed in Israel’s re-emergence were just too full of “inconsistencies” “doing violence” to the gospel in believing “in such nonsense”?
Well I’m definitely a “rapture guy” though I’m a little open as to the timing. I also don’t think of the church as “spiritual Israel” or as a “replacement for Israel”. I think all Christians are spiritual descendents of Abraham via the “spirit of Adoption” . Hebrews is very PLAIN about all that. Israel will be restored and Christ shall rule out of Jerusalem....hallelujah!
Thank you Alamo Girl....I agree an good to ponder on these. One does stand in awe of the great I AM for doing so. Humbles the heart and mind and brings all things into perspective.
Heaven and Earth are destroyed when God the Father fully expresses himself at the last battle at the end of the Millenial reign of Christ,(Heaven and Earth “flee away from HIM) at the final judgment and are recreated after those who weren’t found in the Lamb’s book of life are sent to “The Lake of Fire”. Revelation says so.
Right,The whole point is that the Bible tells us what is coming, but much of it is in symbols, for instance john saw things and wrote down what he saw, but did he even understand any of it? many of the things he saw was already happening.
5
And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true.
6
And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Most people disagree on things that seem so plain but on these things i will have to admit that as far as heaven an hell and a new heaven and new earth is concerned i surely don,t know, or rather i do not even think i know.
So i guess i will go with the new earth and new heaven rather than the recreation of this one.
I also note the nasty, condescending attitude of those who are not pre-mill.
One’s view of when the rapture is going to happen, if it happens at all, (which I think it is) is not critical to salvation. There’s no reason to be snarky with those who disagree with you on something not critical to salvation.
One of the things to keep in mind when studying that is to remember that the age of Grace must end for the Israelites to once again be dealt with as a nation “under the law” until they accept Jesus as the Messiah which will happen in the last 3 ½ years of that seven year period. The church must be taken from the world for that last seven year period promised to Israel to begin.
Unless it would unravel ones entire basis for exegesis which brings fear. There is no fear for those in Christ.
1
NO the heaven and earth is NOT going to be destroyed. THIS heaven and earth AGE that is NOW end. IIPeter 3 the whole chapter tells what will be NO more. God said His most favorite place in all of the universe is Jerusalem. Ezekiel 16 and He intends to reclaim her.
2
That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
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For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6
By which the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7
But the heavens and the earth, which now are, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
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The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Exactly. At this time, God is dealing with man, having removed the middle wall of partition that separated us. There is neither Jew nor Greek right now, we are One New Man in the Body of Christ. He is dealing with mankind as individuals, not nations during this age. It is to “Whoever” calls on the name of the Lord. During the tribulation, He will once again deal with Israel and Gentile Nations, the middle wall of partition is back up, and remaining prophecy concerning Israel will be fulfilled. The Church the Body of Christ cannot possibly be present during that time, as there will be no One New Man then.
Im catching the third rapture train outta here
Wow. I hope he has 2 BMW's. lol.
ping to 154. Why am I the only one in trouble here? Didn’t you request a garden tractor and Johnny Walker? lol.
Is my clock right? http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Camping.html HAROLD CAMPING FALSE PROPHET
“until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
My timing includes up to the middle of the 7 year period at least inclusive of when the two witnesses are then killed then resurrected...I could see the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the evacuation of those who remain alive in Christ happening at that point. Revelation says a lot of souls are Martyred for refusing to take part in the “BEAST” system and taking the mark. Revelation 11 points to a gigantic struggle between two witnesses and the primary personage of the BEAST system. The two witnesses and the 144000 chosen preach the gospel and defend those who would worship Christ with the Beast system attempting to slaughter the Church and all who are sealed in their foreheads with the mark of Christ. The Beast attempts to kill a few in one part of the world, the two witnesses counter with pestilence and disasters that weaken the Beast’s hold on the Earth. It is a 3.5 year replay of Elijah against the priests of BAAL all over again or for that matter Moses and his confrontation with Pharoah. The world has rejected the path to Mount Zion, thus the judgments of Mount Sinai are being thrust upon it!
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Once the person who makes the peace agreement with Israel is known we will know who the Anti Christ is. The church and Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way” then will that wicked be revealed.
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