REVIVAL: The Truth about "Favor and blessings" in the Church

Revival.

It is sought after...promoted...and hyped.

It seems to be THE prize at the end of the rainbow!

But...here is an AMAZING truth that the Church seems to IGNORE about REVIVAL:

Something that NEEDS to be REVIVED is either DEAD or NEAR DEATH!

At the VERY LEAST...something that needs REVIVING is in an UNCONSCIOUS state of EXISTENCE!

The IRONY of it all?

Ministries which promote the "positive-only" gospel...promising the sheep (and even the goats) every possible "good thing"...are the most FLUENT in the use of the term REVIVAL!

It is actually quite easy to see:

In the OVERWHELMING desire to HYPE their SERVICES, MEETINGS, and CONFERENCES...the FALSE TEACHERS have no TRUE understanding of the PURPOSE of REVIVAL...and the CONDITIONS that NECESSITATE the NEED for revival.

If REVIVAL is necessary...something has gone TERRIBLY wrong!

And...in most cases...LIFE and DEATH now weigh in the balance!

So...what will DEFINE revival?

REVIVAL will never be defined by the EXCITEMENT experienced in a series of services...but it will be marked by a REPENTANT Church which exits its buildings while bearing a CROSS.

Matthew 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."

Matthew 16:24 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

In Matthew 16, Jesus has just spoken of His coming death on the cross. In response, Peter rebuked him...and Jesus turns to Peter with even sharper rebuke.

What was happening with this exchange between Jesus and Peter?

Peter and the other disciples were still expecting Jesus to establish His Kingdom in the very near future...with thoughts of Jesus leading His followers in victorious battle over those who were oppressing the people.

At this point, the disciples were looking for WEALTH and RICHES and PROMINENCE...all as a result of following Jesus.

This erroneous mindset was evident in many encounters between Jesus and His followers.

After Jesus rebuked Peter...He spoke the words quoted above.

And...with those words...Jesus made it CLEAR what was expected of those who gave their lives in service to Him...to God:

True followers of Christ would be DESPISED...REJECTED...HATED...RIDICULED...PERSECUTED...SHAMED...

...and CRUCIFIED unto DEATH!

Today...the Church has lost the meaning of the CROSS.

When Jesus spoke those words to Peter as the other disciples stood in witness, everyone present knew EXACTLY what those words meant...whether they chose to ACCEPT the meaning or not!

The CROSS was the most DESPISED form of DEATH...reserved for the most VILE of all humanity. Those who died there were REJECTED by man.

Death on the CROSS was a SHAMEFUL and DESPICABLE death.

Thus...we come to today...as we see the Church in "blessing" and "favor" mode.

Just as with Peter so long ago, the Church is now busy REBUKING Jesus for saying the path to GLORY must go through the CROSS!

And...just like Peter...the Church wants all the GOOD THINGS which they claim are "promised by God"...all the while IGNORING the clear declaration of Jesus:

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

Today, the Church exists as the PRODIGAL SON...demanding their inheritance now.

The Church is OBLIVIOUS to the fact that it no longer dwells in the PRESENCE of GOD...as it declares the SLOP of the PIG PEN to be NUGGETS of GOLD.

And...with every "prophetic declaration of blessings and favor"...the Church settles in to enjoy the LEFTOVERS which come from the table of the PAGANS.

Unlike the PRODIGAL SON of Scripture, the Church is CONTENT in the PIG PEN...and any return to the FATHER'S HOUSE is thwarted by the DELUSION that they are eating STEAK in the PALACE of GOD...all while "feasting" on RANCID MEAT!

Oh...be sure...the CROSS remains present...but only as a SYMBOLIC representation of what CHRIST endured...all as the Church is busy IGNORING the fact that Jesus said that ANYONE who follows Him will be EASILY RECOGNIZABLE by the MARKS of the CROSS on their shoulders and back!

But...all too often...the CROSS has been LAID DOWN...as the POT OF GOLD they found along the way to GOLGOTHA was enough to make them FORSAKE the CROSS in exchange for those EARTHLY RICHES.

You see...no one gets to CALVARY empty handed.

As one carries their CROSS...willing to DIE for the cause of Christ...many simply carry 30 PIECES OF SILVER...wrongly believing their WALLET is PROOF that Jesus was with them along the way!

Sadly...the Church now seems to be filled with the spirit of JUDAS more than the Spirit of Christ.

Oh...do not misunderstand me...and be sure of this:

The Church today LOVES the CROSS...as long as they do not have to CARRY it!

In the "modern era," the Church is full of proclamations and declarations of "favor and blessings" to those who serve the Lord.

So...let's review a list of those who faithfully served the Lord...and their path of "favor and blessings."

1. Stephen: He was a Disciple of Christ. He was the first Christian martyr noted in Scripture, as he was stoned to death outside the city of Jerusalem. (History records that approximately 2000 Christians were martyred during this same uprising of persecution due to the allegiance to Stephen...and to Jesus.) He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

2. James: He was a Disciple of Christ. James was beheaded about A.D. 44. (Timon and Parmenas were martyred during this same period.) He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

3. Philip: He was a Disciple of Christ. Philip was scourged, imprisoned, and crucified in A.D. 54. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

4. Matthew: He was a Disciple of Christ. Matthew was slain with a halberd in A.D. 60. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

5. James the Less: He was a Disciple of Christ. James was beaten and stoned, having his skull beaten with a club until his skull was crushed with his brains bashed out. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

6. Matthias: He was a Disciple of Christ. Matthias was stoned and beheaded. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

7. Andrew: He was a Disciple of Christ...and the brother of Peter. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross which bears his name. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

8. Mark: He was a Disciple of Christ...reportedly converted to Christ under the ministry of Peter. He is the author of The Gospel according to Mark. Mark was dragged to pieces. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

9. Peter: He was a Disciple of Christ. Peter was crucified upside down...reportedly at his own request, as he said he was UNWORTHY to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

10. Paul: He was a Disciple of Christ...being converted on the road to Damascus, as Jesus appeared to him (he was known as Saul at this time), calling him to become an Apostle in spreading the Gospel. Paul suffered many persecutions, finally being beheaded at Rome. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

11. Jude: He was a Disciple of Christ. Also known as Thaddeus, he was the brother of James. Jude was crucified in A.D. 72. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

12. Bartholomew: He was a Disciple of Christ. Bartholomew was beaten at length before being crucified. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

13. Thomas: He was a Disciple of Christ. Also known as Didymus, Thomas was thrust thru with a spear. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

14. Luke: He was a Disciple of Christ. He wrote the Gospel which bears his name. Luke was hanged by the neck from a tree. He was FAITHFUL..."favored and blessed."

All of these were FAITHFUL in their service to Jesus Christ...as they spread the Gospel under severe persecution.

Yet...their FAITHFULNESS did not equate to the "favor and blessings" as defined by most in the Church today.

Far from finding...and living in..."promises of wealth and earthly riches," these loyal and FAITHFUL followers of Jesus Christ were recipients of HATRED and PERSECUTION and MARTYRDOM.

May the Church of today find TRUTH...the truth which REDEFINES "favor and blessings" in a BIBLICALLY HISTORICAL manner.

"Favor and blessings" of Christ will bring TRIALS and PERSECUTION followed by an ETERNAL REWARD...not FAME and FORTUNE and an EARTHLY REWARD.

Yes...the Church needs REVIVAL...but that REVIVAL will awaken us to the TRUE call of Christ:

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

If we are ALIVE in Christ...we are called to LIVE for Him...even if we must DIE for Him.

The Windy Church: "Carried about by every wind of doctrine"

MOTIVATION and INSPIRATION absent of TRUTH's REVELATION are nothing more than EMOTIONAL PARTICIPATION in a WINDY Church.

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of... God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; THAT WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE CHILDREN, TOSSED TO AND FRO AND CARRIED ABOUT BY EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..." (Ephesians 4:11-14)

1. To equip the saints for the work of ministry

2. To edify the body of Christ

3. To bring everyone into unity of the faith (that faith being TRUTH...not false doctrine, as Paul will clarify)

4. To keep people in the truth...which prevents them from being carried about by every wind of doctrine that blows into the Church...usually blowing from the pulpit.

5. To speak the TRUTH in love. (Verses 15 and 16) Notice it does not say to speak LOVE...but speak the TRUTH, doing so OUT OF love. True LOVE speaks the TRUTH...and LOVE cannot exist ABSENT of TRUTH.

Paul presents the role of the Church as it meets together as believers...and as it operates around the reality and necessity of TRUTH.

How do you make TRUE disciples? By proclaiming TRUTH.

How do you make FALSE disciples (or disciples of something or someone OTHER THAN truth)? By APPEALING to the people, giving them "every wind of doctrine" as the pulpit tries to MOTIVATE and INSPIRE the masses.

MOTIVATION and INSPIRATION appeal to the EMOTIONS...seeking a RESPONSE.

TRUTH makes no appeal...and most often is FOOLISHNESS to those who are perishing. Yet...it does its work as the very POWER of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Dangerous Declarations: The Rejection of CONVICTION in the Church

There is a spirit present in the Church today which has allowed the PULPIT to be HIJACKED by falsehood.

This spirit has ONE GOAL:

To drown out the Voice of the Lord, silencing the CONVICTING POWER which comes through the Word of God and TRUTH.

The danger?

There was a man who was being drawn to Christ, feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit dealt with him regarding the sin i...n his life. More and more, the man felt the Spirit of God's conviction.

Then...one night, listening to the messages of Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, and similar preachers, this man heard words much like these:

"God is NOT angry with you! He LOVES you...just as you are!"

The man LIKED that message!

Soon...the declarations from Osteen and others saying that God "accepts you just as you are" were drowning out the Voice of the Spirit of God...and the man began to view the CONVICTION of the Spirit as some "work of Satan"...because "Jesus only comes to bring peace. He doesn't judge you. He just loves you...just as you are."

Soon...all CONVICTION of the Spirit was seen as WRONG...and the man began to see himself as "OK with God!"...and the need to REPENT of his sins became "unnecessary."

So...there the man sat...declared by Osteen to be SAVED...albeit without ANY CONFESSION OF SINS and REPENTANCE....and, thus, without any REAL spiritual transformation.

Just a fable, you say?

No...a true story. And this story is being repeated day after day...IN THE CHURCH.

The DANGER of the FALSE TEACHINGS of Joel Osteen and others?

Many now sit in CHURCH with a false sense of salvation...actually declaring the CONVICTING POWER of the Holy Spirit to be SATANIC OPPRESSION. These deceived "believers" are actually being TRAINED to IGNORE the CONVICTION of the Holy Spirit regarding SIN...as "men of God" declare them to be "accepted by God" with absolutely NO TRUE TRANSFORMATION taking place spiritually.

FURTHER...let's be clear:

Sometimes the Father IS angry with us!

False teachers often proclaim "God is not angry with you! He LOVES you!" In many cases, these statements are LIES. Why? NEVER does Scripture say ANGER is WRONG or UNLOVING! God DOES loves us...yet He can STILL be ANGRY with us! My parents have at times loved me EVEN WHEN ANGRY WITH ME. And so has God!

Read the Bible: God DOES get ANGRY with His children at times. And if you believe God's anger is not kindled when we SIN...then you are GREATLY ignorant of the content of Scripture! The SIN of Israel often brought the ANGER of God! And...the Church is NOT exempt from the same! There are times God is HAPPY with us...and times He is ANGRY with us. Yes, Jesus STILL loves us even when ANGRY with us...but NEVER should we believe that a HOLY God is not ANGERED by sin and disobedience. Jesus proved otherwise when He cleared the Temple with a whip. Though Jesus LOVED those present that day (as Jesus loves EVERYONE), His ANGER was still kindled against them for their heinous sin.

It is DANGEROUS and GROSS NEGLIGENCE to tell someone who may be in the midst of PRIVATE DISOBEDIENCE to God...or, at times, blatant and open REBELLION...that God is "pleased"...and that "God is not angry or mad at you!"

Many are so busy declaring that God is a God of LOVE that they neglect the TRUTH of Scripture which CLEARLY tells us that SIN, DISOBEDIENCE, and REBELLION will ALL cause God's WRATH to be "kindled" against those who refuse to turn from their "wicked ways."

Keep this SIGNIFICANT truth in mind:

Hitler died LOVED by God...but Hitler did not die FREE from SIN.

Every person who dies LOST also dies LOVED!

The LOVE of God NEVER excuses our sin...nor does it release us from the CONSEQUENCES of CONTINUING in SIN.

Only when we CONFESS OUR SINS do we find SALVATION.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Do not despise the CONVICTION of the Holy Spirit...as the "godly sorrow" it brings will lead us to REPENTANCE.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11 (NKJV)
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
 

People need TRUTH...not FALSE CONFIRMATION...and THAT is why I speak out against the deception of false teaching...and why I will continue to do so.

Grace: Raising the Standard of Holiness

How often does one's DOCTRINE change based on one's propensity toward a particular sin?

In my nearly 50 years...with approximately 31 of those years being spent in some type of ministry...I have witnessed two variations on those who "fall" ( as it is oft noted) in ministry.

1. Those who fail God by entering into sin...and, as a result of their sin, they CHANGE THEIR MESSAGE and THEOLOGY to ACCOMODATE their sin.

2. Those who fail God by entering into sin...and...after their sorrow and repentance leads them back into the GRACE of God...they continue to proclaim that sin for what it is: 

SIN...and they REFUSE to preach ANY OTHER gospel!

It is common for the message of the PULPIT to be "We all sin. All of us have sinned in some way this past week or month or year."

But imagine: What if on a given Sunday the ENTIRE CHURCH...the BODY of BELIEVERS...had to CONFESS their SINS to everyone present?!

Could you imagine the PASTOR having to stand in the pulpit and tell his EVERY sin...no matter how SMALL or BIG those sins may be!!

We are OK with sin until we all have to NAME our sin!

And...then...we most likely would lose trust in everyone...everywhere.

You may wonder WHY I am speaking about this. Here is why:

Most in the Church are taking the stance that says since we ALL sin...and...we should go EASY on sin.

Sadly...that is NOT the Biblical mandate we see declared by God in His Word!

We often hear:

"Don't be so hard on yourself!"

But...be sure:

Sin IS a "big deal."

So...what is the BIBLICAL position presented by GOD?

We are to RAISE the STANDARD...NOT to LOWER the STANDARD!

The declaration which says "We ALL sin!" was NEVER to become some banner of PRIDE...as everyone feels JUSTIFIED because those around them are JUST AS GUILTY!

Today...such declarations are made with EQUALITY in mind...and the desire is to "level the playing field."

Now...that might be OK if our GOAL is "To be like OTHERS!"...and COMPARING ourselves to OTHERS will ALWAYS give us a sense of SECURITY...and a sense of SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS!

But...the term CHRISTIAN denotes the desire to be CHRIST-LIKE...and...we are ALWAYS to MEASURE ourselves by the STANDARD which HE set...NOT the STANDARD of OTHERS around us.

Throughout the years...being raised in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN)...I have known of many ministers who have "fallen"...and I have known many who found RESTORATION through CONFESSION, REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS, GODLY COUNSEL, and a WILLINGNESS to be ACCOUNTABLE.

In my view...that is HONORABLE.

Now...how can we KNOW that one who has "fallen" is truly REPENTANT??

It is usually quite simple:

BIBLICAL DOCTRINE which readily proclaims THEIR OWN SIN as WRONG...and the WILLINGNESS to RENOUNCE it with NO COMPROMISE!!

The Bible speaks of RESTORING "one who has fallen"...and that RESTORATION is noted in their RECOGNITION of THEIR sin AS sin! It is SCRIPTURAL...as we see DAVID repentant before God...and in SORROW he GRIEVES over his sin.

Time and time again...we see those who FAIL God CONFESS that they have SINNED...and that FIRST STEP opens the door to RESTORATION!

Praise God!

Now...here comes the TWIST and the PRESENT-DAY APPLICATION of all of this...apart from what has already been presented here:

I know FEW in the Church who would stand for an UNREPENTANT ADULTERER continuing as PASTOR of a CONGREGATION of BELIEVERS.

But...neither should we be COMFORTABLE allowing an UNREPENTANT ADULTERER to sit UNREPENTANT in the Church!!

There should be a willingness to CONFRONT the one in sin.

You see...it is EASY to adhere to REBUKE and CORRECTION when it fills the PULPIT...but the present day Church is willing to declare "Do not DARE confront sin in the congregation! Everyone sins...and we ALL are guilty!"

Sadly...it is called LOWERING the STANDARD!

It is the promotion of what I call "SINFUL EQUALITY!"

Thus...we now have gone in search of the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR...and the STANDARD of ALL STANDARDS is relegated to some simplistic label of God as the "Bestower of Grace" who looks down at humanity in a search for the WORST SINNERS.

But...by the UNSPOKEN STANDARDS of the Church...these "worst sinners" are simply ANY OF THOSE who sin...but they do it OUTSIDE the Church...and, therefore, "Their sin is not under Grace!"

So...now...COMFORTABLY the Church sits...with the ability to look around at the other members with this wonderful truth:

"I am JUST AS GOOD as the REST of these!"

I have always wondered why we never hear the sorrowful proclamation:

"I am JUST AS BAD as the REST of these!" as the altars fill with those who want SOMETHING MORE...SOMETHING BETTER...SOMETHING HOLY:

A TRANSFORMATION that can only come through the HOLY SPIRIT as we seek to be MORE LIKE JESUS...not just BETTER than CHURCH MEMBER X, Y, or Z!

But...what about the ONE SIN which REIGNS SUPREME in PULPITS across America...in varying denominations...yet...the sinners GUILTY of this sin are NEVER held accountable, NEVER called to REPENTANCE, NEVER rebuked or corrected...and...NEVER removed from leadership AT ALL...no matter how OPENLY they sin?

What IS that SIN, you ask?

The SIN of teaching FALSE DOCTRINE...the SIN of preaching LIES as TRUTH...the SIN of OPPOSING TRUTH...the SIN of teaching "doctrines of demons"...the SIN of being a "hireling"...the SIN of being a FALSE TEACHER!

Oh...how READY the masses are to REMOVE a man from the PULPIT if he commits a SEXUAL SIN (as SHOULD happen)...yet they want the pulpit SILENT if a MEMBER commits that SAME SIN!!

BUT WORSE...how READY the LEADERSHIP is to REMOVE a man who commits a SEXUAL SIN (as SHOULD happen)...yet that leadership will NOT remove a man for preaching FALSE DOCTRINE!!

Here is the reality of our time...and a sobering truth:

The PULPIT has been EQUALLY DEFILED by SEXUAL sin AND SPIRITUAL sin!

And...any attempt to JUSTIFY the refusal to set STANDARDS of TRUTH within DENOMINATIONAL organizations is nothing more than COMPROMISE!

It is NOT "diversity in ministries"...it is FALSE TEACHING and LYING SPIRITS...and it is IRRESPONSIBLE to IGNORE the DOCTRINES of ERROR which are being taught under the banner of "truth!"

Face it...within a denomination...allowing ONE CHURCH to preach the PROSPERITY GOSPEL and ANOTHER CHURCH to preach that the PROSPERITY GOSPEL is a FALSE gospel is nothing more than "a house divided against itself!"

And...sadly...most denominational leaders would choose to decide WHICH teaching to SUPPORT simply by determining WHICH MESSAGE is MORE PROFITABLE...and WHICH MESSAGE draws the BIGGER CROWDS which leads to BIGGER CHURCHES and MORE TITHE COMING IN.

Few would do the RIGHT thing...which is this:

To be as the BEREANS...seeking out TRUTH...without regard to what is POPULAR and CONVENIENT and PROFITABLE! (Acts 17 gives us insight into the Bereans...as they LOVED to RECEIVE the Word of God...but the REFUSED to believe what was being TAUGHT until they CONFIRMED it by "searching the Scriptures.")

In almost EVERY REALM, the STANDARDS of Scripture have been LOWERED to meet the demands of a SINFUL CHURCH.

And...NEVER has that STANDARD been ANY LOWER than the STANDARD of TRUTH which is now PREACHED and ACCEPTED in PULPITS across America!

God did not SEND us GRACE so that we could STAND in our SINFULNESS...He sent us GRACE to FREE us from our SINFULNESS!

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

The Spirit of God comes to RAISE the STANDARD...not to LOWER the STANDARD!

"So shall they fear the Name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun: when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19)

But read this passage in CONTEXT (provided in the link below)...reading Isaiah 59 in totality.

Note the REFUSAL of the people to maintain a STANDARD of HOLINESS...as SIN and FALSE TEACHING are ALLOWED...as the people demand SILENCE from the PROPHET.

Here...Isaiah establishes that sin and false teaching CANNOT go without REBUKE and CORRECTION!

And... then note that it will ONLY BE when the STANDARD is RAISED...which comes by the SPIRIT of the LORD...that the people will be CAPABLE of OVERCOMING the POWER of the ENEMY in the realm of SIN and FALSE TEACHING.

In Isaiah 59...we see a description not just of humanity before the Son of God was sent to REDEEM us...but we see a parallel of the CONDITION of the CHURCH and SOCIETY today....as Isaiah notes that TWO things have been SO DISTORTED that BOTH are almost NONEXISTENT:

JUSTICE and TRUTH.

Clearly presented is a picture of LOWERED STANDARDS...and these standards are now the NORM...even among those who are SUPPOSED to be a HOLY PEOPLE!

Then...again...notice that the Spirit of God does not come to LOWER the STANDARD through GRACE...but through GRACE the Spirit of God "lifts up"...or RAISES...the standard!

Be sure...Satan WILL NOT be DEFEATED...nor OVERCOME...by a Church whose HOLY standard is ON PAR with SATAN'S standard!

If the STANDARD is not JESUS CHRIST...then our STANDARD is no STANDARD at all!

And...if our STANDARD is CHRIST...then SIN is never MINIMIZED in His HOLY PRESENCE.

No...it is in CHRIST'S PRESENCE that EVERY imperfection is ILLUMINATED...and NO SIN IS HIDDEN in the LIGHT of the SON OF GOD.

So...I feel the Spirit of God calling...calling us to REPENTANCE...calling us to SUBMISSION...calling us to HOLINESS...calling us to recognize that we MUST NOT repeat the path of Israel in the days of Isaiah.

Israel would end up REJECTING the very GRACE they had long awaited...as they TURNED AWAY from God time and time again!

And...in so doing...Israel began to ACCEPT a LOWER STANDARD!

Will the Church continue down this SAME PATH...as it sits COMFORTABLE in a RIGHTEOUSNESS that it has REMADE in its OWN image?

Will the Church fail to recognize...as Israel did...the cry of God spoken through the PROPHETS...as God tries to REVERSE their COURSE before the day of JUDGMENT set their eternal fate forever?

I pray that the SLUMBERING CHURCH will AWAKEN...and that they will see before them the HIGH STANDARD of HOLINESS which is HIGHLY EXALTED...and that the STATUS QUO CHRISTIANITY which has INFESTED the Church will MELT AWAY in the FIRE of CONFESSION and REPENTANCE which is SO NEEDED within it!

In Christ,
Ron

The Sabbath: Sunday Worship or Something More?

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8 NKJV)

It is one of the Ten Commandments. It is displayed in various places around the world. My first trip to the Missouri State Capital in Jefferson City included a viewing of a display of the Ten Commandments in tablet form...with the beautiful backdrop of the Missouri River included.

With this instruction by God, there has been little thought given to this commandment and its actual meaning. In general, many simply attribute to this command some requirement to attend church services on Sunday!

Yet...in truth, the Fourth Commandment has no content by which we measure our devotion to God based on attendance of denominational services deemed to be "Worship Services." Sadly...I have seldom heard a sermon regarding the SABBATH which delves into the IMMENSE SIGNIFICANCE of the Commandment.

Now...before some televangelist hype takes hold of what I am about to teach...as the norm in "prophetic" and "wisdom" and "revelation" circles is to claim some "new insight and revelation" on Scriptural doctrine...I want to make this fact known:

What I am about to deal with is fully Scriptural...and it is actually CLEARLY revealed within the Word of God.

Instead of claiming some "new insight", I sit to write with much wonder as to HOW and WHY the Church seems to SO MISUNDERSTAND the doctrine of the SABBATH. It is akin to one of my recent blogs in which I used a common teaching of the Church (noted in the declaration from pulpits from the earliest days of my recollection) which proclaims, "The Bible says the Devil is a thief! And the Bible says that the THIEF...the DEVIL...comes to steal, kill, and destroy!" But...as troubling as it is...that declaration is simply WRONG! Jesus was NOT discussing Satan when He labeled someone a THIEF.

In reality, when Jesus spoke those words, Jesus was calling PASTORS "hirelings"...noting that these HIRELINGS do not actually care for the flock at all! Jesus was warning the people to BEWARE of these SELF-SERVING PASTORS...telling the people that these "hirelings" will USE the flock for personal gain...STEALING their money...then KILLING them by DESERTING them when the wolf comes, and totally DESTROYING the flock. Jesus says that any PASTOR who holds the position only for PERSONAL GAIN is a THIEF...stealing from the flock in every possible way!

Although the passage SPECIFICALLY is referring to these self-serving shepherds...many CONTINUE to misrepresent the passage. And...the fact that Jesus is warning the Church about UNCARING, SELFISH PASTORS and that He is NOT speaking about Satan is actually a BIG DEAL...as Jesus was warning us about MEN and their DESTRUCTIVE POWER when they MISUSE it!

The same misinformation and misunderstandings about the SABBATH are creating dangerous doctrines today...as a return to LEGALISM is being espoused under the banner of ENLIGHTENMENT!

So...thus we begin.

THE FIRST SABBATH:
"In the beginning, God created...", thus beginning and establishing the eternality of CREATOR...and the starting point of His CREATION. From there, we find an account of the creation of all things...as the origin of all things is found in the supernatural power of Almighty God. And...once done with His works of CREATION...we discover this:

Genesis 2:1-3 NKJV "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all his work which God had created and made."

From the foundation of CREATION, God established a DAY OF REST.

At first glance, it almost seems insignificant. Yet...being God, the reality is this: God did not NEED a day of REST...as His power is from everlasting to everlasting...and in Him is no weakness. So...noting this reality, we then accept the wording of this passage in totality, as God "sanctified" this day...a day when all WORK ceased...and REST was established.

THE SECOND SABBATH:

It is a long venture through history which allows us to arrive at THE SECOND SABBATH.

The world struggled with SIN...and God's wrath had been kindled against humanity...and a GREAT FLOOD covered the earth. Only Noah and some of his family remained to REBUILD and REPLENISH the earth. Abraham became the "father of many nations"...David had risen from a shepherd boy to be a KING...and Israel had struggled through times of OBEDIENCE mixed with REBELLION.

It would be during all of this that we find Israel's time of EXODUS from Egypt...and it is here we again see a reference to the SABBATH...as the Ten Commandments were established by God. We find some insight in Deuteronomy 5:15:

"And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."

Moses is speaking to the people here, and he has just expounded on the SABBATH. There...in verses 12-14...Moses reiterates a DAY OF REST...when no man shall work...nor ANY who reside within his household...nor those who dwell within the gates of his property, be they stranger or son, slave or servant, male or female...nor any animal of burden.

(This is only my second time to ever write any teaching on this subject...and just as before, I feel the AMAZING anointing and Presence of God even now as I write...as I know where this is going!)

Again...we see this theme regarding Sabbath: Entering into REST!

But here, we build upon that initial revelation...as we see TWO inclusions which reveal the PURPOSE of that REST:

1. The people are to CEASE their LABOR...even the animals which carry the BURDEN of much of that WORK are to be given REST.

2. The Children of Israel had been SLAVES, existing in BONDAGE...and God MIRACULOUSLY brought them out of that BONDAGE...bringing them into REST.

Of course...they were headed where? To the PROMISED LAND!

But...sin and rebellion would detain them...and a generation died in the wilderness. And the pattern began...as Israel would move from times of OBEDIENCE to times of REBELLION. God REPEATEDLY called His children back to Him...but soon Israel would turn a deaf ear, and God would go silent.

For four hundred years...the people existed....but they did not LIVE! And...then...one day...

John the Baptist was baptizing people in the river...and a man appeared asking to be baptized! And John would cry out:

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Within 3 years, that Lamb of God would hang on a cruel cross...fulfilling the prophetic words of John that day! There...on that cross...was the revelation of THE SECOND SABBATH!

You see...salvation had been established through LABOR throughout history...from the FALL OF MAN in the Garden of Eden until this day of CRUCIFIXION. For every sin, there had to be a SACRIFICE. Over and over...the people came to the PRIESTS...and through those priests they would offer a lamb or a dove...a blood offering by which they could find FORGIVENESS. It took EFFORT...it took WORK...it took LABOR!

But...then...GRACE appeared!!!

("Grace! Grace! God's grace! Grace that will pardon and cleanse within! Grace! Grace! God's grace! Grace that is greater than all my sin!")

And...when Jesus cried, "It is finished!" on the cross that dark and dreary day...all of our LABOR ceased...as the Lamb of God...Jesus Christ...once and for all provided the SACRIFICE needed which would give us the FREE GIFT of SALVATION: undeserved, "unmerited favor." God, in the form of a man, gave His life on the cross that day...

...so that we could CEASE our LABOR...being given the promise of SALVATION by which we can live as OVERCOMERS in Christ Jesus...with the promise of an ETERNITY WITH HIM as the reward for our SURRENDERED LIVES to the Lamb of God!

Paul would tell us "by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Jesus did away with the need for animal sacrifice. The constant LABOR to uphold the strict RULES which were commanded by God for the preparation of the sacrifice which would only COVER our sins now MELTED AWAY in the wonderous CRIMSON FLOW of the CROSS of JESUS CHRIST...and what was once only COVERED by a sacrifice became CLEANSED by the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!

So...we now see in the SABBATH not only REST...but the ceasing of ALL LABOR...even the labor which was necessary for attaining and maintaining SALVATION! 

Thus far...we have seen the SABBATH at CREATION and at the CROSS.

But...we now await one more SABBATH!

THE THIRD...AND FINAL...SABBATH:

Jesus is about to be crucified...and, in an UPPER ROOM, He eats with His chosen Disciples. With these words, Jesus tells them that they MUST NOT FORGET His SACRIFICE for them:

"Do this in remembrance of Me."

The call to REMEMBER:

An urging to KEEP ALIVE in their HEARTS the PURPOSE of what He had come to do: provide the WAY of SALVATION for all mankind...and...telling them to REMEMBER the HIGH PRICE which was paid for the GRACE they would now find living within them.

It hearkens back to CREATION. It urges a RECOLLECTION of a PROMISE made...and a PROMISE given.

A Messiah had been promised...and that PROMISE was Jesus Christ. And in Him was SALVATION...total...complete...without flaw or blemish.

It hearkens back to this:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

The SABBATH: a DAY OF REST, when all WORK must CEASE, and our LABORS are over!

After His death on the cross, Jesus arose after 3 days...victorious over sin and death! And...before He left this earth, Jesus left us with ONE LAST PROMISE: to RETURN again for His Bride!

In Acts 1, two angels appear and say, "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Then...Paul tells us of the moment when "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 4:16-18 NKJV)

We now await the FULFILLMENT of that PROMISE as BELIEVERS!

We actually are now awaiting....

THE FULFILLMENT OF SABBATH!!!

In THE FIRST SABBATH...we see Jesus as CREATOR!

In THE SECOND SABBATH...we see Jesus as SAVIOR.

In THE THIRD SABBATH...we will see Jesus as RETURNING, TRIUMPHANT KING!

You see...in the SABBATH is the PROMISE OF REST. We see in the FIRST and SECOND SABBATHS that all WORK and LABOR must CEASE...and the people enter into REST!

At CREATION and at the CROSS...the WORK had to be FINISHED...COMPLETED ("It is finished!")...and THEN came REST! This same COMPLETION is what we now await...as all of creation now awaits the RETURN of CHRIST...and time as we know it will be COMPLETE!

We now await the RETURN of Jesus Christ...and, for the BELIEVER, this will usher in the SABBATH...our DAY OF REST!

But...THIS time...there will be:

No more WORK...no more LABOR...no more TRIALS...no more SICKNESS...no more PAIN...no more DEATH...no more STRUGGLE...and no more SIN!!!

Paul would fully declare what SABBATH was NOT! It was NOT some RITUALISTIC ADHERENCE to some Old Testament LAW which is now IMPOSSIBLE to KEEP!

(Read Colossians 2 in totality!)

In Colossians 2, Paul tells a GENTILE CHURCH that they are NOT to let ANYONE judge them regarding "meat or drink", feasts ("respect of an holyday"), "new moons"...nor the "sabbath days." These believers had NEVER followed Jewish law...never adhering to these strict religious laws. And Paul told them they were NOT to worry about those who DEMANDED such ritual...claiming it was REQUIRED PRACTICE!

Both here and in his letter to the Galatians, Paul asks them WHY they would let ANYONE deceive them by their INSISTENCE that they RETURN or ADHERE to BONDAGE under the LAW...as Paul denotes a return to "Touch not; taste not; handle not"...saying that is being "subject to ordinances...after the doctrines and commandments of men." (verses 20-22)

But the KEY to understanding the SABBATH from the writings of Paul is found in verse 17, when Paul says, "Which are a shadow of things to come." Everything in the OLD TESTAMENT foreshadows "things to come." Even here, we see Paul teaching us that the SABBATH represents a FUTURE PROMISE!

For Israel...it pointed to Jesus coming as MESSIAH!

For the Church...it points to Jesus as SOON COMING KING!

So...with all of that...what is God saying when He said: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

The Fourth Commandment is a call for us to REMEMBER:

1. To remember that it was JESUS who came in CREATION...RESTING when all was finished! ("In the beginning was the Word....")

2. To remember it was JESUS who came to die on the CROSS...bringing REST when He cried "It is finished!"...as all aspects of LABOR ceased, and SALVATION became a FREE GIFT which was offered by the shed blood of Christ!

3. To remember it is JESUS who is soon to RETURN AGAIN as the BRIDEGROOM, receiving to Himself His BRIDE...the CHURCH...as we enter into REST...and our LABORS are over...and our WORK on earth is done!

That day is coming soon, Child of God!

So...REJOICE! KNOWING that the pain and struggles of this life will soon be over...and what AWAITS those of us who BELIEVE in OBEDIENCE is beyond ALL that we could ever DREAM OF or ever HOPE FOR!

So...

"Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy."

God bless!

The "Personal Theology" Church: WRONGLY Dividing the Word of God

In the Church today...

we see people committed to FAITH...we see people committed to GRACE...we see people committed to PROSPERITY...we see people committed to GOOD WORKS...we see people committed to POSITIVE THINKING...we see people committed to SIGNS AND WONDERS...we see people committed to CONFERENCES...we see people committed to ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED...we see people committed to MANIFESTATIONS...we see people committed to RELIGION...we see people committed to MINISTRIES...we see people committed to FAME...we see people committed to ATTENDANCE...we see people committed to MARKETING...we see people committed to TITHE...we see people committed to VOLUNTEERING...we see people committed to DENOMINATIONS...we see people committed to CHURCH...

BUT...

we seldom see people committed to JESUS and THE GOSPEL!

God has been SLICED and DICED into PALATABLE PORTIONS...and He is now being served up much like HORS D'OEUVRES at a Country Club ball! Sadly...once DIVIDED, each portion has taken on a life of its own...as NEW DEFINITIONS and NEW THEOLOGIES are created.

Why? Because to divide JESUS...one must divide THE WORD OF GOD. Most often...the separation is CONTEXTUAL...as each JESUS is created by REMOVING passages from their NECESSARY placement within Scripture. Further...the ART of IGNORING takes CENTER STAGE: ignoring CONTEXT and ignoring OTHER QUALIFYING PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.

This serves to give support to PERSONAL THEOLOGY...at the expense of TRUTH. In each case...most will defend their THEOLOGY above the infallible WORD OF GOD.

An example? Look at the Word of Faith movement.

In the WoF arena, FAITH is given the power which belongs ONLY to God. Words are given "creative power"...and FAITH is the key. Yet...few involved in the DECEPTION of WoF theology realize that it is FAITH which is EXALTED...as the POWER TRANSFER is taught and bought by the NAME-IT-CLAIM-IT crowd. Somehow...those duped by this FALSE DOCTRINE cannot see that their FAITH is no longer placed in JESUS...but their FAITH has shifted to THEIR FAITH!

Unwittingly, they ignore the fact that the WoF theology REDIRECTS the SOURCE of POWER...as the "Power of FAITH!" replaces the "Power of Jesus!" Amazingly...WoF theology strays SO FAR from TRUTH that its proponents actually "demand" and "command" God to SUBMIT to THEIR faith! Those like Kenneth Copeland have SO PERVERTED Scripture...as CONTEXT is IGNORED and even LIED ABOUT...that God is little more than a SERVANT to our every whim!

It is a SELFISH, EGOTISTICAL, MONEY-LOVING gospel...and it actually glorifies COVETOUSNESS in every area of life!

So...where have these COMMITMENTS to OUT-OF-CONTEXT passages taken the Church?

We now have:

1. The WORD OF FAITH Jesus.
2. The GREASY GRACE Jesus.
3. The RICH AND PROSPEROUS Jesus.
4. The SAVED BY WORKS Jesus.
5. The POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING Jesus.
6. The MIRACLE CIRCUS Jesus.
7. The MULTI-CONFERENCE Jesus.
8. The NON-BACKSLIDING Jesus.
9. The MAKE-YOU-SHAKE Jesus.
9. The RELIGIOUS Jesus.
10. The MINISTRY GROUPIE Jesus.
11. The FAME-SEEKING Jesus.
12. The ATTENDANCE-DRIVEN Jesus.
13. The ADVERTISING Jesus.
14. The 10% Jesus.
15. The VOLUNTEERS-CANNOT-BE-HELD-ACCOUNTABLE Jesus.
16. The DENOMINATIONAL Jesus.
17. The BUILDING-WORSHIPPING Jesus.

It is now like a game called PICK-A-JESUS! Instead of the Church accepting Jesus AS HE IS...churches are CHOOSING the Jesus THEY WANT HIM TO BE!

It is much like preaching GRACE while ignoring JUSTICE...as God will show MERCY because of GRACE...yet His JUSTICE demands that those who REJECT grace MUST receive JUST RECOMPENCE for their sins.

It is much like preaching LOVE while ignoring OBEDIENCE...as many never realize that God loves EVERYONE the SAME...yet His LOVE will not SAVE US if we refuse to love HIM in OBEDIENCE. You see...Jesus loves EVERYONE...but not EVERYONE loves JESUS! Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

It is much like preaching BLESSINGS while ignoring SACRIFICE...or preaching HEAVEN while ignoring HELL...or preaching a SAVIOR while ignoring SIN!

In essence...the Church is busy PREACHING...but its message is no longer the GOSPEL! It is TAILOR-MADE ministry...with a "We will meet your need!" flavor.

For those who want little Biblical confrontation...there IS a CHURCH for YOU! For those who want ACTIVITIES to keep the kiddos busy...there IS a CHURCH for YOU! For those who want to be accepted in their sin...there IS a CHURCH for YOU! For those who want salvation without confession and repentance...there IS a CHURCH for YOU!

And...for those who want Christianity without Jesus...believe it or not...there IS a CHURCH for YOU!

Sadly...for those who want JESUS and TRUTH...there are VERY FEW CHURCHES left for YOU!

Jesus called the leaders of these PERSONAL THEOLOGY churches HIRELINGS (John 10:10)...and from HIRELINGS we learn one thing:

It is possible to love the "WORK OF THE LORD"...yet not serve the LORD OF THE WORK!

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV)

LEGACY: Our Message Matters

We will all be remembered: by someone...by others...for something. So....

What will we be remembered for? What will our LEGACY be?

Will we be remembered for preaching RIGHTEOUSNESS...or for preaching RICHES? Will we be remembered for preaching CONSECRATION to The LORD...or for preaching COMFORT to the LOST? Will we be remembered for preaching FAITH...or for preaching FAVOR? Will we be remembered for preaching HOLINESS...or for preaching HAPPINESS?

Will we be remembered for seeking the KINGDOM of GOD...or for seeking the KINGDOMS of MAN? Will we be remembered for seeking GOD...or for seeking GAIN? Will we be remembered for seeking CHRIST...or for seeking CROWDS? Will we be remembered for seeking ETERNAL BLESSINGS...or for seeking EARTHLY BLESSINGS?

When we are remembered...will we be LOVED for the Gospel we preached...or will we be LOATHED for the gospel we preached?

When we are remembered...will those who heard our message LIVE IN JOY or LIVE IN JUDGMENT?

We will all leave a LEGACY...and our CHILDREN...and FUTURE GENERATIONS...will be a RESULT of all that we have trained them to believe and to pursue.

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

The Kingdom of God is measured by RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The Kingdoms of Man are measured by RICHES.

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36 NKJV)

What you PREACH is what you SEEK. What you PREACH and SEEK will be your LEGACY. And...your LEGACY will be what you leave your CHILDREN and FUTURE GENERATIONS.

Our MESSAGE leads to PURSUIT...and that PURSUIT is in one direction or the other. There is no middle ground. Will our LEGACY be that we LED people to pursue HEAVEN...or that we LED people to pursue HELL? Will our LEGACY be that we LED people to pursue CHRIST…or that we LED people to pursue COMFORT? Will our LEGACY be that we LED people to pursue RIGHTEOUSNESS…or that we LED people to pursue RICHES?

Our MESSAGE does MATTER. It will be our LEGACY.

But...more than that...it is our ETERNITY.

Will we be remembered for PREACHING CHRIST...OR...will we be remembered for ENTERTAINING a CONGREGATION? Will we be remembered for PREACHING TRUTH…OR…will we be remembered for MAKING MERCHANDISE of the FLOCK? Will we be remembered for actually SPREADING the GOSPEL…OR…will we be remembered for PREACHING COVETOUSNESS?

Matthew 6:19-33 NKJV

19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Note the distinct focuses in this passage:

1. Laying up treasures here on earth VERSUS laying up treasures in Heaven. (verses 19-20)

2. Wherever we are amassing treasures, there will be found our HEART. (verse 21)

3. What we focus on (“the eye”) determines if we are “full of light” or “full of darkness.” (verses 22-23)

4. We cannot focus on TWO things at once. Therefore…a choice must be made. (verse 24)

5. We are not to worry about POSSESSIONS or WEALTH here on earth. God will provide if we are simply faithful. (verses 25-31)

6. God is FULLY aware that we must have a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. We are NOT to put our FOCUS on these things. (verse 32)

7. We are to seek God and His righteousness…making God alone our FOCUS. If we do, God will make sure that we have the necessities mentioned. (The word “things” does NOT refer to a wide variety of WANTS: it references the “things” which had just been mentioned.) (verse 33)

The Bible is consistent in this teaching. Throughout the word of God, we are told that we are NOT to make our FOCUS…our PURSUIT…earthly wealth and riches. Look again at the passage above…and ask yourself:

If God does not want us to FOCUS on the NECESSITIES of life…then how can ANYONE preach and teach that God wants us to FOCUS on and PURSUE our WANTS in life?!?! How can the TRUTH of this reality become so TWISTED in the mouths of those who are a part of the PARADE of FALSE TEACHERS who fill the airwaves on Christian Television?!?!

To even DARE to preach and teach the PROSPERITY GOSPEL is to preach and teach COVETOUSNESS! There is simply no other way to evaluate it. No matter how you package it…no matter the flowering words which surround it…no matter how many passages of Scripture are quoted (our of context, it must be noted)…it boils down to one thing:

THE PULPIT IS PREACHING COVETOUSNESS!

Even as the FALSE TEACHERS twist passages regarding “the wealth of the wicked”…THAT FOCUS on getting “the wealth of the wicked” is COVETOUSNESS! The Bible does NOT teach us that it is OK to COVET things IF those THINGS belong to the WICKED! To COVET is to SIN: PERIOD. If you struggle with that thought…ask yourself this:

If God wants CHRISTIANS to come into POSSESSION of “the wealth of the wicked”…then why did God not apply that principle in the OLD TESTAMENT?? You see…God would tell Israel to take NOTHING when they defeated their enemies! No oxen…no goats…no sheep…no riches! And…when Israel became COVETOUS and GREEDY, disobeying God and KEEPING the SPOILS of their enemies…God’s ANGER was kindled against the King and the people!

Then…many FALSE TEACHERS misuse the passages of Scripture which discuss Israel coming out of the land of Egypt as their “proof” that God wanted His people rich. Again…I shake my head at the SERMONIZING…as the passages are STRETCHED and APPLICATION is made based on SUPPOSITION…and on Scriptures AGAIN taken out of context. If the purpose of Israel leaving Egypt with various POSSESSIONS and some amount of RICHES was to teach us “the wealth of the wicked” principle…then we again run into major issues when Israel FINALLY gets to the PROMISED LAND and God will NOT allow Israel to take the spoils of that land’s inhabitants.

Amazingly…the proponents of the PROSPERITY GOSPEL who use the EXODUS FROM EGYPT as a “proof text” that God wants us rich simply IGNORE the REALITY of what those RICHES ended up being USED FOR:

The TABERNACLE and its CONTENTS! (Of course…that is after a foray into a GOLDEN CALF fiasco!)

The TABERNACLE and its CONTENTS were made from the “prosperity” which was brought out of Egypt! Gold…silver…even the MIRRORS which they carried were used! Go study the passages in Exodus…and there you will find it! In Exodus 3 we learn that God says the people will get these possessions from the Egyptians. In Exodus 12 we find them GETTING these possessions. Then…in Exodus 25...we find the people giving these possessions as an OFFERING which God commanded…an offering to be used to BUILD THE TABERNACLE!

NEVER does the story of the EXODUS even REMOTELY teach that God wants us RICH! It teaches us that God had a SPECIFIC PURPOSE in having Israel leave Egypt with those possessions…and that SPECIFIC PURPOSE was NOT for PERSONAL GAIN…it was for WORSHIP!! The PEOPLE were only the CARETAKERS of the WEALTH: they DID NOT and COULD NOT spend it on THEMSELVES! And…even the ANIMALS served a purpose! Many were to be SACRIFICES in that TABERNACLE!

Not ONCE do we find SELFISH INDULGENCE as the PURPOSE of the EXODUS story!

Not ONCE do we find the theme of the EXODUS is COVETOUSNESS!

Repeatedly…consistently…constantly…the Word of God teaches that SEEKING WEALTH is NOT of God! And…only BLINDNESS can believe that the PROSPERITY GOSPEL is not a gospel of COVETOUSNESS!

So…what MESSAGE will we leave behind? What MESSAGE will our children and those who come after us FIND was our FOCUS? What LEGACY will we leave them?

When our bodies are dead and buried…when we are long gone…will those who come after us discover that our words…in various forms (whether WRITTEN BY HAND or PRINTED IN BOOKS or SAVED ON A COMPUTER)…reveal a PURSUIT OF GOD or a PURSUIT OF RICHES?

Our MESSAGE today will be our LEGACY tomorrow.

What will YOUR legacy be?

"CAUGHT UP": Why I Believe in a Pre-Trib RAPTURE of the Church

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

The “RAPTURE!” No…it is not a word we actually find in Scripture. Instead, it is a word which we use to describe the event mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4 above. The word “rapture” comes from the Latin Vulgate (the Latin Bible) which translated the words “caught up together” using the word “raptus.” That term literally means “to be snatched away”. With that, it denotes that the “snatching away” is “to be taken away by another force.” The actual Greek word from which the Latin Vulgate derives its translation of “raptus” is the word “harpazo.” Harpazo also means “to snatch up; to seize” and the Latin Vulgate use of “raptus” is clearly an acceptable version of translation into what was a modern language of the time.

Thus…we learn in God’s Word that there will be a “RAPTURE” of the Church which will occur. But what is the difference…if there is INDEED a difference…in the “RAPTURE” and the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ as mentioned in Revelation 19? I am sure that God’s Word provides for us insight into these TWO SEPARATE events. Yes…they are TWO DISTINCT occurrences. First, examine a few passages of Scripture regarding the SECOND COMING:

Revelation 19:11-19 NKJV “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

Zechariah 14:1-9 NKJV “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord-- Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be-- "The Lord is one," And His name one.”

Now…let’s examine the differences between the “RAPTURE” and the SECOND COMING in detail. (Other passages of Scripture which provide the insight and information will be noted…if not quoted…to provide the Scriptural basis for the points given.)


THE “RAPTURE”
 
1. The Lord…Jesus…will descend from Heaven with a shout. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

2. The “dead in Christ”…believers who have died…will be resurrected. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52)

3. There will be a “shout”…either BY the Archangel or ACCOMPANIED by the Voice of the Archangel…as an announcement (“trumpet”) of the Lord’s coming. ( (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52) (Note: the word “trumpet” can be an actual “reverberating sound” as in the blast of a trumpet OR it can mean “to sound or proclaim as if on a trumpet”… i.e. “He began to trumpet the accomplishments of his company.”)

4. The “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and changed FIRST…before the LIVING believers. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

5. The BELIEVERS who are alive on earth will be “changed” and “caught up” to meet the Lord in the “clouds.” (I Thessalonians 4:17, I Corinthians 15:52-53)

6. Jesus will gather BELIEVERS together…the “dead in Christ” and those “who are alive and remain”…both groups having been “changed”…receiving us to Himself. (I Thessalonians 4:17, John 14:2-3)

7. BELIEVERS…ALL CHRISTIANS…will dwell FOREVER with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:18, John 14:2-3)

8. Following the “RAPTURE“, those “caught up” will experience the “judgment seat of Christ” which EVERYONE must face upon death. For a believer, the term “judgment“ is not one of punishment: it refers to the “distinguishing between two positions“, noting that those “RAPTURED” are determined to be “washed in the blood of the Lamb“ and are to be REWARDED. (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10) (Note: when the “armies of Heaven” return with Christ in Revelation 19, they have ALREADY been clothed in “fine linen, white and clean.” Therefore, they have ALREADY appeared before the “judgment seat of Christ”, receiving their eternal reward.)

9. Following the “RAPTURE” and the “judgment seat of Christ”, those “caught up” will be united with Christ, as the “Bride of Christ” and the “Bridegroom” join together for the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” Although being mentioned in Revelation 19, it is important to note: what is shown to be occurring on earth during what is most commonly known as the TRIBULATION period is happening AS other things are occurring in Heaven. Further, note that the reference to the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” is BEFORE Christ returns in His SECOND COMING. Then, notice that those INVITED are called “ready”, and they are “granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” The significance in all of this is the fact that the CHURCH is called the “Bride of Christ” in God’s Word. We see here that the CHURCH…the true believers who have been raptured, are the ones present at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb”…AND, they are seen RETURNING to earth with Christ at the SECOND COMING. Thus, we can conclude that the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” occurs BEFORE the SECOND COMING. During the 7 year period known as the TRIBULATION, the “bride of Christ” has been present with the Lord, experiencing the “judgment seat of Christ”, followed by rejoicing and worship as the “Bride of Christ” has been united with the “Bridegroom”, which culminates in the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” which immediately precedes the SECOND COMING. (Revelation 19:6-10)
　

THE SECOND COMING
 
1. Christ descends from Heaven with the “armies of Heaven”, which is the Church, noted by the clothing of “fine linen, white and clean”. The “Bride of Christ”…NOT angels…are noted in Scripture as “clothed in white”, as the words “white and clean” denote the fact that the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST has “washed them white as snow”, with the scarlet stains of sin being removed. (Note: refer above to the “marriage supper of the Lamb“) (Revelation 19:11-16, Zechariah 14:3-5)

2. An angel calls the birds to gather…noting that the enemies of God will be slain, their bodies to be eaten by vultures. (Revelation 19:17-18)

3. The “beast” (the Antichrist), the leaders of the world who followed him, and all the armies of those who oppose Christ will be gathered together in the Valley of Megiddo to make war on Christ. And…in return…the Lord makes war on the inhabitants of the earth gathered against Him. (Revelation 19:15-19, 21; Zechariah 14:1-3)

4. Christ will step foot on the Mount of Olives, at which time the Mount of Olives will split in two…”east to west”…as a “valley” is created, with one half of the Mount moving north and the other half moving south. (Zechariah 14:4-8)

5. The “beast” and the “false prophet” (note: it was the false prophet who worked many “lying” signs and wonders) are captured and “cast alive” into the “lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelations 19:20)

6. Christ destroys the armies who have amassed against Him by “the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.” (Revelation 19:21)

7. Satan is bound for 1000 years, being imprisoned in the “bottomless pit”…not yet being cast into the “lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:1-3)

8. Those who were martyred (“beheaded“) during the TRIBULATION period come forth before the “thrones“, and these people will live and reign with Christ in Jerusalem for a thousand years (the time known as the MILLENNIUM or the MILLENNIAL REIGN. (Revelation 20:4-6) (Note: there remains the 1000 year reign of Christ here on earth, the release of Satan for a “season”, the ultimate defeat of Satan as he is cast for eternity into the “lake of fire”, the destruction of Heaven and earth, the creation of a New Heaven and a new earth, and the eternal reign of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.)

These are the basic tenets of TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT events as noted in the Word of God. As such, I am firmly established in the belief in a PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE. Let me further explain that position by examining a few other aspects of the Word of God…all of which gives Biblical support to what will be noted as the Pre-Trib view from this point forward.

1. The Bible says we are delivered from “the wrath to come.” (I Thessalonians 1:10)

The Bible clearly tells us…as believers…that we are NOT immune from trials and tribulations. We all go through various struggles, which may include: loss of a loved one, loss of a job, persecution, sickness, rejection, abuse…and many other things. But, as the Bible begins to describe a SPECIFIC time which will come on the earth…a time of “tribulation” which has never been seen BEFORE and which will never be seen AGAIN…there is a consistent reference to the truth that the Church (noted as true believers who have accepted Jesus as Savior AND Lord) is not AND will not go through that great time of WRATH. Notice first Matthew 24:21-22 NKJV as it says, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.”

This time of TRIBULATION is beyond ANY and ALL trials and troubles and discomfort that we may presently experience here on earth. Further, the Bible clearly denotes that the reason for such a time of TRIBULATION is for the purpose of “testing those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). In this passage, we learn that this is an “hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.” Regardless of our own personal trials and tribulations, there has never been a time of “testing” directed by God which encompasses the “whole world.” Even with the flood, it was NOT a time of “testing”…it was a time of WRATH and JUDGMENT. In other words, once the doors to the Ark were closed, there was no hope for those left on earth. Thus...as we further study the Word of God, we see that God’s purpose for the TRIBULATION is to turn the hearts of the people to Him. This method MUST be used due to the fact that those who remain on earth rejected GRACE. God’s love is SO GREAT that He uses WRATH and JUDGMENT in one last effort to save those who will recognize that He is God and that Jesus Christ was the Messiah…being the Son of God Who came in human flesh. God…IN HIS LOVE…begins to pour out His WRATH on the earth in specific acts of JUDGMENT.

In all of this…and I URGE you to read these Biblical accounts…we see that God virtually REPEATS what we saw when Israel was in captivity, as the Jews were slaves in Egypt. Moses goes to Pharaoh as directed by God, telling Pharaoh that God is declaring, “Let My people go!” As Pharaoh refuses, God must use WRATH and JUDGMENT to not only try to turn the heart of Pharaoh to Him (noting that God LOVED Moses and Pharaoh equally!), but to bring about the FREEDOM of the Israelites. As with this account, the Biblical account of the Tribulation period is very similar. In both cases, it is God’s LOVE which causes Him to SHOW that HE IS GOD! God uses MIGHTY ACTS to SHOW that there is no other power on earth equal to HIS power!

So…how does this show that the Church will not be present during the Tribulation period?

1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 NKJV 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (emphasis added)

1 Thessalonians 5: 4-10 NKJV 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (emphasis added)

Paul is clear: God did NOT appoint us…call us…as BELIEVERS…to experience His WRATH. We find this THROUGHOUT Scripture. Noah was saved FROM the WRATH and JUDGMENT of God. Lot was saved FROM the WRATH and JUDGMENT of God. God’s WRATH is ALWAYS directed and reserved for UNBELIEVERS…for those who have REJECTED Him and His Word! And there is simply NO POSSIBILITY that we can separate the Tribulation period from this truth:

The 7 year period commonly called the Tribulation is a time in which God’s WRATH and JUDGMENT is poured out on all the earth!

Although Scripture shows us that the FIRST 3 ½ years of the TRIBULATION period are not as severe as the LAST 3 ½ years, we find that the FIRST 3 ½ years are unlike any time of trouble ever experienced on earth. Many discount the severity of the FIRST half of the TRIBULATION period. Here are just a FEW of the events mentioned in Scripture as occurring in the FIRST 3 ½ years: 1. The Antichrist is revealed as he signs a peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27)…2. The 7 Seals are opened: The Antichrist appears, World War, Extreme world-wide famine and inflation, one-fourth of the earth dies, a world-wide earthquake occurs, and the 7 Trumpet Judgments are introduced…3. The 7 Trumpet Judgments occur: Hail, fire, and blood are “cast down” on the earth, resulting in the destruction of one-third of all trees and grass being destroyed; a “mountain of sulfur” arises and falls into the sea, destroying a third of all sea creatures and shipping vessels; the “great star” (meteor) “Wormwood” strikes the earth, resulting in rivers turning “bitter” and causing the deaths of millions of the earth’s inhabitants; darkness increases as the sun gives off only a third of its present light, which also darkens the other stars and moon; horrible, demon-like creatures are released on the earth, as the pain from their stings are so painful that men will “seek death and will not find it”; 200 million “horsemen” are released to kill one-third of the inhabitants of the earth which remain; the 7th and last TRUMPET JUDGMENT introduces the VIAL JUDGMENTS, which will begin the SECOND HALF of the TRIBULATION period.

As you can see…even the FIRST 3 ½ years of the TRIBULATION are unlike any other time on earth. And, even though the LAST 3 ½ years are even WORSE, this in no way DIMINISHES the SEVERITY of that period of time. Thus, we can see that the FULL 7 YEAR PERIOD is a time of SEVERE TRIBULATION. The SEVERITY increases as each preceding “judgment” has not resulted in the people turning to Christ. Again, this clearly shows that those “left behind” after the “RAPTURE“…those going THROUGH this 7 year TRIBULATION…are those who are UNSAVED. Thus, I FULLY BELIEVE that the Church…TRUE BELIEVERS…will be gone, having been “RAPTURED” immediately preceding this time of TRIBULATION which comes upon the whole earth.

Examine this passage of Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 NKJV 3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

Regardless of the timing of this passage…as many scholars differ regarding the reference here (whether it refers to the “Rapture” or to the Second Coming at the end of the 7 year Tribulation period)…we can learn 2 things from this passage…also noting the other Biblical passages which confirm these findings (many of which are noted above):

1. Christians WILL endure persecutions and tribulations by the hands of men.
2. Non-believers who persecute Christians and who live in rebellion to God will experience “tribulation” by the hand of God.

If we examine Scripture thoroughly, we see that this is the distinct pattern seen throughout the Word of God. Those who live in obedience to God as BELIEVERS encounter persecutions and tribulations…but these are ALWAYS perpetrated by their ENEMIES who are UNBELIEVERS. NEVER do we find God pouring out His WRATH and JUDGMENT on those who are following Him OBEDIENTLY! In contrast, we see that it is GOD who “repays” those who “trouble” BELIEVERS (using the wording of the passage quoted above)…as He pours out His WRATH and JUDGMENT on those UNBELIEVERS! God only judged ISRAEL when it was DISOBEDIENT…NOT when it was OBEDIENT and FAITHFUL! As in the passage above, we see Paul telling the BELIEVERS that they may be experiencing “persecutions” and “tribulations” at the hands of the UNBELIEVERS…but that God will give them “rest” at the appointed time...a time at which God takes “vengeance on those who do not know God.”

Thus, I also MUST believe that those who are FAITHFUL and OBEDIENT in these last days…a “remnant” of people noted as the TRUE “Church”…those who have not bowed to false teaching and compromise…will NOT be the target of God’s WRATH and JUDGMENT and “vengeance” during the 7 year period known as the TRIBULATION. (Note: the term “Great Tribulation” is used within Scripture, which appears to denote the SECOND 3 ½ year period when the persecution of BELIEVERS---those who reject the Antichrist and turned to God during this time, as they recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord---at the hands of the Antichrist and his followers reaches EPIC and NEVER-BEFORE-EXPERIENCED proportions!)

As noted earlier, during the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period, Revelation 6 gives us details of activities in Heaven…as “the Lamb” opens the “seals” one by one, and these words are spoken:

Revelation 6:15-17 NKJV 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Then, in Revelation 9:20-21…as God’s WRATH and JUDGMENT has led to death and destruction on the earth (and what are known as the “Trumpet Judgments“ have been poured out)…we read these words: 20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (NKJV)

Repeatedly, we see references to UNBELIEVERS refusing to turn to God in repentance during this time. Yet, we see in several passages from Revelation that SOME turn to God…and they are noted in Revelation 8 as “the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” These would appear to be the CONVERTS who come to Christ during this period…resulting from the EVANGELISM of the 144,000 who come from the 12 Tribes of Israel noted in the same chapter.

Considering all of this information above, I believe that the 7 year Tribulation period is a time of WRATH and JUDGMENT from God on the earth…as He “pulls out all the stops” in His last attempts to reach humanity with a proclamation that “I ALONE AM GOD!” Those who did not accept Jesus under GRACE must now accept Him under WRATH and JUDGMENT. And…even then…if they turn to Jesus, God is MERCIFUL and He will welcome them into His Presence! But…they will have to go through TREMENDOUS persecution and tribulation due to the fact that they waited so long to accept Him. The Church will be present in Heaven during this time, as the BRIDE OF CHRIST is experiencing the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB…the reward for those who accepted Christ under GRACE!


2. The Biblical example of the BRIDE and the BRIDEGROOM

 I will not dwell on this issue long, but there is GREAT significance to the BRIDE/BRIDEGROOM correlation given in Scripture as it refers to the “Rapture.”

Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV 1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This would have been GREATLY understood at the time Jesus used this parable in His teaching. The Jewish wedding and wedding feast is a very elaborate and revealing picture. And…amazingly…it foreshadows the CHURCH (the Bride of Christ) as it unites with JESUS (the Bridegroom)!

The significant aspect which relates to the “Rapture” is this:

There are VERY SPECIFIC things which the Bride must do to be READY for her Bridegroom. It is interesting to note that the Bride is the one who presents a DOWRY at the time of marriage…just as the Bride of Christ must be READY to unite with Christ, as we will “cast our crowns” at His feet…and as we offer our bodies as “a living sacrifice” to God as we follow Jesus. In Jewish tradition…which was the custom of that time (and it is still practiced by devout Jews today)…when that specific time of marriage comes, the Bride is to be READY for the coming of her Bridegroom. Yet…the Bride is to be ready WITHOUT KNOWING when the Bridegroom is coming! If the Bride is NOT ready when the Bridegroom comes, then the marriage does not take place! It is considered a REJECTION and the Bridegroom leaves without the Bride! As the Bride waits for her Bridegroom in readiness…there will suddenly come a call from a distance, as someone cries, “Behold! The Bridegroom cometh!” At that time, the Bride is to GO OUT to MEET her Bridegroom! Then…all of those in the Bridal party are UNITED with the Bridegroom and they are taken to the MARRIAGE SUPPER! After a time of feasting and celebration, the Bride and the Bridegroom go ALONE to CONSUMMATE the MARRIAGE!

It is NOT just happenstance that God referred to the CHURCH as the “Bride of Christ”…and that Jesus is noted in Scripture as the “Bridegroom.” The Jewish tradition is a PATTERN and FORESHADOWING of the Church…as it is “RAPTURED” from this earth…as it “goes out” to “meet” the Bridegroom in the air…and it takes its place at the table of God, feasting at the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB!

With that….we also see the passage quoted above. There, Jesus is saying that some will not be ready to meet Him. Thus…when the cry goes out, “Behold! The Bridegroom cometh!”…many will be LEFT BEHIND! It will be TOO LATE to gain entrance to the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB…which is a feast and celebration reserved for the CHURCH…the BRIDE OF CHRIST!

3. The PURPOSE of the 3rd TEMPLE and the reinstitution of the offering of SACRIFICES

We learn in the Word of God that the Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, and that the offering of SACRIFICES will commence around the time of the TRIBULATION period. (Daniel 9, 2Thessalonians 2:4) Why is this necessary?? Why would God Himself (in His Word) seem to not only support this reinstitution of SACRIFICES, but the Bible seems to declare its necessity??

From the time of Jesus Christ here on earth, we have lived in a period of GRACE. Jesus came to earth TO DIE…to die on the cross. But why? God had declared that the price to be paid for sin was THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD. Up until Jesus came as the Messiah, mankind had to offer animals as a SACRIFICE for their sins. But…the blood of lambs and goats was not SUFFICIENT to pay the price of sin. Thus, there had to be REPEATED OFFERINGS of SACRIFICE to bring atonement for sin. Jesus Christ (Read Hebrews…the entire book…as it is a BEAUTIFUL account of all of this.) became our SACRIFICE, as He became “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." (John 1:29 KJV)

We learn in Daniel 9 that the Antichrist will expose himself after 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period. We see in this passage that he will no longer allow the Jewish people to continue their sacrifices.

Daniel 9:27 NKJV “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

It is in 2 Thessalonians 2 that we see that the offering of sacrifices is being done in a newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Why? Notice the reference, as it says and confirms that the Antichrist will declare himself to be God IN THE TEMPLE.

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (NKJV)

Now…with all of these passages being evaluated and their truths put into context, I ask again: Why would God bring about the reinstitution of SACRIFICES?? What is the purpose?? There is only ONE possible answer as we examine the totality of the Word of God. What is it??

The world is no longer living under GRACE as we now understand and experience it!


If the Church was still present on the earth, then there would be no need for any other sacrifice offered for sins. So, notice what we see the Bible showing us regarding the Tribulation period. There are two things which point to a Pre-Trib “Rapture”: the necessity of SACRIFICES…and…the necessity of MARTYRDOM.

The Bible tells us that there will be MARTYRS during the Tribulation period. Revelation 13 tells us that the Antichrist will demand everyone to bow before the “image of the beast”, and that those who refuse to do so will be killed.

Revelation 13:11-18 NKJV 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (emphasis added)

The refusal to bow before the “image of the beast” will be a person’s stance for Christ. We cannot know for sure what someone who refuses to bow will go through, but we can assume there may be attempts made to get them to bow. The possibilities are numerous…and horrible. But we know this from the passage above: those who refuse to bow will be killed. But…if these people had REJECTED Christ before the Tribulation period…why would they now refuse to bow…even to the point of death??

I believe this is due to the 144,000 Jews…and the 2 Prophets…who God uses to spread the truth to the world!

The 144,000 are foretold in Revelation 7:1-8.…and the 2 Witnesses are seen in Revelation 11:3.

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; 6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; 7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; 8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

I MUST believe that people will accept Christ due to the work and words of those proclaiming the truth throughout the world! There would simply be no reason for ANYONE to spread the Gospel unless there was the possibility that people would BELIEVE their message and choose to REJECT the Antichrist. Thus, those who accept the TRUTH that Jesus Christ WAS the Messiah and that He IS God will be making a declaration FOR Jesus…and their FAITH will be honored! BUT…they will be declaring their allegiance to Christ by offering their OWN LIVES to be martyred! Those of us who now live as BELIEVERS do so with VERY LITTLE persecution involved…in comparison to what these Tribulation “saints” will face. Even as those in other countries today KNOW they MAY face persecution and death for their profession of faith…those who turn to Jesus during the Tribulation period will be facing IMMINENT persecution and death! If you think it is hard to live for Jesus NOW…you have NO IDEA how hard it will be to even PROFESS Jesus during the Tribulation period! Sadly…it is a WONDERFUL reality that SOME will accept Jesus during that period of time…but their previous refusal to serve Jesus Christ now means they will face indescribable hardship, persecution, and pain! This is NOT something we would EVER desire to face!!

Does it APPEAR that a few may ESCAPE death before the SECOND COMING? Yes…it does. After the 7 year Tribulation period, we see the Antichrist and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). Jesus then sets up His Millennial Kingdom here on earth. Taking into account the totality of Scripture, it would appear that those who inhabit the earth at this time will be those who have SURVIVED the Tribulation period, having refused the “mark” of the “beast” as they declared their allegiance to Jesus Christ…not the Antichrist. Whether those who “rule and reign” with Jesus are the MARTYRS of that Tribulation period OR they are ALL BELIEVERS is debated…and I will not delve into that aspect here.
　

4. The One Who “restrains” being “taken out of the way”…allowing the “coming of the lawless one”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 NKJV 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

There are a several things to note regarding this passage which seems to point to a Pre-Trib “Rapture.”

1. We see that Jesus will not come until there is a “great falling away.”

2. Paul previously spoke to the Thessalonians that there was something “restraining” the coming of the “lawless one.”

3. The Antichrist will appear when the One Who is “restraining” is taken out of the way.

4. The Holy Spirit (God) is the One Who is “restraining.”

5. The Antichrist will come with “deception.”

6. Those left to be deceived are “those who perish”…those who “did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Some of those points are clear in the passage and they need no explanation. But…why do I say that the “retraining” force in all of this…the reason that the Antichrist is held in abeyance…is the Holy Spirit? It is actually very simple: From the Greek, the translators bring forth the words “He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” The significance? The word “He” is used twice. Note that the word is CAPITALIZED. The reason is the wording from the Greek text…as it denoted GOD. The only time the word “He” is capitalized in Scripture is when it refers to God…whether God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. And…since the time of Jesus on earth, the Holy Spirit has been the PRESENCE OF GOD here on earth. Further, we know that the Holy Spirit resides within BELIEVERS. Thus, if the Holy Spirit is to be “taken out of the way”…which will allow the Antichrist to then step forward…then the CHURCH…BELIEVERS…must be “taken out of the way.” This…I believe…is a reference to the “Rapture!”

This would make the entire passage fully understandable, as Paul noted that those left to be deceived are “those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” This is a reference to SALVATION by GRACE! Thus, we see that those left behind refused the grace of God which led to salvation. And…with the “Rapture” of the Church, the period of GRACE has come to an end…and God is soon to pour out His WRATH and JUDGMENT on the earth! Yet…again…God only does this to try ONE LAST TIME to turn the hearts of the UNREPENTANT to Him! Even as the people cry out in recognition that God is the One now JUDGING the earth…most will STILL refuse to turn to Him. At some point…God will simply allow them to believe a “strong delusion”, and their fate will be sealed forever!
5. The “Seventy ‘sevens’” as noted in Daniel 9:24, culminating in the 70th Week

This one last major reason for believing in a Pre-Trib “Rapture” of the Church is due to the “70 weeks” prophecy in the Book of Daniel. It is a heavily debated portion of Scripture. Thus…I would not hinge my belief in the “Rapture” on this one passage alone. But…with all the other things I have mentioned above, I do believe that the 70th week refers to the 7 year Tribulation period.

I do not want to delve into that deeply here for many reasons (length being the main issue…as this is lengthy enough already). But….from studying the passages in light of other portions of Scripture and combining it all with what I have stated in the above points, I believe that the 7 year Tribulation period ushers in the end of the Church era (for the reasons stated above) and God again places His focus on His “chosen people”…ISRAEL. As seen in the Bible, it is during these 7 years that the Jews will realize that they missed the Messiah when He came…as they have rejected Jesus as Christ and as the Son of God from the time of His crucifixion.

The Jews will have their eyes opened during the Tribulation period…and they will come to know Jesus…accepting Him as Messiah and Lord! With the totality of Scripture taken into account, I believe this is the most Biblical explanation of the 70th Week as mentioned in Daniel. Thus…I believe that it points to the Church being “Raptured” immediately before that 7 year period (the “70th Week)…leaving God to pour out His WRATH and JUDGMENT on the earth as He once again draws ISRAEL back to Him…just as He had to do several times in the Old Testament.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons above, I believe in a Pre-Trib “Rapture” of the Church…which is the LAST DAYS “remnant” who is presently alive on earth (Yes…I believe the “Rapture” is THAT imminent!)! I believe that Christians tend to forget that other Christians throughout history have lived and died for Christ…and that many only think in terms of this present generation. In so doing, we think it is ALL ABOUT US…but it ISN’T! People have served God down the through the ages…FAITHFULLY! We are NOT the only ones who served Jesus!

Actually…as the Bible describes the “last days”, we see that the generation which sees the “Rapture” and “Second Coming” of Jesus Christ will be an EVIL and PERVERSE generation! Oh…the Bible is FULL of passages which show that the last generation will be CORRUPT in every way! God’s Word says that the people will have “itching ears”…or…the “Tell us only what we want to hear!” syndrome. The last generation will “not endure sound doctrine”…and the “false teachers” and the “false prophets” will come in as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and as “angels of light.” Yet…these “seducers” will not care for the flock at all! Jesus called them “hirelings” in John 10...as He warned us that these men would come seeking their OWN GAIN…yet they will ABANDON the flock when the REAL WOLF comes in to “devour” them.

We see the Bible telling us “the love of many will wax cold”…as we see that many will “turn away from the faith”, heeding “doctrines of demons” and “fables” as they are brought into the Church “secretly”…and the “destructive heresies” lure the people AWAY from God. The “hirelings” will take everything they can from the flock…and “through covetousness” they will “make merchandise” of the Church!

Tell me:

Isn’t it amazing how God spoke so many words to be written approximately 2000 years ago…and those words PERFECTLY DESCRIBE the time in which we now live!

YES! I believe the Bible was pointing to this present generation…the generation of 2013! And…I believe the Bridegroom is about ready to call to His Bride…to receive Her unto Himself!

Can you hear it?!? Listen…I can almost hear the “trump of God”…and I hear the words of the messenger as he proclaims:

“BEHOLD! THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH!”

Are you ready to meet Him???