Abigail and Dolley is a record of the ponderings and interests of a Modern Woman. From faith, to hobbies, to political and social commentary; I share with you whatever is brewing around in my brain at the time. Thanks for reading!
Whenever I stumble upon a Christian writer, I try to determine early on what they believe, this is prudent. Here at Abigail and Dolley we believe in the inerrancy of the Scripture (Protestant), that the word of God is inspired and infallible, that all Scripture is useful in the teaching and reproofing of the people. We don't pick and choose which Scriptures we like, we take the Word as it was given to us. We are pretribulation Rapture dispensationalist and believe in a literal Second Coming and Millennial Reign. We believe in crucifixion of the flesh and reject the tenants of the Word of Faith heresy. We believe the age of Grace is rapidly coming to an end at that the Church will be called home to meet the Lord soon, from there a 7 year Tribulation will descend upon the World. Maranantha.
Wow, the last lunar eclipse has occurred and the scoffers have come out of the wood work. Pastor JD Farag used a quote a few weeks back that if you are going to be in ministry you must have "the mind of a scholar, the heart of a child, and the hide of a rhinoceros.”.
I need to work on the rhino part... Here at Abigail and Dolley someone commented that I talk about "The End of the World" and nobody really wants to think about that.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to weep and say, "If you've ever actually read my work, you would know that I've never written about the end of the world, ever."
If you've ever read my blog, you'd know that it is the Rapture we are looking for, not the end of the world.
If you've ever read the blog, you would know that I call out warnings as a watch man on the wall; Danger is approaching. What kind of person would I be if I see what I see and keep silent?
If you'd ever read my work, you would know that I have a terrible fear for those left behind and I've poured my heart and soul into every piece; all 400 of them.
If you'd actually ever looked at the posts you would know that I've never set a date, ever.
The sad thing is, that you won't read even this and after I'm gone Google will nuke this blog spot and what I was trying to say to you will be gone too. (For the record - it won't be the end of the world then either...)
In part one of this series, we discussed how we must take a different look at the Fall Feasts. Were the Fall Feast partially fulfilled at the First Coming? Are the Fall Feasts going to be completely fulfilled at the Second coming? Are the Feast of God truly only for the Jews and do not involve the church at all? Do we see Jesus celebrating the Feasts in the New Testament? These are all questions we are going to tackle in this series.
Let's start with Rosh Hashanah -
Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
We've written extensively about how Rosh Hashanah is the hidden day and how No Man Knows the Hour or the Day refers to the holiday. Did you know that Rosh Hashanah is the only Feast of the Lord that does not have an explicit reason for celebration? Isn't it interesting to contemplate that it may have had it's first fulfillment at Christ's first coming? What does the Old Testament tell us?
Old Testament Shadow:
For this text, we look at Nehemiah 8:1-9. The people have been regathered from Babylon, they have rebuilt the walls and the Priest Ezra reads the word of God to the people on Rosh Hashanah. We see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the people and they understand the word of God. Note that Ezra is facing the Water Gate, which represents the Water of Life, the Word of God is read and the people mourn - but the priest tells them not to mourn that this is a Holy Day.
Possible Prophetic fulfillment - could be when the priest read to the regathered Jews, that they have an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and they understand. Zechariah proclaims that one day the children of Israel will look upon the one they have pierced and weep for him as they would weep for the loss of an only son.
First Coming Fulfillment:
Consider Jack Kelley's work on Jesus' Birthday; by tracking the temple rotations of the priests established by King David and laid out in the Bible, we can surmise when John the Baptist was conceived. By using the Scripture on Elizabeth and Mary's visit we can extrapolate that Christ was born in the fall. (I encourage you to read the link above and then come back to the study.) Chuck Missler has also done this research and corroborate the findings.
Equally compelling, is the work that Rick Larson on the Star of Bethlehem and the possibility of a celestial sign in the Heavens of what could be the conception (or in corroboration of the above the birth) of Christ on Rosh Hashanah. (For Rick's amazing work, check out his presentation here.)
Jewish Tradition holds that Adam was created on Rosh Hashanah and the second day of the feast is the original Sabbath. If Jesus as the "Second Adam" (1 Corinthians 2:15) was also born or conceived on Rosh Hashanah is that not adequate fulfillment of the moedim? The birth of Messiah most assuredly qualifies as a miracle and satisfies the prophetic requirements of fulfilled prophecy.
Can you picture it? It's a cool night in Bethlehem, the temple shepherds (read What is So Special About Bethlehem) are in the fields. A few miles away, the priests are blowing the trumpets for Rosh Hashanah and the sky opens up and we read:
Luke 2:9-11 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour (Messiah!), which is Christ the Lord.
End Times:
Alternatively, for a Second Coming Fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets, look at Matthew 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Sign of the Son of man
(Many incorrectly teach this is a Rapture Scripture, many even teach a post tribulation Rapture based on the above, my position is firmly pre-tribulation so I won't go down that rabbit hole.) Given the extensive study we've done on the The Feast of Trumpets, the sign of the Son of man in Heaven can EASILY be attributed to Rosh Hashanah.
Who is not to say that each of the Feast Days is not met and marked more than once or twice? The exception of course being Passover, for the sacrifice and the work on the cross is once and for all time.
The Lord is not the author of confusion and I do not wish to muddy the water, but we must not be dogmatic in our beliefs about the fulfillment of the Feasts, nor the timing of them. What this blog is designed to do is simply look at the possibilities and the Scriptures. For me, I feel as if I've gone through a door and found a huge banquet laid before me, God's word, His prophecies, and a new study. Maranantha!
The Fall Feasts have been a subject of intense scrutiny and study for the last seven or eight years. We surmised that they were never intended for the Jew alone but were the Feast of God. We've learned that the Hebrew word used in "Feast" is moedim which means God's Divine Appointment. The hindsight of the fulfillment of the Spring Feasts by Jesus death and resurrection has stirred within the heart of believers the blessed hope of Jesus fulfillment of the Fall Feasts at his Second coming; starting with the Rapture on Rosh Hashanah. Abigail and Dolley readers know that I have been a deep researcher into this possibility and have written many blog posts on the subject. In light of the fact that we are still here, we must entertain the possibility that our hypothesis, while based in excellent research, was incorrect.
I have never been dogmatic regarding the theory of a Rosh Hashanah Rapture but it would be disingenuous to assert that I was not eagerly anticipating the 2015 Holiday. As if to prove that He will not be controlled or governed by what we want Him to do, He sent a huge dust storm over Israel which delayed the siting of the moon for two days.
Massive Dust Storm
The Great Dust Storm delay had a reverberating effect that threw the entire holiday season into confusion and speculation of the dates. The civic calendar was set but then the religious calendar went haywire! Was the festival one day or two, what time does it start, what day does it start? Did we have Elul 31? What happened to the world markets? What does this all mean?!? We have the last of the final blood moons on Sunday which kicks off the Feast of Tabernacles but even that is in question because of the delay in Rosh Hashanah! In all, for the Watchers on the Wall, this Fall Season has been gloriously stimulating, confounding, and exciting!
As Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur have come and gone, with all their trumpet blowing, we eagerly anticipate the last feast, Tabernacles. More important than that, and more profound we must conclude that the only sure Trumpet to be looking for is this one: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
With the convergence of signs and the birth pangs it would be more fool hearty of me to double down on the Rosh Hashanah Rapture Theory and insist that we must wait another year, another seven or another fifty... In some ways, I love that we were wrong! I love that His ways are higher than our ways, and we will eagerly anticipate the day when He will show us where in the Scripture He hid the prophecy! Maranantha!
The Rapture and the Tribulation:
From the moment of the Rapture, the Church will depart from the Earth and with it the age of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the great restrainer (2 Thessalonians 2:7). This will usher in a period of time where the Lord God will once again deal directly with Israel through signs, wonders, and judgement. Through the Tribulation, God will speak and work just as He did throughout the Old Testament. Believers will once again, hold tight to their salvation, for they will not be indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Faith comes by hearing (not seeing). It does not take much faith when angels are flying overhead and speaking to the inhabitants of the earth, when demonic forces are tormenting and being released from the bottomless pit; when supernatural prophecy is coming true right in front of your eyes, that is seeing not faith.
Tribulation Saints are exhorted several times to remain faithful and keep the Commandments to the end so they do not lose their salvation. They will be given a portion of the Holy Spirit but will have to be obedient and faithful to retain their position. (I invite you to study the subject of Post Church Salvation by Jack Kelley) These are the Bridesmaids in the Parable, all are given a measure of oil (the Holy Spirit) at the time of their salvation but they did not endure to the Second Coming.
Keep in mind, that the Tribulation is God's dealing directly with Israel. What happens to the rest of the world is secondary, the age of the Gentiles will be finished and they are once again outside of the focus of the Lord. That's another harsh truth to the replacement theology folks but one needs only to read the words to discover it is truth.
The Millennium:
The Millennial Kingdom is ushered in when the Lord descends from Heaven and touches down on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14). The Tribulation Martyrs come back with the Lord, I believe they are the army he brings back with Him in Revelation 19:14. He will set up His Kingdom here on Earth, abiding in the Jerusalem Temple. There will be no prophets during this time, (Zechariah 13:3) for the Lord will deal directly with the people. They will worship him with a shadow of Old Testament sacrifice as indicated in Ezekiel 45-46. The Tribulation Martyrs will serve in the new Temple (Rev. 7:14-15) and rule with the Lord on the Earth during the Millennial reign (Rev. 20:4-6).
If you'd like to explore this subject in depth, I'd invite you to look at the Millennial Bible Study in the above tab.
Exodus 33:20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
Exodus 19:18: Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
Fire Lion
Revelation 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Psalm 97:2 Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes.
4 His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
Below is a clip of my church singing Psalm 97, the Lord reigns (I will look for a more truncated video of the song but for now, it's the first song).
Many years ago, we were flying high after a rousing version of the Lord Reigns and Pastor Livingston gave a sermon about God's holiness. We'd "get happy" singing this but had we ever stopped to consider the words? Had we ever considered what the mountains melt like wax in the presence of the Lord means? I must confess, I was convicted into my seat, convicted to the soles of my feet.
We do not understand a Holy God, a God of Fire and Wrath, the Living God. We have been fed such a diet of God's love and grace that we do not recognize the Holiness. We call God our buddy, our friend, our Papa... we have no reverence, no fear, and no concept of who He is.
If we dare to assert that God will judge - it is WE who are accused of being judgmental. If we insist on decorum and reverence in worship - it is WE who are uptight and stiff. If we repeat what the Lord says about sin, death, and hell - WE are accused of being hateful. All these things are from the church, not the lost.
I am guilty. I try to put God in my pocket. I am comfortable with a tame God that I think I can understand but He reminded me today, that He is Holy, He is Righteous, and His ways are higher than our ways.
Revelation 19:7-9: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
A Bride
Twenty years ago, I was counting down to my wedding. All of the preparation, time, decisions it was all coming to fruition. As the days approached, in some ways it felt unreal; a much anticipated event that was finally upon us. The family and friends arrived from out of town, I took off from work, I scuttled around doing all the last minutes items and then about 48 hours before I walked down the aisle I stopped.
I stopped working and fretting and planning - if it was going to get done, it was done and if it hadn't been done it wasn't going to get done, then that was just fine. There was a point where I had to stop being in charge, that I had to let others handle what needed to be handled. I paused and looked around. 90% of the people that loved me in the whole world were there, they were there for me, and if there were things to be done, well what better group of people to rely on?
It's the subtle shift where everything that has been planned to that day is focused on the guest; I paid very little attention to our needs, accommodations, and comforts. In many ways, it was like planning a party - the hostess does not plan a party so she can enjoy herself. Standing at the altar, it came crashing in on me that this was not a party.
This was a wedding and that is something entirely different.
At the Altar
That moment, I realized what it meant to stand at that altar, where I received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and ask God to join us as husband and wife. As I closed my eyes, I welcomed a guest whom I had forgotten to invite. He was there. His presence was weighty, I nearly wept.
I praise You now Lord, that you were invited into this marriage and You have stayed. I eagerly anticipate the day when I am once again dressed in white celebrating the Marriage of the Lamb.
Come Lord Jesus.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26: 10 of 10
Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10
American Idol - Day 28: 10 of 10
This Present Darkness - Day 29: 10 of 10
The Bride - Day 30: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 272 out of 300 or 90.66%
Ephesians 6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
Brothers and Sisters, read that Scripture again... let it wash over you. I know that you know it, but hear it again. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
For this reason... what reason? Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
To stand - having done all you can, in the end to be standing.
As believers surrounded by the darkness, it can be easy to forget your armor or worse to don the chains the of the enemy (if you missed it, read Counter Terrorism in the Spiritual Realm).
I used the New American Standard because I love the phrase, This Present Darkness. I loved Peretti's classic book by the same name, it changed my life. Faced with overwhelming obstacles the heroes in the story prayed, fought, and clung to the Lord for the victory. We fear today that there will be no such victory....
The Watchers on the Wall are tired; hoarse from beseeching a world that no longer hears, fighting an enemy whose time has come, and tamping down a desire so fierce just to be done. All the while going about 8-5 life like tomorrow is going to matter and being afraid that it actually does. Simultaneously realizing that we could very easily be out of here in the twinkling of an eye but knowing that for 2000 years the bride has been waiting.
To Stand
So if October 1st rolls around and we are still here... well, we'll just pick each other up, brush each other off, and stand.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26: 10 of 10
Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10
American Idol - Day 28: 10 of 10
This Present Darkness - Day 29: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 262 out of 290 or 90.34%
Exodus 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Today is 9/11, my fellow Americans will commemorate this day with melancholy and sadness, In some ways it was yesterday, in others it was two lifetimes ago. Readers of The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn will perhaps look at this solemn date with a bit more clarity than others. All of us knew in our hearts that the world changed that day but it is now abundantly clear in what regard. It was a shaking, a judgement, a warning.
Instead of turning to God and repenting, we doubled down on Patriotism. We elevated the idea of America to an Idol. We crossed our hearts to the flag and worshiped America to the National Anthem. (Disclaimer: I do not wish to dismiss any of those who perished or lost loved ones on 9/11 or in the years since serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have fiercely loved this country and am blessed beyond measure to have been born and raised here.)
I am as guilty as anyone, maybe more so. I ate up everything that David Barton of Wall Builders and Glenn Beck sold, I watched and supported the 9/12 Rallies, I marched and protest at Tea Party events across this region. My long term friends and readers will remember when Abigail and Dolley was a political blog, I was all in.... sold out for the cause. Then we elected Obama again and I was heart broken.
In the last three years, I have been like a wife who begins to see the dark side of Prince Charming. Behind the facade, behind the eyes, something is sinister. There is a slimy black ooze right under the wrinkled and cracked skin. Something is definitely rotten; to the core.
The Lord has revealed to His Church that we have put other gods before Him, we have made idols, and we have worshiped them all in the name of patriotism and love of country. JD Farag's July 5th update captured my feelings on this so well. He speaks of weeping all day, of feeling God removing his church from their love of this Nation and the sadness he felt.
Revelation 18 tells of her utter destruction, like Lot's wife, I still weep for her.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26: 10 of 10
Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10
American Idol - Day 28: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 252 out of 280 or 90%
I heard someone say yesterday that the baby's head is crowning. There is no turning back. The below was originally written in June 2015 and the destruction since then is unfathomable.
The break neck speed of world events is beyond the comprehension of man. The acceleration, since the last Blood Moon in April is staggering and those with eyes to see are dizzy with the warning of it. Like an evil funnel, the closer we get to the bottom the faster the time between catastrophes and the severity thereof. Let no man deceive you, we are on the precipice of judgement.
For the born again believer, these are exciting times for they signal the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are fearsome times for the rest of humanity; right at the door, destruction draws nigh. This downward spiral is a warning, a harbinger of judgement that will befall the world, and individual man.
God is merciful and it is His wish that no one should perish that all would come to faith in His Son and have ever lasting life but I have to tell you that He is also a God of utter righteousness. He is fearsome to behold, He is a God of Wrath, and a perfect Judge. In the Days of the Gospel of Love we have failed to understand or to teach that falling into the hands of the Living God without the covering of the Son's Blood is a terrible thing.
We have failed to tell unbelievers that they are enemies of God (Romans 5:10) and we fail to tell them that their eternal fate is choosing to send themselves to Hell. In our desire to woo them into the Kingdom we neglect the Outer Darkness, we have to warn not just woo.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26: 10 of 10
Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 242 out of 270 or 89.63%
Jesus writes to the church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-3) ...I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up!... But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Paul tells the true believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
The church at Sardis is nearly dead. At one point, the great reformation churches were the stalwarts of the faith, saving Christianity from the pits of Roman cruelty and apostasy... oh, how the mighty have fallen. There are a few left, those walking in white robes, going about God's business but half of them are dead. "They do not preach that you have to repent and be born again, instead they lull their members into a false sense of security that infant baptism and church membership will save them." (Jack Kelley)
Note, in the above Scriptures, the whole church is going to be surprised at the Rapture, because they do not teach it nor are they looking for the Lord's return. Paul tells the true believers that they will know the time of His coming, they will not be surprised, but the dead church will be shocked.
The Church of Sardis is Asleep
(Disclaimer - I am not picking on the Lutherans in the below. I was raised, got saved and was married in a Lutheran church, and have many family members and friends who still belong. Lutheran World Relief is a great organization and I agree with much of the Missouri Synod's doctrine. I think they do a good job with kids. Lutheranianism is used to symbolize the reformation main line churches.)
A friend wrote to me this week and thanked me for one of the blog posts that had encouraged him. He said he'd been confronted by someone his Father would have called a "1938 German Lutheran". Ouch! We are living in a day and time when the main line churches are again failing in an epic fashion. The church at Sardis will be completely shocked at His coming, the sad thing is that half of them will be left behind because they were never truly saved.
The entire Birth Pangs series has been designed to wake up the dead, dying, and apostate church; alas, in their slumber they would not even bother to read these posts. Unlike the Laodicean church, who despises the Philadelphia church, the church at Sardis does not take much notice locked into a false sense of security and relying on past greatness to carry them through.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 232 out of 260 or 89.23%
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying , I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Frankly, this Scripture has always bugged me. There aren't fake Jesus' coming out of the woodwork; you hear of crackpot cult leaders but "many"? Being a fake Jesus's would be pretty hard to pull off, right? What if that is not what we should be looking for? What if these men Jesus was referring to did not really pretend to be Him? What if they claimed that they had magic cave revelations like Mohammed, Joseph Smith, and Ignatius Loyola (founder of the Jesuits)? What if they claimed by church authority to BE Jesus, would that fulfill this prophecy? If taken in order this is the first one to be fulfilled, thus it is an ancient prophecy and an ancient fulfillment so we have to stop applying our 21st Century mind set to it.
The fact is, beginning with the official establishment of the Roman Catholic church in the 3rd Century, the evil reign of terror began. To see how the Apostolic Church was highjacked, watch this video from the Fuel Project.
I highly recommend the entire series, "Know Your Enemy", they start in the Garden of Eden and weave history through the lens of God's divine plan and Satan's age old desire to thwart it.
Thus, it is from a long term perspective that we see "False Teachers" have taken over the world. Islam, Mormons, Catholics, Buddhist, Hindus - all works based religions fall into this category. We don't have to go looking for a long haired crazy man in the Montana Mountains claiming to be Christ, we just need to drive down the streets of every city in the world to find temples set up to false prophets.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 222 out of 250 or 88.8%
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Modern Anti-Semitism
And thus, the source of the hatred of the Jews, spoken to Satan in the Garden of Eden. One can always find tell tale Satanic activity wherever there is violent and virulent hatred of the Jews. From a practical perspective it's a pretty easy and quick way to gauge where somebody's heart is or where the organization is coming from. Take a minute and watch Gary's update, keep in mind that at some point the church is going to be taken out and the Jews will no nation on Earth to call friend.
So, if this global house of cards comes tumbling down like so many believe the Devil is already setting the Jews up for the fall.
One day back in March when I was frantically writing down all the revelations on the Millenium (see the above tab for the study, it is the best work on this blog), the Lord gave me a word: "Israel must lose all of her friends, that is the only way she will ever turn back to me." Can you hear the longing in His voice? I could and soon so will they.
Rapture Index Scores:
Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23: 10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24: 9 of 10
Rapture Index Total to date: 212 out of 240 or 88.33%
We read about the last days faithful church in Revelation 3:7-13, I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Unlike the Laodiceans, who are rich and powerful, this pitiful church is barely hanging on. Everybody hates them and nobody hates them more than the Laodiceans. The Philadelphia church is everything to be despised, they believe in the whole bible, they preach sin, they tell people they are going to hell if they aren't saved, they live their godly little pious lives and the Laodiceans hate them for it. If you don't believe me, listen to this Laodicean currently spreading this filth in my home town (the silly voice is dubbed so he is not able to sway you with his cunning words and style, but the words are verbatim):
Even my Christian friends will post rubbish like this, the most recent example was something that I saw on a facebook feed this morning about bar stools in church. The Holy Spirit inside of me had a tantrum over it. I want you to watch it, not from a "Yeah, God is love stand point" but from a perspective of this man is tearing down the faithful church, This man offers no hope or salvation for the sinner. This man wants to make the guy who is comfortable in a bar comfortable in his church. Something is wrong with that! There are plenty of bars, I've been to my share, I want to go to a house of God to worship, I want to be convicted of my sins, I want to change and move from glory to glory - I want off the bar stool! This "preacher's" half version of Jesus (only the love half) will never convict the man, it will never tell the man that it wasn't the people's judgement he felt, it was the Holy Spirit of God convicting him but the Laodiceans will never convict, except the church of Philadelphia, who are honestly the only people they don't want in their churches.
Makes a difference putting those hearing aids doesn't it? Did you hear, the pastor wanted the sinner to feel joy and happiness in his sin. The world has enough bar stools, we need some nice, hard, sturdy, upright church pews. Derek Webb's classic song, Nobody Loves Me, is a perfect illustration for the beat up, powerless, and much maligned Church of Philadelphia. It is of note that this church, well this church is the only one that Jesus did not rebuke. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.
Lovers of Self - Day 1 - Rapture Index Score: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5 - Rapture Index Score: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17 - Rapture Index Score: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Mark 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Earthquakes - in the Greek the word is Seismos, which means shaking, commotion, a tempest, an earthquake. The biblical rule of "first use" says that the first time a word is used in Scripture is important for establishing the meaning hereafter. It's used the first time in Matthew 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Earthquake statistics are hard to gather and compile because the rate and acceleration of occurrences is so exponential that they can not use the old measuring tools - it would show a pattern that even a moron could understand. The USGS has stopped keeping this chart, it would alarm the public if they were to put this out in a twitter style graphic. You can see for yourself that up until 2000 earthquakes over 6.0 remained infrequent around 6 per year. From 1/1/14 through 9/2/15, there have been 244 earthquakes over 6.0. (Pull your own stats here).
At an average of 6 per year during the 20th century, in 21 months we have had 40 years worth of Earthquakes. That is mind numbing... never forget there are real human costs, real lives, real losses.
Lovers of Self - Day 1 - Rapture Index Score: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5 - Rapture Index Score: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17 - Rapture Index Score: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Revelation 3:16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth!
The Laodicean church... ugghh. I have written a couple of articles on this last church, they make me sneer but the Lord holds a much stronger opinion of them, he says they make him want to vomit. Think about that for a second, what do you feel like right before you throw up? Is it a nice feeling? Is that a feeling you want to inspire in your future husband on your wedding eve?
A bridegroom who is ready to puke at his bride might have some serious second thoughts about the relationship, do you feel safe and secure in your covenant with Him? If you don't, I have to tell you, that is a "you" problem, not a Jesus problem and you better get right with the Lord, because he is coming back soon. Now there are those who have come out of works based teachings (i.e. Catholics) that will never quite "feel" saved and must constantly be reassured... I'm not talking about you... (For the record I fall firmly in the camp of "once saved always saved" but this isn't a blog about that.)
Each individual knows in their heart whether they have made a true exchange with the Lord, what I am asking you to do is examine your own heart and your relationship with Him. If you have doubts, pray - ask Him to make himself real, ask Him to touch you, ask Him again to save you. Confess your sins, stop sinning, and you will find favor with the Lord. Best of all, He won't want to puke when He looks at you.
Lovers of Self - Day 1 - Rapture Index Score: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5 - Rapture Index Score: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17 - Rapture Index Score: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit - Day 21 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
People today, don't like this absolute. Everything is gray in their worlds and in their minds, there is always an exception. They proclaim there is not absolute truth, ironically the statement itself, in order to be true, has to be absolutely true. The bible says that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways (James 1:8). Because I insist on believing Scripture as it is written, I get called all sorts of names: rigid, intolerant, bigot, conservative, religious, hateful... Periodically, I will engage other professing Christians - these are actual things people have said to me:
"I believe there are many paths to God. I chose Jesus as mine but you can't say that Tibetan Monks or Mormons, who are better people than most Christians, are going to hell."
"I took Jesus as an insurance policy."
"I accepted Christ on my own terms."
We don't set ourselves up as the arbiter of anyone's salvation, but I'd say hedging your bets in this instance is not going to cut it. When I was a kid, I loved to dive - one thing I learned is that you could not do a dive half way, that was how you got really hurt. Salvation and faith in Christ is the same way, if you try and go half way you are doomed.
Diving Fail
Elvis Presley wore a cross, a star of David, and the Hebrew letter chi. He explained his jewelry choices as follows: “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality.“ (source)
Here's the truth - you can't BS your way into Heaven. You either are or you are not. If you are not sure, please follow this link.
Thessalonian 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, In this passage, Paul reveals to us that in the last days lawlessness would increase and would do so until the church is removed at the Rapture.
Lawlessness, Iniquity, Wickedness, in contempt and violation of the law - the Greek word Anomia is first used in Matthew and is, in my opinion, one of the scariest passagess in the Bible:
Matthew 7:21- 23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them *, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There is that word again... never forget that the Lord is the author of the law. He is the creator of the law and He abides by His own laws. He sacrificed His only Son in compliance of the Law, this is serious business before the Holy One of Israel.
We do not have to look far to find evidence of lawlessness. None so heart breaking as the senseless murder of police officers.
Our prayers and sympathies go out to the families of those who have lost their lives but also the spouses, parents, and children who kiss their loved ones goodbye and worry... For these men and women put their lives on the line everyday, the thin blue line... this is who we used to be...
This is who we are now:
Lovers of Self - Day 1 - Rapture Index Score: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4 - Rapture Index Score: 8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5 - Rapture Index Score: 9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6 - Rapture Index Score: 7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 1
Vexed Souls - Day 8 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Greed -Day 9 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Famine - Day 10 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12 - Rapture Index Score: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17 - Rapture Index Score: 7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18 - Rapture Index Score: 8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19 - Rapture Index Score: 9 of 10
Total to date: 164 out of 190 or 86.31%
Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven." Luke 10:18 and "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" John 10:10.
Be sober-minded; watch. Your adversary the devil prowls about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour, 1 Peter 5:8.
Revelation 12:12 ... But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Brothers and Sisters, the enemy does indeed know his time is short. He was there when Adam fell, he knows when his lease on this planet is up, many believe the Scroll in the Seal Judgments (Revelation 5:9) is the very document. Thus, if even we humans know the Devil's time is short, how much more does he?
As such, we can expect, from Scripture a heightened activity in the demonic realm as this age draws to a close. One area in particular that has struck me is the number of demonic inspired "deliverance" that have been in the news recently. Morgan Freeman's granddaughter was murdered by a man claiming to try and save her from a demon. A Canadian man kills his ex-girlfriend claiming she was possessed by a demon. A NC woman is arrested after police find her relative unconscious and her claiming to be a higher power who was performing a deliverance. This is an every day occurrence these days.
Clear thinking, rational people recognize that the demons were possessing someone all right but in these cases it was the perpetrators, not the victims. Before 2011, I would have scoffed at these murders; but I have an empathy and an understanding now. Several times in the last few years, I have been horribly attacked, tormented, and oppressed. The Lord has let Satan sift me like wheat. It is only when I have come through the trial that I realize what it was and am restored. I am always quite disappointed with myself for not having recognized what was wrong at the time, but the enemy is crafty and has been at this longer than I. Furthermore, the Lord uses those times of fire to purify us, to teach us, and because He is sovereign He has His reasons and His purposes. (John Eckhart of Charisma Magazine has a fantastic article on the subject that rang true to my experiences, if you are interested in the subject here is a link.)
What these highly publicized cases serve to do though, is cast a shadow over deliverance ministries and deliverance ministers. People seeking help, relatives desperate for loved ones, will be less inclined to get the help they need and THAT serves the kingdom of darkness. As the time of the end draws closer, the increase in demonic activity will manifest. The veil between the natural and the supernatural becomes thinner by the day.
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