Why Can't I Move a Mountain?

As a very small child, I believed in "magic".  There was no line between the natural and the supernatural.  In my basement playroom, the black and white TV perched on a rolling metal cart showed me Jeannie and Samantha and of course, I wanted to be little Tabitha on Bewitched.  I'd make a grand entrance through the gold and brown plastic "jewels" that hung in the doorway. and escape to my secret hideaway in the corner that to the untrained eye was a blanket fort strewn between folding metal chairs.  Down here I went to Neverland and joined the flying children in Peter Pan. Some days, I'd go to Paris and listen to swinging Jazz with the Aristocats.  Then I'd head off to London and laugh with Uncle Arthur and Mary Poppins.  These grand adventures and tales of wonder spun from my Close and Play Record Player, I'd close my eyes and imagine!

Jesus with a Little Girl

My Bible picture books and Sunday School coloring pages told me the fabulous stories of Red Seas parting, giants slaying, and fire called down from Heaven.  Loved and adored by my strong Daddy, the pictures of Jesus surrounded by little children were as natural to me as breathing.  I was His and He was mine.

30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 27 The Return

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Rapture of the Church

John 14:1-4 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”

Isaiah 26:19-21 "Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21 For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
 “O death, where is your victory?
   "O death, where is your sting?”

The great hope of the church, the return of Christ for His Church.  Do you want to be among those that are taken to Heaven or will you take your chances down here?  Never doubt you have a choice.

Pray - I never wanted to come to you in fear but I also recognize that fear often motivates me to do the right thing.  I don't want to be left behind, Lord.  Save me today.

What Does the Bible Say is About to Happen?

My head swims from the catastrophic disasters, political scandals, and violence that has overtaken us; like a gleaming silver pinball crashing from bumper to bumper before plunging down the dead center of no return.

So what is coming?  Where are we headed?  What is the Timeline for Things to Come?

Our world no longer seems grounded and sane.  It is easy to get caught up in the noise and tumult.  Here is what is coming!

Birth Pangs - Wickedness Increases on the Earth (30 Days of Birth Pangs)

Isaiah 17 - The Utter Destruction of Damascus, which according to the headlines forms an unholy alliance between Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

Rapture - the gathering of the Church to be with Jesus.  Our Lord spoke of the Rapture to his beloved friends.  The Greatest Supernatural Event of the Modern Age (No One Knows the Hour or the Day)

Note:  Some Scholars will contend that Psalm 83 and the Prophecy of Elam can come before or after the Rapture, I tend to believe it will be after.  There are still many Christians in the Middle East and it is estimated as many as 3 million Christians hiding in Iran.  The Lord is merciful and no group of Christians alive today are experiencing the persecution that our brothers and sisters are at the hands of ISIS and terror groups in Norther Africa, so before the wrath of God is poured out on the Earth, He will rescue His Church.

Psalm 83 Map

Psalm 83 - where Israel's immediate neighbors attack

Prophecy of Elam's (part of Iran) Destruction Jeremiah 49:34–39 coupled with Ezekiel 38 this is double trouble and punishment for Iran.  This is nuclear disaster for them.

Anti-Christ comes on the scene - One has always been ready.

Indwelled By Satan the Anti-Christ Will Be Beautiful

Ezekiel 38-39 War - A massive coordinated attack by Iran, Russia, and Turkey on Israel.  The direct intervention of the God of Israel results in a massive defeat of the attackers.

Because of the Miraculous deliverance by the Lord in the Ezekiel war, those that are dispursed across the globe will make their final regathering in Israel.

The reawakened Israel will demand a new Temple which will be the Tribulation Temple

Anti-Christ comes to power

Israel signs the peace treaty with the Anti-Christ

The 70th week begins - 7 year Tribulation Begins

While we may feel like we are indeed in pinball game, things are going along perfectly.  The Lord works in patterns, He holds to timelines, He is not random - from the foundations of Creation, His orderliness is observable.  From the precision math demonstrated in the tilt of the Earth, the distance from the sun, the size and orbit of the moon, to the subatomic structures of all atoms - we see His hand.  He also does not operate in secret, a retrospective study of Scripture reveals that He has always told us what is to come, always.  There are types and shadows and prophetic warnings throughout Scripture that only a backward glance reveals their truth.  Since He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow - it should come as no surprise that He has laid out for us the pattern and timing of his coming.

Open your eyes - He is coming.  

Jubilee 2016 - What We Might Have Missed

Elevated Watch 2016

I love this time of year.  While we are told to be ever vigilant and wait for the Lord's return with hope and eager expectation; I look forward to the Fall Feasts like poor kid yearns for Christmas.  When the relentless grip of Summer seems to loosen just a glimmer, when the evening light dims earlier, when circled dates on the calendar  move ever closer - Oh, the anticipation!

I'll look up in the sky and whisper a prayer, "Come quickly, Lord.  I'm ready to go!"  I, along with millions of other Watchers, anticipated the 2015 Fall Season with fervent and hopeful expectations.  It would be disingenuous to say that we weren't on the highest watch of our lifetime, so when October 5th rolled around and we were still here, well we just went kept going and kept looking up.

Blowing of the Shofar

One area that I've seen very little discussion on is the fact that 2015-2016 is a jubilee year.  After months of deliberation, the Sanhedrin declared it so in July 2016 (source).  Since the law of jubilee is very specific, it has not been celebrated in the land of Israel since the Second Temple was destroyed in 70AD.  The Bible declares the ultimate Shemitah and nobody is talking about it.

For those of you not familiar with jubilee, here's a quick explanation:

Well, 49 is a derivative of 7 which we know is God's number of completeness
We know that every 7 years there is declared a Sabbatical year
49 years is 7 Sabbatical years
49 years follows a 50th year, which is the year of Jubilee

If you are unfamiliar with the Sabbath year, it is outlined in Leviticus 25:3-4.  (Johnathan Cahn and many other scholars have written extensively about this, check out this video if you are unfamiliar).

The Jubilee is ordained by God in Leviticus 25:8-10 and is ushered in on the Day of Atonement with the blowing of shofars throughout your land.   It is a sacred year where not only are the debts forgiven but slaves are freed and the land is returned to the original tribes. 
The Jubilee is about regathering the scattered people and restoring the original territory that God gave to Israel.  Prophetically, this will occur at the destruction of the forces that come against Israel in Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39.

(Check out this video for more about the Jubilee)

The world was captivated by The Harbinger and the cycle of Shemitah's that Jonathon Cahn revealed in his groundbreaking book.  The eagerly anticipated Shemitah of 2015 failed to materialize into anything of significance, unlike the previous two, and thus the law of the Shemitah was dismissed as hype and hoax but what if we were wrong?

What if, because this is a jubilee year, the judgment of the Shemitah was forestalled a year?  Wouldn't it be just like the Lord to have something hidden?  The markets are jittery (as they should be), we're living in a global house of cards and I believe only the sustaining and merciful hand of the Almighty keeps us all from descending into Venezuela Style meltdown.

American Pie - An American Prophecy

My college car did not have Air Conditioning, which is fine for the temperate North Carolina mountains but makes for an uncomfortable afternoon commute in Charlotte.  One August day in 1990, I was baking in the asphalt oven, traffic was gridlocked, and my nerves were frayed.  On a whim, I pulled into a restaurant.  Never one to eat by myself, I did not have a book or a cell phone to keep me occupied but the booth was cool and dinning room empty so I settled in patiently anticipating my burrito el grande.

1980 Honda Accord - Air Conditioning Optional

In the quiet, the opening strum of American Pie came over the speakers.  I smiled, as does anyone who grew up in a time when radio stations would actually play an 8:40 song.  My American Pie story is of being a 4 year old with a ruptured appendix being rushed to the hospital while singing the chorus.  I still remember laying down in the back seat and my Mother admonishing me to please pick another song.  I didn't understand why it upset her and it hurt less when I sang.

Anyway, back to the Mexican restaurant:  As I sat there I heard the song for the first time.  Notions of the Rapture and the End Times were a concept that I had the briefest acquaintance and then only because my Dad had begun his journey into eschatology.  I was finishing my burrito as Don was finishing his song and it struck me that this song was about America after the Rapture.  I was stunned.  I remember mentioning it to my Dad later and his warm brown eyes caught that look, the one he got when I would get on his level spiritually and feed him a nugget.  Oh Lord, I miss that look.

So in honor of Dad, who loved prophecy (and pie, by the way), and in honor of Mom who didn't wreck the car on the way to the ER all those years ago, and July 4th, 2015 let's break down American Pie from a Prophetic view point.

Conservatives Will be the First to Go

Revelation Chapter 13 chronicles the rise of the False Prophet and the Antichrist, who are given their power by the great Dragon, Satan.  We read that this evil trinity will impose a mark on the world.  No one will be able to buy or sell anything lest they carry this mark.  Such a worldwide system of control was not technologically possible until now.  Make no mistake friend, the time is short, and the Tribulation is at the door.

The machinations of the US government in terms of spying are unprecedented.  They have built massive data collection sites,  where the NSA is storing trillions of kilobytes of Data.  They are monitoring and cataloging every key stroke you make, every word you say on social media, even conversations that you hold in your home can be recorded via microphones in computers, smart TVs and smartphones.  They have the ability to watch you via your laptop camera.  Your phone calls home to your wife are being recorded.  They are cataloging your web photos for facial recognition.  They are determining which businesses are approved and starving the ones who don't fall in line with their master plan by pressuring banks to drop the accounts.  US Police are no longer required to protect and serve but instead must enforce the law.  The National Guard has had helicopters confiscated and put into federal control.  Free speech is under worldwide attack and men no longer tolerate biblical and moral teachings.  We could go on for hundreds of pages, all sited and documented, but the stage is set.

The last kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has not yet come to pass, the feet of clay and iron with ten toes.  We see these ten kingdoms in Revelation 12 and Revelation 13.  The great harlot of Revelation 17 is the last great false religion and is represented by a woman riding on the beast.  This image currently resides outside of the EU Parliament Building in Strasbourg, FR.

The blind public will read the above with a ho hum.  This is obvious, as all of the above are not a blip on the radar.  The enemy is before you but the game is on and the wife just came in with KFC, so who cares?  These blind dupes will cheer with joy at the ascension of the Man of Perdition, who has come to save the World.  They will gladly line up to take their microchip, they are as like lemmings over a cliff.

The church will be gone.  The Great Restrainer will be caught up in the air with Christ and the man of lawlessness shall be revealed.  Those who have heard the Gospel and rejected it will be given a powerful delusion and believe the Antichrist.

What of my conservative friends, my Tea Party Patriots, who love what the US used to be and have worked tirelessly and futility to put things right?  You have already been demonized.  The Left calls you all sorts of vile names designed to marginalize you and they have succeeded brilliantly. Make no mistake, if you are a conservative that is not a Christian, you will be the first to go.  They have your name, they have your face, they have your bank account, they know you friends, they monitor your car by its GPS, the listen to your calls, they will control your job and you will be an enemy of the state.  The independent patriotic fervor that you hold may prevent you from accepting the new world order but your life here on this Earth will be in immediate peril and you will be hunted and killed like an animal.

I do not write these words lightly but I write them in obedience for it is clearly written what is coming, it is clearly demonstrated in the signs of the times.  I weep for you if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, it is written that God wishes all to be saved and has provided a way for you to avoid the trial to come and to not be present at the Final Judgement.  For there will be no where for you to hide on that terrible day but know this that every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  You can do it now or you will do it later, your choice.

(Author's Note - Originally Published on 3/1/2014 - please comment below if some of the links are broken.)

Psalm 14 - A Post Rapture Prophecy

I was researching Knowing So Much That Isn't True earlier this week and happened upon Psalm 14 and believe it to be a Psalm about the post Rapture World and the Lord looking at the retched remains of humanity.

1 Godless fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They do disgusting things. There is no one who does good things. (There is none that does good is an indication that the church is gone, while not perfect, the church is the righteousness of Christ and we are not viewed with human eyes but through the shed blood of Christ.  It is also not likely that this is an Old Testament prophecy because God always keeps a remnant (Romans 11:4-5)).

Corrupt Minds

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on Adam's descendants to see if there is anyone who acts wisely, if there is anyone who seeks help from God. (It is significant that the Sons of Adam are who the Jehovah God is looking at, not the Sons of Abraham, again, this is a world devoid of the church.)

3 Everyone has turned away. Together they have become rotten to the core. No one, not even one person, does good things. (A world where every single righteous person has been removed and only the wicked remain, is a world described in the Judgments of God that we read of in Daniel, Revelation, and Zechariah.)

4 Are all those troublemakers, those who devour my people as if they were devouring food, so ignorant that they do not call on the LORD? (I could not help but picture John Kerry and Barack Obama in my mind as I read this passage.  Fools who do not seek counsel from the Lord and seek to devour Israel.)

Wicked World Leaders

5 There they are--panic-stricken because God is with the person who is righteous. (They begin to realize that danger they are in without God and the godly and panic.)

6 They put the advice of oppressed people to shame because the LORD is their refuge. (This speaks to the leaders of Israel not listening to those who come to faith in Messiah during the Tribulation.)

7 If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice. Israel will be glad. (Israel was always intended to bring salvation to the Nations, only during the Millennium will this occur.)

Dreams of a Dying Church

I dreamed last night that I was dying.

I was in a hospital bed and the doctors told me that I could no longer live without life support and asked if I wanted to turn off the machines.  I told them I was not afraid to die and to turn off the life support.  I expected to immediately die and when I did not I complained that there was too much pain, I needed something to take the pain away.

I lay there for a while waiting to die but realized that I did not want to die in a hospital, so I went to the movies.  I sat in a chair and waited to die and while I felt my body fading, I was still alive.  I went to the restroom and it was the filthiest locker room you've ever seen, water leaking everywhere, rusted faucets, men and women together.  I did not want to die in there.

I went to the beach and after walking along the sand went to my hotel that was on the second row.  Standing in the parking lot with other people someone screamed and pointed to the sky.  There was a giant red apartment building flying through the sky and landed in the ocean.  As people screamed and cried, a large concrete hotel on the first row collapsed.  I'd been near it just moments before.  Then a small building that looked similar to the one I was at flew over our heads and landed with a thud.  The people in the building exited like commuters at a crowded subway platform.  They were safe while all around us was chaos.

Interpretation - it is the true Christian that feels like the church is dying with the world.  Many congregations are old and ineffective, many are on life support.  The body of Christ is not afraid of the Rapture but living in the Last Days hurts more than we expected.  The movie theater and the bathrooms represent the culture wars and Christian faith trying to die in those places.  The flying buildings are judgement and the tribulation to come.  The small second class hotels represent the ineffective and poor church that is Raptured by the Lord.

I Can Not Believe We Are Still Here

I must repeat that phrase five times a week.  "I can't believe we are still here."  When this life becomes absurd, we will shake our heads in wonder, look up to the sky and sigh.

Largely, we've become numb to the craziness surrounding us, we don't process earthquakes, famine, or super storms.  We've stopped being shocked by falling meteors, groaning earth sounds, or strange cities appearing in the Chinese sky.  UFO's are passe.

Ghost City in China

The absolute insanity of the culture does not even phase us.  Idea of gender fluidity is so sick and twisted it can only come from the pits of hell.  Yet society feels Christians are the ones with the problem because we recognize the mental illness behind such a thing.

A devout Communist is running for President and the lost among us flock to his rallies.  What has become of us?

The moral compass is spinning out of control.  Since the secular have no firm foundation for right and wrong, the whims of society dictate their thoughts and feeling; they are becoming more and more deranged.  They tolerate no opposing views or speech and react with violence and bullying if you dare to disagree.

Violent Left Wing Mobs

All of the dominoes are lined up for the fulfillment of prophecy, everything.  Look at the 30 Days of Birth Pangs from August/September 2015, these things haven't stopped, they've accelerated.  Yet we remain.  

The underpinnings of the Tribulation are everywhere:

The war on cash sets up the Anti-Christ's system of economic control (Revelation 13:17)
The war on gender fits in with Satan's hatred of humans as God's imagers (Genesis 1:26)
The normalization of LGBT behavior with elevate the Anti-Christ as he is described as not having a desire for women (Daniel 11:37)
The merging of world religions have begun in earnest (Revelation 13:15 and Revelation 14:9)

Interfaith - Chrislam

The destruction of Syria is right before our eyes (Isaiah 17:1)

Damascus in Rubble

In the end, we must abide and hold the faith.  We must remember that God is not slow in keeping his promises but is patient and wanting all to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9).

Coping in a Lost and Dying World

Abigail and Dolley readers my news feed posts are disturbing.  Terrorism, lawlessness, disasters, corruption, scandal is all daily fare.  I am old enough to remember when each of these things could dominate the news cycle for weeks at a time, today if they last more than a day they are epic.  As the days approached to the Fall Feasts in 2015, I coped very well.  I figured this is what is prophesied and we just had to hold out a bit longer and then we'd be out of here!  It's January 1st, 2016 and we are still here but the world is even crazier.  So how do God's people keep encouraged during the approach of the darkest times in world history?

We have to fellowship with one another; now you have to find like minded people (which is a post in and of itself) to share with.  I have a couple of discussion groups that I belong to and appreciate their support and encouragement.  If you can find a local church that supports you and feeds you, even better.

Turn off for a while; stay off the computer, stay off facebook, turn off the news.  The truth is that the world is rapidly declining, there is nothing you can do about it in the macro so do not fill your mind and your spirit with troubling images day after day.

Stay in the Word, stay in prayer, and keep letting your friends and neighbors know the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Keep doing what you have been called to do, He is faithful.  Trust Him, trust the Word, He IS coming.  Maranantha.

We Are Still Here...

For the first time in two years, I don't have a count down clock.  There is not a bright red date on my calendar that I am anticipating. Everything we were watching for in September happened, except the thing we were really watching for... Daily, I lament to my husband, "I can't believe we are still here!"  I'm not alone.

Looking Up in Bewilderment

I know of no one who was led by the Holy Spirit that there was a certainty.  In the months leading up to September, I'd call out to the Lord for confirmation and I never got it.  The best I got was, "Discern the times".  He is just bigger than we are and His ways are higher than ours.  So we move forward.  Surgeries are being scheduled.  Resumes are being written.  Houses are going on the market.  Fitness regimes are being resumed.  All of life's disruptive events that folks hoped they would not have to endure are back on.  Along with a profound sense of disappointment that we are indeed still here.

Day 29 of the Birth Pangs series, the Lord gave me a line that has echoed in my heart for weeks, "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."

Finally, we rest in the absolute conviction that we were not wrong.  Any fool can read the headlines and know that even though we are still here, He isn't far off.  As Jack Kelley was fond of saying, "You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah."  Maranantha, Friends.

The Doctrine of Imminent Return

As the final hours of the highly anticipated 2015 Fall Feasts draw to a close, it is inconceivable to think that the Lord will wait, a year, or seven, or fifty (another fall feast, another shemitah, another jubilee).  I have never been dogmatic about times and seasons; heightened awareness?  Oh, yes, for sure but dogmatic, no never.  As such, I am again adopting the doctrine of imminent return.   The blessed hope that we are to comfort each other with - the Lord is coming back and it could be today. Todd Strandberg of Rapture Ready has an excellent article, here's an excerpt, for the full article click here.

In doing some research on the doctrine of imminency, I noticed few people take the time to actually define what prophetic imminency means. First, let us look at the general definition of the key word "imminent:" "The quality or condition of being about to occur."

Imminency, as it relates to Bible prophecy, simply means that the return of Jesus Christ for the Church can happen at any moment. No warning signs will indicate a short-term countdown. We as Christians remain on alert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If a wife knows her husband normally gets home from work shortly after 4:00 PM, she knows that beginning at 4:00 PM, his arrival is imminent. If the woman knows her husband has to work overtime, the imminency of his 4:00 PM return is then in doubt.

The only way for the rapture to be truly imminent is to have it transpire before the tribulation. If the Church were required to wait until after the manifestation of certain events, then there would be no doctrine of imminency.

It's NOT the End of the World .... and I Never Said It Was

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...)

Talking to a Brick Wall

Hold on Tight - The Nature of Post Rapture Salvation

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.

A Letter for your Rapture Box

As the hour grows closer, many believers are putting together boxes and instructions for their friends and family left behind.  I'd like to share mine with you.  Please feel free to copy and paste to your loved ones.

Dear Friend,

Peace be with you.  If you are reading this, you will need that peace to carry you through what you are facing.  Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).  I pray for you:   “Lord, please comfort my Friend.  Please send your presence upon them now, please open their eyes and enable them to read and understand the words you have had me write.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

This letter is going to be the most straightforward and frank piece that I’ve ever written, for the time has passed for smooth words that cajole and coddle.  You are in dire straits and the words I am about to write are the only way to save your eternal soul.

I am sure that the world is spinning in chaos now with the disappearance of so many people.  Whatever you have heard, do not believe it.  Jesus has returned to take his Bride to Heaven and the much anticipated Rapture has occurred as was foretold in the Scriptures thousands of years ago.  

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we who are living, who are remaining over, together  with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52  lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed:

The world will have many stories; Satan and his minions will come with many lying signs and wonders, (2 Thessalonians 2:9) they have prepared for this hour since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden when they received the lease to planet Earth.  They are powerful beings and will amaze mankind with their tricks, Scripture says that if it were possible they would even fool the very elect.  They will have elaborate explanations as to where we have all gone.

First they will come under the green cloak of environmentalism.  They’ve been doing it for a number of years now.  There is probably some sort of ecological disaster coming and I surmise that the lie will involve “aliens”, who will claim they are the creators of life and gods.    They aren’t, they are fallen angels and demons.  They will claim first that the Christians were eliminated because we would have been a hindrance to the new reality, then they will claim to have taken the children to protect them from what is coming.  They have probably abducted many well established atheists to cover the fact that Scripture accurately predicts the Rapture.  These atheist will  be broadcasting “live” from some fake location, reassuring the inhabitants of planet earth that all is well. It is not and they are lying.  It is like the Truman Show, it’s staged.

False Christian teachers and Pastors will emphatically claim it is not the Rapture because they and their congregations are still here.  The Bible says that in the last days men will cry out to him claiming to have been his children and He will declare “Depart from me, I knew you not.”  Matthew 7:21-23  This was the apostate church that spewed lies and preached a gospel other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Stay away from them, they are agents of the devil.

The enemy will demonstrate power and spin false tales, they will claim they are the good guys, they are not.  A leader will emerge that will be the most amazing orator, peacemaker, and problem solver the world has ever known.  He will inspire the world and they will fall at his feet.  It is smoke and mirrors, he is an evil man and mid way through the Tribulation will seem to take a fatal wound to the head.  When he rises from the dead, there is no other than Satan possessing him.  The False Prophet will direct the world to worship this leader and force death upon anyone who refuses.  All will be required to receive a mark, either on their forehead or their hand that will allow them to buy and sell.  Anyone who refuses the mark will have their body killed, anyone who accepts it is damned to hell forever.

If you value truth, believe what I say to you.  Perilous times are ahead.  The painful fact is that most people that remain on the earth today will die over the course of the next 7 years.  Odds are, you and your family and friends that remain will not survive to the Second Coming of Jesus.

Before you now, is your last chance, your last choice.  You have heard the gospel and rejected it.  In your heart, you did not believe that “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Jesus will not die but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16).  It is not too late but the time is very short, your window of opportunity is closing rapidly.  God will be sending a powerful delusion to those who have heard and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.  (2 Thessalonians 2:11) If you do not repent and accept Jesus and your savior, you will believe the lies.  Once that happens, you are lost.

Heed my warning, for I tell you the truth.  I am not dead, I am also not on some space ship, I haven’t been taken somewhere to populate another “Earth”.  I am with the Lord Jesus Christ right now celebrating, oh that you were with me!  The thing is, it is not too late.

You have before you now a choice:  Heaven or Hell.  “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”  (Please forgive the song lyric…)

To avoid Hell and get to Heaven, you must pray this prayer:  “Dear Lord Jesus - I am sorry that I have hardened my heart to you, I am sorry that I did not believe that you came to save me.  I am sorry that I have tried to find you with my own righteousness.  I am a sinner, please forgive me, Lord.  I confess that I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, that He died on the cross for my sins, and was raised on the third day.  I believe that there is no other name under heaven or on earth by which we can be saved.  I ask for you to come into my life, to come into my heart, and I ask you to seal me with your mark.  Lord strengthen me for the trials to come.  Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  In my own strength, I can do nothing but I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.”

If you have prayed this prayer, memorize it and pray it often.  You must hold tight to your salvation.  For unlike the church age, this salvation demands obedience, vigilance, and faith.  The Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25 describes what will happen to believers who survive the Tribulation - half of them were found to have not retained their salvation.  Oil in that parable is the Holy Spirit, whom you have received a portion of if you prayed the above prayer.

This is teaching that many during the church age did not recognize, it is why for centuries people fought over the eternal nature of salvation, for Tribulation believers you are instructed to hold tight to your salvation.  “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matt 24:12-13).

Jack Kelley of Gracethrufaith writes:  “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.  Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on (Rev. 14:12-13).”  These verses tell us tribulation believers will be responsible for both keeping the commandments and remaining faithful in the face of the deprivation and persecution they’ll face for refusing the mark of the beast. They will also be expected to surrender their lives if necessary rather than take the mark. They will have been warned that anyone who takes the mark will be lost forever (Rev. 14:9-11).  There’s no indication from these verses that post-Church believers will be protected from this, there’s only a promise of blessing for the martyrs.”

What is coming upon the earth is well documented; from the time Israel signs the peace treaty with the man of sin, the clock will start on the final 7 years.  There may be a lag time between the Rapture and the treaty, but we are told in Scripture that this period will be the most horrific ever recorded.

I suspect that reference material, books, websites, and bibles will be systematically eliminated.  Find a Bible and keep it with you.  Take it, use it, read it - it will be your most important weapon moving forward.  Go to gracethrufaith.com and print off as much as you can about what is coming down the line, the doctrine and teaching on this site is solid.  RaptureReady.com was designed to survive - they will have articles and research.  If you do not understand something, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.

Now for the good news, God wins.  He will triumph over Satan and will usher in His glorious millennial kingdom.  The earth will be restored to its original perfect state, justice, kindness, goodness, and prosperity will blanket the inhabitants.  Many that survive the Tribulation will not die but will have their bodies healed and renewed.  There IS hope.

You can do this and the Lord will help you.  You are no longer on your own, the Holy Spirit will guide you.  Learn and memorize the Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Memorize the Full Armor of God: Ephesians 6
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

This seven year period known as the Tribulation is set aside to bring the Jews back into relationship with God and to judge the nations over how they have treated Israel.  This is also the judgement of Satan and his fallen angels and their eviction from the Earth.  At the Garden of Eden, Satan received a lease to this planet, the lease is up and the true and rightful owner is taking it back.  Revelation Chapter 5 starts with the breaking of the seals on this lease.  Read and study, it will serve you well.

I wish I could tell you all that I know but I feel this letter drawing to a close.  I have not gone into detail of the consequences of not choosing the path I’ve laid out for you, I trust that you will not chose foolishly.  Know this, everyone lives forever - this puff of smoke we call life determines whether you will spend it in paradise or whether you will be tormented in fire, sulphur, and violence forever.

I love you and I have prayed for you.

Jesus Speaks of the Rapture

Abigail and Dolley readers some skeptics will say that they do not believe in the Rapture because the Lord never mentions it but is that true?  Let's look at some compelling Scriptures and you decide for yourself:

First let's lay out two primary Scriptures on the Rapture:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52  lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed:

Basics - if you are dead, you are raised first and then those who are alive will go to meet the Lord in the air.

The Blessed Hope

Words of Jesus:

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, `I am the rising again, and the life; he who is believing in me, even if he may die, shall live; and every one who is living and believing in me shall not die -- to the age;

The above says that the dead in Christ are raised and those that are alive shall not die.

John 14:1-4 `Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, also in me believe;  in the house of my Father are many mansions; and if not, I would have told you; I go on to prepare a place for you; and if I go on and prepare for you a place, again do I come, and will receive you unto myself, that where I am ye also may be; and whither I go away ye have known, and the way ye have known.'

This is Jesus promising to come again and receive us unto himself.  So there you go folks, short and sweet but a significant study and point to be made. (Originally Published 4/9/15)

Feast of Trumpets - Tidbits and Facts

Abigail and Dolley readers this is from our guest blogger, we'll call her "Abigail".  I hope you enjoy:

1 Thessalonians 5:1 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you."

Times in greek is "Chronos" and seasons means "Kairos" and it refers to the feasts and festivals. So the Thessalonians knew that Paul was referring to the feasts and festivals.

It is historically taught that on the feast of Trumpets the doors of Heaven are open and on Yom Kippur the doors close. Rev 4:1 "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

Here we see a door open in Heaven (Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah) and the voice of a trump (last trump/trump of God) telling John to come up hither.

There are many more correlations between the Rapture/Jewish Wedding/Feast of Trumpets that without a doubt identifies what the last trump is and when it is blown. Coupled with the fact that the feast of Trumpets begins a new year.

Years come in groups of seven (just like days of the week). It is possible that we are in the sabbatical year and the new seven year cycle will begin in Sept 2015.

On the Jewish calendar a week always begins on the 1st day Sunday and ends on the Sabbath Saturday. If we are in the Sabbath year (last year in the cycle), then this feast of Trumpets 2015 could very well be the beginning of a new seven year period. Which means we may very well get to go home and the seven year tribulation will begin.

Keep in mind the seven year cycle must begin with the first year being after the seventh "sabbatical" year. Interesting info and again I encourage everyone to study the Rapture/Jewish Wedding/Feast of Trumpets. I have more Scriptures to support the Feast of Trumpets/Rapture and it really is a beautiful picture of our Messiah.

Note: The Four Blood Moons are a sign that war is coming for Israel. Will that war be what starts the seven year tribulation? Now, indeed only our Father knows that. Amen.

The Laodicean Church and the Great Deception

Who is the Laodicean Church?  The last church mentioned in the Revelation role call of the churches Chapters 2 and 3.  This will be the last great church born of the Church age and corresponds directly with the Emergent or Community Church.  The Bible says they are neither hot nor cold and the Lord is disgusted with them and spits them out of his mouth.  They say they have everything, that they are rich but the Lord says they are naked and wretched. (See past work on Modern Laodicea).

What is the Great Deception?  This is the lie that the Lord sends to people who have heard the Gospel and hardened their hearts against it prior to the Rapture.  The Bible says that because they have refused to believe the truth, God sends them a deception and they will believe the lies of the Anti-Christ.  (See past work The Great Deception and Days of Awe)

The Rapture will be the biggest world wide miracle the Planet has seen since the Flood.  How then might the Anti-Christ fool those left behind?  What could he possibly put forward that would cover why the Christians and the children are all gone?

Mega Church designed for Unbelievers

He's had thousands of years to work this out, don't forget he is the father of lies, and has deceived the whole world.  I put forth that he also will take/abduct non-believers in conjunction with the Rapture.  Think about it for a second, you are a member of a church.  You faithfully attend, you tithe, you pack lunches for the poor but you and your church are still here.  Your unbelieving co-worker, who you've tried to get to come to church with you, is missing also.  Then the broadcasts start where we see all sorts of "missing" men and women on "space ships" or "new lands" assuring us that they are okay and so thankful to have been chosen.

The first Sunday after the disappearances you head to church and the pastor says, "There has been no Rapture!  Look we are still here.  You've seen the news clips, the people have been removed to a safe place by our new friends who have come to save us."

In the coming days, the church leaders that are left will join together and proclaim their unity.  The one world church will be formed and these, that have been left behind, will be as sheep to the slaughter.

Attending a church does not make you believer.  These new churches are designed to appeal to the unbeliever, the gospel they preach is watered down and false, and there are millions of people who think they are Christians but are not.  They want the bread without the blood.

In the days after the Rapture, the Lord will appear at the door and knock.  Instead opening the door, falling on their knees, and repenting, they will respond with the classic Jilted “Bride” song, “I will survive.” *

*Note, when I was praying about this blog, it was late at night and I was walking in my quiet neighborhood.  Out of no where I heard the Lord whisper in my spirit, "They have always wanted the bread without the blood." (John 6:26 and John 6:51-52)  I stopped in my tracks, it is so true.  As I walked on my heart hurt for those lost in dead churches and out of no where and I mean no where, a haunting line of "I will survive" boomed through the air and I felt him again whisper in my spirit, "This is the song they will sing to me."

Waiting on the Due Date

Very Pregnant Lady

Abigail and Dolley readers I've been contemplating Birth Pangs and waiting on the Lord.  I've written about this for years; from a plaintive cry in May 2011, to Warning Signs in 2013, to the Convergence of Signs in Sept 2014.  I was hit anew with the realization that the labor pains are coming fast and furious now.  Anyone who has ever eagerly awaited the birth of a child knows what this feels like, the waiting is long.

From the moment of conception, it becomes a hope.  As the baby takes root and the test results are positive, the loved ones and the expectant mother celebrate the happy news.  They settle in to wait.  They plan, they shop, they decorate, they visit the doctors to check on the signs but most of all they wait and wait and wait...  For the Fathers it does not really seem real, for Mothers it is real because we can feel it, we live with it, and waddle with it every day!

Toward the end, rounding the last corner, the final month I thought I would be pregnant forever!  I was bed ridden and grumpy; I was huge and swollen without a definitive due date.  The baby measured much larger than he should have at the first ultrasound so we were not sure if he was due at the end of April or the end of May!  It was terrible - we knew there was a baby coming but we just did not know when.

Because of this ambiguity, the anxiety level began to peak.  This picture was at the end of April, after 6 weeks of bed rest.  I started to lose it contemplating another month.  I cried to my Dad, I just could not stand the thought!  He calmed me down and told me to relax and take it one day at a time.  I remember being irritated at him about that advise!

Finally, they set a date.  In the days leading up the appointment, I was exhilarated that the wait was over but nervous.  Each day it got closer, each day was a new realization that the wait was finally over but it still wasn't quite real.  Driving to the hospital was almost surreal...

What I described is exactly what the Body of Christ is going through now.  We know He is coming, we've been waiting a long time.  The signs are here, the birth pangs are upon us, we just aren't quite sure when the due date is!  We are on bed rest, sick, swollen, and miserable and the thought of going through this indefinitely is just more than we can take.

When I began to study the Festivals, the moedim, the divine appointments it struck my Spirit that God has set the appointment already.  In the fabric of time, from the foundation of the world, the appointment was set we just have to stay strong and take my Dad's advise - one day at a time.

How God Speaks Through the Ages - Millennial Bible Study Part 3

Hi Friends!  This is the Third Part of an ongoing study, I invite you come along while we look at the way God relates to people through the ages.

Our big spiritual truth in this lesson is:  The sealing and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is unique in all the ages and is reserved exclusively for the Church.

The Old Testament:

Pillar of Fire around the Tabernacle

God related to the Jews in the Old Testament through the prophets but also by direct contact, he poured out His Power in miraculous signs, wonders, and pillars of fire.  He spoke to the people from the Heavens (and scared them to near to death Exodus 19:19) so much so that they asked that He not do it anymore and speak through Moses, Exodus 20:19.

Christians often sit in judgment when they read about the failure of Israel in the Old Testament, but we have to consider that these people did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes they would be temporary used by the Spirit (1 Samuel 11:6) but they were not indwelt, they couldn't be without the sanctification of the blood of Christ.  David, a man after God's own heart, had the Spirit on him but not in him. (1 Samuel 16:13).

Christ's Ministry on Earth:
God continued to speak with the Jews through external sources, miracles, and the prophets until the Lord Jesus came.  Then He spoke directly to the Jews, not in a thunderous voice from the Heavens, but through His Son.  We have to realize that Christ's ministry was only to the Jews while He was on this Earth.  That's tough to swallow, especially if you come from a replacement theology background, but it is the truth.  Read Jesus own words to the Canaanite woman who was seeking healing for her daughter:  But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."… (Matthew 15:24-26)  So His ministry was not to the Gentiles of the church, it was to the Jews, period.  The Lord related to the Jews directly until Pentecost, from that point forward - the Church Age began.

Pentecost

The Church Age:
During the Church Age, the Holy Spirit spiritually enters a believer, Jew or Gentile.  Jesus called the Holy Spirit, the Helper.  Through the Holy Spirit, believers testify to the truth and are instructed to do the work of the Lord here on the Earth.  There are no booming declarations from above, no pillars of fire leading the people forth in the Wilderness, no feeding of the 5000, no parting of the Red Sea.   Jesus himself ushers in this change, this truth, with the last beatitude, "Blessed are those who have believed and not seen." John 20:29.

Today, the Lord is quieter, gentler, more subtle.  He woos his Bride with kindness and gentleness.  Those who believe in Him during this time receive the greatest blessing of the age.  The church holds the highest position of honor and power.  In no other group of people does God indwell, not the Old Testament Saints, Tribulation Martyrs, Tribulation Believers, nor those that come to faith in the Millennium.  This honor belongs solely to the Church. (Let that sink in for a minute.)

The Lord is present on the Earth through His Church but because we are in the flesh, we have never fully manifested the Power that He promised; we don't move mountains, we see healing rarely if ever, we lose more often than we win in political and cultural battles.  We are, by and large, puny in power from a magnificence manifestation perspective.  Yet the Lord himself said he would lay the foundation of the church and the gates of hell shall not prevail upon it.  I believe our power will be perfected in the Millennial age - stay with me while I explain.

The Bride of Christ at the Rapture

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.

Tribulation Saints are exhorted several times to remain faithful 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).

Heaven:

Where is the Church during the Tribulation and the Millennium?  During the Tribulation we are having a huge celebration in Heaven.  A 7 year Wedding Supper of the Lamb, where we will receive our crowns, be shown our new home, and be arrayed as the eternal Bride of Christ.  (Ephesians 5:25-27)

I believe that it is while we abide with the Lord in New Jerusalem that the church, who is now the Bride of Christ will come to full power.  Since we will have been perfected and operate only in the true spirit and truth fully aligned with the perfect will of God we will manifest His Power.  We will speak to the mountains and they will move, we will pray for the sick and they will be healed, we will be as Christ was on Earth completely sinless and fully surrendered to the will of the Father.  (John 14:11-13).  We will live in New Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus but we do not know what we will be doing there, whether we will come down to Earth, or exactly what our roles will be but we will soon find out!