Hello my para beauties! I trust you had a amazing weekend and those you love are healthy. I've been asked more to touch on this subject which can get a bit dicey. This is my opinion and interpretation of what I read in the Gospel. So here we go....
Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.
THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.
ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.
Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.
Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.
What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4
The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible
[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]
· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).
[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]
[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).
1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].
False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)
The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].
· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].
· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].
· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).
· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]
The Rapture of the Church at Midweek
· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).
· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]
I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Looking inside the spiritual & literary worlds
Showing posts with label pentecost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pentecost. Show all posts
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Was Jesus Christ a Ghost?!
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
It has surprised me the number of seminary trained Christians whom I respect point to the text in Mark 6 as proof positive that Jesus believed in ghosts. They say it is the clearest text of Jesus affirming the existence of human spirits/ghosts populating the earth, and that Jesus Himself believed in ghosts because He did not correct his disciples when they thought/said Jesus was a ghost as He walked on the water. Though I dealt with this in my book, I want to address this again in more detail. What I want to do is take the cumulative evidence to show that Jesus was NOT affirming the existence of ghosts. As we shall see, the Holy Spirit's intent for this text is antithetical to the notion of ghosts. "Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."
1. It is important to put this text in context. Mark, spokesman for Peter, wrote this "docudrama" in order to persuade people to be followers of Jesus--words and actions of Jesus are presented by Mark to draw true disciples to our Divine Messiah. This episode is "hooked" into the preceding narrative of Jesus miraculously feeding over 10,000 people by using the word "immediately". (5,000 was just the men) Jesus is trying to show his obtuse disciples that He was the "greater then Moses" by giving us eternal Bread, and not ephemeral manna.The parallel text in Matthew 14, which includes Peter walking on the water, is also followed by the word "immediately". This is important because the authors want us to connect what had just happened (empirical evidence of Jesus' deity as seen in miracle of feeding of large multitude)The disciples were eyewitnesses of this profound miracle. In order to interpret this text correctly, we must remember that didactic/teaching texts interpret historical narratives.Both in the OT and NT followers of God did and said many wrong things, which are not always corrected by the editor. The classic case is Jepthah (Judges 11:30--who vowed to kill the first thing that came out of his tent, if God gave him victory. His daughter came out of his tent to congratulate him and was condemned to death. Jepthah had made an unbiblical vow--which the bible had made provisions for him to repent of. However, it seems that he did not repent and felt obliged to follow through with his horrible vow--he killed his daughter. However, the editor does not explicitly condemn this act. The inspired editor assumed prior knowledge of his readers. Anyone conversant with Leviticus/Deuteronomy would know that wrongful vows should not be acted upon, and that Jepthah SHOULD have known human sacrifice was repugnant to God. The editor assumes this prior knowledge, but does not give commentary. That is that danger of drawing doctrine from the silence of historical narrative. The same is true of the NT. Many evil words and actions are recorded in the historical books of the bible but are not always condemned. It is HISTORY. In the NT there are numerous examples of the disciples saying/doing whacko things prior to Pentecost,but Jesus did not always correct them (e.g. Transfiguration experience where Peter stuck his foot in his mouth, again)....a precedent of the disciple NOT being rebuked by Jesus for saying stupid things.
2. What was the Holy Spirit's intent in above text? Was it to prove the notion of ghosts? NO!! This text, and its parallel text in Matthew 14. was included to prove that Jesus was Yahweh! How sad and ironic that it is used to "prove" that Jesus believed in ghosts. Jesus intentionally "walked by them" in order for them to see Him, and thus give empirical evidence that He was the Creator of Heaven and Earth. By walking on the water Jesus wanted them to see Him walking in the midst of a ferocious storm to show He was the Lord of creation. "it is I....."ego eimi"...I AM" echoing Exodus 3:14 )By walking on the water in a furious storm He was demonstrating that He was Lord over creation, and that there was no need to be afraid. Not only Jesus' actions but His words were designed to show the disciples that He was/is God Almighty. The Septuagint uses the same word for "passed by" when Moses experienced God "passing by" him )Exodus 33:19,22....giving Moses/disciples a glimpse of God's glory. In Mark 6:48 "walking on the sea" echoes the Septuagint Job 9:8 where "God trampled upon the sea"....same Greek words. The Holy Spirit's intent in this text is to accent the deity of the Lord Jesus--King over creation (see Mark 4).
3. First century Judaism was rife with superstition and theological confusion. For example, Jewish leaders believed in salvation by good works, and the popular superstition of a plentitude of ghosts was rampant, as it has been since the dawn of time. Peter and the rest of the disciples were deeply effected by common superstition, and were very slow to change until after Pentecost.
4. Why would they call Jesus a "ghost" when they had just seem him a few hours earlier...very much alive? Was He a ghost of a living Person? Perhaps they were terrified because they thought this was a demon trying to deceive them? That is an option not often mentioned. Either way, with an abundance evidence for Jesus' deity, why would they call Him a ghost? How could God be a ghost?! This is (and the parallel text) is the only place that "phantasm" is used, which can mean superstitious imagination.
5. Recall that the Holy Spirits intent was to exalt the deity of Jesus, and the disciples de-exalted Him by calling Him a "ghost".
6. So, why did not Jesus correct them? First, we do not know if Jesus corrected them or not because in many cases the entirety of what Jesus said is not recorded. But my guess is that He did not correct them....not then, anyway. Why? They were deathly afraid! He was keen on comforting them, and not correcting them.It is an argument from silence to say that Jesus must have agreed with them since He did not correct them.The most common negative command that Jesus uttered was, "Do no be afraid!" If your child was drowning, and you jumped in to save them, what would be your first words to them?
7. In a context in which the deity of Jesus is being accented, it must have broken Jesus' heart that His disciples responded so faithlessly. He "walked by" in a manner to empirically display His Lordship over the storm, but the lesson was lost on them. Instead they became wild-eyed with fear, and superstition enveloped them like a cocoon.
8. To say that Jesus must have believed in roaming human spirits because He did not (that we know of) correct His disciples, is an argument from silence--a logical fallacy. Jesus/apostles did warn us of Satan and demons, but they never warn us of roaming human spirits. This is NOT an argument from silence because knowing who populates the spirit realm is utterly necessary for discernment and victory in spiritual warfare. As an exorcist, how can I properly proceed if I do not know exactly who/what may infesting the house/person? Jesus never cast out a human spirit from a human...only demons.
9. Not all historical narratives are bereft of teaching or editorial comment.v.52 is an inspired editorial commentary on this whole episode--they were afraid and their hearts were hardened. Faith Vs fear, and teachability vs hardened hearts. Unlike many historical narratives, this one is concluded with an editorial comment. This is extremely important in interpreting this text accurately. Everything...EVERYTHING...the disciples did and said has a shadow cast over it. Everything they said and did was compelled by fear and hard-heartedness. Their comment re: Jesus being a ghost was an expression of both fear and hardness of heart. They did not learn from the feeding of the 5,000 (or the 4,000) that Jesus was God almighty. How utterly tragic that they would call Him a ghost, when what He was doing and saying displayed that He was the culmination of the I AM". It is difficult to over-state the significance of this concluding comment...it renders the ghost comment utterly suspect.
10. The epistles were written largely to interpret the actions and words of Jesus. After Pentecost, ghosts are never mentioned again--except the deceased spirits in heaven or hell (e.g. Moses and Elijah). To those who are unduly affected by the fact that the bible does not mention Jesus correcting their comment that He was a ghost, was He a ghost in that text? NO! As parents, do we correct our kids EVERY TIME they make a mistake? The bible says that would break their spirits if we do. If your child was in danger of drowning and was frightened, would you feel the need to immediately correct them of anything dumb they may have uttered in their terror? I hope not....rather we would embrace them.
With an issue as significant as ghosts, we cannot camp on a text in which we are told explicitly that they were full of terror and hardness of heart, which casts a long shadow over everything they said. It is much more plausible that their cry of "ghost" was fueled by superstition.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
It has surprised me the number of seminary trained Christians whom I respect point to the text in Mark 6 as proof positive that Jesus believed in ghosts. They say it is the clearest text of Jesus affirming the existence of human spirits/ghosts populating the earth, and that Jesus Himself believed in ghosts because He did not correct his disciples when they thought/said Jesus was a ghost as He walked on the water. Though I dealt with this in my book, I want to address this again in more detail. What I want to do is take the cumulative evidence to show that Jesus was NOT affirming the existence of ghosts. As we shall see, the Holy Spirit's intent for this text is antithetical to the notion of ghosts. "Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."
1. It is important to put this text in context. Mark, spokesman for Peter, wrote this "docudrama" in order to persuade people to be followers of Jesus--words and actions of Jesus are presented by Mark to draw true disciples to our Divine Messiah. This episode is "hooked" into the preceding narrative of Jesus miraculously feeding over 10,000 people by using the word "immediately". (5,000 was just the men) Jesus is trying to show his obtuse disciples that He was the "greater then Moses" by giving us eternal Bread, and not ephemeral manna.The parallel text in Matthew 14, which includes Peter walking on the water, is also followed by the word "immediately". This is important because the authors want us to connect what had just happened (empirical evidence of Jesus' deity as seen in miracle of feeding of large multitude)The disciples were eyewitnesses of this profound miracle. In order to interpret this text correctly, we must remember that didactic/teaching texts interpret historical narratives.Both in the OT and NT followers of God did and said many wrong things, which are not always corrected by the editor. The classic case is Jepthah (Judges 11:30--who vowed to kill the first thing that came out of his tent, if God gave him victory. His daughter came out of his tent to congratulate him and was condemned to death. Jepthah had made an unbiblical vow--which the bible had made provisions for him to repent of. However, it seems that he did not repent and felt obliged to follow through with his horrible vow--he killed his daughter. However, the editor does not explicitly condemn this act. The inspired editor assumed prior knowledge of his readers. Anyone conversant with Leviticus/Deuteronomy would know that wrongful vows should not be acted upon, and that Jepthah SHOULD have known human sacrifice was repugnant to God. The editor assumes this prior knowledge, but does not give commentary. That is that danger of drawing doctrine from the silence of historical narrative. The same is true of the NT. Many evil words and actions are recorded in the historical books of the bible but are not always condemned. It is HISTORY. In the NT there are numerous examples of the disciples saying/doing whacko things prior to Pentecost,but Jesus did not always correct them (e.g. Transfiguration experience where Peter stuck his foot in his mouth, again)....a precedent of the disciple NOT being rebuked by Jesus for saying stupid things.
2. What was the Holy Spirit's intent in above text? Was it to prove the notion of ghosts? NO!! This text, and its parallel text in Matthew 14. was included to prove that Jesus was Yahweh! How sad and ironic that it is used to "prove" that Jesus believed in ghosts. Jesus intentionally "walked by them" in order for them to see Him, and thus give empirical evidence that He was the Creator of Heaven and Earth. By walking on the water Jesus wanted them to see Him walking in the midst of a ferocious storm to show He was the Lord of creation. "it is I....."ego eimi"...I AM" echoing Exodus 3:14 )By walking on the water in a furious storm He was demonstrating that He was Lord over creation, and that there was no need to be afraid. Not only Jesus' actions but His words were designed to show the disciples that He was/is God Almighty. The Septuagint uses the same word for "passed by" when Moses experienced God "passing by" him )Exodus 33:19,22....giving Moses/disciples a glimpse of God's glory. In Mark 6:48 "walking on the sea" echoes the Septuagint Job 9:8 where "God trampled upon the sea"....same Greek words. The Holy Spirit's intent in this text is to accent the deity of the Lord Jesus--King over creation (see Mark 4).
3. First century Judaism was rife with superstition and theological confusion. For example, Jewish leaders believed in salvation by good works, and the popular superstition of a plentitude of ghosts was rampant, as it has been since the dawn of time. Peter and the rest of the disciples were deeply effected by common superstition, and were very slow to change until after Pentecost.
4. Why would they call Jesus a "ghost" when they had just seem him a few hours earlier...very much alive? Was He a ghost of a living Person? Perhaps they were terrified because they thought this was a demon trying to deceive them? That is an option not often mentioned. Either way, with an abundance evidence for Jesus' deity, why would they call Him a ghost? How could God be a ghost?! This is (and the parallel text) is the only place that "phantasm" is used, which can mean superstitious imagination.
5. Recall that the Holy Spirits intent was to exalt the deity of Jesus, and the disciples de-exalted Him by calling Him a "ghost".
6. So, why did not Jesus correct them? First, we do not know if Jesus corrected them or not because in many cases the entirety of what Jesus said is not recorded. But my guess is that He did not correct them....not then, anyway. Why? They were deathly afraid! He was keen on comforting them, and not correcting them.It is an argument from silence to say that Jesus must have agreed with them since He did not correct them.The most common negative command that Jesus uttered was, "Do no be afraid!" If your child was drowning, and you jumped in to save them, what would be your first words to them?
7. In a context in which the deity of Jesus is being accented, it must have broken Jesus' heart that His disciples responded so faithlessly. He "walked by" in a manner to empirically display His Lordship over the storm, but the lesson was lost on them. Instead they became wild-eyed with fear, and superstition enveloped them like a cocoon.
8. To say that Jesus must have believed in roaming human spirits because He did not (that we know of) correct His disciples, is an argument from silence--a logical fallacy. Jesus/apostles did warn us of Satan and demons, but they never warn us of roaming human spirits. This is NOT an argument from silence because knowing who populates the spirit realm is utterly necessary for discernment and victory in spiritual warfare. As an exorcist, how can I properly proceed if I do not know exactly who/what may infesting the house/person? Jesus never cast out a human spirit from a human...only demons.
9. Not all historical narratives are bereft of teaching or editorial comment.v.52 is an inspired editorial commentary on this whole episode--they were afraid and their hearts were hardened. Faith Vs fear, and teachability vs hardened hearts. Unlike many historical narratives, this one is concluded with an editorial comment. This is extremely important in interpreting this text accurately. Everything...EVERYTHING...the disciples did and said has a shadow cast over it. Everything they said and did was compelled by fear and hard-heartedness. Their comment re: Jesus being a ghost was an expression of both fear and hardness of heart. They did not learn from the feeding of the 5,000 (or the 4,000) that Jesus was God almighty. How utterly tragic that they would call Him a ghost, when what He was doing and saying displayed that He was the culmination of the I AM". It is difficult to over-state the significance of this concluding comment...it renders the ghost comment utterly suspect.
10. The epistles were written largely to interpret the actions and words of Jesus. After Pentecost, ghosts are never mentioned again--except the deceased spirits in heaven or hell (e.g. Moses and Elijah). To those who are unduly affected by the fact that the bible does not mention Jesus correcting their comment that He was a ghost, was He a ghost in that text? NO! As parents, do we correct our kids EVERY TIME they make a mistake? The bible says that would break their spirits if we do. If your child was in danger of drowning and was frightened, would you feel the need to immediately correct them of anything dumb they may have uttered in their terror? I hope not....rather we would embrace them.
With an issue as significant as ghosts, we cannot camp on a text in which we are told explicitly that they were full of terror and hardness of heart, which casts a long shadow over everything they said. It is much more plausible that their cry of "ghost" was fueled by superstition.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
The Millennium...Differing Views
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit1 and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and resealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Responsible biblical scholars differ in their interpretation of the meaning of "the thousand years" (millennium), and these verses are among the mostly controversial in Revelation. I will only be able to give a brief outline of the three main views.Since this is not an issue essential to salvation, gentleness and a desire to learn from each other should mark the way we view differ.
This book is apocalyptic in genre, and that means that there is much symbolism. The issue is how much of Revelation is symbolic and how much is "literal". It needs to be said that the use of symbols does not detract from the authority of the bible.(see ch 1 for how symbols begin...."lampstands")
Some see this book as primarily future....some see it a primarily past (fall of Jerusalem),,,,and some see it as mixture of both.
1. Premillennialists--those who believe Christ will return "pre" (before) the millennium. This is usually thought to be a literal thousand years, which will be a time of great peace and justice, with Christ physically reigning here on earth, along with believers. They tend to minimize symbolism as much as possible.I cannot deal with the differing views of the tribulation nor the notion of the rapture.However, classical premills differ from pre-trib premills in that they believe the rapture/second coming are same event.
2. Postmillenialists--those who think that Christ will return "post" (after) the millennial period, and that the gospel will triumph in changing individuals and culture, and peace and justice will reign for a thousand years (or a long time). They see a future which will be systematically transformed by the gospel, but that prior to Jesus' return there will be an unleashing of wickedness....then Christ will return for Judgment. .Not all post-mills are reconstructionists...again, I have to leave it at that.
3. Amillennialists--those who hold an "a" ( non, or non-literal view of the thousand years), and believe this "thousand years" is the same as this present church age, and that this is the "millenium" before Christ's return. As with the others, they believe in a great apostasy before Christ's literal return.What differentiates them from post mills is that, even though they believe in the extraordinary transforming power of the gospel, they do not believe in a golden age prior to Jesus' Second Coming.The victory is that deceased believers reign with Christ now...and the alive believers are more than conquerors in Christ.
Each of these views are to be understood in terms of interpretation of other passages (e.g. Matthew 24), and each view falls within the framework of historic Christian othodoxy. In addition, many folks adhere to a mix of these views!
v. 1-3 (cf 12:9-17) The nature of this binding of Satan is crucial to each millennial view. Premills read this as predicting a complete removal of Satan from the earth during the millennium. They argue that "shut it" and "sealed it over him" picture a removal of Satan from Earth too complete to represent the current age. Postmills also think this will be a future golden age, but believe that Christ will not return until after the end of that time. Amills note that the NT affirms that Jesus's first coming has already bound Satan (Matthew 12:29) and brought God's light to the nations (Matthew 4:14-16; Luke 2:32; Acts 14:15-17; 17:30-31) Hence, they argue that this binding of Satan for a "thousand years" refers to the gospels spread among all nations during the present age, and to the present restraint of the church's persecutors until an outbreak of rebellion before Christ's return (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) v.4-5 "...and reigned with Christ for a thousand years".Premills think this means that resurrected believers will assist with Christ's thousand year reign as King over the earth. Amills think this means that deceased believers now (and during the entire "thousand years", which means from Pentecost to second coming) are reigning with Christ from heaven. Postmills see it as a future triumph of Christianity in the world.
Historically, there are significant differences amongst those who are premill, and there are other overlapping factors amongst the three views, but this is a humble attempt to clarify the basic three views held during the last 2,000 years. The main issue is that Jesus is most certainly returning to judge the living and the dead, and that He reigns supreme NOW.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit1 and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and resealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Responsible biblical scholars differ in their interpretation of the meaning of "the thousand years" (millennium), and these verses are among the mostly controversial in Revelation. I will only be able to give a brief outline of the three main views.Since this is not an issue essential to salvation, gentleness and a desire to learn from each other should mark the way we view differ.
This book is apocalyptic in genre, and that means that there is much symbolism. The issue is how much of Revelation is symbolic and how much is "literal". It needs to be said that the use of symbols does not detract from the authority of the bible.(see ch 1 for how symbols begin...."lampstands")
Some see this book as primarily future....some see it a primarily past (fall of Jerusalem),,,,and some see it as mixture of both.
1. Premillennialists--those who believe Christ will return "pre" (before) the millennium. This is usually thought to be a literal thousand years, which will be a time of great peace and justice, with Christ physically reigning here on earth, along with believers. They tend to minimize symbolism as much as possible.I cannot deal with the differing views of the tribulation nor the notion of the rapture.However, classical premills differ from pre-trib premills in that they believe the rapture/second coming are same event.
2. Postmillenialists--those who think that Christ will return "post" (after) the millennial period, and that the gospel will triumph in changing individuals and culture, and peace and justice will reign for a thousand years (or a long time). They see a future which will be systematically transformed by the gospel, but that prior to Jesus' return there will be an unleashing of wickedness....then Christ will return for Judgment. .Not all post-mills are reconstructionists...again, I have to leave it at that.
3. Amillennialists--those who hold an "a" ( non, or non-literal view of the thousand years), and believe this "thousand years" is the same as this present church age, and that this is the "millenium" before Christ's return. As with the others, they believe in a great apostasy before Christ's literal return.What differentiates them from post mills is that, even though they believe in the extraordinary transforming power of the gospel, they do not believe in a golden age prior to Jesus' Second Coming.The victory is that deceased believers reign with Christ now...and the alive believers are more than conquerors in Christ.
Each of these views are to be understood in terms of interpretation of other passages (e.g. Matthew 24), and each view falls within the framework of historic Christian othodoxy. In addition, many folks adhere to a mix of these views!
v. 1-3 (cf 12:9-17) The nature of this binding of Satan is crucial to each millennial view. Premills read this as predicting a complete removal of Satan from the earth during the millennium. They argue that "shut it" and "sealed it over him" picture a removal of Satan from Earth too complete to represent the current age. Postmills also think this will be a future golden age, but believe that Christ will not return until after the end of that time. Amills note that the NT affirms that Jesus's first coming has already bound Satan (Matthew 12:29) and brought God's light to the nations (Matthew 4:14-16; Luke 2:32; Acts 14:15-17; 17:30-31) Hence, they argue that this binding of Satan for a "thousand years" refers to the gospels spread among all nations during the present age, and to the present restraint of the church's persecutors until an outbreak of rebellion before Christ's return (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) v.4-5 "...and reigned with Christ for a thousand years".Premills think this means that resurrected believers will assist with Christ's thousand year reign as King over the earth. Amills think this means that deceased believers now (and during the entire "thousand years", which means from Pentecost to second coming) are reigning with Christ from heaven. Postmills see it as a future triumph of Christianity in the world.
Historically, there are significant differences amongst those who are premill, and there are other overlapping factors amongst the three views, but this is a humble attempt to clarify the basic three views held during the last 2,000 years. The main issue is that Jesus is most certainly returning to judge the living and the dead, and that He reigns supreme NOW.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Was Jesus a Ghost?!
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
It has surprised me the number of seminary trained Christians whom I respect point to the text in Mark 6 as proof positive that Jesus believed in ghosts. They say it is the clearest text of Jesus affirming the existence of human spirits/ghosts populating the earth, and that Jesus Himself believed in ghosts because He did not correct his disciples when they thought/said Jesus was a ghost as He walked on the water. Though I dealt with this in my book, I want to address this again in more detail. What I want to do is take the cumulative evidence to show that Jesus was NOT affirming the existence of ghosts. As we shall see, the Holy Spirit's intent for this text is antithetical to the notion of ghosts. "Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night7 he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."
1. It is important to put this text in context. Mark, spokesman for Peter, wrote this "docudrama" in order to persuade people to be followers of Jesus--words and actions of Jesus are presented by Mark to draw true disciples to our Divine Messiah. This episode is "hooked" into the preceding narrative of Jesus miraculously feeding over 10,000 people by using the word "immediately". (5,000 was just the men) Jesus is trying to show his obtuse disciples that He was the "greater then Moses" by giving us eternal Bread, and not ephemeral manna.The parallel text in Matthew 14, which includes Peter walking on the water, is also followed by the word "immediately". This is important because the authors want us to connect what had just happened (empirical evidence of Jesus' deity as seen in miracle of feeding of large multitude)The disciples were eyewitnesses of this profound miracle. In order to interpret this text correctly, we must remember that didactic/teaching texts interpret historical narratives.Both in the OT and NT followers of God did and said many wrong things, which are not always corrected by the editor. The classic case is Jepthah (Judges 11:30--who vowed to kill the first thing that came out of his tent, if God gave him victory. His daughter came out of his tent to congratulate him and was condemned to death. Jepthah had made an unbiblical vow--which the bible had made provisions for him to repent of. However, it seems that he did not repent and felt obliged to follow through with his horrible vow--he killed his daughter. However, the editor does not explicitly condemn this act. The inspired editor assumed prior knowledge of his readers. Anyone conversant with Leviticus/Deuteronomy would know that wrongful vows should not be acted upon, and that Jepthah SHOULD have known human sacrifice was repugnant to God. The editor assumes this prior knowledge, but does not give commentary. That is that danger of drawing doctrine from the silence of historical narrative. The same is true of the NT. Many evil words and actions are recorded in the historical books of the bible but are not always condemned. It is HISTORY. In the NT there are numerous examples of the disciples saying/doing whacko things prior to Pentecost,but Jesus did not always correct them (e.g. Transfiguration experience where Peter stuck his foot in his mouth, again)....a precedent of the disciple NOT being rebuked by Jesus for saying stupid things.
2. What was the Holy Spirit's intent in above text? Was it to prove the notion of ghosts? NO!! This text, and its parallel text in Matthew 14. was included to prove that Jesus was Yahweh! How sad and ironic that it is used to "prove" that Jesus believed in ghosts. Jesus intentionally "walked by them" in order for them to see Him, and thus give empirical evidence that He was the Creator of Heaven and Earth. By walking on the water Jesus wanted them to see Him walking in the midst of a ferocious storm to show He was the Lord of creation. "it is I....."ego eimi"...I AM" echoing Exodus 3:14 )By walking on the water in a furious storm He was demonstrating that He was Lord over creation, and that there was no need to be afraid. Not only Jesus' actions but His words were designed to show the disciples that He was/is God Almighty. The Septuagint uses the same word for "passed by" when Moses experienced God "passing by" him )Exodus 33:19,22....giving Moses/disciples a glimpse of God's glory. In Mark 6:48 "walking on the sea" echoes the Septuagint Job 9:8 where "God trampled upon the sea"....same Greek words. The Holy Spirit's intent in this text is to accent the deity of the Lord Jesus--King over creation (see Mark 4).
3. First century Judaism was rife with superstition and theological confusion. For example, Jewish leaders believed in salvation by good works, and the popular superstition of a plentitude of ghosts was rampant, as it has been since the dawn of time. Peter and the rest of the disciples were deeply effected by common superstition, and were very slow to change until after Pentecost.
4. Why would they call Jesus a "ghost" when they had just seem him a few hours earlier...very much alive? Was He a ghost of a living Person? Perhaps they were terrified because they thought this was a demon trying to deceive them? That is an option not often mentioned. Either way, with an abundance evidence for Jesus' deity, why would they call Him a ghost? How could God be a ghost?! This is (and the parallel text) is the only place that "phantasm" is used, which can mean superstitious imagination.
5. Recall that the Holy Spirits intent was to exalt the deity of Jesus, and the disciples de-exalted Him by calling Him a "ghost".
6. So, why did not Jesus correct them? First, we do not know if Jesus corrected them or not because in many cases the entirety of what Jesus said is not recorded. But my guess is that He did not correct them....not then, anyway. Why? They were deathly afraid! He was keen on comforting them, and not correcting them.It is an argument from silence to say that Jesus must have agreed with them since He did not correct them.The most common negative command that Jesus uttered was, "Do no be afraid!" If your child was drowning, and you jumped in to save them, what would be your first words to them?
7. In a context in which the deity of Jesus is being accented, it must have broken Jesus' heart that His disciples responded so faithlessly. He "walked by" in a manner to empirically display His Lordship over the storm, but the lesson was lost on them. Instead they became wild-eyed with fear, and superstition enveloped them like a cocoon.
8. To say that Jesus must have believed in roaming human spirits because He did not (that we know of)correct His disciples, is an argument from silence--a logical fallacy. Jesus/apostles did warn us of Satan and demons, but they never warn us of roaming human spirits. This is NOT an argument from silence because knowing who populates the spirit realm is utterly necessary for discernment and victory in spiritual warfare. As an exorcist, how can I properly proceed if I do not know exactly who/what may infesting the house/person? Jesus never cast out a human spirit from a human...only demons.
9. Not all historical narratives are bereft of teaching or editorial comment.v.52 is an inspired editorial commentary on this whole episode--they were afraid and their hearts were hardened. Faith Vs fear, and teachability vs hardened hearts. Unlike many historical narratives, this one is concluded with an editorial comment. This is extremely important in interpreting this text accurately. Everything...EVERYTHING...the disciples did and said has a shadow cast over it. Everything they said and did was compelled by fear and hard-heartedness. Their comment re: Jesus being a ghost was an expression of both fear and hardness of heart. They did not learn from the feeding of the 5,000 (or the 4,000) that Jesus was God almighty. How utterly tragic that they would call Him a ghost, when what He was doing and saying displayed that He was the culmination of the I AM". It is difficult to over-state the significance of this concluding comment...it renders the ghost comment utterly suspect.
10. The epistles were written largely to interpret the actions and words of Jesus. After Pentecost, ghosts are never mentioned again--except the deceased spirits in heaven or hell (e.g. Moses and Elijah). To those who are unduly affected by the fact that the bible does not mention Jesus correcting their comment that He was a ghost, was He a ghost in that text? NO! As parents, do we correct our kids EVERY TIME they make a mistake? The bible says that would break their spirits if we do. If your child was in danger of drowning and was frightened, would you feel the need to immediately correct them of anything dumb they may have uttered in their terror? I hope not....rather we would embrace them.
With an issue as significant as ghosts, we cannot camp on a text in which we are told explicitly that they were full of terror and hardness of heart, which casts a long shadow over everything they said. It is much more plausible that their cry of "ghost" was fueled by superstition.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
It has surprised me the number of seminary trained Christians whom I respect point to the text in Mark 6 as proof positive that Jesus believed in ghosts. They say it is the clearest text of Jesus affirming the existence of human spirits/ghosts populating the earth, and that Jesus Himself believed in ghosts because He did not correct his disciples when they thought/said Jesus was a ghost as He walked on the water. Though I dealt with this in my book, I want to address this again in more detail. What I want to do is take the cumulative evidence to show that Jesus was NOT affirming the existence of ghosts. As we shall see, the Holy Spirit's intent for this text is antithetical to the notion of ghosts. "Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night7 he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."
1. It is important to put this text in context. Mark, spokesman for Peter, wrote this "docudrama" in order to persuade people to be followers of Jesus--words and actions of Jesus are presented by Mark to draw true disciples to our Divine Messiah. This episode is "hooked" into the preceding narrative of Jesus miraculously feeding over 10,000 people by using the word "immediately". (5,000 was just the men) Jesus is trying to show his obtuse disciples that He was the "greater then Moses" by giving us eternal Bread, and not ephemeral manna.The parallel text in Matthew 14, which includes Peter walking on the water, is also followed by the word "immediately". This is important because the authors want us to connect what had just happened (empirical evidence of Jesus' deity as seen in miracle of feeding of large multitude)The disciples were eyewitnesses of this profound miracle. In order to interpret this text correctly, we must remember that didactic/teaching texts interpret historical narratives.Both in the OT and NT followers of God did and said many wrong things, which are not always corrected by the editor. The classic case is Jepthah (Judges 11:30--who vowed to kill the first thing that came out of his tent, if God gave him victory. His daughter came out of his tent to congratulate him and was condemned to death. Jepthah had made an unbiblical vow--which the bible had made provisions for him to repent of. However, it seems that he did not repent and felt obliged to follow through with his horrible vow--he killed his daughter. However, the editor does not explicitly condemn this act. The inspired editor assumed prior knowledge of his readers. Anyone conversant with Leviticus/Deuteronomy would know that wrongful vows should not be acted upon, and that Jepthah SHOULD have known human sacrifice was repugnant to God. The editor assumes this prior knowledge, but does not give commentary. That is that danger of drawing doctrine from the silence of historical narrative. The same is true of the NT. Many evil words and actions are recorded in the historical books of the bible but are not always condemned. It is HISTORY. In the NT there are numerous examples of the disciples saying/doing whacko things prior to Pentecost,but Jesus did not always correct them (e.g. Transfiguration experience where Peter stuck his foot in his mouth, again)....a precedent of the disciple NOT being rebuked by Jesus for saying stupid things.
2. What was the Holy Spirit's intent in above text? Was it to prove the notion of ghosts? NO!! This text, and its parallel text in Matthew 14. was included to prove that Jesus was Yahweh! How sad and ironic that it is used to "prove" that Jesus believed in ghosts. Jesus intentionally "walked by them" in order for them to see Him, and thus give empirical evidence that He was the Creator of Heaven and Earth. By walking on the water Jesus wanted them to see Him walking in the midst of a ferocious storm to show He was the Lord of creation. "it is I....."ego eimi"...I AM" echoing Exodus 3:14 )By walking on the water in a furious storm He was demonstrating that He was Lord over creation, and that there was no need to be afraid. Not only Jesus' actions but His words were designed to show the disciples that He was/is God Almighty. The Septuagint uses the same word for "passed by" when Moses experienced God "passing by" him )Exodus 33:19,22....giving Moses/disciples a glimpse of God's glory. In Mark 6:48 "walking on the sea" echoes the Septuagint Job 9:8 where "God trampled upon the sea"....same Greek words. The Holy Spirit's intent in this text is to accent the deity of the Lord Jesus--King over creation (see Mark 4).
3. First century Judaism was rife with superstition and theological confusion. For example, Jewish leaders believed in salvation by good works, and the popular superstition of a plentitude of ghosts was rampant, as it has been since the dawn of time. Peter and the rest of the disciples were deeply effected by common superstition, and were very slow to change until after Pentecost.
4. Why would they call Jesus a "ghost" when they had just seem him a few hours earlier...very much alive? Was He a ghost of a living Person? Perhaps they were terrified because they thought this was a demon trying to deceive them? That is an option not often mentioned. Either way, with an abundance evidence for Jesus' deity, why would they call Him a ghost? How could God be a ghost?! This is (and the parallel text) is the only place that "phantasm" is used, which can mean superstitious imagination.
5. Recall that the Holy Spirits intent was to exalt the deity of Jesus, and the disciples de-exalted Him by calling Him a "ghost".
6. So, why did not Jesus correct them? First, we do not know if Jesus corrected them or not because in many cases the entirety of what Jesus said is not recorded. But my guess is that He did not correct them....not then, anyway. Why? They were deathly afraid! He was keen on comforting them, and not correcting them.It is an argument from silence to say that Jesus must have agreed with them since He did not correct them.The most common negative command that Jesus uttered was, "Do no be afraid!" If your child was drowning, and you jumped in to save them, what would be your first words to them?
7. In a context in which the deity of Jesus is being accented, it must have broken Jesus' heart that His disciples responded so faithlessly. He "walked by" in a manner to empirically display His Lordship over the storm, but the lesson was lost on them. Instead they became wild-eyed with fear, and superstition enveloped them like a cocoon.
8. To say that Jesus must have believed in roaming human spirits because He did not (that we know of)correct His disciples, is an argument from silence--a logical fallacy. Jesus/apostles did warn us of Satan and demons, but they never warn us of roaming human spirits. This is NOT an argument from silence because knowing who populates the spirit realm is utterly necessary for discernment and victory in spiritual warfare. As an exorcist, how can I properly proceed if I do not know exactly who/what may infesting the house/person? Jesus never cast out a human spirit from a human...only demons.
9. Not all historical narratives are bereft of teaching or editorial comment.v.52 is an inspired editorial commentary on this whole episode--they were afraid and their hearts were hardened. Faith Vs fear, and teachability vs hardened hearts. Unlike many historical narratives, this one is concluded with an editorial comment. This is extremely important in interpreting this text accurately. Everything...EVERYTHING...the disciples did and said has a shadow cast over it. Everything they said and did was compelled by fear and hard-heartedness. Their comment re: Jesus being a ghost was an expression of both fear and hardness of heart. They did not learn from the feeding of the 5,000 (or the 4,000) that Jesus was God almighty. How utterly tragic that they would call Him a ghost, when what He was doing and saying displayed that He was the culmination of the I AM". It is difficult to over-state the significance of this concluding comment...it renders the ghost comment utterly suspect.
10. The epistles were written largely to interpret the actions and words of Jesus. After Pentecost, ghosts are never mentioned again--except the deceased spirits in heaven or hell (e.g. Moses and Elijah). To those who are unduly affected by the fact that the bible does not mention Jesus correcting their comment that He was a ghost, was He a ghost in that text? NO! As parents, do we correct our kids EVERY TIME they make a mistake? The bible says that would break their spirits if we do. If your child was in danger of drowning and was frightened, would you feel the need to immediately correct them of anything dumb they may have uttered in their terror? I hope not....rather we would embrace them.
With an issue as significant as ghosts, we cannot camp on a text in which we are told explicitly that they were full of terror and hardness of heart, which casts a long shadow over everything they said. It is much more plausible that their cry of "ghost" was fueled by superstition.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
What Happens During and Before Armageddon and End Times?
Hello my para beauties! I trust you had a amazing weekend and those you love are healthy. I've been asked more to touch on this subject which can get a bit dicey. This is my opinion and interpretation of what I read in the Gospel. So here we go....
Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.
THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.
ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.
Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.
Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.
What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4
The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible
[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]
· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).
[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]
[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).
1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].
False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)
The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].
· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].
· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].
· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).
· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]
The Rapture of the Church at Midweek
· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).
· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]
I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.
THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.
ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.
Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.
Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.
What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4
The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible
[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]
· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).
[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]
[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).
1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].
False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)
The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].
· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].
· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].
· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).
· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]
The Rapture of the Church at Midweek
· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).
· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]
I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Sunday, October 13, 2013
What Happens During and Before Armageddon and End Times?
Hello my para beauties! I trust you had a amazing weekend and those you love are healthy. I've been asked more to touch on this subject which can get a bit dicey. This is my opinion and interpretation of what I read in the Gospel. So here we go....
Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.
THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.
ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.
Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.
Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.
What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4
The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible
[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]
· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).
[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]
[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).
1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].
False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)
The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].
· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].
· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].
· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).
· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]
The Rapture of the Church at Midweek
· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).
· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]
I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.
THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.
ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.
Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.
Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.
What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4
The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible
[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]
· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).
[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]
[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).
1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].
False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)
The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].
· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].
· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].
· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).
· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]
The Rapture of the Church at Midweek
· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).
· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]
I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
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