Posted on 10/01/2011 5:51:45 AM PDT by kindred
Greetings in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ!
For a future not so distant day...
This brief letter is written to those of you who have been left behind. May I calm your great anxiety and fears with this great message of hope! God loves you and cares greatly for you. He has a great plan, purpose and future for you and your life. He wants only and always the highest and best things for you. So please give your ear and full attention to the words that follow. The days ahead will be days that will not be easy - in fact they will be quite horrendous. But be of good cheer and of good courage. Have Faith in Almighty God and His Word. (Link to Bible Study on the Rapture.)
Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but hath everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
God so loved us that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and mine! God has thus provided a way to restore fellowship with sinners (all humans), and to remove His righteous wrath that was upon us because of our sins and trespasses. Everyone that puts their trust in Jesus Christ will thus find God's pardon for sin and restored fellowship with Him (1 John 1:1-3). The proof that God will do what He says is shown in what has just transpired, i.e., “The Rapture,” which is (or was) the abrupt removal of Believers (Christians) from the earth. God foretold in His Word that He would do it and He did! Almighty God never lies and never changes (see Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hebrews 6:18, 13:8). Almighty God and His Word can therefore be fully trusted! All that put their trust in Almighty God and His Word can be confident that God will do what He says (2 Timothy 1:12).
Basic Facts About Salvation Found in Jesus Christ . All that put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (the Saved) thus find God's pardon for sin and have Eternal Life. All those who reject God’s saving grace (the Unsaved or Lost) will only receive God’s judgment and wrath (John 3:18).
The Saved will enter Christ’s Glorious Kingdom, which He will establish at the conclusion of this terrible time of Great World Tribulation, i.e., upon Christ's Second Coming to earth (Matthew 25:33-40). Facing God’s judgment, the Lost are removed from the earth prior to the beginning of Christ’s 1000-year (Millennial) Kingdom reign (Matthew 24:36-51, 25:41-46).
Another wonderful truth regarding those that are Saved is the deliverance from the power of wrath, darkness, and death (see 1 Thess. 1:10, Col. 1:13, Heb. 2:14-15). The Lost will have to experience the “Second Death,” which is eternal separation from God in Hell (the Lake of Fire) forever (Rev. 20:11-15). There is a Biblical saying that goes, “Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.”
Humble yourselves before Almighty God. Listen to His Word! Have faith to believe Him, and all will be well. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!!
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1John 5:4-5).
The Rapture of the Church and Tribulation Period . As earlier stated, the major event that has just taken place (i.e., the Great Disappearance) is called "The Rapture of the Church." This is the event spoken of in the scriptures when Christ receives unto Himself all True Believers on earth who are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He has come to meet them in the clouds to be united – Head and Body, Bride and Bridegroom - forever more.
As the Bible states: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
This period following the Rapture of the Church that you presently are in is called, "The Time of Jacob's Trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), “The Time of Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24, Mark 13), and “The Time of Indignation and Wrath (Isaiah 34:2; Revelation 6:16-17). These terms describe a seven-year period of great global catastrophe: war, pestilence, famine, desolations, false hopes, false promises and great deception such as the world has never seen (see Revelation chapters 6-19). The only hope you have during this time of great global turmoil is to trust in The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word with all your heart, soul and mind. God has made provision for your total salvation in His wonderful person. Put your trust in Him!
A Brief Overview of Current Events . 1. The first event that will take place after the Rapture is the treaty signed between Israel and their enemies. A Man from Europe will greatly strengthen this treaty and make it work. Don’t be deceived! His one goal is to destroy Israel. Don’t believe this man, his teachings and political motivations. He is Satan's Anti-Christ. From the signing of this treaty to the Second Coming of Christ is exactly 7 Years (1 “week” of years or 2520 days; see Daniel 9:26-27).
2. The Gospel message will be preached from Israel by God's Two Jewish Witnesses (Rev 11:3-14) and 144,000 Jewish missionaries (Rev. 7:4-8,14:1-5). Listen to them!!! They bring the True Gospel message. They are God's messengers to the whole earth. Hear them! The Anti-Christ will seek to destroy them and their Gospel message of Jesus Messiah.
3. Beware of the great deception at hand as Jesus spoke of in (Matthew 24:4 and Revelation 12:9). The fearful and unbelieving inhabitants of the earth will be very susceptible to this demonic deception because of the many-faceted catastrophes, conditions and circumstances of this dreadful time. Stay focused and have faith in God and His Word alone (Proverbs 3:5-7)!
4. Love and honor the people of Israel (Genesis 12:2-3). They are God's people and this time period involves them coming back to God as a nation. Love God's chosen people, the Jews (Isaiah 41:8-11). The Anti-Christ and the World system will persecute them with all their hatred and power (Revelation 12, 17:12-14). Line up with God and not with this Wicked World (1 John 2:15-17).
5. Study God's simple plan of salvation, the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and hide it in your heart as the Bible teaches, for these are the Words of Life (2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:11). Share it with anyone who will hear you (Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 3:15). Be faithful, knowing they may kill the body but not the soul (Matthew 10:28-39). Your soul and spirit are possessed by Almighty God as you possess Him. If your life is taken, God will raise you up at the end of this seven-year tribulation period (Rev. 14:13; 20:4-6). Don’t be afraid; God is still in control, and He is working all things together for good (Rom. 8:28). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou will be saved! (Acts 16:31)
6. By all means, DO NOT receive the Mark of the Beast! (Rev.13:18, 14:9-11) If you know Christ as Your Savior, you are safely His and the Holy Spirit will make it clear not to take it. If you know not yet Christ, then do not let yourself be deceived. The mark might bring temporary relief but doom for eternity! Trust in Christ as your Savior! Do not be swayed by the lies of the enemy! Don’t take the mark of the beast for any reason.
7. Again, place your trust in Almighty God and His Word alone! God is always right in what He says and does, and He is merciful and faithful in all His ways (Psalm 103:17-18; 1 Corinthians 10:13). This ought to bring great comfort and encouragement to your hearts. No matter what happens, remember that you belong to the Most High God and are eternally safe! (John 10:28)
The Kingdom Of Heaven is At Hand! Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved! (Acts 16:31) It is our desire that this brief letter may bring hope and insight about the Major Event that has just transpired. There are many links on this site that will direct you to the scripture truths about salvation and the current events at hand. Pray for God to give you wisdom and understanding in these days ahead.
The Kingdom of Heaven is truly at hand!!
What’s the point of the rapture then if He’s going to do it at the last minute?
The Tribulation period is God’s judgment on unbelievers, not a time to beat His Bride black and blue.
We’ve already been judged.
Daniel and Revelation both speak of the meanings of the prophesies being sealed until the times of the end when their meaning would start to become apparent to Christians living at those times.
Actually, all of what you just said is a total lie, and quite offensive to all the Saints that have lived before today. Also, this sentiment that the Scriptures can only be understood with Revelation and Daniel in one hand and the New York Times in the other while CNN "opens up the Truth of Scriptures" to you through the international news segments is blaspheming the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14) who has the sole role in revealing Biblical Truth.
Revelation 22:10 specifically says "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand." Just earlier, our LORD exhorts us to "keep the words of the prophecy of this book."
Now since the "time is at hand" back in the first century, that also implies that the sealing in Daniel 12:4 is at hand and that it too should be unsealed.
So in view of the words of the LORD which seem to completely contradict yours, what do you have to say now?
The real Christ was a real human being.
Satan can only counterfeit and there is n reason to believe that his counterfeit will not also be a man whom people will follow. Mankind is particularly susceptible to following a charismatic leader.
The best strategy Satan can come up with is to provide someone like that promising peace at a time when everything seems to be coming apart at the seams. People will GLADLY follow someone who promises to provide them with peace and safety.
I lean very strongly towards pre-trib also, but also recognize that what's going to happen is going to happen outside of what I think about it.
The best strategy is to be prepared for all three possibilities.
Fortunately, this is not a critical for salvation belief.
What’s the point of the rapture then if He’s going to do it at the last minute?
Excellent point! Because those who believe in a literal "rapture" must think our LORD was confused about the order of events when telling the Parable of the Wheat and Tares.
Matt 13:30,40-43 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"... "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
See, this is the explanation for the previous public telling of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares - where the Tares are plucked out first. Those who talk about a pre-Tribulation have to wrest Matthew 13, alter or even remove it when confronted with it.
The Tribulation period is God’s judgment on unbelievers, not a time to beat His Bride black and blue.
A popular myth of the Rapturenauts is the claim that somehow, absent the Paraclete (1 Cor 2:14), that many of those "Left Behind" will somehow magically (Ro 10:17) come to repentance and faith. So, in your colorful terms, are they not our LORD's bride? Or does God bludgeon and beat-down some of the Bride? Or are these late-comers concubines and second wives that are OK to beat "black and blue"? What is the orthodox view on this? Are we to categorically reject the Parable of the Ten Virgins, because the Virgins who were Left Behind can still slip in late to the party?
Satan can only counterfeit and there is n reason to believe that his counterfeit will not also be a man whom people will follow.
I don't get the motivation here.
Many evangelicals claim that Isa 14:12-14 "...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High..." is Lucifer boasting. Notice how Lucifer says "I...I...I..." almost as much as our President.
The movie "The Prestige" had Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, an illusionist, who had this cool trick that required a look-alike double. So Robert would do all the work of the performance, and for the grand finale, would do the "teleportation" trick that would have him go beneath the stage while his double would remain and bask in all of the glory and applause of the audience. This ate at him as the double got arrogant and demanded more and more.
Now lets put Satan as the Robert in this End Times picture of yours, and the "AntiChrist" a/o "Beast" is getting all of the applause, adulation and praise for all the hard work that Satan did in the preceding six thousand years. I'm sorry, after reading Isa 14:12-14 I have a particularly difficult time believing the master illusionist will be content hiding below the stage while the drunk double basks in all the glory.
And according to Dispy legend, the chief group that is to be persecuted couldn't care less as they are in a wild drunken cosmic party and seven year rave.
The fantasy doesn't match Scripture's characterization of the Deceiver.
He is our ‘Lord’.. ‘Savior’.. ‘King’.. ‘Redeemer’.
He is...”The Lion of the Tribe of Judah”... our all in all.
He is the.. “Alpha and the Omega”.. “The Beginning and the End”....”The First and The Last”.
He is... “Emmanuel, God with us”.
He is...” The Great I Am”.
He is ..”The Great Shepherd of His Sheep”.
He is....”The Light of the World” ... “The Lord of Glory”.
He Is....”The Exact image and representation of the invisible Almighty God”.
David called Him....”Lord and Great Shepherd”.
Genesis calls Him.. .the “Off spring of the woman”..who would “crush the head of satan”.
In Numbers he is called...”The Star and Scepter”
In Job He is ...”Christ the Redeemer”.
In Isaiah He is called....”Wonderful”... “Counselor”... “The Mighty God”... “The Everlasting Father”... “The Prince of Peace”... ....And the Government shall be upon His shoulders, and of His Government there shall be no end”.
Jeremiah called Him....”The Lord of Righteousness”.
Daniel called Him...”The Ancient of Days”.. “The Anointed One”.
Haggai called Him...”The Desire of All Nations”
Zachariah called Him...”King of Kings” and “Lord Of Lords”
Malachi called Him.....”Messenger of the Covenant” and “Son of the Righteous”.
Matthew called Him...”Son of David”...”Emmanuel”, “The Son of the Living God”
Mark called Him ....”The Holy One”.
Luke called Him.... “The Horn of our Salvation”.
John called Him ...”The Word”...”The Lamp of God”...”The Christ”....”The Teacher”...”The Only Begotten of the Father”
“The Bread of Life”...”The Resurrection and the Life”.
Acts records Him as ..”The Judge”...”The Rock”...”The Head of the Church”..”.The Chief Cornerstone”
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”...
The King of Glory is Coming with Great Power and Authority....’Jesus Christ’... the Son of the Living God!!
(Now what was it about 'a car' just for perspective Ignorant Bastard?)
Amen!
Alamo-Girl....there’s so much in that one scripture. Alpha and Omega...hummm...
“I am that I am”....
“I are that I are”
"I AM" - Exodus 3:14
YHwH means "He IS."
"The Almighty" - El Shaddai which means "God Almighty."
"The Lord"
Powerful words!!!! Amen.
Just as there is a Trinity in the Godhead, there is a trinity in the bad guys...The false prophet, the anti-Christ and Satan...
Just as the Good Guy died and came back to life, the bad guy will die during the Tribulation and come back to life...
1 cor 15
36
Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
42
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Christians will go through a tribulation, faith is what will separate the true believers from those who are just Christians on the out side.
Satan’s MO is to kill, steal, and destroy.
I think whatever it takes is what he’ll do.
Thanks for the ping. I’ve read through the posts to this point and it’s interesting to watch those who deny the rapture and most of the entirety of the events in Revelation. Most of those who deny the rapture also have expressed their belief that Israel is no longer going to be dealt with as a nation in the last seven years. If there belief is that the church has replaced Israel there is no way they can rightly understand prophesy.
Most of those who deny the rapture believe they are spiritual Israel. It is so amazing still to see how one wrong turn can snowball into a disastrous journey through the maze. Instead of stopping to gain their bearings, and check the MAP for instructions, they plow on, certain they will eventually find their way out. And every turn they make continues to be wrong. An exhausting exercise that ends in futility.
Indeed CB....and that is not helpful for those without Christ and works against the gospel message...this also they cannot discern.
I see these folks on other threads attempting to create a diversion.....they simply want a stage in order to "educate" the uninformed, which in doing so positions the unsaved for " false hope" that they can wait to make their decision for Christ not realizing delaying this is a no to Christ..... Jesus said 'now is the day of Salvation'.
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