Posted on 05/08/2020 4:37:58 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:4-6)
The famous “Faith Chapter” in the book of Hebrews, begins with two Saints, Abel and Enoch as examples of faith which we are to imitate. Faith is the point, for faith is the only way to please God.
I once asked the LORD, ‘Why Faith? Why is that what you require?” I believe I received several answers in the form of scripture and impressions, from the LORD. God requires faith, because we simply cannot save ourselves. Only God can save our souls, no one can redeem themselves, therefore Faith is required, because faith glorifies God and not man.
Another reason for the requirement of faith that came to me, is that our problems began when we quit believing in the goodness of God. Adam and Eve were willing to entertain a false and degraded notion of God, that He was holding something back that would be good for the first couple. The Serpent bore false witness about the LORD, and they believed it.
The way back? It has to be faith. We must repent and believe again in the goodness of God.
The “hall of faith” begins with Abel and Enoch. One Saint who was murdered for his faith, and for bearing witness to God in a hostile world. There would be literally millions upon millions who would follow in his footsteps, being willing to let go of their life rather than deny the truth of God.
The other Saint, Enoch, was a man who lived in a kind of “end times scenario” living in the time leading up to the flood. It was a day of Apostasy, but Enoch walked with God, until God took Him home. He didn’t die , He was raptured. God took him home, to be with himself.
Faith was required of each of them.
I believe that we also live in an end-time. I have no doubt that Jesus is coming, and in our lifetime. What makes us unique is the re-emergence of the nation of Israel, in 1948, in fulfillment of the prophecies about the last of the last days. All of the prophets pre-supposed that there would be a national Israel, and a Jewish occupied city of Jerusalem, as well as a controversy over Judea, (The West bank) which would engulf the whole world.
The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:1-3)
Which brings us back to our two Saints at the beginning of Hebrews 11. One died, He was martyred for his witness to God. The other one did not die. He was Raptured. Both of these Saints lived by Faith and Pleased God.
I believe that this speaks to us in our generation.
No doubt. many of us will end up dying. Perhaps some of us will be given an opportunity to be martyred. We are Saints and love God, but all things being equal, unless the LORD returns, we will die, one way or another.
(Of course, Christians don’t really die, they “go to sleep”) but the real point is that Faith is the only way to please God.
But according to the scriptures, there is a unique end-times event, coming, as I hope I have pointed out in this series, called the Rapture, or “Our gathering together unto Him”, “the Episynagogue” and Jesus coming to “take us where (He)…is, unto himself”. The LORD is coming to snatch us off the earth with a swift and irresistable power”.
To participate in such an event is a rare honor among the countless Millions of Saints who believed in Jesus before us.
But whether we die, or are martyred, o whether we are raptured, the real point is that we must live our lives by Faith,which is the only way to please God.
This is why I do not enter into the countless discussions as to the timing of the Rapture. “Will The Rapture be pre- ,mid , or post Tribulation”?
Honesty, the only things I am sure about the Rapture at all are that it is:
* For God’s Saints only, and the prospect of it is a comfort.
* A Mystery revealed in the New Testament era.
* It occurs before the actual “Wrath ” of God.
* It involves the “dead in Christ” as well as “We who are alive, until the coming of the LORD”.
As far as I know, all else can only be speculation. God doesn’t want us to know the exact timing otherwise it would be clearer. I am glad there is a Rapture, and my prayer has always been that I be involved in it, while alive. But I cannot say with certainty what the timing of it is, so I don’t.
What counts is Faith in Jesus. Not dead works, but a living, vital, infectious faith. Let us have a faith which still moves us to confess and forsake our sins, to Love and seek God. To forgive and love our brothers, and a faith which moves us to share with others what God has shown to us. Is your faith alive? Do you have oil in your lamp? Are you current with God?
We Overcome the World by our faith. “This is the victory that overcometh the World…our faith”. We overcome the Spirit of antiChrist also, by our faith. So also we overcome the sins that so easily beset us, and the Coldness and soul deadening effect of this world, by our Faith.
Of course we want out of here, we can increasingly see that there is nothing in this World for we who believe, but rejection and opposition.I want Jesus to come, and Long for the Rapture. I am either going up in it, or I am gong to die, but one way or another we are leaving.
Either way, the point is Faith. So I will leave the timing of the Rapture to God, and just strive to be counted worthy to attain it, whether ded or alive.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:35)
When you have true faith you do not worry at all.
Thanks and Amen!
GREAT POST. God has given us very few keys as to timing. We are not appointed to wrath but to salvation. So before wrath is obviously correct.
“[T]hat day shall not com except there come a falling away first, and that may of sin be revealed . . . . “ II Thess 2:3.
God has carefully crafted His description of the timing and the events so that careful readers who get to the end conclude that it is not possible to know even very much about the times and the seasons. An “hour when you think not”.
Ah yes,
The rapture.
One of those American born (dispensationalisms - thank you John Darby) ideas in that sea of 10,000 Christian flavors today where without any true traditions or apostolic succession we just reinvent Christianity.
If Luther would have known the unforeseen consequences...
The longer the practice of abortion continues, the shorter the time before this tribulation thing - of that I’m certain. I had hoped it could have been stopped in the first term of Trump’s reign. Now I’m not so sure he will even have a second chance to stop the slaughter of the innocent. Concerning the question you raise, we may not have long to wait to learn the answer.
The Rapture will not happen until the Church the Body of Christ is COMPLETE. When the Holy Spirit baptizes the LAST person, who believes and accepts the Gospel of the GRACE of God for his/her salvation, into the Body of Christ,then and only then will Christ come for the Church the Body of Christ. There is no reason for us to remain after the Body is complete. And BTW that is a SPIRITUAL BAPTISM that the Holy Spirit performs to place us into the Body. Not physical. It has NOTHING to do with water. It is spiritual.
You seem so sure of your smugness. Care to share?
Kinda late in the week for a sermon search...
To die is to have your nature solidified, as in The due is cast.
Please provide chapter and verse for no Christians will endure life on earth when god pours out his wrath, and what/where in the timeline you consider the wrath occurring - during the great tribulation?
Imho the rapture is in the future.
This is a heresy and when the rapture does not happen people will be scandalized out of their faith. This is terrible and I will pray for those who fall for this error
At some point, every believer has wondered if the Rapture is imminent. It’s only natural to ask if Jesus is coming back today, tomorrow, or in fifty years. Now, we know that Jesus told us we can’t know the day or the hour, but we’re pretty sure we are the exception—because we’ve been staring pretty hard at star charts, numbers, newspaper headlines, and yes, even our Bibles, and we’ve cracked the code.
Jesus will return by December 31, 2020. There are millions of pieces of evidence all throughout the Bible, but we’ve narrowed it down to just the top 18. You’ll be convinced—we guarantee it.
1.) He didn’t come back every other time some quack predicted it, so this time it must be true. Every time someone’s come along and claimed that Jesus would come back in 1988, 2000, or 2012, that person’s been wrong. So the law of averages would seem to suggest that we’ve gotta be right at least one time. Maybe this is the one!
2.) The final “TRUMP” has resounded. Donald Trump = fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Make prophecy great again! 3.) We’re not totally sure how Obama ties in, but rest assured it’s all his fault. Thanks, Obama!
4.) 2020 breaks down to the formula 2 x 0 – 1 + 8 = 7, the number of the Lord. Wow! This is powerful evidence that 2020 is the year the great tribulation will kick off.
5.) The sheeple are finally waking up to global conspiracies like chemtrails, the moon landing hoax, and the globe earth myth. The new world order is going to rise up to crush those who have discovered the truth that we’re living on a flat earth and we’re covered in nasty government chem trails. The tribulation will soon follow these upheavals! Stay strong, Christian soldiers!
6.) Something about Israel and a bear and a dragon. Israel is a nation again, and the Bible talks about bears and dragons and harlots and stuff. We’re not sure how that all connects, but you’d better look to the skies. It’s happening!
7.) The 2010 Karate Kid remake. Our top sources in the spiritual realm told us that judgment day was moved up a few centuries once Jaden Smith’s remake of the classic ’80s film hit theatres.
8.) Hal Lindsey got raptured last week, and the Bible says he will be taken roughly one year before everyone else. This fulfillment of biblical prophecy puts the start of the tribulation squarely in 2020. Hal Lindsey’s rapture was just the first fruits of what is coming.
9.) Well, whaddya know. The laptop we’re typing this up on just hit 20% battery life. Coincidence? I think not. Make sure to pay attention to seemingly random numbers throughout your day, and you too can become a biblical numerology expert.
10.) Stranger Things hit in 2016. Stranger Things Season 4 hits in 2020. What does this leave for us in 2018? Nothing but fire and brimstone.
11.) Some guy on the internet told us so in a crazed YouTube video called WEEKLY PROPHECY UPDATE. What’s more reliable than reading prophetic texts with a grounded hermeneutic? Crazed YouTube videos, that’s what! If a guy who calls himself the Third Eagle of the Apocalypse says Jesus is coming back, who are we to question him?
12.) Tim Keller’s church recently pulled off this really weird ballet dance thing that made us kinda uncomfortable. We watched this video earlier this year, and we weren’t sure what we were seeing, but we’re gonna have to err on the side of caution and conclude it’s a pretty clear sign that the coming of the Lord is at hand.
13.) Climate change is making hurricanes and turning the frogs gay. Every time the average global temperature moves up a tick, the Lord is one step closer to whisking us all way to the sky. Not to mention all the hurricanes and gay frogs! Hurry up, Jesus!
14.) The voices in my head told me so. We’ve all been having these crazy dreams where a voice whispers, “Jesus is coming back in 2020” very clearly to us. The voice sounds a little bit like Christopher Walken. Preeeeeeetty sure that’s indisputable proof of a 2020 rapture date.
15.) We bought Chick-fil-A for lunch recently and the total was $20.20. Can you say “sign from God?” Because we sure can!
16.) 2020 backwards is 0202, which probably has something to do with Daniel or Revelation or something. Amazing!
17.) If you stay up for 48 hours straight, drink lots of coffee, and squint really hard at “2020” it kinda looks like Jesus. Try it. It really works! This is just more confirmation that our prophecy is going to come true!
18.) Because nobody will buy a prophecy book that says we simply can’t know when the End Times will kick off. We’re gonna level with you here: we simply can’t sell you a boring line like “Jesus is coming soon, but we’re not sure exactly when, so trust in Him for salvation and pursue holiness.” How many copies would that book sell? 3 or 4? But if we set a date, we’re sure to rake in the big book royalty dollars. There you have it, crystal clear! Now get your affairs in order!
Note: Due to the volatile nature of biblical prophecy, The Babylon Bee reserves the right to retract our prediction after 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2021, postpone the date by a couple years, and retain all credibility as a source of prophetic predictions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Die is cast.
I am thankful for John Darby. The Brethren Movement, Assemblies, Gospel Hall’s, have produced most of the best commentaries on the Bible I have ever read.
Obviously making it up after the time ran out.
Whenever someone doubts the rapture I have two thoughts. One, why the snarky sneer? Two, what do you do with 1 Thess. 4?
Of course it is. Everyday believers wake up on this Earth is another day we can rest assured that the Body is not yet complete. That we should preach the reconciliation of 2 Corinthians for this day. We don’t know who the last member will be. But He does. That’s why it’s so incumbent on us to be ready to preach the Gospel of the GRACE of GOD.
he still would have left the corrupt church that wouldn’t reform itself.
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