Monday, February 27, 2006

The Rapture-Part 8

I have read an argument some mid and post tribulationists hold for:

Matthew 24
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Their argument is that the people who are taken are the wicked, not the church.

Spending time with the Lord this morning in His word, the refutation to that argument lept off the pages at me.

Immediately following Matt 24, Matt 25 is the parable of the ten virgins which clearly states that those who were not ready at the time the bridegroom shows up are the ones who are left. The virgins who were ready went into the wedding banquet with the Lord.

It's amazing that I never saw this before, even after reading through it so many times. Truly, we can only understand the Word of God with the illumination of the Holy Ghost.

~Brother D

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Rapture-Part 7

If the "escape" talked about in Luke21:36 is going to occur before the tribulation as I believe it will based on the information discussed in previous posts on this blog, then when would the most likey time be for the Lord to catch people by surprise, or unexpected as He says in His Word?

Seems to me, it would be at a time when things are going relatively well for people. When things are going well, people tend to forget about the Lord. When things are hitting the fan left and right, when terrible events are rocking the world, people are looking for the Lord.

I imagine that any day now would be a good day for the Lord to reveal Himself to His people and catch us up in the air to be with Him forever. He specifically told us to be watching for Him, as an ongoing command. The better things are going in the world, the more complacent people become, the more vigilant we should be. Its at times like these that He is most likely to show up. Brother D

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Dead Man Walking

Why are we not concerned with the things of this world? Because we are dead men (and women :-) walking...................

Romans 6:8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Colossians 2:20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:

Colossians 3:3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Galatians 2:20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules????????????????

We are ambassadors and members of an otherworldly kingdom, not this world's kingdom. When I hear people who call themselves christians getting all wound up about politics or any of the other lies this world tries to feed us, I wonder: which spirit lives in those people?

People who follow the spirit of this world have their minds set on this world and this world's desires...

John 8:23But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 12:25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 15:19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

The world calls the day Jesus died "Good Friday", you ever wonder why? John 16:20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

John 17:14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

John 17:16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

John 18:36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Romans 12:2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Corinthians 1:21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 1:28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

1 Corinthians 2:12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" ;

2 Corinthians 5:16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2 Corinthians 10:3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

2 Corinthians 10:4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Galatians 4:3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.

Galatians 6:14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Ephesians 2:2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Ephesians 6:12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Colossians 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? I guess the TBN crowd is out of luck.....

People who call themselves christians yet are not only friends with the world, but lovers with the world, better re-evaluate their life...
James 4:4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

1 Peter 1:1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

1 Peter 2:11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

1 John 2:15[ Do Not Love the World ] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 3:13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. Does the world hate the televangelists (or those who follow them) we see on TV these days? hardly....

1 John 4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. This represents the vast majority of people calling themselves christians today. They know who they are by the people they call their "leaders", birds of a feather flock together...

1 John 5:19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. People talk about taking the goverment back for Jesus, guess they have'nt read this in the Bible yet. Jesus will take the Government back, but not for someone like George W. He'll come back, take it by force, and rule it Himself....

Revelation 12:9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him.

Those who believe in the "real" Jesus are dead to this world and all its ways. We are alive to Christ however, and we have our minds set on our Father's kingdom, not this one that we presently live in.

9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly





Monday, February 06, 2006

Crossing the Finish Line Strong

It has been on my heart lately that we should make every effort to cross the finish line strong so that we 2Peter1:11 "will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This is important for us who are really committed to pleasing our Lord and Savior. If time is as short as I think it is, we need to get serious, focused and ready to meet our beloved Jesus. I say we need to think about crossing the finish line strong like runners running a race. What does the bible have to say about this race we are running?

Acts 20:24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

1 Corinthians 9:24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Galatians 2:2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.

Galatians 5:7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?

2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Hebrews 12:1[ God Disciplines His Sons ] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

A race has been marked out for us, so let us run it with perseverance. Those of us who have run for any significant distance know what it takes to finish a long race. It takes perseverance, focus, strength, and raw determination. You can't cross the finish line of a marathon "half wanting" to win. You have to want the prize really really bad. Let's cross the finish line strong~brother D