Making Nonsense Out of Noah

The evidence just keeps mounting that this year may be the last pre-flood year this earth sees. As we look at what is written in the word of God, we all understand that everything has to "fit." We cannot force things to go where we want them to, either they fit in the overall context or they do not. Here's where we come to men making nonsense out of the story of Noah.

First, throw out any preconceived notions men have given you relating to "pre-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, post-trib" and focus on what the Lord is saying:

Luke 17:26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah,
... "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

Matthew 24:37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be
... because just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. ..."For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

Could the Lord be any more clear here? Just as it was in the days of Noah....exactly the same. So whatever theories men come up with, it has to fit the days of Noah....it must fit, or its nonsense.

The mid-trib, pre-wrath teachers make nonsense out of the story of Noah by changing the story around to say something to the effect that Noah entered the ark after 20-30 days of flooding, which means that he and his family were treading water outside the ark for more than half of the flood. Do you understand how ridiculous that is? It's beyond ridiculous, its pure fantasy.

The post-trib teacher tells you that Noah and his family were treading water during the entire flood, then went into the Ark after the flood was full, that is, after 40 days and nights of rain. Is that the story of Noah you read in Genesis 7? This point of view is also complete fantasy.

Call it whatever you want. Because of the waters of the flood, Noah went into the ark, that's fact, not fiction, and whatever theories men come up with, they better fit that fact.

Genesis 7: 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood

Luke 21:36 says there is an escape from ALL coming. Does that "fit" the story of Noah? Yes it does. Noah escaped the entire flood..all of it. Does it "fit" the story of Lot? Yes it does, Lot escape all the brimstone that fell on Sodom.

Ask any "pre-wrath" or "post-trib" believer to explain how much of the flood Noah endured or how much brimstone fell on Lot, and you shut them down before they can ever get started. It has to fit, all of it.....I have read and continue to read the theories put forth by these people, and they can never explain away Noah escaping all the flood, Lot escaping all the brimstone, and an escape from all promised in the future for those counted worthy of it.

Slight shift of gears here

What if you knew for sure that this year, 2009 was it? What if you knew, that 2009 was the last year of "eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage?" What if you were sure of it, what would you do? What if you were sure that sometime later this year or early next year, the 7 years of Jacob's trouble was going to start? I think it would be wise to answer that question now, today. Look at what's hiding in plain sight all around you....the signs. They are everywhere. We are staring at the tribulation, its just ahead of us. Can't you feel it?

I can't guarantee you much, but I can guarantee you this: when the word of God tells you that something is going to happen a certain way, it's guaranteed to happen that way. So put yourself in Noah's shoes today, we are modern day "Noah's and Lot's." I did'nt say that, Jesus did. The coming of the son of man will be just like the days of Noah and Lot. Do not allow men to re-write the stories of Noah and Lot for you. If something did not happen in the stories of Noah and Lot, it won't happen during the coming of the Son of man either. If it did happen, it will happen again.

John 14:3
... "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Matt 24:36 'And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known -- not even the messengers of the heavens -- except my Father only; 37 and as the days of Noah -- so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man; 38 for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left; 41 two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.

Use the bible to interpret the bible right? The people who tell us that this ^^ is not the escape have a real problem with this:

Luke 17:30 'According to these things it shall be, in the day the Son of Man is revealed; 31 in that day, he who shall be on the house top, and his vessels in the house, let him not come down to take them away; and he in the field, in like manner, let him not turn backward; 32 remember the wife of Lot. 33 Whoever may seek to save his life, shall lose it; and whoever may lose it, shall preserve it. 34 'I say to you, In that night, there shall be two men on one couch, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left; 35 two women shall be grinding at the same place together, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left; 36 two men shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left.' 37 And they answering say to him, 'Where, sir?' and he said to them, 'Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.'

Was the Lord out of his mind when he wrote this ^^^? I mean, do we just gloss over it because its inconvenient to our pet theories? They asked the Lord where those who are taken are going, and what was the reply? 'Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together

Where the "body" is?
eagles?
"gathered together?"

Let's look closer:

Body as its used here is σωμα noun - nominative singular neutersoma so'-mah: the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave.

gather together/lead together as its used here: συναχθησονται verb - future passive indicative - third person sunago soon-ag'-o: to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specially, to entertain (hospitably)

eagles: aetos ah-et-os': an eagle (from its wind-like flight) -- eagle.

Where the body is? Oh, like maybe the body of Christ? Which is the church? Where that is, that's where those in wind-like flight will be gathered/lead together hospitably? Flight? Oh, like, in the air kind of flight? Gosh, where have I seen that before?

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be ...
... Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

So the peope who tell us that this is not the escape would have us believe that the wicked will be "received/taken" in a hospitable/entertaining kind of way? That's what the word sunago (soon-ag'-o) means....sorry guys, my imagination stretches, but not that far...

Is it possible that I am completely off base with all of this? It's possible, but if there is no escape from all that's about to happen, then I guess we should take a pencil out and erase Luke 21:36 from the bible. If the church is not kept from the hour of trial coming on the entire earth, then we need to erase Rev 3:10 as well. If we are going to go through half or more of the tribulation, then we need to get out a bigger eraser and edit the stories of Noah and Lot to make them "fit." If we are all destined to take the brunt of the tribulation on the chin, then there's alot that will have to be re-written in the bible, but you know, and I know, that's not going to happen.

Grace and peace

Success

Have you ever heard the idea that success is when preparation meets opportunity? I like that thinking because its true. I bring this to your attention today as a way of encouraging you. Think about the situation in the world today. Everyone, or at a minimum the vast majority of people in "high places" whether it be religion, politics, social organizations etc etc are black in the heart corrupt. The powers that be have corrupted everything, and they now have most people by the throat. Many people see the current situation as helpless. "What do we do" they say, thinking their only options are the voting booth or physical confrontation. All of their options are wordly options. This is how you can spot the so called christians from a mile away. "Get involved" they say, "get out and vote" they say. In their mind, if John McBush would have been (s)elected, we would be sooooo much better off now....

Here's where your encouragement comes in...success is where preparation...meets opportunity. Your options are different from their options. Your prayers can accomplish much..if you believe. You can prepare through prayer. You can prepare through moment by moment taking control of your thoughts and bringing them into obedience with the word of God. You can moment by moment refuse to entertain any idea or thoughts that pollute you. You can choose to rededicate your life to the Master every morning. In other words, you can prepare for "the escape." Our Lord tells us to be watching and ready. He gives us many examples to illustrate what he's talking about. Most notably, the ten virgins come to mind. Some were ready, some were not. What did the "ready" virgins do that the foolish ones did not? They prepared in advance for the masters arrival.

How did they prepare, they brought extra oil. Why? They planned in advance to wait. They made preparations to do whatever was necessary to be ready when the bridegroom showed up. Realize this, if you do not prepare to succeed, you then default automatically over to preparation to fail. You can be proactive today, while the rest of the world has an iron fist around their throats. One size does not fit all today, and it will not fit all in the future. You can work on exercising and building your faith today. Yes, I realize that all of this sounds like utter non-sense to those who have told you to "get involved" with the world to make a difference. If I'm not mistaken, these people have been telling you to "get involved" with the world for years and years and years now, and look at the world. Does it appear to you that their method for "getting involved" is working? People are more enslaved and oppressed in every way today than they were a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago etc etc. They tell you the same things year after year and the world has gone from bad to utterly wicked.

Our Father's ways are not the ways of this world..period. He does'nt think like them, he does'nt love like them, he does'nt act like them, and we are his children. One of our highest goals must be to be just like our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. That means we do not proceed like the world does. Everything they do is futile, spinning their wheels with illusions of progress that keep them snared and walking down that broad road that leads to destruction. The OSAS (once saved always saved) people are fond of telling you "all you have to do is believe" to be saved. Well, I agree to some extent, but what does that mean "believe?" It takes FAITH to believe, no faith=no belief. Your faith is the currency that is worth more than all the worthless dollars the fat cat bankers are gorging themselves on at your expense today.

Today, we are still in the days before the flood...re-read Genesis 7, it says because of the flood, Noah and his family entered the ark (that and our God told him to get in :-). Genesis 7: 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. There it is. We can argue about pre,mid,post trib until we are blue in the face, but try arguing ^^^that. Bottom line, Noah went in because of the waters of the flood, the Lord told him to get in because of the waters of the flood.

There's another flood coming to this earth very soon. Because of this new "flood," once again the righteous will be told to "get in" to the "ark," which is the escape from all we are told to pray for in Luke 21:36. Rev 3:10 tells us that a church will be kept from the hour of trial, just as Noah and Lot were kept from their trials. You can do something today. You don't have to dangle off the ground with an iron fist around your throat like the rest of the world. We are not them. I don't say that in any kind of superior way, I say it in a way of someone who is climbing the ramp into the ark while telling the people on the ground, "come on, its going to be bad out there" all the while they mock and spit on me. That's how I'm saying it. Soon, the Lord will shut the door behind us, and its going to get ugly here on earth.

A part of me grieves for what this world is going to go through. I believe the Lord when he says that there is an escape and I pray that I and you may be counted worthy of it, but many won't. I tremble and I am very sobered by the thought of how many won't make it. This isn't a game, its eternal destiny we are talking about here. How many won't make it through the tribulation, then go to hell as a consolation prize? Many. There is no rejoicing in that, its beyond sad and grievous. I would not wish what is coming on my worst enemy. Without the grace and patience of our God, I know that I myself would be one of the clueless many. My heart is in the house of mourning these days, although I expect to be rejoicing on a day coming soon.

Today, so far, its been a pre-flood day. Today some virgins are filling jars with oil to take out and wait for the bridegroom, while other virgins play with the world and mess around till the last second, taking no thought for preparing while they can prepare. This world will chew you up and spit you out, no mercy. Many are those today who will try to convince you of worldly solutions to the spiritual problems this world faces, turn off your mind and ears to them.

Time is short guys. This year just started and already its looking quite wicked. I think there's a great possibility that the escape and the day of the Lord could start this year. The Lord can create and place on your front lawn a sun black as sackcloth and moon red as blood in a hearbeat. Do not be deceived by those who say "but this needs to happen" and "that needs to happen" when your God told you to watch and be ready TODAY. Please....wake up.

grace and peace

Not a Pre-Tribluationist

The more I think about these labels that men have put on the time that's coming, the more I dislike them. Labels tend to paint you into a box and make you defend them. How can anyone be a "pre-tribulationist" when Jesus said:

John 16:33
... "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

I had to highlight "in me" because like I've said, its just everywhere..."in Christ" "in me" etc. But back to the topic, when Jesus says in this world we have tribulation, that means for us who are in Christ, tribulation is an ongoing thing. If I had to clarify the position that the Lord makes in the bible I would call myself a "pre-flood" person, or a "pre-brimstone and fire" believer. In this world, from its very beginning, men have had tribulation.

We have discussed the fact that Noah did'nt endure 1 min of the flood, and Lot did'nt dance around fiery embers for a second, so we should not expect to do anything similar. With that said, we will have tribulation in this world. We always have had it, but there's a big difference between the tribulation that we have in this world and what's coming during the time of Jacob's trouble. I can't remember a time in history when famine, sword and the beasts of the field killed off 2 billion people, that's the opening of the first seals. Death and hell will be here among men on the earth following the sword, famine, beasts and pestilence. It will be a time unlike any other.

The thought occurred to me last night that it is possible for us to see martial law, food shortages, WW3 etc before the escape. It's a possibility to consider. Remember this vision I have of our face pressed up right against the glass that seperates us in time from the tribulation. Not that my ideas mean anything, but what will happen as we come right up to the very day that we leave this place and destruction falls. It will be like walking up to goliath, staring him in the face, smelling his wretched stink, seeing the hate in his eyes, watching him raise his sword up to strike, then WHAM.....outa here. Will faith be tested? It's likely. The Lord tells us clearly he's coming like a thief. He tells us to watch. He has given us the stories of Noah and Lot to understand what we are facing. Noah and Lot walked right up to the very day that destruction fell before escaping, it will be the same for us.

The things I've seen over the past 2 weeks are incredible. There is no longer any question in my mind that the beast is now rising. The anti-christ and Satan (it appears) have finally been permitted to lay advanced groundwork for their "coming out party." This brings me to America. America is babylon. I read an interesting quote this week that was highly insightful:

NEW YORK — Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, a defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy who led an elite seminary for U.S. priests and became known for his energy, wit and warmth, was named archbishop of New York on Monday.
The Vatican said Dolan would succeed Cardinal Edward Egan, 76, who is retiring as archbishop after nearly nine years. The post is the most prominent in the American Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II called the job "archbishop of the capital of the world."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-02-23-dolan_N.htm

America is babylon , specifically New York City is babylon central. Think about what Pope John Paul said there. This pope, who lives in Rome, called New York the capital of the world...Don't you find that a strange thing to say?

The things going on in America today are surreal. There are military units all over the country preparing to put down "civil unrest" that the powers that be expect to come as we progress along. I heard some guy on TV say that the tax rate would have to be raised to 90% in order to pay off the spending we've already done, and theres lots and lots more spending to do. What does that mean? That means that everyone in the world knows, except obviously the American people, that the economy of America is on a collision course with a wall. I keep thinking about how the boomer generation, that worked and saved their entire lives, have been completely and totally raped. Everyone else has too, but right on the verge of retirement, to have the rug pulled out from under them....You still wondering why the Army is preparing to put down "civil unrest?"

I think there's a very good possibility that this year will start Daniel's 70th week, which also means this year could very possibly see "the escape" luke 21:36 as well. Many people have grown weary of watching. They have fallen into the "cry wolf" trap, not realizing that every year in the past that the escape has not shown up, has brought us that much closer to when it will show up. The escape could happen today, destruction could fall today. As I read the bible, I see no caveats to our Lord's command to WATCH, and be ready. He told us to watch so many times I've lost count. The books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Revelation have enough wiggle room built into the words that nobody really knows when most things are going to happen.

If Jesus came back today, calling us into our modern day "ark," how many people would be watching and ready? How many would remember not to look back like Lot's wife? Last night, the things coming in the near future hit me like a ton of bricks. The weight of it all was crushing. My heart absolutely breaks for the children. There will be so much pain, so many mothers bereaved and weeping over what happens. Families will be torn apart and destroyed. People just don't realize how bad, how crushing, what is coming will be. It's very important to understand this NOW, not when it is in your face. Today, you can pray. Today, you can repent. Today, you can purge more of what displeases the Lord from your life. Today, you can pray to be counted worthy of the escape that is coming. Today you can pray for more faith so that you too can walk on the water with our Lord, above the stormy waters.

The anti-christ is coming this time. The signs are everywhere. We have gone way way WAYYYYY beyond the point of no return this time. There will never be anything close to "yesterday" again. The people hoping against hope that if they just hunker down and wait this out, they'll get their old life back, are in for a rude shock. Recently I think the Lord impressed upon me the fact that we are on fast forward, with no rewind button. We are headed into the time of Jacob's trouble, Daniel's 70th week, a time of wrath and indignation. A time of vengeance and retribution for the wickedess of mankind.

This time was never meant for the pure in heart. The knowledge of the Holy One is the beginning of wisdom and it is understanding. When you know Him, you know that he does'nt hammer down sword, famine as vengeance on those who are in right standing with him. Here's a great example:

Psalm 37:25
... I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.

A man who was young and now is old, has never seen..........the righteous forsaken. For that matter, neither have I. Anyone who tells you that the Lord in any way forsakes those who are righteous are thieves and liars. There is a reward for right standing with our Lord, there is also a "reward" for wickedness. The Lord does'nt "do haphazard." He does'nt take a paint can out and color the whole world with one color. He is a God of infinite detail, who has every hair of your head numbered, and he knows where you stand with Him today. One size does not fit all in the days that are coming. Most people did'nt get into the ark with Noah. Most people did'nt leave Sodom with Lot. Most people won't leave this world in the escape of Luke 21. Most people does not have to mean YOU. We are a holy, set apart people who do not conform to this world, as so we are hated by it, but loved dearly by the God of eternity. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom-luke 12:32.

Time is very short guys, I get the distinct feeling that something really big is about to happen. The signs are all around us, its not as if I get these feelings from a vacuum. Open your eyes. Draw close to the Son of God and he will draw close to you. Increase your faith, exercise it. Ask him for more of it. Take the attitude of a soldier. We are in this to the very end, regardless of what that means. We need to really believe what we believe. People who wishy wash in the middle will get crushed. Pray for all the brothers, seek his face today. Grace and peace

Noah Again

Gen 7:1 And the Lord God said to Noe, Enter thou and all thy family into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 And of the clean cattle take in to thee sevens, male and female, and of the unclean cattle pairs male and female. 3 And of clean flying creatures of the sky sevens, male and female, and of all unclean flying creatures pairs, male and female, to maintain seed on all the earth. 4 For yet seven days having passed I bring rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out every offspring which I have made from the face of all the earth. 5 And Noe did all things whatever the Lord God commanded him. 6 And Noe was six hundred years old when the flood of water was upon the earth. 7 And then went in Noe and his sons and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the water of the flood.

Some things to mention today on the above Noah scripture. There are people who say "whoa there cowboy, you see that "for yet seven days" part up there? That means after 7 days, and after 7 days means after the 7 years of tribulation, then the flood comes. Chalk one up for post-tribulationism!" Uhhhh, not so fast there cowboy.

It continues in verse 10 And it came to pass after the seven days that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On that very day entered Noe, Sem, Cham, Japheth, the sons of Noe, and the wife of Noe, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.

After 7 days...got it, but what about "And then went in Noe and his sons and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the water of the flood.?" Noah and company entered the ark because of the flood. Stated more clearly, the flood did'nt touch them. So, we could argue, go round and round about what the 7 days mean, but whatever we ended up agreeing on, we also have to agree that Noah was untouched by the flood. Because of the flood, Noah and family entered the ark.

If we are going to take something away from this Noah story, which will be our story, then it will be this....because of the "flood" we will enter our ark. We will be untouched by the parallel "flood" of our day. We could argue about "times and seasons" but why should we?

1 Thessalonians 5 >>King James Bible
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

^^And they shall not escape.....they.....what about you? Luke 21:36 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. Noah was counted worthy of escape, Lot was counted worthy of escape, we are told to pray that we may be counted worthy of escape. As it was in the days of Noah and Lot, so shall it be in the days of the son of Man. It will be exactly the same. Eating, drinking, planting, building, marrying and giving in marriage, right up till the day that destruction falls. Over and over again we read "the same day" that destruction fell, Lot and Noah were out of harms way. So whatever anyone wants to debate about "times and seasons" I argue back so what? Whenever it happens, it will absolutely, positively happen during a time of eating, drinking, planting, building, marrying and giving in marriage, which ties in perfectly with "when they say "peace and safety" then sudden destruction comes upon them." and they shall not escape....

They shall not escape, but you, brothers, are not in darkness...Here's a bottom line question that the mid-trib,pre-wrath,post-trib folks cannot answer, and refuse to answer:

How much of the flood did Noah have to endure before he entered the ark?
How much fire and brimstone did Lot have to endure before he left Sodom?

Answer to both questions...............NONE

There's a one stop shopping way to shutdown all the arguments. Here's something to realize though, many will go through the tribulation...they shall not escape...but you brothers....pray that you may be counted worthy to not experience the flood of Noah's day, or the fire and brimstone of Lot's day. If the days of the son of Man are going to be exactly the same, then they will be exactly the same.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Let's look at something else about these "days of the Son of man."

Luke 17:22 And He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

You will long to see one of the days of the Son of man? Obviously the days of the Son of man are good days, or at least tolerable days. This world is approaching a time that will seem unreal, but it will be very real. What's coming is beyond bad, its mind numbing, surreal terrible. What's coming is Mad max and the thunderdome, its escape from New York, movie bad. Just imagine the effect of the break down of law and order? What happens when governments are so broke they don't pay the police anymore? Think Somalia with warlords running things in regional areas, but here in America instead. Don't think it can happen? Wait and see. The Army is already gaming these scenarios out. Are they insane too? If I talk about it, I'm a nutcase, but when the government spends billions preparing for it, it's perfectly sane? That's the game we are playing today.

Look around you, read the lame stream media, what's happening? The end of the days of the Son of man. The end of eating and drinking, instead there will be famine. The end of marriage and giving in marriage, instead there will be death by pestilence. The end of planting and building, instead there will be war and destruction. The Lord could have said that the day he comes back for us will be a day of famine, and sword, and death and hell walking the earth...BUT HE DID'NT. He told us what the day would be like, but people are'nt listening.

The day that Lot left Sodom...the day that Noah entered the ark....the day that we leave this earth...THEN destruction falls. It's a 100% sure bet, because our God told us that would be how it happens. We will not experience a drop of rain on the head, nor a stich of clothing burnt from the brimstone. Why? Noah and Lot, how it happened for them, it happens for us who believe. Those who argue they will be going through the tribulation, likely will go through it, all of part of it. Statistics, few...a remnant is what's saved. Noah and his family....Lot and his family...a FEW out of many. The odds are against most people, but it does'nt have to be that way. Love the truth, and so be saved. Be pure in heart, remove the wickedness from your tent, purge the deceit from your heart, and walk in humility with this awesome, mighty God.

We have been called to the same thing from the beginning. Repent, do what pleases the King of Kings. Time is short, it takes faith to walk outside the boat with Jesus. If you don't have enough, ask him for more, and do not doubt that you will receive it. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Keep the faith, pray for the brothers. You are dearly loved. grace and peace.

The Lord's Four Sore Judgements

The popular argument against "escaping from all," which includes all of the seal judgements, is that the seals of Revelation 6, are not judgement at all. Using Jesus, who is the word of God, to translate the bible, what do we see below?


Ezekiel 14:21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? 22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Its an exact match with the opening events of the tribulation period, sword, famine, beast and pestilence/death.

Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The coming 7 years will be a time of judgement and wrath, and it starts immediately after we see redeemed, rewarded men in heaven in Rev 4-5.

Here are some key words I'd like to highlight for you this morning:

For as in the days that were before the flood. Let the words "days before the flood" sink in. What about the days before the flood? What is Jesus telling us about these days before the flood? People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. Yea, so? People will be doing the exact same things, up until when? Until the day that Noe entered into the ark. Whoa......so it appears that the day Noe entered the ark was a "transformative" day for the world would'nt you say? Why? What happened the day that Noe entered the ark? They knew not until the flood came and took them all away....read it again below:


Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

You know what I find amazing? I find it amazing that in spite of all the bad news, economic problems etc, for many people, eating and drinking and marrying/giving in marriage continues as it always has, perhaps minus a couple steaks per week in lieu of burgers. What does the Noah account in Matthew tell us? It tells us something specific about "the coming of the Son of man ."
The coming of the Son of man has very specific word markers attached to it. Read them again, words are used for a reason, how does Jesus paint the word picture for us surrounding this "coming of the son of man?" Here's the paint:

days of Noah
coming of the Son of man
days that were before the flood
eating, drinking, marriage/giving in marriage
until the day Noah entered the ark
they knew not
flood took them all away
one taken, the other left
watch
ye know not the hour
thief
be ye also ready
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh

I won't even get into the "one taken, the other left" argument, suffice it to say, we know an escape from all is coming, that's a fact. We know that some will be kept from the hour of trial to come on all the earth. We know that the seals are judgements and they are the first things listed in the book of Revelation as our God's dealing with this wicked world. The escape, being kept, Noah entering the Ark, Lot leaving Sodom, they are all pieces of the end time puzzle, and they all fit somewhere. Many are the "teachers" today who will argue you till blue in the face, that the pieces to the puzzle our Lord gives us fit nowhere, they'd rather just throw those pieces out.

The end time puzzle is a big one, and different people will fit into this puzzle in different ways. Some will escape, some will be sealed as part of the Lamb's 144,000, some will be martyred saints, some will be kept by our God's power in the desert for 3+ years, many will die from sword, famine, beasts, pestilence. One size does not fit all here. So when we hear people telling us that what they see ahead is tribulation for themselves and others, realize that to a hammer, everything looks like a nail. We are close enough to the time of Jacob's trouble, that people's hearts are being prepared for what lays ahead of them, again, one size does not fit all.

If you are living and breathing, and reading now, you still have a chance to pray that you may be counted worthy of the escape that is coming (luke 21:36). Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding, so get to know him today. If you already know him, get to know him better. Some people will spend eternity never even scratching the surface of the depth and breadth of the wonders of our God, he is that magnificent. Time is short so be watching and ready. The things going on around us today are final touches on preparation for the 7 years of hell on earth. Those 7 years do not have to be for you. If you are pure in heart, with no deceit in your spirit, if you are "in Christ," and you strive to please him each day, what need have you for wrath and judgement? In Christ, there is no longer condemnation for you. Noah and Lot walked as right standing men in the eyes of our God, and they were spared from the judgements of their day. Our God tells us that those who walk before him today in that same way, will be spared from the judgements coming in our day. Our God does not lie. If he said there's an escape from all, then there is an escape from all. If he said the coming of the son of man will be exactly like the days of noah and lot, it will be exactly like the days of noah and lot. You can count on it. I am looking for it, I am counting on it.

I write to you today to encourage you to count on Jesus to do what he said he would do, exactly how he said he would do it. Do not doubt him. Get out of the boat and walk to him out on the water. Your faith in him, which is faith in the word of God, is what will keep you above the stormy seas. You will be above....the storm below. Ask the Lord for wisdom and strength today to both know and do his will. You are dearly loved. Grace and peace

Transformation and The Coming Day of Noah

Everywhere I look today, I see the word "transformation." Transformation is a major theme this year. There's even a movie coming out this year called "Transformers 2: Revenge of the FALLEN." Revenge of the what? Revenge of the "fallen." This is so in our face, I could'nt make this stuff up. The key words in there are: transform, revenge, fallen. What do you think they are trying to say?

I read yesterday about a major new European effort to crack down on the internet freedom, as well as ensure that everything, and I mean everything can be tracked. From your shoelace, to your body, they want to track it all. They cite various reasons for this, but you can guess what the real reason is. There are many levels that transformation is taking place today. The most potent one is the transformation of people's minds. The world is being "transformed" into a satanic society before our eyes. People's minds are being conditioned. There are also bio-physical changes taking place with the bodies of mankind. Here satan really treads on thin ice, and least as far as the church is concerned. We, the true believers are the literal temples of the Holy Spirit. When Satan starts defacing, destroying the temples, well...lets just say that does'nt please our master. He lives in us.

The reading I've done so far on this shows me that the plan is to change mankind bio-physically, and spiritually so men can directly interact with demons. That's the gist of it. Remember in Luke we are told that things are coming "on the world" that will cause mens hearts to fail them for fear? All the nanotechnology, bioweapons programs etc all play a part in whats coming, and it appears to be coming soon.

This leads me to, the coming day of Noah. We have a day coming, that will be exactly like it was for Noah. Think about that. The Lord specifically tells us that a day is coming..for us..that will be exactly like the days of Noah and Lot-Luke 17, Matt 24. What happened in the days of Noah?

Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Genesis 7:5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Verse 7:1 says what? Come into the ark. Verse 7:4 says in 7 more days I will bring the rain. People like to argue "hey, but it did'nt rain for 7 more days!" Who cares? What happened first? Noah was told to come into the ark, FIRST. Once in the ark, who cares when it rained?

What do we know about Noah's experience? 1. He did what the Lord commanded, he was obedient 2. He was physically separated/segragated from the wrath and judgement. You need to read the specific words of how he was separated: Gen 7:And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

So, we enter the ark BEFORE the "7 days" and before the "40 days and nights of rain" and we are lifted up above the earth. Arguing about the 7 and 40 days is irrelevant, the relevant fact to our escape is that Noah entered first.BEFORE. Everything has to fit, we can't force pieces into the puzzle right? Luke 21:36 tells us there is an escape from all that's coming. Did Noah escape all? Yes, he did. Did Lot escape all? Yes, he did. Will we (if counted worthy) escape all? Yes, we will. I am absolutely 100% positive that we will look back on history, after the Lord does what he does and say "Yep, exactly, precisely like it happened to Noah and Lot. Yep, we did "escape all" exactly as the Lord said it would happen. The details are in the Lord's hands.

To really understand how this is going to work, transport your mind back in time, into Noah's or Lot's body, and take with you your understanding of every detail of how their experience worked out for them. That's what is coming. We are going to have a "Noah and Lot experience." It will be exactly like that. The Lord said it, not me. Many are those who would explain new details into the Noah and Lot experience. Read both stories, I see nothing, absolutely nothing about them being persecuted, executed, chased/hunted down by wicked men, treading water, putting out fires on their clothes from brimstone saying "whoa, that was close!" Nada, not even remotely close. Before a single act of judgement even starts, the righteous have to be removed, that's a fact. Who said that? Look below. Also, guess what word I see written five times down there? You guessed it: escape.

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD: 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

I cannot do anything till thou be come thither? Yea, no destruction, not a lick of it till Lot was out. And escape, escape, escape, escape, escape, gosh where have we read that before?

Luke 21:36 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.

The indisputable facts of the Noah and Lot stories were, Noah went into the ark first, verse 7:1 then he waited 7 days (verse 7:4) and 40 days for men to be judged. Lot went out of Sodom before a single fiery ember was allowed to fall.

Here's something else thats very important to realize, what was Noah and Lot's situation before Noah entered the ark, and before Lot left Sodom? Do we read anything about them suffering the judgements of sword, famine, death and hell, plague, beasts of the earth hunting them down? Well, that's what's coming for this world. If Noah and Lot did'nt face those things, neither will we. The book of ezekiel clearly states that the sword and famine are signature judgements by the Lord our God. Those exact same judgements are what open the tribulation period in Seals 1-5.

The book of Matthew tells us that the world was eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day Noah entered the ark. So you should expect to eat and drink, marry and give in marriage right up to the day we enter the ark. If the Holy Spirit wanted Matthew to tell us, "be ready to dodge the sword, famine, beasts, the anti-christ, death and hell up till the day you enter the ark," he could have, but he did'nt.

The Lord's word will be exalted. It will be vindicated. So we can give ourselves a 100% guarantee that right up to the day we enter our "ark," this is what we will see:

they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

The Lord told Noah "come in here," our Lord Jesus will tell us "come up here." Noah entered the ark through an open door, then the Lord close the door behind Noah. We will enter heaven through an open door (Rev 4) and the Lord will close it behind us: Matt 25: 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Our Noah/Lot, experience is ahead of us and approaching quickly. If you want to understand the experience, put yourselves in Noah's and Lot's shoes. With your mind and spirit, enter their experience and understand it the way it happened to them, because that's what's coming, exactly like that. Physical removal from the physical location of judgement and wrath is what happened. This time, the wrath and judgement will be world-wide, so where do you think we go? A door open in heaven give you a clue?

Many will be left behind, for various reasons. Already their hearts tell them they will be in the tribulation. There's but very little time to change that. Grace and peace

Let's Talk About The Escape

We talked about the key to understanding yesterday, that is "knowledge of the Holy One" Pr 9:10. If a person does'nt really know the true son of God, they will never, ever "get" what the bible is saying because he is the key to it all. In fact, he is it all. Jesus=the word of God, the word of God=Jesus. No Jesus, no key, no understanding. We must know him today, and be known by him today or we are in bad shape.

The Escape

Luke 21:36 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.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Matt 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Luke 17: 34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Wherever the body is? The eagles gathered together? This has to make some kind of sense for the Lord to have written it yea? Try this on for size:

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Notice the specific wording used above...verse 37, luke 17......eagles...."air"....."gathered together"........let those words sink in....eagles ...you know..things that fly in the AIR..being "gathered together"? A door open in heaven in Rev 4? Come up here? What about this "body"(dead seemingly).....where is it?

Rev 5 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

A SLAIN lamb...........a body....where is it? It's in heaven. Who is the "slain lamb" its Jesus Christ. "Gathering together"...."in the air?" Come on....

1 Thess 4:17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

It does'nt stop there..........also notice the words "the body." Wherever the body is.....what body? The slain body? Whose slain body? Christ's slain body...what is christ's body? THE CHURCH.....wherever the body is (the church) ,there will "those in flight/in the air/eagles" be "gathered together." Where is "the body, also known as the church" in Rev 5? It's in heaven...in the midst of the throne.

There are redeemed men in heaven, with crowns on. Where do crowns come from? From the rewards given at the judgement seat of Christ. Is the Lord going to have multiple judgement seats? If not, then the Judgement seat for crowns/rewards had to happen at or before Rev 5.

Most people in this world will be going through the tribulation, so when you hear people arguing that they will be going through it, don't debate them, because they probably will go through it. That does'nt mean you have to. What the Lord said will happen, will happen. If he said we should pray to be counted worthy of an escape from all, then there absolutely, positively is an escape from all coming. We will look back someday and say, "hey look, it happened just like he said it would, we escaped from all, just like Noah and Lot did."

I encourage you to take the Lord at his word today. The things coming on this world will shock and terrify mankind. The shock will come from the fact that those who are alive today have never seen anything like the coming horrors. Perhaps some of the few surviving people who were in Hitler's concentration camps will be able to relate, but few others will. The Fourth Reich is coming. It will be history repeating itself except this time it will be on steroids. This time, devils and demons will incarnate and walk the earth openly.

What I want you to see and understand here is the contrast between the relative peace we have today, and the hell on earth tomorrow. For many people, they will have their "aha, I get it" moment way too late. The Lord said its going to be bad. Mankind will be made rarer than pure gold he said. That means, lots and lots and lots of death. Death will come to most in all different manners and forms. You don't have to be part of that. We have a promise that its possible to be kept, to escape all. We have gems hidden in plain sight throughout the bible for those who have eyes to see them, like:

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger.

Hidden in the day of the Lord's anger....do you see that? Perhaps...pray that you may be counted worthy.

Here's another clue of where some will be on the day of the Lord....

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and
... I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, whenI heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet ...

on the "day of the Lord" John was "in the Spirit" when he heard a "trumpet"

trumpet...day of the Lord....in the Spirit

I'm done for today. You are dearly loved. The worst is yet to come, a day of wrath and vengeance for those who are not pure of heart, those who do not obey, those with deceit in their spirit, but not for you. If you are "in Christ" then stay there. He paid the price already for your mess ups but you need to stay under his protection. Do what he tells you to do. He tells you to pray that you may be counted worthy of the escape. If you are "in Christ" then I pray this prayer for you, with you, every day. You, brothers are in my prayers, please keep me and my family in yours. grace and peace

Hidden in Plain Sight

The Lord floored me yesterday. I'm driving home and pondering all the confusion about the rapture/escape, the tribulation, etc. So I think to myself, I guess I'm going to have to get out and excel spreadsheet and get scientific with this thing. Then I start thinking about all the people who have already done this and are still as confused and divided as ever.

Why is it that so many people can read the same bible and come away with so many different understandings of it? Why is it that people can study the bible for a lifetime and never get any closer to the truth than they were at the beginning? Here's the answer hidden in plain sight:

Jesus Christ is the key that unlocks the mysteries in the bible. Simple, hidden in plain sight, but even that answer has different layers to it. The surface layer is the more obvious one, that is, you use the bible to interpret the bible. The not so obvious key to all of this is: when you are using the bible to interpret the bible, what are you doing? You are using Jesus Christ (the word made flesh) to interpret the bible. That is, the person of Jesus Christ, is the key. Let's look at this closer.

We know that Satan has the bible memorized. He used the word (twisted) to try to trip up our Lord in the desert after 40 days and nights of fasting. So the devil himself has done a techinical, letter of the word analysis of the Word of God backwards and forwards and he still does'nt "get it." Question is, why not? He does'nt "know" Jesus Christ, the person, the personality.

This is HUGE guys, and its the reason so many people today don't "get it." You can study the bible till you die, and never come and closer to the truth than when you started because the bible has layers of meaning. There is hidden treasure within the word of God, and the only way, you will ever ever ever figure out what our Lord is really saying is to know the Son of God, personally and intimately. You must know him intimately and he must know you the same way. Hidden in plain sight. The key:

Pr 9:10 -
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

If you don't "know him" you'll never, ever "get it."

Why so many different views on the rapture? Why so many different views on the tribulation? Because of the different relationships with the Son of God.

Here's an example:

Let's say my wife writes a letter to the world. This letter has hidden meanings in it, layers upon layers of meaning. So the world gets ahold of this letter and all kinds of 'experts' start studying the letter to "really" figure out what it means. Who will be in a better position to "really" figure out the meaning? Her close family...the people who really really know her, or analytic freaks with computers and spreadsheets? The answer is obvious, and its no different than the letter (bible) written from God to man. Those who really really know the person of Jesus Christ, are in intimate relationship with him, are the ones who will "get it." Everyone else is spinning their wheels and getting nowhere.

It's so obvious now that I see it from that point of view, hidden in plain sight. Use the bible to interpret the bible, means use Jesus Christ (the person) to interpret the bible. That means we use our intimate, close relationship with the Son of God to interpret what he means. Understand that this has nothing to do with "private interpretations" of the bible. It has to do with those "in Christ" understanding, which is to say, the sons and daughters of God himself, understanding it. The inner circle will "get it" and we know that the inner circle, those who are "in Christ" are few in number. Does this help to explain why a million people can pick up a bible and the vast majority walk away with differing, conflicting views on it? You bet.

A few will find the narrow gate that leads to life (Matt 7:14). This also means that only a few "get it." Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the key that unlocks the understanding through the Holy Spirit. Re-read: Pr 9:10 -"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

If you want to know what his word means, you have to KNOW HIM.

This idea of knowing Jesus is huge.

Matt 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, 10 but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. 11 Depart from me, you evildoers.'

Here's an example of rapture/tribulation "not getting it." I've seen lots of commentary about the sun black as sackcloth and moon red as blood being some kind of impediment to the rapture of the church before the 7 years of hell starts. People ask, are there going to be multiple blood red moons and black suns? As if that were impossible or improbable. What's described by the sun black as sackcloth and moon red as blood are solar and lunar eclipses. There have been many already in recent history and there will be many in the future, so trying to time the "day of the Lord" by solar and lunar eclipses gets you nowhere unless they are combined with other events. This past fall we talked about the coming solar and lunar eclipse cycle in 2014-2015 that will be extraordinary. Here it is:

The four lunar eclipses will occur on:
Passover, April 15, 2014
The Feast of Tabernacles, October 8, 2014
Passover, April 4, 2015
andThe Feast of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015

In addition to the four lunar eclipses in 2014-15, there will be two solar eclipses. They will occur on:
Adar 29/Nisan 1, March 20, 2015
The Feast of Trumpets, September 13, 2015

Yep, multiple blood red moons and suns as black as sackcloth. They are indeed signs in the heavens but it will take faith, even then to understand what happening when is meaningful from a prophetic standpoint. These are events we know about, but the Lord could easily insert unplanned black suns and red moons wherever he wants to.

If we want to understand the word of God, we have to draw close to Jesus and do what pleases him, its that simple. The bible was written in such a way that it will keep those who don't know him confused forever.

If satan has'nt been able to figure out the word of God and he has analyzed it 7 ways from sunday, how does mankind think they'll be able to do it? Men can do it through the Holy Spirit and knowledge of the Holy One. Huge.....just huge. If there was ever a time people needed to "get it right" it would be today. The issue I write about today is why its useless to debate people who don't "get it." If they don't have the same relationship that you do with the Holy One, you are better off arguing with a piece of drywall.

Time is short, grace and peace

Establish What You Believe

The Lord has clearly established in his word, through historical precedent, what he uses as tools of his wrath. One example of many:

Ezekiel 6:12 He who is far off will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus will I spend My wrath on them. I also want you to note the way the words are put together. First, the items that compose the wrath are listed: plague, sword, famine, then at the end, he says this is how my wrath will fall on them.

Note with me that this is exactly how Revelation 6 is written. All the seals are listed.....sword, famine, death and hell, attacks by the beasts of the earth, then, at the end, he says "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?," exactly like it does in Ezekiel. Notice also that it says "okay, we are now in the day of his wrath." They say....they say, hey, we are in the day of the Lord's wrath!" Why do they say this? Because seals 1-6 convinced them.
Anyone who tells you that sword and famine are not methods God has used, and will continue to use as tools of his wrath, have never read the bible, or are willfully ignoring 'inconvenient' large portions of it. Why is it important to nail down/establish what we believe about the escape/rapture? Because the Lord has clearly shown us that as we believe/have faith, so things are done to us. Examples are the centurians servant healed, the woman with the issue of blood healed by touching the Lord's cloak, and there are many more. Faith carries power. Here's another thing to note about our belief about the escape. If the "pre-wrath" or "post-trib folks" were right, what would it matter? We are followers of Christ Jesus to the very end, regardless.

I also have personal reasons to believe that the escape will be before the wrath expressed from the 1st seal of Rev 6 and afterwards. I have asked the Lord over and over again, should I stock supplies? Should I buy a gun? Should I build a bunker and hide in the desert somewhere? etc etc etc. I can tell you that I do not have the slightest twinge in my spirit, not even an inkling to do any of that stuff. I've purchased some supplies for very short term situations, but that is something I did on my own, without any prompting. The life I have lived up to this point has been one of guidance by the Holy Spirit. Maybe 2-3 times in my life, I went far enough down a road that the Lord did'nt want me on that he really reached down, twisted my guts and said "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? STOPPPPPPPPPPPP." I find this quite an interesting clue, I see how close we are to complete societal meltdown, yet no inkling to "get survivalist" anytime soon? Why not??? We live by faith, not by sight. I know how to hear the Lord's voice, and I've had my chain jerked enough times by him to know when I've blown it and I need to just stop, listen, and re-direct my path. So far, silence on the preparedness bit. Don't you think if we were going to be around for half or more of hell on earth we would be getting something from the Lord relating to earthly preparatory actions etc. I recognize that if you believe you will be here during all hell on earth, you have good reason to get stocked up. As you believe, so things are done unto you...

Anyhow, the personal observation is just gravy on a dish made hearty by the word of God that tells us 1. We are not destined for wrath, and 2. Wrath starts immediately in Rev 6:1, which by the way is immediately AFTER we see a door open in heaven, then redeemed, rewarded men in heaven (Rev 4-5). Rev 4-5 is immediately after Jesus has his "heart to heart" with the churches to tell them where they are ok, and where they need some work. The macro view could not be any clearer and fits perfectly into the overall structure of the bible. The book of Revelation intertwines with Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and others to give us a picture. The coming 7 year period is the time of Jacob's trouble, does anyone debate that? The Lord warned Israel over and over and over again regarding what he would do to them, where over 95% of the "day of the Lord" passages found? You got it, the Old Testament! Whyyyyyyyyy? Rev 1-5, the Lord speaking specifically to the church, Rev 6-wrath, Rev 7-the Lord sealing his servants on earth, 12 tribes of Israel...no more talk of the church till the very end of Revelation. Really, the picture could not be clearer.

The Lord tells you to pray that you may be counted worthy of the escape from all that's coming. I marvel at all the people out there today who refuse to obey this command. They refuse to pray this specific prayer, because they don't believe there is an escape from all! In other words, they have come to the conclusion that their understanding of the bible precludes this piece of the bible from being true/worthy of obedience? Why would someone pray for an escape from all when they debate, argue and scrap it out daily to convince anyone and everyone that there is no escape from all that's about to happen. This is a clear case of men's "belief's" trumping God's word. I debated pre-wrath, mid-trib, post-tribbers for years, and not one of them, ever, had an answer for Luke 21:36, so now they just ignore it. That is why I make it a cornerstone for the rest of the "escape all" framework laid out in the bible.

Like I've said in the past though, different people are in different places in their walk on this earth. Most people will be going through the tribulation, most people won't live through it, most people won't enter the narrow gate that leads to life (ref Matt 7:14+, and Matt 7:21+). Hard truths yea? Stuff people don't want to hear right? Which is precisely why the Lord has given me this narrow niche, this specific task to do. The prophets of old spoke the word of God to Israel and they killed them, mocked, ridiculed them etc for it. Why would religious people today be any different? Are people today "better" in some way than people in the past?

Time is short guys. If the crisis in the world was limited to financial, I doubt we would be talking about the end times like this. There is so very very much more going on today on every front imaginable that points to the near term, short term revelation of anti-christ to the world. The groundwork is being laid in direct proportion to the amount our God allows to be laid, and today, he's allowing ALOT. Satan has been pressing and scheming and conniving from the very beginning to do what he is doing today, and every time our God nipped his plans and cancelled the satanic paradise on the spot. We can see with our very eyes how far along we are this time. The preparation for satan's final 7 year free-for-all are in the final stages. That means this time, our Lord allowed it to advance to this stage, and if he allowed it, where does that place us on the prophetic timeline? The Lord is speaking to the churches TODAY. Go re-read Rev 2-3.

The world is already tilting, and its ready to flip upside down. i do not conside myself a "pre-tribber" because that's something men made up. I do consider myself an "escaper." That's something the Lord tells us is coming. Its a nondebatable fact of scripture. Lot did'nt stand in Sodom and dance around falling brimstone, Noah did'nt put on his duck floatie and tread water while the Lord sailed the ark in, and we won't get hammered with the wrath and judgement coming on this entire earth either. That's a fact, not because I said it, but because he said it.
We are told to pray that we may be counted worthy. This worthiness should be a prayer we have and a goal for us every day we wake up now. If a prayer you said 20 years ago was enough, Jesus would'nt be telling you to pray that you may be counted worthy in the future now would he? Yea, its true, you have to "do" something to be counted worthy. The first thing is to obey the command to pray. How many people will be dissapointed on "that day" when they are left here on earth? It's a sobering thought, and I'm not laughing. Does anything else get more serious than this? The only thing worse than living though the Lord's wrath on earth would be eternal torment in hell.

From what I can see of what's coming, this world will soon be unrecognizable by many people. Satan's "interior decoration" staff is already in this world throwing up plans and prints and moving furniture around for their boss when he shows up soon. Do you like what you see so far? This world has'nt seen anything yet, not even the tip of the iceberg. Go rent every movie produced in the last 5 years relating to "supermen" "aliens" and "end of the world" themes then stir them all around till mixed well and you'll have an inkling of what's coming.

Don't get scared, get motivated. Purify your heart, remove any wickedness from your spirit. Ask the Lord for power, for strength, for wisdom to both know and do his will. This is all about our God's agenda, not Satan's playland on earth. Every time Satan has done something where he thought "score 1 for me" it has turned out to be a crushing clobber over the head for himself. The most notable example being the crucufixion of our Lord. Did'nt work out as well as Satan thought...

Ok, I have more to say but no more time. You are dearly loved. Yea, hell on earth is coming, but it was never intended for you (the true believer). Do you believe that there is an "escape from all" coming (Luke 21:36) or do your beliefs leave you doubting the very word of God?

Matthew 8:13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be
... Jesus told the officer, "Go! What you believed will be done for you." And at that moment the servant was healed.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you and may he grant you peace.

Not Destined for Wrath

There's a group of people who call themselves "pre-wrath" who teach that everyone will go through roughly 60% or more of the tribulation. They teach that the seals listed in Rev 6 are not "wrath" or at least not the "wrath of God." The teach that even though our Lord himself is the only one worthy of opening the seals, somehow the seals are the "wrath of man" or the "wrath of satan" both of which are complete fabrications found nowhere in the bible.

What you can find in the bible is what the wrath of God is, and who its not for. God's wrath is not for the church, we know and understand that. So let's look at the opening salvo of the tribulation starting in Rev 6:

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The pre-wrath teacher tells you that God's wrath does'nt start until the sixth seal is broken, yet I see absolutely nothing in Rev 6 that would indicate that somehow a transition took place from seal 1-seal 6. We use the bible to interpret the bible right? Not so called "scholars" or inventors by the name of "rosenthal" but the bible to interpret the bible. With that in mind, what does the bible say about what God's wrath is?

Ezekiel 6 :11 “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Clap your hand, stamp your foot and say, “Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by sword, famine and plague! 12 “He who is far off will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus will I spend My wrath on them. 13 “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their slain are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree and under every leafy oak—the places where they offered soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 “So throughout all their habitations I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; thus they will know that I am the LORD.”’”

Could the Lord be any more clear here? sword=wrath, famine=wrath, death=wrath
Gosh, what were those seals in Rev 6 again?

Seal 2-a great red horse given a what? A GREAT sword.....that my friends is called wrath^^see Ezekiel for details

Seal 3-famine...that my friends, is called wrath..see Ezekiel for details

Seal 4-all of the above plus death from beasts and more general death from death-that my friends, is called wrath..see Ezekiel for details

Ezekiel 5 Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them. 14 Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by. 15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. 16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: 17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee: and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

Famine has nothing to do with the wrath of man or Satan, the Lord our God sends it as judgement and wrath...read it for yourself. Seal 4, death from beasts? Yea, once again, read Ezekiel, use the bible to interpret the bible, death from beasts is God's wrath. Please notice these are specific judgements spoken against the people of Israel. Nowhere and I mean nowhere in the bible do you hear these judgements EVER spoken against the church, ever. So once again, we're back to the fact that Rev 5 shows rewarded, redeemed men in heaven and Rev 6......all of it, from seal 1 onward is wrath, and the church is not destined for wrath.

Satan comes to kill steal and destroy. If they can steal your hope from you, they will.

grace and peace

That Word: Escape

1 Thessalonians 5 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

and they shall not escape. Ok, so we know they don't escape, but what about you?

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.

There's no question that the day of the escape, or leaving this place, or rapture, the same day, destruction falls. There is no question because the Lord tells us clearly that the coming day will be exactly like the days of Noah and Lot where on the same day that they left sodom, entered the ark, judgement fell. The same day....that's an important fact. Let's talk about the "day of the Lord."

Is it a coincidence that the coming 7 year period, known as Daniel's 70th week, is also known as the time of Jacob's trouble?

Is it a coincidence, that the vast majority of "day of the Lord" passages in the bible are in the old testament?

Is it a coincidence that by Rev 7, the entire focus is on the jews and Israel throughout the entire tribulation period right up to the very end?

Is it a coincidence that a door is open in heaven immediately after Jesus has his talk with the churches in Rev 2-3, then we see redeemed men in heaven in Rev 4-5?

Now I want to show you more jaw dropping evidence of how radically different things will be for the church on the "day of the Lord" than for the rest of the inhabitants of the earth...Now, there are very few places in the New Testament that speak of the day of the Lord...I wonder why? But the places it is discussed..to us, the church, this is what we see:

1 Corinthians 1 :6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The goal here ^^ is that we are found blameless on the day of the Lord, refer back to Luke 21:36, pray that you may be counted what? Worthy....

Now here's a biggie:

2 Corinthians 1 :12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. 13 For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; 14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Now read that very carefully^^^ and what do you see? REJOICING in the day of the Lord. The church is rejoicing. That is HUGE...compare that to:

Amos 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

or

Isaiah 13 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

There are many more but you get the point here, there's a huge contrast between what the church is doing on this day (rejoicing) and what everyone else is doing (howling in misery).

The day that the true church escapes, the same day, destruction falls.

Now, for another question, when does the church leave? Well here, once again we see how both the pre-wrath and post-trib scenarios are nowhere close to a match for what the bible says about the day we leave.

The pre-wrath view holds that we've been through a couple billion people dead, war, famine pestilence the anti-christ conquering etc , then supposedly the rapture shows up?

The post-trib view holds that mankind has been reduced to a scarcity rarer than pure gold, all the judgements have fallen, the earth is a wasteland, then the rapture shows up?

Compare their opinions with the word of God, which says in a huge contrast to their opinions, what the day really looks like:

Matt 24:38 eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage...right up to the time we "enter the ark"

and

Luke 17:28 did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven

On "that day" right up to the time that Lot went out of Sodom and Noah entered the Ark, the picture is the one above. Normal stuff.

and if both the pre-wrath and post-trib views were'nt discredited enough, consider how incompatible it is with the below passage:

1 Thess 4:16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Lord tells us of the rapture and to comfort one another with these words.

Well, the pre-wrath teachers would tell you to "comfort yourselves" with 2 billion dead, war, famine, pestilence death and hell roaming the earth, then you can leave. Comforting isn't it?

or better yet, the post-trib folks would tell you to "comfort yourselves" with the thought that mankind will be almost completely wiped out, all the seals, trumpets and vial judgements are coming, Satan will be hunting you down to kill you etc, and if you survive all that, then you can leave...that's just grand isn't it? Boy, I sure feel comforted.....

Look, we are told clearly to comfort each other with the words of what the Lord is going to do pulling us off this earth to meet him in the air, he tells us clearly that we are not meant for wrath, he tells us clearly that we are to pray for an escape from ALL that's coming. He tells us that the weak, but patient church will be kept from the hour of trial thats coming on all the earth. All of these facts are inconvenient truths for many people in the world today, most especially those who would steal your comfort and peace today.

If you are pure in heart and you have no deceit in your spirit, if you are "in Christ" today, what do you have to fear? Our King did not tell us to be looking for the anti-christ, he told us to be looking for HIM. That enough clue for ya? Watch he says over and over and over again...for who? FOR HIM. What does that mean? It means he is the one next to show up on the churches agenda. The day of the Lord will be hell on earth, and a day of rejoicing for the church, you figure out what that means.......Grace, and Peace, and Hope, and much encouragement be yours today. We don't serve our Lord for nothing. Purity and goodness have a reward, so does wickedness.....