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