The Moment to Moment Walk With God

The Lord just gave me an addition to the previous post (find the Spirit of God). As we act to follow the Spirit of God, we do that on a moment to moment basis. Remember "give us this day our daily bread?" Breakfast is served in the morning, not at noon or in the evening, likewise lunch is not served in the morning. Breakfast? Lunch? Yes, the right thing served at the right time.

He also impressed me with the need for us to overcome ourselves. That means doing things when most of the time we don't "feel like it." If we act in spite of the fact that we don't "feel like it," the Lord will honor that and reward us every time. If we act in spite of ourselves, the Lord will provide. Once we take that first step past "I don't feel like it," the Lord steps in and begins providing stregth, motivation and everything else we need to do what has to be done.

Another point brought to my mind has to do with being "overweight." There is a physical example that illustrates a deeper truth. This writer has recently lost around 30 pounds. The Lord pointed out to me how my face and body have changed in the process. As I lose all the "excess weight" I come closer and closer into alignment with who I am supposed to be. When I see how I was supposed to be, I have more joy, I am in a state that gives me equilibrium, inside world matches outside world. The point here is that there is more to "weight down" a person than fat around the midsection. There are many "weights" that we are to shed to become light and free, what we are supposed to be. Here, this is illustrated for us:

Luke 21:34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Do you see those key words in there? WEIGHED DOWN....Seems to me that many of us need to go on "diets." What causes us to become anxious about life? The entire mass media corptocracy? Yea? Then get rid of it. When we are weighed down, we are not who we are supposed to be, just as I look and feel different when I am 30 pounds lighter, so this applies with everything else..

What is weighing us down? Whatever it is, it is stealing from us, and it may deprive us from being counted worthy of the escape from all the IS coming, you can bet on it.

I had to write this before I forgot what was given. grace and peace

Find the Spirit of God

Recently I believe the Lord impressed on me the need for us to be seeking..daily for the Spirit of God. Why, you might ask, do we need to "find him" daily? Because our God is doing new things daily, that's why. Our God is moving and doing in marvelous new ways each and every day, but the people who become mired in their ways, also known as "ruts" and "denominations" and every other organization made by man, they tend to find something, even things of God, then build walls and trenches around it and denominationalize it. This is especially true of the "non denominational" churches who like to point the finger at everyone else and say "see! We aren't like those old fogey methodists or lutherans or catholics, no...we're different see!" Different? Not really, all toay's "non denominational" churches have done is build "micro denominations" around their rock star "pastors" or whatever they call themselves these days, then proceed to build the same walls and fences around themselves to glorify themselves and whatever truth they may have found in our God.

The Spirit of God is living and active, and we must find him. Really? Yep, read this:

Romans 8:14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

To be led, means you are going somewhere...and todays micro-denomination "non-denomination" churches have walls and trenches dug around them so nobody will escape them. What happens when the Spirit of God wants to do something new, somewhere else? Then what? Then the walls of todays churches become tombs where the living dead meet where the Spirit of God has gone somewhere else, doing something else. The nicolatian pastors and priests find themselves trapped by this because to say that the Spirit has moved on to do something else, somewhere else, would be to collapse the walls of their multi-million dollar buildings and "their" ministries, and "their" kingdoms etc etc. When the Spirit moves on, the people who have set themselves up as leaders must become followers again, which results in a loss of pride, money (oh no!), glory, etc etc. Which is why these people build walls, and which is why they inhabit grave yards. Humility is one of the keys to being accepted by our God, without it, the race is over before it started:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise." (Ps. 51:17)

We must find the Spirit of God, we must maintain humble and contrite hearts before him so we are not despised of the very God we seek.

Prov 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

We are to be watching daily at his doors...why? Why wait at his doors and not our doors? Because when his door is opened and he goes one way or another, we need to be there to see what he's doing and where he is going. It is true that the Lord may pitch a camp for a time and stay in one place doing a certain thing, but he can "pull up stakes" and move down the road to do something new at any time. He can do this and He does do this.

This leads me to a second point that the Lord has impressed upon me recently. That is, how can it seem like the Spirit of God is speaking and moving amongst apostate churches? Is it true that the Lord still walks and talks among churches who are filled with people that will not inherit salvation, will not be counted worthy of the escape from all (luke 21:36) etc etc?

It wasn't until recently that the Lord showed me that he indeed does work in churches that are completely apostate from the ground up. That was a real revelation to me, and it is not an endorsement of apostate christianity today, rather its a terribly frightening warning. What kind of deception is it when people can "go to church" and see the real, true, authentic Spirit of God moving among them, and yet their souls are in real danger of being lost forever? It looks real, sounds real, feels real, but its not real. The Spirit is real, but everything else is not..how can that be?

There are many places in the bible where we are shown how this works:

Matt 13:24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Notice the words Jesus uses here, let them both grow together until the harvest, the good and the bad...Now notice specifically, they both grow together. If they are both growing together that means that the same sun, water, fertilizer, etc is used on both the wheat and the tare. The same Spirit of God that waters and gives light to the wheat, is also given to the tare.

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible.

Now this is going to take us right back to a foundational issue for why this writing was started years ago. It began with a question "WHY will so few be saved?" WHY is the road so narrow? WHY will MANY go through the wide gate that leads to destruction? WHY was only a remnant saved out of Israel again and again and again throughout its history?

How deceptive is it when the true Spirit of God speaks through wicked men? Go back and read the story of Balaam, he started out decent enough, he refused to curse the people of Israel, but eventually his story ends up with us reading this of him

2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to ... They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

What happens when people follow men instead of the Spirit of God? Balaam spoke with the very Spirit of the living God speaking through him, but what would happen to all those who followed BALAAM instead of the Spirit of God?

For those who would argue, "but that was Old Testament brother D, that can't happen to us anymore, we're different!" I submit this for your consideration:

Rev 2:14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Wow, double whammy here, the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans, the Lord does not appear pleased....these are not separate problems, they are two sides of the same coin, following MEN instead of the Spirit of God will cause you some real trouble at some time in the future..

Find the Spirit of God

The sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. And what if the Spirit tells you to leave your "church" or your "social circle" or any of a number of other things that may be putting you in danger of being cutoff from the vine (John 15)? Then what?

Find the Spirit of God, wait daily at his doors. You owe it to yourself and others to do this. It is in your own best interest to do this, not because you "have to." The word of God and the Spirit of God are the lights of mankind. Do a bible search on the words "lamp" and "light" because that's an entire study of its own. If we want that light in our life, if we want life, then we must find the Spirit, what is He doing today? Where is he going? What is He saying? Seek, ask, knock and the door will be opened to you....In Him, we find everything that our soul thirsts for today. In him we find peace, and joy. Everything that mankind does today is a search for something, anything to fill the void within, to somehow with sex, money pleasure, things etc to "be happy." Our God offeres us joy and peace right now, for the small price of waiting at his door to see where He is going and what He is doing, for the price of following the Spirit.

Small Conclusion

We covered two things here: the great deception that exists today in the churches, that is, the Spirit of God speaking even in dead churches and the false confirmation it gives to men

and

Following the Spirit of God. The sons of God are led to the Spirit of God.

Sorry for the long post, may the Lord bless you and keep you and may his face shine upon you....grace and peace

Perplexed, But Not in Despair

2 Cor 4:7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

I would like to encourage you today with the Words written to us above. The highlighted portion is where I feel myself at today...perplexed, but not in despair. I want to encourage you to renew your committment to the Lord Jesus today. Get rid of everything and anything that has found its way between you and Him. That includes your "pastor" "church" "social circle" "denomination" and all the other things holding people back in this world from knowing, and being known by the Lord.

The solution to all our problems is simple...the solution is being found "in Christ." "In Christ" "in him" and all the variations on those two words are THE most powerful and among the most frequently used paired words in the bible..coincidence? We know better than that.

What we need today is more Jesus...period. We need more of his Spirit and his presence. Have you ever felt the presence of the Lord before? Really...have you? If you have then you know, 10 seconds in the presence of this God blows away years worth of any drug you might want to name. He's that great. The experience goes beyond words, because it is beyond words. We who believe need to remember the times when we know that we know that we KNOW we have been standing in the presence of Almighty God on earth.

We need to remember period. Remember all that He has done for you. Give thanks, praise him. He is our answer...for everything. You don't have to know what to do, when to do it, who, what, when, where, how. If you are still breathing today, the game is not over yet, and if its not over yet then we still have time to see one more GREAT answer from our God. Let's ask him, seek, and knock on his door with patience and persistence today. Let us be encouraged to not give up. Let us take the attitudes of soldiers who understand that suffering and hardship are not something extraordinary to us, they are the life of the soldier.

Let's expect answers from our God (Mark 11:24). Today I am perplexed by many things, but the miracle is, I'm not in despair. Our God has seen to that. He has vindicated his Word in the eyes of this servant therefore this servant commends the Word of God to you. He is faithful. If he said he would do something, we must take the attitude of Abraham and expect that He who promised is faithful and will do what He said he will do.

Let us encourage one another today while it is still called today. We hear from every corner "the end is near!" but what if its NOT? and....what if it is? We must be prepared for both. Lets run with endurance the race marked out for us. If we cannot run, then let us walk, if we cannot walk then let us set our faces like flint and DRAG ourselves forward 1 more inch, for one more day. Who knows what answers to prayer will manifest for us tomorrow? Our Lord knows, so let us persist.

Your perplexed brother who is writing to you today is encouraged by you. I am one who is crawling my way forward by an inch or less per day, perplexed, but not in despair. Hold on to what you have for one more day. Seek, ask and knock today so that tomorrow you may receive what you ask for. Believe. Tomorrow you may be the answer to someone else's prayer and they may be the answer to yours. Keep the faith.

grace and peace

5/8/2010

Small update, the post on May 4 kind of bothered me a little when I re-read it so it was reshaped a bit.

Too much of "I" or "me" reflected in it. The point of the second part of the post was that the Lord gave a small confirmation of the things written here in the past, and that was encouraging to this writer.

Do We Know Him?

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

As I was reading this the some days ago, it struck me that our Lord tells us that he has already given to us all things we need for life and godliness. Now think about this...we have been given all things, not some...all. Some people would say to this "yea, will it sure doesn't look like he's provided everything to me!" To that I would ask...."How well do you know the Lord?" What? Let me ask it again, how well do you know the Lord? Why do I ask? Because the Holy Word tells us that we are provided everything through our knowledge of him...

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Its so easy to just read right through that and not catch it. To those who may think this is a minor detail, think again. Us knowing the Lord, and more importantly, the Lord knowing us is a really really big deal. Consider this statement:

Matt 7:21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

On a different note..

It was posted on this site earlier that I rarely feel the urge to write about apostate christianity anymore. It was also written here that the Lord has led me to grow, to become more each day than the day before (parable of the talents, Matt 25..do something with what you've been given). In light of these things, I asked the Lord whether this small growth away from writing about apostasy means things written here before should be removed? like...the idolatry of the pastoral system, what has been called "churchianity" etc, should I delete these things from the site?

The answer that I perceived went along the lines of "the reason you do not sense the urge to write on some things now is because the things needed to be written about pastors, church "services" "tithing" the nicolaitanism of todays christianity etc etc, have been written. Delete nothing."

The Lord greatly encouraged this writer by confirming in a small way that the writings posted on this site have been (at least in some fashion) inspired by Him, although the tone of some of the messages could have been toned down, I do believe with my whole heart that the Spirit of God inspired at least some of the writing here with the goal of reaching some who can be reached. To him be the glory.

With this confirmation, let me restate some points the Spirit has impresssed upon this writer:

The rapture/escape of the church will be before the tribulation/time of Jacob's trouble etc. The old testament is a pattern that confirms things in the New Testament. Enoch was caught up to heaven before Noah and Noah was in the ark during the flood. Likewise, Lot was spared all the fire and brimstone of his day. The key word is "all."

The overwhelming majority of what calls itself christianity today is nicolaitan and idolatrous to its core. The pastoral system setup by men is human government inserted to replace the government of the Holy Spirit. Men have time and time again, rejected God for their own ways, and the Lord lets men have their way...for awhile. The sons of God are led by the Spirit of God...period. The sons of God are not led by pastors, bishops, priests or popes, they are led by the Spirit of God. Yet the overwhelming majority of people today voluntarily place themselves under the human governments within churches to be ruled by "pastors" and their ilk. Why?

Our God does not think the way men think. Men want one way, God wants another. The wise will follow the Spirit of God and his unusual ways regardless of how much it cuts against the grain of humanity's customs traditions and doctrines. Following the Spirit will cost men many of the things that people cherish in this life, but it will gain them CHRIST JESUS.

When a person walks away from the babylonian, anti-christ, nicolaitan form of christianity present in the world today, questions naturally arise. For every question that arises, like "how does the church work without a pastor?" The answer every single time is "follow the Spirit of God." That will take faith, discipline, and patience, all of which are in short supply in today's world.

The path that leads to life is a narrow path (re-read Matt 7:13-28). There are few people on that narrow path (Jesus' words, not mine). So when people look around at the other people on their path, do they see few or many? The answer should be very revealing. Make every effort to "know God" so that "everything you need for life and godliness" is there for you. Let us all pray that we are "known by God" so on that day that we stand before him we are not sorely dissapointed.

grace and peace

4/30/2010

I wanted to update you on what the Lord is doing in my life. Lately he has been influencing me to seek his Word more and more. For many months now I have heard absolutely nothing from him about "the end of the world" or "the rapture" although either one of those events could be right around the corner, maybe even tonight, yet he is not emphasizing them. Curious huh?

The push with me appears to get me more "right" than I was yesterday or the day before etc. I have noticed an insistence to abstain from all criticism, even criticism of christian apostasy. It's just not a focus today. I speculate that he is perfecting his church, his bride before he comes back. He wants a spotless wife to present to himself, the true church.

For months now I have been engaged in a struggle to overcome myself, to be better, to produce fruit in keeping with the parable of the talents in Matt 25. I would like to write to you more so that even if 1 person is benefitted by one thing that is written here, something will have been done to benefit mankind through these pages. Not that I will have done anything, but that the Lord will have loved someone through this vessel and for that I will rejoice.

All of our battles in this life are spiritual, although they may seem everything but, all the battles are spiritual. All of the losses we incur in this battle can be learned from so we grow. Our Lord is GOOD, He is faithful, He is kind, He can be trusted. Pray, ask, seek, knock and the doors will be opened to you....in time. Be patient. Keep the faith. Encourage the brothers.

These are the things I hear the Lord saying to me today. We are dearly loved children. Grace and peace

Faith, Hope, Love..

Greetings..I wanted to write an update today regarding what the Lord has been doing in my life.

What I am going through these days is kind of a reinvention of sorts. I am groing and groing sometimes comes with pain. In my case all this pain is internal as I strive to be a better man today than I was yesterday and the day before etc. In the midst of this pain, as I struggle to grow internally, the Lord has reminded me of some important facts. Namely, he reminded me that in the midst of this growing, or anything else that our lives might be consumed with today, the way to get through it, and thrive through it is.........faith, hope, love.

The keys to success in this life are not being the most organized, being the best planner, the hardest worker, or having the most insight or wisdom or anything like that. The Lord recently impressed upon me to REST in him. He impressed upon me that although my past is flawed due to all my own screwups, I have gone from one success and triumph in life to another. He asked me, "how did this happen? Was it because of all your wisdom and superior strength and foresight and planning etc?" To that question I had to laugh, and cry and answer no.

The reason for everything good in my life has been faith in him, hope in his lovingkindness, and love for him. Through all my internal ups and downs, the Lord's faithfulness has come through for me again and again and again. What's so great about the Lord's love and faithfulness is that I didn't have to know the future, or be perfect, or be the best, smartest, strongest person in this race called "life." Because I did not have to "be" all those things, and yet I still prospered, I can REST in him. FEW things are required to succeed in this life. What things are required? Faith, hope, love.

I want to add a note on what "love" is here as God defines it...John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command."

Love means obedience. My past is checkered with failures however the Lord's grace, his mercy and his strength has enabled me to pick up the broken pieces of my screwups day after day after day and re-engage life again and again...following these things, faith, hope and love.

I have been very encouraged today that the Lord has reminded me of these things. Its not all on my shoulders to figure everything out. I don't have to "be perfect." I have to have faith, keep up my hope, and above all...LOVE, my God, my family, and all of mankind to the best of my ability.

As I rest in the Lord in faith, hope and love, he is encouraging me to push forward to be a better man. He is sustaining me in this pain that is growth. He does expect us to put forth, to bear fruit, but he is a gentle taskmaster to those who remain broken before him.

Because I ramble, I want to wind up with this as a message to you. What is happening between me and the Lord today, may have some application to you today. We do not live on islands apart from each other, although to the eye it appears we do. We are all one "in Christ" so I want to encourage you to REST today. When you are resting, remember that the battles are not yours even though you seem to be the "star" of the movie called "your life" you have a great helper who loves you. Keep the faith, rest, hope, love, believe. Know that you know that you KNOW the Lord is going to help you again because you love him, and he loves you. STRIVE, put forth effort, GROW where you have been planted today knowing that whatever you are today is temporary, whether where you are is good or bad..

Okay, one more rambling comment on the power of words. The Lord recently gave me this mental picture of each of us waking up to each new day like an artist stepping up to a fresh, clean canvass to paint. What goes on that canvass is up to us. The words we use inside our hearts and minds are the paint on that canvass and WE CHOOSE THEM. Realize the power of the words you use. We were created to be like our God, and he tells us...John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The "word" was God, was with God and WAS GOD. The word of God is Jesus himself, and because we are like him, he has given our words power just as his words have power. We must be very careful then, to watch our words..both those we speak and those we think. Remember that as a man thinks, so is he. As we believe, so things are done unto us.

Let's be careful then to watch ourselves. Let us paint beautiful pictures within ourselves on the fresh canvass we are given that is called a "new day." Let us be encouraged to REST in our God. Let us strive to become more as a people because we love our God and our fellowman, but as we do this let us recognize that the battle and the outcome are the Lord's. That is not an excuse for us to lay back and say "well then, let him do everything!" because he expects us to engage in each day alongside of him.

Be encouraged today, continue to pray. Do not give up your faith or your hope or your love. Believe the Lord for BIG things in accordance with the growth of your soul and your walk with him. Our God is very VERY good, and his eye is on us today. Do not be fooled by his apparent silence because he speaks in many different ways at different times. Renew your strength today in the Lord and be patient for the answer to your prayers. Look for your answers tomorrow as you pray with great hope and expectation today.

One day, our hearts will swell with joy and we will be glad that we adopted the attitude of a soldier to fight on for one more day...for our God, for our families, for our brothers and for ourselves.

May the Lord bless you and keep you today, may his face shine upon you and may he grant you peace..BLESSED BE HIS NAME...grace and peace

brother d

The Power of Words

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Eph 6:17 ..and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and ... The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Luke 17:20-21

20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Matt 10:24“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.

Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

_________________________________________________________

What's the thread running through all of the scripture written above? Words....The Lord has opened my eyes to something that has been hidden in plain sight (at least to me) for some time.

The Lord has impressed upon me the nearness of the kingdom of God (within us..that's kind of near). He has also impressed upon me the power of words and how we use them. Let's consider Phil 4:8 specifically right now. The Lord tells us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, etc. Have you ever tried to just hold those specific words in your consciousness for 20-30 seconds?

This is a big deal, this idea has the power to change your life, no kidding. I believe the Lord gave me a kind of mental picture of our spirit sitting inside our bodies looking like a fat flourescent long light bulb. Our spirit sits inside of us and irradiates our entire body with whatever is in our spirit. So what are we holding within our spirit, and, what is that doing to us? Okay, now back to holding a word for 20-30 seconds in our consciousness..

Holding a thought for 20-30 seconds these days is not easy. We live in the age of endless distractions and ADD. When's the last time you read the Pslams? Did you notice at the end of every other sentence you see the word "selah?" What does "selah" mean?

From Wikipedia:
Selah (Hebrew: סֶלָה‎, also transliterated as selāh) is a word used frequently in the Hebrew Bible, often in the Psalms, and is a difficult concept to translate. (It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela‘ (Hebrew: סֶלַע‎) which means "rock.") It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen".

Selah means stop and consider, or "hold that thought" or let that thought marinate your brain. I cannot overstate the importance of this, so again I will ask you, have you tried to hold a single word like "peace" or "love" or "faith" in your consciousness for 20 or more seconds? I challenge you to begin to do this. It will affect you physically, emotionally, spiritually, no kidding..

Have you ever heard "you are what you think?" That concept goes hand in glove with why we are told to keep the word of God in our minds day and night, why we are told to "think about these things" and why we are told:

Psalm 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

What's so incredible about all this is the simplicity of the concept, yet how powerful it is. Everything, and I mean everything the Lord tells us to do is for our own benefit and the benefit of those around us, whether we know it or understand it or not. Words have the power of life and death. If you want to change your life for the better (I do) then change the words you hold in your consciousness most of the time. It's not that I've had a bad life, in fact I am unbelievable BLESSED, yet there is always room for growth while we walk this earth. The place of growth for me now, and maybe you, is in this area.

Try holding different words in your mind for 20-30 seconds and notice how they physically affect you. Try thinking about "energy" or "peace" or "love," then try "wickedness" or "death" and I hope you will understand that this will change your life.

When you understand how powerful words are (they are more powerful than any drugs), then you will also understand why we must go on a "news diet." This world system we live in is a gutter. The vast majority of news (to include bloggers) is world focused. Dirty laundry sells, people love it, but what is it doing to them? Each word you take within you is like a pill you swallowed that WILL have an effect on you...good or bad.

There is a narrow path that leads to life (Matt 7). On that narrow path are thoughts which lead to actions which lead to destinies (the small gate). We must labor to cut out all the mental weeds in our garden. We must learn to say NO to all the words and ideas that the broad path has to sell. We must do these things so we can be like the wise servants of Matt 25 who used their "talents" to show the master that we have produced more than what was given. We must have fruit growing on our tree from the seeds that have been planted (the WORD).

All words have impact on us..all of them, but the Words of God are formed and delivered to us as a perfect package. I believe the Lord showed me that a single word is like plucking a single note on a guitar, that note resonates throughout our entire being with certain effect. Words, grouped together are like playing a chord, again, there can be resonance that has a certain effect on our entire being. Music is not always beautiful though, there is not always resonance, which is why we must carefully guard ourselves from the words of this world.

Unfortunately many people calling themselves Christians have become "bored" with the Lord and his word. They have gone searching after politics and current events and what the devil is doing in the world because the Word of God and the kingdom of God alone are just not quite enough. Let us guard against this mistake. The kingdom of heaven is NOT in Washington DC, or Moscow, Russia ITS WITHIN US. The change we need for this life and the next begins and ends within us. Our joy, peace, abundance, happiness etc etc ALL begin and end within us. Don't take my word for it, take the Lord's Word for it.

What did Jesus mean when he said Luke 17 "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you?"

Why did the Lord tell us what to think about and meditate on day and night? WHYYYY? I believe that what is written to you today is at least in part an answer to "why?"

Take your words like you would take a prescription from a physician. We follow the Great Physician who has prescribed certain words for us. Let us not turn a deaf ear to him.

Grace and peace

A Quick Update

The Lord has been dealing with me personally. To change the world, we must change as individuals. Making things better in this world and the next begins within us. Remember when Jesus said:

Luke 17:20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The kingdom of heaven is where?????? Within you. These past days and weeks and months, the Lord has been showing me what that means. What a ride it has been. I thank the Lord for his infinite mercy in dealing with us. Each day that goes by, I look back at the "me" of yesterday and think "wow Lord, thank you for being so patient and merciful with such a massive screwup..."

Since my self esteem/self concept rests "in Christ," I can deal with healthy doses of "kick in the butt" medicine, provided that its packaged the right way and delivered gradually :-)

The Lord knows what he is doing. Keep asking, keep searching, keep knocking, and doors will be opened for you, just as the Lord is opening doors for me. What's happening out in the world is of little consequence today. Did you read that? ...little consequence. How can I say that? What did we just read in Luke 17? Where is the kingdom of heaven? Within you. Where is our focus? In the world? NO, our focus is in Christ, and on Christ. If we take care of the kingdom of heaven, the world (and those who belong to the world) will take care of itself.

The change we need in the world starts in us.

Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The Lord didn't spend much time focusing on the politics of his day, or what the romans were doing, or how mankind was overrun by the devil and look at how terrible it all is. The Lord focused on his kingdom and what he was doing. He came to "pro-act" on this world, not "re-act" to it. The world will be shaped by the light shed upon it and the darkness has nothing that it can say or do about it. When light comes in, darkness leaves...IMMEDIATELY. It has no choice.

These are the things that have been in my mind and on my heart recently. Our God is good. He hears the prayer of those who belong to him, and his word is true. You can bet your life on these things....I am. Grace and peace.

What is the Spirit Saying Today?

As I read the Word of God today I asked the Lord, "Lord, what are you saying to us/me today?" I read in various places until again I came upon Matt 25...that's when the flame inside me went from low burn to full flame. I believe the Spirit of God has testified with my spirit in agreement that the content of Matt 25 has some real treasure for us today.

Before we get to a reminder of what's in Matt 25, another lingering voice within me keeps pointing at "patient endurance:"

Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

2 Peter 1:5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Rev 3:10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

One of the key foundational aspects of us as servants of our God is our
patience. We must endure, we must be patient, we must persevere....

And this patient perseverance works hand in hand with the glow I see all over Matt 25. If you recall, Matt 25 gives us the parable of the virgins and the parable of the talents before giving us a picture of the Lord judging all mankind. Matt 25 is a grand panorama taking us from where we stand today, all the way through to the very end of "life as we know it" on this earth.

If we look at the parable of the virgins, what do we see? Again we see patient perseverance and preparation. Preparation? Yes, the evidence of "prepared" virgins is in the oil filled jars. The wise virgins prepared themselves to wait for however long it took for the Lord to show up. They were ready to wait :-)

The parable of the virgins also has direct tie in with the "open door" we see in Rev 3 and 4. Someday in this worlds future, a door WILL open in heaven and wise virgins WILL go through it. We know from Rev 3 that this "open door" also has a direct connection with being kept from ALL of what's about to happen, exactly as we are promised in Luke 21:36.

In addition to our patience, readiness, perseverance in waiting for our Lord, we are given the gem that is known as the parable of the talents. The parable of the virgins tells us to be ready to wait, the parable of the talents tells us we are not sitting around staring at tents and sand while we do our waiting. We are to DO something, anything, with the "talents" that our Lord has given us. Remember, even the servant who came back with a little return on what he was given was told "well done" by the Lord:

Matt 25:22“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

It was the servant who has nothing to show for what he had been given that reaped the wrath of our master. We are all to be growing spiritual fruit in some way. We are all different parts of the body and what our "doing" is for each of us is radically and wonderfully different.

In my case, the Lord has given me faith to believe him for very big things. We worship a big God, very big, and he delights in people (like the centurion or the woman with the issue of blood) who believe him to the fullest extent of what he said to us. For example, if Jesus raised the dead, AND Jesus told us that we shall do greater things than he did, who among us BELIEVES him and takes him at his word?

I am sure that our God is looking for people today who will take him at his word and expect to see our God move according to his word. If the Lord said it, he meant it, and we fail to believe it at a great cost to ourselves and the world around us.

Keep the faith, done for today. Grace and peace

March 18, 2010

I wanted to post today to let you know how the Lord has been dealing with me. The past 3-4 months or so have been about staying focused. There are so many things in this world that pull our attention to the left and right and everywhere else, and being the human that I am, my attention does wander, which requires daily refocus.

Our walk with the Lord truly is a daily thing. The enemy is constantly trying to derail our walk with the Lord and he is subtle about it. He hides his attacks in subtle things, in subtle thoughts that he fires into our heads. Recently a couple of reminders of past sin popped into my head and the Lord immediately popped in after each one saying "that was an attack." Had I not heard that I would have been left to ponder the error of my previous ways. The Lord tells us in Psalm 103 though that our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west, so we can move on. Today is not yesterday. Tomorrow is not today. Each day is a fresh start. Each day is a day to evaluate where we stand and refocus if we have been distracted.

This life can be a battle at times, and the bulk of the fighting is done between our two ears. War requires us to think like soldiers, endure hardship, be courageous and most of all be patient. We are at war, that's for sure. We must decide for ourselves what we believe, what's most important to us and when we get distracted or pulled off course we need to readjust and head back in the direction we know we should be going.

This life appears to be a serious of peaks and valleys, like a sine wave. We seem to learn a heck of alot more at the bottom of these cycles then we do at the top. Again, this requires the attitude and thinking of soldiers. We are soldiers but we do not war as this world does with carnal weapons.

2 Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The Lord has used the past months to teach me, to get me to correct my ways before him, rather to "perfect" my way before him. Knowing myself like I do, this will certainly be a lifelong work :-).

The Lord has adjusted my focus from the apostasy of the church, the "end is near" to perfecting my way before him. I am amazed and very thankful at how patient he has been with me. What a wonderful God we serve. He can be a gentle taskmaster if we will remain broken and humble before him. This perfecting of his people could be the Lord's last act of grace to his people before he shows up for us. At this point I have no earthly idea how long it will be for the Lord's return. He has shown me clearly now how long he can drag out events that seem to be teetering on the brink of collapse, to make them last however long he wants them to. Again, this is another proof to me that our God is in absolute control of everything. He determines the times and seasons of events, not the illuminati, not the president of the US, not the bilderburger groups, not the satanists, not Isreal/the Jews/the Zionists etc etc etc. OUR GOD ALONE determines the timing of things.

We must be ready for him to return today. We must also be prepared to wait to live out our entire lifetime and still not see his coming. Let us be patient then, maintaining the true faith that we ourselves read in the bible. Lets be responsible for correctly handling the word of truth and cease endless debating that leads men nowhere. Let us perfect our way before our God because he is WORTHY of our BEST and he loves us.

The last thing I have for you today is this: our God hears and answers prayers. That's a fact. He does not answer in your time, he answers in his time so be patient, but expect answers. Believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer and they shall be yours:

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

These are the things that have been on my mind for months now. I will try to post more often. We are dearly loved children, remain "in Christ," keep the faith, be patient, adopt the attitude of soldiers who are not of this world.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and prosper you even as your soul prospers. Grace and peace.

Evidence of the Problem

I was speaking with a "religious person" recently who claims to be a christian (I'm not her judge, just an observer) and I was confronted with evidence of the problem.

What problem you ask? The problem is, only a FEW are going to make it into the kingdom of heaven.....a great problem indeed.


Matt 7: 13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

In this conversation with this lady, I heard all about how great her "pastor" is, how great their "church" is, even how wonderful the "rock band" is for "worship services" but what I heard nothing about is JESUS. No kidding, not one single mention of "Lord" or "Jesus" in the entire conversation. What is that indicitive of? No Holy Spirit. Again, I'm not her judge, just an observer. The Holy Spirit ALWAYS magnifies Jesus the Son of God, NEVER men or manmade organizations.

This lady is like so many today. Lots of "going to church" lots of wonderful "pastors" but where's the JESUS in them?

This world has what it presents as "light" and the bible comments on it here:

Matt 6:22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

I write these things to you today as more evidence that there is a terrible problem in this world, even though many refuse to acknowledge it. The bible clearly tells us that many who call Jesus "Lord" today will be told Matt 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Why remind you of these things? 1. because these things are written in the Word of God and 2. because FEW others are reminding you of these things.

The time for us to remember that we must keep Jesus as our "First Love" (Rev 2), is today. The time for us to watch and warn is today, not after Jesus has come for the wise virgins (Matt 25). Let us be diligent to search the scriptures for ourselves today and take to heart the FULL counsel of God, not just the cherry picked "juicy bits" that today's world feasts on. Let us confront ourselves with God Almighty today while there is still time to break our hearts before him and correct anything that needs correcting.

I asked the Lord recently for something to write to you about, this was it. If you are "in Christ" today, remain in him. Be encouraged because our God hears prayer and he does answer. Know that he does love you and he does hear you. Do not be discouraged when his answers do not come in your time. Wait for him, his answers will come in his time....

Grace and peace

Recent Earthquakes

Last night a "great" 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile, not 24 hours earlier a 7+ on the richter scale hit off the coast of Japan, and we all know the cleanup of Haiti after its large earthquake is still ongoing.

This world would tell us all the quakes are part of "global warming" or any number of other excuses/explanations. The one single reason they will NEVER tell us for the quakes is.....our Lord. Consider the word of God:

1 Corinthians 10:26 "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." ... ...

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live
in it; ...

1 Samuel 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy ... ... "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them he has set the world. ...

Matt 24:4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,a’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

The Lord warned us about these things a long time ago. As it was written here yesterday, the Lord has spoken clearly about what was written in Matt 25. We are to be ready, and watching (wise virgins) and we are to be doing something....ANYTHING with the "talents" he has given us so we have something to show when he comes back.

This world and sadly many who call themselves christians are watching for everything BUT Jesus to show up. People are looking for the anti-christ, the tribulation, economic collapse, global warming and everything else BUT Jesus. What a huge mistake. When Jesus tells us to WATCH, he is clearly telling us to watch FOR HIM....The "wise virgins" went out to meet who? The BRIDEGROOM, and who is the bridegroom? It's Jesus.

We are to be watching for our Lord to come back for us at all times. All the world events around us should be seen in the context of the word of God and the soon return of our Lord Jesus. Earthquakes are birthpains. Earthquakes stacked right on top of one another could be signaling BIRTH. We may have a long time to wait for our Lord to come back for us, or he could show up tonight. Either way, lets have our jars of oil lined up and our LIGHTs burning in this world until the moment we are taken out of it.

Matt 5:13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

These are the things I hear the Lord speaking today. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Grace and peace.

The Matthew 25 Pattern

Recently when I asked the Lord what we should be doing with ourselves he answered this way:

1. we should be ready for his return and watching for it
2. we should be doing what we can, with what we have, according to what he has given us.

That struck me like resonating strings, I thought "man, that sounds familiar" when I finally realized that is already laid out for us in Matt 25. First in Matt 25 we have the parable of the virgins (readiness and watching), then we have the parable of the "talents" (doing something with what we've been given).

In addition, today the Lord shed a bit more light on the parable of the virgins when he tells us about the foolish virgins:

Matt 25:7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

Notice the key phrase there at the end. Their lamps are "going out." What does that mean? Well, a lamp that is "going out" is not producing ANY LIGHT. As we look around at this world we see darkness encroaching everywhere and the ONLY WAY darkness can advance is for light to be absent.

This absence of light IS the evidence that what calls itself christianity today (churches and "pastors" on every street corner) has something terribly wrong with it. How can there be churches on every street corner and darkness is still advancing in this world? How and WHY? Because lamps are going out. Where there is no light, darkness advances, its just that simple.

The Lord doesn't stop there with this idea of lights and lamps, we see it again in Rev 2 when our Lord is speaking to the churches:

Rev 2:4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

What happens if your lampstand is removed from its place? Again, no light. We know from the parable of the virgins in Matt 25 that running out of oil, leading to lamps going out, leading to no light will put you in the "foolish virgins" category if you are found in this condition when the Lord shows up, which could be tonight or 10 years from now.

The lesson here is, we do not want to be caught in dark institutions, without oil, without light when our Lord returns. The lights in this world are fading fast, and that is not my opionion, that is empitically based fact derived from observation of the world around us.

The Lord has spoken to us in his word about what we can and should be doing today. We should be ready and watching, our lamps should be filled with oil, producing LIGHT and we should have jars of oil to spare sitting beside our lights so we can make SURE our LIGHT is not dimming when the Lord shows up. We should be doing something, anything with our "talents" today so when the Lord returns we have SOMETHING to show him as a return on investment in us. Read the parable of the virgins and the talents again. They were written to us for a reason.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and prosper you even as your soul prospers. Grace and peace.

A God Who Answers Prayer

This one is short but sweet. Our God is a God who answers prayer. Many times we have to wait for the answers but He DOES answer. Over and over and over again my prayers have been answered. I tell you this not because there is anything special about me, but as a testimony to the truthfulness of God's word. Ask and YE SHALL RECEIVE. I am one voice crying in the wilderness that our God's Word is true and it can be trusted, that is why I write to you today. May our Lord's name be praised forever...

Grace and peace

Another Example of "Few Will Be Saved"

We read in the bible that few, not most, will be saved:

Matt 7:13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Only a few find the narrow gate that leads to life. As this writer has explained many times over the years, this blog was started in part by the disturbing question: WHY will so few be saved and WHY do so few today want to address this issue?

I've read all kinds of excuses over the years as to why today's religious teachers refuse to address this issue. One excuse is "I don't want to give anyone a "spirit of fear."" Well, apparently the Holy Spirit does not have that problem because he, not I put Matt 7:13-28 in the bible.

I was reading the Word today and came across this again:

Luke17:17Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

There it is again, a FEW. One out of TEN came back to give thanks to God. Is 10% "a few." I'd say so. We have many examples of "few" being saved, Noah, Lot, Matt 7:13-28, the story of Israel being destroyed by the Lord over and over again and only a remnant (a few) being saved each time. The pattern is well established for those with eyes that "see."

Why bring this up? Because it is WRITTEN and NOBODY wants to remind people of the unpleasant, non-sugar coated words written in the bible. Our God does not limit his encouragement to us to sweet promises of pleasant things, he also encourages us with a boot to the rear-end. Our God pushes us, pulls us and does everything in between to get us to follow him, to do what is right and just and yet still, many remain on the broad path that leads to destruction.

There are many many people in the religious world who strongly disagree with the writing you find on this blog. That makes perfect sense to me. Whatever the truth is, MOST people will disagree with it. The way of truth is a NARROW PATH, REJECTED BY MOST which is why so FEW will be saved. This world sings a constant refrain:

9These are rebellious people, deceitful children,

children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.

Isaiah 30:10They say to the seers,

“See no more visions!”

and to the prophets,

“Give us no more visions of what is right!

Tell us pleasant things,

prophesy illusions.

11Leave this way,

get off this path,

and stop confronting us

with the Holy One of Israel!”

I can hear people saying already, but the Lord was speaking to Israel! And I would counter with "that's true, but how many in christianity today tolerate the preaching of our God's FULL counsel? Very few....very few. People like the cherry picked bible, you know, the one with all their pet doctrines "in" and everything else left "out." The cherry pick bible says things like "don't worry about the Lord's warnings, just focus on all the positive things." Right, because we wouldn't want anyone to get a "spirit of fear." Let's just forget that the words we don't like were ever written to begin with!

I don't think the Lord is pleased with few being saved, and it brings me no joy to remind people of it, but the Word of the Lord will NOT be buried by "positive preachers" like Mr Osteen and his ilk. I think the "positive preachers" in todays christianity do a great job of preaching the PARTIAL gospel that they preach. They sell the positive very well indeed. What stirs up the wrath that is coming on this world though is everything else that has been written and is NOT being preached.

Read the book of Revelation for yourself. Our God IS a God of love mercy and compassion, but he's not ONLY that. He is a God of WRATH and VENGEANCE on people who do not OBEY and do not KNOW HIM.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Of all the things I read in the bible today (most of them very positive) WHY did the Holy Spirit highlight 1 out of 10 people coming back to thank God for a miracle (luke 17:17)? I think the Lord is exasperated by the lack of real faith in this world.

Luke 18:8 However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

If the Lord expects to find faith, why is he asking us about it? Will he find faith on earth when he comes?

The wrong time to find out about all the parts of the bible you didn't like to think about is when you are standing before Jesus face to face. The wrong time to ponder why you got left behind in the great escape from all is AFTER the escape happens and the door in heaven is closed. Our God is a God of mercy and he warns us BEFORE so we don't have to find things out the hard way. Ultimately though, its up to us. Will we continue to bury our head in a hole by listening to "partial gospel preachers" then wake up one day confronted with the Lord's judgement?

What is going to happen when the escape from all happens just like the bible says it will, and MOST self described christians are left behind? What are all the "pastors" going to tell people then? How will they explain why THEY got left behind too? The pre-trib escape from all will devastate what calls itself christianity today. Few will have the heart to "face the music" and make the real changes necessary even after they get left behind. Playing church is one thing, BEING the church is another.

Re-read Rev 2-3 and see for yourself all the wonderful things the churches did. Really, they are commendable, and YET the Lord tells all but two of them, you have some fatal flaws that WILL cause you some major problems (like Jesus vomiting you out of his mouth...see the talk with Laodicea). Even with these warnings todays "positive preachers" will tell you "yea, but you're still saved, even if Jesus VOMITS YOU OUT of his mouth." I would laugh at how ridiculous that statement is if it wasn't so very sad. WHY will so few be saved...WHY?

grace and peace

More Problems for the Mid-trib/Pre-wrath/Post-trib Teachers

The Lord has given me more questions that pose huge problems for all the people who teach that somehow the church needs to go through the time of Jacob's trouble for some reason.

Question: What is it that Jesus did not accomplish on the cross that makes it 'necessary' for the last generation church to go through the tribulation? Is the argument that somehow the church needs some kind of "purification" or something else in that line of reasoning in order to be worthy of heaven? If the "other tribbers" argue that the church needs ANYTHING else besides Christ alone to be worthy of heaven then they have huge doctrine problems that basically nullifies large portions of the bible.

To illustrate how absurd the idea is that the church just before the tribulation begins somehow "needs" the tribulation to be ready for heaven, we can ask "what about all the believers who died "in Christ" up to the time of the tribulation? Why is it that they did not "need" to take part in the tribulation to be worthy of heaven but we do? If the church must be in part or all of the tribulation then why is it that the dead "in Christ" rise and go directly into the sky to meet Jesus instead of digging bunkers in the earth to fight off the anti-christ? WHY? The reasoning it takes to "go there" is utterly absurd.

The only reason that the "other tribbers" could possibly stand on that does not put them in danger or heresy by diminishing what was done by Jesus on the cross is "who is going to witness if the church is in heaven?"

I seem to recall 5 unwise virgins who are left behind to ponder their ways in Matt 25, are we to believe that none of them have a change of heart and go "all in" for Jesus even though it will cost them their lives? I seem to recall 144,000 Jews sealed in Rev 7, are they not witnessing to the world? I seem to recall ANGELS flying through the heavens proclaiming the word of God to everyone and anyone who will listen:

Rev 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people.


I also seem to remember 2 witnesses who the entire world will despise for preaching the gospel non stop for 3.5 years.

Then to put the cherry on top, there are those who actually do repent of their ways and decide to give themselves to Jesus. We see a picture of these people under the alter in Rev 6.

So again, HUGE problems for the people who have decided that for some reason Jesus did not do quite enough for the church on the cross. According to these people, the church needs Jesus AND the tribulation to make it across the threshold for heaven. How utterly and completely absurd.

There are many facts in the bible that are beyond debate. Here are some of them:

An escape from ALL is promised by Jesus to those found worthy of it (luke 21:36)

The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah and Lot and Noah endured ZERO judgement in his day. He went into the ark and "escaped" the flood. The same can be said for Lot, he did not get a single burning ember on his cloak, he escaped ALL of the fire judgement on Sodom and Gormorrah.

There is a promise to be kept from the hour of trial coming on the entire world in Rev 3:10.

There is an open door in Matt 25, Rev 3 and Rev 4 that SOMEBODY is going through, otherwise the Lord is opening and closing doors in heaven for amusement?

There are REDEEMED MEN IN HEAVEN before the seals of Rev 6 are opened, thats a FACT that is most vexing for all the "other tribbers." How do they explain how a group that numbers MUCH MORE than 24 ends up in heaven? The group in heaven is from EVERY NATION, TONGUE, PEOPLE, TRIBE and we know for SURE there are more than "24" people in each of those categories.

Here's another unpleasant fact. Noah and his family were the only ones, the FEW who had the faith to believe the Lord and escape the flood of his day. Lot and his daughters were the only 3, the FEW to escape the fire judgement on Sodom. We see in Jesus speaking with the church of Sardis and he tells them there are a FEW who have not soiled their clothes and are worthy. We see only half of the virgins found ready for the bridegroom when he shows up. These are all FACTS, not open for debate or conjecture..FACTS that stand on their own merit for your consideration.

It does not surprise me in the least that it has become a growing fad these days just before the tribulation for people to attempt to steal other people's escape by shipwrecking their faith in an escape. If God said something (like there is an escape) and you don't believe it, who has the problem, God or YOU?

People rage on and on about the "rapture debate" but I don't think there's a debate about the rapture at all. This debate is about the integrity of God's word, pure and simple. And yes, I take tremendous offense to those who would tell me that God's word does not say what I read it to say in plain language. Our God says there IS an escape from all, either that is true, or God is a liar. I apologize if I get upset when people suggest that our God is a liar...

If people want to convince me that there is no escape from all, then re-write the bible with luke 21:36 out of there, re-write the bible to show Noah swimming his way through the flood into the ark, re-write it to show me Lot with scorch marks all over his body and a narrow miss during his trek out of Sodom, re-write the bible to close the doors in heaven in Rev 3,4 and Matt 25. While people are busy re-writing the bible go ahead and re-write the whole "no wrath for the church" thing and write in somewhere that we will endure "satan's wrath" and some of our God's wrath so somehow we, the last generation will skid into heaven's door with the seat of our pants on fire while ALL THE OTHER GENERATIONS WHO DIED IN CHRIST "just" endured the tribulations normal to this world.

People who argue that somehow the church needs to go through part or all of the tribulation have NO IDEA just how BAD that time is going to be. We who are praying for an escape from all in OBEDIENCE to the Lord's command while under constant attack for naysayers have no reason to tread water (Noah), dodge fire and brimstone (Lot) or endure any of the other judgements coming on this world. If we somehow "needed" something else then Jesus left unfinished business on the cross....now do you really want to argue that?

The fact is, there never has been and never will be ANY OTHER preparation for the tribulations of this world OR the tribulation to come OTHER THAN CHRIST ALONE. Us "in him" and him "in us" PERIOD. We who pray for the escape are living in obedience to our Lord's command, can the "other tribbers" say that? NO, they can't and they won't.....

The people who argue "yea, but if you are praying to escape and it doesn't happen you will abandon your faith once the tribulation starts!" Really? You mean seeing the anti-christ show up, watching the abomination that causes desolation, watching the roaring of the seas and mens hearts failing them in fear, and watching all the other numerous prophetic events unfold like clockwork will be the reasons for me to say to myself "nah, I don't beleive that bible anymore.." How utterly absurd. The people who are most "ready" for the days before, during and after the tribulation are those who are looking to Jesus alone for everything TODAY. He is our protection and provision now, and every day that we walk this planet, tribulation or not.

Last but not least, lets talk about the area of "watching." We are told over and over and over and over again to WATCH. For what, for who? For JESUS, that's who. The "other tribbers" are looking for everything and everyone BUT Jesus today, so what are they going to do when he shows up and they have not been watching for him? I guess we'll find out.

We were told to watch and pray for an escape from all that is 100% guaranteed coming to this world in the days ahead, so I suggest we do what we were told to do and watch and pray, NOW. We were also told to wait patiently for our Lord's return, also known as keeping the "word of his patience" in Rev 3:10. An interesting word from our Lord just after Rev 3:10, speaking of us being "kept" from the hour of trial is this:

Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Read that over again until it sinks in please. Hold on to what we have? So no one will take our crown? That suggests someone...people..who would attempt to steal/thieve something of importance from us. If we let them take it, it will be gone. "What we have" is something faith based, we take nothing physically with us when we leave this world. From the context of what we read there, we see "being kept" in Rev 3:10 and "don't let them steal it from you" in verse 11. Think about it...really think about it.

grace and peace

More Proof Of a Pre-tribulation, Pre-Time of Jacob's Trouble Escape From All/Rapture

I have asked the Lord to give me more depth of insight into the "escape from all" and to correct any misunderstandings I might have of it so when this writer writes to you it can be in full assurance of correctly handling the Word of truth. What he has given me over the past hours further confirms that there absolutely will be an escape from all, exactly like the bible says there will be in Luke 21:36, the stories of Noah, Lot, Enoch, Rev 3 and 4 etc.

The is a growning fad within todays form of "christianity" to question whether there will be an escape from all or not. These people who question the escape from all, refuse to believe God's word at face value and so they believe and teach a lie, to their own detriment and the detriment of those who hear them. The people who attempt to debunk the escape from ALL tell you that the church will go through all or part of God's wrath, also known as the time of punishment, also known as the tribulation, also known as the time of JACOB'S trouble. I cannot think of a more unbiblical concept.

Why do these people (mid-trib/pre-wrath/post-trib) fall into such grievous error? They refuse to know and love the truth. Not only do these people disbelieve the plain written word that teaches us about the mystery known as the escape from ALL/rapture, they do not understand basic fundamental truths about the church. What am I talking about?

The same error that causes men to perpetuate the idolatrous "pastoral system" also causes them to not understand the escape from all. For a more extensive treatment of this grievous error that men committ today (nicolaitanism) please see the 10 articles written on "pastors" under articles of interest on the right hand side of the blog. The pastoral system is an idolatrous system that men have created and perpetuated for generations to nico-lait (conquer thelaity). What does this have to do with understanding the rapture/escape from all?

ELDERS not pastors are to oversee the church. Period.

Titus 1:5The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Notice with me that Paul did not appoint "pastors" he appointed ELDERS, plural to oversee the church. Today's fortune 500 style, CEO/pastor centered "christianity" has fallen into such error, and darkness has advanced so far in this world because men have decided for themselves how they think the church should look instead of relying on the perfect Word of God to be the example of how the church should look. Men want "idols" they always have from the very beginning. Read the history of Israel for more details.

The Lord instructed the church to appoint a plurality of elders to oversee the church so pride would not be lifted up in the heart of any one man and idolatry would not sprout in the hearts of the sheep. Again, read the articles on "pastors" on this blog for a more extensive treatment of this subject.

Okay, so get to the point please! Elders? Pastors? The Rapture/escape from all? Link it up for us please?

The church is in heaven before the judgements/seals of Rev 6 are opened. That's a fact. How did the church get there? The "open door" of Rev 3, Rev 4 and Matt 25, that is in heaven.

Rev 5:8 And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, having each one harps and golden vials full of perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints, 9 and they sing a new song, saying, 'Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, 10 and didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.'

Rev 5 is absolute, irrefutable proof that redeemed men are in heaven before the seals or anything else in the book of Rev is poured out on the earth. And who are these "redeemed men?" They are elders. Todays form of "christianity" would have you believe that there were 24 "pastors" circling the throne of revelation, but there are no "pastors" mentioned, there are elders. These elders oversee the church. If there are any men who represent, guide or direct the true church on earth, it is elders, not pastors....

A common error perpetuated by the people who beg and argue to go through the tribulation is that the 24 elders don't really represent the full church so the rapture did not really occur before Rev 6? To that I say ....really? Based on what, their opinion? Consider all the problems these people have explaining these things:

1. Who exactly is going through the doors in Matt 25 (wise virgins), Rev 3 and Rev 4? Doors are open for people to go through them. No complex analysis of suspension of common sense needed for that one.

2. How do they explain how the 24 elders got into heaven? A "micro-rapture" that only raptured 24 people?

3. How do they explain the "us" that the Elders speak to the Lord about that consists of "every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation?" Please follow me on the 1st grade math we'll use to figure this one out. If we were to forget about all the different tribes and peoples and nations of the earth and only focus on the "tongues" we would know that AT A MINIMUM, there are over 6 thousand redeemed men in heaven in addition to the 24 elders speaking to the Lord. There are at least 6,800 languages spoken in the world right now. (if we take the minimum of 1 from each "tongue" that puts a minimum of 6,800 additional people in heaven in order for the statement "thou didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation" to be true. Again, that leaves out all the different tribes and peoples and nations, thats just tongues spoken.

4. Fact: there are many many more than 24 peoples, tribes, tongues, nations on this earth so fact there are many more than 24 redeemed men in heaven that make up the "US" the elders speak to the Lord about in Rev 5. No calculus needed here folks, 1st grade math.....

5. The church is not mentioned after Rev 5. Where did they go? Yea, I've read all the ridiculous thousand plus word essays and arguments used to place the church in Rev after Rev 5, but none of them hold water. If the Lord spoke specifically to the churches in Rev 1-3 then he could speak specifically to the churches after Rev 3, but he didn't. In Rev 7 we read about 144,000 Jews from each of the tribes of Israel being sealed, where is the church during this time? I see Jews fleeing from Judea during the abomination of desolation but where is the church at this time? There are no idle words in the bible, if the Lord purposefully addressed the churches in Rev 1-3 then purposefully does not address the churches ever again, there's a reason, its not a whim or a mistake.

Bottom line:

ELDERS should oversee the churches today, but instead, men have appointed "pastors" for themselves. This has led to pride and arrogance in the pastors and idolatry in the sheep. This pastoral system IS the sin of the nicolatians specifically mentioned by the Lord in Rev 2-3. Jesus says he HATES the deeds and teachings of the nicolaitans, but men seem to love them. For the same reason that men have not rejected the nicolaitans, they have not understood the escape from all/rapture. They do not understand the position of elders in the church today, and they do not understand the position of elders in the throneroom of heaven in Rev 4-5.

Maybe if the Lord said his throne was surround by 24 "pastors" they would understand what he was talking about. But neither the Lord, nor Paul ever once appointed a pastor, spoke to one, ate with one, referenced one in all the travels we see in the entire new testament. Men offer to "service" the Lord every SUN-day the way a prostitute "services" her clients. The Lord is not looking to be "serviced" though, he is looking for a faithful wife. The true church does not "go to church" because it is impossible to "go to church" when we are the church 24/7/365 days a year. The true church gives generously as "cheerful givers," they do not give "under compulsion." Todays "christianity" uses the iron of the LAW to place a yoke over the churches neck by ordering them to "tithe" which is compulsory giving.

2 Corinthians 9:7... Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Once again we see no levitical priests in the churches and yet the order to "tithe?" What was the tithe ordained for? Who was the tithe for? The short answer? It was not for "pastors."
The compulsory giving that todays "pastors" have imposed on the sheep is one of many examples of their faithlessness. These men do not trust the Lord to provide for them so they pull a yoke from the past out to slap it on the church, just like they invented the pastoral system and "services" and everything else that is allowing darkness and not light to take over the world while the true church becomes smaller and smaller corresponding exactly with the Lord's statement in Matt 7:13-28 that only a few find the narrow path that leads to life....few is the word he used, that's not my word.

Every day, there is more and more irrefutable proof that the church will be in heaven, not on earth when the seals of Rev 6 are opened. The "other tribbers" are terribly vexed when they are forced to explain how the church can both "escape from all" and go through part of all of the time of jacob's trouble. They are terribly vexed when asked to explain how redeemed men are shown in heaven in Rev 4 and 5 without a rapture/escape from all to put them there. These people are terribly vexed when they are asked to explain exactly who is passing through these "doors" we read about in Matt 25, Rev 3 and 4. Did the Lord open the doors for no reason?

The "other tribbers" along with many other occult groups do everything in their power to create DOUBT in the minds of men regarding one of the most fantastic gifts that the Lord will ever give men short of salvation. There IS an escape from all coming...thats a fact. There are redeemed men in heaven from every tribe, tongue, nation and people before the seals of Rev 6 are opened, that's another fact.

The naysayers and doubters who refuse to take the Lord's word at face value are likely the foolish virgins who come knocking on the Lord's door later and are told by the Lord "I never knew you." Later is the key word here. It takes absolutely zero faith to believe in an escape from all after it happens. Notice that the Lord does not tell the virgins who were shut out in Matt 25 to "come back at the midpoint or end" of the tribulation to enter the marriage feast. They are told "I never knew you." Big difference would'nt you say? If there were later raptures, why wouldn't the Lord tell the foolish virgins to wait for them? Again, the key words to focus on are: the foolish virgins came later knocking on the Lord's door:


Matt 25:10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Notice what the foolish virgins ask the Lord for...they ask "open the door for us!" Does that look familiar at all? Open the door for us?

Rev 3 These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Rev 4:1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

What do we know about the foolish virgins? They were not ready. They end up coming later to knock on the Lord's door. Do you think that people who argue with people day and night trying to convince anyone who will listen that there is not an escape from all, there is not a pre-trib rapture, we will go through part or all of God's judgements on the ungodly, do you think that these people will be counted worthy to escape from all? Are they obediently praying to escape from all? Does their faith and belief put them in heaven or in the tribulation? What you do or not believe makes all the difference in what is done for you. According to your faith things are done to you and for you.

Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According
to your faith will it be done to you";

This is no trivial subject as so many would make it out to be. If there is a worthiness based "escape from all" that the Lord clearly tells us about in Luke 21:36, and there are people who actively try to debunk it, and those people do create doubt in the minds of people, thus shipwrecking their faith for one of the greatest events the church will ever see, then those men are guilty of theft and the work of the enemy who has been creating doubt and fear from the very beginning.

These people ask you "hath God really said there is an escape from all?" Gosh, that sounds sooooooo familiar:

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

If there is anything at all I am sure of about our God, it is this: our God rewards faith. He rewards those who believe that his word means what it says it means at face value. We don't need thousand word essays to explain to us what God's word means in a few words. If God said there was an escape from all then you can bet the farm the goat and the family that there IS an escape from all, guaranteed.

The Lord has restoked this fire within me. Our God meant what he said he meant in the bible in plain language. If your understanding of the bible comes from "spiritualizing" the words to mean something other than what they mean at face value, I truly believe it will come at a frightening personal cost to you.

The Lord is coming like a thief, at a time that most will not be aware of. We are told to be servants who are watching and ready like the 5 wise virgins. We are watching TODAY unlike so many who would tell us that the Lord can't show up until later because of their pet doctrines. Let us be found as wise virgins, ready for our Lord every day so when he shows up we are not caught unprepared.

grace and peace

Endurance

Rev 3:10'Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth.

There is an insistence within me to stand firm on what the bible clearly teaches, there will be a pre-tribulation rapture/escape from all event where those found worthy will be just like Noah and Lot who escaped all of the flood and all of the fire and brimstone in their time.

In Rev 3:10 above we see that the Lord commends those servants who "keep the word of my endurance." Did you ever stop to think of what he means? He's talking about being surrounded by naysayers and critics and yet holding onto his word in spite of it all. Holding on is the key. I am amazed to see what a growing fad it is for christians to abandon the plain reading of scripture when it comes to a topic as important as the rapture. We are told clearly that there will be an escape from all and yet thousands upon thousands of people who call themselves christians attack this idea. It's as if Jesus did not say anything about an escape from all but we know that he clearly did. We also have the clear encouragement of the stories of Noah and Lot. People can argue and twist all they want to but the clear teaching of the bible in the cases of both Noah and Lot is, the righteous were spared from all of the wrath/judgement that the wicked received.

Being spared from wrath is a promise repeated over and over again in the bible, but the bible twisters would have us believe that we will experience our God's wrath. I can't think of a more unbiblical concept. These people take God's wrath and tell us its "satan's wrath" for example (another satanic/unbiblical idea) to twist the plain meaning we read in the bible.

I find myself on fire again within about this topic. For quite awhile I did not, but the fire is re-kindled within me. Many people may not be sure about what's going to happen, but they really really need to settle the matter for themselves. I am 100% absolutely positive, that we will see a pre-tribulation rapture of the few who are found worthy in this world. How can I guarantee such a thing? The bible clearly teaches it and I have an inner witness now on this subject that is just short of breathtaking.

Satan wants to get his hands on everyone during the 7 years of hell coming to this earth, that's no surprise. What is a surprise is that so many people calling themselves "christians" are helping him through twisting the plain meaning of scripture to shipwreck the faith of many. That makes me angry, its theft. As you believe, so you receive and if people can be convinced by other people to give up hope and faith in one of the greatest promises made by God to us in the bible, well, that would be tragic.

I believe its time again to watch and warn people. The people who don't want to hear any of this will argue till blue in the face with their same old tired arguments that hold no water. Debating and arguing with these people is useless. I have tested all of their arguments and found them to be wanting. They twist and turn the word of God to fit their own agenda and doctrine but they cannot hide true meaning. This is reinforced by the idea that taking the bible at face value is the only way to read it. "Spiritualizing" the words in the bible is a satanic tool used to make the bible say whatever a person wants it to say.

In the end, we will see who is found wise (virgins) and who is found foolish (virgins ala Matt 25). It takes no faith at all to figure out that the bible meant what it said it meant after an event takes place. So will it be with the escape from all/noah/lot experience coming to this world. After it happens, the foolish virgins will come knocking on the Lord's door and we know what they will be told. Again, don't shoot the messenger, I'm not judging anyone, the Word of God also known as Jesus himself judges men. The events of history will prove this out.

I have read severe attacks by people who say "how dare you judge anyone" when it comes to salvation by telling people that only a few will be saved! Wait a minute, I never said that a only a few will be saved...Jesus did, so the problem is with God has written not me "judging" somebody. We are to remind each other of what has been written and clearly many people cannot handle that. They can only handle the cherry picked portions of scripture that fit their own private pet doctrines and anyone who challenges those doctrines is personally attacked. People attack the messenger personally because they have no biblical ground to stand on to attack the message. Few will be saved, I wish it were not true but that is clearly what the bible says...re-read Matt 7:13-28. Attack that, not me.

Today is a day of warning and watching. Warning people is not judging them. Warning people is an act of grace, not judgement but how few have the eyes to see or ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches today.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, grace and peace

The Days of Noah

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

Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

The Lord has given me a troubling question for all the naysayers who would have us believe that we will all go through part, most or all of the time of Jacob’s trouble.


That troubling question is, how much “tribulation” did Noah endure in his days? If the days ahead are going to be just like the days of Noah AND naysayers are right that we will all go through at least part of the tribulation,then we should see some “tribulation” that Noah went through comparable to what we see in the book of revelation, but do we? Where exactly do we see in Noah’s experience plague, famine, the righteous being hunted down and slaughtered etc? If we are to believe the naysayers that tell us there is no escape from the coming days of hell on earth, shouldn’t we see the things that will happen during the tribulation in Noah’s experience as well? Well, we don’t. The fact is, we see nada, zip, zero, NOTHING about the description of the days of Noah that would in ANY WAY compare to the days of the Daniel’s 70th week/time of Jacob’s trouble.

Here’s another troubling fact, Noah was in the ark, a place of physical safety while the rest of the world was punished with the flood. So again, I ask you, where was Noah’s “tribulation?” The mid-trib/pre-wrath/post-trib crowd can only respond with a stunning silence. It’s the same with Lot, where were Lot’s “tribulation” events? If the naysayers are right shouldn’t we see tribulation kinds of events happening to both Noah and Lot? Yea, we should but we don’t, so what can we conclude? The mid-trib/pre-warth/post trib crowds are wrong, dead wrong.

The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah, and in the days of Noah life went on as usually for everybody right up to the very day that NOAH ENTERED THE ARK. Then all hell broke loose, but not a moment before:

Luke 17:27
People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day
Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.


Noah entered the ark, THEN the flood came and destroyed them all. What part of that don’t people understand? If the coming of the Son of man is going to be just like the days of Noah, then we will enter our “ark” and THEN the “flood” of judgment will come and destroy the world. If Jesus said it he meant it. If the days ahead are going to be just like the days of Noah, then life will go on as usual until the very day we are physically separated from this world by the walls of our “ark” whatever that is. Since we use the bible to interpret the bible, does this jive with what we are told in Luke 21:36?

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.

Yes, it fits like a glove. Noah escaped ALL, Lot escaped ALL and those of us found worthy will escape ALL as well. The how and when of all this are the Lord’s department, but the “what” has been clearly spoken to us. The wise virgins will keep their lamps full of oil, WATCHING for the Lord and praying in obedience to the command we were given to pray that we may be counted worthy to escape all that’s about to happen and stand before the Son of Man.

It’s going to be a very very bad day for those foolish virgins who only come later, after it is painfully obvious that the bible means what it says in plain language, to knock on the Lord’s door asking to be let in. He will tell them “I don’t know you.”

Today is a day for watching and warning. The Lord dropped these words directly into my heart yesterday. Ask the naysayers to prove their point by comparing the days of Noah and Lot to the days of the tribulation. If there was no plague famine or flood inside the ark, NONE, then how exactly is it that we should expect these things for ourselves? If people want to argue until they are blue in the face that they will go through Daniel’s 70th week, then perhaps they personally will get what they argue for.

Every day the facts continue to stack up in support of what the bible says at face value. There is an escape from all and we should pray for it. Many will likely not be watching and ready when the escape shows up, so they will go through part or all of the tribulation. As far as they personally are concerned, they are right to argue that they will go through the tribulation because they probably will, but not everybody will….according to your faith it will be done unto you.

Just imagine what it will feel like to know that some people did escape just as the bible teaches, but you were left behind because your faith and belief placed you in the middle of the tribulation. How will you feel then? How will all the people feel who bought into the idea that there was no escape even though the bible clearly teaches there is one? Perhaps people need to spend a lot less time listening to their “pastors” and spend more time listening to the Holy Spirit. I could truly care less about what most men have to say about God. I want to know what God has to say about God. There’s just way too much deception in this world to be listening to naysayers at this late hour. Determine for yourself what you believe and why you believe it. It would be a pity to miss an escape from the worst days this world has ever seen because some man talked you out of it….

Grace and peace