The Buried Truth About the Grave

I am going to address a heavy topic about where we shall go when we die, and debunk the popular and widespread belief about this topic. I will also clarify some things when it comes to seeing spirits, ghosts and so forth. Are there truly lost spirits? Do people immediately go to heaven or hell right after they die? Why does Jesus and the Bible often say that dead people are asleep? If you have asked those questions before, then continue reading please.

One of the popular beliefs say that people die and immediately go to hell, heaven or wander lost on Earth to await judgment. Yet after thinking about this intensively, it does not make any sense for people to go straight to heaven or hell without being judged. The whole point of Judgment Day is to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell right?

Here is what the Bible says about this:

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" Hebrews 9:27

So, it is appointed for us to die once, then there is the judgment. But when does the judgment take place? Please read Revelations chapter 20 for a great explanation!

Verses 4-6 show that the dead in Christ shall rise and then they shall reign with Christ for a thousand years. This is called the Millennial Reign. The rest of the dead lived not again until AFTER the thousand years were over.

Verses 11-15 reveals that the Judgment Day takes place after the millennial reign with Christ and it is for those who died without Christ. They will be judged for their works. Those who are judged lived not again until after the Millennial Reign and they were delivered up from the sea and hell (graves) unto the Great White Throne.

But where are the people who die? What are they doing as of right now? Check this Out!

"Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb." Job 21:32

"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Psalm 146:4

The Bible says that those who are in the grave remain in the grave. They have no thoughts, no memory, and they know nothing. They are simply dead and unaware of what is happening in the world and how much time has passed since they died. Keep reading please!

"For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth." Isaiah 38:18

"For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psalm 6:5

If those people went straight to heaven after death, then surely they would remember Jesus their Lord! Surely they would praise Him and give Him thanks! Yet the Bible shows this is not the case because those people are asleep in the grave.

What did I mean by asleep and why does the Bible continually call the dead people "asleep" or "sleeping?" Sleeping means the same thing as death to the Lord. Those two words mean the exact same thing. When we are asleep, we are unaware of what goes on outside. I have been put under for surgery once when I was a teenager and to me it felt like a moment when in actuality, hours had passed. That's why the Bible also calls it "in the twinkling of an eye." Because to the dead, it would feel like just a moment had passed from their death till the moment they see Jesus appear from the sky. They are unaware that thousands of years have passed. Amazing isn't it??

"These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." John 11:11-14

Here are some examples of prophets and men of God who are asleep in the grave and still dead. They have not gone anywhere else yet.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand" Acts 2:29, 34

"And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead." 1 Kings 11:43

When we die, we await in our graves completely asleep for the resurrection day. We wait until Jesus Christ returns in the foretold second coming to quicken us and give us incorruptible bodies. We wait for that last day!

"Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." John 11:24

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me." Job 19:25-27

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

We have not received immortality as of yet. We have received the promise of Christ that He shall return for us. At the last trumpet, when Jesus Christ appears, we will receive incorruptible bodies and immortality! Death shall be swallowed up in victory!

But for the souls without Christ, they shall die. They shall not be quickened unto life. The gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord so that is a gift from God himself unto us. Those who reject the gift shall not have everlasting life.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:4

Are you fearful of death, thinking we will be lost and all alone? Forgotten in the graves? This is not the case! Here is beautiful news: Jesus Christ is still with us even in the grave. We will never be forgotten nor alone.

"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (grave), behold, thou art there." Psalm 139:8

Now I am going to address ghosts, evil spirits and lost spirits. We must be warned that satan is a great deceiver. Angels are able to transform into anything and appear as a loved one. One third of the angels are fallen angels who serve satan's evil will. Remember what God's Word says in the Bible and do not be deceived!

There are NO ghosts, or dead people wandering the Earth. Those are evil spirits, demons, and fallen angels of the darkness. The dead are asleep, awaiting Christ's triumphant return. The Lord would not allow souls to wander lost in the dark. Those are evil spirits so do not be deceived but renounce them in the authority and name of Jesus Christ.

In the Bible, Saul of the Old Testament sought a witch to conjure up a "familiar spirit." Saul saw the "spirit" of Samuel back from the grave. It was a demon. This demon looked like Samuel and talked like Samuel but it was not Samuel. The Lord was angry at Saul for getting involved with the devil and witchcraft that Saul knew he would die and he did the next day. (read 1 Samuel 28:7-25)

I have a personal experience to share as well. When I was younger, I woke up from a nightmare and saw my mother standing in the doorway smiling at me. I had a two minute long conversation with her, telling her about my dream, then I watched as she vanished. This spirit imitated my mother while my mother was alive and well, asleep in the next room.

The Bible warns not to be involved with these things and not to trust familiar spirits, or those spirits who look like our deceased loved ones!

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer." Deutronomy 18:10, 11

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:31

I hope this article has explained a lot for you. I encourage you to seek the Word and go to the Lord for guidance through prayer about this topic. I know this topic can be painful for those who have recently lost a loved one. Let this also encourage you because our loved ones are not aware that they are dead, not aware of the evil in this world, but that in their life, the next moment of awareness, they get to see Jesus in all His glory. What a joyful sight!


*Note: hell in the Hebrew and Greek translations means Sheol which actually means "grave."

Joyce Meyer: False Teacher, Wolf, and possible Luciferian

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UPDATE!!!!!!!

Joyce Meyer's 5/31/2010 broadcast of "Enjoying Everyday Life" has exposed her further, and this time I have tangible PROOF of what she has said:

"We're never going to mature and develop godly character until we learn to live with the all-seeing eye on us all the time. "

Maybe you didn't believe me when I first blogged about what I heard her say. Well, this latest proof eliminates that doubt!

Here is a link to the transcript of the broadcast. Her all-seeing eye comment occurs at 9:54 on there. (Which actually differs from the time on the video I found of the same broadcast.

Here is a link to Joyce Meyer's main video broadcast page. You'll have to scroll over to the 5/31/2010 broadcast. The comment occurs at approximately 20:27 of the video. I'm not sure how long her "ministry" (heh heh) will keep this broadcast on the site, so I actually took the liberty to record the audio onto my own computer.

If you're short on time, or the original links to this Satanic wolf's quote are gone, here's the link I made of the audio.

Special thanks to "Anna," who left me a comment with the transcript link today about this broadcast. I wouldn't have known otherwise!

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I know what you're thinking. You thought my last blog entry was controversial! Well, I've been putting off something I've needed to share for months now. Joyce Meyer is a total wolf in sheep's clothing, and should be avoided like the plague. I have absolutely no problem saying that. I will give you first hand proof of this, and then you'll be held accountable if you decide to watch her or listen to her, or support her "ministry."

Before I give my personal proof, I'll begin by pointing out the very obvious. The Bible calls Joyce Meyer out from the start.

1 Timothy 2:
[12] But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
[13] For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
[14] And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Read that a few times, soak it in. Now I'm not against women or anything of the sort, but this passage has been largely ignored in this country. People look for reasons to shoot it down. "Oh Paul was talking about that specific church at the time!" I always ask "then why is it in God's eternal Word, if it applies to one little assembly?" The phrase "usurp authority" is key here. The man is the spiritual leader of a household, a family, a congregation. It's akin to the analogy of marriage in the New Testament. The man is to love his wife as Jesus loves His Bride. How's that for a standard set?

Ephesians 5:
[22] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
[23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
[24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

From Ephesians we see a clear example that man is the head of the household, and the wife is to submit to them. I'm not saying the man has grounds to be a tyrant or anything of the sort, he is to love his wife like Jesus loves His own! So what am I getting at here? The man is also the spiritual head of a family unit, and he leads the wife and family in all things Christ. The wife does not "usurp authority" over the man, from the verses listed above. This same thing applies to Joyce Meyer. What is she doing when she so arrogantly walks about on stage? She's teaching (false doctrine and evil, I may add) to both women and men! Usurping man's authority over the Body of Christ.

So with that said, Joyce Meyer shouldn't even be standing up on a stage, preaching the self-centered "Enjoying Everyday Life" gospel to the masses. However, she still is, and I must drop this bombshell on you to (hopefully) open your eyes.

I guess I like getting myself aggravated in the mornings. Earlier this year I developed a little habit of turning Joyce Meyer's program on before work here and there. Maybe I did it to get riled up enough to wake up for work, I don't know. Anyway, one morning I'm eating my cereal, disgusted at her prancing around arrogantly and getting the massive applause of the audience, and she spits this out, and I quote:

"We have to have the revelation that we are living under the All-Seeing Eye."

My jaw almost hit the floor as she paused for dramatic effect. The crowd roared after she said it, which added to my shock and despair. I immediately ran from the living room to my bedroom to jot down exactly what she said, word for word. It was so astounding that I never even had to refer back to my notes to explain this to people.

Do you understand what she said? Do you know who/what the All-Seeing Eye is? It's the same eye that's on the back of every dollar bill in America. It represents the eye of Lucifer, also known as the eye of Horus and eye of Osiris. A masonic, purely evil symbol referring to the destroyer that Jesus Christ threw out of heaven for rebelling against God. There are many, many links on the internet about this symbol, and if you pay attention you can see many corporate logos and album covers displaying variations of these, too. In an attempt to fully convince you just how evil this quote from Joyce Meyer is, I will provide you with more information.

Jesus-is-Savior.com - this is an excellent link that provides great insight into all of what I'm talking about here. It goes above and beyond this topic, but it is priceless information!

ancientegyptonline.co.uk - this website shows you the connection of the all-seeing eye to the ancient Egyptian religions. Ancient Egypt's religion never really left, it's just hidden in things like Freemasonry, and believe it or not, Catholicism.

All in all, the All-Seeing Eye is a representation of Satan himself. Joyce Meyer chose this term quite obviously. She was NOT referring to the God of Israel. I had mentioned this quote in a Christian chat, and people either got extremely mad, told me to "get saved," or made excuses for her. Someone said that it's simply another name for God. Wrong! Show me where the phrase "all-seeing eye" is EVER used to address the Lord! I shudder to even think about that. It is nowhere in the Bible, and Joyce Meyer knows it. I believe she has an allegiance to Satan. No Christian would ever think about using that phrase. No Christian would even know of it unless they researched ancient Egyptian religion, freemasonry, or the secrets on our dollar bill!

Please, I ask you to read this with an open mind, hear what I'm saying, and examine it. Research. Pray. Ask God about it. Why would a supposed Christian refer to our Lord with a phrase that all masons and most satanists/luciferians know to be related to Lucifer? It makes zero sense.

There is more information out there on the internet further showing how Joyce Meyer is a phony. I'll leave it up to you to do the research. I will say though, very strongly, that Joyce Meyer is a false teacher and a wolf. She should be avoided like the plague, and I hope you share this message with any Christian that thinks she is ok!

Here are a few pictures showing the All-Seeing Eye's influence in our culture:


This is a masonic ring, depicting their usual logo, except the "G" in the middle is removed, and the All-Seeing Eye (which in this case is a variation of the eye of Horus, same thing) is displayed.











The devil's hands have reached the entertainment industry as well. Here we see a "Hellboy" comic with the title, and a little eye picture transposed on top of Hellboy.





















Does Madonna lead a Christ-led life? I don't think so, Tim. Her unabashed sexuality and open practice of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism/magic) tell us otherwise. Here we see her sporting the All -Seeing Eye on her jacket, same style as on our money. Still think this term represents the One true God?





















 

Are you seeing a "coincidence" yet? Here's a few pictures I took off of my own TV

 





And finally, to drive this home, I'll give you examples from the music world.

Steve Vai - Passion and Warfare

The All-Seeing Eye is right above Steve.

Shadows Fall - Retribution

You have to look carefully, but the eye is dead-center, right above the band name.

Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

We see the eye on the bottom left, propped up against a stand.

Dream Theater - A Rite of Passage

The first single for the album above. I posted this cover because it clearly displays the connection with masonry, and the song title refers to masonic rites.

Jay-Z, who also calls himself J-HOVAH, making the All-Seeing Eye symbol with his hands and left eye. The left eye is always the one depicted in the logo itself.

Pearl Jam - No Code

This one hit hard for me. I grew up listening to these guys, but I never opened this booklet all the way, exposing the huge eye inside the pyramid. It may be hard to see, but the eye is dead center amongst all the pictures. Clever, huh. No code? I don't think so.

Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Fitting to end this blog entry with a Michael Jackson reference. Check out the eye on the bottom right.

You've read the quote from Joyce Meyer, you've seen what the term "All-Seeing Eye" means, and you've seen pictures of this eye with ungodly associations. So now it's up to you to decide, is Joyce Meyer a false teacher and a wolf? I certainly think so!

Knock, Knock

Knock, Knock
Who shall we welcome?

Many times, I have heard my door knock and opened it to a person handing me tracts and literature from their churches & religion. I always smiled politely, received it and waved them goodbye as I shut the door. I never wanted to offend them so I would do this routine every time. Yet, I found this scripture and realized how God was actually against what I was doing.

"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." 2 John 1:10, 11

God tells us that whomsoever comes to us, or knocks at our door, or greets us at the parking lot bringing us a different Gospel than from what the Word of God teaches us, that we are not to greet them nor welcome them into our homes. We also cannot accept their tracts and literature. If we do so, we shall be partakers of their evil deeds. That is pretty strong, but God wants us to draw a line and not support them or having any part to do with them at all. We must have no part to do with false prophets.

We as Christians need to be wise. We also need to be strong. This will be one of the things we need to take into consideration as we live a life of boldness in Christ.

Hell-oween

(Warning: not suitable for children)

I felt urged to write an article about Halloween. It is October and every store in America already has stocked up on Halloween candy and decorations. Halloween is fast approaching so I want to spread the word as quickly as possible. I want to make this clear. Halloween is not a Christian holiday and a follower of Jesus Christ should not partake in this holiday.

"But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." 1 Corinthians 10:20-21

Kids love holidays because it is fun and scary, but to Satanists and witches, Halloween is no joke. October 31st is the most important day in the satanic year. It marks the Celtic new year. It is a festival of death where the god of the Celtics would call up the spirits of the wicked dead who had died that past year to harass other people. This is the day where the evil spirits are free to roam in the Earth.

"Neither give place to the devil." Ephesians 4:27

These things happened several centuries before Christ. These people made sacrifices to the god of death called Samhain (pronounced sah win). The sacrifices varied from vegetables to human beings. They had a feast and a festival to celebrate the god of the dead. This practice still occurs today in the world. It is not an ancient practice but this is a practice that is still occurring in the world today. I have listed the popular aspects of Halloween and how they originated below:


Trick or Treat- Celtics had priests called druids. The druids would go from house to house and demand a sacrifice. Whoever refused them would be cursed and tormented. History shows that someone in the cursed family would die within a year.


Jack O'Lantern- The druids carried large turnips with them and carved demon faces on it as their charm. There was a candle placed inside the turnip and the candle was made from human fat. It was believed that this charm contained a demon spirit that guided the priest. The spirit was called JOCK. When this practice arrived to America in the 18th and 19th centry, JOCK became Jack who lives in the pumpkin.


Witches- the middle age believed that witches traveled on broomsticks to the black Sabbats to worship Satan on October 31st. They were guided by spirits in the form of black cats. Witches are child murderers and often times they have babies specifically to sacrifice to Satan. Their living children are found traumatized and suffering from mental and physical torture.

Black cats- The druids worshiped black cats believing them to be reincarnated people.

Halloween- This name came from what was originally called All Saints Day which was a failed attempt by the pope to rid of the festival of the dead. It became All Hallows Day. Een is an abbreviation for evening so we started calling it 'Halloween.'

Costumes- In Ireland during the festival of Samhain, children would dress like IMPS and fairies to lead the evil spirits out of town after the feast of Samhain.

Monsters- In Druidism, the dead are raised as horrifying creatures of the night, hideous monsters, decaying skeletons, vampires, and so forth. They received not glorified bodies as Christ promises in our resurrection, but inhuman ones.

Look at today's Halloween. We celebrate the devil, witches, evil spirits, murderers, skeletons, death and monsters. We dress our children up like these evil beings and have them reenact the druid practice of demanding food and sacrifice. Instead of turnips, we use pumpkins and carve demon faces in it and decorate with it. At Halloween, we enjoy fortune telling, haunted houses, candles lit, seances, ouija boards in the name of fun and excitement. There will be sacrifices of animals and even humans! You say, "well, we don't take it seriously." But the devil does and so does God.

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Maybe you might say that all of this happen a long time ago, but these practices still occur in the world today. Every year on October 31st, the high priest of all witch covens are required to make a human sacrifice. God condemns witches. Their power comes from the devil.

Churches have tried substituting Halloween with Harvest Day, but Halloween by any other name is still Halloween. We are still observing Halloween if we celebrate that day, even if we dress up as Bible characters.

Halloween is the most dangerous time of the year for our children. It is not child's play. Reports show that more small children turn up missing, injured, and are found dead from Halloween than any other time of the year. Farm animals and pets are often slaughtered by Satanists and they drink the animal and human's blood and urine and digest their entrails and perform orgiastic rituals.

Satan loves Halloween because it lures more kids into his fold and it is paying off. Witchcraft is exploding amongst teens today and psychic hot lines are making millions of dollars everyday from adults! It is rapidly growing all over the world and we can see popular movies such as Harry Potter and television shows that praise witchcraft. Witchcraft books are rapidly and furiously being sold off the counters more than ever before.

"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain." Jeremiah 10:2-3

Here is an excerpt from an article in Moody Magazine by Joy A.
Sterling called "We Should Unmask Halloween":

"We evangelicals cringe at the descriptions of Satan worship in books and shudder at occult rites. But we dress our children as witches and devils and send them out to trick or treat…. Whenever the apostles met persons connected with fortune-telling, witchcraft or the occult, the Holy Spirit dealt firmly and swiftly with them. When revival came to Ephesus, the occult books were the first to go (Acts 19:18-19). Anything that conjures up the spirits of evil has to go. And I believe that the symbols of Halloween do conjure up the spirits of evil. Not deliberately, not openly perhaps. But the devil never has been noted for working openly. He tries to convince people that he doesn't exist. And what better way to deny his power and identity than to tell children and their parents that witches, ghosts, fortune-tellers and devils are 'just for fun?'"

I grew up going trick or treating just like every other kid in America. Halloween was my favorite time of the year. I loved the thrill of being terrified. A pastor told me the truth four years ago and it changed me forever. I realized that I was disillusioned about Halloween and that it was mere fun but that is a big lie! It took a while for me to adjust because I was used to celebrating Halloween. I can now see clearly with the truth and it amazes me how blind we all were to Halloween. I made a conscious decision to remove Halloween from my life and my children's lives. I will have no part of it. I want to educate as many people as I can about Halloween so that we can make wise decisions. Satan is a great deceiver and he is the father of lies. Let us ask God to reveal the truth in us today and to lift the veil off our eyes.

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:1, 11

He Shall Raise Us Up on the Last Day

Ok, here comes a controversial and touchy subject. The "rapture" of the church. For those that don't know, the rapture of the church is the "snatching away" of the elect in the end times. The controversy about this "snatching away" has to do with when it will occur. Some believe in a secret rapture of the saints before any tribulation occurs, some believe it will happen midway through, and others believe that it happens after the tribulation, before God's wrath. This last stance is the one I take, and I believe the Bible is very clear on it. Please allow me to show you what I have studied. I believe knowing the truth about the rapture is very important, because we are coming closer and closer to the end, and I don't think enough Christians are prepared for what we may face in our lifetime. This is a long read, but I encourage you to stick it out and please give me feedback, whether you agree with me or not. I am ultimately looking for God's Truth on the matter, and while nobody has been able to Biblically show me otherwise yet, I am still willing to hear people out! I'm not looking to defend a belief that doesn't coincide with God's Word. So with that being said, here we go...

First, it is very important to please pray and ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us His Truth. Pray that He leads you in this, and that He give you discernment to analyze this study for yourself. He is the Teacher after all. If He shows you any errors of mine, please do not hesitate to show me!

My study began with Matthew, Chapter 24. In it, Jesus gives us the signs that the end of the age are upon us. Here's Matthew 24:1-44:

[1] And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
[2] And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
[3] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
[4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
[6] And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
[7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
[8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.
[9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
[10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
[11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
[12] And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
[13] But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
[14] And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
[15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
[16] Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
[17] Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
[18] Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
[19] And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
[20] But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
[21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
[22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
[23] Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
[24] For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
[25] Behold, I have told you before.
[26] Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
[27] For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[28] For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
[32] Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
[33] So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
[34] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
[35] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
[36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
[37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
[42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
[43] But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
[44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Please take the time to read this passage, it's very important. With that said, I want to point out a few things. First off, verses 5-12 are all things that are happening NOW, to varying degrees. Many coming in the name of Christ (Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Creflo Dollar, Pat Robertson, Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, the list goes on and on). I believe that verse 5 refers to both people claiming to actually BE Christ (they're already out there) and those that claim they are OF Christ, or IN Christ. So we are seeing this all over the place today. Next, the wars and rumors of wars: Iraq, Afganistan, Israel, Palestine, Iran, nuff said? Famines are all over the place, earthquakes are happening at a much greater frequency and severity. Christians in non-Christian countries are being killed for their faith - just ask Paul Washer. False Prophets are everywhere. Finally, the love of many is waxing cold. Selfishness is the trend of the day. Nobody has time for anyone else, and "we're number 1!" A good way I gauge that is the way people drive these days. Think about it.

Ok, now for some intense stuff. Jesus warns that when we see the "abomination of desolation" stand in the holy place (temple), to flee. Keep in mind, Jesus is warning his people about what they will go through in the end times. He's warning about the antichrist here, saying to flee, to run away, to pray our plight isn't in the winter or the sabbath day (a blog on the sabbath is coming soon!) Notice verses 21 and 22. I have to write them here again, they are of the utmost importance.

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

So a timeline is developing. We have all the birth pang signs - the false Christs, the wars, earthquakes, love of many growing cold - and now we are warned of the antichrist's arrival along with tribulation that the world has never seen before! Jesus says for the elect's sake these days will be shortened, out of mercy. Now, many have tried to explain away the meaning of the word "elect" as being the Jews. This is preposterous. When Jesus died he saved both the Jew and the Gentile, with the Gentiles being grafted into the vine, both collectively being the elect. Romans 9-11 explain this very clearly.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

There is no doubt that the elect pertains to both Jews and Gentiles, anyone that calls upon the Lord to be saved. The Jews aren't a special sort of elect, there's nothing in the Bible that shows that. There's no secret rapture that leaves behind Jews that have an opportunity to realize Jesus is the Messiah. Where is this in Scripture?

Moving on, Jesus starts to explain how His coming back will look. Everyone will be able to see Him. Next we have three of the most critical verses possible on this subject.

[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

I can't stress the words in red enough. Jesus comes back right after the tribulation, and with the great sound of a trumpet has His angels gather the elect! This can't be any more straightforward than it is. I know, you probably have questions like "what about being caught up" and the like. I will address this from every angle I can. This chapter is the foundation for everything.

Next, Jesus describes more of how things will look at the end. Skip ahead to verses 40 and 41, two of the most twisted verses in all of the Bible.

[40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

See! See! The rapture! Ah, not so fast my friend. :) Now that we've examined these verses in the context of everything Jesus is saying here, we can easily see that the people taken up are taken at the second coming of the Lord. The ones that survive the tribulation.

So to summarize up to this point, here's what we have. We have the signs of the end of the age, then the warning to flee when the antichrist arrives, then the second coming of Jesus in the clouds, then the angels gathering up the elect. This passage is also illustrated in Mark 13:5-37 and Luke 21:5-36. I would encourage you to read those also, it will give you a great background and show you that the Bible is in agreement with itself about this. (We know the Bible cannot be wrong, so therefore we must test every verse that has to do with this, and they must all align.)

Now that we have established the backbone of this study, let's branch out into the supporting verses. 1 Corinthians 15 talks about the resurrection of Christ and our inheritance. Verses 51-52:

[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I'm not sure if I really need to explain this, but I will. The pre-tribulation stance likes these verses, because it's easy to see the "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" part and immediately think "rapture." Ah, but Paul gives us a reference point that fits directly with the timeline Jesus Christ gives us in the gospels: at the last trump. This is the trumpet we read of in Matthew 24:31. This is coming together isn't it!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
[13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
[18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Crucial, crucial stuff here! We see in this passage that same exact timeline Jesus gave in the gospels, once again. The Lord comes, the trumpet sounds, THEN the ones that are still left after the tribulation meet the Lord in the air.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 is another excellent passage defending this. Here we receive a warning about the antichrist:

[1] Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Here we learn that BEFORE Christ shall come, BEFORE anyone is taken up (the elect), BEFORE it's all said and done, there has to be a falling away (departure from Christ) and the antichrist has to reveal himself and sit in the temple! Once again, this is directly in line with Matthew 24. It even references the antichrist standing in the holy place, Matthew 24:15. Christians will see and experience the antichrist and his tribulation.

More words from Jesus here that coincide with a post-tribulation rapture. John 6:39-40:

[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

It doesn't get any clearer. Jesus Himself says twice in a row that he will raise His people up at the last day. He doesn't say He'll do it secretly, or He'll raise the Jews up at the last day, or He'll raise some people up, then raise the rest up later. No, He will raise ALL His elect at the last day.

John 11:24 shows that believers in Jesus knew as well. This passage is about Jesus' resurrecting Martha and Mary's brother. Let's see what Martha says:

[24] Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

A more lengthy passage is Jesus' parable about the kingdom we find in Matthew 13:24-30, then explained in verses 37-43. I know this study is getting long, but I feel I should still paste the verses here! I want you to read them.

[24] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
[25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
[26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
[27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
[28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
[29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
[30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

explained:

[37] He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
[38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
[39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
[40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
[41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
[42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
[43] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This passage is awesome. Jesus paints us an amazing picture. I hope the meaning of this is clear to you. We see that the harvest is at the end of the world, not at some special time beforehand. The angels gather the elect, and the unrighteous are gathered and thrown into the fire. Does this sound like a pre-tribulation rapture to you? Everything happens at Jesus' second coming, the end of time!

Well that's pretty much the extent of my study on the rapture! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, I hope it has helped. I hope that from this you can see that the only "rapture" we will have is the ultimate gathering of the elect at Jesus Christ's second coming in glory! I encourage you to share this message with anyone you know, because the more we are prepared for the times to come the better off we will be. We want to be strong in Christ if we are to face this tribulation, and if most Christians don't even believe we will suffer, what will it do to their faith if they face the sword, or if they are deceived when the antichrist hits center stage?

Again, I would encourage you to leave any feedback you have from this, whether it be positive or negative. I'm willing to hear and read differences of opinions, as long as they can be shown through Scripture. Thanks again!

Hiding Behind Grace

Many of us have spent most of our lives drowning in the sea of legalism, we gasped for air for a mere second before we were swept along with the undercurrents. Some of us rubbed the salt water out of our eyes and reached earnestly towards a lifebuoy that was tossed to us from the hands of Jesus.

The lifebuoy is God's grace and it pulls us safely on shore. Some of us allow the warmth of the Son to wash over us and we slowly shuffle towards the life that God intended for us to have. We become fishers of men. The others cling to the lifebuoy and remain unmovable in the exact same spot that Jesus dragged us to safety. The obsession with the Law is replaced with the fascination of the blood that cleansed our sins away.

This sparks the beginning of a very dangerous trend among many believers.

Swords clatter nosily on the ground and footsteps echo quietly as warriors of God slowly desert the ancient battle against evil.

Christians smile politely and shrug their shoulders in the presence of sin, they mutter to one another that God is love and we are all sinners. The image of the powerful lion is replaced with an illustrated Jesus making a peace sign.

Shouting out against sin has been forced into whispered utterances which eventually disappeared in the thin air. Every now and then, a voice is heard amongst the quiet halls only to be shushed by careful Christians who are fearful about offending a single soul within listening distance. What happened to us?

We are hiding behind grace, afraid to step out of the comfort zone and rebuke evil.

God's warriors are donning suits and ties instead of shiny armors. We read from teleprompters before we quote straight from the Bible. We have panic attacks when we lose Facebook friends because we said something offensive. We go to great lengths to avoid a smaller friends list, even if it means abandoning an accurate perspective of God.

Do you remember Jesus as portrayed in the Bible? He was a loving man and He ate amongst the sinners at the same table.

The end.

No, there is more. Please listen carefully.

The same man who ate with sinners was put on the cross to die a brutal death so what went wrong? He made a vast array of people uncomfortable. He hated sin and asked all the sinners to turn from their evil ways. Some rejected Jesus and became offended, others loved Jesus and gladly obeyed. "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Matthew 11:6)

He did not eat with the sinners merely because they were serving amazing pizza and had the coolest jokes in town. He enjoyed their company because: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Did you catch that? Jesus wanted to call the sinners and bring them to repentance. How could Jesus bring them to repentance if He condoned their behavior? He didn't!

He did not bestow grace upon them and tell them to go back to their sinful lifestyles. He asked the sinners to abandon their wicked ways, "Go and sin no more." Jesus was blunt and preached the truth. He did not care about offending people, He spoke the truth even in the presence of the infamous pharisees who scowled at his every move.

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.” (Mark 6:11)

Jesus basically commanded us to preach, if they receive our testimony and decide to repent, then that's great! If not, merely dodge the tomatoes and allow God to lead you to another person. We are to speak boldly for the truth:

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

Unfortunately, I see too many Christians eating at the table and having idle talk with the nonbelievers. They abuse the "Well, Jesus ate with sinners too" excuse and they forget the very reason why God sent them at the table in the first place :o) For the most part, we will be the only Bible that people read. How will they know the seriousness of sin and its consequences if we're hiding behind the curtains and sugarcoating God's wrath upon all things evil? We are not to judge others and hate individuals, but we are to despise sin. We are not perfect and it is evident since Jesus was sent to earth to rescue us from death beyond the grave but do not let our imperfection hinder our efforts to lead nonbelievers to repentance.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 18:15-19)

This is pretty heavy stuff indeed. If Jesus wanted to be BFF’s with unrepentant sinners, then what's up with all of these verses? We are to love our enemies but we shouldn't hang out with those sinning against God in an unrepentant matter. Loving our enemies and hanging out with them are two separate things. Remember, we will be offensive to many and we will be outcasts but God already warned us about it:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:18-20)

Grace is sufficient but be cautious, do not allow your gift to hinder those who have not accepted the gift yet. Receiving grace is our first step as Christians, lets not shut our mouths and watch the lost wander aimlessly in the darkness. Preach against wickedness, they must repent in order to receive salvation. Do not encourage, endorse, or remain passive on sinful lifestyles. Offend the pharisees and be scoffed at, it'll be your greatest accomplishment in life.

It's time to go to war again and boldly proclaim the truth.

"We must be able to defend scripture

and the biblical family

even if it means taking a stand against this world

and its misleading fallacies

and understand that

our

silence

is

surrender."

-June F.

About this blog

We address thought-provoking subjects. The views expressed here may offend some people. Our team makes sure that we seek God's guidance first and we search His Word diligently before submitting an article. We share the same hunger for the Word and are being led to explore the deeper subjects of the Bible. If you share the same desire, then this blog is for you.

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