First time in 1,000 years: Yom Kippur service on Temple Mount

First time in 1,000 years: Yom Kippur service on Temple Mount - Hillel Fendel - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/219289

 

Now it can be told: Shortly after the Six Day War, Moshe Dayan allowed Priests to perform sacred service on the Temple Mount.

 

Only once in the last thousand years (since the second Muslim conquest of the Holy Land - the first was in the 7th century after the rise of Islam) has a Yom Kippur service been carried out on the Temple Mount. Kept secret for nearly 50 years, the prayer leader at the time recently told the story to correspondent Haggai Huberman.

 

The service was complete with prostrations as in Temple times, though without sacrificial and incense offerings. The main participant was none other than Rabbi Menachem HaCohen (the name Cohen means priest and almost always denotes someone descended from Moses' brother Aaron, the first Priest), who served in the past as Labor Party Knesset Member, Rabbi of the national Histadrut Labor Organization, and top aide to IDF Chief Rabbi Maj.-Gen. Shlomo Goren. In the famous photo of Rabbi Goren blowing the shofar atop the Mount upon its 1967 liberation by Israeli forces, Rabbi HaCohen can be seen at his side.

 

After the Six Day War, a sharp dispute arose between Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, who "returned the Temple Mount keys" to the Waqf, and Rabbi Goren, who felt that Jews must be allowed to pray at their most sacred site and wanted to build a synagogue there. After Rabbi Goren held a Tisha B'Av prayer service atop the Mount just six weeks after the Six Day War, Dayan forbade him by military order to pray there again.

 

For Yom Kippur, just two months later, Rabbi Goren had an inspiration. On the morning of Yom Kippur eve, he appeared at Rabbi HaCohen's home in Ramat Gan with ten IDF Rabbinate soldiers, and told him, "Dayan has forbidden me to hold a prayer service on the Mount, but he said nothing about you. Here are ten soldiers, and a Torah scroll - I ask you to please take my place and make a minyan [prayer service] there."

 

Huberman reports that Dayan knew of Rabbi Goren's plan, but did not stop it. He feared that a minyan run by the Chief Rabbi, with the rank of Maj.-Gen. [today, IDF Chief Rabbis are not ranked as high] would cause an international uproar.

 

Rabbi HaCohen told Huberman that he was very excited to fulfill the request, and even took his two sons, aged 8 and 5, along with him. Rabbi HaCohen's father Mordechai authored scholarly books proving the existence of a synagogue on the Temple Mount during the Middle Ages, as well as Maimonides' visit to the holy site.

 

Rabbi HaCohen led most of the prayer services, and the highlight was when he reached the phrase recited by the High Priest on Yom Kippur [in free translation]: "Please, G-d, I have sinned, as have the other Priests [and the Nation]. Please, atone for our sins, as is written in Your Torah: 'On this day G-d will atone for you and purify you of your sins.'" The High Priest would then recite the Ineffable Name of G-d, at which point the entire congregation would bow down and fall on their faces - which is precisely what the participants in the modern-era service of 1967 did, just meters away from where the service was held for hundreds of years in purity and holiness.

 

The worshipers did not leave the Border Guard position near the Al Aqsa mosque the entire day, by order of Rabbi Goren. Only 8-year-old Meron managed to sneak out and actually stood at the entrance to the mosque.

 

Following the final prayer service, as Yom Kippur ebbed away, the worshipers went out and stood in the middle of the plaza, where Rabbi HaCohen actually blew the shofar signaling the end of the holy day. "As I blew the shofar," he recalled, "I could hear the shofar being blown below us, at the Western Wall plaza."

 

The return of the Yom Kippur service once again to the Temple Mount may appear far off at present, but the Jewish People continue to pray every day: "Restore the service to Your holy house... May our eyes see Your return to Zion."

End Times Expert: This Sukkot is Transition Period Before Messianic Era

End Times Expert: This Sukkot is Transition Period Before Messianic Era - By Rivkah Lambert Adler - http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/77436/redemption-expert-sukkot-transition-period-messianic-era/#jwf0AdHBODbdx0Hx.97

 

"And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year." Exodus 34:22 (The Israel Bible™)

 

While most understand the sukkah, the temporary booth Jews build on the holiday of Sukkot, to be a physical manifestation of spirituality, End Times expert Rabbi Pinchas Winston revealed in a recent interview that the sukkah is actually deeply connected to the coming of the Messianic age, helping Jews to prepare spiritually for what is to come. This Sukkot, which  began last Sunday, the message is clearer than ever as the chaotic "birthpangs" of Messiah become visible to the world.

 

Rabbi Winston spoke about the connection between the End of Days and the holiday of Sukkot, which is currently being observed in Israel, in an interview with Tamar Yonah of Israel News Talk Radio.

 

This relationship between the sukkah and the body makes it possible to prepare for the Messianic Age, taught Rabbi Pinchas in the interview. The fact that the sukkah is so temporary, lasting only the seven days of the festival holiday (eight days outside of Israel), has hidden spiritual messages. Rabbi Winston explained, "Don't forget, in the upcoming year, or the rest of your life for that matter, that this world is temporary. Just like you existed before the sukkah went up and you will exist after the sukkah comes down, so will your soul."

 

Rabbi Winston spoke about how the Jewish mystical tradition divides time into three periods: Olam HaZeh (this world), the Messianic Era and Olam haBa (the world to come).

 

He explained that the transition between Olam haZeh and the Messianic Era is called Chevlei Moshiach (the birthpangs of the Messiah) and is characterized by chaos. We are currently in this transition period, which explains the apparent chaos in the world right now. Rabbi Winston mentioned the current US Presidential election as an example of the chaos that marks this transition.

 

Rabbi Winston taught that, according to the mystical understanding, the underlying purpose of the chaos is "to polarize the world, to force people to make a decision whether they are more spiritual or more physical. What's their biggest priority?"

 

The cut-off point for choosing a spiritual existence over a primarily physical one is the war of Gog and Magog. "Who survives and who doesn't survive, according to the Zohar (the foundational text of Jewish mysticism), will be based upon the choice the person made prior to the actual event itself," he stated.

 

This choice is what Rabbi Winston calls "the final test of history". He reminds us that whatever is coming, whether it's Nibiru, nuclear war, Gog and Magog or another end times scenario, it will be "massive" and Divine protection will be required to survive it all. This idea of Divine protection connects Sukkot to the End of Days, the rabbi explained.

 

According to traditional Jewish thought, the temporary booths we build during Sukkot are a symbol of the ananei hakavod (the Divine Clouds of Glory) with which God protected the Israelites against all the dangers in the desert.

 

The Mekhilta, an ancient commentary on the Book of Exodus, teaches that there were seven clouds. Four surrounded the Israelites on each side, protecting them from Egyptian enemies and animal predators. A fifth cloud was above them, protecting them from the blazing sun.  A sixth cloud was below their feet, which made walking across the rough surface of the desert possible. The seventh cloud passed in front of them, miraculously "leveling the valleys and flattening the mountains."

 

According to Rabbi Winston, just as God took care of the Israelites completely in the desert, so He will care of us in the End of Days, if we are willing to rely on Him completely. Thus, dwelling in the sukkah represents reliance on Divine protection and complete trust in God, a quality that will be crucial for surviving the End of Days.

The Players on the World Stage Are Merely Pawns on a Chessboard: God is in Control

The Players on the World Stage Are Merely Pawns on a Chessboard: God is in Control - By Geri Ungurean - http://raptureready.com/soap2/ungurean116.html

 

A proficient chess player can see at least ten moves ahead.  Do you understand that God sees the beginning from the end?  He is omniscient (all knowing) omnipresent (everywhere at once) and omnipotent (all powerful).

 

We hear the names of present day world "actors"  on TV news casts; in stories from news sources and on the radio. When these people hear their own names mentioned, most of them are filled with a sense of self-importance and fame. Some are famous indeed, while others are infamous and pure evil.

 

"The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?" (Obadiah 1:3)

 

Proverbs 6:16-19:

 

"These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." 

 

I could easily go through the seven abominations to God and place beside each one several names. They would be people who have a great impact on our world. There would be names of rulers of nations, politicians, billionaires who manipulate world economies; mainstream media commentators who also work for certain candidates; leaders of terrorist organizations and their worker bees; leaders of "churches" who have become apostate.

 

Evil is rampant

 

There has always been evil in our fallen world. But I cannot remember a time when evil became the norm.  Why is this happening now?  I believe that we are very close to the last hour before the Lord Raptures His church, and the Great Tribulation begins.  Satan sees all the signs as we do. I believe that he has unleashed his legions of demons into this world as never before.  Good is called evil and evil good - just as the Word tells us:

 

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20).

 

Strong Delusion

 

The Word tells us that God Himself will send Strong Delusion to this world - it is all around us.  Why would the Lord send this delusion?

 

From gotquestions.org

 

Question: "Why is God going to send a strong delusion in the end times?"

 

Answer: The Bible makes it clear why God is sending a strong delusion in the end times: "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Simply put, God sends a strong delusion to those who chose not to believe the gospel of Christ. Those who take delight in mocking and rejecting Him, He will condemn.

 

It is man's choice whether to accept and believe the truth of Jesus Christ as presented in the Scriptures. To receive the truth and the love God offers is in keeping with its teachings, "This is love for God: to obey His commands" (1 John 5:3). Conversely, to know the truth and not obey it is to face the wrath of God: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Romans 1:18). Frankly speaking, there is no more dangerous condition for man than to know the truth and refuse to obey it. To do so is to harden the heart and make God's condemnation sure.

 

When one knows the truth and refuses to obey it, he is subject to any lie, any deception, any untruth that man can conjure up. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:21-22). Paul goes on in the next few verses to describe the mindset and behaviors of those who disbelieve (see Romans 1:29-31). As a result of man's foolishness and his arrogant disdain of the things of God, "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done" (Romans 1:28). And correspondingly, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:32). -source

 

We have been sealed for the Day of Redemption

 

"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:30-32).

 

I cannot think of anything more glorious than the fact they we, as born again believers in Christ, have been sealed unto the day of redemption.  I love that the Lord chose to place the Scriptures of how we are to treat the brethren right after telling us that we are sealed. He is simply telling us to love and forgive as our Savior did toward us.

 

These evil times

 

As we watch news unfold, and see the atrocities committed on a daily basis; as we watch our government become more and more hostile towards Bible believing Christians, and belligerent toward Israel, we must keep our eyes on our God - our King, who is in full control. These things must happen to further fulfill the prophecies.  The only time I experience true peace these days, is when I am reading the Scriptures.

 

This Election

 

Only God knows the outcome of this presidential election. Hillary Clinton is truly an evil person. She is a globalist (One World Government) and a proponent of abortion, right up to the time of delivery.  She loathes Jews and Israel, but she also hates born again believers.  She fought for the rights of gays to marry. She is one who is under "strong delusion."  And make no mistake, if Clinton wins the election, the freedoms that we as Christians have enjoyed in America will soon be gone. Her first order of business will be to destroy the SCOTUS by appointing liberal justices.

 

Donald Trump picked for himself a Bible believing Christian when he chose Mike Pence as his running mate. He has shown to the press and to the people a list of conservative people, from which he will choose future justices. He has met with hundreds of Evangelicals. Trump has declared that he loves our Constitution and will fight to keep it intact.  I will vote for Donald Trump.  Anyone who votes for Hillary, yet calls themselves a Christian is deluded.

 

PRAY

 

Brethren, we must come before our Holy God and pray as we have never prayed before.  Don't pay attention to the numbers that come out of the press regarding this election.  They use psychology to make us disheartened.  As Amir Tsarfati has said - how can Clinton be so far ahead, when Trump's crowds are immense at his rallies, and Hillary can hardly attract a couple of hundred supporters?  Keep praying. Our God is capable of anything He wishes to accomplish!

 

But if in the end it turns out that voter fraud has put Clinton in our White House - do not fret. Only know that it was our God's will. If that happens, we should continue to share the gospel with the lost and be about our Father's business.

Archaeologists spotlight first Solomon's Temple-era artifacts ever found on Temple Mount

Archaeologists spotlight first Solomon's Temple-era artifacts ever found on Temple Mount - By Ilan Ben Zion - http://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-reveal-first-solomons-temple-era-artifacts-ever-found-on-temple-mount/

 

Carried out in rare cooperation with Muslim authorities, series of digs in recent years at flashpoint site yielded unprecedented proof of biblical-time activity, scholars say

 

Israeli archaeologists on Thursday presented new details of what they said were the first tiny artifacts, unearthed in situ on the Temple Mount, ever conclusively dated to the time of the First Temple over 2,600 years ago. The discoveries were made during limited scientific excavations carried out atop the flashpoint Temple Mount in the past decade, the first of their kind since the British Mandate.

 

The highly sensitive Israeli excavations were conducted with minimum publicity in cooperation with the Islamic Waqf which manages the incendiary holy site. The artifacts excavated from the mount, detailed in a paper and presentations at a conference at Hebrew University, are said to include olive pits, animal bones and pottery fragments dating to the time of the First Temple, between the 8th and 6th Centuries BCE.

 

Archaeologists have previously found a limited number of artifacts from First-Temple-period Jerusalem, but none of those finds were uncovered atop the mount itself. Rather, they were recovered from the Ophel excavations to the south of the Mount, and from the Temple Mount Sifting Project, which examines rubble credibly believed to have been removed from the holy site and dumped in the nearby Kidron Valley.

 

"It's the first time that we've found artifacts from this period in situ on the Temple Mount," Yuval Baruch, the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority Jerusalem region, said Thursday of the discoveries. "As far as the biblical period is concerned, the Temple Mount is a tabula rasa, nobody knows anything," said Baruch, who headed the archaeological work. It's still "very limited," but the tiny fragments of clay and bone are at least something: "It exists."

 

The digs at the Mount were carried out between 2007 and the past year after the Waqf requested authorization from Israel to perform maintenance work on infrastructure servicing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, the main structures situated atop the Temple Mount. Previous Waqf projects carried out on the Temple Mount, such as construction of the Marwani Mosque in the late 1990s, did not involve cooperation with archaeologists and resulted in the destruction of antiquities and severe tensions between Israel and the Islamic authorities.

 

The IAA had made limited announcements in the past about its activity on the Mount, releasing brief details of First Temple finds, but Thursday's conference marked the most detailed presentation of the near-decade of work, the finds, and their significance.

 

Excavation of a trench for electric cables in 2007 allowed archaeologists the first opportunity to delve below the surface of the contested holy site since Israel captured it in the 1967 Six Day War. All work was conducted with police escort due to the sensitivity of the site.

 

Although the Waqf received permission from the Israel Police and Electric Corporation to lay the power cable, some archaeologists at the time criticized the operation, saying it wasn't conducted with "professional and careful archaeological supervision involving meticulous documentation."

 

Presenting the finds on Thursday after their examination also marked an opportunity for the IAA to rebuff critics who claim the Temple Mount is a scene of archaeological bedlam.

 

While the Temple Mount Sifting Project has rummaged through fill from the holy site excavated during the construction of the Marwani Mosque in the 1990s, these newly described digs were the first archaeological study atop the Temple Mount since the 1930s.

 

The finds on the Temple Mount itself range from a previously undocumented monumental structure believed to be from the 11th and 12th centuries - the period preceding and including the Crusades - to artifacts from Roman times and, unprecedentedly in situ, finds from as far back as the First Temple period.

 

"It's not an excavation that you go to a place and dig," Baruch said of the work on the Mount. "It's more inspection, and in that framework finds are discovered."

 

Among the most significant of those finds, dug up during the laying of the power cable approximately 400 feet southeast of the Dome of the Rock, was a jumble of remains dating to the First Temple period.

 

"This layer included pottery fragments characterized in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, as well as animal bones and charred olive pits," Baruch, Ronny Reich and Deborah Sandhaus, authors of the accompanying paper on the discoveries, wrote. "Carbon 14 dating of the olives yielded dates from the 6th to 8th centuries BCE. This date is confirmed by the dates of the pottery."

 

Another segment of the same trench turned up a Roman coin dating to 383 CE, and iron arrowheads, which the authors said could be "rare evidence of activity in the Roman period in the courtyard between the raised part of the Temple Mount and the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

 

Additional findings from the work carried out on the Temple Mount by the IAA have yet to be published, Baruch said, including conservation work conducted in Solomon's Stables, a subterranean vault beneath the Temple Mount's platform, in the past year.

 

The publication "points to the fact that, despite all the statements and such, we're on the Temple Mount and working, overseeing, and business is done under the authority of the IAA," Baruch told The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the conference.

Luke 17, The Lord's Other End Times Prophecy

Luke 17, The Lord's Other End Times Prophecy - A Bible Study by Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/luke-17-the-lords-other-end-times-prophecy/#more-3212

 

Our Lord gave us a pretty thorough overview of the End Times as they relate to Israel. It's often called the Olivet Discourse because He was speaking to four of His disciples on the Mt. Of Olives. It was just a couple of  days before He was arrested, and they asked Him about the End of the Age. Matthew's account of His answer is in chapters 24-25. Mark's is contained in chapter 13. Luke's version is a little different in that it also includes a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. You'll find it in his 21st chapter.

 

Since the Lord was answering questions about Israel's future and His 2nd Coming, the focus was decidedly Jewish, so we don't learn anything about the Church from studying it. But understanding how things will progress for Israel gives us a background that makes Paul's prophecies about the church in the End Times, which came 20 years later, easier to understand. Paul's letters to the Thessalonians, written about 51 AD, officially introduced the notion of the Rapture and its timing to the early church, and contain clarifying information about the anti-Christ and the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit as well. The 2nd Coming is referred to in every chapter of these two letters, for an average of once in every 13 verses.

 

In Luke 17:20-37, the Lord gave us some additional information about the time of His coming that's often overlooked.  But after you've gained the Jewish perspective from the Olivet Discourse and the Christian one from Paul's letters, you can use Luke 17 to double check your understanding of the End times, and see if you've gotten it right. The fact that Luke 17 shares some language with the Olivet Discourse gives us a hint that they're meant to be related. Let's take a look.

 

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)

 

Right off the bat, the Lord threw us a curve to make sure we're paying attention. It came in the form of the word translated "within".  He was responding to the Pharisees who had posed the question, and the Kingdom of God was not within them because they weren't believers. So what was He trying to tell us? Well, it turns out that the word can also mean "in the midst of", and the Kingdom was in the midst of them. He was the personification of the Kingdom and He was standing right in front of them. Some translations, the NIV for example, offer "among" as an alternate to "within" in verse 21.

 

To the Pharisees it was only true that the Kingdom was among them. But once the Holy Spirit was given, the Kingdom would also be within all believers. At that point, both of these interpretations would become true. The Kingdom of God is within us, and we are in the midst of the world. This is the spiritual, or invisible phase of the Kingdom. But as we'll see it's not the final phase.

 

Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (Luke 17:22-25)

 

After being rejected and executed by the leaders of His generation, the Lord would go away, and only the invisible phase of the Kingdom would remain. It's called the Church. But then He would return and when He did there would be no mistaking it.  The second coming will light up the entire sky, and the visible phase of the Kingdom will begin.

 

This is a clue as to why the Church and Israel are mutually exclusive in the world. The Kingdom of God began with Israel. He had Moses tell them so. "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:5-6)

 

But then because of their disobedience it was taken away from Israel and given to the Church. In Matt. 21:43 Jesus said. "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

 

But this wasn't to be permanent. After the Church disappears, the Kingdom will be restored to Israel. The early Church understood this, as evidenced by James' prophecy in Acts 15:13-18 where he said that the Lord would first take from among the Gentiles a people for Himself, and after that would return to rebuild David's fallen tabernacle. Later Paul confirmed this, saying that Israel had been hardened in part until the full number of Gentiles come in, and after that Israel would be saved. (Romans 11:25-27)

 

The Days Of Noah

 

"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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." (Luke 17:26-27)

 

Like it was in Noah's time most people on Earth at the End of the Age will be unaware that life as they know it is about to end, not because they haven't been warned but because they haven't believed the warning. Noah is used as a model of the believing remnant of Israel at the end of the age, preserved through the judgment while the world is destroyed. Noah and his family remained in the general location of the judgment while the unbelievers were swept away in the flood.

 

At the End of the Age Israel's believing remnant will remain in the general location of the judgment but will be preserved while the Lord completely destroys the nations around them. Speaking of the time of Jacob's Trouble (the Great Tribulation) in Jere. 30:11 the Lord said,

 

I am with you and will save you,' declares the LORD. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you."

 

In the symbolic language of Revelation the Jewish remnant is represented by a woman, while Satan is called the serpent.

 

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. (Rev. 12:14)

 

The Lord used this same terminology to describe the manner in which He delivered Israel from Pharaoh's Army in the Exodus.  "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." (Exodus 19:4)

 

The Days Of Lot

 

"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:28-29)

 

At first glance this seems like another similar example. But it's really very different. Lot was taken away from the location of the judgment to a place of safety. In fact the angels who were sent to remove him said they couldn't bring the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot was away and safe. (Genesis 19:21-22) He was rescued from the out pouring of God's wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah before it began.

 

In this sense, Lot becomes a model of the Church. Paul explained that the Church would be rescued from the time of God's Wrath on the Earth as well. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thes.1:9-10)

 

The Greek word translated "from" in verse 10 means the Church will be removed from the time or place or any relation to the coming wrath. Just like it was with Lot and the judgment of Sodom , we have to be away and safe before the End Times judgment of Earth can begin.

 

I've often said that Jesus didn't teach the doctrine of the Rapture and didn't even tell His disciples about it. But if you already know it's coming you can find hints of it in the Gospels. This is one of them, and by using Lot as a model the Lord confirmed the timing. Before the judgment.

 

"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."

 

"Where, Lord?" they asked.

 

He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." (Luke 17:30-37)

 

In Matt. 24:17-18 Jesus warned the people alive at the beginning of the Great Tribulation not to go back into their houses for anything but to flee quickly, so it's reasonable to assume He means the same thing here. It wouldn't make any sense for Him to be speaking of the actual day of His return because by then it will be too late to run.  Those who cling to the ways of this world at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will find themselves losing everything.  But those who abandon them in favor of the next world will gain eternal life.  I think Lot's wife is a graphic model of those "in-name-only" Christians who attend church and even do lots of good things, but aren't born again.  Though they claim to be Christians, their hearts continue to long for the things of this world.  When the time comes they'll be left behind, and many will perish in the End Times judgments.

 

As in Matt. 24:40-41 the word translated "taken" literally means received, and the word for "left" means to put away, as in a divorce.  After the Lord returns, some tribulation survivors will be received directly into the Kingdom. They will have become believers after the rapture and will be welcomed into the Kingdom as their reward. But those who have persisted in their unbelief will be put away, off the planet, in the place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) This statement summarizes the judgments the Lord will conduct just after His return.  Matt. 25 describes then in detail.

 

Some read a lot of symbolism into the comment about dead bodies and a vulture, but I see it as a simple parable. Vultures don't gather any place in the sky except over the carcass of a dead body. The dead body is really the purpose of their gathering, it's where they belong.  The use of this parable was just the Lord's way of answering the disciples' question, "Where, Lord?" which pertains to both groups.   He said each group will be gathered to the place where they belong.  Believers will be received to Him and will enter the Kingdom.  Unbelievers will be put away, taken off the planet.  It's a summary of the Sheep and Goat judgment, and does not describe the rapture.

 

So in Luke 17:20-37 the Lord explained the two phases of the Kingdom, the invisible phase (the Church) and the visible one (the Millennial Kingdom).  He said he was going away and then coming back, and that His 2nd Coming will be physical just like His first one.  He also said there will be three groups on Earth at the time.  A believing remnant will be preserved through the End Times judgments that precede His return (Israel),  another group of believers will be removed to a place of safety before the judgments begin (the Church), and a third group called Tribulation survivors. Upon His return, some of the Tribulation survivors will be received into the Kingdom as a reward for believing, while the rest will be sent to the place prepared for the devil and his angels for refusing to believe.  It's a remarkable overview of the Great Tribulation and 2nd Coming.  You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

The Twinkling

The Twinkling - Terry James - http://raptureready.com/rap16.html

 

You and many others who have chosen to read this commentary are likely in agreement. We find ourselves at a time in which the future is indeed murky. The very fact makes it a time of uneasiness--of profound uncertainty.

 

With so many existential threats (factors portending possible, even probable, future disruption for our lives), many look to November 8 with a shadow of oppressiveness clouding their thoughts.

 

We have watched our American way--our laws and traditions--dismantled. We have watched the process happen with the acquiescence, even the complicity of those with whom we entrusted our vote to stop that degeneration.

 

More troubling is the almost certainty that if the presidential candidate presently leading in polls (according to most polls) succeeds, the tearing down of America as founded will be put on the fast track. The "promise and change" declared by the current president--issued in January of 2009--will, it is feared, soon after this election be completed. The global architects will, in that case, have removed what I believe to be the last roadblock from their ambition--to tear down national sovereignties.

 

America, in the earthly sense, is that roadblock--thus the all-out effort by national and world politicians as well as media--both news and entertainment--to utterly destroy the candidate in opposition to their vision for one-world order.

 

With most everything else in place for setting up for the Tribulation (Daniel's seventieth week), including Israel again in the spotlight, hounded by UNESCO in denying Israel's historical right to the land, we have as of late added some truly profound rumors of war. Russia and the American presidential administration have entered into an extremely dangerous era of international intrigue and gamesmanship. With the Clinton campaign and the administration of Barack Obama pointing the finger of blame at Vladimir Putin and his regime as guilty of hacking emails and giving to Wikileaks in order to influence the outcome of the election, not just the Cold War, but a hot war might be forthcoming it is conjectured by some.

 

The Russians have moved, uncontested, into the Middle East. They have naval power and growing ground and air force capabilities in position to defend the Syrian dictator. This American administration has lifted not a finger to oppose this shift of Russian power into the region that is mentioned in Bible prophecy like no other.

 

Obama has, through his ineptness--or, as I more am prone to suspect, his deliberate action--allowed the development of the forces of ISIS (ISIL, as he calls them). America has U.S. Air Force assets now in regions that some believe equates to a provocation-of-war-incident waiting to happen. Again, I'm convinced it's all part of the globalist orchestration being used by Satan himself to bring his own son of perdition to power. So many who consider all of this sense an incident or action in the immediate future that will explode in uncontrollable ramifications. Yet, nothing, no matter the circumstances, has to this point happened to initiate the long-anticipated catastrophe.

 

The Russians are seemingly trying to instigate direct confrontation with American aircraft. China is trying to provoke, seemingly, a confrontation in the South China Sea. Iran is firing, through proxies, upon U.S. warships, apparently begging to be hit in return so as to start something.

 

The economic bubble of insanity continues to build to the bursting point. And, we have a presidential election in two weeks that some believe will bring on an even greater national schizophrenia and possible civil war, no matter who wins.

 

My great friend, the late Jack Kinsella, had tremendous insight, as many reading this column know. He left us some God-engendered thoughts for just this time in which we find ourselves. He wrote the following in one of his Omega Letter commentaries.

 

"We live in the most terrifying time of uncertainty in human history--the wrong move by the wrong guy could set off a chain of events that could potentially exterminate the human race. We have but a short time to spread the message of salvation, and it doesn't help if we are paralyzed by fear. The Lord knew the conditions that would exist just before His return. Which is why Paul ends his explanation of the Rapture with this exhortation: "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1st Thessalonians 4:16-18)

 

Jack had just written a fabulous piece on the Rapture. The "comfort" of which Paul assured us was all about that twinkling of an eye moment that Jack and I--and, I hope you--believe is about to occur based upon all of these things that have begun to come to pass (Luke 21:28).

HISTORY PROVES THE MESSIAH WITHOUT USING THE BIBLE

Jospehus did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. But he wrote about him.

 

There are many secular historians who lived in the century after the death of Jesus Christ who confirmed his existence. Here are some of them:

 

Flavius Josephus

According to his Wikipedia entry: “Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70.”

 

His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).  The Jewish War recounts the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation (66–70). Antiquities of the Jews recounts the history of the world from a Jewish perspective for an ostensibly Roman audience. These works provide valuable insight into 1st century Judaism and the background of Early Christianity.

Josephus was a Jew who did not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God or Christianity. In The Antiquities of the Jews, book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3 the famous historian Flavius Josephus writes:

“Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” (source)

Later Josephus writes:

“But the younger Ananus who, as we said, received the high priesthood, was of a bold disposition and exceptionally daring; he followed the party of the Sadducees, who are severe in judgment above all the Jews, as we have already shown. As therefore Ananus was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good opportunity, as Festus was now dead, and Albinus was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned.” (source)

Josephus considered one of the greatest historians of antiquity, independently provides proof and evidence that Jesus was a real person who did exist and also confirms the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross under the orders of Pontius Pilate, thus confirming the Biblical account as well.

 

Tacitus

Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman Historian who lived from 55-120AD.  In 115 AD, P. Cornelius Tacitus wrote the following passage that refers to Jesus (called “Christus,” which means “The Messiah”) in book 15, chapter 44 of The Annals after a six-day fire burned much of Rome:

“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.” (source)

Despite the fact the clearly despised Christianity as a “mischievous superstition”, Tacitus no less confirms once again the existence of Jesus and His crucifixion on the cross, it also states Pontius Pilate as the procurator who oversaw the crucifixion again giving non-Biblical proof of Jesus’ existence as recorded in the Bible.

 

Pliny The Younger

Pliny The Younger wrote of his persecution of Christians.

 

Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, (61 AD – ca. 112 AD) : “better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. According to Wikipedia:  “Pliny is known for his hundreds of surviving letters, which are an invaluable historical source for the time period. Many are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian, Tacitus. Pliny himself was a notable figure, serving as an imperial magistrate under Trajan (reigned AD 98–117).  Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man, consistent in his pursuit of suspected Christian members according to Roman law, and rose through a series of Imperial civil and military offices, the cursus honorum.”

In his correspondence with the emperor Trajan (Epistulae X.96) he reported on his actions against the followers of Christ. He asks the Emperor for instructions dealing with Christians and explained that he forced Christians to curse Christ under painful torturous inquisition:

“They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of a meal–but ordinary and innocent food.” (source)

So not only was Pliny aware of Jesus Christ, he also provides description of the activities of the early church. In a later writing he details persecution against Christians:

“Even this practice, however, they had abandoned after the publication of my edict, by which, according to your orders, I had forbidden political associations. I therefore judged it so much more the necessary to extract the real truth, with the assistance of torture, from two female slaves, who were styled deaconesses: but I could discover nothing more than depraved and excessive superstition.

In the meanwhile, the method I have observed towards those who have denounced to me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever the nature of their creed might be, I could at least feel not doubt that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.” (source)

So here we see that not only did Pliny not follow the Christian faith, he was torturing Christians and threatening death against them. And he even records that under threat of execution (just for believing in Jesus Christ as God) the early church members refused to deny their faith in Jesus. This is remarkable evidence of Jesus’ existence outside of the Bible.

 

Julius Africanus and Tallus

Sextus Julius Africanus (c.160 – c.240) was a Christian traveller and historian of the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD. He is important chiefly because of his influence on Eusebius, on all the later writers of Church history among the Fathers, and on the whole Greek school of chroniclers
Julius Africanus quotes the writings of Tallus, who was a first century non-Christian historian. In his Chronicles, Africanus quoting the historian Tallus, explains the reason for it being so dark during the day time on the day of crucifixion of Jesus Christ:

“An eclipse of the sun’unreasonably, as it seems to me (unreasonably of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died.” Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.

The importance of this quote is two fold as it shows: 1) non-Christian proof of Jesus’ existence and 2) yet another confirmation of the Bible’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Bible states in reference to the time Jesus was put on the cross: “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour”  The “sixth hour” is noon and the ninth hour is 3:00PM. Thus we see that the historian Thallus was trying to explain the odd occurrence of the sky being dark at noon during the crucifxion of Jesus as an eclipse. Africanus also quotes the secular scholar Phlegon, a Greek Historian who lived in the 2nd century AD and also wrote of an eclipse occuring on the day Jesus was crucified. This again provides proof from a non-Christian source that confirms the account of Jesus being a real person who lived as well as confirming the account of His crucifixion straight from the Bible.

 

Lucian of Samosate

Lucian (Born 115 AD) was a well-known Greek satirist and traveling lecturer. More than eighty works bear his name. He mocked Christians in his writing, but at the same time provided evidence that Jesus really did exist:

“He was second only to that one whom they still worship today, the man in Palestine who was crucified because he brought this new form of initiation into the world.”

“Having convinced themselves that they are immortal and will live forever, the poor wretches despise death and most willingly give themselves to it. Moreover, that first lawgiver of theirs persuaded them that they are all brothers the moment they transgress and deny the Greek gods and begin worshiping that crucified sophist and living by his laws.”

“They scorn all possessions without distinction and treat them as community property. They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time.”

So again, even though Lucian does not mention Jesus by name, there is no doubt he is speaking of the Jesus as he confirms: 1) that he was crucified in “Palestine” (the name of Israel at that time), 2) had followers who believed in eternal life and 3) that they were all equal in Jesus Christ. Lucian even mentions that Christians deny all other gods and believe on “faith alone.” This again is all in accordance with the Bible’s clear statements about the Christian faith and provides even more evidence from outside of the Bible that Jesus, the “man in Palestine” did really exist.

Seutonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 – after 130), was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum. The description of his writings states:

The emperor Claudius reigned 41 to 54 AD. Suetonius reports his dealings with the eastern Roman Empire, that is, with Greece and Macedonia, and with the Lycians, Rhodians, and Trojans. He then reports that the emperor expelled the Jews from Rome, since they “constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Christ” (Judaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma expulit). The name appears in manuscripts of Suetonius as Chrestus, a form also used by the Roman historian Tacitus to refer to Chrestiani. (source)

Skeptics will point to the different spelling to say “that’s not Jesus he’s talking about!” but again, with the totality of evidence, it’s very obvious that followers of Jesus in the Roman Empire were persecuted by Roman authorities. So it certainly falls in line with the other historical accounts. And there are a number of sourcesthe support the history of Christians in the Roman empire who followed Jesus Christ and being punished for it.

 

The Bible is Historical Proof That Jesus Existed

The amount of New Testament manuscript evidence of Jesus Christ is greater than any other figure in antiquity.

There is a great logical fallacy among Bible skeptics, atheists and those who like to challenge Christianity that says when discussing the historical aspects of the Bible “you can’t use the Bible as proof that Jesus existed. You must use non-Bible sources!!”To which this author says, “why not?” The four Gospels of the Bible are bibliographical accounts of the life of Jesus.   The normal objective measure of the reliability of historical documents is: 1) The number of available copies of ancient manuscripts and 2) the time span between the original version and the date of those copies still in existence today. When examined under this standard, the Bible proves to provide a treasure trove of proof and evidence that Jesus really existed.

Some of the earliest manuscript fragments of the New Testament are the John Rylands Fragment, Chester Beatty Papyrus and the Bodmer Papyrus which were written between 50-100AD. Copies of these papyri were reproduced in 125-200AD, meaning that the time span between the originals and the copies still in existence today is 29 years to 130 years, putting all these manuscripts beings written anywhere from 50-100 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Now some may object and say “Hold on! These manuscripts were written years after Jesus died. There’s no way they could be reliable!” But any expert on ancient documents would disagree.

Let’s look at some of the more famous and universally accepted historical documents and see how they match up with the Bible:

Plato  — Plato wrote his works from 427-347 BC. The earliest manuscript copy of Plato’s writing in existence today was written in 900 AD. That is 1,200 years after Plato’s death! And there are only 2 copies of these manuscripts in existence. (source)

Julius Caesar — One of the most celebrated and trusted historical figures. Caesar lived from 100-44 BC and the earliest manuscript copy of his writings dates back to 900 AD, putting our best evidence of Caesar ever existing 1,000 years after his death. And there are 10 copies of ancient manuscripts of Caesar’s Gallic Wars. (source)   So if you question the Bible based on when it was written, being “translated so many times” (it was not – we still have the same Greek manuscripts today) and still question whether Jesus existed, then you must also be really sure that Julius Caesar and Plato were completely fictional characters and never really existed.

Homer — Homer, who historians are not even sure ever really existed even today, is credited with writing the Iliad in ca 900 BC. The earliest manuscript copy of the Iliad dates to 400 BC. Meaning the only proof of Homer or the Iliad being accurate is from 500 years after the death of Homer. Additionally there are 643 copies of ancient manuscripts of the Iliad written over the centuries that when compared against each other by experts have a 95.3 consistency and accuracy, making it one of the most reliable and proven documents of antiquity.  (source)

That is of course, until you compare it to the New Testament. The New Testament manuscripts date to less than 100 years after the death of Christ. Additionally there are over 5,600 ancient manuscript copies of the New Testament giving it more copies to a degree that dwarfs any other figure of ancient history (to view actual copies of some of these ancient manuscripts, see here). And they have a 99% accuracy when compared to each other. The evidence is not even comparable. And it all points to Jesus Christ. The record of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has more evidence and proof than any other person from antiquity.

 

The Proof and Evidence is Clear – Jesus Christ Really Existed

The most amazing conclusion in all of this is not that Jesus really existed — it is that He still exists. And He sits in Heaven at the right hand of God offering forgiveness to those who will not just believe He was a regular man, but that He as the Son of God, gave His life on that same cross that so many historians knew about, to take the punishment for sins that all of humanity has committed. It just takes faith and trust in that sacrifice to receive him. Jesus said: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. – Revelation 3:20-21.

Jesus wants us to believe in Him so we can be freely forgiven of the sins we have committed in our lives, have eternal life and reign with Him. So now that it is established that He existed, why not take the time to get to know Jesus Christ and who He said He is from His historically-verifiable perspective? Your eternal life may depend on it.

End Times Expert: This Sukkot is Transition Period Before Messianic Era

He Is Able. . . - Jack Kinsella - www.omegaletter.com

 

One of the most popular misconceptions about Christianity is that, in order to be a Christian, one must be 'good'. From the perspective of the Bible, being 'good' is something of a dichotomy.

 

On one hand, the Bible tells us to model our lives after the epitome of 'good' by emulating our Lord Jesus. But on the other, the same Bible tells us that actually reaching our goal of being 'good' is not possible.

 

Were it possible to be 'good' then we wouldn't need a Savior. Think about it.

 

God gave mankind ten simple rules for living. None of them seem particularly difficult; love God, honor your parents, don't steal or murder, don't bear false witness, be content with such as you have, etc.

 

But the Bible says that not one human being (Jesus excepted) ever managed to keep all ten.

 

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Paul wrote in Romans 3:23.

 

Having examined the conundrum of mankind and the sin nature, Paul offers this opinion:

 

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Romans 3:28)

 

None of us has any difficulty remembering when we were unregenerate sinners. Committing sin was not a problem -- it was easy as falling off a log. Being a sinner wasn't that big a deal either, (as long as you weren't as big a sinner as some other folks).

 

Then we got saved. Until it was washed away, we never realized how heavy and filthy and debilitating our sin was. Now, we know.

 

And as saved, Blood-bought, born-again members of the Redeemed Family of God, living in the world, but not OF it, we go through life keeping all Ten Commandments and seldom, if ever, slip back into our sin nature.

 

Where before we would have cursed at the driver who cut us off in traffic, now we bless him and pray for his soul.

 

We never lie, never curse, tithe faithfully, never have a 'bad' thought, never want to 'get even' with somebody who has wronged us, we pray without ceasing, give all the credit for our successes to God, and never, ever, get angry.

 

Our every waking moment is spent glorifying God for His mercy and we never speak to anyone without sharing the Gospel with them.

 

God's love is reflected by us at every waking moment, and we are just as spiritual when we are alone as we are when we are in church.

 

That describes you, doesn't it? You are truly blessed! (I wish that it described me.)

 

But it doesn't describe me. Unlike many Christians I've met over the years, I still struggle with my sin nature. It didn't vanish when I was saved.

 

I haven't led a perfectly sinless life since my salvation. I've fallen, but thanks to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, I can get up!

 

One could sum up my personal Christian walk thusly:

 

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I."

 

I know right from wrong, and I want to choose right, and I know that I hate sin, but I admit that sometimes do what I hate.

 

What does that mean?

 

According to Scripture, it means that,

 

"it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7:17-18)

 

Assessment:

 

It is our obligation as Christians to spread the Gospel in all the world and lead as many of the lost to Christ as God gives us the opportunity. But lots of times, we don't feel 'good' enough to carry the message.

 

I mean, how does one rail against somebody else's sin while one's own sin is ever before them?

 

Has our hypocrisy no limits?

 

In many ways, the world has a better grasp of the situation than we do. Here's Joe Christian explaining about sin and death and hell, but the lost guy KNOWS Joe Christian still sins.

 

Think back to before you were saved. Did you think Christians were all sinless? Or did you think they were all hypocrites?

 

Admit it. Before you were saved, you used to look for imperfections among Christians. It made you feel better about yourself. Think about the person who finally DID lead you to the Lord. He was probably the one who admitted that Christians aren't perfect.

 

As Christians, we tend to preach one kind of Christianity and live another. We can't live the kind that we preach ourselves, and, for the most part, wouldn't want to.

 

The average lost person thinks of salvation in terms of what he has to give up instead of what he has to gain.

 

To the world, a Christian can't drink, can't smoke, can't watch TV, can't listen to rock music, goes to church every day the doors are open, has to love everybody (especially those he can't stand) and is generally about as phony as Homer Simpson's neighbor Ned Flanders.

 

Why therefore, would anybody want to be a Christian? Christians not only make it sound like a miserable existence, it is so miserable that even Christians can't meet the rigors that kind of existence demands.

 

"Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't even work when you are raising kids.

 

When we are saved, we are saved from the consequences of our sin, we are not saved from our sin nature.

 

We'd like to think we are, but in order to believe that, we'd have to also have a pathological capacity for self-deception.

 

Christianity is the essence of freedom, but we tend to present it to the lost as a form of bondage. You can't do this, you can't do that, you have to give this up . . . where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?

 

It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin, and He doesn't do it all at once. He created us, and therefore He knows our limitations.

 

Salvation frees us from the consequences of sin, but only death frees us from the propensity for it.

 

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25)

 

The fact is that salvation was designed for sinners. The Bible makes it clear that all men have sinned, and that sin is part of our earthly existence. We are to avoid sin, but when we fall, we are to turn to Jesus and allow Him to pick us back up.

 

That is the essence of the Gospel. That Jesus loves us so much that, while we were yet enemies of God, He died for us.

 

Jesus doesn't expect us to clean ourselves up first. He says, "Come as you are. I am able."

 

"Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1st Corinthians 1:8-9)

 

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24)

 

Don't let the enemy steal your victory by blinding you with your sin nature. You can still do a mighty work for God. Not because you are able.

 

But because He is.

 

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (2nd Timothy 1:12)