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Friday, January 31, 2020

Could 2020 Be a Prophetically Pivotal Year?


Could 2020 Be a Prophetically Pivotal Year? - By Jonathan Brentner - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/01/28/2020-prophetically-pivotal-year-jonathan-brentner/
 
While I do not claim to have 20/20 vision for what lies ahead in the coming year, I believe it could very well be a tumultuous time that will bring the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies much closer if not to fruition.
 
I am not making predictions with what follows, but rather pointing to certain 2020 events that I believe will make 2020 highly significant in regard to biblical prophecy. These things will shape what follows in years to come and will likely provide further evidence that the tribulation is fast approaching an unsuspecting world.
 
President Trump's Impeachment Trial
 
As I write, it appears that the Senate will acquit President Trump of the charges brought against him by the House of Representatives. The articles of impeachment do not refer to any law that the President broke and fall far below the threshold for even considering the removal of a president from office.
 
My concern lies with the venomous hatred of the left for President Trump that blinds them to just how inane their arguments appear to the rest of us. The stated goal of Nancy Pelosi is to remove President Trump from office this year regardless of what it takes. Many in the Congress say they will not give up on impeachment even if the Senate finds the President innocent of their charges against him.
 
The reckless and violent rhetoric coming from the left spells great danger for our nation. While I remain hopeful most senators will see through this political façade, I know many will forego reason and vote to remove the President purely because of their hatred for him. This abject lack of respect for the Constitution and the 2016 election results signify much trouble for the future of the United States.
 
Democratic National Convention
 
Kyle Jurek, a campaign staffer for Bernie Sanders, revealed the intent of the left should Bernie Sanders not receive the nomination at the Democratic Convention. He said that the city of Milwaukee, WI, the place of the convention, will burn. He compared what will happen there to the riots that beset Chicago during the 1968 Democratic convention.
 
He also made another chilling prediction. He promised that if President Trump wins reelection in 2020, many cities across the United States will burn. The left is not content with allowing the vote of the people to prevail. They want to force their agenda upon us.
 
It gets even worse. In the recorded interview, Kyle Jurek spoke of setting up Russian-style Gulags to reeducate those who do not agree with the communist agenda of Bernie Sanders.
 
Another field manager from the Sander's campaign, Martin Weissgerber, spoke on film regarding plans to behead the rich and send Republicans to camps to "reeducate" them. This is no right-wing conspiracy theory; these comments came directly from Jurek and Weissgerber and were recorded on film. And, Sanders has not fired these staffers nor condemned their outrageous and violent threats.
 
Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!!!
 
However, I believe the rapture will occur before the Socialists plunge our nation into this nightmare scenario.
 
The 2020 Election in the United States
 
Perhaps the most pivotal event of 2020 will be the November 3 election in the United States. Should the radical left get control the presidency as well as the Senate and retain control of the House, it would lead to disaster, not only for America, but for the entire world.
 
The stock market in the United States would crash, leading to a worldwide recession; and that is the most hopeful economic scenario if President Trump loses the election. Such an outcome would embolden America's enemies around the world and lead to even greater violence than we see at this moment.
 
Israel would lose its greatest protector, and that would surely open the door for her enemies to attack with greater force, especially if Netanyahu is no longer in power.
 
The Release of President Trump's Peace Plan
 
In recent days, President Trump has hinted that he may release his long-awaited peace plan before the next election in Israel on March 2. Speculation abounds as to the terms of the plan, but I have my doubts about many of the claims so far. Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's main opponent in the March 2 election, recently urged the President to release his plan soon.
 
Based on President Trump's actions toward Israel while in office, I believe the plan will cause much more grief for the Palestinians than for Israel.
 
Depending on the terms, this could have significant prophetic implications. I will have more to say on this when the President unveils his proposal.
 
The Third Election in Israel
 
As noted above, on March 2, Israel will hold a third election. Will Netanyahu succeed in forming a government this time? Or, will his opponent be able to do so?
 
Under Netanyahu, Israel has become a prosperous nation and strong nation. Based on the assessment by Amir Tsarfati, his opponents are not as capable, nor would they be as tough on Israel's numerous enemies.
 
Those who favor the establishment of a global world order want to remove Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump from office. Should they succeed, it will add unwelcome peril to the close of 2020 and great uncertainty for 2021.
 
Increasing Turmoil in Iran
 
If all one watches is the mainstream media, he or she has no idea what is really happening in Iran. The inner turmoil in Iran continues to grow with protestors desperately wanting freedom from the Islamic government, which recently killed at least 1,200 of the protestors. Many Iranians celebrated the news of President Trump killing Qasem Soleimani.
 
The Trump sanctions against Iran have brought the government to the brink of collapse. They are desperate, but they know they cannot attack Israel alone and will not attempt such an invasion as long as the United States remains a mighty military power. But should these things change, the Gog-Magog prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 could happen rather quickly.
 
Something else you will not hear on the news: multitudes of Iranians have put their trust in Jesus during the past few years. Some estimate that there are over a million believers in Iran.
 
The Rapture
 
Let me be clear: I am not predicting the rapture will occur in 2020, but I am saying it is something for which we need to remain alert and watchful.
 
As I mentioned in a previous article, the rapture is the wildcard that could initiate further prophetic events. For example, should the rapture occur before the 2020 election in America, the radical left would surely gain control of the United States government amid much chaos and destruction.
 
The rapture would also open the door for the Gog-Magog war through its weakening of the United States. Besides that, the sudden disappearance of a million people in Iran would make that nation all the more desperate to make something happen; and with the American military threat gone, Russia would be more than willing to lead an invasion of the prosperous Israel.
 
Amid the worldwide anarchy, could the antichrist hijack the peace plan of President Trump and make it the basis for his covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27)? Absolutely! The Hebrew in Daniel 9:27 suggests that the antichrist will take an existing peace plan and make it better. The favorable terms will persuade many in Israel that he is the long-awaited Messiah.
 
2020 has the potential to be a tumultuous year with the possibility of much increased violence in the United States. Satan is quite eager to set up his world order and put his man in charge; we see signs of this throughout the world. To do this, the devil must weaken Israel so it welcomes the terms of his peace plan, and remove the biggest obstacle to his new world order, President Donald Trump and the nationalistic fervor he inspires.
 
In light of all this, is it any wonder so many people possess a ravenous hatred for President Trump?
 
In the 1990's, Twila Paris recorded a song entitled God is in Control. We must not forget God's sovereignty in all of the above. We know the Father's timing will be perfect for the Lord's return to take us home.
 
I know it's difficult to keep waiting for the Lord's appearing; but, oh, Jesus will make our wait more worthwhile than we can even imagine. No one said it would be easy waiting to be caught up in the air, but the glory for us when that happens will make us forget about the wait.
 
Never forget: God is sovereign and in total control. Maranatha!!!
 
Jonathan Brentner

Israel Watch: Buckle Up!


Israel Watch: Buckle Up! - Jim Fletcher - Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com
 
Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz will be arriving in Washington this week to meet with President Trump, to discuss the much-anticipated peace plan.
 
Trump says he will release details of the plan immediately before his separate meetings with Gantz and Netanyahu on Monday and Tuesday. It is the rumored details that are so fascinating and explosive. The plan just might provide Israel with a game-changing reality on the ground, after decades of being forced to dance with menacing diplomats and terrorists that wished to shrink the Jewish state to dangerous borders.
 
According to the Jerusalem Post:
 
"The long-delayed peace plan, expected to be extremely generous to Israel, was drawn up by the US president's former special envoy Jason Greenblatt, Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
 
"Gantz said the peace plan would set off 'a large and painful internal argument' within Israel, and said he committed himself to 'reduce this dispute to a minimum.'
 
For his part, Netanyahu must be giddy with excitement:
 
"'This is an opportunity that comes once in history, and we cannot miss it,' Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media. 'We have the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House, and therefore, we have the best opportunity we ever had.'"
 
Notice Gantz refers to "painful internal argument." This no doubt refers to the possibility of the establishment of a pseudo-Palestinian state, albeit one with disadvantages for real statehood. Thank goodness we finally have an American president that doesn't reward Palestinian terrorism with more concessions from Israel. Now to the juicy details:
 
"The US plan has yet to be released, but it reportedly allows for Israeli sovereignty over settlements in Area C and the entire Jordan Valley, as well as a Palestinian state that would incorporate open portions of Area C, according to KAN.
 
"All but 15 isolated settlements would be linked contiguously, and Israel will be able to apply sovereignty immediately if it agrees to the plan, Channel 12 reported.
 
"Additionally, the Trump plan would reportedly leave Jerusalem undivided under Israel control, with a symbolic Palestinian presence.
 
"The peace plan also demands that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, demilitarize the Gaza Strip and take away Hamas's weapons, and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Channel 12 reported.
 
"Under the plan, Palestinians reportedly will not have control of any borders."
 
All stunning. The real fly in the ointment (and something I think is really up in the air) is what the Palestinians will do. The default position for 25 years is to genuinely reject the offer. Arafat did it, and Abbas has continued the intransigence the last 15 years.
 
But what if they took the deal? Personally, if I were them, I would. It would jar Israel supporters and I think shock the Israeli political establishment. Yes, on paper, such a Palestinian state would be weak and a non-player even regionally.
 
But remember what the Jews did in 1947 when offered a greatly shrunken state by the British and the UN?
 
Ben Gurion took the deal.
 
That bold stroke gave them a foothold in their ancestral homeland and a generation later, they achieved goals they could never have dreamed of.
 
I personally believe international momentum would provide headwinds for the Palestinians so that-potentially-they could set up their own realities on the ground in, say, 20 years.
 
What this all means is that while "the deal" seems golden for Israel, it is also moving the chess pieces prophetically, so that the world will continue to hate Israel.
 
This week will be fascinating and momentous!
 
'We Will Make History' - Netanyahu Heads To Washington For Trump Peace Plan - By Benjamin Kerstein/Algemeiner.com - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3807
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he and President Donald Trump "will make history" on Tuesday when they meet to discuss the president's long-awaited peace plan for the Israeli-Arab conflict.
 
Speaking on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport just before he left for Washington, DC, Netanyahu referenced his high profile 2015 speech to Congress against then-president Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, saying, "Five years ago, I went to Congress in Washington because I had to face a plan brought by a US president that I believed would jeopardize the interests of the State of Israel."
 
"Today I am going to stand alongside a president who brings a plan that I believe promotes our vital interests," he asserted.
 
"Trump is a huge friend of Israel," Netanyahu added. "I talked to him countless times about our security and justness. Tomorrow I will meet with him, and Tuesday together with him we will make history."
 
Netanyahu's statement echoed a more elaborate statement he issued on social media on Saturday evening, in which he said of Trump's plan, "An opportunity such as this comes once in history and cannot be missed."
 
"Today, we have in the White House the greatest friend that Israel has ever had; therefore, we have the greatest opportunity that we have ever had," he said.
 
"For three years, I have spoken with President Donald Trump and his staff about our most vital national and security needs, which must be included in any diplomatic arrangement," Netanyahu noted. "I have found an attentive ear in the White House to these needs."
 
"Therefore, I am full of hope that we are on the verge of a historic moment in the annals of our state," he said. "I am leaving for Washington with a sense of great mission, of great responsibility and of great opportunity, which will not recur, to ensure the future of Israel."
 
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu's leading political rival, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, also took off for Washington for a personal meeting with Trump on Monday.
 
Gantz was originally invited to meet with Trump on Tuesday together with Netanyahu, but fearing a political trap and also unwilling to snub the American president, he requested a one-on-one meeting, which the administration granted.
 
"The plan will go down in history as a significant milestone," Gantz said on Saturday, according to Israel's Channel 13.
 
"The proposal is going to cause major and painful internal disputes among us," Gantz warned, however. "I pledge to minimize the disagreement, and work to make the proposal a basis for progress toward an agreed settlement with the Palestinians and the countries of the region while continuing and deepening the strategic partnership with Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region."
 
"We are at a fateful hour to determine Israel's image and security and political borders," he asserted.
 
As did Netanyahu, Gantz thanked the Trump administration for standing at Israel's side and taking its security needs into consideration "out of friendship and deep commitment."
 
Reports in the Israeli media have claimed that the deal will be extremely generous toward the Jewish state, recognizing all of its settlements in the West Bank as sovereign Israeli territory and retaining a united Jerusalem under Israeli control, along with the strategic Jordan Valley border region.
 
Sources who have seen the map set to be presented to Netanyahu and Gantz have said, "There's never been anything like it."
 
One potential concession from Israel is rumored to be recognition of a Palestinian state. However, it is widely believed the Palestinians will reject the plan sight unseen, giving Israel a "green light" to annex parts of the West Bank without concessions.
 
 
Prophecy--Beware of the Israel Peace Plan - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
 
The time is near when President Donald Trump will unveil his long-awaited plan to bring peace between the political entity of violent anti-Israel "Palestinians" and the state of Israel. They are calling it the "Deal of the Century" and it is supposed to meet Israel's vital security concerns and the needs of the Palestinian Authority, which morphed over the years from the terrorist Palestinian Liberation Organization. Every president who has tried to broker peace between these entities has failed and has suffered seemingly prophetic consequences as documented by White House Correspondent Bill Koenig in his book "Eye to Eye-Facing the consequences of Dividing Israel." Concessions to terrorists are never a good idea.
 
Koenig points out that "Despite their good intentions, previous American presidents, and to a lesser degree the international community, are accountable for dividing the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants; promoting a peace plan that would position Israel in indefensible borders; interfering with God's plan of having Jews move home to Israel and Judea and Samaria-the biblical heartland of Israel; and participating in the eviction of Jews from their homes within the biblical heartland of Israel." Koenig documents political, economic and natural disasters that occurred within 24-48 hours after every time the US has meddled in dividing the land for peace.
 
The current US President represents America as a true friend to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is optimistic about this peace plan, saying, "An opportunity such as this comes once in history and cannot be missed. Today, we have in the White House the greatest friend that Israel has ever had; therefore, we have the greatest opportunity that we have ever had." The Times of Israel reports, "The Palestinian Authority has preemptively rejected the Trump plan and is reportedly threatening to cancel its security coordination with Israel in the West Bank if it moves ahead." If the sovereign state of Israel favors the plan and the terrorist-sponsoring Palestinian Authority rejects it, then the plan might be a step in the right direction-by man's ways.
 
God's ways, however, may not be so accepting. God told Abram in Genesis 12:2-3, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." Israel was miraculously reestablished May 14, 1948, and there is prophetic significance to this. As Koenig writes, there have been 208 weather disasters since 1980 costing the US over $1.1 trillion, "Most of the catastrophes occurred at the time the United States was pressuring Israel to divide their covenant land." The weather disasters are just one example. While optimism awaits the Trump peace plan, the power of prophecy will move as this plan unfolds. We will see how man's plan aligns with God's plan, or not.
 
 
 
 

Israel Watch: Buckle Up!


Israel Watch: Buckle Up! - Jim Fletcher - Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com
 
Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz will be arriving in Washington this week to meet with President Trump, to discuss the much-anticipated peace plan.
 
Trump says he will release details of the plan immediately before his separate meetings with Gantz and Netanyahu on Monday and Tuesday. It is the rumored details that are so fascinating and explosive. The plan just might provide Israel with a game-changing reality on the ground, after decades of being forced to dance with menacing diplomats and terrorists that wished to shrink the Jewish state to dangerous borders.
 
According to the Jerusalem Post:
 
"The long-delayed peace plan, expected to be extremely generous to Israel, was drawn up by the US president's former special envoy Jason Greenblatt, Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
 
"Gantz said the peace plan would set off 'a large and painful internal argument' within Israel, and said he committed himself to 'reduce this dispute to a minimum.'
 
For his part, Netanyahu must be giddy with excitement:
 
"'This is an opportunity that comes once in history, and we cannot miss it,' Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media. 'We have the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House, and therefore, we have the best opportunity we ever had.'"
 
Notice Gantz refers to "painful internal argument." This no doubt refers to the possibility of the establishment of a pseudo-Palestinian state, albeit one with disadvantages for real statehood. Thank goodness we finally have an American president that doesn't reward Palestinian terrorism with more concessions from Israel. Now to the juicy details:
 
"The US plan has yet to be released, but it reportedly allows for Israeli sovereignty over settlements in Area C and the entire Jordan Valley, as well as a Palestinian state that would incorporate open portions of Area C, according to KAN.
 
"All but 15 isolated settlements would be linked contiguously, and Israel will be able to apply sovereignty immediately if it agrees to the plan, Channel 12 reported.
 
"Additionally, the Trump plan would reportedly leave Jerusalem undivided under Israel control, with a symbolic Palestinian presence.
 
"The peace plan also demands that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, demilitarize the Gaza Strip and take away Hamas's weapons, and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Channel 12 reported.
 
"Under the plan, Palestinians reportedly will not have control of any borders."
 
All stunning. The real fly in the ointment (and something I think is really up in the air) is what the Palestinians will do. The default position for 25 years is to genuinely reject the offer. Arafat did it, and Abbas has continued the intransigence the last 15 years.
 
But what if they took the deal? Personally, if I were them, I would. It would jar Israel supporters and I think shock the Israeli political establishment. Yes, on paper, such a Palestinian state would be weak and a non-player even regionally.
 
But remember what the Jews did in 1947 when offered a greatly shrunken state by the British and the UN?
 
Ben Gurion took the deal.
 
That bold stroke gave them a foothold in their ancestral homeland and a generation later, they achieved goals they could never have dreamed of.
 
I personally believe international momentum would provide headwinds for the Palestinians so that-potentially-they could set up their own realities on the ground in, say, 20 years.
 
What this all means is that while "the deal" seems golden for Israel, it is also moving the chess pieces prophetically, so that the world will continue to hate Israel.
 
This week will be fascinating and momentous!
 
'We Will Make History' - Netanyahu Heads To Washington For Trump Peace Plan - By Benjamin Kerstein/Algemeiner.com - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3807
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he and President Donald Trump "will make history" on Tuesday when they meet to discuss the president's long-awaited peace plan for the Israeli-Arab conflict.
 
Speaking on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport just before he left for Washington, DC, Netanyahu referenced his high profile 2015 speech to Congress against then-president Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, saying, "Five years ago, I went to Congress in Washington because I had to face a plan brought by a US president that I believed would jeopardize the interests of the State of Israel."
 
"Today I am going to stand alongside a president who brings a plan that I believe promotes our vital interests," he asserted.
 
"Trump is a huge friend of Israel," Netanyahu added. "I talked to him countless times about our security and justness. Tomorrow I will meet with him, and Tuesday together with him we will make history."
 
Netanyahu's statement echoed a more elaborate statement he issued on social media on Saturday evening, in which he said of Trump's plan, "An opportunity such as this comes once in history and cannot be missed."
 
"Today, we have in the White House the greatest friend that Israel has ever had; therefore, we have the greatest opportunity that we have ever had," he said.
 
"For three years, I have spoken with President Donald Trump and his staff about our most vital national and security needs, which must be included in any diplomatic arrangement," Netanyahu noted. "I have found an attentive ear in the White House to these needs."
 
"Therefore, I am full of hope that we are on the verge of a historic moment in the annals of our state," he said. "I am leaving for Washington with a sense of great mission, of great responsibility and of great opportunity, which will not recur, to ensure the future of Israel."
 
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu's leading political rival, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, also took off for Washington for a personal meeting with Trump on Monday.
 
Gantz was originally invited to meet with Trump on Tuesday together with Netanyahu, but fearing a political trap and also unwilling to snub the American president, he requested a one-on-one meeting, which the administration granted.
 
"The plan will go down in history as a significant milestone," Gantz said on Saturday, according to Israel's Channel 13.
 
"The proposal is going to cause major and painful internal disputes among us," Gantz warned, however. "I pledge to minimize the disagreement, and work to make the proposal a basis for progress toward an agreed settlement with the Palestinians and the countries of the region while continuing and deepening the strategic partnership with Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region."
 
"We are at a fateful hour to determine Israel's image and security and political borders," he asserted.
 
As did Netanyahu, Gantz thanked the Trump administration for standing at Israel's side and taking its security needs into consideration "out of friendship and deep commitment."
 
Reports in the Israeli media have claimed that the deal will be extremely generous toward the Jewish state, recognizing all of its settlements in the West Bank as sovereign Israeli territory and retaining a united Jerusalem under Israeli control, along with the strategic Jordan Valley border region.
 
Sources who have seen the map set to be presented to Netanyahu and Gantz have said, "There's never been anything like it."
 
One potential concession from Israel is rumored to be recognition of a Palestinian state. However, it is widely believed the Palestinians will reject the plan sight unseen, giving Israel a "green light" to annex parts of the West Bank without concessions.
 
 
Prophecy--Beware of the Israel Peace Plan - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
 
The time is near when President Donald Trump will unveil his long-awaited plan to bring peace between the political entity of violent anti-Israel "Palestinians" and the state of Israel. They are calling it the "Deal of the Century" and it is supposed to meet Israel's vital security concerns and the needs of the Palestinian Authority, which morphed over the years from the terrorist Palestinian Liberation Organization. Every president who has tried to broker peace between these entities has failed and has suffered seemingly prophetic consequences as documented by White House Correspondent Bill Koenig in his book "Eye to Eye-Facing the consequences of Dividing Israel." Concessions to terrorists are never a good idea.
 
Koenig points out that "Despite their good intentions, previous American presidents, and to a lesser degree the international community, are accountable for dividing the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants; promoting a peace plan that would position Israel in indefensible borders; interfering with God's plan of having Jews move home to Israel and Judea and Samaria-the biblical heartland of Israel; and participating in the eviction of Jews from their homes within the biblical heartland of Israel." Koenig documents political, economic and natural disasters that occurred within 24-48 hours after every time the US has meddled in dividing the land for peace.
 
The current US President represents America as a true friend to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is optimistic about this peace plan, saying, "An opportunity such as this comes once in history and cannot be missed. Today, we have in the White House the greatest friend that Israel has ever had; therefore, we have the greatest opportunity that we have ever had." The Times of Israel reports, "The Palestinian Authority has preemptively rejected the Trump plan and is reportedly threatening to cancel its security coordination with Israel in the West Bank if it moves ahead." If the sovereign state of Israel favors the plan and the terrorist-sponsoring Palestinian Authority rejects it, then the plan might be a step in the right direction-by man's ways.
 
God's ways, however, may not be so accepting. God told Abram in Genesis 12:2-3, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." Israel was miraculously reestablished May 14, 1948, and there is prophetic significance to this. As Koenig writes, there have been 208 weather disasters since 1980 costing the US over $1.1 trillion, "Most of the catastrophes occurred at the time the United States was pressuring Israel to divide their covenant land." The weather disasters are just one example. While optimism awaits the Trump peace plan, the power of prophecy will move as this plan unfolds. We will see how man's plan aligns with God's plan, or not.
 
 
 
 

Who Are God's People?


Who Are God's People? - Nathele Graham -
 
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14. Many people say that this verse doesn't apply to Christians, only to Israel. Let's take a look and see if we can come to any conclusion. Israel was, is, and always will be God's chosen people. As a nation they go through rebellious times. At those times they're out of a covenant relationship with God, but history proves that they always return. Many times in Scripture, God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham was the first man to be called by God and received many promises. He would be the father of a mighty nation and God gave him the land we now call Israel. "And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him." Genesis 12:7. God confirmed the promises to Abraham's son, Isaac. Then, Jacob was born. He had many lessons to learn in life, but God never goes back on a promise. One night, Jacob wrestled with God. When he stopped fighting, God changed his name to Israel, which means God prevails. Jacob fathered twelve sons who established the twelve tribes of Israel. God's chosen nation is sometimes referred to in Scripture as "Jacob", but that's when the nation is in rebellion. Other times that nation is referred to as Israel. One day soon this wonderful nation will "...humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways..." Instead of being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob they will know Him as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Today they are in rebellion. Although they're still wrestling with God their hearts are being drawn to Him. God will prevail.
 
It was through the Jewish people that the Messiah was born and the world is blessed through them. Nearly 2,000 years ago they rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ, and were dispersed into all nations. In 1948 that changed. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." Isaiah 11:11-12. We are seeing this prophecy being fulfilled today. The Jewish people are slowly turning to the God of their fathers. The desire to rebuild the temple is strong and that temple will be in place during Daniel's 70th week, also called the time of Jacob's trouble and the Great Tribulation. It will take that time of God's wrath being poured out for His chosen people to finally humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways. They will finally seek the God of their fathers. That's when they will finally recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
 
Today we are in a time that's after the death and resurrection of Jesus and before His second coming. We are in the Age of Grace. During this time, faith in Jesus Christ brings the forgiveness of sins and redemption. We who have accepted Jesus Christ for salvation are called by His name...Christians, or followers of Christ. We have not replaced Israel in God's heart, but we have our own place. When we accept Christ as our Saviour, we need to turn away from the wicked worldly ways of our past. Scripture is our guide. The world is in rebellion to God and has no basis of morality, other than a conscience which cannot bring salvation. That conscience should dictate right and wrong behavior, but we can all see that the conscience of secular people is being hardened. Horrific crimes are becoming more common with each passing day as people fall deeper into sin. It's no surprise that this is happening in the secular world, but what is surprising is that many who say they have accepted Christ for salvation have continued in their wickedness...rebellion to God. It's as if they are standing with a foot in both worlds...their sins are forgiven, but they continue in the same sins they say they've repented of. Scripture is clear that we are saved by what we believe...that God Almighty entered His creation to become the once for all sacrifice to take away our sin. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9. It's also clear that if that profession of faith is true then we need to turn from sin. We will never stop sinning because humans have a sin nature that we're born with. It's our attitude toward sin that needs to change. For instance, if you are guilty of pride, then it should be evident that you need to change your ways. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." James 4:10. Being humble in God's sight means we need to submit our life to Him. What if your sin is a sexual sin? Remember, all standards of morality are from God's point of view, not human. It isn't OK to have any sexual encounter outside of a one-man/one-woman marriage. If you've asked Christ to forgive your sin, then turn away from it. Will it be easy to turn from any sin? Even the strongest of Christians struggle against sin "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. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." Romans 7:18-19. Sometimes the King James is tough to understand, but Paul says that he doesn't want to sin, but still does. The point is, as Christians we need to fight against our wicked ways instead of fighting against God. Remove things from life that bring temptation...TV shows, music, etc. Fellowship with Christians instead of people who follow worldly ways.
 
When a person accepts Christ for salvation, he or she becomes a son of God. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13. Christians are God's people...His children. Because Christians are weakening in faith and finding more pleasure in the world than in serving Christ, we don't stand firm on Biblical truth. Did you know that while the liberals scream for the right of a woman to murder her baby in the womb, President Trump spoke at the March for Life in Washington? Many Christians are a part of the demonic frenzy against our president, but turn a blind eye to the wickedness behind those who are trying to destroy him. Because Christians forget to turn to God, humble themselves, and pray, wickedness abounds and Satan's evil is running rampant. The verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 may have been written to the Jewish people, but it's also true for Christians. If we don't turn from our evil ways then we're giving Satan power. Satan will never win. He was defeated at the cross, but he wants to take as many people to Hell with him as he can. People who say they're Christians but have only mouthed words and haven't allowed Christ to change their heart are on Satan's side. It's time for Christians to stop joining in the wickedness of the world, and stand upon God's word. If we won't allow Christ to change our own life, how can we expect Him to change our neighborhood or nation?
 
Brothers and sisters, we cannot stop prophecy from being fulfilled. People will become more and more wicked as we near the Rapture and the final 7 years loom on the horizon. The thing we can change is our wicked ways. As Christians need to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and pray. We need to follow Christ rather than the world. Then, we need to follow Christ's directive and spread the Gospel. "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. Not everyone we witness to will accept Christ for salvation, but that shouldn't stop us from witnessing. We also need to encourage fellow Christians to walk closer to God. Remember, if you haven't turned from your own wickedness and are embracing sin, you ruin your witness.
 
So, who are God's people? The Jewish people, of course. Israel will turn from their rebellion, but that will only happen after they've endured the Great Tribulation. Brothers and sisters, you and I are also God's people. Christians are called by His name and have been adopted into His family. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14. Is your nation falling deeper into depravity? If Christians would humbly pray for each other and for their nation, then there just might be a difference. Don't forget, though, that we need to seek God and turn from our wicked ways.
 
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham

US builds up Mid-East strength against rising tension over "Deal of the Century and Iran


US builds up Mid-East strength against rising tension over "Deal of the Century and Iran -
 
The USS Bataan strike group and the 2,400-strong 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are being deployed to the Mid-East ready for unexpected trouble arising from spiraling tension with Iran and potential reactions to the release of Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century" - a plan for an Israel-Palestinian peace - early next week.
 
On Friday, Jan. 24, the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, escorted by two other battleships, had reached the Red Sea opposite the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. They had taken part in a naval exercise with Morocco, which was interrupted for their new mission.
 
US intelligence watchers believe that Iran is getting ready to expand its assaults on US and allied targets, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, in escalating payback for the US assassination of Al Qods chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.
 
On Friday, the Pentagon revealed that 34 US servicemen had suffered "traumatic brain injury" from Iran's missile strikes on the US Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq on Jan. 8. Earlier, only 11 were reported injured, while President Trump had stated initially that no US troops had been hurt in the attack.
 
Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command in the Middle East, speaking from the deck of the Bataan, said, "Although the Soleimani killing was a deterrent, Iran continues to pose a very real threat."
 
DEBKAfile's military sources additionally attribute the latest American military movements to a reassessment of the tasks assigned to the US forces stationed in Iraq. Their new focus has moved to the semiautonomous Kurdish Republic (KRG) in northern Iraq. The three US airbases in other parts of the country, Ain al Asad, Balad and Taiji, will remain in place. However, three new American bases are under construction in Kurdistan.

Last Days, End Times: The Rapture; Part 1 of 2 -


Last Days, End Times: The Rapture; Part 1 of 2 - By Tom Tillman - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/01/26/last-days-end-times-rapture-part-1-2-tom-tillman/
 
The Rapture is clearly taught throughout Scripture but it is not something that the wise Christian should heatedly argue or divide over. Unfortunately, many do choose to hold their understanding of the Rapture to be the thing which most defines and characterizes themselves. We should not do so.
 
Paul writes, "Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will 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 has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Cor 15:51-54).
 
We will study and learn the Bible clearly teaches that the Rapture will occur 'Pre-Tribulation.' It will occur before the Tribulation begins.
 
Some believe it will occur 'Mid-Tribulation,' in the middle of the Tribulation, while others believe it will be 'Post-Tribulation,' at the end of the Tribulation, and some believe there will be no Rapture at all.
 
Here is why a post-Tribulational view of the Rapture could not be correct: When Jesus Christ returns at Armageddon, at the end of the Tribulation, He will bring us with Him, having been Raptured 7 years before at the beginning of the Tribulation.
 
When He returns at Armageddon, He will destroy all His enemies, all who have rejected Him.
 
If He destroys all the unbelievers... and if all of the believers are Raptured up to meet Him and given immortal glorified bodies, and then immediately turn around and accompany Him back... who is there to repopulate the Earth during the Millennium; who is there for us to rule and reign over?
 
The Bible teaches us that the Church will rule and reign with Him over the Earth during that 1,000 years but it also teaches that the Earth will be repopulated and filled by mortal humans: they will fill up the Earth... all the nations of the Earth. The Earth will be repopulated by all those who will have come to faith in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation but were not killed for their faith... those who live through to the end.
 
The believers who live through the Tribulation until the end will go into the Millennium and repopulate the Earth. All of the unbelievers who live through the Tribulation until the end will all be killed immediately upon Jesus Christ's return at Armageddon.
 
Jesus Christ, Paul, Peter, John and even Moses and Isaiah all teach us the truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the True Church. A correct understanding of this truth is as important as any Scripture to the Child of God's understanding of the depth of God's love for the Bride He has chosen for His Son.
 
A correct understanding of the Rapture is not something upon which our salvation rests but it is important to our understanding of the relationship God has chosen to give to us, a relationship of absolute love.
 
We find The Rapture clearly taught in Scripture, that it can and will happen at any moment without any warning, with no other prophecy having to be fulfilled before the Rapture takes place. If we disbelieve the reality of the Rapture, all of our understanding of the End Times will be in error. It is a crucial piece of the entire puzzle of the End Times. If it is missing, the entire picture will be incomplete.
 
The Feasts of the Lord point to the Rapture. The Jewish Wedding points to the Rapture. Enoch points to the Rapture.   The Flood of Noah points to the Rapture. The Israelites safely crossing the Red Sea points to the Rapture. Sodom and Gomorrah point to the Rapture. Isaiah points to the Rapture. Jesus Christ points to the Rapture. Matthew, John, Peter, Luke, Jude and Paul all point to the Rapture.
 
Paul teaches, throughout his letters, that it is coming and that it can happen at any moment. He tells us that those who believe and look for Jesus Christ's soon coming, at any moment, will receive a special reward. Those who disbelieve the Rapture, or that it can happen at any moment, will still go up in the Rapture, but they will not gain that special reward:
 
Paul wrote, "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim 4:8).
 
There is a crown of righteousness but it is not gained by living an extra righteous life. No one lives a righteous life; we are all sinners, but all true Believers are holy and righteous in God's sight because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Paul says a crown of righteousness is laid up for some, and here he tells us for whom... all those who love His appearing... all who are looking and waiting for Him.
 
There are 2 main reasons that this is so important for us, the Children of God, to know and understand... the first being that when we understand the reality of the Rapture we can, even more, begin to understand God's love for us and the very special relationship we, the Church, the Body of Jesus Christ have with Him.
 
Also, as we begin to understand that we will stand before Him at any moment, we are much more apt, if we are wise, to seek to live lives that are pleasing to Him... at all times because we could very well be taken up into the clouds to meet Him before I finish my next sentence.
 
Not every Christian believes in the reality of the Rapture or that it will happen at any moment.
 
Some believe that the Church must go through tribulation to be purified... to be made holy and ready to meet Jesus Christ. However, God's Word tells us plainly that the true Church, every born-again child of God, is already completely purified, at the Cross, by the blood of Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty for all our sin... past, present and future... forever.
 
"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Heb 10:12-14).
 
We have already been perfected and purified forever... it is an accomplished, finished act. On the Cross, Jesus said, "It is finished!"
 
Paul wrote, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1).
 
We now stand before God, holy, perfected, righteous, in the full righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, only.
 
Jesus Christ does not require His Bride to be purified, something that He, Himself, has already accomplished.
 
Some teach that the Rapture is a new concept... that the Rapture is not even in the Bible.
 
True. The word Rapture isn't in the Bible; but neither is Trinity... neither is the cross...or any other English word. The Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek, along with a little Aramaic.
 
Here is one of the main verses for Paul's teaching of the Rapture:
 
1 Thessalonians 4:15:18 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
 
The word for 'caught up' in the Greek, the original writing of most of the NT, is harpazo. It means to seize, to carry off by force/to snatch out and away /to seize upon/ to claim for one's self eagerly.
 
The same word... snatched away/caught up... is used in Acts, when Phillip preached to the Ethiopian Eunuch. Phillip was led to him by the Holy Spirit. Phillip led him to salvation and then baptized him. Then, the Bible says, right after that, Phillip was 'caught up' and carried away by the Holy Spirit... same word... harpazo... he was raptured away.
 
"Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more" (Acts 8:39).
 
Same word: harpazo! Phillip was Raptured away!
 
We're told when Paul was 'caught up' to heaven to receive revelation and instruction directly from God, he writes that he was... harpazo... he was raptured up to Heaven.
 
"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows-such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows- how he was caught up into Paradise..." (2 Cor 12:2-4). Same word x2: harpazo! Paul was raptured up to Heaven.
 
Also in Acts: "Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks" (Acts 23:10). Same word: harpazo! The soldiers raptured Paul away.
 
No one would argue that the words, 'caught up' are not in the Bible... no one would ever argue that the Greek word, 'harpazo' is not in the Bible, but many are quick to argue that the word Rapture is not in the Bible.
 
If people had chosen to call the Rapture 'the great catching away,' those who argue could argue no more.
 
So where do we get the word Rapture? Though we don't find that word in the English Bible, it is in the Latin Bible which was translated by Jerome in the early 400's and was the main Bible of the Church until the reformation in the 1500's; and then, shortly thereafter, we received the King James Version in English. In Latin, the Greek word harpazo was translated RAPTUS from the same root as Raptor, because that kind of snatching away is what a Raptor does to its prey. A raptor is a hawk, an eagle, an owl... they are raptors.
 
Have you ever seen video of an Eagle flying over a lake? He sees a fish near the surface... he dives down, claws bared... and snatches it up by force and carries it away. The fish is being raptured by the raptor. Then, from the Latin... raptus into the English becomes Rapture... the Eagle is a raptor... he does raptus the fish... he does harpazo the fish... the fish is 'caught up' into the heavens.
 
Those who disbelieve the truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture say, 'When Paul writes that the Rapture will begin with the last trumpet... the trumpet of God... it really means the 7th trumpet... in Rev when 7 angels are blowing trumpets to announce God's judgments.'
 
The Last Trump... 1 Cor 15:51:52 "...but we shall all be changed- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
 
Also 1 Thess 4:16:18 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.'
 
What kind of 'comfort' would it be if Paul were referring to the 7th trumpet of Revelation, after all of those plagues?
 
'You will have to go through the terrible tribulations of the Tribulation, you will be hunted down and probably beheaded for your faith, and your family will likely be killed with you... so comfort one another with these words...' Not very comforting.
 
With the Trump of God... at the last Trumpet... this is not referring to the 7th Trumpet of Rev. 11:15 which is a common mistake people make.
 
It is the trumpet of God, not the trumpet of an angel... this is the only time it is found in Scripture... but it is probably also the same as in Exodus 19 where God tells Moses that "the Trumpet will sound..."
 
The 7th Trumpet of Revelation is blown by an angel in Heaven, announcing the beginning of the 2nd half of the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation, and is never called the last trumpet or a trumpet of God.
 
Exodus 19 is the giving of the Law on Mt Sinai. These are the only 2 occurrences of the Trumpet of God. God blew the First Trumpet of God in Exodus 19 in preparation for the giving of the Law. He will blow the Last Trumpet of God to initiate the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation.
 
There are 4 named trumpets in Scripture: the first trumpet, the last trumpet, the great trumpet and the trumpet of God.
 
As further proof of the soon-coming rapture, let's very briefly look at the 7 feasts of the Lord.
 
There are 4 spring feasts... a gap of summer months... and then the final 3 feasts.
 
The spring feasts are: Passover; next day is Unleavened Bread; and the third day is First Fruits; and 50 days after Passover is Pentecost.
 
Then you have about a 4-month gap until the final 3 fall feasts: Feast of Trumpets; 10 days later the Day of Atonement; and 5 days later the Feast of Tabernacles.
 
You have the 4 spring feasts, fulfilled exactly... to the day... by the Lord Jesus Christ; you have a 4-month gap, followed by the 3 final feasts, which will also be fulfilled exactly by the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
God gave the 7 feasts in anticipation of the coming Messiah, and also as a picture of His complete work of Salvation.
 
The first 4 feasts were fulfilled by Jesus Christ about 1,980 years ago.
 
That Summer gap between the two groups of feasts represents the time we are living now... the Church Age.
 
The first feast after that summer gap is The Feast of Trumpets ... also called the Wedding of the Messiah.
 
The feast of Trumpets involves a sequence of trumpet blasts, none of which have anything to do with the trumpet judgments of Rev. 11.
 
We will study these 7 feasts and their fulfillment another time.
 
The Feast of Trumpets is also called the Wedding of the Messiah. Jesus used the picture of the Jewish wedding in many of His parables and teachings, culminating with His promise to us in John 14:
 
"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).
 
Does this sound like His return at Armageddon as a Warrior to destroy all His enemies?
 
No! It sounds like His coming to receive His Bride.
 
That word, receive, in the Greek is paralambano... it means, to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self...   that's the picture of the Rapture, His coming for His bride... not His return at Armageddon.
 
The first stage in the Jewish Wedding is the betrothal. The groom would negotiate the bride price. In our case, the price He agreed to pay for us was His crucifixion, His shed blood and death.
 
After the bride price was paid, she was considered married to Him. We are one with the Lord Jesus Christ now. From then on, the bride was sanctified, set apart exclusively for her groom. We have been sanctified and set apart for our groom, the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, the marriage covenant was ratified through the drinking from a cup of wine together. Our observance of communion is a continual reminder of what He has done for us... that He chose each one of us for Himself and set us apart for Himself.
 
Then, the groom would leave His bride at her parent's house and go back to His Father's house to prepare a special bridal chamber for them to share during the bridal week.
 
Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you"... our special bridal chamber.
 
At the end of the preparation time... usually 12 months... the groom would return for his bride, usually at night, to take his bride away, back with him to his father's house. Although the bride was expecting her groom to return for her, she did not know exactly when. She was expected to be ready to meet him at all times. When he did come, he would shout, and she would be gathered unto him to accompany him back to his father's house, to that special place he had prepared for her. They would enter the bridal chamber alone together; and there... finally... physically consummate their marriage which had already been a reality since their betrothal a year before.
 
"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3)
 
After consummation, all of the guests would join the bride and groom for a great wedding feast of 7 days. Our bridal week, our wedding supper of the lamb with our bridegroom... a week of years... 7 years... during which He will give us our rewards and we will all celebrate together. During that same 7 years, down here on Earth, the world will be going through the Tribulation with the Antichrist; many judgments; the mark of the beast etc.; the 7 seal judgments, the 7 trumpet judgments and the 7 bowl judgments... and finally, Jesus Christ's physical return to Earth at Armageddon, as a Warrior, with us, His bride, accompanying Him.
 
God gives us a picture of the Rapture in 2 Kings 2: "Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them (Elijah and Elisha); and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
 
The first one to clearly teach about the Rapture is Paul; he learned about the Rapture after he, himself, was raptured up into Heaven to be taught personally by the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows-such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me" (2 Cor 12:2-6).   Paul was harpazo... he was raptured... caught up to the third Heaven.
 
The Old Testament prophets didn't teach the Rapture; they didn't know it. Jesus Christ taught it, but not in depth; His teaching was to the house of Israel. In Matt 15:24, "Jesus said, 'I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" He only touched on it for our sake. Israel is not the Bride of Christ; we are.
 
Remember... Jesus Christ is not walking around teaching and preaching in the New Testament... the Gospels are still the O.T. He is preaching the 'Gospel of the Kingdom.' Later, Paul is teaching us the 'Gospel of Salvation,' and the imminency (at any moment) of the Rapture is a very important part of our Salvation.
 
The Rapture is not a reward for the really good Christians. It is the completion of the Salvation of every Christian, every true Child of God; it is the culmination of all that Jesus Christ paid on the Cross.
 
Daniel saw the Tribulation and the Antichrist, etc. but God did not show him the Rapture.
 
But then, Paul tells us he is revealing to us a secret, a mystery... something not previously known.
 
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed [Who is 'we'? Us, the True Church!] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
 
Then, in 1 Cor. 2:6-8, He tells us WHY it was kept a secret, a mystery.
 
"However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
 
Satan probably kicks himself every day! He slaps his head... If I had only known what crucifying Him would mean for those miserable little creatures... that they would be able to live forever, that one day they would changed, like the worms they are... into butterflies, to have a body like His... I never even had a body like His... ohh, what misery, what degradation... ohhh the unfairness of it all!!!
 
Jesus being crucified was God's plan from the very beginning. Here is that secret: Without notice or warning, the Lord Jesus Christ will come down from Heaven, into our atmosphere... in the clouds... and we will immediately, in a moment... we will instantaneously be changed; our mortal bodies will become like His powerful, eternal body. We will be caught up to meet Him in the air and accompany Him back to Heaven where we will be with Him during the 7 years of the Tribulation on Earth. Those who have died in Christ, the bodies of born-again believers, will go up first; and then we who are alive will be caught up to join them all. It will happen so fast, so quickly, that it's referred to as "in the twinkling of an eye."
 
First, we will hear the shout of God, and the voice of an archangel... and the trumpet of God...not the trumpet of an angel; that's very important.
 
One moment we will be eating or sleeping or driving our car... and in an instant... we will snatched away... harpazoed away... raptured away... to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds! "...and so shall we ever be with the Lord!"
 
In 1 Cor. 13:12 Paul said that we will 'know' as we are known... we will recognize Him and each other.
 
John said in 1 John 3:2, "...for what we will be, is not yet known, but we know that when He appears, we will be like Him!"
 
We don't yet know what our eternal bodies will be, but they will be like His. I believe we will have the same abilities and capabilities as He demonstrated after His resurrection... we will be like
 
Him! Our glorified, eternal, immortal bodies will be like His... we will be like Him!
 
He was not bound by time, space or distance... not even physical walls.
 
Let's look at the clear references to the Rapture.
 
John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."  
 
Jesus is not talking about coming at the battle of Armageddon to destroy all His enemies... He is referring to that very special time when He comes to receive His bride... us!
 
1 Thess 4:16-18 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
 
Comfort one another with these words. How comforting would it be if we were telling each other, 'Hang on; the Tribulation is really going to be terrible, and you and your family will probably be killed for your faith, and your body will begin to rot in the grave; But eventually, after all that, Jesus will come back. Comfort one another with these words?
 
Philippians 3:20-21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body!"
 
Rev 3:10-11 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!"
 
The words 'keep you from,"... in the Greek, it is tereo ek. It means, out of... away from... 'I will keep you out of and away from the hour of testing of the whole World. It does not mean I will keep you and protect you as you go through it.
 
Never before has the whole World, at once, had Tribulation except the time of the Flood.
 
1 Thess 5:9 "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
 
Matt 24:40-42 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."
 
1 Thess 1:9b-10 "...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, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."
 
From the wrath to come. The Greek word is APO. It means 'of a state of separation, that is of physical distance, of distance of place temporal, of distance of time.' He will put DISTANCE between us and the wrath to come.
 
See all these places where God promises to keep the True Church FROM the wrath to come, the Tribulation.
 
I don't see how anyone who truly wants to know truth can come up with anything different.
 
1 Thess 5:2-4 "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them (not US) as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief."
 
Catch this!!! The word in that verse... that day will not overtake you... in the Greek it is katalambanō. It means 'to lay hold of so as to make one's own; to obtain; attain to; to take into one's self, to appropriate or to seize to seize upon, take possession of.' See the similarity of this word with harpazo... where the Holy Spirit will seize upon us... here the opposite... that day will not seize upon us... as it will the world... We will not be here to be seized upon by that day.
 
We will be raptured/captured/harpazoed/snatched away, by the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Day of the Lord will not capture us as it will the whole World.
 
1 Thess 5:9-11 "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep [whether we are alive or have died], we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."
 
Comfort each other with the knowledge that we have not been appointed to Wrath.
 
Stay tuned for Part 2.

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