EXPLAINING "DEATHS" and "RESURRECTIONS"

Despite overwhelming Biblical evidence to the contrary, "Millennialists" are still convinced that the "deaths" and "resurrections" described in chapter twenty of the book of Revelation, give them proof of a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on this condemned planet.  However, their so-called proof is easily refuted.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the SOULS of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." (Re 20:4) 

Notice that here within this passage it is the SOULS which live and reign with Christ.  Where do these living souls reign (reside with Christ)?  "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"  Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed." (Re 6:9-11)  These martyred souls live and reign with Christ IN HEAVEN!

But, when were these Christians beheaded for their faith?  The answer is quite obvious... SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING!  John the Baptist was "beheaded".  So was Paul, and every martyered Roman citizen who came to faith in Christ.  Even after the so-called conversion of Constantine, Christians continued to be beheaded if they refused to conform to the new Roman version of Christianity.  Then, there was the Mohammedan beheadings that began in the early 600's and continue even to this day.

Where did Paul expect to be after his own death?  "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor.  Yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.  For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and BE WITH CHRIST, which is far better." (Phil 1:21-23) 

But, how can this soulish life be considered a resurrection?  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." (Ga 2:20)  The "first death" is spiritual, and the "first resurrection" is also spiritual.  Because, Christians don't die!  "But God, who is rich in mercy... made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." (Eph 2:4-6)  "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall NEVER die. Do you believe this?" (Jn 11:26)

Despite what Millennialists would like to believe... there is only ONE physical resurrection.  And that is immediately followed by the eternal judgment and damnation of everyone  who is not found in the Lamb's Book of Life.  "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

Rest completely in Christ... make sure YOU are in the Book.

ONE COMING - ONE ARMAGEDDON

There is NOT going to be a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on this doomed and dying planet.

"But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  But don't forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 

Therefore since all these things are thus to be destroyed, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire will be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?  But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which dwells righteousness." (2Pet 3:7-13)

Notice that Peter NEVER describes some sort of a millennial reign of Christ on this planet.  Peter clearly says that at Christ's coming, HIS ONE AND ONLY COMING, this earth will be judged and destroyed.

"How can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house." (Mt 12:29)  "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the Living one, and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I HAVE THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES." (Re 1:18) 

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.  And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." (Re 20:1-3)  Satan has been bound like a dog on a chain since Christ's atoning death and resurrection.  Satan and his demons can only do what they are allowed to do.  

The "thousand years" is symbolic of the time of Christ's "patience" toward humanity.  Every believer who has died since the repentant thief on the cross, has been symbolically reigning with Christ in heaven.  But Christ's patience is not eternal, he is coming... soon!

The battle of Armegeddon is first described in (Re 19:19-21). This account is from our earthly perspective, where we see the ultimate judgment of  the beast Islamic empire, and its leader, the False Prophet.  The passage below describes the spiritual loosing of Satan that leads to the battle of Armageddon.  

"And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city (Jerusalem).  And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them." (Re 20:7-9) 

However, the loosing of Satan described above, actually takes place at the sounding of the 5th Trumpet, which will start Islam's war of nuclear terrorism.  "Then the fifth angel sounded.  And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace... And thus I saw the horses in the vision... and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.  By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed... " (Re 9:1-2 and 17-18)

We must fervently pray for God's people in Israel.  The long feared invasion of Israel by a massive army of fanatical Muslim fighters, will indeed be a horrific nightmare of death and bloodshed.  However, it turns out that the actual battle of Armageddon isn't really much of a battle.  Our Savior, standing on Mount Zion, instantly destroys the massive Islamic army with the sharp sword of his awesome and deafening voice.

"And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."  He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Re 22:20)

FINAL INVASION of ISRAEL

 

The "Arab Spring" revolts have given radical Islamic forces the opportunity to take control.  Make no mistake though... radical Islam is not in control.  It is God who is now setting the stage for the final Middle East conflict.  Christ is returning soon.  Israel, who rejected her own Messiah, is now being prepared for a loving and gracious opportunity to accept her Savior before judgment falls.

 

"And I will bring them against you (Israel) from every side, the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, and all the Assyrians with them (and Persia)." (Ezk 23:24 and 38:5)  The precise territory held by the countries on the map below, were once controled by these empires. 

"Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog (Islam’s Leader), I will turn you about and put hooks into yourjaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords, Persia (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan), Ethiopia (Ethiopia, Sudan) and Put (Libya, Egypt) with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer (Turkey) with all its troops, Beth-togarmah (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) from the remote parts of the north with all its troops--many peoples with you." (Eze 38:3-6)

 

With this vastly overwhelming number of troops, Islamic forces will easily sweep through Israel and surround the Old City of Jerusalem.  It is here, on Mount Zion, that Christ Jesus, himself, will stand and defend the faithful of Israel who have turned to him.  "And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads." (Re 14:1)  These survivors (the 144,000) represent believers in Christ from all of Israel. (Re 7:4-8) 

"For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved.  Even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.  And this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (Ro 11:25-27)

Pray that, in these dark days, Israel will indeed turn to her Savior.

BIOFUEL, FOOD RIOTS, and the NEW CALIPHATE

The US and EU continue to push for more and more food to be turned into Ethanol and Biodiesel.  This has led stock market investors to bet heavily on a continual rise in food prices.  The graph above clearly shows that at the exact moment when Biofuel speculators jumped into food commodities, the Food Price Index skyrocketed.  In 2008 and 2011, the results were food riots around the world, especially in the Middle East. The riots in Arab countries today, are much less about freedom, and much more about EMPTY STOMACHS.

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On December 13, 2011, The New England Complex Systems Institute in Cambridge reported that global food prices were about to cross the threshold that they had predicted would spark world-wide riots. A few days later, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia, which did indeed spark the “Arab Spring”.  Today, this violent regime toppling movement continues to spread throughout the Middle East.

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Egypt's choice of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi for president marks the first time a modern Arab nation has elected an Islamic leader. So what does this decision mean to the Brotherhood and the world? Morsi's win rocked the Middle East.  Dori Gold, Israel's former ambassador to the U.N. says that "The victory of Mohammed Morsi in the Egyptian presidential election is really a regional earthquake in the Middle East.  Morsi's victory will be felt far beyond Egypt."

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"The Muslim Brotherhood is going to give a shot of adrenaline to radical Islamic groups across the world, particularly in the Middle East but also in Europe," he said. And Gold says that's why the truth must be told about the group's intentions. "Today, this organization is global and behind terror groups like Hamas, the Palestinian faction controlling the Gaza Strip.

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"The ultimate agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood is pretty clear. They speak about it, although not on American network television. The actual goal of the Muslim Brotherhood is to re-establish the Caliphate... a GLOBAL caliphate," Gold said.
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During one campaign rally, prominent Egyptian cleric Safwat Hagazy claimed the dream of the Islamic Caliphate is being realized by Dr. Muhammad Morsi and his supporters. "Our capital shall not be Cairo, Mecca or Medina. It shall be Jerusalem." 

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The New Islamic Caliphate is coming and, through nuclear terrorism, it will mean Islamic rule throughout the entire world... Impossible you say?  It will happen sooner than you can imagine... just as the Bible predicted!

Pray! 

BIOFUEL - CRIME and PUNISHMENT

Producing biofuels, ethanol (corn) and biodiesel (soybeans), is America’s most outrageous national sin since slavery. Due to the lies of man-made global warming, environmentalists are now cheering the burning of food in order to produce so-called clean energy. While the poor and hungry around the world starve, our nation's fertile plains, that once fed the world, are now growing food so that we can burn it in our cars. America, once generous, once blessed, is now risking God's wrath.
 

Seduced by lucrative subsidies from America and the EU, global corporations are buying up vast amounts of fertile land in South America and Africa. Poor and starving villagers, with empty stomachs, are forced to longingly stare at acres and acres of fenced off food crops destined to be burned in our cars. There is simply no greater sin that this!
 

God clearly promised that those who care for the poor out of their abundance, will be blessed. “He that hath a bounty shall be blessed, because he gives of his bread to the poor” (Prov 22:9) “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink” (Mt 25:34-35)
 

God also warned that those who ignore the plight of the poor and hungry will be punished. “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom… fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters, but she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezk 16:49) “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand… Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink” (Mt 25:40-42)
 

Robert Zoellick, the head of the World Bank, has recently said… “Ethanol cars run on human misery. Fill up with E85, starve a child.” And… "While many worry about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs."
 

The Los Angeles Times ran this article on 7/17/12… “The drought gripping the Midwest and about 80% of the country is the most widespread since 1956, stoking massive wildfires and decimating the nation's breadbasket crops, according to a report released Monday by the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought conditions led the Department of Agriculture recently to declare natural disasters in more than 1,000 counties in 26 states.
 

Last year, crop insurers paid record claims of about $11 billion for weather-related losses, including major losses in CORN and SOYBEANS, said David Graves of the Washington-based American Assn. of Crop Insurers. This year's losses could surpass that easily, “given that the drought is developing in CORN GROWING REGIONS, including Illinois and Indiana, he said.”
 

Cheap, clean and renewable energy from Biofuel is a myth. Biofuel requires enormous amounts of energy and vast amouts of precious water to produce. Without budget busting government subsidies, Ethanol and Biodiesel would already be labled as failed technologies. 

Nevertheless, our current president is deliberately crushing proven energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal, while encouraging and expanding the insanity of producing Biofuels. We, in America, are morally and Constitutionally responsible for our elected leaders.

 

Pray that, in November, we will have a good, decent, and God-fearing Christian man (or woman) to vote for.

REST !

What makes Christianity completely unique among the vast assortment of cults and religions? It is that Christian believers have absolutely no part in their salvation. Christians can do nothing! They must rest completely in the finished work of their Savior. Once we have confessed our utter sinfulness, and cry out to Christ for mercy, even the faith to believe is not our own! "...for by grace have ye been saved through faith, and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..." (Eph 2:8)

Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you REST." (Matthew 11:28) REST... it's such a wonderful word, such a beautiful concept, and it paints such a marvelous picture in our minds. The ultimate rest, of course, is resting in Christ. But... what does it really mean to rest in Christ?

To answer this very important question, we must first understand the true meaning of God's Sabbath. Because as Paul says... "...there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His..." (Hebrews 4:9-10) Our Great God and Savior would not have rested, if there were anything left to be accomplished for our salvation. Unfortunately today, most Christians believe in a personal ongoing sanctification process that God must finish when they get to Heaven. Sadly, this belief definitely puts Christ's atonement into the category of unfinished work.

But... what does sanctification have to do with God's Sabbath Rest? EVERYTHING! God established the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. It was a sacred sign to His people, that he alone would be the one to make them holy (sanctify them). God’s people MUST rest in the understanding that they can do absolutely nothing to make themselves holy in God’s sight. And, if we try… we are simply proving ourselves to be an evil unbeliever.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites… you must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I AM THE LORD WHO MAKES YOU HOLY. Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death, whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of REST, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.” (Exodus 31:12-15).

For Israel, resting COMPLETELY in the sign that God alone would be the one to make them holy, was not a suggestion, it was MANDATORY! This sign of their future sanctification found its fulfillment in our Savior Christ Jesus, who is the substance of the sign, and the Lord of the Sabbath. (Colossians 2:16-17) (Mark 2:28) Our resting COMPLETELY in Christ, the fulfillment of the sanctification promise, is also not a suggestion, it is also... MANDATORY!

In (Matthew 22:1-14), Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of Heaven. In this parable about the marriage of the King's Son, poor, shabby, and imperfect people are provided with special wedding robes to cover their own filthy garments. This special gift of the King, makes them all acceptable to be at the wedding of his son. However, one man refused to put on the special robe, and he was immediately "cast out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". The meaning of this parable is quite obvious. In Heaven, imperfect people are made acceptable by their covering, their ROBE that covers their sin and shame, and protects them from judgment.

Are you still hoping to be made perfect? Do you expect to be able to stand before God wrapped in your own holiness? GOOD LUCK!

MOSLEM or CULTIST

God warned his people that if we turn our back on him, he will stop blessing us. As we start to feel the consequences of our rebellion, we call on God to help us, however, he will not hear us! “Sound the alarm! The enemy (Islam) descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord, for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law. Now they plead with me, ‘Help us, for you are our God!’ But it is too late. The people have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them. The people have appointed kings (presidents) without my consent, and princes without my knowledge.” (Hosea 8:1-4)

Can we finally stop pretending that Barack Hussain Obama is a Christian… “President Obama failed to release a statement or a proclamation recognizing the national observance of Easter Sunday, Christianity’s most sacred holiday. By comparison, the White House has released statements recognizing the observance of major Muslim holidays and released statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha.” (AP)

It now seems that our only other choice for president is Mitt Romney, a leader in the Mormon Cult. Romney is not just a member of the Mormon Church, he is a BISHOP! He not only listens to what Mormons believe, he teaches what Mormons believe. Romney actually believes that Jesus is the brother of Lucifer, and Romney also believes that he will one day be a god who rules over his own planet. Seriously!! This is our only choice this year?

Since Obama has been president, America has suffered a continual economic depression, a barrage of tornados, hurricanes, droughts, fires, floods, and other disasters. Is this just a coincidence? I don’t think so. I believe that God has taken his hand of blessing off of our country. We will not survive as a blessed country if we don’t elect a real Christian this November.

But… if our only choice is a Moslem or a Mormon cultist, how can we vote with a clear conscience? We, as Christians MUST pray that the delegates pledged to Romney, will not actually cast their nomination votes for him at the convention. If Romney does not get the required number of votes on the first round, he will not get the nomination. The convention will be opened to other candidates to come forward and win the nomination. This, as Christians, is our only hope.

Pray for our nation!

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY... part 3

There will NOT be a Pre-Trib Rapture before the “Great Tribulation” begins.

The “Great Tribulation” already started in 690 AD. The exact timetable for the start of the Great Tribulation was given to us by the prophet Daniel. “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” (Dan 12:11) The regular sacrifice was abolished when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in 600 BC. Add 1,290 years (prophetic days) to 600 BC, and that brings us to 690 AD. Today’s abomination on the temple mount, the Dome of the Rock, was completed (set up) in 690 AD.

Jesus confirmed Daniel’s prophesy when he warned of great tribulation… “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the temple mount), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a GREAT TRIBULATION, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Mt 24:15-21)

Islamic Jihad I against apostate Christendom began in 690 AD. Jihad I ended 45 years later in 735 AD after the defeat of Islamic forces at the battle of Tours, led by Charles Martel of France. “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!” (1,335 days = 45 years EXACTLY)

The “Rapture” takes place at the Last (Seventh) Trumpet. “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Mt 24:31) “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last (seventh) trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1Co 15:51-52)

What happens in the Book of Revelation just before the sounding of the last (seventh) trumpet? The Two Witnesses that were killed in the streets of Jerusalem are resurrected and RAPTURED up to Heaven. The very next moment the seventh trumpet sounds, and the rest of us are also caught up to Heaven.

Pre-Trib supporters claim that God would not pour out his wrath on his people. Therefore, the Rapture must take place before the Great Tribulation begins. This is a completely bogus assumption, since God’s wrath is not poured out until the BOWL JUDGMENTS. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the WRATH of God.”

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY... part 2

The Islamic abomination, the “Dome of the Rock”, will not be removed from the holy temple mount, therefore, there will NOT be a third temple built in Jerusalem… EVER!

The primary OT passages used to try to establish some sort of proof for a third temple in Jerusalem is (Dan. 9:27, 11:31 &12:11) and (Ezk 45). The problem is… Ezekiel and the book of Daniel were written after Solomon’s temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 600 BC (2 Kings 25:8–9) (Dan 1:1–2) and before the temple had been rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 6:13–15). It was this post-exile rebuilt temple that was desecrated by the pig-sacrificing Antiochus Epiphanes around 170 BC. After a period of neglect, the temple was in need of repair. Herod the Great restored and enlarged this rebuilt second temple, a project that started around 20 B.C. and was completed just a few years before it was destroyed in AD 70.

It is this SECOND temple that Jesus cursed and declared that it would be under a permanent desolation. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” (Mt 23:37-39) Exactly what about “ LEFT DESOLATE” do these third temple preachers not understand?

Is there any indication, from Ezekiel or Daniel, that we are supposed to skip over the next temple that was rebuilt, and was still standing in Jesus’ day, and jump to some future post-rapture great tribulation third temple? The answer is… NO!

(2Thessalonians 2:1-12) is the primary NT passage to try to convince us that a third temple will be built. It is also one of the most miss-interpreted passages in today's Christian Church. In all of his writings, Paul only uses the term "Temple of God" five times, and all five times, it is used to describe the CHURCH, or INDIVIDUALS within the Church. Paul clearly has one theme in mind here... THE APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH, and WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE. This passage has absolutely no relevance to a third Jewish temple. The person who takes his seat in the Church (Temple of God) and proclaims himself equal in holiness to Christ… is not Antichrist alone, but also the apostate Christian who believes the same lie.

Finally, the temple that John is told to measure, while he is in Heaven, is also in HEAVEN. (Re 11:1-2 & 19) (Re 15:5-8)

Please don't wait for a third Jewish temple to be built... it won't happen!