Today is an exciting time to be alive! I am 63 years old, and I believe that I will
see the coming of the LORD! The time of His coming is like the ripening of the
fruit…we’re almost there…Woo Hoo!!!!
What I’m about to say may not sit well with everyone because
the Church has been very much asleep…or more like one day-dreaming…or just not
paying attention to the signs of the times.
The LORD told us to look at the “fig tree” …to look at Israel.
Reba Rambeau, Dottie’s daughter, wrote about the Church in her
play, The Bride. Angels, looking at the Church, and seeing her
as a little girl, who was not mature, but swinging and singing “Jesus is coming
to see me.” She was sort of chanting
those words.
In the play, the Church has to grow into the Bride of Christ…with
combat boots on!
I was a young adult, when I first happened on to the Scofield
Reference Bible. I was newly an
Independent Baptist, having left the Southern Baptist Church of my
childhood.
There were many professors,
in the colleges that had begun with Christian influence, that were leaving out
the virgin birth, aligning with the world more and more…even doing abortions at
the Southern Baptist Hospital in my city.
At that time I was taken with the Scofield Study Bible with
all the reference notes and commentary.
I loved the book, The Late Great Planet Earth, and I was caught
up in all the excitement of the pre-tribulation rapture theory.
Now, don’t stop and get mad at me here…let me share …and then
you make up your mind about the trip I took.
I had been raised in the Southern Baptist Church…knew that the LORD
would return…but in a general judgment.
I had not heard of the rapture until I was about 24 years old.
Being an eternal student, like I am, I was swept up into all
the excitement…that the eminent return of the LORD was at hand! I mean all the
people around me believed that we were not going through the tribulation…and
whew!!! I was soooo glad!!!
For the Great Tribulation had such an ominous sound…one
of dred…I mean, it was so nice to be able to believe that I’d not have to see
any judgment…who wouldn’t want the rapture…the catching away of the saints…to
come before the troubled times.
I can remember in the 70’s, as I led a group called Mothers On
the March against the feminists, and the ERA…equal rights’ amendment to our
Constitution here in the U.S…that we were talking with a group of Church of
Christ ladies who were also against the ERA, and we were saying, “See ya in the
rapture!”
Those ladies made it clear to us that they thought we were
very immature…to think that God was going to deliver this wicked Bride from all
trouble…when He said He was coming for an unblemished Bride. It was so easy for me to buy into that
theory, because I was already diluded with another one…once saved always saved.
Now, don’t get me wrong…there are some fantastic people…many
precious saints who believe both of these ideas…that we’re saved no matter how
we live, just so long as at some point we confessed our sins and said with our
mouths that Jesus is LORD!
During the 70’s, I also had fighting the ERA with me a group
of Pentecostals…and as one said to me one day, “What do you do with the
scripture…He who endures to the end shall be saved!” That scripture was a stumbling block for my
once saved always saved philosophy, as was the one in Hebrews that says not to
let our hearts be hardened like Israel in the desert.
I can really go on and on…how I have moved from one expecting
Jesus to come and removed me from trouble no matter how I lived…to one who
spends time daily with Him in the Secret Place, filling myself on the Word…the
Sword of the Spirit…which is two-edged and separate the Truth from the lie.
So many who believed like me didn’t even buy land or invest in
anything toward retirement, etc., because they were not going to be here…I mean
expectation was that we would have been long gone from here in the rapture…and
should now be in the millennial years here on earth.
Am I making any sense? I hope so…
If you don’t want to believe me, just do yourself a favor and
lay aside all the footnotes in the Bibles…buy one without any commentaries…and
explanations. Get you a Strong’s
Exhaustive concordance and a KJV of the Bible…so that you can have the Hebrew
and the Greek definitions…and translate for yourself.
Let’s
look solely at the WORD. Matthew 24 is
Jesus being asked by His disciples to tell them about the end of days. He is sitting with his chosen, and they are
asking Him, their LORD, and He answers them:
Matthew 24: 3-
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the
disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be?
And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of
the age?”
4 And Jesus
answered and said to them: “Take
heed that no one deceives you. 5 For
many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And
you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for
all these things must come to pass, but the end
is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and
earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the
beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation
and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And
then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then
many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.12 And
because lawlessness will abound, the
love of many will grow cold.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
in all the world as a witness to all the nations,
and then
the end will come.
15 “Therefore
when you see the ‘abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let him
who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And
let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But
woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those
days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in
winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For then
there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of
the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And
unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 “Then if
anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do
not believe it.24 For false christs and
false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See,
I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore
if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He
isin the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For
as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the
carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of
those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see
the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The high-lighting is by me in order to follow
what is being said here…it’s the teacher in me, I guess…and that teacher that I
am has some questions…
Who is asking the questions?...Jesus’ disciples
Who is answering the questions? …Jesus
I don’t think anyone doubts that we are in the
beginning of sorrows…when has there ever been such trouble as earthquakes and
famine…and nations rising against each other and within themselves…in fact,
ever increasing…
An d, if you are listening to Christian media,
you know that Christians, such as our Pakistinian brethren, are running…seeking
asylum in other nations. There’s much
persecution …South Africa is concerned right now as Mandella looks as if he’s
dying. So much concern even here…with
how the businesses are closing as our 1st amendment rights are under
attack…as well as our 2nd and 3rd…our very Constitution
itself.
Now, let’s look on at Matthew 24…in the middle
of lawlessness abounding and the love of many waxing cold…Jesus says, He who endures to the end shall be saved.
Another question? The end of what? And, is this the same saved as sozo? Salvation
in Christ? Yes, it is.
Then, after those in Judea fleeing…He says,
Those days shall be shortened for whose sake? The elect’s sake. Who are the elect? Believers in Christ.
Now, I know there are those of you who are sold
out on the fact that the LORD will remove the Church from the earth…in order
for the Holy Spirit not to be here…and for satan to have full reign…but I have
a question?
Can there be an elect with no Holy Spirit? I
mean who is it that woos us to the LORD! Jesus says, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men . Without, Holy Spirit, how will Jesus be
lifted up to draw all men.
As lightening comes for the east and flashes to
the west, so will the coming of the LORD be…when? Immediately after the tribulation…
I know that we are told this is the 2nd
half of the Coming of the LORD…brought to the Church by Derby, and Scofield,
and Dakes…but notice the description of the LORD’s Coming…
the Son of Man…coming on the (1) clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 … His (2)
angels with a great sound of a (3) trumpet…and… (4) gather together His elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17 says,
13 But I do not want you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 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.
16 For the Lord
Himself will (1) descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an (2)archangel,
and with the (3)trumpet of God. And (4)
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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.
You know, if I read this for myself without anyone leading me in a
commentary, I find that the only difference I see in the description is that it
is written by 2 accounts…so often like the Gospels. Matthew wrote Matthew…and he was there. Paul wrote what the disciples and Holy Spirit
told him…and there’s not enough difference that would convince me they are
different.
1 Corinthians 15: 51- 52 is another one:
Notice it mentions the ones asleep and the ones who remain…just like 1
Thess. 13-15…
51 Behold, I tell
you a mystery: We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Changed? In a moment! In the twinkling of an eye!
When? At the last trumpet…
There it is again …the sounding of the trumpet…but what’s different
here?
Which trumpet? LAST
Now, where do we find the last trumpet???
In the last book of our Bible, the book of Revelation of course!
Chapter 8 has the 1st 4 trumpets. Ch. 9 has trumpets 5 and 6…all pretty doomy
and gloomy…
After chapters 10 and 11, Chapter 12 announces the coming of our King!
Revelation 12: 15-19…
15 Then the seventh angel sounded:
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign
forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who
sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You
thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations
were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the
saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God was
opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant[c] was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings,
noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 8:6 announced the 7
angels:
So the seven angels who had the
seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
This is very important to grasp…7
angels are assigned to sound 7 trumpets…and 6 of them bring trouble, but when
the 7th is blown…we hear the Hallelujah Chorus!!! Loud voices in
heaven saying, The Kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord
and of His Christ, and He shall reign
forever and ever!!!
We are changed when the last
trumpet sounds declaring Jesus King of Kings and LORD of Lord, and He shall
reign forever and ever!!!
I used to wonder how I would
prepare …just in case what I was finding in the Word was true…and what I was
hearing among fellow believers…and in our churches was wrong…and this is where
I am!
I decided that the LORD knows
what He’s doing. He created Heaven and
earth and quite frankly He knows the story from beginning to end.
If He wants to come before the
end…I’m ready…and if He is not coming for awhile…I’ ready!
I realized that saying I’m a
Christian and going to church…even praying sometimes awhile…and sometimes not
ever getting around to it…well, it wasn’t enough for me.
I saw myself as that cat in a
cartoon, when trying to catch himself as He slides down the wall…that was me!
I was a part-time prayer
warrior. When I needed to pray for the
sick…or give Godly counsel…I had to separate myself and spend time with the
LORD…to get ready to minister.
I struggled every day with
family, friends, relationships…getting offended or saying too much…or too little…
And then, I got it! The light
bulb came on!
If I spend time with the LORD
every morning…never unfaithful…then, I’m always ready.
If I abide in the Secret Place
of the Most High…that means dwelling. Living
in Jesus! Then, I’m ready!!!
If I remain…do not leave the
LORD’s perfect will for me…I can make decisions and know that His plans for me
are for good and not evil…to give me a future and a hope.
The same Spirit who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in me!!!
Woo Hoo!
I’m invincible until He says it’s
time…it’s over!
Until He calls me home, I’m not
going anywhere…
I remain busy about my Father’s
business…excited that His ways are higher than my ways…looking forward to
seeing the coming of the LORD!!!
Until the next time….
Teddi
