A More Careful Look at the Rapture, Part 4 of 4

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 
 

• Featured Article: A More Careful Look at the Rapture, Part 4 of 4 
• Why Is There Suddenly an Extremely Severe Shortage of Workers All Over The World? 
• Nearing Midnight: America’s Crumbling Electrical Grid 
• Why Is a Biblically Sound View of Eternity so Essential? 
• Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: What do you get when you cross liberalism with pride? 
• Daily Devotion: A Proper Perspective on Prophecy 

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A More Careful Look at the Rapture, Part 4 of 4 - By Ron Ferguson - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/09/17/a-more-careful-look-at-the-rapture-part-4-of-4-by-ron-ferguson/
 
[H2]. THE LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS:
 
1Thessalonians 4:14-17, “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep 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, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep, 16 for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall 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.”
 
When we move to 1Thessalonians, we see the order in the Rapture developed much fuller, and the verses we look at are 4:13-18. The purpose of writing this was for Paul to provide comfort as he explained in the final verse – 1Thess 4:18, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” The reason there had to be comfort was that the Thessalonians let Paul know they were disquieted and concerned, even agitated, about the fate of the ones among them who had died without the Lord returning.
 
When Paul was with them, he explained that the Lord was coming back to gather His own (in the Rapture). At that time, they expected the Rapture (that event) to be imminent, and some of their number had died; therefore, those alive were thinking the dead ones had missed out because they died. In verse 13, Paul said he did not want those believers to be uninformed, and he did not want them grieving. Paul then had to explain carefully to them the order of events in the Rapture, and they are these:
 
1. Verse 14 – The whole teaching of the Rapture depends on the resurrection of Christ Himself. He is the first fruits. This AGAIN is another parallel with 1 Corinthians, cementing these two passages closely as one.
2. Verse 14 – When the Lord appears in the air for His saints, He is going to bring back with Him the spirits of all those who have already died as believers. The New Testament never speaks of a believer dying; it always says “fell asleep.” These who return with the Lord are the first to be changed, as in 1 Corinthians 15:53.
3. Verse 15 – The first order is given: “We who are alive shall not precede those who have died.” (We shall not be caught up before them, it means. They go first.)
4. Verse 16 – The Lord leads the way (as He shall also do at the second Coming in Rev 19), and He shouts. I am taking an educated guess that what He says is what is recorded from heaven in Rev 4:1, “Come up here!” 4:1 is the Church being taken to heaven at the end of the Church age, where the great worship scene then occurs in Rev 4 and 5.
5. Verse 16 – The voice of the archangel will be heard, but we don’t know here, now, what he says. Michael comes, but with the angel band also, I think. The trumpet is also mentioned in Rev 4:1, a rapture verse, and is heard at the same time. The trumpet is always a summons for an assembly and also was used to rouse the army from sleep in the early morning. This will correspond with the Feast of Trumpets (those 7 feasts are a remarkable study). There are those who think when the Rapture happens, it will correspond with the Feast of Trumpets, “Rosh Hashana,” and it is an interesting thought, but we can’t know for sure.
 
For those who like to consider things, here is something for you. I AM NOT DATE-SETTING, AND I DON’T BELIEVE IN SETTING DATES. Seven is God’s perfect number. It is used more than 50 times in the book of Revelation. In the Bible, seven means not only perfection but completion, for if it is perfect, it is complete.
 
I believe God’s completion for the human race in its history before the eternal state of Revelation 20/21 is 7,000 years (whether exact or not, I can’t say). There are about 2,000 years between Adam and Abraham; about 2,000 years between Abraham and the Lord Jesus on earth; about 2,000 years from the Lord until now; and there will be 1,000 years in the Millennial reign. In total, 7,000 years. If you want to break it up a bit more, the Lord was born in 4 B.C., and the crucifixion was in 29 A.D. (some say 30 A.D. [He was about 33 when He went to the cross.]). There will be 7 years of Tribulation. A.D. 30 plus 2,000 is 2,030. Take off the 7-year Tribulation, and you have 2023.
 
THESE DATES AND NUMBERS ARE ONLY GUIDELINES. I am not date-setting but will draw only one conclusion – The Rapture must be close, and many witnesses testify to that as seen in the R.R. postings!
 
6. Verse 16 – Paul plainly says, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Consistent with the wording of 1Cor 15:52, the dead will rise first; the perishable are first. The mortals rise second.
7. Verse 17 – Those of us who are alive at the Rapture and remaining on earth are next to be caught up to the Lord. He will be in the clouds, and we are caught up in the clouds. The very probable meaning is that we are caught up with clouds, into the clouds, but this following analysis is an interesting thought I won’t pursue.
 
From Greek scholar F B Meyer – “[ἐν νεφέλαις] not instead of εἰς νεφέλας (Moldenhauer), but either in clouds, i.e., enveloped in clouds, or better, on clouds, i.e., enthroned in their midst.” [the Greek “en” is normally “in, on” whereas “eis” is “into.”] There are some who have made a case for “believers rising in clouds” – clouds of believers rising. When the Lord comes, He invades Satan’s territory with the absolute command of authority. Satan is the prince of the power of the air.
 
8. Verse 17 – From that point onwards, we will always be with the Lord, firstly as the espoused Bride, and then in Rev 19, the actual married Bride.
9. Verse 18 – The Rapture is coming. Believers from all ages, look up because your redemption draws near; yes, we are redeemed, but THEN we are “the redeemed,” fully righteous and unflawed in the Lord’s hands. All the slip-ups, all the failures behind us, fully loved in the Lord’s grace.
 
[I]. IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE:
 
All which transpired in the points 1-9 above happens in this way – 1Cor 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
 
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” The Greek for “in a moment” is “εν ατόμω” (en atomō). “atoma/o” was the Greek word from which the English “atom” came. The word comes from the Greek verb meaning “to cut.” When the atom was discovered, it got that name because it was thought it was the smallest particle of matter that could no longer be cut = the very smallest particle you could get. Of course, now the atom is itself a whole universe. In Paul’s reference, it means a particle of time that is indivisible. It is instantaneous.
 
The word rendered “twinkling” (“ῥιπή” = ripe, from “ρίπτω” [rhipto], means “to throw, a cast, jerk,” as of a stone); and then “a jerk of the eye,” that is, “a wink” – Commentator Robinson. It can mean “the downward motion of the eyelid” or a blink of a light, or of the eye. All that is so quick. So shall be the Rapture.
 
THE CHURCH WILL NOT ENTER THE TRIBULATION!
 
The Rapture is called “the blessed hope,” and it cannot be called that if what we have to look forward to is fear, wrath and judgment. Titus 2:11-13, “The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus.” We do not look out for the Tribulation; we look out for that which is the hope that is within us.
 
There are definite verses to prove the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation can start. But before that, we consider the following:
 
The Tribulation does not begin until Revelation chapter 6, and in the two previous chapters, we see the Church in heaven having been raptured in Rev 4:1. It is already there before the first seal is broken. The wrath of God against sin was what the Lord endured on the cross. He did that on our behalf. The Lord took the wrath meant for me in Himself and paid the penalty in full. How awful would be the justice of God if He demanded that I have to suffer that wrath by being in the Tribulation after the Son of God already suffered the wrath for me? I covered that horrible dishonoring doctrine that places Christians in the Tribulation in an earlier section.
 
Now the verses that prove the Church does not enter the wrath of the Tribulation:
 
1Thessalonians 1:9-10, “They themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
 
1Thessalonians 5:9, “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
 
[J]. ONE LAST THOUGHT:
 
The Rapture is a glorious hope, and as this world darkens, I want the Lord to come. I really do want the Rapture to happen. For another reason, I want it to happen, there has been a terrible slaughter in the recent past in Nigeria and Sudan at the hands of Islam, and Christians are in terrible torture and suffering. It is horrific. In China, Christians are suffering awful persecution. Afghanistan is the latest place for atrocities against Christians. Indeed, in every place where Islam is in power, there is violence and persecution against Christians. Islam is of Satan. I want the Lord to come to deliver His hurting people.
 
In a post called “Why Are You Cast Down My Soul in This Present World?” on R.R., I mentioned the heaviness that is holding the world in its clutches. The non-Christian battles to understand the chaotic times and has no hope or any certainty about the future. The Christian should know what is in store in future events, but sadly, many don’t because the truth is denied them for two reasons.
 
The first is they are not taught it by church leaders who don’t bother to learn themselves. The second is that there seems to be a mentality among so many who claim the Christian name but are so complacent that they couldn’t care less. That is sad.
 
I recently finished a deeper Bible study on the church at Smyrna, and I asked the people, “Would you yourself like to be in those days of persecution and martyrdom, or would you prefer conditions like the ones we now live in?” Well, they all chose the latter option, as I think we all would, but they understood that the church was more dedicated and holy under persecution. None of us likes to suffer. Then I asked, “When is the church the most vibrant and healthiest?” They knew the answer to that – persecution refines God’s people. All the dross will leave, and the gold remains.
 
It could well be time that the Lord is going to bring in persecution and hard times into the western church so that the refiner’s fire might blaze among us. We are in the days of the Laodicean mindset. Read the posting to RR I titled “Zebra Matters” that deals with lukewarm Christianity.
 
However, my wishing for the Rapture so I can leave this sinful scene – is that just me wanting to escape trouble and hardship in the world, and therefore a selfish motive? Am I focusing on M.E. and my desire and not showing compassion or thoughts for a dying world? No wonder Paul said he was torn between wanting to go and to remain. God bless us as that time draws near.
 
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
 
END OF PART 4
 
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Why Is There Suddenly an Extremely Severe Shortage of Workers All Over The World? - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/why-is-there-suddenly-an-extremely-severe-shortage-of-workers-all-over-the-world/
 
The unprecedented employment crisis that we are watching unfold around the globe is so bizarre that it could have been pulled straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone. For the very first time in recorded history, there is an extremely severe shortage of workers in nations all over the planet. When this shortage first started to emerge earlier this year, I thought that it was very strange, because 2020 had been a year when we had seen unemployment absolutely skyrocket in the U.S. and other western nations. In fact, somewhere around 70 million Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last year. Not too long ago we had vast hordes of people that were out of work, and now we are suddenly facing the greatest labor shortage in history?
 
Something is not adding up.
 
When I wrote my most recent article about the labor shortage, a few people wrote to me and blamed the Biden administration for what we are witnessing.
 
And it is certainly true that actions that the Biden administration has taken have made the labor shortage in the United States even worse.
 
But the Biden administration is not the reason why there is an extremely severe shortage of workers literally all over the planet. In Vietnam, for example, there are so few workers that the government actually sent the army out to help with the rice harvest…
 
Across the world, a dearth of workers is shaking up food supply chains.
 
In Vietnam, the army is assisting with the rice harvest. In the U.K., farmers are dumping milk because there are no truckers to collect it. Brazil’s robusta coffee beans took 120 days to reap this year, rather than the usual 90. And American meatpackers are trying to lure new employees with Apple Watches while fast-food chains raise the prices of burgers and burritos.
 
Why aren’t there enough people to do these jobs?
 
We have never seen anything like this before.
 
Considering the horrendous unemployment crisis that gripped much of the globe during the earlier stages of this pandemic, you would think that there should be colossal pools of desperate workers for large companies to choose from at this point.
 
But instead, it is almost as if untold numbers of low paid workers have simply disappeared.
 
Of course certain types of workers are far more important to the basic functioning of the global economy than other types of workers.
 
For example, the world would be just fine if there was a severe shortage of actors and actresses.
 
But if there aren’t enough people to grow, process and transport our food, that is a massive problem, and that is precisely what we are currently facing…
 
Whether it’s fruit pickers, slaughterhouse workers, truckers, warehouse operators, chefs or waiters, the global food ecosystem is buckling due to a shortage of staff. Supplies are getting hit and some employers are forced to raise wages at a double-digit pace. That’s threatening to push food prices – already heated by soaring commodities and freight costs – even higher. Prices in August were up 33% from the same month last year, according to an index compiled by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.
 
Unfortunately, the shortages and price increases are eventually going to get a whole lot worse.
 
I cannot recall another time since the dawn of history when the entire world has ever faced something like this.
 
Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
All over the globe, we are being told that shortages of food are being caused because there simply is not enough people to do the work…
 
Shortages are hitting farms, processors and restaurants alike. Malaysia, the world’s No.2 palm oil producer, has lost about 30% of potential output of the edible oil used in everything from chocolate to margarine. Shrimp production in southern Vietnam – one of the world’s top exporters – has dropped by 60% to 70% from before the pandemic. And a fifth of tomato production in the south of Italy has been lost this year, due to the scorching heat and transport paralysis, according to the farmers’ association CIA.
 
Before the pandemic, there was never a time when we didn’t have enough workers to do the basic tasks that needed to get done.
 
In fact, many nations around the globe were persistently facing huge problems with rampant unemployment.
 
But now the pandemic has come along and suddenly all of our unemployment problems have been solved?
 
I don’t understand why this isn’t raising a red flag for more people.
 
Here in the United States, if you want a job you certainly have many to choose from these days.
 
In response to the article that I posted a few days ago, one of my readers sent me an email describing what conditions are like in one section of Illinois…
 
Where have all the people gone? When you drive down the highway in Fairview Heights and Swansea, Illinois, there are signs on both sides, now hiring. Fazoli’s, a fast food Italian restaurant has a sign stating that they pay up to $15 an hour. Domino’s is looking for employees, Sparkle Car Wash, a rental business, and several others within a two or three block area. Panera Bread Company has signs posted outside that they closed early now due to lack of employees. Food items on our grocery shelves are dwindling and they are never replaced. Some of the food is expired. I noticed when trying to purchase butter at Aldi’s, it had the same expiration date as it did months ago. They put out expired butter and left it out to sell in the cooler. Same thing at Schnuck’s, you have to be careful and check the expiration dates. A lot of their food has either expired or is about to expire very soon.
 
At a time when basic services are breaking down because of a lack of workers, the Biden administration has decided to make things even worse by imposing offensive new mandates on tens of millions of workers.
 
As these new mandates go into effect, we could soon see things we have never seen before in the history of our country.
 
For instance, it is being projected that close to half of the entire police force in the city of San Diego could soon be forced to quit their jobs…
 
A rather remarkable situation in San Diego that we could see play out in the rest of the nation. The police union, The San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA), asked their members about the vaccination mandate.
 
65 percent of the respondents said they would consider quitting the force if the city were to impose a requirement. However, an alarming 45 percent said they would rather be fired than comply with the mandate.
 
The SDPOA has 1,971 members. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, half of those officers are not vaccinated. If that half of the entire police department were to be fired for non-compliance with the vaccine mandate, the city of San Diego would be in a really sketchy place.
 
The path that the Biden administration has decided to take us down is absolutely nuts.
 
As scores of qualified workers leave their posts, the problems that we are facing right now could go to an entirely new level.
 
But the U.S. is only one piece of the overall puzzle.
 
Everywhere in the world there are alarming labor shortages, and we are being told that this is a crisis that isn’t going to be solved any time soon.
 
So once again, there is a very simple question that I must ask.
 
Where did all the people go?
 
This is story of monumental importance, and hardly anyone is talking about it. 

 
 


 
Nearing Midnight: America’s Crumbling Electrical Grid – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
 
If you want to know about the spiritual and economic state of a nation, just look at the soundness of its electrical grid. In many nations, power outages are a regular occurrence. Billions of people have to plan their daily activities by when the power is on.
 
The nation Zimbabwe has found itself in dire straits in its ability to produce electricity. The South African nation is well known for printing vast amounts of its currency that produced a 100 trillion-dollar note. With all the money printing, one would expect the country could afford additional power generation plants or at least import energy while conducting maintenance work at its largest power stations.
 
But that’s not the case whatsoever. Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Co. (ZETDC) has cut power to customers for 12 hours per day. ZETDC told Bloomberg that it “is experiencing a power shortfall due to generation” and “limited imports.”
 
The power company conducted load shedding to “balance the power supply available and the connected load.” This involves widespread cuts to industrial and agricultural areas. Hospitals, water, sewer installations, and oxygen-producing plants are going to be spared during the blackouts.
 
The nation of Spain doesn’t have a problem with producing power, but it is in crisis mode over the cost of electricity. Spain’s Socialist-led government announced temporary tax cuts on power prices in an attempt to drive down household electricity costs, which have surged this summer and triggered outrage among the working poor.
 
Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, addressed the nation to minimize political damage from the hyperinflationary rise in power prices. He said taxes on electricity would be significantly reduced, and energy companies would be taxed on their “extraordinary profits” and “redirected to consumers.”
 
When I was a kid, I thought the reliability of electricity was as certain as the strength and the US dollar. America must have lost its way because our nation’s power producers are rapidly losing their ability to maintain a constant flow of electricity.
 
During the past year, we have had three problematic events in the power supply industry. California has had to start rationing electricity based on if the wind was blowing. Because the state’s largest power producer, PG&E, has been driven to the point of bankruptcy by the liability cost of power lines that trigger wildfires, all utilities in California now cut power when the weather is deemed as too risky.
 
It is a given reality that power is going to fail if an area is hit by a major hurricane. This is what has just taken place in Louisiana. At one point, the state had 1.2 million people without power. The problem is that the state’s electrical grid didn’t get knocked down; it got decimated. The City of New Orleans had eight sources of electricity, and all eight were taken out by the storm.
 
The biggest crisis in power production and supply occurred in Texas this February. The State’s grid came very close to suffering a complete meltdown. I warned a few years ago about the danger of relying on natural gas, and Texas showed how much more dangerous it is to heavily rely on gas for power. I had no idea that it could freeze up in cold weather.
 
We may see a fourth crisis this coming winter. Right now, the supply of natural gas is nowhere close to where it needs to be. In the past year, it has doubled in price. If we have a cold winter, electric bills are going to go sky-high.
 
The key problem with natural gas is that we have limited ability to store it. We have plenty of it, but we don’t have the infrastructure to move it from one location to another. From space at night, western North Dakota looks as bright as New York City because of all the natural gas being burnt off in the drilling for oil.
 
Because so many states have replaced their coal-burning plants with natural gas, we could have an event where a cold snap could cause an area to simply run out of power. Coal is considered dirty on many levels, but when I lived in Nebraska, I knew how reliant it was. When I drove past the massive coal plant on the Missouri River, I could tell the small mountain of coal at the plant could last for several months.
 
It was once true that every time we had a major crisis, it would lead to reform. If we had a major power failure, our leaders would take the right steps to fix things. When a nation becomes so corrupt in its ways, calamity only brings on more corruption. I fear America is well on its way to becoming another Zimbabwe.
 
“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
 

 


 
Why Is a Biblically Sound View of Eternity so Essential? – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2021/9/21/4-ways-the-bible-helps-us-understand-our-destination
 
In his devotional, New Morning Mercies, Paul David wrote this,
 
“You see, a sound biblical doctrine of the future is the only way to arrive at a sound biblical understanding of the present. If there is a final glorious destination for all God’s children, then this time is not a destination, but a preparation for a final destination.”
 
In other words, we need a true Bible-based perspective of our future beyond this life in order to understand our journey through it. Without such a Scripture-based forward look to the paradise that awaits us, we often err by making this life our destination and eternity but an afterthought.
 
In his book Desire, author John Eldredge quoted physicist Blaise Pascal as saying, “Our imagination so powerfully magnifies time, by continual reflections upon it, and so diminishes eternity…for want of reflection…we make a nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing.”[i]
 
We all struggle with this at times, do we not? It’s so easy to value what we see above our future destination, that of imperishable bodies, reigning with Jesus, and a spectacular eternal state. When we lose sight of these things, we also lose a biblical understanding of our lives this side of eternity.
 
So, why is a biblically sound doctrine of eternity so essential for our everyday lives?
 
1. IT FOCUSES OUR HOPE EXCLUSIVELY ON JESUS’ APPEARING
 
The Rapture has become a source of much mocking today and unfortunately such ridicule often comes from those within the church. However, the New Testament teaches that Jesus is coming for His church before the Second Coming and before the start of the Tribulation period.
 
As such, Jesus’ appearing is our imminent expectation as it was for the early believers. Paul summed up this eager anticipation in Philippians 3:20-21, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” The word for “await” depicts a heightened eagerness and attentiveness for a future event.
 
Our hope rests totally in Jesus’ appearing to take us to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:1-3; Colossians 3:4). We live in biblical times; this is the season of His return for us.
 
Yet, the most popular teachings of our day deny this biblically sound understanding of our imminent hope in one of two ways. First, many pastors tell us that life will return to normal; the world has seen times like this before in its history and recovered. “Today is no different than previous periods of chaos and evil,” they say.
 
A second popular misconception unduly exalts the church making it the shelter for the current storm rather than the Lord Jesus. Most in this camp make the unbiblical claim that the church itself will bring in the millennium with Jesus returning at its conclusion. Some teach a more subtle form of this dominion theology, yet equally errant, by making the visible church a mystical safe refuge amid the wickedness and violence that surrounds us.
 
Please know that in such a time as this, our hope must rest in Christ alone. All the teachings that deny the imminent appearing of Jesus for His church exalt what we can see above what’s invisible and in so doing take our focus away from Jesus.
 
2. IT ASSURES US THAT THE LORD WILL PUNISH THE WICKEDNESS WE SEE
 
Perhaps the biggest frustration of our day is that evil, vile people appear to enjoy much success while those who hope in the Savior face increasing persecution and opposition. Those who kill Christians, or those that enable them to do so, seem to have all the power at the moment.
 
The Bible tells us not to fret over the success of wicked people because in the end God will judge them (Psalm 37:7-15). The Old Testament depicts the horrors of the day of the Lord in which the entire earth will feel the impact of God’s wrath (Isaiah 13:9-13; Zephaniah 1:14-19). The book of Revelation adds details to this coming time of judgment upon the earth in chapters 6-18.
 
“If hell is real, and it is,” one might ask, “why is it necessary for the Lord to deal with sinners in this life? Why is the seven-year Tribulation a necessity if God will surely deal with sinners at the White Throne judgement?”
 
I believe the Lord will display His wrath in such a way for the following reasons:
 
First, the Tribulation will give God an opportunity to display His glory. After He destroys the powers in the Gog-Magog alliance, He will declare, “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them” (Ezekiel 39:21). Those now seeking to destroy our way of life will see a full demonstration of His power and sovereignty ahead of their ultimate destruction. They will witness the Lord’s glory firsthand.
 
Second, His judgments during this time will give sinners one last chance to call upon the Lord (Revelation 9:20-21). Though most people will continue in their rejection of the Savior, the Bible tells us that a great multitude will turn to Him and find eternal life (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17).
 
Third, the wrath of the day of the Lord will give the world a visual representation of His justice. The Lord’s direct and unmistakable intervention in human history during the Tribulation will demonstrate His intent to judge all those who reject the Savior and His provision of eternal life.
 
3. IT ADDS CONTEXT TO OUR LIVES VIA OUR FUTURE REIGN WITH JESUS
 
For those of us securely in Christ, our future millennial reign with Him provides a context into which we can place personal tragedies and other experiences during our short-lived journey this side of eternity.
 
Much like it might have been for Joseph, bound in chains headed for a life of slavery in Egypt, it’s difficult to see beyond the trials and many disappoints in our lives. However, just as the Lord used hardship and injustice to prepare Joseph for his rule alongside Pharaoh and preserve His chosen people, so the Lord blends together our struggles, talents, gifts, hardships, and experiences to prepare us to reign with Him during the thousand-year period we refer to as the Millennium.
 
Yes, trials come to test us, enable spiritual growth, and provide us with opportunities to serve others in the body of Christ. However, I believe the Lord is also preparing us for our future role in His glorious kingdom.
 
At this point you might also ask, “Why is the millennium necessary? Could He not accomplish the exact same purposes in the eternal state?” These are good questions, however, I believe Millennium is a biblical necessity because:
 
It will vindicate the holiness of God before all the nations of the world (Ezekiel 36:22-23; 39:25-29; Zephaniah 3:14-20).
 
It will demonstrate that the Lord is a covenant and promise keeper. At the start of the Millennium, He will restore the fortunes of Israel just as promised throughout the Old Testament.
 
It will further glorify Jesus as the Father exalts the Son to rule over the earth, the very place of His rejection and great suffering (Psalm 2; Daniel 7:13-14).
 
It will prove the innate sinfulness of humanity. After one thousand years of perfect conditions on the earth and the rule of a righteous Sovereign, a multitude will rise up against Jesus (Revelation 20:7-10). This will decisively remove the excuse that it’s the environment that causes people to reject the Savior.
 
Together, the Tribulation and Millennial rule of Jesus will leave sinners with absolutely no justification for their rejection of the Lord.
 
4. IT POINTS TO OUR GLORIOUS DESTINATION IN THE ETERNAL STATE
 
Revelation 21-22 add the final touches to our ultimate hope, that of dwelling forever in the New Jerusalem and newly reformed earth and heavens. At this time, the words of Revelation 21:4 will apply for us and for everyone God brings with us to this brighter shore:
 
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
 
Paradise is a real, physical place. Life in eternity will be exponentially better than even our best and most favorable experiences in this life.
 
The New Jerusalem will exceed even the grandest of expectations or the most fanciful images of our imagination. Do not let anyone deceive you into thinking that the New Jerusalem merely represents a future symbol of God’s presence on earth as some teach today. Such false teaching rips the heart of all biblical expectations of eternity for both Old and New Testament saints (see Hebrews 11:13-16; 12:22-24).
 
JESUS IS OUR HOPE
 
Jesus is the sum total of our hope in today’s lawless and wicked world.
 
Some say things in the world will return to normal. However, apart from God’s direct intervention, it will be impossible to stop the momentum of the globalists that control many governments (including the U.S. President) as well as all avenues of communication and justice. The Lord will utterly destroy their kingdom, but that will not happen until the end of the Tribulation.
 
Those who deny the reality of the Rapture and Jesus’ future reign on the earth often direct our attention to the church as our hope. But how can we have confidence in an institution that’s so awash today in false teaching, errant views of the Gospel, and all-out compromise with the wickedness of this world?
 
The New Testament points us to Jesus as our hope (read 1 John 3:1-3).
 
The Bible gives a picture of eternity that breathes hope into our lives and brings peace amid the turmoil of this life. As the collision of this world with the seven-year Tribulation looms ever so close, it’s essential that we focus on Jesus’ imminent appearing.
 
Normal is not coming back, Jesus is!
 
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!
 
[i] John Eldredge, Desire (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), p.110.

 


 
Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: What do you get when you cross liberalism with pride? - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
A game us old horse breeders played to amuse ourselves and tease our brains was asking each other a question that began with: What would you get when you cross a…? We would make up different scenarios to try to guess the offspring, even down to the second or third generation. It seems that all of America has been playing this game for a while and the results are profound because the common sense gene pool has been getting worse and worse, with no new good blood coming into the picture. The result might be a mindset of people that want to cure inflation by increasing spending, or control the weather with more taxes, or stop a disease by quarantining healthy people. Hmmm. Let’s see how it works.
 
What would you get if you crossed a Bill “I didn’t have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton with an Alexandria “is it okay to still have children” Ocasio-Cortez? Then crossed that offspring with the offspring of a Kamala “That little girl was me… Haha… Hahahahaha… haha…hahahahahaha” Harris with a Joe “We planned for every contingency and the truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated” Biden? And then crossed that offspring with a Hillary “at this point, what difference does it make?” Clinton? And then crossed that offspring with the offspring of a Nancy “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” Pelosi and a Barak “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor, and we’re working to remake America” Obama?
 
You might get an offspring who can’t even think straight and has to answer fairly easy questions with “let me circle back to you on that.” Or “I know this is a question that others will have in the room, so let me venture to do that after the briefing.” Or “I don’t have a date for you exactly.” Or “But I will check and see if we have an answer to that question.” Or “I’m certainly — I’m not aware of that request — or that ask.” Or “I just have to get more information on it.” Or “I don’t have more information on it.” Or “I don’t have more information. I have a responsibility to get more context and information.” Or “I’m sure we can venture to get you a more substantive reaction to that.” You might get an offspring like White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki and the aforementioned responses from her latest presser, which is very similar to all her pressers.
 
In a 1984 interview, Former Soviet KGB agent and defector Yuri Bezmenov spoke of how by 1970 the Soviets had infiltrated left-leaning people in the US with a brainwashing strategy called ideological subversion. He said it was designed to change the perception of reality of every American so “no one is able to come to sensible conclusions” to defend themselves, their families, and their country. Sadly, many of these brainwashed “progressives” are currently in political leadership, media, and entertainment. It’s the offspring of decades of breeding political nonsense as reality. Job 30:8 speaks of those who were “children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.” It’s what you get when you cross liberalism with pride, say it with me…Stupidocrisy.

 


 
Daily Devotion: A Proper Perspective on Prophecy - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight —2 Peter 3:14
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-proper-perspective-on-prophecy/ - Listen
 
I think people go to one of two extremes when we come to the topic of Bible prophecy. The first extreme is complete ignorance about it. And in some cases, people don’t even want to really know that much about it. That is a big mistake.
 
The other extreme is an obsession with it. Everything that people in this category read and hear is, in their minds, a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
 
However, the only thing worse than being obsessed with Bible prophecy is ignoring it altogether, because the Bible promises a special blessing to the person who reads, hears, and keeps the words of the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Revelation 1:3).
 
The Bible clearly teaches that Christ is coming back again. And if we really believe that Jesus Christ is coming back again soon, it will cause us to want to live godly lives.
 
John wrote, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2–3 NLT).
 
Believing that Jesus Christ will return has a spiritually purifying effect on our lives. And it also should motivate us to reach others with the message of the gospel.
 
Peter reminds us, “And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved” (2 Peter 3:14–15 NLT).
 
We want to reach as many as we can as we wait for the Lord’s return.

 



 
FROM THE HEART
    
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