Rules for the Remnant - By Pete Garcia - https://rev310.com/2019/10/rules-for-the-remnant
 
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 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, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
 
Situation
 
That day was supposed to be like any other. Before it happened, life went on like it always had...work, school, play, family. But then it happened. And now no one knows what is going on. All anyone knows is that a bunch of people and all the children are disappeared. So if you're reading this and you find yourself in the above scenario, know that this event is called the Rapture of the Church. The Church is not a denomination, but people from all walks of life. Anyone, who has either placed their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ or is under the age (or mental capacity) to make such a decision, is caught up to heaven. They have been changed from mortal to immortal, and now exist in the reality of eternity. They have been given perfect, flawless, and timeless bodies to exist with and in the divine order for the rest of eternity. This was the Rapture. It's in the Bible. Read it for yourself if you can find one. [John 14:1-3; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2nd Thess. 2:1-3; 1st Corinthians 15:50-56; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 3:10]. So if you're reading this, you need to know what is coming. You're life and eternity will depend on it.
 
Timeline
 
The Rapture- this just happened. The Church is rescued and evil is no longer restrained on the earth.
 
The Time Gap- we don't know how long this gap will last, perhaps months or even a few years, but there is a window of time between the Rapture and the official start of the Tribulation. During the gap, there are some things we think will likely happen:
 

1. Pt. I-The Muslim nations surrounding Israel take advantage of the global chaos and launch an attack, and are defeated greatly expanding Israel's current borders (Psalm 83). Pt. II- Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, and Sudan will go to war against the nation of Israel. God supernaturally defeats them. (Ezekiel 38-39). These two events fundamentally destroy Islam as a belief system. Israel then begins to rebuild her third temple.
2. The world will reorganize into ten-regional powers. This global system becomes known as The Beast.
3. Out of the ten regional governments, three will be overthrown and one man (the Antichrist) rises to power. He will be aided by another known to us as The False Prophet. He will be able to do supernatural signs and wonders. They create a mark that is put on either the hand or forehead to buy or sell. DO NOT TAKE THIS. Remember, these two men will not appear evil at first. (Revelation 6, 13)
4. Two Witnesses also arrive during this time. They will have supernatural powers and will preach from Jerusalem for 3 ½ years. They cannot be killed or destroyed until the 3 ½ years are completed. (Rev. 11)

 
The Tribulation (Revelation 6:18) the official name for this is the 70th Week of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). It is a seven-year period, which God will unleash 21 divine judgments upon the earth. Over 1/2 the world's population dies as a result. The seas are turned to blood, fresh drinking water is turned to blood, and the sun and moon cease to give its light. A contract between the Antichrist and the nation of Israel begins the 21 judgments.
 
The Seven Seals (Revelation 6): 1/4 of the world's population dies
 
1. The White Horse (Antichrist-false peace)
2. The Red Horse (War)
3. The Black Horse (Drought/Famine/Economic disaster)
4. The Pale Horse (Plague/Disease)
5. Martyrdom of those who refuse to worship the beast (slaughter of the Tribulation saints)
6. A Great Earthquake that causes such a geological disturbance, the dust and smoke obscure the sun, stars, and moon
7. Silence in Heaven
 
The Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8-11): 1/3 of the world's population dies
 
1. Hail and fire mixed with blood
2. A great mountain cast into the sea
3. Wormwood- a meteor that poisons (makes bitter) a third of the drinking water
4. A third of the sun, moon, and stars darkened (great cold, darkness)
5. First Woe (Demonic Locusts plague those who take the mark)
6. Second Woe (one-third of mankind killed by a demon army)
7. Third Woe (Lightning, Voices, Thunder, an Earthquake and Great hail.)
 
The Seven Vials/Bowls (Revelation 16)
 
1. Grievous Sores on those who take the mark of the beast
2. The rest of the seas turn to blood
3. Rivers and fountains turned to blood
4. Great heat
5. Great darkness over the seat of Beast Kingdom
6. Euphrates River dries up
7. A massive earthquake and vast earth changes
 
The Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19)
 
At the end of the seven-years, the Beast's armies, along with the kings of the east, gather in the Megiddo Valley (Israel) try to destroy what remains of the Jewish people. The skies are rolled back and Christ returns in power and glory, followed by the Armies of Heaven. He destroys the armies gathered there. The Beast & False Prophet are cast alive into the Lake of Fire.
 
The Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25)
 
Christ judges the remaining nations. Those who aided Israel during this 70th Week, are allowed entrance into the earthly, millennial kingdom, of which, Christ rules as the undisputed King. Those who attacked or did ill towards the nation of Israel (and her inhabitants), are cast into outer darkness and await judgment.
 
The Millennial Reign of Christ (Revelation 20)
 
Christ will reign upon the earth for 1,000 years. The world is released from the curse of sin and becomes a paradise. People will be given unnaturally long life spans. If a person does not choose to follow Christ, they will die at the age of 100. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan is loosed for a season and is cast into the Lake of Fire.
 
The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:10-14)
 
The unsaved/unredeemed dead of all ages is brought before Christ and are judged according to their works. Everyone here is ultimately cast into the Lake of Fire because their works cannot save them. What is determined here is how severe their torment will be in the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. Death and hell also cast into the Lake of Fire.
 
Eternity Future (Revelation 21-22)
A new heaven and new earth are created, as the former ones are passed away. For the redeemed, eternity future will be a glorious adventure. One filled with worship of God will being in His presence, exploration (seeing all that God has been working on these past two thousand years), of peace, joy, comfort, happiness, contentment, and love forever.
 
Rules for the Remnant
 
1. Do place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
 
A. Admit you're a sinner and need a Savior (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
B. Believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and God raised Him from the dead (John 3:16, Romans 5:8)
C. Call upon the name of the Lord, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 10:9-13)
 
2. Do NOT take the mark of the beast. This means you will not be able to buy or sell anything, but if you take the mark, you are damned forever. Better to struggle for a few years than to suffer for all eternity. (Revelation 14:9-11)
3. You will probably be martyred. The Beast's systems will be vast; artificial intelligence, global surveillance, robotic weapon systems, as well as supernatural forces (demons) aiding them. Do not fear the first death (physical). Do fear the second death (spiritual). The first death is not the end, only the beginning of a glorious future with Christ. If you die spiritually as well, you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
4. Endure to the end if you can. Run, hide, pray. If you survive the seven-years, you will enter into the Millennial Kingdom.

Tabernacles: Seventh Feast of the Lord - By Randy Nettles -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/10/13/tabernacles-seventh-feast-lord-randy-nettles/
 
The Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, is the last of the seven Feasts of the Lord and the most joyous. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri and lasts for eight days. It is sometimes referred to as the "feast of booths" or "feast of ingathering." The word ingathering is in reference more to people than crops, as the wheat and most of the fruit has already been harvested by this time of the year. The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three feasts that all Jewish men were required to attend in Jerusalem every year. The other two are the Feast of Unleavened Bread (combined with Passover), and Pentecost. This year, Sukkot begins on October 13, 2019, and ends on October 21, 2019.
 
During this celebration, the people were to live in booths for 7 days that were made of sticks or branches in remembrance of when their ancestors lived in the wilderness for 40 years and God supernaturally protected them and provided for all of their needs. The day after the 7th day (the 8th day) is designated as a "solemn assembly" for the children of Israel.
 
Not only did the children of Israel dwell in tents during the 40 years in the wilderness, but God did as well. God's Shekinah glory dwelt in the Tabernacle of Moses during the wilderness years of the nation of Israel. "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35).
 
The purpose of this feast is recorded in Leviticus 23, verses 33-34 and verses 42-43: "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord... You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."
 
It is noteworthy that on each of the 7 days of Tabernacles, they were to offer 14 (7×2) lambs without blemish (Numbers 29:15, 32). There is an interesting parallel in the Gospel of Matthew where he lists the genealogy of Jesus, the Lamb of God. The generations from Abraham to David are fourteen, from David to the Babylonian captivity are fourteen, and from the captivity to Christ are fourteen. Matthew traced the genealogy back to Abraham and divides Israel 's history into 3 sets of 14 generations. However, there were probably more than those listed here. Genealogies often compressed history, and not every generation of ancestors was specifically listed, especially if they were evil. The Old Testament genealogies are much more precise such as in 1 Chronicles chapters 1-9.
 
The dedication of King Solomon's Temple occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles in the year 959 BC. "Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim (Tishri), which is the seventh month" (1 Kings 8:1-2).
 
"And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:62-63).
 
"And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. On the eighth day [15th day] he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people" (1 Kings 8:65-66).
 
This was the greatest celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles ever. It even lasted a week longer than was required. Notice in verse 2 that all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king at this time. The event that this foreshadows is when King Jesus will return to Israel during the Feast of Trumpets, and then 15 days later, during Sukkot, He will assemble all the children of Israel (and Gentile believers) that survive the Tribulation to inaugurate his Millennium Kingdom on earth. This specific Feast of Tabernacles will be the ultimate fulfillment of the 7th Feast of the Lord.
 
Although there is no clear, scriptural proof of the exact date of the birth of Christ, John's gospel uses the unusual word 'tabernacled' to describe the birth of Christ, suggesting, possibly, that he was born on the feast of Tabernacles. "The Word was made flesh, and tabernacled among us" (John 1:14). If Jesus was born on a Feast of Tabernacles, he would have been conceived 9 months earlier on approximately December 25. This is the date that we celebrate his birth...not his conception.
 
In the modern Gregorian calendar, we label all years with B.C. (before the birth of Christ) or A.D. (anno domini or "in the year of our Lord"). There is no zero year. In our modern system, the year Christ was born is supposedly A.D.1, and the year preceding it is 1 B.C. The most favored view amongst Bible scholars is that Jesus was born in 5 B.C. We agree with this timeline due to Herod the Great's death occurring in 4 B.C. If Jesus was born in 5 B.C. (possibly on Tabernacles), then our current year should really be the year A.D. 2023 and not 2019.
 
Not only did the early Roman Catholic Church get the year of Jesus' birth wrong but they got the month wrong as well. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year is the fact that it would be highly unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December. This is in the middle of the winter, and they wouldn't be in the fields at this time of the year.
 
Six days after Jesus predicted his death the first time, Jesus told his disciples, "Verily I say unto you, There are some standing here, which shall not taste death, until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Matthew 16:28). Clearly this is a verse referring to the 2nd Coming of Jesus unto his Millennium Kingdom. The Feast of Tabernacles represents the beginning of this kingdom.
 
"And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart from the others, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him" (Matthew 17:1-5).
 
Peter wanted to build three tabernacles or shrines for these three great men to show how the Feast of Tabernacles was fulfilled in the coming of God's kingdom. "The transfiguration was a vision, a brief glimpse of the true glory of the King (Matthew 16:27-28). This was a special revelation of Jesus' divinity to three of the disciples, and it was God's divine affirmation of everything Jesus had done and was about to do.
 
Moses and Elijah were two of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Moses represents the Law. He wrote the Pentateuch, and he predicted the coming of a great Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Elijah represents the prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). Moses' and Elijah's presence with Jesus confirms Jesus' messianic mission - to fulfill God's Law and the words of God's prophets. Just as God's voice in the cloud over Mount Sinai gave authority to his Law (Exodus 19:9), God's voice at the transfiguration gave authority to Jesus' words." {1}
 
The last Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus attended would have been on Tishri 15 - 23 in the year A.D.32. The exact dates would be October 6 - 14, AD 32. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But he spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified)" (John 7:37-39).
 
Approximately six months later, Jesus would be crucified on a Roman cross during the Feast of Passover (the 1st Feast of the Lord) on March 31, AD 33 on our modern Gregorian calendar or April 2, AD 33 on the Julian calendar. The day of the week was a Thursday. He was resurrected back to life 3 days later on the first day of the week, Sunday. It is referred to as Easter or Resurrection Sunday. Just as Jonah was 3 days in the belly of the whale, so was Jesus in the belly of the earth before God brought him back to life (per Matthew 12:40).
 
The Feast of Tabernacles occurs yearly on a full moon just as Passover does. Both of the dates above occurred on a full moon. They say bizarre things happen sometimes on a full moon. Two of the most significant events in history occur on a full moon: Jesus' crucifixion on Passover and Jesus' inauguration of His Millennium Kingdom on a future Feast of Tabernacles day.
 
As mentioned before, all male Jews of legal age were to attend the three major Feasts of the Lord in Jerusalem. These three Feasts are Tabernacles, Passover, and Pentecost. If Jesus was born on Tabernacles, then each major event in the life of our Lord followed one of the three main feast days when it was required that all male Jews go to the Jerusalem Temple to worship the Lord. Jesus would have been born on the Feast of Tabernacles (15th of Tishri), would have been crucified on the Feast of Passover (14th of Nisan), and would have sent forth His promised Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to baptize His church with power on the Feast of Pentecost (7th of Sivan).
 
The Feast of Tabernacles will ultimately be fulfilled by the Lord Jesus when He establishes His millennial kingdom of peace on the earth. "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one... And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:9, 16).
 
The Feast of Tabernacles is the only Feast of the Lord still to be observed in the Millennium. "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whosoever will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if they come not, there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16-18).
 
Jesus came to earth the first time as a Son of Man in a body made of flesh. His soul and spirit resided for a short time in a primitive form of dwelling (or tabernacle), just as all human beings have from the time of Adam and Eve. He will return as the Son of God in a spiritual body (or temple) that is made for eternity. Christians of all epochs will share in a similar type of spiritual body. However, only Jesus has a glorified body, for he is God. This transformation of Christian believers will happen at the Rapture. Our bodies will all change from a mere tabernacle to a glorious new temple of God. The Tribulation saints and pre-Christ believers will get their resurrected bodies after the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus' 1000-year reign begins.
 
In Eternity, our previous place of residence on the old earth will seem as a simple tabernacle compared to our spacious mansions in the sky. Our many years of wanderings on the earth will finally be over, and we will take up residence on the New Earth and the New Jerusalem. We will finally be home in our promised land with our saved loved ones, believers of all the ages, holy angels, and the Father, Holy Spirit, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
 
Randy Nettles
nettlesr@suddenlink.net
 
Endnotes:
{1} Tyndale's Life Application Study Bible pg. 1825

The Mark of the Beast - By Pete Garcia -
https://rev310.com/2019/10/the-mark-of-the-beast-part-iii
 
Originally written September 12, 2011. Updated in September 2019
 
Imagine your next trip to the supermarket. You spend a couple of hours loading your cart up with goodies, you go to check out and your card is declined. How do you feel? Embarrassed? Angry? Especially if you KNEW you had money in the bank.
 
So next, you excuse yourself real quick and run over to an ATM to withdraw some cash, but the same thing happens, no money and no service. Now what? Maybe you'll call the bank and give them a good 'what for,' or, you'll just have to go back in there and tell the teller that something came up and you will not be needing the groceries. Either way, you walk out empty-handed.
 
Now imagine, that you can't do ANYTHING from filling up your car with gas to paying your bills because your currency is no longer valid.
 
Oh, and by the way, you're no longer receiving a paycheck from your employer.
 
What if some new law came out that said that US Dollars were no longer valid anywhere. Rather, you have to have this thing put on your hand or forehead in order to buy, sell, pay bills, buy groceries, hold a job, pay your mortgage or anything else that requires a financial transaction for goods or services rendered.
 
That's what it will be like when this kicks off inside the 70th Week of Daniel (aka...Tribulation).
 
Men, women, and families, all once of good financial standings (with excellent credit scores to boot) suddenly find themselves the very people they once looked down upon. But there is a fix; all you have to do is put this new mark put on your forehead or hand (painless) and all of your former luxuries will be restored. In fact, what if they threw in some bonus things like credit and identity protection, automatic 5G Wi-Fi connection anywhere on the planet, genetic modification (adding another 20-30 years onto your life), and constant health monitoring. Oh, and by the way, once you do this, you'll be making the WORST decision in the history of mankind. At best, you'll be trading in seven years of comfort, for eternity in torment and darkness. At worst, you probably won't even live out the full seven years and still have eternity to face.
 
Sounds like a bargain huh?
 
Well, there is coming a day and age when this will become a reality. Oh, it may not happen tomorrow, but changes are coming. Changes are happening even now. Kinda like how the music industry quit making cassette tapes and moved over to Compact Discs. These changes will be forced upon you.
 
At some point, all the cassette tapes are relegated to the dust bin and no one is making them anymore. You have NO choice but to buy a new radio that plays CDs. Or like when television left analog and went strictly digital. Did you have any say in it? No.
 
When the time comes for this 'new and improved' way of living/ shopping/ security/freedom comes about, either you get on board or you get left behind. And by behind, I mean, utterly; left to either starve or be killed by a tyrannical government.
 
With the body of Christ removed at the Rapture, what semblance of organized "Christianity" that remains, will be both Christ-less and incapable of offering a path to salvation that holds to its ecumenical swaying's. Previously, I offered up Roman Catholicism, simply because they're the most global "Christian" organization in the world. They've not shown any qualms or regret in the past over killing true believers (e.g., the Crusades, Inquisitions, etc.) or from embracing non-Christian beliefs in order to stay relevant (Paganism/Islam).
 
Chrislam anyone?
 
Mormonism may play a prominent role in this time as well, since they share such a striking similarity to Islam, embracing both universalism and to an extent, pantheism and will probably be one of the most organized and intact American religious systems left standing, post-Rapture. Either way, what is left is an empty shell of empty religions that will be used as a tool to prepare the world to worship the satanically indwelt Antichrist himself.
 
That leaves only the practical matter of enforcement of said worship. The mark is not just a system of worship; it is a system of control. Satan is not God, and at best, can only try to mimic God which is what he attempts to do with the mark. God has and does mark those that belong to Himself (Deut 6:8; Ez 9:4; 2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 1:13; Rev 7:3).
 
Satan counters with a system that is emplaced by the Antichrist as a logical, pragmatic choice to many of the world's problems. The world's economic systems are currently being dismantled through unmanageable debt and widespread corruption. By the time the Mark is introduced as an alternative, it will leave the Mark as the only practical solution.
 
How does the world get out of the current financial quagmire that it is in? It is completely unrealistic to think the US could pay off 16 (now 21 Trillion dollars). Our citizens have become dependent on many of the entitlement programs that have put a majority of the country on life-support.
 
If the government threatened to:
 
a) Impose huge cuts to MEDICAID, MEDICARE, Welfare, and Social Security in order to pay down the debt, or
b) Move off the dollar to a new system where no cuts were needed, I believe the US population would overwhelmingly elect the latter.
 
Greece, Paris, and London are just tiny microcosms of what we could expect in every major city if strict austerity measures were put in place. But it's not only the US but the entire world that finds itself in the same debt-laden boat. The problem with the US though, is that we are supposed to be the big pole in the tent that holds up the whole show. If we go down, (as witnessed in the 2008 financial collapse) we'll drag the entire world down with us.
 
Nations like Brazil, Russia, China, and France have only recently expressed openly, a desire to move away from the dollar into a basket of currencies. Whether it is a digital credit, special drawing rights, or a new currency altogether such as the Phoenix, they will all fail. That is not my opinion on the matter that comes straight out of the Bible. The world ends up in one global system, run by one man, using one currency.
 
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:16-18
 
The Man
 
Many theories are out there as to who this man (Antichrist) is and where he comes from. We know that he comes from somewhere within the confines of the boundaries of the Roman Empire, but that includes North Africa, Europe, and parts of the Middle East. We know that he comes in riding a banner of false peace (Rev. 6:1-2), but he becomes personally indwelt by Satan at the mid-point. At that point, he goes from being the man of sin to the son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3).
 
We also know that there is a number associated with it's (the Beast) name (Rev. 13:18) and that somehow, someway, it equals to six-hundred and sixty-six. Because of the wording in Revelation 13, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the Beast the man, or the Beast the final government system. Either way, the number is a human-number. All speculation aside, there is only one man named in scriptures whose number adds up to 666, and that is through the number of family members he has.
 
"The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six." Ezra 2:13
 
The other passage (Neh. 7:18) arrives at 667 for the lineage of Adonikam, presumably, it does so by either including him and not just his offspring; or that it was written a hundred years later and the man simply had more offspring by then. Either way, this man's descendants were among those Jews that had been taken captive by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar and were the remnant who returned to Jerusalem at the end of their captivity. I do not know if one of this man's descendants will turn out to be the Antichrist or not, but I do know that the Jews would never accept a man as Messiah who was not Jewish.
 
All we really know is that the Apostle Paul stated that he (the Antichrist) would not be revealed until the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is removed (2 Thess 2:7-8). But to point out one last thing, Paul called the Antichrist the 'Son of Perdition'. The only other person called that in scriptures was Judas Iscariot (John 17:12). It's not any stretch of the imagination to assume that Paul was familiar with who Judas was (a Jewish disciple), and what he did.
 
If we are to remain true to the symbolism used in Revelation, we then understand that in Chapter 13, the Beast that rises up out of the sea (sea=gentile nations) is Gentile in nature. The Beast that rises up out of the land (land=Israel) is a Jew (the False Prophet). The Antichrist rises up as a little horn amongst the other horns (Dan. 7:8; 8:9). So he (the Antichrist) could either be a Gentile whose familial lineage comes from within the boundaries of the old Roman Empire (Dan. 9:26), and he publically converts to some form of Judaism, or that his False Prophet is a Jew and leads the Jewish people astray by signs and wonders to direct their allegiance toward the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:12-13).
 
Maybe the False Prophet is hailed as the Messiah, but he, in turn, directs worship to the Antichrist who the Jews initially rejected (for not being Jewish) which is why he commits the Abomination of Desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 like his much earlier predecessor Antiochus Epiphanes IV (Daniel 11:30-32). But those refusing to worship him will have to suffer death or starvation for not receiving the mark since they will not be able to buy or sell.
 
In order for that to be a threat, the technology first needs to exist to make that possible. We've spent the last 40 years being primed for this kind of system. From the gold standard to the fiat system to the use of credit and debit cards, online banking, and now digital crypto-currency. Society is aggressively being desensitized to the idea of using technology that is embedded into the human body by moving society off of cash. We've also had the conditioning in place by getting us used to instant (food, service, and solutions) and by marketing and advertisements that continually sell us the notion that we deserve the best, and we deserve it right now.
 
The mark of the beast will obviously not be labeled as such, nor its consequences, but will be presented as the most logical, reasonable way forward in troubled times. We know that the mark is not used prior to the Tribulation, so whatever technologies are currently out there today (and there are many now that could fit the bill) are just being staged for the right 'crisis' to implement when the time is right. Assuming that the Rapture of the Church is the trigger that causes the worldwide chaos, I foresee a couple of possible avenues.
 
If the Rapture is a standalone event, aside from the immediate effects of wrecks, looting, fires, etc..., it will trigger an economic avalanche of panic in the US due to the sudden removal of millions of consumers, employers, employees, tax/mortgage/bill payers that will put an already fragile economy into panic mode. The government will bypass the constitution and move to join some form of regional, economic union.
 
If the Rapture is accompanied by some other cataclysmic event (EMP/Solar storm, nuclear or dirty bomb, mega-thrust earthquake, Gog-Magog War), the US may cede control of the government to the EU "temporarily" until the US can get back on its feet.
 
For those who are not taken up in the Rapture, they can expect to be subjugated to the Wrath of the Lamb and an onslaught of satanic terror here on earth. For those who fall in line and take the mark, they can expect the following:
 

• Eternal damnation (Rev 14:11)
• To drink from the cup of indignation (unmixed) the wine of the wrath of God (Rev 14:10)
• Grievous Sores (Rev 16:2)
• Torment on earth (painful darkness, heat, 100 lb. hailstones) (Rev 16:8, 10-11, 21)

 
Is it worth it? Is the worst seven-years of your life worth hell on earth, and even worse, an eternity in hell, if you 'opt-out' for a few years of momentary comfort? Would you spend a million dollars on a car that you could only drive for a day? Probably not, so why would you make a deal that is infinitely worse? The technology exists today, the hour is late, and our Lord and Savior is returning just like He said He would.
 
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12
 
The Bible is very clear on this subject of the coming 70th Week. It is a future event, and it will be the worst period in all of human history. If a skeptic (Christian or otherwise) tries to tell you-
 
"The Rapture ain't going to happen..."
 
"There is no such thing as a Rapture..."
 
"The Rapture already happened in the first century..."
 
or any other lame excuse, do not listen to them. Mark them as a fool and get away quickly. The Bible is very, very, very clear about four things:
 

1. Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and is coming back again at an undisclosed point in time in the future. He didn't come in the first century because we are still here and the world is still seriously messed up. (1st Cor. 15:1-5, 51-56; Matthew 24:36; Rev. 3:3)
2. Christ said that when (not if) He comes back, He is going to take His bride (the born again Church) back to heaven (the Rapture) with Him to be where He is (John 14:1-3)
3. When the Rapture happens (harpazo-Greek, catch up-English, Rapture-Latin transliteration), this world will instantaneously be plunged into chaos. Every time a major global crisis happens, someone always rises up to take charge. This time will be no different, except, it will be for the last time. You don't want to be here on the earth when that happens
4. DO NOT TAKE THE MARK.

 
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name...
 
...Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." Revelation 13:16-17, 14:9-11
 
Are you ready?

The Greatest Sign Of All - By Grant Phillips -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/10/07/greatest-sign-grant-phillips/
 
God stepped out of Heaven over 2,000 years ago and took upon Himself the flesh of His creation ... mankind. He was the new Adam, born of a virgin girl, come to provide salvation to all who would come to Him by faith.
 
There was no grand entrance upon this world except for a few souls, but all the signs were there for those who paid attention to Scripture. In a lowly manger He was christened with gold, frankincense and myrrh for His life as the Son of Man.
 
These gifts are not just coincidence for this child. They tell us that the Son of God (divine) also became the Son of Man (human) for a purpose. He came willing to satisfy the Law and die for us. The innocent accepts the death penalty for the guilty to reunite God with mankind.
 
The gold symbolized His divinity.
 
The frankincense symbolized His holiness and righteousness. It showed His willingness to be our sacrifice.
 
Myrrh was used as an embalming agent in those days, and symbolized His bitter life ahead from the suffering and affliction He would endure for you and me and then give His life on the cross on our behalf.
 
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
 
"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
 
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!
 
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11)
 
In Philippians two, notice verses six through eight are speaking of Jesus as the Son of Man and verses nine through eleven as the Son of God.
 
The Scripture says that the Jews require signs and the Greek (all non-Jews) seek wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22). According to Bible scholars the Old Testament had at least 300 signs of Jesus' First Coming. On top of that, all through His ministry on earth an abundance of signs were provided for their first-hand witness, but yet, most did not believe.
 
Something very important to understand is that the Jews were very familiar with the Old Testament, unlike many Christians today who know so very little about the Bible. Sadly, many in the Church body today don't even know the first four books of the New Testament and who wrote each one. This isn't true with the Jews though. They had heard the prophecies all their life and most could probably quote them, but yet they were blind to the fact that the Messiah they had been waiting for had finally come to earth and standing right in front of them.
 
If I may say on their behalf, they were looking for the wrong visitation. Their Messiah spoken of in the prophecies was coming first as the Suffering Servant and then later, much later, as the King of kings and Lord of lords. They wanted nothing to do with the Suffering Servant though. They wanted the King of kings and Lord of lords to free them from the Romans. Thank God some recognized Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ to us) and accepted Him as their Suffering Servant. With these, Jesus set up His Church and we wait for His return today.
 
Bible scholars tell us there are over 500 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus' return, the Second Coming. They say that one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament speak of Jesus Second Coming. The Lord gave many signs in His Word referring to His return (Second Coming). They are all around us today, but it seems only a few are aware.
 
On the last page of His earthly life Jesus provided a closing sign to all those of that day ... the cross He hung upon. He finished with a grave that had no corpse. Then He ascended back to Heaven while those who watched Him go heard the angels say, "Men of Galilee," ... "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11)
 
Jesus is going to return to earth. He will not be coming as the Suffering Servant but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. All eyes will behold Him, and there will be no doubt in the mind of anyone that He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
 
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)
 
This will be the greatest sign of all. Jesus Himself will be the sign, but it will be too late for all who have not confessed Him as Savior and Lord.
 
Before I go any further, let me briefly state the following for those who might become confused.
 

1. When Jesus came and died on the cross this occurrence is called the First Coming or First Advent.
2. The next event to happen is the Rapture of the Church, and there are no signs for the Rapture.
3. The Tribulation of seven years is next.
4. When the seven years of the Tribulation is completed, Jesus will come the second time and this is called the Second Coming or the Second Advent.
5. The Millennium of 1,000 years follows.
6. After the Millennium we enter eternity.

 
This is purposely an extremely basic step-by-step explanation. I have omitted some things to keep it simple.
 
Right now, we are waiting on the Rapture of the Church (or the bride of Christ). Jesus will not come to earth, but call us out from the earth to meet Him in the air and take us back to Heaven before the Tribulation begins. The purpose of the Rapture is for Jesus to remove His bride (the Church) from the earth and end the Church age. It is also to conclude the remaining seven years promised Israel (Daniel 9:20ff)
 
There is an abundance of signs today, but they all are pointing to the coming Tribulation. Remember, there are no signs for the Rapture. It will occur without warning and within the blink of an eye.
 
When Jesus came the first time most of the signs were subtle. They were low-key in many ways, but in these last days a person would have to be spiritually blind to miss the signs around us pointing to a coming Tribulation, then Second Coming. The problem for so many people is that when the greatest sign of all appears, it will be too late to repent. There will only be judgment.
 
Today there are signs with nature, society, technology, world issues, spiritually related signs and especially those signs concerning Israel that are screaming of an end of the Church age. Don't forget, the Rapture is the next event to occur and there will be no warning. If there is a warning of any kind, it would be that the Tribulation is drawing closer and closer, and the Rapture occurs BEFORE the Tribulation.
 
After Jesus safely removes His bride (the Church) from the earth He will allow the seven years of Tribulation to begin, and Jesus says the following about those days:
 
"If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:22)
 
This world is approaching those days so quickly it reminds me of a movie my wife and watched not long ago. The movie is called "Unstoppable." Denzel Washington is the engineer and Chris Pine the conductor on a runaway train. Our world, just like that train, is out of control. Unlike the movie where the heroes saved the day, this world is not going to avoid those seven years of Tribulation. It is quickly approaching. It is out of control. It is coming.
 
When the greatest sign of all appears (Matthew 24:30) all those who are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ will be with Him. All others will face His judgment.
 
If the Rapture would occur today, the Second Coming could only be seven years away. Seven years of hell on earth and then the Second Coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords. I will close by repeating Matthew 24:30 and ask, "Will you be with Him, or with those who mourn?"
 
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)
 
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Are You at a Breaking Point? - By Jonathan Brentner -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/10/03/breaking-point-jonathan-brentner/
 
If not for my belief in the rapture, I would have reached a breaking point long, long ago. As it is, I sometimes feel anger boiling up within me as I see entertainers celebrating abortions, the evil that intensifies each and every day, and the greed and hatred rampant in our world.
 
Apart from the promises of Scripture, I would throw my hands up in despair as I watch a sadly deluded world embracing the evils of socialism as the solution to all its problems. When has totalitarianism ever solved a problem?
 
I also know many believers have reached a breaking point due to illness, grief, and affliction. Pain touches the lives of so many followers of Jesus.
 
I have no easy answers for those who feel as though they have reached a breaking point, but I know the truths of God's Word are able to calm our hearts and reassure our minds regardless of what confronts us today.
 
It's Supposed to Be this Way in the Last Days
 
When it seems as though I am about to whither under the burdens of the day, I remember what the Bible says about the last days. In short, the Bible long ago predicted it would be this way in the last days.
 
Paul's words in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 describe our world today with its treachery, brutality, harsh exchanges on social media, and loss of self-control.
 
Jesus told us conditions before His return will be like the "days of Noah" as well as the time of Lot (Luke 17:26-29). In both cases, exceeding wickedness continued to grow worse with no end in sight.
 
Revelation 12:12 warns of Satan's increased activity in the last days as he knows his time is short. I believe this not only refers to our adversary's activity in the world, but also his stepped-up attacks on God's children.
 
I know it's not easy for those of us who feel the breath of the devil's fury. But rest assured that God sees our pain and frustration, His relief is on the way, and He is much more powerful than the one who seeks to destroy us (1 Pet. 5:8; 1 John 4:4).
 
The Lord will Judge the Ungodly
 
Scripture also assures us God will judge the wickedness of this world. Those who refuse to repent of their sins will someday pay a severe penalty for their rejection of the Savior, both here on the earth and in eternity.
 
I recently read Psalm 10 and sensed anew its relevance for today. The Psalmist's question in verse 1 is one we often find ourselves asking today, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"
 
He answers his own question in verses 14-15, assuring us that the Lord does "see" and that He will "break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none."
 
The Lord's response to the wickedness and deception we see in the world is on the way. Count on it. He will judge the wickedness that confronts us every day.
 
The Lord sees. His relief for our affliction may not arrive as soon as we would like or wish, but rest assured, Jesus' will intervene in our lives just as He surely will in this Christ-rejecting world.
 
Our Ultimate Hope Rests in Jesus' Appearing
 
In the meantime, our focus must remain heavenward because it's from there "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 to subject all things to himself" (Phil 3:20-21).
 
Our ultimate hope does not rest in the improving of our circumstances, and it certainly does not reside in a fallen world where evil continues to increase exponentially (although it's already far beyond what I thought I would see in the last days before the rapture).
 
Our definitive expectation comes from the Lord's promises to take us to His Father's house in heaven, to a place He is preparing for us (John 14:2-3). After we arrive safely in heaven with our Savior, God will pour out His wrath on an unsuspecting world as described in Revelation 6-19 and in Isaiah 13:9-13.
 
In spite of what we see in a world corrupted by Satan for his evil purposes, we know the Lord's fierce judgment on an unbelieving world is rapidly approaching. We see the signs of this everywhere we look.
 
In spite of what we experience in a fallen and harsh world, we hold on to our certain hope that Jesus not only knows all about our grief, but is coming to take us into His loving arms and keep us safe during the time of trouble coming upon the world (Rev. 3:10).
 
Jesus Will Reign in Righteousness
 
In addition to the rapture, we look forward to Jesus' righteous rule over all creation that begins with what we refer to today as the millennium; this is the time our Savior reigns over the world that once rejected Him (Psalm 2:7-12; Zechariah 14:9-27).
 
The biblical descriptions of this thousand-year reign of Christ tell us that sin will remain on the earth during this time; it will be a period of testing for mankind (Rev. 20:1-10; Zech. 14:16-19).
 
How does Jesus' future reign as king over all the nations encourage us? First, the Bible also says that as believers we are "fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). As such, we will share in Jesus' inheritance of the nations as He reigns over them (Rev. 5:9-10, 20:4). We will reign with Him.
 
Second, we have this wonderful promise in Revelation 21:4, "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."
 
Ultimately, we look forward to a time when sin and death will no longer exist, and Jesus Himself will lovingly wipe away all tears and remove all our pain and sorrow.
 
We Walk by Faith
 
Our hope consists of things we cannot see with our natural eyes. We currently do not see the Lord's judgment on the rampant wickedness of our day. We recognize the biblical signs of the last days, but it requires a look of faith to hold on to our hope of Jesus' appearing and our heavenward excursion through the clouds.
 
In 2 Corinthians 5:4-5, Paul writes of our hope in the rapture, "For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."
 
Notice how the apostle continues as he describes our lives as we anticipate the reception of our new bodies, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:6-7).
 
We walk by faith, not by sight.
 
The Bible tells us that wickedness will grow exceedingly strong in the last days, but also reveals the Lord's harsh judgment of an unbelieving world. Scripture warns us of Satan's increased activities in the last days, but also assures us of His deliverance of us from this world.
 
God's Word does not promise us immediate relief from our afflictions or a quick judgment on the evil around us. It does, however, guarantee a joyous future in eternity full of joy, happiness, and pleasure for those who know the Lord as their Savior.
 
While we may be at a breaking point from what we see in the world or experience as a result of this fallen world, we walk by faith in anticipation of a much better day. Our eternity with Jesus could start in the next moment, later today, next week, a year from now, or at a later time. We cannot know the exact timing of His return in this the season of His appearing.
 
But we do know Jesus sees all we see (and much, much more), loves us more than we can imagine, and is now preparing a place for us in His Father's house (John 14:2-3).
 
Until then we walk by faith, relying on the Lord to give us courage in these last days.
 
Jonathan Brentner
Website: Our Journey Home
Please consider signing up for my newsletter on my website. Thanks!
E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

​What Does the Bible Say About the Rapture? - By Pete Garcia - https://rev310.com/2019/09/what-the-bible-says-about-the-rapture
 
Before we begin our in-depth discussion on the Rapture and other eschatological matters, we need a foundational discussion first. There are two types of communication that are delivered through and because of Holy Scripture: Progressive Revelation, and Progressive Illumination. Progressive revelation teaches us that God progressively unfolded His plan of redemption to mankind. It began in the Garden (Gen. 3:14-19), and ended with the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos.
 
Progressive Illumination took over when the canon of Scripture was closed in 95AD, and through the Holy Spirit, begins revealing biblical truths to mankind according to His unfolding plan. Thus, it stands to reason that if the Lord can orchestrate when doctrines on things such as the Inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the Church, and Salvation should be codified, then God should also be able to allow the timing for when men begin to have a better understanding of the last days. In other words, He does it when it is appropriate.
 
The Lord is omniscient (Isaiah 46:9-10) and has always known that the Second Coming would not occur until at least the 21st century; therefore, it would not make much sense for Him to illuminate man's understanding on said topic in the 2nd century AD. Could He have? Absolutely. However, because He didn't, doesn't diminish the fact that everything about the last days was already in Holy Scripture. Neither does it diminish our understanding of when He would return (no man knows the day or hour).
 
God moved men at certain times, to accomplish certain things. He moved Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin in the 4th century AD. He moved John Wycliffe to translate it into English in the 13th century. He sparked Martin Luther's aha moment when he came to understand salvation is by grace through faith and not by works in the 16th-century. Likewise, God also orchestrated when John Nelson Darby would revive the doctrine of the rapture as a major Christian issue in the 19th-century.
 
All that to say, God's timing determines when men come to understand the truths of Scripture, and how they are applicable to the day and age they live in. What was an important message in Noah's day, was not the same message for Job's day, or David's day. Where the real issue comes in, is how we (humans) choose to interpret the truth that is already IN Scripture.
 
If we think about how we interpret Scripture, it is very much like a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum, we have those who completely disregard the inerrancy of Scripture, and want to put their own shifting interpretations in to fit the narrative of their day. On the other end, there are those who abuse the inerrancy of Scripture by adhering to wooden literalism, particularly on certain passages, while ignoring the overall context for the rest of the Bible (ex. Snake handling).
 
In the center, we see a balanced view of Scripture takes the grammatical, literal, and historical approach to biblical interpretation (or hermeneutics) and places context above all. We must understand who the writer was speaking too (the audience) and how does that align with other major doctrines found throughout the Bible (consistency). Below is a very simplified graphic to demonstrate this idea. So where do you find yourself on the spectrum?
​
 



 




You wouldn't normally associate cults with "wooden literalism," however, in order for a cult to build its "foundation," it must mix truth with error. In the process of mixing that poisonous concoction, it abuses certain passages by taking them to the literal extreme (ex. Roman Catholic transubstantiation, son of God in Mormonism). They also do so by placing more emphasis on a certain passage or doctrine making it trump all others.
 
On the other end of the spectrum for example, the Bible uses symbolism as a form of communication. But that does not mean symbolism is arbitrary, or subjective. Symbolism is always found and defined in other places within the Scriptures (ex. Rev. 12 and Gen. 37). Thus, abusing the text by allegorizing things that are not meant to be allegorized (i.e., the Millennium) or by making symbolism completely subjective and open to anyone's interpretation, is another form of literary abuse.
 
Nevertheless, despite what many denominations and theological figureheads teach, the Bible has quite a lot to say about the Rapture. Of course, the first thing critics love to point out about the Rapture, is that the word is not even in the Bible.
 
True.
 
It is not in your English Bible.
 
However, for over millennia, the word rapio or rapiemur was what the Latin Vulgate used when translating the Koine Greek word harpazo. Harpazo is the Greek word for the English phrase "caught up" as it appears in our English Bibles. So yes, it is in the Bible. The word rapture encapsulates the doctrine in much the same way the word Trinity encapsulates the triune nature of God. [The word Trinity is not in the Bible either] Furthermore, it is not just written about, but it is portrayed symbolically (Old Testament typology), literally (physically), and futuristically.
 
Old Testament Typology

• Enoch translated from mortal to immortal without seeing death. (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5)
• Elijah translated from mortal to immortal by a divine chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2:11-12)

 
New Testament Literally

• Jesus ascends and we are told that He will return in like manner. (Acts 1:9). Paul later confirms that we (the Church) will meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-18)
• Philip is caught away after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:39)
• Paul is caught up to the third heaven and is shown things he cannot humanly put into human language. (2 Cor. 12:2-5)
• John is caught up in the spirit and given the Revelation (Rev. 4:1-2)

 
Futuristically

• Jesus promises His church that He will come back for them and take them to be where He is (John 14:1-3)
• Paul teaches that this harpazo (catching up) is a mystery that had not been revealed to the Old Testament saints, but would happen to one generation of believers. Furthermore, those who had already died would come back with Christ to meet us (those still alive) in the air (1 Cor. 15:51-56, 1 Thess. 4:13-18)
• Jesus uses the Rapture as a warning to the sleeping Church (Rev. 3:3) and as a blessing to the faithful Church (Rev. 3:10)
• The Two Witnesses are resurrected and immediately caught up after lying dead in the streets of Jerusalem for three days (Rev. 11:11-12)

 
Therefore, regardless of what your pastor, priest, or preacher has to say about the Rapture, it is in the Bible as both a concept and as a reality. If they deny it, or dismiss the teaching of it, or say that it is something "man-made," or irrelevant, I would walk away from that church and never look back. It is important a doctrine as any other. For the Christian to grow and to become who Christ intended us to be, must know more than just how to be a Christian. We have to be given the "blessed hope" in order to stand and endure in these darkening days.
 
The New Testament Pattern
 
As most of you know who are reading this, the Bible is broken into two parts with the Old and New Testaments. Even though there are some cryptic "rapture-like" passages sprinkled throughout the Old Testament (ex. Isaiah 26:20-21; Song of Solomon 2:10-13; Psalm 90:10, etc.), the Apostle Paul stated the Rapture was a mystery (musterion-Greek). It was something that had not yet been revealed publically to any believers before him. Christ's statements in the Upper Room Discourse mark the first teaching of this event, but it was to a private audience (the disciples minus Judas).
 
This is where Christ promises to receive those who are His back to Himself and to take them to be where He would come from (the Third Heaven). This is distinct from the Second Coming, because He does not come back with the armies of heaven in tow, does not have His robe soaked with blood, nor is He waging war. In Revelation 19, Christ is coming to occupy and take over enemy territory. In John 14:1-3, Christ appears in a completely non-combative event. Let us look at the New Testament and pull out some interesting differences and comparisons.
 
The Gospels
 
The Gospel of Matthew:

• Presents Jesus as King of the Jews
• Lineage begins with Abraham
• He teaches the Second Coming in the Olivet Discourse plainly, references the Rapture discretely before their last Supper (or their first communion)

 
The Gospel of Mark:

• Presents Jesus as the Servant
• No lineage given
• He teaches the Second Coming in the Olivet Discourse plainly, references the Rapture discretely before their last Supper (or their first communion)

 
The Gospel of Luke:
 
Presents the humanity of Christ
Lineage begins with Adam
He teaches the Second Coming in the Olivet Discourse plainly, references the Rapture discretely before their last Supper (or their first communion)
 
Gospel of John:

• Presents Christ the Savior
• Lineage shows the divinity of Christ
• During their last Supper (or their first communion), Judas departs, then He conducts the Upper Room Discourse where He teaches them about the Rapture
  • Interestingly, Judas departing before the Upper Room Discourse foreshadows the apostasia (both apostatizing and physical departure) that will occur at the end of the age (today)
  • Paul later teaches that this apostasia must happen before the Rapture occurs (2nd Thess. 2:3).

 
Acts
 
Chronicles the formation of the early church and is not eschatological in nature. However, there are some key points of information that are clarified here:
 
Christ must return in the same manner in which He departed (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11)
 
The last days began with the first Pentecost (Acts 2:17)
 
The Epistles

• 1 Thessalonians 1-5: Teaches the Rapture and imminent return of Christ in every chapter
• James 5: Teaches the Rapture and Imminency
• 2 Thessalonians 2: Teaches the Rapture and Imminency
• 1 Corinthians 13-15: Teaches that the gift of prophecy is a divinely ordained; the certainty (and necessity) of the rapture because of the resurrection
• 2 Corinthians 5: Teaches the about the Resurrection and the Bema Seat Judgment
• Philippians 3: Teaches about the Rapture and our heavenly citizenship
• 2 Peter 1, 3-4: Teaches us that prophecy is not from man; destruction of false teachers, and that the Lord is coming back again when men openly scoff His return (interestingly, scoffing couldn't happen if people were not talking about it already)
• Jude 1: teaches about the Second Coming as being prophesied as far back as Enoch

 
The Revelation

• 1-3: Seven churches (prophetic order they are given provide historic church eras)
• 4-5: Heavenly scene, the church now in heaven (God in complete control of Judgments; Christ opens the Seals)
• 6-18: 21 (+) judgments unleashed upon a Christ-rejecting world, no mention of the Church on the earth
• 19-20: Battle of Armageddon and millennial reign of Christ upon the earth
• 21-22: New heavens and new earth.

 
Conclusion
 
Something worth repeating again is that the reason people today even have the luxury to scoff, mock, discuss, and debate the Rapture of the Church, is because God brought it back into the forefront of Christian thought. The reason He did that through men like Joseph Mede, Morgan Edwards, James Frere, William Cuninghame, John N. Darby, William Blackstone, Cyrus Scofield, Clarence Larkin, Harry Ironside, Hal Lindsey, and others, was because the time was drawing near, and God was warning the Church (and the world) of what was about to happen. As proof, God also revealed to these men that Israel would become a nation again long before it actually happened in 1948.
 
...that the Lord Jesus will come in person to introduce the millennial age, when Israel shall be restored to their own land, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord; and that this personal and premillennial advent is the blessed hope set before us in the Gospel for which we should be constantly looking. (Niagra Bible Conference, 1878)
 
However, it is not just dispensationalists who believed Israel would become a nation again in her ancient, biblical, homeland. The Holy Spirit was moving Christian's amongst many different denominations and hermeneutical veins as to the coming end of the age. Theologians such as Charles Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, and the Bonar brothers (Horatius and Andrew) also believers that Israel would have to come into her land.
 
Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
 
If the Rapture of the Church were not true, how (and why) did so many men from different ages, generations, and denominations all come to the same conclusion? They did so not because of Darby or even Hal Lindsey, but by simply returning to a literal, grammatical, historical, and balanced interpretation of the Bible. They did so because God the Holy Spirit moved them to do so. They set aside their theological dogmas, denominational creeds, and academic interpretations, and simply let the Bible speak for itself.
 
While I will not go so far as to say men like Darby were prophets, they were no doubt, messengers God used to illuminate their generation's understanding. Darby didn't invent the Rapture any more than Luther invented salvation by grace through faith. Darby (his predecessors and successors) simply codified what was already revealed in Scripture. If the Rapture weren't already in the Bible, then Darby would have had to create it out of thin air, thus, creating another in a long line of 18th-century cult movements that was rejected by Orthodox Christianity. However, because it is clearly in Scripture, the evidence suggests that God the Holy Spirit orchestrated the timing for its reintroduction into Christian discussion due to the proximity to its occurrence.
 
Think about what Noah preached about in the years leading up to the flood (2 Peter 2:5). Did he preach about your best life now? Did he preach about the coming Messiah? Did he preach about the coming Kingdom?
 
No. No. and No.
 
He preached about the coming judgment.
 
The reason he preached about that because that's what was pertinent to the audience of his day. He preached to his generation to repent and to come into the ark because of the coming judgment was coming upon the whole earth. And in the 100 plus years of preaching, only he and his family were saved.
 
Jesus noted that in the last days, it would be very much like the days of Noah and the days of Lot (Luke 17:25-27). People would be going their life without a care in the world. Peter added that men would be scoffing the promise Christ made to return, saying that since nothing has happened yet, nothing will happen in the future (2 Peter 3:3-7). Here, Peter also links back to the days of Noah saying the same word that destroyed the world with water, will one day destroy it with fire.
 
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9
 
God's patience is purely due to His longsuffering nature, and of His great love and mercy for the lost. Yet, God's patience regarding this is not infinite, as He will one day soon, carry out the Promise He made back in John 14:1-3 (Upper Room Discourse). He is bound by His own word, to do that which He has said He would do. God's longsuffering is also why God allowed the issue of the Rapture to be brought back front and center to the world's attention. He is using these men (and women) to warn the world of what is coming, just as He used Noah. Just as He used Lot (Gen. 19:14). Just as God used the prophets and the apostles to warn the world of what was coming, God is using His servants today to make known what is about to happen.
 
This is why Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth was the bestselling book of the 1970s. It is why the Left Behind bestselling books sold in the hundreds of millions in the 1990s-2000s. More importantly, it is why He is using you and me to warn our friends and family, so that when it happens, they will KNOW what happened, before God allows the strong delusion to occur (2 Thess. 2:11).
 
One final thought about the Rapture is the why. Why did God choose to make the Rapture so sensational, so dramatic, such an extreme, divinely-sanctioned act of redemption? You gotta admit, that the Rapture seems very over-the-top in terms of feasibility. So why does God choose this way to redeem His bride the Church?
 
Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse that the final generation's hearts would wax cold. Paul said men would be lovers of themselves. Peter said they would be scoffers. In other words, the last generation was going to be the most hard-hearted, thick-headed, and spiritually-dead generation on record. It is going to take an event as extreme as the Rapture, to reach some. Which goes back to why God is bringing this back to men's attention leading up to the time.
 
Friends, the Rapture of the Church is so very near. I can sense it in my spirit. I know many other writers and readers who all feel that same sense of urgency welling within them. This is not some form of collective-insanity. We all come from different backgrounds, different cultures, different educational levels, and different denominations, yet, we all sense that the Lord's return is near, even at the door! If it was close in James's day, how much closer are we now some two-thousand years later?
 
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8
 
Even so, Maranatha!

Is the Glory of God Departing America? - By Dr. David Reagan/Lamb & Lion Ministries -
http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3453
 
 
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that "there is nothing new under the sun." Some interpret that to mean the more things change the more they stay the same. Others simply assert that although technology and what passes for knowledge has changed, the heart of man has not changed. The Bible proves time and again the truth of the great hymn: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love."
 
Sadly, that truth does not just relate to individuals, it relates to peoples and nations as well. Kingdoms, city-states, and nations rise and fall. There is yet to be a nation under heaven that has not wandered away from the very God who has poured out blessing upon it.
 
Some have been characterized by faithfulness to biblical Christianity -- at least in cultural mores. But, the societies that once reverberated with Christian truth throughout the Western world have succumbed to a post-Christian ambivalence toward truth itself.
 
How did the West stray so far, and is there hope for America, teetering on the brink of that same fate?
 
Biblical Examples
 
We can learn much from the example of Israel and Judah. Made up of God's own Chosen People, those nations were destined for greatness. Their people were blessed as no other nation, raised up literally to bear testimony to what a relationship with the living God could mean. Long before America sang of God's grace being shed on our land, His unmerited favor fell on the Jewish people. He did not choose them because they were more worthy. Moses made it clear that He did not even choose them because they were mighty in number, but rather because of God's love and grace (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).
 
Did the Jewish people appreciate the singular privilege of such a blessing? Did they revere the God who poured out such blessings? Clearly not. That is why the Lord repeatedly sent prophets to warn, to call to repentance and to declare judgment.
 
Consider the situation in Israel immediately following the period of the Judges. The book of that name tells us repeatedly that "in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). There were a few individuals who lived upright and exemplary lives.
 
Ruth tells of one such man named Boaz, who foreshadowed his descendant who would become the ultimate kinsman-redeemer. But, First Samuel describes a people who were generally going through motions rather than seeking hard after the Lord. Even the priests and religious leaders had grown apathetic toward God.
 
Spiritual Corruption
 
The text tells about the worthless sons of Eli -- Hophni and Phinehas. Although serving as priests of the Lord, they did not know Him. Their disdain for God and self-serving interaction with the people was well-known. Eli recognized their evil ways -- from helping themselves to the sacrifices dedicated to the Lord to sexually cavorting with women at the very doorway of the tent of meeting. And yet, he did not take action to hold his own sons accountable and ensure reverence before God.
 
In 1 Samuel 4, the people found themselves drawn up in battle against their ongoing foe, the Philistines. After straying from God under the errant spiritual leadership of men like Hophni and Phinehas, Israel found itself defeated. The Israelites expressed complete surprise, exclaiming, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?" (v. 3).
 
Their solution was to trot out the Ark of the Covenant, presuming upon the Lord's protection. In other words, although their hearts were clearly far from Him, the Israelites looked to their god-in-a-box as the ultimate weapon or the surest talisman.
 
Viewing God as a Good-Luck Charm
 
How many people today wear a cross necklace or WWJD bracelet or some other such bobble, not to shamelessly proclaim, "Jesus is Lord," but because they think God is obligated to shield them from all harm if they just cover themselves in Christian symbols? Sort of like the old horror movies where the vampire could be driven back by a mirror or a cross. But God is not a cosmic good-luck charm to wear when the going gets rough.
 
Samuel records the results of such callous treatment of God and disrespect of His Shekinah Glory hovering above the Ark's Mercy Seat. To their dismay, Israel was soundly defeated once again and the Ark was captured. On top of that, Hophni and Phinehas -- the two men whose position as priests should have given them insight to know better -- were killed. When a young man brought news of the tragedy back to Eli, the chief priest of Israel fell over, broke his neck, and died.
 
The Bible is unflinching in its description of Eli. It says that Eli was very old and could no longer see, and that he was very heavy. It also says that Eli had judged Israel for 40 years. Taken together, it is instructive to consider why those traits are specifically included.
 
The Symbolism of Eli
 
At 98 years old, Eli had clearly lived a long time. He had seen much, stretching back into the period of the Judges. During his lifetime, the Jewish people had established themselves in the land and had been served by a series of judges -- men and women who offered unifying leadership.
 
Eli had seen Israel beset by trials from the very people they were supposed to eliminate from the land. He had witnessed the tribes fracture and drift from their pledge to serve only the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, he had served as high priest to the Lord at Shiloh -- where the Ark resided in the tent of meeting. It is not unreasonable to think that at 98 years old, Eli should have been at the pinnacle of his priestly wisdom and influence. And yet...
 
He did not effectively intervene to deal with the evil behavior of his sons. He did not counsel the Israelites to seek the Lord instead of just trotting the Ark out like some holy talisman or charm. In short, other than his wise counsel that young Samuel should respond to the voice he kept hearing by saying, "Speak LORD, for Your servant is listening," Eli seems to have been ineffectual in his role as judge and high priest. In short, he lacked the wisdom of his own age.
 
Scripture also says that Eli could no longer see. That is meant as a description of physical limitation, but it seems an obvious commentary on his spiritual state as well. Although he was aware of his sons' wicked behavior, he closed his eyes to it and allowed them to continue their evil ways.
 
Moses had warned that disobedience to God would lead the Jewish people into spiritual blindness. He wrote, "The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart; and you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, with none to save you" (Deuteronomy 28:28-29). Even in his old age, Eli had to recognize that Israel had lost its way and become blind under his leadership.
 
Eli's Obesity
 
Interestingly, Eli is one of the few characters in the Bible whose girth or weight is deemed worthy of comment. The first was arguably Eglon, king of Moab. Because the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, God strengthened Eglon to execute judgement. Judges 3 explains that Israel served Eglon for 18 years, until Ehud the Benjaminite struck down Eglon and led Israel to victory and 80 years of peace. The Bible says that Eglon had grown so obese that when Ehud thrust a sword into the Moabite king, his belly fat closed over the blade.
 
Why is the record of Eli's weight mentioned? Because Eli's weight is also relevant to the story. Upon hearing of the loss of the Ark, Eli fell over backward and broke his neck -- "because he was old and heavy." How does a priest get heavy? It is implied that Eli had followed the self-serving practice of his sons who not only plunged their three-pronged forks into the sacrificial meat, but also demanded uncooked fatty meat. First Samuel 2:17 describes such behavior as despising the offering of the LORD.
 
None other than celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey has put a culinary twist on the subject, declaring:
 
I always say, "Never trust a fat chef," because they've eaten all the good bits! Trust a skinny chef because you know they haven't indulged and eaten everything.
 
Am I condemning those who tend toward the hefty side today? Not at all. I'm stepping on my own toes even making this observation because I'm already tending to exceed the Air Force weight standards I maintained so carefully for 34 years.
 
But, in the era in which Eli lived, Israel's economy was driven by agriculture. Most people would have been lean due to a limited diet and tireless work. The picture of a priest who can only be described as heavy is worthy of remark because it offers a contrast. The clear insinuation is that Eli had indeed indulged and eaten himself into obesity -- taking advantage of the priestly office he held.
 
There can be no escaping the fact that America is one of the most overweight societies in the world. It is as if we have become so accustomed to the bounty of food that we no longer moderate our own intake. As such, the scourge of high blood pressure and heart disease and other weight-related ailments is at an all-time high -- and growing every year. And, certainly, that physical description of our society goes hand-in-hand with its increasingly anemic spiritual health.
 
A Time of Testing
 
The last comment on Eli's life was that he judged Israel for 40 years. What an interesting length of time. 40 years or 40 days appears over and over in Scripture. The Bible mentions that specific number 146 times. Moses lived 40 years in Egypt and 40 years in the desert before God called him to service.
 
He spent 40 days on Mount Sinai on two separate occasions and gave the Hebrew spies 40 days to observe the Promised Land. The Jews then wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Nineveh was given 40 days to repent before destruction fell. And, Jesus was tempted by Satan over a 40-day period.
 
It has been observed that the number 40 seems to symbolize a time of testing or probation or trial. Obviously, Eli was not the only judge to serve for 40 years (Othniel, Deborah and Barak, and Gideon each judged that long). Saul and David and Solomon also reigned for 40 years each.
 
But, Eli's tenure is marked by a steady decrease in faithfulness and respect for God -- as manifested by his own sons. The people of Israel clearly failed that period of probation when they treated the Ark of the Covenant so disdainfully.
 
American Parallels
 
What application can be made to our society from Eli's tragic end? Eli was old enough to have seen great blessing, and to have known better than to have strayed from truth. The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, often declared the United States to be the oldest democracy in the world.
 
Although we could quibble that ours is a republic, the fact remains that our nation is old enough to know how to act better than we do. Instead of statesmen and leaders, we are served by men and women who give lip service to truth but seldom act upon it.
 
Why did Eli's sons -- and Eli himself -- stray so badly? It seems that Eli tolerated too much. That was the offense Jesus cited against the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2. How much of America's decline has occurred because Christians have silently tolerated too much?
 
Regarding sight, Puritan (and later Massachusetts Governor) John Winthrop proposed a society that "shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people upon us." And yet, our nation seems to embody the church at Laodicea, to whom Jesus said: "You say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and yet you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17).
 
Our nation also seems to embody the people Jesus spoke of in Mark 8:18 when He quoted from Jeremiah 5:21: "Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see; who have ears but do not hear."
 
And, how much could be written about America's heavy girth? We are one of the most obese nations in the world. How much of our collective and individual bulk reflects a tendency to overindulge -- selfishly consuming to an unhealthy extreme?
 
Are we physically or spiritually fit to run a race? Paul admonished the Corinthians (and us, by extension) to run in such a way that they could win (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Many of us would be hard-pressed to amble for an extended period, let alone sustain the physical and spiritual pace Paul maintained throughout his life as a Christian.
 
Regarding the 40-year period of Eli's service as judge, I would observe that America has definitely entered an era of steady decline. Our economy is booming, unemployment is at record lows, but most people sense that something is terribly amiss. If the current era represents our time of national testing, or probation, or trial, we are certainly failing. It is obvious that we are demonstrating a steady decrease in respect for God and faithfulness to His Word.
 
An Unnamed Voice
 
There is one other significant player in 1 Samuel 4, although she is never named. Eli's unnamed daughter-in-law understood the gravity of losing the Ark. Upon giving birth to Phinehas' son, she declared that the boy be named Ichabod, saying, "The glory [of the Lord] has departed Israel" (1 Samuel 4:21). Her sadness and despair are palpable.
 
I am convinced that the glory of God is leaving America. What was once a shining city on a hill has become a twisted caricature of unholy self-righteousness. Like the ancient Israelites, we think we are immune from harm because we like to think of ourselves as a Christian nation.
 
Would Jesus not say to us as He did the Israel of 2000 years ago, "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me'" (Matthew 15:7-8).
 
God's Incredible Patience
 
Of course, that was not the end of the story for ancient Israel. In God's good time and because of His graciousness -- meaning His willingness to extend unmerited favor, God restored the blessing on Israel and then Judah.
 
Still, time and time again they strayed -- until His patience was at an end. He sent prophet after prophet to call the Jews to repent. Jeremiah said it this way (Jeremiah 2:1-13):
 
1) Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
 
2) "Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says, the LORD, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me...
 
4) Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.
 
5) Thus says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me that they went far from Me and walked after emptiness and became empty?
 
6) They did not say, 'Where is the LORD?'
 
11) Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.
 
12) Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate," declares the LORD.
 
13) For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
 
A sad summary of Judah's attitude is captured in 2 Chronicles 36:
 
15) And the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;
 
16) but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy.
 
Our Nation's Future
 
David Reagan has long declared that judgment is overdue for America. Many agree. Ruth Bell Graham, convinced that our society was deserving of the wrath of God, said, "If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."
 
The question remains whether there is any hope for America. Every indicator screams that we are accelerating our headlong rush away from the living God and into a hellish abyss. Abandoning the God of our fathers, our nation seems determined to embrace the sexual revolution and cast our lot with post-Christian secular Humanism.
 
If that be the case, our nation will soon join the long line of societies that have been relegated to the dust bin of history. Once vibrant and alive, we are in the process of withering up and becoming just another collection of dry bones in a long, twilit valley.
 
So, can these bones live?
 
To cite another prophet's very wise response when the Lord asked him that exact question, "O Lord God, You know" (Ezekiel 37:3). Indeed He does.
 
Without a miracle of God, America's dry bones will not experience another great awakening. The division and rancor within our society are driving us further apart, not together. We are a living fulfillment of Romans 1, and God is undoubtedly giving us over to our own depraved minds (Romans 1:28).
 
But...
 
Until Jesus Christ calls us to Himself, we must have and share hope, even as we await our Blessed Hope. Many are being deceived. Eventually some will realize that they are wandering in darkness and seek the light. If modern Pontius Pilates ask of us, "what is truth?" we know the Person who is Truth.
 
Redemption may never come for our nation, but it will come for individuals who put their faith in Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul cites a partial list of the unrighteous acts that can be covered by the blood of Jesus.
 
There is now -- and never will be -- condemnation for any who are in Christ Jesus. Even as darkness descends and society turns away from Him, the God of Hope offers joy and peace to all who believe in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
 
Until He does come, follow Paul's example. To paraphrase his charge (2 Timothy 4:7-8):
 
Fight the good fight, finish the course, keep the faith, for in the future there is laid up for you the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to you on that day; and not only to you, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
 
Although Eli's daughter-in-law saddled her son with the tragic name, Ichabod, it conveyed a tragic truth: the glory of God had departed Israel. We must face a similarly tragic truth today: the glory of God is departing America.
 
But, our hope is not built on the sinking sand of an apostate culture. We can encourage each other because we know that the manifest glory of God is coming again soon in the person of Jesus Christ.
 
My prayer until He does will remain: Godspeed!