Comments March 2013
EXPLICIT BIBLE TRUTH
Jesus
Who is He
What is He
Why is He
The Rapture!
2Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
We are looking forward to the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ, 2Thessalonians 2:1 in which the Church with newly resurrected bodies will be raptured to God’s heaven and wait 7 years for Armageddon and while waiting will be occupied enjoying the wonders of God’s heaven and will return with Jesus Christ probably as observers only as He, Christ will destroy the forces of Satan with the breath of His mouth, 2Thessalonians 2:8.
The word Rapture is from the Latin and means to rapidly transport a person or thing from one place to another such as from Earth’s heavens to God’s Heaven and is not new but is unique in that only God and those enabled by Him can move between the Heavens as was done in the past with Enoch and Elijah as recorded in Genesis with Enoch and later in 2Kings with Elijah.
Neal Armstrong and other astronauts and cosmonauts did not move between the heavens but through our heaven which is called outer space.
Satan is currently able to trans-heavens, transport between the heavens as well as are some Angels but Satan will lose that ability and be confined to planet Earth, Revelation 12:7-9 for 3.5 years in which he will desperately try to take complete control of planet earth by murdering millions of people some of which will be saved in the âGreat Tribulationâ and who will resist his totalitarian government which is the revived beast with 7 heads and 10 horns, Revelation 17:8-18.
Enoch is Raptured pre-flood!
Genesis 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
Methuselah died the year of the flood which is derived from the genealogy, ages of the Patriarchs!
Genesis 5:22 and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:23 and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Genesis 5:24 and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated, taken that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated, took him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation, taking he had been well-pleasing unto God:
The Greek word here rendered âTranslatedâ can be rendered taken or transfered or changed with a combined meaning of transferred and changed with out sleeping, dieing as in 1Corinthians 15:51.
Hebrews 11:6 and without faith in God it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto Him, God ; for he that cometh to God must believe that He, God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him.
Reward here probably means that God will reveal Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scripture which is the Bible and in the future will be eternal rewards which are in large part seeing the splendor of God Himself and His magnificent works and the beauty of His creation including fiery Chariots and having perfect peace as well as having shared authority over the creation itself, Romans 8:16-23.
Elijah is Raptured post-flood!
2Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
2Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
2Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, Job 38:1.
A Fiery Chariot and Horses were used to part asunder which means to separate Elijah from Elisha because they were walking together and only Elijah was being Raptured.
Elijah did not die but was probably changed and then taken up in a whirlwind to Heaven, 1Corinthians 15:51.
Some think the fiery chariot and horses are actually a space ship but the description and use here would be a stretch of our imaginations to arrive at that conclusion. They are probably quite literal as the wonders of God are spectacular and outside of our frame of normal earthly reference meaning we have never seen one.
The Second coming, ASV!
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; Psalm 22:16-18, and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him. Even so, Amen.
The Christian Church Rapture, ASV!
Hebrews 9:28 so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.
This is addressed to those who wait for Christ, the redeemed of the âNew Testament Church ageâ probably beginning at Luke 16:16-17 or Acts chapters 1&2.
Unto salvation here is part 3 of our 3 part salvation which is the redemption of our bodies and being saved from the presence of sin, being with the Lord forever.
Part 1 is regeneration of our spirit by the Holy Spirit of God which is done in an instant, conforming our spirit to the Spirit of God.
Part 2 is our soul salvation which is growing by means of Grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 2Peter 3:17-18 by intaking Bible doctrine, James 1:21, 5:19-20, knowing the will of God and hopefully living by it as we have divorced the world’s evil.
A second time here is not to be confused with the second coming but is His second appearance for His Church.
At the first appearance Christ died for His Church and the redeemed of planet earth and the second appearance is for the redemption of His Church which will be the claiming of His Church and will end the Christian Church age and will move on to the period of the 7 year great tribulation for those dwelling on planet Earth.
At the Church rapture Christ will not set foot on planet earth but we will meet the Lord in the air, 1Thessalonains 4:15-18, Revelation 4:1.
At the second coming Christ will destroy the armies of Satan at Armageddon.
Christ appeared earlier when Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus to aid in murdering more Christians but the Lord stopped him cold by blinding him by His great light and knocking him to the ground and Paul responded âLORD, who are you ?â. Their first meeting established who Paul was and who Jesus was and is and from this we get the expression âI saw the lightâ.
Apart from sin here means His second appearance will not be to pay for our sins but to attach our spirit and soul to our new body with the old body being the pattern and the material from which it is made and He will Rapture the completed person, our spirit and soul with the new body. Our soul has previously been washed by the water of the word, James 1:21, Ephesians 5:26.
The spirit and souls of those who died in the new testament Christian Church age will return with Christ and will get their new body and those who are still alive will be changed in the âblinking, twinkling of an eyeâ, 2Corinthians 5:6-8.
1Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, die but we shall all be changed,
1Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead, Greek meaning corpses, the bodies, shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, Revelation 4:1.
Our current body is corruptible and having died returns to dust after a short time but the elements are still there.
Even though a person has been cremated and their ashes scattered the elements will be reassembled into an Eternal Body.
The redeemed who are buried at sea whose elements have been scattered by tides and currents will be reassembled into their Eternal Body.
The ceremony for dead Mariners reads :
USN (united states navy) from 1793-1845
At the Burial of their* Dead at Sea.
WE therefore commit his body to the deep, to be turned into corruption, looking for the resurrection of the body when the sea shall give up her dead to the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who at his coming shall change our vile body, that it may be like his glorious body, according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.
1Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Revelation 1:19 Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are,The Churches and the things which shall come to pass hereafter;
The Church Rapture!
Revelation 4:1 After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter, 1Corinthians 15:52.
In this context the Apostle John has left his body and is now in the spirit and will return to his mortal body and will complete his normal life in the flesh.
At his physical death his spirit and soul will return to God’s heaven and await the Church Rapture when he and all of us will receive our new body, 2Corinthians 5:6-8, Romans 8:23.
The Second coming,
the Great Tribulation ASV!
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him. Even so, Amen.
Mourn hear is due to the death of the ungodly on planet earth that Jesus Christ will do in the destruction of His enemy’s.
Evil people also have emotion’s toward their own and are fearful for what is coming upon themselves which God will use as a tool pushing them toward repentance.
Every eye are those who dwell on planet earth and who have refused to repent toward God, Revelation 9:20-21 even though they have knowledge of His Deity and sovereignty as they hate righteousness, Romans chapter 1.
If God does not deal with the unrighteous then the wicked things we see in the world will simply continue and there will never be peace or justice and so it is a matter of necessity, Ezekiel 24:13-14, for the wickedness of Israel.
The Church Rapture, ASV!
2Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
Our geathering together unto Him is the Church Rapture ! Christians do not argue about the Rapture itself as verse 2T-2:1 above makes it quite clear, making it irrefutable.
Pre-trib people believe that it will occur just prior to the 70th week of the Prophet Daniel 9:24, the 7 years of the Great Tribulation. 69 weeks meaning 483 years have already occurred with the 70 th week which is yet to come, having been delayed, set aside for the âAge, times of the Gentilesâ that has now lasted more than 1900 years.
At the Church Rapture the age, times of the gentiles will cease and the 70th week of Daniel, the final week, the period of the great tribulation will begin and last for 7 years ending at Armageddon.
The rapture disagreement is about the timing, when will it occur?? Some say Pre-tribulation and some say mid-tribulation and some say post-tribulation meaning after the Great tribulation.
Post-tribulation people believe that the second coming and the Rapture are at the same time with the Church, the âBody of Christâ having gone through the Great tribulation.
If that is true and/but, it is not true then the Rapture would be pointless.
2Thessalonians 2:2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand, 1John 4:1-3;
2Thessalonians 2:3 let no man beguile, Fool you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
It here is referring to verse 2T-2:2, the âDay of the Lordâ .
Falling away here means âdepartureâ in the Greek and is referring to verse 2T-2:7 see below.
The one that restraineth who is the Spirit of God who indwells us for eternity.
See: Acts 13:6-12 for what God the Holy Spirit did through the Apostle Paul when He, the Spirit of God and Paul were provoked.
A co-worker was spreading lies about my twin brother who is a Christian and soon after Donnie told me the fellow broke out with a very severe and unexplained rash that he kept for sometime. I do not remember if we prayed for resolution of the problem or not but I was quite awed by the whole thing.
The man of sin is also called the âFalse Prophetâ and is described in the next verse 2T-2:4.
2Thessalonians 2:4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Setting himself forth as God will occur in Jerusalem at mid-tribulation, 3.5 years before Armageddon the final war which is just prior to the âKingdom of Heavenâ which will last for 1000 years.
The âKingdom of Heavenâ is part of the âKingdom of Godâ but will cease after 1000 years with the âKingdom of Godâ being the Eternal Kingdom, Revelation 12:9-10, 1Corinthians 15:27-28.
2Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Thessalonians 2:6 And now ye know He God which restraineth, to the end that he, The false prophet will be revealed in his own season.
End here is the end of restraint.
2Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one, the Holy Spirit that restraineth now, until He, the Holy Spirit be taken out of the way, departs .
2Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His, Christ coming;
2Thessalonians 2:9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Thessalonians 2:10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
Sendeth here is referring to verse 2T-2:7 above when the restraint, who is the Holy Spirit is removed allowing the false prophet and his working of error which is all power, signs and lying wonders.
Restraint here is necessary as the lawless one has been trying to move into his upcoming period but he does not know at what hour this will occur and has tried through many wars including the Holocaust trying to take control.
The U.S military is the tool used by God to restrain him in 2 major wars as well as Korea and Vietnam etc;.
Satan and his forces the “Sons of disobedience” have now moved against America itself. Will he succeed?? If we are at the Rapture time yes he will succeed but if not the calamities of these times are discipline meaning âChange your Ways Americaâ!
Had these people known and lived in the Truth they would have rejected his claim to be God and his lying wonders.
When he sets himself in the temple showing himself to be God many will reject him at that time, at mid-tribulation and the Jews will scatter through the split in the mount of olives that Christ has made, Zachariah 14:4-5, Revelation 12:13-14, Exodus 19:14, âwings of Eaglesâ probably means with swiftness.
2Thessalonians 2:12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation by sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
From the beginning is probably Genesis 1:1. God is omniscience, all knowing meaning that God knew the end before the beginning but we, God’s creatures did not know and so this is being played out for our benefit with the end here being the âKingdom of Godâ for His redeemed creatures.
The successful ministry of Jesus Christ makes Him both Lord and Christ.
Sanctification means to be set aside meaning we are in the world but not part of the world and our citizenship is in Heaven and not on Planet Earth.
The word sanctification is where we get the word Saint from meaning all of the redeemed are named Saints by God and not by man.
2Thessalonians 2:14 where unto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Glory here is what and who Jesus Christ is meaning He is Jesus who has the indwelling âGod the Wordâ and the âSpirit of Christâ upon Him who is the source of His power and He, Jesus is 100% righteous, Romans 8:28-29.
2Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by WORD, or by EPISTLE of ours.
The completed canon of scripture, the New and Old testaments with the old testament being the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets, Luke 24:44 and history with the new testament being the Gospels, and Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, all of which is the Bible.
The Gospels are from the mouth of Jesus and the Acts and Epistles, letters are from the Holy Spirit who Glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ and not himself, John 6:12-15.
When we read the Bible we are âFace to Faceâ with God’s unchangeable word with the indwelling Holy Spirit who continues to illuminate us from the Bible, Matthew 7: 6-8 who also provides illumination for those with the Gift of teaching.
This is not about just memorizing scripture but the outcome is illumination, comprehension, what does it mean ??
2Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
2Thessalonians 2:17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Going through the Great Tribulation is not a very comforting thought to my heart and is just another reason why I am Pre-trib.
Revelation 3:10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
Hour here is not 60 minutes but is an epic or time period which will be testing those who dwell upon the earth who are the unrighteous with the objective being another opportunity for them to repent, under extreme pressure, turning to God but sadly many will not as they hate righteousness, Revelation 9:20-21.
Prior to Rapture!
James 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
The crown of life is a reward, a victors crown that does not fade away or perish which is earned by being obedient to God’s word, walking with the Lord through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Ron
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