This is how we overcome by the word of our testimony and by the Blood of the Lamb.
This is how we endure to the end.
Most of those chasing around after Jesus, during His earthly ministry, misunderstood what He was saying about His Works, and not much has changed to this day.
For example, a large crowd that had stayed on the far shore, saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So, when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
“Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
“Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” John 6
He prepared the good Works; we just ‘walk in them’.
Many churches are teaching to do your own good works, in your own ways as if to say, “those were things they did THEN. But, these are the things we do NOW.
But, NO! Man’s ways are failing. They are failing to engage the enemy . Our enemies are evil, fear, doubt, hatred, vengeance, lust, poverty, war, disease, sickness and more.
Here are Jesus’ methods and ways, and here is exactly what He has told us to do:
Here is our methods and ways, just as Jesus has told us:
Believe on the One whom He has sent.
Jesus will give us the words to speak.
The Bible is the Sword of God.
Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf.
We are made to be His witnesses.
When we lift Jesus, people are drawn to Him. Jesus will heal the sick; raise the dead; cleanse the lepers; cast out demons.
Each of us must develop and have our personal plan and intention of making disciples, following Jesus’ model, in His Name. I pray you will work on yours today!
Again, let’s please remember, it is God Who does these Works through His disciples. We do not accomplish these Works on our own.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
PS: Do these “Works” of Jesus sound like the 2021 postmodern Church? It would seem that, many claiming His Name, are so far off His Message, His Methods and His Means, that one has to wonder what He will have to say upon His return?
(Will it be, “‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’; or, will it be “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”)
Imagine with me, if you will, that the world could witness these works being performed on a global scale. Don’t you think it would change how the world thinks and behaves? It’s our job now, to be obedient and available for Him to do His Works through us, remembering, it is not us who does the Works; it is God Who does them.
The Beatles, the wildly popular, and now legendary, singing group from the UK, in 1971 made the equally legendary song, “IMAGINE”:
Lyrics.
Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try.
No hell below us, Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people, Living for today,
Imagine there are no countries, It isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, too.
Imagine all the people, living life in peace.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will be as one.
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will live as one.
Yes. Imagine. Four teenagers, with barely a high school education, succeed in helping transform an entire generation (or two) into thinking of the possibilities of their being “No Heaven & No Hell, Just living for the day, No countries, no nations, No religion, No God. The World as One.”
Life as Atheists, Globalists, Socialists and as Communists.
The Beatles also popularized the song “Come Together”, and, they are not alone. This has been in the imagination of people since ancient times. The Bible records that about 3,000 years ago, mankind made the first effort at a Global Community (in or around 900 BC). Now, technology has made it feasible, and it is happening – a real chance at a GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
ONE WORLD COMMUNITY (and GOVERNMENT) – What is it?
GLOBALISM. Publications like Wikipedia or “The Economist” deliberately confuse the term Globalism and the aims of Globalism by asserting there are various kinds of ‘Globalism’. (disassembling the word into component parts and delving into fabricated systems).
Merriam-Webster’s definition is a close approximation, saying ‘Globalism’ is “a national policy of treating the whole world as a proper sphere for political influence, similar to imperialism or internationalism”.
Socialists and communists say Globalism is the key to worldwide prosperity. But, the truth is that they know it is the key to controlling people under the dictatorial rule of godless communism.
Read this introduction by the Commission for Global Governance “The task before UNESCO,” said its first Director-General Julian Huxley in 1946, is “the emergence of a single world culture” by transferring “full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.”
The “new world order” will be a socialist, authoritarian global government and court with “global rule of law” and a “one-world economy,”.
The recommendations of the Commission on Global Governance, if implemented, will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience.
Further evidence is found in Agenda 21 documents. Agenda 21 initially claimed to be a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.
Although touted as ‘a non-binding resolution’ this UN agency formed The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. It was agreed that a five-year review of Earth Summit progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly meeting in special session.
Agenda 21 has now become involved in forty areas ranging from SOCIAL and ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS to poverty, consumption issues, health matters, deforestation, legal instruments and implementation and everything in between, including The World Health Organization, which is closely allied to and aligned with the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The World Health Organization has revamped their website to conceal this fact. Their previous web address was https://www.who.int/wssd/en/, but when you click the link you will find they have concealed any mention of the WSSD.
The United States is a signatory country to Agenda 21. But adherents quickly remind us that because Agenda 21 is “a legally non-binding statement of intent” and not a treaty, the United States Senate did not hold a formal debate or vote on it. It is therefore not considered to be law under Article Six of the United States Constitution, or say they say.
However, President GEORGE H.W. BUSH was one of the 178 heads of government who signed the final text of the agreement at the Earth Summit in 1992, and in the same year Representatives NANCY PELOSI, Eliot Engel and William Broomfieldspoke in support ofUnited States House of Representatives Concurrent Resolution 353, supporting implementation of Agenda 21 in the United States.
Then president, BILL CLINTON, signed a 1993 Executive Order, creating the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) is explicitly charged with recommending a national action plan for sustainable development to the President. So, bypassing Congress, Clinton, made it law.
The President’s Council on Sustainable Development is composed of leaders from government and industry, as well as from environmental, labor and civil rights organizations.
The President’s Council on Sustainable Development submitted its report, “Sustainable America: A New Consensus”, to the President in early 1996. In the absence of a multi-sectoral consensus on how to achieve sustainable development in the United States, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development was conceived to formulate recommendations for the implementation of Agenda 21.
In the United States, over 528 American cities are members of “Local Governments for Sustainability” or “ICLEI”, is an international Marxist and Socialist leaning sustainability organization, that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI’s global membership of 1,200 cities promoting sustainable development at a local level.
The United States also has one of the most comprehensively documented Agenda 21 status reports. In response to the opposition, Don Knapp, U.S. spokesman for the ICLEI, has said “Sustainable development is not a top-down conspiracy from the U.N., but a bottom-up push from local governments”.
Additional links to the President’s Council on Sustainable Development:
The Bible tells us of a time when world events will collide in a world-wide cataclysm. We are seeing what appears to be the finals acts of that day.
The Bible warns us of wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, earthquakes, famines, drought, disease and death. We are warned of false Messiahs, a horrific persecution of Christians, world-wide and a great falling away from the faith.
All of these things have already occurred and have been ongoing since the death and resurrection of Jesus – except for the Apostasy, the great falling away, but we now have signs that the Apostasy has begun.
We are told that “AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS”, seemingly the first FIVE SEALS as described above and in the book of Matthew chapter 24 and the book of Revelation chapters 6 and 7, the world will witness great cosmic disturbances as never seen by mankind.
During these times, the Bible (the books of Daniel and of The Revelation) foretells of coming a World Government, headed by a highly intelligent and charismatic individual who is able to lead a great and fierce army, conquering many. He will be able to deceive many and to do miraculous deeds, and will take control of a worldwide empire and the lives of every person on earth.
I have outlined the SEALS of the Tribulation, below for easy reference in order to point out what is now at hand. I am showing Jesus Word to His disciples, taken from the book of Matthew, chapter 24, and I have added the corollary verses from the Book of Revelation: When Does the 7 years of The Great Tribulation Begin?
Revelation 8:1 says, “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Verse 2: “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Verse 3: “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
Verse 4: “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Verse 5: “Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Verse 6: “And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. This discourse on the tribulation is now into the 7th seal!
COULD THIS BE THE RAPTURE?
Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
Ask these questions: WHO & WHERE?
I repeat, for emphasis,
ALL THE SAINTS, (Who?)
BEFORE THE THRONE. (Where?)
There is also a “Woe” to those still on earth, but it seems there are no more references to The Church, to disciples or Christ followers on earth after this event.
Now that Jesus has warned His followers of what to expect
He gives instructions on what we are to do:
Matthew 24:37 says,“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
Those in that day had it wrong, all except Noah, and I wonder about us in the 21st Century prophecy experts?
Verse 37: “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
Verse 38: “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
Verse 39: “and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Verse 40: “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
Verse 41: “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
Verse 42: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Verse 43: “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Verse 44: “For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Verse 45: “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
Verse 46: “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Please, don’t be self-deceived.
1. For this reason, you also must be ready.
2. The faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time.
3. Blessed in that slave whom his master finds so doing when He comes.
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah
Noah believed God against all the odds.
Noah obeyed God, all the time, by faith.
Noah stood against the contemporary wisdom and the taunts of those around him.
Noah got ready. Noah stayed ready.
Noah as the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time.
Noah is the Blessed Slave whom his Master found doing so when He came.
Noah and his household endured to the end and were saved!
Are you ready to be a Noah?
Have you started building the Ark of your Salvation by believing God by faith, against all the odds?
Are you obeying God? Are you doing what He has said to do to be ready?
Are you standing against contemporary wisdom and the taunts of those around you, both inside and outside the church?
Are you Ready for what is coming and may indeed already be here?
Are you being the faithful and sensible salve whom your Master has put in charge of your household to give them their food at the proper time?
Be the Blessed slave whom your Master finds doing so when He comes.
Here’s a quick scan of time and history as it relates to the Bible. Read carefully, study and see what you think.
News Headlines. (2018)
The breaking of the 1st Seal in the Book of Revelation says we will hear of WARS and rumors of war and that we will hear of nation rising against nation
There have been thousands upon thousands of wars and conflicts since the time of Christ. Most notable for their scope and breadth are the
Religious Crusades (1095 – 1291, Muslims vs Latin Church, almost 2 million dead),
As recently as 1978 the communist military coup on 27 April 1978, known as the Saur Revolution, when the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, (PDPA), took power. Since that day, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted Afghanistan.
The Syrian civil war has drawn the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, The Kurds, ISIS into this conflict.
Other countries involved in military conflicts as of 2018.
· Iraq. …
· Russia. …
· Ukraine. …
· Yemen. …
· Democratic Republic of the Congo. …
· Mexico. …
· Central African Republic
Wars and rumors of war is nothing new. So, when Jesus says, in Matthew 24:6-8, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”, to WHICH wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines was Jesus referring? Those in AD 1? Those in AD69? Those later wars? No. Jesus was speaking in the present about an unfolding present and future event.
Compare what Jesus said, found in Matthew 24 and what John said in Revelation about these matters.
I have coupled the corollary verses:
Matthew 24:6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
Verse 7. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
Verse 8. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.“
Revelation 6:1 says,Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”
Verse 2. “I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Verse 3. “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.”
Verse 4. “And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”
But that is not yet the end…all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Wars and rumors of wars have been ongoing since the 1st century.
The breaking of the 2nd Seal brings outright warfare on a Global Scale.
We have now seen two world wars
We have seen ‘the sons of Ishmael’ warring with ‘the sons of Isaac’ on an global scale since the time of Christ.
So, how can we tell when the 1st and 2nd Seals of the ‘tribulation’ have been broken?
Let’s skip forward to the 5th Seal events found in Matthew and Revelation.
Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”
Revelation 6:9When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
Verse 10: “and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Verse 11: “And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”
THEN, they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you…”
Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
Once again, if we are not to endure these ‘tribulations’ why is Jesus warning us to “endure to the end”?
Matthew 24:15 tells us, Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
Verse 16: “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Verse 17: “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
Verse 18: “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
Verse 19: “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
Verse 20: “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.
Verse 21: “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
Verse 22: “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
“When you SEE the Abomination of Desolation. (HEY, DISCIPLES, when you SEE IT? How can you SEE IT if you are not on earth?)
“For THEN there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
“…but for the sake of the ELECT”. (THE ELECT are still on earth at this point?The ELECT are still on earth at the 5th Seal of the tribulation? How is that even possible, if they will have been Raptured away?)
Matthew 24:29 says, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Verse 30: “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
Verse 31: “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Revelation 6:12 says, “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
Verse 13: “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
Verse 14: The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Verse 15: “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;
Verse 16: “and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
Verse 17: “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Revelation 7:1says, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”
Revelation 7:9says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
Verse 10: “and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Verse 11: “And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
Verse 12: “saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Verse 13: “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”
Verse 14: “I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
RECAP
But, immediately after the tribulation of those days
THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the power of the heavens will be shaken.
AND THEN, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, AND THEN all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and THEY WILL SEE the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the FOUR WINDS , from one end of the sky to the other.
A great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues
(I mean no disrespect, but, since when is the Bible unable to count the number of anything? So, this must be an extraordinarily large number, perhaps from the time of creation?)
Standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands
and they cry out with a loud voice, saying “Salvation to our God who site on the throne, and to the Lamb.
THESE ARE THE ONES WHO COME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (This is just too clear to be misunderstood).
Revelation 7:15says “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
Verse 16: “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;
Verse 17: “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
IS THIS THE RAPTURE?
This is very clear:
These “ones who come out of the tribulation” are now in heaven along with the “great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues”
as spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy.
One of the first, most accurate, and most persistent advocates of the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church can be found at Zion’s Hope, with videos on this site. Finally, in this 21st century, there are a few prominent Bible teachers who are now arriving at this same conclusions (John Piper, and Corrie Ten Boom)
If you are in an Evangelical, Fundamentalist or Reformed church and do not hold tightly to a pre-tribulation Rapture view, there is a very good chance you may be lectured and corrected, and if you question a “traditional” pre-tribulation rapture view. You may be ridiculed, mocked, marginalized and even shunned by some church leaders, bible teachers and pastors.
As an example in case, I casually shared my concerns and changing views with a pastor / friend and his wife at our kid’s Christian school track meet one day. I asked his feeling about this. His face turned red, and he stated he wouldn’t hear it. His wife was equally angry and told me that I might be stuck here during the tribulation, but they would be in heaven. They both turned their backs to me and stopped talking to me.
The next time I took my oldest son to this pastor’s church to visit, the pastor met me at the door, made a show of stopping me, turning his back on me and making it clear to all that I was not welcomed in his church. He never talked to me again. His name is John Marks, an otherwise dear man and a Baptist pastor. And this was not the only occasion a church leader acted this way regarding this matter. So, beware.
However, this is an important message. Most Christians think that once they repeated “a simple prayer” and “got saved” that is all they needed to do to go to heaven. But, not everyone believes that is enough.
Our stated faith in Christ requires that we follow Him, which validates that statement. And Jesus tells us, clearly, what we are to DO if we are going to follow Him.
Don’t come up short.
Now, back to the End of Days and a Biblical narrative.
(Click here to continue to Page 3 and a quick scan of time and history as it relates to the Bible and The Last Days.) Read carefully. Study and see what you think.
The most popular and widely accepted doctrine on the tribulation is that all Christians will be ‘Raptured’ off the earth and into heaven, BEFORE the tribulation starts. Once the Rapture has occurred, the tribulation will then begin.
I accepted the pre-tribulation-rapture-view without much thought. It was what I was told would happen and as a new Christian, I never questioned it.
Many years later, a friend and co-teacher, asked me to join him in teaching a Church class on a book about the Rapture and the Tribulation. My assignment was PRE-tribulation Rapture, and he would present and discuss the mid-tribulation rapture view.
It took me almost a year to prepare, and that study and preparation raised questions I could not ignore. For example:
1. Why was Jesus warning His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Words in the Bible) about coming events if they would not experience those events, if they would be raptured before the tribulation?
2. How can we tell WHICH ‘wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes’ were the result of breaking of the first seal of the tribulation, because there have been thousands of them since Jesus said these words.
3. Was Jesus wanting to ‘scare’ listeners into believing by warning them ahead of time? (I think not. Trickery just doesn’t fit Jesus Character, and He tells us “do not be frightened” by these things.)
4. Jesus tells His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Word in the bible), in Matthew 24:6, that “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.”
Verse 7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
Verse 8. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
And a few verses later, Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
Why is Jesus telling us that we should not be frightened by the WARS, RUMORS OF WARS, NATIONS RISING AGAINST NATIONS, FAMINES, EARTHQUAKES, and that we must ENDURE TO THE END TO BE SAVED if we will have been raptured and out of harms way?
5. When you compare Jesus’ Words in the book of Matthew with the words of John the Revelator in the Book of the Revelation, why do you get the very real sense that something about evangelical or reformed doctrines of the end times and the dispensational pre-tribulation rapture don’t line up with or doesn’t fit with what you literally read IN THE BIBLE?
(There are other daunting questions I had, but this is enough for this article)
I’m no scholar. But, that year of study changed my views, slowly at first. Now, after fifteen years of continued, diligent study and review, my mind is changed, permanently.
And, I am not alone. Well known and respected men and women like Pastor and teacher John Piper and missionary Corrie Ten Boom have come to this realization. Bible teacher and author and Biblical pioneer, Marvin Rosenthal, founder of Zion’s Hope Ministries, authored “The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church” revealing and promoting sound Biblical evidence overlooked by the bias of religious denominationalism.
