Jan.2020 (Part 1) Bible Prophecy Coming To Pass Before Our Eyes!
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Jan 2020(pt 2) Bible Prophecy Compilation – Time Is Running Out!
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The Rapture Has To Happen Before The Tribulation – Revamped!
The Satanic Plan “Post-Tribulation-Rapture Theory” Is A Deception From Hell. First, we need to look at what each view teaches. Pre-tribulation-rapture is taught in most mainline Christian churches in the U.S., as well as protestant churches in Europe and Asia. It teaches that the rapture of the Church will occur before the 7-year Tribulation Age. The post-tribulation-rapture theory teaches that the rapture of the believers will happen after the 7-year Tribulation judgment age. It is taught by the Catholic cult and other Eastern Orthodox church cults, as well as some ancient protestant churches like Presbyterian and Baptist churches. However, they will not tell you that there won’t be anyone left on this earth to rapture, because most of the people will be dead. Satan does not want you to receive Jesus Christ into your heart now, but rather, the devil wants you to say to your heart, “I’ll just wait until all of these catastrophes upon the earth start to happen. Then, I’ll receive Christ.” But by that time, it will be too late. Do you see the deception of the devil? He and his cult post-tribulation-rapture theory gives a false sense of complacency, but that is the dangerous trap. Satan will use his dead, fake religions and cults to spread this false doctrine throughout the world, especially during these End-Times, when Jesus’ return is so imminent. That is why post-tribulation-rapture teachings are from the pit of hell, and part of the devil’s End-Times deceit.
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“What is going to happen according to end times prophecy?”
Christ will remove all born-again
believers from the earth in an event known as the rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1
Corinthians 15:51-54). At the judgment seat of Christ, these believers will
be rewarded for good works and faithful service during their time on earth or
will lose rewards, but not eternal life, for lack of service and obedience (1
Corinthians 3:11-15; 2
Corinthians 5:10).
The Antichrist (the beast) will come
into power and will sign a covenant with Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27).
This seven-year period of time is known as the “tribulation.” During the
tribulation, there will be terrible wars, famines, plagues, and natural
disasters. God will be pouring out His wrath against sin, evil, and wickedness.
The tribulation will include the appearance of the four horsemen of the
Apocalypse, and the seven seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments.
About halfway through the seven years,
the Antichrist will break the peace covenant with Israel and make war against
it. The Antichrist will commit “the abomination of desolation” and set up an
image of himself to be worshipped in the Jerusalem temple (Daniel 9:27;
2
Thessalonians 2:3-10), which will have been rebuilt. The second half of the
tribulation is known as “the great tribulation” (Revelation
7:14) and “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah
30:7).
At the end of the seven-year tribulation,
the Antichrist will launch a final attack on Jerusalem, culminating in the
battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will return, destroy the Antichrist and his
armies, and cast them into the lake of fire (Revelation
19:11-21). Christ will then bind Satan in the Abyss for 1000 years and He
will rule His earthly kingdom for this thousand-year period (Revelation
20:1-6).
At the end of the thousand years, Satan
will be released, defeated again, and then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation
20:7-10) for eternity. Christ then judges all unbelievers (Revelation
20:10-15) at the great white throne judgment, casting them all into the
lake of fire. Christ will then usher in a new heaven and new earth and the New
Jerusalem—the eternal dwelling place of believers. There will be no more sin,
sorrow, or death (Revelation 21–22).
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Now, let us take a closer look…….
“Who / What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?”
Students of biblical prophecy have
differing views over the identity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7. He is called “the one who restrains”
in some translations (ESV, NASB); other translations call Him “the one who
holds back” (NIV), “he who letteth” (KJV), or “he who is keeping down” (YLT).
Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of great power who is hindering the
advance of the Antichrist
and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world.
In his second epistle to the
Thessalonians, Paul assured the church that they were not yet living in the Day of the Lord,
that is, the end times’ judgment had not yet begun. In 2
Thessalonians 2:3 he says, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” According to God’s timetable, the Day
of the Lord and the accompanying judgment will not start until two things
happen: a global rebellion occurs and the Antichrist is revealed. Paul then
mentions what is currently keeping the evil in check: “And now you know what is
holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret
power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will
continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed” (verses 6–8).
Paul does not specifically identify what
or who the restraining force is, since the Thessalonians already knew. Many
scholars have speculated as to the identity of the restrainer, naming the
restraining force as 1) the Roman government; 2) gospel preaching; 3) the
binding of Satan; 4) the providence of God; 5) the Jewish state; 6) the church;
7) the Holy Spirit; and 8) Michael the archangel. We believe the restrainer is
none other than the Holy Spirit, or we could say the Holy Spirit working
through the New Testament church.
Supporting the idea that the Holy Spirit
within the church is the restrainer is the fact that the restrainer is
referenced both as a thing (neuter gender, verse 6) and as a person (masculine
gender, verse 7). Also, the power delaying Satan’s masterplan to unveil his
false messiah must be of God. It makes much more sense to say that the Holy
Spirit is curbing the devil than a political entity or even an angel. The Holy
Spirit of God is the only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do
this restraining.
Of course, the Spirit works through
believers to accomplish this. The church, indwelt by the Spirit of God, has
always been part of what holds society back from the swelling tide of lawless
living. At some point, Paul says, the Spirit will “step aside” from His
restraining work, allowing sin to have dominion over mankind. Second
Thessalonians 2:7 can be literally rendered, “The secret of lawlessness is
already working, only it cannot be revealed until he who now withholds
disappears from the midst.” We believe this “disappearing from the midst” will
happen at the time the church leaves the earth at the rapture. The
Holy Spirit will still be present in the earth, of course, but He will be taken
out of the way in the sense that His unique sin-restraining ministry—through
God’s people—will be removed (see Genesis 6:3).
Second Thessalonians 2 is clear that the removal of the restrainer’s influence precedes the revealing of the Antichrist. Given free rein during the tribulation, the lawless one will “use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders” to deceive the people of the earth (verses 9–10). After the Antichrist’s time is up, the Lord Jesus will return and overthrow the man of sin by “the breath of his mouth and destroy [him] by the splendor of his coming” (verse 8). Evil is restrained right now; once the Church Age ends, the hindrance to evil will be removed, and the rebellion will seem to be winning; however, the ultimate doom of evil is sure.
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The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the rapture happens.
The war of Heaven. The Book of Revelation describes a war in heaven between angels led by the Archangel Michael against those led by “the dragon”, identified as the devil or Satan, who will be defeated and thrown down to the earth, “The Disclosure Project”. Satan and Fallen Angels will come as aliens.
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
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“Is the war in heaven in
Revelation 12
describing Satan’s original fall or an end times angelic battle?”
The
last great angelic battle and Satan’s ultimate expulsion from heaven are
described in Revelation 12:7–12. In this passage, John sees a great war
between Michael and the angels of God and the dragon (Satan) and his fallen
angels or demons that will take place in the end times. Satan, in his great
pride and delusion that he can be like God, will lead a final rebellion against
God. It will be a cosmic mismatch. Thus, the dragon and his demons will lose
the battle and be thrown out of heaven forever.
A
common misconception is that Satan and his demons were locked away in hell
after the fall of Satan. It is clear from many Bible passages that Satan was
not barred from heaven or the earth after his first rebellion, which predated
the creation. In Job
1:1—2:8, he appears before God to accuse Job of ulterior motives in his
worship of God. In Zechariah 3, he again appears before God to accuse Joshua,
the high priest. Indeed, the name Satan means “accuser.” In Genesis, he
visited the Garden of Eden and tempted Eve. He tempted Jesus in the wilderness
before Jesus began His ministry, an incident recorded in Matthew
4:1–11. The question arises that, if Satan had already rebelled and been
cast from heaven before the world was created, why is he free to be in heaven
and on earth?
In
2 Corinthians 12:2–3, the apostle Paul provides a major
revelation that there are three “heavens.” In this passage, he seemingly talks
about himself being taken up to the “third heaven” where God the Father and
Jesus dwell. The second heaven is the universe or outer space, and the first is
our atmosphere or air. The Bible indicates that Satan and some of his demons are
allowed to move in this space (Ephesians
2:1–2; 6:12).
In
this age, Satan and his highest ranking angels can still oppose the work of God
and hinder the angels of God (Daniel
10:10–14) within the boundaries of the middle or second heaven. The battle
recorded in Revelation
12 removes Satan and his minions from this realm.
When Satan is expelled from the middle heaven, there will be great rejoicing in heaven, since the age-old accuser will be forever banned from his mission of accusation and slander against the elect. Satan’s power and freedom will be seriously curtailed. However, the inhabitants of the earth will suffer terribly after this event, because Satan will be enraged. He will also be aware that he only has three and a half more years until he is bound and cast into the bottomless pit. This will usher in a period of intensified suffering on earth (the Great Tribulation) during which the Antichrist violates his peace treaty with Israel, desecrates their temple, declares himself as god, and begins to systematically murder all those who refuse to worship him.
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2. The rise of the Antichrist. After the church is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20).
A
false “Jesus Christ”, Jesus said “a tree
is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew
12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to
any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching: False Prophet (Sananda, “Fallen Angel”)
1)
What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew
16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called
“blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not
continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the
teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His
work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that
Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects
Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who
denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the
Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7,
“Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us.
“If
anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be
eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3)
Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking
of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have
rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s
rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s
rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion
(Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people
and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew
7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
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Billy Graham Denies Christ – Interviewed by Robert Schuller on ‘Hour of Power’
Robert Schuller interviews Billy Graham on his ‘Hour of Power’. Graham denies that Jesus Christ is the only name in which we may be saved (Acts 4:12), by saying that Muslims and others who have not even heard of Jesus Christ will also be saved. Robert Schuller responds ecstatically to Graham’s comments by saying that there is a “wideness in God’s mercy”, directly contradicting Christ’s words in
Matthew 7: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Billy Graham and Robert Schuller are “Freemasons” and Benjamin Netanyahu
Initial List of 33rd Degree Masons
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/33rd.htm
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“Who is the false
prophet of the end times?” , “Fake Jesus”
The
false prophet of the end times is described in Revelation
13:11-15. He is also referred to as the “second beast” (Revelation
16:13, 19:20, 20:10).
Together with the Antichrist and Satan, who empowers both of them, the false
prophet is the third party in the unholy trinity.
The
apostle John describes this person and gives us clues to identifying him when
he shows up. First, he comes out of the earth. This could mean he comes up from
the pit of hell with all the demonic powers of hell at his command. It could
also mean he comes from lowly circumstances, secret and unknown until he bursts
on the world stage at the right hand of the Antichrist. He is depicted as
having horns like a lamb, while speaking like a dragon. The horns on lambs are
merely small bumps on their heads until the lamb grows into a ram. Rather than
having the Antichrist’s multiplicity of heads and horns, showing his power and
might and fierceness, the false prophet comes like a lamb, winsomely, with
persuasive words that elicit sympathy and good will from others. He may be an
extraordinary preacher or orator whose demonically empowered words will deceive
the multitudes. But he speaks like a dragon, which means his message is the
message of a dragon. Revelation 12:9 identifies the dragon as the devil and
Satan.
Verse
12 gives us the false prophet’s mission on earth, which is to force humanity to
worship the Antichrist. He has all the authority of the Antichrist because,
like him, the false prophet is empowered by Satan. It is not clear whether
people are forced to worship the Antichrist or whether they are so enamored of
these powerful beings that they fall for the deception and worship him
willingly. The fact that the second beast uses miraculous signs and wonders,
including fire from heaven, to establish the credibility of both of them would
seem to indicate that people will fall before them in adoration of their power
and message. Verse 14 goes on to say the deception will be so great that the
people will set up an idol to the Antichrist, “the image of the
beast,” and worship it. This is reminiscent of the huge golden image
of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3) before which all were to bow down and pay homage.
Revelation
14:9-11, however, describes the ghastly fate that awaits those who worship
the image of the Antichrist.
Those
who survive the terrors of the tribulation to this point will be faced with two
hard choices. Those who refuse to worship the image of the beast will be
subject to death (Revelation 14:15), but those who do worship him will incur
the wrath of God. The image will be extraordinary in that it will be able to
“speak.” Whatever the image is (a statue? a hologram? an android? a
human-animal hybrid? a clone?), it will have some kind of ability to breathe
forth the message of the Antichrist and the false prophet. Along with being the
spokesman for them, the image will condemn to death those who refuse to worship
the unholy pair. In our technological world, it is not hard to imagine such a
scenario.
Whoever the false prophet turns out to be, the final world deception and the final apostasy will be great, and the whole world will be caught up in it. The deceivers and false teachers we see today are the forerunners of the Antichrist and the false prophet, and we must not be deceived by them. These false teachers abound, and they are moving us toward a final satanic kingdom. We must faithfully proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and rescue the souls of men and women from the coming disaster.
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“Who is Maitreya? Is
Maitreya the antichrist?” or…..”Sananda” (Fallen Angel)
Maitreya is usually attributed to the
name used in Buddhism for “a Buddha yet to come,” though the origins of
Maitreya are unclear and disputed. Although there is no scriptural evidence
that the antichrist
will come in the form of such a person, there are similarities between them.
Maitreya is allegedly a bodhisattva, the term for one who lived on earth
and was destined to become enlightened one day, or who came close to
enlightenment, and after death moved on to one of the Buddhist heavens, which
one can reach through meditation. One of the supposed roles of a bodhisattva
is to guide those on earth who are ready for his teaching. It is believed that
this particular bodhisattva, Maitreya, will return at a crucial time.
The Bible speaks of the antichrist as one with supernatural power to influence
others (Revelation
13:4-8) and will be able to convince millions that he is “enlightened,” so
much so that they will follow his teachings.
The
prophecy of this future Buddha is found in the canonical literature of all
Buddhist sects. Teachings on Maitreya may diverge somewhat according to these
various Buddhist traditions. The Buddhist Maitreya is depicted sitting on a
throne, waiting for his time to come. He supposedly will arrive when Buddhist
teaching has been lost, and teach the pure teachings of Buddhism (the dharma).
Maitreya
has been adopted by other belief systems, including the occult organization
founded by Mme. Blavatsky in the 1800s, the Theosophical Society. Theosophists
consider Maitreya to be a World Teacher and a Christ. Theosophy was one of the
forerunners and foundations of the modern New Age movement; therefore,
teachings on Maitreya are found in several New Age-based groups today.
Because
Maitreya has been adopted by many groups, the teachings on Maitreya do not
always agree. However, most non-Buddhist groups teach that Maitreya will unify
all religions through his teachings and rescue humanity from economic and other
crises by teaching a universal brotherhood. Many names are given to Maitreya,
including the Christ, the Messiah, Krishna (a Hindu god), and Teacher. Some
Muslims believe that Mohammed was Maitreya and some Bahai’s believe that their
main prophet, Baha’u’llah’, was Maitreya; therefore, both of these groups
believe Maitreya has already appeared.
One
group well known for promoting the coming of Maitreya is Share International,
founded and run by a man named Benjamin Creme (born 1922). In the past, Creme
has made claims that Maitreya would appear and broadcast a message via
television (in 1982 and 1997), garnering much publicity for himself. When these
predictions failed, many lost interest in Creme’s pronouncements and
organization.
Speculating
on whether or not the antichrist will claim to be Maitreya seems rather
fruitless; Maitreya is not a real person, but part of mythical beliefs. It is
possible that the “beast” of Revelation
13:11-15 (the word “antichrist” is not in the book of Revelation) could be
someone who claims to be Maitreya, or whom others perceive as Maitreya.
However, since God’s Word does not give us information on who the beast is, it
is best to be assured of one’s salvation so that, whoever the antichrist/beast
turns out to be, one can find peace and safety in eternal life through faith in
Christ.
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“Could an alien deception be part of the end
times?”
We know that the events surrounding the end times, as described in the Bible, will include a powerful deception (Matthew 24:24). Recently, interest has been rising in the theory that this deception will include alien beings from another planet. Odd as it may seem, this theory is entirely plausible from a Christian perspective. Although the Bible gives us no word about whether or not aliens exist—there is no inclusion of them in the creation account in Genesis, and no mention of them elsewhere—the Bible does tell us about visitors from another world—the spiritual world.
Since the beginning, instances of demons (fallen angels) visiting the earth
have been witnessed and recorded. We know from Eve’s encounter with Satan that
demons are interested in monitoring (and altering) the progress of humanity.
They want to be involved, with the goal of drawing humanity away from the
worship of God and turning mankind’s attention instead to them. Another notable
instance of their interaction with us is found in Genesis
6:4 with the arrival of the “sons of God.” The Genesis account
states that these powerful beings had sexual intercourse with women and
produced a super race of beings known as the Nephilim. This sounds like the
stuff of science fiction, yet it is right there in the Bible. There are
striking similarities between this account and the accounts of other ancient
cultures. The writings of the ancient Sumerians, for example (who were the
first to produce a written language) mention the presence of the “Anunnaki” who
were deities that came from heaven to dwell on earth with men. It is also
interesting to note that the Sumerians’ gods often came to them in the form of
snakes.
These
accounts, seen alongside the amazing things created by ancient man, make it
possible to theorize that demons, in the form of beings from another world,
came to earth, bringing spectacular wisdom and knowledge to men, and
“intermarrying” with their daughters in an attempt to draw men away from God.
We already see from Eve’s experience with the serpent that demons will use the
temptation of superior wisdom to ensnare man and that man is very susceptible
to it.
Could
the end times include a similar alien deception? The Bible doesn’t directly
address the issue, but it is certainly plausible, for a variety of reasons.
First, the Bible tells us that the world will unite under the power of the
Antichrist. In order to achieve an agreement between all the world’s religions,
it would make sense for the “uniter” to come from an entirely new source—an
extraterrestrial source. It is hard to imagine one religion becoming head of
all the others, unless new, unearthly knowledge were the source of the appeal
and power of the new “religion.” This would be in keeping with past deceptions
and would be a very effective way to deceive a large number of people.
Second,
this deception could provide an answer to the problem of earth’s origins. The
scientific theory that the evolution of life on earth was spontaneously
generated still has no answer for life’s beginnings. There is evidence for a “big bang,” but
that still doesn’t explain what caused the big bang to occur. If alien beings
arrived and gave us an extraterrestrial explanation for life on earth, the
origins of the world religions, and even the origins of our planet, it would be
very persuasive.
That
said, we should not fear. The Lord has said that He will not leave us or
forsake us, and that He will protect us (1 Kings 8:57; Matthew
10:31; Isaiah 41:10). Demons / angels are not
omnipotent, nor are they omnipresent. Jesus said that in the end times His
appearing would be like lightning—easily visible to all. He said to be wary of
any being that says “I am the Christ” or any group that says “He’s over there”
or “He’s in here” (Matthew 24:23-24). He said that vultures
gather around a dead body, meaning that if you see a group of people gathering
around someone claiming to be Christ, that person is death and a false prophet.
We
should be wary of any person or being that produces signs and wonders without
biblical fidelity or the presence of obedience to the Lord Jesus, anyone who
provides a way to unite the world religions or governments (Revelation
13:5-8), any being that promotes unnatural sexual relationships (Genesis
6:4; Jude
1:6-7), and of course, any person who denies that Jesus is God (2
John 1:7). Furthermore, anyone who presents a “substitute” Jesus, who
represents Him as “a god but not the God” or who claims He was merely a good
teacher, simply a human, or even a super-human or an alien creature, is a
deceiver.
Lastly, if demons manifesting as aliens are part of the end times, we should remember that they, too, are created beings subject to a sovereign God and ultimately answerable to Him. Whether in alien form or not, the descriptions of demons in Revelation are frightening (Revelation 9:1-12), but we should not fear those who can only kill the body. Instead, we should only fear the One who can kill the body and the soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). No matter what happens to us on the earth, we should trust that the Lord is the Savior, Redeemer, and Protector of the souls of those who put their trust in Him (Psalm 9:10; 22:5).
Could an alien deception be part of the end times?
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“Why is God
going to send a strong delusion in the end times?”
The
Bible makes it clear why God is sending a strong delusion in the end times:
“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this
reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and
so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have
delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Simply put, God
sends a strong delusion to those who chose not to believe the gospel of Christ.
Those who take delight in mocking and rejecting Him, He will condemn.
It
is man’s choice whether to accept and believe the truth of Jesus Christ as
presented in the Scriptures. To receive the truth and the love God offers is in
keeping with its teachings, “This is love for God: to obey His commands” (1
John 5:3). Conversely, to know the truth and not obey it is to face the
wrath of God: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans
1:18). Frankly speaking, there is no more dangerous condition for man than
to know the truth and refuse to obey it. To do so is to harden the heart and
make God’s condemnation sure.
When
one knows the truth and refuses to obey it, he is subject to any lie, any
deception, any untruth that man can conjure up. “For although they knew God,
they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile
and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they
became fools” (Romans 1:21-22). Paul goes on in the next few
verses to describe the mindset and behaviors of those who disbelieve (see Romans
1:29-31). As a result of man’s foolishness and his arrogant disdain of the
things of God, “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to
be done” (Romans
1:28). And correspondingly, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that
those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very
things, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans
1:32).
Isaiah
puts it succinctly: “They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight
in their abominations; so I [God] also will choose harsh treatment for them and
bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I
spoke, no one listened. They did evil in My sight and chose what displeases Me”
(Isaiah
66:3-4).
2 Thessalonians 2:12
“That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
King James Version (KJV)
When
men know the truth and refuse to receive it, when they refuse to obey it and
hold it in unrighteousness,
“God
is love” (1 John 4:16). He is not some cruel monster who
deliberately and inwardly delights in preparing people for everlasting
condemnation. But He earnestly and lovingly proclaims the gospel of Christ,
“not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2
Peter 3:9).
Throughout the Scriptures, God urges people to accept the truth. But when people reject Him and spurn His message, then—and not until then—God hardens them and turns them over to a deluded mind to wallow in their wickedness to their eternal damnation. This is what the Lord says about those who choose to reject the truth: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins” (Jeremiah 14:10).
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3. The tribulation. A period of seven years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation 6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time period. During the tribulation on earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).
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4. The Battle of Gog and Magog. In the first part of the tribulation,
a great army from the
north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and
Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel
38–39). (Some commentators place this battle just before the start of the
tribulation.)
World War III………Christ plainly taught that there would be war prior to His return (Matthew 24:4-31). Some hold that He spoke generally of the Church age in verses 4-14 and spoke of the tribulation period starting at its mid-point in verses 15-31. Others believe that Christ spoke of only the seven-year period known as the tribulation in verses 4-31. Though verses 4-14 do seem to be giving general descriptions, they parallel the description given early in Revelation 6, which records details concerning the beginning of the tribulation. Matthew 24:6-7 says there will be “wars and rumors of wars…For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” Here, Christ makes it very clear that war will play a significant role in the last seven years prior to His return.
Albert Pike’s 1871 Plan For The Three World Wars
In 1871 Albert Pike envisioned three World Wars to be followed by an unparalleled economic disaster. Pike’s plans have come to fruition, shockingly ‘on target’. Who is Pike and perhaps more importantly who backed Pike?
Albert Pike’s (Freemason) letter to Mazzini, dated August 15, 1871:
“The First World War must be brought about in order to permit the Illuminati to overthrow the power of the Czars in Russia and of making that country a fortress of atheistic Communism. The divergences caused by the “agentur” (agents) of the Illuminati between the British and Germanic Empires will be used to foment this war. At the end of the war, Communism will be built and used in order to destroy the other governments and in order to weaken the religions.”
“The Second World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences between the Fascists and the political Zionists. This war must be brought about so that Nazism is destroyed and that the political Zionism be strong enough to institute a sovereign state of Israel in Palestine. During the Second World War, International Communism must become strong enough in order to balance Christendom, which would be then restrained and held in check until the time when we would need it for the final social cataclysm.”
And future…………….
“The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the “agentur” of the “Illuminati” between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion…We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time.”
To be more specific, the future does hold at least one more world war. There is nothing in Scripture that says there will be only a certain number of world wars. World Wars I and II are not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, nor is a possible third World War. It is only the last war that is mentioned in detail, which allows the interpretation that there may be others before the final conflict.
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5. The abomination of desolation. At the midway point of the
seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and
shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the
Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out
against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel
12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation
12:17).
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6.
The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns
with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62).
He saves Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nations
fighting under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation
19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown
alive into the lake of fire (Revelation
19:20).
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7. The judgment of the nations. Christ will
judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the
wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this
time the Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will
enter the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell.
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8. The binding of Satan. Satan will be
bound and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation
20:1–3).
9. The Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Himself will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).
“Who will occupy the Millennial Kingdom?”
There will be two distinct groups
occupying the Earth during the millennial kingdom—those with glorified bodies,
and those with earthly bodies who lived through the tribulation and on into the
millennial kingdom. Those with glorified bodies consist of the Church,
receiving glorified bodies at the rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1
Corinthians 15:21-23, 51-53), and those who are resurrected after Christ returns
to Earth (Revelation 20:4-6). Those who have earthly bodies can be
subdivided into two groups: believing Gentiles and believing Jews (Israel).
In Revelation
19:11-16, we find the return of Jesus Christ to Earth, known as His second
coming. The rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1
Corinthians 15:51-53) is an appearing of Christ in the air, not His second
coming. I mention this to make a distinction between the rapture and the second
coming of Christ. There is no mention in Revelation
19-20 of any kind of rapture event. The implication is that saints who are
on Earth when Christ returns will remain on Earth to enter the millennial
kingdom in their natural bodies. If the rapture or any kind of event where a
living believer receives a glorified body were included in the second coming of
Christ to Earth, one would expect to find reference to such a major event in Revelation 19.
But no such reference is to be found. The only event that results in believers
receiving glorified bodies is found in Revelation
20:4-6 where those who became believers during the Tribulation and were
killed because of their faith are resurrected. It is also believed that at this
same time Old Testament saints will be resurrected, also receiving glorified
bodies (see Daniel 12:2).
Matthew
25:31-46 is another passage that should be considered. This passage is
commonly called the separation or judgment of the sheep and the goats. The
sheep and goats refer to righteous and unrighteous Gentiles. Christ will judge
the unrighteous Gentiles (goats), and they will be cast into the lake of fire
for eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46). Therefore, no unbelieving Gentile will
survive to live on into the millennial kingdom. The righteous Gentiles, or
sheep, will live on into the millennial kingdom. They will give birth to
children and will populate the Earth. However, these are not the only ones who
will be producing children during the millennial kingdom.
The impression is given that when Christ
returns, all Israel will trust in Him (Zechariah
12:10). They, too, will not receive glorified bodies (as did those who were
raptured prior to the tribulation and those resurrected afterward). They also
will produce children during the millennial kingdom.
So, believing Gentiles, Israel, and
resurrected/raptured believers (all of whom have glorified bodies) will occupy
the Earth. It should be noted, however, that believers with glorified bodies
will not be reproducing. There is no marriage after this life (Matthew
22:30).
Children born during the millennial
kingdom will have the responsibility of faith in Christ as all people of past
ages have (faith in Christ since His coming; faith in God before—Genesis
15:2-6; Habakkuk
2:4; Romans
3:20). Unfortunately, not all of the children that are born during the
millennial kingdom will come to faith in Christ. Those that do not will be led
away by Satan into rebellion against God at the end of the millennial kingdom
when Satan is let loose for a short time (Revelation
20:7-10).
For a further look at this subject (who will live into the millennial kingdom), look also at the following passages: Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 14:8-21; Ezekiel 34:17-24; Daniel 7:13-14; Micah 4:1-5.
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10. The last battle. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be
released from his prison for a short time. He will deceive the nations once
again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord that will be quickly
defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into
the lake of fire, never to reappear.
11. The Great White Throne Judgment. All
those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of
history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final
judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The verdicts are read,
and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.
12. The new creation. God completely
remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all
tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem
descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him (Revelation
21–22).
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“Will
there be a second chance for salvation after the rapture?”
Some Bible interpreters believe that there will be
absolutely no chance for salvation after the rapture. However, there is no
place in the Bible that says this or even hints to it. There will be many
people who come to Christ during the tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation
7:4) are Jewish believers. If no one can come to Christ during the
tribulation, then why are people being beheaded for their faith (Revelation
20:4)? No passage of Scripture argues against people having a chance to be
saved after the rapture. Many passages indicate the opposite.
Another view is that those who hear the gospel and
reject it before the rapture cannot be saved. Those saved during the
tribulation, then, are those who had never heard the gospel before the rapture.
The “proof text” for this view is 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11, which says the
antichrist will work miracles to deceive “those who are perishing” and that God
Himself will “send them a powerful delusion” to confirm them in their unbelief.
The reason given is that “they refused to love the truth and so be saved”
(verse 10). Granted, those who are hard-hearted toward the gospel before the
rapture are likely to remain so. And the antichrist will deceive many (Matthew
24:5). But “those who refused to love the truth” does not necessarily refer
to people who heard the gospel before the rapture. It could be anyone who
wholly rejects God’s salvation, at any time. So, there is no clear scriptural
evidence to support this view.
Revelation
6:9-11 speaks of those martyred during the tribulation “because of the word
of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.” These martyrs
will correctly interpret what they see during the tribulation and will believe
the gospel themselves and call on others to repent and believe as well. The
antichrist and his followers will not tolerate their evangelism and will kill
them. All of these martyrs are people who were alive before the rapture, but
who were not believers until afterward. Therefore, there must be opportunity to
come to Christ in faith after the rapture.
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What does the Bible say about second chances?
God
is not only the God of second chances; He is the God of another chance.
This is good news because most of us mess up the second chance fairly quickly.
One of the amazing facets of God’s character is His incredible patience with
us. Psalm
86:15 says it well: “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Micah 7:18
says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over
transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger
forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”
The Bible is full of people who received second chances, and even third and fourth chances: Peter, Jonah, Mark, Samson, David, and others. All trophies of God’s grace.
Just as God is patient and forgiving, He wants His children to be patient with
and forgiving of others. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience” (Colossians 3:12). He gives us second chances, and we must
give the same to others. Jesus gives a stern warning to those who refuse to
forgive, saying that if we will not forgive others, God will not forgive us (Matthew
6:15; see also Ephesians 4:32; Colossians
3:13; and Proverbs 19:11). If someone is truly repentant, then we are
obligated to forgive (Matthew 18:21-22).
Offering forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation. Many people
struggle to find the balance between showing mercy and enabling a harmful
person to continue harming. We should be willing to forgive everyone who wrongs
us, just as Jesus forgives us. But, when someone continues to unrepentantly
violate another person’s boundaries, a wise person learns to set firmer
boundaries. If a man has repeatedly punched you in the face, you can offer to
forgive him; but you don’t stand within arm’s distance until he has proved over
time that he has changed.
Giving someone a second chance means we give him another chance to earn our
trust. But that does not mean we instantly forget what experience has taught
us. Trust must be earned over time, and we are foolish if we give trust
prematurely. We can have a loving and forgiving heart that also practices wise
guardianship over our lives.
When we have wronged someone, we have no right to demand another chance. But we
should work to earn another chance by continued demonstration of repentance and
change.
Even God has a limit on forgiveness. In Romans
1:18-32, the apostle Paul warns us what happens when we continue to spurn
God’s patience and reject His call to repentance. Three different times, the
phrase “God turned them over” appears. When we insist on running our
lives the way we want rather than the way God wants, He lets us. Eventually,
when our hearts are hardened against Him, He lets us go. He turns us over to a
reprobate mind, one that can no longer seek God. At that point, sin has become
our god.
There may come a time in a human relationship when the same thing has occurred
– when forgiveness has been offered and restoration made possible, but one
party refuses to repent and rejects all efforts to reconcile. It may be time to
end that relationship. Second chances are no longer working. Ending a
relationship is a last resort, but sometimes it must be done (Matthew
18:17).
God does everything possible to draw us to repentance, offering forgiveness and
second chances (2 Peter 3:9). But if we continue to reject Him, the offer
is withdrawn and, at death, there are no more chances (Hebrews 9:27).
God’s grace is our model. We can offer second chances to others until a healthy
relationship is no longer possible.
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Gods 4 Avenues to Reach the Lost During the Tribulation
God’s 4 Avenues to Reach the Lost During the Tribulation – If the Church is raptured off the face of the earth before the 7 year Tribulation starts, then how does God go about getting anyone saved during the 7 year Tribulation if there is no Church or main body of believers left to preach the gospel? The Bible says that a great multitude of people will end up getting saved during the Tribulation.
God is going to reach the lost during this horrific time of trouble through 4 basic avenues. They are as follows:
- The 2 Witnesses
- 144,000 Jewish Witnesses
- An Angel of the Everlasting Gospel
- A Major Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
As you will see in the Scripture verses listed below, God will still make every attempt to get as many people saved as He possibly can before His Son Jesus returns back to us for His second coming. All of the above avenues will be extreme measures being taken by God to reach as many people as He possibly can with His Church having already been taken out of the big picture by way of the Rapture.
More……………………
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Subject: 144,000 Jews, Tribulation Period, Millennium
http://www.libertygospeltracts.com/question/prequest/onehundredfortyfourthousand.htm
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The 144,000 and the Two Witnesses of the Tribulation
http://ichthys.com/mail-Two-Witnesses2.htm
Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂