CLICK PICTURE'S FOR THE TRINITY OF "GOD"/ =3
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This is to INFORM you of what's to come.These future time's are no JOKE.From September./11/01/ Until Christ comes is the start of SATAN'S plan.
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Preparing The Way For The Mark
It started with farm animals and is slowly working towards humans. The world is slowly being prepared for the day when all people will be required to where a "mark" (Revelations 13:17) in order to buy or sell. Everyone who does not except this mark will be killed. Please if you are reading this article and don't already know, excepting the mark seals your eternal fate forever. Once you have taken the mark there are no second chances. Resist the mark and you will be killed, but you go straight to heaven.
One of the most common beliefs about the mark is that it will be a microchip. According to scripture the mark will be taken on either the hand or the forehead. Below is a description of a company that makes these such microchips.
Digital Angel Corporation provides a data delivery system that is the first of its kind - one that wirelessly transmits biological and location data in real time to Internet-integrated ground stations, and then makes the data available to Web-enabled desktop, laptop or wireless devices. The company's business has three segments: the animal tracking business, the newly developed Advanced Digital Angel technology and the Digital Angel Delivery System.
Headquartered in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, Digital Angel Corporation maintains offices in California, New York and England. The Company's main research and development laboratory is located in Hauppauge, New York. Its e-business facility and software development lab are located in the Riverside Regional Technology Park in Riverside, California.
It is my personal opinion that the "Mark of the Beast" is already designed and built and companies like Digital Angel are just preparing the way. Creating a generation that will accept the mark willingly.
Nobody knows much for sure about when the end will come but I believe with all my heart it is near. The time is short and people will be making choices that will decide their fate forever. Let's make sure everyone knows the truth and what this choice means.
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CHECK OUT WHAT AN EDUCATED MAN SAY'S ABOUT"GOD"!!
It is one thing to be educated and stupid but another thing to be EDUCATED,and WISE.
Paul in the BIBLE who was most educated put it like this being lead by the {HOLY SPIRIT} he say's
in all of your getting,get an UNDERSTANDING!!
This is a DR.
What is God like?
You can make up your own god, a god that fits all your preconceptions. Or you can study what God reveals about himself, and from that data seek to understand more about him.
I'm convinced from studying the Bible since childhood that you can't understand God, especially in the New Testament, unless you properly discern the relationship of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We've got to deal with this, and simplistic answers won't do. Fortunately, God doesn't follow our logic; we must be humble enough to follow his. I'm convinced that the New Testament teaches the trinitarian nature of God -- an essential unity of God, who is made up of three distinct Persons.
I'm going to explain why I believe this as simply as I can, but don't let my simplicity shroud the fact that this is a very complex subject. Many, many volumes have been written about it. It is complex, make no mistake. And frankly, I feel like a toddler trying to wade in the ocean, so I'm dependent upon what the Bible reveals for a hand to hold onto as I explore God.
Now you'll hear detractors say things like: "The word 'trinity' doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible." And that's right, it doesn't. More on that in a moment. People also say things like "three can't be one," and they're right -- if we were talking about simple mathematics. What we are talking about, however, is a complex relationship, not a simple equation. So I propose we gather our understanding from the Bible itself, not from a detractor's caricature or misunderstanding.
This is not a question of whether you or I can wrap our minds around the concept of the trinity. Electrons make lights turn on without a toddler understanding any more than how to flip a light switch. Right now passing by your head are dozens of radio and TV signals if you just had an internal tuner to sort them out and tune them in. Just because you can't hear them, doesn't mean they aren't there. The question is simply: What does the Bible teach about the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
A Definition
First, let me define what we mean by "trinity." The trinity refers to "the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons."[1] The word "trinity," of course, is formed from the words "tri-" and "unity," and describes "the state of being threefold." In other words, to believe in the trinity means to believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are essentially one God, even while they retain their own set of differences. (Feel the fog beginning to blow around your legs....?)
John Calvin put it this way: "That Father and Son and Spirit are one God, yet the Son is not the Father, nor the Spirit the Son, but that they are differentiated by a particular quality."[2] Theologians discuss complex concepts such as "one substance" (Greek homoousios) to make important distinctions. But I'm going to leave that aside.
I believe in the trinity for four good reasons -- Bible reasons. Please consider them with me.
1. Because of the trinitarian statements in the NT
One of the main reasons I believe in the trinity is the several clear statements in the Bible that seem to put the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit together on the same level.[3]
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...." (Matthew 28:19)
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14)
"... Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood...." (1 Peter 1:2)
Of course, there are many places where the Father and the Son appear without the Holy Spirit mentioned, and the Son with the Spirit, etc. But I think these three passages are undeniably distinctive, especially Matthew 28:19. At this point, of course, the word "trinity" hadn't been thought of, but the concept certainly seems to be present in the New Testament. That's unmistakable.
2. Because the NT teaches monotheism AND that Jesus is divine
The second main reason I believe in the trinity is that clearly the New Testament teaches both monotheism AND that Jesus is divine.
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief, pioneered by Judaism and affirmed by Christianity, that there is but one God. You see it often in the Old and New Testaments (for example: Mark 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:4. :Acts 17:22-31; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).
The Divinity of Jesus
But at the same time, the New Testament is quite clear: Jesus is divine, that is, he shares God's nature. Jesus' "beloved disciple" the Apostle John puts it this way:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:1-3)[4]
The Apostle Paul is equally clear about Jesus' divinity.
"[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6-7)
Here is another description of Jesus' position:
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him...." (Colossians 1:15-19)
Unity with the Father
I could go on and on. The New Testament asserts Jesus' divinity again and again in numerous ways beyond the scope of this article. Jesus himself affirms his unity with the Father in ways that might be considered blasphemous -- unless they were actually true.
"I and the Father are one."
"Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?'
" 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.' " (John 10:30-33)
" 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." (John 8:58-59)
" 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'
"Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
"Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.' " (Matthew 16:15-17)
In Jesus' presence, doubting Thomas calls him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) Jesus doesn't rebuke him or correct him, but comments on Thomas's faith.
At his trial, Jesus is questioned directly:
"The high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?'
" 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' " (Mark 14:61-62)
I've spent some time on this because some groups today either deny monotheism, or deny that Jesus was divine in any unique sense. I'm not trying to divide, but bring clarity. A belief in the divinity of Jesus and monotheism are the bedrock of true Christianity. But it is wise to be aware that a contrary view is very much alive in our day:
The Jesus Seminar members assume that Jesus "couldn't have said" such things about himself, therefore the disciples must have made these things up.
Mormonism seems to be monotheistic until you realize that every good Mormon male aspires to be a god to another planet, and that the founders of Mormonism saw God the Father only as the God of planet Earth, not of the universe, since he was appointed to be the God of the Earth by the council of the gods.[5] This is not actual monotheism but a kind of polytheism.
Jehovah's Witnesses see Jesus as a divine being, but not in any unique sense as sharing the Father's nature. They translate John 1:1 "... and the Word was God" as "... and the word was a god."[6]
Unitarians reject the deity of Christ.
To summarize, I think it is pretty clear throughout the whole Bible that there is only one God, but at the same time the New Testament affirms again and again that Jesus is divine. Somehow you have to explain this apparent paradox. Either Jesus is God or he is only godlike. You have to face it; you can't just ignore it.
3. Because Jesus and the Father are different persons
The third Bible reason I believe in the trinity is that the New Testament indicates many times and in many ways that Jesus and the Father are different and distinct persons.
The Father and the Son
The reason we talk about the Father and the Son is not because some theologian made it up, but because that is the way Jesus himself explained the relationship between himself and God. For example:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27)
"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.... He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." (John 5:19, 23)
"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.... And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." (John 17:1, 5)
Could go on, but the Bible -- especially John's Gospel -- is very clear.
Jesus also asserts an essential unity between him and his Father:
"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)
"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me...." (John 14:9-11)
Jesus Is Distinct from the Father
It is important, though, to recognize that the Son, Jesus, is a distinct person from God the Father. Why do I say that?
Jesus prays to the Father. (John 17). This wouldn't make any sense if Jesus and the Father were the same person or entity. Jesus is not talking to himself when he prays to the Father. That is a foolish notion. But I make the point because one branch of the Pentecostal movement is not trinitarian. They believe that the term "Father" designates Christ's deity, while "Son" designates either his humanity or his deity as manifested in the flesh. Thus they believe that while the Father is not the Son, they hold that Jesus is both the Father and the Son.[7]
Submission to the Father
You can also see in the New Testament that the Father (often designated in the Bible as "God" without the word Father), is the leader, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit voluntarily subservient to him. They seem to be "equal" in terms of divinity, but not in terms of role. The Father is the leader, much like in a human family of Jesus' day the father was typically the leader. No doubt that is why Jesus described the relationship as Father - Son. Paul includes a fascinating passage that explains more about this relationship:
"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he 'has put everything under his feet.' Now when it says that 'everything' has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)
I think it is important to recognize that New Testament presents the Father and Son as separate persons, differentiated from one another in function, and interacting with each other as separate persons do.
A too-simple explanation of the trinity is in terms of modes or manifestations, that the one God manifests himself as Father, as Son, and as the Holy Spirit, just as water manifests itself as ice, liquid water, and vapor. But these are more than manifestations of a single person, otherwise prayer and submission would be meaningless. The Bible requires us to see the Father and Jesus as one God but also as distinct persons.
4. Because the Holy Spirit is both divine and has personal attributes
The fourth biblical reason that I believe in the trinity is because the Holy Spirit is referred to in personal terms in the Bible, indicating that he, too, is a distinct person, different from either the Father and the Son.
I must concede at the outset that we don't have nearly as much data about the interaction between the Spirit and the other persons of the trinity as we do about the relationship between Jesus and the Father. And sometimes the biblical data about the Holy Spirit seems ambiguous -- at least for the purposes of trying to form a consistent explanation.
The Holy Spirit Is Spoken of as God
"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.' " (Acts 5:3-4)
The Spirit Performs Divine Functions
The Holy Spirit also performs divine functions, such as judging (John 16:8-11), pouring out the love of God (Romans 5:5), giving joy (Romans 14:17), hope (Romans 8:17-25), peace (Romans 8:6), regeneration (John 3:5), and faith (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Holy Spirit can also be blasphemed (Mark 3:29 and Luke 12:10), which in the New Testament is usually an act of verbally injuring someone divine.[8]
The Spirit Performs Functions We Ascribe to Persons
But here is the solid biblical evidence that points to the Holy Spirit as a distinct person in his own right and performs functions we attribute to personhood. He appoints missionaries (Acts 13:2; 20:28), he leads and directs them in their ministry (Acts 8:29; 10:19-20; 16:6-7; 1 Corinthians 2:13), he speaks through the prophets (Acts 1:16; 1 Peter 1:11-12; 2 Peter 1:21), he corrects (John 16:8), comforts (Acts 9:31), helps us in our infirmities (Romans 8:26), teaches (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 12:3), guides (John 16:13), sanctifies (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11), testifies of Christ (John 15:26), glorifies Christ (John 16:14), has a power of his own (Romans 15:13), searches all things (Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11), works according to his own will (1 Corinthians 12:11), dwells with saints (John 14:17), can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), can be resisted (Acts 7:51), and can be tempted (Acts 5:9).
In many languages, including Greek, words have masculine, feminine, or neuter genders which have no real counterpart in English.[9] While the Spirit is often referred to by a neuter Greek pronoun, since the pneuma has a neuter tense in Greek (such as John 14:17, 26; 15:26), on several occasions the masculine pronoun is used, seemingly to emphasize the Spirit's personhood.
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom (neuter pronoun) the Father will send in my name, he (masculine pronoun) will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 15:16, RSV).
We see similar language in John 15:26, and especially John 16:13: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he (masculine pronoun) will guide you into all truth." C.K. Barrett observes, "The Spirit is thought of in personal terms."[10]
I make a point of the Holy Spirit's divinity and personal nature because some groups specifically deny that the Holy Spirit is a divine being. The Jehovah's Witness New World Translation, for example, sometimes even omits the word "Spirit" and substitutes the phrase "God's active force" in its place (hardly a faithful translation!), a phrase that strips away any sense of personhood.[11]
Conclusion
There is much, much more that could be said about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But I have tried to keep my points simple. Even though the New Testament doesn't use the word "trinity," it is clear to me, as I have demonstrated above, that an honest reading of the New Testament must conclude that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are spoken of as both divine beings, and distinct from one another -- and that the New Testament affirms monotheism, the essential oneness and unity of God.
While some later statements of the trinity go beyond what is taught in the New Testament, I believe that the New Testament clearly teaches the central concepts of the trinity: The divinity of three distinct persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- who are essentially one God.
Do you and I understand this well? No. We struggle to expand our earth-bound thinking to encompass such a thought. But the New Testament requires us to stretch so that we might obey Jesus' own words to make disciples and baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
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References
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth Edition; Merriam-Webster, 1993), p. 1293. I have chosen not to capitalize "trinity" since it refers to a doctrine about God, rather than to God directly. I mean no disrespect by this.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 1.13.5.
The verse in the King James Version, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (1 John 5:7) should not be considered part of the original, since does not appear in any ancient text of the New Testament and is quoted by none of the Greek Fathers. It began to appear in manuscripts of the Old Latin and Vulgate families from the sixth century onwards. See Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (United Bible Societies, 1971), pp. 716-718.
Jehovah's Witnesses sometimes ignorantly assert that it should be translated "the Word was a god" (trying to demonstrate that Jesus was a divine being, but not on the level of the Father), but clearly they misunderstand the Greek grammar. A careful study on the divinity of Christ can be found in Bruce M. Metzger, "The Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus Christ," Theology Today, April 1953, pp. 65-85.
See my article "Six Reasons Why Mormonism Can't Be True Christianity," Christian Articles Archive. http://joyfulheart.com/cults/mormon.htm
See my article "Seven Ways Jehovah's Witnesses Distort True Christianity," Christian Articles Archive. http://joyfulheart.com/cults/jw.htm
Robert M. Bowman, Jr., "Oneness Pentecostalism and the Trinity." This is a careful and thoughtful article that explains and then refutes Oneness views of the trinity. http://www.gospeloutreach.net/optrin.html
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., "Trinity," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Eerdmans, 1979-1988) 4:914-921. Plantinga, a systematic theologian from the Reformed tradition, is very careful in the way he states his conclusion based on the Bible evidence: "In sum, the NT does testify to the Spirit's distinct personhood and divinity, but mutedly and ambiguously. The Spirit in the NT is personally less distinct than the Father and Son, and His divinity less clearly stated; He appears as a nearly transparent agent for God and Christ. One properly concludes that the NT is overall clearly binitarian in its data, and probably trinitarian" (p. 917).
Though in English we sometimes refer to ships with a feminine gender as "her sails."
C.K. Barrett, The Gospel According to St. John (Second Edition, Westminster Press, 1978), p. 482, commenting on John 15:26. See also George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Eerdmans, 1974), p. 295.
See Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses (Harvest House, 1993), chapter 8. Citing the New World Translation of Genesis 1:2.
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Hear the Word - Home Page. Links to tens of thousands of audioSermons and Bible Studies
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Can a Christian receive the Mark of the Beast?No. At least, not before the Rapture.What is the rapture?The Rapture is an event, in which the Lord Jesus Christ will "call-up" all the truly saved Christians. The rapture occurs before the tribulation, and the Mark of the Beast.
If someone has truly received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, they will not be on the earth during the Tribulation.
What about Christians after the rapture?
Before examining "What about Christians after the rapture?", because the rapture is under attack today, let’s briefly examine the rapture from the scriptures:
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One frivolous argument against the rapture is the word "rapture" isn’t even in the Bible.
Just because the word "rapture" is not in the Bible, doesn’t mean the event rapture is not in the Bible. For example, the word "trinity" is not in the Bible, but thank God, the trinity is in the Bible (Matt. 28:19). The word "millennium" is not in the Bible, but the 1000 year period event of Rev. 20 – millennium, is in the Bible. In fact, the word "bible" is not in the Bible!
The word rapture comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Greek word harpazo in 1 Thess. 4:17. The Greek word harpazo means "to snatch or catch away".
I think the word rapture is the perfect word. The word rapture means ecstasy, beautiful joy, transport of delight, caught up.
The "rapture" truly will be "beautiful, ecstasy, transport of delight"!
Yes. Definitely. RAPTURE is the perfect word.
Bible verses that describe Christians "caught-up" or raptured:
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [those still alive] shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Cor. 15:51-55
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP [harpazo - this is where the word rapture comes from] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:15-18
Notice, the above verses can NOT be the second advent that occurs AFTER the rapture:
In Revelation 19, AFTER the tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ comes back on a white horse, in war, and casts the false prophet and the beast into a lake of fire.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. . . .
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Rev. 19:11-16, 20,21
Again, look at 2 Thess. 1:7-9:
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2 Thess. 1:7-9
Many, many more verses could be given, but there is obviously TWO coming.
In the first coming, before the tribulation, spoken of in 2 Thess 4:15-18 and 1 Cor. 15:51-55:
The Lord Jesus Christ is calling someone UP to meet Him in the clouds.
It’s also called "a mystery" 1 Cor. 15
In the second coming, after the tribulation, spoken of in Rev. 19 and 2 Thess, 1:
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming DOWN for judgement in war with fire.
Nothing mysterious about the second advent.
It does not take a "genius" to notice these are TWO totally different scenarios. But it does take someone to believe the Word of God.
Where is the church after Revelation 3?
It’s interesting the first three chapters of the Revelation, is a panoramaic, historical view of Church History, from start to finish (Alpha to Omega-Rev1:8). In other words, after Revelation 3, the church age is over. In Rev. 1-3, the Lord Jesus Christ is "judging" the churches past works – but after Revelation 3, the "church whom Christ loved" is mentioned no more.
Where, oh where is the church. . .?
Revelation 4 begins with: ". . . COME UP HITHER. . ." – somebody’s coming up and in heaven – kinda like in 1 Thess. 4:17 ". . . Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up. . ."
Didn’t John say that "come up hither" — "was as it were of a trumpet"? Like in 1 Cor. 15:52 "…for the trumpet shall sound…" or like 1 Thess. 4:16 – ". . . and with the trump of God:. . ."
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. Revelation 4:1-2
It’s also very interesting that not Peter, not Paul — but John "the beloved", you know. . . "the disciple whom he loved" (John 19:26), you know. . ."Christ also loved the church" (Ephesians 5:25) is the one "caught up" in Revelation 4. Hummm. . . Interesting. . .
By the way, did you notice who is called "the servants of our God" in Rev. 7? The children of Israel – not the Gentile church.
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. Rev. 7:2-8
Christians are told to look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ – not the Antichrist.
The Bible over and over, tells Christians to look and expect the Lord to come back. Anytime. But if the Antichrist was coming FIRST – shouldn’t we be looking and expecting the Antichrist to show up FIRST? We shouldn’t be looking for Jesus "YET or ANYTIME", but until the Antichrist comes FIRST.
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Phil. 3:20
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thess. 1:10
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5:4
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Phil. 4:5
Christians have been delivered from the wrath to come.
One very important fact about the tribulation – the tribulation is NOT the wrath of Satan or the antichrist – but the WRATH OF GOD. It’s not Satan persecuting Christians. It’s the wrath of a holy God "judging" this earth, Satan and Israel.
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev. 6:16-17
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. Rev. 14:19,20
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. Rev. 15:1
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. Rev. 15:7
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Rev 16:1
And God is NOT going to pour His wrath on His children. How do I know? Because He promised and thank God – God cannot lie. ". . . which God, that cannot lie, promised . . ." Titus 1:2
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thess. 5:5
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Romans 5:9
I love this next "promise". Notice the context of it – "wait for his Son from heaven". Why? To "delivered us from the wrath to come" – the tribulation. When? The rapture BEFORE "the wrath TO COME". What else could it be? If it’s AFTER the tribulation – the wrath has ALREADY come! It’s not hell. We don’t "wait for his Son from heaven" to deliver us from hell – we was delivered from hell when we got saved! It’s got to be the rapture.
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thess. 1:10
But notice who will experience the wrath of God.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Romans 1:18
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Ephesians 5:6
For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Col. 3:6
Could the Lord possibly have made it ANY clearer?
God’s children will be delivered form "the wrath of God."
And don’t forget, God rescued Noah. . . before the wrath.
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:7-8
And don’t forget, God "raptured" Enoch. . . before the wrath.
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God TOOK HIM. Genesis 5:25
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5
God "translated" Enoch. . . ". . . and we [those still alive] shall be changed. . ." 1 Cor.15:52
And do not forget, God "took out" Lot. . .before the wrath.
Remember what the angel told Lot. . .
Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be COME THITHER. . Genesis 19:22
The angel could NOT pour out the wrath of God until Lot "come thither". Halleluah!
Friend, there is NO WAY God is going to "pour out His wrath" on His children.
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Back to our original question . . .
What about Christians after the rapture?
As they say, "that’s a horse of a different color".
What does the Bible say about the tribulation?
Whoever receives the mark of the beast and worships the beast, will "drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . . be tormented with fire and brimstone . . .for ever and ever" Revelation 14:9-11, 19:20
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev. 14:9-11
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Rev 19:20
What if someone received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour during the tribulation and then receives the mark of the beast – will they also "be tormented with fire and brimstone . . .for ever and ever"
Yes. It looks that way. But remember. . .
The mark of the beast is received AFTER worshipping the antichrist or the beast. It’s not just receiving a mark – it’s worshipping Satan.
"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. . . " Rev. 14:9
". . . who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark. . . " Rev. 14:11
" . . .which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." Rev. 16:2
" . . . them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. . ." Rev. 19:20
" . . . which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his . . ." Rev. 20:4
In order to NOT be, ". . . be tormented with fire and brimstone . . .for ever and ever . . ." you can NOT receive the mark.
And if you refuse the mark. . .
You can not "buy or sell":
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Rev. 13:17-18
If you refuse the mark, you will not be able to purchase even the essentials, such as food, water, utilities, etc. Basically, the whole world and Satan will be against you.
You will "lose your head" – you’ll be beheaded:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4
Apparently, during the tribulation, the infamous guillotine will be resurrected.
It’s interesting, in Sept., 1999, A&E Channel (Arts and Entertainment) did a special on the guillotine. It ended with this remarkable, statement:
"Although the blade no longer falls today, we may not have heard the last of the Guillotine." (A&E Channel)
In order to be saved during the tribulation, you can not take the mark. And if you refuse the mark, you will not be able to but or sell, and you will be beheaded.
I certainly do not claim to understand all we’ve just read, but it looks as if, during the tribulation there is an element of "enduring" that is not applicable before the rapture.
I believe this is what Matthew 24:13 means:
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt. 24:13
Notice the context of Matthew 24 – the tribulation :
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:21
Notice the "endure to the end" in Mark 13:13:
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mark 13:13:
Again, Mark 13 deals with the tribulation:
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Mark 13:24
In the light of these verses, let me give you some advice — if you’re not saved NOW – do it NOW!
You don’t want to go in the tribulation.
Salvation is very simple before the rapture – after the rapture – it’s not so easy.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Cor. 11:3
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