Hi Sis, (Greetings from your erstwhile brother and fellow sibling).
I know by now you will probably have begun to think I have lost my marbles. Considering what a rat I was as we grew up, you certainly could be pardoned for believing me so. However, ’tis another me that I now present to you. A guy that was lost and now, am found. I hope, therefore, that you can find it in your heart to bear with me as I put my views and the case for Jesus before you.
To this secular World (which, I believe is fast going down the chute), I have become simply another radicalized Christian and, thereby, highly suspect and whose views are, in the present political and social climate, anti-community.
Hmm! – thinking on that, I have to concede that this probably sums up me and my chosen position quite aptly.
You might remember that in your last reply to my earlier mail, you indicated that you had read my epistle in Rapture Ready. R/R is a website that has become very important to me; and on it, I have found many like-minded folk whose understanding of God and Scripture complements my own. So, if you look on Rapture Ready, you will see my latest Commentary, entitled, “BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT, Part II.” The earlier efforts are listed under Further Articles, on the right-hand side of the website.
I just received a new book I ordered called “DECEIVERS” edited by Terry James. Terry is a Christian speaker and writer who is heavily involved in R/R and appears regularly on good podcasts. Already I have been captivated by the articles presented. And it makes fascinating reading. I am studying another tome called “Church History in Plain Language,” written by an American academic called Bruce L SHELLEY. These books, amongst many others, are ‘stepping stones.’ They give you a good idea of how the Church that Jesus bequeathed us was soon corrupted following His Death, Resurrection and Ascension. Our LORD warned us that this would occur.
As also prophesied (first) by Jesus and then by His Apostles: the state of this World, presently in the hand of Satan, is destined (nay, prophesied) to deteriorate into a state of terrible depravity. At the end of the Church Age, this World (as we know it) is to be swept away.
During the fall (as everything good and honorable is destroyed) the corrupted ‘churches’ will lead millions astray (particularly by omission of much of the most important parts of Scripture). Jesus characterized the great apostasy of the last days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”
And they will have no hope once they make their most heartfelt declaration to Satan. How do they do this? Simply by rejecting Jesus and instead opting for the World with all its sinful attraction. There is ‘no middle ground.’
Those who have fallen away from the true faith will not pass the Word of God and the lessons of life contained therein down to children. This is a pigeon that has well and truly come home to roost. Even with my own children and grandkids, God is well and truly conspicuous by His absence in their lives. And in my Christian duty to impart His gospels to them, I have failed miserably.
However, Scripture teaches us that when things get to a certain point and the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been brought to the World, even though rejected by most, then our LORD will be suddenly manifest to all true believers; and at this point He will call His Church—His body of believers ‘Home.’
That is to say, He will REMOVE His true Church before a terrible, prophesied period (Tribulation) descends upon mankind for a period of SEVEN years.
At His call (heralded by the sound of a great trumpet blast heard all around the World by His true church), Our LORD will appear above us in the clouds of the Earthly Heavens.
At this moment in time, He will command His Church to ascend to Him. Those of His true Church are to be transformed as He Himself was transcended into immortality as He was resurrected from Earthly death.
At His call from the Clouds (for it is NOT yet His time to descend to Judge and Rule), He will call:
- First: The Dead (who had died as true believers), rising from their graves and biers/mausoleums. They will rise in life again but be transcended into the same Heavenly state as was our LORD so raised.
- Second: The Living (we believers still in living flesh), also rising and transcending, changing as we rise to immortality and as also rose the dead immediately before us.
Okay then; by now (if you have never heard this before) you would be entitled to think me, ‘Captain Rats.’ Yet Scripture was written to be clearly understood in its literal form. And it was meant to be interpreted as our LORD Himself understood and taught it to His disciples and the masses, and as He stood before the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and the Scribes of the Judaic Law. It teaches us clearly that these things WILL occur.
The Apostles of Jesus asked Him before He was led to interrogation, scourging/torture, mock trial and then His crucifixion, “When will these things occur?”
Jesus told them that there will be great and unmistakable signs at the end of the age and that we should be vigilant to observe them. As to the exact timeline, only God Himself would know exactly when His Christ King would again descend. When He descends the Second time, He comes to judge/reconcile the Jews, judge the assembled nations and rule the cleansed Earth.
Jesus, while in His voluntary earthly flesh did not know the exact time, but after His ascension, being of the Godhead – “I and my Father are one” (John 1:30), – clearly knows the time. He stated that the old World was doomed and will finally pass away. At this time (His Second Coming), ALL THE WORLD WILL KNOW He has come again.
However, as to the previously described ‘calling Home of His Church’ (when He appears only on High), Scripture teaches THAT NO MAN WILL KNOW WHEN. There will be no warning. For as Scripture says, “He will come like a thief in the night!”
We of the Church will see and know Him. His appearance is not denied us. The fallen of this World will NOT see this happen. It will happen in one instant. All that the World will ‘see’ is that suddenly millions have gone missing?
My dearest sister, this is the ‘calling home’ of the true Church of believers (drawn out of all denominational institutions), removed by Jesus in an action described in Scripture (from the original Greek translation/s) as the ‘Harpazo.’
Translated subsequently into the Romanized Latin, it is colloquially known in modern terms as ‘The Rapture.’ Again, Scripture teaches us that Jesus WILL remove His Church before the commencement of the Days of Wrath (called the Tribulation).
At the end of this (in what by now you may well consider is my deluded state), I will key you in to the relevant scriptural references and links to others who have described this prophesied event. Many gifted writers have done a far better job than I could ever hope to convey.
As I have said earlier only, The Harpazo is NOT the Second Coming of Jesus. The ‘Second Coming’ of the King of Kings and LORD OF LORDS does NOT take place until the Days of Wrath have run their course. Jesus says His Church will NOT be subjected to wrath.
During this awful period, those left on Earth find themselves in a most parlous state. Their ‘World’ of sin and depravity, tied as it is to their hatred of God’s Chosen People, is doomed. Lost (as they are) within their mad, depraved lusts and sinful, totally un-Godly natures, they rave and rant in chagrin and spite against God Himself. So willfully lost will they have become that they are blinded by God Himself. He well knows them for what they are even before they knew it themselves.
I hope sincerely that you understand what that ‘lost’ state means? In Holy Scripture, it is written that their final disposition is to be cast in living torment forever: there is no reprieve for the un-Godly who, remaining unrepentant, give themselves freely, over to Satan.
I tell you plainly that no Hollywood ‘doomsday’ blockbuster can even begin to portray and screen what is to occur within the period of Tribulation. This World has now come firmly under the burning eye of God Himself, and Scripture is very clear on the details of His judgment.
The Book of Revelation (which the fallen church ignores and, I believe, loathes, for it indicates their own demise) teaches that a series of specific catastrophes will fall upon those who are left. It will happen in ever-increasing stages of intensity. Most of this present World will not survive these calamities.
It will also coincide with the martyrdom of all the ‘late starters’ who had previously disregarded the chance of a relationship with the one we call Jesus (Yeshua). They will realize what has happened with the sudden removal of the Church before the Tribulation Wrath begins to take place, and then decide to repent and seek God, through Jesus.
During the time of the Tribulation, Satan’s Anti-Christ (he who is appointed to rule for this specified period by Satan) will have convinced many remaining alive (and suffering terribly from that befalling them) that there are logical reasons as to why millions had previously, suddenly vanished from the Earth. Satan’s running dog will come up with a list of reasons, I have no doubt.
The Anti-Christ (a human being selected personally by Satan), assisted by Satan’s manifested demons, will now also scourge and commence the extermination of those martyrs who had come back to God, through Jesus.
These folk (soon to be martyred) have, of course, now realized what had really happened to the missing. And they will have searched out true Scripture to confirm their belief – that is, if they can find a true pastor or Bible. And I am tipping that there won’t be too many on public display, nor do I believe that people will be allowed to keep one at home without committing a crime against society.
It may prove difficult to find either. I believe there may well be a new ‘Kristallnacht.’ Do you remember how the books were burned and destroyed as the Nazis destroyed the written word in Germany, immediately prior to World War II?
No doubt, Anti-Christ and his minions will convince those living (but fallen and apart from God) that ALL the catastrophes the World is now suffering have been brought upon them by the last of these foul, anti-World/anti-life, Christian believers.
The fallen will swallow this ‘hook, line and sinker.’ After all, Anti-Christ will not only be the ruler of the world (in the name and thrall of Satan at this time), but will actually be worshiped as God. He is revered, following an assassination attempt, whereby he appeared to have been killed. However, he ‘miraculously’ survives and, indeed, is seen to perform many ‘allegedly’ god-like actions. He has logical reasons given him by Satan through which he mesmerizes the fallen.
The Tribulation days are directed by Anti-Christ against God’s chosen people, the Jews, and those who come to faith in Christ. At this time, those coming so late to Him (and there are many) are ostracized, imprisoned, denied all basic rights and then executed by beheading.
However, though they come late, their place in the Heavens is assured (but at a terrible human cost). These martyrs are now prophesied to suffer dreadfully for the lateness of the hour during which they have confirmed their faith in God, through Jesus. “Dear God, how they will wish they had been taken up!”
SUMMING UP MY RANT:
I have at length (maybe boringly so) attempted to explain this to you as simply as I can. I have expressed it (hopefully) in such a way as to closely follow literally interpreted Scripture.
In short, Scripture says that the removal of the ‘true’ Church of committed believers in God through His Son (heralded by the sound of a trumpet heard all around the globe by these true believers) is an act of the LORD’S mercy to preserve we who have committed to Him from the Days of Wrath.
Remember again, that Jesus appears to the church (only) in the clouds. He does NOT descend, for it is NOT the time of His Second Coming.
I sincerely urge you to read this link which sets out the relevant Scripture in its true literacy of meaning.
https://www.raptureready.com/2016/07/19/pretribulation-rapture/
REASON FOR THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS, THE CHRIST KING OF THE LIVING GOD
The Second Coming of Jesus is when He and His Host (those taken previously in the Harpazo) return to Judge the Nations.
This will NOT be a silent, unwitnessed event (as was the Harpazo removal). At this time, the entire World of mankind will witness the King of Kings and LORD OF LORDS appearing with His magnificent Host.
Who constitutes His Host? I’m sure by now that the proverbial penny ‘has dropped.’ Of course (let there be no doubt), it is His risen Church, transcended and prepared over a number of Earth years, in the Heavens.
During the long period of terrible Tribulation that this passing World has been experiencing, The Master has turned the risen Church into a great army. Now a mighty host and dressed in the purity of spotless white, they accompany the King as The Host: implacable warriors, The Army of the LORD. They, led by our Master and LORD, will confront the assembled nations as they are halted outside of Jerusalem by the sudden rending of the Mount of Olives. They take victory over the nations.
All the World will ‘see’ the Coming of the LORD. Jesus, according to His own testimony, will descend at the exact place from where He ascended (ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES). And – He shortly enters into Jerusalem.
His Judgment of the assembled nations, which have come down from all over the world to annihilate present day Israel, commences. He will plead with them – present his case for judgment against them (He is the accuser as well as the judge). These great, terribly magnificent (in worldly terms) armies of the assembled nations (in their millions with all the modern weaponry and ordinance of warfare) are then completely destroyed. Their rotting corpses will be picked over by the predators of the animal kingdom and birds of prey.
There are many references to all these occurrences. They are NOT taught by false teachers who have used the substance of allegory to study/interpret the Bible, stating it is NOT to be taken literally.
How very strange? Did not Jesus Himself teach EXACTLY from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible)?
Those who were originally fed a false version of the gospels have fed us a corrupted version of the New Testament by virtue of which to validate their position and the scriptural error/s that flow therefrom. Like mushrooms, raised in the dark and fed on smelly manure, they have taught us that we can virtually disregard the Old Testament. Why? Because, saith they:
- The Church left to the Apostles is complete.
- This church was bequeathed unto the Gentile Church (that soon became possessed by Rome and Orthodoxy).
- Therefore, all major prophecy was fulfilled and completed in the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus.
- No great prophesies are left unfulfilled, perhaps with the exception of the Return of the King. (There are few sermons given on this subject from where I sit.)
- Because the Jews crucified Christ (no, actually, the Sanhedrin and the hardliners who zealously guarded what they considered to be true religion did), the Gentile church of Rome, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy now are the ‘true’ guardians of the faith and the gospels.
- Jews thereby, have lost all previous claims to their previously promised heritage granted through the promises that the LORD made to Abraham.
With respect to that last claim, I should point out that Rome extended her sway over the Church bequeathed to the original apostles. The latter were mostly persecuted and murdered/executed. Church history (if we can trust it) infers that Peter and Paul were executed in Rome. And John the Evangelist was allegedly boiled in oil, so some record.
Rome DEMANDED that the Jews RECANT and convert from Judaism. THEY REFUSED to relinquish the Law and the ordinances passed down through Moses. And so, their long persecution began at our hands. Now we can truly say, “Oh My God! What have we done?”
WHAT THEN IS LEFT?
Our present legacy of corruptly interpreted scriptures has delivered us a series of denominations and cults. With grand theatre and panoply they entice us, as we witness their alleged majesty, and continue to delude many millions of people who think they are divinely fed and nurtured in true faith. And rarely if ever is there mention of the imminent return of Jesus The Judge.
That occurs only when the World, filled with its surfeit of depraved sin, fallen to Godlessness (though the gospel has been preached to all), is suddenly confronted by His ordained and prophesied RETURN.
We have the incumbent Pope and much of Protestantism led by Canterbury calling for reconciliation with Rome. And now, loudly applauded, is the call for One-World Religion including Islam (as proposed by Francis).
Sis, this is heresy of the most foul and worst kind; and the pastors/priests of Rome and Canterbury and all their offshoots are not only condemning themselves, but by keeping their vast congregations unfed by suppressing the truth, are jeopardizing us of our individual chances of true redemption.
Instead of preaching a literal truth, they preach a church that condones all those things that the Christ of God abhorred and which He clearly designated as sin. He always quoted Scripture directly, quoting exactly from Moses and the divinely appointed Prophets such as Isaiah. Why would He not? It is His own Living Word that He, in His godhead, divinely imparted to men.
THE TRUE FRUITS OF THE HERESY OF THE GENTILE CHURCH:
- Same sex marriage: (The opposition of the Denominations on this great issue was appalling, weak and un-lead). We were defeated before the battle commenced. The congregations themselves were conspicuous by their absence at the battlefront.
- Homosexual license: Now rampantly out of control as Scripture forewarned. It manifests itself within the burning lust of men for men and women for women. Few will repent, thus most are becoming blinded by God and lost.
- Churches proudly pastored by homosexual priests: Their congregations either loudly applaud this evil or, in the face of it, remain sinfully silent.
- Full term abortion: inclusive of the medically approved murder of living children, rudely thrust out of the womb.
- The sale of body parts of these innocents: And the consignment of their poor little corpses to offal pits. This is now seen to be a most profitable enterprise; and those that conspire in this sin have been secretly recorded gloating over the ‘highlights’ of their sickening trade.
- Amidst a host of other similar sin, denial of sexual orientation (male and female), as divinely ordained by God in the Beginning.
- A church that no longer has its focus upon Jesus: Ultimately, we have been left with the espousal of a ‘church’ whose principal focus is now firmly set upon the ‘great’ social issues of the day. We see them lost in the useless endorsement of issues (many bordering upon the nonsensical) that contribute little or nothing to the Great Commission given the Church ‘to bring all mankind to God through His Christ.’
- Such ‘issues’ as the global warming of the Earth: Allegedly, this is caused by man. (Interestingly, the major proponents of this religious zeal cannot/will not even discuss the impact of huge volcanoes on the creation of carbon).
- Political correctness at all costs: (Shutdown of any vocalization or publication of any vestige of righteous dissent from you and me).
- Open slather: Calling those behaviors which are scripturally condemned, PERMISSABLE.
- An invalidated/unscriptural clergy: Having permitted the infiltration of the ordained clergy by the sinfully ungodly.
The list goes on. They will NOT teach a God-breathed Scripture because it exposes them for what many have become by their theological blindness. By permanent inclusion of allegorical interpretation instead of ‘God-Breathed’ literacy, they now stand exposed like shill merchants or sideshow alley hucksters. We must Condemn them as charlatans and fraudsters.
Where is the mention of unfulfilled prophecy? Where is the Book of Revelation and its description of befouled/besmirched churches? Where is the promised reconciliation of the original root of Judah and Jacob when Jesus Returns?
RECONCILIATION OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL IS PRIMARILY HIS FIRST TASK as the Nations, having invaded Israel, maneuver to destroy the Jews once and for all.
This particular event is at the end of the described time of ‘Jacob’s Troubles.’ It is a last wake-up call to reconcile His chosen people (Zechariah 12); and then, He commences His Judgment. And terrible is the judgment of the Gentile nations that have assembled in the Valley of Jehoshaphat at the end of the Great Plain of Megiddo, outside of Jerusalem.
If you think that the Jews are to be more harshly judged in the future, THEN GOD HELP WE OF THE GENTILE NATIONS! Think hard, long and deep upon our centuries of hatred and persecution directed upon His chosen people.
THE HERE AND NOW:
Apart from the obvious things we now read and view in the news/media, watch Israel closely. She is, even now, the center of the World according to Scripture, and all things end up here.
Most of this, though imminent, pertains not so much to you and me, but certainly it is the prophesied fate in store for our Godless kids and grand-kids. As the denominational churches have failed us with their heresy, so we have failed our kids through our failure to teach them what it really means to be human and at whose hand we are so.
These may, perhaps, be considered the deluded ravings of a rabid, fundamentalist. However, if anything I have said has struck a chord, then you could do worse than to have a closer look at:
Absolute Truth From The Word Of God
There are a number of others. However, the Net, particularly YouTube, is resplendent with the works of Satan. You can easily discern the wheat from the chaff by comparing what they teach alongside of what Scripture actually says.
Sis ………., I did not arrive at my present faith-based views lightly. It has been a long journey, replete with terrible falls from Grace, much soul-searching and awful lessons.
Maybe this was meant to be so that my pride and arrogance might be thrown into the dust, that I might truly be broken? And I think that many times, Jesus (God incarnate) needs us to be dashed on the rocks of despair, wrecked and broken, BEFORE we can be rebuilt into what He requires us to be.
My feeling is (if I am not soon taken home with the church) that I surely cannot have many days left. I am trying to make the most of them. One way I can do this is to reach out to those I love and those I have grossly sinned against and tell them that all is not lost, but that we MUST now optimize this small (and quickly narrowing) window of opportunity.
Love to you both and all your extended family,
Your affectionate brother, Denis