General Articles

What Do We Do Now? :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: by RR10

America just elected a president. We had two choices, and I believe America was on the brink of judgment. If we made the wrong choice, we would have faded into history. Many Americans felt the same way. Christians prayed – truly prayed for God’s mercy on us. Guess what? Prayer worked. Many people didn’t listen to the liberal news media pushing a Socialist agenda that would give open borders with free room and board to people coming here illegally, less freedom to hard-working Americans, and total acceptance of deviant lifestyles.

As it turned out, God isn’t done with America quite yet. Praise God for His mercy. Mr. Trump was elected and has set about undoing damage that has happened in the last four years and is moving forward to fix this nation.

This isn’t the first time in history that God gave a reprieve to a Gentile nation. Jonah was sent to the very wicked city of Nineveh, and they repented, and God didn’t destroy them. In this modern age, when America is filled with wickedness and deserves God’s wrath, Christians prayed, and God had mercy, so what do we do now?

First and foremost, thank Him, and thank Him again and again. Then, examine your life to see if you deserved His mercy. None of us are perfect, and we all have things we need to change in our life in order to be closer to God. Now would be a good time to do that. I’m not pointing fingers because there is plenty in my life that I need to compare to Scripture and change. This has been true for people throughout history. Remember, it’s those of us who love the Lord who need to draw closer to His ways and not accept as normal the wickedness of the world.

After the Temple was built, God told Solomon, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It was God’s people who needed to obey God. I don’t know about you, but I would like for this land to be healed. People who don’t know God or who reject Him don’t know or care what He desires from us. So, it’s up to Christians to know Him and be obedient.

The first thing God told Solomon in the above verse was to humble themselves. Humility is something we all need to work on. It’s easy to be filled with pride and filled with our own self-interest. When we bow our knees to God and humble ourselves before Him, we will submit to His will, and we will obey His word. Judgmental attitudes will fall away, but judging in love with a righteous judgment will become natural. Jesus taught that we are to forgive others but also to “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

We have to judge things but not judge in order to condemn. We need to judge as to who we will be our friends and what lifestyles we should reject. In choosing to follow Christ in our judgments and decisions, we will love people but not follow them into sin.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

That perfection can only be achieved through faith in the shed blood of Jesus. It’s His righteousness, not our own feeble attempt at righteousness, that makes us worthy of God’s forgiveness.

The next directive that God gave to Solomon is to pray. Too often, we only pray when we’re in trouble. Then our prayer is earnest, begging for God to get us out of a predicament that we got into through our own lack of obedience to Him. Prayer should be as natural to a Christian as breathing. A prayer of praise, a prayer for wisdom and guidance, a prayer for the right words to say at the right time, a prayer for healing, a prayer for comfort, and on it goes.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

Just talk with Him like a friend. If prayer isn’t a part of your life, you need to change that. Prayer doesn’t always need to be formal. When I see an ambulance drive by, I automatically ask God to be with the person who is in need of medical assistance, or when I drive by a funeral parlor where people are gathered, I ask God to comfort the mourners. God hears those prayers, just like He hears those said on bended knee.

Scripture encourages us to pray continually. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

The next item on the list is “…seek my face.” How do we do that? Get to know God by studying Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. God reveals Himself to us through Scripture. He doesn’t hide from us, but we tend to hide from Him, just as Adam and Eve did when they sinned. They knew they had disobeyed God and tried to hide from Him. We sin and then stop fellowshipping with other Christians. This opens the way for new friends who don’t honor God to influence us to sin more, which causes us to want to hide from God. Remember, there is no sin so great that God will not forgive you. Humble yourself before Him and pray for His forgiveness. Study Scripture and learn all you can about God.

The Old Testament sometimes makes us feel that God is angry and looking for ways to condemn people. If you truly study Scripture, you’ll find that only those who had no love for God and lived life opposed to Him found judgment. Those who tried to please God always found mercy. King David truly loved God. Like all humans, David was a sinner. He committed great sin and seemed to not see his fault. He had a one-night stand with Bathsheba, who became pregnant. To cover his sin, David made sure her husband, a loyal soldier, was stationed in battle where he certainly would be killed. Under the Law, David should have been stoned to death for adultery and murder. When David was confronted by his sin, he immediately admitted his fault and humbly went to God in prayer.

“[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.]] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:1-4).

David didn’t treat his sin lightly, but he did seek God’s face. He admitted his sin before God and asked for forgiveness. Christians need to seek God’s face in this way. We need to understand that sexual encounters of any kind outside of a one man/one woman marriage is opposed to God. Sacrificing babies and calling it a woman’s right is pure Satan-inspired evil. Lying, gossiping, cheating, and stealing are all abominations to the Lord. When we seek God’s face, our sins will be revealed to us.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

Go to Him humbly in prayer and confess. He already knows your sin and has forgiven you of all sin when you gave your life to Jesus. The prayer for forgiveness is for you to understand the changes you need to make in your life when seeking God’s face.

The next item on the list of things God wanted Israel to do was “…turn from their wicked ways.” What is so appealing about sin? Whatever pleasure it gives is temporary and only brings sorrow. If you’re seeking God’s face, then you will certainly turn from the wickedness of sin. It’s a very sad comment on our society today that sin is taken lightly. Sexual sin is a very common transgression, and it leads to more sin, often in the form of abortion. It’s all wickedness. If all our sins, past and future, are forgiven, then why does it matter if we continue to sin? It matters to God.

Think very carefully about Jesus and what He chose to suffer through in order to forgive you. First of all, He left Heaven where He was worshipped and there was no evil. Yet, He chose to enter His creation as a baby, very humble and lowly. He was humbly born in a manger. He grew up like other children and then began His ministry. He was mocked by the religious leaders, but the common people followed Him. When the time came for Him to lay down His life, the torture inflicted upon Him was horrific. He was beaten, whipped, His beard was plucked out, and a crown of thorns was shoved on his head. The Roman soldiers paraded Him through the streets as He carried His cross, and when they arrived at Calvary, they pounded spikes into His hands and feet and then raised the cross for all to see. He suffered there for hours as His blood oozed out. He shed His blood to take our sin away. Why?

Because “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

Jesus was willing to do that for you and me, so shouldn’t we humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways? Christians should lead the way in turning from sin.

God promised Israel that if they followed His directions, He would forgive their sin and heal their land. The election that America just had proves that God is full of forgiveness. The sin in this nation is beyond comprehension. Brothers and sisters, we prayed, and God answered even before we turned from our wicked ways. This fact is very humbling to anybody who is paying attention to the signs of the times and the state of the world. So, now what?

Remember that God forgave Nineveh, but they soon returned to their wickedness and were destroyed. America could face that judgment too. It’s time to turn back to God and honor Him by truly seeking Him. We need to love what God loves and shun Satan’s lies. God loves His people, the nation of Israel, and Christians. God loves sinners and wants them to come to salvation.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God wants everyone possible to come to salvation before it’s too late. As Christians, we should desire that also. In gratitude for what God has done for us, we need to share the Gospel with others.

What do we do now?

God has given us mercy, so we should show mercy to others. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and pray without ceasing. We need to seek the Lord with all of our heart every day. Brothers and sisters, we need to repent and turn from our wicked ways and live a life that pleases God. It’s not always easy, but it is what we need to do now.

God bless you all

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

 

Refuting the Great Lie About Our Blessed Hope :: By Jonathan Brentner

Published on: by RR10

It’s the most persistent lie concerning the Rapture. I have either read or heard it more times than I can count.

Though it’s been debunked countless times, a great many saints remain convinced that the doctrine of the pre-Tribulation Rapture originated with John Darby. Although they insist that no one believed in such a thing before him, it’s simply not true.

Let me be clear: If anyone tells you that this teaching originated with John Darby, they are either purposely misleading you or have themselves been the victim of someone deceiving them about the origin of our “blessed hope.”

If the Bible Is True, There Must Be a Rapture

Regardless of the timing of the Rapture, the teaching that Jesus will someday appear and catch up both dead and living saints to meet Him in the air is biblically based.

Scripture provides several details regarding the sequence of events that we now refer to as the “Rapture.” The late Dr. Ed Hindson, former professor at Liberty University, beloved Bible scholar, and author, put it this way:

If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, “There’s never going to be a rapture.” No, there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised, and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture.[1]

We find references to the “Rapture” in John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, Philippians 3:20-21, Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-14, and Colossians 3:4. Putting these passages together, we arrive at a series of events that comprise our “blessed hope.”

If the Bible is true, there must be a still future time when Jesus appears, raises the dead in Christ, and catches living believers up to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:47-55). Since the words of these texts have never reached fulfillment anytime in the past, they point to a yet future reality, which we call the Rapture. It’s the time the Lord gives us our immortal and glorified bodies, the essence of our future experience of eternal life.

Because the Bible is true, the event we now designate as the Rapture awaits a future and certain fulfillment.

The Origin of the Word

Many people object to our hope of meeting Jesus in the air because the word “Rapture” doesn’t appear on the pages of Scripture. However, that’s not true; it appears in a previous version of the Bible. Long ago, it appeared in a Latin translation from about AD 400 called the Vulgate. The Vulgate used the Latin word rapturo to translate the Greek word harpazo in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

The words “caught up” in our English translations capture the essence of the Greek harpazo in the text just as the Latin rapturo, the origin of our word “Rapture,” did when Jerome and others translated the Bible into Latin.

In his book Dispensationalism Before Darby, Dr. William C. Watson lists ten instances of Bible scholars using the word “Rapture,” beginning with Joseph Mede in 1627 through the time of Thomas Broughton, an English pastor, in 1768.[2] In the centuries after the Reformation, the usage of the word “Rapture” to describe the event depicted below in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 became commonplace in many Protestant churches. In a letter that he wrote about these verses, Joseph Mede used the word “Rapture” six times when referring to this verse.[3]

Even though Joseph Mede didn’t place Jesus’ appearing before the start of the Tribulation period, his usage of the word “Rapture” establishes a four-hundred-year history of Bible students using the word “Rapture” to refer to the event that the Apostle Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.

Two centuries before John Darby was born, the word “Rapture” was already commonly used in Bible-believing churches.

Early Beliefs in a Rapture Before a Time of Tribulation

The belief that Jesus would take His saints out of the earth before a time of Tribulation on the earth dates back to the first centuries of the church.

In AD 180, Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies to refute the errors of Gnosticism, which posed a great threat to the church at the time. In Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 29, he wrote:

“And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be Tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.”[4]

In the above quote, Irenaeus used the same Greek word for “caught up,” harpazo, that Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for the Lord catching up living believers to meet Him in the air. Irenaeus specifically placed the fulfillment of this verse ahead of the time of “Tribulation” that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:21 and thus before the Second Coming, which the Lord said would happen after this time of judgment on the earth (Matthew 24:7-29).

This highly respected theologian of the early church envisioned a fulfillment of the harpazo followed by a time of extended Tribulation on the earth. He regarded the Rapture and Second Coming as two distinct occurrences separated by at least the second half of the seven-year Tribulation.

Cyprian (AD 210-258), a bishop in the city of Carthage, guided his church through a period of intense persecution and suffering, during which time he also became a martyr.

In his book, Treatises of Cyprian, he wrote:

We who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an early departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent? Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world and restores us to paradise and the kingdom.[5]

Cyprian believed in “an early departure” of the Church before further disasters occurred on the earth. He believed the time of additional trouble was “imminent” and thus also a “departure.” He believed that the Lord would take believers out of the world so they wouldn’t experience the troubling times ahead for those left behind. His reference to “snatches us” sounds just like the catching up of the Church in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Cyprian’s beliefs signify a third-century AD belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture as they coincide well with our imminent expectation of Jesus’ appearing.

Another unmistakable reference to the pre-Tribulation Rapture comes from Saint Ephraim of Edessa (AD 306–373), who was a monk, a poet, a writer of hymns, and a preacher.

The quote below comes from Ephraem’s sermon entitled “On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World.” Some historians believe someone else wrote it in AD 622 and ascribed it to Ephraem in order to lend credibility to it. Dr. Grant Jeffrey, who did extensive research on this sermon and obtained a translation of it on his own from a Greek scholar, believes it’s more likely that Ephraem himself preached the sermon sometime around AD 323, just a couple of years before the Nicene church council.[6]

Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: “Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!” For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.[7]

The above quote dates back to the early fourth century AD. Even if we concede that someone wrote this sermon in AD 622, as some maintain, we still have a definitive adherence to a pre-Tribulation Rapture 1,200 years before the birth of John Darby!

The above sampling of quotes are valid and accepted translations that clearly establish early beliefs within the church of Jesus taking His church out of the world before a time of great tribulation on the earth and returning to the earth with His saints after this time of trouble.

Back to the Bible

This attempt to discredit the Rapture by making it seem as though it’s a relatively new and thus an unfounded belief is an effort to divert our focus from what the Bible teaches us about our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14). The witness of church history confirms that the scripturally sound doctrine of the pre-Tribulation Rapture existed in the earliest centuries of the church.

More important than that, however, is what the Bible says. The Rapture is a clearly defined occurrence in such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, John 14:2–3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, Philippians 3:20-21, Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-14, and Colossians 3:4.

The majority of Bible-believing churches during the twentieth century not only adhered to a pre-Tribulation Rapture, but its pastors also unashamedly proclaimed it to their parishioners. The widespread popularity of this belief resulted from the biblically sound teaching of a great many devout men of God during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. John Darby was one of many who taught and wrote about our “blessed hope.”

***

In The Triumph of the Redeemed – An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, I provide a compelling defense of our belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture, provide further examples of this belief from church history, and explore its wonders for the redeemed. The glory ahead for us exceeds all our fanciful imaginations of what it might be. In the last section, I explore five amazing truths of the wonders that lie ahead for us as saints.

Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. Thanks!

[1] Ed Hindson, Future Glory (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2021), p. 14.

[2] William Watson, Dispensationalism Before Darby, (Navasota, TX: Lampion House Publishing, 2023), p. 177.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Irenaeus, “Against Heresies,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols., Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979), p. 558.

[5] Cyprian, Treatises of Cyprian, “On the Mortality,” section 25.

[6] Grant R. Jeffrey, Triumphant Return: The Coming Kingdom of God(Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001), p. 174.

[7] Ibid., pp. 175–76.