The Pharisees in Washington, DC: Matthew Chapter 23 :: By Keith Black

Washington, DC, today is like Jerusalem was in Matthew Chapter 23. The power elites are today’s Scribes and Pharisees. The definition of Pharisees is power-mad hypocrites that impose harsh, draconian (named after Greek tyrant Draco (Greek word for dragon) demands on others that they don’t even try to keep. See Matthew 23:4.

So how would Jesus interact with the Scribes & Pharisees in Washington, DC, if he was around today? Exactly how he handled the power-mad Pharisees in Jerusalem. Who are the Pharisees today? They include the politicians (especially the woke leftists). Many regulatory bureaucrats are Pharisees. They pass harsh, draconian (dragon) laws that are impossible to comply with. They impose severe penalties on those unable to meet their demands.

This is the worst possible violation of what Jesus said in Matthew 23:4, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves [political elites] will not move them [they exempt themselves from draconian laws that they impose on others] with one of their fingers.”

Other Pharisees include Leftwing activist groups who make demands on people and businesses and blackmail with threats to file lawsuits or threaten violence. It is shakedowns.

More Pharisees: Vigilante prosecutors (Jack Smith is an example); vigilante leftwing judges; Big-Pharma drug executives; World Economic Forum Members; Globalists; Jan-6 vigilantes committee (like the Sanhedrin that sentenced Jesus to die); woke corporate elite executives; Deep-State Intelligence agents; Political Party leaders; Leftist College professors; University administrators; Public health officials; United Nations leaders; global-warming hypocrites (fly in private jets – in one trip, a jet uses as much fuel as a large car in an entire year), who demand the average citizens to cut energy consumption while they themselves use excessive energy; Woke Leftists. There are many other examples of Pharisees today.

How would Jesus interact with the Pharisees in Washington, DC? Exactly like he did with the original Pharisees in Jerusalem. Today’s Pharisees are much worse than the originals. Today, it is Washington, DC, that is the Jerusalem of Matthew 23. Jesus would condemn Washington just as much as he did Jerusalem. Just like he cursed the fig tree, he would also curse the cherry trees in Washington DC because of the lack of fruit.

Here is what Jesus is most likely to say to the Pharisees in Washington, DC:

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but by me.”

The Liberals would probably angrily react this way:

What right do you have to claim to be God? That is the most insensitive, politically incorrect statement we ever heard! You are in violation of the Supreme Court ruling on the separation of church and state in the Establishment Clause of the Constitution!

Here is what Jesus might say to the Liberals:

You are wrong; there is no mention of the separation of church and state in the Constitution. It just says, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting establishment of (a national monopoly) religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ The Supreme Court abused its power and violated the intent of the founders in outlawing school prayer. They were in error and turned it upside down because the founders had prayer in their schools. They intended for the Constitution to be interpreted literally, not allegorically, as judges do today.

If Liberals ask him about abortion, here is what he might say to them:

Abortion is murder, and about 60 million babies have died in this holocaust because the US Supreme Court abused its power and twisted the Constitution in an allegorical interpretation. Woe unto them that offend my little ones! It would be better for them if they had a millstone tied to their necks than to face judgment because of what they did to the little ones! They violated the intent of the founders. The founders intended for the Constitution to be interpreted literally.

The Liberals would say,

You are against the rights of women!

Jesus might say to them,

Abortion is not right and is murder! If you don’t want to have babies, then don’t have sex outside of marriage!

How would Big Pharma and the Federal regulators react to Jesus healing the sick? They would not like it because it would hurt their business. Drug companies such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, Merck, and others would lose money if Jesus healed the sick, so they would complain to the Federal regulators.

So here is how the drug companies and the regulators would react to Jesus healing folks and hurting their bottom line:

See John 9:30-33 and other Scriptures objecting to Jesus healing people on the Sabbath. (The Pharisees were the gatekeepers and controlled the Sabbath because it threatened their power.) If Jesus healed people today, Big Pharma and federal regulators would say to Jesus:

You are illegally practicing medicine without a license! You are using treatments not approved by the FDA!

Here is what Jesus might say to the Feds and the drug companies:

Woe to you regulators and you greedy big pharma drug company executives, for your Covid clot shots have killed many! Woe to you that imposed vaccine mandates, for your mandates harmed many!

Matthew 23 applies just as much to Washington, DC, as it did to first-century Jerusalem. Here is Matthew 23:33-38:

“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I will send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth…

“Verily I say unto you, All these things [judgments] shall come upon this generation” [happened in AD 70; also applies today]. O Jerusalem (Washington DC is just like it), Jerusalem, thou that killest and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often I would have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house [Temple] is left unto you desolate.”

What Jesus might say to the Pharisees in Washington, DC:

Woe unto you politicians, bureaucrats, regulators, judges, lawyers, special interest groups, and others in power, for you pass impossible-to-comply-with, harsh, draconian laws (there are 800,000 pages and growing in the federal register, a list of federal laws thousands of times more harsh than first-century regulations passed by religious leaders in the first century) upon others that you will not apply to yourselves!

O, you hypocrites! You rattlesnakes! I send you prophets and wise men, and you brutally beat them and kill them. You will be held guilty of all the blood of the righteous saints whom you assassinated. I say to you that these things will come upon this generation. O Washington! Washington! You kill the prophets sent to you! I wanted to gather your children together even as a hen would gather her chicks under her wings, but you would not allow that. Behold! Your house is left unto you desolate!

He might say this to Deep-State intelligence agents:

Woe to you intelligence agents, for you have murdered leaders, overthrew governments around the world to destabilize things, and developed biological weapons in gain of function labs around the world!

What Jesus might say to the Globalist Elites:

Woe to you, World Economic Forum members! You are plotting to bring destruction upon humanity through famine and disasters. You are bringing harsh tyranny upon the population of the world. You are plotting to bring great tribulation upon the whole earth! Woe to you Bilderbergers, cfr-trilateralist members!

Today, the cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC, are in full bloom. If Jesus ever came to Washington today, he would curse those cherry trees just like he did the fig tree in Jerusalem because he would not find any fruit on them.

What might Jesus say about Washington, DC? This warning would apply to Tribulation Saints after the Rapture (evacuation):

Not one stone (in Washington, DC) will be left upon another except as ruins. (Could that be World War 3? Nuclear war? Big earthquakes?)

The Americans might ask,

When will these things occur? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of this world political system?

Jesus might say,

When you see America compassed with armies, then know that the desolation is near. Then, let those in eastern America flee into the Appalachian Mountains. And let those in western states flee into the Rocky Mountains. Let those that are in big cities depart out of them. Watch out! Many will steal my identity, saying I am Christ (artificial intelligence companies have come up with a fake version of Jesus in their AI programs; don’t take it) and fooling many. And you will see TV news of wars, riots (local wars), and Islamic terrorist attacks. These will get worse and worse as time goes on. Races will rise against races, and nations against nations. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

There will be more and bigger earthquakes everywhere (just like San Francisco in 1906). There will be widespread food shortages. You will be brought to trials in the name of “hate speech” (laws having made it illegal to call homosexuals sinners or to call Islamist jihadists terrorists). And you (Americans, Christians, and Jews) will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. But those who endure all this until the end will be saved. The gospel of the kingdom will be spread all over the world.

When you see the antichrist desecrate (abomination of desolation in Daniel 9:27) the Jewish temple in Israel (this warning applies worldwide to both Jews and Gentiles – tribulation saints), it will result in global martial law, then let those in the cities of eastern America flee into the Appalachian Mountains, and those in the west flee into the Rocky Mountains. For in those days will be a great holocaust (much like Hitler’s nazi gulags) like there never has been before and will never be again after that. And except those days should be ended very quickly, no flesh will survive. When the lord comes, it will be like lightning firing out of the East.

Washington, DC, today is like Jerusalem of Matthew 23. Is America about to get its own version of AD 70 (Tribulation)?

If Jesus had come to Washington, DC, in a flesh and blood body today, would he be crucified by the Beltway (Pharisee) crowds? Absolutely; they would have crucified him. They’ve already crucified him in their hearts.

Why did Jesus die on the Cross? God’s reason is that he was to be sacrificed as the Lamb of God for your sins and my sins. What would have motivated the political class to crucify him today is that he was not politically correct. It would be the cancel culture against him.

If you want to be saved, repent. Trust in Jesus, his complete sacrifice for your sins and my sins. Ask him to save you, and he will save you.

Keith Black

After The Rapture :: By Nathele Graham

The Rapture is a wonderful promise from God. Though many Christians cannot believe it will happen, Scripture says it will.

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

I do look forward to that wonderful family reunion around the throne of God. Jesus told us signs to watch for; He spoke of the coming Tribulation, not the Rapture. The Rapture will happen prior to the Tribulation. As we see the wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence, and more growing more frequent and stronger, we know those final seven years will soon begin. We also know that Christians are not appointed to wrath, and that alone tells us we will not face the extremely troubled time of the Tribulation.

As I see signs that it’s approaching, I do get a bit frightened. There is so much wickedness and evil all around. There’s wickedness in the thoughts of people, among government leaders, the World Economic Forum, and much more. The horrid war in the Middle East is alarming not only because of the pure evil that Hamas inflicted on Israel but also the astonishing fact that so many people blame Israel for the atrocity. Even many Christians seem blind to the truth. I can only assume that they either only repeat mistruths without studying Scripture for themselves, or they don’t really believe Scripture at all. Either way, it’s a sad comment on what is being taught from the pulpits.

As I see the events leading up to the Tribulation, and knowing that the Rapture will be first, I have a strong desire to share the Gospel. For those who are left behind, it will be a time of unfathomable horrors.

What will happen after the Rapture?

The answer to that question depends upon whether or not you have truly accepted Christ as your Saviour. If you have any doubt about that, don’t delay in settling the issue now. If you think you’re a Christian, then you need to understand what it is you believe.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23).

You need to understand that Jesus was God incarnate. He left His place in Glory to step into His creation – yes, He created everything – and to give His life for our salvation. Only God’s pure, untainted blood could purchase our redemption. Jesus was crucified and buried, and on the third day, He arose from the grave and conquered death! What perfect love He showed us! If you don’t believe this, then you need to talk to a true Christian, repent, and believe. This decision must be made prior to your death and prior to the Rapture.

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

There is no second chance… no purgatory, no “lesser place of punishment” that you can work your way out of. In fact, works can in no way earn you the right to live eternally in Heaven. It’s only faith in Christ that brings salvation.

The Book of Revelation is a book of hope for all of us who have truly accepted Christ for salvation. Jesus dictated seven letters to the Apostle John, which were written to seven churches. These seven letters describe the various eras of church history. The first letter describes the first Christians who were commended for their faith and patience. It describes how they stood against evil and how they rejected false teachers. It also says they needed to repent and return to their first love, which was Jesus. The final letter is written to our time period. A time when Christ is left outside of a Christian’s life. They aren’t hot nor cold but have a very lukewarm faith. These people think they need nothing from God, but they’re wrong. They have all the money they need to buy all the things they want, and they think they don’t need Jesus.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

It’s an individual choice.

With this last letter, the Christian era on Earth is finished. That’s not the end of the story. Today, we are in the last days, and very soon, all true Christians will hear the call to come up here.

“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 shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).

The Greek words for “after this” and “hereafter” are “meta tauta” which denote a sequence. First, something happens, and after that, the next thing happens. In this case, the church age happens first, and then the Rapture. First the Rapture, then the wrath of the Lamb. John was told to “Come up hither.” The Greek word used is “anabaino,” which means ascend. So, after the church age, we ascend to Heaven, and then there’s tribulation on Earth.

The Apostle Paul also wrote about the Rapture. “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 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The call to John to ascend and the following verses precede Revelation chapter 6, which begins describing the wrath that will fall upon the earth.

The Apostle John saw what Christians will see after the Rapture. “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold” (Revelation 4:2-4).

What a sight to see! Christians truly have a blessed hope in Jesus. Although Christians will be judged, we have no part in the wrath of God. Jesus took the full punishment for our sins upon Himself when He was crucified. The judgment we face will be more of a rewards ceremony. The works we do for Christ on Earth will earn us crowns.

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for they pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11).

The elders, who represent the redeemed, give all the rewards (crowns) to God. These crowns are not king’s crowns but “stephanos,” which is a victor’s crown, such as an award given to the winner of a race. When we are before our Lord and Saviour, we will realize that He gets all the glory for the good we have done in this life. It has to be understood that the good things we have done in order to bring glory to ourselves will be burned like wood, hay, and stubble.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

The wood, hay, and stubble will burn. Things you’ve done for your own glory will be burned up. The gold, silver, and precious stones will survive the judgment fire and will be crowns to cast before the Lord. What a wonderful blessing for Christians who give more than lip service to Christ!

When Christians are called Home, the Restrainer, who is holding back the pure evil of Satan, will be taken out of the way. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been active in the world since the beginning but not indwelling people. That is a unique blessing for Christians. In Old Testament times, the Spirit would come upon people and help them but then leave them. When David committed great sin, he wrote a beautiful Psalm of repentance in which He makes this plea:

“Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

After the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will still be active in the world, but He won’t indwell people who come to faith during the Tribulation.

Paul wrote, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10).

This may be difficult to understand in the King James translation, but what it means is that the Holy Spirit indwelling Christians is a barrier holding back total evil from taking over. We see evil today, but it will be much worse during the Tribulation. After the Rapture, the most evil man who has ever lived, whom we call the Anti-Christ, will make himself known. He will step in, and it will seem that he has all the answers to stop the chaos.

What if you don’t have true faith in Christ and the Rapture happens before you truly repent and place your faith in Christ? At first, you will be confused. People you know and love will suddenly be gone. Things you are used to in this life won’t work as they always have. Television, radio, airplane travel, and more will be interrupted. Many of the people who made these things work are gone. When you get to your job, many of your co-workers will be missing. It won’t take long for the reality to set in. The people who had witnessed you and tried to convince you to give your life to Christ are gone. You’ve probably heard of the Rapture, but now you really understand. They were right; faith in Christ was the most important decision you should have made.

From this point on, things will only get worse as the Tribulation progresses. Major judgments are beginning. John saw a scroll with seven seals that needed to be opened. The only one worthy to open the scroll was Jesus.

As the seals are opened, judgments begin on Earth. “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2).

This rider isn’t a good guy but starts the judgments.

The second seal is opened, and a rider on a red horse goes out and takes peace from the earth, and people kill each other. The third seal is opened, and a black horse goes out, and judgment on food is inflicted… famine. The fourth seal sees a pale horse, and his rider is Death, and Hell followed with him. They were given power “…to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8b).

The judgments are just getting started.

The next seal sees martyrs crying to God for justice, and the sixth seal sees an earthquake. The sun becomes black, the moon looks like blood, and stars fall to Earth. Heaven is rolled up like a scroll, and the mountains and islands are moved from their places. The rich and powerful men try to hide from the judgment.

“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?” (Revelation 6:16-17).

Only Christians who have been taken Home in the Rapture are safe from the wrath.

More and more judgments follow, including demons being released. “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Revelation 9:6).

It keeps getting worse.

When we reach chapter 13, we read about the Beast, a hideous creature who blasphemes God, and then we see that any person who has survived thus far is required to take a mark.

“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” (Revelation 13:16-17).

This mark happens quite a while after the Rapture, so today, if you’ve been concerned that somehow you’ve taken the Mark of the Beast, you haven’t. Eventually, the Beast will be sent to the lake of fire along with all who have taken his mark. Jesus wins; Satan loses.

The wrath and judgments keep going, but through all of the turmoil on Earth, Christians are safe in Heaven. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

What a comfort that we can depend upon God’s word!

How can you avoid the wrath? How can you avoid being a part of the Great Tribulation? The only way is to place your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ… the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Don’t just say “I believe,” but truly repent, turn away from the sin that is condemning you, and turn to Jesus. He gave His life so that you can live eternally with Him.

What happens after the Rapture? It’s up to you.

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).