Many people around
the world have disappeared or vanished. I write this article in advance
before this event has happened. How did I know it was going to happen?
Because the Bible speaks of this event. It is the rapture.
Many now may doubt that this is the rapture
for various reasons. Perhaps a big reason is that many christians were
left behind and not taken. Perhaps another disbelief in this is an abundant
display of UFO's.
Why were some christian taken and others
left? God warned the church. He has shown that certain christians won't
get raptured and certain ones will.
Rev 2: KJ21 18 ... `These things saith
the Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet
are like fine brass: 19 I know thy works, and
charity and service, and faith and thy patience, and thy works, and the
last to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstanding, I have
a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, who
calleth herself a prophetess,to teach and to seduce My servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space
to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast
her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of their deeds. 23 And I will kill her
children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He that
searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according
to your works. 24 But unto you I say,
and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine and who
have not known the depths of Satan (as they say) I will put upon you no
other burden. 25 But that which ye have
already, hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcometh
and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, 27 and "he shall rule them
with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to
shivers," even as I have received from My Father. 28 And I will give him
the morning star.
Did you see verse 22? "...them
that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent
of their deeds"
These people receive a ministry that teaches
sin can be acceptable. This teaching may not be straight forward. It may
be the conclusion of a teaching, regardless of the intent of the "teacher".
They also, are involved in some spiritual idolatry: the worship of other
gods; the reaching of God thru other ways or people besides Jesus or thru
spiritual use of statues or images; or mixing or replacing the message
of salvation by grace with another gospel that is not Biblical. Remember,
Jesus sees the motive behind the action or inaction.
Receiving this type of teaching/ministry
is adultery of the faith in Christ. Christ teaches holiness. These people
need to repent of their deeds. These deeds could be the sins, or the works
done in wrong motive. They will suffer the tribulation.
The tribulation is the great distress the
world will see soon after the rapture. But which christians were raptured?
Math 25: MKJV 1 Then shall the kingdom of Heaven
be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the
bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five
were foolish. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps,
but took no oil with them. 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they
all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose and
trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise,
Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, No
, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell,
and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage,
and the door was shut. 11 Afterwards the other virgins came
also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Truly
I say to you, I do not know you. 13 Therefore watch, for you do not
know either the day or the hour in which the Son of man comes.
We see in verse 8 that the foolish had
oil in their lamps, but did not take extra oil in jars like the wise, so
when their oil began to burn out, they asked for more.
Oil represents the Holy Spirit. When you
believe in Jesus to salvation you get the seed of God in your life, which
is the Holy Spirit. However, there is more to Christianity than just believing.
You must be born again. You must become a new creature in Christ.
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I
tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born
again. "
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you
the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water
and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth
to spirit.
2 Cor 5:17: Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new.
For many many years there has been much
debate about John 3:5, I will put forth yet another possible understanding.
In the Old Testament, the Temple
of God had 3 rooms. You had to go from one room to another, past different
pieces of furniture to get to the inner most room called the Most Holy
place or sometimes called the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was
allowed in there. It was there that Moses would often talk to God. The
priests would work in the outer 2 rooms every day. Access into the these
rooms was permitted by using the pieces of furniture on the way in. The
first piece of furniture was the Brazen Alter, next was the Laver, after
that was the Candlestick, then there was the Table of Shew bread, and lastly
in the Most Holy Place was the ark of God, that piece of furniture seen
in the Indiana Jones movie.
The New Testament tells us that that Temple
and those pieces of furniture were shadows of the true way to God. The
first piece, the Brazen alter, represents repenting to God of all other
ways to heaven, in other words, believing in Jesus, in what He did and
who He is. But God wants more from us than that. If we want to be in His
presence (in the Holy of Holies) we must continue thru all the pieces of
furniture. The first 2 pieces of the Tabernacle were in the first room
called the Outer court. The 2nd piece is the probably significant part
in getting the extra oil in the parable of the 10 virgins for the rapture.
I will discuss below, another possibility.
The 2nd piece is the Laver. It was here
that the priests would wash themselves from the sacrifice they made on
the alter (the 1st piece of furniture). It is here that we wash ourselves.
As we enter into the water, we realize that the penalty of sin is washed
away by the work of Christ, and as we come out of the water we are new
creatures in Christ.
How are we new? How does this take place?
It is the born again experience. When we believe in Jesus and His death
for our sins, we become conceived spiritually. Jesus seals us with His
Holy Spirit and His incorruptible seed, the Word of God is implanted in
our heart. But, such people need to be born again. They are conceived,
but not born again yet.
John 1: 12: But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name: 13: Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
As a person who has already believed and
probably confessed your belief in Christ, you must take the next step.
You must give your life to God. Be the sacrifice on that Brazen Alter symbolically.
Rom 12: MKJV 1 I beseech you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
Then you must...
Rom 6: MKJV 11 Likewise count yourselves also to
be truly dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Because:
Rom 6:6: Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin.
Realizing this truth:
Gal 2:20: I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me.
How do you do this? Start with a prayer.
Something like this:
Dear Jesus,
I come to you, to offer my life, not only
do I believe in You; in your crucifixion, and your resurrection; but I
believe I died with you on the cross. My sin has been paid for, and I also
have the resurrected life in me. I offer myself to you, to let You live
thru me. I will submit to your Holy Spirit to lead me into truth and away
from sin. Lord, You are my shepherd, and I will trust you to lead me to
life eternal. Today, I not only call you Savior, but I make You Lord of
my life.
In your Holy name I pray,
Amen
This Laver also is symbolically represented
in our water baptism. If you have not been water baptized in full submersion,
I suggest you do so as soon as possible. This water baptism is not a requirement,
but the spiritual significance is, that is being washed and being born
into a new creature. It is this interpretation I put forward as a possible
understanding of:
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you
the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water
and the Spirit.
This is why God will only take into the
Kingdom these people, it is why these scriptures were written:
Eph 5: NKJV 3 But fornication and all uncleanness
or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for
saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting,
which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know,
that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes
upon the sons of disobedience.
Rev 22: 14: Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city. 15: For without are dogs, and sorcerers,
and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and
makes a lie.
When a believer is conceived, he has responsibility
on what he will do with the Word of God in his heart:
Math 13: NKJV 19 When anyone hears the word of the
kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches
away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
When the Gospel is preached, demons or
their work are often present in the unbeliever, reasoning away the Gospel
message. The Word of God found no place in their heart, these people are
the unsaved and will go to the Lake of Fire.
20 But he who received the seed on stony
places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with
joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For
when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately
he stumbles.
This represents many many saved believers.
At some point in their life, they accepted the truth of Jesus as dying
for their sins. It may have been as a child, in Sunday School, or older
in church, or even at an evangelical crusade. But they never fed the truth
or accepted any teachings to allow the seed to produce any fruit. These
"believers" or "christians" are pretty much fruitless, the only thing separating
them from the unbelievers is that they believed and a plant began to grow,
but it died, before bearing any fruit.
I was such a believer once. Somewhere about
the age of 8 years old, I believed in the work of Jesus. I went to a Lutheran
church which taught me alot of the Bible, but I was given no teachings
that helped my faith grow. Or I failed to see them. Eventually, my faith
became bankrupt as a teenager. You can read my story here:
This kind of believer is full of carnality.
I had scripture, and so many of these may have scripture too, but it will
be taken from them, including any false doctrines, which killed their faith,
many of which may be teachings from Jezebel. But these folk probably have
a lack of teaching which encourages sin, rather than bad teaching that
allows sin. These kind of christians will not be raptured at the 1st rapture.
I believe a major portion of the saved
nations are these type of "christians". But Jesus will save them:
John 6: MKJV 39 And this is the will of the Father
who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but
should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who
sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have
everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.
Back to Math 13:
22 Now he who received seed among the
thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness
of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
This group is very similar to the last
group discussed. But these perhaps are perhaps worse, because they have
heard the Word, but allowed their faith to fall thru sin. It is often these
kinds of christians that make up many liberal churches or are the "backsliders"
from conservative, charismatic, or evangelical churches. They feed on their
lusts and sin, and defend themselves with teachings from Balaam, the Nicolaitans,
or Jezebel.
Rev 2: MKJV 14 But I have a few things against
you, because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who
taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat
things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. 15 So you also have those who hold
the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 20 But I have a few things against
you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to
be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication,
and to eat idol-sacrifices.
2 Tim 4: MKJV 3 For a time will be when they will
not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves
according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. 4 And they will turn away their ears
from the truth and will be turned to myths.
It is very difficult to reach these folk,
because they have closed their ears and hardened their hearts. The best
thing I can say to them is to ask: are you prepared for the Lord's coming?
If they don't repent of Jezebel, they will be left behind:
Rev 2:22: Behold, I will cast her into
a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
except they repent of their deeds.
Back to Math 13:
23 But he who received seed on the good
ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit
and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
These christians are fruit bearers. Some
do not produce 100% fruit of the spirit. Many only produce 30 or 60 fold.
Back to Math 13:
37 He answered and said to them: "He
who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good
seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked
one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of
the age, and the reapers are the angels.
Here we see the angels are the one's separating
for the judgments of God.
40 Therefore as the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son
of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will
cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing
of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Two separations by the angels. The first
in verses 38 & 39, separating the unbelievers from the believers. The
second in 41 & 42, separating the faithful believers from the unfaithful
believers. This is evidenced in Math 7:21-23 and here:
Ezek 34 NKJV 17 "And as for you, O My flock, thus
says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between
rams and goats.
So we can see many have received the Word
of God as seed into their hearts, but many aborted their new life before
they were born again.
In the Old Testament, there was another
shadow of sorts relating to this.
Num 32: MKJV 1 And the sons of Reuben and the sons
of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle. And when they saw the land
of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, behold, the place was a place for cattle. 2 And the sons of Gad and the sons
of Reuben came and spoke to Moses...saying, 4 the land which the LORD struck before
the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have
cattle. 5 And, they said, If we have found
grace in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession;
do not bring us over Jordan. 6 And Moses said to the sons of Gad
and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go to war, and shall you
sit here? 16 And they came near to him and said,
We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little
ones, 17 but we ourselves will go ready armed
before the sons of Israel until we have brought them to their place. And
our little ones shall live in the fenced cities because of those who live
in the land. 18 We will not return to our houses
until the sons of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them
on the other side of Jordan, or forward, because our inheritance has fallen
to us on this side of Jordan, eastward. 20 And Moses said to them, If you will
do this thing, if you will go armed before the LORD to war, 21 and all of you will go armed over
Jordan before the LORD until He has driven out His enemies from before
Him, 22 and the land is subdued before the
LORD, then afterwards you shall return and be guiltless before the LORD
and before Israel. And this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
When I read that, I think of the Catholics
and the Lutherans and the other denominations (mostly the sacramental churches)
who went before many of us in spiritual warfare, preparing the paths of
christianity and bringing down the works of satan before many of today's
denominations and churches existed. They are our elder brothers, their
denominations are older, and they walked in battle before us (Reuben was
the oldest brother of the sons of Israel). I also see that many of them
are caught up in the world and do not wish to cross over the river Jordan,
that is the born again experience, but are willing to cross over to fight
the enemy, but not willing to give up the things of the world to possess
the true kingdom. As in the parable in the 10 virgins, they all are virgins,
all are the church, but not all have gone thru Jordan, the Laver, thru
the Born Again experience.
The crossing of the Jordan, is symbolic
of the same water baptism. Many of these older denominations do not teach
water baptism and the born again experience. They teach basic salvation
and water sprinkling.
Gad is another son/tribe, what we know
of Gad was they had a large herd of cattle as Reuben. This is a large denomination
or movement of God. We also know this:
Gen 49:19: Gad, a troop shall overcome
him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Someone or something overtook Gad, but
in the end, Gad overcame. This speaks of Gad being left behind, he was
overtaken, but during the trials of the end, he overcomes. Perhaps Reuben
will represent those who do not overcome and turn to the One World Babylonian
religion. This may represent Catholicism.
Then there is the 1/2 tribe of half the
tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh was a son of Joseph, but Jacob/Israel claimed
him as equal in his inheritance with his father and uncles. This must represent
a movement or denomination that is an offshoot denomination or movement,
but is considered an equal christian denomination. Israel also gave Manasseh
the lesser blessing than that of his brother. Even tho Manasseh's father
Joseph tried to get Israel to bless Manasseh more.
This Episcopal is sacramental and liturgical,
but is also charismatic and evangelical.
Joshua 22 shows the big difference between
these 2 1/2 tribes from the others. They built a high altar to worship
God. The other tribes came to war against them. When they learned this
tall altar was for God, they left in peace. These 2 1/2 denominations or
movements of God represent the sacramental churches who have what is considered
"high" worship, where they separate their worship with sacraments and services
where the service and sacrament are regarded HIGHLY in a manner which seems
not normal for the other believers. This is a liturgy. A HIGH liturgy of
service instead of just preaching the Word of God, with the newness of
spirit.
Such churches are caught up in religion
rather than a relationship with God.
Probably about half of all christians today
are in sacramental churches.
These 2 1/2 tribes represent the oldest
church denomination, other denominations that are liturgical, and offshoot
denominations which have gone the way of a liturgical service or a sacramental
system.
Not everyone involved in such churches
are caught up in the system, and there are other types of churches which
spawn similar types of believers.
If the parable of the virgins is accurate,
50% of the church will be left behind. Is there any other scriptures like
this?
Math 24: MKJV 40 Then two shall be in the field;
the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two shall be grinding at the mill;
the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Therefore watch; for you do not
know what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the steward
of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for
in that hour you think not, the Son of man comes. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise
servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them
food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his
Lord shall find him doing so when He comes. 47 Truly I say to you that He shall
make him ruler over all His goods. 48 But if that evil servant shall say
in his heart, My Lord delays His coming, 49 and shall begin to strike his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, 50 the Lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he does not look for Him , and in an hour which he does not
know. 51 And He shall cut him apart and appoint
him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.
This series of verses show not only will
50% be left behind, but those taken will be given place in the government
of God. Verse 51 of Math 24 looks alot like Rev 2:22.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed,
and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they
repent of their deeds.
Those raptured bought extra oil. I spoke
above about this representing the Holy Spirit and probably being born again.
Here are some more scriptures relating
to buying:
Prov 23: MKJV 10 ¶ Do not remove the old landmarks,
and do not enter into the fields of the fatherless; 11 for their Redeemer is mighty; He
shall plead their cause with you.
The water baptism and the born again experience
was removed by these denominations and people. They forfeited the "promised
land" to take possession of the worldly inheritance. Usually harming innocents
while doing so.
12 ¶ Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to the words of knowledge. 13 Do not withhold correction from
a boy, for if you beat him with the rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with the rod,
and shall deliver his soul from hell.
This speaks heavily on sonship and discipline
(discipleship):
19 ¶ My son, hear and be wise,
and guide your heart in the way.
After receiving the seed of God into your
heart, you must fertilize it.
20 Do not be among those who drink much
wine, among gluttons for flesh for themselves, 21 for the drunkard and the glutton
lose all, and sleepiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Again, this points toward the lusting after
the world before crossing the Jordan, the born again experience.
22 Listen to your father who sired you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
God has conceived you. The church has crossed
over Jordan, remember them and do likewise.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also
wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
BUY the oil, gain those benefits from being
born again. Be taught and trained in the ways of God.
24 The father of the righteous shall
greatly rejoice; and he who fathers a wise child shall have joy from him. 25 Your father and your mother shall
be glad, and she who bore you shall rejoice. 26 My son, give Me your heart, and
let your eyes watch My ways.
The joy of seeing others cross into the
promised land.
Isaiah 55 MKJV 1 ¶ Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat. Yea, come,
buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you weigh silver for what
is not bread? and your labor for what never satisfies? Listen carefully
to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Bow down your ear, and come to Me;
hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given Him for a witness
to the people, a Leader and Commander of peoples. 5 Behold, You shall call a nation that
You do not know; a nation that did not know You shall run to You because
of Jehovah Your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified
You. 6 ¶ Seek the LORD while He may
be found; call on Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and
the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He
will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways My ways, says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than
the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your
thoughts. 10 For as the rain comes down, and
the snow from the heavens, and does not return there, but waters the earth,
and makes it bring out and bud, and give seed to the sower and bread to
the eater; 11 so shall My Word be, which goes
out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish
what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do. 12 For you shall go out with joy, and
be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break out before
you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn, the fir tree
shall come up; and instead of the brier, the myrtle tree shall come up;
and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign which shall
not be cut off.
That chapter speaks volumes about buying
and being at the water. The world offers lots of goods but that won't satisfy,
but if you cross Jordan into the promised land you will be satisfied. God's
Word will produce fruit, and if you seek after God, you will born of the
Spirit.
I spoke of another possibility of the extra
oil. It could be the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I doubt this, because
there seems to be a focus on water. But I may be wrong. The Baptism of
the Holy Spirit is a distinct separate receiving of the Holy Spirit. Here
is a bit on it from the following page of mine:
Math 3: MKJV 11 I indeed baptize
you with water to repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than
I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and with fire;
Acts 1: MKJV 5 For John truly baptized with water,
but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from
now.
Acts 11: MKJV 16 And I remembered the Word of the
Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.
Joel 2: NKJV 28 "And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
This is a separate act from water baptism
and separate from the born again experience:
Acts 10: NKJV 44 While Peter was still speaking these
words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those
of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with
Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles
also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter
answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized
who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord...
Acts 19: MKJV 1 ¶ And it happened in the time
Apollos was at Corinth, Paul was passing through the higher parts to Ephesus.
And finding certain disciples, 2 he said to them, Have you received
the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said to him, We did not so
much as hear whether the Holy Spirit is. 3 And he said to them, Then to what
were you baptized? And they said, To John's baptism. 4 And Paul said, John truly baptized
with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe
into Him coming after him, that is, into Jesus Christ. 5 And hearing, they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And as Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
The purpose of the baptism of the Holy
Spirit is NOT for power. But to have power to BE a witness:
Luke 10: MKJV 19 Behold, I give to you authority
to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy.
And nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Yet do not rejoice in this, that
the evil spirits are subject to you, rather rejoice because your names
are written in Heaven.
Acts 1: MKJV 8 But you shall receive power, the
Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem
and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Being empowered by the Holy Spirit allows
the believer to overcome many obstacles, thus enabling him to be a witness
of God's ability to save and shows His love for all. This baptism can be
used to defeat demons, sickness, poison, and many other problems.
Mark 16: MKJV 17 And miraculous signs will follow
to those believing these things: in My name they will cast out demons;
they will speak new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and
if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands
on the sick, and they will be well.
Some people abuse this power and tempt
God. There are snake handling churches. Jesus was tempted by satan to use
His powers in such a way, but refused:
Math 4: MKJV 1 ¶ Then Jesus was led by the
Spirit up into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days
and forty nights, He was afterwards hungry. 3 And when the tempter came to Him,
he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But He answered and said, It is written,
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out
of the mouth of God." 5 Then the Devil took Him up into the
holy city and set Him upon a pinnacle of the Temple. 6 And he said to Him, If you are the
Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, "He shall give His angels
charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest
at any time You dash Your foot against a stone." 7 Jesus said to him, It is written
again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." 8 Again, the Devil took Him up into
a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their
glory. 9 And he said to Him, All these things
I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan!
For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you
shall serve." 11 Then the Devil left him. And behold,
angels came and ministered to Him.
God grants us power to overcome problems.
We are not to create problems to "show off". Soon after I was baptized
in the Holy Ghost I was anointed to defeat headaches. This was in 1989.
Since 1989, I have never had a headache last longer than 5 minutes or so,
because of the anointing through my prayer. This has allowed me to witness
of God. I have prayed for unbelievers headaches and they were healed.
Here is the story of how I was baptized
in the Holy Spirit:
As a Catholic, I had straitened out my
life somewhat, but this was mostly by my own power. I had even given up
Dungeons & Dragons. I had given away or sold most of my possessions,
almost certain of my decision to become a monk. One day, some of my friends
talked me into playing Dungeons & Dragons one last time.
It started well, but after about 2 hours
of playing, I began to get sick. My stomach began to ache. Stomach aches
had always been the worst pains in my life. It got so bad, I had to stop
the game and go home.
At my dad's it got worse. I believe to
this day it was demonic sickness, for I had stopped playing on my own power
then went back to it, like a dog to it's vomit. Anyway, after 2 days and
nites, the pain became unbearable. On the 2nd nite of no sleep, I decided
to pray for help.
I prayed something like this:
"Dear God, please help me, this pain is
so bad I would rather die. Please take this pain away. I will do anything
you want, if you take away this pain. Lord, I prefer death, over this pain,
if healing is not available."
Please understand, I had never heard of
healing, never seen it either. Only this, about my senior year in high
school, a friend of mine told me his dad was going to see some minister
that heals. I had seen on TV reports of false healing ministers, and told
him so. I had never heard of real ones. And I don't think his dad came
back with any healing stories. That was the extent of any healing knowledge
I had. In short, I cried out to God in pain, not faith, but with hope,
and in earnestness.
Praise God for God! He heard me! After
praying, I felt led to go read a Church bulletin that was sitting in my
room. I rarely, if ever, had read those things, and usually they would
get tossed in the garbage.
In it, it said, something to the effect
of: Catholic Charismatic Conference, place ----, time ----, and so on.
Please understand, I had never ever, heard
of the Charismatic movement except what I mentioned just before and this:
once, while in the military, at a Catholic Prayer group or study, someone
mentioned that there was a Charismatic Prayer group in town. I simply asked
"what is that?" And I was told that they prayed strongly or differently
or something like that. This was the only knowledge I had of the charismatic
movement
Anyway, I prayed to God, "If you want me
to go to this; if it is your will, I will go. Please, just take away the
pain."
Within a few minutes. The pain was gone.
That Friday nite, I went to the conference.
There, I saw some acquaintances of a friend of mine. My friend had been
trying to get me to renounce Catholicism, and introduced me to these folks.
That nite, I saw people worship God in
a way I had never seen before. They worshiped with a different style of
music as well. It was contemporary, which I did not know at the time.
Near the end of the nite, I spoke to God,
"Lord, why do you want me here? I learned a new style of worship, is this
what you wanted?". I seemed to get a response of: "wait until tomorrow,
come back again".
The next day at the conference, I met up
with the single man whose acquaintance I had met. He decided to take some
conference classes with me. One class we went to, was called: The Gifts
of the Holy Spirit. Or something like that.
In this class, the teacher read a bunch
of scriptures that seemed gibberish to me. He just read a list of verses
without explaining them. None of them in any way enlightened me, or explained
what was going on. I don't remember any of them. After this, he asked for
the raising of hands of those who wanted the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I raised my hand, and then left it up for a question, which was, "What
is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?". He answered with, "It's when you ask
the Holy Spirit to be in your life.".
Now, I had been taught as a Catholic, that
you received the Holy Spirit at confirmation. (Remember, this IS a Catholic
Charismatic Conference.) So when he gathered the dozen or so who raised
their hands to receive this, I declined.
He then asked the rest of us, "How many
of you, who have the Holy Spirit, would like a gift of the Holy Spirit."
I raised my hands with about a dozen others. They all wanted the gift of
tongues. I asked for the gift of prophecy, because I had enjoyed reading
about the Old Testament prophets. Please note, I had no inkling what was
going on, I had never seen any of these gifts in operation, had no clue
if prophecy was available, in fact if asked, I would have said it wasn't
on the earth anymore. Although I had no direct teaching saying either way.
I was just being earnest in my limited faith. The prophets in the Bible
had always fascinated me, and so that was the only gift that popped into
my mind.
Now, I had never heard of tongues, nor
had heard them. Only from Lutheran Sunday School; that at the time of pentecost,
the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and tongues of fire were on their
heads, and then foreign people heard them speak in their native languages.
That was the only incident of tongues I had ever knew of. No one had ever
shown me other tongues in the Bible, nor had anyone ever told me about
them.
Needless to say, I had no idea what these
dozen or so people wanted, nor what it meant. I was the only one to ask
for something different, the gift of prophecy. Did I think it possible?
I did not consider it possible or not. I was simply honestly answering
the questions with the situation put before me, trying to obey and find
what God had for me.
The teacher then took us aside, into another
corner. Then he asked the remaining people to pray for these 2 groups when
the time came. One group wanted the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the other
group, which I was in, wanted a gift of the Holy Spirit. Of which everyone
asked for tongues except me.
He then proceeded to give a small instruction
in the receiving of tongues. He said he would pray for us and lay his hands
on us, there were 2 other ladies who would do the same, but he would lead.
He then instructed us saying: that after he would lay hands on us, we may
feel in our spirit the Holy Spirit moving and we would need to open our
mouth and speak as the Holy Spirit would guide or lead us to.
After this, having finished instructing
us, and being moved by God, he came straight to me, purposefully, and laid
hands on me. Upon doing so, enormous amounts of power and energy came through
him into me. He said to me, "Let it out, let it out." I opened my mouth,
and let this power within me, manifest in language through my voice. I
began to shout in an unknown language, the power in my body was enormous.
After a minute or so, he proceeded to pray for others. I, on the other
hand, was completely baffled by what was happening within me. In a couple
minutes, I toned down my volume, but it was difficult, due to the enormous
energy in me, and the lack of spiritual discipline, and in ignorance of
the situation. I continued to speak in other tongues, but wondered in English,
"What is this, how can I be thinking in English, trying to understand what
this power is and yet be speaking in another language." (The answer is
found in 1 Corinthians 14:14). At the time I did not understand. When he
was done praying for everyone, I could only see 1 person who may have been
speaking in tongues besides me. This person appeared mentally or possibly
verbally handicapped. So I was uncertain to their true state.
The teacher, told me to go home and practice
tongues. I did not learn what happened to me, nor did I understand, nor
was I taught. Today, however, I can tell you, I was baptized in the Holy
Spirit.
I did learn that the pope recognizes the
baptism of the Holy Spirit as being a separate work of God. I learned much
later, that this charismatic doctrine is supposedly taught in the youth
catechism in only one year of the Catholic education, and is done so briefly.
Most, if not all denominations have had a charismatic movement, but it
is sometimes hidden, and often rejected by the people or the ministers,
and sometimes by the denominations themselves.
Well, I went home that day. At home, I
could not utter another phrase in tongues, no matter how hard I tried.
Somehow, it just couldn't or wouldn't manifest. I began my preparations
for my trip to Colorado to the monastery.
I took the bus to Colorado, at the bus
stop in Chicago, I saw a young woman who was dressed in black and had some
medallion around her neck. Her appearance seemed cultish to me. Upon seeing
her, that power that had come in me, but had since been quiet or unobserved,
rose up within me, and I started speaking in tongues. I did so very quietly,
so as not to draw attention, but I felt that I knew within me, that that
girl was involved in the occult. After a few minutes or so, I stopped speaking
in tongues, and couldn't start again. This amazed me, but I began to understand
that this was of God.
I arrived at the monastery and I loved
it. It was everything I thought, I was looking for. It was very ascetic.
While there, I helped with some chores, but I mostly had time to pray or
do what I wanted. I went to their services and their chanting. I also ate
with them. I enjoyed it. While helping with duties on their ranch, I went
to the sheep barn and found a new born lamb. I was instructed to pick it
up and clean it from it's birth. I was the first human to touch it. It
was an awesome experience.
Well, everything seemed wonderful, and
I was nearly convinced that this would be my life. But, I wanted to pray
and ask God for final confirmation for His will in my life. I wanted obedience
to Him above all else, in my life.
I decided to do this at the top of a mountain.
So I began my climb up a mountain to pray. About halfway up, I experienced
something utterly fantastic and unknown to me. It was the presence of God
( I am not talking about sacraments).
As a Lutheran and Catholic, I had believed
that the presence of God could not be felt on the Earth anymore. I cannot
say if this was taught to me, or if it was implied, or if I was in error
through ignorance. Nonetheless, I was COMPLETELY surprised. You must understand
all my thinking and observing this Presence, and the surprise happened
very quickly. My years of religious training and experience, whether accurate
or not, had not prepared me for this. Alot went through my mind at this
time. It was not like the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, nor like the manifestation
of tongues. Yes, there was power, but not a channeled power to be manifested
in some gift. It was God Himself present. Not visually, neither was He
present to my natural ears. I could not sense Him with eyes or ears, nor
with smell or taste. But I sensed Him with touch. I did not bump into Him.
I felt a tangible presence in a force. I cannot explain God's presence
to those who have never experienced it. It is incomprehensible. It's like
walking into a living wall of light, without seeing it. This is figurative,
I felt no "wall" or obstruction, I felt a PRESENCE. The PRESENCE was immense,
unmeasurably immense. I felt drawn to the PRESENCE, it was drawing me quietly
and respectfully of my will. But drawing me nonetheless. It had the "air"
of solving all my questions to the direction of my life. This "it" and
"PRESENCE" was God. When it is experienced, it is understood completely,
unless one chooses to lie to himself and denounce God in His face.
Anyway, I was dumbfounded. I was unprepared.
I could sense His presence was emanating from further up the mountain,
somewhere near the top, but I was only halfway there. The only thing I
could think of to do, that seemed appropriate, was to take off my shoes
and socks and continue on barefoot. This is what Moses was commanded to
do by God when he met God on a mountain.
Onward I went, barefoot until near the
top, I fell on my knees when I reached the peak of the presence of God.
There, I learned that God did not want me to be a monk, that He wanted
me to move to a specific city in Wisconsin (here unnamed). I left the mountain
speaking and singing in tongues. I have been able to pray in tongues, at
will, ever since.
Here is another example of witnessing of
God thru the power of this baptism:
An interesting experience happened to me
while I was in Florida. I had been witnessing to several guys I had been
hanging out with. One day, as I was doing so with one of them, I told him
that I could show him evidence of demons and evidence of God's power. I
told him to walk with me to the store.
As we began our walk, I pointed out to
him that a flock of crows would often follow me during my time there. Sure
enough, they were there to be seen. I told him, these crows were possessed
by demons and the flock would actually follow me.
He was intrigued by this and wanted to
test it. So he decided to lead us in random directions to see if they really
would follow us and they did. He was very astonished at this. I told him
to watch the next thing carefully. I was going to rebuke the demons audibly
and they would leave, but I was going to do so with any shouting, so as
not to contribute to the possibility of fear scaring away birds.
In the loudness of only a conversational
tone, I said something to this effect: "I command you demonic spirits to
leave, stop following me and go. In Jesus name."
To his incredible astonishment, the crows
left.
-----------------------
Some people claim you get the fullness
of the Holy Spirit upon being born again. It is true at that time we are
sealed with the Holy Spirit:
2 Cor 1: MKJV 22 And He has sealed us and having
given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Eph 1: MKJV 13 in whom also you, hearing the word
of truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
But scripture can prove of 2 separate receiving
acts of the Holy Spirit:
John 20: MKJV 20 And when He had said this, He showed
them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw
the Lord. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace
to you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you. 22 And when He had said this, He breathed
on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
This is after Jesus died was raised. He
gave them the Holy Spirit and they were born again. But yet this happened:
Luke 24: NKJV 49 Behold, I send the Promise
of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are
endued with power from on high."
Acts 1: MKJV 4 And having met with them , He commanded
them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father
which you heard from Me. 5 For John truly baptized with water,
but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 8 But you shall receive power, the
Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem
and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 2: NKJV 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the
whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided
tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
So the disciples received 2 separate infillings
of the Holy Spirit. One regenerates, the other empowers. There are examples
where these seem to happen simultaneously. where someone believes and then
begins speaking in tongues immediately or prophesying. Sometimes people
speak in tongues after water baptism. Getting the baptism of the Holy Spirit
isn't difficult:
Luke 11: MKJV 13 If you then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
To receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
you only need to ask. You may get it immediately or it may take a short
time. Some people get it by having someone lay hands on you in prayer,
from someone who already has it. others get it at water baptism. Some get
it alone in prayer. It varies. Usually it is acknowledged thru tongues
or prophesying.
----------------
I am not certain which work of God is the
extra oil, being born again or being baptized in the Holy Ghost. I wouldn't
take any chances. Follow God completely and receive both. Please note these
2 works of God do not entail the complete work of God. There are 4 baptisms
following the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
----------------
Perhaps you think it is too late, the rapture
has taken place and you don't have the extra oil. It is not too late for
God, nor too late to grow spiritually. As long as you haven't died or been
raptured, you have opportunity to repent and grow. Is it too late to miss
the tribulation? I am convinced it is too late to miss the 1st half, but
it is possible there may be a 2nd rapture about half way thru the tribulation,
perhaps before the 2nd half called the Great Tribulation. I am not certain
of this. But I am certain, that those alive on the earth after the rapture,
who repent and turn to God, will manifest a greater christianity than those
who were raptured. I believe the church will be purified and the return
of the 5 fold doma gifts will once more manifest full authority. I discuss
these ministers here:
Hag 2: MKJV 9 The glory of this latter house shall
be greater than that of the former, says the LORD of hosts...
Gen 49:19: Gad, a troop shall overcome
him: but he shall overcome at the last.
John 6: MKJV 37 All that the Father gives Me shall
come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. 38 For I came down from Heaven, not
to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 And this is the will of the Father
who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but
should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who
sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have
everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.
Math 20: MKJV 8 So when evening had come, the lord
of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their
wage, beginning from the last to the first. 10 But when the first came, they supposed
that they would received more; and they also each one received a denarius. 11 And receiving it they murmured against
the master of the house, 12 saying, These last have worked only
one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden
and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them and
said, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take yours, and go; I will give
to this last one the same as to you. 16 So the last shall be first, and
the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen.
I suggest reading the whole parable. It
is excellent. In the parable we see the idlers (those left behind), but
in the end, these only worked the last "shift" and received the same wage
as those "who have borne the burden and heat of the day". The hardship
these last day christians will go thru will be extreme. They will repent
and become an even greater witness.
Turn to God and repent, for not buying
and seeking after spiritual things. God will grant you an abundance of
these, as it will be needed and will also be equal to the seeking of God
that you will need to do to survive these last days.
In these last times, the anti-christ will
soon come to power. During these times satan will manifest great signs
to deceive many. God will counter act this with great signs Himself. I
believe there will be mighty miracles before the tribulation starts as
God gives the world a great opportunity to repent before the great delusion
is set.
2 Thess 2: MKJV 8 And then the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and
shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, 9 whose coming is according to the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness
in those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth,
so that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, 12 so that all those who do not believe
the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.
The church will manifest many miracles
during this time, all the gifts will manifest greatly. Government gifts,
charisma's, and manifestations of the Spirit. There will be great signs
from God manifesting which are predestined and written in scripture. There
are many books about end times discussing these things.
Perhaps one of the big ones will be Russia's
attack on Israel with perhaps other nations helping Russia. But the attacking
military force will be destroyed, as God begins to protect and deal with
the nation Israel.
Ezek 38 & 39.
The time has come for you to turn to God,
and for the church to be purified. Trust in God, He will grant you the
ability to repent and overcome.
Those reading this in the United States
after the rapture, may not have much time. One of the 1st things after
the rapture may be the down fall of America. This will happen for several
reasons. Firstly, perhaps because America has forsaken God even tho she
was blessed more than any gentile nation in the history of the Earth. Secondly,
America is a threat to the anti-christ. Thirdly, the Bible is silent about
such a strong nation in the end times. America must disappear from historical
events during the tribulation.
I am certain if you are reading this after
the rapture has taken place, America already begins to boil. America will
probably suffer the greatest from the rapture. Perhaps having the highest
percentage of raptured. If not the highest, it will be near the top. With
America's handi-capped need of technology, it will suffer more disasters
than many other nations from persons disappearing from their work places.
Airplane pilots vanishing and planes crashing, automobiles crashing from
missing drivers, and so on.
In the coming day's many will begin to
polarize to different sides. I am uncertain where this will go. It will
may be contention between the conservatives and the liberals. The liberals
will now have greater freedom as the salt of the earth has now vanished,
allowing their sin nature greater leeway. But many conservatives who were
not raptured will begin to repent and turn to God. Many will want to make
America a christian nation again, while others will now be violently opposed
to it. Or perhaps the conservatives will not have repented, but will become
political extremists for their political rights which the liberals now
wish to take away. It will perhaps be issues like gun ownership, or perhaps
the against martial law. Maybe martial law will come into place and conservatives
will fight it. Or maybe, it will be anarchists verses the rest of Americans.
Another possibility, is that a secret government plotted conspiracy will
begin to publicly unfold thru the turmoil with martial law. Then it will
be a civil war of the military and the citizens in opposition.
I do NOT know the nature of this American
civil conflict, but am convinced a civil war or great civil conflict will
be found in America soon after the rapture.
Worse yet, while America is smitten with
inner strife, her foreign enemies will attack. It will end in a nuclear
attack on America.
Rev 13: MKJV 10 He who leads into captivity will
go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed
by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
America is the only nation to use nuclear
weapons against another nation. So America will receive nuclear attack
in return.
Jer 48: MKJV 11 Moab has been at ease from his youth,
and he has settled on his lees and has not been emptied from vessel to
vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore his taste remained in him,
and his scent is not changed.
From America's youngest day's it has been
at ease. Relaxing in it's position. America has refused to pour out the
old wine for the new wine. America has not ever been defeated in war, exiled.
America has refused to change.
Luke 5: MKJV 37 And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins. Else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and
the wineskin will perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new
wineskins, and both are preserved together. 39 Also no one having drunk old wine
immediately desires new, for he says, The old is better.
Those who are in Christ have hope tho.
remember Lot in Sodom & Gomorra. God took Lot out before God destroyed
it. Or remember Daniel's 3 friends who were thrown in the fiery furnace.
God will protect those who have repented and turned to Him. I have heard
prophecies of Cities of refuge. There may be entire cities saved filled
with believers. God may protect them like Daniel's friends, lead them like
Lot, or translate them like Philip.
George Washington was given a vision of
these end times.
Hopefully, I am not here when all this
takes place, because I have raptured. I have anticipated this by paying
a secular company to host this web site, so it has a greater chance to
survive the rapture. I also chose to pay for this site in longer installments
rather than by the month.
Currently, I have moved my website to DotEasy.
The hosting is free and I only have to pay for registration of the address.
If my billing setup does not have money available, the site may come down
due to nonpayment from my rapture absence. I strongly suggest printing
every page on my site and/or copying the text to a computer and/or rehost
the content yourself. None of my pages are copyrighted and I give full
permission to distribute these teachings freely. If the rapture has not
taken place, please ask my permission.
I have also created a prophecy page, discussing
in more detail the events after the rapture here:
I admonish all who read this, if the rapture
has taken place, that you give your life to Christ and seek God for the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. Resist the soon to come one world religion,
and pray for God's endurance. Your days will be dark, but the glory of
God can fill your life and you will see a restoration of the church as
it should have been. May Lord be with you. God Bless.
If you would like to tell a friend about
this webpage click here:
If you wish to contact me, click on the
link in the pink area on the left or below.
