Who Is The Bride of Christ?

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2

The King here in this parable is God and the King’s Son is Jesus. Jesus tells us that our Father is going to throw a party for Him and His Bride. The question here for us is: who is Jesus’ Bride?

Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. John 17:20-23

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Revelation 19:7-8

The Bride of Christ is all of us who have been chosen by God to be one with Jesus. The important thing to remember as we study about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is that those of us who are the Bride, were chosen by God to be the Bride. Just as our Father chose Jesus to be the Groom, we have been chosen by God to be the Bride.

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day. John 6:44

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

And He said, This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him [unless he is enabled to do so] by the Father. John 6:65

And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. Acts 2:38-39

And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them], It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son]. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). Romans 9:11-13

When Jesus spoke this parable the tradition was that the father of the groom chose the bride for his son. The glorious Truth for us is that we do not first call on Jesus to be our Lord, our Father first calls and chooses us to be saved. We were called and chosen to be the Bride before the world ever was created.

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased Galatians 1:15

This is so glorious, because it means that our Father knew all of our faults and weaknesses before He ever chose us. None of that matters, only the grace of God matters, and we have been given God’s free grace as He has called and chosen us to be His Son’s Bride.

Why Parables

AND AGAIN Jesus spoke to them in parables (comparisons, stories used to illustrate and explain), saying, Matthew 22:1

The disciples asked Jesus directly in Matthew 13 why He spoke to the people in parables and not plainly so that they could understand exactly what He was saying?

Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables? And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:10-11

The secrets of the Kingdom of our Father are not for anyone to know but the Bride of Christ. We are going to study here about the Marriage Supper of The Lamb. As we do, I want you to think of an actual marriage celebration. Think about how the Bride and Groom share things and know things that the guests of the wedding do not know and understand. It doesn’t mean that the guest are not loved or that they are not considered in the highest regard. It just means that they are not the Bride and Groom.

Think of how there are many people at a wedding celebration, think about how there are more people at the wedding banquet than just the Bride and Groom. Think of how the guest of the Wedding are served by the couple who have been married. The guests do not bring their own food to celebrate, they are served food. All of these things apply to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as well. The world cannot understand the Truth’s that Jesus spoke to His Bride here in Matthew. Yet, for the called and chosen, the born again and saved, who are the Bride of Christ, we can fully know and understand the Truth. We can understand all that our Father has for us because we have been given the Holy Spirit and He causes us to understand all things.

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. John 14:26

Is A Bride A Guest At Her Own Wedding?

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2

So go to the thoroughfares where they leave the city [where the main roads and those from the country end] and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out on the crossroads and got together as many as they found, both bad and good, so [the room in which] the wedding feast [was held] was filled with guests. Matthew 22:9-10

A while back the Holy Spirit had my wife say this to me after we had studied this parable in a Wednesday night Bible Study: “Is a Bride a guest at her own wedding?” We were laying in bed and it was like the lights understanding flashed on. Our Father used Beth to lead me into truly one of the greatest studies of peace that He had ever taking me on. So before I share what our Father revealed, I want to ask you the same question, is a Bride a guest at her own wedding?

Quick Proof Of No Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5

John was shown by Jesus the saved children of God her in Revelation 20. John was shown here those who were saved before the Great Tribulation and those who were saved during the Great Tribulation. He was shown the power that will be given unto us to rule with Jesus. And he was also shown that the unsaved where clearly not part of this first resurrection.

Remember in Revelation 20, Jesus clearly shows John that this is the first resurrection and He clearly tells us that it takes place after satan is bound in thrown into the pit for a thousand years of captivity. Which takes place at at the end of the great Tribulation. Now with all of that Truth being laid down, let's read 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).

The Truth is that those of us who are saved and alive when Jesus returns will in no way precede those of us who are saved and have died in Christ, 1 Thessalonians 4:15. We are shown that the dead in Christ clearly rise first to be transformed, then those of us who are alive are transformed. We are also shown that the first resurrection does not occur until after the Great Tribulation has ended. Scripturally there is no proof of a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints, but there is clearly a contradiction to this belief. If we were raised up seven years before Jesus' return, the living in Christ would have to precede the dead in Christ who are not raised until the first resurrection that takes place at the end of the Great Tribulation. 

Perfect Strength

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless. Mark 4:19

The cares of this world: how much money do we have, our jobs, gas prices, inflation, global warming, who wins an election, and the false glamour of envying those who are richer than us all choke out the ability of Jesus to produce fruit through us. The cares of the world make the Word of our Father fruitless. The cares of this world stop love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faith, humility, and self-restraint, all of the things that Jesus uses to make us blameless, Galatians 5:22-23.

Our Father is well aware of this Truth, so what has He done about it? He has made Himself our Gardener and He has made Jesus our Vine, John 15. So anything that will hinder His ability to produce much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faith, humility and self-restraint through us, will be pruned out by Him.

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. John 15:2

Paul had a thorn in His flesh and He asked our Father three times to remove it and God told Him absolutely not. God told Paul no, the answer to Paul’s prayer was no, for in Paul’s weakness, our Fathers strength was perfected. Now I want you to take these scriptural Truths and think about the end times for a minute? When we are presented to our Lord and Savior, Jesus, we will be without spot, wrinkle, or blemish, Ephesians 5:27. And during the Great Tribulation we will be unable to buy or sell unless we have taken the mark of the beast, Revelation 13:17, and if we take the mark of the beast, we are damned, Revelation 14:9-10.

So the Truth that sets us free is that the cares of this world hinder us from being used by our Father to produce fruit. The Truth is our Fathers strength is perfected in our human weakness. The Truth is our Father removes anything from us that hinders us from being used by Him, we will be presented to Jesus without spot, wrinkle, or blemish, and right before Jesus returns we will be unable to buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast that will damn us!

Where am I going here, to perfect strength! Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God! For our Father to be perfectly strong within us, we have to be perfectly removed from all of the cares of this world. Most people think this will only happen in Heaven, but Jesus tells us plainly in John 14:12 that our Father will use us to do even greater works than He used Him for, and Jesus was perfectly removed from the cares of this world. Jesus tells us that the end times can only come after the Gospel is preached to every nation, Mark 13:10. And in John 17 Jesus repeatedly prays that we will be one with our Father, even as He is One with our Father, so that the world will believe. The Holy Spirit had John write in 1 John 4:17, that as Jesus is, so are we in this world. The Holy Spirit had Paul write that he was dead and that it was actually the Anointing of Jesus that was alive within him, Galatians 2:20. So our Fathers ability to perfect us is not in Heaven, it is on this earth!

The Word teaches us that the world will be saying peace, peace and then sudden destruction will come upon them, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. They will be saying this because they will be living in an era when God is using His children as never before. They will be living in a time when we have been removed from all of the cares of this world. They will be living in a time right before the Great Tribulation. Jesus teaches us that the blessed servant will be the one who is giving food and provision to those in need when He returns, Matthew 24:45-46. The Church will be at its most powerful right before the Great Tribulation, then when our Fathers strength has been perfected within us, and the world is enjoying the fruit and power of it, and they will also be taking credit for it, our Father will release His wrath. And He will still use us to produce much fruit during His 3 ½ years of wrath, so that even though we are unable to buy or sell, we will still be used by Him to give abundantly, and the world will hate us!

So think of what must happen before hand. Our Father must remove us from trusting in anything the world has to offer: money, insurance, employment, government programs, police, fire departments, any worldly thing. Our Father is going to bring us to a place where none of these things have any bearing on us and His strength will be perfected within us and He will use us to produce abundant fruit: love, joy, peace, faith, patience, kindness, and self-control.

Just think of not needing money and yet we are abundantly giving and not having health insurance and yet we are healthy! Think of taking no thought for what the politicians are saying or what the judges are ruling. Think of never running out of toilet paper and yet we are never buying it, the roles just never end. Think of our cars never needing gas or oil changes and yet perfectly running. Think of having refrigerators that are never humanly stocked and clothes that never ware out. Think of being perfectly removed from every care of this life through the perfect strength of our Father! Just as Jesus was and is, so are we in this world. This is our destiny, so rejoice when you hear of the world having no answers, oil prices skyrocketing, inflation, and politicians telling us that only government can help. Because the Truth is our Father is going to remove us from all of it, to use us as He never has before, and the world, politicians, businessmen, and fake religious leaders, will be patting themselves on the back and taking credit for it, right before their world of Babylon is destroyed!

The Mark of The beast

So that no one will have power to buy or sell unless he bears the stamp (mark, inscription), [that is] the name of the beast or the number of his name. Revelation 13:17

Then another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a mighty voice, Whoever pays homage to the beast and his statue and permits the [beast's] stamp (mark, inscription) to be put on his forehead or on his hand, He too shall [have to] drink of the wine of God's indignation and wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Revelation 14:9-10

Now if you are anything like me, when I heard of the mark of the beast, 666, I was always a little bit freaked out about it. I knew that if I took the mark, I was doomed to hell, and if I didn’t take it, I was going to be unable to buy or sell anything. It won’t matter if I am super rich or poor during the Great Tribulation, because money will be useless without the mark of the beast. When I heard this preached, I would think that not only couldn’t I buy food, clothing, electricity, or gasoline, but I also couldn’t buy little things like toothpaste, paper towels, or q-tips. I would also think that in all likelihood I would be killed by the ant-christ’s forces for my disobedience. It just wasn’t something that I enjoyed hearing about. I mean I would put on a brave face and say that God will empower us, but inside I was very squeamish to say the least, when I thought about it.

But the Holy Spirit really has been sharing with me over these last few months the glory of the Tribulation period for the church. Yes, I did say the glory of it! “Rejoice (celebrate) over her, O heaven! O saints (people of God) and apostles and prophets, because God has executed vengeance for you upon her!” Revelation 18:20 According to our Father we should rejoice in the Truth that the evil of this world will be destroyed on our behalf. During the greatest time of tribulation that the world will ever see, we are to rejoice. I have to be honest, I never really felt like rejoicing over it. Sure evil would be destroyed, but this was one messed up time! But the Truth will set us free from false teaching, beliefs, and fears and here is what the Bible teaches us that the Truth is, regarding the mark of the beast.

“You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.” Matthew 24:44-46

The Truth is that when Jesus returns to the earth, His blessed and faithful servants will be providing food and supplies to those in need, even though we are unable to buy or sell. Our Father will have put us in charge of this task! To have faith in this Truth, think for a moment of when Jesus was here 2000 years ago. Thousands were in the wilderness with Him, they were hungry and tired, and Jesus took a couple fish and a couple loaves of bread, blessed them, and fed each and every one of them until they were full. Not only were they full, they had basketfuls of food left over. Jesus didn’t have to buy or sell and yet God used Him to feed those in need. We are also shown that Jesus was at a party that ran out of wine, He didn’t buy or sell to miraculously provide more wine. When it was time for Jesus to pay His taxes, He didn’t have to buy or sell to provide His and Peters taxes, He simply told Peter to get the money they needed from a fishes mouth. The Truth is that Jesus wasn’t a big buy and sell guy!

I really don’t believe that we will be able to feed those in need during the tribulation because we have stored up huge amounts of food either. For one thing, if we had any supply at all, the anti-christ and false prophet’s forces would instantly seize them from us. Even if you had a gun, they would have more guns. So to fulfill Jesus’ Word, our Father will have to miraculously use us to supply food to those in need. Just as our Father miraculously used Jesus to supply food, wine, taxes, weather changes, and healing's.

The next Truth to remember is that all who take the mark of the beast are going to receive that wrath of our Father, and we have not been appointed unto our Fathers wrath. “For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 So everything that we read about in Revelation, the plagues, the wars, the hunger, the demonic attacks, and the destruction, which are all our Father's wrath, is not for us. They will never touch us, just as the plagues, diseases, and destruction from our Father towards Pharaoh never touched the Israelites at the end of their captivity in Egypt.

Now the Truth is that many of us will be killed by the forces of the anti-christ and false prophet during the Great Tribulation. A great number of us will be killed! But that is alright, Stephen was killed for being used by God and the Holy Spirit caused Him to shine like the Sun as they were killing him. Jesus was killed for the Truth’s sake and He cried out for the forgiveness of those who were doing it. Paul was stoned, beaten, and imprisoned for the Truth and the Holy Spirit caused Him too count it as all glory! John and Peter were beaten and they were empowered by the Spirit to rejoice for the honor of it. The Body of Christ has always been killed for the Truth’s sake and we will be killed during the Great Tribulation as well. But we will not endure any of the wrath of our Father during this time, not one little bit. So the plagues, diseases, famines, wars, natural disasters, water shortages, and demonic attacks will never be felt by the true children of God during the Great Tribulation. “But the woman was supplied with the two wings of a giant eagle, so that she might fly from the presence of the serpent into the desert (wilderness), to the retreat where she is to be kept safe and fed for a time, and times, and half a time (three and one-half years, or 1,260 days).” Revelation 12:14

The Truth is that we are never asked or required by our Father to endure more than we have been anointed by Him to endure. Our Fathers strength is made perfect in our weakness and during this time of Great Tribulation our Fathers strength will be perfect within us, because we will have no part at all in the worlds system. Worldly speaking, we will be weak, weak as sheep being led to the slaughter; nay, we will be more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us! There will be no jobs for us, there will be no selling for us, no buying, and yet we will be miraculously being used by our Father to give food and supplies to those in need! We will be killed, but we will not suffer!

Now ask yourself this question, why would we be being killed by the forces of the anti-christ, if by not taking the mark of the beast was actually working to stop us from witnessing of the power and glory of our Father? The governments of the world will have said that we cannot buy or sell, the businesses of the world will be in full compliance and yet the Body of Christ will still be a threat. We will still be being used by our Father to give food to those in need, even when a measure of wheat will cost a whole day’s wages. Wages will have no meaning to us whatsoever. We will still be giving water, when a 1/3rd of the earth’s fresh water has been turned into wormwood. Just think of how much water will cost during these 3 ½ years. We will still be giving to those in need when all of the earths green grass has withered. A 1/3rd of the Sun will be darkened during these 3 ½ years, millions of people will have been killed or will have died. Wars will be raging, demonic attacks will be abounding, men will want to die but cannot, and we will be miraculously giving through the power of the Holy Spirit! Even though the best satan has to offer, the most powerful tool that satan will ever have, will boldly and arrogantly say that we cannot do it. We will still be used by our Father to miraculously give to those in need! Not taking the mark of the beast will actually allow us to have and give, when those who do take it will be starving and desiring death and not finding it!

Jesus teaches us in John 14:12 that we will be used by our Father to do greater works than He used Jesus to do. Yet we never read in the Bible of God using anyone to do greater works than Jesus. We don’t see anyone being used now and I have never even heard of anyone in History who has. But yet Jesus says that we will be used in such a powerful way. In Ephesians 5:27 the Holy Spirit teaches us that the end time church will be glorious, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. And all throughout the Book of Revelation Jesus shows John that there will be mighty ministries who God uses to proclaim the Truth to the entire world: Revelation 18:1, Revelation 14:6, Revelation 14:9, Revelation 11:6, and Revelation 14:1. The time of the Great Tribulation will be when the body of Christ is at its most powerful. This is the time when the Gospel will be preached to the whole world, and then the end will come. “And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.” Matthew 24:1 We will not have the mark and yet we will be stronger than those who have!

Finally, I always wondered about how would we know not to take the mark; and just how faithful that we would have to be to deny it. But here is what the Holy Spirit showed me, Jesus’ yoke is easy, it’s pleasant, it’s not harsh, Matthew 11:30. God clearly showed me that His Truth is His Truth, it never changes. Heaven and earth will pass away but our Fathers Truth will remain. Even during the Great Tribulation, God’s Word is His Word. Not taking the mark of the beast will be easy for us, and here is why. Before this all comes down, and it will happen fast, in a single hour, Revelation 18:19, the true body of Christ will have already been removed from participating in the worlds system. We will be here on the earth, but we will have already begun to deal in the miraculous power of living every day life without being part of the world’s system of business and government, what Jesus calls Babylon in the Book of Revelation! So the threat of denying the mark will be meaningless to us.

Look at Revelation 18:7, “To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled in her wantonness [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that measure impose on her torment and anguish and tears and mourning. Since in her heart she boasts, I am not a widow; as a queen [on a throne] I sit, and I shall never see suffering or experience sorrow.” The worlds system, greedy businesses and governments never have said that they will experience no sorrow or suffering. Just look at the Stock Markets of the world, there is suffering and there is a ton of sorrow. But at this time there is a false peace as never before amongst the world, why? What would cause the governments and businesses of the world to be lulled into an arrogant belief that they cannot suffer or experience sorrow? The world has had prosperity before, great prosperity, it has had times of great peace and yet there was always a since of it is only a matter of time until it all comes crashing down. But it won't be that way right before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Right before the last 3 1/2 years of this period of our history governments and corrupt businesses will be arrogant about their belief that there will be no sorrow or suffering anymore, why?

I believe that it is because the Church, the Body of Christ will finally be mature, being fully used by our Father in the full power of His salvation. Just think of the peace and power that the world will be experiencing when millions of Christians at once, all around the world, are being fully empowered by or Father. Healings, prosperity, and peace will abound in the power of our Fathers glory. Right now there is no peace: Iran, radical Islam, disease, oil prices, and food prices, there is not a business or government in the world right now that is claiming to have no sorrow or suffering. The news media’s of the world only preach sorrow and suffering and they are owned by the governments and businesses. But when the hour of our Fathers wrath begins they will be saying no sorrow and no suffering. They will be saying peace, peace, and then sudden destruction will fall upon them, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. They will be saying these things because the body of Christ will be in full power and the world will be enjoying the fruits of our Father's glory and power flowing through us.

Look at the parable of the sower. Jesus teaches us that the cares of this world hinder us from being used to produce much fruit. So if the cares of this world are removed from us, then we will be used to produce abundant fruit. So if we are removed from the worlds system and everything in our lives is being miraculously provided for us by our Father, our every need being met by our Fathers riches and glory through Christ Jesus, we will never even take thought about taking the mark. The yoke will be easy and the burden light. Why take the mark, we already aren’t buying or selling. The evil institutions of this world will be taking full credit for the overwhelming peace of our Fathers fruit, glorying in themselves, arrogantly claiming that they have finally figured it out. They will be enjoying and taking credit for the fruit of our Father, but not giving Him the praise for it. It will not be difficult at all for us to not take the mark, it will be meaningless. Even though the false prophet will be performing signs of his own, the mark will not sneak up on us, we will clearly know that we have no need for it and we will clearly know that we have been the vessels of our Fathers grace that has lulled the world into a false since of security, and we will know that the wrath that is to come will not come nigh our dwelling place! We will have been empowered and the power of our Father will have already been proven in our lives. His Truth will have already set us free!

Now when the Holy Spirit leads me into the topic of the Tribulation I truly do get excited, because He has showed me the Truth of just how wonderfully we will be used. He has shown me that the mark is nothing to us and will be nothing to us. For 3 ½ years, during the greatest time of Tribulation the world has ever known, the church will be the greatest that it ever has been!

The Lie Of Free Will

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10

Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]—Ephesians 1:4-5

In Him we also were made [God's] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, Ephesians 1:11

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased To reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human being or communicate with anyone]. Galatians 1:15-16

Now He Who has fashioned us [preparing and making us fit] for this very thing is God, Who also has given us the [Holy] Spirit as a guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise]. 2 Corinthians 5:5

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

O Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps. Jeremiah 10:23

John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.] John 3:27

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:5

Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. Romans 8:29-30

Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24

For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). Colossians 1:16-17

For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, To carry out all that Your hand and Your will and purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur. Acts 4:27-28

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: Romans 9:21-22

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:30

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. Galatians 2:20

And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God's] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do. 1 Peter 2:8

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. John 15:4

After reading all of these verses, how can one preach that free will exists?

Daniels 70 Weeks

And he shall enter into a strong and firm covenant with the many for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and upon the wing or pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator. Daniel 9:27

The way that this verse was always taught to me went something like this: there are 70 weeks determined for the Jewish people. The weeks are actually 7 years each, so there is 490 years attributed to the Jewish people in Daniels prophecy. The years of Daniels prophecy began when Nehemiah was permitted to rebuild Jerusalem and Temple worship was restored. There were 69 weeks, or 483 years, exactly from the time that Temple worship was restored until the time that Jesus was crucified, leaving one week of the prophecy to be fulfilled. This final week will begin when the anti-christ enters into a covenant with Israel. And for the first 3 ½ years of this treaty there will be bliss and harmony, but right in the middle of the covenant, the anti-christ will break the deal and there will be 3 ½ years of great tribulation, ending only when Jesus returns. It was preached that since Daniel writes that this is a time of his peoples trouble, that it only applies to the Jews, so the Christians will be raptured out before all of this goes down, leaving only Israelites, and the rest of the unsaved world to deal with it. Oh, along with anyone who may be saved during those 7 years, but what a terrible time to be saved, so you better choose Jesus now, so that you wont have to deal with it! That is the 70 weeks of Daniels prophecy to a Full Gospel believer in a nut shell. Now there may be some nuances that I have missed, but this is the cliff notes version.

I was very content in believing this way until this last December, when the Holy Spirit began to show me that there is no pre-tribulation rapture; when He began to show me that during the Great Tribulation will be the greatest time of ministry that the world has ever experienced. All that I had been taught, all that I had heard, and even preached was shown to be false, and it was great! And last night, the Holy Spirit plainly showed me the Truth behind the 70 weeks of Daniels Prophecy.

The questions that I had always had were: the Bible never mentions a break in the 70 weeks, why do we believe that there is? Why did the weeks stop when Jesus was crucified, Israel was still a nation, there was still a Temple until 70 AD, 37 years after Jesus’ crucifixion? Why didn’t the weeks start in 1948 when Israel became a state again? Why would a new Temple have to be built to start the weeks again, when there was a Temple when the 69th week ended? It all just didn’t add up. And last night here is what the Holy Spirit showed me.

Jesus is the One who will make the strong Covenant with many people for one week, which is 7 years, and remember the many people are the Israelites, because this prophecy of Daniels is to the Jews alone. The strong covenant began when Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a dove, and God began to use Him to minister the New Covenant with power and demonstration of the Spirit. Look at what Jesus did, He preached as no one had ever preached. For 3 ½ years He raised the dead, caused the blind to see, healed entire towns, drove out demons, changed the weather, and fed thousands from blessed table scraps. God used His flesh, Jesus, as He has used no one before. This is strong! Then right in the middle of the 7 year strong covenant, Jesus was crucified, causing the sacrifices of the Law to end. Never again would the blood of animals or the offerings of worldly things be accepted by our Father or needed. Jesus paid the price once with His perfect sacrifice, and that sacrifice will last for eternity.

But, what about the last 3 ½ years of the strong covenant? Look at scripture, for the next 3 ½ years the Holy Spirit uses Jews alone to minister in the power of the Spirit, to Jews alone. Thousands were added to the church daily, miracles abounded, the Holy Spirit was still operating and honoring the strong covenant of many Jewish people. Then at the end of the 7 years, it all stopped, Paul is called and chosen by Jesus on the road to Damascus and the New Covenant moves to the Gentiles. Paul’s ministry began in 36 AD, 3 ½ years after Jesus’ crucifixion. And we never again read of the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in Israel to bring salvation, until the Book of Revelation during the end times. Our Father moved to the Gentiles, to the Corinthians, the Ephesians, the Thessalonians, and the Romans. Our Father fulfilled His strong covenant with many people. He honored it and stopped the sacrifices by offering Himself so that there would never be a need for another one!

Now what about the one of abominations who comes and makes desolate that Daniel speaks of? It is satan, look at Revelation 12:5-9. When Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven, satan was cast out to the earth. The perfect Blood of Jesus was applied to all of our sins and the accuser had no room any longer in Heaven to accuse us, so He was thrown down to earth. And satan, the abomination, the one who makes things desolate will do so until the end of times. Satan is allowed to cause desolation until he is bound and thrown into the abyss at Armageddon.

And she brought forth a male Child, One Who is destined to shepherd (rule) all the nations with an iron staff (scepter), and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.. And the woman [herself] fled into the desert (wilderness), where she has a retreat prepared [for her] by God, in which she is to be fed and kept safe for 1,260 days (42 months; three and one-half years). Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels went forth to battle with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. But they were defeated, and there was no room found for them in heaven any longer. Revelation 12:5-8

Want further scriptural proof? Look at what Revelation 12:6 teaches us, for 3 ½ years after Jesus was caught up to Heaven, the church, which remember is only Jewish people at this time, is kept safe. The Church suffered persecution, but it flourished and grew abundantly. Jesus never said that we would not be persecuted when we are saved. But even though the Church was not part of Jewish custom or tradition, they were in the wilderness, meaning they were not part of the mainstream, they still flourished in a place of our Fathers safety, in Israel, for 3 ½ years. And right at the end of the 7 years, the time from when Jesus first began to preach, to the time Paul is called, that protection leaves and the church moves to the Gentiles.

There was no break in the 70 years. There will be no new Temple in Jerusalem at the end of times. There will be no treaty between the anti-christ and the nation of Israel. There will be no more sacrifices of animals to be ended. The 70 weeks of Daniels prophecy was fulfilled on the Road to Damascus when Jesus called Paul! When the nation of Israel completely rejected salvation and the gift was given to the wild branches!

A Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

“Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.” Matthew 24:9-10

Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition), 2 Thessalonians 2:3

2 Thessalonians 2:3 has been used so much in my life to teach on the concept of a pre-tribulation rapture. But this verse does not teach us of a snatching away, or a rapture, but a great falling away of many false believers. They will fall away because of the affliction and tribulation that will arise for Jesus’ Name sake. Those who will fall away have no root in Christ and as soon as the trials of this life come they will wither up and fall away, just as they do today. There is a great Truth for the truly saved and it is this: when trials come, especially great ones, and we are weak, Jesus becomes strong within us and we actually become victorious. But for those who are only acting saved, they will fall away during the great Tribulation, because Jesus is not within them. They will become offended at the trials and they will flock to the anti-christ.

“And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.” Matthew 24:14

Notice that Jesus teaches us in Matthew 24 that after the great falling away of false Christians, then will the Gospel be preached to every nation and then the end will come. In Matthew 24:9 Jesus proclaims that all nations would hate us and in Matthew 24:14 He teaches that the end will be known by the fact that the Gospel is being preached in every nation. In Revelation 14:6-7, Jesus shows us that the Gospel will be preached to every nation, tribe, and tongue with a loud and powerful voice. “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, with an eternal Gospel (good news) to tell to the inhabitants of the earth, to every race and tribe and language and people. And he cried with a mighty voice, Revere God and give Him glory (honor and praise in worship), for the hour of His judgment has arrived. Fall down before Him; pay Him homage and adoration and worship Him Who created heaven and earth, the sea and the springs (fountains) of water.” Remember that in the Book of Revelation an Angel often refers to a human messenger or message, read what Jesus says to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.

So the question for me is why would God rapture out His mature believers, Who are His Body, His flesh and His bones when for the first time the Gospel is being preached in every nation and the people of the world needs His ministers of Truth the most? How will they hear without a preacher, so our Father, Who is love, will take His mature preachers out? If this where the case, it would be like our Father is taking His body out of the world to torture the non-believers for 3 ½ years before He sends them to hell.

So also [it was the same] as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But on the [very] day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all. That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed Luke 17:28-30

Lot and Noah were both delivered from the wrath of God, Lot and his family escaped to the mountains and Noah and his family to the Ark. But remember that the destruction and wrath of our Father came right when His families were taken out. According to the pre-tribulation rapture concept there is still 3 ½ years of tribulation to come. With Sodom and the Great Flood God was swift and no one left was saved. But during the Great Tribulation we can read that many will be saved, Rev. 6:11, Rev. 7:3, Rev. 7:14, Rev. 9:4, Rev. 20:2-4 and several other verses. So if the end of times is as it were with Lot and Noah, then the end will only come right after we are removed, when there is no chance for anyone else to be saved.

Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing. Matthew 24:45-46

Jesus teaches us that when the master comes, not when the master calls the servant to him. What better and proper time for us to be used by our Father to give food and supplies to all nations and people in need than during the Great Tribulation? Wars, natural disasters, diseases, plagues and inflation will be devastating the population at this time. And as the world always has, they will hate us and want to kill us for being used by God, just as with Jesus, Stephen, Peter, Paul, and John.

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the universe to the other. Matthew 24:31

Winds is translated from the Greek word Anemos, Strongs 417, it means the four corners of Heaven. And the Universe translates to mean world, Ouranos, Strongs 3772. So when the trumpet sounds the Angels will gather all saints both in Heaven and earth. So with these translations in mind let’s go to Corinthians.

Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed). 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 The dead in Christ will rise first!

The seventh angel then blew [his] trumpet, and there were mighty voices in heaven, shouting, The dominion (kingdom, sovereignty, rule) of the world has now come into the possession and become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (the Messiah), and He shall reign forever and ever (for the eternities of the eternities)! Revelation 11:15 The Angel has sounded the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet, and the end has come!

For this we declare to you by the Lord's [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] or have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him in death]. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 (The living in Christ shall in now way precede those of us who have died in Christ!)

The Truth about the end times is that the last Trumpet will sound, and after it does the first thing to happen is that the dead in Christ will be raised and then after they are raised up, the rest of us will then be transformed. If there is a pre-tribulation rapture before the last trumpet, then 1 Corinthians would be false, because we who are living in no way precede those who have died, and the dead in Christ will not be raised until the last trumpet! 1 Thess. 4:15 clearly shows us that we will in no way precede those who have died before us.

Beloved, we are [even here and] now God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God's children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is. 1 John 3:2 clearly teaches us that when Jesus comes and is manifested that we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. So if Jesus is made known when He is manifested, then we haven’t been transformed to be like Him when we were raptured. So that would mean that we never saw Him during our rapture. Because we are only made like Him, when He appears and is manifested, the pre-tribulation rapture theory teaches that we are just caught away, and Jesus is not manifested until His return. So wouldn’t our rapture just be to rescue us from the tribulation and why do we need to be rescued from tribulation when we are one with God, more than Conquerors through Christ Who loves us, and Greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world?

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord! 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Notice that the Holy Spirit has Paul write that we, the living ones, not those living ones. God has Paul write that he is part of the ones participating in this event. God also has Paul write that we shall be changed in 1 Corinthians 15:52. I just like that and wanted to share it with you.

For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) 1 Thessalonians 5:9

This is the scripture that I used all of the time to say that there was a pre-tribulation rapture, but I also use the Truth that salvation means to be saved right now from all earthly ills, deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation, deliverance from the molestation of enemies, salvation as the present possession of all true Christians Fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin. This meaning of salvation I get all of this from is found in the Strong’s Concordance for the word salvation, Soteria, Strong’s 4991. We don’t need to be raptured out of trials and tribulations to enjoy these things of salvation now, why then would we during the Great Tribulation? The Israelites still lived in Egypt during the time of God’s wrath on Pharaoh and the instruments of our Fathers wrath never harmed them.

And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Actually this verse tells us that God will keep us spirit, soul, and body until Jesus returns. So even if the Tribulation is great, our Fathers power is always greater. So if it is true, as the scriptures have stated that we aren’t transformed until the last trumpet, and yet we are raptured away from the great tribulation, it would suggest that God couldn’t keep us spirit, soul, and body through the time of Jacobs trouble? Yet He kept the Israelites during Egypt’s great trouble? God doesn’t need to rescue His flesh from His own wrath. Think about it, when America used the atom bomb on Japan did we cause our own people to suffer the radiation and blast? So if God is pouring out wrath, is He going to pour it out on His own Body, His Own Flesh, His Own Bone? Remember the Tribulation is God pouring out His wrath, not satan pouring it out. Satan is on the receiving end!

The Marriage Supper of The Lamb:

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Then [the angel] said to me, Write this down: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who are summoned (invited, called) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me [further], These are the true words (the genuine and exact declarations) of God. Revelation 19:7-9

In Revelation 19:1-7 John hears roars of praise, but God never says that the roars are from the Saints who have been raptured. And then in Rev 19:7-9 notice what the beings are saying: His Bride has prepared herself, She has been permitted to dress in fine linen. If the roars of praise were from us, or even those of us who had been killed for His Name’s sake, then wouldn’t John have heard something like glory to God we have finally been prepared and we have been permitted to dress in fine linen. The voices are speaking praises to God about someone else. There are millions of angels in Heaven, so they could be the voices. And just a quick thought, wouldn’t John have ever felt like he was part of the Marriage Supper, that He was part of the Bride that was giving praise, and then been permitted to write that He felt that He was. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. and in 1 Thess. that we will be transformed, he saw it and was writing as being active in it. Yet John only observes others giving praise. To me, and this is just a thought, if I was seeing something that I knew that I was going to be part of, it would somehow come out in my writings that during all this praise that I too joined in the praise, that I too spoke the words with my brothers and sisters, as Paul wrote.

After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness). His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns (diadems); and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand. He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God. And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses. Revelation 19:11-14

Immediately after the praise for the time for the Marriage Supper has arrived, we read in Revelation 19:11-21 that Jesus Rides off on a white horse with the troops of heaven to go and conquer the beast and false prophet. Now that sounds like Jesus appearing in the sky like lightning and then as He returns to earth the dead in Him are raised first and then those of us that have been left shall be caught up with Him to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I may be wrong but it only sounds like the praise is being given because the time of the Supper has arrived, not that it is taking place? Also when Jesus was going to the Cross, He spoke about being able to summon a legion of angels to rescue Him. Sounds like the Troops of Heaven? I believe this is the first place in Revelation that we read of Jesus actually physically returning, so this is the first time the dead in Him could be raised. In 1 Cor. and in 1 Thess God writes that the dead will rise when Jesus returns, then we that remain shall be caught up in the sky. Here we read this is when Jesus returns.

Revelation 11:15 the last Trumpet, Revelation 8:1 last Seal, Revelation 16:17 last Vial

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed). 1 Corinthians 15:52

And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. Revelation 20:2-4

The Marriage sounds like it happens somewhere around Revelation 20:4, when we have our thrones given to us and we begin to reign, after the dragon has been cast into the bottomless pit, not during the rapture as I have always been taught. There couldn’t be a marriage if the dead in Christ cannot be raised until the last trumpet and we who are alive in no way can precede them.

I had always thought how can satan gain such power if we were still on the earth during the great Tribulation. But the hot will be hot and the cold will be cold, there will be no lukewarm Christians anymore. So if we are as Jesus is, 1 John 14:17, and our Father is working through us as He worked through Jesus, John 14:12, then of course satan could be permitted to be stronger than ever, because our Father will have made us stronger than ever.

Also Jesus’ yoke is easy to be born and His burden is light, Matthew 11:13. God will never place on us more than we can handle. And remember that when Stephen was stoned for preaching, he shined, he saw Heaven open up, and he asked for those who stoned him to be forgiven.

When the Holy Spirit began this study for me I believed and wanted to believe that there is a pre-tribulation rapture, but the scriptures that have always been used to show it to me don’t teach it and I have looked for ones that do, and as of yet I cannot find them. And as I think about a pre-tribulation rapture I think, why? Do we need rescued, that makes our Father seem weak if you ask me? And it seems that God has always been about giving people every last chance and then at the Great Tribulation He takes away the very instruments that have been used to show forth is grace. I know our Father can choose new ones to be used and empower them with Himself. But why aren’t we part of it and the one thing that keeps coming up to as why is we need rescued from a really bad time. But that just doesn’t seem right to me.

In Revelation we never read about those John sees in Heaven are those who were overcome with disease, pestilence, or famine that is the wrath of our Father, only that these are those that were martyred during the Great Tribulation. And Jesus clearly tells us that some of us will be used by God to be martyred. But once again look at how great of an experience it was for Stephen. God will even empower us during being killed, He is that great!

But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately He sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready. Mark 4:29

The Angels come and gather us for a rapture, but yet there are still millions to be saved, was the harvest ripe? Does a farmer go into a field and only take some of the wheat and leave some?

The seventh angel then blew [his] trumpet, and there were mighty voices in heaven, shouting, The dominion (kingdom, sovereignty, rule) of the world has now come into the possession and become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (the Messiah), and He shall reign forever and ever (for the eternities of the eternities)! Then the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin], who sit on their thrones before God, prostrated themselves before Him and worshiped, Exclaiming, To You we give thanks, Lord God Omnipotent, [the One] Who is and [ever] was, for assuming the high sovereignty and the great power that are Yours and for beginning to reign. And the heathen (the nations) raged, but Your wrath (retribution, indignation) came, the time when the dead will be judged and Your servants the prophets and saints rewarded--and those who revere (fear) Your name, both low and high and small and great--and [the time] for destroying the corrupters of the earth. Revelation 11:15-18

The last trumpet blows immediately after the two witnesses are killed. Notice as soon as the power of God stops flowing mightily through man the time of this world is over. This is the time when God’s saints are rewarded. If there had been a time of reward before this, a pre-tribulation rapture, when some teach is the time of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, than these verses in Rev. 11 would be wrong. The time of the Marriage Supper is after the last Trumpet and not before.

Messing Up

Jesus looked up then, and seeing that a vast multitude was coming toward Him, He said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people may eat? But He said this to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do. Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennies' (forty dollars) worth of bread is not enough that everyone may receive even a little. Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people? John 6:5-9

Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, I have pity and sympathy and am deeply moved for the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and they have nothing [at all left] to eat; and I am not willing to send them away hungry, lest they faint or become exhausted on the way. And the disciples said to Him, Where are we to get bread sufficient to feed so great a crowd in this isolated and desert place? Matthew 15:32-33

The first response of the disciples was to doubt that they could help. Not only did they doubt, they even mocked Jesus a little: “forty dollars won’t even begin to meet the need.” They even doubted and mocked Him a second time, after they had seen a miraculous production of food.

Jesus said to him, Solemnly I declare to you, this very night, before a single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times. Matthew 26:34

And sure enough, Peter denied Jesus three times that night.

Then [His disciples], forsaking Him, fled, all [of them]. Mark 14:50

Now, let me ask you a question, what was different between the Disciples, who doubted, mocked, denied, and forsook Jesus and the rest of Israel who doubted, mocked, denied, and forsook Jesus? Jesus clearly said that if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before the Father, Matthew 10:33. But yet, the Disciples were allowed to doubt, deny, mock, and forsake Jesus and still receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. Yet the rest of Israel, who did the same things, were not, why?

Now this is the really cool part, because this Truth will blow religion away. The Disciples were simply rewarded in spite of themselves, because they were chosen of God. The same reason that we can doubt, question, deny, and mock Jesus and not be separated from Him and still receive all of the blessings that come along with being chosen. Religion tries to tell us that we are in control and that if we obey, then we receive a blessing and if we don’t obey, there is a curse. But yet we see that Peter did not obey and even denied and lied, and yet he was rewarded. We see that the Disciples doubted and mocked and yet they received a surplus of food. All simply because they were God’s kids. And admit it, we all have questioned, doubted, mocked, forsook, and denied our Lord, even after we were saved! And praise God, He never left us for one moment and He never forsook us!

I was raised in full gospel, holy rolling, churches and the famous saying was always that God cannot bless us past our last act of disobedience. Sounded religious enough, but it is pure bull! The Truth that sets us free is that if we are chosen, than our Father is always blessing us, even in our ignorance. He may need to correct us and even discipline us, but even that is blessing! All things now work together for our good, it’s just the way it is for God’s children. We have been born into this blessing. And just as with the Disciples we may doubt, we may forsake, we may deny, and yet our Father will never leave us or forsake us and in that union is eternal blessing and provision.

Our Father knew us before we were. He knew what we were, how we were, and how He was going to live through us. So, just as Jesus knew that Peter was going to deny Him, He knows when we are going to mess up. And it doesn’t change for one second the Truth that He will miraculously intercede on our behalf so that we might be saved to the uttermost! Religion that has a form of godliness, but denies the power of it, will preach how we are to obey and the consequences of our actions. But the Truth that sets us free is that Jesus knows what we need, when we need it, and even if we fall short, no big deal, He knew it was going to happen and the miraculous provision is still coming.

This is the truth that needs preached from the rooftops. And if someone is all concerned about how this will affect someone who may choose then to intentionally mess up, all they are telling you is that they are serving God through works and not through salvation. Because for the chosen, who are filled with the Holy Spirit and power, we know the desire of our hearts is to fully allow Jesus to shine through us. We know that it is our Fathers power alive within us that allows anything to happen. And the farthest thing from us is to look for and desire a life that doubts, denies, mocks, or forsakes Jesus, our Lord and Savior! So preach the Truth that our messing up in no way hinders our Father from shining forth through us or providing miraculously for us. The Disciples messing up never did and neither does ours!