He opened His mouth and taught them. Matthew 5:1-4.

Posted on 10/03/2023 by remso

We ended Matthew chapter four with this.

“… His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”
(Matthew 4:24-25 NKJV)

Syria?

I have not heard that saga about Jesus was spread throughout all of Syria.

Can we attest to the fact that Jesus went throughout Syria?

No, I cannot prove any of that.

You know what we do know?

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”
(Acts 10:1-2 NKJV)

Cornelius became convinced of who Jesus was – God’s Son- and obviously shared his faith. Going off this ESV map, I assumed that Cornelius lived on the Southern border of Syria.

Again, there is no way to validate this.

Look at where Caesarea is located.  This map is from ESV Maps and provided through e-Sword Graphics.  Caesarea Philippi is inland, South of Mt. Hermon, and close to Syria. Other maps show Caesarea at the lowest point in which that nation touches Israel along the coast. So, I am not clear which one is true. The Southernmost version is about halfway between Jerusalem and Syria.

The Pulpit Commentary says this about the cohort. “Jose hus, in the passage above quoted, speaks of five such auxiliary cohorts coming from Caesarea to join Vespasian’s army, and he tells us in another place (’ Bell. Jud.,’ 2.18, 7) that the principal portion of the Roman army at Caesarea were Syrians.”

Why is the information about the Italian Regiment important?

Because it feeds into the traditional response, we apply to those troops destroying the temple as though they were Italians answering to Titus when, as we learned from Josephus, those troops who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD were primarily Syrians. Yes, they fought under the Roman banner, but they did this only because they were conscripted troops with no other option but to participate and had a bitter hostility for the Jews.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Daniel 9:26 KJV)

Matthew 5 is entitled The Beatitudes by most translations.

“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him,”
(Matthew 5:1 NLT)

Where did we leave off?

“News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”
(Matthew 4:24-25 NLT)

So what did He do?

“and he began to teach them.”
(Matthew 5:2 NLT)

Teach? It is the Gk word didaskō and means to know, teach, or instruct by word of mouth. Didaskō has inherent in it the intent to influence the understanding of the person who is taught.

I find myself chuckling because many of those surging upon Jesus did not come to be taught; they wanted the free stuff, like healing and food.

As He taught, He said,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:3 KJV)

A more simplistic translation tells us,

“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom  f heaven belongs to them.”
(Matthew 5:3 GW)

Look at what Dr. J. Vernon McGee had to say. “Blessed ar the poor in spirit.” It doesn’t tell you how to become poor in spirit; it just says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Having had the self-esteem beaten out of me as a child, being poor in spirit takes on a whole new meaning for me. Sure, there are those who think their feces doesn’t stink, and many of whom have wrangled their way into the pulpits of some massive churches. One that comes to mind averaged over 3000 in every service. The pastor would brag about his earned Doctorate, the high price of his suits, and how he could eat better food at the restaurants in Beverly Hills. He turned the church over to his arrogant son shortly before the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 21; just the other day, I heard that this mega-church had locked its doors. To be honest, I felt some sadness about this rumor because there were many good people there.

Poor is the Gk word ptōchós; according to the Word Study Dictionary, it means to cower like a beggar, poor and helpless, completely destitute.

Perhaps the phrase from the GW translation, “… those who recognize they are spiritually helpless,” is more appropriate.

Before I move on, sometimes the simplest of words, like destitute, can take on a grander meaning. Destitute and a so convey the idea of being

  • impoverished

  • indigent

  • poverty-stricken

  • needy

  • and downright poor

Now try to associate these mental images with your spirit.

Just this morning, one of the devotionals that a group of us read by Max Lucado. I responded to the question Max put forth that went something like this: will you be prepared to reply when the time comes for you to respond about your faith that could mean your death, as it did for Queen Esther and Mordechai?

I am barely comfortable when I have to respond, and it has nothing to do with life. Put in a situation where   can see a need to “witness” for Jesus, I can hear the Holy Spirit telling me to “go for it.” When I finally make the decision to just jump in (this entire process only lasts a couple of seconds,) the fear goes away, and an amazing courage takes over; I, too, am in tears because I can see how God, not only, blesses the person listening to me, but those words coming out of my mouth are speaking to me as well.

So what caused this perpetual internal struggle in me?

Much has to do with the way I was raised. Maybe this will help you understand. When I got married for the first time, I was a co-dependent disaster, so when the first marriage was coming to an end due to her infidelities, among other things, I was put in a psych hospital for threatening to kill her; there, they asked me how long my religious parents had been alcoholics. Considering that they never drank, I was hard-pressed to figure out how to deal with all these issues.

So, let’s take a moment to examine some of the defining issues associated with co-dependency.

  • A lack of self-esteem and self-love.

  • Inability to set functional boundaries with other people and protect oneself.

A website called priorygroup.com tells us that the red flags of codependency are: A mood that reflects how others feel rather than your own emotions. Guilt or anxiety when doing something for yourself. Doing things you don’t really want to do simply to make others happy. Idealizing partners or other loved ones, often to the point of maintaining relationships that leave you unfulfilled.

These are the things that escorted me into adulthood with little to no self-esteem.

Having grown up in “faith” churches that idolized strength and bravery, I can tell you that there is a tremendous amount of bullying and judgment that happens there. It may be a lack of understanding, but for the most part, they, too, are submitting to peer pressure while ignoring what the Word of God says.

What does the Word of God say?

How about this verse?

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6 KJV)

Offend is the Gk word skandalizō. This is the root of our word to scandalize, and I imagine it brings up a tremendous amount of negative imagery in most, but it also means to entrap, trip up (figuratively to cause to stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, To fall away from the gospel of Jesus Christ, or to offend.

And now you know the heart of the Father when it comes to children, and may I say it, abortion; and why Jesus said whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone was hanged about his neck, and that person was drowned in the sea.

Get real; if someone tied a two-hundred-pound millstone to your neck and tossed you into the ocean, there is only one thing that can happen to you, you die. Don’t get me wrong, this does not equate to the fiery hell that comes after the great white throne, but there is certainly judgment that comes while you are here on earth; some people think of this as karma.

“Therefore you are without excuse, O man—every one of you who is judging. For by whatever you judge an ther, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice t e same things. We know that God’s judgment  n those who practice such things is based on truth. But you, O man—judging those practicing such things yet doing the same—do you suppose that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:1-3 TLV)

Yeah, I get it, you don’t see your cruelty as a judgment, but it is, and you can expect cruelty in return, both now in your lifetime on earth and at the judgment seat of Christ.

“… for when you judge someone else, you are passing judgment against yourself; since you who are judging do the same things he does.” CJB

Okay, wait a minute. You said we, as Christians, will not receive God’s wrath and judgment because that all went on Christ at the Cross.

Yes, I did, but it does not give you the right to be a jerk down here on earth, and we will all stand before Christ’s bema seat, where we will account for the stupid stuff that we did in the flesh. I have this tendency to think we will be thankful that all this broken, earthly mentality and our actions will be burned away, and we will be clean and free before Him.

The NASB uses the word stumble instead of offend.

“Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that of enses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”
(Matthew 18:7 KJV edited for readability)

What do they call it?

Oh yes, the formative years are when your self-esteem is supposedly being established. It probably occurs among females as well, but like a pack of wolves, the pecking order within the pack is established. This pecking order wasn’t just at school, it was a way of life at church, and I typically felt like I was at the back of the pack, and you wonder why religion disgusts me.

When I was around 12 years old, I was told by my mother that I would be beaten (and yes, that is the term mom used) if they found out I had defended myself. Now think about that; how would they find out that I defended myself unless I, or someone else, told them? They wouldn’t. The only other way would be physical marks on my face, arms, or hands.

On that note, I have been a stepdad twice. In the case of the first one, he came home from school with some horrible marks on his arms (these marks indicated that my son had been struck at least three times). I asked him what had happened, and he said that he had blocked a shot on goal in physical education class (with a teacher somewhere present). The kid who tried to score became enraged and began trying to hit my son on the head by striking downward with an overhand swing with the field hockey stick he was using. I said, what did you do? He responded with, I blocked his swings and then hit him back (I venture a guess that blocking those blows hurt a lot). My son said, I happened to hit him in the head, and he went down. He continued saying, I stood there for a moment in case his friends thought they might take a few shots at me, and then the teacher got involved and started tending to the boy on the ground. Having seen all the action, he told my son to go on to his next class, and nothing more was said. You see, even in the short time I was with that boy, I knew his heart, and he was not prone to violence. Now, imagine the injustice if I had beaten my son for defending himself.

I see that public education facilities will punish and suspend you for doing the right thing. Jesus did the right thing and sustained all the blows that were meant for us. Another way of describing this is to say that He redeemed us from sin – it didn’t matter how many or the manner of the sins; they were all taken upon Him through the cross.

Now, the question is, what will you do with the man upon the cross. His name is Jesus, and He is the only way to the Father. The thief on the cross next to Jesus merely asked, will you remember me and Jesus said yes. To some, this equates to asking Jesus into your life. Time is so short. Perhaps you should do that.

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A rebuttal to a post I made several years ago. Revelation 13:7

Posted on 03/13/2026 by remso

I am not a fanatic about biblical prophecy, but I could be if my memory served me better. Let’s just say, I have a strong interest in prophecy, eschatology, and the study of Revelation, I always have, and though a few have passed through the church and brought moments of clarity. Others followed behind these teachers and muddied up the waters for me. Personally, I found this very frustrating. One man, Hilton Sutton, came to the church and brought some clarity. This brother in Christ was a turning point for me in that all these years later, I still have an unquenchable desire to understand end-times prophecy.

Gaining a moment of clarity is fine, but I wanted it to stick. Once he left, there was no one at that church (that I could find) who encouraged a pursuit of understanding biblical prophecy. I found myself floundering. Since what I just described happened in the late 1980s, can you imagine how disillusioned I might be that I have only come to understand the allusions and imagery we have to deal with when reading Revelation and Daniel in the last few years?

The thing that opened up end-time prophecy for me was coming across a book called The Islamic Antichrist, by Joel Richardson. Mr. Richardson followed up this book with one called The Mideast Beast. In them, he gives you an intense look into scripture, with associated current and historical events, thereby leaving no doubt in your mind who the players are and what their intent is, as described in scripture.

With all that in mind, there was a day when I saw a post on Facebook where the person referenced Revelation 13:7 and stated,

“this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church.”

The first question that I have when I read a brash statement like this is, is this a true statement?

How would you know the answer to this unless you have read biblical scriptures with the intent of understanding?

The simple answer to the question is NO, it is not a true statement.

We will attempt to understand why it is not true as we proceed.

It seemed only right that I show you this scripture before we examine this brash declaration to see if it paints the picture as this person sees it.

Revelation 13:7 KJV “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

I am showing you the King James Version, a translation influenced by the weighty authority of the state church – the Catholic Church, because people were leaving the church for Protestantism, and taking their money with them.

As Dr. Chuck Missler used to tell us, every translation has its issues and errors; it is because of this that it behooves you to pay attention and do deep dives into the simplest of bible passages.

One of the dramatic issues in the KJV shows up in 2Thessalonians 2:3.

Note the highlighted words.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV

An earlier translation from the Geneva Bible, of the same verse, reads.

“Let no man deceive you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition,”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva

The Geneva Bible was published at least 50 years prior to the King James Version, and yet it describes people leaving the church, much to the dismay of leadership.

Why bring up all this ancient history?

Because some will brashly say, I will only use the authorized translation. Much to their delight, we have the King James Version and, apparently, ever since the original publication, it has been titled, The Authorized Version, by, you guessed it, King James, a king that was wholly submissive to the state church. This presumption of Authorization did not come from God, nor did it prevent the introduction of human errors.

There is no quick or short rebuttal of arguments against truth or logic, because the simplest of answers are often met with worthless contention, most of which are based on assumption, faulty logic, and traditions of religion.

Point number 1.

In poring over Revelation 13:7, a natural question should be,

Who is this “him” that John is being shown?

You have to ask, because depending upon the translation you use, your mindset will become fixated on a President that says, “I make the decisions,” or some other global leader, some of which are pushing vaxinations for some new pandemic disease that they are about to unleash upon the world, and therefore try to insert that leader into the position of Antichrist.

How quickly we forget what 2Thessalonians chapter two tells us, that we, the church, will not know who this is, as we will be removed from the earth before his announcement to the world, because we are the thing that is holding back the overflowing action of Satan in this regard, and then the Antichrist will be revealed. It is fun speculating, though.

The Geneva Bible, published in the early 1500s, states the chain of events more clearly than almost all others. I am changing the peculiar spellings, italicizing, and adding the word that, to make it more readable.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that (then) that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva

As we progress in dissecting the subject matter, it is true that someone eventually becomes the mouthpiece for the beast, the Antichrist. (Scripture calls this “mouthpiece” the false prophet.) But even he will have a limited (the second half of the seven years) influence and step aside for another, more violent; this last person who is the false prophet.

This is a good place to bring up a very biblical expression, context. Context is one of those things that drives us backward in scripture to find the basis for the discussion. By the way, discussion is not a bad thing.

“And there was given unto him (it) a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
(Revelation 13:5 KJV)

There was given to the Antichrist a spokesperson. Yes, it will be a man, and I happen to think that it will be the “newly” elected high priest of what will be the recently built temple.

Did you know there is such a man?

I have been aware of such a person since 2019, but when I pointed this man out to my friends, they both said, NO WAY, he seems like a satisfactory young man (meaning he was not 80 years old), and you shouldn’t be talking like this.

In an article entitled, “High Priest is Chosen by Sanhedrin, Temple Service Could Be One Week Away.”

Written by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, and published in the online news magazine, The Good News Today. The article states,

“A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week.” Mr. Berkowitz goes on to say, “Rabbi Kahane is a prominent scholar, knowledgeable in the complicated laws pertaining to the subject of the Temple Service.” The following is the internet source, should you choose to read it in total. The Good News Today – High Priest is Chosen by Sanhedrin, Temple Service Could Be One Week Away

What if such a man, halfway through the seven years of God’s wrath, flips his religious teaching and training, ceases to do the sacrifices, and announces himself to be a Muslim that NOW follows after the Antichrist/the Mahdi?

If what I say is the case, can you imagine the disillusionment of the Jewish community?

His position alone will give him tremendous power and draw. According to Islamic prophecies, this is exactly how they see this playing out, and the man has to be of the lineage of Aaron – this is one of the huge factors in selecting this man to reside over the temple worship.

Even the Revelation substantiates this train of thought.

“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.”
Revelation 13:11 BSB

The earth is representative of the vast numbers of people in the Middle East. Remember that out of Abraham’s seed will come vast numbers of people.

Here, the false prophet also carries the title of beast. Here in America, most of the city folk have to go to the county fair to see a sheep. It was during one of these field trips that I discovered that lambs can grow some massive and dangerous curled horns.

Horns like a lamb demonstrates that the false prophet is “representative” of God and Jesus.

There should be a realization that the Antichrist has many titles, one of which we do not see until we look at the words of the Prophet Isaiah. When Isaiah relays to us that one of those names is the Assyrian, you should realize by now that you can’t call him an Assyrian without associating him with Islam, and Islam is driven by the Quran.

So, if someone tells you the Antichrist cannot be a Muslim because Israel will not accept him, they might be moving into the false teacher category, and you may need to avoid that person’s teachings.

The Greek word autos, which we see in Revelation 13:5, is translated as him and can just as easily mean it. The Modern King James version correctly translated this by using the word “it” instead of him. However, the vagueness of the word “it” defies our desire to attach an identity to the beast.

Religion, operating on the idea that we should be looking for a person to define the beast, has given the title beast to many people – some deservingly so, but they were still wrong.

Point number 2.

In focusing on the beast as an “it”, we note that it is given power to make war with: the saints and to overcome them, and all kindreds; tongues, and nations. The MKJV uses the word tribes instead of kindreds.

What kind of understanding do I gain from this information?

Anyone with a minimal amount of scriptural knowledge knows that the last seven years are particularly harsh toward followers of Christ, primarily during the last seven-year period designated as the time of God’s wrath upon the earth, even though religion calls this the tribulation. One can easily figure out that almost everyone not following after the beast will be killed during this time, and not by God; although the wrath is God’s, it is frequently performed by people.

Daniel recounts his vision in Daniel chapter seven.

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (Daniel 7:21 KJV)

What Daniel describes parallels Revelation 13:7, and the horn Daniel sees is the “it” that John describes in the Revelation, and at minimum, an aspect of one of the beasts.

Daniel 7 came out of a vivid dream/vision that Daniel was given. (This idea of us getting insight into God’s plan initiated with Abram, as God, in the dream, passes through the split parts of the sacrifice, which was done to demonstrate God’s commitment to the covenant that He had just described in the dream.) As Daniel watched, he saw “One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.” This is Jesus. We know this because Jesus is always referred to as the Son of Man, but, in this case, Jesus was seated, and so Daniel asks the one standing there. We can safely assume that this “person” was an angel. Daniel asks for an explanation of what he had just seen. The angel answered him.

“This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.”
Daniel 7:23 BSB

The fourth beast – Nebuchadnezzar saw this in Daniel chapter 2; the problem was two-fold: 1. Nebuchadnezzar could not remember the dream, and 2. he knew that he wanted an explanation of what it was and meant.

Verse 23 indicates how we can deduce the nature of this fourth kingdom, as it states that it will be distinct from all the other kingdoms and will consume the entire earth, trample it down, and subdue it.

If all I had with which to judge this fourth kingdom was the methods and effects of the first three kingdoms, I would have to say that they were rapid in their actions, overpowering, and non-religious in that they were not mandating a worship of their gods. Yes, there may have been gods and idol worship, but worship was not obligatory; this is not the case with Islam, as they demand worship or a brutal death.

We also learn that since the kingdoms Daniel saw were destructive, this fourth kingdom, too, is a destructive empire.

“And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.”
Daniel 7:24 BSB

Since we know, based upon the explanation that the angel brought, that the beasts represent kingdoms or empires, then this “it” has to be an empire too.

An aspect of Revelation 13:7 defines that for us:

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.”

Can anyone decisively say that there is one entity whose sole purpose is to wage war with the people of God, and it is doing that?

While there are many Christians, tribes, and nations now coming under attack, there is no absolute defeat. Sadly, since I initially wrote this response, there are barely any governments that are still standing in the face of the Islamic onslaught. Fortunately, the world is not seeing this entity in its full fury.

It was Jesus who informed us that the onslaught would be so great that the potential to kill everyone outside of the beast’s ideology is possible.

Matthew 24:22 MKJV “And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.”

Matthew 24:15-22 applies specifically to the last half of the seven years of God’s wrath. This is when the full fury of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be unleashed.

“And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
Daniel 9:27 BSB

“he” is the Antichrist.
The passage does not state that he sets forth this covenant/peace treaty; he merely affirms what already exists.

The “week” refers to seven years that initiate after the rapture.
In the middle of the seven years, he put an end to the sacrifices and offerings that had been taking place in the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

The word translated as beast is the Greek word therion, which means a dangerous animal.

I may have mentioned this moments ago, but there are plenty of people and nations who have been deemed animals and deserve to be called that. However, attributing that designation to a single person does not make it a proper definition.

Since this is related to Daniel’s vision and the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw, we know that this represents the fourth kingdom.
Due to its matching symbolism, we also understand that this is an extremely dangerous kingdom.

As a standalone verse, there is nothing that defines this beast adequately, nor is there anything in the passage that gives us a time frame, nor does it demonstrate whether it is a pre- or post-rapture scenario.

So, is Revelation 13:7 a picture of pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture?

The short answer is yes, it describes a pre-rapture removal of the church, but we need something besides Revelation 13:7 to prove this.

Let me remind you of what the person, making this faulty post, was trying to say based upon Revelation 13:7.

Let’s break the author’s assertion into two parts.

The first part asserts that “believers” will have the horrors of God’s wrath poured out upon them as well.

So let’s speak to Revelation 13:7 being a picture of a pre-tribulation rapture.
It was Jesus being quoted when Paul referred to our deliverance from that wrath in 1Thessalonians 1:10.

“… Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10 BSB

The Apostle John, transcribing what the spirit was giving him, writes:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Revelation 3:10 BSB

The disciples, struggling to grasp what life would be like without Him, asked, what would it be like on earth before He comes back to gather His church. This was part of His response.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:3 BSB

How many appearances of Jesus does humanity experience before the 1000 years?

He came to earth, was born through the cooperation of Mary, and, when He ascended into the clouds, He told those watching that He would come again.

Now, when He comes to catch His bride away, we are told that He ONLY comes in the clouds and we will ascend to Him. This does not qualify as one of His appearances. So the answer is once.

At the end of the seven years, Jesus, in Revelation 21, comes back, only this time people will die, because He, Jesus, is coming back and all the saints will be with Him, to silence the mouths and swords of those who have chosen to fight against Him.

“Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.”
Revelation 19:11 BSB

You can also see His actions in verse 15.

“And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
Revelation 19:15 BSB

The second part of the author’s false assertion (“this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church”,) concludes with the declaration that the church now has to endure God’s wrath.

I do not believe, based upon scriptures, several of which I have shared with you, that the church will NOT witness this action. It is our departure which enables the Antichrist to follow through with such actions.

“He was further permitted to wage war on God’s holy people (the saints) and to overcome them. And power was given him to extend his authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation,” [Dan 7:21, Dan 7:25] Revelation 13:7 AMPC

Power is the Greek word “exousia.” It means: permission, authority, right, liberty, or power to do something.
And this liberty applies to all clans, tribes, tongues, and nations.

Who or what is giving this person permission, authority, or even the liberty to take authority over all the earth?

If you have been paying attention, then you would know that the New World Order exists, and they have been actively and progressively trying to kill off people.

Is there a specific group that is killing off the saints – the church, and has been given power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations?

Bluntly, NO! Although “Christians” in third-world nations, where there are groups that branch off the Islamic tree, are killing massive numbers of Christians every month.

There are inherent problems in understanding and placing this evil empire into a particular period. The difficulty primarily arises out of our attempts at defining the beast using our traditional religious understanding and logic that we commonly apply to end times events.

Our first problem, and it is one that we see here in Daniel 7:3, tells us that there were four great beasts.

Each one of these beasts could have presented similar deadly issues, not only in the Christian community but the world in general.

One in particular, the fourth beast, gained a particularly frightening identity and seems to have no purpose aside from destruction.

Moreover, this fourth beast is NOT directly identified, as the first three were, and so the common assumption is that this has everything to do with Rome and, by extension, the Roman Catholic church. You should be able to pick up on the ramifications of that.

“After this I looked in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, frightening and terrifying, and very strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts before it; and it had ten horns.”
(Daniel 7:7 MKJV)

Our simplest method of gaining clarity is to look at the context surrounding this singular passage in Revelation 13 and try to find out if this statement, “this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church,” is a true statement.

Revelation 13:1-10 MKJV (1) And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy. (2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority. (3) And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast. (4) And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it? (5) And a mouth speaking great things was given to it, and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months. (6) And it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven. (7) And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. (8) And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world. (9) If anyone has an ear, let him hear. (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.

The first two verses of Revelation 13: 1-10 are very telling, and it is here where we learn the beast gets its power.

“And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy. And the beast, which I saw, was like a leopard, and its feet like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.”
(Revelation 13:1-2 MKJV)

The dragon, or serpent, is Satan.

As John stands “on the sand of the sea”, he is looking at vast numbers of people. Thousands of years of world conflict, and yet this vast number of people have all been affected by the same theme, the beast.

There is no way that one man, or animal, could live for such an extended period. Therefore, the obvious assumption is that the beast represents a very dangerous empire or ideology. This is clear when I read about it in Daniel.

“the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority” Revelation 13:2

“The dragon gave him (edōken autōi ho drakōn). First aorist active indicative of didōmi (to give) and dative case autōi (the beast). The dragon works through this beast. The beast is simply Satan’s agent(s). Satan claimed this power, and offered it to Christ:” (Robertson’s Word Pictures)

“And he (Satan) said to him, All these things will I give you, if you will go down on your face and give me worship.” (Matthew 4:9 BBE)

The gospel of Luke records Satan as having more authority.

“And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”
(Luke 4:6 KJV)

(Robertson’s Word Pictures) gives us this, “– and Christ called Satan the prince of this world.”

John 14:28-30 shows us that Christ knew He was going to the cross and that Satan would play a role in that action, but in the end, Satan will have no claim on Jesus.

Why?

Because Jesus never sinned, nor was He born into sin, as we are.

“You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming [back] to you. If you [really] loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater and mightier than I am. And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”
John 14:28-30 AMP

John’s gospel records several moments where Jesus referred to Satan and his authority.

You need to ask yourselves, where did Satan get this authority? Because God stripped him of his heavenly position and authority. Satan obtained it through deception; however, only the woman was deceived. Adam, the man, stood right there, watching and listening to every word. When Eve chose to chomp into that fruit, she then handed it to Adam, who was with her. He knew exactly what he was doing. He gave the title deed of the earth over to the enemy. Now, before you lose your mind with rage over Adam’s mutiny, consider that this was God’s plan – to restore the earth and humanity, all along. Read Genesis 3.

“and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:11 LITV)

The false assertion once again. Revelation 13:7 “…is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church.”

While it may not help to answer the question of whether this is speaking about the church, references to the beast do not have to represent a man, and can easily fit into the category of a ruling body, and are certainly fulfilled by an encompassing demonic power. Since we know that Revelation 13:7 is another description of the prophecy seen in Daniel.

Daniel 7:23-25 BSB “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.”

If you have been watching the news in America, then you know that New Yorkers elected their first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. This man has already been trying to change the appointed laws and times.

What does it mean to change the laws and times?

It means that he is instituting Sharia law and Islamic holy days.

It is due to Daniel’s information and historical record that we know the beast empires were clearly defined, and three of them are essentially no longer part of the picture. They are the Babylonian (Assyrian), Medo-Persian, and Grecian.

We also know that the Grecian empire sustained several divisions after the death of Alexander the Great, and was spread among four generals. Of those four, only two remained and made a global impact – the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic.

The Seleucid Empire, which is the Northern empire, effectively consisted of the Assyrian Empire through assimilation and has become the Islamic nations that we are now dealing with.

Revelation 13:4 tells us that “they” (the nations?) worshiped the beast.

Now what do we do with that?

We already understand that the beast represents (or to this day represents) a deadly empire. Still, there is no singular, deadly empire ruling as yet holding the title of the beast; there are, however, multitudes of deadly entities, wreaking havoc globally, with one common ideology.

Do I have to say it?

Islam. Islam, no matter whether you are Shiite, Wahhabi, or call yourself BokoHaran, they all serve one common god – Allah.

Is it possible, then, that Revelation 13:4 is referring to a current and deadly religion as the beast?

This train of thought opens a complex issue, because the God of Israel had already made it clear to his people, and us, that there are no other gods (This declaration took place long before Mohammad decided that there was a god called Allah). All this, of course, makes Allah a false god. The goal in apologetics is to show, primarily by scripture, the truth that there is nothing out there but God alone. A few examples might be:

Isaiah 43:10 CEV “My people, you are my witnesses and my chosen servant. I want you to know me, to trust me, and understand that I alone am God. I have always been God; there can be no others.”

Exodus 34:14 AMP “For you shall worship no other god; for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God,”

Deuteronomy 4:27-28 NASB (27) “The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. (28) “There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.”

One of the most telling clues about the timing that can be applied to Revelation 13:7 is found in Revelation 13:5.

Revelation 13:5 LITV “And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to it. And authority to act forty-two months was given to it.”

This is undoubtedly the second half of the seven years of wrath. One of the events that solidifies that idea is the actions of the Antichrist and the actions of the False Prophet, which seems to serve as a brutal enforcer of Sharia law upon those who continue to follow Christ during the seven years; and yes, many like to call it the great tribulation.

Moreover, since this takes us to the midpoint of the seven years of wrath, taking a chronological approach tells me that Revelation 13:7 has nothing to do with the church.

There is another aspect that seems to throw the casual reader for a loop, and that is the beast making “war with the saints.” There is no denying that Paul called the early church members saints, but since the church is not destined for wrath, we should have been caught up in the snatching away before this widespread slaughter of the saints.

Jesus, speaking to his religious adversaries, said,

“O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

You can find this statement and its context in Luke 3:7.

We are, in the majority, saved from the wrath.

“but God commends His love to us in this, that we being yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him.”
(Romans 5:8-9 LITV)

And, meant to be delivered from the wrath.

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:10 KJV)

If the church is gone, then who are these people called saints that this “beast” is killing?

They are those who did not go up in the rapture and have finally come to a recognition of Jesus as Lord during the time called the tribulation; and, because grace is no longer a benefit, they are paying the greatest price of commitment with their lives.

We are surrounded by those who claim to be religious Christianity, and some do so merely because they live in the United States. Where you live means nothing.

Look at this passage from Matthew 25

“Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. 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. 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. Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes.”
(Matthew 25:1-13 MKJV)

Did you notice that they were all virgins, and they all had the same invitation?

Nevertheless, some did not make it in. Preparation, willingness, and desire seem to be key here, not title. You have no exclusivity because you can label yourself. As Bob Dylan once said, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you are going to have to serve somebody.

Revelation 13:8 states,

“And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world.”

Because we have Daniel 9:27 as part of our forensic evidence, we know that a representative of the beast will confirm a covenant of peace for seven years. Halfway through that treaty, he will break the covenant/treaty, and thus begins a wanton slaughter of those who refuse to claim allegiance to the beast. This in no way excludes the current and ongoing slaughter of those outside the fellowship of the beast, but this slaughter indicates that the dominance and influence of the beast will be global and sufficiently armed to be able to carry this out.

That was certainly the long way around, but I am optimistic that it paints a picture of the rapture of the church and the coming slaughter of those who refuse to worship the beast. We religious folk like to call the time after the rapture of the church, the great tribulation. The problem with that mentality is that it ignores the ongoing tribulation of the church at present, and we are not even there yet. Jesus spoke of a time that is coming, in which it would be rare that anyone survives unless God cuts the time short, and he does. This is referred to by Jesus as a time of great tribulation, and therefore, probably the basis of why we call it the great tribulation. The seven years that follow the snatching away of the church are a time of God’s wrath being poured out upon those left upon the earth who have rejected him.

May I suggest that you come to him now, while it is still convenient and comfortable.

All it takes is you believing that he died for you and provides you with the promise of a future with him in glory. You cannot do this on your own, and that is why he came. Ask him to come into your life, turn the life that you cannot handle over to him, and he will come into you and make his home in you.

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We need to have an enthusiasm for the rapture. Scriptures to back up a pre- tribulation rapture.

Posted on 02/13/2026 by remso

This, like so many things I write, began with a conversation. In this case, it turned out to be one-sided. It ended with the other person telling me that discussions about the rapture are filled with fallacies, and comparable to eating a cupcake, nutritionally pointless. So much for our morning get-together with some of the guys from church.

Fast forward about 10 years, and I recently found myself in Costco trying to get a prescription for a new pair of glasses. As I stood outside the office talking with my wife, a man walked by wearing a Christian warrior T-shirt. Moments later, a man seated near me had a humorous conversation with his wife that gave him away as a Christian. I assumed that this was the Holy Spirit’s nudge to walk through this open door in which I might be able to say something encouraging about Jesus and His soon return to catch us away.

Immediately after I said, Wouldn’t it be something if the five of us just suddenly disappeared in the rapture? The seated man immediately scoots forward, turns slightly left so as if to be facing me, clears his throat, and proceeds to rebuke me by saying,“There is NOTHING in scripture that convinces me that we can expect a rapture of the church, and therefore I do not believe we should be talking so openly and boldly about such things.”

To be honest, any passages that might have come into mind flushed right out of my head, and that man was immediately called into the optometrist’s office.

At that moment, I made a mental commitment to study up on the rapture.

I want to begin with an obvious argument, one used by those who are unwilling to read/study for themselves.

The term rapture is non-existent in the English translations that the majority of us use!

Ah, then why are we discussing the rapture?

Because our understanding of rapture has some of its origins in the early Latin texts.
It is found as rapio or rapturo, depending on who you listen to, but its meaning is the same as the Greek word, which we are familiar with, harpazo, and it means to be caught or snatch up, almost as if violently.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he writes,

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NKJV “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, (10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

  • These people turned to God;
  • They wait anxiously for His Son;
  • And, they know that He, Jesus, is the one who will deliver us from the wrath to come.

It appears that Paul’s purpose in writing was to strengthen their faith and provide them with assurance of Christ’s return for His bride.

If you read Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica, you will gain knowledge that will support why we need to have an enthusiasm for the “rapture”.

Let’s just say, for giggles, that you refuse to accept that we, the church, will be caught up in time to deliver us from God’s wrath that is coming upon the earth – a time that is effectively pointed at the Jews that would not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and the nations (the Gentiles).

If God’s wrath is what you long for, then it is your hope and dream, then you will suffer at least some of what we see when we read Revelation 6 and beyond – God’s wrath beginning to be poured out.

To wet your whistle, I present to you Revelation 6:4 – the second event.

Revelation 6:4 NKJV “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”

This is God using humanity to kill humanity.

Consider what is happening in Iran as we speak. BTW, Wikipedia shows that “On 17 January, The Sunday Times reported that at least 16,500 to 18,000 people had been killed and 330,000 were injured.”

In light of the wrath that is to come, these numbers are meaningless.

Revelation 6:8 NASB “I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

A fourth of the earth’s population is killed by various methods, and this is just the beginning of God’s wrath.

The catching or snatching away of the church is intended to remove us before the wrath.

Since Paul is the primary articulator of the catching away of the church, let’s focus on him for a moment.

“While preaching Jesus as Messiah (the Jewish king) in Thessalonica, Paul had been accused of preaching another king besides Caesar (Act_17:7). The very young Thessalonian church continued to experience persecution after Paul’s departure, but he encourages them with the promise of a future hope, which applies even to those who have already died” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Copyright © 1993 by Craig S. Keener)

Paul’s entrance and exit from Thessalonica are recorded in Acts chapter 17. It did not go well for him there, and noble men escorted Paul and Silas to safety. From this point, they traveled on to Berea. The Bereans were the ones who studied the scriptures to validate or disprove Paul’s message.

Because of the nature of the letter to the church in Thessalonica and the soundness of the biblical doctrines, I can easily make several assumptions.

  • First, I presumed that Paul had a reasonable amount of time with them. Obviously, that was not the case. Paul had no idea how much of an uproar the Jews would have brought against him. If Paul had known he would only be speaking there for 3 weeks, he surely would have stayed with the basics of Christian doctrine; at least that was the religious zealots entrenched in every church I have had anything to do with. Perhaps, knowing that he would be under attack on short notice, he then chose to preach things that most of you have never heard in your church, the Revelation.
  • Secondly, I assumed that he had established some elders in this church, and that might have happened. When would he have done that, besides the fact that this was an established synagogue, and not looking for someone to bring about a different way of thinking?
  • The third thing dominant in my thinking is the depth of conversation about the things of God that he was able to have with them. Most people will struggle for months over the concept of eternal salvation, and yet in Christ, this is well-defined. A simple example of this is found in:
  • John 10:28 NASB “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Paul reasoned with them for three Sabbaths.

I cannot imagine that he took non-Sabbath days off. Three weeks might not have been enough time for him to set up his tent-making operations, let alone make a couple of dollars to buy groceries. But apparently, you can make a huge impact on receptive ears in three weeks. Nonetheless, in three weeks, he gave them a solid foundation and a bit more.

What I constantly remind myself is that Paul’s first stops were always to the Synagogues. Here, you should find people who are well established in the law and the prophets due to oral tradition.

The truth the Holy Spirit built into Paul was based on the Law and the Prophets, so he does have a common ground.

In recovery, I have found that the greatest testimony of Christ’s work in me has everything to do with what I personally know and have experienced – freedom and hope. This is what Paul found, and the message he spread.

Jewish ways and traditions run deep, but then history proves that, but so does Israel’s affinity for idolatry, but we will ignore that for the moment, seeing as we all struggle with that one.

However, within three weeks, many of these “church” goers were ready to kill Paul, or at a minimum run him out-of-town. It may have been a free city and not under the heavy hand of Rome, but insurrections were put down swiftly. Regardless, Paul and Silas are now gone, and therefore Paul writes,

1 Thessalonians 4:13 NASB (13) “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

I think it is brilliant how the Holy Spirit opens so much truth to the Thessalonian church in just one sentence.

Paul used the word that we translated to be uninformed, not because he had left valuable information out of his three-week crash course on eschatology, but because someone had come back later and muddied up the water of truth, probably by bringing in external circumstances into the picture.

You know how some people are so good at pointing out the obvious to you, for the express purpose of keeping you founded in sound doctrine. I suspect they mean well, but their delivery has no intent other than pointing out your fallacies, and how undisciplined you are at exegeting the Word (this means that you may not have illustrated or explained the Word well enough for their liking😉 all the while trying to make themselves look better.

Another aspect of this verse is the ramification ofbeing asleep.
No, I am not talking about falling asleep in church; I do it all the time. Besides, the setting is perfect for sleeping.

Asleep should mean physically dead. If it were not for the fact that our souls never die, I would think that some are spiritually dead already. So Paul is referring to those who had only recently died.

Why would Paul have to have a conversation about them grieving over those who have died?

No one is saying that it is not okay to grieve the loss of a loved one. However, if I have hope, another aspect of Paul’s conversation, then I should understand that because they too had a relationship with Jesus Christ, I would see them again. This one verse is an allusion to our being with Jesus, due to the rapture, written all over it.

The same guy who shut down our morning conversation, because he alone felt that the mention of the rapture deserved the brunt of his displeasure, feels strongly that we should only focus on the doctrines of the church. Really, what does that mean, because those can be different depending on what denomination you are in?

Doctrines, in general, are the basics that establish our relationship with God.

An example might be found in the Apostles creed:

I believe –

  • In God the Father – Maker of heaven and earth;
  • And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
  • Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.
  • He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
  • He descended into Hades, and on the third day, He rose from the dead;
  • I believe in the Holy Ghost;
  • The holy catholic Church; the communion of saints;
  • The forgiveness of sins;
  • The resurrection of the body;
  • In the life everlasting.

There are at least five other versions of the creed, none wholly in agreement with the other. While there are only four words in here that give me grief, the overall impact is YES, this is what I believe. These statements are Biblical and validate our hope.

Moreover, if my argumentative friend were to read them again, he might realize that they include the concept of the rapture. It is clear that Paul believed wholeheartedly in the harpazo, or snatching away, of the church.

My friend had to let me know that “the rapture did not exist until the 1800’s.” Moments like this make me wish my brain worked better. How dare you accuse me of dispensing fallacies when you make an uneducated statement such as he did? While it may be true that the terminology “rapture” did not become popular until the 1800’s, it does not make it a meaningless term nor non- existent. The word rapture is a derivative of the Latin word rapiemur and is found in the Latin Vulgate. It effectively means a snatching away.

From Wikipedia:

The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ἁρπαγησόμεθα as rapiemur,[21] from the verb rapio meaning “to catch up” or “take away“.[22]

1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Let us get something straight. Jesus only guaranteed us a few things:

  1. In this world, you will have tribulation. What does that mean? It means that the potential of things becoming extremely hard and you being killed is a harsh reality. Tribulation does not equal Wrath. Tribulation is a way of life, and NO, God is not terribly interested in whether you drive the newest Mercedes-Benz.
  2. You, as a follower of Christ, will be hated by all men. That includes religious folk.
  3. Jesus said,I will not leave you, nor forsake you. I will come back for you.
  4. There is a valid hope, and it includes a life with the Father in a land of peace.

Some of the questions you have to ask yourself, if you are trying to make a decision as to whether the rapture is relevant or not, is: Who spoke about it and can we trust them?

Jesus spoke about it.

John’s gospel is one the largest collection of references to the concept.

John 14:3 ASV And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:18 KJV I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

  • Is it possible that there are other terms being used and I am missing this?

Absolutely! It is called:

(His coming)

2 Peter 3:3-4 KJV Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

(Our gathering together)

2 Thessalonians 2:1 KJV (1) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, an by our gathering together unto him,

(His coming in the clouds)

Mark 14:62 KJV And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

(The day of the Lord Jesus)

2 Corinthians 1:14MKJV (14) even as you have recognized us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Paul never left the subject untouched, whether he called it our hope or our gathering to Him.

1 Thessalonians 4 may answer any questions we have, if we give it a chance.

1 Thessalonians 4:14MKJV (14) “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again” This is one of those things that define us; it is essential, doctrinal, and foundational truth for every believer. “..even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.”I can apply this statement to two things. First, since the dead in Christ will rise first, they will be with him and possibly be considered to be brought with Him. The second is at the end of the seven-year period, the time of God’s wrath upon the earth.”

Zechariah 14:5KJV “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”

Here is the passage that tends to trouble me.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 KJV (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord”

If Paul has to reestablish where his inspiration is coming from, that tends to tell me that these people had really had their boat rocked.

Speaking from experience, I came to the Lord at perhaps age 12. I tend to cling to that age as a reference point. In reality, evangelistic preachers would come about every six months. I, like so many others, would go down front to repent and be born again; why? because I never had an assurance of my salvation. Mom did not help much with that, as she would emphasize that some minor stupidity we pulled as kids needed to be repented of, or God just might bypass us and we would end up in hell. Needless to say, most of my childhood involved fear.

Paul rehearsed with them.

“that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”

This tells me that one of two things has affected them. Someone has come after Paul left and preached a message that confuses or contradicted what Paul had taught, or they focused on “the tribulation”, as a perceived evidence of the seven-year period after the rapture, has come to their minds.

I do not know when this started, but I can tell you that we have done this to ourselves. The seven-year period is called the time of God’s wrath upon the earth. Jesus indicated that it would be a time of such great tribulation that no one would survive unless God shortens time. It is a time of judgment. If I were Paul and I only had three weeks to bring you up to speed, establishing that you are no longer under condemnation for sins would be high on my list of points to make. Just because we are forgiven, purchased out from under the debt we owed, does not give us that full access we see; acceptance of Jesus Christ as the one who paid that price does.

I do not understand for the life of me why God needs these old bodies, but he seems to want to have them attached to the souls they belong with.

This next verse is the snatching away for which we long. We, out of habit, call it the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17KJV (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

For me, the key argument about why I should understand, believe, and preach the coming of Jesus Christ, something I happen to believe is imminent, comes in the next verse. It also happens to be the last verse of chapter 4.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 KJV (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Since Paul had encouraged and admonished the church already, then it makes sense to say, use these words to comfort one another. If he had placed this sentence else where in the text, then I would have to wonder what kind of documents to they have to refer to, to gain this encouragement. You do realize, that all they had was the Holy Spirit and their memories to hold them together.

I believe, especially now, that we were meant to understand and preach this message. I believe it is even more relevant today because many around us have seen these prophecies happen before their eyes. Israel becoming a nation is one of them.

If, as some will say, the Church must endure the Tribulation… why does Scripture repeatedly promise our removal from wrath?

The pre-tribulation rapture is not built on one verse. It is a cumulative argument where aspects of our faith, such as: doctrine, timing, language, and biblical patterns converge in the same direction.

Start with Christ’s promise:

“My Father’s house has many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you… I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:2–3

This is not Christ descending to rule, this is Christ receiving His people and taking them to the Father’s house.

Paul describes the same event:

“…we who are still alive… will be caught up together… to meet the Lord in the air.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17

“Listen, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…”
1 Corinthians 15:51–52

The word changed, in verse 51 also means: caught up or received.
This is comfort language, not judgment language; and, Paul frames this as a rescue from divine wrath:

“…Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath…”
1 Thessalonians 5:9

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Romans 5:9

The Tribulation is repeatedly described as heaven’s (God’s) judicial wrath
(Revelation 6:16–17).

If the Church is exempt from wrath, removal before that period is the instinctive reading.

And what a surprise, even the Old Testament points to the same pattern.

“Go, my people, enter your rooms… hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.”
Isaiah 26:20

God shelters His people while His wrath sweeps the earth.

Jesus confirmed this removal-before-judgment template.

“But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down… It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
Luke 17:29–30

You can get the full narrative behind Lot and the angels who were sent to bring the wrath by reading Genesis 19. They were restrained from bringing the destruction until Lot and his family were safe.

While there was no urgency or destruction seen with Enoch, what is important is the method and swiftness. We should not assume that there was no safety reasons to extract Enoch from the earth because we are told in Genesis 6 about the depravity of humankind on earth. We should not take for granted that the degeneration of moral standards only happened after the removal of Enoch.

“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
Genesis 5:24

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death…” Hebrews 11:5

As with Enoch, there was no urgency due to violence, it was merely time for the old prophet Elijah’s time to leave the earth. 2 Kings describes the event like this,

“After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have requested a difficult thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind. As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two. Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.”
2 Kings 2:9-14 BSB

Jesus also had something to say about Noah’s removal from the wrath that was about to come.

“Just as it was in the days of Noah… the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:26–27

It is logical to assume that judgment waits until the righteous are secured; and, this pattern echoes throughout Scripture:

Much like we saw with Enoch

“And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and [Philip] baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on he preached the good news (Gospel) to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”
Acts 8:38-40 AMP

God repeatedly demonstrated His ability to remove His servants before catastrophic judgment. The Tribulation (as we unwisely call it) is expressly named,

“For, note well, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will release from captivity My people Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it. And these are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: Thus says the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling and panic–of terror, and not peace. Ask now and see whether a man can give birth to a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor? Why are all faces turned pale? Alas! for that day will be great, so that none will be like it; it will be the time of Jacob’s [unequaled] trouble, but he will be saved out of it.” [Matt. 24:29, 30; Rev. 7:14.]
Jeremiah 30:3-7 AMP

Jacob = Israel. It is not the Church. Revelation reflects this shift. The word “church” saturates chapters 1–3, then disappears from the seals, trumpets, and bowls; and, we see the evidence of this when it says,

After these things I looked, and behold, a door was opened in Heaven. And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you what must occur after these things.” Revelation 4:1 MKJV

Those things are the end of the church age.

In the Revelation, the focus soon returns to Israel and the nations. It has been explained to me, by smarter men than I, that these elders, crowned, enthroned, and rewarded, are the church already in heaven. We see this in Revelation 4:4.

“…around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.”
Revelation 4:4

Now comes one of the strongest images that we see in the New Testament, the Restrainer.

“…the one who now restrains it will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7–8

If you study scriptures enough, you will come to realize that the arrival of the Antichrist is that thing that unleashes God’s wrath upon the earth.

If restraint is the Spirit’s work through the Church, the sequence is clear: removal of the saints, the revelation of the Antichrist, and the onslaught of God’s wrath, the Tribulation.

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Revelation 3:10 NKJV

The word translated as kept or keep is the Greek word tērēsō. It means to watch, observe, or keep your eyes on. It also means to guard as a prisoner, and to keep (held) back or in store.

The Church is told to expect Christ as the next event.

“…we wait for the blessed hope…” Titus 2:13

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:40

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42

“The Judge is standing at the door!” James 5:9

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A commentary on John 1:45-46. We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph

Posted on 12/12/2025 by remso

 As I read my Bible, especially the gospels, I find that I am frequently lost as I try to put the narratives into a chronological order (it is not mandatory to have things in a tight, chronological order, but I am a visual learner, and it is easier if I can visualize what is going on in the narrative).

Having watched the entirety of “The Chosen” season five, we see scenes and timelines that may not have occurred as portrayed by the producers. The reality is that “The Chosen” may have created a false narrative.

Will that false impartation corrupt the word of God?

Only if you are fragile in your knowledge of the scriptures, and there is only one person who can cure that, you.

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but John wrote this gospel with the Jewish community in mind. As we dive back into John, we will soon crash into verse 46, where Nathanael makes his sarcastic comment that implies that Jesus is probably as low as the reputation that Nazareth carries. He will soon find out how wrong he is.

That having been said, let’s jump into John 1:45.

John 1:45 NAS95 “Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Not that it is important, but Philip was from Bethsaida, which is in the Northern region of Galilee.

Why is any of that important?

Because, as we begin to learn about Jesus, we find Him in the Southern regions of Galilee, where we also find John the baptizer, as he pursued adequate water to immerse those who came to him to be baptized. Jesus came to John, His cousin, to be baptized. Only God knows where Nathanael was, but Philip pursued him and found him.

Pay attention to what Philip had to say about the Messiah.

“ We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

These words were not peculiar to Nathanael, and he comprehended immediately what Philip was trying to tell him. Nathanael’s response was not in opposition to what Philip said, but in I have come to learn that sarcasm is a classic Jewish manner of conversation, Nathanael’s sarcastic response was, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

In what ways do the scriptures validate this statement?

Malachi 3:16 NAS95 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.

These people were not considered to be the church, for the Holy Spirit had not yet been given; therefore, perhaps we can set their words aside for a moment.

If we look at the book of Acts, where Saul of Tarsus (soon to be recognized as Paul) has been preaching the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah.

Saul of Tarsus, consider the fear that name must have struck in the hearts of Christ’s followers back then. Not quite an extradition, but if you go north, it will be more comfortable for us in Jerusalem.

Acts 9:30-31 NAS95 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. (31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

When it says, “Him of whom Moses in the Law … wrote,” we immediately think about the “law,” and we frequently associate that law with Paul. It is not that Paul wrote out laws, but his words frequently tell things like Christ followers don’t act that way.

Law: it is the Strong’s Greek #G3551 nómos; gen. nómou, masc noun from némō (n.f., see aponémō [G632]), to divide among, parcel out, allot.

Thayer’s Definitions of Law: 1) anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command. 1a) of any law whatsoever. 1a1) a law or rule producing a state approved of God. 1a1a) by the observance of which is approved of God. 1a2) a precept or injunction.

The law and some of the defining narrative that surrounds that law began in Genesis 3:15.

Genesis 3:14-15 NLT Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. (15) And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

You should recognize by now that the serpent is Satan. The seed of the woman is Jesus, the Messiah. Striking someone’s heel will definitely hurt, but crushing someone’s head will bring about death.

The offspring referred to in Genesis 3 is the seed that leads to Jesus. Matthew’s gospel spells out the ancestry from Abram to Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Matthew 1:1-3 NLT This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: (2) Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. (3) Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram.

This narrative continues:

Matthew 1:15-17 NLT Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. (16) Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. (17) All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

Let’s settle some arguments: Joseph, although it is clear that he is the husband of Mary, in Matthew’s gospel, this assertion that Mary is the mother, should clarify that Joseph had NO relations with Mary, and was NOT the biological father of Jesus.

Luke 1:27 makes it clear that even up to the birth of Jesus, Mary was a virgin. The most amazing part of this story is that Mary was also of the bloodline of Judah.

I realize many of you read something like this, and all you get is a headache, but watch what happens next.

Matthew 1:18 NLT This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Sermon Bible Commentary says,

“Nathanael’s prejudice was but the giving voice to a fault that is as wide as humanity, and which we have every day of our lives to fight with, not only in regard of religious matters, but in regard of all others—namely, the habit of estimating people, and their work, and their wisdom, and their power, by the class to which they are supposed to belong.”

While all that is often debilitating and true, here is something we seem to refuse to acknowledge and accept. Mary, in the face of quite probably death by stoning, stood her ground and told the community that the baby was God’s baby.

Yes, these people had a better understanding of the impact of angels in their lives than we do, but we are so practical and judgmental. What, you might ask, is the practical side of a pregnant girl trying to tell us that NO man was involved in making this baby? Practicality tells us Joseph would be the father, but being older, wiser, and having an outstanding reputation as a “teacher,” it did not make sense that he would crush his reputation.

If you think this train of thought is outrageous, consider that Joseph took his young, pregnant wife to Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown, where he had kinfolk. None of them would let him in their house. Because it was taxation time, the “hotel” was filled, and the two of them had to share a place where animals – sheep- were fed and pooped.

A portion of the evidence of that seed is demonstrated in Genesis 22, where God spoke to Abraham, but we understand that it is Moses, many years later, who is writing down the history and defining statements that enfold the law, we assume, word for word, between God, Abram, and all the patriarchs throughout the ages after that.

The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are to take this by faith.

Hebrews_11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews_11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Hebrews_11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Hebrews_11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

But it is not a blind faith, for the substantiating evidence is scattered throughout the scriptures.

Genesis 22:14-18 NASB Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” (15) Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, (16) and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, (17) indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. (18) “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

We have spent an ample amount of time looking at Nathanael’s response to what Philip said, but I want to touch on one last thing before moving on.

John 1:46 NASB Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.”

I mentioned how Jesus could have been referred to and treated as an illegitimate child. Look at the demands placed upon an illegitimate child by the law.

Deuteronomy 23:2 NASB “No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

Was Jesus illegitimate? The answer is NO, but do you think that mattered to the townsfolk?

Strong’s # definition of illegitimate is the Hebrew word mamzêr. It is from an unused root meaning to alienate; a mongrel, that is, born of a Jewish father and a heathen mother: – bastard. I mentioned how none of Joseph’s kinfolk would allow them into their home when they arrived in Bethlehem. Doesn’t it shock you? It does me, and it enforces the idea that he was considered a mamzêr.

Take this a few years forward, to where Jesus is twelve, and He is now holding intelligent conversations with the scribes in the temple.

Where and how did Jesus get His knowledge?

The answer to that comes from Matthew 1:19, where it says: “… Joseph her husband, being a righteous man …” NAS95. Translations include good and just.

Who bestows a title like this upon you?

You do not give it to yourself, for that would be insolent. Therefore, only those who know you personally, know what you stand for, and have watched you for years; in the case of Joseph, who, up to this point, had most likely been an active member of a synagogue, and he, by memory, just as anyone else would have to do, memorized the passages over time and by repetition.

If I go back to Luke’s gospel, I find information that tells me that Joseph was from Nazareth, and this may be where the dark shadow was cast over Nazareth.

Luke 1:26-27 NAS95 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, (27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Biblical Illustrator states, “The place the angel is sent to—Nazareth. An obscure place, little taken notice of; yea, a city in Galilee, out of which arises no prophet: even there the God of prophets condescends to be conceived.”

“Out of which arises no prophet” – Well, that statement is no longer true.

This causes another question to rise within me. Was Jesus born in Nazareth?

No, but He was conceived there. Remember that Jesus, according to the religious busy bodies, was a mamzêr, an illegitimate child, and both the child and the mother could have been stoned.

Conveniently, a census was called for, and God saw fit to move Joseph and Mary out of Nazareth. Just because we don’t see something spelled out with a definition does not mean it did not happen. It just moves the strong potential of hostility into the theoretical range, and, as you recall, we may have seen the theoretical in action when they came into Bethlehem. I believe it is clear that we probably should not try to make a theoretical subject a doctrinal issue, and that is why I am only sharing this with you, my closest friends.

Luke 2:1 NAS95 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

There is an odd insertion.

Luke 2:2 NAS95 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

Information like this gives some the ability to pinpoint when Jesus was born.

Posted in Bethlehem, bible study, Dispelling myths, Gospel of John, Joseph, Mary, Moses, Nazareth, sexual sin, Synagogue, to bear the sins of many, Wife, Zephaniah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Answers for Rick. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22.

Posted on 11/28/2025 by remso

 Another typical morning with the guys – (This took place several years ago.)

The “leader” of the group (Just for fun, I will refer to him as “Bob.”) finally sits down and says,

“I would like everyone to look at Revelation 22:3.”

He continues to say, “I am having a problem with this.”

So, with no further explanations, we all jump in.

I will give you the passage from the ASV:

(1) “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; (3) and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”
(Rev 22:1-3 NKJV)

Let’s camp here for a moment.

I would not have put forth such a discussion without giving some attention to not only the context of the passage, but also why it was bothering me. (To be honest, I cannot remember if “Bob” was able to elaborate, with reason, what was bothering him about the passage at hand.)

Some might read Revelation 22:3 and rejoice over what appears to be a perfect environment where Satan finally gets locked up for a thousand years, and is unable to torment or drive the nations to sin. (As a disappointing side note, I often imagine that the thousand years will fly by only to see Satan released, even if momentarily, to deceive the nations.)

Assuming I was foolish enough to focus on verse three alone, I would be quickly confronted by several unidentified characters. The first of which is “he”, and he happens to be casting “him” (the second character) into the bottomless pit. This action prevents this “him” from deceiving the nations for a thousand years. I suppose I could assume that this kind of action from “him” has been causing destruction and havoc before the thousand years; and, as we see at the end of the paragraph, the deception that this “him” pushes on people reemerges to deceive the nations once again – for a very short time.

The cast of characters in this verse.

  • “he” is Jesus. We typically see references to Jesus and God capitalized. Since the Revelation is a revealing of Jesus, then “he”, in this case, is rightly presumed to be Jesus. Revelation 1:1 tells us that the entire book reveals Jesus, the Son of God.
  • “him”, which we saw as we began reading Revelation 22:3, is Satan. Satan has had many names in scripture, such as the dragon, the serpent, the beast, and the deceiver, just to name a few.
  • And finally, the nations. We can understand that the nations have been part of the narrative long before the thousand years and remain present during the thousand years. It is these people who are deceived for a brief time at the end of the thousand years.

One of the greatest sources of trouble for the Christian community is the nations.

Who are we talking about when we speak of the Gentiles or the nations?

  • The Gentiles and the nations are, for the most part, synonymous.
  • The Jewish community considers anyone outside of Judaism to be a Gentile.
  • I suppose, by Jewish standards, we who have been grafted into God’s family are all still a subset of the nations; thankfully, that is not the case.
  • Any Jewish follower of Christ is now a part of the family of God and an aspect of the bride of Christ.
  • The Messianic followers will be caught up when Jesus returns (soon) to collect His bride.

Caught is the Greek word harpazo.

Do a word search and you will NOT find the word rapture in our common Bible translations; you may, however, find the Latin word rapio or rapturo; and, depending upon who is doing the talking, you will find that the word rapio or rapturo is transliterated into rapture. For the skeptic,s the rapture is therefore an aspect of our scriptural basis for being gathered to Him.

A synonym for harpazo is paralambánō (It is the Strong’s Greek number 3880), and means to receive up. It is also seen as snatched, plucked, seized, and taken.

Let me take this one confusing step further. If my thoughts about this passage are wrong, then is it possible that much of what I think about God is wrong also. Openness like this may surprise you, but I have found many of my deeply rooted ideas about God to be wrong, and this realization has changed my perception of God.

I have actually found God to be more merciful than I ever thought possible.

Consider Jonah. Jonah committed suicide in an effort to avoid doing what God asked him to do. (Read the story!) Sorry if the word suicide gives you grief, but there really is no other way to look at the narrative about Jonah.

Choosing to run from God, an impossible task, the small vessel upon which he has purchased passage is about to sink in the Mediterranean Ocean; the wind and the waves were such that they were about to break the boat into pieces, and in that case, everyone would die. The crew takes extraordinary measures to survive, to no avail, and it seems that all will soon be lost. The crew casts lots, much like throwing dice, to see if they figure out if someone is to blame, and the dice point to Jonah. Jonah informs the crew that he is the reason for their dire situation and that they should throw him into the deadly ocean. Jonah demands that they throw him into the waves, and they would be saved. Notice that he did not have the backbone to do it himself. After much argument, the crew did as he said. Jonah disappears out of sight and under the water. Moments later, the storm goes silent, and the waves eventually cease.

Having been thrown into a raging sea, where is Jonah?

God had prepared a great fish to swallow him whole. This is NOT a fairy tale, and there is a fish in the Mediterranean capable of swallowing a human. But we humans, lacking oxygen, black out after 15 seconds and go brain dead after four minutes; therefore, Jonah is now dead. Three days later (that is, one whole day and any part of two other days), the fish, at God’s command, vomits Jonah on the beach nearest to Nineveh (which happens to be over 300 miles away, inland.) That means that God brought Jonah back to life on the shore.

Jonah went ahead and completed his mission. The Ninevites repented, and God relented (for a time.)

What was the last thing we heard from Jonah?

“I knew you would be merciful to them.”

God operated outside of Jonah’s mental constructs of judgment and punishment.
Easy now, do not think for a moment that God withdrew his judgment. God merely withheld His judgment, and Nineveh was eventually turned into a pile of rubble and rightfully so, for they were a vile, brutal people, and Jonah knew this.

I recognize that the idea of God shaking your deep-seated religious foundations scares many of you, and you may think it blasphemous to even consider the possibility of shaking your foundation because you think contemplating scripture from a logical point of view might make you turn away from God, and then what will you turn to?

If your confidence in God is that unstable, then you need to ask yourself what your foundation is built upon.

Is your faith built upon truth? (An understanding of truth requires that you spend time in God’s word with the purposeful intention of finding out who He is.) Or fiction? (things you heard, merely accepted, and never determined to research these things – in the scriptures, for yourself.) If that is the case, then let me remind you that Jesus told us that our beliefs and works will be tested in the fire, and the junk will be burned up.

Peter talks about your faith being tested by fire so that, in time, you will be filled with an inexpressible joy. I like that idea, but the question, I suppose, is when?

1Pe 1:6-8 NASB “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (8) and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,”

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about the solid foundation that he laid, in and for them. Some, having come after, tried to lay other foundations. Of course, these others did not tell you they had every intention of corrupting your faith and leading you away from the freedom we find when we put our faith in Christ.

1Co 3:11-15 NASB “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. (14) If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Paul describes these faulty foundations as wood, hay, and straw – things that will burn. Isn’t that an intriguing thought?

Someday soon, we, as followers of Christ, will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (the Bema seat), where those things that are of no value in the heavenly kingdom will be burned up.

What if you could, in a sense, burn up some of that junk down here, for example: get your thinking hat back on straight, and start giving the people around you reasons to live for the King.

The discussion with Bob was far too brief, with no real answers, as the good Doctor of Humanities showed up.

The questions coming from Bob were effectively two.

  • The minor question, based upon his American Standard version: What is the tense when it says, “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”I am not a grammarian, so bear with me. Since the “trees” – plural, are a future event, then I could assume that it is a future tense reference. However, the actions and results from the usage of the leaves are in the present tense, once we get there. Our resident grammarian, an expert on Greek and a person quite knowledgeable about church history, expounded on the tense (it is present tense, by the way).I suppose the more logical questions might be:
    • What are the parameters that control our usage of these leaves?
    • And when do we get to use them?
  • The major question is: “Why do the nations need healing if we then live in heaven, a perfect, sin free place?”I had been looking at end times events (Eschatology) for some time now and thought I had it clear, so I responded immediately with, “because you are not looking at heaven at this point.”To be honest, I had not looked at the passages in some time, even though I had opened them. Bob’s caustic response was, “Yes! We are, look at the previous verses in chapters 20 and 21.” So I did. Why even talk about the actions that Jesus takes – throwing Satan into the abyss, with the specific purpose of NOT allowing him to deceive the nations, unless the nations are an active part of the thousand years? If, as one of the false teachers that I have known, stated, “only Christians enter the millennial reign,” then who are these that are seated upon thrones, judging, applying their judgments upon ? Well, it is certainly NOT Christians, as all the judgment that we deserved was placed upon Jesus, on the cross. That only leaves the nations. It is assumptive to think that the nations are stripped of their free choice, or that they have Christianity imposed upon them; they are, however, required to participate in the feast of booths, but you can submit to that demand without having a change of heart. Obviously, some do have a change of heart; they are called blessed, and they have the right to the tree of life and NOW have entrance into the city of God. Since verse 14 is speaking of those who, by washing their robes, making them white, gain entrance into the city of God, then the term “outside” is referring to those from among the nations, living outside the city walls. While verse 14 makes it distinct that some have a change of heart, verse 15 makes it clear that others do not change; they are known as dogs, sorcerers, immoral persons, murderers, idolaters, and those who love and practice lying. Here then is your definition of the nations, and this is what they continue to do, without Satan driving them, throughout the 1000 years.

I opted to try to sort out this concept of why healing would be needed in heaven, or not.

If I am wrong, and it appeared, lacking solid scriptural backing, that I might have been, then I admit to you that I hate being wrong. (There, I got that out of my system.) The worst part of this, and I think this is what was bothering Bob, is that suddenly things were not what he visualized them to be.

Heaven does not seem to be this la-la land where we dance around aimlessly in fields of clover. Life, for many, seems to just keep going on. This statement, in my mind, applies primarily to the nations.

To be honest, this concept of heaven is throwing me for a loop as well. What is even worse, this is not the first time I have seen something like this, which challenges almost everything I have come to understand (from Sunday School) about heaven.

I thought I had this one figured out. Fortunately, I had to leave early because the good Doctor of Humanities was now heavily involved and had us chasing rabbits down endless trails, and I hate wasting precious time.

The day had moved on into evening when, like a light bulb coming on, it occurred to me that I had read a description of the millennial kingdom that speaks of the city of God coming down from God, composed of the Saints. Key here is that upon Satan’s release after the thousand years, he deceives those nations, and they try to do battle with God and the Saints of God. This battle is the Gog and Magog war that ends rather quickly with God destroying them, and then comes the white throne judgment.

I gather you figured out that this is not a three-minute discourse.

If I only focus on the timeline account in Revelation 22, I might miss something here.

Open your Bibles, if you haven’t as yet, and look at Revelation 20:1-2. I am giving it to you in segments.

(NKJV) “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) He (that angel) laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;”

This marks the beginning of the thousand-year period we call the millennial reign.

The man who led the Monday morning men’s bible study at the church I grew up in had this to say about whom we would find in the millennial kingdom. (These are some of the things that made him a false teacher.)

He claimed that:

  • Only Christians enter the 1000-year reign.
  • No Jews would enter the millennial kingdom.
  • And no one from the nations would gain entrance.

The only way you can hold these absurd positions is to cease to read what the Bible says, cling tightly to religious traditions and false teachings, and allow the Devil more space in your head and heart than you give to the Holy Spirit.

Allow me to destroy these positions.

First, “Only Christians get to enter the 1000 year reign.”

Here are four verses that show the nations are still alive during the thousand-year reign, as I previously elaborated.

Rev 20:3 NASB and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Rev 20:4 NASB Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Rev 22:14 NASB Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

Rev 22:15 NASB Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

I made the statement that this is not heaven. That is NOT exactly true, because for the followers of Christ, eternity will have begun with the catching away of the Church.

A logical approach as to whether the earth, during the thousand years, is heaven and nothing further needs to happen, is wrapped up in the fact that the earth has NOT burned up, plays an important role in this thought. One of the major methods of purifying the earth is to burn the planet with fire, and that cannot happen until after the final, great white throne judgment. I say this because it is after this judgment that there will be no air-breathers left to concern the heart of God.

The second pathetic point of view is this: “No Jews would enter the millennial kingdom.”

Let’s start by pointing out the obvious – the 144,000 Jewish virgins who take on the role of being Jewish evangelists exclusively to the Jews will enter the millennial kingdom, with no restrictions. I wonder why that is? The answers are rather obvious.

Rev 7:3-4 NASB saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” (4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Continue reading in Revelation 7, and you will find that many, due to the 144,000, will wash their robes and, because they are slaughtered for their testimony, will stand before the throne.

Ezekiel chapter five, twice, speaks of one third surviving the onslaughts of God’s wrath. It seems obvious that one-third of Israel will walk alive into the thousand-year reign.

Ezekiel 5:2 NASB “One third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.

Ask yourself, why would you unsheathe a sword behind those survivors? The answer is because He protects them as they enter the 1000-year reign.

Ezekiel 5:12 expands the parameters of God’s destruction.

Ezekiel 5:12-13 NASB ‘One third of you will die by plague or be consumed by famine among you, one third will fall by the sword around you, and one third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. (13) ‘Thus My anger will be spent, and I will satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be appeased; then they will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in My zeal when I have spent My wrath upon them.

If you understand basic math, then you know that you can only split something into thirds three times. So events like burning in fire and dying by plague or famine may be overlapping descriptions of death. One-third survives.

Look at the words John dictated in the Revelation.

‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
(Rev 3:4-6 NASB)

So Jesus is NOT merely speaking to followers from the church in Sardis, He is talking to anyone who overcomes and confesses His name.

Can you read something like Isaiah 14:1 and still say that NO Jew will enter the millennial kingdom? I would think not.

Isaiah 14:1 NAS95 When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

By the way, when does this take place? There is only one time period where strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob, and that is during the 1000 years.

God, and by extension, Jesus, has promised to restore Israel to their land. Some might say, He already did that in 1948 when Israel became a nation. Then why is America, of all people, working so hard to split Jerusalem?

Deuteronomy 30:3-5 NAS95 then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. (4) “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. (5) “The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Look at Isaiah 25.

Isaiah 25:8-9 NASB He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. (9) And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Where does this transpire?

Only after the seven years of wrath, as they, the Jews, enter the millennial kingdom.

Have you ever said, What is it that possesses those people to do that? The answer is they have a veil over their eyes and therefore refuse to see. Isaiah 25:7 tells us that the veil is lifted off of everyone, and yes, it includes the Jews.

Isaiah 25:7 NASB And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

Critics, and there are always critics, will say something like, What mountain. The answer to the challenge is this:

Isaiah 24:23 BSB The moon will be confounded, and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.

And finally, the last neanderthal like statement: “No one from the nations would gain entrance into the millennial kingdom.

Merely consider this aspect once again.

Revelation 22:2 NAS95 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

If you take the time to read the context surrounding this passage, then you would understand that the nations are there, and available to have these leaves applied. But since we have already covered this last aspect in great detail, and even though there are many more passages to back up this understanding, I will refrain from pursuing it any further.

The admonitions to the seven churches, the church age, begin in Revelation chapter one and come to an end with Revelation 4:1. As you can see, Revelation 4:1 declares, “After these things.”

Rev 4:1 NASB “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

What are the things? It is the church age, and 4:1 begins spelling out the wrath of God, minus the church, upon those on earth, who, up to this point, have rejected God. So, while the church age ends along with the time of grace, the time of wrath begins. The thousand-year reign is still seven years away.

Consider that an uncountable multitude will continue to follow after Jesus during the time of wrath; these will be resurrected, called saints, and will stand before the throne of God.

Rev 7:9-15 NASB “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; (10) and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (11) And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (13) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” (14) I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

I am exhibiting Revelation 7:9-15 because even Jesus himself wants us to see that the great crowd, pointed out to be every tongue and tribe under the heavens, is coming. Though they will now be in the family of God, they are from the nations.

Take note:

(Revelation 20:7-9 NIV) When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth–Gog and Magog–and to gather them for battle. In number, they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

Recap:

  • The thousand years have passed
  • Satan is released for a time.
  • Satan deceives the nations, who are many, diverse, and by their own choice, not committed to God. (Get that?)
  • These deceived combatants surround the camp of God’s people, the city He loves. Focus with me on this last line for a moment. Within it are some aspects you should consider.
  • The nations are coming to do battle with God’s people.
  • They (the combatants) completely surround the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. The wording that we see in Revelation 20:9 does not effectively change from one translation to the next; it is this notion that the city and God’s people are one in the same.  

What is clear from this is that God really loves us, his people.

Posted in bible study, Dispelling myths, End times, Israel, judgment, rapture, Saints, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, twinkling of an eye, wrath. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scriptures that speak to our knowing, within a tight window of opportunity, when Jesus will return for His bride.

Posted on 09/17/2025 by remso

Today’s date is 9/17/2025

As of this date we are looking at five more days (if you know what I mean.)

Hebrews 10:25 BSB 
“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The writer of this letter, to this group of Jewish believers, is telling them to encourage one another. Why do that?

Because most people in church are going through some form of battle and wouldn’t dare share that with you. Perhaps the ‘fear’ that prevents them from sharing has to do with the people, who quickly look at their watch, as they say look at the time, I’ve got to go. Those same people then drift over to someone they deem more important or less demanding with their needs and talk intimately about their shared interest in the kid’s soccer league.

Most people, in the churches that I have had dealings with, want nothing to do with the person sitting near them. This lack of concern usually arises because they have no idea how to respond to what is about to come out of your mouth, when most of the time, just the few extra seconds that is takes for you to pray with them is all that is needed; a few extra seconds to look them in the eyes can let them know that you care.

In general I know what it is to encourage, but for the sake of others who may not understand we will explore the word. If you look up the synonyms for encourage (alternate words that convey a similar meaning), you will get a variety of interpretation options such as: promote, boost, support, inspire, stimulate, enliven, and even animate. (This is important to me because I have sat under preachers who are willing to say, “that word means this,” and then leave you hanging with that one option that they just gave you, when you know good and well that there are other, more effective words.)

Pay attention to phrases like these “but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Encouraging, why do I have to do that?

As I said, almost everyone of us that follows after God is involved in a battle.

Ephesians 6:11-12 BSB 
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.  (12)  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Whether you want to call it a struggle or a battle, it matters not, the purpose is to silence you; and, it sure looks like flesh and blood most of the time.

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury has this to say. “So the will plays a vital role in spiritual matters—volition is involved in response to the Divine imperative! But when men are deceived, the will is rendered ineffective, thus one cannot meet the conditions given by God. Satan’s design is not deception for the deception’s sake, but to induce volitional paralysis, to render men passive, to neutralize the will, so that the Divine imperatives cannot be carried out”

An example of one of those imperatives is found in Matthew’s gospel.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:18-20 BSB)

Because Jesus has all authority, and we are in Him, then we are to go and make disciples.

According to Webster’s Dictionary: “Volition is the actual exercise of the power which the mind has of considering or forbearing to consider an idea.”

It is these battles that challenge our hope.

Hope is expectation, anticipation, and the leaning of everything we have upon a promise.

How do we encourage?

It almost sounds like a cheerleader and that may be true, but it is difficult to cheer others on if you have had the inspiration beaten out of you. If this is going on around you do your best to separate yourself from these dissenters.

While I have to admit that the day is also a variable, there is the implication that we can know the day.

So, undoubtedly, we encourage other believers by being a cheerleader and pointing out that we, the church, are not going to be subject to God’s wrath.

If you wish to struggle with the idea of us knowing when Jesus will return for His bride, then consider the 50 prophets that followed Elijah.

“Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
(2 Kings 2:5 BSB)

Chew on that for a while, for the sons of the prophets knew it was to be that day.

Another passage comes Revelation 3:3

“Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.”
(Revelation 3:3 BSB)

Perhaps we can deem this to be an idiom, but never forget that there is NOTHING in scripture that is there by accident. He means for us to understanding that we can perceive that this moment in time is down to the hour.

Here in 1 Thessalonians we focus on the times and the seasons.

“Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 BSB)

Let’s take a moment to break down this passage.

  1. “Now, about the times and seasons …” It is clear to me that we are to understand the times and the seasons. As followers of Christ, we are to expect violence coming at us. Jesus warned us that because they hated Me, they will hate you. So what happened to Brother Charlie Kirk, is NOT uncommon, especially in the African nations. Guess what, this level of common violence is coming to America, sooner than you think. The times and the seasons in which Jesus will come back are upon us.
  2. “ While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, …” They, being the nations against Israel, have already gathered to voice their opinions about the New York document, a document that will be ratified on September 23, 2025, and then it may only have one dissenting vote, although I am hoping the President Trump votes against it, making it two who are standing against this Peace and Security agreement that is being co-chaired by French President, Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmon. The question is: the destruction that is coming, will it be upon the signers, or, upon Israel.
  3. “… and they will not escape.” Does it matter to whom Jesus is speaking? Not really, because as I write this Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts. Any action, no matter who fires first, will be met with overwhelming firepower. I might add that Israel is progressively leveling Gaza as we speak. This action, has motivated Germany, one of the last allies Israel had, to turn their backs on Israel and voice their approval of this two state solution. Do not think for a second that the Islamic nations care one bit about Israel or this UN agreement, which will be signed on September 23, because those nations want Israel thrown into the sea.
  4. “But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” In general, this statement is trying to bolster your faith and understanding, that you can understand and comprehend what God is about to do. He is about to say, Son, go get your bride. The naysayers loudly and incessantly rave, No man knows the day or the hour! And yet, look at the world around you. Everywhere you turn you can hear the sounds of the toilet being flushed. Nations, such as France, are burning; this is a nation where 1 in 4 women are being raped by Islamic Jihadists. There is hardly a nation where the situation is turning deadly. If you don’t believe that, ask Charlie Kirk; oh yeah, you can’t because he got assassinated. The hour is upon us.
  5. “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.” We are not to turn to rage but to live in the hope of salvation. If you have confessed that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life then you are a believer, a follower of Christ. You no longer have time to play with the world. Separate yourself from their ways and turn quickly to Jesus. Why would the Apostle Paul say that salvation brings hope if it was not meant to tell us that our hope is in the rescue of the church from the horrendous things that are about to be unleashed with the signing of this peace and security agreement? If you are a chronologically oriented person, and know a bit of Daniel 9 and beyond, then you also know that most do not see our rescue until the antichrist adds his approval and support for Peace and Security agreement. Seriously, God is going accomplish what He desires and He desires His bride.
  6. “For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have hope because of this statement right here.

Because of scripture, many of us were looking for heavenly signs, well, we got them.

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.”
(Revelation 12:1-2 BSB)

These signs were star alignments in the night sky, that in this case came into perfect alignment somewhere around 2017. I could NOT see them from where I live as the light pollution obliterates all but a couple of the brightest stars. Many people use an app called Stellarium to know where to look. I just take their word for it; the problem was that so many of the events that we now see, were not happening at the time of John’s writing.

Oh, I might add that the Magi from the East, during the days of Jesus’ birth, came and paid homage to the young child Jesus, based upon their knowledge of the stars.

Allow me to burst your bubble.

“When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
(Matthew 2:16 BSB)

So Jesus, was now at least two, and was NOT living in a manger by the time the wise men (and their rather large entourage,) arrived. Joseph and Mary were in a rented home, at least. The Magi brought them great wealth and I would not be surprised to find out that the gifts funded the entirety of their stay in Egypt.

In regards to the escalating level of violence, which we just witnessed.

“They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” (John 16:2 BSB)

Consider what John 16:4 has to say.

“But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.” (John 16:4 BSB)

In my humble opinion, the context of Jesus’s statement applies to the Jewish community who are living at the time of God’s wrath being poured out. The “hour” is the Greek word hōra and carries meanings, whether (literally or figuratively) of : – day, hour, instant, season. I believe that John 16:4 then points to that moment when “they” will kill you because you are a follower of Christ, or for simply being a Jew.

We will always be with the Lord.

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 BSB)

Since imperfection (sin) cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven, we must shed this earthly body.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 BSB)

Thanks to Adam we have all been infested with sin. How to define that is part of the mystery, but it is not that difficult. That piece of fruit that the two of them ingested changed their DNA and everyone born of man is infested since then. There was time when such a concept was fodder for science fiction movies. Well, Bill Gates and others like him, paid the right people and they found a way to alter your DNA through a Mrna injection. We will not go into details, but I will tell you that one of my brothers died thanks to this manipulation of science. So we have to shed the carrier of that sin; you got it, the body. In the twinkling of an eye we will shed this damaged body in exchange for a new one. It will look just like you. Consider Jesus, He came back from the grave, sat on the beach one day and cooked and ate fish with the disciples. Sounds rather physical, but I can’t explain it now and keep this short. We will be changed and sin free, something that was attached to this old body and linked back to the garden. I long for that day.

Posted in bible study, Matthew's gospel, Revelation, The Day of the Lord | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I finally heard a Pastor take a bold stance and say, I am 100% going to declare the day; and so am I.

Posted on 09/12/2025 by remso

 I recently heard a group of pastors who were doing a video round-table and one of them, in the process of introducing himself, decided to push the religious envelope by saying, I am 100% going to declare the day. He went on to say that the motivation for his strong belief is based upon the preponderance of evidence, confirmations, and validations of a prophetic word. This pastor is convinced beyond measure that Jesus is coming to retrieve His bride during the Feast of Trumpets. He also holds fast to the prophetic word of Brother Joshua. (Although Brother Joshua does not claim his word to be prophetic. The word Brother Joshua finally made public, fits every description of a prophetic word. The word given tells us that Jesus spoke this word and specifically declared September 23, 2025 was to be the day.) Keep in mind that the Feast of Trumpets is a 48 hour window of opportunity that starts at sundown on Tuesday evening, September 22, around six pm, and lasts until six pm on September 24. If I were to think like a Jew, then I know that September 23 initiates at sundown on the 22nd and ends at sundown on the 23rd. Just something to think about.

The Pastor began going through passages that gave him the faith and freedom to corroborate the day of the Lord’s return.

“…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25 NASB)

Pay attention to these words, “but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Encouraging?

Why that has everything to do with hope. Hope is expectation, anticipation, and the leaning of everything we have upon a promise.

How do we encourage?

If you look up the synonyms for encourage you will get a few options, such as: promote, boost, support, inspire, stimulate, enliven, and even animate. Why It almost sounds like a cheerleader and that may be true, but it is difficult to cheer others on if you have had the inspiration beaten out of you.

While I have to admit that the day, is also a variable, there is the implication that we can know the day. If you wish to struggle with the idea of us knowing when, then consider the 50 prophets that followed Elijah.

“Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.” (2 Kings 2:5 BSB)

Chew on that for a while, for the sons of the prophets knew it was to be that day.

Another passage comes Revelation 3:3

“Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.” (Revelation 3:3 BSB)

Perhaps we can deem this to be an idiom, but never forget that there is NOTHING in scripture that is there by accident. He means for us to understanding that we can pinpoint this moment in time down to the hour.

“Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 BSB)

  1. “Now, about the times and seasons …” It is clear to me that we are to understand the times and the seasons. As followers of Christ, we are to expect violence coming at us. Jesus warned us that because they hated Me, they will hate you. So what happened to Brother Charlie Kirk, is NOT uncommon, especially in the African nations. Guess what, this level of common violence is coming to America, sooner than you think. The times and the seasons in which Jesus will come back are upon us.
  2. “ While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, …” They, being the nations against Israel, have already gathered to voice their opinions about the New York document, a document that will be ratified on September 23, 2025, and then it may only have one dissenting vote, although I am hoping the President Trump votes against it, making it two who are standing against this Peace and Security agreement that is being co-chaired by French President, Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmon. The question is: the destruction that is coming, will it be upon the signers, or, upon Israel.
  3. “… and they will not escape.” Does it matter to whom Jesus is speaking? Not really, because as I write this Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts. Any action, no matter who fires first, will be met with overwhelming firepower. I might add that Israel is progressively leveling Gaza as we speak. This action, has motivated Germany, one of the last allies Israel had, to turn their backs on Israel and voice their approval of this two state solution. Do not think for a second that the Islamic nations care one bit about Israel or this UN agreement, which will be signed on September 23, because those nations want Israel thrown into the sea.
  4. “But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” In general, this statement is trying to bolster your faith and understanding, that you can understand and comprehend what God is about to do. He is about to say, Son, go get your bride. The naysayers loudly and incessantly rave, No man knows the day or the hour! And yet, look at the world around you. Everywhere you turn you can hear the sounds of the toilet being flushed. Nations, such as France, are burning; this is a nation where 1 in 4 women are being raped by Islamic Jihadists. There is hardly a nation where the situation is turning deadly. If you don’t believe that, ask Charlie Kirk; oh yeah, you can’t because he got assassinated. The hour is upon us.
  5. “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.” We are not to turn to rage but to live in the hope of salvation. If you have confessed that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life then you are a believer, a follower of Christ. You no longer have time to play with the world. Separate yourself from their ways and turn quickly to Jesus. Why would the Apostle Paul say that salvation brings hope if it was not meant to tell us that our hope is in the rescue of the church from the horrendous things that are about to be unleashed with the signing of this peace and security agreement? If you are a chronologically oriented person, and know a bit of Daniel 9 and beyond, then you also know that most do not see our rescue until the antichrist adds his approval and support for Peace and Security agreement. Seriously, God is going accomplish what He desires and He desires His bride.
  6. “For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have hope because of this statement right here.

Because of scripture, many of us were looking for heavenly signs, well, we got them.

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.”
(Revelation 12:1-2 BSB)

These signs were in the night sky somewhere around 2017. You could NOT see them from where I live as light pollution obliterates all but a couple of the brightest stars. Many people used an app called Stellarium to do their studying. I merely took their word for it; the problem was that so many of the events that we now see, were not happening then.

Oh, I might add that wise men, during the days of Jesus’ birth, based upon their knowledge of the stars, came and paid homage to the young child Jesus. 

Allow me to burst your bubble.

“When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
(Matthew 2:16 BSB)

Jesus, was now at least two, and was NOT living in a manger by the time the wise men (and their rather large entourage arrived. Joseph and Mary were in at least a rented home, I assume. The Magi brought them great wealth and I would not be surprised if that funded the entirety of their stay in Egypt.

In regards to the escalating level of violence, which we just witnessed.

“They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” (John 16:2 BSB)

 Consider what John 16:4 has to say.  

 “But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.”  (John 16:4 BSB)

 We will always be with the Lord.

 “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 BSB)

Since imperfection (sin) cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven, we must shed this earthly body.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 BSB)

 Since Adam we have all been infested with sin. How to define that is part of the mystery, but it is not that difficult. That piece of fruit that the two of them ingested changed their DNA. There was time when such a concept was fodder for science fiction movies. Well, Bill Gates and others like him, paid the right people and they found a way in an Mrna injection. We will not go into details, but I will tell you that one of my brothers died thanks to this manipulation of science. So we have to shed the carrier of that sin; you got it, the body. In the twinkling of an eye we will shed this damaged body in exchange for a new one. It will look just like you. Consider Jesus, He came back from the grave, sat on the beach one day and cooked and ate fish with the disciples. Sounds rather physical, but not worth the time to try and explain it now. We will be changed and sin free, something that was attached to this old body and linked back to the garden. 

I can hardly wait.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, bible study, destruction, Hebrews, Hope, Magi, overtake, Revelation, signs, thief, times, twinkling of an eye, wrath. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I am no different than you. I, too, have to fight through the fears and verbal attacks from zealots.

Posted on 09/08/2025 by remso

 I am convinced that Jesus is coming back for His church with the Feast of Trumpets.

In case you were not aware of when that will take place, it happens in September when Israel is trying to get two people to be witnesses to the New Moon.

We are to do no judgmental actions without at least two witnesses. Since I don’t grasp Jewish law I assume that this could be two random, but anxious Jewish strangers that might declare this to the priesthood in Israel. I would not be surprised to find out that someone, trustworthy, would go out and try to observe the event.

This quest to spot the new moon happens this year during a 48 hour window of opportunity that initiates at sundown on September 22.

(It has been advertised for several weeks now that the UN will meet on September 22, 2025. and continue through the 24th. It will be co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron, the President of France and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman , will push hard, fully expecting a declaration of peace and security to be signed by a majority of attendees, that will include President Donald Trump. A quote from i24 News states, “Macron said the objective is to rally the widest possible international support for a Two-State Solution, calling it “the only way to meet the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.” Considering that God, Himself, has made it clear that no one will split the land that He has given to Israel, and not pay a severe price for that action.) Commentary mine.

Consider the variability of this attempt to view the new moon and then get officials from the Synagogue to validate your finding. There are several scenarios, one of which could be cloud cover for the entire 48 hour time interval. Should that happen the priests will have no option but to declare that there was a New Moon and place its occurrence in the last minutes of that 48 window.

There is a problem for those of us that choose to use our brains and talk about it, and that is the hostile negativity, generated by religious folk, that will aggressively remind you that Matthew 24:36 says that NO MAN knows the day or the hour when Jesus will come to collect His bride.

The context has to do with the parable of the Fig Tree.

Matthew 24:32-36 NLT  “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.  (33)  In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.  (34)  I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.  (35)  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.  (36)  “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

I did a search on Duck Duck Go, which is AI assisted and it gave this understanding. “

“Yes, the statement “no one knows the day or hour” is an idiom that originated in Jewish culture, specifically related to the Feast of Trumpets, which begins with the sighting of the new moon. It reflects the uncertainty of knowing the exact timing of certain events, particularly in a religious context.”

An Idiom – is an expression.
That means the disciples who heard this idiom knew exactly what Jesus was talking about. He was talking about the day that nobody knows (another idiom) because it is a variable (as I have elaborated on, during which the officials from the Synagogue actively sought to spot the new moon which indicated the New Year.

Detective Sir Robert Anderson, of the famed Scotland Yard, did the math for us and demonstrated that the time frame ran from 444 BC to 32 BC. Jesus also did the math and placed Himself upon that Donkey on the precise day that would fulfill the prophecy and have Him ride through the Eastern gate, where the crowd hailed Him as Messiah. Problem, only a week later they yelled crucify Him. Robert Anderson had this to say, “THE INTERVAL WAS EXACTLY AND TO THE VERY DAY 173,880 DAYS, OR SEVEN TIMES SIXTY-NINE PROPHETIC YEARS OF 360 DAYS.”

In Daniel and the Revelation there are references to a particular set of days and months.

Revelation 11:2-3 NLT  “But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.  (3)  And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”

42 months and 1,260 days are both equal in time spans. 1,260 days x 2 = 2,520 days, or seven years.

Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. They have been a nation for 77 years. The scriptures tell us that the age range of a man is 70-80 years. If this is the measure for a generation, then Israel is well within that span.

Psalms 90:10 BSB  “The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty if we are strong— yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.”

Jesus told this to the disciples that were gathered there.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.” (Matthew 24:32-34 BSB)

Israel is the fig tree.

Since we know that it’s branches have become tender and sprouted leaves, then we also know that the summer is near.

What does that mean?

  1. For those that enjoy figs, it is time to eat.
  2. The summer season is the time when kings go to war. Well, the summer is upon those of us in the Northern hemisphere.
  3. Jesus went on to say, “when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.”
    He, is Jesus and He is coming soon to retrieve His bride.
  4. And finally, “ this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.”
    If the generation is those that were alive when Israel became a nation, well this is rapidly becoming a problem, because my father was one of those, and he just recently passed.

There is one more marker that signifies that we are at the end. The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica said this.

“Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”                     (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 BSB)

Verse 3 is read as people or they. The question is, who is the people that Paul is referring to. Since the context has everything to do with the catching away of the church, then our focus should be turned toward Israel and anyone that could have an impact on Israel.

Today’s date is 09/08/25 and just yesterday the President of the United States, once again, tried demanding a peace deal by giving Hamas another of his ultimatums. Apparently Israel, or should I say, Prime Minister Netanyahu has indicated that Israel would be in agreement with this action.

Problems: 1. Hamas will not agree to any partition of Jerusalem because they want it all. This is NOT a new strategy for them for their destiny is to be at war with each other.

“And the Angel of the Lord continued, See now, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael [God hears], because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your affliction. And he [Ishmael] will be as a wild ass among men; his hand will be against every man and every man’s hand against him, and he will live to the east and on the borders of all his kinsmen.” (Genesis 16:11-12 AMP)

If it helps there is this understanding of Esau.

“… Esau I hated. I made his hills a wasteland and gave his inheritance to jackals of the wilderness.” (Malachi 1:3 TLV)

So, if you have not heard, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salmon, on September 22nd through the 24th, right in the midst of the feast of trumpets, will co-chair a vast UN committee with the sole purpose of making a declaration that splits Jerusalem and invokes a treaty that will finally bring – here it comes – peace and security.

If, God holds to His revealed word, which we, only moments ago, read; then those involved with this attempt at splitting God’s city, will suffer a sudden destruction.

Where is the church during this moment of crisis?

I am one of those voices that believes that Jesus will come for His bride at the last trump, an aspect of the feast of trumpets.

I have to tell you that I am rather disgusted with any who come against us advocate for this window of opportunity, for that is what it is, a window. I cannot tell you where, within this 48 hour window, that begins on September 22, at sundown and ends on September 24, at sundown.

While it will come like a thief in the night for those who are complacent and argumentative, because they refuse to be alert and watch. Jesus said in John 8:12 that “He who follows me will NOT be walking in the dark.

If “the Day of the Lord” is specifically talking about God’s wrath suddenly being poured out, then it should be energizing to know that the Day of the Lord cannot come until we, the church, are removed.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 LSV  “do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because if the departure may not come first, the man of lawlessness may not be revealed—the son of destruction,”

The narratives surrounding Lot and Noah both show that God had His people removed before destruction.

“but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:29 NASB)

Find the origins of this narrative and you will find that angels were telling Lot that they could do nothing until Lot and his family were safely removed. In the case of Noah, seven days before the rains came God had Noah and family get in the ark and then God closed the door.

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus it comes when you ask Him to come into your life. He took all your sin and shame to the cross with Him, and He made you Holy and sanctified for the Father’s word by pouring His own blood out upon the heavenly altar. In Him you are lacking nothing. 

We are going home soon.

Posted in 2 Thessalonians, absent, Antichrist, apostasy, bible study, departure, forgiven, Israel, Jesus, Jews, Matthew's gospel, mystery, The Day of the Lord, the end of the World, twinkling of an eye | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chapter nine of Daniel and the seventy weeks begins by focusing on the 70 weeks of years.

Posted on 09/02/2025 by remso

 Daniel 9:24 NASB “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

I have come to understand that the lead-in to the 70th year includes:

  • The catching away of the bride.
  • The introduction of the antichrist.
  • The unleashing of God’s wrath upon Israel and the nations.
  • And, has to include the beginning of the millennial reign. 

All of which comprise that 70th year.

The problem with understanding lies in preachers who weakly try to explain what to do with this over 2000-year-old gap. Daniel 9:26 tells us that the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. This event, which happened once, is a definition of the event that is yet to come. Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica, a place where he initially only spent three weeks, went deep rather quickly as he explained to them that the antichrist will not come on the scene until the church is removed. You have to go into the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible or the Geneva Bible to find this clearly laid out.

Since we will not witness the antichrist making his moves, then it would make sense that this transition to the 70th week brings about the removal of the church, the advent of the antichrist, and the unleashing of God’s wrath.

Sir Robert Anderson tells us this about the 70th week:

Seventy weeks. Note: “That is, seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, which, reckoned from the seventh year of Artaxerxes, coinciding with the 4256th year of the Julian period, and in the month Nisan, in which Ezra was commissioned to restore the Jewish state and polity (Ezr_7:9-26), will bring us to the month Nisan of the 4746th year of the same period, or A.D. 33, the very month and year in which our Lord suffered, and completed the work of our salvation. Sir Robert Anderson has since given a detailed calculation regarding the seventy weeks, a period which begins March 14, B.C. 445, and for the sixty-ninth week, ends Sunday, April 6, A.D. 32, the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Luke_19:28-40) in fulfillment of Zechariah_9:9” (Anderson, The Coming Prince, pp. vi., 128).

In spite of all this horror that precedes God’s wrath, it is also a time of much healing and freedom.


Pay attention to the following assertions.

  • To finish the transgression – If the wrath has to be poured out upon Israel, up to and including the time Jesus comes back on the white horse, then it is safe to say that the transgression is NOT over. Clearly, the war, which Jesus fights with the sword in His mouth, is an aspect of this transgression being finished.
  • To make an end of sin – This, I conjecture, took place in that time between the cross, Jesus’s death, His resurrection, and His placement upon the throne, where He now sits. Matthew 26 has Jesus telling the disciples that the wine was a symbol of His blood, which takes away the sin of the world. During the time between the cross and the throne, Jesus poured out His blood upon the mercy seat, in the heavenly temple, for all of us. (This one time act is the culmination of our salvation if we will accept that He came to earth and did all that for our benefit.) Now, if you are saying to yourself, but I keep on sinning, first off, you would be correct because that attraction to sin is part of your DNA, thanks to Adam, and it is one of the primary reasons that in the twinkling of an eye, we who arise to go with Christ to meet Him in the air will be changed from air breathers to spiritual beings made wholly in the image of God. I would not be too hard on Adam because God needed a pathway into the earth by which He could, once and for all, eliminate Satan and his cohorts; Adam’s actions gave Him just that opportunity. Now God, knowing full well the tribulations that are a part of our daily lives, made a covering for us, and that was the cross.
  • To make atonement for iniquity – There, once again, goes that cross; and God, in the form of Jesus, put Himself on that cross, paying the outlandish price, once and for all.
  • To bring in everlasting righteousness – Every minute we spend on this earth is an opportunity to show God’s grace and mercy to others. This grace, mercy, and justice is the essence of God’s character, and we have the privilege of sharing that. Eventually, and by that I mean sooner than you think, we will partake in His everlasting righteousness.
  • To seal up the vision and prophecy – Some translations add the word “the.” I think it makes more sense as the vision and the prophecy are not in the control of any one human being; it belongs to all who believe, receive, and redistribute the vision to others.
  • And to anoint the Most Holy Place – The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus did just that. Our struggle is to envision that this took place on His traverse from the cross to the throne.

Daniel 9:25 BSB  “Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.”

Trying to ascertain this particular moment in time (the decree to rebuild Jerusalem) has always been a cloudy issue for me. I can tell you that my personal cloud lay in my hesitation to look at the wording of the statement, “from the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.”

There were four decrees from the mouth of the kings, but three of them were specific to the temple alone. Finally, Artaxerxes I made his last decree in 445 BC and specified that Jerusalem be rebuilt. There the clarity was all along.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary informs us of this: “Artaxerxes’ permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem is the decree Daniel had prophesied 95 years earlier in 539 b.c. This decree was issued on March 5, 444 b.c. (See comments on Daniel_9:25).

Daniel 9:25 goes on to say, “From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.” This is 69 weeks of years, or 490 years.

Do you realize that Jesus did not have to struggle to understand this bit of history and put Himself on that donkey’s colt and rode through the Eastern Gate, the Sheep Gate, on that specific morning.

Why point out that it was the sheep gate?

Because the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, the Son of God, the son of man, and the savior of the world, the Messiah, rode into town that day. Jesus was not caught up in all the accolades because He knew their hearts. He also knew how much this was going to cost Him.

Here we are, once again, staring at those 69 weeks of years out of 70. Jesus died, rose again, and walked the earth for a short period of time after He rose, demonstrating that He is God. This gap between the 69th and the 70th week would require preparations and the hardening of hearts in order to bring everything into alignment. As I pointed out earlier, the church would have to be retrieved, battles would have to be prepared, the attempts to split Jerusalem would be made, and the world would have cried peace and security, while others screamed out, for no good reason, their hatred of the Jews and Israel.

Is that happening?

Oh, you bet it is.

Back to the Bible Knowledge Commentary:

“The divisions of the 70 “sevens” (Daniel_9:25-27) 

“Important revelation was then given to Daniel about the inception of this important time period and its divisions. The 70 “sevens” would begin, Gabriel said, with the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree was the fourth of four decrees made by Persian rulers in reference to the Jews.”

“The fourth decree was also by Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued on March 5, 444 b.c. (Nehemiah_2:1-8). On that occasion Artaxerxes granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s city walls. This decree is the one referred to in Daniel_9:25.”

“This prophecy of the 70 sevens, then, ends not with the First Advent of Christ, as some suggest, but rather with the Second Advent and the establishing of the millennial kingdom.”

Daniel 9:26 BSB  Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.

Once again, ignoring the seven weeks that initiated this course of action, we are told that AFTER the 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off.

What does that mean?

That means Jesus would be falsely accused, beaten severely, and nailed to a cross; this was the price paid for all of our sins—past, present, and future.

Moving on.

Daniel, in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, which Daniel saw, is told that the people of the prince that is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

The religious explanation of the prince, is to say that the revised Roman Empire will rise up and we should see someone from that region rise up. This also implies that we may see a pope take this role. Don’t be so cloddish.

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury also takes the safe, traditional path when giving an answer about whom they think will take the lead as the antichrist; they do this by pointing us, incorrectly, back to Rome.

The answer as to the nationality and region from which this “prince” will come is found in Daniel when he interprets the golden image for Nebuchadnezzar.

Historians such as Josephus and Tacitus recorded that Assyrians, as conscript troops who had an intense hatred of the Jews, waged a war against the Jews temple, in spite of orders from Titus.

“AI” informs me of this: “While Emperor Vespasian was the Roman Emperor during the time of the First Jewish-Roman War and the events leading to the siege of Jerusalem, his son Titus commanded the Roman legions that besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 AD.” Josephus recorded that the Assyrian troops ignored the commands from Titus to cease and desist in their destruction.”

So, the people of the prince also included Assyrians, a fact that was documented by two historians. So when you generalize and say it will be a Roman that will return as the Antichrist, you are ignoring the obvious: Assyrians.

Back to Daniel and the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue.

One more piece of evidence about the people of the prince that is to come.

Micah 5:5 NASB This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.

You can make the broken assumption that the Assyrian is a generalized statement about anyone from the Middle East attacking Israel, an event we have been watching for several months. Micah speaks about the end of time.

Daniel’s explanation to Nebuchadnezzar went as follows.

Daniel 2:31-35 BSB  As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome.  (32)  The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze,  (33)  its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.  (34)  As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.  (35)  Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

The specifics about the first head read like this:

Daniel 2:38 BSB “Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.”

The second kingdom is best defined in the Amplified Bible.

Daniel 2:39 AMP “And after you shall arise another kingdom [the Medo-Persian], inferior to you, …”

The Amplified Bible continues to explain.

Daniel 2:39 AMP “…and still a third kingdom of bronze [Greece under Alexander the Great], which shall bear rule over all the earth.”

And though the AMP Bible declares that the Greeks “shall bear rule over all the earth,” we don’t see that; and, like the Romans that are yet, in this narrative, to come, they, like the Greeks, will come to a crashing halt.

Now lets examine the Macedonians/Greeks for a moment.

They initiated their foray into world domination under a powerful man, Alexander, but he, like everyone else, eventually died. Upon his death four generals grabbed control. Even they collapsed down to two, Ptolemy 1 in the South, Egypt, and Seleucus in the North. In trying to find some depth to backup my assertions I found this https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_four_successors_of_alexander.htm; there it says the “Seleucus’ dynasty is noted for its attempts to integrate Greek and Eastern cultures.”

Eastern culture has effectively come to be known as Islam.

If you are struggling to understand the implications of an assertion such as this; then I suggest you consider what is happening to America where Muslims are concerned. Perhaps this website will open your eyes. https://www.theunitedwest.org/2017/06/27/islams-conquest-of-america-one-town-at-a-time/. Consider the opening statement from this website,

“Minneapolis (MN) to Hamtramck (MI) to Falls Church (VA) to Paterson (NJ) and many other towns and cities across the fifty states, the Islamic Movement is quietly conquering America (Just as they have done in the UK.)

The federal government sleeps, many state governments – including those controlled by Republicans – do their best to accommodate Muslims waging Civilization Jihad against America, and the hard-left Marxists – including nearly all of the local and national media – are collaborators in the enemy’s efforts.

Did you notice the phrase, “Republicans, do their best to accommodate Muslims waging … Jihad against America…” It should not surprise you to know that a powerful Imam from America, recently told the world, from his mosque, that soon, Muslims will have full control of our governmental systems, up to the White House. Let me remind you that the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had a Muslim woman, Huma Abedin who as an American former political staffer, an intern in First Lady Hillary Clinton’s office in 1996. Internet information shows that after four years in the White House, she moved on to the U.S. Senate as senior advisor to Senator Clinton and was traveling chief of staff for Clinton’s 2008. She was also the vice chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for President of the United States. During much of this time she was the wife of Anthony Wiener, who served on the New York city council. Mrs. Clinton allowed that woman to access and process state secrets. (This information can be freely accessed on the internet.)

So, the Seleucid empire had attempted to integrate into the Assyrian culture, a powerful and deadly culture, that affected “nations” such as the Ninevehites, whom Jonah was willing to commit suicide to prevent God showing these people, whom Jonah hated, mercy, which He did.

We are given NOTHING that indicates that the Assyrians ever extracted themselves from attempts at controlling this region of the world.

The fourth empire is a transition from the Grecian empire as it dissolved into the two legs and feet of iron. The iron shows the influence of Islam.

Daniel 2:41-43 AMP And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of [baked] clay [of the potter] and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it some of the firmness and strength of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with miry [earthen] clay. (42) And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of [baked] clay [of the potter], so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle and broken. (43) And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay.

A key word that many miss, simply because it is relatively common, is the word mixed. ‛arab, is an Aramaic verb meaning to mix, to mingle, to join together. (Word Study Dictionary.)

When I, an American, see these letters I only think of two things, Middle Easterners and Muslims. You should know that Muslims and Islam did not come on the scene until some time after 600 AD.

Also consider what God had to say about Ishmael.

Genesis 16:11-12 NASB The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. (12) “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

So we already had a picture of what we are seeing now in the Middle East.

We are never given any information to define any furtherance in kingdoms beyond Alexander.

Since God never promoted the Roman Empire why do we?

I suppose the obvious, The Roman Empire ,did play a role in the rule and law of Israel; and, under the rule of Titus Vespacian, the temple was destroyed for the second time in 70 AD. This information still gives me no right to declare Rome to be the empire that will bring on the antichrist.

History and the writings etched into stone tell us that the Medes and Persians were the second kingdom. Here is an oddity that no one will tell you: the Babylonians, the Medes, and the Persians all had the Assyrians as their common ancestry, and they were descendants of Noah.

Take a read into Micah’s writings where it informs us that one of the names of this “prince” is the Assyrian. (Note: Not Roman.)

Micah 5:5 KJV  “…when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, …”

Consider that it would be rare if you found someone who agreed with the Word of God, that this man who destroyed the temple in 70AD is the Assyrian, nor will they agree that the “prince that is to come” will be the Assyrian.

Isaiah 31:8 NASB “And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of man will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, …”

In Revelation 19 we see Jesus coming back to earth on a white horse, and He has a sword coming out of His mouth.

Revelation 19:11-15 KJV  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  (12)  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  (13)  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  (14)  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  (15)  And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

While many are killed, we are only told that He kills two people and throws them into the lake of fire; the antichrist and the false prophet.

“A sword not of man” is Jesus, and it is the antichrist that fits the description of the Assyrian.

So, there you are, stuck without a satisfying answer, while at the same time you have a somewhat vague answer that points to the vast Muslim community. We will not know who this man is, and he will not be released into public view until the Church has made their escape from this earth.

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The tares and the wheat, and how does all this fit into the final judgment. A response to a family member.

Posted on 08/12/2025 by remso

 One of my family members brought up the wheat and tares that we see in Matthew 24, but she could not, or perhaps would not attempt to understand that all these events are conveying the final judgment; a judgment, by the way, that has nothing to do with the church, nor the catching away of the church.

Since I was woefully unequipped to answer her challenges that afternoon, I am going to answer her’s and anybody else’s questions pertaining to the final judgment and when it takes place.

The Final Judgment.

I have, for some time, adopted the view that Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20 are the same event from different perspectives.

Is that true?

In Matthew’s account, it is clear that only “the nations will be gathered before Him.”

Matthew 25:32 NLT 
“All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

This is not speaking of the Jews as they have never been considered an aspect of the nations, and they consider anyone outside of the Synagogue to be a pagan dog.

Don’t hold your breath as you say, Awe, I got it, as all of those gathered before Him will be dead people.

Allow me to paint a word picture for you. During the three days that affected Jesus’ death, one of the things He did was to go into Hades and preach to the captives. Here is where you get to make an intelligent separation.

Some of those religious folk were not entitled to go up in the snatching away of the church. Why?

Do NOT set aside who Jesus was talking to when He said the things He said and Matthew recorded. The audience was Jewish, and the subject matter really pertained to them. Now, here we are, all those thousands of years later, trying to sort out what He said.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 BSB 
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  (17)  so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.”

Because the church was not established until Pentecost, 50 days after “first fruits.” (Jesus was the first fruit.) On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell on the 150+ disciples who were obediently waiting in the upper room.

Psalms 102:18 BSB 
“Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.”

Jesus’s actions during the three days of His “death,” are interspersed throughout the scriptures. If Jesus preached to the captives, as the scriptures tell us He did, we must accept that there were co-occurrent actions; I think that would indicate that an untold number would have, in some way, been set free. Don’t get me wrong, I would not have expected them to come back to life; however, on the day of His death, we are told that many dead folk rose from the dead and walked the streets of Jerusalem. I think it is important to note that we are given no specifics as to who any of these people were. A moment of honesty, I am having a difficult time trying to envision what became of these formerly dead people.

At the end of the seven years of God’s wrath, Jesus resurrects those who held to the testimony of Jesus Christ and subsequently were beheaded for NOT participating in the worship of the beast nor taking his mark. We see all this portrayed in Revelation 20:4-6, which I have included below.

We are also told that it is these resurrected dead that are seated upon those thrones that Jesus sets up as the millennial reign begins. These people are referred to as saints.

Note: the scripture makes it plain that the act of bringing these saints back to life is the first resurrection.

In John’s account of the last 1000 years, which we call the Revelation, we see this.

Revelation 20:4-6 NKJV 
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. (Here we are at the final throne that ends all judgment; and yet look at the description that we get here in Revelation 20, a multitude of thrones set up. It is obvious that Jesus cannot and will not sit upon them all. This is where I try to answer the question, who are the “they” that sit upon these thrones? The answer is given to us in verse 4). “Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (5)  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  (6)  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

Question: Who then are the rest of the dead?

They have nothing to do with the church. Here are several reasons why.

  • First, death has more to do with eternal separation from God.

    Sure, death has much to do with the cessation of breathing, but that is not death in God’s eyes. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:8, tells us that for the follower of Jesus, death is merely an absence from the body, at which point you are immediately present with the Lord.

    These people who missed the rapture, and refused to turn to Jesus during the years of wrath, and are apt to be eternally separated from heaven, are acting in this manner entirely by their own choice. This option to obtain life was always before them, and they chose to ignore that action.

    Since the time of grace left with the snatching away of the church, those who see the fallacy of their decision and turn to Jesus will have to prove their allegiance to Christ by their testimony, their refusal to take the mark, and their refusal to worship the beast. They will be executed in some manner, most likely beheading, although 19 years ago I saw pictures of some high-tech guillotines; this inglorious death allows for them to be resurrected in the first resurrection, which takes place at the beginning of the thousand-year reign.

  • Imagine a scenario that could happen within days of the rapture, where some of these who ignored Christ’s call get squashed by a falling building. They then might fall into the category of those who get called before the great throne of God, along with the nations.

    We have learned that those who do not (fully?) believe, their deaths are comparable to the parable of the rich man’s death, which Jesus told the disciples. It would seem that they will find themselves in Hades, a waiting place of discomfort. Many of those who have spent a few moments there because of death do not describe an intense discomfort such as the rich man spoke of. That does not mean it does not exist; it can imply that the tremendous emotion and loss they feel overrides any other emotion at the time.

    Those that go to hades become subject to the final judgment at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ; whether it is called: the judgment of the tares, where all we see is the burning of the tares; the sheep and goat judgment, where those who are symbolized as goats are sent off to the lake of fire and the eternal torment that brings, while the sheep, those who did not go up in the rapture of the Church, are given entrance into the kingdom because of a simple work (such as: giving someone who needs it a drink of water, Christ symbolizes the recipients of this kindness as though we did it to Him;) And, finally the great white throne judgment, where we have no discussion about anyone receiving mercy; but unlike Matthew 25, the event where we see NO books, Revelation 20 speaks of books and the book of life. All of the people mentioned above are designated, at some point, as the nations, and there is a clear picture of “good” and “bad” people jumbled together. The “good,” portrayed by the sheep, demonstrates that some, lacking a commitment to Christ, still manage to follow the moral standard that lives within all of us; it is because of their unwitting works that they gain access. In Matthew’s account of the sheep, they have NO clue that what they did would eventually gain them access into the kingdom of heaven, a place where NO evil will enter. This thought lends itself to the idea that Jesus will NOT leave them in whatever sinful condition they were in. If you have read any of my thoughts on how death strips the sin-laden body away, and how the death of the body may open the door for their entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

(Revelation 20:7,8 NKJV)
“Now, when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”

(When you read this, ask the question, where are these people coming from? The answer is given to us, and it is NOT merely from the plains of Meggido; they are coming from the four corners of the earth. I suppose it is not fair to say they are primarily Muslims, but if your eyes are open then you have seen, the Jihadists, the followers of Islam that have been carrying out a form of warfare as they swarm across the globe, place themselves on school boards, become elected to city councils, and then get themselves elected into higher seats of authority, like Mayors of large cities such as New York.)

(Revelation 20:9 NKJV)
“They (the nations that have been living scattered amongst the people on the earth during the millennial reign) went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. (So these are now included among the dead, though just moments before they were living among the nations.)”

Allow me to interrupt for a moment as I point out how Matthew conveys a similar oral picture of the final throne.

(Matthew 25:31 NKJV)
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

When John describes this final throne, he sees a great white one. Now that whiteness may be depicting the light that emanates from His glory.

(Revelation 20:11-13 NKJV) “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.”

Things in common between the two scenarios:

  • Jesus is the judge in all cases.

    If I have not said it, I will. The whole of the Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ; therefore, it is Jesus upon that final throne. I might also add that all judgment has been given unto the Son, Jesus.

  • In Matthew’s account, we are told that He gathers all the nations before Him.

    It is at this time that He separates them into the two crowds, and refers to them as the sheep and the goats.

  • In the Revelation chronicle, we are told that the dead are gathered before Him.

    What we fail to realize is that a huge number of these dead were alive only moments before, and were referred to as the nations, gathered from the four corners of the earth.

  • It wasn’t until I had spent some time looking at these scenarios that someone pointed out the “parable of the wheat and the tares.” (Read about this in Matthew 13, verses 24 – 30.) This, too, is a judgment scenario. The dead show up as the angels with scythes, and they gather the tares at the end of time, into bundles, with the intent to burn them; this is when the final judgment takes place. The difficulty in understanding comes as this does not have comparable details to the others. The commonality is that it, too, is a final judgment setting.

    Note: There are not multiple judgments of the dead; there is only one, and it happens at the great, white, glorious throne, where Jesus sits.

What is the difference between the judgment scenarios?

In Matthew’s account, there is NO mention of books, nor the book of life, as we see in Revelation 20. And yet, in Matthew 25:32, He is separating the judged, called sheep and goats, good or bad, based upon some work found in one of the books, that demonstrates an act that has earned them entrance into the kingdom. Since God is organized and NOT random, then there have to be records.

Matthew 25:32 NLT 
“All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

In Malachi, a time in which the Torah was scarce, those who feared the Lord shared their understanding of God’s law, gave attention to what they heard, and began writing a book of remembrance before the Lord. This statement covers a very wide group of people, some of whom might not be religious.

Malachi 3:16 NASB
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.”

In the Revelation, there are books, and the dead are judged based on what is written in them. Religion will be judgmental, asserting that everything written is negative and that all of them should be sent to hell.

Revelation 20:12 NASB
“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”

Matthew shows us the nations being gathered before Jesus on His glorious throne. There is NOTHING that excludes the idea that, at least, some of these, if not all, were physically dead.

This leads to the next question: What is death?

While many worry about physical death, we who have been in the scriptures long enough know that death is nothing more than a permanent separation from God, an event that happens in conjunction with the great white throne judgment and culminates with the condemned being tossed into the Lake of Fire and nowhere else.

Daniel 7 gives us yet another view of the final judgment at the end of the thousand years. Here is an image of God and His throne that, in this case, has a river of fire glowing out from it; we had not seen this before.

Daniel 7:9-10 NLT 
“I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire,  (10)  and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.”

The beast of Revelation 17 is one of those things that will be judged, and it is represented by the antichrist. Revelation 17 attempts to define the beast. This is a little confusing because we have descriptions of kings with crowns and horns, which are kingdoms, when other passages point us to a singular man. This is where many of us get baffled, as numerous prophetic interpreters apply their statements about a human who sustains a mortal head wound and then comes back to life. This teaching is out of context and causes people to look for the wrong thing, like the Pope or the Vatican rising up against the world.

Revelation 13:2-3 NASB And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. (3) I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;

Note: the beast, and it is like so many things. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. A multi-headed monster, unlike anything we have ever seen, and God called it a him. To make things even more confusing, the scriptures tell us that one of its heads sustains a head wound that makes it appear as though it is dead. The bible explains these heads to be kingdoms; therefore, one of the kingdoms, or, shall we say, empires, sustains what appears to be a mortal wound.

What empire did just that?

The Ottoman Empire around 1924.

Ask yourself, what was the driving force behind the Ottoman Empire?

Islam.

Where can you find Islam today?

They are educators in your schools, making decisions over your city councils, sitting as mayors of your cities, they are your senators, and we had one as a president for two terms.

How did that work out for us?

Aside from trying to destroy the economy of the United States, the man gave billions to Iran to support their nuclear programs.

What’s the primary ideology of Iran?

Islam and all the twisted commands of the Quran and associated hadiths.

An angel explains to John about the harlot who rides the beast.

Revelation 17:7 NIV 
“Then the angel said to me: ‘Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.”

By definition, astonished is to be stunned or surprised, but that is not what Daniel was. Daniel used the Hebrew word thaumázō, which means he, too, was caught up in admiration and marvel.

The angel told Daniel the mystery of the same woman.
Mystery is the Hebrew word mustērion and, among other things, means a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding.

As you listen to internet teachers, going on about Mystery Babylon, how many of them make sense? Not many. It is past time to invest in God’s Word.

If the woman, who is drunk on the blood of the saints, has all these aspects rolled up as a part of her package. Then what are those aspects?

Power, money, an intentional lack of moral restraint, brutality against God’s people, including the Jews and the Christians, an atrocious degree of arrogance, and they think they are untouchable.

If you doubt that these things are not part of what constitutes the harlot, then what became of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list?

CNN told us that the US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, told President Trump that his name was on that list, several times. You see how quickly the evidence disappeared.

What became of Epstein’s girlfriend? If there is nothing to substantiate that crimes happened, then why is Epstein’s girlfriend in jail? There are a tremendous number of what-ifs, and this is such a small piece of the puzzle.

All that follows was an attempt to direct you to a proper footnote. Passing my writing through a document checker and back again tends to scrub details such as the footnote that follows.

1I have copied and pasted the words that Jesus spoke, just as the translators put them on the page. I am aware that in the world of social media, putting text in all capitals is equivalent to yelling angrily. I am not so sure Jesus was doing that, but He might have been, especially if He was dealing with Pharisees.

(Luke 4:18 NKJV)
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED;

I want to focus on this statement that Jesus quoted, but made personal,

“To proclaim liberty to the Captives.” (NKJV) If you focus on the (NASB), it states,

“To proclaim release to the captives.”

From the UCRT.

To preach deliverance.

Deliverance translates aphesin (Strong’s # G859, Mat_26:28). Here, in this context, the necessity to translate aphesin as deliverance rather than forgiveness is absolute.

From the Word Study Dictionary Strong’s # G859

áphesis; gen. aphéseo¯s, fem. noun. from aphíe¯mi (G863), to cause to stand away, to release one’s sins from the sinner. Forgiveness, remission. This required Christ’s sacrifice as punishment for sin, hence the putting away of sin and the deliverance of the sinner from the power of sin, although not from its presence, which will come later after the resurrection, when our very bodies will be redeemed.

It is interesting indeed that in Luke 4:18, the word áphesis is used without any designation of what this deliverance or forgiveness is from. The Lord said: “He hath anointed me to . . . preach deliverance to the captives [the word is the same, áphesis] . . . to set at liberty [again the word is the same, en {G1722}, in; aphései, at freedom].” The work of Christ, therefore, is designated as deliverance from everything that holds man a prisoner away from God. However, setting sinful man free would have been a very dangerous thing if God did not simultaneously change man’s nature (2Co_5:17; 2Pe_1:4). Man’s freedom is not one that permits him to continue in sin (1Jn_3:6), but binds him in Christ. What Christ does is not simply to take man from prison and set him free, but also to change him radically (katallássei [G2644]), giving him power over sin.

Áphesis is part of a larger process that does not involve simply the freedom of the sinner, but the change of the sinner from being a slave of sin to becoming a slave of God. With that freedom from sin, he acquires freedom of action because of his changed nature and spirit. He acquires the ability to follow after God instead of fleeing from God, and the desire to flee from sin and pursue it. Forgiveness, therefore, must never be understood as the permission for the sinner to continue in his sinful condition.

In the same manner, we must not misunderstand the use of the verb aphíe¯mi (G863), to forgive on the part of the Christian in regard to another, as meaning the forgiving Christian is supposed to allow the sinner to continue in his sinful condition. Forgiveness is not condoning sin but rather doing everything possible to see that the particular sin or sins of the sinner are removed from him by God, who is the only One who can deliver and cleanse him. Forgiveness, therefore, is never freedom in sin but freedom from sin by God (italics added).

Heb_9:22 contains an absolute statement, “without shedding of blood is no remission [áphesis].” As animal sacrifices gave OT sinners relief from the guilt of sin, so Jesus Christ’s shed blood (His sacrificial death) gives believers not only freedom from the guilt of sin, which in the NT is called justification (dikaío¯sis [G1347]) (Rom_4:25; Rom_5:18), but also katharismós (G2512), cleansing or purification (Heb_1:3; 2Pe_1:9). This is why in Rom_3:25 in speaking of the OT sacrifices, Paul calls the result páresis (G3929), which unfortunately is translated “remission,” as if it were the same as áphesis. If Paul meant it to be áphesis, the permanent remission of sins without the need of further sacrifices, he would have called it that. The blood of Christ provided the removal of the guilt of sin as well as the cleansing from sin on a permanent basis. Páresis (G3929), occurring only in Rom_3:25, must be translated the “bypassing” of sin and not the “remission” of sin, for where there is forgiveness of sins there is no more offering for sin (Heb_10:18).

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I am now attending a very small, church and I joined the weekly men’s Bible study. Here is what I saw in Hosea chapter 6.

Posted on 06/04/2025 by remso

 Hosea 6:1 BSB  “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.”

To say, come let us return to the Lord, seems to demand a context. I believe that the context came at the end of chapter 5, and the intent is to provoke God’s people to earnestly seek Him.

Hosea 5:15 NASB “I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face”; In their affliction, they will earnestly seek Me.

Who is talking?

The Father God/Jesus.

Where has He gone, or where is His place?

Jesus, returned to the Father (for the time being) and currently sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us, the stumbling Christian community, and Israel. (Not to worry, He left us the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to lead us and guide us into all things.)

When will they (Israel) acknowledge their guilt and seek His face?

Only through the time of wrath. It is clear that upon seeing Him (this would be Revelation 19, where Jesus returns upon the white horse as the warring Messiah that Israel has been looking for), those who remain will turn to Him.

Hosea 5:15 says, ” In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

It is because of the wrath that they will turn to Him.

Hosea is filled with allusions to God punishing them for their idolatry and, in a sense, adultery. This is the primary reason that this narrative shows the Holy Spirit telling Hosea to go and take a wife from the whores of Israel.

Israel was the Northern kingdom and quite possibly the more debased of the Northern and the Southern kingdoms, Judea.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43 BSB  See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.  (40)  For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever,  (41)  when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.  (42)  I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh— the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”  (43)  Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.

Job 5:18 BSB  For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.

Lamentations 3:31-33 AFV  For the LORD will not cast off forever;  (32)  For though He causes grief, yet He will have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.  (33)  For He does not afflict willingly, nor does He grieve the children of men;

Despite the deluge of the wounding, there is still hope, and it can be seen in this statement –

“ but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.”


The next question we should ask is when? God, through Hosea, gives us a cryptic answer.

Hosea 6:2 BSB  After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.

This touches on several events:

  • the center of which is the cross;

  • His resurrection; and,

  • the catching away of His bride, the church.

Paul speaks about His rising from the dead and there is that significant focus on the third day, much like Jonah.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NASB (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

One of the things that jumps out at me is that the Prophet Jonah was one the few things that Jesus was willing to give His detractors as evidence that what He was saying was true.

Matthew 16:4 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

Matthew 12:39-40 BSB  Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  (40)  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jonah was, for so many years, a mystery man; He seemed to just appear and we, by his own admission, have to leave him whining at the base of the plant that had given him some shade.

A brief background for Jonah comes from 2 Kings chapter 14.

2 Kings 14:25 BSB  This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.

Having talked about Jonah, on multiple occasions, with “believers,” far too many believe that Jonah lived through this horrifying event. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  • Jonah, a trusted prophet, runs from God’s directions.

  • He carries an intense hatred of this Assyrian people group. If I only look at this narrative through my human understanding, then Jonah was entirely justified for hating. If you study Jonah you will find out why God does not align Himself with Jonah’s logic.

  • Jonah has the men of the ship, in the dark of night, throw Him into the ocean, which has a chop severe enough to be breaking up the boat. No one, in those conditions, will make it out alive. So, Jonah effectively commits suicide.

  • This is the Mediterranean Sea and they have a fish called a Mega Mouth Shark and it has a mouth capable of swallowing a human. It, like the basking shark, only eats krill, so God has this enormous fish carry Jonah around for three days, and then vomit the dead man upon the shore closest to Nineveh, approximately 500 miles away from where God intends for Jonah to be.

Read Jonah chapters 1 – 4.

The book of Jonah, which, mind you, was written after all these detrimental events took place. Who would brag about such things?

This is one of the arguments that apologists will use to demonstrate the authenticity of the Bible. Moses begins telling us about his frailties, and we see them in Jonah’s narrative.

Isaiah speaks about us, hiding ourselves.

Isaiah 26:20 BSB  Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.

Hosea 6:3 NKJV  “Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.”

If we pursue the knowledge of the Lord:

  • He will come to us like the rain.

Rain comes in two seasons, but in some places, like Southern California, it is anybodies guess. However, when it comes it can either be flash floods, or light sprinkles that cause the oil on the road to rise and make the roads even more dangerous.

The point here is that regardless, He will come. Now the question is, what will He do, fix your current human oriented situation, or rescue His bride from the wrath that is to come?

Hosea 6:4 NASB What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, And like the dew which goes away early.

Peculiar, Ephraim is very close to the border with Israel, the Northern Kingdom. Perhaps they were heavily influenced by the idolatry of Israel?

Ponder this statement for a moment.

“For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.”

A rather obvious factor is that morning clouds and fog, typically goes away, quickly. If you expected heat relief on a Summer morning, good luck with that, as the temperature will rise and the humidity level will greatly increase, making you miserable.

But, God does not operate on the same plane as we do, and He is not crippled by human emotion. Does He understand emotion? certainly, Jesus wept over their unbelief as He became involved in Lazarus’s resurrection from the dead.

Hosea 6:4 is beginning to alert us to a general disgust that God is feeling toward Judea, also.

Hosea 6:5 BSB  Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.

If I were to take this literally, there would be dead bodies everywhere.

Wait a minute, were there not dead bodies during the days of Moses?

One of the first events involved Korah.

Numbers 16:30-35 BSB  But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”  (31)  As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,  (32)  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.  (33)  They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.  (34)  At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!”  (35)  And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

The people Moses had brought out of Egypt began complaining.

Numbers 16:41 BSB  The next day, the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’s people!”

Numbers 16:45-49 BSB  “Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.  (46)  Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”  (47)  So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people.  (48)  He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted.  (49)  But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.

During the reign of King David?

1 Chronicles 21:13-15 BSB  David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”  (14)  So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.  (15)  Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Now, as for being slain by the prophets. Elijah called down fire on the king’s troop 2x. Here is where we find one of those events.

2 Kings 1:9-10 BSB  Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’”  (10)  Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.

And then there was the prophet Samuel.

1 Samuel 15:32-33 BSB  Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”  (33)  But Samuel declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.

Take note of the words used by God in Hosea 6:5.

“I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.”

Sounds very similar to Revelation 19, where Jesus comes back with a sword coming out of His mouth, and multitudes who intended to fight are killed instantly.

In the midst of all this killing you might think that there is NO mercy in the Father/Son.

Hosea 6:6 BSB  For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Clearly, God’s character is mercy, above all else.

Hosea 6:7 BSB  But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck states.

“The Hebrew word for like Adam has been translated variously. “At Adam” (RSV) requires a slight change in the Hebrew and suggests a geographical place near the Jordan River. The presence of the word there in the next line, as well as references to other places in Hos_6:8-9, might support this reading. “Like men” (KJV) takes the Hebrew ’āḏām in its widely attested generic sense, rather than as a proper name. In this case a comparison is made with fallen mankind, whose propensity to be unfaithful is well established.”

What does the narrative surrounding the fall in the garden describe?

That Eve was deceived, while Adam knew exactly what he was doing. Some have described what Adam did as treason. Set aside your assumptions and traditions for a moment, and answer this question.

Where was Eve when Adam received the instructions about that one tree?

I will answer the question. She was NOT yet walking the earth in human form. That means that Adam, the one who was given dominion over the earth, had the job of informing Eve of God’s instructions.

This means that Satan’s challenge had more layers than an onion.

Genesis 3:1 BSB  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

The implications were that:

  • Adam had deceived her.

  • Tried to dominate her.

  • That there may not be a God speaking to either of them.

  • And that nothing God or Adam have said, could be trusted.

If Adam was standing right there, next to her, capable of hearing every word, then he also watched, possibly in disbelief, as she went ahead and bit into that forbidden fruit.

I have so many questions, such as, why didn’t Adam rebuke the serpent and cast him out of the garden with a word?

  • How long did Adam wait before taking the fruit out of Eve’s hand and shoving some in his mouth?

  • With possibly no experience with death, he had no idea what would happen next. All he knew was that God told Him that if they ate from that tree, they would certainly die.

  • Does anyone else see Adam’s actions as suicide?

  • Since Eve was the finest thing he had ever seen, where would he get another like her?

    We assume, as he probably did, that God was nowhere to be found at the moment and therefore, not to be bothered. That would hardly be the case, but we don’t see Adam making any effort to seek God’s advice. I suppose, that in the long run, all that was about to transpire was an intentional part of God’s plan of redemption.

Hosea 6:8 BSB  Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with footprints of blood.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck tells us this:

“Since Gilead was a district, not a city, the reference in Hos_6:8 is probably to the city Ramoth Gilead, east of the Jordan. The town had become a center for wicked men (lit., “workers of iniquity”). In Psa_5:5 this same expression is translated “who do wrong.” It refers to the worst sort of men, who actively oppose righteousness and are the objects of God’s hatred. In this case they were guilty of murder (Hos_6:8). The city streets are pictured as being tracked with blood from the murderers’ sandals (cf. 1Ki_2:5).”

Hosea 6:9 BSB  Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities.

Again, we look at THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck.

“The references to (Ramoth) Gilead and Shechem are well chosen. Joshua had designated that both of these towns be cities of refuge, where manslayers could find asylum (Jos_20:1-2, Jos_20:7-8; see the map “The Six Cities of Refuge,” near Num_35:1-34). In this way the land would be spared outbreaks of bloodshed, and justice would be promoted. Ironically in Hosea’s day these cities had become associated with bloodshed and injustice.”

“The priests’ crimes were shameful. Elsewhere this word (zimmâh) is used of the vilest sexual sins, including incest (Lev_18:17), cult prostitution (Lev_19:29), rape (Jdg_20:5-6), and adultery (Job_31:9-11). This sexual connotation is probably applicable here because the priests’ breach of covenant (Hos_6:6-7) is likened to prostitution (Hos_6:10).”

Hosea 6:10 BSB  In the house of Israel, I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.

So, we in the men’s Bible study had a small discussion about the meaning of house. It could be the royal court of some noble group, but the immediate discussion / context is about the Northern kingdom Israel. We already know, from previous readings in Hosea, that God is disgusted with the religious leadership and those who follow them.

So, for the moment, we shall assume that the Assyrians have NOT come and taken all those they deemed valuable captive.

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Definitions show us this:

1) house

1a) house, dwelling, habitation

1b) shelter or abode of animals

1c) human bodies (figuratively)

1d) of Sheol

1e) of abode of light and darkness

1f) of the land of Ephraim

The house, therefore, is the “synagogue”. This is, at least, the second time God has pointed this out: “Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.”

Hosea 6:11 AMP Also, O Judah, there is a harvest [of divine judgment] appointed for you; when I would return My people from their captivity [in which they are slaves to the misery brought on by their own sins],

Oops, Judah is the Southern Kingdom. Our simplistic Gentile minds do not quickly realize that they are all people who were effectively Egyptians by the time they were extracted from Egypt. These are the people who eventually split to form Israel and Judah. Most of our focus has been upon the Northern kingdom, but wait a minute, Ephraim, though a border town, is in Judah. Did you really think a border town could NOT have their allegiances allied with a debased Northern kingdom.

Since I do not think I will post anymore of these Hosea studies, let me just take a moment to enlighten you as to how Samaria became such antagonists to the religious Jews.

For a time the kingdom was united under King David, but there had been difficulties that arose among the tribes soon after Israel’s emergence from Egypt.

Deuteronomy 12:1-4 BSB  These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.  (2)  Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.  (3)  Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.  (4)  You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.

Solomon, the man who asked for wisdom, did the most unwise thing when he married over 700 women and followed after their gods and ways. His actions created a path for Israel to follow. When King Solomon died, Rehoboam, his son, became king over the two tribes that made up the Southern kingdom, Judah. Rehoboam sought out the advice of the elders and quickly cast their advice aside as he turned to his young, so-called friends.

“After King Solomon passed away, his son Rehoboam was up next to rule. Yet, former servant Jeroboam wasn’t happy. He rallied some folks, tired of heavy taxes, against Rehoboam. When Rehoboam didn’t back down, ten tribes chose to crown Jeroboam king of Israel (the 10 tribes of the Northern kingdom) instead.” i

1 Kings 12:1-24 BSB “ Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.  

(2)  When Jeroboam, son of Nebat, heard about this, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.  (3)  So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,  (4)  “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”  

(5)  Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.  (6)  Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.  (7)  They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”  (8)  But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.  (9)  He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”  (10)  The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!  (11)  Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”  

(12)  After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”  (13)  And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders  (14)  and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”  (15)  So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.  

(16)  When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home (17), but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.  

(18)  Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death.

And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.  

(19)  So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.  

(20)  When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel.

Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.  (21)  And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.  (22)  But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:  (23)  “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people  (24)  that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’” So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.

There you have it, the separation began. When the Assyrians came, around 70 years later, the two kingdoms were not supporting each other, and the Northern kingdom was taken into captivity first. In time, the Southern Kingdom, under the reign of Hezekiah, will go into captivity.

I put up a post back in 2018 entitled “A look at Micah. Chapter 1 verse 5. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?” You can find it here: https://omharris.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-look-at-micah-chapter-1-verse-5-what.html.

A paragraph from that post reads, “When you read any mention of Samaria in the New Testament, you would think it was a forbidden city to the Jews; that was not the case; however, the hatred and animosity of the Samaritans indeed ran deep for a very long time. This disgust and hatred began developing over 930 years earlier. Perhaps this brief history lesson may help us understand where this disgust and hatred began.”

Clues, which the Chronological Bible helped me sort out, all those years ago. The Assyrian king, Shalmaneser, took the Israelites, the Northern kingdom, captive.

2 Kings 17:3-6 AMP Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute. (4) But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore, the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. (5) Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. (6) In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried the Israelites away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes.

The Prophet Micah spoke about the utter destruction, including all the detestable things.

Micah 1:6-9 AMP Therefore, I [the Lord] will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards; and I will pour down into the ravine her stones and lay bare her foundations. [II Kings 19:25; Ezek. 13:14.] (7) And all her carved images shall be broken in pieces, and all her hires [all that man would gain from desertion of God] shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will be laid waste; for from the hire of [one] harlot she gathered them, and to the hire of [another] harlot they shall return. (8) Therefore, I [Micah] will lament and wail; I will go stripped and [virtually] naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a lamentation like the ostriches. (9) For [Samaria’s] wounds are incurable and they come even to Judah; He [the Lord] has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.

The Israelites (think Northern kingdom) went into exile because of Idolatry. Proof.

2 Kings 17:7 NASB Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods

This is the kind of damage that evil leadership can do to you. In studying the “minor” Prophet Hosea, he spoke of the evil that Israel was doing.

2 Kings 17:8-12 NASB and (Israel – the Northern kingdom) walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. (9) The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. (10) They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, (11) and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did, which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the LORD. (12) They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

If you are doing things in what you think is secret, and think no one will know, you are sadly mistaken. If you are a “follower of Christ” and you are doing evil things, such as pornography, in secret, you will be found out. Will you be thrown into hell for being snared by sin, no, but you are playing with fire and you will get burned; these people did.

Verse 13 of 2 Kings 17 says.

“Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments.”

He is warning you.

More from my 2018 post. “It is not clear to me why, but the king of Assyria decided to have the land resettled.” We see this process in 2 Kings 17 starting at verse 24.

“The king of Assyria, brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.”

But they (these strangers) did not know the custom of the god of the land; I can assure you that most of Israel held no regard for the customs of God.

2 Kings 17:25-26 NASB At the beginning of their (these strangers’) living there, they did not fear the LORD; therefore, the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them. (26) So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

This resolution seems to hold the key as to why the Southern kingdom hated those of the Northern kingdom.

2 Kings 17:27-28 NLT  The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.”  (28)  So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the LORD.

Consider the sarcasm in the words from The Bible Knowledge Commentary, “The priest moved to Bethel. If this had been his former dwelling place he was probably one of the priests involved in worshiping the golden calf there.”

As I have been writing this I found my mind drifting off to The Chosen, where Jesus is found sitting at the well when the Samaritan woman arrived. The conversation between them turned to jabs such as: you people say, and we worship on this mountain. All this protective and defensive verbal sparring on the part of the woman is wrapped up in the actions of tribal fighting between Judah and Israel; young men flexing their new found power; and an Assyrian tyrant who stripped the land of its residents, replacing them with gentiles that have no idea, and reinstalling one priest, who may have been part of the problem. She, of course, probably had no clue about what got them here, it did not matter as she, at this turning point went running back into town declaring that she has met a man, quite likely the messiah, who told me everything about my life, and there is NO way He could have known that unless He is a prophet.

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