Why I subscribe to a post-trib/pre-wrath rapture and reject pre-trib & post-trib rapture theories.

Lisa

If you’ve followed the Left Behind series, you are probably aware of the rapture. If you don’t believe in the rapture, this post may not be for you. Whether God spins us up into the air, teleports us into His presence or sends a ship to get us, one way or the other, He’s coming back for His people. And this is what I mean by “rapture”, though specifically it means the “taking up”.

Many people subscribe to a pre-tribulation rapture view. That is, they believe the entire 7 year period is the wrath of God, and since we are not subject to the wrath of God, then we will be raptured prior to this time.

There is a growing group of people who subscribe to post-tribulation rapture theory. And this can get sticky. As I too subscribe to this theory, except I don’t. What do I mean?

Well, if by post-tribulation, you also equate the tribulation period to the entire 7 year period and all of this as God’s wrath, then I don’t subscribe to this view.

One of the reasons why I think many will continually be dancing between these two theories (pre & post) is because neither view is completely correct. It is true we believers are not subject to the wrath of God (1 Thessalonian 5:9), and it is also true that we must endure tribulation (John 16:33, Revelation 7:14).

So the big question is, what is the tribulation we will endure? I believe the tribulation we will endure is persecution. We will be persecuted for our faith by the beast and anti-Christ system. I believe we will be here during the time of the anti-Christ and we will have to stand firm in our faith for Christ.

I believe that after this, in Revelation 6, the wrath of God will come and we believers will be taken or raptured out, and then God’s judgement will come on the unbelievers.

Why do I believe this? Because I believe the pattern of scripture shows this. I also believe Jesus made it clear that this is the order.

In the account of Noah, we know that he and his family lived in wicked times. Believers in wicked times are often persecuted, if not physically, their righteous soul will be vexed by the evil. We know this with Lot. (2 Peter 2:7-8). Then God told Noah what He was going to do, and before the wrath or judgement of God came upon the unbelievers, Noah and his family was “raptured” by way of the ship.

But “Noah wasn’t taken out of the rain, he was protected through it…” might state those who subscribe to post-tribulation view… Even though he wasn’t physically taken out of the way, he was not by any means harmed. If we look at Lot, they were physically taken out of the way of destruction. So physical location is not the main idea, being protected by God is.

When did Jesus tell us the order of the rapture?
Well, I believe He told us in Matthew 24:37-39.

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

We know how it was in the days of Noah.
Wickedness/Persecution of saints –>God’s warning of judgement
–>Protection of His people / rapture –> wrath of God on unbelievers.

Plain reading of Scriptures clearly points to this order, without having to force an understanding of either pre-trib or post-trib rapture views.

The bottom line is, we believers are not subject to the wrath of God, but we will endure tribulation/persecution. So the problem is not that it is hard to figure out the general timeline. The problem is man’s interpretation of particular scriptures, like:

Revelation 3:10: This is not speaking of the wrath of God. This is talking about temptation, God tempts no one, therefore this is not of God. This is the same as the Our Father prayer. “Keep us from temptation…”

There are common falsehoods associated with pre-tribulation rapture view, like:
1. Jesus can rapture us at any moment. This is false, there are precursors to the rapture. Please see Matthew 24:29, 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
2. God’s wrath is the entire 7 year period. No, His wrath starts at Revelation 6:17. Prior to that is the Great Tribulation.
3. The rapture is silent. No, shouts aren’t silent. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
4. The rapture and Christ’s return are separate events. No, Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4 clearly referring to same event. Why? The last trumpet. How many last trumpets can there be?

For post-tribulation rapture view:
1. God’s wrath is the entire 7 year period. No, His wrath starts at Revelation 6:17. Prior to that is the Great Tribulation.
2. Noah and the Israelites in Egypt were not physically taken out of harms ways, they were protected through it. So therefore we will be here for all of it. Yes, they weren’t taken away physically from it, but physical location is not the main idea here as Lot was physically taken out of destruction. Protection is the main idea. We are not subject to the wrath of God. As Noah and Israelites were unharmed by God’s judgement, this showed how we are not subject to His wrath.

Additionally, lots of people like to scapegoat this conversation and rebuke those who engage in because the Bible says no one knows the day or the hour of His return (Matthew 24:36). True, we don’t know the day or the hour, but we do have evidence of the general timeline.

Once we settle what the timeline of the tribulation, that is, what is of the anti-Christ system, and what comes directly from the judgement of God, we see that neither pre-trib or post-trib rapture views hold up. Only a post-trib/pre-wrath rapture view fits well with all Scripture. So it’s post persecution of saints, then rapture of saints, then God’s wrath on unbelievers. That’s it, that’s the timeline. It is all verifiable by Scripture, no conflicts, or at least, I haven’t come across any like the other views.

While I do believe there’s enough in Scripture to get the general timeline of the rapture, this is not a heaven or hell issue. So let’s not get caught up in endless genealogies. My only warning would be to pre-tribbers who may not be preparing themselves for persecution but awaiting their “pre-trib rapture”.

Thanks for reading! I tried to keep this short. Be blessed in Jesus’ name.

This link illustrates beautifully the pre-wrath rapture timeline for those interested. I have not gone through all their material, but it is rather detailed again for those looking for further answers. Best to invite Holy Spirit to just teach us plainly though. https://prewrathrapture.com/prewrath-timeline/

Can a Christian Have a Demon?

Lisa

Short answer. Yes and no. A Christian cannot be demonically possessed, but a Christian can absolutely be demonically oppressed. They are different. Possession deals with ownership. Christians belong to the Holy Spirit, not any demon. On the other hand, our souls, even our health can absolutely be tormented and affected by demons. How do we know this?

“Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” Luke 13:16

If she is a daughter of Abraham, then she is obviously of the household of faith, which means, believers can also be demonically bound.

I myself have been oppressed by spirits of fear, rage and more. But God is faithful! Sometimes a person experiences complete deliverance in an area, sometimes it is a process, layer by layer. Let us continue to put our hope and confidence in Him who loves us.

Surely “we know”! We have lived so many years!

Lisa

It would be inconsistent of me as a Bible believing Christian to stand against any nation for war to which I do not fully comprehend when in the Bible Israel invaded many nations as judgement against pagan leadership or Israel was invaded by pagan kings as judgement against their idolatry and disobedience. I have learned the very hard way that there is only one who is omniscient, the I AM. The media is currently making a certain leader look like the enemy. Maybe he is, maybe not. But given the media’s track record for truth, I beg to ask what’s the motive?

I am more inclined to say however, it is vanity to force to know with certainty. Pray for all nations and leaders, especially the one where you reside, for as we can see, corruption always leads to war. If our country reeks with corrupt leaders, then such is the cup that we shall drink from unless the Lord shows us even more mercy.

I would like to end with this:

“Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!” Job 38:21

Christmas but no Halloween

Lisa

This topic has been on my mind for some time now. And I feel free/released to talk about it openly now. So let’s begin …

People will use  Colossians 2:16 to justify their celebration of halloween. And some will claim that “hey, if you celebrate Christmas, you cannot judge me for celebrating halloween, as both have pagan origins. If you can celebrate Christmas for Jesus, I can celebrate halloween for Jesus.“ Really?

Yes, much commercialism surrounds the season of Christmas. Santa Claus can be distracting, for some, plain old of the devil. I won’t expound on this, as it is not the point of this post.

“But Jesus wasn’t born on the 25th. The decoration is paganism…” Probably true I say, yet I think even if we chose another day, the enemy would still follow the time around with clutter and distractions, and yes, paganism. I believe it is up to us to sift through all of that, abandon some even and stick to remembering the actual story behind it all.

Personally for me, I don’t need the tree 🌲, or much of the decor that comes with Christmas. Though not against them. I will admit, I do quite like the lights. As a Christian, of course I like lights! 🙂 Yes, yes, I know the enemy does transform as an “angel of light” in order to deceive. Anyhow, taking away all of that and reading the Bible, we would still have a point where we celebrate CHRISTmas, that is, the sending of Jesus, every time we read the first chapters of Matthew. And we who are Blood bought certainly give thanks for His coming.

With halloween, what remains when we take away all the “spooky”? Even if someone says they are doing it onto the Lord and dressing as something good, the Bible says we are to put on the armor of God, we are to take on the identity of Christ. So putting on the identity of anything else but that of Christ I think is stepping into muddy waters. There are consequences of putting on things even in innocence. (Hosea 4:6) Some have been left baffled by personality changes not knowing that they took on the identity of something sinister during “times of festivity, tricks and treats”. That should be enough reason. But if that’s not enough, there’s always the testimonies of ex-witches and ex-warlocks who make it well known that satanists delight in the fact that there are Christians participating in halloween.

In conclusion, both holidays are surrounded with things that are not of God. For halloween, people go missing. There is a celebration of darkness and death, the movies released in cinemas are dark and horrific. For Christmas, people over eat, focus on materialism, Santa Claus, jingle bells and end up in unnecessary debt. But when we clear the clutter of both, what do we find? Well we find that Christmas still stands with a tiding that brings great joy. A Savior who loves mankind so much that He left His throne, was born of a virgin, died on a Cross and 3 days later rose again. He conquered death! The same death which is glorified in halloween. The Christmas story climbs up to Life overcoming death.

My thoughts are similar for Easter but I hope we’d stop calling it that and say Passover or Passion Week or something. The root of the word Easter is in fact pagan. (Story for another day.) Not true for the word Christmas though, obviously. As we can see, some are so not in favor of Christ, they deduce it to “X-mas”. Others I reckon probably think it’s a cool short code. Again Hosea 4:6.

Let’s not feel guilty for enjoying the season of Christmas, for indeed when we strip away all the clutter that tries to stifle the true meaning of the season, we are still left with the account of His coming in the Holy Scriptures. And that’s enough reason to rejoice, certainly all year round, and appreciate the ultimate Gift, that is the Lord Jesus.

Seek Jesus Who is Wisdom

Lisa

That message from the White House is one of pure witchcraft. The prophets of Baal have forecasted their intent.
Lots of people often use 2 Chronicles 7:13 to claim God directly sent COVID. I don’t think He did. Obviously, He allowed it because what the enemy means for evil He can turn around for good. So He is is not freaked out by any of it. The data and circumstances surrounding COVID is only of confusion. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). God expects us to come to Him in this time. We learned from Solomon that in times of conflicting stories what we need is wisdom. We read that “The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens;” (Proverbs 3:19) and we also read “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:3) We know that John 1 speaks of the Lord Jesus, it is then therefore clear that if it is wisdom we need in confusion and Jesus Himself is wisdom, we can conclude that we need to seek the LORD more fervently in times of confusion.

If you liked this message you may be interested in reading: “Why did God not tell us about Covid?”

Why did God “not tell us” about Covid?

Lisa

Disclaimer: This article contains some speculation for thinking purposes and in order to help us rightly divide the Scripture if a certain case were true. Ultimately, Deuteronomy 29:29 and Proverbs 3:5-6.

I once heard a pastor while preaching ask something like if there are all these prophets, why didn’t any of them forecast the onslaught of COVID?

I guess he was having some trouble with all the YouTube prophets etc prophesying this and that, blessings and riches and easily spoken prophesies and none of tidings of hardship. And to an extent he is absolutely correct. Because we see in the Bible the prophets of God didn’t always come with “all is well” tidings. Some were of impending judgement.

So this brings us back to the question, why didn’t God tell us about COVID? We cannot say that He didn’t. As we have not heard from every single prophet across the globe. Yet, even if He didn’t, so what, I don’t think He was obligated to.

But certainly He would say something one might say according to Amos 3:7. “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”

Let’s suppose that no prophet across the globe knew about COVID. Since God cannot lie, it would then mean that He God did not send COVID. Because if He truly did, then He’d tell His prophets. It would then mean that if it is not of God then it is of the enemy. And the enemy when he presents the Word of God to us, he twists it to deceive us. But he himself must actually abide by the Word (Job 1). As he is ruled by his pride, has no creativity and counterfeits all that God does in order to appear as God, he copies. The devil does forecast his intentions with his prophets. Today, these are in the entertainment industry, the news organizations and the world of much finance, health and politics. Forecasts of COVID came through the mouth of Bill Gates, 2012 London Olympics Opening and many more. Just search the internet.

I for one am more inclined to believe that a prophet of God did actually know; the prophecy maybe just didn’t hit some of our ears and to the ears it did hit, it was perhaps ignored. Lord knows. Yet even if this is all a surprise to every believer across the face of the earth, it certainly doesn’t mean that prophecy no longer is alive and well, and it definitely doesn’t mean that God is not faithful to His Word and finally, it absolutely doesn’t mean He abandoned us in these times. God is FAITHFUL and He will never leave us or forsake us.

If you are struggling to know the truth in the midst of all the confusion, just seek Jesus. Leave what you don’t understand alone or at least set aside for a bit, and enjoy the company of Jesus, through praise and prayer. We relax with Him just like we’d relax with a loved one whom we enjoy their company. You know like when you don’t feel like stressing over the things of the world but just want to hang out with someone you enjoy and talk about pleasant memories and future plans? Sort of like that with God, but more, because He’s God and He doesn’t get tired of our wanting to be with Him. By the way, not to say that we aren’t supposed to talk to God about what’s bothering us, we absolutely can, yet we can rest assured that this is not the only conversation we can have with Him, and sometimes we can just “cool out” or relax with Him, worship Him, adore Him, be silent with Him and in turn just have Him love on us. He will always strengthen those who diligently seek Him.

You may be interested in: https://jesus-themessiah.com/seek-jesus-who-is-wisdom/

How to “Cut” someone out of your life, the Christian way

Lisa

I didn’t write the following, it was just so good, I wanted to repost it here. Link back to original site/author, below.

—————————

Anonymous asked a question:
I want to cut my brother out of my life because it’s hurting my faith & self-esteem. i wanted to know your opinion on taking bad influences like him out of your life … am i a bad person for even wanting this? how should i get past this whole ordeal?
(edited)

Dear friend, first please know that cutting people out of your life is absolutely acceptable as a last resort. I say this with hesitation, since we’re all so quick to find reasons to give up on others (me included), but there’s no rational reason to stay in a place of abuse and endangerment. We must discern the difference between finding someone unpleasant and running from someone tyrannically cruel. If the person we’re talking about is mercilessly manipulative or physically abusive, then much of what I’m about to say must be cautiously applied, or even withheld. And forgiveness doesn’t have to mean friendship.

When it comes to family, the dynamics make it brutally difficult to exercise boundaries. Family is tangled with history and an almost helpless weight of loyalty. If conflicts with friends are firecrackers, then family is like defusing an atomic bomb.

Please allow some grace as I try to give unbiased advice both to you and myself.

1) Keep distance, but leave the door open as wide as possible.

I really believe having some space between you and your brother is a totally acceptable move. You are not a bad person for needing that distance. It’s the same way you need space from friends, from your spouse, even from your children. The amount of space is almost directly proportional to the hurt and healing process. In other words: you take as much time as you need.

But with family, it’s not really a space that can remain permanent. The phrase “cutting them off” is reserved for moochers and abusers and freeloaders. If your brother is lying, stealing, cheating, and basically all around a parasite, then of course you can cut him off: but for a season.

That season lasts about as long as your brother is acting a fool. But if he comes around again, whether for help or for the holidays, keep an open door. Severing ties with family should never be a one-time-for-all decision. Yes, he may be lying again: but having an open door absorbs the risk of that possibility.

Carrying hurt-baggage into the next cycle of life after your brother has changed (and I believe he can) will adversely affect your heart more than someone else hurting you, long after the trial is over. A grudge poisons at an imperceptible rate, drip by drip, until you’re closing doors at even the best people in your life. Those who are cold to their family have built walls that are impossible for others to climb. So please be wary of that and endeavor to keep the door of grace open.

2) Have the awkward, uncomfortable, straight-up talk.

If you simply walk away from your brother — which again, for a season you can — but then don’t tell him why, he’ll have nothing to consider. Even if you think he might know and he’s heard it from you before, it would be wise to tell him exactly what you’re doing and why.

There are some who would advise against this. “You don’t need to tell him a thing.” Or some would go hyperbolic and say, “Let him have it and then cut him off!” But as graciously as you can — preferably face to face though a letter works too — tell him what’s up. Encourage him with how things could be, but tell him how it really is.

Please believe me that when I was cut off before, I was told exactly why and I’m appreciative. At the time I hated hearing it and I came up with reasons why they were wrong and I was right. But I couldn’t escape the undercover truthfulness of their words. At times they would echo in my mind: If I don’t cut you off, you’ll end up nowhere. And later I found out they were right. I’m grateful they were honest.

I’m never grateful when people cut me off without a word. In fact, that’s really doing a disservice to someone if you don’t tell them what’s wrong. As hard and awkward as it’ll be, please succinctly prepare that in your mind.

3) Bad influences are bad. God is badder.

There are plenty of Bible verses about bad influences and wolves: we should be cautious around them. Light has no fellowship with the dark. Expel the immoral brother. There are wolves among us. Right?

But we must balance these with verses about the prodigal, the tax collector, and the whore. There is grace and mercy for them. As much as bad influences might “infect” us, there’s also a mission in which you, the good influence, have come to be a light like a city on a hill. Like C.S. Lewis says, you’re pretty much the good infection.

That will require more strength than you can muster on your own. Lots of prayer, which I’m sure you’re doing. Lots of saturation with the Bible, with other Christians, getting counsel (even through a blog like this), and dare I say being able to vent to your friends.

It’ll require daily forgiveness. Absorbing some of the pain he has caused you. Regrouping and replenishing when he’s been selfish. Pleading with the Holy Spirit to change him, but also change you. In short: when someone begins to cut into your faith, you’ll need to go back to the author of that faith and power-up again. Which brings us to the last thing.

4) In the end, this is not about you and him, but you and Him.

It’s possible your brother might never change and that the situation will stay the same. But God intends to keep working in you.

Your brother is not so much an enemy on a battlefield as he is a self-selected slave on a minefield. Of course you know it’s not your job to rescue him, but I do believe one day he’ll run his life dry and you’ll be the steady beacon that was always there. In the meantime, it will have been up to you to examine your own heart in this and grow in humility.

Your brother will remember your patience, if you were patient. He’ll remember your graciousness, if you were gracious. And even if he doesn’t recognize that, you will recognize that. God does too. Pray hard about what God is doing right now, because I believe He is definitely doing something — and He always works for your good and His glory. Believe that.

— J.S.

Reference: https://jsparkblog.com/2012/06/19/question-how-to-cut-someone-off/

Answers in the Book of Genesis: Q&A Foundations

Lisa
  1. One of the most common questions I get from agnostics is:
    “Why doesn’t God just kill the devil or kill wicked people immediately?”
  2. The 2nd most common question is: “Why is there suffering in the world?”
  3. And the 3rd most common question is: “How do we know it’s Jesus and not another?”

I believe the foundation of these answers are in the Book of Genesis. Even the rational for COVID situation I believe is in the Book of Genesis.

See why it is important to have a good foundation?

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalms 11:3

Lots of believers have allowed “theistic evolution” to overtake their exegesis of the first chapters of the Bible. Now biotech is on the way and taking its grab and people are looking for answers, and we have nothing, because we as the people of God have failed to believe in the fullness of the Word of God. And failed to express the fullness of His Word, with truth AND love. (John 4:24)

I know there are people who have turned their faces and rejected even genuine expression of Christ, but judgement begins in the house of God. First and foremost, simply put, sin is the problem. What sin in this case? Then we can say much of the dilemma we are in can be said to be as a result of the inadequacy found in how we have been treating others and inevitably ourselves.

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

Revival anyone?

#nomoregreenleachurches #answersingenesis #nomorebondage #nomoresilence #takeofthespiritualmasks