housetops

Should We Join Evil to Fight Evil? (Part 1)

Posted on September 28, 2014 by dknezacek

Over the last few months I have made some replies, on Facebook, to comments made by one Ray Gano of Prophezine ministries. These have usually been replies to statements seeming to advocate violence against ISIS, and Muslims.

This is a tough subject, and one I do not take lightly. This has been on my mind for several weeks, I knew it would take some time, and it has. Since the article is so large I am going to break it down into smaller parts.

I also hope that Mr. Gano does not think I am picking on him alone, I see this same type of mindset in a lot of places, including World Net Daily, a website I visit frequently. While they make some good points, their answer is more like the Catholic answer of the Middle Ages, than the answer the bible supplies. I would encourage the reader to read Gano’s article “Stand or Bow Down? Fight or Cower? To Every Thing There is a Season – A Call To Stand”

While I do recommend the article, I find that I must disagree with his main thrust, but he certainly makes some valid points. It is not wrong for Christians to defend their family. Neither is is wrong to own weapons, for the purpose of self, and family defense.

One of the first problems I have with this article is the implication that because people of other religions are in danger from ISIS that we should join with them to defeat this common danger.

“It will not matter if you are Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan, Agnostic or Atheist. In their minds all of us are all the same… Infidels.”

So, should we join hands with these groups to defeat Jihad? He does not bring up any biblical verses to back up this idea, and I think it is because there are none.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. Ephesians 5:11

The problem I am seeing is that this just might be a good way to build the army of the Antichrist! When Christians join with the other religions, the only prophetic significance I can see to such an action is the creation of the Mother of Harlots.

Whenever Christians compromise with the world it is always Christians who compromise biblical values. Jerry Falwell and the “Moral Majority” being a prime example of this.

He goes on to compare Christians with the knights of the middle ages. Most of the knights of the middle ages were Roman Catholics, and they were responsible for killing millions of bible-believing Christians!

“During the Middle Ages when an opposing force posted a red dragon on a white background this signaled to the other side that no quarter, no mercy, would be given or nor would it be expected. No prisoners would be taken and every person, men, women, and children; anyone of any age will die and die a brutal death.

The force that posted this standard was proclaiming their utter brutality with absolutely no mercy what so ever.

The black flag of Islam stands for the same thing… No quarter, no mercy, no prisoners, all will die.”

red-dragon

Millions of Christians have died at the hands of these “knights”, and by doing so they glorified their Lord Jesus Christ. They have not lost their reward, although Gano implies that they wasted their lives! The knights, on the other hand, were lost men who have mostly been residing in Hell, awaiting judgment day!

I say mostly, because I believe some of them converted to Christianity later on, but I can’t give you names. I have read a few stories of lords, and priests who converted to Christianity and were ultimately burned at the stake. Some of them, such as Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley, had overseen executions themselves, before meeting the same fate, after becoming Christians.

He goes on to post The Knights Code of Chivalry as if it should be our model;

“The Knights Code of Chivalry was described in the “Song of Roland” and is describes the following traits …

To fear God and maintain His Church
To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
To protect the weak and defenceless
To give succour to widows and orphans
To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
To live by honour and for glory
To despise pecuniary reward
To fight for the welfare of all
To obey those placed in authority
To guard the honour of fellow knights
To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
To keep faith
At all times to speak the truth
To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
To respect the honour of women
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
Never to turn the back upon a foe

knight-chivalry

The Knights Code of Chivalry described by the Duke of Burgandy”

There is some good advice in this code, but the knights themselves were ignorant of the bible, and depended on their own understanding (or their priest’s) of what is “honour”, or “justice”, or “mercy”. You cannot really understand what these concepts mean unless you read the bible, without pre-conceived notions!

I am concerned because Gano does not define concepts such as Justice or Honour. It is as if we all know what these entail, but in fact he leaves it up to our own subjective reasoning. Our rock is the Word of God, not a dictionary, or our cultural definitions, or our own logic.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: II Timothy 3:16

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

Please don’t get me wrong, I have no death-wish. I am not one who would go out seeking martyrdom. I would also caution any Christian that for you to go and visit a Muslim nation as a tourist, you are taking your life into your own hands, and placing it in the hands of infidels. (An infidel is an unbeliever, thus all Muslims are Christian Infidels)

Indeed I would echo Gano in pointing out the fact that Jesus did tell his followers, at one point, to go out and buy swords;

Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

Still, we know from history how the early Church behaved. Did they buy swords and convert the Roman Empire at the edge of the sword? No sir!

Did they lead insurrections against the pagan Romans? No sir!

The Roman Empire killed millions of Christians! The more they killed, the more Christians there were! At times the Romans fed entire families to the lions, and Nero was known to dowse Christians with wax and burn them to light his garden at night, yet it is in this murderous context that Paul wrote;

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Romans 13:1

Paul was eventually put to death by the very man he was referring to as a “higher power” here. This is a matter of faith. Do you trust God enough to allow Caesar to take your life? Paul is correct that the government should not be a source of terror to believers. In fact, what Paul was saying is that these leaders can take your life, and still you should not be afraid of them!

This is the opposite message to the one I am reading in Gano’s article. I don’t think he understands what the Lord intended us to understand. Neither does Phil Robertson. It looks to me that fear of ISIS, and other Jihadists, is driving their motivation.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

Jesus did not mean literal “hate” for one’s family, or even one’s own life, he meant that your love for Him must be so great that your love for all these other things will seem like hate. Do you love Jesus that much? We ought to make that our goal.

(End of part 1)

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy, World Events | Tagged bible-believing Christians, Christian Infidels, Christians, islam, Jerry Falwell, lord jesus christ, prophezine, ray gano | 1 Comment

Climate Hustle

Posted on September 21, 2014 by dknezacek

As I noted in my blog post “Where does Rome fit into Biblical End Times prophecy” the Club of Rome outlined a plan, way back in 1974, how they would use either global cooling, or global warming, (they weren’t sure which, at the time) as a means to promote a global government. I am convinced that the global government they are pushing will turn out to be the kingdom of the Antichrist.

This is why I strongly oppose the current climate fraud in the mass media. Thinking people don’t believe in anthropogenic global warming! Just as in the 1930s when the free world opposed Nazism, today the free world needs to oppose Climate Nazism!

The current climate hysteria is exactly a sign that they are carrying out their plan. Not only has global warming stopped for 17 years 11 months, there is ample evidence that the earth was warmer in the past than it is today! Hey, there really was an ice-age, and the earth was definitely colder then than it is today, and guess what? Mankind had nothing to do with the end of the ice age!

I am so glad that there are real Climate Scientists who oppose the consensus idea, and a few brave journalists, like Mark Morano, who publish against the current, and expose the climate fraud.

Therefore I am glad to be able to present a trailer on an upcoming documentary by Mark Morano;

This documentary would be well worth a donation. Go to its home page, and you will find a button to click on, and send them a donation.

I just had to include this scientist giving a presentation to the British Parliament. It is full of good science… real science! Please take the time to listen to him!

Two thumbs up!

Dan

Posted in World Events | Tagged anthropogenic global warming, climate fraud, climate hype, climate hysteria, Climate Nazism, Climate Scientists, Club of Rome, global government, global warming, Mark Morano | 1 Comment

What is a “Liberal” to you?

Posted on September 13, 2014 by dknezacek

There is so much in the news these days that it is difficult to find the time to write about everything going on, and such a wealth of subject that it is difficult to know where to begin.

I want to write about ISIS, and its relation to the Psalm 83 war, and I want to write about the foolishness of the western governments in their dealing with ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Iran. There is a lot of foolishness coming from Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin these days.

Instead I am going to write about a seemingly unimportant event that happened to me this week.

One of my Facebook friends, one Heather Owen, unfriended me this week. I never got any notice that this was happening, but I noticed that all of a sudden all of her posts disappeared. This is what happens when someone “unfriends” you on Facebook.

The event that precipitated this action of hers is my reply to her announcement that her husband, Trevor, has been given approval to run for the nomination of the local riding of the Liberal party of Canada, in the next election. I have known her husband since my first year in high school, almost 40 years ago!

Maybe I should have congratulated him, but I responded with the truth; “The original meaning of “liberal” is one who is generous with their own property. The modern liberals think they have the right to take money from hard working people and give it to those they deem worthy to receive it. Modern “liberals” are not liberal in the true sense of the word, and for this reason I could never vote for them.”

Or words to that effect. I cannot even find my own response to her post, because Facebook has deleted it all.

Some people hate the truth so much that they will unfriend you if you speak it!

I didn’t look up “liberal” in the dictionary, I just allowed the biblical usage of the term to form my definitions. In fact there are two definitions of this word in the bible;

If a Hebrew had a Hebrew slave, then at the end of six years he was to send him away free, and this is how he was to be treated;

“Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.” Deuteronomy 15:14

“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Proverbs 11:25

In these cases the word “liberal” describes one who is generous with their own property, and the first is a command to do so. The second it the reward the Lord gives to those who are liberal.

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. II Corinthians 8:2

Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; II Corinthians 9:13

Here the churches of Macedonia and Corinth are described as being liberal, even when they themselves are poor. These people did not force others to give, they gave what they could out of their own poverty. That is the description of a true liberal.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Here God Himself is described as a “liberal”. He is not like the modern Liberal party of Canada, nor the Democratic party of the USA, God is generous with His own possessions, the most important of which is wisdom! These parties are more like Robin Hood, who takes from those he deems unworthy, and gives to those he judges to be more worthy.

I must confess that as a youth I read the Robin Hood story several times, until it became a way of thinking. I have come to the place where I have had to repent from that worldview, but I now see that this disease has affected most of the parties of the western world, and they are destroying our civilization.

The “Robin Hood” definition of liberals is also used in the bible;

“The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.” Isaiah 32:5

This is a reference to those who call themselves “liberal”, but in fact are not generous with their own wealth, but take it from others and distribute it as they see fit. You should read the whole passage to understand the context, and understand that while this writing is some 2700 years old, it is actually a prophecy of the times in which we live, and beyond;

Isaiah Chapter 32

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. 2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

The king in verse 1 is Jesus Christ, and thus this times the prophecy to the millennial reign, when He returns. Here some of the conditions of the millennial kingdom are described.

Now he goes back to a time just before the millennial reign begins, a time which is infected by those who call themselves “liberals”;

5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. 6 For the vile (liberal) person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7 The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

A “churl” is a rude or boorish person. Modern liberals actually are some of the stingiest givers to charity. Because they believe it is the responsibility for government to care for the poor, they rarely give out of their own pockets! Conservatives are always more generous than Liberals!

This last verse of the section describes what these people are doing;

8 But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

The word “stand” here could also be rendered “be established”. By increasing welfare and entitlement payments to those who will not work, the modern “liberal” gets their vote, and thus establishes himself in public office. This is why there is such a big commotion over the vast number of illegal immigrants in the USA at the moment. They are actually illegal Democrats, and by extending amnesty to these people the Democratic party is ensuring that they will be elected in coming elections.

This is exactly what it means when it says “But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.” They are attempting to influence future elections by allowing millions of illegal immigrants into their country, and granting them amnesty, and welfare!

As tax rates rise to support the “liberal” entitlement programs, there is less and less incentive to work or to invest in businesses, to the point that the economy suffers. In the long term these policies are destroying lives, and nations!

This is not only happening in North America, some 80% of German Muslims live on welfare as well, and the numbers are similar throughout Europe.

But the very wise man Paul the Apostle says;

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. II Thessalonians 3:10

You and I are responsible to put food on our own table. It is NOT the responsibility of government to do this.

The Old Testament did provide a tax to be given to those who couldn’t work, and that amount was 10% every third year, or 3 1/3% per year. (Deuteronomy 26:12) You will find that today the welfare roles have swollen to the point that this is one of the largest expenditures of modern governments, far in excess of the biblical amount. It is an addiction, and it keeps them in office, while impoverishing the working class.

So I stand by my statements; The modern “liberal” is not liberal at all, but is actually a kind of “Robin Hood” thief. You shouldn’t vote for anyone who identifies themselves as a “liberal”!

Posted in Christian Doctrine, World Events | Tagged Democratic party, entitlement programs, Facebook, Jesus Christ, Liberal party, muslim brotherhood, Robin Hood, welfare | Leave a comment

Can Christians eat food sacrificed to idols?

Posted on September 1, 2014 by dknezacek

The other day a reader, one John O’Neil posted the following on one of my articles;

“I am sad for you Dan. clearly you are deeply deceived. PAUL is a false apostle, and you can readily prove this to yourself. You must be familiar with Paul’s exhortation to eat whatever is set before you, so often used to deceive people into believing the Son was sent that they might have a ham sandwich.
Read the whole chapter for context; and it clearly has nothing to do with eating the foods we all know were prohibited by our Creator. Rather, Paul is suggesting that since an idol is nothing, we should, and I quote, ask no questions of conscience, but knowingly partake of foods sacrificed to idols.” (see the whole conversation here)

I posted a reply to him on that page, but really had no idea that this issue would become current in my life, in less than a week!

Only a day or two after posting that response, my wife bought a couple of chicken-bacon packages which were marked “Zabiha Halal”. To be fair she had no idea what “halal” means, and the packages were on sale. Being a frugal shopper she bought them, but unfortunately I cannot eat them. I will have to give it to my dog.

Mr. O’Neil’s letter amounts to an attack on the Apostle Paul, and his writings, and I realized that the issue needs to be addressed. Ultimately it is an attack on the Word of God itself, and its author the Holy Spirit.

Here is what Paul actually said;

4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. 10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. I Corinthians 8:4-12

So, is Paul giving people permission to knowingly eat food that has been sacrificed to idols? Absolutely not!

What he is saying is that idols are nothing, and have no power of themselves. Rather it is in the conscience of idol worshippers where this is an issue. If you eat food which has been sacrificed to idols, or dedicated to false gods, like Halal food, it cannot hurt you. If you knowingly eat of such, however, you are harming the conscience of idol worshippers! By eating this food, when you know it has been dedicated to an idol, you are showing respect to his false god.

Two chapter later Paul again addresses the same issue. What he is doing is elaborating on it, to make the issue more clear to his audience;

1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 1 Cor. 10:1-6

First, notice that all of Israel, both the saved and the unsaved, ate Manna in the wilderness, and drank water from the rock which Moses struck, and yet, most of them perished in the wilderness. Some of them suddenly and violently. Eating “holy” food will not save you, unless that food is Christ Himself!

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

The animal is a creature of God. Not only did He create it, but He still owns it. It is the action of dedicating that animal to a demon that is the problem here.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

As Jesus said “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him...” Defilement comes from within, from the heart, not from without.

24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. 25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: 26 For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. 27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

This is really self-explanatory; If you eat something that has been sacrificed to idols, and are unaware of it, it cannot hurt you. Neither can it harm the conscience of the unbeliever if he has not told you that it has been sacrificed to idols. Sometimes it is wise not to ask too many questions!

If you ask questions and find that it has been sacrificed to idols, then something else comes into play;

28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:

He is not contradicting what he has said before. The earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in it, but now the conscience is brought into the equation.

29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?

The goal of the Christian is the salvation of unbelievers, even Muslims. If you eat Halal food, when a Muslim has given it to you, and has told you it is Halal, He sees that you are paying respect to his deity! Therefore no Christian should ever eat anything that he knows is Halal! Better to eat peanut butter!

30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Our purpose here is to glorify God in everything we do. Does this mean that Christians cannot drink wine? Jesus drank wine to the glory of God, and served it to wedding guests, (probably including children) and to his disciples! But if someone has dedicated wine do Budda, or some other deity, don’t drink it!

Notice that the person we are to be concerned with here is the unbeliever! True Christians have liberty, and so are not in view in any of this.

32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Again, the point of this whole exercise is the salvation of the lost. This is why the Jewish dietary laws are not relevant for the Church age; God knew that missionaries would go to cultures around the world and would be invited to meals with snakes, and dog, and pig, and lobster.

Refusing the food as unclean is an insult to your host/hostess. Insulting those who you are trying to lead to Christ is counter-productive to the purposes of the gospel. Most host/hostesses, around the world, are pleased when guests eat their food. This is what Paul is talking about in reference to “pleasing all men”.

Refusing it because it has been sacrificed to an idol, however, is a witness to them!

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: I Timothy 4:4

The principle that “nothing is unclean of itself” is in view here. This is a separate issue from food having been sacrificed to idols. Christians are not under the Jewish dietary laws.

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Revelation 2:20

So is Paul teaching something different than what Jesus is saying here? Not in the least! This Jezebel is teaching Christians to knowingly eat food that has been offered to idols. Paul is saying that if you eat it inadvertently, unknowingly, it will not hurt you, but that you should not eat it if you know it has been sacrificed, or offered, to idols. Paul is on the exact same side as Jesus Christ!

Most likely, this Jezebel was teaching that the gospel would be enhanced if one respected the idols of the pagans. Tolerance!

Mr. O’Neil’s attack on the work of Paul is truly an attack against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Peter, said that Paul’s writings are to be viewed as Scripture;

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. II Peter 3:15-16

Those who attack the writings of Paul are not only attacking him, but Peter, The Holy Spirit, God the Father, the Lord Jesus, and Christianity itself!

If you really want to know what Scripture says, get yourself a copy of the Authorized Version, the only accurate bible we have, and pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes as you read.

Posted in Christian Doctrine | Tagged 1 corinthians 10, 1 corinthians 8, Apostle Paul, christians under jewish law, food sacrificed to idols, halal, Halal food, idols, Jewish dietary laws, jewish law | Leave a comment

Afsun Qureshi’s Pro-Terrorism article in the National Post

Posted on August 30, 2014 by dknezacek

In an article in Canada’s National Post, dated August 29, 2014, “Afsun Qureshi: The Muslim prayer that might save your life”, this National Canadian newspaper is advocating surrender to thugs and terrorists! Actually, not only surrender but even obeying them! Obeying a terrorist makes you an accessory to his crimes!

Let me be clear, it is better to be killed by Islamists than to join them in any way!

In allowing such an article to be published the National Post editors have already given-in to terrorism, and as far as I can tell, no-one is holding a knife to their throats!

The article is full of cowardice, and worldly reasoning. “Just do what they say and you will hang on to your life”!

I find it interesting that Mohammed said that it is OK to lie, to save your life, even to the point of denying your faith, but this is the exact opposite of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth;

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33

You can`t deny Jesus, and expect to be able to apologize later. It does not work that way. Many millions have died for Jesus, without denying Him. It is only His enemies who will convert to another religion at the point of a sword! This is a recurring theme in the Christian bible;

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. Mark 8:35

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:24

Christians need to learn to deny themselves, but not Jesus;

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24

Don`t forget that taking up your cross is a reference to the Roman method of capital punishment, also practiced by ISIS today.

The recent massacres of Muslims in Iraq and Syria, by the thugs of ISIS, proves my point. While there have been many Christians and Yahzidis, who have been killed, there are also many Muslims, even Sunni Muslims. Sunni Islam is the brand of Islam that ISIS itself professes, but being a Sunni is no guarantee that they will keep you alive!

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25

Infidels groveling before their Muslim captors, in order to buy a few more days on this planet!

How pitiful those who grovel before thugs and murderers! You may keep your life for a few more days, but Jesus Christ will be the one who will deny you before God the Father, and you will be the one tossed, like so much garbage, into the lake of fire!

We can`t blame Afsun Qureshi for this piece of trash. She was raised as a Muslim, and obviously never heard that Jesus died for her sins! Remaining a natural person, her advice is based on human reasoning, and fear, and not on any knowledge of the truth. With a name like Qureshi, it appears that she is from the same tribe as Mohammad, so what chance did she ever have to learn to think for herself?

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

I know the things I am saying are hard to accept. Those who do not know Jesus Christ have every reason to hang on to this life. When they die they go to Hell, and are there until judgment day when they are thrown into the Lake of Fire. For the unbeliever, this life is the closest they will ever get to Heaven!

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7

The armies of this world are fighting to gain the upper hand, and ISIS is certainly among them. Russia and China are also starting to display their natural aggressive natures. This is the normal state of affairs, which we have seen little of in the last 60 years or so, simply because the USA posed a threat to the bullies, but now with Obama`s groveling before his enemies, they have realized that the US poses a threat no longer.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/shocking-footage-shows-isis-thugs-3932256

ISIS and Hamas have learned that terrorism pays.

If you have read any of this blog, you will know that I believe we are in the last days. The End Times prophecies of the bible are coming to pass, and it is impossible for men to thwart the purposes of God.

The commands and promises of Jesus Christ are still in effect, and He still expects his followers to obey Him.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36

You can bow and grovel before Jihadists, and maybe they will spare you, but what you gain in the short term, you will lose for all eternity!

You can attempt to work your way to Heaven, as the Jihadists are doing, and you are guaranteed to fail, or you can trust the risen Lord, who conquered death;

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

Posted in World Events | Tagged Afsun Qureshi, Canada's National Post, isis, Jesus Christ, National post | 2 Comments

Reza Aslan’s Fox interview

Posted on August 20, 2014 by dknezacek

Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!

This last Sunday I went and had a visit with my parents. My dad is losing his memory, and so conversation with him is almost non-existent.

There is a little more interaction with my mother, but I have to be careful what I say, so I don’t upset her. I find I can say more about what I believe to the people at work, than I can with my parents, and that is rather sad.

For many years, as a print-shop owner, I worked alone, and spent a lot of time listening to CBC radio (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). It got to the point that I realized that CBC is just a leftist/socialist/communist mouthpiece, and I gave up listening to them. You are better off bashing your head against a wall than listening to CBC.

My dad worked for CBC, both radio and TV, for a time, as did an uncle, so there is a family connection.

That may explain why my parents often have it on.

Last Sunday the CBC radio program was playing an interview with Reza Aslan, about his book “Zealot: The Life And Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth”. It turns out that this was an interview that raised a lot of controversy on Fox. http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/episode/2013/10/25/reza-aslan-on-jesus-the-revolutionary/

I only heard a few minutes, but what I heard thoroughly disgusted me. Evidently this is what passes for journalism on CBC these days.

What I heard was complete Christ bashing, and misrepresentation. CBC will interview anyone who hates Christianity, and when they have a conservative Christian on, which is extremely rare, they attempt to make them look like a fool, or a bigot.

One thing I found interesting was his assertion that Jesus Christ did not fulfill all of the messianic prophecies, and therefore He couldn’t be the Jewish Messiah.

Interesting.

Reza Aslan is a Muslim, and yet he is reciting one of the major Jewish reasons for rejecting their Messiah.

Let me make it plain; Reza Aslan and the Jews are absolutely correct that Jesus Christ did not fulfill all of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.

He did not, and there is a perfectly valid reason why He did not; It was not intended that the Messiah would fulfill all of the Messianic prophecies at His first coming.

This is what I find inexcusable in this pretext of journalism. He simply recited the Jewish objections to Jesus the Messiah, without examining what Christians say, and indeed what the Jewish Scriptures say.

The Lord, speaking through the pen of the Jewish prophet Hosea, has the following explanation for the current absence of the Jewish Messiah from the earth;

5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

The prophet Moses has this to say about a day with God;

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Psalm 90:4

So, if a thousand years are as a day with God, then the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Hosea, will be gone for a minimum of two thousand years, and will not return until after those two thousand years are over. The Jewish sages missed these verses, and so has Reza Aslan.

Journalism should examine both sides of any argument it examines, yet I did not hear Aslan, or the interviewer, mention these verses. To be fair, I was so disgusted with the tone of the interview, that I did not bother listening more than a couple of minutes past these statements.

The truth is that even Jesus’ disciples initially were expecting Him to set up His kingdom immediately. Notice the question they asked Him after his resurrection;

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:6-7

Notice that Jesus did not deny that there will be a future earthly kingdom, only that it was not their business at that time. He had a Church to build.

Most Jews, and even most Christians, are unaware that Hosea 5:15-6:3 is about the length of time that the Messiah would leave the earth, between His two comings. Now, as we are nearing the end of the second day, His return is becoming imminent!

The Word of God defines the term “antichrist” as the following;

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. I John 2:22

Any person, or religion, who denies that Jesus is the Son of God is an Antichrist, and does not deserve your attention. Your eternal destiny is at stake. I therefore recommend, that while I have posted a link to the offending interview, above, it would be wise of you to ignore it. Reza Aslan is an Antichrist.

It would be better to write to CBC, or to Fox, and ask them to interview someone who knows what they are talking about.

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy | Tagged aslan zealot, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC radio, interview with Reza Aslan, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Son of God, Jewish Messiah, objections to Jesus the Messiah, reza aslan, Reza Aslan is an Antichrist | 2 Comments

The Timing of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Posted on August 13, 2014 by dknezacek

Before I continue on my rebuttal of the “Shock Letter’s” series against the pre-Tribulation rapture, I want to take a few moments to examine the timing of the rapture. By “rapture” I mean the time when Jesus Christ will snatch away His true believers.

There are various explanations as to how Harpazo in the Greek became rapture, the following from Rapture Ready appears to be the best explanation. I have seen this transliterated as “rapereo”, and “raptus”, and “raptureo”. Not being a Latin scholar, and having no interest in Latin, I will leave this up to others to explain;

“The word “rapture” comes from Paul’s “caught up” remark in verse 17. The words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “to carry off,” “snatch up,” or “grasp hastily.” The translation from harpazo to “rapture” involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptus became the English word “rapture.”” http://www.raptureready.com/rr-pretribulation-rapture.html

While the above article is interesting, he states that “The timing of the rapture is not known.” Now if he means that we cannot know the day nor the hour, then I would have to agree with him, but if he is implying the classical Dispensational teaching, that there are no signs before the rapture then I would have to strongly disagree with him.

We can know which biblical signs will occur shortly before the rapture occurs, and thus we can know when the Rapture is imminent.

The classic rapture passages are from Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians, and the Thessalonians;

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

And

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. 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. I Thessalonians 4:15-18

These two passages are speaking about the same event; when the believers in Jesus Christ, immediately after the resurrection of the dead saints, are swept up off of the earth to meet the Lord in the air.

Many have associated this trumpet with the last of the seven trumpet judgments of Revelation 8-10. This is not correct. We have no evidence that Paul was referring to those judgments at all, or even knew about them. The book of Revelation was written some thirty years after Paul’s death, and the events thereof were not revealed to anyone, until the Lord revealed them to John.

Paul was an Old Testament scholar, and he was referring to Old Testament trumpets, and events.

Isaiah 26 is the main pre-Tribulation rapture passage in the bible, and it is to this that Paul was referring, specifically verses 19-21;

17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:17-21

The End Times are frequently compared to a woman in labour, and it is the same here. Labour pains start as mild pangs, far apart, and then build in intensity and frequency until they are excruciating. (I have been witness to the births of three sons, so I have seen this) This is how the End Times events are playing out.

The first two verses refer to Israel, and to the fact that they have been wasting their time for the past 2,700 years. They have not wrought deliverance upon the earth, and as a result they will be recalled, like a defective product, back to the place of manufacture (Israel), where the factory workers can fix what is wrong. In this case the Worker is the Lord Himself!

Notice in verse 19 that the Lord’s dead men will rise. Isaiah anticipates his own resurrection at this time. Notice also that these people are singing! These are only the saved, there are no lost persons among them. They have nothing to fear, only rejoicing! This is a far different resurrection than the resurrection of the lost.

Immediately after the saved are resurrected, the living saints are called to their “chambers”, and invited to hide there until “the indignation is overpast”.

The indignation is the Great Tribulation period, and we can see this same term used in a passage concerning the Antichrist;

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” Daniel 11:36

So, we see then that the believers are hidden in their “chambers” in Heaven, while the Little Horn, the Antichrist, prospers on the earth. These are not the same body of believers whom the Antichrist “wears out” in Daniel 7:25. Those believers come to faith after the rapture and must wait on the earth for the end of the Tribulation. Millions of them will be martyred, but the few that do make it through will enter into the millennial kingdom in their earthly bodies.

Where are the “chambers” to which the saints are called? Jesus told us;

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

Asaph told us also;

3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. 5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. Psalm 50:3-5

The saints are gathered unto Him, to where He is; in Heaven! And, the sacrifice whereby they have made a covenant with Him is His own sacrifice on the cross! The “tempestousness’ before Him is a reference to the late-Church-age wars, which we shall examine shortly.

I mentioned that the regathering of Israel is referred to in Isaiah 26: 17-18, in a rather oblique manner. Zephaniah makes a more definite statement about this event;

1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. Zephaniah 2:1-3

The “nation not desired” can be none other than Israel. There is no other option. The day of the Lord’s anger is also known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble”(Jeremiah 30:7). The primary focus of this time period is the nation of Israel, although it will affect the entire world, and all its inhabitants.

Notice that this nation will be gathered BEFORE the wrath of the Lord comes upon them. This is important.

Israel has begun to come back to the land, but they have not all come back. The bulk of those who have come back are the Jews, mainly from the southern kingdom of Judah, which also included the tribe of Benjamin, and half of Levi. God has not forgotten the other tribes; He will bring them all back for the Time of Jacob’s trouble.

This is one event that must occur before the Tribulation begins; God would not bring the Tribulation upon part of Israel, and leave the rest untouched, safe in other parts of the world. There are many millions of Israelites living among the Pathan tribes of Afghanistan, and Pakistan. These tribes are Muslims today, but don’t imagine that this would make them exempt from the Tribulation. It is “Jacob’s Trouble” not “Judah’s trouble”. Rather than being a problem, these people are actually a fulfilment of prophecy themselves;

Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour. Jeremiah 16:13

Don’t forget that many Jews today serve the gods of the New Age movement, which also qualifies as serving a god other than the God of the bible. This does not exempt them from the wrath of God, rather it invites it!

Every Hebrew believer in Jesus Christ/Yeshuah ha Maschiah, will be raptured with the Church, so I am not speaking of them when I say that the time of Jacob’s trouble is for Israel.

The “meek of the earth” in verse 3 is not only a reference to the believers of Israel, but all true believers, throughout the nations, including Israel. They will be hid in their chambers, in Heaven, during the day of God’s anger.

So, when is Israel to be gathered? Ezekiel tells us when the last ones are to come in. This is important, because it signifies the general time frame of the rapture. They have been coming in, in fits and starts, and the time is coming when they will come in with a flood, after the Psalm 83 war, but the final few individuals will come home in the aftermath of the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.

They will think it is finally safe to go home to Israel. They will believe that this war has been the time of Jacob’s trouble, and since it is over there is no danger. They will be looking for the millennial kingdom of the Messiah, and instead they will find themselves in the midst of the Day of the Lord’s Wrath!

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; Ezekiel 39:25

The Lord having “mercy on the whole house of Israel” does not mean that they will not have any trouble any longer. It means that He will now open their eyes, and they will know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah sent for their deliverance from sin. He will now be “jealous for His holy name” means that he will bring judgment on those who have had their eyes opened, and who still insist on doing things their own way!

This is why He says;

I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. Zechariah 10:8

Christians often take the word “redeem” to be synonymous with “saved”, but it actually means “bought”. Jesus purchased the people of the earth, when He died on the cross, including Israel. He purchased them from His father, God, not Satan. Satan never owned them, they just aligned themselves with him.

You and I are his blood-bought property. Don’t ever forget it!

This “hiss” is not exactly a friendly hiss. Hisses are never friendly. Here God is calling them through clenched teeth! This hiss is His rescuing them during the Gog and Magog war.

They will take His deliverance to indicate His approval of their Theology, which is a mistake! He is rescuing them because He cares for them, but He is not done with them yet. Their theology still needs to be shaken-up!

So, the Rapture of the believers will occur in the aftermath of the Gog and Magog war, at a time when the world is looking for a Saviour. This war will occur several years after the Psalm 83 war, and many Christians, and Jews, will look to these two wars, and the intervening time, as being the Tribulation period. They will be able to point to people who have filled roles, like the false prophet, and the Antichrist, a covenant with the Arabs, and Armageddon (Gog/Magog) and while it won’t be an exact fit, it will be close.

In fact these two wars are only closing wars of the Church-age, but because of their faulty eschatology, many Christians, Jews, and members of other faiths, will be looking for a Saviour to clean-up the mess, and guarantee their peace and safety. This will be the time when the real Antichrist is set to rise, like the Saviour so many are looking for! Those who have rejected the real Saviour, will fall for this counterfeit!

So, here is the End Times chronology as I have laid out for you above;

1) the Closing days of the Church age including;

a) the Psalm 83 war, where the Arabs surrounding Israel attack and are defeated by Israel’s use of nuclear weapons.

b) A European leader brokers a treaty between Israel and the Arabs, which actually works, and brings peace to the region, for a time. This leader will look much like the Antichrist, but will in fact be a stand-in for the same; a decoy to distract from the real Antichrist who is waiting in the wings.

c) The pope will support this leader and his treaty, and thus will be identified as the false prophet.

e) This peace treaty will require the disarming of the Arabs, and Israel will give up her nuclear weapons, in exchange for a guarantee of security from the Europeans. No doubt many nations will make a show of giving up their nuclear arms, but surprisingly, a few will be forgotten. (Russia has so many that they really don’t know how many they have.)

f) These two leaders will be destroyed by the Russo-Iranian coalition of the Ezekiel 38-39 war, leaving Europe in a leaderless panic, and Israel defenseless. I expect the European leader ,and the pope, will be in Rome when this event occurs, and many Christians will interpret this event as being fulfilment of Revelation 17-18, and the destruction of the Harlot.

g) the Russo-Iranian coalition will be defeated as in Ezekiel 38-39, by an earthquake, and fire and brimstone from the sky. The armies, not having a common language, will turn on each other in panic. When the dust settles, only one in six of those soldiers will return home.

h) With the “judgment of the Harlot” a past event, in the minds of many, there will be nothing in the way of the world’s religions uniting, and selecting Babylon as a headquarters.

2) in the aftermath of the Gog/Magog war, the world will be looking for a Saviour, and he will come, using the treaty from the Psalm 83 war as the basis for a new treaty.

a) Around the time that this new/old treaty is signed, the final remnant of Israel will return, and the rapture of the Church will occur. This is the trumpet that Paul was talking about when he spoke of the last trump;

12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. Isaiah 27:12-13

Just because people worship the true God, it does not mean they are saved. “Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess” and yet still many shall be thrown into the lake of fire. God still has to do a work in their hearts. This is what the rapture is meant to do to Israel; it is designed to make them jealous. After some 2,000 years, Israel will finally be jealous when they see the believers, including Jewish believers, disappear from among them. Then they will begin looking for Jesus in the Old Testament, and they will find Him!

Here is the return of the last remnants of Israel. The final few who were suspicious that they might get caught in the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, will now believe that they can go back in safety. The Israelites who converted to Islam, and Budhism, and many other religions, will now come back to Judaism.

3) There will be no doubt in anyone’s mind that it was God who had saved Israel from the Russo-Iranian attack. Israel will have control over all the land from the Euphrates to the Nile, and they will be looking forward to a time of peace and prosperity, only now is the time that the Great Tribulation will come upon them. This is why Paul said;

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. I Thessalonians 5:3

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy, World Events | Tagged end times chronology, gog and magog, great tribulation, last trumpet, rapture is imminent, rapture timing, regathering of Israel, time of jacob's trouble, timing of the rapture, trumpet judgments | 6 Comments

Is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture a Lie?

Posted on July 29, 2014 by dknezacek

Being on various mailing lists, one has a variety of different teachings sent to one’s inbox, some good and some bad, and sometimes both from the same source. I was going to write about Brannon Howse’s error, saying that one can take the mark of the Beast and still end up in Heaven, but I received the following which is such a blatant attack on the word of God that I had to respond;

The offending article is from www.omegashock.com by one John Little, and is entitled “The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie” http://www.omegashock.com/2014/07/28/the-pre-tribulation-rapture-lie/

——-

“I try to always ask God for direction before I write, because I truly want every word that I write to be what He wants you to read. I really do. It scares me that I would lead you astray in ANYTHING. Unfortunately, because I am fallible, you cannot trust my words completely. I really am no better than you are.”

Up to this point I am in complete agreement with the writer. I also pray about everything I write, so if a spirit is leading both him and me, then it must be a different spirit. God does not contradict Himself. Is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture a Lie, as he says, or is there another way of understanding the verses he points out? We shall see as we go through his article;

“I say all that, because I wanted to write something else today. There are such dire threats facing us, that talking about spiritual lies seems like a waste of time. The problem is that you won’t heed my warnings, if you believe spiritual lies. So, here we go again.”

————————————–

“The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie”

“After talking about spiritual deception and heresy all last week, you would think that I could be done with the lies and get back to the truth. Unfortunately, God isn’t letting me go on this. There is one specific lie that must be dealt with again, before I can move forward:”

“The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie”

“I keep calling it a theory, but that’s just because I am trying to be polite. It’s more than a theory. It’s a lie – from Satan, the father of lies. He is using it to put you to sleep, so that you will NOT prepare for what he has planned for you.”

Satan certainly does have a lie that he is preparing for the Church, a lie so deceptive that if it were possible even the elect would be deceived. It is in the nature of this lie that I differ very strongly with John Little;

“Please, if I have to beg, I will. You MUST wake up. There is so little time left.

Starting With The Truth

When judging a lie, you must always start with the truth, and you will find it in the Bible. It’s really quite simple, as the truth often is, and it won’t require lots of verbal gymnastics to say what is… the truth.”

Again, I agree with the author, the truth is rather simple, but as you will see, he does indeed go through a lot of mental gymnastics to make his point. His biggest error is failing to understand the context of various passages, and failing to harmonize the whole bible. For a person who wants to teach the Church this is inexcusable, but also quite common.

“Let me summarize the points first:

“ Truth ALWAYS trumps THEORY – ALWAYS”

The Antichrist must come before the Rapture

The Tribulation must come before the Rapture

The Sun and Moon Must be Darkened before the Rapture

The Lord Must descend from Heaven with a Shout before the Rapture

Jesus Must Return before the Rapture

The Resurrection must happen just before the Rapture (or, at the same time)

There is only one resurrection for those who are God’s people

God promised that Christians would suffer

There IS a Place of Safety on this Earth

There IS A Safe Place If You Do Not Follow The Lie

“That last one should concentrate your mind. All of the arguments that the pre-tribbers make are based upon the fact that God would never allow His people to suffer. Well, you won’t have to suffer if you pay attention and follow the truth, and not lies.”

The author has just lied to you; Pre-Tribbers do not say that God would never allow His people to suffer! Every Dispensationalist I have heard, and read, has pointed out that many millions of Christians have gone through great persecutions throughout the Church’s history. Many have died as martyrs since the very first century. What pre-Tribbers do say is that “tribulation” and “the Great Tribulation” are not the same thing; “tribulation” has occurred to every generation of believers since Christ, “the Great Tribulation” is one event which will occur around the End of the Age and is God’s judgment against mankind.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. I Thessalonians 5:9 – 11

What comfort is there for those who will have to die by the millions during the Tribulation? This verse is aimed at the Church who will not have to suffer the wrath of God during that time.

The Antichrist IS a judgment of God against unbelieving mankind; even those who come to faith during the Tribulation will be unbelievers during the day of the Rapture. Their status in Heaven will be somewhat different than Church-age saints!

Essentially the Lord is saying to mankind “You don’t wan the Messiah I sent for you? Then you can have one of your own choosing”! Those who become believers during the Tribulation will find that they have woken up too late!

Saying that Christians must go through the Great Tribulation, and that there is a safe place on earth will cause Christians to focus their attention on finding that “safe place”, which doesn’t exist. I see a lot of Christians preparing for the Tribulation by hoarding dried goods, and buying guns and weapons. While it is always a good idea to prepare for disasters, which occur periodically, those who think they will be able to ride out the storm of the Great Tribulation will find themselves coming out of hiding at the same time as the real Antichrist is rising! I am afraid that this is precisely where the author of this article is leading his audience!

We ought to focus our attention on the Word of God, not on our own earthly survival. Heed the words of Jesus;

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25

“Following a lie will ALWAYS lead to suffering. And THAT is what the pre-tribbers are setting you up for. Do not follow the lies of Satan. Do NOT twist the Bible. You must get this right, or you will die.”

Now he is priming us to focus on avoiding suffering. The suffering of untold millions of Christians has not been because they were following lies, but because they were following the truth! This is exactly the opposite of the teaching found in the Word of God!

“Yes, it really is a life and death issue.”

No argument here, but it appears that John Little is on the wrong side of the issue!

“After the first series of disasters rolls by, we can argue the finer points of eschatology. Until then, make ready for the worst moment in human history. But, let’s get to proving the above points.”

Truth ALWAYS Trumps THEORY – ALWAYS

You see, the first series of disasters is exactly what I am talking about; People like th

The Bible cannot lie. If you believe otherwise, please stop here. If you do not believe that the whole of the Bible is truth, there’s no hope for you.

This is the crux of the matter, “the whole of the Bible is truth”, in other words, we need to harmonize the whole bible, not just the parts we like, AND we have to do it in consultation with the Holy Spirit.

“So, if the Bible cannot lie, then each verse is a challenge to our theories.

We all have them. Some are right. Some are wrong. And, as you (hopefully) read your Bible, if you stumble across a verse that declares your theory wrong… well…

…it’s wrong, and you have to get it right.

Seriously, folks. If I tell you something, and the Bible disagrees with me… well, I’m wrong. It’s that simple.

The Bible is ALWAYS right. Always.”

(No argument here; complete agreement from me, Dan. I would add, however, that very often our pre-conceived ideas and notions colour our understanding of the bible. It looks to me that this is what the author, John Little, is doing, although he would claim the opposite!)

“The Antichrist Must Come Before The Rapture”

“Paul reached out to the church in Thessalonica because they were thrown into turmoil over the idea of the Rapture. It appears that someone was telling them that they had missed it. Here is what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

“The Antichrist MUST come before the Rapture. There is no other way that you can interpret this verse. None.”

Wrong! There is another way to look at this verse, which the author, most Dispensationalists, Amillennialists and Post-millennialists have missed; Look at the verse again; the subject in verse 1 is the Rapture, which Little has correctly noted “ and by our gathering together unto him”. What he has missed is the little word “revealed” in verse 3, and the phrase which contains it;

“for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”

So, does it say that the Tribulation must occur before the Rapture of the believers? No! It says that the man of sin, the Antichrist, or the Beast, must be REVEALED before the rapture.

He could be revealed shortly before the start of the Tribulation, and I believe the evidence is that he will be!

So how is the Beast revealed? He will do some of the things that the bible says he will do, but it is not necessary that he does everything that the bible says he will do throughout his reign! He only needs to do something that identifies him as the Antichrist.

What will that thing be? There is a long list of events and actions that identify this man, but only one or two would really be necessary. Some think that it will be the confirmation of a covenant with Israel. This may be so, but I think that this event might actually identify a false Antichrist; the first world leader to work-out a peace agreement between Israel and the Arabs, after the Psalm 83 war will not be the Antichrist.

The term is “confirm” which implies that the deal does not originate with the Antichrist, but with someone else. That someone else will be a stand-in for the Antichrist. The real Antichrist, the Beast, will reinstate an old agreement that actually worked. Many, like John Little, will identify the original author of this agreement as the Antichrist, but in truth, the Antichrist comes along later.

“Unfortunately, pre-tribbers seek to twist this verse by saying that ‘falling away’ is The Rapture.

Really? Apostasy is the RAPTURE?

Here’s the Greek word that Paul used for ‘falling away’:

ἀποστασία – apostasia

That is NOT – and cannot be – the word for the Rapture. In another verse, apostasia was translated as forsake in Acts 21:21, when Paul was being accused of teaching apostasy, it was because they thought that he was telling people to forsake the Law of Moses.

Apostasia is NEVER used in ANY place in the Bible in reference to the Rapture. In fact, Paul already had a word that he uses for the rapture. It’s used in this phrase:

by our gathering together unto him

The Greek word used for gathering together is:

ἐπισυναγωγῆς – episynagōgēs

It really does just mean ‘gather together’.

The word that pre-tribbers like to use – rapture – comes from the Latin – rapturo. It’s a good word, and I use it because that’s what people understand. The Greek version of this word is:

ἁρπάζω – harpazó

It means to snatch away, or to take by force. And THAT is exactly what the Lord is going to do. He’s going to snatch us away. In fact, Paul uses much the same word in 1 Thessalonians 4:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. – 1 Thessalonians 4:17

The word for shall be caught up is:

ἁρπαγησόμεθα – harpagēsometha

And, the root is – you guessed it – harpazo.

So, when a pretribber comes to you and tries to tell you that The Great Apostasy in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is actually the rapture, tell him that he’s lying. And then, tell him this:”

I would not say he is lying, but I might say he is deceived, and then attempt to show him the truth.

“The Antichrist Must Come Before The Rapture”

“To believe otherwise is to believe a lie. And, there is only one person who is the father of lies.”

OK. I did hear Grant Jeffrey make the case which he is refuting here. John Little is correct that ἀποστασία – apostasia is not the Rapture. This is kind of a “bait-and-switch” tactic he is using here.

The case for a pre-Tribulation Rapture does not rest on the translation of “ἀποστασία – apostasia”, as a “taking away”. There are many passages in Scripture that do indeed teach a pre-Tribulation Rapture. I have noted them in many of my articles, and in The Spirit of Prophecy .

“The Tribulation Must Come Before The Rapture”

John Little’s teaching of this lie is based on only one passage (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4), and as I have shown, that verse does not make it necessary that the Tribulation must occur before the Rapture. It only says that the Antichrist must be REVEALED before the Rapture of the Church!

The Dispensational idea that the Rapture could have occurred at any time since the Lord’s ascension is refuted by this verse, but not the idea of a pre-tribulation Rapture!

“When Jesus spoke of the Last Days, the coming of the Antichrist and the Tribulation, He made zero mention of a pre-tribulation rapture. None. Zero. Zip.”

“You would think – if there WAS a pre-trib rapture – that Jesus would have mentioned it here. But, He didn’t. However, He DID say this:”

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. – Matthew 24:29-31

(See also Mark 13:24-27)

“This is Jesus, our Lord and Savior, telling us that the Rapture MUST HAPPEN AFTER THE TRIBULATION!”

John Little is incorrect here simply because the event in view is not the Rapture! The Church will come to Him when He calls, He does not need to send out angels to collect them! Believers who have the Holy Spirit indwelling them will be empowered to come to Him when they hear His voice!

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:27

The people picked up by angels in Matthew 24:31 are in physical bodies. They are picked up off of the surface of the earth as Jesus and the saints return bringing judgment against all who have taken the mark of the beast! This is to get the believers out as He slaughters His enemies! They will witness the judgments of the armies of the Beast from the safety of the arms of angels as destruction goes on below them on the earth!

No! This is not the Rapture! Not at all!

“Please, did you get that?

“The Rapture happens AFTER THE TRIBULATION. There is NO OTHER WAY TO INTERPRET THOSE VERSES!”

Poor John Little, Satan has blinded him, because as I have just shown, there is another way to view those verses, which fits far better than the mess he is promoting!

“Period. End of Statement.

Is there any part of this that you did not understand?

The Sun and Moon Must be Darkened before the Rapture

This next point, how the Sun and Moon must be darkened before the Rapture, piggy-backs on top of the verse that I talked about, above. But, it’s worth talking about separately. Although, this time, I’ll use Mark 13:

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. – Mark 13:24-27

Please, everyone, there is NO WAY that you can see ANY pre-tribulation rapture here. The Sun and Moon must be darkened first, and the stars fall.”

There is a section in The Spirit of Prophecy about this exact scenario. I show from Joel that this phenomenon will actually occur three times during the End Times! It will occur Before the Tribulation, when the Tribulation is near, and then it will occur AFTER the Tribulation!

Here is just one, but it is one that is very important;

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joel 2:31

This is important because many will interpret this sign exactly as John Little has; That they are witnessing the end of the Tribulation! In fact they are very close to the time of the Tribulation but it actually will not have happened yet! It will not even have begun, but because they are not cross-referencing the New Testament with the Old they will misinterpret the signs, and be ready to crown the Antichrist as Saviour!

The phrase “the stars fall to earth” is not a reference to stars literally falling to the earth, but to an atmospheric phenomenon; As a result of the dust kicked up into the atmosphere from nuclear weapons going off, and also several volcanoes erupting around the same time, the dust in the upper atmosphere will obscure the stars so it will appear as if they had fallen to earth. Should this happen around the time of the Gog and Magog war, the illusion will be completed by a celestial bombardment which lands on the armies of the invading nations, and also on them who dwell carelessly in the isles (probably North America).

John Little, and his Shock Letter is leading Christians astray!

“Then, and only then, will The Rapture happen.”

“The Lord Must descend from Heaven with a Shout before the Rapture”

“You saw me talk about harpazo, above. Well, this snatching away is not going to be some quiet event. In fact, Jesus descends from the sky with a shout. Here’s the specific passage:”

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

“I have a question to ask you:”

Does this sound like the pre-trib rapture that the pretribbers talk about?

Not to me.

Jesus Must Return before the Rapture”

There is a serious problem with John Little’s interpretation of this passage. He is not cross-referencing this passage with a very important Old Testament passage. Please read this section from Isaiah, it will shed much light on what Paul is saying;

17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:17-21

Note the reference to child-birth and “birth pangs” in verse 17. This tells us that this is an End Times passage. Israel is like a woman in childbirth, but has only brought forth wind; they have been wasting their time for the last 2700 years! This is also a reference to the return of Israel to the land. They are recalled like a faulty product, to their place of manufacture. There the manufacturer, God, will fix their problem.

Note in verse 19 we have the Lord’s dead men being resurrected, and Isaiah himself anticipates being among them, and then in verse 20 we have the Lord’s people, still alive, being invited into their chambers as God’s indignation comes over the earth. They are invited to stay there until the end of the indignation, the End of the Great Tribulation!

This is the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Saints, and is the exact same event spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2.

“I have already shown you Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27 above.

How does the Lord return?

Well, Jesus said that everyone would see Him return in the clouds with great power and glory. THEN He would send His angels to gather up His people from the Earth. This is His RETURN.”

The “four winds of Heaven” in Matthew 24:31 is a reference to the atmosphere of the earth. Those people are not taken to the third Heaven, God’s home, but only up into the first Heaven, the atmosphere! It would make no sense for Him to return with saints he has just raptured moments before! Do you think you are ready to rule the earth with Jesus? I don’t think any of us is. We will need seven years in the University of Heaven for us to be able to rule like Jesus!

“Does Matthew 24 or Mark 13 speak of a SECOND return?

Of course not. There is just one – THE RETURN.”

Funny how so many Christians miss this; When Jesus returns there is a time when He will be coming and going on the earth. It is spoken of in Revelation 10:5-7. This is an event that occurs around the mid-point of the Tribulation;

5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets

So many bible teachers focus on only part of this passage, and claim that time will no longer exist, based on one phrase in verse 6. This is taking the passage out of context. What it is saying is that the time of the mystery of God will be finished, at this time! At this point, God no longer has to hide himself from His creation, but now comes and goes as He pleases!

Evidently this is a reference to an agreement made by the Godhead before the creation of the earth.

“Do we understand all that will happen at the time?

Probably not, but that shouldn’t keep us from accepting what our Lord and Savior told us.

The Rapture really does happen when Jesus returns.

The Resurrection Must Happen Just Before The Rapture”

The pretribbers do their best to distort and explain away the evidence of a post-tribulation rapture, but they have an exceptionally tough time of it – when it comes to the resurrection. In fact, every time I raise this point, they begin attacking me personally, instead of answering the passage.

So, this passage is especially thorny for pretribbers:

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

THAT is unquestionably a rapture passage. No one can question that, and the pretribbers don’t. But, it is also a resurrection passage.

How can you have a pre-tribulation rapture, if the resurrection must happen just before (or at the same time as) the Rapture?

“The answer is that you can’t. You CANNOT have a pre-tribulation rapture, because the resurrection MUST happen at the same time as the rapture. And… there is only one of them for God’s people.”

“And yet, as we have already seen from Isaiah 26, the exact chronology that Dispensationalists teach is definitely there, including a pre-rapture resurrection, a pre-tribulation rapture, followed by the Lord’s judgment of the earth during the Great Tribulation!”

“There Is Only One Resurrection For Those Who Are God’s People”

There are two resurrections, but he is correct that there is one resurrection for God’s people, but it is broken up into a series of events. In fact the first resurrection has already started! Jesus is the very first of the first resurrection, but He is definitely a part of this resurrection.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

Jesus is not alone, as the only person who has already been resurrected.

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Matthew 27:52-53

This was not a resurrection like that of Lazarus, who eventually died again. If these people were only in physical bodies, we would have seen them join the Church, and we would have heard more from them. Some of them certainly would have made an appearance in the book of Acts, but they do not. This is because their resurrection was like that of Jesus, and they went to Heaven when He did, only a few days after their resurrection.

This is the first resurrection.

Since this was the first resurrection does this mean that you and I have missed it? No! The first resurrection will continue shortly before the rapture of the Church, and then at the end of the Tribulation it will occur again. Each of these events is a part of the first resurrection. John Little is incorrect that the first resurrection is a one-time only event.

“The reason why there cannot be a pre-tribulation rapture is that there is only one resurrection for those who are God’s people. Only one.”

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4-6

Those that go through the Tribulation WILL BE IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION!!

Is there any other FIRST RESURRECTION?

“Of course not, unless you want to twist the Bible.”

Yes, we just saw that Jesus is the first of the first resurrection, and He was resurrected almost 2,000 years ago. Then we saw that many saints were resurrected shortly after He was resurrected, so we know that the “first resurrection” is a multi-faceted event. The term “first” does not refer to a time but to a position. The first resurrection is for all of God’s people from all times and ages, and it has occurred, and will occur more than once.

God’s two witnesses, who trouble the Beast, will also be a part of the first resurrection, and their resurrection will occur during the middle of the Tribulation. Read Revelaton 11, and note that these two men are invited to “come up hither” after their resurrection just like we see in Revelation 4:1, with the exact same invitation.

Just to rub it in a little, here’s Jesus speaking in Luke:

And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. – Luke 14:14

This verse does not state that the resurrection of the just only occurs at one particular time. Each just person will only be resurrected one time, so for them there is only one resurrection, but different people are resurrected at different times, as I have shown you.

“So, if you don’t make it in the First Resurrection, and are not in the Rapture, you will go to Hell.”

“Again, what happens just before (or at the same time as) the resurrection?”

“The Rapture.”

“God Promised That Christians Would Suffer”

“The reason why we are even having this debate is due to our desire to avoid suffering. We don’t even want to THINK about what the Antichrist will do to us during the Tribulation.”

The reason we are having this debate is because, for some strange reason, many professing Christians hate the doctrine of the rapture. It was denied by Augustine, and that denial was perpetrated by his followers for the 1,700 or so, years since his death, but that does not mean he was correct.

“That is completely understandable, but it’s not an excuse to twist the words of God.

In fact, God promised us that we would suffer persecution and tribulation. I am mystified as to why the pretribbers think that we could avoid it. There are just too many verses that talk about this. Here are a couple:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. – 2 Timothy 3:12

…and:

And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. – Acts 14:21-22

Maybe the preachers John Little was listening to said that Christians shouldn’t suffer persecution or tribulation, but most Dispensationalists do not say this. This is a straw-man argument.

I have a question to ask all of my pretribber friends:

With all the persecution that we have experienced over the past two thousand years, and are experiencing now, why do you think that we should be exempt from the persecution of the Antichrist?

Because THAT is what we are talking about. The pretribbers will tell you about how God isn’t going to pour out His wrath upon His people, but they are REALLY just interested in avoiding the Antichrist.

Not really, I want to be with Jesus. I also think that if I live long enough, I will see the Antichrist, and he will be revealed to me, before I and my brethren are raptured. I also don’t think the Beast will have a chance to harm any true believers before the rapture. He will harm millions of late believers, after the rapture.

Well, if we haven’t been able to avoid the persecution of the communists/catholics/nazis/pagans, then we aren’t going to avoid the persecution of the Antichrist.

Well… actually …that’s not completely true.

There IS A Place Of Safety On This Earth

When God sent the ten plagues upon Egypt, He didn’t take them out of Egypt. But, He did provide them with a place that was free of these plagues. It was an area of Egypt called The Land of Goshen.

And, we can find the same idea in Revelation. According to the Book of Revelation, there is a place that will offer protection to God’s people, who flee the Antichrist:

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. – Revelation 12:13-14

John Little has just revealed himself as a replacement theologian. This passage is a specific promise to the believers of Israel, that they will be protected during the Tribulation. It is not a promise to Gentile believers.

There IS a place of safety that will be prepared for God’s people. And, it will be a place that will keep them safe, until the end of the Tribulation.

Do I understand how that is possible?

No. No one does. But, that shouldn’t keep us from taking it on faith.

The problem is that you will not have the opportunity to be in a place of safety, if you allow yourself to twist the Bible.

Torturing The Bible

There is no verse in the Bible that talks about a pre-tribulation rapture. I’ve seen the evidence of these false teachers, and all that they can offer are verses that they have twisted out of shape.

Well, we have just seen a pre-tribulation rapture in Isaiah 26, and can also find it in Zephaniah 2, Psalm 50, and in many other places in both Old and New Testaments. The purpose of the rapture is multi-faceted, while it is for the Church, it is also for Israel. God is removing the Church because He will now deal with mankind through Israel, and He will also use the rapture as a wake-up call, to provoke Israel to jealousy!

“As someone once said:

The Bible is like a person. If you torture it enough, you can get it to say anything.

God did not intend for you to torture the Bible. He meant for you to accept it. It is His words for you.

If you would not twist the words of those that you truly love on this Earth…

…why would you twist the words of God?

My suspicion is that many pretribbers don’t love God. It’s really that simple.”

My suspicion is that most Post-tribbers, Preterists and Amillennialists don’t love God. It is either this, or they are deluded, and victims of false teachers. Pre-Tribulation teachers have made some mistakes, undoubtedly, but they are on the right track, or at least, are closer to the truth than the followers of other forms of eschatology.

Believing Preterism, Post-millennialism, or Amillennialism, will leave you open to the deception of the Antichrist. I am convinced that any “Christian” who calls the Antichrist a “man of God” before the rapture, will not participate in that event. I hope that is not John Little’s fate, but I suspect it will be if he doesn’t repent soon!

“Conclusion – Your Choice”

My conclusion is that if you believe the bible, as written, you will be pre-tribulational, in your eschatology, but not necessarily Dispensational. There really is no choice for the child of God. While you may make mistakes, as we all do, you will adjust your understanding as you study the Word of God, so that you may more closely conform to the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Dan Knezacek

Posted in Book Reviews, Christian Doctrine, Prophecy | Tagged isaiah 26, john little, Matthew 24, Pre-Trib rapture, pre-tribulation rapture, Pre-Tribulation Rapture a Lie, spiritual deception, the shock letter | 7 Comments

Naming names?

Posted on July 25, 2014 by dknezacek

I’m not a big fan of hip-hop, but I must say I appreciate the message of Shai Linne’s song “Fal$e Teacher$”. I am so glad he names names;

You could add a lot of names to his list, names like Pope Francis, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, Phyllis Tickle, Todd Bentley, Robert Schuller, Billy Graham, Rick Warren, David Jeremiah, John Hagee, Ayatolla Kamenei, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, the Dalai Lama, etc.

Actually, here is another list of false teachers, and this isn’t exhaustive either. It seems there are more of them every day;

Neil Anderson, Reinhard Bonnke, William Branham, Paul Cain, Tony Campolo, Paul (David) Yonggi Cho, Gerald Coates, Graham Cooke, Paul Cunningham, Gene Edwards, John Hagee, Christian Harfouche, Jack Hayford, Ruth Helflin, John Hinkle, David Hogan, Jack Van Impe, Manasseh Jordan, T.B. Joshua, Bob Larson, Roberts Liardon, Lord Maitreya, Arnold Murray, Carlton Pearson, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Robert Schuller, Gwen Shaw, Don Stewart, Tommy Tenney, Bruce Wilkinson

What all of these teachers are doing is fleecing the flock, and promoting other gods beside the God of the bible. They may call him “Jesus” but he is assuredly not the Jesus of the bible!

This will get worse as we approach the end of the age. Even your local pastor could turn out to be a false teacher. A few years ago we found that our church, Emmanuel Baptist of Barrie, Ontario, was following Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven agenda. Even when evangelists from Evangelism Explosion spoke at our church, we found they were promoting the Shack, by Wm. Paul Young, a wild New-Age book promoting false views of God and Jesus.

It is truly very easy to find false teachers today, but the truth is hard to find.

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy | Tagged David Jeremiah, Emmanuel Baptist of Barrie, jack hayford, Jack van Impe, John Hagee, pope francis, Rick Warren, shack paul young, todd bentley, tony campolo | 2 Comments

Christians forced to leave Mosul

Posted on July 21, 2014 by dknezacek

Mosul, the modern city built on the ruins of Nineveh, was overrun by Sunni ISIS militants just a few days ago. Now, contrary to earlier promises, they have recently given an ultimatum to the Christians living in that city; convert to Islam, pay the jizya (tax on Christians), leave, or die.

According to reports, all of the Christians in Mosul have chosen to leave.

Well, is this the end of “Christianity ” in Iraq?

According to the article above, this is the end of Assyrians in Mosul, but I would have to differ with that interpretation. Many Assyrians have already converted to Islam, and are still in Mosul, perhaps even supporting ISIS.

The Psalm 83 war will include Assyrian representation in the armies that attack Israel at that time;

Psalms 83:8
Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot.

As I have noted before, Assur was the patriarch of Assyria, but that does not mean that the Islamic armies of Psalm 83 will have a Christian Assyrian contingent? No, they will be Islamic Assyrians.

I think the reason that the professing Christians of Mosul, and probably the rest of Iraq, are leaving is because eventually they will return. After the massive Islamic defeat in the Psalm 83 war, the millions of displaced Iraqi “Christian” citizens will be able to return and take back their country.

If, as I suspect, their capital Baghdad, is flattened in that war, where might the people of Iraq/Assyria set up their capital at that time?

Babylon. Or more probably, al Hillah, the modern city which has built up around the ruins of Babylon.

As you study the ancient prophecies of the demise of Babylon, you should notice that Babylon was never destroyed the way those prophecies describe. Furthermore, those same prophecies are referenced in the book of Revelation, which is a strong indication that Babylon will be resurrected before God’s judgment falls on her. (Jeremiah 51:13, Revelation 17:1)

Although the Church of Rome does indeed embody many of the elements of the ancient Babylonian religion, Rome is not Babylon. God’s judgments are specifically aimed at Babylon. It looks to me that the Church of Rome will one day soon be forced to relocate their headquarters, and I think those new headquarters will be located on the plains of Shinar.

7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. 8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. 10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? 11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. Zechariah 5:11

Why a lead woman? She is a heavy burden, and an idol. While they have a type of “Christ”, to them His mother is more important! This is the mother-goddess of pagan religions, including the Mary of the Catholic Church, the church of these very same Assyrian refugees from Mosul.

Notice that this woman has “her base” in the land of Shinar. This should indicate to us that she has already been there. It belongs to her. These two female angels are moving her back to her own base, the place where she first came to prominence, and yes, she will have a new house built in Babylon, a relocation of the Vatican!

And the Assyrians will return, rejoicing and singing that ISIS is defeated! Oh, but they will go from the frying pan into the fire!

This is the place where the human race began its war with God, and they will take a last stand there. God will use the Beast, and the ten world kings, to destroy Babylon after he uses her to set up his kingdom.

After the destruction of Babylon, the Beast will move his headquarters to his own home town, the city of seven jabals, or seven mountains, Amman (formerly known as Philadelphia).

Dan

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy | Tagged Christians, destruction of babylon, Mosul, relocation of the vatican, return of refugees to iraq, the Christians | Leave a comment

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