'End-times' Warning from a Christain sister.
Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 8:21 am
I am a Christian (spiritually converted follower of Christ, for about 10 years now, and blessed to have a close walk with Jesus). I humbly appeal to you to read this copy of a letter that I sent to my sister and her husband, with an open mind and a humble heart---not for my sake, but for Jesus' sake and yours, and that of others, who might benefit from it.
May God shed the light.
THE LETTER:
*Names omitted for privacy
Dear _____ (sister),
This letter is really for _____ (sister's husband), because he studies these things (though you're by no means prohibited from reading it also); I hope you will both read it all, test it, and share it with others. You may be glad that you did. (I hope you will be.) It concerns the Great Tribulation, which is nearly upon us---hence the urgency and importance of this letter.
Search your Bibles and your hearts. It is because of my love for you that I am sharing this with you, and have taken the time to write it, albeit in vain---and I hope it will not be, but that is up to you and God.
I realize that it is long, but it's not meant to be skimmed, it's meant to be carefully read and checked with your Bible.
These things are what I myself know and believe from what the Lord has taught and shown me from His Word. Please test them for yourselves.
Why Should We Believe That The Tribulation Is Near?
The signs are all around us:
1. The apostasy (falling away from, rebellion against) the teachings and commandments of Christ our Savior (sound doctrine), of Christians
2. The unprecedented wickedness of the world, including the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah (as in the days of Lot) and the violence, as in the days of Noah, before the flood.
Why Is It Important To Understand The Book Of Revelation Rightly?
So that you will know what is getting ready to happen, and what is happening and why when it does, and will know what to do.
I am attempting to clear up here, for you and _____ (sister's husband), as far as you may be confused or deceived about any of it, some things about the Revelation that I've heard/read many Christians getting wrong about it. And also share some God-given insight into things He has shown me about the Tribulation.
I'm going to give you the same advice Paul gave the Thessalonians, which I also follow: Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thess 5:20, 21)
. . .
The Door To the Jews Is About To Be Opened Again For The Last Time
The 144,000 Jews God set apart for Himself (elect) are about to be saved. (See Rom 11:5 & 25 regarding the elect Jews who will be saved after the last elect Gentile is saved).
The door of salvation is about to be closed to the world; the harvest is almost over. (This is an insight to me from the Lord).
The "mass conversions" you may see at churches or hear about on the computer are an illusion. The majority of the lost have already been found. There is nothing in the Scriptures about mass conversions in the last days*; there is, however, much mention of the falling away from Christ of true Christians.
*I realize that some Christians interpret Acts 2:17-21 (which references the passage in Joel), and other scriptures to mean that there will be large numbers of people who come to Christ in the last days, but they are mistaken. That passage from Joel and Acts, like others in the Bible, has more than one fulfillment. The pouring out of the Spirit on both Jews and Gentiles has already happened; the door to God has been open to the world since the death and resurrection of Christ. The original chronology of Scriptural events was altered by God by a postponement of Christ's return. This is not written in the Bible but it is obvious that it happened. I will explain:
Originally the gospel was to be preached to all nations, and then the end was going to come, as Jesus said. (Matt 24:14)
Jesus gave John the revelation to prepare Christians for the Tribulation that was "near" at that time. And it really wasnear, it wasn't just "near" according to God's perspective (with the Lord a day is as a thousand years...). All of the things that are written about the Tribulation and the end of the world would have taken place shortly after Jesus gave John the revelation. But God postponed it.
Originally, "Babylon" (the city on seven hills) would have been Rome. Rome in John's day was the city that had "dominion over the kings of the earth", and it was rich and full of abominations, just like the U.S. is today.
Because God postponed the end of the world (for reasons known to Him), the things in the Revelation that would have fulfilled the Scripture if those events had taken place in John's time (like Rome being Babylon, which it is obvious that it would have been) now pertain to things in the present time. Rome is no longer Babylon, for example, the U.S. is.
The last days Acts 2:17-21 speak about would have been those days during which the apostles were spreading the gospel to the nations, after which the chronology of the end time events would have continued as written and foretold: The falling away from the faith (which was already taking place in Paul's time and is mentioned in his epistles, as well as in 1 John, and is also addressed in the letters to the churches in the Revelation), the revealing of the antichrist, and so forth---as the Revelation and other scriptures about the end times state.
Paul and John both wrote about being in the last days and at the end of ages in their epistles---because they were! It is not a mistake of scripture. God actually postponed the end.
There are parts of Acts 2:17-21 that do apply to the present time. We are (once again) in the "last days"; and no, God isn't going to postpone them again. It's really over. I do believe that God is giving His servants prophetic revelations about the things He is getting ready to do (Act 2:17, 18) and I am of the persuasion that there are many Christians who are receiving prophetic insights and dreams from God about the coming events, in a second fulfillment of those scriptures---plain ordinary folk as well as Christians whom God has given the prophetic gift.
And, of course, the verse about the wonders God will show on earth before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes have not yet been fulfilled.
All of that to say, no: There will not be mass conversions of people in the last days just before the Tribulation, except for the 144,000 Jews.
The mass conversions are phony, and they are for the purpose of publicity, "ministry" promotion and growing church "businesses" to make money.
It is my personal persuasion that the reason these "mass conversions" are taking place is to create greater confusion for the saints during the Trib, when large numbers of people who claim to be saved take the Mark without delay, including pastors. "Look at all of those Christians taking the Mark! Maybe it's not forbidden after all..."
(Don't believe everything you see or read: Jesus said that "many are called but few are chosen" , and that the gate is small that leads to salvation, and only a few find it. How does this compare to the numbers and stories of mass conversions you've heard and seen lately?)
Who Are The 144,000?
The 144,000 are virgin male Jews who will be living in Israel at the time of their conversion, which I have reason to believe will be in a single day (like the 3,000 souls who were saved on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41).
Compare Isaiah 66:7, 8 to the events described in the 12th chapter of the book of Revelation. Just before the "labor pains" of the Tribulation come upon heavenly Jerusalem (our mother, figuratively representative of the saints also), she delivers a son: the 144,000 male Jews who are born again.
Concerning/Clearing Up Revelation Chapter 12
Rev 12 is a mysterious chapter, but this is my understanding of it:
The woman symbolizes heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all the saints (both of Jewish and Gentile birth), and the "mother" of Jesus (figuratively): He came from heaven and is the Offspring of God's promise to Abraham in Whom all are counted God's offspring and thus, children of the heavenly Jerusalem as well, foreknown by God. (See Gal 3:23, 24; 4:22-26)
Revelation chapter 12 speaks both of Christ's first advent (past) and of the conversion of the 144,000 (future) simultaneously, which makes it somewhat confusing. (The Revelation switches back and forth in time in more than one place. It's important to know this.)
Just as Herod (under influence of Satan---the great red dragon) tried to kill Jesus shortly after He was born, the antichrist (another king under the influence of Satan, indwelt by Satan moreover) will attempt to destroy these new Christians shortly after they are born again.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
The woman (heavenly Jerusalem, of which the 144,000 will be citizens, as all Christians are) is clothed with the sun (Christ). The moon under her feet is the old covenant, which the glory of the new surpasses. (2 Cor 3:7-11) The symbolism of the moon---the old covenant (the Law)---under the woman's feet pertains to the Jewish elect. (The Gentiles were never under the Law.)
The antichrist (Beast) will come to power shortly before these 144,000 men are saved. Someone will attempt to assassinate the Beast, but his wound will be healed as a false sign to deceive the world into believing that he is God and worshiping him.
The Beast will be indwelt by Satan after Satan is released from the bottomless pit and he and his angels are defeated in the heavenly war and cast down to earth for the second time, (and barred from heaven).
The demons can currently go to and from earth to heaven like the holy angels can, but after their defeat they will not be allowed to. (See Job 1:6, 7, 12; 2:1 ,2, 7. Rev 12:10).
The scriptures about the war in heaven after Satan's release from the bottomless pit are not talking about Lucifer's rebellion for which he and the angels who followed him were cast down to earth. That rebellion is referenced in Rev 12:4; the dragon is Satan, the stars (1/3 of the holy angels) swept down by his tail are the angels who followed him.
The red dragon in Rev 12 is Satan and, by extension, the antichrist Satan will indwell, and the one world government of which the antichrist will be the leader. (The seven heads, ten horns and seven diadems are explained in Rev chap 17.)
The 144,000 have a place (a physical location in the land of Israel, in the mountains near the plain of Megiddo) where God is going to supernaturally protect them for the duration of the Tribulation. (See Ezek 38:8, 10-12; Rev 20:9)
After being cast down for the second time and entering the antichrist, Satan (the dragon) will try to kill the newly converted 144,000. When these new Christians see and recognize the antichrist and its instituted abomination of desolation (the worship of the Beast rather than God), they will flee Jerusalem and vicinity for the mountains. (Matt 24:15, 16).
The army of the antichrist will pursue them, like Pharaoh's army pursued the Hebrews when they fled Egypt (which is one of the symbolic names of Jerusalem in the Revelation, see Rev 11:8). God will cause the earth to open up and swallow the Beast's pursuing forces, as He caused the Red Sea to swallow Pharaoh's army.
God will miraculously convey* the 144,000 away to the place He has prepared for them in the wilderness of Israel, in the mountains near Megiddo.
*For examples of supernatural transportation see Ezekiel 11:24, 25; 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; John 6:21)
God is the (not "a") great eagle Who carries the woman into the wilderness, not a plane. (Deut 32:11, 12)
The 144,000 will be supernaturally protected and provided for by God in the place He has prepared for them for the duration of the Tribulation. They will be changed and raptured on the Last Day at Christ's return, along with whatever other Christians remain on earth on that day, and will ascend through the flames of the world that is being incinerated in their spiritual bodies with the rest of the saints. (Mal 4:1-3)
After his army is defeated and the 144,000 escape, the Beast will turn, in fury, to the rest of the children of heavenly Jerusalem---that is, Christians, to destroy them (to try to get as many of us to take the Mark as he can, and to put most of those who do not to physical death).
Rev 12:17 makes it impossible for the woman in this allegory to be anything other than spiritual (heavenly) Jerusalem. Not all Christians are of Jewish birth, but all are children of heavenly Jerusalem. And the Beast is going to make war on all Christians during this time.
There Is No Pre-Tribulation Rapture
We are about to enter the Tribulation period (approx 3.5 yrs long or a bit longer---but not 7 years, as originally stated in Daniel. Jesus said that God shortened the days (Mark 13:19, 20) ). The Revelation and the last chapter of Daniel give the time period as being 3 1/2 years.
Christians will be on earth until :
A. We are martyred (which most of those who choose not to take the Mark or worship the image of the Beast will be)
Or
B. The Lord returns on the (literal) last day of the Tribulation (and of days period), and we are changed and taken up to meet Him and the "dead" saints in the air. (1 Thess 4:13-17)
The Breakdown:
· Most Christians who are on earth right now will take the Mark of the Beast to preserve their earthly lives. (Dan 7:21, 8:10-12, 12:7)
*Being 'overcome' or 'conquered' by the antichrist is to take his Mark and forfeit one's eternal life, not being martyred (physically killed). Whoever loses his life will keep it and the one who keeps it will lose it. (P.S. The demons know this.)
· The second largest company of us will be martyred. (It will be a great multitude (Rev 7:9-14), but not as great as it should have been.)
· The fewest of us (excepting the 144,000) will be raptured. (Isa 24:13-16)
What About The Great Multitude Before God's Throne?
The white robed throng with palm branches before God's throne described in Rev 7:9-14 are martyred Christians, not raptured ones. The martyrdom of this multitude of Christians (that is, the majority of those of us who will choose not the receive the Mark) is what is referred to in Rev 6:11---the "fellow servants" of martyred saints who are already in heaven, who are yet to be killed as these "dead" saints in heaven were.
As for the saints who "overcame" or "conquered" the devil by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 12:11), those are saints who are in heaven right now, not us. They died because they refused to deny the Lord. They are referenced as examples for us of what we must also do to be conquerors during the Tribulation.
The blood of the Lamb has given us the victory over Satan (the dragon): We have been given the right in Christ because of His death to be with God when we die, rather than going to hell (Rom 7:24,25; 8:1-4). Which is why we can go to our deaths with confidence and joy---especially if we gave our all to the Lord while we were on earth.
Don't be deceived: We are not going to be raptured before the Trib. The purpose of the Trib is to test the faith of the saints and to cleanse the Lord's defiled people and His defiled temple (His Church) of their abominations.
(Yes, I used the word "abomination" to describe how God feels about the apostasy of His saints right now and the things they are doing in His Name and while bearing His Name---rejecting His commands and doing what they please and what the world does. If you think it's too strong a word, wait till you see what He's about to do to the churches (gathering places)...You can get a good idea from what He did to the holy places of the people of Israel when they rebelled against Him and refused to repent of their ways.
The things that were written in former days were written for us (1 Cor 10:11), to refer to for instruction and warning.
God is consistent.
Look out.
(Isa 66:3-4; Jer 7:4-14)
There are two ways to cleanse a soiled people:
1. Repentance (1 John 1:9)
2. Removing the impenitent (Isa 1:24-28)
By the end of the Tribulation, the sanctuary of God (His worshipers and His Church), will be restored to its rightful (pure) state---by these two means (Dan 8:10, 13, 14): The faithful will be with Him in heaven or awaiting His return on earth; the unfaithful will be in hell or on the earth awaiting the destruction of it by fire at the Lord's return. (2 Pet 3:10-12)
I am writing all of this not to lecture you about the book of Revelation, but because there is so much teaching about it that simply isn't true, and we are about to enter the time of which it speaks. And if you're expecting something to happen that isn't going to happen, or believing that something is happening for one reason when it's actually for another, you might think the Bible is wrong and can't be trusted, or that God changed the plan or isn't listening to prayer or in control of what is going on.
I can assure you, none of this is the case: Everything is going to happen exactly as the Bible says it will (not as people think the Bible says it will...), the prophetic scriptures will be fulfilled completely, and God will be no less in control of everything then than He is now. Whatever happens will be because He is causing or allowing it to.
*A note about the sovereignty of God throughout the Tribulation: See how many times in the Revelation you can find phrases like "it was granted", "it was allowed", "they were told", "they were given", with regard to orders, power or authority. The Giver, Granter, Preventer, and Commander is God. (Examples: Rev 9: 4, 5; Rev 17:17)
Survivalist Christians? No.
We are not told to try to "survive" the Tribulation; our life in Christ is the life we are supposed to be concerned about preserving during this time, as at all times, not our earthly ones. (Why would a Christian want to stay down here a minute longer than he or she had to rather than being with the Lord? Especially given what the earth and its people are going to be like during the Tribulation! If you think people are crazy, cruel and sick now, just wait until the Tribulation starts and the demons are really driving them...)
Overthrow/Oppose The One World Government? No.
God doesn't tell us to try to overthrow, disobey, or even demonstrate against the government during the Tribulation, except with regard to not taking the Mark or worshiping the image of the Beast.
The Lord's commands about obeying the authorities, loving our enemies, and not resisting evil people (not defending ourselves with force) will still apply during the Tribulation! The one world government is appointed by God, just like the Tribulation is. They have a purpose, and God will be in control of them to accomplish that purpose, no matter what happens during that time.
So with regard to resisting the government or trying to stay alive during the Trib, God (not Satan) said:
If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (Rev 13:10)
The Thousand Years (Rev 20)
There will be no 1,000 year reign of Christians on earth. That reign is taking place now, in heaven, and has been for almost 1,000 years.
As the Revelation states, when the 1,000 years are up (shortly), Satan will be released from his current prison in the bottomless pit to make war against the holy angels in heaven and then enter the antichrist and the Trib will begin.
The only earth on which the saints will reign will be the new one, which will be created on the last day, after the incineration of the present one.
This confusing portion of the Revelation is widely misunderstood. It can be clarified by comparing it to other passages of the Revelation, and of other books of the Bible, which talk about the same events. With regard to "coming to life" and the "first resurrection", there are two ways to come to life: One is to be born and the other is to be born again. There are two resurrections: One is being spiritually converted and the second is the resurrection of those who have experienced physical death, on the last day when Christ returns.
There is only one resurrection of those who have experienced physical death (both the good and the bad), on the last day, the same day as the Rapture.
Christians, Christians Everywhere
Most of the people on earth who claim to be Christians aren't.
Don't be surprised when large numbers of people who call themselves Christians take the Mark.
Many apostate Christians who really are saved will also take the Mark, but there are far more people who call themselves Christians than there are true Christians (people who have actually been spiritually converted). See Matt 7:13, 4, 21-23; Matt 22:14.
All false Christians, and ex-Christians (people who were saved but forfeited their salvation through persistent disobedience---yes, it can happen) will take the Mark. (Rev 13:8).
Marked By Force? No.
The taking of the Mark will be voluntary (the consequences of not doing so notwithstanding); Christians will not be "forced" to take the Mark; it will be by our own choice.
(God knows what He's doing.)
"The Lord Gave And The Lord Has Taken Away"
Do not try to keep your children by taking the Mark. If the government threatens to take them away because you can't feed them---because you don't have the Mark and can't buy or sell and it's "child neglect/abuse"--- or for some other reason, let the children go.
You can't take them with you, and you would only potentially prolong your earthly life a few years by taking the Mark---and then spend eternity in the lake of fire.
It's going to be very bad for Christian parents during the Trib, but remember what Jesus said:
Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Matt 10:37)
Everything we have here on earth, besides the Lord Himself, is a temporary possession, and all of our possessions belong to Him. (Gen 22:1, 2, 15-18. Job 1:20-22)
The "Messiah" Of The Jews
The antichrist is a Jew, not a Gentile (and not the Pope). Jews would not receive a Gentile as their Messiah. He was probably born in Bethlehem, and is probably descended from Judah and the Davidic line, and he is about to be revealed.
The religious Jews study the Jewish scriptures, and they know the scriptures regarding their Messiah. (Matt 2:3-6)
The False Prophet
The false prophet (the second beast) will be a quasi-Christian religious figure (probably a pope); hence why it has (figurative) "horns like a lamb" (alluding to a Christ figure) but speaks"like a dragon" (Satan). (1 Jn 4:5)
A Blessed People?
The Jewish nation is no more blessed than any other nation on earth right now. All of the Jews will not be saved; all of God's elect (lost sheep) among the Jews are blessed and will be saved/found.
Jerusalem and the Jews will be made prosperous during the antichrist's reign (Dan 11:23, 24), but not because of God's blessing.
God refers to Jerusalem during the Tribulation as "Sodom" and "Egypt" (Rev 11:8)---two places out of which He brought His own (as He will bring the 144,000 out of Jerusalem)---to give you an idea of what He thinks about earthly Jerusalem.
Unsaved Jews will suffer the same judgments during the Trib and afterward as the rest of the unsaved world.
What About The King Who Was, Is Not And Is To Come? (Rev 17:8, 11)
It is my persuasion that the antichrist may appear to be Solomon, returned to life. (Before you write me off as crazy, let me explain.) Solomon is not actually going to be brought back to life to rule the Jews as their Messiah; I suggest that it will seem as though he has to the unsaved world. Like other things that take place during the Trib, it will be an illusion (lie).
There are similarities between the antichrist and King Solomon. I've listed them here:
- Ruler over the kings of the earth (1 Kings 4:21, 24. Chron 9:26. --> Rev 17:11-13)
- Brings prosperity to Jerusalem and the Jews (1 Kings 10:27 --> Dan 11:24)
- Fire from heaven (2 Chron 7:1, 3 --> Rev 13:12-14)
- Wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34 --> Dan 8:23)
- A Jew (Dan 11:37 He shall pay no attention to the God of his fathers...)
Once was (lived), now is not (currently dead), is to come ("returned to life").
A miracle! (Not.)
Rebuilding The Temple In Jerusalem?
The Bible doesn't mention it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the antichrist did it, just as Solomon built the temple of the Lord (as another false sign to the Jews that he is their Messiah) perhaps with great splendor---but to himself, not God.
Interestingly, the Jews killed Jesus for claiming that He was God, but they will receive and worship the antichrist who will claim to be God. (John 5:43)
The "Wrath" Of God: Not the Tribulation!
The wrath of God we Christians are "not destined for" is not the Great Tribulation. The purpose of the GT, as I've stated before, is to test and purify God's people, and to execute judgment on the unsaved. The judgments of God during the Trib and the final judgment of the lake of fire are the wrath that we are not destined/appointed for (though we can and will reap both of these if we choose not to remain in Christ, our ark).
(For God's wrath see Rev 15:7, 16:1, 14:9,10)
The judgments of God during the Trib will not befall Christians. (Example: Rev 9:4).
We will suffer persecution and martyrdom, but that is not God's wrath.
...
I hope you both search these things out for yourselves, and prepare yourselves as the Lord convicts you, because these things will begin to take place shortly.
Share this with your Christian friends; it may prove to be a life saver.
Keep a very loose hand on all that you have, including your own lives, and, as I always remind you, obey the Lord in all things and encourage your believing friends to do likewise. (John 14:15, 24).
God does not support compromisers and rebels, though He is very patient and merciful and long-suffering toward those with whom He is not pleased.
(You can see this throughout the Bible; it doesn't mean that all is well or that judgment isn't coming. I encourage you to not prove this.)
The time is at hand when whatever each one us has individually is going to be put to the ultimate test and shown for what it really is. Empty words and appearances will fail.
There is no separation in God's eyes between "belief" and the actions that accord with what one says one believes: When God says "belief", He always means profession with demonstration. Not acting and doing according to what one says one believes is unbelief. (1 John 3:18. Jas 2:7)
"As for the cowardly, the FAITHLESS...and all LIARS, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)
My love to both of you in Christ Jesus.
--- Hannah
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Cor 7:29-31)
And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. (Daniel 11:33) Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.(Daniel 12:10) And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Rev 17:7) "...My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who faith and preserve their souls. (Heb 10:38, 39)
May God shed the light.
THE LETTER:
*Names omitted for privacy
Dear _____ (sister),
This letter is really for _____ (sister's husband), because he studies these things (though you're by no means prohibited from reading it also); I hope you will both read it all, test it, and share it with others. You may be glad that you did. (I hope you will be.) It concerns the Great Tribulation, which is nearly upon us---hence the urgency and importance of this letter.
Search your Bibles and your hearts. It is because of my love for you that I am sharing this with you, and have taken the time to write it, albeit in vain---and I hope it will not be, but that is up to you and God.
I realize that it is long, but it's not meant to be skimmed, it's meant to be carefully read and checked with your Bible.
These things are what I myself know and believe from what the Lord has taught and shown me from His Word. Please test them for yourselves.
Why Should We Believe That The Tribulation Is Near?
The signs are all around us:
1. The apostasy (falling away from, rebellion against) the teachings and commandments of Christ our Savior (sound doctrine), of Christians
2. The unprecedented wickedness of the world, including the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah (as in the days of Lot) and the violence, as in the days of Noah, before the flood.
Why Is It Important To Understand The Book Of Revelation Rightly?
So that you will know what is getting ready to happen, and what is happening and why when it does, and will know what to do.
I am attempting to clear up here, for you and _____ (sister's husband), as far as you may be confused or deceived about any of it, some things about the Revelation that I've heard/read many Christians getting wrong about it. And also share some God-given insight into things He has shown me about the Tribulation.
I'm going to give you the same advice Paul gave the Thessalonians, which I also follow: Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thess 5:20, 21)
. . .
The Door To the Jews Is About To Be Opened Again For The Last Time
The 144,000 Jews God set apart for Himself (elect) are about to be saved. (See Rom 11:5 & 25 regarding the elect Jews who will be saved after the last elect Gentile is saved).
The door of salvation is about to be closed to the world; the harvest is almost over. (This is an insight to me from the Lord).
The "mass conversions" you may see at churches or hear about on the computer are an illusion. The majority of the lost have already been found. There is nothing in the Scriptures about mass conversions in the last days*; there is, however, much mention of the falling away from Christ of true Christians.
*I realize that some Christians interpret Acts 2:17-21 (which references the passage in Joel), and other scriptures to mean that there will be large numbers of people who come to Christ in the last days, but they are mistaken. That passage from Joel and Acts, like others in the Bible, has more than one fulfillment. The pouring out of the Spirit on both Jews and Gentiles has already happened; the door to God has been open to the world since the death and resurrection of Christ. The original chronology of Scriptural events was altered by God by a postponement of Christ's return. This is not written in the Bible but it is obvious that it happened. I will explain:
Originally the gospel was to be preached to all nations, and then the end was going to come, as Jesus said. (Matt 24:14)
Jesus gave John the revelation to prepare Christians for the Tribulation that was "near" at that time. And it really wasnear, it wasn't just "near" according to God's perspective (with the Lord a day is as a thousand years...). All of the things that are written about the Tribulation and the end of the world would have taken place shortly after Jesus gave John the revelation. But God postponed it.
Originally, "Babylon" (the city on seven hills) would have been Rome. Rome in John's day was the city that had "dominion over the kings of the earth", and it was rich and full of abominations, just like the U.S. is today.
Because God postponed the end of the world (for reasons known to Him), the things in the Revelation that would have fulfilled the Scripture if those events had taken place in John's time (like Rome being Babylon, which it is obvious that it would have been) now pertain to things in the present time. Rome is no longer Babylon, for example, the U.S. is.
The last days Acts 2:17-21 speak about would have been those days during which the apostles were spreading the gospel to the nations, after which the chronology of the end time events would have continued as written and foretold: The falling away from the faith (which was already taking place in Paul's time and is mentioned in his epistles, as well as in 1 John, and is also addressed in the letters to the churches in the Revelation), the revealing of the antichrist, and so forth---as the Revelation and other scriptures about the end times state.
Paul and John both wrote about being in the last days and at the end of ages in their epistles---because they were! It is not a mistake of scripture. God actually postponed the end.
There are parts of Acts 2:17-21 that do apply to the present time. We are (once again) in the "last days"; and no, God isn't going to postpone them again. It's really over. I do believe that God is giving His servants prophetic revelations about the things He is getting ready to do (Act 2:17, 18) and I am of the persuasion that there are many Christians who are receiving prophetic insights and dreams from God about the coming events, in a second fulfillment of those scriptures---plain ordinary folk as well as Christians whom God has given the prophetic gift.
And, of course, the verse about the wonders God will show on earth before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes have not yet been fulfilled.
All of that to say, no: There will not be mass conversions of people in the last days just before the Tribulation, except for the 144,000 Jews.
The mass conversions are phony, and they are for the purpose of publicity, "ministry" promotion and growing church "businesses" to make money.
It is my personal persuasion that the reason these "mass conversions" are taking place is to create greater confusion for the saints during the Trib, when large numbers of people who claim to be saved take the Mark without delay, including pastors. "Look at all of those Christians taking the Mark! Maybe it's not forbidden after all..."
(Don't believe everything you see or read: Jesus said that "many are called but few are chosen" , and that the gate is small that leads to salvation, and only a few find it. How does this compare to the numbers and stories of mass conversions you've heard and seen lately?)
Who Are The 144,000?
The 144,000 are virgin male Jews who will be living in Israel at the time of their conversion, which I have reason to believe will be in a single day (like the 3,000 souls who were saved on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41).
Compare Isaiah 66:7, 8 to the events described in the 12th chapter of the book of Revelation. Just before the "labor pains" of the Tribulation come upon heavenly Jerusalem (our mother, figuratively representative of the saints also), she delivers a son: the 144,000 male Jews who are born again.
Concerning/Clearing Up Revelation Chapter 12
Rev 12 is a mysterious chapter, but this is my understanding of it:
The woman symbolizes heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all the saints (both of Jewish and Gentile birth), and the "mother" of Jesus (figuratively): He came from heaven and is the Offspring of God's promise to Abraham in Whom all are counted God's offspring and thus, children of the heavenly Jerusalem as well, foreknown by God. (See Gal 3:23, 24; 4:22-26)
Revelation chapter 12 speaks both of Christ's first advent (past) and of the conversion of the 144,000 (future) simultaneously, which makes it somewhat confusing. (The Revelation switches back and forth in time in more than one place. It's important to know this.)
Just as Herod (under influence of Satan---the great red dragon) tried to kill Jesus shortly after He was born, the antichrist (another king under the influence of Satan, indwelt by Satan moreover) will attempt to destroy these new Christians shortly after they are born again.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
The woman (heavenly Jerusalem, of which the 144,000 will be citizens, as all Christians are) is clothed with the sun (Christ). The moon under her feet is the old covenant, which the glory of the new surpasses. (2 Cor 3:7-11) The symbolism of the moon---the old covenant (the Law)---under the woman's feet pertains to the Jewish elect. (The Gentiles were never under the Law.)
The antichrist (Beast) will come to power shortly before these 144,000 men are saved. Someone will attempt to assassinate the Beast, but his wound will be healed as a false sign to deceive the world into believing that he is God and worshiping him.
The Beast will be indwelt by Satan after Satan is released from the bottomless pit and he and his angels are defeated in the heavenly war and cast down to earth for the second time, (and barred from heaven).
The demons can currently go to and from earth to heaven like the holy angels can, but after their defeat they will not be allowed to. (See Job 1:6, 7, 12; 2:1 ,2, 7. Rev 12:10).
The scriptures about the war in heaven after Satan's release from the bottomless pit are not talking about Lucifer's rebellion for which he and the angels who followed him were cast down to earth. That rebellion is referenced in Rev 12:4; the dragon is Satan, the stars (1/3 of the holy angels) swept down by his tail are the angels who followed him.
The red dragon in Rev 12 is Satan and, by extension, the antichrist Satan will indwell, and the one world government of which the antichrist will be the leader. (The seven heads, ten horns and seven diadems are explained in Rev chap 17.)
The 144,000 have a place (a physical location in the land of Israel, in the mountains near the plain of Megiddo) where God is going to supernaturally protect them for the duration of the Tribulation. (See Ezek 38:8, 10-12; Rev 20:9)
After being cast down for the second time and entering the antichrist, Satan (the dragon) will try to kill the newly converted 144,000. When these new Christians see and recognize the antichrist and its instituted abomination of desolation (the worship of the Beast rather than God), they will flee Jerusalem and vicinity for the mountains. (Matt 24:15, 16).
The army of the antichrist will pursue them, like Pharaoh's army pursued the Hebrews when they fled Egypt (which is one of the symbolic names of Jerusalem in the Revelation, see Rev 11:8). God will cause the earth to open up and swallow the Beast's pursuing forces, as He caused the Red Sea to swallow Pharaoh's army.
God will miraculously convey* the 144,000 away to the place He has prepared for them in the wilderness of Israel, in the mountains near Megiddo.
*For examples of supernatural transportation see Ezekiel 11:24, 25; 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; John 6:21)
God is the (not "a") great eagle Who carries the woman into the wilderness, not a plane. (Deut 32:11, 12)
The 144,000 will be supernaturally protected and provided for by God in the place He has prepared for them for the duration of the Tribulation. They will be changed and raptured on the Last Day at Christ's return, along with whatever other Christians remain on earth on that day, and will ascend through the flames of the world that is being incinerated in their spiritual bodies with the rest of the saints. (Mal 4:1-3)
After his army is defeated and the 144,000 escape, the Beast will turn, in fury, to the rest of the children of heavenly Jerusalem---that is, Christians, to destroy them (to try to get as many of us to take the Mark as he can, and to put most of those who do not to physical death).
Rev 12:17 makes it impossible for the woman in this allegory to be anything other than spiritual (heavenly) Jerusalem. Not all Christians are of Jewish birth, but all are children of heavenly Jerusalem. And the Beast is going to make war on all Christians during this time.
There Is No Pre-Tribulation Rapture
We are about to enter the Tribulation period (approx 3.5 yrs long or a bit longer---but not 7 years, as originally stated in Daniel. Jesus said that God shortened the days (Mark 13:19, 20) ). The Revelation and the last chapter of Daniel give the time period as being 3 1/2 years.
Christians will be on earth until :
A. We are martyred (which most of those who choose not to take the Mark or worship the image of the Beast will be)
Or
B. The Lord returns on the (literal) last day of the Tribulation (and of days period), and we are changed and taken up to meet Him and the "dead" saints in the air. (1 Thess 4:13-17)
The Breakdown:
· Most Christians who are on earth right now will take the Mark of the Beast to preserve their earthly lives. (Dan 7:21, 8:10-12, 12:7)
*Being 'overcome' or 'conquered' by the antichrist is to take his Mark and forfeit one's eternal life, not being martyred (physically killed). Whoever loses his life will keep it and the one who keeps it will lose it. (P.S. The demons know this.)
· The second largest company of us will be martyred. (It will be a great multitude (Rev 7:9-14), but not as great as it should have been.)
· The fewest of us (excepting the 144,000) will be raptured. (Isa 24:13-16)
What About The Great Multitude Before God's Throne?
The white robed throng with palm branches before God's throne described in Rev 7:9-14 are martyred Christians, not raptured ones. The martyrdom of this multitude of Christians (that is, the majority of those of us who will choose not the receive the Mark) is what is referred to in Rev 6:11---the "fellow servants" of martyred saints who are already in heaven, who are yet to be killed as these "dead" saints in heaven were.
As for the saints who "overcame" or "conquered" the devil by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 12:11), those are saints who are in heaven right now, not us. They died because they refused to deny the Lord. They are referenced as examples for us of what we must also do to be conquerors during the Tribulation.
The blood of the Lamb has given us the victory over Satan (the dragon): We have been given the right in Christ because of His death to be with God when we die, rather than going to hell (Rom 7:24,25; 8:1-4). Which is why we can go to our deaths with confidence and joy---especially if we gave our all to the Lord while we were on earth.
Don't be deceived: We are not going to be raptured before the Trib. The purpose of the Trib is to test the faith of the saints and to cleanse the Lord's defiled people and His defiled temple (His Church) of their abominations.
(Yes, I used the word "abomination" to describe how God feels about the apostasy of His saints right now and the things they are doing in His Name and while bearing His Name---rejecting His commands and doing what they please and what the world does. If you think it's too strong a word, wait till you see what He's about to do to the churches (gathering places)...You can get a good idea from what He did to the holy places of the people of Israel when they rebelled against Him and refused to repent of their ways.
The things that were written in former days were written for us (1 Cor 10:11), to refer to for instruction and warning.
God is consistent.
Look out.
(Isa 66:3-4; Jer 7:4-14)
There are two ways to cleanse a soiled people:
1. Repentance (1 John 1:9)
2. Removing the impenitent (Isa 1:24-28)
By the end of the Tribulation, the sanctuary of God (His worshipers and His Church), will be restored to its rightful (pure) state---by these two means (Dan 8:10, 13, 14): The faithful will be with Him in heaven or awaiting His return on earth; the unfaithful will be in hell or on the earth awaiting the destruction of it by fire at the Lord's return. (2 Pet 3:10-12)
I am writing all of this not to lecture you about the book of Revelation, but because there is so much teaching about it that simply isn't true, and we are about to enter the time of which it speaks. And if you're expecting something to happen that isn't going to happen, or believing that something is happening for one reason when it's actually for another, you might think the Bible is wrong and can't be trusted, or that God changed the plan or isn't listening to prayer or in control of what is going on.
I can assure you, none of this is the case: Everything is going to happen exactly as the Bible says it will (not as people think the Bible says it will...), the prophetic scriptures will be fulfilled completely, and God will be no less in control of everything then than He is now. Whatever happens will be because He is causing or allowing it to.
*A note about the sovereignty of God throughout the Tribulation: See how many times in the Revelation you can find phrases like "it was granted", "it was allowed", "they were told", "they were given", with regard to orders, power or authority. The Giver, Granter, Preventer, and Commander is God. (Examples: Rev 9: 4, 5; Rev 17:17)
Survivalist Christians? No.
We are not told to try to "survive" the Tribulation; our life in Christ is the life we are supposed to be concerned about preserving during this time, as at all times, not our earthly ones. (Why would a Christian want to stay down here a minute longer than he or she had to rather than being with the Lord? Especially given what the earth and its people are going to be like during the Tribulation! If you think people are crazy, cruel and sick now, just wait until the Tribulation starts and the demons are really driving them...)
Overthrow/Oppose The One World Government? No.
God doesn't tell us to try to overthrow, disobey, or even demonstrate against the government during the Tribulation, except with regard to not taking the Mark or worshiping the image of the Beast.
The Lord's commands about obeying the authorities, loving our enemies, and not resisting evil people (not defending ourselves with force) will still apply during the Tribulation! The one world government is appointed by God, just like the Tribulation is. They have a purpose, and God will be in control of them to accomplish that purpose, no matter what happens during that time.
So with regard to resisting the government or trying to stay alive during the Trib, God (not Satan) said:
If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (Rev 13:10)
The Thousand Years (Rev 20)
There will be no 1,000 year reign of Christians on earth. That reign is taking place now, in heaven, and has been for almost 1,000 years.
As the Revelation states, when the 1,000 years are up (shortly), Satan will be released from his current prison in the bottomless pit to make war against the holy angels in heaven and then enter the antichrist and the Trib will begin.
The only earth on which the saints will reign will be the new one, which will be created on the last day, after the incineration of the present one.
This confusing portion of the Revelation is widely misunderstood. It can be clarified by comparing it to other passages of the Revelation, and of other books of the Bible, which talk about the same events. With regard to "coming to life" and the "first resurrection", there are two ways to come to life: One is to be born and the other is to be born again. There are two resurrections: One is being spiritually converted and the second is the resurrection of those who have experienced physical death, on the last day when Christ returns.
There is only one resurrection of those who have experienced physical death (both the good and the bad), on the last day, the same day as the Rapture.
Christians, Christians Everywhere
Most of the people on earth who claim to be Christians aren't.
Don't be surprised when large numbers of people who call themselves Christians take the Mark.
Many apostate Christians who really are saved will also take the Mark, but there are far more people who call themselves Christians than there are true Christians (people who have actually been spiritually converted). See Matt 7:13, 4, 21-23; Matt 22:14.
All false Christians, and ex-Christians (people who were saved but forfeited their salvation through persistent disobedience---yes, it can happen) will take the Mark. (Rev 13:8).
Marked By Force? No.
The taking of the Mark will be voluntary (the consequences of not doing so notwithstanding); Christians will not be "forced" to take the Mark; it will be by our own choice.
(God knows what He's doing.)
"The Lord Gave And The Lord Has Taken Away"
Do not try to keep your children by taking the Mark. If the government threatens to take them away because you can't feed them---because you don't have the Mark and can't buy or sell and it's "child neglect/abuse"--- or for some other reason, let the children go.
You can't take them with you, and you would only potentially prolong your earthly life a few years by taking the Mark---and then spend eternity in the lake of fire.
It's going to be very bad for Christian parents during the Trib, but remember what Jesus said:
Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Matt 10:37)
Everything we have here on earth, besides the Lord Himself, is a temporary possession, and all of our possessions belong to Him. (Gen 22:1, 2, 15-18. Job 1:20-22)
The "Messiah" Of The Jews
The antichrist is a Jew, not a Gentile (and not the Pope). Jews would not receive a Gentile as their Messiah. He was probably born in Bethlehem, and is probably descended from Judah and the Davidic line, and he is about to be revealed.
The religious Jews study the Jewish scriptures, and they know the scriptures regarding their Messiah. (Matt 2:3-6)
The False Prophet
The false prophet (the second beast) will be a quasi-Christian religious figure (probably a pope); hence why it has (figurative) "horns like a lamb" (alluding to a Christ figure) but speaks"like a dragon" (Satan). (1 Jn 4:5)
A Blessed People?
The Jewish nation is no more blessed than any other nation on earth right now. All of the Jews will not be saved; all of God's elect (lost sheep) among the Jews are blessed and will be saved/found.
Jerusalem and the Jews will be made prosperous during the antichrist's reign (Dan 11:23, 24), but not because of God's blessing.
God refers to Jerusalem during the Tribulation as "Sodom" and "Egypt" (Rev 11:8)---two places out of which He brought His own (as He will bring the 144,000 out of Jerusalem)---to give you an idea of what He thinks about earthly Jerusalem.
Unsaved Jews will suffer the same judgments during the Trib and afterward as the rest of the unsaved world.
What About The King Who Was, Is Not And Is To Come? (Rev 17:8, 11)
It is my persuasion that the antichrist may appear to be Solomon, returned to life. (Before you write me off as crazy, let me explain.) Solomon is not actually going to be brought back to life to rule the Jews as their Messiah; I suggest that it will seem as though he has to the unsaved world. Like other things that take place during the Trib, it will be an illusion (lie).
There are similarities between the antichrist and King Solomon. I've listed them here:
- Ruler over the kings of the earth (1 Kings 4:21, 24. Chron 9:26. --> Rev 17:11-13)
- Brings prosperity to Jerusalem and the Jews (1 Kings 10:27 --> Dan 11:24)
- Fire from heaven (2 Chron 7:1, 3 --> Rev 13:12-14)
- Wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34 --> Dan 8:23)
- A Jew (Dan 11:37 He shall pay no attention to the God of his fathers...)
Once was (lived), now is not (currently dead), is to come ("returned to life").
A miracle! (Not.)
Rebuilding The Temple In Jerusalem?
The Bible doesn't mention it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the antichrist did it, just as Solomon built the temple of the Lord (as another false sign to the Jews that he is their Messiah) perhaps with great splendor---but to himself, not God.
Interestingly, the Jews killed Jesus for claiming that He was God, but they will receive and worship the antichrist who will claim to be God. (John 5:43)
The "Wrath" Of God: Not the Tribulation!
The wrath of God we Christians are "not destined for" is not the Great Tribulation. The purpose of the GT, as I've stated before, is to test and purify God's people, and to execute judgment on the unsaved. The judgments of God during the Trib and the final judgment of the lake of fire are the wrath that we are not destined/appointed for (though we can and will reap both of these if we choose not to remain in Christ, our ark).
(For God's wrath see Rev 15:7, 16:1, 14:9,10)
The judgments of God during the Trib will not befall Christians. (Example: Rev 9:4).
We will suffer persecution and martyrdom, but that is not God's wrath.
...
I hope you both search these things out for yourselves, and prepare yourselves as the Lord convicts you, because these things will begin to take place shortly.
Share this with your Christian friends; it may prove to be a life saver.
Keep a very loose hand on all that you have, including your own lives, and, as I always remind you, obey the Lord in all things and encourage your believing friends to do likewise. (John 14:15, 24).
God does not support compromisers and rebels, though He is very patient and merciful and long-suffering toward those with whom He is not pleased.
(You can see this throughout the Bible; it doesn't mean that all is well or that judgment isn't coming. I encourage you to not prove this.)
The time is at hand when whatever each one us has individually is going to be put to the ultimate test and shown for what it really is. Empty words and appearances will fail.
There is no separation in God's eyes between "belief" and the actions that accord with what one says one believes: When God says "belief", He always means profession with demonstration. Not acting and doing according to what one says one believes is unbelief. (1 John 3:18. Jas 2:7)
"As for the cowardly, the FAITHLESS...and all LIARS, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)
My love to both of you in Christ Jesus.
--- Hannah
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Cor 7:29-31)
And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. (Daniel 11:33) Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.(Daniel 12:10) And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Rev 17:7) "...My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who faith and preserve their souls. (Heb 10:38, 39)