Proofs for the Pretribulation Rapture.

Proof #1: Revelation 19:11-21 doesn't mention a resurrection.
The rapture is a resurrection of those "in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Isn't it a little bit odd that in Rev. 19:11-21, which is the clearest picture of the second coming of Christ, there is no mention of a resurrection? The rapture will be the biggest event since the resurrection of Jesus where hundreds of millions of Christians will be resurrected and translated, yet there isn't any mention here. Don't you think it deserves at least one verse? The rapture isn't mentioned because it doesn't happen at the second coming.

Proof #2: Zechariah 14:1-15 doesn't mention a resurrection.
This is an Old Testament picture of Jesus returning to earth at the second coming. Again, no mention of a resurrection.

Proof #3: Two different pictures are painted.
In the Old Testament, there were two different pictures painted of the Messiah—one suffering (Isa. 53:2-10, Ps. 22:6-8, 11-18) and one reigning as King (Ps. 2:6-12, Zech. 14:9,16). As we look back on these scriptures, we see they predicted two separate comings of the Messiah—the 1st coming as a suffering Messiah and the 2nd coming (still future) as a reigning King.

In the New Testament, we have another picture added. Again, we have two pictures painted which don’t look the same. These two different descriptions of Jesus’ coming point to two separate events we call "the rapture" and "the second coming."

Proof #4: The Known Day and the Unknown Day.
Concerning the return of Jesus, the Bible presents a day we can't know and a day we can know. Matthew 25:13 says Jesus will return at an unknown time, while Revelation 12:6 says the Jews will have to wait 1,260 days for the Lord to return. The 1,260 days begins when the Antichrist stands in the Temple and declares himself to be God (Matt. 24:15-21, 2 Thess. 2:4) This event will take place at the mid-point of the seven year Tribulation (Dan 9:27). The Antichrist has authority to rule for 42 months, which is 1,260 days (Rev. 13:4) and will be destroyed by Jesus at His second coming (Rev. 19:20, 2 Thess. 2:8). The known and unknown days must happen at different times, meaning they are two separate events.

Proof #5: A door open in heaven (Revelation 4:1).
The door in heaven is opened to let John into heaven. We believe John's call into heaven is prophetic of the Church being caught up at the rapture (see proof #6). In Revelation 19:11, heaven is opened again, this time to let the armies which are already in heaven out. This is the Church, which has been raptured at a previous time, following Jesus out of heaven at the second coming.

Proof #6: "Come up here." (Revelation 4:1).
A voice called for the apostle John to "Come up here," and immediately he was in heaven. This could be a prophetic reference to the rapture of the Church. The words "Come up here" are spoken to the two witnesses who are killed in the middle of the Tribulation, who are resurrected and ascend into heaven (Rev. 11:12). Therefore, the phrase "Come up here" could mean the Church is raptured in Rev. 4:1. The word "Church" is mentioned 22 times in Rev. 1-3, but is not mentioned again until Rev. 22:17.
Proof #7: The 24 elders have their crowns.
After John is called up into heaven, he sees the 24 elders with their crowns (Rev. 4:4-10). We know that Christians will receive their rewards (crowns) at the rapture (2 Tim. 4:8, 1 Pet. 5:4). We will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14). The elders couldn't receive their crowns unless the resurrection (rapture) has taken place.

Proof #8: Holy ones are already with Jesus in heaven (Zech. 14:5, Rev. 19:14).
The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, follow Jesus out of heaven at His second coming (Rev. 19:14, Zech. 14:5, Col. 3:4). These are not angels because Rev. 19:8 tells us the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. In order to come out of heaven we first have to go in, indicating a previous rapture.

Proof #9: Kept from the hour of testing (Rev. 3:10).
Revelation 3:10 says we will be kept out of the hour of testing which will come upon the whole earth (the Tribulation). Some have wrongly believed "keep" means to keep through, or protect through the Tribulation. Suppose you approach a high voltage area with a sign that says, "Keep Out." Does that mean you can enter and be protected? No, it means you are forbidden from entering the area. But this verse also says He will keep us from the hour of testing. It is not just the testing, but the time period. If a student is excused from a test, he still may have to sit in the class while others take the test. But if he is excused from the hour of testing, he can go home. The Church will be called home before the hour of testing.

Proof #10: Angels don't resurrect people when they gather them for judgment.
When the angels are sent forth to gather the elect at the second coming (Matt. 24:29-31), some have wrongly interpreted this as the rapture. There is one huge problem with this interpretation. If we are resurrected at this time, why would we need angels to gather us? In the resurrection, we will be like the angels (Matt. 22:30), able to travel in the air at will. Obviously, these people who are gathered are not resurrected, therefore it can't be the rapture. No one would claim the wicked are raptured at this time, yet Matthew 13:39-41, 49 says the angels will not only gather the elect, but also the wicked. This gathering is not a resurrection.

Proof #11: Both wicked and righteous both can't be taken first.
First Thessalonians 4:13-17 says the righteous are taken and the wicked are left behind. Matthew 13:30, 49 says the wicked are taken first and righteous are left behind. This points to two separate events, the rapture and the second coming.

Proof #12: Jesus returns from the wedding.
When Jesus returns to earth at the second coming, He will return from a wedding (Luke 12:36). At the rapture, Jesus is married to His bride, the Church. After the wedding, He will return to earth.

Proof #13: Jesus will receive us to Himself, not us to receive Him (John 14:2-3).
Jesus said He would prepare a place for the Church in heaven, then He would come again to receive us to Himself. Why would Jesus prepare a place for us in heaven and then not take us there? At the rapture, He will come to receive us to Himself, "that where I am (heaven), there you may be also." If the rapture occurred at the same time as the second coming, we would go up to the clouds and then immediately come back to earth. That would contradict John 14:2-3.

Proof #14: The one who restrains is taken out of the way.
In 2 Thess. 2:6-7, Paul says "the one who restrains will be taken out of the way" before the Antichrist can be revealed. We believe this refers to the rapture because the Church is clearly the biggest obstacle to the Antichrist becoming a world ruler.

Proof #15: The separation of the sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31-46).
If the rapture occurred at the second coming, why would the sheep and the goats need to be separated immediately after the second coming? A rapture at the second coming would have already separated the sheep and the goats. With a Pre-Tribulation rapture, the people saved after the rapture will need to be separated after the second coming.

Proof #16: Who will populate the Millennium?
If the rapture occurs at the second coming and the wicked are cast into hell at that time, who will be left to populate the millennium? Only people in their natural (non-resurrected) bodies will be able to have children (Matt. 22:30). With a Pre-Tribulation rapture, the people saved after the rapture who are alive at the second coming will populate the earth during the Millennium

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Eight of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #8 - John Chapter Eight (19.38MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr.Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

First Thessalonians Five

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

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.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

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.

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.

Despise not prophesyings.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Brethren, pray for us.

Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (1 Thessalonians 5, King James Version)

Book of Revelation - Chuck Missler

Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and all Twenty-seven sessions of his study in the Book of Revelation.

The Book of Revelation (The Folder size is 396MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1980's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Eschatology and Israelology (Glove meet Hand)

Today's post is just a couple of links to other sites that I thought would be interesting reading to the viewers of this blog.

The first link is to an Omega Letter article authored by Jack Kinsella. This article is about the timing and order of the first part of the book of Revelation. Eschatology is the study of last things or put another way, the End times. Something that I really enjoy.

The second link is to a World News Daily follow up story from the one that I posted on Thursday. It brings to light the errors and false claims that were made and corrects them with facts that are true.

Have a good weekend. Remember to give praise always in all things. Even when the bathtub is broke and your puppy poops in the house.

¹⁶Rejoice evermore. ¹⁷Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, King James Version)

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Seven of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #7 - John Chapter Seven (18.66MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr.Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

"Jews have no history in Jerusalem" (JP News Story)

The Palestinian Authority's chief Islamic judge, Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, said on Wednesday that there was no evidence to back up claims that Jews had ever lived in Jerusalem or that the Temple ever existed.

Tamimi claimed that Israeli archaeologists had "admitted" that Jerusalem was never inhabited by Jews.

Tamimi's announcement came in response to statements made earlier this week by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who said that Jerusalem "is not a settlement," and that "the Jews built it 3,000 years ago."

"Netanyahu's claims are baseless and untrue," said Tamimi, the highest religious authority in the PA. "Jerusalem is an Arab and Islamic city and it always has been so."

Tamimi claimed that all excavation work conducted by Israel after 1967 have "failed to prove that Jews had a history or presence in Jerusalem or that their ostensible temple had ever existed."

He condemned Netanyahu and "all Jewish rabbis and extremist organizations" as liars because of their assertion that Jerusalem was a Jewish city.

Tamimi accused Israel of distorting the facts and forging history "with the aim of erasing the Arab and Islamic character of Jerusalem." He also accused Israel of launching an "ethnic cleansing" campaign to squeeze Arabs out of the city.

"By desecrating its holy sites, expelling its Arab residents and demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands and building settlements in Jerusalem, Israel is seeking, through the use of weapons, to turn it into a Jewish city," he said. "This is a flagrant violation of all religious, legal, moral and human values." (Jerusalem Post News Article)

The above news article makes me very angry for a reason that is not obvious in the content: The learned judge did not say these untrue things because he believes what he is saying but that he knows that the bulk of his audience will believe anything that he tells them because of his position and his office.

We as Christians need to remember to pray for Israel and to continue to support her in word and deed. Here is Love: We need to also pray for those that are being deceived to further hate and evil against Israel. Remember: JHVH G-D calls Israel His Inheritance. (For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:9, King James Version)

See this link from Wikipedia about the History of Jerusalem.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Six of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #6 - John Chapter Six (21.18MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Technology Post - Geexbox

Do you have an old computer or a laptop/net book sitting around just gathering dust? If so then I have an entertaining suggestion for you: Geexbox.

Geexbox is a fully standalone media player that loads from system boot on a flash drive to play movies, music and pictures. Check out the site for all of the details.

I have an Acer Aspire One that I keep beside the bed to watch movies on and to listen to audio as I go to sleep. This past week I have gotten strung out on a show from *HULU called 'Daybreak' - it is a cross between '24' and 'Groundhog Day'. Daybreak aired for half of a season in 2006/2007. I Watched all thirteen episodes twice. I have Geexbox loaded on one of my 4GB flash drives and since the program itself only use 23MB, that leaves a lot of room for movies and music.

When I get ready for bed I fire up the net book and press F12 to to bring up the boot menu so I can select the drive and let Geexbox do the rest. The Geexbox menu system is very easy to use and navigate through.

I usually have bible teaching going as I sleep and this lets the Word of God slip into my unconscious mind. It does make for some interesting dreams.

Any questions that you might have about Geexbox can be sent via the blog comments section; I am happy to share this cool application with you.

The next thing that I want to do is build a small PC with good HD video out and plenty of RAM so I can hook it up to my HDTV in the living room for instant access to our video collection that I could rip and store to the Hard Drive and even stream content over the household wireless network.

⁴For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: ⁵So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4-5, King James Version)

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Five of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #5 - John Chapter Five (15.80MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Of Daughters and Fathers

My Twenty year old daughter, Krysta, lives on her own (with a boyfriend) out in New Mexico. She called last night to ask for my advice on finding a job. I gave her what advice that I could and told her that with the national economy what it is right now that it is going to be difficult for an undereducated twenty something to find any kind of gainful employment; employers, now, have larger applicant pools to hire from and they can pick and choose their new hires to suit their companies needs, also they are going to hire a more mature person over someone who has not had time to develop a stronger work-ethic. This is the way of the world.

What is a father to do? The daddy-voice in my head says to tell her to come home and live under my roof and not worry about this now and come be safe. But. The daddy-voice knows that the daughter is not going to do that and since she has been on her own since she was Seventeen and it knows that she would not give up the freedom willingly; no matter what the circumstances are now.

I am very proud of my daughter.

I love my daughter and want what is best for her but I know that I can not live her life for her. What I can do is pray for her and take my concern for her to the throne room of the universe and bring them before my Heavenly Father.

Our Heavenly Father knows the end from the beginning and His will controls the outcome of every interaction of our lives. When we pray to Him with our requests, He hears them and we always get an answer. Always. Remember that 'No' is an answer too. Our prayer is an action of coming into alignment with His will. His will in action in our lives is what we want most.

I will pray for my daughter and let the Lord work out the details. What I can also do is send her a little money to help her out with gas and necessities or whatever she needs most and remind her to pray too.

¹⁴Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. ¹⁵See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. ¹⁶Rejoice evermore. ¹⁷Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18, King James Version)

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Four of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #4 - John Chapter Four (14.18MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

John Chapter Three - Chuck Missler

Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Three of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #3 - John Chapter Three (19.48MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Revelation Four and Five

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:


“ Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
“ You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.” And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:


“ You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:


“ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:


“ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. (Revelation 4-5, New King James Version)

I am VERY happy that Romans Eight is in the Bible

The title of today's post says it all. If you are not familiar with Romans chapter Eight then you are in for a blessing that will make your day and calm your mind; the enemy whispers all sorts of things in our ears to make us doubt our salvation and our ability to be or stay saved.

If you have never had these doubts, then I admire your faith, that it can not be shaken. I know that there were times in the past that I felt that I had blown my chance to be saved because I was such a sinner that God had never thought could exist. And that I played some part in the ongoing process.

When I came to the understanding that I am not the one responsible for keeping me saved and that it is God and God alone, I quit worrying. I still blow it so bad sometimes that doubt slips in and that gives the enemy an opportunity to whisper to me, "Are you sure that you are saved? No true born again person would ever do that, knowingly."

That is when I pray and ask for forgiveness for my sin. And then I look to John Ten and I know that the only way for me to loose my salvation is for me to fall out of the Father's hand. That is not possible:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. (John 10:27-30, King James Version)

When I give the enemy the opportunity to attack me - yes, I still sin - I remember that Romans Eight was penned over nineteen hundred years ago:

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:33-39, King James Version)


These verses seem to make the whispering stop. Thank you Jesus for your love.

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I have a Pro MediaFire account that allows almost unlimited bandwidth for the uploading and downloading of files and I want to take full advantage of the service and use this blog to make the Word of God available to all who want it. So then faith (cometh) by hearing and hearing by the word of God - Romans 10:17.

Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and all Ten sessions of his study in the Book of Romans.

The Book of Romans (The Folder size is 187MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Today is a day of Great Expectation and Hope

Constant Reader and Sibling in the Lord, Spitfire, reminded me today of something that I have not considered for a while. When we see Jesus, we will be transformed into beings different than we are at this time and in this place. We will be just like He is now in His risen form; Sin will not be part of our DNA and we will not be constrained to only four dimensions of reality.

My proof texts for this is view is: (Luke 24:36-43), (John 20:26-29) and (1 John 3:2)
(Note: Links open in a new tab/window depending on which web browser you use.( Go Firefox!).


Please forgive today's short post. My current body is tired and wants to go to bed and dream of (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Maranatha!

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Two of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #2 - John Chapter Two (17.62MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Today is a day of Song and Sonship

Are you in Christ?

Have you confessed with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and do you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? Then you are and will be saved.

⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; ⁹That 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. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:8-10, King James Version)


Then, through Christ, by the faith that God has given to you, you have two things that are very special: Righteousness and Salvation. They are both gifts from God that only He, through His Son, could give to you.

So, what do you do when given so special a gift? What you do is say 'Thank You' by Loving and Worshiping Him and giving all of your Devotion to Him. Then at some time in the future do something nice for Him.

Like singing a song to Him (In person):

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:9-15, King James Version)


Gentle reader, now is the time to learn this song. You would not want to be the only one not singing when the time comes. It will be okay if you can't carry a tune in a bucket so long as you know the words and they come from the heart.

Trust me, I will be singing loud enough to drown all of you out anyway.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part One of Twenty-two in his study of the Book of John.

Study #1 - John Chapter One (21.48MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Technology in the Bible and God's Place Outside His Creation

The Bible implies current modern technology in various places. Here are two examples that I find fascinating:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Matthew 24:15

This could be closed circuit monitoring or even a live television news feed since the event takes place in the Holy of Holies and only the High Priest is allowed to go in there.( There also has to be a temple standing for this prophecy to be fulfilled).


'Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land. Some will go throughout the land and, in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search. As they go through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. - Ezekiel 39:14-15

This is a very accurate description of modern Nuclear, Biological and Chemical site cleanup procedures.


This next portion is not mine but it repeats an analogy that I have heard in the past about God living outside the time domain. Enjoy.

He Is Free From the Succession of Events

One of the basic characteristics of time is the sequence of events: past, present, and future; yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We are bound to the fleeting succession of present moments. The moments before are but a memory with lingering results, and the moments to come are still an expectation which we cannot fully predict. We measure these succeeding moments by the rotation of heavenly bodies. We use clocks to help us and on some occasions, such as a hundred meter dash in the Olympic games, we break the succession of moments down into hundredths of a second. But we cannot escape the limitations of time, our bondage to the succession of moments, and the events that fill them.

We need to understand that eternity is more than the endless extension of time backward and forward. For convenience, we speak of eternity past and eternity future, but in actuality eternity supersedes time. It is a mode of existence that is not bound by this succession. There are no such things as past, present, and future with God. He created time and He can work within its framework, but He Himself is over and above it. He lives in one eternal now. Our tomorrows are just as real and present to Him as our yesterdays and todays because He has already experienced them.

Any human illustration of this truth will break down somewhere, but it might be helpful to try one. Imagine yourself watching the Rose Parade on a street corner in Pasadena. You view the parade one float and one band at a time—a succession of events. When it is finished you can look back on your experience and say, “I saw the parade.” Now imagine yourself in the Goodyear blimp, viewing the parade from start to finish. You are aware of the sequence, but you can see the end from the beginning. It is all part of your consciousness at once rather than merely a succession of events. That is the way God views our lives and, in fact, all of human history from the beginning to the end of time.

Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done (Isaiah 46:9-10a).

He does not acquire His knowledge from a succession of events as we do, (float by float, band by band). He knows the end as thoroughly as the beginning because He has already lived it. It is eternally present with Him.

This is a truth for believers to rest in. God knows all our tomorrows. There are no surprises with Him. We may experience a great many surprises in life, but there are none with God. He already knows the pleasures that are in store for us. He knows the tragedies we shall face. He even knows the sins we shall commit and He is already grieved over them. But He has a plan that will work them all together for good. Knowing a God like that not only helps us want to please Him, but it helps us face our future with confidence and courage. God is going to be there tomorrow, whatever it holds, with the next page of our lives open, ready to reveal the next step He wants us to take in the perfect plan He has arranged for us.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Seven of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

Combat Moblization - Ephesians Chapter 6 (20.53MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Technology Update

I decided to purchase a 'Pro' account at MediaFire so I could create direct links to the audio files that I want to promote and share with the readers of this blog. I feel that it is a small price to pay to spread the word of God to those that would desire to hear it.

I ran into a slight problem last night when I tried to download the first file in Chuck Missler's series on the Book of John from my MediaFire account, Instead of the download dialog popping up, I was redirected to the MediaFire home page and the URL came up 'Connection: Close'. This is not how it is supposed to work.

I checked other files in the series and they seem to be there. In short: I sent an email to the MediaFire help desk and reported the problem I was having. We'll see just how serious they take there customer support by the response time in which my email is responded to.

If you attempt to download a file and the same thing occurs for you, then please leave a comment about it to let me know. A temporary fix will be to post an alternate link to that file from the Firefighters For Christ servers. I will state again that the audio files that I am offering are free to download from the Firefighters For Christ MP3 download site and since I am not charging any fees to make them available then it is leagle for me to offer them to the readers of this blog.

If you are not familiar with the Firefighters For Christ, they are a not for profit organization that has for many years given away tapes and cd's of various speakers to further the spread of the Gospel. They have two sites that I know of and here are links to both of them. http://firefighters.org/ http://server.firefighters.org/

You can download their 2009 catalog in Adobe PDF format and print it from your computer to mail in to them. They are also offering a link to a page that lists all of the recordings available from their 2009 catalog.

Below is from the Firefighters For Christ website and it is also their mission statement:

We encourage you to download as many MP3's as you like for non-commercial individual use.

"Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8


Praise the Lord for the work that He is doing in you as you are being conformed to the image of His son.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Six of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

The Church Mystery - Ephesians Chapter 5 (18.43MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Perfomance Evaluation: Eternity

This past Thursday I rote about our corporate masters and how we are expected to server them just as we serve Christ.

Go read it. I'll wait for you to finish.

This is part two of that post.

I consider my work performance evaluations to be important because they are used to judge my acceptability for job advancement in the company and for wage increases and other rewards for good work habits.

There is a performance evaluation coming soon that has a deeper impact on my future. My place and service in Eternity.

Just as I have to sit with my Department Manager and go over the different areas of my job responsibilities and my overall performance of my job, I will one day (hopefully soon) have to stand before Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat and give an account for things that I have done on earth inside and outside the body of Christ and what I have done with my salvation and the mercy and grace that has been shown to me by God.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be apleasing to Him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Romans 14:8-12
8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore awhether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be bLord both of the dead and of the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you aregard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written, “aAs I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall 1give praise to God.”
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.


I will not stand before Jesus to give an account of my sin, it has been dealt with on the Cross. I will stand before Him to receive rewards, or not, for my service to Him, and to determine my place in His Kingdom. What I do today is going to determine what my place is then.

It is not enough to sit idly by and take no action and to not be actively participating in what the Lord would have me doing just because I am saved and do not have to fear the judgment of a righteous and holy God. I have gifts and talents that He as given to me to strengthen and serve the body and to further the gospel of Christ in a dark and evil world.

As I write this I am speaking more to myself than an imaginary reader on the internet about what is coming and what is required of me and to the seriousness of it; I do not want my eternal job to be stable boy and I, more importantly want my Lord to pleased with me because of my faithfulness to Him.

I will be the most joyful of stable boys in His kingdom but the Lord has so much more for me that it can not be described. It is all mine only if I lay down my life and put aside my flesh to become an over comer and a GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT OF THE MOST HIGH GOD.

1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Five of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

The Breath, Length, Depth, & Height Eph Ch. 3:13 - Ch. 4:30 (20.65MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Isaiah Fifty-three

¹ Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
³ He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
⁹ And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
¹⁰ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
¹¹ He shall see the labor of His soul,and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53, New King James Version)

Someday is NOW!

Greetings to all! It is Saturday, August 15th, 2009 and today is the day that that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. It is also the day that I set the format for my weekend posts at RomansThirteenTen.

Saturday will be the day of the week that I post links to media downloads. I will still include 'Audio of the Day' links throughout the week and use Saturdays to feature entire collections of audio files.

Sunday will be a day of rest and I will only post a scripture passage for the day. (This Sundays scripture post will be one of my favorite chapters from the book of Isaiah. Can you guess which one it might be?)

I have a Free MediaFire account that allows almost unlimited bandwidth for uploading and downloading of files and I want to take full advantage of the service and use this blog to make the Word of God available to all who want it. So then faith (cometh) by hearing and hearing by the word of God - Romans 10:17.

Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and all Twenty-one sessions of his study in the Gospel of John.

The Gospel of John (The Folder size is 345MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Attack!

In Thursdays post I wrote about Christians being fiduciaries for the companies that they work for and I wrote that I tried to be one for mine. And sure enough, my words come back to haunt me. The alarm clock that I have used for years to annoy me awake did not go off. I have it set for 10:30 PM so I can be at work for a Midnight to Eight shift. I exercise what would seem like extreme OCD behavior before I go to sleep and check to make sure that the alarm is turned on and ready, at least two or three times.

My darling wife - Lord, please bless her - woke me up at 12:23 and asked if I had to work. I had to think before I answered her, I sleep hard and do not wake easy. Of course the answer was 'Yes.' and with that the race was on to get to work as soon as I could. I ended up being one hour late for work and this is not something that I do on even a semi-irregular basis. Not at all. I try to be about fifteen to twenty minutes early and no less then five.

To the heart of the matter: Spiritual attack comes from all sides and at the wrong time, no pun intended. We as Christians have to be on our guard constantly; we are rarely attacked in our weak areas and it seems that the points that we are the strongest in is where the attacks come most. I do not pray enough and I am sure that is the reason why I get blind-sided as often as I do. Lord please forgive me for not being more prayerful. Prayer is our chance to come into line with the Lord's will. He wants us to come to Him with everything. Everything. I will be so happy when I finally get to the point in my spiritual growth/walk that I don't have to be taught the same thing over and over again before it sticks. Lord, please let me learn the lessons the first time around. I also know that there is not anything that happens in our lives that is not 'Father Filtered' He allows us to come under attack so that we will grow in maturity and with that maturity comes a deeper love and trust of Him. The Lord wants us to trust Him in all areas of our lives and be given wholly over to His will through love and obedience. These are easy words to type but walking them out is where I have the greatest difficulty.

Praise the Lord.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Four of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

The Mystery of The Church Eph Ch. 2:11 - Ch. 3:12 (20.55MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

My Corporate Masters

I don't know when I first heard the phrase 'My Corporate Masters' but it is one that I thought was witty and I have tried to use it to the greatest comedic effect any time I have found the situation appropriate - or not. Said in a deep voice with dramatic inflection, it is just funny. The thing is, it a statement that is biblically accurate. If you are in Christ then you are expected to work your daily job as if you worked as a direct-report to the Lord Jesus Himself:

Ephesians 6:5-9 (New International Version)
Slaves and Masters
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

I try to keep this in mind as I go about my work but it does not always reach my Heart to be turned into action. I do try.

Part Two on Monday 08-17-2009

If you find that you have leisure time on your hands over the week-end then I suggest you head on over to the blog of my friend The Local Malcontent and be informed and entertained.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Three of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

Faith, Salvation, Works & Rewards Eph 1:15-23;Eph 2:1-10 (19.06MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

Site Update

No actual thought provoking post today, just a little site update. I am sure you noticed the shiny new graphic at the top of the page. It is much more eye catching than the plain text that blogger provides in its ready-made template. Enjoy the shininess of it.

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part Two of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

Seven Mysteries of God Eph 1:6-23 (19.60MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

I shall (not) swat your nose with a rolled up newspaper today.

The joy of having a dog is sometimes overshadowed by their inability to go potty outside when they have to go. I have a 4.5 month old German Shepard female that has been having diarrhea off and on for the last two weeks and she does not always let me know when it is time to go outside; she is 95% house-broken and only immediate necessity keeps it from being 100%. I intend to take her to the local animal hospital in the morning and get her checked out. I am concerned for her and she can not tell me herself what is wrong. Xena (my puppy)is covered by my love for her and that covering includes her inability to on use the bathroom outside when she has to go.

Now to matters more spiritual and lasting. We are not sinners because we sin but we sin because we are sinners. If you are a Christian and by that I mean you are positionally in Christ and look to him as Saviour and Lord (God) then you know that when you sin that you are forgiven that sin by Jesus's (God's) finished work of the cross and because He paid the penalty of sin by His sacrifice. His love made a way for us to not be destroyed by His Righteousness and Holiness because of our inability to not sin.

His Grace and Mercy cover us and He (The Holy Spirit) said through the Apostle John that: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1st John 1:9. This is not done to save us all over again but to keep open the lines of communication and fellowship. Praise God!

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Audio of the day: Dr. Chuck Missler and part One of Seven in his study of the Book of Ephesians.

Introduction Eph 1:1-5 (20.35MB MP3)

This collection of audio is from the 1990's and is not the most recent series of studies in this book. You can find the most recent recordings for sale at Dr. Missler's website Khouse.org. The audio that I am offering can be found at Firefighters For Christ free of charge.

I shall Love you today

Your first blog post should be witty and creative and show how intelligent you are so that your readers will be amazed and impressed by your apparent deepness of thought and God given ability to see life with a clarity that is unsurpassed. My first post will do just that:

I shall plagiarize the Apostle Paul as he quotes Jesus Christ:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:9c - 10

Jesus and Paul make it sound so easy.