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11/23/2023

Thanksgiving Blessings to all. I am truly thankful for all our friends and people we have met over the years. Each and every one of you made a difference in our lives.
God's richest blessings in your next season.

11/22/2023

LUKE 2:36-40 (NIV) There was also a prophet, Anna (gracious; one who gives; from the Hebrew - favored), the daughter of Penuel (face or vision of God), of the tribe of Asher (happiness). She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she thanked God and spoke about the child to all, looking forward to Jerusalem's redemption. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
THOUGHT: When God shows up to turn pain into peace and despair into delight, you can't help but join the chorus of prophets and preachers.
THINK ON THIS
I wonder if bystanders in the temple that day recognized what unfolded as the crowd bustled around them.
• As Simeon held Jesus in his arms, delighting in this child, the consolation and hope of Israel,
o Did some turn their heads in wonder?
o Did others busy themselves with the business that brought them to the temple?
• We don’t know what caught Anna’s attention. �
• We don’t know if she overheard Simeon.
• Suppose a crowd had gathered around him.
• Did something stir in her spirit to send her searching for something significant that day?
Regardless, she was caught up in worship as heaven met earth.
• At that moment, an earthly house of worship held within it living, breathing holiness.
• By Simeon’s declaring revelation or her spirit-filled insight, Anna recognized the gift wrapped in cloth before her.
Anna had pursued a lifetime of devotion, and her dedication was wrapped in deep grief.
• She carried the weight of grief when her husband died and left her to survive for a lifetime alone.
• In her loneliness, Anna turned to a life of worship. The text says, “She never left the temple, but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”
• When life fell in around her, she worshiped. And her life of worship empowered her gift of prophecy. [Anna was probably not less than 106 years old, based on – 84 years as a widow. If married at 14 + 7 yrs. married + 84 = 105+.]
Luke gives Anna value and voice by including her in the story, naming her heritage, and identifying her call.
• For hundreds of years, words of prophecy had been silent as the Hebrew nation waited in exile and expectation.
• Five hundred years would pass between the last prophecy of Malachi and the first prophecies of John the Baptist.
• In between would stand Anna herself,
o Among the first to experience the Messiah, see his worth,
o and declare his significance to those who would hear.
o Together, Simeon and Anna act as convincing witnesses to prophecies being fulfilled.
Anna’s deep devotion prepared her for divine opportunity.
• A life of worship has a way of doing that. The energy, clarity, and reality of God showing up becomes more recognizable when we pursue God’s presence daily in worship.
• Because of her devotion, Anna could recognize God’s presence among them. And
• Though different from Simeon’s, Anna's response is to tell everyone.
o Her response to meeting Jesus, to watching the Divine take on the frailty of the human condition and enter a world of suffering, was to tell those who were waiting of his worth.
o Simeon’s devotion allowed him to recognize the Messiah in his midst and revel in a promise fulfilled.
o Anna’s life of worship allowed her to rejoice in the Messiah and reveal his worth to the world. Her one and only moment came and changed everything around her.
Truly experiencing God in a life of worship always leads to the response of proclamation, telling, and testimony.
• After all, how do we keep the goodness of God to ourselves?
• How can we possibly taste the goodness of God and stay silent?
• Anna experienced overwhelming joy when she laid eyes on the Messiah.
Sometimes, healing comes when we tell others where we’ve met God.
• When we speak of the hope that has carried us through,
• The promises that were fulfilled after longing and
• The redemption that comes when our healing can begin healing in someone else.
Part of why Pat and I share our story and lay our wounds before the world is when we share God at work in our pain, we’re reminded of God’s presence in every trial, and our declaration of that becomes possible for someone else. �
Anna’s grief turned to worship; her worship to divine revelation, and the revelation made way for her prophecy, which turned her grief into redemption.

LET US PRAY
Almighty God, we recognize that only you can turn grief into great joy. Help us embrace the pursuit of worship that will lead us to more of you and your presence so that it will overflow to our public praise.

11/21/2023

Deserting the Word of God
What Paul must deal with at the church in Galatia is something that is happening in the modern church today. He was astonished at them. He expected better of them. They were letting down the one who died for them.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Galatians 1:6
He goes on in verse 7 to say:
7 Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Saddened and perplexed by their deserting the glorious gospel!
And what was it that moved Paul to write to them? That the Galatians were so quickly deserting Jesus and His teachings. They weren’t abandoning a religion. They weren’t leaving a club. They weren’t turning in their membership card to a local lodge. They weren’t leaving a denomination and going to another.
No, they were betraying a Jesus, the very Son of God. They were becoming a traitor to the one who saved them by His death, burial, and resurrection. They were deserting God’s salvation by grace and walking back to self.
And why? They were leaving the gospel for another gospel. That’s like saying we’ll leave the truth for another truth. We’re going to move from one answer to another. We’re going to trade in one love for another. It is frightening that we have false doctrines flooding the church today: Jesus only, Eternal Unconditional Security, Cessationism, Reformed Theology, and a few more.
The gospel of Jesus, his taking our place and paying for our sins on the cross, isn’t just true because so many people like it. It’s not a multiple-choice test where we get to pick the answer that we like best, choosing the one that makes us feel good.
I am beyond astonished and saddened at how many treat the truth of God’s Word, trying to create a faith that they create and control. They want a God who they make, does what they want him to do, and says what they want him to say. They want nothing but comfort and to live the life they want without obedience to Christ’s commands or anyone telling them any different. They want everyone to be like and think like them, to live exactly how they want.
If they’re honest for a moment, they want to oversee their personal, private world. Or, to put it another way, they want to be God. They want everyone and everything to line up with their perverted way of thinking.
But, just as in the church at Galatia, people are not just moving away from Christ on their own. No, they have people helping them along the way. Today, people are throwing, as was the church in Galatia, into confusion.
And what’s the result of their working towards confusion?
Perversion. We don’t like this word. It’s not very exciting or modern. After all, it’s just another point of view. Isn’t it? What’s wrong with people believing different things? If we don’t bring in everyone, aren’t we being snobs? If we’re not inclusive, we’ll be labeled as bigoted, prejudiced, and intolerant. And no one wants to be labeled that, right?
As the church in Galatia, people are doing everything they can to turn the people around from faith in the truth to what can today be called a Laodicean church kind of faith. A faith of self. They are posting false news on the internet or attacking those speaking the truth, calling it false and violating their views. They are blasting out text messages to everyone they know, trying their hardest to move the church back to where they came from, living by self-sufficiency. Remember, God says in His Word (The Bible) that people will call good, evil, and evil good in the last days.
The good news, the Gospel, is that God came to earth to deliver us from ourselves and paid the eternal price for all we’ve ever done, and as John says in 1Jn 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and forgives us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must remember and understand that John here is writing to Christians.
The gospel, the good news, will change your life. It will turn it around. It will turn you right-side up. It’s a revolution. It’s a completely different way of life. A different way of looking at life. A different way of thinking. In the book of Philippians, Paul tells us … “Think on these things.”
So, there is no other good news. It’s Jesus Christ in us by the power of the Holy Spirit cleansing us from all unrighteousness and nothing else.

11/21/2023

Need your prayers.

11/17/2023

Luke 2:22 Now when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord … 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. … 29 “According to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: 32 a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory to your people Israel.” 33 So the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother, Mary, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. 35 Indeed, because of him, the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed – and a sword will also pierce your soul! “

THOUGHT: A life-long, persistent pursuit of God's presence paid off in one miraculous moment--after thousands of days of monotony and intentional investment,

Point of Contemplation:
At the birth of Jesus, the earth resounded with the glory of God.
• Heaven met Earth with divine presence.
• The axis of the world shifted upon God’s arrival.
• Emmanuel, the world's hope, was born.
The shepherds returned to their flocks, the stars dimmed, a holy moment to an ordinary day.
• Days after this miraculous birth, Mary and Joseph carried on with customs, going to Jerusalem as an act of faithful, obedient worship.
• As Mary and Joseph completed Jewish law, they had another divine encounter.
• This one didn’t come with fanfare but a quiet awakening.
Simeon often overlooked extra in the story, but one whose singular on-stage moment demands our study as people of awakening. �
• Note Simeon’s obedience in a life devoted to worship in the daily fulfillment of the law.
• Most importantly, note his incredible spirit of discernment.
The text teaches us that he was a faithful participant in the temple, a righteous man.
• He anticipated the arrival of the Messiah,
• He lived a life in pursuit of it and was rewarded with the presence of the Holy Spirit—long before a public outpouring of the same.
• He had such an intimate relationship with God that God spoke a promise only to him.
• Though no one knew the moment of the consolation of Israel, he would.
• He would see the fulfillment of this long-standing promise with his own eyes.
• He would get to see heaven meet earth.
His divine encounter came from a lifetime of pursuit of the Holy Spirit.
• God’s gracious promise to Simeon
• Simeon’s life of intentional discernment.
o He lived participating in the Holy Spirit’s work in him and a life of worship,
o with eyes wide open to the possibility of divine intervention at every moment.
 Did he sometimes desperately cry out for promises to be fulfilled?
 Or live in the joyful expectation that today could be the day.
Many times, I’ve found optimistic expectations in the ordinary to be impossible.
• As I juggle life, am I living in quiet desperation,
• Or could I find joyful anticipation in my healing and among the mundane?
• When I scramble to stay ahead and struggle, am I missing the chance to refine hope and discernment in me that may lead me to the miraculous?
Yes. Always yes.
The daily effort of slow, intentional pursuit will always pay off in righteousness. �
• It will always lead to a promise fulfilled.
• Today could be the day God would give Simeon the great gift of laying his eyes on the one who came to rescue the world.
• Thousands of other days of his life, he lived with hope and anticipation but no evidence.
o The lack of evidence didn’t deter him from discipline and intimacy with God.
o Thousands of days fell short of his longing.
o But with thousands of days of devotion, they made one day of revelation possible.
• He recognized it because he had readied his spirit with obedience and expectation.
• A persistent pursuit of God’s presence yielded one miraculous moment.
o It was so sweet that he lifted his hands, ready to leave earth for heaven, not with desperation, but in pure delight.
THE CONCLUSION
Do we long for a day when heaven meets earth and our eyes are opened to the delight of God’s divine work right before us?
• Too often, we overlook possibility and settle for desperation.
• We often wait for God to change our circumstances instantly, neglecting the preparation of devotion, obedience, and discernment that makes moments possible.
• Are we preparing through the tedious, longstanding work of pursuing His presence?
• Are we trusting God to take our expectation of His presence and make it a reality? �
THE QUESTION
Let me ask you, how do you live each day; is it in desperation or expectation?
If we are living in desperation, we must intentionally renew our commitment to the daily, persistent work of the disciplines to equip us for discernment and divine possibility.
After all, finding as much joy in that pursuit as the surprising moments of a miracle is possible.

11/11/2023

Church, We Have a Problem
Much of the church looks at and expects to move in the church and their lives, the Jesus of the Pre-Resurrection.
When Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection and seated Himself down next to His Father’s throne, the earthly Jesus ceased to exist. He is now the resurrected Jesus working in His full power of the Godhead. He is the all-powerful, all-mighty coming King of Glory. He is currently working in the believer as just that. He is no longer the meek and mild Jesus working in His humanity as He did in the pre-resurrection. He sent the Holy Spirit to be our baptizer with power from high. The Holy Spirit filled us to do the works of Jesus in His resurrected power, giving us full authority to bind and loose upon earth the things that are bound and loosed in Heaven.
With all that is happening in this upside-down world, it is time the Church starts being the Church of the Resurrected Jesus. It is time to stop being or having a form of godliness but acting like and denying the very power of God.
Let me explain it further:
Generally, when the prophets, as we see in God’s Word, looked into the future, they viewed three things:
1) Events of their day,
2) The first coming of Jesus, and
3) The coming of Jesus in the End Times.
We see John the Baptist getting excited because he sees Jesus’s coming! However, what John saw and excited him was what he expected to show up in the End Times: the Jesus who comes with the angels of heaven to purge the earth with fire, defeat the Antichrist, and deliver God’s judgment upon the nations!
This is the problem; we are missing Jesus the warrior, Jesus the Lion … End Times Jesus because we are still looking for the lowly Lamb of God who came first in a manger (whom many still celebrate) and the earthly Jesus. He is no longer the baby in the manger and the Jesus hanging on a cross; that is the work He has already finished. He wants now for His Church to be a Church being led by the warrior, the Lion. It is time for us to pick up the shield and sword and roar.
Instead, we see churches with goofy rainbow flags out in front of their buildings but no anointing or fire of the Holy Spirit on the inside, having a form of godliness but denying the very power thereof. They want to stay with the First Century Jesus, who came as the suffering servant, not recognizing that the Holy Ghost, filled with End Times Jesus Church, is coming to shake everything that can be shaken, roaring to set people free from the deception of hell.
We need the End Times Jesus at work right now! God’s endgame is bigger and bolder than anything we have been taught!
This battle is being played out daily in the headlines, and it can be difficult for Christians to discern what is unfolding because of the media’s lying manipulation. That is why the remnant, true, born-again, Holy Ghost-filled Church ministry is crucial these days, operating in the gifts of the Spirit (referring to the nine gifts in 1 Corinthians 12). Therefore, the faithful remnant church must teach believers that we do not need to fear. The End Times shaking is only a problem for the world or the weak, non-powerful church, the one with a form but nothing manifesting, but it is a promise for the believer that God will begin by cleaning the Church (revival must start in the house of God). With all my heart, I believe that great power is about to be released into the lives of those who understand our times and take up the mantel of a warrior bride following the Lion and roaring with Him.

11/08/2023

America is positioned on the fulcrum, and the balance is shifting toward destruction. Deuteronomy 28:49 says the nation that defies God, that judgment will come that will swoop down like an eagle, a nation whose language you will not understand. This is happening as I type. Wake up, Church, and pray that America will wake up and that righteousness and truth will again be established. Stop the killing of babies. All across this nation, in this midterm election, we see that the heart of America is for murdering babies. This has to stop. The perversion in America must stop. The law against "A Crime Against Nature" must be enacted.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

11/06/2023

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness
With so much confusion on many fronts and redefining right and wrong, I want to just simply look at the word of God and determine validity. Whatever you think or believe, the Word of God is the final authority on any subject. No denomination, government, or person has the right to redefine it. The argument of “It’s archaic,” “It’s biased,” or any other argument opposing God’s Word is invalid. God’s Word is the final and just authority on any subject or question.
Today, look at what Paul says in his letter to the Romans.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them.
Being plainly put, we have no argument against God’s Word as He has made it very plain.
Rom 1:20 For since the world’s creation, his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made. So, people are without excuse.
Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, or reptiles. 24 Therefore, God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.
Rom 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason, God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural s*xual relations for unnatural ones, 27 and likewise, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
You can’t get any plainer than that. The transgender, LBGTQ+ agenda is an abomination in the eyes of God. It is a sin against the natural use of our bodies. All resulting issues are due penalty.
Let’s take a look at it from a legal standpoint (even though in places this has been removed, it is still by definition: “A Crime Against Nature.”
The crime against nature or unnatural act has historically been a legal term in English-speaking states identifying forms of s*xual behavior not considered natural or decent and are legally punishable offenses. Sexual practices that have historically been "crimes against nature" include ma********on, so**my, homos*xuality, lesbianism, and be******ty. We can include in this the transgender and s*x change (which is a misnomer, as you can’t literally change your s*x. You have just simply mutilated your body. This completely goes against all of nature.
Rom 1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, and hostility. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.
Rom 1:32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.
No, and I mean NO government has the authority to counteract God’s Word and law. Anyone who does will repeat the wrath of God.

10/30/2023

The Absurdity of Not Believing in God
Some might not believe in a God because they don't see any persuasive reason or evidence to believe. They don't feel the need to believe in a god to explain the world around them. Nor do they think a god is necessary for human beings to lead good, happy, and meaningful lives.
I have been asked:
• Can you not believe in God and still go to heaven? Quick answer: NO
• What is it called when you stop believing in God? Quick answer: Sinner
• Can you sin if you don’t believe in God? Quick response: Sin is not based on your belief in God. Sin is Sin.
• Is it blasphemy to not believe in God? Quick response: Blasphemy is talking against some you believe in or don’t, so YES.
There are other questions I have been asked, but these are the more common ones. But the one I would say is the most frequently asked, at least asked of me, is this: “Why should I believe in God?”
Many have asked can you prove there is a God without using the Bible?
I believe there are several reasons why people deny that God exists. Some, especially in today’s chaotic world, say they reject the idea of God because they find it hard to believe, wondering if He exists, then why doesn’t He do something about all the evil that is rampant? One that is sad, at least to me, is “Too many hypocrites in the churches.”
I heard Dr. Billy Graham say several years ago: “The real reason most deny God’s existence can be summarized in one word: PRIDE. They want to run their own lives, and. They don’t want anyone—especially God—to interfere with how they’re living. They want to be in control of everything they do, and they know that if they were to believe in God, they’d have. To change their lifestyle. Instead of living by their list of right and wrong, they’d have to consider God’s moral standards seriously.”
However, to live with God is living without any hope. Hope of His presence with us; His name, Emmanuel, literally means “God with us” in this present life—no hope of eternity and the reality of heaven. For without God, there can be no heaven. They ultimately would have no actual purpose in life, only selfish goals and motivations. David the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 14:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
Many non-Christians want to set the ground rules for the God debate. They will say, “Leave the Bible out of it” when discussing God, creation, absolute truth, morality, or the Bible itself. The thinking is that leaving the Bible out of the equation will put everyone on equal ground.
But, this is not neutral ground, for as Christians, we stand on the Word of God—it is the very foundation upon which we stand. In Luke 6:47-49, “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well-built.” It is everything we believe, and how we live is based on what it says. So, to not use the very scriptures we hold as the foundation upon which we build our faith, the building of any defense will undoubtedly come crashing down.
At this point, I would say to the debater you must disprove the very existence of God, and you must use the Bible. Why does he have to use the Bible simply because he will have to disprove my faith and belief in God’s Word to disprove the existence of God? I like what Isaiah says in 55:8-9, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than yours and my thoughts higher than yours.”
There is no neutrality when talking about God. If you are an atheist, you have no neutrality when arguing against the thought of their being God. A Christian is likewise not neutral in arguing the existence of God. Why? Because each debater must presuppose a belief about God before laying out their logic that allows their arguments “for” or “against” there being God.
We find all true knowledge from the scriptures; ultimately, that knowledge comes from Jesus Christ. Look at Colossians 2:2-4, “Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. I tell you this so no one may deceive you with fine-sounding arguments.” Jesus made it very clear that the myth of neutrality is a false assumption when He said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23). So, to allow a skeptic to move us to leave the Bible out of the debate, for the false assumption of being neutral is for us to move into that place of being against Jesus and His Word. So, in debating the existence of God and that He is the only true God, we cannot and must not discard His Word.
It all boils down to this: it is not so much the evidence for the Bible they do not accept; it is they don’t accept the fact that the Bible is true.
Pat and I were discussing along these lines as we traveled back today.
Based on many of the arguments against God and the Word of God, the Bible, let me pose this thought: “If the universe were just a random cosmic accident, there is no reason for it. It to follow certain laws.” Please allow me to make a couple of other points. From a little cartoon (Family Circle): the family is at a zoo, standing in front of the gorilla cage, when the child says: “If we evolved from apes, why are there still apes?” That is an excellent question. Ponder it. And one of my favorites: If we evolved from a slim pit of primordial goop, why is no goop still evolving into humans?
Probably the best argument that the Bible is true is that the laws of logic and morality and even our existence would not be possible if they were not. Without a logical God who created everything, including us (humanity), in His image, there would be no reason to believe there is any order, causality, or logic in the universe.
The Bible proves science and physics's very existence and logic and can be based on quantum physics. Look at Jeremiah 33:25: “But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth, and sky.” God is saying nature’s physical and chemical laws are orderly and logical. If the universe were just a random cosmic accident as taught by the “Big Bang Theory,” then there would be no reason for it to follow specific laws, nor any reason we could understand any of it. You see, there is no way a person of actual science can explain why these laws exist or even where they came from. Most say: “Well, that’s just how it happened.” That is more of a leap of blind faith than believing in the existence of God and the validity of God’s Word, the Bible, as truth.
So, let’s next time look at the validity of the Bible being the very word of God.
Please share and invite others to join us on the adventure of discipleship.

10/26/2023

Ten Proofs the Rapture Takes Place in Revelation 4:1

Today’s study on Revelation comes from several sources: 1. My Study Guide for Revelation (published 2014), 2. Finis Dake’s – Revelation Explained, 3. God’s Plan for Man by Finis Dake. Word study from Strong’s Concordance.

Take time to read the scriptures listed for clarity and understanding.

Greek: meta (GSN-) tauta (GSN-), after these things (note a, Jn. 5:1). This Greek phrase is used at the beginning and at end of this verse thus: “After these things (after writing the things concerning the churches of Rev. 2 -- Rev. 3) I looked … a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice … said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be after these things,” that is, after the churches (Rev. 4:1). This confirms and settles the question as to the time of the fulfillment of all the events of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22. They must be after these things of the churches, or after the rapture of the church. The church is no longer on earth when the events of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22 occur.
1. Christ said the things of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22 “must be hereafter,” that is, after the churches, as proved above and in note, Rev. 1:19. If this is true, then the church is raptured before these things of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22, and after the things of the churches of Rev. 2 -- Rev. 3. If the things which are (Rev. 2 -- Rev. 3) concern the church, then the “things which must be” after “the things which are” must concern events after the churches. The church must be here during the time of the fulfillment of the things concerning the churches, and it must not be here during the fulfillment of the things after the churches. The church then is raptured in Rev. 4:1 between “the things which are” (Rev. 2 -- Rev. 3) and “the things which must be hereafter,” that is, after the churches (Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22).
2. The word “church” is found 19 times in Rev. 1 -- Rev. 3 but not once in the third division of the book, which contains “the things which must be” after the churches (Rev. 4:1 -- Rev. 22:5). The church is found again in the conclusion of the book (Rev. 22:6–21), but only after “the things which must be” are fully revealed. It certainly would be mentioned if the church were on earth during the fulfillment of Rev. 4 – Rev. 22.
3. The enthroned elders represent the raptured saints and are always seen in heaven after Rev. 4:1. See note Rev. 4:4.
4. The 70th week of Daniel will be the last seven years of this age, during which time all of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 19, Mt. 24 – and Mt. 25 (The Olivet Discourse) will be fulfilled. This week concerns Israel, not the church. Therefore, the church must be raptured before this week. See Rapture and Second Coming.
5. There is no place for the rapture of the church and the Old Testament saints other than in Rev. 4:1. The man-child and the great tribulation saints are the only ones to be saved and raptured during Daniel’s 70th week, and these are distinct groups from the church and the Old Testament saints, as proved in notes on Rev. 4:4. Therefore, the church is either caught up in Rev. 4:1 -- after the churches of Rev. 2 -- Rev. 3 and before the events coming after the churches of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 22 -- or it is never mentioned in Revelation as to its rapture. It surely would have been mentioned if it were to be caught up anytime during this week. The church could not be the man-child or the tribulation saints, as proved in notes on Rev. 7; Rev. 12; and Rev. 14.
6. In Lk. 21:34–36, we have the promise of Jesus that the saved will be accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man. The things they will escape are those of Mt. 24:4–26; Lk. 21:4–19 and Rev. 6 -- Rev. 19.
7. In 1Th. 5:1–11, we have another definite promise assuring us that saints will escape the wrath of God (of Rev. 6–19). God has not appointed us to this wrath, but to obtain deliverance through Jesus Christ so we can live with Christ (1Th. 5:9–11). How could saints comfort one another (as stated in this scripture and in 1Th. 4:16–17; Tit. 2:13) if the only hope they had was the coming wrath of God in the future tribulation?
8. In 2Th. 2:6–8, it is definitely shown that the rapture takes place before the revelation of the Antichrist and before the 70th week of Daniel. The events of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 19 will occur during this week (The Seven-Year Tribulation Period), so the rapture must occur in Rev. 4:1.
9. There is a marked change in God’s attitude toward humanity in general, from that of mercy (Rev. 1 -- Rev. 3) to that of judgment (Rev. 4 -- Rev. 19). The seals, trumpets, and vials all picture judgment throughout Daniel’s 70th week. If the church does not go through any of these things, as proved already, then the rapture must occur in Rev. 4:1.
10. Peculiarities and characteristics can identify an individual or a body of individuals. If the church is to be on earth and is the subject of Rev. 4 -- Rev. 19, then its earmarks should be seen. But such are not to be found. On the other hand, earmarks of Israel are seen throughout the book after Rev. 4:1. The earmarks of the church are seen up to this point only. This proves that two different institutions are dealt with in different parts of the book: first, the church until its rapture in Rev. 4:1; second, Israel after the rapture of the church to the second coming of Christ (Rev. 4 -- Rev. 19).

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