LightShinesInTheDarkness

It's great to thank Him with our lips, and we should, (Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Heb 13:15); but we should also thank Him with our lives, by living for Him. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

The Last Day/The Day Of The Lord (A Single Day) Proof that the Day Of Judgment is the same day that Jesus returns: 31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels... 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46) 5Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5) 21As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21,22) 15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,17saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” (Revelation 11:15-18) The Final Judgment and the Great White Throne Judgment are the same event. There is one Day of Judgment for both the righteous and the unrighteous, as the scriptures above show. Proof that the dead are raised on the day that Jesus returns: 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) 51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ( 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52) 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,d that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) Yes, the dead in Christ will both return with Him and be bodily raised on the day of His return. Their spirits will return with Him from heaven, and will be united with new spiritual bodies that God will create on that day, in which they will rise from their graves. The holy angels will also return with Jesus on the last day. See Matthew 25:31 above. Proof that the world is destroyed on the day that Jesus returns: 36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,b but the Father only. 37For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:36-39) 26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30) ...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away fromb the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10) 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodiesb will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.c (2 Peter 3:10-12) 1a “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:1-3) Proof that the antichrist is defeated on the day that Jesus returns: 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8) This means that Revelation 19:11-21 is also referring to the day of Christ's return (and there is only one). Proof that the thousand years come before the Tribulation 12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (Revelation 16:12-14) This is the same event described in Revelation 20:7,8: 7And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. The battle of Armegeddon takes place on the day Jesus returns: 19And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presencee had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Rev 19:19,20) So when is Jesus going to defeat the antichrist in the battle of Armegeddon? On the day of His coming. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:8 above.) He's not going to defeat the antichrist twice. So Revelation 19 and 2 Thessalonians 2 refer to the same event on the same day. And when will Satan be released to deceive the nations and prepare them for the battle of Armegeddon? When the thousand years are ended. Revelation 16:12-16, 19:11-21, and 20:7-10 all refer to the same battle. The beast and the false prophet are captured and destroyed first, then Satan. We know this takes place on the same day because the antichrist is defeated at the coming of Christ, and we know the other events of the last day that will take place when Christ returns, with His angels. There's not going to be a thousand year reign of saints on this earth, either before or after the Tribulation. If it occurs before, it would require Christ and the saints to return to earth to reign for a thousand years, then go back up to heaven for the duration of the Tribulation when Satan is released, then return a second time for the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the living saints on the last day. That's nonsense, according to the Scriptures. Nor can the thousand years take place after the Tribulation, because the Tribulation won't begin until Satan is released from the bottomless pit, which is after the thousand year reign of the saints. Then he must be released for "a short time" (Revelation 20:3). That "short time", also mentioned in Revelation 12:12, is the Tribulation---originally seven years, shortened to approximately three and a half years by God for the sake of the elect (the saints). At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus returns (Matthew 24:29-31), defeats the antichrist and Satan, the dead are raised, the world is destroyed, the judgment takes place, the new heaven and earth are created, and the saints possess the kingdom forever. Not for a thousand years. People who are trying to fit a thousand year earthly reign of the saints into the chronology of the Revelation and other end-time scriptures have to contort and misinterpret them to do so. But as you can see from what I provided above, it's impossible to do. It doesn't fit before, during, or after the Tribulation, as an earthly reign. Logic, and comparing the scriptures that speak of the same events, with the help of the Holy Spirit, debunks the erroneous teaching of an earthly thousand year reign of the saints with Christ. The thousand year reign can only take place in heaven. And it has been taking place there for nearly a thousand years. Satan is about to be released from his prison, and after making war with his demons against the holy angels in heaven, he will be cast down to earth and enter the person of the antichrist, and begin to persecute Christians; and the Tribulation will begin. 12Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” 13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time... 17Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:13,14,17) As for the first and second resurrections mentioned in Revelation chapter 20: 4Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6) these scriptures can be correctly understood by comparing them with other scriptures that clarify the timing and meaning of what is described in them. "They came to life" (verse 4) refers to spiritual rebirth, not being bodily resurrected. We know this because we know the timing of the bodily resurrection of the dead, of which there is only one---of both the righteous and the unrighteous---on the last day of the Tribulation, when Jesus returns; and because verse 5 and 6 explain that "they came to life" refers to the "first resurrection", which is the resurrection that saves from the lake of fire---being born again. There are not two physical resurrections; so what verse 5 is speaking about ("the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended") is the last day when the dead are bodily raised. The saints who are reigning with Christ in heaven are saints who have died, obviously. But they have eternal life. And that is what taking part in the "first resurrection" means---that that they were raised to life in Christ. 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.d Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25,26) "The rest" of those who have physically died (both righteous and unrighteous), (Rev 20:5), will be bodily resurrected on the last day when Jesus returns, at the one resurrection of the dead. Here is an explanation of the two resurrections Revelation 20 mentions: 25“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (This is the spiritual resurrection; being born again.) 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (This is the physical resurrection of the dead on the day Jesus returns.) (John 5:25-29) The saints in heaven haven't taken the mark of the beast or worshiped his image (Rev 20:4), because those things haven't happened yet. (See Revelation 3:10 for example). Some of these saints were martyred by beheading. They conquered Satan, the dragon---not the antichrist---by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (Rev 12:11). We (Christians who will be going through the Tribulation) are given these saints for an example to follow, that we should conquer the dragon, Satan (who will be indwelling the person of the antichrist), by laying our own lives down for Jesus, if necessary, as these saints in heaven have done. (See also Revelation 6:9-11).

What the Lord said about His sheep (like Romans 8:38, 39) is within the context of other scriptures that qualify it. As I said, no one but us can take us out of God's hand. That is what the Scriptures teach, even though many disagree. Our bearing fruit as Christians is dependent upon on our choices. We have the sinful nature and we can choose to serve it and bear bad fruit. We can also choose whether or not to listen to our Shepherd. (Have you ever chosen not to listen to the Lord since you were saved? Or to keep in step with His Spirit? How about any of the true Christians you know?) Just because we can hear Him (as every born-again person can), doesn't mean we'll always choose to obey Him. As for having no fruit, if a Christian is choosing to serve himself and to disobey the Lord, he's not being fruitful, even though he's in the vine. Of course unsaved people have no fruit, but they are also not in Christ, the vine. So clearly what the Lord was saying about His branches was referring to Christians, not unsaved people. How can a person be in Christ and not in Him at the same time? And unsaved people aren't in Christ in the first place so they can't abide (remain) in Him. I've had conversations with OSAS (once-saved-always-saved) believers, and it's to no avail to try to change their minds about this false doctrine; it's like the lie is ingrained in them from years of false teaching. But that is what it is: A false doctrine. If you believe that there's nothing you can do to forfeit your salvation, you're more likely to do things that could cause you to do so. I consider OSAS to be a potentially deadly heresy for this reason.

People agreeing with something does not make it true. Nor does disagreeing with it make it false. If you go to other threads, you'll see some of the same people who disagree with the things I've shared here sharing and asserting all kinds of things. Do you agree with all of them? So what difference does it make whether or not they agree with me in terms of what I've shared here? The people who disagree with some or all of my message don't agree with everything each other believes either. Even if no one agrees with the points of this message, is that going to change its fulfillment if it is correct? My suggestion to you and to all is to do exactly what I encouraged people to do in the introduction of the message---to take what they hear to the Lord and ask Him for confirmation about it; and also take the time to look up the scriptures that are included in the message, and any others the Lord might lead them to, to know whether the message points are correct. If the message is true, it makes no difference what I am. But you're welcome to read my profile if you'd like to know more about me.

I know that many Christians believe that a true Christian can't depart or fall away from Christ (or forfeit or lose his or her salvation), but the Scriptures teach otherwise. We have a choice whether to remain in Christ or not after coming to be in Him. No one can take us out of God's hand, but we can take ourselves out. And there are conditions for our remaining in Christ. I realize it seems strange that God would save us as a free gift and then require us to abide by conditions for keeping that free gift, and this confuses a lot of people. But yes, a Christian can forfeit his or her salvation---whether by persisting in deliberate sin (Heb 10:36-31), or by committing an unforgivable sin (like taking the mark of the beast), or just being spiritually lazy and unfruitful (Heb 6:1-12; Rev 3:15-22). Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord except us. (Notice that "our own free will and choices" or "anything we do" are not included in Romans 8:38, 39; and anyone who would claim that those verses do include "anything we do" would have to overlook all the scriptures that teach otherwise.) According to Jesus: "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:6) (One has to be in Christ in order to be broken off from Him. As Paul also wrote, "If God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you." (Romans 11:21,22).) "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away..." (John 15:1,2) "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." (John 15:9, 10) (If it were impossible for us not to abide in God's love, why would the Lord tell us to do so?) So yes, we do have a choice whether to remain in Jesus or not, by our own actions and choices, after being saved. So long as we choose to remain in Him, He will never leave us or forsake us. (I know of no promise of God that doesn't have conditions, and we should be wise to know and remember not only the promises but also the conditions of them, and not emphasize the one and disregard the other.)

It is very important to pray about what we hear (or read) and to ask God for understanding, and not to be lazy and just believe whatever someone tells us (including pastors, just because they are pastors, or scholars just because they are scholars).

There are a lot of scriptures in the message too, which I doubt most people took the time to look up, which might have made a difference in how they received it. But it's the Lord who must give us understanding and confirm to us the truth about these things.

It would have taken quite a long time to write out all the scriptures in the original post, and it would have made it really long as well. I actually think it's a good thing for people to have to look them up for themselves as they read it---not to make it inconvenient for them, but because I think there may be some benefit in their searching the Scriptures. I think that sometimes, when information is just given to us (as so much is instant and effortless today), we tend to skim over it but don't really pay attention to it, because we're trying to get to the next point. If you have to look it up (and you choose to do so) you're more likely really read it, rather than just skim it.

The seven seals, trumpets and bowls all cover the same time period; they are just descriptions of different things that happen during that time period. It's not seven seals, then seven trumpets, then seven bowls; the Revelation just describes different events that are taking place during the same time period in the scriptures about the seals, trumpets and bowls. The events described in all three culminate with a description of the events of the last day (which is the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet, and the seventh bowl), when Christ returns. That's how we know it's the same time period. And no, the thousand years do not take place after the Tribulation. The events described in Revelation chapters 19-21 are not in exact chronological order. My suggestion is that you study the Revelation and the other scriptures that speak about the events of the Tribulation and the last day for yourself and ask God to give you the correct understanding of them. I've shared what He's given me to share. I'm not a teacher of these things; that's not what the Lord has called me to do, but rather to warn, exhort and encourage the saints, to prepare them for the things He has made known to me, for their potential benefit. I'm going to point you to Him now, to search out and know the truth for yourself. May the Lord give you whatever you may need of Him.

Obviously not every scripture that mentions a last day is referring to The Day of The Lord (aka "the last day"). If that's what you believe ("The same applies to John 6:44"), I'm going to leave it at that. I think a correct understanding of the chronology of the events of the end times is sufficient to clarify what refers and pertains to the last day when the Lord returns and what doesn't.

I addressed the thousand years in my last post. The chronology and wording of the Revelation can be confusing. Understanding it requires comparing scripture with scripture, and God-given understanding most of all. The thousand years do not come after the last day; you can see this by comparing scripture with scripture. The final Judgment and the creation of the new heaven and the new earth happen on the last day. After the last day comes eternity. A lot happens on the last day; (a lot is written in the Scriptures about the events of that day---also referred to as "the day of the Lord"---and not just in the Revelation. You may be interested in researching these). It will be a unique day, and I tend to think, in light of all that happens on "the last day" that it will be longer than 24 hours. God knows.

20 SIMPLE BUT GOOD HEART-SEARCHING, SELF-EVALUATING QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIANS (No need to answer these on the thread; just think on them and answer them honestly for yourself before the Lord.) 1. Are you "successful" according to God's values and objectives? 2. When was the last time you told Jesus that you loved Him? (And meant it?) 3. What is your heavenly "savings account" balance? 4. Does God choose your wardrobe? 5. Does God choose your music? 6. Does God approve of what (and how) you eat and drink? 7. Do you judge other "wisdom" and knowledge by God's word, or vice versa? 8. Is your chief aim and highest goal in life to please God? 9. Would you rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord? (Honestly.) 10. Do you LOVE your enemies? 11. Would you welcome a needy brother or sister into your home to stay? 12. Do you compromise God's Word to do "God's work"? 13. Do you care more about the approval of people than about the approval of God? 14. Is Jesus your most prized possession? 15. Which of the seven churches in the Revelation would your church be? 16. Do you preach the whole counsel of God? Or just the parts people want to hear? 17. Do you practice what you preach? 18. Do you love God His way---according to what He says love for Him is---or according to your own notion of what love for Him is? 19. Are you making the best use of your Master's time? 20. If you had to give an account to the Lord TODAY, would you have any regrets?

Jesus referred to it as the last day (John 6:44). The end of everything the Scriptures foretell, the end of this world, the end of this universe (the heavens), the end of death, and the end of night, is the day of the Lord's return. Eternity comes after the last day. Time is mentioned after the end of all things (Rev 21:25, 22:2, Luke 20:35,36); but if there will never be night, and there will be no more death, and the saints will reign "forever and ever", what difference does it make? It's obvious that eternity comes after "the last day", whether it is marked by time somehow or not. It is an "age" without end. The Scriptures refer to "the last days", "the end of the ages", "the final hour", "the end of all things", with regard to the events that precede the return of the Lord on the last day. The point: The last day of this world and of creation as we know it will be the same as the last day of the Tribulation. (You can see this for yourself by studying the Scriptures.) The thousand year reign of the saints (which is taking place in heaven and is almost up) is the same thousand years that Satan has been bound in the bottomless pit. That earth on which the saints will reign (Revelation 5:10) is the new one, not this one. The "first resurrection" refers to being born again, not to rapture. The second resurrection is the resurrection of those have died physically, both the righteous and the unrighteous, when the Lord returns on the last day. Both resurrections are explained in John 5:25-29.

It really doesn't matter what we think they need; God knows what they need or don't need. God knows the situation and the needs of each of His servants and His will for each of them. Some Christians will be provided for by God, by whatever means He chooses, until the end of the Tribulation, and will be raptured at Christ's return. Some will die before the Tribulation begins. Some will go through a part of it and then be martyred. What "all Christians will go through the Tribulation" means is that no one will be raptured away from it, either before it starts or at some point during. How they go through it depends on God's will. (Don't you think that the Christians who are suffering the persecution you mentioned at this time would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord, just as Paul did? Are they pitying themselves, or are they praising God and asking for prayers for God to strengthen them to do His will?) Romans 5:1-5; 8:28, 35-39

Greetings to all who are in Christ Jesus. I have a difficult but important message to deliver to the saints, which I hope the Lord will grant many to receive, although I know that the majority will reject it. I encourage you to take what I am going to share with you to the Lord—with clean hands and a pure heart before Him (very important)---and to ask Him to confirm to you that these things are in fact true.* The message is this: 1. THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE IS A LIE/MYTH The Lord is coming back on the last day of the Tribulation, which is also the last day of time, period. He is not coming twice, or during the middle of the Tribulation, and He is not coming in secret. (Matthew 24:27) Every eye will see Him when He returns. At this time, the dead will be raised, and those saints who remain alive on the earth will be changed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. All Christians will go through the Tribulation, which is for the testing of the faith of the saints (Revelation 3:10), as well as a time of God judging the unsaved world. The persecution of the saints during this time is not the wrath of God, but the wrath of Satan, which is by God’s will and according to His plan. (Revelation 12:17; 13:9,10) The judgments of God will be falling on unsaved people during this time, not on Christians, and Satan will be persecuting the saints during this same time. Matthew 24:29-31. Mark 13:24-27. 1 Cor 15:52. 1 Thess 4:14-17. Rev 1:7. 2. MOST TRUE (NOT FAKE) CHRISTIANS WILL FALL AWAY FROM THE LORD AND BE OVERTHROWN DURING THE TRIBULATION This is because most true Christians are in a state of rebellion against the Lord in this last hour. They know (or could and should know) the commands of the Lord that are given to us in the New Testament, and God’s will, but they are deliberately not keeping them, because they are truly lovers of themselves, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, proud, etc. (2 Timothy 3:1-5). They keep some of His commandments and twist, compromise, ignore, or simply refuse to keep others which interfere with what they want or want to do. Partial obedience to what we know we have been commanded and know God wants us to do is not acceptable to God. (1 Samuel 15:10-23. Revelation 2:4-5; 3:1-3.) Therefore, because they refuse to humble themselves and repent and do what He wants them to do, God is going to judge them by giving them into the hand of the antichrist. (Daniel 8:12) He will not support them in the time of testing and battle---as He never supports rebels---and they will choose to take the mark of the beast in order to save their earthly lives and will perish spiritually. No Christian will be forced to take the mark. All who do will do so by their own free will. (This is the abomination that makes desolate: Christians, the people in whom the Spirit of God dwells, taking the mark of the beast and worshiping his image. They will be left desolate for doing this, just as the temple of the Jews was left to them desolate when God departed from it because they rejected Jesus. (Luke 13:34,35) The antichrist will stand in the place of Christ in His Church, His temple, and among His worshipers, when they worship the beast to preserve their earthly lives---because they have practically rejected Jesus, with their hearts, as evidenced by their works and by their ways---not with their lips or their outward appearance. (2 Timothy 3:5. Mark 7:6-9. Revelation 3:20.) Unsaved people cannot be made desolate as they are already empty and alone; only true Christians can.) God has already given most of His people dullness of hearing and dimness of sight, for continually rejecting His truths and refusing to listen to Him (in order to have their own way, because they love themselves), so that they cannot recognize that they themselves are fulfilling the sign of the times which precedes the revealing of the antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and the words of this message sound like nonsense to them. (Luke 8:18) Matthew 24:9,10. Daniel 8:9-14; 7:21; 9:26,27; 12:5-7. Revelation 13:7. 1 Peter 4:17. 3. MOST OF THE SAINTS WHO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO JESUS DURING THE TIME OF TRIBULATION WILL BE MARTYRED, NOT RAPTURED ON THE LAST DAY By God’s own mercy, He will deliver most of the Christians who remain faithful to Him during the Tribulation and do not take the mark of the beast by martyrdom. Some of us will remain on the last day when He returns, but most of us will be killed for our faith. And this (martyrdom) is what those who love the Lord should be preparing their minds for at this time. Jesus asked whether He would find faith on the earth when He returns (Luke 18:8). The answer is: Very little. Most Christians will have either forfeited their salvation or been martyred for their faith by the time He returns. (1 John 2:28) God knows that most Christians don’t have the spiritual strength to endure the trials of the Tribulation for very long (for which reason He also shortened the days of the Tribulation from seven years to approximately three and a half). He will mercifully deliver them from it by providing a way of escape through martyrdom, and He will strengthen them to lay their lives down for Him, because they have washed their robes and have a good heart toward Him. (Being killed for not taking the mark of the beast is not defeat but victory. Taking the mark is being conquered.) It is the saints who wash their robes who will be victorious during the Tribulation. The ones who refuse to do so will fall. Whether by those who need to wash their robes doing so, or by those who refuse to wash their robes being cleaned out---out of the Church and out of the City---God will have a spotless Bride. The only ones who have robes that can be washed are Christians. Our robe is Christ Himself. The unsaved have no robes. (Matthew 22:11-14. Isaiah 61:10.) Revelation 7:9-14; 14:9-13; 17:6; 22:14; 3:4-6. -------------- This is the important message that the Lord has given me to share with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the very short time left before the Tribulation begins. If you are one of those saints who does not have a good conscience toward God right now, I urge you to do whatever you need to do to make things right with Him and to have peace with Him that He is pleased with you. (1 John 3:19-22) If you do not have this peace, or if you are fearful of death (in a dreadful, guilty way--not merely apprehensive at the prospect), there is something amiss in your walk with the Lord that you need to address, because this should not be the case. (1 John 4:18. Philippians 1:21-23. 2 Corinthians 5:8) I encourage you to be honest with yourself and with Him, and not to let anything prevent you from doing what you know to be His will, no matter what it costs you. Nothing is worth more than Jesus. Wash your robes, so that you may be able to stand in the time of testing, and that you may conquer. May the Lord grant many of you to receive this message, and give you the grace to do His will. (James 4:6-10) The Lord be with you. ~ “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) ~ Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 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 12:8-10) ~ *Peter exhorts us to pay attention to the prophetic scriptures that pertain to the last days (2 Peter 1:19; 3:1,2). Some of these scriptures have a past and a future fulfillment (a “double fulfillment”); some have already been fulfilled, and some have yet to be fulfilled. Knowing what is what and what pertains to whom requires God-given discernment, not merely a knowledge of what the Bible says.