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Michael (limmuwd)

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Everything posted by Michael (limmuwd)

  1. Thanks. I am very familiar with where the word 'rapture' comes from. Rather it's the usage of the word that is greatly misunderstood today. As I stated earlier... from my time in the written Word and seeking the Living Word, I am absolutely convinced that 1Thess 4 and the other 'rapture' verses are speaking of the First Resurrection of the overcoming Elect of God, which as Jesus clearly stated, takes place AFTER the Great Distress or Tribulation. The bodies of these alone (at this time) will rise from the graves and be clothed with their "tent', their spiritual, incorruptible, immortal body that they have been forming in heaven by their obedience to Christ here on earth; and they will rise - not to heaven as is commonly believed - but into the air to meet the Lord. Why the air? Because that is when the spiritual enemies of the Lord now reside. Those "principalities & rulers of darkness in the heavenlies" led by the "prince of the power of the air." Here the now glorified, immortal Elect will dethrone those usurpers and take their place of rulership. Evil will be driven from the earth. Antichrist, and the false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and the devil into the pit for a time. Now Messiah (Head & Body) will rule from Jerusalem over the nations of the earth for a season. "And then the end shall some." This is an extremely brief and summarized version of what will take place. But the bottom line is... The First Resurrection saints must be proven through the sufferings, temptations and tribulations of this life. For God to secretly send Jesus to come 'steal away' church-goers so satan can't harm them is not only completely unscriptural, but would defeat the very plan and purpose of God. I find myself saying this more & more these days... We are truly in great need of a Back-to-the-Bible Revival in our churches. Peace to you brother!
  2. Personally, the word "rapture" is greatly misunderstood today, and a great many myths, fables and wishful thinking is conjured up when the word is mentioned. But from my time in the written Word and seeking the Living Word, I am absolutely convinced that 1Thess 4 and the other 'rapture' verses are speaking of the First Resurrection of the overcoming Elect of God, which as Jesus clearly stated, takes place AFTER the Great Distress or Tribulation. The bodies of these alone (at this time) will rise from the graves and be clothed with their "tent', their spiritual, incorruptible, immortal body that they have been forming in heaven by their obedience to Christ here on earth; and they will rise - not to heaven as is commonly believed - but into the air to meet the Lord. Why the air? Because that is when the spiritual enemies of the Lord now reside. Those "principalities & rulers of darkness in the heavenlies" led by the "prince of the power of the air." Here the now glorified, immortal Elect will dethrone those usurpers and take their place of rulership. Evil will be driven from the earth. Antichrist, and the false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and the devil into the pit for a time. Now Messiah (Head & Body) will rule from Jerusalem over the nations of the earth for a season. "And then the end shall some." This is an extremely brief and summarized version of what will take place. But the bottom line is... The First Resurrection saints must be proven through the sufferings, temptations and tribulations of this life. For God to secretly send Jesus to come 'steal away' church-goers so satan can't harm them is not only completely unscriptural, but would defeat the very plan and purpose of God. I find myself saying this more & more these days... We are truly in great need of a Back-to-the-Bible Revival in our churches. Peace & Blessings to all who walk with Jesus, Michael
  3. The man-made "Christian" religion I can take or leave. But my faith in God and in Messiah Jesus is unshakable. I've lived long enough and experienced too much to even question of lose my faith & hope in God.
  4. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." - James 1:3-4 Remember the faith of our father Abraham; may his patience be an encouragement to us all - "For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." - Heb 6:13-15
  5. Chapter & Verse? If you're talking about "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”, then none but Jesus. But if we talk of inheriting the promises of God, then only those who indeed prove themselves worthy will "walk with Him in white" and become the dwelling place of God. For the "righteous deeds" of these are what clothe them in "fine linen, clean and bright" (Rev 19:8). Note, this is not "salvation" the Scripture speaks of here, but of those who will obtain the promises of Revelation 2 & 3. God's wisdom & understanding to us all.
  6. Very good question! Let me share a couple thoughts, as I've done a bit of study and writing on this... Dominion over God’s creation, rulership of the earth was given to man way back in Genesis Chapter 1:28. As we shall discover, God created the physical realm to even have dominion over the spiritual as well. "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than God, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." - Psalm 8:3-6 NKJV Heb The first Adam fell, and forfeited this inheritance, yet the promise of God remained: to grant man rulership over creation. Through Abraham, Israel, man continued to fall short and prove unworthy. Enter the Man Jesus - He had to be like us, born of a woman, a flesh and blood man, to be eligible to be our Redeemer, our King. He had to become flesh in order to conquer the spiritual enemies of God and His creation. Jesus greatly emphasized His humanity in His teaching, always referring to Himself as the “Son of Man.” Jesus rose and emerged from the grave as a physical Man (Luke 24:36-43). He ascended as a physical Man (Acts 1:4-11). And He is coming again to set up the Kingdom of God on the earth as a physical Man (Matt 24:29-31). “Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, He also Himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death He might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” – Heb 2:14 WEB “He was manifested physically and proved righteous spiritually.” - 1Tim 3:16 CJB This is an excerpt from an essay I did a couple years ago on The Greatest Gift (Man's Inheritance of Creation) Below is a pdf of the article if any are interested. Truly God's great plan & purpose are incredible. And because of Jesus, the Man who now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, God's desire to have man inherit and rule over creation is going to happen. Oh Glory! I look forward to that Day!
  7. Works do NOT save. Other than Repentance & Baptism as Jesus taught, there is nothing more we can do to be saved. Yet this 'being saved" is not the end, but the beginning of our journey toward the promises of God, an inheritance. And as Paul taught clearly in 1Cor 10, God must prove us along the Way if we are to enter into His rest. Much in the modern Christian religion seems to teach that "being saved" means that's it, you've now an assurance of going to Heaven when you die. Yet this is not a Bible doctrine. The entirety of the New Testament epistles are clear warnings to saved people to not fall short of God's promises, as did the bulk of God's chosen & saved people in the wilderness. "Being saved" is an opportunity, not the end. Understanding that simple Truth makes Paul's declaration completely understandable. Obviously "saved", having repented & been baptized, Paul know that he still had a long way to go of he was to obtain the promises of God. "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you." - Phil 3:8-14 Amen. May we follow Paul as he followed Christ, and press in diligently that we do not miss out on the promises of God to the overcomer, to "he that endures til the end."
  8. Yes, we must walk daily by faith. I believe all here could testify of times they needed more faith to endure the trials and testing of this life. Faith is not a one time event. Even the Apostles who walked with Jesus daily, with Him visibly by their side, said to Him - "increase our faith." (Luke 17:5). And another fellow once told Jesus, "I believe, Lord, now help my unbelief." Oh yes, I fully believe Messiah Jesus was speaking of our spiritual Bread, which we need daily. "Sufficient for the day is the troubles thereof."
  9. Truthfully, our Lord is speaking not of physical food, but of spiritual sustenance. "I Am the bread of Life... 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” - John 6:48,50-51 He is to be our daily Bread, our portion.
  10. Amen! "Faith without works is dead." Our behavior, what we do, is the only evidence that we actually do believe. A good verse here to remember... The promise of God was only passed on to his son, God says, "because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions.” (Gen 26:5) If Abraham had only "believed" and not obeyed the charge of God, God would have looked for another through whom to bless the nations and establish the lineage of the Messiah.
  11. "Give us this day our daily Bread." May our main concern be... have we partaken of the Bread of Life today? Is He our daily portion and sustenance? "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." - John 6:56
  12. Amen. Well said. So many fail to realize that God's love is absolutely conditional once we begin our journey, our discipleship with Jesus. We cannot take His mercy & grace for granted. I was recently attracted to this website "Worthy Christians" in the first place, because that concept is so misunderstood in the majority of today's teachings, and especially the songs on "Christian" radio. I've written often on the need for followers of Jesus to be proven worthy if they are to inherit the promises of God. A great many of folks were "saved" from bondage in Egypt; they were baptized, partook of Christ and followed the Spirit (as Paul explains clearly in 1Cor 10), yet only TWO men were found worthy enough to enter the Promised Land. Did God fail to keep His promise? No, the bulk of those in the wilderness took His promise for granted, and refused to do things His way. Their disobedience separated them from God. His love and mercy did not override their disobedience, and they proved themselves unworthy. I've done a bit of sharing on this. Tried to post a video on the site, but at nearly an hour, I guess it was too long for this site. Entitled "WORTHY" I look into the many Bible passages and the teaching's of Jesus & the Apostles on the necessity of the saints overcoming and being proven worthy if they are to inherit the promises of God and enter into His rest. I have the video "WORTHY" on my website - To Him Who Overcomes/Videos and on Youtube as well - Kingdom of God video teachings, for any who might be interested. Personally, I cannot settle for a lesser Gospel than what the NT declares. God's plan & purpose is infinitely more than the bulk of the Christian religion has known. But Praise God, He is unveiling that plan in the present hour! May we be among those with "ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches." Amen.
  13. Just another sad individual who sold his soul for temporal "fame & fortune." A Proverb comes to mind - “The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: 17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, 19 a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.” - Prov 6:16-19 Sounds a lot like the spirits that drive Hollywood. God's Judgment is coming to this nation (& the world) for the shed blood of the innocents.
  14. Love this song! Got a few of Don's albums. Always a pleasure to listen to.
  15. Wow! "Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech. 8 The sensible man’s wisdom is to consider his way, but the stupidity of fools deceives them." - Prov 14 7-8
  16. “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27) One of the things that grieves my heart, and I believe the heart of our Lord Jesus too, is that seldom from the pulpits do we hear the “whole counsel of God” anymore. Man made traditions have replaced the call and charge of God to the saints. I’ve too often heard that ‘we are worthy because He is worthy.’ That may sound good and pleasing to the ear and our carnal nature… but what does the Scripture say? In fact, what did Jesus say? “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” - Matt 10:37-39 Must we be proven “worthy” of Jesus by what we do? Must we actually “deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow Him” as He said? Concerning the Kingdom age, Jesus speaks of “those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead.” (Luke 20:35) Do we really need to be found “worthy” to be raised to the “better resurrection”? Yes. The Apostle Paul prayed for the saints “that our God will consider you worthy of His calling.” (2Thess 1:11). He exhorted the church “to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph 4:1), and “charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own Kingdom and glory.” (1Thess 2:11-12). This does not come by an ‘association with Christ’, but by what we actually do; our behavior, our choices, our deeds. Again, Paul prayed, exhorting those called by God, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10) The Lord Jesus, Himself, warns the churches (which includes us) in the Revelation - “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” - Rev 3:3-5 Notice who are the ones who “walk with Him in white”: those who had overcome and been found worthy, because they had not defiled their garments. In Truth these were faithful to Him, and proved themselves by their righteous deeds. Oh, I know I’m stepping on some theological toes here… Actually the Angel of God does - “Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” - Rev 19:7-8 As throughout the Bible, there is a Kingdom principle of sowing & reaping, even more so with those in the church. What we do determines our destiny. Those who sow to the flesh, even though they were saved and possibly even chosen, will not be among those who “appear with Him” when He returns. Again, as the Word declares, when the Lamb, the Lord of lords and King of kings overcomes the beast, “those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Rev 17:14) Amen. Friends, fellow disciples, I do not share this to frighten you, or to belittle your beliefs; but to bring to light what the Word actually says. I’ve read through this thread and seen very little references to Scripture. I know there is a lot of Christianese sayings out there, and I’ve heard plenty over the years, but scarce few are in the Bible. We need to know what God has said. For there is only One Truth, and His Name is Jesus. If we are to believe on Him, we must believe everything He taught as well; otherwise we do not really believe. God’s wisdom and understanding to us all. May we be counted among those who are walking worthy today. Peace & Blessings, Michael
  17. There are so many distractions today, and increasing as the Day draws nigh. I believe this is why the writer of Hebrews warns the saints - "let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." - Heb 10:24-25 And again... "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." - Heb 3:12-14 May you find good fellowship with those like-minded and be blessed.
  18. Man, I love the confirmation I receive on things I believe that so many others do not see. You are correct. The parable of the Sheep & Goats, as well as the Ten Virgins and many other of Jesus' parables just don't fit our modern doctrines today. Then again, Jesus did say that most wouldn't understand, but the meaning would be given to those who truly followed Him. I've heard to said that Jesus taught in parable stories so people would remember them. But what did Jesus actually say - "To you (His closest disciples) it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ” - Mark 4:11-12 Now THAT just does not fit into our current evangelical churches AT ALL! Yet it is what the Lord said more than once. I have done several video teachings on Jesus' Parables, and I pray that I have the "mind of Christ" as I share. Wish I could share them on this site but they like to keep video's short, and I usually average 40 minutes or so. But I've posted them on my website, and on Youtube as well, (Kingdom of God videos) for any who might be interested. Continued Blessings, Wisdom and Understanding to you, brother, and all who partake of Christ daily.
  19. AMEN! Very well put. You are exactly right. Most of what has been taking place in the earth for the past 200 years, is for the perfecting of the Elect of God, those He "predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son", the "brothers of Christ." This is NOT all church-goers but a remnant that Christ CHOSE. Yes, He called many, but CHOSE only a few then, just as He is doing today. Then those who were called and chosen must remain "faithful" if they are to "walk with Him in white" for these are "worthy." "He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” - Rev 17:"14 "They shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." - Rev 3:4 These are the "saviors" of Obadiah 1:21, the "sons of God" whom creation has been groaning for (Rom 8:19), those who will inherit the nations and minister healing and Life to them in Eternity when New Jerusalem is established on the earth. (Luke 19:17, Rom 8:16-17, Rev 22:2) THESE are the First Resurrection saints, who 'overcame" and will "inherit all things." THIS is what 1Thess 4 is speaking of: a coming of the saints to receive their bodies, dethrone the principalities and rulers of darkness "in the air" and as Christ's "suitable helper" establish His rule upon the earth. And the rest of mankind, including the bulk of church-goers, will be raised at the Second Resurrection and be judged by Christ & His Elect (The Sheep & Goats parable Truth) Oh, I get excited when I find others who have even similar understanding about things Eternal! Blessings to you as you walk with Jesus, Michael
  20. Amen. The ordinances and regulations are indeed obsolete. But His Eternal Moral Law is just that: Eternal. And truly if we are IN Christ, then we ARE the New Covenant, in which God's Eternal Law is written. The Elect of God will BE His Law to the saved nations of the earth. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." - Jer 31:33, Heb 8:10, Heb 10:16
  21. We must be very careful not to place Paul at a higher place than Jesus, or even the rest of the Apostles. From the bulk of Scripture, we see that the Elect are those whom God has called and predestined from the foundation of the world to be "conformed into the image of His Son, the Firstborn of many brothers." In Isaiah 42:1, the word Elect in the Hebrew is plural. This includes Jew & Gentile alike whom God foreknew. This is the One Church. Yet even in this election, we must prove worthy if we are to attain to that which "Christ Jesus has laid hold of" us. An abhorrent, despised and rejected Truth in the churches today is that there are ranks in God's Kingdom. All are not given an equal amount of "talents" by which God will judge them. Some are called to teach, others to preach, still others to the apostleship.We cannot compare ourselves to another, or shun the gifts of those we do not understand. If each of us are faithful in the calling and gifting entrusted to us, and bear Eternal fruit in them, God will be pleased.
  22. Amen. So few understand "judging" properly. I wonder how many know the that the saints who overcome will judge not only men, but angels as well, in that Day. The Church (the Elect) are called to judge, beginning with their own lives. I began a blog on this a few years ago... Judge with Righteous Judgment, it's getting time to revive it. For God's judgment is truly coming soon because of the shed blood of the innocents.
  23. There is ONE Church, ONE Elect of God. Without the NT AND the Old, we do not exist. There is ZERO covenants made with Gentiles or "Christians." We enter only into the New Covenant - which was made ONLY with the house of Israel and the house of Judah - through the Messiah, who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as we partake of His substance.
  24. Amen. Well said. It is to faithful saints, known for their "work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope", that Paul writes to, telling them (and us, if we are faithful and obedient), "you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever they say “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of a pregnant woman, and they will not possibly escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief, 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But because we are of the day, we must be sober, by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation, 9 because God did not appoint us for wrath, but for the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1Thess 5:2-9 May we be among those who are "sober and alert" and "waiting for the Lord" when He returns.
  25. Let me share an experience I recently had... Sat and talked for over a half hour with a couple young men from the Mormon church this afternoon. While I definitely do not agree with their view of the book of Mormon being on par with the Holy Scripture, we were able to have a very good conversation and dig into some of the deep Truths of the Bible. I shared a little of my understanding of the Word of God concerning His coming Kingdom, touching on the Priesthood (which they have similar beliefs on as well), the Resurrection, Judgment and the New Creation. Their ears seemed attentive as I spoke. We mainly could agree on the facts of the Blood Atonement of Jesus that brought salvation for all, that God is building up His body, and that by His Spirit He has given gifts for that purpose. These two young men did emphasize the office of Prophet more (and eventually applied that calling to Joseph Smith). Rather than bashing their beliefs, I mentioned only that God has brought revelation throughout the Centuries through various individuals which have contributed to the unfolding of the mysteries of God, and also that no one person (other than Jesus) has ALL the Truth. Even the Apostles themselves had been given knowledge in differing areas of Kingdom Truth, citing 2Pet 3:15-16, as well as John’s writing on the First & Second Resurrections that Peter & the others at least did not touch on in their epistles (with the possible exception of Paul in Phil 3:11). They did share their missionary statement, and affirmed their belief that Mr. Smith was an anointed prophet and priest of God, while encouraging me to read their book and seriously consider its contents. My response was that at this season in my life, it is only the Bible that I am spending my time in, and that in the end it is only the canon of Scripture that will stand. Anything else I read, or hear from a pulpit, or listen to, I measure against the written Word of God. I stated that we must be as those in Berea mentioned in the Book of Acts, who “searched the Scriptures daily to find if these things *they were hearing) were True.” Again, I applauded them for their desire to be separate from the vices that seem to capture the attention of too many of our young people these days, and encouraged them to approach God with an open mind to receive from Him the Truth and His plan for their lives. The Father’s plan is indeed to have a ruling Priesthood made in the exact image of Jesus the Firstborn. And He is calling us now to maturity, and to unity of the faith (not doctrine). None of us are there yet, and I brought them to Paul’s own confession and exhortation - “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” – Phil 3:12-15 Truly, they may think differently, as we all do in some areas of our beliefs. But if we come before His Throne with a humble and open heart, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, He has promised to fill us and reveal to us where we have believed contrary to the Truth. I do expect they will contact me again and try to enlighten me to their way of thinking. But my prayer is that even in the short conversation we had today, that if it is the Lord’s will, seeds were planted in their minds, seeds of the Truth of God’s Kingdom. My prayer is that each of us seek the Lord daily, asking Him for wisdom and understanding, as we “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Amen, Michael “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” - Psalm 25:4-5
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