Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'rapture'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Christian Discussions
    • Study Group
    • General Discussion
    • Bible Study
    • Theology
    • Apologetics
    • Prophecy
    • Do you want to just ask a question?
    • Christian Culture
    • Everything Else
  • Videos
    • General
    • News
    • Comedy
    • Biblical Topics
    • Christian Music
  • Current News
    • Most Interesting News Developments
    • Worthy Briefs
    • World News
    • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    • U.S. News
    • Christian News
    • Worthy Watch / Worthy Insights
  • Worthy Ministries
    • Worthy Devotions
    • What's the latest with the Worthy Ministries?
  • Who's on the Lord side?'s Topics
  • Cooking club's Smokers & related recipes/techniques
  • Cooking club's What's your favorite recipe?
  • Cooking club's Salads - not just lettuce!
  • Cooking club's Soups and Stews
  • Cooking club's About Multi-cookers - features, tips, recipes
  • Cooking club's Taters!
  • Cooking club's Bread
  • Gardening.'s Gardening Club Forum
  • Photography How To (tips and tricks)'s Photography Club Topics
  • Maker's Club's Club News
  • Maker's Club's So, what do you make, what have you made?
  • Maker's Club's Physical Art, specifically!
  • Maker's Club's Life hacks & tips - useful things you know & have tried!
  • Bible 365's Misc. Things of interest
  • Bible 365's THE DAILY READING (see reading schedule)
  • Bible 365's Todays' Reading
  • Bible 365's Recently added or updated
  • Bible 365's Bible Trivia
  • Bible 365's Table of Contents
  • Bible 365's Tightly Moderated Discussions-Some Controversial
  • Bible 365's Specific Doctrines
  • Bible 365's WorthyChat Bible Studies
  • Bible 365's Bible Topics - Looking at the Bible Topically
  • Reading Club's Topics
  • Bible Trivia's Index to Bible Trivia and Answers
  • Bible Trivia's Bible Trivia Answers
  • Bible Trivia's Bible Trivia Quizzes
  • Bible Trivia's Announcements
  • Puzzle Club's Forums
  • The Prophecy Exchange's Resources
  • The Prophecy Exchange's Forums
  • Songs of Praise Poetry Club's Forums
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Lessons
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Testimonies
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's 12 Steps and Biblical Comparison
  • Christ Centered Recovery Group's Forums
  • Diabetes and Low Carb Eating Support Group's Diabetes
  • Diabetes and Low Carb Eating Support Group's Low Carb Eating
  • Triumph Over Cancer's General topics
  • Triumph Over Cancer's Encouragement
  • Triumph Over Cancer's Tips and advice
  • Cat Chat's Information concerning cats and their servants
  • Cat Chat's Misc. unCATegorized cat things
  • Cat Chat's Our Feline Babies!
  • Gardening Club's Topics
  • Baking club's Miscellaneous
  • Baking club's sponge cakes
  • Bible - Daily Reading's Introduction
  • Bible - Daily Reading's 2023 Bible Reading Schedule
  • Deeper Discourse's Forum

Christian Blogs

  • traveller - Standing in the Wind
  • The Treasure In The Field
  • For the Love of God
  • Keys to the Kingdom
  • To Him be the Glory
  • Marathoner's Blog
  • Leonardo’s Blog
  • Word Studies Relating to Destiny
  • Searching the Scriptures.
  • Thought and Reflection
  • WilliamL's Worthy Insights
  • Marilyn's Messages
  • Bible Study Series
  • Albert Finch Ministry
  • Devotions
  • League of Savage Gentlemen.
  • ~~Angels Thoughts~~
  • A Desert Sage ?
  • Omegaman's Thought and Rants
  • Some Thoughts from AyinJade
  • Insights into Worthy Ministries
  • Bible 365's Reading Schedule - Click Read More to see
  • Bible 365's Basic Instructions
  • Bible Trivia's Guidelines
  • Songs of Praise Poetry Club's My Songs to the Lord

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Website URL


Location


Interests

  1. The End Times - According to Peter - Part One ( part 2 is here ) While I generally do not think of the post-trib rapture position as an interpretation of scripture (I think of it as a collection of events described in scripture and merely stated as an online), there are those who would and do say that it is one of many interpretations. Certainly it is one of many understandings, I just happen to believe it is likely to be a nearly correct, or mostly correct understanding among many misunderstandings. What follows, however, is an interpretation. Here, I am examining words of Peter, and drawing from them, what I believe to be reasonable assumptions, but that is all they are. Matthew 24-25 is the most thoroughly developed passage in scripture which gives a chronological accounting of end times events. There, the greatest authority we could hope to have speaks of these events in response to the question: "WHEN will these things be, and WHAT will be the sign of YOUR COMING and of the END of the AGE." My friends who are fond of advancing the pre-tribulation rapture theory, tell me that God's dealings with mankind can be broken down into different dispensations, and that this sermon by Jesus (often referred to as the Olivet Discourse) was directed to a different dispensation (not that of the Church age of Grace), and was intended for the Jews. Some tell me that the Church Age began at Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the church at Pentecost, a few tell me the church age began with the church going out into the world, preaching the gospel, which is roughly the same thing. This dispensational view of things seems to have been developed by John Nelson Darby in the early 1800s, and spread largely due to the Schofield Reference Bible in the early 1900s. From there is spread into U.S. seminaries and then into the pulpits until it had become a commonly accepted idea in the churches of the west. I mention this dispensational theory, because if has an influence on how people read and understand the Bible. It is a filter, a set of colored glasses, through which many interpret the Bible, perhaps especially the book of Revelation. To be fair, most of us, whether we know it or not, or can admit it or not, probably view many of these things through some sort of preconception. We bring certain beliefs or prejudices to the text with us. Many read the Bible through Darby's dispensational lenses because that is how they were taught in their churches and books they have read etc. My own prejudice is that I read the Bible through the lens of Matthew 24 primarily, so this influences how I understand the bible also. Peter, never heard of Darby nor dispensationalism, but he was there for the lecture in Matthew 24. Since this is an examination on things Peter had to say on the end times, it seemed appropriate to bring up dispensationalism, since Peter had some things to say that might affect some of dispensationalism's notions. The context of Acts, chapter 1, is that Jesus had already been crucified, and paid for the sins of believers, and personally, I would have to say that makes a better marker for the beginning of the church. However, Acts 1 notes the following: 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” I would agree with our dispensational brethren, that the church began at least by the time the Spirit came to fill believers, if not before. In verses 6-8 we see: 6 Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” So, there Jesus told them that knowing the times and dates, was not really their business. However, Matthew 24-25, was about knowing the equence of events and the signs of His future coming. He warned them not to be deceived, and gave them signs that believers could use to avoid deception. So Jesus had already given them instruction about the order of events to come, even if He did not given the them the actual time in which they would come. Now, in Acts 1:9-11, we see something else stated: 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Take note that what is said there, is that Jesus would return the same way as He left. Now, if He left by ascending up into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, is it not reasonable to assume, that when he returns that He will be seen descending from the sky, out of the clouds? So, was Matthew 24 etc, intended for the Jews only, and not intended to be understood as concerning the church? Let's look further into some of the things which Peter said on the topic. In as much as Peter's Sermon in Acts, Chapters 1 & 2 was indisputably happening in the age of the church, regardless of whether one buys into the notion of dispensations or not, we can take what Peter says, as relevant to the church. In fact, in Acts 2:46&47, Luke says: 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Notice "those who were being saved", is that not a description of the church? Since Peter's sermon is therefore, applicable to the church, it behooves us to note some of the things Peter tells us. Now, in Acts chapter 2, just after the crowd is drawn to the curiosity of the disciples speaking in tongues, notice what Peter says about the event: 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ So, there we just saw that Peter rightly noted that the Old Testament commented on the last days. The old testament points out that in the last days, God would pour out his Spirit on people. Not only that, but Peter says that this event at Pentecost, is a fulfillment of what Joel said. This means, therefore, that Joel was speaking of the so called (among dispensationalists) Church Age. Joel himself, described this as the last days. Notice what is included in what Peter pointed out from the prophet Joel's words in verse 20 of Acts 2: "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord." If the sun is darkened and the moon turned to blood before the day of the Lord, then we can be assured that the day of the Lord, is an event that follows the signs of these celestial events. It is interesting to note therefore, what Jesus had said back in Matthew 24: 29 “Immediately after the distress (or as many translations say "tribulation) of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. We have already seen that Peter sees himself as in the last days spoken of by the prophet Joel and that this period of time would conclude with the day of the Lord. We also noted that the signs that would proceed the day of the Lord, match up with what Jesus said would happen after the tribulation, namely cosmic disturbances seen in the darkening of the Sun and the Moon (Matthew 24:29). Peter quoted Joel as saying: "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." It seems apparent then, that it was Peter's expectation, that the church should continue in it's task of evangelism, through the end of the tribulation, when the cosmic signs appear, and the day of the Lord begins. Peter, having been present at the teaching which Jesus gave on the Mount of Olives in Matt. 24, would have heard what we see recorded in Matt 24:9-14: 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. This points out the gospel was to be preached right up to the end: "and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." So, what we have here in sequence is: Jesus death on the cross His ascension into Heaven the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost the spread of the Gospel the tribulation (people being persecuted, killed and hated because of Jesus) the darkening of the Sun and the Moon evangelism continuing right up to this time Christ returning visibly in the clouds (just as we noted in Acts 1:9-11 and in Mat 24:30) His gathering of the elect to be with Him, (in Matt 24:31) the day of the Lord is ushered in It appears then, that Peter understood both Joel's prophecy, and the instructions given in Matt 24, in a very literal, chronological, and interwoven way. While nothing said in Matthew 24, nor in Peter's sermon says that the Lord would NOT return before the tribulation to rapture the church, we should note that nothing said Jesus would return before the tribulation. We do see, however, that a return of Jesus to gather the elect after the tribulation and before the day of the Lord, is spelled out in the clearest of terms, so we KNOW that is going to happen. We should decide which we think is better, to speculate about things that are never said in the Bible, or accept the things which are specifically stated. I prefer the latter, and cannot in good conscience, go with the the speculation approach. This is the end of Peter on the End Times, Part One More Parts may follow, as Peter does have more to say.
  2. Acts 14:22 - "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God". Just as Israel had to go through a wilderness that was the exact opposite of the land of milk and honey they had been promised in order to get to their inheritance, wetoo, must do the same. For many of us, we have experienced a wilderness while fulfilling God's purpose for our life. We feel lonely, barren, and unfruitful. We have been so dry and thirsty that we find ourselves crying out to God in desperation. Our life is in disorder, and at times we are confused and irritated. God has a purpose for our wilderness -- He does NOT plan for us to stay there! God brought the Israelites out of Egypt for the purpose of not only proving their hearts but also to give them an opening to be delivered from a slavery mentality. John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." Hebrews 3:1 - "Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession." AFFIRMATION: My confession -- the words I constantly speak day-after-day determine all that I will ever receive from God, whether it's salvation, physical healing, peace, or financial prosperity. Walk with Him along paths of trust. The most direct route between point A and point B on your life-journey is the path of unwavering trust in Him. When your faith falters, you choose a trail that meanders and takes you well out of your way. You will get to point B eventually, but you will have lost precious time and energy. As soon as you realize you have wandered from your trust-path, look to Him and whisper, “I trust You, Jesus.” This affirmation will help you get back on track. The farther you roam along paths of unbelief, the harder it is to remember that He is with you. Anxious thoughts branch off in all directions, taking you farther and farther from awareness of His Presence. You need to voice your trust in Him frequently. This simple act of faith will keep you walking along straight paths with Him. Trust in Him with all your heart, and He will make your paths straight. "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:4 "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." - Psalm 9:10 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5–6 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  3. Ephesians 1: 9,10 - "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF GOD IS THAT ALL THINGS WILL BE SUMMED UP IN HIS SON. Observation: IF I DO NOT KEEP THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF GOD AS THE FOCUS OF MY LIFE, AND ASSURE THAT ALL I DO IS FOUNDED IN JESUS I WILL BE CONTINUALLY DISTRACTED FROM THE RIVER OF LIFE. John 6:63 - "It is the spirit that quickeneth (or makes alive) ; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Jesus described the words that He spoke as "spirit and life" -- Jesus' words were an investment into others revealing the heart of His Father to them. When He opened His mouth, word-shaped containers of God's grace would bring Heaven to earth in the hearts of the hungry that heard Him. They still do today through the mouths of believers advancing His kingdom. Affirmation: EVERY TIME I TAKE THE WORD INTO MY HEART, BELIEVE IT AND ACT ON IT, THAT LIFE OF WHICH JESUS SPOKE, THE VERY LIFE OF GOD HIMSELF, IS RELEASED IN ME. Try to see things more and more from His perspective. Let the Light of His Presence so fully fill your mind that you view the world through Him. When little things don’t go as you had hoped, look to Him lightheartedly and say, “Oh, well.” This simple discipline can protect you from being burdened with an accumulation of petty cares and frustrations. If you practice this diligently, you will make a life-changing discovery: You realize that most of the things that worry you are not important. If you shrug them off immediately and return your focus to Him, you will walk through your days with lighter steps and a joyful heart. When serious problems come your way, you will have more reserves for dealing with them. You will not have squandered your energy on petty problems. You may even reach the point where you can agree with the apostle Paul that all your troubles are light and momentary, compared with the eternal glory being achieved by them. "A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?" - Proverbs 20:24 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  4. John 3:3 - "Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."' Once Israel partook of the Passover their who world changed. They left Egypt immediately to go to a place they had never seen. Likewise, when we partake of the Passover sacrifice of Jesus everything changes -- we are BORN AGAIN into a whole new world. Believing for a manifestation of God's Kingdom in our lives and walking in a Kingdom mindset is vital. Why? Because we were created on purpose for this purpose! We are body and we are spirit; we are born from above. As a spirit being born from above and born again, we're to experience the Heavenly realm with our spiritual senses. You are living by another set of rules. You are living by a superior order. All believers are released into the work of the ministry in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Believe that! "The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord asked me, 'What do you see, Amos?' 'A plumb line,' I replied. Then the Lord said, 'Look, I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel;'" - Amos 7:7-8God's plumb line is all-important for discerning His voice. Amid all the noise of the world, we need to be able to distinguish God's voice clearly. God wants you to know what He is saying. Every follower of Jesus receives the gifts of revelation and discernment. Every Believer needs to use them! In fact, without discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, we cannot progress in our use of any of the gifts and callings.We bring God's Word to dwell in the midst of the world as we remain sensitive to the flow of His Spirit. Through our relationship with God, we receive revelation. And as we bring that revelation to the world around us, we incarnate His Word in our very ordinary lives—just as Amos did. No matter what your situation is, or where you've come from, you can receive revelation and grow in spiritual discernment. God wants to use you powerfully as a plumb line of God's Word to everyone around you. Come to Him and rest. Give your mind a break from its habitual judging. You form judgments about this situation, that situation, this person, that person, yourself, even the weather—as if judging were your main function in life. But He created you first and foremost to know Him and to live in rich communion with Him. When you become preoccupied with passing judgment, you usurp His role. Relate to Him as sheep to Shepherd, subject to King, clay to Potter. Allow Him to have His way in your life. Rather than evaluating His ways with you, accept them thankfully. Worship Him as King of kings while walking hand in hand with Me down the path of Life. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” - Matthew 7:1 “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” - John 17:3 "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" - Romans 9:20–21 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  5. "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to Heaven but He who came down from Heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in Heaven." - John 3:12-13 Time is where we live but we can walk in the Spirit where God lives while we live here in time. Jesus, while standing on earth said that He was in Heaven. He had a body to operate here in time (on earth) but was claiming to be in Heaven. DUAL REALM CITIZENS "But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in Heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior..." - Philippians 3:20 AMP Do you not yet know that we are dual realm citizens? We have been given a body to fulfill our purpose here on earth but our citizenship is in Heaven and through the Spirit we can access our homeland, here and now. "Still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." - John 16:12-15 Jesus told His disciples that He was going away so that they too could access Heaven in this passage of Scripture. He was literally saying here, "You are going to have a direct access to Father through My name because of what I am about to do." He was now going to be the Door for us to access our Father! He is saying that we are now stuck here in time and can now access the realm of eternity, or the eternal realm, because of our connection with Him. He was saying that you can't understand now, but when He leaves He is going to send you someone like Him, who has access to the things in Heaven and He is going to come and live in you and tell you what is going on in Heaven and give you access to the thoughts of the Father! In other words, Heaven is coming to you! The veil of time has come to an end for those who will come to Him and believe. God said that Adam would have to work by the sweat of his brow when sin entered, but Jesus paid the price and walked sinless for us all, shed His innocent Blood and then gave us back the keys here on earth to Heaven! Whatever we bind on earth shall now have already been bound in Heaven and whatever we loose here shall have already been loosed there! ADVANCING HIS WILL He has given us authority here, not to bring our own will but His will on earth and He told His disciples when they asked Him how to pray that they should pray: "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven" - Matthew 6:10. When you get into the eternal realm in worship—you enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise (see Psalm 100:4). That is how we now access that realm and that is why we must worship Him in spirit and in truth! It gives us access to the Father. In the Lord's prayer, the first thing Jesus told His disciples to pray was, "Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name" - Matthew 6:9. We must hallow His name! We must praise Him for all that He is! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  6. At the rapture "the dead in Christ rise first" 1 Thess 4 ... at the "first resurrection" Rev 20:4-5 which is part of the Rev 19-Rev 20:5 second coming event -- When Christ "comes again" to take all the saints to heaven "to My Father's house" as in John 14:1-3 It is after the tribulation. How about Matt 24? 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ... 29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. It is just ONE event - the second coming: John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Christ does not say "I will come again... and again... and again..." It is sudden and surprising Matt 24 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 1 Thess 5: . 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 2 Thess 1: 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction
  7. Matthew 24 "immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days... He will send forth His angels to gather His elect" It is at the John 14:1-3 "second coming" where "I will come again and RECEIVE you to Myself that WHERE I am there you may be also". Thus the "Dead in Christ rise FIRST" 1 Thess 4 at the "FIRST resurrection" Rev 20:4-5 that occurs at the second coming described in Matthew 24, and John 14:1-3 and Rev 19-20:5 One Bible detail that helps us keep all this straight is to remember that all Bible timelines are contiguous units themselves. So the 70 years of Jeremiah discussed by Daniel in Dan 9:1-6 are all "contiguous years" back-to-back. No inserting "gaps of undefined time length" into the middle of the contiguous 70 year timeline. All bible timelines work that way - including the 70 week (490 year) timeline.
  8. Oh, how the Lord longs for His church to receive a revelation of His ravished heart - utterly overwhelmed with delight for us - even though we may not like or believe in ourselves. (Psalm 45:11) We have been created to carry the glory of God. Hebrews 2 says that through Christ's suffering He brought many sons to glory. We are the house of God, and He wants to dwell in His house. It was always God's intention to dwell with mankind. "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" - Corinthians 5:17 The Scriptures entreat us to go from glory to glory -- allowing us always to sustain the glory released in us so we can proceed further to the greater realms of glory He desires to display in us. "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18 As the will of God grows on you -- gentle impressions become waves of stronger urgency until you have clear conviction. If you don't keep your spirit built up in God, how are you going to listen to Him? ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
  9. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It is a mistake to think that only certain people with unique gifts can hear and see God. If I think that it's only for others, then I will disqualify myself because I know I'm nothing special. In doing so I remove myself from ACTIVE FAITH. John 10:27 - "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." One of the essential gestures of faith is to live with the expectation that the God who said that His sheep hear His voice and who gave His life to relationship with each of us would like to communicate with us. This FAITH leads us to lean into His voice -- to learn as the prophet Samuel did:restore 1 Samuel 3:9 - "Speak Lord; for your servant is listening." Significantly, is was as soon as he learned to take this posture that he gained access to the greater revelation that God had been inviting him into. AFFIRMATIONS: The Word says I can hear God's Voice and I believe it I do hear the voice of God! "'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked..." (John 5:8-9). Are you feeling paralyzed by life today, or perhaps blind or lame – physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually? Do you feel like you've been lying by the pool for years, waiting for help, waiting for an angel of God to stir up miraculous healing powers? Well, isn't it fascinating that after waiting for 38 years the man who was healed never did get in the pool? Jesus just showed up on the scene, singled him out, and made him whole. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." -- 1 John 5:14,15 You cannot ask with confidence until there is a perfect union between you and God, as there was always perfect union between God and Jesus. The moment you pray you find that the heavens are opened -- having a fidelity and confidence to believe that He will not fail, and cannot fail. We shall never get anywhere if we depend upon our feelings. There is something a thousand beter than feelings, and it is the naked Word of God. You must beyeilded to the Word of God. The Word will work out love in our hearts, and when practical love is in our hearts there is no room to vaunt ourselves. We see ourselves as nothing when we get lost in this divine love.times The confidence comes from our fellowship with Him. There is a wonderful fellowship with Jesus. The chief thing is to be sure that we take time for communion with Him. There is a communion with Jesus that is life and that is better than preaching. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  10. Dress Designer Closing Shop Doubles As Message From The Lord By: Marshall Ramsey II, Worthy News U.S. Correspondent SAINT GEORGE, South Carolina (WorthyNews) -- Today on Channel 4 News an announcement was made regarding the shutting down of dress maker Alfred Angelo. Mr. Angelo designed wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses for women across the country. His future seemed secure along with the purchases of the dresses he had already made, or so it seemed. The company made a "last minute" announcement that it was shutting its doors and going into bankruptcy. This sent brides and bridesmaids scrambling to get their orders. One woman was even seen running into a bridal shop, presumably to make sure she could get her order. It seems that the orders already placed may not be filled because of potential bankruptcy proceedings. All inquiries are being directed to a lawyer. This unfortunate turn of events, though, serves as a warning to the churches. As some may know, the time of the Lord's return is near. Preceding this is the Rapture and the Tribulation period, also called the time of Jacob's trouble. Mr. Angelo closing his doors suddenly takes on special meaning, especially with the parable of the ten virgins: "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for your selves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready, went in with him tot he marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered, and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." This is what the Lord is saying to the churches: "Time is almost up. You that sleep because you are lazy, thinking yourself some great one, this is your last chance to be counted worthy to escape the coming judgment. You say that you know me. I ask you now: 'Do I know you?' I'm not sure. "To you that sleep because of exhaustion from working for my Father, I tell you this: "Keep up the good work. Keep fighting the good fight. Your troubles in this world are almost over. Continue to keep yourselves ready. Your eternal rewards await you." Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.
  11. Psalm 17:15 -- "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Many read the Scriptures simply to reinforce their current beliefs. Although they read the entire Bible, their mind only sees certain doctrines. Instead of believing what they read, they merely read what they already believe. Rarely do they find new truths in the Word. Baptists see from their perspective, Pentecostals and charismatics each have theirs, while Catholics and other denominations often have a completely different emphasis. The same way the Jews were "baptized into Moses" (1 Corinthians 10:2), so Christians are often baptized into their denomination. When they are fully indoctrinated, their minds have been immersed into a pool of teaching that leaves them more conformed to the image of their sect than to the likeness of Christ. John 8:31,32 --"So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, ' If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.'" AFFIRMATIONS: As I study the scriptures I submit my spirit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am open to different truths in the Word of God that may conflict with my present understanding. It may not seem that anything good can come out of your Nazareth, but God is not looking at our past; God isn’t looking at our resources, our money, our talents; He is looking for a Bethlehem, a holy place to deliver His will, a humble place to cover His dreams in swaddling clothes and lay them in a manger until they grow and eventually enter the temple on their own. John 1:46 - "Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” "And said, Verily I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." - Matthew 18:3 It is very important that the foundation upon which we stand is "The Rock," our Lord Jesus Christ, and that our life is hidden "in Christ." If our spiritual experience is resting on sand, that is, if we are trusting our own abilities, we will fail when the pressures of life increase. When difficulties affect us and we begin to lose our spiritual direction, if we will become quiet and look to the Lord, we will recognize that beneath our vacillations is a layer of spiritual strength and hope that had been deposited within us through our identification with Jesus in His death and resurrection -- which was CONFIRMED IN THE PEACE that came when He took up His abode within us. We need only to realize that WE ARE A NEW CREATION -- that old things have passed away and our life is hid in Jesus, and that our strength comes from Him. With David, we should be able to say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation..." (Psalm 27:1). If we will meditate on the past victories that we gained by placing our lives in His hands, this will become personally real to us. Paul said, "I press toward the mark..." (Philippians 3:14). This "mark" is our CALLING in Christ. We look past our vacillations to see there is within us a deep inner determination to press through to the place where our responses no longer emerge from our Adamic nature, but from the new creation that we have become. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
  12. “23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” (Matthew 24:23-25, NIV). Have you noticed, just how often on Christian television, you hear the televangelists uttering the word: “release,” usually as they point their fingers in a certain direction, then in said direction, they order God to act! It seems as if this term is now ubiquitous throughout so many evangelical churches as I hear it all the time. However, what is it that they are hoping to release? It could be the Holy Spirit, but another more likely contender is the anointing, a claimed blessing which had been promoted by an obscure American group, who were collectively known as the latter rain movement in the 1940s, but which has today returned to much of the evangelical movement as a new and unchallengeable orthodoxy. This modern movement, largely within evangelicalism, hopes to anoint certain special Christians, so that such anointed ones will then become super-Christians, that is a new breed of powerful miracle workers, by working signs and wonders, who’ll then convert the world for the Lord. Now the anointing is the key, as it’s this anointing which turns ordinary Christians into miracle working evangelical super-Christians! In the light of this, isn’t it relevant that Christ himself warned that the chief sign of the last days will be the arrival of a great many false Christ’s, who would deceive the elect (Matthew 24:23-25). But when one understands that the word “Messiah” or “Christ,” means “the anointed,” this prophecy takes on a new light, so it could this be a prophecy of a great end time false signs and wonders movement? Could be the modern Church, led and typified by rich televangelists, who repeatedly announce that they are releasing the anointing upon their deceived victims, actually be the fulfilment of the prophesied false Messiahs (Christ’s) of Matthew 24:23?
  13. 1 Kings 19:9 - "Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah had come to Horeb and lodged there in a cave. Soon, the word of the Lord came to him, “what are you doing here Elijah?” Three of the most important questions God can ever ask us are: 1. What are you doing here? 2. How did your service to Me become so dry and desolate? 3. When was it that you left your first love? Isaiah 43:18,19 - "Do not remember the former things: neither consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." As we find our place of “departure,” There are some things we need to leave behind. As we depart one phase or season, we will also see our place to enter; we develop new strength to run the race ahead. We seek Him like never before; as we leap forward we find ourselves moving in the perfect will of God! We replace our past with joy! In the land of New Beginnings, we remove the masks and veils that have formed in the past season so we can now form our “true” identity for the future. There is a new identity and authority for us in the invisible world. This will allow us to display the wisdom of God to the powers and principalities that have blocked us in past seasons. We are filled with joy; the Lord renews our strength; the power of barrenness is broken; the light and revelation breaks the power of darkness around us. As joy and laughter arise, our emotions are healed and restored and we are propelled into a season of deliverance. Declaration: I DECREE AND DECLARE THAT THE COURAGE, THE CAPACITY, THE DRIVE, THE COMMITMENT TO WALK AWAY FROM OLD THINGS AND INTO THE NEW IS RELEASED INTO MY SPIRIT NOW. It is imperative that we all take a strong stand. We must make up our minds to not continue to stumble about in the confusion that seems to gridlock today's culture. Rather, we must walk with God-given goals and aims and His divine PURPOSE. We're not to be vague, thoughtless, and distracted during these days. We can and must discover great guidance and guidelines for living day by day, advancing in the knowledge of His CALLING on our life, possessing the wisdom that God is offering to us. Paul, in Ephesians 5:15-17, offers the Church a most severe warning: "Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is" (AMP). John 8:36 - "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Break free from everything that hinders the work of His Spirit in your lives. Be free from all false expectations, man's expectations, religious expectations; every expectation that does not come from the hope and expectancy that He gives to you. So you must be emptied of all the things that hold you in the earthly realm, repent and turn away from those things that break His heart. Set your priorities in order for He is taking you into another realm of your faith walk. You are going from Faith to Faith and Glory to Glory. He is taking you into a new faith realm where miracles happen and mountains move and dreams and words are fulfilled in this time -- this is a Holy time and a Holy Moment. His love is reaching to the depth of your being -- this is His being poured out upon you and manifesting in you. This realm is His Kingdom in you; this is dominion, your CALLING in Christ, your place in His Kingdom. So step in, step out of the boat and walk on the water in this New Faith Realm—ONLY BELIEVE and you will receive. Rom 1:17 - "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" 2 Cor 3:17 - "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
  14. 2 Peter 1:1,3,4,8 - "To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: According as His divine power he has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually, and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ." This "Like Precious Faith" is the gift that God is willing to impart to all of us. He wants us to have this faith in order that we may: 1. Subdue kingdoms 2. Receive His promises 3. Work Righteousness (Hebrews 11:33) We are to be able in all circumstances to triumph. If our help is only in God then we are always strong and never weak. Those who are full of faith: 1. Have a "good report". 2. Never murmur, 3. Are in the place of victory. 4. Not in the place of human order. 5. But in the place of divine order. "He that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world!" - (1 John 5:5) But how does he overcome the world? 1. If you believe in Him you are purified as He is pure. 2. You are strengthened because He is strong. 3. You are made whole because He is whole. 4. His fullness will come into you because of the revelation of Himself. 5. His mind will be made clear to you through yielding yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit -- being divinely led into the deep things of God, and the truths and revelations and all His mind. QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: 1. Does my faith make me dare to do anything with and for God? 2. Am I willing to daily invite God in to dwell in Him, walk with Him, talk with Him, and sup with Him? 3. How badly do I want to transform my mind? His supply is a flow that not only never Jesus said: "If anyone thirst let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified"(John 7:37-39).ceases, but perpetually increases in our lives. That is why He said that out us will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). Those rivers are a constant and ever-increasing flow of the precious Holy Spirit. The sevenfold flow of the Holy Spirit is found in Isaiah 11:2 and in many other places in the scriptures. The sevenfold expression of the Holy Spirit reveals the deep and mysterious secrets of the kingdom and empowers you to do the extraordinary so that Jesus will receive glory and honor by His great power working in and through you. If the Holy Spirit is the Fullness of God, and God is eternal and ceaseless - then all of the attributes of His Spirit are, too. The Lord wants to release in and through your life these ceaseless rivers of living water so that your life can demonstrate daily the mighty and powerful flow of the Holy Spirit. As you sit quietly in His Presence, let Him fill your heart and mind with thankfulness. This is the most direct way to achieve a thankful stance. If your mind needs a focal point, gaze at His Love poured out for you on the cross. Remember that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate you from that Love. This remembrance builds a foundation of gratitude in you, a foundation that circumstances cannot shake. As you go through this day, look for tiny treasures strategically placed along the way. He lovingly goes before you and plants little pleasures to brighten your day. Look carefully for them, and pluck them one by one. When you reach the end of the day, you will have gathered a lovely bouquet. Offer it up to Him with a grateful heart. Receive His Peace as you lie down to sleep, with thankful thoughts playing a song of worship in your mind. "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:7–8 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  15. 2 Kings 2:8,9,13,14 - Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."........He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. The word "mantle" means, "That which is thrown on or around--a physical covering." An actual mantle, cloak or robe, is an article of clothing. It is typically large and loose-fitting. This long outer garment was in all probability the mantle worn by Elijah and then Elisha. Today, God wants to "throw" on us, and "throw" around us, a new, more complete spiritual mantle! It is time that we do what Elisha did. It's time to ask and receive our new mantle. Our new mantle is all-inclusive -- it contains everything we need to walk in the full power, gifting and authority of God for our life. Our mantle represents our spiritual DNA -- who we really are and who we are to become. It contains all the spiritual resources necessary for us to walk out the will of God. Our new mantle must be activated -- Elisha immediately used his new mantle to "smote (strike) the waters." QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: 1. Am I ready to step out into a new and more powerful anointing from God than what I am experiencing today? 2. Do I have the courage to ask God for a new mantle (anointing) -- believing that I have received it and am ready to act on it immediately? PRAYER: Thank you God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for giving me a new spiritual mantle (anointing) complete with all the power, gifting, and authority available to me to advance your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen Affirmations: I RECEIVE MY NEW SPIRITUAL MANTLE THROUGH FAITH THAT GOD HAS GIVEN IT TO ME. I LOOK FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO USE THE POWER OF GOD IN MY LIFE. "Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle." - (Psalms 24:9-10) There is an anointing, a victory, a strength, and a might that has been prophetically orchestrated for you. Your "point of access" is your faith that "lifts up the gate".heavenly The Hebrew word for "lift up" is "nasa"! Lifting up your gates to access the glory and the anointing pertains to releasing those things that hinder and bind you to the limitations of your natural world. Let go of the habits, the hindrances and the hurts that are paralyzing you and keeping you bound to a life of the ordinary. Let go of your natural abilities and discover the glory, the strength of the Lord, and the might of the Lord! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  16. My Post trib position (and the Bible post-trib) is also post-wrath rapture (i.e --2nd coming) -- is clear in this text. Post-trib: Matthew 24 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days... He will send forth His angels to gather His elect" Matt 24 Post wrath: 1 Thess 4 "the dead in Christ rise FIRST" Rev 21 "This is the FIRST resurrection..blessed and holy is he who has part in the FIRST resurrection over THESE the second death has no power" Rev 19 is the 2nd coming - rapture and resurrection of the saints. It is after the 7 last plagues wrath of Rev 16. Keys to Bible prophecy A. All Bible timelines are contiguous -- just like Daniel 9:1-7 points out - with the 70 years of Jeremiah. B. All apocalyptic timelines use day-for-year symbolism just like the Daniel 9 seventy week (490 day) prophecy of Daniel. .So also the 2300 days of Daniel 8, and 1260 days of Daniel 7, and Rev 11, 12,13 C. Later writers use the symbols employed by earlier writers - assuming that the reader is already informed about symbols previously explained. Note: There is another thread on the post-trib position but I failed to notice that it is pre-wrath. So I think I mistakenly posted thinking it was "post-trib and or post-wrath" when it was post-trib and also pre-wrath on that other thread. Which is not my view.
  17. Luke 10:38-42 - "As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him in her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to His teaching. Martha was upset over all the work she had to do; so she came and said, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!' The Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed, Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her." Mary chose to sit at Jesus's feet while Martha chose to work in the kitchen. Mary sought to please Him by being with Him while Martha tried to please Him through service. When Martha became jealous, she asked Jesus to tell Mary to Help her in the kitchen. Most servants want to degrade the role of the "friend" to feel justified in their works-oriented approach to God. Jesus's response is important to remember: "Mary has chosen the better part." Martha was making a meal that Jesus never ordered. Doing more for God is the method servants use to get God's attention that they might increase in favor. A friend has a different focus entirely: they enjoy the favor they have and use it to spend time with their master. To say we need both Marys and Marthas is to miss the point entirely. And it simply isn't true. It has been said that nothing would ever get done if we didn't have any Marthas. That too is a lie. That teaching comes mostly from Marthas who are intimidated by the lifestyle of Marys. Mary wasn't a nonworker. Rather she was beginning to be like her Master, who only did what He saw the Father do (John 5:19). Jesus was talking, so Mary set aside other distractions and sat down to listen. She didn't get caught up in making the food that Jesus didn't order. She was learning that working FROM His presence is much more effective than working FOR His presence. AFFIRMATIONS: AS I SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS I LABOR FOR THE MEAT THAT HE GIVES ME WHICH ENDURES UNTO EVERLASTING LIFE. I AM BECOMING A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE OF HIS WILL, A VEHICLE IN WHICH HE HIMSELF IS BOTH CAPTAIN AND NAVIGATOR. "They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. - Jeremiah 17:6 No one wants to make another trip through the wilderness. This is not a time to walk in circles. We are to walk with a true goal, aim, and purpose, making the most of each occasion, because we know the time is short (see Ephesians 5:14-17). Paul, the apostle, instructs us to walk purposefully toward one true goal -- God's PURPOSE for our life (see Philippians 3:12-16). There is a rest of faith -- there is a faith that rests in confidence on God. God's promises never fail -- "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing, by the word of God." (Romans 10:17).The Word of God can create a resistless faith (through continually speaking it and meditation) -- a faith that is never daunted, a faith that never gives up, and never fails. May God help us today to get our eyes God has a plan of healing -- it is on the line of perfect confidence in Him. You can never pray "the prayer of faith" if you look at the person who is needing it; there is only one place to look and that is to Jesus.off the conditions and symptoms, no matter how bad they may be, and get them fastened upon Him, and then we shall be able to pray the prayer of faith. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  18. Maybe you feel like your dreams have died, your hopes have died, and your prospects have died. We live in a dramatic world where you may face great hindrances with excessive drama -- God has drama for you -- divine drama. God has a perfect track record, and His resume for doing special things during dark seasons is flawless. God created us to move through spiritual seasons. And some of those seasons are spent in a wilderness. THE CALL OF GOD "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you answer not; and by night I am not silent or find no rest." - Psalm 22:2 Listening to God must become a habit. We must learn to be less analytical and live with more attentiveness to the Holy Spirit. Our minds are so busy racing, analyzing, worrying, doubting, and spinning, that we don't hear when He knocks? The Father is calling to the fallen. Come out of your comfort zone! Come and release what God intended for you from the foundation of the earth! If restoration is truly from God, then the failures of the past are swept beneath the Blood of Jesus too, and if we are walking beneath that Blood, we too, must function as Our Father--and forgive and move on. Restoration only occurs when we forgive and move on. In the land of NEW BEGINNINGS, we remove the masks and veils that have formed in the past season so we can now form our “true” identity for the future. There is a new identity and authority for us in the invisible world. This will allow us to display the wisdom of God to the powers and principalities that have blocked us in past seasons. TURN HIS PROMISES INTO ACTION Paul, the apostle, instructed us to walk purposefully toward one true goal (theDESTINY He has put in our spirit) (Philippians 3:12-16). This is not a time to wander around the mountain of defeat and unbelief; we are to lay hold of the promises of God, take Him at His word, and stand firm in faith. Rather than just being content to sit and hear, we become activators of the Word. God has destined us to walk in victory, not defeat. We are victors, not victims. We never forget that God has promised that no weapon formed against us can prosper(Isaiah 54:17). No matter how confused and confounded we have been in the past, this is the day we can find the exit sign and end the wilderness wanderings. We begin to walk in our PURPOSE -- seeking first the Kingdom of God. We make it our aim to please Him (2 Corinthians 5:9). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  19. God has a life for you that has been birthed right out of the atmosphere of Heaven. It holds your identity and PURPOSE and is the key to walking in the same measure that Jesus walked in. It's not about being special or called out more than anyone else. It's a matter of how you utilize your identity and the power of the Gospel. Do we know who we are? Proverbs says, "As a man thinks, so he is." WHO DO YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE? The truth is that our perspective either limits or magnifies potential, expectation, and confidence. There is no opting out...we live out of the revelation of our identity. It is vital that as a child of God we understand exactly what Jesus did for us. He did more Do we see ourselves from a limited, worldly perspective or are we firmly rooted in the awareness of what Heaven says about us? give us a ticket for the glory train to eternity. He birthed something so magnificent that it is His solution to carrying out the expansion of His Kingdom in the earth.than CREATED IN AND FOR GLORY We have been created to carry the glory of God. Hebrews 2 says that through Christ's suffering He brought many sons to glory. We are the house of God, and He wants to dwell in His house. It was always God's intention to dwell with mankind. "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" - Corinthians 5:17 The person we were before receiving Christ has been taken away and put to death on His Cross. We have received a brand new life, identity, and PURPOSE. "It is written, the first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit (restoring the dead to life)" - 1Corinthians 15:45. "Just as we have been borne the image (of the man) of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image (of the Man) of Heaven" - 1Corinthians 15:49. HUNGER IS THE ANSWER It's time we get hungry for a revelation of His glory in our lives. For too long we have disqualified the legitimacy of SEEKING the experiential with God for fear of being flaky. We are created in and for the realm of Shekinah glory. When we enter into this posture through Christ..."...the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:16-18). The same mission to carry out the will of the Father was handed to the disciples. As we walk out from the throne room of God, the place of intimacy and glory, we carry resurrection power, giving life to all that we touch, and we carry the judgments of God to tear down the strongholds John 20:21 - "Then Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.'" 1 John 3:8b - "The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]." We are a new creation, birthed out of the Blood Covenant of Christ. Not only have we been given access to God Almighty, but we have been called to continue the advancement of Christ's victory in the world. If we want to live in the experiential knowledge of the power of God, we have to posture ourselves in intimacy. There is no shortcut. Christ is the source. Just as in Genesis, where the mist watered the whole earth, so too He desires to continually water our life in His glory, nourishing our entire being, so that when we step into the world, they see His fiery glory on us. ). The more we dwell in His glory, the greater the revelation of His nature in our lives. It's through restored intimacy that we discover our truest nature in Him.Colossians 1:15We are postured to behold the glory of God, the image of the invisible God (see satan in the earth. This is more than metaphorical speak. There is real fruit to be had. Just as Jesus demonstrated and promised, you will see all His works and greater (see John 14:12).of CARRIERS OF GLORY INHERIT THE LAND FOR CHRIST This is who we were created to be. The Shekinah glory that we have access to through the Blood Covenant of Jesus empowers us to live the life of an overcomer, walking in the abiding presence of Holy Spirit with the endorsement of Heaven following, to establish the rule and reign of Christ in the earth. When we dwell in His glory, He begins to dwell in us. Zechariah 2:5 "For I," says the Lord, "will be to her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her." The intimacy of the glory cloud appears as fire to those around! We have been in an extensive time of preparation. There has been a generation that swallowed the death pill of religion -- form without power. Consumed by the cares of the world and hindered through lack of knowledge of what is available, they are unaware that they were created for the regular, experiential encounter of the glory of God. God has been calling forth the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:9-14) to reform. He has been realigning hearts, hopes and hunger, getting them ready for an encounter with Him that will catapult them into the experience of their new creation in identity and power. There is a call from the deep of God in this hour to step into the secret place, and it is there that we will receive the fresh breath of God. It starts with the secret place encounter with the Shekinah glory cloud of God. Here we receive the breath of God and walk out in all-consuming, resurrection power. We can do it because He has said we can! Habakkuk 2:14 - "But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  20. Mark 14:3,4 - "Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, in Bethany; while He was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. Some of the people there became angry, and said to each other, 'What was the use of wasting the perfume? It could have been sold for more than three hundred dollars, and the money given to the poor!' And they criticized her harshly. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone!" Everyone but Jesus thought it to be excessive and extreme. The only true worship is extreme worship, and only extreme worship brings extreme results -- TRANSFORMATION. Exodus 8:25 - "Go sacrifice to your God in the land." The devil doesn't mind our worshiping God if it doesn't require change. Pharaoh responded to Moses' request to let the Israelites go worship by giving him permission but only if they stayed and worshiped in Egypt. True worship, and the freedom it brings, requires the dedication of our entire lives to God. An offer that tries to convince us otherwise is a false one. If we try to keep worship "in the land" (in other words with requirements and stipulations) of the devil's domain, we give him legal access to influence and spoil our efforts. Affirmations: I REALIZE THAT BROKENESS HELPS ME DIE TO MYSELF AND MY INHIBITIONS. I ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BREAK MY HEART, HIS WAY, SO I CAN RELEASE TRUE FRAGRANT WORSHIP TO GOD. EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP IS MY LIFESTYLE. "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12:14) Learn the art of blessing, for in blessing a thing or a person, that thing or person must bless you. When you bless, blessings will be drawn to you, or as Deuteronomy 28:2 says, "blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. " Conversely, in cursing a thing or a person, you draw curses upon yourself. "The Spirt of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." - Luke 4:18 God is bringing us to a place where we know the Spirit of the Lord is upon us. If we have not got to that place, God wants to bring us to the fact of what Jesus said "...I will John 14, pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." Because the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him who is our head, we must see to it that we receive the sameanointing, and that the same Spirit is upon us.in There is no limit as to what we may become if we dwell and live in the Spirit. In the Spirit prayer we are taken from earth right away into heaven.of There is a place where the Holy Ghost can put us where we cannot be anywhere else but in the Spirit. But if we breathe His thoughts into our thoughts, and live in the unction of the Holy Spirit as He lived, then there will evidences that we are in Him; and His works we will do.be "To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." -- Ephesians 3:19 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  21. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10 We were created to serve God. We were placed on this planet for a special assignment. The enemy's strategy tempts us to wear our own identities in a lesser role than what God desires for us (our DESTINY). God has put something inside of us and He wants it to flow out. The more it flows out, the more life it's going to bring. If there's only a trickle at first, He wants it to become a mighty river. It affects lives. Our best days are yet to come! God sent us to do a job and we're going to reap because He is the one who sent us to do it! When we launch out at His Word, we're going to catch what we need to catch, even in some instances where we've not labored. (John 4:38) "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." - John 20:21 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  22. Joshua 1:8 - "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." One of the definitions of the Hebrew word "meditate" is "to mutter." Meditating involves repeating the words God has said out loud. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Mark 7:13, for "making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down...." In other words, the Pharisees insisted on defining themselves and their world according to human interpretation and practice rather than the Word of God. The words "of no effect" mean to render powerless, giving the picture of pulling the plug on the most powerful thing in the universe--the Word of God. We can shut off our access to that power by choosing to define our lives outside of what God has said. Affirmations: I DEFINE MYSELF BY THE WORD OF GOD. I CONSTANTLY TRAIN MY MIND TO THINK IN AGREEMENT WITH GOD'S WORD. I TREASURE THE PROMISES UP IN MY HEART AND PONDER THEM. AS I SPEAK THE WORD OVER MY OWN LIFE AND PROPHESY MY OWN DESTINY IN AGREEMENT WITH HIM, I RELEASE THE HOLY SPIRIT IN GREATER MEASURE TO BRING THE WORD TO PASS. 2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." Hebrews 11:1 gives the definition of faith, "Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen" (The Passion Translation). If we look at Abraham as an example, walking by faith requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience (Genesis 12:1). On the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are to step out in obedience and use the keys and pieces we have been given, knowing that others will arrive at the time we need them. "Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in! who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle." - Psalm 24:7,8 If you are willing He takes you to a place to reposition you – to open your mind and open your eyes and open your ears and open your understanding; to take you out of the land of snares, and traps. He fills the graves of broken dreams, broken promises, broken relationships -- those who have been violated in their mind, their bodies and their spirit; to where they have felt shame, humiliation; to where they have had the pain of others for their grave clothes. He does not want His own wrapped in death. For He wants His own to become a people fully alive and equipped. For He wants His people to be strong in body, mind, will and determination. But first, you must turn around and turn back with choices. You must turn around with your eyes and say, 'I cannot look there.' You must turn around and plug your ears and say, 'I will not be a part of that, for it will grieve the Spirit of God in me. But declare -- "I will become a planting of life with the very mouth that I will use to worship." He wants to lie upon you His robes of righteousness -- His vision for your life, His relationship. He is pulling you out of places that would cause death. And He is pulling you inside of Himself where you will live and move and have your being. As you learn this, you will come to know you are His beloved – created and dwelling in the hand of a mighty God. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  23. Colossians 3:3 - "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." When Christ died, we died. When Christ rose, we rose with Him. Christ is now seated at the right hand of God and us with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). All the work is finished. When we hideaway with God we become absorbed into His very life. With our hearts yielded to the Holy Spirit, we become conduits of His presence into the earth. God will use us in power because we are simply vessels. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Just as Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me," his life was absorbed into Christ. We move from the position of visibility into a position of being hidden with Christ in God. TRUE FAITH WILL NOT BE DISCOURAGED Have you been impoverishing the ministry of Jesus so that He cannot do anything? "How can you give me "living water?" - John 4:11 True faith walks and believes in what Jesus has already accomplished and will not be discouraged by the appearances of the temporary realm. It is very possible that your first message from Jesus will not be words but an urgency you feel. You are starting to care about something beyond your own life. You are being influenced by the yearnings of God. He is depositing in you His grief and His love so you can respond to a specific need. PRAYER: Flow out of me, Oh, well, with living water from the river of God. AMEN ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
  24. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for Matthew 13:44 - over joyit he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." The bottom line is that we give all of ourselves to obtain all of Him. When we go through with the exchange, we find that what used to matter doesn't anymore. Not only does everything in our lives that It is not possible to encounter One so overwhelming and maintain the status quo.is inconsistent with the kingdom of Godstart to die the moment we encounter Him, but the superior, supernatural reality of His kingdom starts to come alive in us. Affirmations: I WILL NOT BE SATISFIED WITH ONLY A PARTIAL TRANSFORMATION. I ALLOW HIM TO KILL EVERYTHING IN ME THAT WOULD INHIBIT ME FROM BECOMING A MATURE MANIFESTATION OF CHRIST. THE QUEST FOR HIS FACE IS MY ULTIMATE QUEST. Prayer: GOD, I WANT MORE OF YOU AT ANY COST! I WILL PAY ANY PRICE! "...I live by the FAITH OF the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) KJV By Hisfaith we fully experience oneness with Jesus and the explosive power of his resurrection working in us. We will be one with Him in His sufferings and we will be one with Him in His death (our death to self). Only then will we be able to experience complete oneness with Him in His resurrection so that we may reach the DESTINY which Jesus has called us to fulfill! (seePhilippians 3:10-12) "I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns." -- Philippians 1:6 Living Bible He is asking you to lay down all of the hindrances – all that you have been holding on to, and all that man would try to wrap you in; for He is a collector of grave clothes. They are leftovers and He wants to take them off of you. He will take off all reproach, so that you will only experience approaching His Throne of Grace, in full assurance. He has not come to condemn, but He has come with a drawing heart – a heart to draw you deeper, and deeper and deeper into the things of His Spirit. For as Jonah was swallowed up in the big fish, for disobedience, so He desires to swallow you up in pure obedience; and to hide you inside Himself for protection; to have you hidden from the storm. So you will ride through the storm -- for know that He is the God of provision. He is near you. If only you could see in the spirit, you would never, ever, have fear – fear of man or fear of any circumstance. For you would understand, there is nothing to fear. And as you grow in your own understanding, the knowledge of the goodness of God toward you and for you, you will learn to recognize what is of Him, of His Spirit, and what the demonic would send against you. He is bringing all that you are, into the fullness of what you were CALLED TO BE, for He is the God of completion. Has He not said, 'I am the beginning and the end'? He presents to you; gifts of Himself, gifts of His Spirit, gifts from His Word, gifts of answered prayers, gifts of His anointing to break off yokes, and to draw you closer into His anointing. For truly you have been labeled, and marked; marked by His love, marked by His compassion, set aside, consecrated, made holy as Sons and Daughters of the Most High God. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
×
×
  • Create New...