Being Ready & Encouraging Others

[Last Daze]

10 hours ago, BacKaran said:

Everyone who is living has been through trials, hard times, desperate situations, poor health, financial issues, life and death issues,  family issues etc....

Then my elder asked, when will you be prepped enough? When will you have all you need?
That was an aha moment....I will never be prepped enough or have all I need on this fallen planet.
I trust in Jesus yet this simple act of my hubbys death convicted me that I need to lean on Jesus FOR ALL MY NEEDS.

Whats the worst this fallen world can do to me?  Kill me? 
All that will do is change my address to heaven sooner than I thought it would.

If you are attached to anything or any person on this fallen planet, you may not be ready to be with Jesus for eternity.

I feel more out of this world as a pilgrim passing through more than at any time in my life.
My discernment from the Holy Spirit has made me grow so much in the last ten years, the worst decade of my life I think, but

I wouldn’t change a thing as it all, good and terrible times, have brought me closer to Jesus.
I do not boast in anything as its Jesus who lives in me.

I am ready to die for Him any day. 
I will suffer more than I have for Him and yet I know my suffering is nothing compared to Christs.
I pray for everyone in my family, my friends and all over this planet.
It breaks my heart to know people are choosing the devil and his lies over Jesus and Gods Truth.

To God be the glory for saving a wretched sinner like me. Amen. 

What a wonderful perspective and testimony.  The temporary things of this world are just that, temporary.  Our faith in God is eternal and He will supply all our needs.

10 hours ago, BacKaran said:

The question is not whether you are wrong or I am right about religion, or churches or nonsalvation issues....
THe question is are we following God in obedience and humility?

This is without a doubt the crux of the matter.  The wise man built his life on the Rock by acting on the teachings of Jesus and weathered the storm.

[Blue Lulu]

I want to thank everyone for their input on this subject.  It is so wonderful to be a part of encouraging each other in the Lord.

[Steve Conley]

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

The last generation of the church will persevere just as the first did.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Hallelujah

 

[Last Daze]

I often mention "acting on the teachings of Jesus" as vital to being ready for His return because that's how we build our lives on the rock and that's what makes us wise according to Matthew 7:24, and we know that the wise virgins were the ones who were prepared.

I've put together a little pdf booklet that summarizes His teachings.  If you're interested, you can download it here.

[OldCoot]

I am pretty much in the pre-trib camp and have been for the majority of my over 6 decades on this planet, but I have also done some pretty detailed studies on possible scenarios in the GT period.  And I am pretty well convinced that there is nothing that one can do to effectively prepare for that time short of turning themselves over to Messiah.  It is going to be a time when, as Yeshua said, men would literally have heart attacks seeing what is coming upon them.  Death will be preferred to living during this time.  

Yeshua said that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the GT period.  So it really requires taking a serious look at what was going on back there in Noah's day that would cause the Lord to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch.  And when one starts looking into detail regarding that time, it is something that is tough to imagine.  Not even sure Hollywood has produced, or could produce, a movie that comes close. 

For one, when Yeshua made reference that those during that time would be eating and drinking, the root words behind that combined with references from some non-canonical works paints an bizarre picture.  The eating has a root word that suggests gnawing on bone and eating flesh.  The drinking is a little more macabre. Drinking of blood. The non canonical works of Book of Enoch, Book of the Giants, etc give us pictures of that idea of the time of Noah.  And Enoch is quoted in the NT.   It is very reasonable to assume that cannibalism will be the order of the day during the GT period. 

During that time, their were some sort of entities that were called Giants or Mighty Ones.  Isaiah 13 (especially the LXX version) says that the Lord will open the gate and allow similar Mighty Ones to go forth and execute His judgement upon the earth. What were those beings?  Some postulate they were genetic mixing of Angel and Human DNA that created hybrid, bizarre creatures.  Some don't accept that idea.  I am not sure, as I wasn't there, but what it was seemed to be something out of the ordinary that Moses felt the need to mention them.

And it is very probable that what we think have been UFO's and other goofy stuff, may be fully realized for what it is during that time.  

The main point being, I am not sure that the "Church" in general has bothered to take the time to prepare itself for what would be coming, if it is true that the "Church" will go thru this period.   I am not sure that most folks can grasp, at least conceptually, the opening of the flood gates of evil and evil entities that will be unleashed.  One average angel in one night killed 250,000 Assyrian soldiers during the time of Elijah without breaking a sweat.  During the final years, the entirety of fallen angels will be unleashed.  Satan is a psychotic super cherub that was created greater than all the other angels.  I am not sure any of us can grasp the capabilities, technologies, etc that will come upon the earth.  It won't be some conceptual idea at that point.  It will be full "in the face" reality and more advanced than anything man has been able to conceive of.  No one will be able to hide.  And all the prepper stuff will not help.   If that the Lord did not cut those days short, there would be no one left alive.

Without being a possession of YHVH thru redemption via the Blood of Messiah, one is totally screwed. 

None of this really scares me.  As I stated, I am pre-trib, but I also have no problem dealing with the idea of that being a wrong position and going thru this period is a possibility.  I am prepared because I am aware of the possibilities of what is coming and I know in whom I have placed my trust, that He is able to preserve me unto the day of redemption.  The only "prepper" thing that will mean anything during that time is putting on the whole armor of God per Ephesians 6.  I try to make that my primary focus.   Nothing else is going to make a difference when "all hell" breaks loose upon the earth.

Edited September 1, 2018 by OldCoot

[frienduff thaylorde]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 4:19 PM, Steve Conley said:

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

The last generation of the church will persevere just as the first did.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Hallelujah

 

That my friend is what the majority cannot see .     

SO lets just sum this up real simple .

READY .     DOES THE CHURCH SUFFER GODS WRATH .      NO its against the ungodly , the beast , FP and the children of the dragon .

BUT ,   the wrath of the beast , of the world , and of men ,  comes against WHO ,    THE SAINTS .  THE  SAINTS .    I don't think folks realize

that the persecution of the world , of the beast ,    IS NOT GODS WRATH .  BECAUSE GODS wrath COMES AGAINST ONLY THE UNGODLY .

BUT the beast is given power to come against the saints .

ITS real simple .     ITS  written that the beast is given power to overcome and kill who ...........................THE SAINTS .     GOD WANTED the CHURCH TO KNOW THAT .

JUST as JESUS had said , IN THIS WORLD you might ,  or was it wont ,     or was it WILL HAVE TRIBULATION .       ITS YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION . 

 

Edited September 1, 2018 by frienduff thaylorde

[Last Daze]

I've put together another little pdf booklet titled A Course of Action for those who might be interested.

It can be downloaded here.

[OldCoot]

On 9/3/2017 at 3:05 PM, Keras said:

What we need to be ready for is what must happen before the glorious Return of Jesus.  And many prophesies tell us that for those who stand firm in their faith on the Day that things get real bad, then God promises He will pour out His blessings upon all His faithful people. Isaiah 30:18, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Isaiah 32:15-20, Romans 8:18

Keras, having studied quite a bit of detail what the tribulation period will entail, I am not convinced that anyone can actually be prepared for it. I think that your comment about things getting real bad barely scratches the surface.

The stuff that went on the Noah's day, that Yeshua said would happen again.  There is lot more to that "eating, drinking, and given in marriage" going on there than many folks really realize.   Whatever bizarre things were going on, it is clear there were Nephilim, also called giants or mighty men (gibbor in Hebrew).   When one looks that LXX version of the scripture of Isaiah 13:3, it states that the Lord will call forth a group of Mighty Men (same gibbor which refers to the Nephilim) to execute His wrath upon the earth.  We know these guys were in fact giants.  Genesis 6 said there were giants then and even after that period.  Later on in Canaan for instance,  Og of Bashan was at least 13 feet tall.  Goliath and his brothers were 9 feet tall.  And we know from extrabiblical Hebrew texts that many of these creatures were cannibalistic.  The eating that Yeshua referred to, in the Greek, suggests ripping on meat and gnawing on bone.   It is not really too far fetched to also see the "drinking" that Yeshua referenced as drinking blood. 

From the LXX on Isaiah 13:3

Isaiah 13:3 (NETS) It is I who instruct, and I lead them;
and it is I who summon them.
Mighty ones come to fulfill my wrath,
at the same time rejoicing and reviling.

That seems to dovetail very well with Yeshua's comments about those days being like the days of Noah.

That is just one aspect of that time that many have really not taken stock of.   Yeshua Himself said that men's hearts would fail them.  In modern terms.... cardiac arrest.

And given that the period is clearly stated as being worse than anything that preceded it... which includes the flood, the inquisition, both world wars, the holocaust, etc..... how does one actually "prepare" for that?  Again, I am not sure it is even possible.  

Take at look at the developments in artificial intelligence in the military sector.  Remember the Terminator movie with Arnold Schwartzeneger?  Well, I heard an interview with one General officer, where the military industrial complex expects to replace 1/4 of the soldiers on the battlefield with AI robotic soldiers in just over 10 years.   I have seen videos of them developing such robots and they get knocked down they get right back up and keep going.  They jump up heights of 6 feet and land squarely on different platforms without so much as a wobble.  The level of scientific development doubles every 9 months.  I see what that General stated as being closer to reality than what most would want to believe.  

Imagine killer robots that can use sensors to detect humans in hiding.  Can pick up vibrations in the air just from a breath or a heartbeat. Can pick up a heat signature from behind a wall.   And use weapons that are computer guided to go around obstacles and hit what they are targeted at.  Those types of weapons are also almost ready for deployment on the battlefield now.

So again, how does one prepare for this stuff?   No one is going to be able to hide from what is coming. As much as some folks that are into the "prepper" game think they can prepare for these calamities, they are not going to be able to deal with what is coming.  All the evil that has been in the world has been with the Holy Spirit restraining things.  When He steps aside and allows the full force of evil to pour out, I really don't think any of us have any ability to grasp the magnitude of that.

I still don't see the reasoning for Yeshua to allow the redeemed He purchased with His Blood to experience this.  Why have the Body of Messiah beaten and killed when the Messiah already was beaten and killed to redeem them?  It almost smacks of some sort of "protestant purgatory" thing to have the redeemed enter into this period, bordering on a works righteousness gig that is based on pride.  Especially when the OT is replete with passages that the righteous are hidden from that time, even going so far as to say they are hidden in the tabernacle of the Lord.  

Sure, there are redeemed that come out of the GT period, but that would be those that went into it in an unredeemed state and later turned to the Lord.   Revelation 7 which talks about that does not say they are the redeemed that went  into the GT period, just that they are redeemed that come out of the GT.  Best not to make the text say more than it actually does.

 I guess we will see how it all plays out.  My hope is to view it from the balcony seats. LOL

Cliff

Edited November 2, 2018 by OldCoot
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[OldCoot]

36 minutes ago, Sojourner414 said:

Thank you for pointing all that out, OC.

Yeah, it is spooky stuff to consider.  

But it does cause me to wonder, if we have to go thru this, why did Paul say "comfort one another with these words" when talking about our being caught up to be the Lord?  How would it be comforting to anyone to know they are going to have to endure these things coming when they have placed their trust in Messiah now?

Having the Body of Messiah go thru that period just doesn't seem to line up with the nature and character of YHVH who sees the redeemed as fully righteous.  When He sees those of us who have placed our trust in Yeshua, all He sees is Yeshua. For it is the covering atonement of Yeshua that has redeemed those of us who believe and place our trust in Him.

And that is the encouraging news.  

Edited November 2, 2018 by OldCoot
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[Last Daze]

I think the following passage encapsulates what it means to be ready (or not ready):

• “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth."  Luke 21:34-35

Those who run the risk of being caught unprepared are those who are too focused on the temporary things of this world.  We know that sin will increase and that the love of many will grow cold.  This is why we are to encourage one another to love and good works as Hebrews 10:24-25 states.

The things of this world will pass away.  Our hope is eternal life in Jesus Christ, a hope beyond this world.  So, let us focus on things above and encourage others to do so as well.