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Volume 5 ... #31
The Day of the Lord
We, who are of God, desire for Jesus to come get us! We know HE will.
Peter tells us the waiting for Jesus' return simply shows the longsuffering of God toward others on this earth.
II Peter 3 ... 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning HIS promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
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We have fragments of information from the Bible telling us about the day of the Lord and about those who belong to God being removed from this present earth.
First about those who will be removed from this earth:
I Thess. 4 ... 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (dead).
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
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None of us will have these current physical bodies when we are removed from this present earth:
Those who are still alive when Jesus returns will be changed "in the twinkling" of an eye. Blink. That is how fast we will be changed out of these present physical bodies.
We will be given new forms, spiritual bodies, by the will of God HIMSELF.
I Cor. 15 ... 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased HIM, and to every seed his own body.
... 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die) , but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
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We only know "in part":
None of us knows "when" these things will happen.
We do know the cup of iniquity on this present earth must come to the full first ... and we can see it rapidly filling by the various sins displayed before our eyes ... both sins in the churches and sins in the world ...
So as we know summer is coming because of the leaves we see budding on the trees, Jesus says, when we see the sins all around we know we rapidly approach the days Lot experienced in Sodom before the destruction of Sodom.
We know the whole world was wicked in the days the apostle John wrote his epistles ...
I Jn. 5 ... 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know HIM that is true, and we are in HIM that is true, even in HIS Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
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In II Tim. 3, the apostle Paul tells us the wickedness will increase in the last days. And Paul explains the wickedness will move into the churches themselves.
II Tim. 3 ... 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:from such turn away.
(They will say Jesus is Lord. They will say they are Christians. But they deny the power thereof when they refuse to allow Bible to rule over them and they cast away instruction of the New Testament in order to go in their own preferences on this earth.)
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
... 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing OF WHOM thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
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Apostasy has to come into the churches before Jesus can return for us.
The apostle Paul explains this to us:
II Thess. 2 ... 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means:for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The "falling away" are churches falling away from the Bible and setting up doctrines which approve sinners in the congregation without repentance.
The "man of sin" is the man who has spirit of antichrist in him in the church. He rises up to fight down various scripture and set up other doctrines which approve men, thereby allowing sin into the congregation.
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This is the end time apostasy in the churches.
To prove your church group: Does your group teach the man who marries the divorced woman commits adultery? or have they turned away from this doctrine of Jesus (fallen away)?
Jesus said: "whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Mt. 5:32
If your church group approves the man marrying the divorced woman, your church group is part of the end time apostasy ... the falling away from scriptures.
As the world flaunts sins before our eyes and the churches cast aside Bible doctrine, the stage is set for the return of Jesus.
Peter says, concerning the end ...
II Peter 3 ...10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to HIS promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of HIM in peace, without spot, and blameless.
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But first, before the heavens and earth pass away, those angels of God in Revelation will pour out their vials of judgment on those remaining on this earth and the trumpets of judgments will be sounded by the angels who are appointed by God to do this.
Revelation 8 ...1 And when HE had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth:and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth:and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
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Before the earth is completely destroyed by God, people left on the earth will go through many horrendous things.
The prophet Amos described it as follows:
Amos 5 ...
the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him;
or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light?
even very dark, and no brightness in it?
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Before God destroys the heaven and the earth, God will "shake" the earth:
God gave me a dream showing this as follows:
In this dream, the earth slipped on it's axis. People were terrified. The politicians were meeting with the scientists and religious leaders to try to find a way to fix this. A TV newscaster was telling this report on TV and he was so frightened he just stopped talking. He knew this story, unlike most of the other stories he spoke on TV, affected him.
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Heb. 12 ... 25 See that ye refuse not HIM that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused HIM that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from HIM that speaketh from heaven:
26 WHOSE VOICE then shook the earth: but now HE hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
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Several prophets spoke of this shaking of the earth by God:
Haggai 2:6 ... For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
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Isaiah 13 ... 9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate: and HE shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold;
even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place,
in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of HIS fierce anger.
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Joel 3:16 ... 16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter HIS voice from Jerusalem;
and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of HIS people,
and the strength of the children of Israel.
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Isaiah 2 ... 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth,
for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of HIS majesty, when HE ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of HIS majesty,
when HE ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
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Isaiah 24 ... 18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare:
for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved,
the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage;
and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
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This present earth will not be made righteous ... it will get worse and worse until the destruction of the earth by God.
But there will be a new heaven and a new earth for us who belong to God and the new heaven and new earth will have only righteousness, no perversion nor corruption there.
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Revelation 21 ... 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard A GREAT VOICE out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God HIMSELF shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And HE said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And HE said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
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In the meantime, we run the race to the end. In a race, the ones who start the race and drop out are not rewarded. We run to the end, crossing the finish line, enduring, holding fast the faith in God and the faith in what God has said.
I Cor. 9 ... the apostle Paul says ... 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
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In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
A meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil
defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the
speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was
coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that
was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the
instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face
and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But
then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to
feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me
too.
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God was showing me the anarchy that was already going on in our church groups.