

CHRISTIAN

EXODUS

OUT OF

BABYLON

By

Michael Dean Haller

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MEDITATION...GOD'S WAY

GOD'S way of FINDING and KEEPING Love, Peace, Joy, and all the fruit of His Spirit.

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All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, photographic, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither in any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Copyright © 2015 by Michael Haller

ISBN :978-0-9968211-0-0

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

All Hebrew Words are taken from: _A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible; with their renderings in the Authorized English Version;_ by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Copyright 1890.

All Greek Words are taken from: _A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament; with their renderings in the Authorized English Version;_ by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Copyright 1890.

I have also used quotations from:

_The Wars of the Jew_ by Flavius Josephus.

All quotations from I Maccabees and II Maccabees are taken from the Apocrypha, which was included in the original King James version of the Bible.

FOREWARD

Ecc 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecc 1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

There is a type of Bible interpretation called "Typology". Although fundamentalist bible believers actually believe that the whole bible is a true account of actual people and actual events, we also believe that God perfectly orchestrated Bible stories to foreshadow future events. The people and events recorded in the bible are described as "types" and are considered to be allegories of future events. An allegory is a person or thing that represents a bigger idea or theme that occurs later in the bible. This method of Bible interpretation is specifically mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians:

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

There are multitudes of allegories throughout the Old Testament regarding our Lord Jesus Christ. ALL the allegories regarding Jesus Christ also are allegories regarding the Church because the Church is the body of Christ. Bible publishers will often place a small star next to a Bible verse in the Old Testament where writers in the New Testament have specifically said the Old Testament scripture is a direct reference to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul mentions that the Exodus 17:6 allegorical Rock is a reference to Christ: "for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" in I Cor. 10:4. Our Lord Jesus mentions the manna in Exodus 16:15 and says: "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" referring to himself in John 6:33.

More importantly, the Lord himself says that the days of Noah and Lot are "examples" or "allegorical" to his second coming:

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

I believe there are many more significant allegories in the Bible dealing with the End Time Saints of God (the last days Church) and this book is my attempt to discuss a few of these allegories revealed in both the Old and New Testament.

I also believe the Church will go through the great tribulation. I am not trying to be controversial and therefore I hope and pray you will not judge this book too quickly or harshly but will search the Bible with all readiness of mind and let your spirit discern whether or not what I am writing is the truth or not.

You might ask, "Why doesn't the Bible plainly say that the Church will go through the great tribulation?"

I believe the Bible does plainly say that the Church will go through the great tribulation. Also, the Bible plainly explains to the saints of God how to survive the great tribulation. The lion's share of the Church's body is living today and I believe most of us will go through the great tribulation. If the saints living today will study the Bible and the many "examples" of saints going through tribulation, they will know exactly how to endure the great tribulation and how to triumph over the powers of darkness, which will be revealed during the last three and one-half years (3 and1/2) of great tribulation.

God told the Prophet Daniel that His words were closed up and sealed till the time of the end. See Daniel 12:9. I believe that the end is here and God is opening His word like never before in history.

God is not playing games, He wants the whole world to be saved and He is talking to everybody who will listen.

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

However, it appears from the path that the world is currently on that few people are listening. I hope and pray that this book will help people to listen to God more and to the world less.

CONTENTS

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FOREWARD

Part 1: ELIJAH

Chapter 1. The Rapture Occurs AFTER the Great Tribulation

Chapter 2. Elijah is a "Type" of the Last Days Church

Chapter 3. Three and One-Half Years

Part 2: MOSES

Chapter4. Exodus and Revelation

Chapter 5. King David

Chapter 6. The Maccabees

Part 3: JESUS

Chapter 7. Jesus

Chapter 8. Nazi Germany

Chapter 9. The Fall Feasts

Part 4: JESUS HAS BROTHERS

Chapter 10. Manifestation of the Sons of God

Chapter 11. The Holy Place Represents Our Soul

Chapter 12. I Am Dead But Christ Is Alive In Me

Chapter 13. Moses Was A Type of The Manifestation of the Sons of God

PART 5: THE THIRD DAY AND THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

Chapter 14. The Third Day

Chapter 15. The Last Great Harvest

Chapter 16. More Than Conquerors

Chapter 17. Out of Babylon

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PART 1

ELIJAH

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Malachy 4:5

CHAPTER 1

THE RAPTURE OCCURS AT THE "END" OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Many books have been written about the pre-tribulation rapture and it is the doctrine most of us were taught by Christian writers and our spiritual mentors. The pre-tribulation rapture doctrine teaches that the Church will be taken out of the world prior to the Great Tribulation. I may not be able to convince you otherwise, and you may discard this book without even reading it, but if you will keep an open mind perhaps I can convince you that these Christian pre-tribulation rapture writers and teachers are wrong. This is a tall order but if you will give me the benefit of the doubt, I will attempt to do just that in this first chapter using verses from the Bible.

Even if I cannot convince you that the pre-tribulation rapture is wrong, I am praying you will read the rest of this book and perhaps be able to determine for yourself whether the Bible teaches that the Church will be present during the great tribulation and how the Church will overcome Satan during the great tribulation.

Most people who teach the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture were also taught the doctrine by somebody they loved and respected. Therefore, it is deeply ingrained in most modern day born again Christian's beliefs concerning the last days. I am going to explore the doctrine of the rapture verse by verse. I do believe there is a rapture of the church but I also believe the Bible plainly teaches that the rapture will occur towards the END of the Great Tribulation. The main scripture verse dealing with the rapture doctrine is located in I Thessalonians:

1Th 4:15 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 them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16 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:

1Th 4:17 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.

It is obvious by reading this scripture that: "the dead in Christ shall rise FIRST (emphasis added): Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."

The dead IN CHRIST RISE FIRST! This is definitely a scripture referring to the second coming of the LORD. The resurrection of the dead occurs FIRST and then the rapture. Let me say it again with emphasis. The RESURRECTION of the dead in Christ occurs FIRST and then the RAPTURE of the living! This is the Church's blessed hope. Now let us explore the time frame of the resurrection.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Did you get that? Let us look again at the description of the saints taking part in the FIRST resurrection:

  1. Beheaded for the witness of Jesus

  2. Which had not worshipped the beast

  3. Neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands

It is written in the Book of Revelation that the saints that take part in the FIRST (primary) resurrection have been persecuted and murdered by the beast. If the FIRST resurrection will include the tribulation saints, who are killed by the Beast, how can there be a resurrection and rapture BEFORE the great tribulation? I believe there will be a great awakening of the Church when the abomination of desolation stands in the Holy Place. Even the most unlearned of Christians should realize who the man of sin is when he demands that the world worship him as God.

THE CHURCH IN TRIBULATION

There are people who say that the Church cannot suffer the wrath of God. I agree that true believers who make up the true body of Jesus Christ will not suffer God's wrath. However, I find it hard to believe that a tomahawk missile can be aimed down a chimney but God can't pour out his wrath on the world without hurting Christians. God was able to separate sinners from saints when he poured out his wrath during the times of Noah, Lot, and Moses; God was able to deliver the three Hebrew children through the fiery furnace; I believe he can still do the same today. God does NOT cause collateral damage. Jesus Christ has already suffered the wrath of God on behalf of the Church. However, there is nothing in the Bible that says believers will not suffer tribulation. The LORD actually states that his followers will suffer tribulation in the world:

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

History proves the Church has already suffered much tribulation. How many millions of Christians have been persecuted and murdered for their faith? All you need to do is read church history and it will confirm the words of Jesus. Believers can boldly face persecution and tribulation because we know that Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, has already suffered the wrath of God and won the victory on behalf of the Church. However, the saints of God will suffer from the wrath of Satan and from persecution from the world. If a Christian is murdered for the name of Jesus Christ there is a crown of life waiting for them in heaven.

Jesus specifically warns Christians that they will go through tribulation before his second coming. His disciples specifically ask him for the sign preceding his second coming in the Book of Matthew.

Mat 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Jesus' warning is to all believers, not just Jewish believers. He specifically mentions the Holy Place because it is the epicenter of end time prophecy but it does not exclude the rest of the world. As a matter of fact, Jesus includes ALL nations in the signs of the times.

Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mat 24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by ALL (emphasis added) nations for My name's sake.

Did you see that? "You will be hated by ALL nations for MY NAME"S SAKE". This scripture is NOT only for Israel. How many non-believing Jews are hated for the name of Jesus? Jesus is talking to people who claim the name of JESUS. The Church will suffer tribulation in ALL nations for the name of JESUS. All nations must include all nominal "Christian nations". Tribulation is already occurring in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, it will also occur, and increase in intensity, in Europe, North America, Australia, and South America. He is not saying that the tribulation will occur to only the secular or religious Jews in Israel! There are Messianic Christian Jews who will definitely suffer tribulation in Israel but they won't be alone. ALL nations will hate true believers at the end of the age.

Mat 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

He who endures to the END shall be saved. NOT he who endures to the BEGINNING of the great tribulation.

THE MARK OF THE BEAST VERSES THE MARK OF GOD

Also, prophecy "experts" often emphasize Israel in end time prophecy. Israel is an important player during the end times but the main player on the stage of world events during the end times is not Israel but the Church. Israel is important because they are the last puzzle piece at the return of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul plainly teaches that ALL of Israel will be saved AFTER the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and then Jesus Christ will return to save Israel.

Rom 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Rom 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "THE DELIVERER WILL COME OUT OF ZION, AND HE WILL TURN AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB;

Rom 11:27 FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."

If the fullness of the Gentiles occurs before the great tribulation, who are all the saints mentioned in Revelations chapter seven:

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

You might say, "Oh, this is the raptured Church." Read the rest of Chapter 7:

Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

They came out of GREAT TRIBULATION. I have heard prophecy "experts" claim that the 144,000 saints mentioned in the Book of Revelation will evangelize Israel and the whole world AFTER the Church has been raptured, I beg to differ.

The 144,000 are sealed on their foreheads before the seven trumpets are sounded which foretell the judgment of God upon the world. It is obviously a mark of protection for this special body of believers. These saints are from the twelve tribes of Israel include Judah (the Jews), which is only one of the tribes. I believe there are many people who are direct descendants of the ancient Israelites and they do not yet know they will be a part of these 144,000 saints with the seal of God on their foreheads.

I also believe the 144,000 represent a type of last days Christian. They also receive a "mark" but it is a mark from God. I believe this seal is the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

There are three offices in the Old Testament: The King, the Priest, and the Prophet are all anointed for their office with pure olive oil. Olive oil has always represented the presence of the Holy Spirit and God's ownership. These people were specifically God's servants and any interference with their duties was considered defiance of Jehovah. During the great tribulation, there will be a great army of God's anointed performing God's work and the world system will try to stop them from accomplishing their mission. This world system will be ruled and governed by the spirit of Anti-Christ.

sphragizō = sealed

sfrag-id'-zo

From G4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication to keep secret, to attest: \- (set a, set to) seal up, stop.

The nation of Israel was removed from the Promised Land by the Assyrians because of their wickedness but one day in the future 120,000 of their descendants will hold a special place in God's heart. I believe these 144,000 special saints of Israel and Judah will all be mature, spirit filled, born again Christians before the great tribulation begins and they will be part of a chosen army of saints evangelizing the world one last harvest of souls before the arrival of the King of Kings.

2Ki 17:22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

2Ki 17:23 Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

The fullness of the Gentiles will only occur when every Gentile who can be saved is saved! The salvation of a vast number of Gentiles believers will occur DURING the great tribulation. Let us look at the verse again:

Rev 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Rev 7:10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

An elder asks John who is this great multitude which no one could number? God obviously thinks knowing who these saints are is very important, therefore, an elder answers the question for John.

Rev 7:13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"

Rev 7:14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who COME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION (emphasis added), and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The elder tells John these saints came out of GREAT TRIBULATION. They were not raptured before the great tribulation. The Apostle Paul plainly taught that the end would not come until the Gospel is preached in ALL the world and the fullness of the gentiles is come in. There will be a final harvest of gentile saints and then Jesus Christ will return to save Israel.

Mat_24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

THE WOMAN PERSECUTED BY THE BEAST IS THE CHURCH

There is another error taught by prophecy experts. They teach that the woman in Revelation chapter 12 is Israel. I do not disagree completely, but I believe the woman actually represents the end times Church including believing Jews. Now you will say, hold on, the Book of Revelation says the woman brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Isn't the woman Israel and isn't the man child Jesus Christ? Yes, I agree it is SPIRITUAL Israel but it is not modern day Israel. The man child is Jesus, but the man child includes "the manifest sons of God". Let me explain.

Let us look at the definition of the "Church" in Strong's concordance:

ekklēsia = Church

ek-klay-see'-ah; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.

The church is any meeting of those who have been CALLED OUT, it especially represents a congregation of believers, it can be both gentile believers AND Jewish believers. Let us read a verse in the King James version of the Book of Acts.

Act 7:37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

Act 7:38 This is he, that was in the CHURCH (emphasis added) in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

Steven said that Moses was in the CHURCH in the wilderness. The Church has always been the assembly of the saints of God. The Book of Acts says that Stephen was FULL of the Holy Ghost when he preached to the High Priest and the people. Let's take a closer look at the woman in the Book of Revelation.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Revelation says the remnant of the woman's seed keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. A woman's seed should bear some resemblance to their mother. Does modern day Israel have the testimony of Jesus Christ? Modern Israel is mainly a secular society today. Although there have been some successes by Christian missions to Israel, Jewish Christians living in Israel are currently a very small minority. Actually there are many, many more Arabic Christians in Israel than Messianic Christian Jews. I believe the nation of Israel will not fully believe that Jesus is their savior until AFTER the return of Jesus Christ according to the Bible!

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

I contend that the Church has been in existence long before Pentecost because it consists of the assembly of ALL BELIEVERS though out all history, who will all join together at the resurrection/rapture to make up the spiritual body of Christ! Read what the Book of Hebrews says about the heroes of faith.

Heb 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Heb 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

Heb 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Heb 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

The saints of the Old Testament are identified as one with the Church, they will only be made perfect when they are joined to the New Testament saints at the resurrection/ rapture, both occurring at the same time. If you do not distinguish between Israel of the flesh and spiritual Israel, then you must say the woman mentioned by the Book of Revelation in chapter 12, includes the very people who persecuted and murdered the saints of God in the Old and New Testaments. I cannot agree with that interpretation. The Apostle Paul clearly makes this distinction in the book of Galatians.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You can only inherit the promises God made to Abraham by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Abraham inherited the promises by faith in Jehovah (Jesus Christ). How did the saints of the Old and New Testament boldly stand against wickedness and injustice under threat of torture and death? All the saints, from righteous Abel to the raptured saints at the end of the great tribulation have only one blessed hope. All the saints of God, who are represented by the woman in the Book of Revelation, believe even if their bodies are tortured and killed, even if they are persecuted and hated, they will one day be raised from the dead and joined with God (Jesus Christ), forever and ever!

I also believe the man child that will rule the world for a thousand years also includes God's elect:

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As I will explain later in this book, Jesus ministered for three and one-half (3 and ½) years, and the End Times Church will also minister for three and one-half (3and ½) years. Jesus was resurrected and raptured into heaven, and the End Times Church will also be resurrected and raptured into heaven.

THE MARK OF THE BEAST

I do not know if the mark of the beast will be a tattoo, a brand, a computer chip, or a combination thereof but I do believe it will be obvious to all believers.

Tatoos, marks and brands have been used for thousands of years to identify property: cattle, sheep, horses, and even people. I believe the story of Joseph is also a type of the last days Church. Joseph is a type of Christ and he provided for his brethren during one of the worst droughts in the history of the world.

Gen 47:12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

The Egyptians were not so fortunate.

Gen 47:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

Gen 47:20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.

Gen 47:21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

I believe a similar scenario will occur prior to the man of sin revealing himself. The four horsemen will be let loose and there will be terrible wars, droughts, starvation, plagues and billions of people perishing. Eventually the man of sin will appear as head of the beast system and promise peace, safety, prosperity, and everyone on earth will be required to take his mark and bow down to worship him, this is the final great apostasy mentioned by the Apostle Paul.

The Beast will command that all the people gather in cities, he will count them, he will mark them as his property, everything they own will be his property, and he will promise to protect them and take care of them. He will attempt to take the place of God. He will promise everything that God promises but the man of sin cannot keep his promises...only God can keep ALL of his promises. According to Paul the Apostle, the man of sin must be revealed BEFORE the day of the Lord's return:

2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2Th 2:2 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.

2Th 2:3 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;

2Th 2:4 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 Book of II Thessalonians will confuse you unless you realize that the Thessalonians did not have the New Testament available to read and study because the two letters to the Thessalonians were the very first letters written by the Apostle Paul. Paul, who was familiar with the other apostles and Jesus' teaching, was telling them specific prophetic events must take place before the coming of the LORD. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus specifically said he would not come back in secret, he also said the saints would be persecuted in ALL nations, he also said flee when the abomination of desolation was revealed. Paul basically expounds on the teachings of the Lord Jesus concerning the last days.

The apostasy, or falling away, is when the whole world, including many nominal Christians, worship the man of sin as God. None of these events have happened yet, the spirit of anti-Christ is definitely increasing even if the man of sin has not been revealed yet. However, the Holy Spirit is also being poured out upon the saints before the coming of our LORD. Let me recap the signs we must see before Jesus comes back:

  1. Christians will be hated by ALL nations. (Matt. 10:22; Matt. 24:9;Mar. 13:13; Luk. 21:17)

  2. A world ruler will declare to the world that he is God. (Matt. 24:15; Mar. 13:14; 2 Thess. 2:4)

  3. There will be a great apostasy and the whole world will follow the man of sin and worship him as God. (2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 13:12)

It is very apparent that there is a spirit of antichrist becoming more and more prominent in the world. Christians are being persecuted in many nations. As this persecution increases many people who claim to be Christians will begin to turn away from Christ. This is the separation of the wheat from the tares. Eventually, the rulers of the world will give their power and authority to a specific man possessed by Satan and he will use his power and authority to persecute and kill ALL true believers throughout the whole world.

CHAPTER 2

ELIJAH IS A "TYPE" OF THE LAST DAYS CHURCH

There are some people who claim that there must be several rapture(s) in order to escape the plain teaching of the Bible. They point out that Elijah was raptured; therefore, there must be more than one rapture of God's saints. However, if you recognize that Elijah is an allegory for the last days Church, everything begins to make sense. Let's look at the life of Elijah and see how he is a perfect "type" of the Church in the last days.

Elijah means God of Jah or God of Jehovah. The world system does not want us to rely on Jehovah (Jesus Christ). The world wants us to rely on the world system as our source of physical and spiritual sustenance. The true prophet of God will always direct people towards God (Jesus Christ) whenever they have a need. If you are sick, addicted, poverty stricken, bound by sin or in need of anything, the world will always direct you to someone or something in the world to supply your need. The world looks on God and his promises in the Bible with contempt.

JESUS IS JEHOVAH

By the way, for all you Jehovah Witnesses out there, Jesus Christ IS Jehovah!

Psa 118:14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my "salvation" (Jesus).

Salvation means: yeshû'âh = Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus

yesh-oo'-aw; something saved, that is, (abstractly) deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity: - deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.

LORD means: yâhh = Yah or Jah is the shortened version of the sacred name Jehovah.

Yaw contracted for H3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name: - Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Cp. names in "-iah," "-jah."

Let me translate Psalm 118:14 into plain English – Jehovah is my strength and my song, and is become my Jesus.

Also, let us read one of the most important verses in the Old Testament concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ:

Zec 14:3 Then the LORD (Jehovah) will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.

Zec 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.

yehôvâh

yeh-ho-vaw'

From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.

The mirror image of the coming of Jehovah in the Book of Zechariah is spoken of in the Book of Acts:

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Act 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

We see that Jesus Christ rises up to heaven from the mount of Olives and the angels tell the apostles that he will return there in the same exact manner he left. Jesus is Jehovah!

I noticed three things Elijah and apostate Israel had in common with the Church of the last days:

  1. Elijah lived in a time of great apostasy.

  2. He resides in the wilderness for three and one half years.

  3. He is raptured by God after a great victory over the false Prophets of Baal.

First, in the days of Elijah there is a great apostasy in the Land of Israel. Ahab, the king of Israel, had taken a foreign wife named Jezebel and begins to worship Baal, the God of the Zidonians.

1Ki 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

1Ki 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

As in the days of Elijah there will also be a great apostasy in the last days.

2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Apparently the whole world will worship the man of sin when he is revealed. Either they will actually believe he is God or they will agree to worship him in order to survive and to escape persecution. The man of sin will demand that everyone worship him and his image on pain of death.

God will judge the modern world for the exact same sins for which God judged the ancient Canaanites and ancient Israel. I call it the Satanic modus operandi (M.O.). The Devil uses the same methods of operation over and over again throughout the Bible. He has the same M.O. today as he had thousands of years ago. The Devil knows if he can get people to walk down the same well warn path of sin and rebellion, eventually God's judgment cannot be withheld.

1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

1Ki 21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Baal worship is associated with images of calves, sexual immorality, child sacrifice, and the occult. The worship of a golden calf with its associated sins also caused the judgment of God to fall upon the Israelites in the wilderness. It appears that all through ancient Israel's history, the worship of Baal rears its ugly head over and over again.

2Ki 17:16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD (Jehovah) their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

2Ki 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

2Ki 17:18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

It is interesting that Jezebel also appears in the Book of Revelation. She represents false religious teaching, her main goal is to lead the saints away from the safety of committing their lives to Jesus Christ. Jezebel is a "type" of false religious system that will exist during the reign of the beast political system. The Jezebel spirit tells the saints that they can enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ while continuing to enjoy all the benefits that the world has to offer including:

  1. Worshipping idols (the love of money is the worship of Mammon...there is a gold bull on Wall Street).

Rev 13:15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

  2. Sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, and homosexuality are widespread and accepted as normal)

Rev 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

Rev 2:21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

Rev 2:22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

  3. The sacrifice of children (abortion on demand is widespread and accepted as normal in most of the world).

2Ki 23:10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Rev 2:23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

  4. The widespread use of illegal AND legal drugs (the occult, sorcery...pharmakeia in Greek) will increase violence, sexual immorality, and thievery upon the earth.

Rev 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Sorceries: Pharmakeia = Drugs

far-mak-i'-ah

From G5332; medication ("pharmacy"), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): - sorcery, witchcraft.

Spiritual adultery will always manifest itself with ever increasing sexual immorality, violence, and theft, both in the world and in the apostate church. Eating foods sacrificed to idols represents trusting the gods of this world (the governments and institutions of the world) to provide for your needs as opposed to trusting in God to supply your physical and spiritual needs. We see that the LORD will allow those who continue to have a relationship with Jezebel and the beast system to go through great tribulation. I believe the Beast will actually financially support ministers, priests, and religious leaders if they will play ball with the evil corrupt world system:

1Ki 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

Eventually, this Jezebel false religious spirit and the beast world system will demand total allegiance and will begin actively persecuting and murdering the true followers of Jesus Christ for their intolerance toward sin and refusal to worship the man of sin just like the prophets of Jehovah were persecuted and murdered in the Old Testament.

1Ki 18:4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD (Jehovah), that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)

The governments of the world will become more and more controlling of their citizens until eventually all world governments will combine into one totalitarian world government. This one world government will insist that you rely on its resources to meet your physical AND spiritual needs. This one world government, the beast system, will be controlled and ruled by ten rulers who will give ALL their authority to a man possessed and controlled by Satan himself.

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

This man of sin, possessed and controlled by Satan, will demand that the whole world worship him and only him. If you refuse, you will suffer persecution and eventually death.

ELIJAH COMES BEFORE THE LORD

There is a famous prophecy in the Book of Malachy:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

The prophecy concerning Elijah was also well known during the ministry of Jesus and his disciples asked him about it.

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

Mat 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Jesus directs his disciples to John the Baptist when they ask him about Elijah. If we study John the Baptist we have a better picture of an Old Testament prophet:

Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Mat 3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Mat 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

We get some interesting clues about Elijah from John the Baptist:

  1. He preaches in the wilderness. If you wanted to hear John the Baptist and be baptized by him, you had to leave your comfortable surroundings and go into the Judaean wilderness.

  2. John the Baptist was a forerunner of the Messiah. His whole ministry was preparing the way for the arrival of Jesus Christ in the future. He was telling the people they needed to repent (turn away from sin and turn toward God) in order to be ready for the arrival of the Lord.

  3. John the Baptist dressed like a prophet and he lived a simple unadorned life.

Listen to what Jesus says about John:

Luk 7:24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Luk 7:25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.

Luk 7:26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Luk 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Luk 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

John the Baptist was DIFFERENT and people were willing to travel through some difficult country to see and hear him. The world is impressed by fine clothing and nice houses but John the Baptist was impressive for just the opposite reason. He did not love the world or anything in it and neither did Elijah.

I believe Elijah is going to come again before the second coming of the Lord. He will live in the wilderness and he will be preparing the people for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

When you hear about two witnesses in the Judean wilderness performing astounding miracles, I suggest you prepare to leave the world system if you haven't already. You will have only a very short time to escape before the antichrist is revealed to the entire world.

CHAPTER 3

THREE AND ONE-HALF YEARS

I first started believing that Elijah might be an allegory of the last days Church because he was in the wilderness for three and one-half years. Three and one-half years is also the amount of time the two witnesses and the beast contend in the book of Revelations:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

Three and one-half years also is the amount of time the beast will have authority over the earth:

Rev 13:4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

Rev 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

Rev 13:6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

Rev 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Rev 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

I believe the main reason the Beast is given authority by Satan is so he can persecute the saints in every country on earth. The present world system will identify a common enemy, the true Church, and all the governments of the world will stop their squabbling and wars in order to wage war against the Saints of God. It is plain that the beast will have three and one-half years to wage war against the saints of God (the true Church). He will spend a great deal of his time, effort, and resources murdering Christians. God specifically teaches the saints how to deal with the attack from the beast system and how to escape God's judgment.

Rev 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

It is very clear in the Book of Revelation that the identity of the woman who fled into the wilderness is the Church, she is NOT the modern nation state of Israel. God prepares a place in the wilderness where he will feed the Church for three and one-half years...if she will listen to his voice and leave the world system.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people (the Church), that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Elijah gives the Church an example of how to handle persecution...HE FLED INTO THE WILDERNESS.

I read through all of Elijah's story in 1 and 2 Kings but I could not find how long Elijah was in the wilderness but I knew it was three and one-half years. Finally I found the scripture I was looking for in the New Testament:

Luk 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

Luk 4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

Why did God send Elijah to a widow in Sidon and not to a widow in Israel?

Our Lord gives us the answer:

Luk 4:24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

G3968

πατρίς

patris

pat-rece'

From G3962; a father land, that is, native town; (figuratively) heavenly home: \- (own) country.

If you stay at the home town where you were raised or where you grew up, I believe you will not survive the great tribulation. Why? You may ask.

The most important quality Elijah and the widow had was they did not rely on their family, their friends, or their own resources. They both listened to God and they relied on God.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God's definition of humility is different from mankind's definition of humility. Mankind defines humility as a low opinion of one's own importance. God defines a humble person as someone who is completely reliant on God's ability to provide for their every need because they understand how very much He cares for them!

GOD DOES TALK TO PEOPLE! GOD TALKS TO EVERYBODY! MOST PEOPLE DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM!

I will tell you a simple way to distinguish God's voice. It will not be an audible voice but it will be very clear.

OUR FLESH ALWAYS RESISTS THE VOICE OF GOD!

Let me give you several examples:

  1. Have you ever had somebody ask you for a couple dollars and immediately think, "Give them twenty". Then you wrestle with the thought... "he only asked for two, why give him twenty?" The voice of the good angel on your shoulder is God, the voice of the devil on your shoulder is either your flesh or the devil.

  2. Have you ever been going someplace and thought, "I should take a different route today". Then you wrestle with the thought..."my way is faster, I don't have time."

  3. Have you ever thought, "I should eat smaller portions or I should get more exercise". Then you wrestle with the thought..."one more piece of pie won't kill me or I'll start exercising next week." Guess what, the voice you are wrestling with is the Holy Spirit.

Your flesh resists the voice of God but the Holy Spirit will resist the flesh. Your flesh will always be selfish, your flesh will always be lazy, your flesh will always seek comfort first and foremost and will always resist the Word of God.

Now some people claim they are hearing from God when really they are listening to their flesh. How can you be absolutely sure the voice you are listening to is the voice of God? It will always conform to the Bible and it will never contradict the Word of God in the Bible.

The Apostle Paul gives a clear list of differences between the flesh and the spirit in the book of Galations:

Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

If someone tells me they have a word of God and they are encouraging violence or sexual immorality or they set a bad example by getting drunk, or they get in fights on a regular basis, I have strong doubts they are hearing from God. On the other hand, if somebody shows the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, etc., and tells me they have heard something from God...I always listen to them seriously. However, like I said, the written Word of God trumps every prophet or seer, and any governmental authority, whether of the world or of the Church.

Demonic influences always work from the flesh toward the spirit. They will always present you with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The Devil will attack a person with fleshy desires. He will attempt to control your thought life, continually giving you the desire to participate in progressively more and more destructive activities. Following the devil is truly a downward spiral to death and hell. ALWAYS REMEMBER! If you are in Christ, you are a new creature, you ARE the righteousness of God! Don't let anyone tell you different. As you acknowledge who you are in Christ, you will be transformed into His image.

PART 2

MOSES

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

CHAPTER 4

EXODUS AND REVELATION

Anybody who has studied prophecy has noticed the striking similarities between the books of Exodus and Revelation in the Bible.

1)WATER TURNED TO BLOOD

Exo 7:20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

Exo 7:21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

WATER TURNED TO BLOOD

Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

2)FROGS

Exo 8:6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

FROGS

Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

3)LICE

Exo 8:17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

4)FLIES

Exo 8:24 And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

5)MURRAIN ON LIVESTOCK

Exo 9:3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

6)BOILS

Exo 9:10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

SORES

Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

7)HAIL MIXED WITH FIRE

Exo 9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

HAIL MIXED WITH FIRE

Rev 8:7 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.

Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

8)LOCUSTS

Exo 10:13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

LOCUSTS

Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

9)DARKNESS

Exo 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

DARKNESS

Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

10)DEATH OF FIRSTBORN

Exo 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

DEATH

Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The most notable difference appears to be the scale of the plagues. While the ten plagues in Exodus are confined to the land of Egypt, The judgments in the book of Revelation appear to cover the whole world. This is why I believe every government on earth will be under the power and authority of the beast. Otherwise God would not pour out his wrath upon the whole earth.

After I determined that the story of Elijah was an allegory of the last days Church, I began to wonder about Moses and the Exodus. I knew that Israel spent forty years in the wilderness but that was not God's original plan. He originally planned to only have them in the wilderness for a short time before they entered the Promised Land. I believe he wanted them to only spend three and one-half (3 and ½) years in the wilderness before they entered into the Promised Land but they rebelled against his commandment to enter the land flowing with milk and honey. Why three and one-half years? The exodus of Israel is a "type" of the end time church. I began researching the scriptures and found the speech that Moses gave to the Israelites just before he died:

Deu 1:1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

Deu 1:2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

Deu 1:3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

Therefore, we know that Moses spoke to the Israelites just before he died and they entered the Promised Land in the fortieth year and in the eleventh month (40 years and 11 months). If we can figure out when they left Egypt, we can find out how long they would have been in the wilderness if they would not have rebelled against God's commandment to enter into the Promised Land. We find the answer in Moses' speech before he dies:

Deu 2:14 And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.

(40 years and 11 months) – (38 years) = 2 years and 11 months

We actually know from the Bible that the Israelites were only in the wilderness for thirty-eight years after they rebelled against God. So the time they were in the wilderness before they refused to enter the Promised Land must have been two years and eleven months. That is not three and one-half years but then I began to wonder how long they were detained by Pharaoh before they were allowed to leave Egypt. It does not tell us in the Bible but I did find a Rabbi Bechave, who wrote about the Plagues of Egypt.

Rabbi Bechaye, a Rabbi who lived in Spain during the 11th century wrote that On Nisan 15 (the 1st day of unleavened bread) God spoke to Moses from the Burning bush. On Nisan 21 (the 7th day of unleavened bread), Moses told his father-in-law Yitro (Jethro) of his Mission and left for Egypt. Near the end of the Hebrew month of Nisan, Moses went before Pharaoh and warned him to release the Jews.

For the next three Hebrew months (Iyyar, Sivan, and Tammuz), Moses instructed the

Elders of Israel regarding their coming deliverance by God. The plague of blood

Began in the middle of summer on the first of Av and lasted seven days. A respite of three weeks occurred before the next plague of frogs on the first of Hebrew month of Elul.

  1. Av 1 – Blood (Rev. 8:8, Rev. 11:6, Rev. 16:3-4) Both Jewish temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av.

  2. Elul 1 – Frogs (Rev. 16:13-14) Moses ascends Sinai for 40 days on the 1st of Elul.

  3. Tishri 1 – Lice Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets.

  4. Cheshvan 1 – Swarms The Great Flood begins and ends on this month.

  5. Kislev 1 – Pestilence The Abomination of Desolation is set up by the Antiochus IV on Kislev 15, 162 BCE.

  6. Tevet 1 – Boils (Rev. 16:2) Esther is made Queen on Tevet 1, 362 BCE. It is also the month when Hanukkah ends.

  7. Shevat 1 – Hail and Fire (Rev. 8:7) Moses convened the Jewish people on Shevat 1 and began the 37-day "review of theTorah" before he dies,

  8. Adar 1 – Locusts (Rev. 9:3) Purim celebrates the destruction of Israel's enemies on Adar 15.

  9. Nisan 1 – Darkness (Rev. 8:12, Rev. 9:2, Rev. 16:10) The month of the Barley harvest.

  10. Nisan 15 – Death of Egypt's firstborn, Passover and the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.

God intended that the Israelites should leave Egypt on or before the 1st of Av but they were detained by Pharaoh. If we add seven months of God's plagues to the two years and eleven months recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy, we arrive at our prophetic number of three years and six months. I believe wise Christians will separate themselves from the world in the summer before the antichrist is revealed because they will be watching for the signs of the Lord's second coming and God's two witnesses will appear in the Judean wilderness.

There is a very exciting typology in the book of Exodus:

Exo 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

God said he would bare the Israelites on EAGLES' WINGS! Now let us read a verse from the Book of Revelation:

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

The woman is protected by God in the wilderness for three and one-half years (1260 days) from the face of the serpent. I believe the woman (the Church) will actually be like an eagle after the rapture and will have a bird's eye view when the LORD returns to the mount of Olives at his second coming.

Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

After the woman (the Church or God's eagles) spends three and one-half years tabernacled with God in the wilderness, she will be raptured and will be a part of the vast cloud of witnesses that make up the Church. The Church will witness Jesus Christ save Israel from a perfectly safe vantage point...the sky overlooking the valley of Megiddon!

Isa 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

They that "wait" upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

Wait = qâvâh, kaw-vaw'

A primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), that is, collect; (figuratively) to expect: - gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).

I believe the saints of God will begin gathering together, separating themselves from the world system, and they will begin to "wait" on the LORD as the day of the LORD approaches. When they begin to do this, miracles will begin to occur:

Psa 105:37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they brought silver and gold with them and had miraculous healing and prosperity. I believe that this is the main problem with the modern Church. Christians want to remain in Egypt (the world system) and still experience miraculous health and prosperity. You cannot love the world and love God at the same time:

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

If you want to experience the power of God, you must separate yourself from the world. A Christian cannot pursue the world with all his/her might and expect to also enjoy the favor of God. You must diligently seek him if you truly want to experience his favor.

CHAPTER 5

KING DAVID

King David was also a "type" of the last days Church. He also had to flee into the wilderness when he was being persecuted by King Saul. I believe he was also in the wilderness for three and one-half (3 ½) years. There are no exact dates in the Bible showing how long David was in the wilderness but there are several clues.

First, I believe that from the time David is first recognized by King Saul until he becomes King of Judah is seven (7) years. You may be thinking, "hold on, wasn't King David a boy when he killed Goliath?" That is what everybody is taught in Sunday school and that is also what all the paintings and pictures seem to teach us. We have all seen pictures of a little boy with a sling facing down a giant in bronze armor.

From my research I find most people believe David was a boy because three of his brothers were in the battle at Shochoh, which is where the armies of Israel were facing off against the Philistines, and of course they were also facing Goliath. Therefore, people figure only three of David's seven brothers were old enough to fight in the battle. Since David was the youngest of eight brothers, he must have been between thirteen (13) and fifteen (15) years old. According to the Old Testament, only men twenty years or older fought in the armies of Israel. Therefore, people figure David's age like this:

  1. Eliab = 22

  2. Abinadab = 21

  3. Shammah = 20

  4. Nethaneel = 19

  5. Raddai = 18

  6. Ozem = 17

  7. Elihu = 16

  8. David = 15

This arithmetic appears perfectly logical if we assume David's siblings were all born in rapid succession and were all very close in age.

Num 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

There are a few reasons why I believe this logic does not necessarily bear up under careful scrutiny of the Bible. First, although all the Israelites had to go to war while they were wandering in the wilderness, after they entered into the Promised Land, Moses allowed some Israelite men to avoid going to war.

Deu 20:5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

Deu 20:6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

Deu 20:7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

Deu 20:8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

According to the exemptions outlined in the Book of Deuteronomy, a man could be exempt from fighting for several reasons and for several years. If you plant a vineyard, it will take several years before the first grapes ever grow. You could be betrothed to a wife and also not be married for several years. If you were afraid to fight, you did not have to go to war. I think there might be another very important reason not mentioned in Deuteronomy. Your father might have decided he does not want you to go.

Ancient Israel was a patriarchal society. A son or daughter obeyed their father first and the king second. When King Saul needed somebody to play music for him, he does not ask David's permission, who was a full grown adult at the time, we see that Saul sends a messenger to David's father, Jesse, asking permission for David not to return home.

1Sa 16:22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

David's father, Jesse, owned sheep, he probably also owned many other livestock, vineyards, orchards, and fields of barley and wheat. As long as the father was alive, the children served him. According to the Book of Ruth his grandfather Boaz was a very rich man. Perhaps Jesse could only spare his three oldest sons and kept the five youngest to help him manage his own business affairs.

Second, prior to the battle with Goliath, one of Saul's servant's describes David as a man of war which does not match that of a young boy:

1Sa 16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

David is described as a mighty man, and a man of war. Therefore, he must have proved himself in at least one battle with the Philistines and probably more than one. Does one battle make a man of war? He must have been at least twenty (2o) years old before he fights in his first battle and defeats the giant Goliath.

Third, after David volunteers to fight Goliath, King Saul actually fits David with his own armor. Unless Saul was playing a cruel joke on a little boy, this offer does not make any sense at all.

1Sa 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

1Sa 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

David refuses the armor because he had not "proved" (tested) it, not because it did not fit.

PROVE: H5254, nâsâh, naw-saw', A primitive root; to test; by implication to attempt: - adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.

David was basically saying he was not comfortable wearing the kings armor. It was probably more elaborate and heavy than what David would have been use to wearing. David may have mainly fought using his sling or a bow from a distance and he probably had never worn heavy armor before, which would have been something only wealthier more experienced men could have afforded. We know from the Book of Judges that there were men who specifically used slings during battle:

Jdg 20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

Ancient armies usually arrayed themselves in formations with heavily armored troops in front and archers and men with slings in the rear. If the more heavily armored soldiers needed to retreat the archers and men with slings could slow the advancing enemy down and give the heavily armored troops a chance to escape:

FRONT OF BATTLE LINE

HEAVY ARMOR

ARCHERS

SLINGS

I believe there is a method that will help us determine David's approximate age when he went out to fight Goliath. When modern people think of war, they tend to think in terms of the modern era, where nations fight continually, often for years, until one nation is completely subjugated. However, ancient peoples more likely fought wars of attrition, slowly wearing each other down intermittently and over long periods of time. We know that according to the Bible there was a "season" for war:

2Sa 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

According to the writings of Josephus, early spring was the time that "kings go forth to battle". It is clear that without modern supply lines, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for armies to fight for more than a short period of time. If you needed to maintain chariots or cavalry, you must only fight when there is feed for your horses and forage for your soldiers. Also, reading the stories in the Bible informs us that the wars they fought were often glorified raiding parties to steal their neighbor's cattle and flocks of sheep. You would need to attack your enemies when there was grass and you had some chance of getting stolen livestock back to your homeland alive.

I believe these "wars" are an excellent way to keep track of time, especially during the specific Bible time period associated with King Saul because the Israelites and Philistines appear to be fighting every spring almost like clockwork. A clue we have is the phrase: "after the year expired" in 2 Samuel 11:1. The beginning of the Hebrew religious calendar was the month of Nissan (the month of Passover).

One other clue is not a war but another springtime event:

1Sa 25:4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

Sheep are sheared in the spring when their coats are thick after winter but the wool is no longer needed by the sheep because the days and nights are becoming warmer. David hears that Nabal, a very rich descendent of Caleb, has gathered his sheep for shearing and David sends some of his young men to request a few sheep for him and his men. Nabal's sheep herds have flourished because David and his men have been guarding them. Nabal informs David's young men that he is not going to give them any of his sheep and David in a fury goes forth to kill Nabal.

Abigail, Nabal's wife and one of King David's future wives, rushes out to meet David with gifts of food and begs him not to seek vengeance or to shed blood because of the actions of her foolish husband. Apparently, this is a rare year of peace and plenty probably because Judah's enemies have either been killed or are too afraid to attack because of the presence of David and his men. However, this peace is short lived because David finally becomes tired of running from Saul and flees to the land of the Philistines to live for sixteen months.

The Bible gives us this final clue about the amount of time David remained living in the land of the Philistines:

1Sa 27:6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

1Sa 27:7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Therefore, from the time David is recognized by Saul to the time David becomes King of Judah is approximately seven years.

The Bible does not tell us how old David was when he killed Goliath but it does tell us he was thirty (30) years old when he became King of Judah.

2Sa 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

2Sa 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Bible also tells us of the wars he fought with the Philistines starting from when he killed Goliath until he becomes King in Judah after Saul and his sons die at the battle of Gilboa. According to Hebrew tradition King David was born and died on the same day: Pentecost. Therefore, if we can determine that David was twenty-nine (29) years old when King Saul dies in the spring and he becomes King a short time later after he turns thirty (30), we can count backwards and determine his age when he kills Goliath.

David's Battles Before he Becomes King of Judah

# Verse David's Age

1. A mighty valiant man, and a man of war, 1 Sam. 16:18 22 years old

2. David returns from the slaughter of the Philistines after he kills Goliath 1 Sam. 17 23 years old

3. David and his men kill 200 Philistines 1 Sam. 18:27 24 years old

4. David slew the Philistines with a great slaughter 1 Sam 19:8 25 years old

David flees into the wilderness 1 Sam. 20 years old

5. David smites the Philistines with a great slaughter at Keilah 1 Sam. 23:5 26 years old

6. The Philistines invade Israel while Saul is seeking David in the wilderness of Maon 1 Sam. 23:27 27 years old

7. Nabal shears sheep 1 Sam. 25:4 28 years old

David dwells with the Philistines 16 months 1 Sam. 27:7

8. David fights the Amalekites 1 Sam. 30:17 29 years old

Saul and his sons are slain by the Philistines at Gilboa. 1 Sam. 31:2 David turns 30 a short time later

After David is anointed by Samuel the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. The very next verse tells us that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubles him. 1 Sam. 16:14

The Bible says that David played his harp and the evil spirit that troubled Saul would leave. Apparently after the evil spirit was gone, David was free to go back to his father's house. After David killed Goliath at Shochoh, Saul sends a message to David's father, Jesse, requesting that David stay with him permanently. Saul's request is not because of his love for David, it appears Saul begins to suspect that David is God's new anointed and wants to keep an eye on him. Also, he wants to kill him but does not want to kill him openly, probably because David is a hero to the people. Therefore, Saul sends David out to fight the Philistines hoping that he will be killed in battle. A strategy David later uses successfully later to kill Uriah the Hittite.

When David is not killed but wins victory after victory and Saul realizes David is indeed the Lord's anointed, Saul openly tells his servants and his son Jonathan that he wants them to kill David. Then the Bible tells us plainly that the evil spirit returns to Saul and inspires him to murder David with his javelin. This is when it becomes obvious to David that King Saul wants to kill him and he flees to see the Prophet Samuel and they both dwell together in the town of Naioth. When Jonathan warns David that there is no doubt that his father Saul wants to kill him, David flees into the wilderness of Judah, probably he chooses Judah because he was more familiar with his own tribal territory.

KING SAUL IS A TYPE OF ANTICHRIST

Like Saul, the antichrist and the rulers of the world will have an unreasonable hatred and fear of Christians. The antichrist will view Christians as a threat and he will be inspired by Satan to search out and destroy Christians because he will know that the Church of Jesus Christ will replace his own world government system. The Church, like David, will be protected and preserved in the wilderness for three and one-half (3 1/2 ) years.

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

How is David an allegory of the Last Days Church?

I believe this period in King David's life is an excellent allegory for the last days Church. The Bible informs us that prior to the coming of the Lord, he will pour out his spirit on all flesh. Just like David, the manifestation of the sons of God by this outpouring of the Holy Spirit will also be associated with the blessing of the Lord, success will follow success and victory will follow victory.

Joe 2:22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

Joe 2:24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

This great outpouring of blessing and miracles from God will be so spectacular it will bring a lot of attention from the world, including unwanted attention from the present false rulers of the world. While this blessing is being poured out on the Church, the people of the World will be suffering a great amount of pain and bewilderment:

Joe 1:10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

Joe 1:11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

Joe 1:12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Joe 1:13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Everything the people of the world relied upon and counted on will disappear like a mirage in the desert. The world economy will collapse, many governments of the world will collapse, famine, pestilence, and war will engulf the world. The people of the world will be turning to the Church for answers and there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like no other time in history:

Joe 2:26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Joe 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

People might ask, "Are these promises for the Church or for the modern state of Israel?"

First, people try to soft peddle the idea that there is a special "race" called Jews, the Jews are NOT a race, they are a group of people who follow a specific religion (Judaism). There are literally hundreds of millions of people with genetic code from Abraham, who do not identify themselves as "Jews"!

There is a gene specifically identified as the "Cohen Gene"—the genetic signature shared by the majority of Kohanim—the Jewish priestly family worldwide. Guess what? This "Cohen Gene" can be found in millions of people throughout the world, who do not identify themselves as from a Jewish priestly family, nor do they identify themselves as "Jews". I guess they would more rightly identify themselves as Levites. The "Jews" and most of the people in the Middle East are very closely related. The point is there is no pure race anywhere! Most of the "human race" shares about 99% of genetic material. The cause of the differences in our appearance (phenotype) is due to slight differences in the 1% of genetic material, we do not share.

The Apostle Paul explained that the promises to Abraham and to Israel are to Abraham's seed, which is Jesus Christ. The children of the flesh do not inherit the promises of God (since a large portion of the world's population are descendants of Abraham), but the children of the spirit inherit the promises. There are numerous allegories in the Bible: Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, etc., etc. The children of the spirit are those who trust in the perfect sacrifice and completed work of Jesus Christ. The promises of God are for spiritual Israel, NOT Israel of the flesh.

Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

When the children of the promise begin experiencing the blessings of God, they will begin to receive negative attention from the rulers of this world. At first, the world rulers will fear the Church because all the people of the world will be amazed at the prosperity, success, miracles and many other blessings from God.

However, the rulers of the world will realize that their time is growing short and eventually the god of this world (Satan) will possess the son of perdition and compel him to start a war of extermination against the Church. The wise will see the signs of the times and flee into the wilderness early but the foolish will wait until they actually see the abomination of desolation in the Holy Place. If Christians do not flee into the wilderness immediately after the antichrist declares himself God, they will probably not escape the wrath of the Satan.

Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

The devil will realize that he has only a short time for the same reason King Saul realized he only had a short time. The future kings of the earth (the Church) will be revealed by mighty signs, miracles, and wonders just prior to the return of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ!

CHAPTER 6

THE MACCABEES

There are several ancient books that were once in the King James Bible, called the Apocrypha, these books are considered both Biblical and authoritative by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, these ancient books were removed from the King James Bible in the nineteenth century. The Books of Maccabees I and Maccabees II are two books that have been excluded from the King James Bible and I believe it was a very grave error, or possibly demonically inspired. Actually, the books of the Apocrypha were included in the original King James version of the Bible for several hundred years prior to their removal.

First, I am not Roman Catholic and neither am I Eastern Orthodox. I was also not familiar with these ancient texts because they were removed from the King James version of the Bible. I believe the King James Bible is the best English translation of the Old and New Testament. However, after becoming more familiar with the Maccabean books it became very obvious to me that these books dealt with a subject of the utmost importance to the end times Church. Namely they dealt with a man who was a "type" of the antichrist named Antiochus the IV.

Many Protestant Christians are probably only slightly familiar with the story of the Maccabees. The Maccabean story deals with the Greek Emperor Antiochus Theos Epiphanes IV, who is probably one of the most important allegorical portraits of the antichrist in all of history. Although, neither Maccabees I or Maccabees II are ever mentioned by Jesus or his Apostles in the New Testament books, they were without a doubt very familiar with the story and the Books. Jesus celebrated the feast of dedication, or Hanukkah, in the Gospel of John, which was a holy day first established by Judas Maccabee according to the Book of II Maccabees. See John 10:22.

2 Mac 10:6 And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in

the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore

they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they

wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.

The story of the Maccabees was so very close to the prophecies in the Book of Daniel that many Bible scholars actually believed they fulfilled the Book of Daniel's prophecy. Although the Book of Maccabees may be a "type" of Daniel's prophecy, we know it is only a "type" because Jesus specifically mentions Daniel's prophecy as a sign of the end times:

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

In 175 B.C., Antiochus (IV) Theos Epiphanes became the king of the Seleucid Empire, which ruled over Judea and most of the Middle East. He named himself Antiochus after his father Antiochus (III) and added "Theos Epiphanes" to his name which means "God Manifest". He believed he was the incarnation of the Greek god Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. He acted in such a bizarre manner that people privately called him Epimanes, "The Mad One". I believe he was actually possessed by Satan.

According to the Bible, Satan has possessed people in the past and he will surely possess a specific man in the future. The Bible calls this future world leader: the son of perdition or the man of sin, and he will someday rule the entire world and will be possessed by Satan himself.

Judas Iscariot, who Jesus also called the son of perdition, also may give us clues about the coming antichrist:

Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Why did Jesus call Judas Iscariot the son of PERDITION (apolia)?

Perdition: G684, ἀπώλεια,apōleia, ap-o'-li-a

From a presumed derivative of G622; ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal): - damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, X perish, pernicious ways, waste.

Where have we seen this word before?

The Book of Revelation mentions an angel that ascends from the bottomless pit named Apollyon.

Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Apollyon: G623, Ἀπολλύων, Apolluōn, ap-ol-loo'-ohn

Active participle of G622; a destroyer (that is, Satan): - Apollyon.

We learn from the Strong's concordance that Apollyon is actually Satan and the Book of Luke helps to confirm his identity. Judas is called the son of perdition or the son of apolia (Satan) in the Greek.

Luk 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Therefore, the son of perdition is the son of Apollyon or the son of Satan. Just as Jesus Christ and the sons of God are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the son of Satan is indwelt by Satan's spirit.

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE ANTICHRIST

The Apostle John shows us how to identify the antichrist in the Book of I John:

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

The antichrist will be a liar and will specifically deny that Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah. I believe he will deny that Jesus is the Christ because the antichrist will claim that he himself is the true Jewish Messiah.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The antichrist spirit may say Jesus was an arch-type, or a mythical figure, or a false messiah, or an imposter, or simply a man imbued with the Christ consciousness but the antichrist spirit cannot confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who has come in the flesh, who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead on the third day. If Jesus is the savior of the world, there is no need for a new savior, namely the antichrist. The antichrist spirit will persecute and eventually seek to kill all true believers in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul calls the antichrist the mystery of iniquity. The mystery of iniquity is the exact opposite of the mystery of Christ.

Col 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Col 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

Col 4:4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

When we identify with Jesus Christ by faith and confess that he is LORD, we apprehend his character by faith: his righteousness, his salvation, and his eternal life. Those who identify with the antichrist will also apprehend his character: his lawlessness, his rebellion against God, his pride, and eventually his eternal damnation in the lake of fire.

2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

There has been much speculation about who or what withholdeth the antichrist from being revealed. I believe the Church (the true body of Christ), indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is withholding the manifestation of the antichrist. However, the Church is NOT going to be raptured out of the earth...the Church is going to physically Exit the World system because of the express commandment of God. There will be a mass Christian Exodus just before and right after the antichrist reveals himself, most likely fleeing from increasing world persecution.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

During the time of Antiochus IV, the saints of God also fled their homes because of persecution. We know that Antiochus IV made at least two attacks on Egypt. The first attack probably occurs in the spring of 169 B.C. and after he plundered Egypt, Antiochus IV stops on his return home to plunder the Jewish Temple.

1 Mac 1:19-25 And he made war against Ptolemy king of Egypt, but Ptolemy was afraid at his presence, and fled, and many were wounded unto death. And fled, and many were wounded to death. And he took the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils of the land of Egypt. And after Antiochus had ravaged Egypt in the hundred and forty-third year, he returned and went up against Israel. And he went up to Jerusalem with a great multitude. And he proudly entered into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, and the table of proposition, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the little mortars of gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornament that was before the temple: and he broke them all in pieces. And he took the silver and gold, and the precious vessels; and he took the hidden treasures which he found. And when he had taken all away, he departed into his own country. And he made a great slaughter of men, and spoke very proudly.

Approximately two years later in 167 B.C. Antiochus' chief tax collector enters peacefully into Jerusalem and then suddenly springs a surprise attack upon the city:

1 Mac 1:30-34 And after two full years the king sent the chief collector of his tributes to the cities of Juda, and he came to Jerusalem with a great multitude. And he spoke to them peaceable words in deceit, and they believed him. And he fell upon the city suddenly, and struck it with a great slaughter, and destroyed much people in Israel. And he took the spoils of the city, and burnt it with fire, and threw down the houses thereof, and the walls thereof round about: and they took the women captive, and the children, and the cattle they possessed.

It was about this time that Antiochus sets up a statue of Zeus in the Temple on Casleu 15 of 167 B.C., which is called the abomination of desolation in the Book of I Maccabees. Ten days later on Casleu 25, 167 B.C., a pig is offered as a sacrifice on the altar.

1 Mac 1:57 On the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred and forty-fifth year, king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God, and they built altars thought all the cities of Juda round about.

I believe that the statute of Zeus was probably an image of Antiochus himself because he believed he was the incarnation of Zeus, the father of the gods. Not long after the setting up of the idol in the temple of Jerusalem, men were sent to the city of Modin by Antiochus, where Mathathias the priest and his family lived. The men sent by Antiochus asked Mathathias to offer sacrifice and to burn incense to an idol. Mathathias refuses to make sacrifice; however, another Jew offers to make the sacrifice. Mathathias promptly slays the Jew and he also kills the man Antiochus sent to compel him to sacrifice to the idol.

1 Mac 2:25 Moreover the man whom king Antiochus had sent, who compelled them to sacrifice, he slew at the same time, and pulled down the altar, and showed zeal for the law, as Phinees did by Zamri the son of Salomi. And Mathathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: Everyone that hath zeal for the law, and maintaineth the testament, let him follow me. So he and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that they had in the city.

One day in the near future everybody in the world will have to make a similar choice. They will either have to willingly take the mark of the beast and worship his image or they must flee into the wilderness and totally depend on God to escape persecution and death.

He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of

offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months. See The Wars of the Jews, Book 1, Ch. 1, Sect. 1, by Flavius Josephus.

Here we have the three and one half (3 and ½) years mentioned by Flavius Josephus. Do you believe in coincidence? I don't.

If we count from the date the idol was first set up on Casleu 15, BC 167 to the Spring of BC 163 when Antiochus IV dies, we arrive at approximately three and one half (3 and ½) years. Perhaps the time is not exactly 3 and ½ years but I believe it is close enough to be another "type" of the antichrist.

PART 3

JESUS

Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

CHAPTER 7

JESUS

There is no better "type" of the Last Days Church then our Lord Jesus Christ himself. He, like King David, spends three and one-half (3 ½) years of ministry, mainly in the wilderness, that has some strong parallels to the last days. There is that 3 ½ years again.

We know very little about the early life of Jesus, other than the fact that King Herod tries to kill him soon after he is born. Killing babies appears to be one of Satan's primary weapons against God's plan for mankind. Throughout the entire Bible are stories of people killing babies and God's judgment for what God calls an abomination. As of this writing, nearly one billion (1,000,000,000) babies have been aborted in the last sixty years. This is evidence that Satan is very afraid and is pulling out all the stops to prevent the manifestation of the sons of God.

We know from historical sources that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.; we know from the Bible that Jesus was born before Herod died. Most Bible scholars agree that Jesus probably began his ministry in late AD 26 (probably during the feast of tabernacles) and was crucified three and one-half (3 and ½) years later on the Feast of Passover, AD 30. The gospel of Luke also mentions that Jesus was thirty (30) years old when he was baptized by John the Baptist.

Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Most Bible scholars agree with a 3 ½ ministry because the gospel of John mentions three Passovers: John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55. John also mentions a feast in John 5:1, which is almost certainly a Passover since many ancient manuscripts call it "the feast of the Jews".

We can make an estimate of when Jesus was born by the information in the gospel of Luke.

Zacharias, of the course of Abia, was the father of John the Baptist and was offering incense when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that Elisabeth his wife was going to give birth to John the Baptist. See Luke 1:5-13

Then six (6) months later, the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her she was going to give birth to the Messiah. See Luke 1:26-36

John the Baptist's mother, Elisabeth, most likely became pregnant with John during the month following Zacharias' service in the temple. All the priestly families would have had to serve in the temple during the feast of Pentecost. Using simple math, we can determine that John the Baptist was probably born nine (9) months later on, or very close to, Passover and Jesus was probably born six (6) months later on either Yom Kippur or Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths).

HEBREW CALENDAR

1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

I lean towards Jesus being born on the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) because it is one of the three Hebrew High Holy days, when all the males of Israel were to gather at Jerusalem, and it is the only High Holyday that the Church does not celebrate and ALL of the Jewish high holidays point directly to Jesus Christ. Interestingly, Yom Kippur is NOT one of the three major feast days according to the Bible. Let's look at the major Jewish holidays and how they compare to Christian holidays:

Jewish High Holiday Christian Holiday

Passover Easter

First Fruits Pentecost

Feast of Tabernacles Jesus Birth, the beginning of his ministry?

Jesus was born on the first day of Tabernacles and he was circumcised on the eighth day, or the last day of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles represents God dwelling with men.

Neh 8:17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Neh 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

Jesus, our King and High Priest, also began his ministry on his thirtieth (30th) birthday, the first day of Tabernacles. The first six (6) months of Jesus' ministry would have looked like this:

I believe this first year, beginning with John the Baptist, tells us a lot about the beginning of the great tribulation. Moses ascended Mount Sinai the second time on the 1st of Elul and met with Jehovah for forty (40) days and when he came down from Mount Sinai on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, his face was glowing with the glory of God. I believe Jesus fasted in the wilderness and communed with his Father during this same period of time. Yom Kippur was the only day of the year that the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies to offer blood sacrifice for the nation of Israel. I believe it is significant because Moses met with God on this date but Yom Kippur does not compare in significance to the Feast of Tabernacles, which I will explain later.

There appears to be a lot of controversy among different bible scholars concerning the date of Jesus' ministry but the Gospel of Luke gives a hard date to begin John the Baptist's ministry:

Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

Caesar Augustus died in August of AD 14; however, Augustus became seriously ill in AD 11/12 and he named Tiberius as his successor and his co-regent the same year. Tiberius was Emperor in everything but name only. It makes sense that Luke would begin his date from AD 12 because he actually lived under Tiberius' reign.

It would also align with the secular date of Herod the Great's death in the Spring of BC 4. Jesus would have been born in the Fall of BC 5 and would have been thirty (30) in the Fall of AD 26. John the Baptist would have been killed the year before in the Spring of AD 29 and Jesus would have been crucified in the Spring of AD 30. This tells us something extremely important about 30 AD...it was a Jubilee year! This was the year Jesus died for us and all our sin debt was forgiven us by God.

Lev 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Lev 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.

Lev 25:12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

Lev 25:13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

Every fifty (50) years was a year of Jubilee and in the year of Jubilee all our debts are forgiven, including our most important debt, our sin debt to God! Our possessions are returned and we do not work because God provides for all our needs. If we know that 30 AD was a Jubilee year, we can count every fifty (50) years and find each Jubilee year afterwards...30 AD, 80 AD, 130 AD, 180 AD, 230 AD, 280 AD, etc., etc.,... Do you see a

pattern here? If 30 AD was a Jubilee year then God's last Jubilees were in 1930 and 1980. The world's next Jubilee will be in 2030! It will also be exactly 2000 years from the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which I will explain later in the book is very, very important!

John the Baptist probably begins his ministry on or close to the Feast of Passover 26AD, six (6) months before Jesus begins his ministry on the Feast of Tabernacles 26AD.

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

John the Baptist probably would have started his ministry shortly after he turned thirty (30). He was from a priestly family and the priests began their ministry at the age of thirty.

Num 4:3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

I believe Elijah, or someone in the spirit of Elijah, is actually one of the two witnesses mentioned in the Book of Revelation:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

I believe the two witnesses will be revealed on or near the Feast of Passover, approximately six (6) months before the antichrist is revealed. I also believe the False Prophet mentioned in the Book of Revelation will also reveal himself near Passover because he will claim to be the prophet Elijah. The Jews have an interesting tradition; they set a seat for Elijah on Passover and pour him a cup of wine.

The appearance of the two witnesses and the False Prophet will be open and notorious, and the whole world will see and hear about them. If you are wise, if you have not fled into the wilderness yet, you should immediately flee into the wilderness when the two witnesses appear. If you wait for the appearance, or abomination desolation, of the antichrist six (6) months later, your chance of survival through the great tribulation will be greatly decreased.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Jesus specifically mentions Judea because it will be where the antichrist will have his seat of authority. The antichrist, possessed by Satan, will live and rule from Jerusalem thereby fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah:

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Satan greatly desires to rule and reign on Mount Zion in Jerusalem because it is prophesied in the Books of the Old Testament that God's Messiah will rule the whole world from Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

CHAPTER 8

NAZI GERMANY

Another historical event may give us an even greater understanding of the antichrist and the great tribulation. I believe the spirit of antichrist is constantly preparing for the arrival of the antichrist just like the Holy Spirit is constantly preparing for the arrival of Jesus Christ.

I believe Adolph Hitler was a "type" of the antichrist. World War 2 and the events leading up to the war also seem to be a "type" of the great tribulation.

THE FIRST THREE AND ONE-HALF (3 and ½) YEARS

On March 12, 1938, Germany forcefully annexed Austria. The next day on March 13, 1938, the Nazi's immediately begin to persecute the Jews in Austria. If we date World War 2 from this date, the actual starting date of Nazi Germany's military aggression, and we count to the end of the war in Europe on May 8, 1945, we arrive at approximately seven (7) years of war. Seven is a very important number for Christians and Jews. Seven (7) is the number of perfection and completion.

Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew FIRST (emphasis added), and also of the Gentile;

The Nazi's incrementally made life intolerable for Jews under their authority with a series of anti-Semitic laws. The Nazi's made laws taking away German citizenship and basic rights from all Jews, including the right to bear arms, within all German controlled territory. At first the Jews were encouraged to immigrate from Nazi territory; however, approximately 3 and ½ years into the war, the Jews were physically prevented from immigrating because a homicidal spirit (Satan?) began to motivate Hitler and he became determined to exterminate all the Jews in Europe. There is that 3 and ½ years mentioned in the Bible again. It is not an exact fulfillment of prophecy but it is awfully close.

Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

A rapid series of events allows the Nazi's to control the fate of nearly every Jew in Europe. On September 29, 1938 the Munich agreement forced the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany. When Hitler could not achieve his aims by peaceful methods he turned to war.

Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Nazi Germany unleashed its "blitzkrieg" in September of 1939, blitzkrieg meaning "lightning war". Blitzkrieg was an innovative military technique based on speed and surprise. Light tanks moved quickly to occupy enemy territory while being supported by infantry, fighter planes, and soldiers fortified with ample supplies of methamphetamine.

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and England and France declared war on Germany to honor their guarantee of Poland's borders. In April of 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, Denmark surrendered the same day, while Norway held out until June 9. In May of 1940, Germany then attacked Western Europe and quickly occupied Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, within a few weeks all these countries surrendered. After brief resistance France surrendered and signed an armistice with Germany in June of 1940. In less than a year Nazi Germany and its Axis allies controlled most of Europe.

In every country occupied and controlled by Nazi Germany, Jews were identified with a "J" on their identification papers and all Jewish males from age 14 to 60 were used for forced labor by the Third Reich. Jewish Ghettos were created in the large cities and Jewish families were separated from the general population. For approximately 3 and ½ years from March 11, 1938, when Hitler's armies occupy Austria through the summer of 1941, it appeared that Nazi Germany and its Axis allies were unstoppable. In June of 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies invade the Soviet Union and capture Smolensk in August, they laid siege to Leningrad by September and were attacking Moscow by October. German and Romanian troops also capture and overran Kiev by September of 1941.

THE SECOND THREE AND ONE-HALF (3 and ½) YEARS

In the middle of September 1941, Zyklon B is tested at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Construction of mass extermination facilities begins in September of 1941 to implement Hitler's "final solution" for the murder of all European Jews. In October of 1941, mass deportation of Jews to "extermination" camps in the East begins. A frenzy of killing begins that eventually kills 6,000,000 Jews and nearly 6,000,000 other undesirables like gypsies, communists, the mentally ill, dissidents, and all other people who attempted to resist the Nazis' program.

It appears that this is the moment that the invincible Nazi juggernaut achieves its greatest success but then the tide rapidly begins to turn. In December of 1941 a Soviet counter-offensive forces the Germans to retreat from Moscow. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and the United States declares war on Japan, entering World War 2. In May of 1942, the British begin bombing Cologne Germany and over the next three years British and American bombing reduces Germany to rubble.

In rapid succession German armies begin to suffer defeat after defeat at the hands of the allied armies. In October of 1942, British troops defeat the Germans and Italians at El Alamein in Egypt. In November of 1942, a Soviet counterattack traps the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad and the German Sixth Army surrender in February of 1943. In May of 1943, Axis forces surrender in Tunisia ending the North African campaign. By mid-August, the Allies control Sicily. In November of 1943, Soviet troops capture Kiev. In June of 1944, Allied troops capture Rome.

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops land at Normandy, France. In August of 1944, Free French troops and the Allied troops enter Paris. By January 1, 1945, the German and Axis armies are in full retreat on all sides. At the end of January, 1945, the Nazis begin forced death marches from the concentration camps as they flee the allied forces. Auschwitz is liberated on April 15, 1945. Approximately 3 and ½ years from the beginning of mass extermination of Jews in the middle of September 1941, Adolph Hitler commits suicide in April of 1945 and Germany surrenders unconditionally on May 8, 1945. The survivors of the concentration camps are finally set free.

This timeline may be familiar to students of Bible prophecy: A seven (7) year campaign led by a mad man with the last 3 and ½ years ending in a frenzied mass murder of millions of human beings. However, the antichrist is going to be Adolph Hitler on steroids and will receive authority for a brief period to rule over the whole earth for a 3 and ½ year period of time called the Great Tribulation!

CHAPTER 9

THE FALL FEASTS

FEAST OF TRUMPETS

Num 29:1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

Trumpets have always been used as a means of communication to large groups of people. Trumpets have been used to communicate in war and in peacetime. Trumpets are also used to announce the arrival of an important personage, usually kings or returning conquerors. The most important use of the trumpet in the Bible is to announce the arrival of Jehovah. God came down from Mount Sinai in the midst of Israel on Pentecost and it is recorded in Exodus:

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Jehovah arrived in a thick cloud with sheets of lightning, the roar of thunder and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud. It must have been an awe inspiring and terrifying event. The Bible records that the Israelites begged Moses to be an intermediary for them. They were so afraid during God's appearance they did not want to ever physically meet with him again.

Approximately fifteen hundred (1500) years later, also on Pentecost, the Holy Ghost fell on the Apostles and a hundred and twenty (120) other believers with a rushing mighty wind, and the appearance of cloven tongues of fire. The appearance of the Holy Ghost must have been an actual physical manifestation because people came rushing from all over Jerusalem to see what was going on. The next time Jehovah (Jesus Christ) arrives will be a similar event:

Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

When Israel entered the Promised Land, the first city they encountered was Jericho. The blast of a rams' horns' not only announced their arrival but it announces the destruction of Jericho. Rahab the harlot's home, identified with a rope of scarlet (the blood of Christ), is the only home that escapes total destruction.

Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

Jos 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

The Lord brings down the walls of Jericho. The warriors of Israel only needed to kill everyone in the city afterwards, except Rahab. A similar event signals the destruction of the Midianites when Gideon and the three hundred elect with him blow their ram's horns. Do you think they knew that they would simply be witnesses of the battle? They never had to lift a sword and they were never in danger because the battle was the LORD's!

Jdg 7:19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

Jdg 7:20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

Jdg 7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Another trumpet announces the arrival of Jubilee. In the Fall of every fiftieth year, on the day of Atonement, everyone received their freedom and their inheritance back. If you lost your ancestral lands or your freedom because of debt, it all had to be returned back to you in the Jubilee year.

Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

Lev 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

I believe on the Day of Atonement in the year of 2030, the saints of God will receive their inheritance. The meek will indeed inherit the earth.

YOM KIPPUR

(The Day of Atonement)

Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

Lev 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

The Day of Atonement has already been fulfilled. In the Book of Hebrews, it is explained that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, brought his own blood into the Holy of Holies and paid for the sins of the whole world for ever:

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

On the Day of Atonement of 2030, there will simply be one question. During your life, did you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and did you believe that God raised Him from the dead? Are you covered by the blood of Jesus?

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

If you have acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord and if you believe that God has raised Him from the dead, you are the righteousness of God, you are saved forever, and you can boldly approach our Father in heaven with a pure conscience and ask Him for the gift of His Holy Spirit.

SUKKOT

(Feast of Tabernacles)

Lev 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

Lev 23:35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

Lev 23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

I was always taught that the Feast of Tabernacles represented the time that the children of Israel dwelt in tents in the wilderness and this is partially true. However, I wondered why it was celebrated in the Fall because the children of Israel left Egypt in the Springtime on the Feast of Passover. I believe the Feast of Tabernacles is the MOST IMPORTANT FEAST OF ALL! The Feast of Tabernacles is why we were created in the first place. WE (THE CHURCH) ARE GOD'S TABERNACLE! The Church is God's dwelling place. One day in the near future, the Church will be called out of Babylon and into the wilderness where God will dwell in us while the wrath of God is poured out upon the kingdom of the beast. God will fight the battle and the Church will be His Witness.

Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Zec 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

After Jesus Christ returns in Glory and establishes His everlasting kingdom, the Feast of Tabernacles is the only feast REQUIRED to be celebrated by the whole world! If a nation refuses to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles the Lord will afflict them with drought.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

On the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus makes a point of making a public announcement of the arrival of the Holy Ghost. Why did he make this announcement on the Feast of Tabernacles? Why didn't he make the announcement on the Feast of Pentecost? I believe the Holy Ghost will be poured out twice. He was first poured out moderately on 120 believers assembled together in Jerusalem during the Feast of Pentecost, just after Jesus arose to heaven. I believe the Holy Ghost will be poured out a second time to many thousands, perhaps millions, of believers during the latter rain of the Feast of Tabernacles just a few years prior to the arrival of Jesus Christ physically to the Mount of Olives on Pentecost.

Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

If you are familiar with prophecy, you might ask, "does not Joel say in the first month?" Actually, "month" is in italics, therefore, it is not in the original Hebrew. The word first is the Hebrew word "rishon".

First H7223, ri'shôn ri'shôn, ree-shone', ree-shone'

From H7221; first, in place, time or rank (as adjective or noun): - ancestor, (that were) before (-time), beginning, eldest, first, fore [-father] (-most), former (thing), of old time, past.

Hos 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Hos 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

I know the concept of the "trinity" is difficult to grasp with our limited understanding but the best way I can explain God is by using the Bible's description of man for an illustration: Humanity was created in the likeness of God and according to the Bible we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we reside in a body. When we meet somebody, we tend to describe people and relate to people by their physical appearance but fundamentally, people are actually spirits, just like God is a Spirit. Jesus Christ is the physical manifestation of both God the Father AND of the Holy Ghost.

However, there is one major difference between Jesus Christ and the rest of us, he is perfectly congruent with the Holy Ghost and the Father...they all have ONE MIND. He could not make mistakes, he could not blunder, he could not act inappropriately or sin because he was, is, and always will be ONE with the Father and the Holy Ghost. All three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one personality and are really indistinguishable from each other, they are ONE. The Holy Ghost is both Jesus AND the Father! They are undistinguishable. They are ONE personality.

We are confused by our own imperfect, fallen nature. We understand that we DO make mistakes, we do blunder, we do get confused, we do make mistakes, we do sin. "To err is human"! This imperfection was not how man was originally created by God, our carnal nature, which battles God's Spirit, is the result of Adam's original sin. Therefore, we SEEM to ourselves to be different personalities in one person. As the Holy Spirit "transforms" our minds into the mind of Christ, these human errors will become less and less prominent in our lives. We will never be perfect as long as we are in these imperfect bodies but one day we will have a celestial body and we will be EXACTLY LIKE JESUS! We will be ONE with God, spirit, soul, AND body.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

At the great day of our resurrection, we will be perfect, we will be like God originally created us to be, we will be ONE in spirit, soul and body with God, we will be the manifest sons of God.

PART 4

JESUS HAS BROTHERS

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

CHAPTER 10

MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

What is my purpose in life? What is your purpose in life? God's purpose for every man, woman, and child is the same. He wants us all to be manifested as the sons of God.

MANIFESTATION: G602, apokalupsis, ap-ok-al'-oop-sis

From G601; disclosure: \- appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.

God wants ALL Christians to become mature and maturity is a three step process. First, we accept the gift of salvation and the gift of righteousness as we receive the Holy Spirit into our Holy of Holies (our spirit), second we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit enters into our Holy Place (our soul) manifested by speaking in tongues, and third the Holy Spirit is manifested in us and to the world with signs, wonders, and mighty miracles. God wants our spirit, soul, and body to be congruent, like He is congruent. He wants us to be exactly like Him. He wants us all to become kings and priests forever after the order of Melchisedec. The Sons of God are manifested to the world when Jesus Christ is manifested in them and to the world, spirit, soul, AND body. A mature Christian is a REVELATION of Jesus Christ (GOD) to the World.

Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

I believe that the manifestation (revelation) of the sons of God will reach its complete fulfillment at the resurrection of the Church. However, I believe the manifestation first began on the Feast of Tabernacles nearly two thousand (2000) years ago when Jesus began his ministry and this manifestation of the sons of God will accelerate exponentially as the Day of the Lord approaches. The manifestation of the sons of God takes place in three stages:

Exo 40:12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

Exo 40:13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

We see that there are three (3) steps that must occur before a person is prepared to be a priest of Jehovah:

  1. A Christian must put on the holy garments (the feast of Passover).

  2. A Christian must be anointed (the feast of Pentecost).

  3. A Christian must be sanctified (the feast of Tabernacles).

Sanctified: H6942, qâdash, kaw-dash' - A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.

PUT ON THE HOLY GARMENTS

(Feast of Passover)

CONFESS THE LORD JESUS = SALVATION + RIGHTEOUSNESS

(Manifestation of Jesus Christ by Righteousness)

First, a Christian must put on the holy garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness.

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Our "manifestation" of Jesus Christ begins by receiving the Holy Ghost in our spirit with our acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as LORD and savior. It is also "manifested" by believing unto righteousness:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Being "saved" AND receiving the GIFT of "righteousness" is the first step of a Christian's manifestation of Jesus Christ in their spirit. Salvation AND righteousness go together but they often are not "manifested" for a very long time after confessing the LORD Jesus. Attempting to be righteous under your own will power will delay the manifestation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I can tell you that it took me many years to realize that I could not ACHIEVE righteousness, I had to BELIEVE and RECEIVE both salvation AND righteousness as a "gift" from God. Christians often find it easy to understand that they must receive salvation but receiving the "gift" of righteousness is often a great stumbling block.

After the Passover there is a "Feast of Unleavened Bread" and it represents something very, very important. During the Seven days after the Passover the Jews would search their houses and remove all the leaven they could find. God commanded that they were only to eat unleavened bread during this feast. The Pharisees taught that leaven represents sin but Jesus taught that leaven represents FALSE DOCTRINE... the doctrine of dead works. You need to do some self-examination after you confess Jesus Christ as savior. You need to ask yourself...Am I trying to be righteous OR am I simply believing that I AM the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ by faith?

Mat 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the DOCTRINE (emphasis added) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

The ancient Pharisees and their modern day brethren will tell you that after you are saved, you need to identify your sins and eliminate them. It is easy to identify our sins but it is IMPOSSIBLE for US to eliminate them. Remember leaven is NOT sin, it is FALSE DOCTRINE. It is the doctrine of believing there is something I can do or not do that can add or subtract from what Jesus Christ has already done.

There is only ONE way to eliminate your sins... YOU MUST DIE! A dead person cannot help God or anybody else. You must acknowledge to yourself that you are dead and Jesus Christ is alive in you!

Here is PURE DOCTRINE... YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD! YOU DIED TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO WHEN JESUS CHRIST DIED! BELIEVE IT AND YOU WILL BE SET FREE!

Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

Gal 5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

I will tell you how I acknowledged, received, and began manifesting the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I began to memorize and meditate on three verses in the Bible. 1) Isaiah 61:10 taught me that God clothed me in salvation and covered me in a robe of righteousness. I had revelation that I could neither save myself nor could I provide my own righteousness. God must "give" me the righteousness of Jesus Christ and I must receive it by faith.

Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

2) Romans 5:17-19 taught me that Jesus provided me with HIS righteousness. His perfect obedience made me righteous just like Adam's disobedience made me a sinner.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I have often heard people quote Romans 10:9 but they always seemed to leave out

3) Romans 10:10, "man believeth unto righteousness", but like I said, righteousness and salvation go together, they cannot be separated. Romans 10:10 taught me that if I believe in the perfect FINISHED work of Jesus Christ, I must also believe I have received the "gift" of HIS righteousness.

After I memorized these three scripture verses and meditated on them for a while and PRAYED IN TONGUES, my besetting sins began to fall away like dead leaves in the Fall. I had the "revelation" from the Holy Spirit that I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. I tried for years to obey the law, to do good and to not do bad, to be a "good person", and it did not work. I would make New Year's resolutions, I would make promises to myself and to God but I would fail over and over again. Today I can truthfully say that sin does not have dominion over me. After meditating on these righteousness verses for a while it finally clicked... the light came on. I received REVELATION from the Holy Spirit. The only righteousness I needed was Jesus' righteousness and it was mine by faith alone! All I had to do was BELIEVE I AM the righteousness of God by the finished work of Jesus Christ!

Trying to grit your teeth and not do certain things or making a New Year's resolution every January 1st will NOT work! Simply meditating on the Word of God, praying in tongues and receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit (believing God's Word by faith), fellowshipping with God, WILL work!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When temptation comes along, or even if we sin and feel condemned afterwards, we need to SPEAK the following, "I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST"! See 2 Cor 5:21. Eventually, as you meditate on the Word of God and pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit will give you revelation concerning the GIFT of righteousness you have received from Jesus Christ and the temptations you could never resist before will not hold any appeal for you because you will realize that you ARE the righteousness of God and sin will not have dominion over you. Satan tried to tempt Jesus by questioning whether he was the Son of God. Satan will also try and tempt you by trying to convince you that you are not the son (righteousness) of God, DON'T LET HIM!

You must have the revelation of who you are in Jesus Christ (IF YOU ARE SAVED THEN YOU ARE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST!). Jesus is in you and you are in Jesus...You are one with Jesus Christ! You must have revelation that you have received God's righteousness as a gift and THEN you will experience a noticeable difference in your life. The fruits of the spirit will begin to manifest in your life, Jesus Christ will begin to manifest in your life with HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! The awful burden and condemnation of sin is removed. We do not become righteous, we ARE righteous! The more we fellowship with God, the more HIS righteousness will "manifest" in our lives. ONLY through fellowship with Jesus will His righteousness be manifest in your life!

It reminds me of one especially bad winter when I had to wear heavy boots all the time because the snow did not seem like it was ever going to end. Then one night a warm wind came and the snow melted overnight. I put on my tennis shoes for the first time in months and it felt like I was walking on air. Not feeling condemned is a wonderful feeling and possessing the righteousness of Jesus Christ is a beautiful GIFT from God. If you have a problem with some besetting sin, I encourage you to increase your time of fellowship with Jesus and your guilt, condemnation, AND sin will disappear.

RECEIVE GOD'S ANOINTING

(Feast of Pentecost)

COMMUNION = SPEAKING IN TONGUES + REVELATION

(Manifestation of Jesus Christ by Speaking in Tongues)

I have heard some things concerning the baptism in the Holy Ghost that I know are not true:

In the Holy Place there were three objects: 1) The table of shew bread that held unleavened bread and wine, 2) the menorah or lampstand, and 3) the altar of incense. The Holy Place represents our soul and the purpose of our soul. Our soul includes our feelings and our emotional life. We communicate with God from our soul to our spirit. We "commune" with God with our spirit via our soul.

We take "communion" by eating unleavened bread and drinking wine. Unleavened bread represents PURE DOCTRINE (the Truth about our position IN Jesus Christ...WE DIED IN HIM AND ARE RESURRECTED IN HIM). We MUST meditate on God's Word and pray in tongues to receive pure doctrine. Jesus is everything! Leavened bread represents FALSE DOCTRINE. Leaven DOES NOT REPRESENT SIN! Sin is only the fruit of false doctrine.

FALSE DOCTRINE = YOU MUST "OBEY THE LAW" TO BE SAVED!

PURE DOCTRINE = I HAVE DIED and JESUS CHRIST LIVES IN ME!

When we take communion we "remember" or contemplate what Jesus did when He died on the cross (WE DIED TO SIN AND WE WERE RECONCILED BACK TO GOD!). The death of Jesus Christ on the cross illustrates the sacrifice of the unblemished lamb on the altar of burnt offerings in the Old Testament. He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. He died so that we could have eternal life. He was separated from the Father so that we could be reconciled with the Father forever.

2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The menorah represents the "light" of REVELATION from the Holy Spirit when we are meditating on the Word of God AND praying in tongues.

Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

People can read the Bible and they can study the Bible all their life but unless they receive revelation from the Holy Spirit, the Word of God will have very little impact on their life. I have been reading the Bible fairly consistently since I was thirteen (13) years old but it wasn't until I began receiving "revelation" of who I am in Christ that I began to notice a change.

The more "revelation" you receive from the Holy Spirit the more you will be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus will be "revealed" in and by you. You MUST 1) meditate on God's Word AND you MUST 2) pray in tongues in order to receive revelation from the Holy Ghost. Every time you receive revelation from the Holy Spirit, you will be "transformed" a little more into the image of Jesus Christ from glory to glory. The fruit of the spirit will begin to manifest in your life. Revelation is different from simply knowledge, you can memorize the whole bible and not have revelation. Revelation is the Word of God actually transforming you into the image of Jesus Christ.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Transformed: metamorphoō, met-am-or-fo'-o, From G3326 and G3445; to transform (literally or figuratively "metamorphose"): - change, transfigure, transform.

"Metamorphoo" is the same word used when Jesus is "transfigured" when he met with Moses and Elijah.

Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

Mat 17:2 And was TRANSFIGURED (metamorphoo) before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that we can be transfigured (metamorphoo) by the renewing of our mind! This scripture is very exciting if you contemplate it, we are being transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ by renewing our mind, by meditating on God's Word, by speaking in tongues, and by receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit of our new identity in Christ Jesus, by fellowshipping with Jesus!

Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ...the express image of God.

Some people say that you are not saved if you have not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believe you can be saved and not be baptized in the Holy Ghost, but I strongly believe you cannot become a mature son of God without being baptized in the Holy Ghost. Being saved and being baptized in the Holy Ghost are two totally different experiences.

When you are saved, the Holy Ghost takes up residence in your spirit. Actually, the Holy Spirit and your spirit become ONE. When you are baptized in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost takes up residence in your soul and becomes your teacher and he is then able to transform your mind. You receive the mind of Christ. This is illustrated by the following verses:

Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, he appeared to the disciples and breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Ghost. However, in the Book of Acts Jesus tells his disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they receive the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. Therefore, receiving the Holy Ghost and being Baptized in the Holy Ghost are two different occurrences.

Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

We see that the disciples received the Holy Ghost from Jesus in the inner room but the Baptism with the Holy Ghost occurred on Pentecost, ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus Christ always manifests himself from our spirit outwards to our soul and then finally towards the world. When we receive the Holy Ghost in our spirit he is manifested by our confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and by the manifestation of HIS righteousness in our life. Therefore, it should be no surprise that when the Holy Ghost takes up residence in our soul there will be a new manifestation. Baptism with the Holy Ghost is manifested by SPEAKING IN TONGUES!

The Jewish Temple was an allegory of a mature son of God. Let me illustrate with a diagram of the Temple:

Holy of Holies

(Spirit)

Ark

Holy Place

(Soul)

PRAYING

COMMUNION

REVELATION

Outer Court

(Body)

BAPTISM

ALTAR

So what is so important about speaking in tongues?

Speaking in tongues is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in our soul. Speaking in tongues is the Holy Spirit praying to the Father for us:

1Co 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

There is an interesting story in the Old Testament concerning Aaron the High Priest and his sons.

Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

God specifically wanted coals from the altar of burnt offering to be used to burn the incense:

Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

Obviously Nadab and Abihu used a fire from some other source and God killed them both instantly with fire. People may think this is a harsh judgment but God was illustrating there is only one appropriate entrance into his presence and that is through the sacrifice of HIS Lamb:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Anyone who claims there is another way or several ways to approach God other than through Jesus Christ is committing a blasphemy similar to Nadab and Abihu. I am sure God hears every prayer but only one kind of prayer is acceptable and is certain to be answered:

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

The altar of incense represents the prayers of the Saints and more specifically the intercessory prayers of Jesus Christ or SPEAKING IN TONGUES.

Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Jesus Christ/The Holy Ghost is making intercessory prayers when we pray in tongues.

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

God showed his acceptance of the ONLY proper sacrifice by sending down fire from heaven to devour the sacrifice. This fire was never allowed to go out and the coals from the fire were taken into the Holy Place to burn the sacred incense continually offered to God.

Lev 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

The fire from the altar, located in the outer court, was then used to light the incense in the Holy Place.

Exo 30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

Exo 30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

God wants us to be continually praying. It would appear to be impossible to pray continually, and in the flesh it would be, but if we pray in tongues we can pray perfectly day and night. You can pray in tongues when you are working or playing. I believe fire specifically represents praying in tongues because fire appeared upon the heads of the people in the upper room during the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized them with evidence of speaking in tongues:

Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

John the Baptist prophesied that the Messiah would baptize us in the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.

Luk 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Holy Ghost fire consumes the chaff in our life, we cannot defeat sin but Jesus Christ has already defeated sin and death and He wants to apply His victory to our life via speaking in tongues.

Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

The more we fellowship with Jesus Christ by meditating on His Word, praying in tongues, and receiving revelation, the more the chaff in our lives will be burnt up by His presence.

CHAPTER 11

THE HOLY PLACE REPRESENTS OUR SOUL

Meditating on the WORD of GOD, praying in tongues, and receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit is a three way self-reinforcing virtuous cycle. The more revelation we receive, the more we want to meditate on the Word, and the more we meditate on the world, the more we want to pray in tongues, and the more we pray in tongues, the more revelation we receive. It is a perpetual circle of communion between us and God. I like to pray in tongues with a notepad and pen because I like to write down revelation from the Holy Spirit as it comes to me.

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

Next we see the third and final step to becoming a fully mature son of God.

Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Heb 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

The Apostle Paul illustrates that the Levitical Priesthood was only a shadow of the heavenly priesthood. Jesus Christ is our heavenly High Priest and He has brought His own blood into the Holy of Holies and has become a propitiation for our sins.

Propitiation – G2435, hilastērion, hil-as-tay'-ree-on

Neuter of a derivative of G2433; an expiatory (place or thing), that is, (concretely) an atoning victim, or (specifically) the lid of the Ark (in the Temple): - mercyseat, propitiation.

Jesus Christ is the MERCY SEAT! If we start from the beginning of our salvation, we see that Jesus Christ provides EVERYTHING required for salvation, the manifestation of the sons of God, and the revelation of Jesus Christ in us! In the outer court, He IS the altar of burnt offering and He paid for our sins, He IS the Laver who cleanses us from all unrighteousness. When we enter into the Holy Place of the tabernacle, He IS the communion table (the bread and wine) where we experience fellowship, He IS the lampstand which gives us revelation, He IS the table of incense interceding to the Father for us. Finally, we enter into the Holy of Holies and we see He IS the Ark of the Covenant!

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Apostle John said that he is the propitiation for our sins and for the sins of the whole WORLD!

World - G2889, kosmos, kos'-mos

Probably from the base of G2865; orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]): - adorning, world.

All of creation has been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb! Not only did the High Priest bring blood into the Holy of Holies, he brought a censor of incense into the Holy of Holies and placed it before the LORD.

Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

When we pray in tongues, the LORD Himself is interceding for us before the throne of the Most High.

If you want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the manifestation of speaking in tongues, you simply need to ask God. God desires greatly that everyone receive His Holy Spirit so that He can have fellowship with you in spirit and in truth.

Luk 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luk 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

I sought the baptism in the Holy Spirit for a long time. One day I went to a revival meeting, and the man of God asked if anyone would like to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I went up and He laid hands on me...nothing happened. I went back to my seat and I was praising God and thanking Him, but I was wondering, "How come I wasn't baptized in the Holy Spirit?" As I praised God...OUT LOUD...everyone else in the building was praying and praising God, suddenly I started speaking in tongues...I was so happy! Everyone has a different story but if you do not receive the baptism right away keep knocking, keep asking, keep seeking, eventually God will baptize you in His Holy Spirit. You might also ask people who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit to pray with you.

We know therefore that ALL the Feasts of the LORD have been accomplished by Jesus except the final Feast. Let's take a closer look and see what the LORD has in store for us.

BE SANCTIFIED BY GOD

(Feast of Tabernacles)

REST = SUPERNATURAL PROVISION + RESURRECTION POWER

(Manifestation of Jesus Christ by Miraculous Power or Dunamis)

The most important attitude we must cultivate is the attitude of REST. We must be certain that when Jesus Christ said, "IT IS FINISHED!"... He made a statement of fact. There can be no argument, Jesus Christ saved us AND he gave us his life and righteousness. His death on the cross paid for the sins of the whole world. He reconciled us back to God! We cannot add or subtract from what Jesus has already done. This is pure doctrine, this is unleavened bread, this is THE GOSPEL!

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

TEN COMMANDMENTS

AARON'S ROD

POT OF MANNA

Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

It is interesting that the objects in the Holy of Holies appear to correlate with the objects in the Holy Place but on a more mature level: 1) The bread and wine in the Holy Place correlates with the pot of manna in the Holy of Holies; 2) The menorah correlates with Aaron's rod; and 3) The Ten Commandments correlates with the altar of incense.

Manna represents supernatural provision for the children of God in the wilderness. Elijah, a widow and her son are supernaturally provided for during three and one-half (3 and ½) years of drought; Jesus bless a few loaves and fishes in the wilderness and feeds 5000 men plus women and children. Jesus is the bread sent down from heaven!

Aaron's rod represents the resurrection power of God. Elijah resurrected the son of the Zarephath widow; Jesus resurrected three people during His three and one-half (3 and ½ ) year ministry. God will one day resurrect the Church to reign with Jesus Christ on the earth!

The ten commandments represents God's perfect justice. However, the commandments were placed within the Ark of the Covenant and beneath the "mercy" seat. It signifies that God's mercy should be our main focus as His children.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

God gave me a revelation of how the death of Jesus Christ paid for all of mankind's sins. Let us look at an example in the Book of Hebrews:

Heb 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

Heb 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Heb 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

Heb 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

Heb 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Heb 7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

Heb 7:10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

The Apostle Paul says that Levi, Abraham's great grandson, paid tithes in Abraham before he was even born. Also, according to the New Testament, we are born sinners because of the original sin of Adam. When Adam sinned, all of his descendants also sinned because they were in Adam. It would appear that God is between a rock and a hard place but Jesus Christ is the answer. When Adam sinned, he had to pay with his life because the penalty of sin is death. However, because of his sin, he could not be a perfect sacrifice, he was blemished and so are all his descendants...except one! God provided a lamb without blemish!

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Not only must Adam die but all of his descendants also must die because we are all born sinners. However, we are all blemished sheep and even our death cannot be a truly acceptable payment for our sins. How then can we be delivered?

The answer is Jesus Christ! Adam originally came forth from Jesus Christ:

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

When Jesus Christ was crucified, he paid for the sins of ALL mankind because originally we ALL came from him. Jesus created Adam, therefore he was not contaminated by Adam's original sin.

JESUS

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, he is the progenitor of ALL THINGS, when Jesus died, we ALL DIED! When Jesus was resurrected, we were ALL RESURRECTED because we all originally came from Jesus Christ!

WE ARE HIS CHILDREN! All through history parents have laid down their lives for their children, it is unthinkable that the Father of us all would not also lay down his life for His children.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

However, in order for us to apprehend the finished work of Jesus Christ, we must first REST! We must FIRST CONFESS THAT JESUS IS LORD! We must BELIEVE that we died when He died and we must believe that he has made us a NEW CREATION in HIM!

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

CHAPTER 12

I AM DEAD BUT CHRIST IS ALIVE IN ME!

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

He must increase and I must decrease. You MUST MEDITATE on this truth and pray in tongues. Eventually, you will receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit and you will realize that Christ is forming in you and he will manifest himself to you, in you, and eventually through you to the world!

As we dwell in the Holy Place by meditating on Jesus Christ (The Word of God), by praying in tongues (offering pure incense to the Father), and by receiving revelation (lampstand) from the Holy Spirit eventually we will be transformed, from glory to glory, into the image of Jesus Christ and we (the Church) will be manifest in the earth as the sons of God.

Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Moses was transfigured simply by being in the presence of Jehovah. Joshua, the man chosen to lead Israel into the Promised Land, DEPARTED NOT OUT OF THE TABERNACLE! Joshua was also transformed by being in the presence of Jehovah (Jesus Christ).

Exo 34:35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

As I was studying how to enter into the presence of God, I wondered how could I also enter into the presence of God? Early one morning while I lay sleeping, the answer came to me... Just like we receive salvation by faith, just like we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by faith, we also enter into the Holy of Holies by faith. We must meditate on this MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH!

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:

Speaking in tongues appears like foolishness to the world, many times I have thought to myself, "Is this real?" However, many millions of people speak in tongues and as a result they have experienced a radical transformation in their lives.

In the Old Testament, the High Priest took the incense from the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies and placed it in front of the Ark of the Covenant. We enter into the Holy of Holies by SPEAKING IN TONGUES!

My lifetime of experience brought me to only one conclusion...SPEAKING IN TONGUES WORKS! Over many years my walk with the LORD was hot and cold with many backsliding experiences, like a tide rising and falling depending on my circumstances; however, when I resolved to speak in tongues everyday a transformation began to take place. Speaking in tongues "transfigures" us because, like Moses, we are entering into the presence of the Most High God!

Speaking in tongues is not just something that should happen one time after you are baptized in the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is not something you do once a year like the High Priest in the Old Testament. You MUST speak in tongues every day! You should enter into the Holy Holies every day!

Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Speaking in tongues is how you enter into God's REST AND REFRESHING! How very sad that the Prophet Isaiah spoke the last sentence: YET THEY WOULD NOT HEAR! All the billions of people in the world, including many nominal Christians, are fighting, backbiting and murdering each other but there is an answer. Certainly the saints of God desperately need to enter into His rest!

Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The only thing stopping us from entering into God's REST is unbelief. Maybe we tell ourselves that speaking tongues is foolish, and perhaps it is according to men's wisdom:

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

If we are wise in our own eyes God does not want us. We must be willing to be foolish in the sight of men if we want to know God intimately. King David loved God and he did not care what anybody might think of him.

2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

2Sa 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

Stop worrying about what other people think and start worrying about what God thinks if you want to please Him and enter His rest. You might say, "Doesn't the Bible ask do all pray in tongues?" Obviously everybody does not pray in tongues but it is not because everybody should not pray in tongues. See what the Apostle Paul said:

1Co 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

He said that, "I would that ye ALL (emphasis added) spake with tongues! I know Paul's main subject was the gift of prophecy but prophecy is actually the next stage AFTER we begin speaking in tongues. Prophecy is part of the final stage of growth for a Christian.

DUNAMIS

Joshua's original name was Oshea (deliverer) but Moses changed his name to Jehoshua which means Jehovah-saves.

Num 13:16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

As you spend time in the Holy Place, YOU will stop trying to be your own deliverer and you will welcome JESUS CHRIST as your deliverer. You will stop trusting in your own strength and wisdom and start trusting in the strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ. You will enter God's rest. Jesus (Jehovah) will begin transforming you into HIS image. Jesus Christ will begin to manifest in your life with POWER (dunamis)! Jesus can work when we rest. We cannot save or heal anyone but Jesus Christ certainly can. That is why we must get out of the way and allow Jesus to take over our lives...He must increase and we must decrease...we must become "possessed" by Jesus Christ!

You do not want to tell people ABOUT Jesus. You want to INTRODUCE people to JESUS CHRIST! As we saw previously, the Levitical priest would begin his ministry at the age of thirty (30) years old. I believe this was the age that John the Baptist began his ministry and this was also the age that Jesus began his ministry six months later. Jesus started his ministry on the Feast of Tabernacles when he began gathering his disciples.

At the age of thirty (30) Jesus was eligible to begin ministry as a priest after the order of Melchisedec. If you remember, thirty (30) was the age that David was made King of Judah. Jesus was manifested as the fully mature Son of God, and as the true King of Israel, by signs, wonders and mighty works. This is how ALL Christians must be manifested as sons of God because Jesus dwells within us. Jesus Christ is manifest to the world by DUNAMIS!

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive POWER (emphasis added), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

POWER: G1411, dunamis, doo'-nam-is

From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.

It reminds me of the Arthurian legend...only the true King of England could draw the sword out of the stone. Similarly, the true King of Israel, the long awaited Messiah would only be revealed by miracles, signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit, the sword of God. Also, the true sons of God, the true Kings of the earth will be revealed (manifest) to the world by miracles, signs and wonders.

Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

Isa 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

The whole of Jesus' three and one-half (3 and ½) year ministry was for one purpose. He was revealed to his disciples and the whole world as the Son of God, heavenly High Priest and King of Kings, He is the MESSIAH! He is the CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH! He illustrated how the priesthood of Melchisedec (THE CHURCH) was different from the Levitical priesthood. He was showing us that God's love and mercy is greater than the law!

When John the Baptist was in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah and Jesus referred them to this scripture:

Mat 11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Mat 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Mat 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

In the Book of John, the Jews approach Jesus and specifically ask him whether he was the Messiah. Jesus plainly told them that he was God.

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

There is no doubt that the Jews believed Jesus was claiming to be God in the flesh because they were going to stone him to death right there and then.

Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

Joh 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of the Jews, and the "proof" of his claim to divinity was his performance of the "works of my Father":

Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Joh 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

Joh 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Jesus proved that he was Israel's King and Messiah by fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah and by manifesting himself with miraculous power. Jesus even reprimanded the Apostle Philip because he did not recognize the miracles as the sign of his relationship with divinity:

Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

The sons of God have an intimate relationship with divinity. The sons of God can "boldly" enter into the Holy of Holies, living in the very presence of God is our right as the sons of God because we are the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. When the sons of God meditate on God's Word and pray in tongues, they enter into intimate fellowship with the Father, they receive revelation, they enter the Holy of Holies, and they begin to transform into HIS image. We must transform into the image of Jesus Christ, who is the manifest image of the Father. Jesus Christ MUST be manifested to us, in us, and through us! The more we fellowship with Jesus, the more we become Him.

CHAPTER 13

MOSES IS A TYPE OF THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD

The true son of God is imbued with power and authority. The true son of God has Jesus (the Holy Ghost) dwelling within him. The true son of God begins to experience the world from God's perspective. God's perspective is MERCY AND LOVE. The Levitical priesthood condemned the sinner, the priesthood of Melchisedec forgives the sinner. The Levitical priesthood separated from the sinner, the priesthood of Melchisedec restores the sinner to fellowship. When a saint enters the Holy of Holies, they stop edifying only themselves and they turn their focus to edifying the Church!

Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The following passage shows us two men, Moses, a mature son of God, who has already entered into the Holy of Holies a man who has an intimate relationship with the Lord and Joshua, a man cultivating a relationship with the Lord in the Holy Place preparing to become a mature son of God.

Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Under the law, Aaron, the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies once a year on Yom Kippur but apparently, Joshua never left the tabernacle and Moses went in and out from the presence of God without any limitations. What was so unique about Joshua and Moses? Why did they have such familiarity with the LORD? Moses was an example of a mature son of God and Joshua was preparing to become a mature son of God. The Bible tells us that Moses had four (4) important attributes:

  1. Moses separated himself from Egypt.

Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

We see this principal over and over in the Bible. People forsake or lose everything and then they encounter God. Jacob sends his servants and flocks to his brother Esau, and after he sends his children and wives away and he is all alone, he encounters God and wrestles with him all night. Joseph is sold into bondage and is made a slave in Egypt. Moses flees with nothing into the wilderness. King David flees with nothing into the wilderness. Elijah flees with nothing into the wilderness. Elisha sacrifices ALL his oxen and follows after Elijah into the wilderness.

Mat 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

This principal of forsaking all to follow Christ is best illustrated in the Book of James:

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

A Christian cannot have his feet in two camps, he cannot claim to trust in God for his supply but also be busily enriching himself and currying favor with the world. That is considered to be adultery!

  2. Moses was the meekest man on earth (humble).

Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

As I commented previously, humility is not about having a low opinion of yourself, humility is about having a high opinion of God. A humble man "magnifies" God. If we place our entire trust and reliance on God, he calls us humble. Moses probably should have been very afraid that Pharaoh would kill him, after all that was the reason he fled from Egypt in the first place. However, when God told him to confront Pharaoh, he does not mention the fact that he is afraid. He simply does what God tells him to do regardless of the consequences. Moses trusted God and showed it by BOLDLY approaching Pharaoh with God's Word! I believe Pharaoh and all of Egypt were terrified by Moses.

  3. Moses was called by God.

Act 7:24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

Act 7:25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Moses was given a specific mission from God. He was SANCTIFIED! God has a special purpose for all of us and it is our job to discover that purpose. We discover our purpose by communing (communicating) with God. We are ALL called to become the sons of God. We are all called to reveal Jesus Christ to the world.

  4. Moses had a physical encounter with God.

Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Similtude: H8544, temûnâh temûnâh, tem-oo-naw', tem-oo-naw'

From H4327; something portioned (that is, fashioned) out, as a shape, that is, (indefinitely) phantom, or (specifically) embodiment, or (figuratively) manifestation (of favor): - image, likeness, similitude.

We understand from the Torah that Moses actually saw the manifestation or embodiment of Jehovah (Jesus Christ) and this placed him in a unique position. Although Moses was a prophet, God considered him to be on a higher level than an ordinary prophet because he actually "saw" God face to face. He had an intimate relationship with Jehovah.

Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

How awesome is that!? God spoke to Moses like a man speaks to his friend! Something just as awesome is a promise by Jesus Christ:

Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Joh 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

Jesus said that he and his Father would make their abode with us. The Church IS the temple of God. We are God's tabernacle on earth. Jesus Christ manifests himself to the saints and the world by 1) Giving us His righteousness, 2) Baptizing us with His Holy Spirit manifested by speaking in tongues, and finally 3) by Performing signs, wonders, and mighty works through us, manifesting us as the sons of God to the world.

Zec 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

We need to "ask" the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain! We need to "ASK" the LORD to manifest himself with signs and wonders:

Act 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Act 4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Do you see that Peter first ASKED that the LORD would stretch forth HIS hand to heal; and that signs and wonders be done by the name of Jesus? It is not the saints who heal or perform signs and wonders but it is GOD performing these mighty works through them!

Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We do not manifest the power (dunamis) of God for two main reason: 1) We have not asked God to manifest his power for HIS GLORY, or 2) We secretly want the manifestation of power for our own selfish reasons. When we reach maturity, we begin to see and act from God's perspective...LOVE! We stop caring about what the world cares about and we start caring about what God cares about.

Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

CHANGE: G3345, metaschēmatizō, met-askh-ay-mat-id'-zo

From G3326 and a derivative of G4976; to transfigure or disguise; figuratively to apply (by accommodation): - transfer, transform (self).

1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Holy Place is a beautiful place, it is the place where we spend time privately communing with God and He spends time communing with us, but it is only a temporary place. Although we are meditating on God's Word, and praying in the tongues of angels, and receiving astounding revelation from the Holy Spirit, we are not matured yet. We must enter into the Holy of Holies, we must enter into the next level.

When we are in the Holy Place, God is building us up, He is edifying us but eventually He wants us to start edifying His Church!

When we are in the Holy Place, God is feeding us, but he eventually wants His mature sons to start feeding his sheep. God wants to use us to start feeding thousands or millions of His people. He does not want us to remain children forever.

Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The problem with God's Church today is that Christians never want to grow up. Christians are content to remain caterpillars and have absolutely no desire to become butterflies. The Church is full of Peter Pans and the ministers, pastors, and priests encourage this state of affairs. Most nominal Christians are not even entering into the Holy Place, let alone entering into the Holy of Holies.

It should not take forty (40) years to become a mature Christian, or twenty (20) years, or even ten (10) years. If you go to a Church every Sunday and then go about your life in the world you are missing it. Even if you go to Church on Sundays and Wednesdays, and are a member of the Choir and a Deacon, you are still missing it! This is an abnormal Christianity, although it passes itself off as normal. God wants fully matured sons of God! God wants to reveal Jesus Christ to the world through His Church.

A brand new Christian should become a mature saint within three (3) to five (5) years, and then he/she should begin to disciple new believers. We do not have the luxury to practice abnormal Christianity anymore! Jesus Christ is returning in a few short years, and the antichrist is going to arrive before that!

Let me show you the difference between normal Christianity and abnormal Christianity:

In normal Christianity, the mature saint takes care of the immature saint, not the other way around:

2Co 12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

2Co 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

Making a living should not be the main focus or final goal of a pastor, priest, or preacher of the gospel. People who are busy acquiring followers instead of feeding and maturing the saints are false shepherds! A minister of the gospel should be focusing on leading ALL saints into maturity as quickly as possible, and then those matured saints should lead more saints into maturity. The focus of a good shepherd should be similar to the focus of a good parent. I know in many parts of the world people have many children in order to support themselves in their old age but that is not normal, it is "abnormal" just like a minister of the gospel building "their" ministry for "their own" support is abnormal.

Luk 22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

A mature minister of the gospel should be trusting in God for their support NOT working to attract as many people as possible to "their" church and then brow beating them to pay tithes to "their" ministry so that they can live an extravagant lifestyle. Jesus met the rich young ruler, and said sell everything you have and give it to the "poor", he didn't say sell everything you have and give it to "ME!"

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

PLEASE DON'T become a Christian because of the "prosperity gospel"!

Actually, I believe when a minister of God stops relying on God and begins to rely on his flock, or the government, or the rich people in his congregation, he is hurting himself worse than he is hurting the Church. The true Church will recover from everything the world may throw at it but a false shepherd may not be so fortunate.

You may think I am being too harsh on the established church but I want you to listen to the LORD.

Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

The LORD commends the Church of Ephesus because they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans and He condemns the Church of Pergamos because they tolerated the Nicolaitans.

We see that the Nicolaitans have been in the church from nearly the beginning and now they are so much part of the church that people don't even recognize that Jesus "hates" their deeds and their doctrine.

The word nicolaitan comes from the combination of two Greek words:

G3532, Nikolaos, nik-ol'-ah-os

From G3534 and G2004; victorious over the people; Nicolaus, a heretic: - Nicolaus.

Let us dig a little deeper.

G3534, nikos, nee'-kos

From G3529; a conquest (concretely), that is, (by implication) triumph: \- victory.

G2004, epitassō, ep-ee-tas'-so

From G1909 and G5021; to arrange upon, that is, order: \- charge, command, injoin.

The Strong's concordance says that Nicolaitans were adherents of a heretic named Nicolaus. I believe this was just a deception the Nicolaitans came up with to hide their presence in the Church.

We can understand who they really are and what they believe by the Greek meaning of the name: VICTORIUS OVER THE PEOPLE. The Nicolaitans believe that somebody should be in charge and that the people needed to be under a command structure. If you have not recognized who they are then all you need to do is look into the infrastructure of any modern organization. All modern organizations are set up under the Nicolaitan system of hierarchy, a system of command and control, whether the organization is government, corporate, or religious. Another name for the Nicolaitan system in the Bible is Babylon! The Nicolaitans will tell you about Jesus all day long and every day of the week but they will never introduce you to Jesus.

The True Church is just the opposite. The saints hear directly from God, ALL the saints are Kings and Priests of the Most High. The saints have a family relationship with ONE Father and ONE High Priest and ONE another.

People may ask, "Are you some kind of anarchist?"

The answer is no. Actually non-Christians must be under the Babylonian system because they do not hear from God. Non-Christians need the threat of whips, chains, bars, guns, the threat of pain, detention, and death or they could never be kept from harming their neighbors. The true church is now almost totally intermingled with the Babylonian system but eventually God will command that his people separate themselves from Babylon.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

There are many good Christians in the Babylonian system right now including many pastors, ministers, priests, and many other faithful saints of God. Actually, the Babylonian system has slowly covered the whole earth and any people who tried to resist it have suffered persecution, slavery, and death. The true Church will suffer the same type of persecution when they attempt to leave the beast system but those close to Jesus WILL escape.

PART 5

THE THIRD DAY

AND THE

RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

CHAPTER 14

THE THIRD DAY

I know there have been a lot of date setters throughout history, who have attempted to specify the return of Jesus Christ, and they have all been wrong. Call it hubris or whatever you want but I am going to also attempt to give you some dates...specifically the date of the rapture and the date of the second coming of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. I absolutely believe in the rapture, but I believe the rapture of the Church and the date of Jesus' physical return are two separate dates. I am only reading the scriptures and reaching what I think are some obvious conclusions. I might be wrong but I believe there are specific signs that will occur prior to the return of the LORD, so if you do not see these specific signs, then you can ignore everything I am about to write.

Hos 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

Hos 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Hos 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

I hope and pray we do not have to wait that long. However, if I am right and Jesus was crucified in 30 A.D., then 2030 AD would be 2000 years since he ascended into heaven or the end of the second day of God's three day timeline for the Church. 2030 AD will be a Jubilee year when all debts are forgiven and the earth is returned to its rightful owner...JESUS CHRIST!

2Pe 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.

Using the Apostle Peter's timeline of one-thousand years being equal to one day with the LORD then 2030 AD will be the start of the third day from the crucifixion of the LORD and the RESURRECTION OF THE CHURCH!

I found these interesting verses in the Book of Exodus:

Exo 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the THIRD DAY (emphasis added) the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Also:

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the THIRD DAY (emphasis added) in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Also:

Hos 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the THIRD DAY (emphasis added) he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

The Lord will come down on the THIRD DAY and will also raise the Church (His corporate body) up on the third day. Do these Bible verses sound familiar? I believe that Jesus rose on the third day and the Church, the body of Christ, will also rise on the third day, either in late 2029 or early 2030 A.D. When the Lord descends on Mount Sinai on the third day in the Book of Exodus, it appears to be a "type" or a dress rehearsal for His second coming:

Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zep 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Zep 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Could the previous appearance of the LORD also give us a clue about the timing of His second coming?

Jos 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

Jos 1:11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within THREE DAYS (emphasis added) ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

The Church will possess the renewed earth, or the Promised Land, on the third day...probably on the Feast of Passover because that is when Israel entered the Land of Canaan. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day is a "type" of the death and resurrection of the Church. Most of the Church will be persecuted and killed by the Babylonian/beast system during the great tribulation. However, death is nothing to be afraid of if you are a Christian. Our last breath on earth is our first breath in heaven.

Perhaps, like we were able to determine King David's Age when he slew Goliath by counting backwards from when he became King of Judah, we can figure out God's timeline for the end of days counting backwards from Passover 2030AD:

THE SECOND COMING

I believe we can determine the exact day for the return of Jesus Christ to the Mount of Olives by a prophecy in the Book of Daniel:

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

When will the abomination that maketh desolate be set up? I believe I know the answer to that question. As I said previously, I believe Antiochus IV was a "type" of the antichrist and we know the EXACT date he set up his image in the temple:

1 Maccabees 1:54 "Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu (Kislev), in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side;"

We also know the date that Judas Maccabees dedicated the temple approximately three (3) years later, which is still celebrated as the celebration of Hanukkah:

2 Maccabees 10:5 Now upon the same day that the temple had been polluted by the strangers, on the very same day it was cleansed again, to wit, on the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu (Kislev).

6 And they kept eight days with joy, after the manner of the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long before they had kept the feast of the tabernacles when they were in the mountains, and in dens like wild beasts.

In the Book of Daniel, we have the means to calculate the return of Jesus Christ.

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Therefore, if we can determine when the abomination of desolation will be set up by counting back three and one-half (3 and ½) years from the Spring of 2030 to Kislev 15, 2026. We can go online and find the date of Hanukkah in 2026, which is December 5, 2026 and count backwards ten (10) days and we arrive at November 25, 2026, the day of the abomination desolation, when the false idol is set up by the Antichrist. There is a handy website where we can calculate the date 1290 days later:

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html

Therefore, the antichrist will set up his image on November 25, 2026 and 1290 days (42 months) later, on June 7, 2030, which falls on the second of the three great Holy days of Israel... Pentecost! Pentecost was the date Jehovah came down in the midst of Israel from Mount Sinai; also according to Hebrew tradition Pentecost was King David's birthday and that is when he became King of Judah; also Pentecost is the date when the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostolic Church after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I believe that on Pentecost, June 7, 2030, the feet of Jesus Christ will set down on the Mount of Olives and He will be recognized as the true King of Israel! However, I believe there will be a rapture/resurrection of the saints on a specific date prior to this event. I lean towards the Feast of Tabernacles and I will tell you why later in this Book.

If we subtract 42 months from November 25, 2026, we arrive at May 25, 2023, the day before Pentecost on May 26, 2023. This will be exactly seven (7) years prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

*** Due to problems converting the Jewish calendar to the Gregorian calendar dates can sometimes be off by a day. I checked out other possible dates of the return of Jesus Christ using this same calculation method and it also may work in the years 2027 and 2033. Also, remember that God's days start on the evening of the previous day of the Gregorian calendar.

CHAPTER 15

THE LAST GREAT HARVEST

Mat 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Jesus taught that the wheat and the tares would be harvested TOGETHER!

Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Jesus definitely DID NOT teach the wheat would be gathered first! Although this is what pretribulation rapture believers are teaching to the Church. Jesus taught that the TARES would be harvested FIRST.

Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

There is going to be a last great harvest at the end of the age. There is going to be a harvest of the wicked FIRST!

Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

All through the Books of the Bible the prophets talk about a last great harvest of men. At the end of this age, the fruit of the wicked and the fruit of the righteous will begin to accelerate into ripeness together. There will be a clear and definite distinction between the two types of people. You will either be obviously righteous or obviously wicked. The obviously wicked will take the mark of the beast and will persecute and kill the obviously righteous (the true Church). There will be NO gray area, everyone will have to make a choice.

Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

As I mentioned before, I believe the story of Joseph, specifically the seven (7) good years of plenty and then the seven (7) years of famine are an allegory about the end of the Age. If you remember Pharaoh's dream, seven fat cattle were swallowed up by seven thin cattle; also seven good ears of corn were swallowed by seven withered ears of corn and this was Joseph's interpretation:

Gen 41:29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

Gen 41:30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

Gen 41:31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

Jesus specifically said there would come a time of darkness when no man could work.

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

As I write this book, Christians all over the world are suffering great persecution and martyrdom. Persecution of the Church is scattered and random today but one day in the near future the persecution will be systematic and organized. ALL the governments, corporations, and organized religions of the world (the Babylonian system) will give all their authority and power to the son of perdition (the man of sin) specifically to kill every true Christian on earth, the revealed sons of God.

Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Amo 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

God showed us by the Prophet Amos that there would be a famine of the WORD in the last days. This "famine of the Word" is the whole thesis of this book. One day ALL Christians (the wise virgins in Jesus' parable) will begin fleeing into the wilderness and evangelism will cease. Those who continue in the Babylonian system will suffer martyrdom. Eventually ALL unsaved people who desire salvation must follow the true, living saints into the wilderness, just like the people of Israel followed Moses, King David, and Jesus into the wilderness.

However, I believe that prior to these seven (7) "bad" years there will be seven (7) "good" years. These seven "good" years of plenty may also be times of increased war, famine, and persecution of Christians but I also believe many, many millions of people, probably even billions of people, will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and the gospel WILL be preached throughout the whole earth!

SEVEN GOOD YEARS OF PLENTY

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

SEVEN YEARS FAMINE OF THE WORD

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Jesus said that when you are persecuted in one city, flee to another. It appears from the Book of Acts, that the Apostles did exactly that. We see they would enter a city and preach the gospel and eventually persecution would become so harsh, they would have to flee. What will happen when every city in the world persecutes people simply for being Christians? Then ALL Christians will have to leave ALL the cities and go into the wilderness or suffer martyrdom.

I believe the day will come when EVERYONE ON EARTH will hear the true gospel and will either accept it or reject it, people who accept Jesus Christ will eventually have to make a choice: either flee into the wilderness or suffer certain death. It will be the same choice that Moses, Elijah, and King David all had to make.

CHAPTER 16

MORE THAN CONQUERORS

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

It is so important that the sons of God determine within themselves that they are going to confess Jesus Christ come what may.

Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

It is obvious from the Book of Revelation that a great multitude of saints will suffer death at the hands of the Beast. However, once we understand that we have already died AND we have also been resurrected in Christ, we understand that there is nothing to fear about death for a Christian. Dying should be as simple as lying down to sleep.

Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

One day in the future everyone who is in Jesus Christ, whether dead or alive, will hear a great shout from heaven and they will all be waking up to meet our LORD in the air!

The three Hebrew children had to make a choice that everyone on earth will someday have to make and they made the right choice:

Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were confident that God could save them but they had determined in their hearts that they were not going to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's image regardless of the consequences.

Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

There are going to be many mature saints during the great tribulation who will lay down their lives for the immature saints. The mature saints are going to be revealed to the world just like Jesus was revealed to Israel, with signs, wonders, and miraculous power.

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

MANIFESTATION - G602, apokalupsis, ap-ok-al'-oop-sis

From G601; disclosure: \- appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.

The manifestation (apocalypse) of the sons of God is the revelation of Jesus Christ in and through His brethren. By the way, "Sons of God" is a term of art, it will include women as well as men.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Just like Jesus Christ was revealed to Israel as the true Messiah, King and High Priest of Israel, the sons of God will be revealed as the true Kings and Priests of the world and they will be rejected by the world just like Jesus was rejected by Israel. They will be persecuted and killed by the world just like Jesus was persecuted and killed by Israel.

I believe there will be three great harvests in the earth. The first harvest will be the harvest of first fruits which shall consist of the first 144,000, they will be the first wave of saints that will be revealed to the world. If you divide the world's population of a little over 7,000,000,000 people by the first 144,000 saints, you arrive at approximately one miracle working Apostle for every 50,000 people on earth.

Apostle - G652, apostolos, ap-os'-tol-os

From G649; a delegate; specifically an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle"), (with miraculous powers): \- apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

There are more than twelve (12) apostles in the Bible. Here is a list of apostles other than the twelve named in the New Testament: Barnabas Acts 14:14, Apollos Cor. 4:6-9, Timothy I Thessalonians 1:1, Epaphroditus Phil. 2:25. The word simply means "messenger" although the Apostle Paul specifically mentions that there are "signs" that accompany an apostle.

2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

The 144,000 will be accompanied by signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. Anybody who claims to be an apostle and is not followed by signs and miracles is a liar. The False Prophet will also perform deceiving signs and miracles, so you must be grounded in the knowledge of Jesus Christ to escape deception.

Therefore, there could be an Apostle in practically every medium sized town in the world. If you study the barley harvest in Israel, you will get a deeper insight into these first 144,000 saints of God.

Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

The second harvest will consist of the millions of saints who are converted by these first 144,000 saints and they will include a vast multitude of saints who will also reach maturity as the sons of God. If you study the wheat harvest in Israel and the feast of Pentecost, you will understand more about this second harvest of saints. This arrival of millions of miracle working saints will terrify Satan and the current rulers of the world. They will know that their time is short and they will begin to persecute and make war on the saints of God.

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

The third and final harvest of saints will consist of immature saints who have not had time to reach maturity and they will be protected by God in the wilderness until the rapture, if they are wise enough to flee from Babylon.

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

I lean toward believing that the rapture/resurrection will occur on the Feast of Tabernacles in 2029 because this is the last and greatest Feast of ancient Israel. This is the day that Israel celebrated God dwelling WITH them. Also, the 1260 days that the woman flees into the wilderness corresponds with the number of days that the two witnesses are active in the earth.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

I believe the two witnesses will come against the Beast and his kingdom while the Beast is making war on the saints, similar to Moses against Pharaoh. The two witnesses are active for 1260 days and then are killed by the antichrist and their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half (3 and ½) days.

Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

If the two witnesses begin their ministries right after the Feast of Passover, which was when I believe that John the Baptist and Moses began their ministries, the end of April 8, 2026 A.D., we can count 1260 days until they are killed by the Beast, Sept. 20, 2029 A.D. When they rise from the dead three and one half (3 and ½) days later, and they are resurrected early on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Sept. 24, 2029 A.D.

Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

*** Remember that God's days actually start on the evening of the previous day in the Gregorian calendar.

I believe that the Feast of Tabernacles, September 24, 2029, is the date of the resurrection/rapture of the Church. The two witnesses will be raised from the dead, and every saint who ever lived will also be raised from the dead on that same day, every living saint will be resurrected/raptured on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles...the PRIMARY HARVEST OF GOD'S SAINTS.

By the way, 1335 days from April 8, 2026, is the first day of Hanukkah on Dec. 3, 2029, signifying the cleansing of the temple. See Daniel 12:12

If you want to check out my calculations, you can go to the following web address and check out all my numbers:

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html

After the resurrection of the Church on September 24, 2029, God will begin to pour out His wrath with a vengeance upon all those on the earth who persecuted and killed His saints, who are the true Kings of the earth.

I believe there will be people who will make it through the great tribulation NOT because they are close to Jesus but because they are close to people who are close to Jesus. Remember that Ham was surely not righteous but he escaped destruction because of his father Noah. Also, remember that Lot's two daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom because of their father.

If these people who have NOT been raptured can make it to Hanukkah on Dec. 3, 2029, they will not need to fear persecution from the antichrist anymore because his power and authority will be broken. The world's attention will be focused on the final battle...the battle of Armageddon.

CHAPTER 17

OUT OF BABYLON

I believe many saints of God are already leaving this Babylonian system and like Moses, King David, Elijah, the Maccabees, and John the Baptist before them, they are separating themselves from the world.

I have heard some people putting down doomsday preppers and survivalists claiming that it is better to suffer martyrdom then to flee into the wilderness but I have only one question for these naysayers.

Were Moses, King David, and Elijah wrong for fleeing into the wilderness?

I dare say that many multitudes will be called to suffer martyrdom in the great tribulation but I believe many saints, especially those caring for young children and immature Christians, will be called to leave Egypt and NOT be martyrs for the LORD. According to the Bible, there WILL be Christian survivors of the great tribulation, there will be a rapture of living saints along with the resurrection of those who died in Christ. I do not believe we can judge other people's motives, I'll let God be the judge.

Are you excited? I sure am! Do you want to be in that number when the saints go marching in? If you want to go to the next level, you need to stop learning about Jesus Christ and you need to be introduced to Jesus Christ. He is a real person and He wants to have fellowship with you right now. If you want to stop running in place as a Christian and begin to mature into a "son of God" I suggest you memorize and meditate on the following Bible verses and start letting the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus Christ to you and IN YOU!:

  1. LOVE - Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

First step, if you are not a Christian, you need to REPENT and become a Christian. Repentance probably does not mean what you think. Repentance is NOT begging God for forgiveness for all your mistakes and sins. Repentance simply means to start fellowshipping with God.

G3340, metanoeō, met-an-o-eh'-o

From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent.

G3326, meta, met-ah'

A primary preposition (often used adverbially); properly denoting accompaniment, often used in composition, in substantially the same relations of participation or proximity.

G3539, noieō, noy-eh'-o

From G3563; to exercise the mind (observe), that is, (figuratively) to comprehend, heed: \- consider, perceive, think, understand.

Therefore, REPENTANCE is exercising your mind to accompany God...When Jesus said, "repent" He was simply saying we need to start fellowshipping with God again! The more you fellowship with God, the more sin, guilt, and condemnation will disappear from your life and will be replaced by the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.).

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Jesus loves you and He proved it by His words, deeds and especially by the sacrifice of His life for you. God's greatest desire is to dwell with and IN His people. You are not too great a sinner for God to love: murderers, prostitutes, blasphemers, and many more very wicked sinners in the Bible were mightily used by God after they repented and began to fellowship with God!

  2. SALVATION - Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Say this simple prayer: "My Father in heaven, I confess that Jesus Christ is my LORD, and I believe that you have raised Him from the dead. I ask that you dwell in my heart forever and I thank you for the free gift of your righteousness, for the free gift of your salvation, and for the free gift of eternal life."

Congratulations, you are a Christian! It sounds simple because it is simple. Read the Book of Revelation, a multitude that no man could number was seen in heaven. Hallelujah! Now you need to start fellowshipping with God.

  3. RIGHTEOUSNESS - Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Righteousness is a gift! You cannot earn it and there is nothing you can do to deserve it. Simply believe it and thank God for giving you His righteousness. Believing that you are righteous may be difficult, people will accuse you, the devil will accuse you, your actions will accuse you, and even you, yourself will accuse you. DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYBODY BUT GOD! (Listening only to God IS walking in the spirit.) You need to memorize verse Romans 5:17. You need to repeat Romans 5:17, OUT LOUD over and over to yourself. Faith comes by HEARING the Word of God!

Eventually, you will believe you are righteous and you will begin to change into His image by faith. You are NOT perfect but according to the Word of God you ARE Righteous! The Holy Spirit will wash you with God's Word and transform you more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God and so are you, if you confess Jesus as Lord and saviour! God's righteousness will manifest more and more in your life as you spend more time with Him.

  4. COMMUNION - 1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship (communion) with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship (communion) one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Communion: G2842, koinōnia, koy-nohn-ee'-ah

From G2844; partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: \- (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship.

Communion is much more than eating a cracker and drinking some wine. You should be doing something very important when you take communion...Jesus told His disciples to REMEMBER ME!

When you take communion, you should be remembering all that Jesus Christ has done for the sons of God: He died for us, He cleansed us from all unrighteousness, He forgave us all our iniquities, He healed us from all our diseases, He clothed us with the garments of salvation, He crowneth us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, He calls us BRETHREN!

Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Heb 2:11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Heb 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

PRAISE THE LORD!

  5. TONGUES - 1Co 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

1Co 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

Praying in tongues is seriously required if you truly wish to enter into God's presence. The High Priest carried incense into God's presence only once a year but the Apostle Paul tells us that now we can boldly enter into God's presence anytime we want to and praying in tongues is how we do it. Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Are you distressed, in debt, or discontented? Are the cares of this world too great a burden to bear? You NEED to pray in tongues and enter into God's presence. Only He is our salvation, our mighty deliverer, our righteousness, and our rest and refreshing.

  6. REVELATION - 1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

After you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, you will begin communicating with God by praying in tongues. There are several ways God will communicate with you: a) Through the revelation of His Word, b) with dreams and visions, c) by prophetic utterance, d) by a word of knowledge, e) by discerning of spirits, f) He will give you a burden for lost souls. God can and will communicate with you if you have ears to hear. I'm going to tell you something that I think will blow your mind. Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high

The author of the Book of Hebrews called Jesus the "express image" or the exact replica of God. Think about that! As far as I can tell there was nothing out of the ordinary or remarkable about Jesus' appearance but there was something that set Him apart...there was something that people recognized as unique. HE WAS UNIQUE BY WHAT AND HOW HE SPOKE! Joh 7:45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?

Joh 7:46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. PROPHECY is simply God speaking through a person...Jesus ONLY repeated what the Father spoke to Him; therefore He is the "exact replica" of the Father. As God speaks through us, we are transformed into His image...God's LOGOS. Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. Speaking what the Spirit says is what sets the sons of God apart from the world. Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. The "Logos" (Jesus Christ) spoke ALL of creation into existence and He wants to speak through you and me. Now that is AWESOME! If you are interested in the Logos you should probably also read my other book called, "Speak, Hear and Believe".

  7. PROVISION - Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The sons of God love not for the world, neither the things in the world. All of their focus is seeking after God and to being obedient to His will. If you are focused on climbing the ladder of success, whether in government, in a corporation, or in a religious organization, you are simply missing it, and you will be in serious trouble. Jesus promised that if you sought the kingdom of God FIRST, God will provide for your needs. You can work and provide for yourself and your family without being part of the Babylonian system. How?

You "seek the kingdom of God" by fellowshipping with God! If you have zero money, there are Christian communities all over the world. They are mostly self-sufficient and they only expect that you give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Usually there is a trial period to make sure you fit in with the community and the community fits in with you. If you cannot locate a community that meets your needs pray to God about it, maybe God wants you to start your own community.

If you have a few resources, you might try and contact other Christians and begin a farm cooperative or use the "kibbutz" in Israel as a model. In Israel some kibbutz started with fewer than a dozen people, they not only farmed but also created manufacturing and high tech businesses. Some people pool their resources to buy a large piece of property and then subdivide the property into micro-farms. However, make sure that everything is centered on Jesus Christ if you want to live in harmony. Any equation that does not include Jesus Christ is destined for failure. DO NOT POOL RESOURCES WITH UNBELIEVERS, whether corporate, government, or family!

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

I know a lot of people are not going to like this but if you are working for ungodly governments, corporations, or even family enterprises, you are yoked to unbelievers. The Apostle Paul was not simply talking about marrying an unbeliever.

Beware of all communities that are based on a hierarchical, Babylonian system of command and control, whether it is one "cult leader" running things or a group of "elders". True Christian leaders are "servants" they will not threaten you with hell if you decide to leave the group. ALL Christians are brethren and answer only to God! If you are an adult, do you let your natural siblings order you around? You should not let your "spiritual" brethren order you around either. If you "need" someone to give you orders, you should probably go back to the Babylonian system.

If a Christian community does not suit you, and you have enough resources, then look into a small business, micro-farming, or aquaculture, or (cattle, sheep, alpaca, worm) ranching, or small scale farming, or just regular farming. Just try and be as separate from Babylon (hierarchy) as you can. God is very, very creative, just keep your spiritual ears open. Get out of Babylon as quickly as possible! God will provide for you and your family even if it requires manna to fall from the sky or an angel to cook you dinner. God can and will provide you resources miraculously. Remember... "Seek first the kingdom of God".

  8. RESURRECTION - Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Jesus Christ IS the resurrection. There is NO eternal life apart from Him! When Jesus Christ was crucified, ALL of His creation was crucified. The ONLY way to eternal resurrection life is IN HIM!

Dunamis is not simply power, it is RESURRECTION POWER! When Jesus cleansed the lepers, caused the lame to walk, and raised the dead to life, it was His LIFE imparted to them. Separated from the Holy Spirit, we are dead and will remain dead. However, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us imparts His resurrection life to us AND to those around us.

Think of the Holy Spirit like wind, oil, or water, He flows in, to, and through channels of FAITH. The Holy Spirit creates channels of faith through us via the LOGOS...God's spoken Word. UNBELIEF blocks the Holy Spirit from creating channels of faith. That is why some people are healed and some people remain sick, some people will be resurrected and some people will remain dead...forever.

That is why it is so important to pray in tongues, and read, speak, and memorize God's Word. Jesus Christ is the Word. When you meditate on God's Word, you are eating Jesus Christ, you are becoming ONE with Him! After you spend time incorporating Jesus into your life, you will become mature, you will become a channel of faith, and everyone around you will be blessed.

  9. JUDGMENT - Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Judgment is a simple way to identify the Babylonian system. Judgment in the Babylonian system includes two parts, first there is a weighing phase (guilt or innocence), second there is dealing out punishment or assessing a penalty. The Babylonian system ALWAYS wants to accuse us AND punish us for our sins.

Christianity has a different form of judgment. First, there is a weighing phase (we are all guilty), then a Christian/Church extends grace to the offender. If the offender REPENTS (desires fellowship with God), we accept fellowship. Remember, the more we fellowship with God, the more our carnal nature is mortified (put to death).

If an offender refuses to repent, we SEPARATE ourselves from them. This is where Christian elders come into the picture. They should present a united front (two or three witnesses) for a Christian community and ask the unrepentant sinner to leave. Christians DO NOT PUNISH! We leave punishment up to God. In the near future, Christians will SEPARATE ourselves from the world, and leave the punishment up to God.

  10. MERCY - Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

There are two types of people in the world, those who are in Jesus Christ, and those who are not in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law. He paid the complete price for all the sins of the world. He provided a way for ALL of creation to escape the ultimate judgment for breaking the law...which is eternal death and separation from God.

IF you are in Jesus Christ, by FAITH you are imputed His righteousness...you MUST confess the LORD JESUS and you MUST BELIEVE he is raised from the dead and reigns over ALL. It is very, very simple but people (demonically inspired) try and make it extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Satan, the great enemy of mankind and the accuser of the brethren, wants above all things to keep people under the law; thereby keeping them under the penalty and judgment for sin.

God IS LOVE! Although He had to pay a terrible price, WE can enter into His mercy without paying ANY price. Like God, all we have to do is SPEAK..."JESUS IS LORD" and BELIEVE God raised Him from the dead and we are SAVED FOR ALL ETERNITY!

THEN through all eternity, starting right now, we get the great honor and privilege of KNOWING HIM. We will always have access to His grace and mercy. I do not think anybody even knows or can comprehend the POWER and GLORY that will be revealed by the sons of God as they enter into deeper fellowship with the Son of God.

There is NOTHING in this world worth missing out on the Lord's Day and the final great move of His Holy Spirit...NOTHING!

If you are old and spent, if your best days are behind you, and you think God can't or won't use you...think again! God couldn't use Moses when he was young and strong, God had to wait until Moses was old...then God could use him, and He used him mightily!

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

I am sure Jesus could have spent His time with the mighty and powerful if He had wanted but He didn't. The Pharisees even found the people He chose to associate with remarkable. I believe He is going to associate with the same type of people in these Last Days.

Mar 2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

Mar 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Mar 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Apparently Jesus preferred to associate with sinners but the proud and self-righteous were nearly impossible for Him to help.

Whenever I see somebody just scraping by or barely making it in this Babylonian system I wonder... "Is this a son of God?"

I believe there will be a lot more sons of God from poor neighborhoods and third world countries then from rich communities in first world countries. When I was young, I would ask the LORD, "Where is your Elijah?" or "Where is your Moses?" or "Where is your Paul?"

Now I know I only need to be patient because THEY ARE COMING!

Do you wish you could have seen Israel being delivered from Egypt? Maybe you wish you could have seen Jesus during His ministry? Something similar on a world wide scale is about to take place: THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD!

You don't want to miss it.

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