Edition 481: August 6^th 2019

Missing from action!

Introduction:

These are words of life!

A journalist, editor or artist often omits certain things – to emphasise or stress other things.

The Bible does just the same thing sometimes. It’s not a mistake. It shines a mysterious light on other important truths.

There is informative power in words, but also great instruction in “missing” words or phrases.

In this edition I will look at a few “missing” words and phrases that absolutely require a pre-tribulation rapture of the church.

The rapture is referred to as one of the great mysteries of the Bible. (1 Corinthians 15:51) The church age itself is also called a “mystery.”

Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

The term “keep you from” is Strong’s G1537: “Ek” Meaning “Clean out away from.”

Now, isn’t this interesting? The word “Church” is the original word: “Ekklesia” which comes from the same root word as “Ek.” In other words the church is a separate body out, away and distinct from unsaved Israel or any other body.

But within these word meanings we see the church itself and the rapture of the church linked with the same root meaning. The church is destined for the rapture – it’s in the name!

Missing churches:

The book of Revelation contains seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor in that day. These seven are distinct in that all churches throughout history may find their identity somewhere in the descriptions of at least one of the seven.

We see our Lord walking magnificently around the seven lamp stands which are the seven churches, as the Revelation opens in chapter one. John then records the messages to the seven churches.

Then suddenly John is caught up into heaven where he receives the rest of the book of Revelation and sees many incredible things, mostly in chronological order. (Revelation 4:1) This is where the tribulation period begins on the earth.

From here onwards the church is not seen again on earth while the tribulation is on the go. It is seen in visions by John in heaven.

Does the absence of the church in the Revelation after chapter four, and the presence of the rewarded 24 elders in heaven, and believers in heaven, prove a pre-tribulation rapture? It most certainly does.

Israel suddenly becomes God’s chief agent of evangelism on earth during the tribulation.

Many people use the “so what” argument for the church being missing during the tribulation action on earth. They come up with all sorts of reasons, proving only that they have a few screws missing!

Whichever way you look at it, the conclusion drawn by the missing churches in the Revelation is very powerful indeed. They are not here on earth. Those being saved on earth in the tribulation are not the body called the church.

A most dramatic missing phrase:

All seven of the letters to the seven churches conclude with the phrase: “Let him who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

That’s a kind of obvious statement meaning the churches are the focus.

What is most interesting is that after Revelation 4:1, we see the tribulation on earth and saints in heaven. But as we go deeper into the tribulation that same phrase occurs again: “Let him who has ears hear.” But it stops right there. The words, “What the Spirit says to the churches”, are absent, or should we say – missing from action!

Revelation 13:9 “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.”

This is a great omission, or is it?

It would seem very odd that the remainder of the earlier-used phrase is just left out. It’s not a translational error because it is the same in all Bibles.

What does this mean?

It means that the rest of that phrase, “What the Spirit says to the churches,” is no longer valid, relevant or true for the church. Why? You guessed it – because the church is missing. It is in heaven at this time during the tribulation period on earth.

This means that this verse (Revelation 13:9), is addressed to the tribulation saints, and to Israel, God’s new saints, but who are distinct from the church.

►Also please note that the chronologically of this missing phrase places it well before mid-tribulation, placing the rapture well before mid-trib!

So, the simple “omission” of the term, “What the Spirit says to the churches” after Revelation 4:1 offers great insight.

Let’s turn it around and see what would happen if the opposite were true. If the term, “Anyone who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” was the discourse of Revelation 13:9, it would most certainly mean that the church is being addressed, on earth during the tribulation!

My friends, this is no small issue!

Others who are missing in action:

Many Christian leaders today are missing in action, because God has sidelined them.

Many have no input of value in the Lord’s army. They are friends of the enemy and silent in their ignorance of battle strategies. They don’t even know the basics of the Bible, and some stand in a stolen “presumed” pulpit. Their authority is a lie.

Before you can work for our Lord you must be radically overturned by His authority. Only then do we see things His way!

There is some excellent preaching and teaching out there, but it just seems that the majority have no authority of God anymore. Some preach total hogwash. Some preach deafening silence. Some preach wonderful glorious truth setting people free indeed.

Remember that your silence especially on major issues of the day, announces you loudly!

Jesus has become nothing but the sponsor of ideologies and theologies, and philosophies. He is the back-pocket sponsor of many beliefs, customs and traditions. He is modern man’s agent and rubber stamp. And this is all from a low, worldly view of our Lord.

The world today is speaking, singing, shouting and screeching for Satan and they don’t even know it!

Do you know that deception is the greatest end-time plague and danger – according to our Lord, not the A-bomb! (Matthew 24:4)

Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived”– That is a command. It is in the continuous, imperative tense. This means it is present and ongoing. So not being deceived is more radical that you can imagine. Rooting out deception must go right to the very root and continue.

I warn many of you messing with terrible false doctrine right now. You are in danger! (you know who you are!)

Too many Christians today are of the spirit of raving riff raff, and the two-step dancer of compromise. They are of the flaming flamenco and of the tango, going every which way that there is. They are the wizards of the waning world!

To adjust your life to the measure of God’s Spirit-enlightened word becomes more and more difficult the further away from God you move, and the world is moving fast – the wrong way! It is on course!

The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace – not unrighteousness and peace. That is the way of the world’s kingdom. In fact, to qualify for the world’s kingdom you must be unrighteous and full of sin, it is the licence to be a fully fledged participant of the world.

Here is a great piece of legal logic:

The tribulation is a sin judgment, upon those of this evil world that have finally rejected our Lord’s salvation offer and plan.

True Christians were judged for all sin on the cross of Calvary. Christians cannot be judged twice for the same thing. That is called the law of “double jeopardy,” and it is almost universal. Our Lord was found guilty of the sins of the world! He became sin for us.

And we are in Him. We were crucified with Him. (Galatians 2:20)

If you are truly saved, you have been declared not guilty and set free.

You cannot be judged twice. The tribulation is a judgment on all who have rejected the judgment of the cross on our Messiah.

The tribulation is the coming judgement on all who are guilty! As a Christian, you are free, my friend – free forever and ever!

The chameleon and the butterfly:

You had better be a butterfly rather than a chameleon!

One changes colour to blend in with, and identify with the changing surroundings. But nothing within the chameleon has changed. It changes superficially, externally at will.

The butterfly changes totally, from the inside out, not only in appearance, but in form also. It is changed by suffering – the suffering of death. Only then does the beauty emerge from the pupa.

Sin is like a chameleon. (Apologies to chameleons) It alters its appearance and blends in with the changing times. It changes colour according to whatever beast it is riding. Even a white chameleon is still a chameleon! It is Satan who masquerades as an “angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

You need to be crushed like a worm before mutating to a beautiful new species – a butterfly. Chameleons don’t like that. They say – “No need to die and No need of the cross” Just come and play happy rainbow coloured games with us in our church.

• Suffering is involved in the production of new life. Ask any woman who has had a baby.
• It was the suffering of the Holocaust that brought Israel out to be a winning nation. Israel will soon see her “pierced” Messiah and understand His suffering, leading them to a new Promised Land!
• It was the suffering of the cross that produced the resurrection and the ascension and all the glory that is to come for believers. (Hebrews 5:8-9)

Can a chameleon become a butterfly? Can a leopard change its spots? The answer is no – not in the natural, but yes, very much so in the world of the supernatural.

Today’s spineless, shallow Christians are in a blurred twilight zone of indifference and compromise, riding the beast to what think is victory! Their lives are propped up with the lie of self-esteem, taught by their worldly host. Truth cannot enter such a person and if it could, it is soon surrendered to the world and its billions of lies.

True peace comes when self is on the cross and pride on the floor. The secret of saintliness is surrender to the living God, His ways and plans for you.

We need to learn how to stand in peace now. Big troubles are coming very, very soon.

The ways of war:

We are on the brink of massive world upheavals and war. It’s on the doorstep! Demons are gearing up for war. There is an order of military rank in the demonic realm, just like in the natural.

We have: The private, the corporal, the sergeant, the lieutenant, the captain, the major, the colonel and the general. This rank is evident in the demonic realm. The Bible outlines it. Most Christians are totally unaware of the enemy.

War consolidates opinions and brings them to the surface, it shows sides and takes sides, and reveals hearts. War gets things moving fast.

The military order of the spirit realm wants Israel to join its circus of the dammed.  What Satan is doing now is trying to break the bonds between Jews and Gentile Christians. Satan is doing it with the help of the media and many churches, and YouTube ministries.

The Kushner “Deal of the Century” has not got off to a good start. It already has a whole lot of resistance, before even being fully announced.

►I am now more convinced this entire peace plan will amount to nothing much more than a big zero.

►I am more and more convinced that a peace plan will arrive suddenly on the wings of massive war, as people clamour for peace and a new peace treaty. It will not be this deal.

This “Deal of the Century” may be the vehicle to start WW111, or it may even start up before then.

Bear in mind that the biblical peace treaty (Daniel 9:27) does not bring peace. It brings war on a massive scale, drawing Israel in.

The four riders of the apocalypse ride for all seven years. Yes, the last half is the worst, being the “wrath of God”, but that does not make the first half a time of peace.

Many don’t speak of Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews, some out of ignorance, and some who are out of their depth, some because they are enemies of God in their support of Palestinian claims.

How will Israel be brought into the soon coming war of Gog and Magog? Iran has already decided that. Iran says that if it is attacked by the US, They will “destroy Israel within days”. Well, what’s so surprising about that? Iran has said just that a dozen times before, only to be met with deep, stupid, stunning silence by the mass media and their demon-inspired friends.

How can you have a peace treaty made with the “father of lies,” which violates God’s already existing eternal peace treaty? This peace treaty breaks God’s treaty and is the very cause for His anger, fury and wrath.

Warning: The progression of error:

In these days you had better not believe anything and everything that people spew out.

Note in the familiar verse below that we are to be protective over any crown of reward that may be due to us for our work for Messiah. In other words, take heed you are not deceived or led astray.

Revelation 3:10-11 “Because you have kept My word to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly, hold fact what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Have you ever wondered why it’s the same people who fall into the same traps of false doctrine and grave error? Many have not repented of previous error. Many have no depth of experience with our Lord and don’t know better. Many are just looking for fame.

Beware of those transmuting, transforming into replacement theologians. It is often evident in a few minor things, but then the Jew hatred grows and becomes dominant.

Finally

The greatest decision you can ever make as a Christian is to humble yourself and get off your throne of pride. That is the way to grace. The greatest sin for the believer is to continue in pride. This is the generator of all sin, which turns that which is of God to that which is of Satan.

In every heart there is a throne of pride and a cross of humility.

When things really heat up, your focus changes! You care less about entertainment and fun in the sun. You priorities shift fast and you bind together in unity with the like-minded.

I encourage you to keep a note book or some record of the main points of revelation which our Lord brings your way, from this ministry or others. It is important to measure and mark the milestones of your spiritual life.

Job 19:23-24 “Oh that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book, that they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead – forever.”

Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it, for the vision is but for an appointed time. At the end it will speak.”

This is one of my paintings representing organic and ethnic elements. I’ve used mixed media, gold leaf and stained glass. It is entitled, “V” for Victory!

Shalom and grow in His Grace!