OVERCOMERS WILL SOON BE GONE

 

  

By Joseph Chambers

 

Revelation 3

 

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 

It takes my breath to know it is "Home going time." The world is becoming so filthy that our Father must call a halt to the downward trend. The world is insane over pleasure because it is their survival. People in many cases are making so much money that they are searching for ways to spend it. The Father has planned this day all the way back to creation. He created Adam and Eve to be the grand family of His Son. He charged them to multiply so that the family could be large and joyous.

 

The Rapture is the final moment of six thousand years of multiplying His happy crowd to love and relish. We are not an accident but a "planned multitude." He is getting us ready so we can fly to His planned celebration. The Bridegroom will be ready and the hour will be well planned. The angels are busy preparing every mansion and the wedding party will soon be there. There has never been an event to compare with the "Wedding Supper."

 

Nine Absolutes for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

 

1. It fits Biblical precedence.
2. The Church is to be judged before the world.
3. The Bride is to be presented to Christ before the End Time events.
4. His absolute promise is given to keep His faithful bride from the Great Tribulation.
5. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the only time that "some will be taken and some will be left."
6. A unique time when those watching will be taken and others will be left.
7. The Law of the Farmer that has governed the world and all history.
8. The Holy Scripture offers powerfully that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the restraining forces are removed.
9. The Lord emphatically promised that He would catch away His chosen to meet Him in the air.

 

There is an unprecedented level of love that Jesus Christ, in His exalted glory, clearly reveals for His Body, the church. These seven letters show that great love, His complete knowledge of His church, His correction, and above all His great plans for the church's future.  He corrects because He will judge and reward nothing but faithfulness.  There is a consciousness all through these letters of the impending tribulation and a desire to help His Saints escape that dark hour and be found ready for the Rapture of His espoused bride.  In every letter, He ends with a promise for the overcomers.  The very word overcomer carries a dire warning of troubles to face and a glorious victory for facing those troubles and challenges with triumph.

 

Every one of the seven churches has had a counterpart in every hour of the church dispensation. Often, the Smyrna churches were hidden away in mountains or meeting in secret in the cities.  The Thyatira churches were loving the woman Jezebel and reveling in the careless living she championed.  The faithful of the Lord Jesus Christ were, in many cases, serving Christ in spite of rejection and suffering the hatred of those that compromise.  There has always been a remnant in spite of all hellish actions on the part of the enemy within and the enemy without.  The Lord of the church walked among His pilgrim people, whether it was in a cave, a dungeon, or a cathedral.  These letters represent the most current and absolute facts about His relationship to His church in the entire Word of God.

 

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.  If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:1-3

 

Church historians believe that the Sardis church represents the church of the reformation. Of course, that would only reflect the major events of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other reformation leaders.  It was during this period that smaller groups, mostly rejected and persecuted, were the real Biblical churches walking in fundamental Christianity.  We will see references to those groups in Revelation 3:4.  The churches of the reformation never truly turned from many of the doctrines and questionable teachings of the dark ages.  There was almost no prophetic preaching that included this Book of Revelation and this great hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  Replacement theology that relegated Israel to the ashes was still believed and preached by many.  Post-millennialism or A-millennialism was the major doctrine of the reformation churches.  Justification was a major step forward, but New Testament Evangelism and Spirit-filled churches were still left for future progress.  This period covered the years 1517-1790.

 

The Lord said, "Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead." This statement could not describe the above truth better.  The Lord pleaded, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain." He makes great references to the Rapture, "...thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." There have been Sardis churches all throughout the church age and there are a multitude of these churches at present.  He will shortly come upon them as a thief.

 

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."  Revelation 3:4-6

 

Here are those remnant saints that refused to be bound by the doctrines of men. These are saints of God, which have not defiled their garments.  These are the Rapture-ready saints "...and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." If you will take a look at the elders in chapter four after the rapture, you will see the faithful company.  These seven letters show that the great Lord of the church maintains perfect control.  He knows our thoughts afar off and His judgment is perfect.  History reflects a pilgrim church far out of the mainstream, but faithful to the Word of God.

 

2 Peter 3

 

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 

Two books that every Christian should read are Foxe's Book of Martyrs and The Pilgrim Church.  There are powerful records of that pilgrim church where literally millions of saints have been killed for their faith.  The Anabaptist Christians existed over hundreds of years and covered several different periods of these churches.  The Waldensians and Albigenses were some of God's choice saints.  There were thousands of lesser groups that filled communities with revival and then filled the same communities with their blood of martyrdom.  There were a host of such saints whose names will not be honored until that marvelous day of reckoning.  Every overcomer will be greatly rewarded and will be the hero of our future.

 

Do not miss the great promise to the church of Sardis. Remember that the seven letters contained many promises, all of them are really for all of His church.  He said to those faithful to Him and that are overcomers of the flesh, the world, and the devil, "But I will confess His name before my Father and before His angels." That has to be the highest honor in the world.

 

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Revelation 3:7-9

 

This church is the perfect model and type of the church age existing from the end of the eighteenth century (approximately A.D. 1790) until the Rapture. The open door of evangelism, missions, and the general spiritual atmosphere has been phenomenal.  The early church periods, typified in Ephesus and Smyrna, have been the only periods with which to compare.  The dark ages snuffed out the light and, by God's grace, the world witnessed a marvelous reoccurrence of revival.  It is clear from Scripture and the history of this period that the move could have been more expansive and supernatural.  He stated, "For thou hast a little strength." Both periods that include the Ephesus and Smyrna churches as well as the Philadelphia churches have faced many difficult periods of false religious, false prophets, and satanic attacks.  Every one of the struggles has been duly recorded, and the false crowd will be required to worship before the feet of Jesus.  Most of our church world has become so accepting of the false doctrines that they think a mixture is acceptable with God.  The statement above is wonderful proof of our God's total commitment to pure truth.

 

I often hear Christians erroneously say, "I eat the meat and spit out the bone." These seven letters are positive truth that we should reject all Biblical error and have neither time nor space for heresy.  The Philadelphia church period is extremely strong in denouncing the synagogues of Satan.  A little error may not harm a few strong souls but always destroys a multitude in the end.  Error progresses downhill and creates more and more damage as it worsens.  The Lord promises great benefits and blessings to the defenders of His Infallible Word.  He will show the world His love for His revelations.

 

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."  Revelation 3:10-13

 

Mark 13

 

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

 

As I previously mentioned, the coming tribulation is evident all throughout these letters to the church. It has been made plain in the Second Testament that His saints are not appointed to wrath, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" I Thessalonians 5:9.   The term overcomers was very appropriate as the constant reminder that something was pending, and being overcomers was a prerogative for His church.  He told the church of Thyatira that those that loved the woman Jezebel and her deception were going to be cast into the Great Tribulation.  There is only one Great Tribulation.  He warned the church of Sardis that were overcomers, "I will not blot out his name." We will discuss a similar warning to the church of Laodicea.

 

His promise of the Rapture before the Tribulation to the church of Philadelphia is one of the surest in the entire Second Testament. The words are plain that a great event is about to happen on this earth "which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth." The entire world and all of mankind is going to be put through the utter judgment to try their souls unto life or death.  There is only one way of escape, and He made it clear that we are the company that has the privilege.  Even within the church there is a narrow margin.  A very specific crowd will escape, and He describes them plainly. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour." No way to doubt or to swing a deal.  The overcomers will be out of here before the terrible wrath of God is poured on this earth.  It is a powerful promise from the Lord of the church and cannot be broken.

 

The Master adds a warning, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives.  And all the people came early in  the morning  to  Him in the temple, for to hear him" Luke 21:36-38.  The Bible affirms to us that the entire judgment period begins with His church.  He states, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God ..." I Peter 4:17a.  The promises that end each letter grow in beauty and purpose to excite His saints.  We were never meant to live gloomy lives.  The word hope in Scripture means "joyous anticipation."  Hope is the certainty of the promises that cannot fail to fill the hearts of the faithful.  The Lord will have a new name, the people will speak a pure, new language; and His saints will be identified with His Son's new name written in eternal glorified bodies.  Hear carefully what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" Revelation 3:14.

 

He uses one of His most magnificent names as He begins His last letter to the last of the church age. Not only is this the last of the church age, it is the most dire warning to the church world from then until now.  He says this letter is from "The Amen." I'm always amazed at the doomsayers when they predict the world's ideas of destroying His earth. "The Amen" is going to take care of that, and He will have the last word.  He is also named "the faithful and true witness." The names of our Lord used in each address to the churches serve to strengthen the commendations and condemnations.  The truths He speaks can be rejected only by absolute judgment.  Every word will be fulfilled and every correction will be obeyed or serve as witness in the coming judgment.  These great teachings are not suggestions.

 

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  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: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:15-18

 

Malachi 3

 

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

 

This church is in dark trouble. The meaning of her name is an expression of her character.  The "church of mob rule," is a period in which every man is a law unto himself and where the Holy Scripture has been reduced to a cafeteria diet.  This "pick and choose" treatment of the Word of God is death to the soul in every case.  This church period is the last of the church age and shows that the prophetic words of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Matthew, has indeed occurred, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matthew 24:12.  The fire of the Holy Ghost is gone, and the church world is spiritually dead, although it numbers a multitude.

 

His judgment of this condition is severe. Our present church life is a confused dichotomy.  We have the experimental element where doctrine is unimportant and the systems of theology where experience is rejected.  Both extremes are contrary to Scripture.  A lukewarm church life can be attributed to both extremes.  The best theology is death without experiencing the life of the Holy Spirit.  The experience of religion without the guideline of great truths is also death.  These two mindsets have plagued the church in every period of church history, but have certainly reached a zenith in this last church.  He condemns the coldness of such church life and rejects it from the body life of His own Rapture-ready Bride.  He said, "I will spue them out of my mouth."

 

Such churches are normally the richest of all. All worldly church members normally want a church free of strong guidelines, where self can reign unchecked.  It does not matter much in what extreme direction a church may go as long as there are no restraints on self.  Any system of religion will grow, prosper, and become great if the cross life is absent.  The one area that unconverted or unsanctified flesh cannot handle is the separated life of Bible righteousness.  This Laodicean church has made the cross life the worst enemy and has championed unsanctified living.  The Lord's words make that very plain, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Spiritual death has robbed this church of life because the spiritual is only present in death to self.

 

 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:19-22

 

His love is the love of a Father that cannot bear to offer the ones He loves an unmanly devotion, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." Who could ever want a love that allows the one loved to destroy themselves?  But, His love was not a distant love but a love of one standing at the door.  The Lord is ready to so consume with love that His rebuke is nothing less than joy.  His love walks in the midst of His church offering His great promises.

 

This closing statement to the church shows the perfect unity of the seven letters. All of His overcomers will be judged individually and rewarded individually, but there is still a unity in His promises.  This last inclusiveness is to all overcomers. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

 

Conclusion

 

Every identification of the Lord to His church recalls a portion of His revelation in chapter one and every promise is part and lot of the total of all seven. Also, in each ending to all seven churches, He states, "what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Notice, He says "churches" in the plural.  They are separate and different but all part of one church.  It's important that no correction is rejected.  All of each letter is a final warning and promise.  The Rapture is at hand and there will be no additional warning before He appears.

  

 

THE GATES OF HELL

by Pete Garcia

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

The world we currently live in, with all of its modernity and science, treats the spiritual realm as mostly fantasy. Aside from fictional books, movies, and cable television shows about the paranormal, religion offers the only other serious discussions pertaining to the unseen realm. Even the non-religious are somewhat cautious in how they deal with the topic of religion since it can encompass many things to many people. While atheists and skeptics may openly mock Christianity, they tread lightly when addressing other religions such as Hinduism or Islam for fear of physical retaliation.

But while the Christian religion has fallen out of favor here in the West because of its "narrow-mindedness", spiritualism is on the increase. So if Christianity is not the faith filling the void in the lives of the many here in the West, something else will surely take its place. Thus, spiritualism serves that purpose of being a broad, all-inclusive, inoffensive faith system that makes people feel good about themselves, while not being dogmatic about it. Why something else has to fill the void left by Christianity is largely because it is in our DNA to worship (or be worshipped). Humans are hybrid beings, half-spiritual, and half-physical. King Solomon said something similar some 3000 years prior;

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Historical

"That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun". (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Spiritualism is not new. Setting aside thousands of years of paganism and the like, if we simply go back a little over a century, we can see this all play out as it is today. At the turn of the 19-20th century, the West enjoyed a resurgence of the esoteric (mystery) teachings found within spiritualism and mysticism. Spiritualism was the search into the afterlife through the use of séances, mediums, Tarot cards, seers, etc.

Mysticism sought out secret (or forbidden) knowledge through the revival of the "ancient" arts belonging to the likes of the Vikings, the Greeks, the Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, and so forth. Non-religious groups such as the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, and the Free Masons had already successfully incorporated many of the teachings and rituals in their groups in Europe and later America for centuries. Their aim was to integrate secret "knowledge" into powerful groups of men who would theoretically use that to change the world.

The Victorian-era spiritualists and mystics on the other hand (both in the U.S. and Europe), became enthralled with the idea of discovering the supernatural. It was also very appealing in how one dealt with the spiritual realm and the afterlife. Although Christianity was the main "religion" for both sides of the Atlantic, mainline denominations had failed to offer the titillation that these secret groups promised. Thus, esoteric and/or mystery groups like the Theosophical Society who blended both spiritualism and the mysticism became the rage.

At the same time people were eagerly searching out spiritualism, mainline Christianity came under the assault by human secularism during the Age of Reason. Philosophical challenges and "scientific" discoveries from men like (but not limited too) Karl Marx and Charles Darwin, attempted to discredit Christianity as "unscientific" and archaic. It was at this point that the Christian denominational churches began to divorce themselves from their spiritual attributes in order to combat human secularism which was flooding the market place of ideas.

In this vacuum of spiritual identity, cult and occult groups who mixed eastern mysticism into Western ideology and theology filled the gap. They promised to offer the masses what Christianity could not, which was enlightenment, divine insight, and secret knowledge. Seemingly, all of these groups seemed rooted in Neoplatonism.

Assessment

Since the days before Noah's Flood (the Antediluvian Period/Dispensation of Conscious) (Genesis 4-8), man has known and understood that physical world is not all there is. Adam and Eve as well as Cain and Abel, at the very least, had personal interactions with God both in and out of the Garden of Eden. The same was true for Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Their descendants also knew that there was a spiritual realm jam-packed with beings (both good and wicked) who interacted with the physical realm on a daily basis. But it was the Antediluvian period that much of what we understand today as mythology actually stems from. It was an age of gods, demigods, giants, beings from heaven, "ancient aliens," magic, etc.

It is believed by many (too include this author) that the reason for the Flood was that the fallen angels (the sons of God) intermingled with the daughters of men in an attempt to genetically corrupt man's bloodline to prevent Genesis 3:15 from becoming a reality. The end result produced a hybrid race of beings that were neither fully human nor fully angelic. According to the extra-biblical accounts of Enoch and Jasher, as well as the Jewish historian Josephus, these beings were gigantic, violent, and dominated mankind in cruelty.

Jesus stated (Luke 17:26-30) that the days of His return would be similar to that of the days of Noah and that of Lot. While is it unknown if physical beings like the Nephilim will actually physically return in the last days, we can reasonably assume that the demonic hosts (disembodied spirits of Noah's day Nephilim) will be able to fully possess human hosts.

We have seen in recent history that people (being half spirit) can open themselves up to demonic possession through a variety of manners such as religious rituals, drugs, music, and games. We assume that as technology such as virtual reality and transhumanism progresses (moving technology into the body), we will see this as another gateway demons use to inhabit human hosts. We can already see a foreshadowing of what this will look like with people using drugs (Pharmakeia/sorcery) like flakka and bath salts in the news. The fact that people are becoming spiritual without tapping into the one true source (Jesus Christ), they will in effect attract demonic activity like moths to a flame.

While we do not know to what extent the supernatural will cross over into the natural realm this side of the Rapture, we know that after the Rapture, the world of Daniel's 70th Week will be cast into a new, but brief age of supernaturalism.

"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness". (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Adding to that is the arrival of the Two Witnesses (presumably Moses and Elijah) who will be able to counteract the evil supernatural forces with supernatural powers of their own. It stands to reason that if God brings them back to Jerusalem for 3 ½ years, it is necessary to neutralize the perception that only the Antichrist and the False Prophet have supernatural powers. Thus, we can assume that after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, the world will once again enter a period of time when the supernatural becomes the new normal.

Conclusion

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

While it seems a little unusual to connect the above passage with that of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, I believe there is an important connection being taught here. Jesus stated that the 'gates of hades' (or hell) would not prevail against (or overpower) the Church. What I want to draw your attention to here is not to what is said, but to what is not said, principally that 'the gates of hell' would not prevail against the Church while it is on the earth. Obviously, the 'gates of hell' would not prevail against the Church in her glorified state in heaven at the side of Christ, so we must deduce that this only applies to the Church while she is on the earth before the Rapture takes place.

According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit seals the bodies of born-again believers who collectively make up "the Church" (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30). In this sealed-state, we are acting as the Restrainer (as described in 2 Thess. 2:7) to a world that is largely controlled by the enemy. We are salt and light (Matt. 5:13-14) in a world steeped in darkness. So what happens then when the restraint is removed?

All hell breaks loose on earth.

When I think of the gates of hell, I think of something akin to the 'enemy at the gates'; like barbarian hordes massing outside a city gate trying to break through. In this instance, the Church acts as the barrier preventing the world from completely being given over to the evil one. Not that the Church as individuals are perfect and sinless (we aren't), but it's that the power of Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27) and that is what prevents this from happening. Since Christ is the Word, and everything was created by Him, and through Him, everything is sustained, it is Christ who prevents this complete collapse of the world from happening. Which if it did, would automatically trigger global and catastrophic judgment (Col. 1:16).

Although the days seem to be getting darker, it is only an illusory shadow cast by the innumerable demonic hosts which enshroud the earth. Currently, there is a divine boundary between our realm and the spiritual separating the two, but it appears to be growing thinner by the day. This may be why we are seeing and hearing all the unexplainable phenomena that our generation is experiencing.

We know that Satan is the current power-broker here on earth (Luke 4:5-6) and that the whole world lies under the influence of Satan (1 John 5:19). Jesus referred to him as the "ruler of the world" (John 14:30). Paul called Satan the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) and the "god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4). The Apostle Peter called him a "roaring lion" walking about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). At present, Satan has at his disposal countless legion who do his bidding (a legion is roughly equal to 3,000 to 6,000 in number). If Satan could afford to put one legion in a possessed nobody at the Gadarenes (Mark 5:1-9), clearly, he can afford to put them anywhere he wants, anytime he wants...in spades.

The world after the Rapture will be one where the entire demonic host, along with the fallen angels will burst through the veil (the gates of hell) that separates the physical from the spiritual. It may be why we meet the Lord in the air (Satan's domain) as opposed to just being instantaneously transported to heaven. We assume Satan knows about the Rapture, although he may not believe it. This is why the doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is taught throughout Scripture, but not as explicit (or overt) as we may wish. [Hence why we have all the varying views on the timing of the Rapture]

It sort of reminds me of a military maneuver. The Lord intends to signal His temporary withdrawal (of His body the Church) from the earth in such a manner like a military feint. It will appear that Jesus packed up all His people and went home and left the gate wide open in the process. But His departure is only temporary and it's only to accomplish His two purposes (Jer. 30:7-11). In the Church's absence, Satan and his demonic forces (both flesh and spirits) will seek to fill the vacuum with something ugly, apostate, and damning to the greatest extent they can in the time they have available. What better way than to people who are "spiritual."

According to Scripture, at the mid-point of the 70th Week, Satan and his fallen angels are physically confined to the earth (Rev. 12:7-12). At the end of the seven years, Christ and the armies of Heaven peel the sky back and return triumphantly to the earth, decimating Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the satanic forces without even breaking a sweat (Rev. 19:11-21).

So while today it might appear that we are surrounded and outnumbered (much like Elisha was at Dothan), may we also have eyes to see beyond the physical to understand that those who are with us, are more than those who with them (2 Kings 6:16-17). 

Therefore...

..."we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

GOD BLESS YOU ALL. KEEP LOOKING UP FOR OUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH.

LIFE ON MARS

 BY J. L. ROBB

Can you imagine the excitement in the scientific community at that news? Life has been discovered on Mars. In a dark crevice on a hillside, that oscillates between extreme cold and extreme heat as the red planet rotates and orbits the sun, a NASA robot has discovered a bacterium.

 

What a story that would be.

 

The U.S. government has spent billions of tax dollars, maybe trillions over the years, to track down a life form of some kind anywhere besides Earth. If NASA doesn't find a bacterium, a virus would probably suffice though it is unsure exactly what kind of lifeform a virus would be. To be alive, something must replicate. A virus can replicate but it has to have a host, like a cell. Bacteria, on the other hand, can replicate without a host.

 

Finding life somewhere out there, somewhere besides Earth, might prove to evolutionary biologists that we really are simply a product of evolution, an ancient accident of sorts. It just happened magically on Earth, and magically on Mars too. Generation of life could become commonplace, even in the most impossible of atmospheres.

 

President Bill Clinton thought we found life on Mars while he was President. On August 7, 1996, because of the discovery of a small meteorite in Antarctica in 1984, President Clinton had this to say:

 

It is well worth contemplating how we reached this moment of discovery. More than 4 billion years ago this piece of rock was formed as a part of the original crust of Mars. After billions of years it broke from the surface and began a 16 million year journey through space that would end here on Earth. It arrived in a meteor shower 13,000 years ago. And in 1984 an American scientist on an annual U.S. government mission to search for meteors on Antarctica picked it up and took it to be studied. Appropriately, it was the first rock to be picked up that year -- rock number 84001.

 

Today, rock 84001 speaks to us across all those billions of years and millions of miles. It speaks of the possibility of life. If this discovery is confirmed, it will surely be one of the most stunning insights into our universe that science has ever uncovered. Its implications are as far-reaching and awe-inspiring as can be imagined. Even as it promises answers to some of our oldest questions, it poses still others even more fundamental.

 

I suppose it was embarrassing when the story was investigated and determined to be untrue.

 

The small meteorite everyone was so excited about, was "thought" to be from Mars and is named ALH84001 after its discoverer, Allan Hills. It was discovered under electron microscopy that some structures of the meteorite resembled possible "bacteria-like" fossils. However, the "lifeform" was smaller than any cell known to man.

 

What do you think the scientific community would think had the Martian robot found  a chicken egg? Can you imagine?

 

An egg would certainly be more of a lifeform than a theoretical nanobacterium smaller than any cell ever discovered at this point? Life Found on Mars would definitely be the headline, and should. An egg is certainly a sign of life to the scientific community, at least on Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

 

Isn't it odd then, that so many scientists do not consider an egg as life on our own planet?

 

Suppose the Martian robot had found a human fetus on Mars? Now that would be proof of life for sure.

 

Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States. This means they kill more fetuses than any other company, clinic or healthcare (what a joke) group. If they were located on Mars and doing the same, there would be an uproar. Down here on Earth, it's just another day. We have been brainwashed by the left in our society (Hollywood, school teachers and professors, news journalists and our government and universities) into believing that what would be life on Mars is really not life on Earth.

 

It was our Supreme Court that ruled in 1973 that a woman's right to privacy outweighed the life of the lifeform and could thereby kill the lifeform if she so wishes with no penalty. The fetus is penalized though, because they become an ex-lifeform.

 

Our Declaration of Independence does not give citizens the right to happiness but only the right to pursue happiness. It does not say we are all equal, only that we were created equal. If a right to pursue happiness happens to infringe on someone else's pursuit of their happiness, like the baby who is being killed, shouldn't there be pause?

 

Abortion in the United States has decreased the past few years. We are only aborting 1,500,000 human lifeforms a year instead of 2-million. Isn't that nice.

 

Approximately 40-million human lifeforms are killed every year in the world. It has to stop.

 

When the Supreme Court decided in 1973 that fetal life was not supreme at all unless they were alien beings, many in the community, especially the church and synagogue communities, felt agony. They knew God was not going to be happy. Doom and gloom would come, God's wrath would be here any day and the world would finally repent. Then life and lifeforms would go on.

 

But it didn't happen. Forty-four years later, we are still feeding the abortion frenzy. Thanks to our new President Trump, at least we the taxpayer will no longer have to pay for the destruction of the lifeforms.

 

But wait! God's wrath may come and we don't recognize it because it comes slowly. He is very patient, and a day to us is an eternity for Him. Have there been more disasters in the world since 1973 than at other times throughout history? Here is a partial list from CBC News, and the answer is a resounding affirmative:

 

• Aug. 5, 1975: 85,000 killed in Chinese floods.
• July 28, 1976: 242,00-655,00 killed, Tangshan, China, earthquake. 
• 1984-1985: Famine killed at least one million in Ethiopia.  
• November 13-14, 1985: A 25,000 in Colombia, volcano eruption.
• July 15, 1991: Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted. More than 800 died.
• October 26-Nov. 4, 1998: 11,000 killed in Honduras and Nicaragua, Hurricane Mitch, 2.5 million homeless.
• December 26, 2003: 35,000 killed in Bam, Iran earthquake. 
• December 26, 2004: 240,000 killed in Indonesia earthquake and tsunami that followed.    
• October 8, 2005: 80,000 people in earthquake struck, Pakistan.
• May 3, 2008:  Cyclone Nargis, 100,000 dead, Burma. 
• May 12, 2008: 70,000 people killed, 18,000 missing in earthquake, Sichuan, China.
• January 12, 2010: 230,000 Haitians killed in earthquake.
• July-August 2010:  Monsoon floods kill 1700 in Pakistan.  
• 1980 to present: 25,000,000 dead, 40,000,000 infected, AIDS.

 

This is a lot of wrath when the numbers are totaled. Maybe The Almighty thinks differently about fetal lifeforms than mankind? Death is death.

 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16 NIV

 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

 

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3 NIV

 

When Jesus told us to love one another as we love ourselves, that pretty much ruled out abortion. Will we repent? Doubtful. Will the world repent? Don't think so. Like the people of Nineveh, we keep getting chances; but it seems mankind has eyes that do not see; ears that do not hear.

MEN OF RENOWN: THE RETURN OF THE NEPHILIM/A.I.

 

And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Luke 17:26-27

 

Much discussion has been made about the Nephilim over the past twenty years by many from within evangelical Christianity. Most I'd wager would agree to disagree on the specifics of the who what, when, where, and why of what that actually looks like, but most would agree that they are coming. Personally, I think we need look no further than our current crop of movies to get a glimmer of things to come.

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, exploded into movie theaters beginning with the 2008 theatrical release of Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. Previous attempts at superhero movies tended to be more misses than hits, but the bar was raised with this release because of the right recipe of timing/cast/technological advancements and direction which made this movie a box office hit, garnering $585M around the world. But more than that, was the character himself (Tony Stark/Iron Man). People loved the comics long before the movie came out because it told the story of an ordinary man (albeit wealthy and intelligent) who fought evil by overcoming his lack of supernatural powers by harnessing the power of his technological prowess.

 

Not soon after came the 'god' of thunder Thor, dovetailing into the MCU with the visitors from outer-space. It explored the notion that beings from other 'realms' could come to earth because man had finally "evolved into a higher form of warfare" (quoting Thor from the Avengers).

 

Next came Captain America, played by the all-American Chris Evans, who introduced the real-life super-soldier into our world. But, with the success of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers, Marvel had the cracked the right formula and now possessed the technological know-how to build the Marvel Comic powerhouse into what it has become today. All told we love a movie where an ordinary person can become extraordinary. Given the lack of real magic in the world, who doesn't want an occasional escape from the daily grind into one where good and evil really do wear uniforms...even "spangly" ones.

 

Assessment

 

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:4

 

The world we live in now is not the way it has always been. That is a difficult reality for most people to accept. What we today would identify as 'pre-history', was known as the 'Golden Age' to the ancient world.  Those who lived in the 'Golden Age' are they whom the Greeks and Romans believed lived for centuries, were exceedingly tall and strong, and generally lived a life of bliss. Supposedly, this was in the land known as Hyperborea. Granted there isn't complete consensus on where exactly Hyperborea was as some thought it where Siberia is today, while others thought it in the British Isles. Either way, what the ancient Greeks where in agreement about, was that these people were from the far north and powerful. One other interesting note about ancient mythologies, is that they generally all share the same back story in that...these super people, originally came down as 'gods'. As far as ancient civilizations go, the generally accepted timeline is as follows:

 

1. Sumerians
2. Chaldeans
3. Egyptians
4. Assyrians
5. Babylonians
6. Persians
7. Greeks
8. Romans

 

Even to the ancient Greek historians and scholars like Sophocles, Herodotus, and Hecataeus of Abdera (all 5th-4th BC), the 'Golden Age' was considered very ancient. Much in the same way we look back to the first century AD as ancient, the 'Golden Age' to them would have just as far removed back in time. It was a magical time that spoke of gods, demigods, and those ancient 'superheroes' and 'men of renown' that roamed the earth. Interestingly, the bible makes note of just such a time prior to the Flood of Noah.

 

Genesis 5 lists the accounts of the genealogies from Adam and Eve. The descendants of Adam lived for hundreds of years with Methuselah living to the ripe old age of 969 years. The long life span began to dwindle after Noah's flood, but even Job and Abraham lived supernaturally long lives as compared to our standards today. Assumptions can be made that the veil between our natural world and the spiritual supernatural world was either non-existent (God physically walked with Adam in the Garden) or far different than we have today. We could also deduce that the world (earth and atmosphere) was vastly different before and afterward the flood. For the curious, the non-biblical accounts from the Book of I Enoch and Jasher fill in the blanks of what life was like back then.

 

The Enoch account states that fallen angels came down and settled on Mt. Hermon (now modern day Lebanon) and comingled with human women. Genesis 6 affirms such accounts that resulted in the Nephilim (means 'fallen ones' and translated gigantes in Latin to giants when Anglicized). Not to get bogged down on too much familiar territory, but the Nephilim would be the physical descendants of the unnatural sexual relations between fallen angels and human women (Gen. 6). Not only this, but they taught humans things that mankind shouldn't have known about then (weaponry, warfare, astrology, conjuring potions and incantations).

 

So follow my logic on this; since almost every known culture records some type of mythos pertaining to a superior race of beings, the most likely reason is that they (we) can all trace their stories back to a common event that was known to mankind prior to Babel (Gen. 11). It couldn't have been after that, because God separated mankind linguistically, genetically, and geographically at Babel-hence no more shared history. Remember, part of the motivation for defying God in the first place was not to be scattered around the world.

 

And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Gen. 11:4)

 

After the flood subsided and Noah and company departed the ark. Two generations would transpire before the Tower of Babel judgment. Thus we can conclude that the world before Babel all spoke the same language and lived in a region known as Mesopotamia. This is key because at some point either during or after the flood in Peleg's day, the earth's continents separated. The scientific theory of Pangea is one in which the landmasses were all together before separating along their respective tectonic plates. It's also a reasonable conclusion based on the Genesis 1:9 passage in which God collected all the waters (below the firmament) together in one location.

 

Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

 

Yet despite the separation which existed until today, most (if not all) cultures across the planet share similar ancient mythologies about a large or global flood and that of 'demi-gods' reigning upon the earth. Most ancient cultures tell tales of giants. If none of these were true, where did the ideas come from? There would have had too been some truth to their myths or they would have never lasted as long as they did. The 'gods' never really changed, just their names.

 

How long would Judaism have lasted if Moses hadn't been called, the plagues never took place, or the Exodus stalled out at the Red Sea? How long would Christianity have survived had Christ not come? There has to be some signs and supernatural activities (Elijah calling fire down, Jesus raising the dead and of His own resurrection, and the miracles of the Apostles, etc.) in order for Christianity to have presented itself as a form of real power.

 

Conclusion

 

A nations pop-culture reflects what's on the hearts and minds of that generation. Simply look back to the American 1950's to see who they held up as heroes. Our generation on the other hand is fixated on violence and loosening sexual proclivities of every kind. Thus the success of the MCU, Science Fiction genre, and the occult likewise consume man's obsession on to evolving to that next level. Just like the old saying goes, "if you can dream it, you can do it".

 

An idea is birthed in the minds of fallen men. That idea than gives legs to conceptual design, and then onto analytical research. That research begins to find solutions to the things man is lacking until a breakthrough occurs. What modern man lacks today is a race of fallen angels physically guiding them on how to create hybrid humans. What modern man now has is the technological knowhow to circumvent that through quantum computing, artificial intelligence, bio-engineering via genetic manipulation. What once took decades, is now down to years. Pretty soon those years will turn into months, and then man will achieve the very things he has set his mind towards.

 

People may scoff at the return of the supernatural and fantastic. People may scoff at the idea that 'Captain America' and 'Iron Man' people might become the norm. Remember, people use to scoff at the idea of planes and cars, or that the mile could be ran in under four minutes. People scoffed at the idea of sending a man (men) to the moon. Yet, nobody's scoffing at those things anymore are they? What was it that God once said?

 

And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.  Genesis 11:6

 

When man becomes united in a single purpose, we have a pretty good track record of doing that thing. If CERN is intent on opening portals to other dimensions, you can pretty much guarantee that they will (barring God's intervention). If man becomes intent on creating a sentient, self-aware artificial intelligence system that is billions of times smarter than the smartest person, you can pretty much bet man will ultimately achieve it. If man becomes on intent on creating hybrid humans (whether trans-human or biologically altered), you can pretty much bet man will achieve that thing.

 

My understanding has developed somewhat regarding my understanding of the Dispensation of the Church (which was from Pentecost until today). Rather than calling the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the 'birth of the Church', I now understand that it is actually the 'conception of the Church'. This is akin to the outcome of the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary at the Immaculate Conception, of which she didn't give birth right then, but rather became pregnant. Likewise, the Church wasn't born at Pentecost, but rather was conceived and has entered into this 2,000 year gestation period, in which believers are being added daily into the body of Christ. (Romans 11:25)

 

The reason for my departure into the topic of the Church age dispensation, is that once we are complete, we are then birthed into our perfect, incorruptible bodies at the Rapture. We will be translated from mortal to immortal and from corruptible to incorruptible. Our departure, which coincides with the removal as the Restrainer (Holy Spirit empowers us to be salt and light), allows for darkness to ascend and allow the age of lying signs and wonders to once again take hold of the earth. (Romans 8:22-23, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 2 Thess. 2:9-12, 1st Cor. 15:51-56)

 

The return of the days of the supernatural are not farfetched. This correlates with what will be coming during Daniel's 70th Week...which then is a continuation of the Dispensation of the Law, which saw the Red Sea parted, the Exodus plagues, giants (Anakim), fire from the heavens, etc. Further corroborating this idea, is the return of the Two Witnesses, who this author believes to be Moses and Elijah which perform signs and wonders as both a judgment on those who reject God and a witness to the Jews. (Rev. 11:1-14, Malachi 4:5-6, Jude 1:9, Matt. 17:2-4)

 

Does this current obsession with the fantasy and the occult feed into the 'strong delusion' that God allows to happen once He removes His Spirit-filled Church at the Rapture? It would seem so. 1st Corinthians 1:22 states that the Jews (God's chosen) seek after a sign, to which Daniel's 70th Week promises to be the likes man has never seen.