Friday, November 16, 2018

COULD EMMANUEL MACRON BE THE ANTI-CHRIST?


http://www.christianevidence.net/2018/11/could-emmanuel-macron-be-anti-christ.html


According to Scripture, the greatest political leader in history - the man of lawlessness (a.k.a. the Antichrist) - will arise from Europe to seek world domination and deceive countless people near the time of Christ's return.
Somewhere at this very moment on Planet Earth, the Antichrist is almost certainly alive, and there is much speculation about the identity of this Antichrist. Among the speculation, some of the more popular Antichrist candidates include: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and Pope Francis.
Yet, out of all the Antichrist candidates who have come and gone, Emmanuel Macron, who became President of France on the 14th of May, 2017, has generated more end-time buzz than any other world leader that I know! This is because Macron seems to fit the exact characteristics of the Antichrist in so many ways...
1. The Antichrist will rise suddenly from obscurity (Daniel 7:8; 8:9). Many news reports speak of Macron's meteoric rise from obscurity, appearing out of nowhere! A year before the French election, Macron had no political party and no previous electoral experience. Two years before, he was a virtual nobody. See: Who's behind the mysterious rise of Emmanuel Macron?
Further still, France has been in chaos from all the terrorist attacks and the far-right Front National candidate, Marine Le Pen, seemed the only answer to the madness. And yet, Emmanuel Macron won a landslide victory over Marine Le Pen in the French election. At age 39, he is the youngest President France has ever had, and not since 1958 and Charles de Gaulle has a French President ever won such a powerful majority, taking 351 out of 577 seats! Macron's rise has been nothing short of meteoric. It is in fact unprecedented.
2. The number 666 will be related to the Antichrist and is possible to be computed (Revelation 13:18). According to Dr. E.W. Bullinger, "when the name of the Antichrist is known its gematria will doubtless be found to be the number 666". There are 36 (6 x 6) total characters in Macron's name (32 letters, 1 dash, 3 spaces). If you give each character a value of it's position and calculate the sum, you get 666 (1+2+3+...+36 = 666).
Furthermore, Macron won the French presidency by 66.06% of the vote and assumed office on May 14, 2017 (Israel's 69th anniversary as a reborn nation, what a coincidence!).
3. The Antichrist will claim to be God and is worshiped (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Macron has already claimed he will "Rule like the Roman god Jupiter," in homage to the highest pagan god in the Roman and Greek pantheons, the king of all the gods in ancient roman religions (see here). In open reference to this, Macron's own nickname in France now is "Jupiter". Other names given to him include: "Jesus Macron", "Europe's Savior" and "the new Louis XIV" (or the "Sun King" reborn).
Macron seems to adore the attention, even (jestingly) allowing people to draw attention to the origin of his own name "Emmanuel," which of course means in Hebrew "God is with us." In fact, all parts of his name call him some sort of God or Jesus, except his last name meaning: "a written or printed mark..."!
This is the meaning of his full name:
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron
Emmanuel - God with us
Jean - gift from God
Michel - who is like God?
Frédéric - peaceful ruler (Prince of Peace is the title for Jesus Christ)
Macron - a written or printed mark (The Antichrist is known to require people to take his mark in order to be able to buy or sell in the Bible, known as the mark of the beast - Rev 13:16-17)
Coincidently, he was born on 21 December 1977, which is the Winter Solstice or the shortest day of the year. The reason December 24 and December 25 were picked for Jesus' birthday is because those were considered to be the Winter Solstice, or the shortest day of the year...
Technically being born on Christmas, and with the name of "Emmanuel", Macron could falsely claim that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy given in Isaiah 7:14:
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
4. The Antichrist will be a prince (Daniel 7:8; 9:26). Unlike most European and western leaders, Macron is technically a prince, becoming co-prince of Andorra, a small principality located between France and Spain, at the same time he assumed office! The remaining royalty in western and northern Europe have little or no power and are essentially just figureheads, but this particular royal has rocketed to power since he also holds the highest executive office in the country. Because of his party's sweep of legislative elections, some articles are even calling him a monarch who can rule by decree.
 

5. The Antichrist will be of Roman descent, rising out of the revived Roman Empire (the European Union) (Daniel 9:26). Macron is a citizen of Europe with Roman ancestry through both sides of his family, and his country, France, is part of the revived Roman Empire (EU). Macron is working on uniting Europe which would be a return of this power, and is currently leader of one of the two most powerful countries in the EU.
6. The Antichrist will be a sexual pervert and show no regard "for the desire of women" (Daniel 11:37). Strangely, young Emmanuel Macron (at age 15) fell in love with Brigitte Trogneux, a married teacher at his school, who at the time was 39! Despite her initial rejection of him and the fact that she was already a married mother-of-three, Macron did as he pleased and began an affair with Trogneux as a teenage boy nevertheless.

 
Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Trogneux, who's 24 years older
The desire of women is to have a family and children. Macron said he doesn't want kids of his own. There are also rumors he's homosexual and has had affairs with a few men.
Macron appears topless on cover of gay magazine
7. I expect the Antichrist to be an extremely charismatic leader, who is seemingly friendly and charming when he deceives people. Macron is young, good looking and charming, according to many articles. Haaretz News had this to say about Macron:
"When he takes the stage at rallies, you can feel Emmanuel Macron's messianic dimensions - the audience's near-sexual ecstasy, his followers' blind faith, his speech writers' evangelical messages. People yearn to get a picture with him, speak with him, touch him."
Macron's friend describes how the president is a "grand séducteur," a man who uses his prodigious gifts to get whatever he wants. Macron, he explains, is a polymath, a person who is able to acquire significant expertise in a variety of different subjects to quickly become an expert in them, and that he uses this ability to ingratiate himself with others.

 
The Financial Times, quoting a source who has known Macron well for years, detailed how, "...he seduces everyone. And then he kills." The FT source says Macron is always charming, especially with enemies and those hostile to him. During the election, for example, Macron took particular pleasure in always trying to meet his opponents, even the most hostile, face to face. He did this, so the source says, because he was and is so confident of his own charm, and in his ability to "win people over."
8. I expect the Antichrist to be a clever psychopath who is ruthless towards others behind the scenes (Daniel 8:23). Macron's leadership style is beginning to emerge, and it IS ruthless. For instance, President Francois Hollande made Macron a government minister, until Macron abandoned Hollande and ultimately took his job. Another instance was when Macron purged three well-established and senior ministers in the first few days of his administration. Macron has wasted no time in also lecturing, and greatly offending eastern and central European leaders on what he perceives as their collective failure to accept adequate amounts of refugees from the Middle East into their nations.
Macron has told French politicians, from both left and right, they'll have to play by his rules if they want to be in his camp (See: Macron lays down law to big beasts of French politics). Back in June, the whole world witnessed France's president publicly humiliating a teenager for calling him 'Manu' (see here). French president Emmanuel Macron, contrary to his public image, Sophie Pedder, says, ".... can be very ruthless when he wants to be."
Macron's consistently scornful approach to the normal rules and boundaries of life has led leading European psychiatrist Adriano Sagatori, who has studied Macron extensively, to actually declare him as a potential psychopath (source).
9. The Antichrist will be a globalist (Rev 13:7), beginning his rise to prominence as a person who addresses some of the world's major problems through diplomacy. He will appear to be the savior of the world (Rev 13:4). Emmanuel Macron is the darling of globalism, he is its very embodiment. Macron is such a globalist that he has stated that "the French culture does not exist." One prime example of Macron addressing wold problems is his role of leadership in the "Climate Change" global farce. Interestingly, Climate Change, formerly known as "Global Warming" has always been considered the vehicle by which the Globalists will dominate and control the world's economies.
Macron has already been successful in France, representing all that is wrong in Europe: Socialism, no borders, immigration madness, Islam exaltation, and Godlessness. In France, Macron is already being called "Jesus Macron", Europe's Savior and "Sun King" reborn. Last year, the Rothschild magazine portrayed Macron in a Christ-like walking-on-water photo with the headline "Europe's Saviour?":

 
10. The Antichrist will be the most arrogant person of all time (Daniel 11:36; 8:25) since he will have the audacity to claim that he is God and will demand the world to worship him (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Macron's claim that he will "Rule like the Roman god Jupiter," is in effect a statement that he wants to rule "above every god" (Dan 11:36).
Macron has been criticized for taking an arrogant approach, such as when he didn't conduct the traditional French presidents' Bastille Day TV interview because his thoughts are "too complex" for such a forum. Leading European psychiatrist Adriano Sagatori states, "Like all psychopaths, he believes in his higher purpose. Macron does not love France and will not fight for the French people." Sagatori continued, "Macron loves only himself...The paradox is that he appears normal, but we have a case of full-blown narcissism."
By the way, this impression of Macron is not an isolated one, it seems to be echoed by many other people, especially those close to him. Even Emmanuel Macron's wife 'thinks he is arrogant'!
11. The ultimate source of the Antichrist's power is Satan (Revelation 13:2), and Satan has [some] supernatural abilities (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2). Thus, I expect the Antichrist to possess some unusual or unique traits. A reporter followed Macron for a week and noticed some unique traits he displayed, documenting them in this article. These include not breaking in sweltering heat, possessing relentless energy (which he is renowned for), being able to look at someone and convince them to trust him with his "penetrating blue eyes", being able to recite perfect Greek, and playing both sides in a bid for a newspaper.
Macron's former classmates reckon "he was not like the others". As a teenager and young adult, Macron was always hanging around older people - having dinners with his teachers, avoiding the advances of girls his own age (no regard "for the desire of women" - Dan 11:37), according to his former classmates.
12. The Antichrist will rule a ten-nation confederacy which will rise out of a revived Roman Empire (the European Union) (Daniel 2:31-35; 40-45; 7:7-8; 19-24; Revelation 13:1-2; 17:3; 7; 12-16). Interestingly, Macron's been pushing to bring together a core 10-nation "Coalition of the Willing" EU Army to prepare European armed forces to take action together in emergencies, and to bind Britain into military cooperation as it leaves the EU. Just this week, a coalition of ten European militaries ready to defend the continent's borders has been unveiled in Paris, just days after Emmanuel Macron called for a "real European army". See: Macron unveils European defence coalition
13. I expect the Antichrist to be fluent in at least a few widely-spoken languages, including the English language. Macron does indeed speak English fluently and has even given a number of interviews in English with the British media. It is often joked that Macron speaks better English than Americans, including their president, Donald Trump!
I do find it interesting that Macron consistently speaks the most common language of the day. A vast number of Europeans speak (or at least understand) English as a second language. Thus, is it any surprise that Macron would abandon use of his native tongue in favor of a common language? Here's a video of Macron speaking fluent English in an interview:

Macron also speaks German (and who knows what else).
14. The Antichrist is going to make, and sign, a seven-year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Interestingly, even Macron has wanted to offer Israel "Safety and Security" as he attempts to do what no one to date has been able to do: To bring peace between Israel and the PA. Macron is interested in being a significant factor in the attempts to renew talks between Israel and the PA, and the French are already working on their own peace plan (see here)!
Apparently, if US President Donald Trump does not present his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan next month, Macron will issue a proposal of his own! See: Macron to unveil peace plan soon if Trump doesn't 
 

Macron calls for renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
15. The Antichrist will be smart economically, controlling the world's economy (Revelation 13:16-17). Also, some think the Antichrist will be a Rothschild or one of their puppets - a must for all Antichrists with their love of global financial domination. Macron is very smart economically having worked for the Rothschilds banking corporation! In 2008, Macron became an investment banker with Rothschild, and surprisingly, was promoted from an entry level position with the Rothschild banking system to a partner after just two years. In just one meeting, Macron convinced the Rothschild banker to make him a partner within 3 hours of talking to him, which the banker said was unprecedented. He made a 10 billion dollar deal there, earning his nickname, "the Mozart of Finance," and has a net worth of already $32 million despite saying he's not a millionaire in his presidential run documentary.
In 2012, Macron left Rothschild to become deputy secretary-general at the Elysée for two years, then was quickly promoted to Minister of Economy and Finance. Ex-minister and senior civil servant Jean-Pierre Jouyet, told Macron at the time he took the job as economy minister: "You're the boss now." Macron was indeed a financial genius.
16. The Antichrist is also a politician (Revelation 17:11-12). Macron's now arguably the most important political leader in Europe today, aside from Angela Merkel. After creating his own party En Marche (named with his own initials), then winning 350 out of 577 seats in the French parliament, all within one year of its creation, and now exploring creating his own party for the European Union and even his own political school - Macron's considered a political genius!
17. The Antichrist will change times and the law (Daniel 7:25). Ever since Macron took office, he's been completely changing many labor laws in France, which have caused multiple violent protests, and wants to change Sunday work times.
18. The Antichrist eventually forms his one-world religion (Revelation 17; 18). There is a strong case for this one-world religion being the Roman Catholic Church (see here). If this is the case, I expect the Antichrist to have some sort of link with Catholicism. Interestingly, Emmanuel Macron was born to non-religious, liberal parents but decided he wanted to be baptized a Catholic, at the age of 12, despite his parents' misgivings. He then received a Jesuit education until his last year of high school.
In June, Macron visited the pope at the Vatican (headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church) and was granted an unusually long meeting behind closed doors with Pope Francis (his longest meeting with a head of state) in which they discussed migration issues, conflict in the Middle East and the future unity of Europe.
Secular France has a strict separation between church and state, enshrined in law in 1905. Yet, in a speech to Catholics this year, Macron said he wanted to "repair the bond" between church and state.
  

Pope Francis meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Apostolic Palace on June 26, 2018 in Vatican City, Vatican.
19. The Antichrist has no regard for "any god" (Daniel 11:37), but "shall honor the god of fortresses" (Daniel 11:38). Being a secular lapsed Catholic, Macron gives no regard to any god (Dan 11:37). Interestingly though, the title "god of fortresses" belongs to none other than the Roman god Jupiter whose Greek equivalent is Zeus (source)! Macron's already claimed he will "Rule like the Roman god Jupiter"! See: Macron Declares He Will Govern Like a Roman God
20. The ultimate source of the Antichrist's power is Satan (Revelation 13:2), so I expect the Antichrist to be surrounded by demonic symbolism. The demonic symbolism around Macron is very troubling:
Macron walked out to the European Union national anthem "Ode to Joy", a song about Jesus (in which the lyrics, unknowingly, are actually about the entering of the shrine of a pagan goddess and the uniting of all men in brotherhood, by the power of magic), instead of the French national anthem when he made his presidential victory speech.
The symbol of a pyramid and all-seeing eye has long been associated with evil groups such as the Illuminati and the Free Masons, who have wanted to destroy the evangelical church and to have Satan worshiped instead. Macron celebrated his victory at the Louvre museum right in front of the glass pyramid composed of 666 pieces, with what looks like lit up eyes watching over him from the top. To top the night off, he held up his arm in a V shape that with the pyramid behind him made Masonic crest. See picture below.
 

Macron has given another speech on a stage shaped like the Masonic unfinished pyramid, as well as a stage that was lit up in the shape of a cross. In his debate with Marine Le Pen, Macron flashed the 666 hand signal many times, even on both hands at the same time. On other occasions, Macron has held up the satanic horned hand symbol.
There was even a photo of Emmanuel Macron having "horns" on his head on Time Magazine's cover (see it here). Was this deliberate? I don't know.
Could Macron be the Antichrist?
The Bible makes clear that the man of lawlessness (a.k.a. the Antichrist) will not be revealed until the Restrainer (Holy Spirit-indwelt Church) is removed (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 7-8). So no one will know for sure who the Antichrist is until the rapture occurs. That being said, we can speculate, and it certainly looks like a possibility (especially given the shortness of time).
While I am not willing to state that he is THE Antichrist, Macron certainly seems to be a prototype. Thus, the point of this article is not to identify who the Antichrist is, but to warn those here for tribulation. Also, whether Macron is the Antichrist or not, it is a guarantee that Macron will rise to a prominent position in European leadership. Amir Tsarfati says of Macron:
"I believe that in Emmanuel Macron's case I can very clearly say that we are watching a young, West European leader who was groomed by the 'one world order' gang for this powerful position. I am not talking about grooming him to be the Antichrist, but definitely toward leadership of Europe."
As Christians, we won't be here when the Antichrist is revealed, so we don't need to know who he is! But we DO need to know and understand the season in which we live. Jesus is coming...are you ready?

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

THE FIRST RESURRECTION





  By Pastor Mike Taylor


“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.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”(Revelation 20:4-5)

I have had emails wondering about what is the first resurrection and believing that the rising of the saints will not happen until after the tribulation has played out. They say “Those verses plainly teach that the FIRST resurrection (as in “dead in Christ rising” I Thess. 4:16) takes place AFTER the tribulation saints have resisted the 
mark of the Beast. How do you think you will be “raptured” before the mark of the Beast, when the Bible plainly says that the first resurrection is AFTER the mark”

People look to these passages and reason that the dead in Christ will not rise until the end of the Tribulation. But are they correct, or are they missing something? I have a dear sister, that I will call “Judy” and emails me all the time with her “proof” of a post tribulation coming of the Lord Jesus, who is adamant that the first resurrection will not take place until after Jesus returns, one time only, at the end of the tribulation. Is she right? Let's see.

THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION.

At first glance at the aforementioned scriptures, it would seem to the casual Bible reader that the first resurrection does take place after the tribulation, but we must take the whole of scripture and not take one verse, or a set of verses out of context, as the bible CANNOT contradict itself, as the Word of God supports itself no matter what verse you are reading. A better interpretation of the First Resurrection would be the interpretation of the “resurrection of the righteous”!

52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”(Matthew 27:52-53)


The Gospels chronicle the blessed event of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, 
Jesus Christ. By these verses above, the saints who had died believing the promise of the coming of the Messiah were raised to life as well. They believed looking forward to that blessed event, even as we look backward at the completed event, but we both believed. These were saints who had fulfilled the years of their mortal life. As Jesus was the First Fruits of the resurrection, so were these people. Just as Jesus was on the earth for a full 40 days to witness to the masses of Jews that would believe His resurrection, so did these raised saints witness during these 40 days by their being raised to life. They witnessed to many during this time and so are we to believe that after they finished, they just died again? What witness would that be? No, I believe that Jesus took these saints with Him sometime during His days on earth after the resurrection, as Jesus and these resurrected saints were the beginning of the “First Resurrection”. As Jesus entered into the heart of the earth, He removed those found in Paradise, as Paul spoke of:

 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
4:10  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”(Ephesians 4:8-10)

 But this was just the start of the resurrection of the righteous or the 1st resurrection...
23 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”(1st Corinthians 15:23-24)

If you understand the implication of the verses that speak of Jesus as the first fruit of those born of the dead, then you realize that Jesus also was part of the first resurrection. As with any harvest of fruit, as the term “first fruits”, is important, as fruit is gathered in stages, not all at once of many a variety of agricultural products are harvested. So this harvest of God’s people will come in stages, but all will be part of the 1st resurrection.


18: “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”(Colossians 1:18)

There is no record of these raised saints in subsequent books of the bible, in Acts, or any of the epistles of Paul, that these people did anything but rise from the dead. They had no need to die again, as their sins had been forgiven, as they believed the promise that had just been fulfilled. As Jesus became a new creation with a new body that we will experience, so they also were part of that new creation. We don't know who they were, their names, or where or how far this miracle reached, but we do know that they came to life and were resurrected, just as our Lord was raised. If it was any other way, this fact would have been recorded to further the Gospel.

If we return to the verses in Revelation 20, then we must understand that this is the culmination of the resurrection of the righteous who are called collectively, the First Resurrection. Then if there is a collective series of resurrections, beginning with Jesus Christ, our Lord, then by implication, there must be others or a chronological order of events that will take place that will be called the First Resurrection, not just one.
THE TWO WITNESSES

Let's take a look at another resurrection. Let’s look at the raising to life of the two witnesses. Revelation chapter 11:
7 “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
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.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
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.
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.”(emphasis mine)(Revelation 11:7-12)

These two prophets are unquestionably part of the first resurrection’s company of believers. The assembly which makes up the first fruits harvest contains at least two other groups of believers. It is often overlooked that Rev. 20:4-5 speaks of these two distinct groups.

If you look at the verses in Revelation chapter 20, it shows one group that is sitting on thrones. They can't be angels, as angels are never given authority to rule or to judge. That blessing is given to only one group, and that is the Church. So these judging saints have been resurrected some time before those being resurrected here. The second group are those that were beheaded during the Tribulation period  (Revelation 6:10-11, and  7:9) and ends the chronological order of events called the First Resurrection, or the resurrection of the righteous. They were killed for their faithfulness to Christ, the beheaded faithful are blessed because they have a part (literally, to experience along with others) in the first resurrection. Only by spiritualizing this passage and ignoring the textual details can this group be made to represent all believers of all the ages. John clearly intends a smaller group, every single one being beheaded. Obviously, not all Christians raised to life will have this detail of being beheaded.

Of the first group, if we go back to Revelation chapter 4, I believe you can grasp who these resurrected saints are and when they were resurrected.

4
“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”(Revelation 4:4)

These are the symbols of the resurrected saints, called the Church who are part of God's government on the earth. They are not angels, as previously mentioned, but glorified saints before God's throne sitting on thrones with crowns on their heads. (see Lk. 22:30, Rev. 3:21 & I Cor. 6:2-3).

Those sitting on these thrones could not be there, unless Jesus had resurrected them to life before this time. This is confirmed by Matt. 16:27 and Jesus’ words found in Rev. 22:12 where He declares, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to His work.”

As I have preached many times, the tribulation is designed for two things and two things only. First is the refining of Israel as silver is refined in the fire.
2 “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.(Malachi 3:2-4)



It will be the most terrible tribulation that will fall upon those who have rejected their Messiah for 2000 years, save for a few who have been shown mercy and their eyes opened to the truth of their Savior. The second truth of the Tribulation is to purge and destroy all who are in direct rebellion against God's Laws, and the blasphemy against God's only Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord. It makes no sense for God to inflict this level of His Holy wrath upon His own bride, as Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and we have no need to be converted to Christ, as that blessing has been accomplished at the cross for all eternity. That would smack of purgatory, or being refined further, as Jesus and His blood just wasn’t good enough. Was it enough? You know the answer to that one…Yes, it was enough and when He said it was finished, my brethren, indeed it was. No need to refine the church further, as they have been redeemed at the cross.

Rev. 4:4 and 5:8-10 reveal that the Church will have received their reward of crowns before Jesus Christ initiates the Tribulation Period with the breaking of the first seal in Rev. 6,

1
 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”(Revelation 6:1)

This is the beginning of God's wrath, so to begin God's wrath, the church must be removed, as Paul wrote under  the Holy Spirit’s  inspiration
, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”,( 1stThessalonians 5:9.)

1st Peter 5:4 reveals that these crowns could not have been issued to believers unless Jesus Christ had already been seen by them at the gathering of His church to life “…when the Chief Shepherd appears.v.
4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

A SIDE POINT

One point that makes obvious sense, and would make no sense if  the opposite conclusion were true, which is this. If there is ONLY one resurrection at the end of the Tribulation and Jesus returns and destroys all rebellion with the sword of His mouth, then those raised will be spirit beings with new bodies, and those who are wicked will be destroyed. Matthew chapter 13 confirms this:
49 “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”(Matthew 13:49-50)

My question is....who will go into the Kingdom Age being mortal to repopulate the earth? See the problem? There will be no one. A better explanation is that Jesus is not coming back to change all into spirit beings, as that has been done earlier. What He is coming back for is to set up His Kingdom. Those who survive the tribulation will go into the Kingdom Age being mortal but have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior during the tribulation, but escaped martyrdom and will repopulate the earth. As it was in 70AD, those who believed escaped to the Jordanian Fortress at Petra and were preserved alive. So it will be in the Tribulation, as spoken of in chapter 12 of Revelation.

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.
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.
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.” (Revelation 12:14-16)
These are those who believed Jesus when He spoke of in Matthew 24 and escaped the oncoming slaughter begun by the Anti-Christ:
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:)
16 “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:16-22)
This is repeated in Revelation chapter 12 that we just covered. Those who believed escaped and were brought alive into the coming Kingdom of God to repopulate the earth...they will be mostly Jewish by birth with a minority of Gentiles who also surived.




Those who have died, not accepting the mark of the beast, will be raised to life and will comprise the fulfillment of the first resurrection and receive their new bodies, the same as with Jesus Christ and the saints raised with Him, the first fruits of the two witnesses and the redemption of the His body, the Church approximately 7 years prior.

TWO DIFFERENT TRUMPET CALLS

Another point that is made right along with the verses that began this sermon, is that the trumpets in 1st Thessalonians, is the same trumpet blown by the 7th angel in Revelation 11:15. There is a misconception that these are the same trumpets blown. The biggest reason that I can find is they announce two different events. The one that Paul writes  in 1st Thessalonians is followed by nothing but sheer joy. We have been redeemed from the earth. Each in his own order:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
(1stThessalonians 4:16-18)

Now compare this with the trumpet that is blown by the 7th angel that is erroneously thought to be the last trump that Paul speaks of and the third woe. But also note that Paul wrote his epistle about the last trump a clear 30 years before John had the revelation of these events by Jesus Christ.:
15 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned."(Revelation 11:15-17)
In subsequent verses, we see the third woe being enacted upon a rebellious earth and it's inhabitants. Bowl judgment after bowl judgment is poured out of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. How fast? We don't know, but when it comes it is NOT a trumpet to signal joy, but a signal of unspeakable horror, violent death, and suffering beyond any of our imaginations. They are two trumpets blown, but separated by some amount of time. One trumpet  for joy and “rapture” and the last one of death and destruction are their plain, distinct differences. Understand that? Good, let’s move on.

THE SECOND RESURRECTION

The nature of the second resurrection is brought forth in Revelation, which depicts the unrighteous dead being released from the power of death for the purpose of a final judgment,
"11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:11-15 ).


This is called the Great White Throne Judgment and the books will be opened.
9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
(Daniel 7:9-10).
What books will there be? We know that there is what the bible calls a “book of life”. Someone asked me what the difference was in the “Lamb’s book of Life, and the “book of life” mentioned in the bible at several places. The book of life, in my belief, is the written history of every human being that has ever been born and chronicles how their life was lived, either for God or in sin by following Satan’s temptations and lies. The Lamb’s book of Life are those names that have been re-written at the moment of salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of their life. Those whose names are not written in this book or the Lamb’s book of Life will be cast out and thrown into a great inferno and will be in torment forever, called the Lake of Fire. What are the other books? I believe they are the books of your Bible, God's Holy Word. By God’s Word, each man and woman will be judged who are raised in the 2nd resurrection.. Those who have been resurrected unto life in this chronological order of the 1st resurrection will have their name in the book of life. Judgment will be passed on the wicked as not being found in this Lamb’s book of life at this final resurrection, as the righteous have been rewarded before this time for they have been covered by the blood sacrifice of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
WHICH RESURECTION FOR YOU?

What each of us have to decide is, which resurrection will you be involved with? Obviously, the first resurrection is the one that any sane person would choose if they were convinced of the penalty imposed for not following the clear message of the Books of your Bible. Many will be deceived. Many will revel in their unrighteousness. Many will follow the god of this world, Satan, the devil to their own destruction. What about you? Will you choose life, or will you choose death? Eternal death awaits for the resurrected wicked raised at the 2nd resurrection, BUT life eternal awaits those who are part of the 1st resurrection. It is promised : 1st Corinthians,
51” Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”(1st Corinthians 15:51-55)

Whether we live or whether we die, being part of the 1st resurrection, those who have died will be raised to life, and those who are still alive, then each of us will meet the Lord in the air, at His coming for His Bride. This is at the rapture of the Church, but the 1st resurrection will be completed when those who have died during the Tribulation and have not taken the Mark of the Beast will also be raised to new life with immortal spirits. This will end the 1st Resurrection. Where will you be? Will you be in the first resurrection? How do you obtain life through the first resurrection?
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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.(John 3:16-18)


Believing starts in the heart and man's spirit, then we must confess our Lord to others by witnessing that very thing that happened to us. Not to a priest, pastor, but to others around you, your family, your co-workers, or your neighbors as God leads.
8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
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.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Roman 10:8-13)


Believe right now the Lord Jesus Christ and His payment for our sins on the cross at Calvary and those who do so, this side of the coming Tribulation will be assured to be in the 1st Resurrection and will never see the coming wrath that will be poured out on this earth for 7 years of unspeakable horror and death upon the earth. Jesus promised us this very thing when you read Revelation chapter 3:
10 “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.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Revelation 3:10-11)


As I have preached before, the phrase “will keep these from” in Greek is the word “EK”, which literally means to be removed from the time and space of the coming event. What event was Jesus speaking of? Is was in reference to the coming Tribulation. Will you escape the coming Tribulation and be in the 1st Resurrection? Jesus is the ONLY WAY.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the waythe truthandthe life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
Tribulation is coming and the removal of the Church is imminent, so won't you accept Jesus now and be removed from that event and live forever with Jesus in the Family of God?
2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2nd Corinthians 2:6)

This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying God's love in your life through His Son. See you at the First Resurrection. If you have any needs for prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me at 
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com,    God bless you,


till we meet at Jesus feet.