THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, IN TWO PART HARMONY

By Pastor Mike

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?(Revelation 6:14-17)

I receive emails daily from all kinds of people with what they believe the bible is saying. Some believe that, like I do, God will intercede in the affairs of men and remove His bride, His church from the wrath to come. Others believe in a Post-tribulation model or some variation of the Church enduring persecution, martyrdom, and being present on earth when all of God’s righteous wrath is poured out on this earth. Layman who point to a proof text that they feel proves their stance is a correct one, reveal that they take the latest bible teacher, or what their denomination teaches and do not study the Word of God to prove the point by scripture in context.

Let’s examine a few of the proof texts that people erroneously interpret as being the same.

Proof text error example #1: 

Gog-Magog invasion in Ezekiel is the same invasion in Revelation at the end of the Millennium. Let’s compare the two passages and see. Let's start in Ezekiel:

2  “Son of man, set thy face unto Gog (a demon leader, notably Satan demonic inspired prince of this area), of the land of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, (referring to the land north of Israel, probably modern Russia) and prophesy concerning him,
3  and thou hast said: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I `am' against thee, O Gog, Prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal,
4 And I have turned thee back, And I have put hooks in thy jaws, And have brought thee out, and all thy force, Horses and horsemen, Clothed in perfection all of them, A numerous assembly, `with' buckler and shield, Handling swords -- all of them.
5  Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia or Northern Sudan), and Phut, (Libya)with them, All of them `with' shield and helmet.
6  Gomer (central Asia Minor) and all its bands, The house of Togarmah(Southeast Turkey near the border of Syria) of the sides of the north, And all its bands, many peoples with thee,"(Ezekiel 382-6)

Note my attempt to identify each of these ancient people that dare come against God’s Holy Land in parenthesis, but notice one other thing before moving on. Who is drawing this coalition of invaders? God has put hooks into their jaws, much like reeling in a fish to bring them down for judgment. Also of interest when comparing these invaders with the invaders of Psalm 83, you won’t find the names of any of these bordering nations that touch the border of Israel. These were the “inner ring” surrounding Israel that has been defeated. But now an “outer ring” of invaders are being brought down to Israel for one purpose. What is that purpose?  God will make Himself known to His people that Jehovah, their God, is still on His throne and will be doing battle for them!! 
16 " And thou hast come up against My people Israel, As a cloud to cover the land, In the latter end of the days it is, And I have brought thee in against My land, In order that the nations may know Me, In My being sanctified in thee before their eyes, O Gog.
17  Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in former days, By the hand of My servants, prophets of Israel, Who are prophesying in those days -- years, To bring thee in against them?
18  And it hath come to pass, in that day, In the day of the coming in of Gog against the land of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Come up doth My fury in My face,
19  And in My zeal, in the fire of My wrath, I have spoken: Is there not in that day a great rushing on the land of Israel?
20  And rushed from My presence have fishes of the sea, And the fowl of the heavens, And the beast of the field, And every creeping thing that is creeping on the ground, And all men who are on the face of the ground, And thrown down have been the mountains, And fallen have the ascents, And every wall to the earth falleth.

21  And I have called against him, to all My mountains a sword, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, The sword of each is against his brother.
22  And I have been judged with him, With pestilence and with blood, And an overflowing rain and hailstones, Fire and brimstone I rain on him, and on his bands, And on many peoples who are with him.
23  And I have magnified Myself, and sanctified Myself, And I have been known before the eyes of many nations, And they have known that I AM, Jehovah!"(Ezekiel 38:16-23)

God will make Himself known again to His people. I’ll let you read on what is the fate of this invading horde that will be decimated. Most of this vast army in the realm of 85% OR 5/6 of this invading army will be destroyed in chapter 39. Continue reading in the next few chapters and you see the details of the newly built temple, when in chapter 43, you see the entrance of the King of Kings, the Lord of Host coming into the temple via the East Gate. It notes a chronological order. A war found in chapter 38-39. The building of the Temple again, sacrifices commencing and at the end, the King of Kings returns to enter from the east gate. All events are future, but before the return of Jesus Christ. It’s part of a grand puzzle that you must assemble from the whole message of the Word of God, not just a piece.

How about we turn now to the account of Gog-magog mentioned in Revelation
.7  "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."(Revelation 20:7-10)

Notice the same name, but who is drawing them to the Holy Land? Who deceives them into thinking that they can kick out Jesus Christ as ruler of this earth, and make war against Mount Zion and God’s Throne upon earth? Their leader is Satan. Gog is a probably demon inspired notion that the humans born during the Millennium, called Magog will be deceived and drawn into a direct confrontation against the righteous rule of Jesus Christ on earth.  And fire will come down out of heaven and consume them all who come against God's Holy City. Both examples are similar by name, Gog-Magog, and the end is sure, but they are two distinct battles of more than a 1000 years apart.

Proof text Error #2.

The trumpet sounded in 1st Corinthians and 1st Thessalonians, is the same trump the 7th angel sounds in Revelation. Let us again look at scripture.
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."(1^st Corinthians 15:51-52)

And again in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4:
15  "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."(1^st Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Note that the trump is a blast or a signal that was used even during the wilderness of the Exodus and the battle for the Promised Land. I believe this is a reference to a Jewish historical fact of the Feast of Trumpets that was used symbolically to point to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. If you don't understand Jewish history or customs, then you won't discern what Paul is speaking of. But note if the mention the Last Trump, as noted in 1st Corinthians passage, does it mean the same as the one in Revelation?
14  "The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
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."(Revelation 11:14-15)

What does this angel signal? He announces the beginning of the third woe and the final plagues and bowl judgments being poured out upon this earth of rebellious mankind. The imagery is much to fear, as mankind is being destroyed off the face of the earth.

What is the difference between these trumpets? The first is a sign of joy and gladness and the last is a signal of WAR!! Let me elaborate. In the time of the ancient Israelites, starting even back to their forefather, Abraham, the blowing of the horns of the altar was symbolic. They were used as signals during the Exodus, during meetings/Holy Convocations the people had with God, and for signals during battle.  In Numbers chapter 10 begins what the blowing of the trumpet meant.

2  "Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
3  And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4  And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
5  When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward.
6  When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.
7  But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
8  And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.
9  And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies."(Numbers 10:2-9)

When Paul was writing about this “last trump”, he was referring to a ceremony that is part of the Jewish way of life for thousands of years. It is the  Day of Trumpets, or commonly called the Feast of Trumpets. It is a Holy Day to all who observe it. It is pivotal in God's plan. We could even call it "God’s Keystone Holy Day." There are seven holy days. It is the fourth. It is right in the middle.


You could say it is the dividing line between before, and after. There are three holy days that take place before the fulfillment of Trumpets, (and Jesus fulfilled them on the exact day of their observance) that particularly have to do with this present time, and then there are three holy days after Trumpets that have to do with the time to come. (God being a God of order, if He fulfilled the Spring Feast on the exact day, will He fulfill the Fall Feast on the exact day? It most likely will be so going on what God has done in the past). Here, Paul was speaking of this truth symbolically that there could be three blasts of a trumpet when Jesus Christ comes. The first trumpet sound (note that the voice of our Savior is equated to the sound of a many Trumpets, in Revelation chapter 1.) will make a call for attention. 
Each blast of the trumpet meant something to the Israelites in the wilderness and it meant the same thing in Paul’s time. The first blast was called the right horn, or trump/shofar of the altar. It was a loud short blast meaning attention. During the time of Israel in their land, it was blown in the Feast of Pentecost. The second trumpet call was from the left horn, or shofar from the altar of God, and it was designed to make the people ready for their marching orders. This one was blown for the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets after Israel entered the Holy Land. The final blast was a very long drawn out sound of a trumpet, called the Last Trump. It was the signal to “move out”. Oh, yes we will !! I firmly believe it is a signal of the rapture, when we will be changed instantly and join those who have died and raised from the dead to unite with our Lord and Savior, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
So come Lord Jesus!!

Second, Trumpets mean different things depending on where you stand before God. To the saints, it means the beginning of all that we have ever hoped for—all that we've been promised, everlasting joy. It means salvation, eternal life and all the wonderful things that come with it.

But, to the enemy of God it means violent and tragic judgment—the end of all human plans that are against God. It is a signal for war. God will make war with rebellious mankind and wipe the surface of this earth clean of sin and rebellion. In those regards, the two trumpets mentioned in Corinthians, Thessalonians, have no connection with one another when finally blown in Revelation, They are based on Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets in the former two, a sign of the return of the King, and the latter a sign of righteous wrath commencing for total annihilation.

Proof Text Error #3.

The Church will endure the terror that will be poured out on this earth in righteous wrath and judgment. Those who adhere to this position called Post-Tribulation believers and they try to prove their stance by a few verses taken out of context. Here is the most common sent to me by unbelieving Christians of their desire to be amongst those being killed during this time of the last 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th week. They point to this one section of scripture:

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."(Matthew 24:29-31)

First off, if we were here, we would not be mourning the return of the Son of Man, we would be rejoicing. But beside that, I’m reminded of the verses in Malachi chapter 3:
1 "Behold, I will send my messenger (two witnesses?), and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
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:
3  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.
4  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 3:1-4)

I’ve often stated and I will state again, the tribulation is designed for two things, and two things only. The 1st is the removal of sin and all rebellion of those who live on the face of the earth, by fire, by famine, and by divine wrath poured out on the people of this earth. The 2nd reason is the refining of Israel into a nation ready to accept their Messiah. He will make Himself known to them and they will weep bitterly. Zechariah chapter 12:
9  "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."(Zechariah 12:9-10)

To accomplish this returning of Israel to recognizing their Messiah, God will ordain 144,000  evangelists from the 12 tribes of Israel and enlist His two witnesses for the week of years called the tribulation: Revelation chapter 7,

2  "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."(Revelation 7:2-4)

These are the called of God, who believe in their Messiah and spread the Gospel to all the remaining world. Who is their focus? I believe it is the Jewish people who have rejected their Messiah for 2000 years, because in the very next breath of scripture it says:
9  "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."(Revelation 7:9-17)


Note the immediate difference in these people redeemed and the promise made the the Church, or the family of God. In verse 15 above it speaks that they are BEFORE the throne and they serve Him in His temple night and day, much like a Levitical priesthood. But note the palm fronds in their hands? Is it a clue of who these people are? Looking up Palm Fronds and its symbolic meaning, Wikipedia notes the following:

“In Judaism, the date palm (Lulav) is one of the Four Species used in the daily prayers on the feast of Sukkot. It is bound together with the hadass(myrtle), and aravah (willow). The Midrash[3] notes that the binding of the Four Species symbolizes our desire to unite the four "types" of Jews in service of God.”

The Promise made to the Church is much more distinct and glorious: Revelation chapter 5:
8  "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:8-10)

Another clue is that John starts off Revelation speaking of the 7 churches, which is symbolic for Christians down through the ages, but a dramatic shift of reference is made in chapter 4 with the revealing of the 24 elders. They are symbolic for the Church. And if that is correct, the church is not mentioned again, not one time, until chapter 19, when it speaks of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and then our return with our King of Kings riding on white horses:
Revelation chapter 19,
11  "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (A sign of the saints, my emphasis) (see Rev. 19: v 8!)
15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treaded the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."(Revelation 19:11-16)

Need More Clues?

Another clue that these are Jews that have been the first fruits unto God, is when Jesus was speaking to His apostles and they were inquiring of the end of the age.
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 24:15-22)

Jesus was speaking of the horror that will be what Jew’s will experience when an attempt to complete what Hitler only began, as Satan wishes to destroy the Jewish people and “attempt”to make God out a liar by destroying Israel. But Revelation tells another piece of the puzzle. The woman clothed in the sun:

Revelation chapter 12,
1  "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."(Revelation 12:1-6)
And further down in the same chapter:
12  "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. (the woman is Israel)"

Simply put, this is the time of the refining of Israel. The focus on Israel is continuous, if you take the puzzle and piece it together. So when Jesus comes with His angels to “gather His saints from the four winds” who is He speaking of? Correct, tribulation saints, Jewish people who received their Messiah, and resurrection of those who believed unto the death and did not take the mark of the beast, but were slain..

DON'T PLAY RUSSIAN ROULETTE DURING THIS TIME.

Sadly, many Christians today want a sign when they should get serious about living for God. They say, “when I see things get really bad, then I’ll start acting like a Christian.” What a dangerous gamble with your eternal destination. Jesus said that there would be no sign, except as it was in the days of Noah. Sluggish Christian take notice: Matthew 24:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

It will be a time, when all the world is going about their usual daily behavior, until suddenly and without warning, the Rapture takes place and millions upon millions of people instantly disappear to forever be with the Lord.

We should not be slumbering, as being foolish to think that when signs get really bad, then we will change our ways and act like a Christian. Paul said in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5::
2   "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"(1^st Thessalonians 5:2-9)

Conclusion and a challenge

I’m going to repeat what I spoke of in times past, of what I wrote and I want you to think very hard on this truth with a few additional statements:

a. If you think you can change your ways before Christ comes or can wait till things get bad before you get serious about this Man called Jesus, then you simply fool yourself.

b.If you in all Biblical error of proof texting think that the Bride of Christ must have the soup beat out of her, before Jesus finally comes to marry her, then you don’t understand the love relationship that Jesus has for the TRUE church, His family,  and His elected of God.

c.Finally, if you feel that God in all His wrath must purify the church with the plagues, the bowl judgments, and the tribulation that will nearly extinguish all of mankind, then my friend you believe that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice of His precious blood and body did not complete the salvation of all who call upon the name of the Lord in repentance and obedience unto a new life.

My reader, if you take that position, then you have much more serious problems of who the angels will be coming to gather from the four corners of the earth upon the return of Jesus Christ to reign and rule for a 1000 years than the timing of God’s removal of the Church from this planet. I pray that you make that commitment to live like Jesus could come at any moment, because He just might for the next sound we may hear is a trumpet blast. So “lift up your heads, for our redemption draweth nigh”

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)

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;

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

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.” (Romans 10:8-13)

Don't make that mistake that you have time to get serious about Jesus Christ, as God made each of us for one purpose. And that is “ what will you do with the Son of God who came into the world to save those who are lost and accept His free gift of mercy and grace”?

No matter what position you take, I preach that Jesus will come in two part harmony and will complete what He started two thousand years ago, to reclaim His creation bought with His own blood and will destroy all sin upon this earth. This leading into a new heaven and new earth into eternity to be part of the God family forevermore..

This is Pastor Mike Taylor, wishing God’s salvation in your life. If you need any help in prayer request, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com ,
God bless till hopefully,

we meet at Jesus Feet.

REVELATION OF JESUS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

By Pastor Mike Taylor

1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 1:1-3)

The book of Revelation is to some a mystery that seems to confuse a lot of people. So most people don't even bother to read it's pages, because they think it's too confusing and the images horrify them with so much death and destruction described. So they think that the average man/woman can't understand its message, due to all it's symbols and metaphors, but is that true? First the book of Revelation is written in Koine Greek and by definition means apokalypsis, or"unveiling" The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic document in the New Testament canon . The book is definitely not something you can't understand, or it would not be a book that “unveils or reveals” what is coming in our future.

Here our Lord comes to John in His glorified state as God and the description is way more than what John saw when Jesus was taken up out of His sight upon His ascension.

13 “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

19Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” (Revelation 1:13-19)

I can relate, that if God sh passage? “

8 “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.”

Despite Global efforts to eradicate Christianity, especially in the Middle East by the sword, and those of other countries by legislation, or judicial edicts, no man has been yet able to “shut the door” on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is an ongoing attempt by global powers to outlaw Christianity and the powers that be, will not stop until they either stop its spread in truth, or substitute a counterfeit religion based on more politics than religion.

Even today, all over the world, there are brave men and women who have bravely keep the Word of God and proclaimed the Good News that salvation is by grace through faith.

Looking down through the ages of the church we just described, even the early church was looking for Jesus to return in their lifetime and Paul had to address a fear that engulfed the early Church at Thessalonica when somebody came in and started teaching that the Lord had already come and they were living in the time of God's Wrath...the people were sore afraid.

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

2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:1-5)

The above verses show that the idea of a rapture of the church was alive even in the first century.

These people were looking for that Blessed Hope's return, our Lord Jesus, and when somebody scared them to think they had missed His return, they were thinking they were entering the Tribulation, and Nero was the Anti-Christ....of course, they were wrong, because things have not happened according to scripture in their day and age, as it has happened in ours.

Although in every age of the church, believers have been looking up expectantly for the return of Jesus in the clouds, only to the Church of Philadelphia has the Lord promised them He would come quickly. Note that if the Age of Philadelphia had ended in 1900, as Bible scholars so think, then Jesus didn't tell the truth, because Jesus hasn't come yet, and here we are 120 years later from the end of that age, according to them. But we know that Jesus cannot lie, so what are they missing? .The missing piece to the puzzle, was the rebirth of Israel as a nation, noted by Jesus in the parable of the fig tree blooming, signifying the beginning of the end of that generation born at Israel's own rebirth and we are in that generation now.!.If Jesus is going to come quickly, He also promises a special “crown” to the Philadelphia church.

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (Revelation 3:11)

There is only one 'crown' that fits the context;

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." (2nd Timothy 4:8)

Notice also in v. 9 of the passage found in chp. 3 of Revelation, where Jesus makes this statement:

9Behold, I will make the

owed Himself to me, I'm sure I would fall at His feet, either in worship, or total weakness at such power, as a dead man.

In the Book of the Revelation, Jesus instructed John to "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." (Revelation 1:19)

There is much to be learned from just this one verse. John is told to write down things he is seeing, which that is to say, that Jesus didn't dictate all of the Bible to John, but John wrote down what he saw and heard. The first three chapters, is red lettered in your Bible, as our Lord speaks and dictates what He wishes John to write. The rest, John writes in His owns words as each event unfolds before his eyes. In this message I hope to cover the different ages of the church down through history and into our time that we are living in. And what is soon coming.

WHAT DOES JOHN SEE?

His vision covers his own timeline during what is known of the years he is living in, but then he is instructed to write what will be “hereafter” which covered the timeline of the Church Age, or the Age of Grace, all the way up to and including the Great White Throne judgment at the very end of time, just before eternity.

During the first part dictated to John by our Lord Jesus, it is the only part that Jesus speaks directly to Jo

hn and to address His words to the seven churches that are in today's Asia Minor, or Turkey and are the things of “which are” in John's day.

As you read those first three chapters, Jesus our Lord outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each church that were in Asia, but it is believed that Jesus was talking about subsequent time periods of the Church down through the last 2000 years, or “epochs” coming up to and including our era or the end of this age, the Age of Grace that is fast coming to a conclusion. He used these churches as symbols of each era of church history.

Each church is expressed as a period of time beginning with the Age of the Apostles found in the Church at Ephesus:

a. Church at Ephesus.....AD 30 to AD 100, as John wrote this in about AD 95

b. church at Smyrna ….AD 100 to AD 313 or the time of Roman persecution

c. Church at Pergamum....AD 313 to AD 600, the Age of Constantine and beginning of the Catholic Church and it's rule.

d. Church at Thyatira, AD 600 to AD 1517, The Dark Ages of the “Holy Roman Empire” to which there was much persecution of those who would not bow the knee to the "pope" but had reverence for God, not some man on the earth.

e. Church at Sardia...AD 1517 to AD. 1648, or the Reformation and the splitting of the Roman Church into Protestant branches as her idolatry is revealed.

Then we come to the sixth church and she stands out amongst all of the churches up to this age...The sixth letter was written to the Church of Philadelphia, often called, "the Missionary Church." Of the Church of Philadelphia, Jesus writes,

7 “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;

8I 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.

9Behold, 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)

Although some Bible scholars believe that the “Missionary Church” as that is what the church of Philadelphia is called, ended around AD. 1900 or the “Age of Enlightenment” but I have to disagree with this interpretation. The Church at Philadelphia is one of the final churches of the Church Age, and it's concludes when the Church will be removed from this earth, by our Lord Jesus at the “catching away” of the saints at what some call “the Rapture”. In my mind, the Age of the Church of Laodecia had not started until the beginning of the 20^th century. ..To compare the state of the church today in it's modern falling away from the truth of the Gospel is tempting, but if we rightly divide the Word of God, the Bible says we are the members of God's Church, “Which has little strength”. But do they run concurrent on our age?

Note verse 8 for the aboveque reward to those patient Philadelphians, which is what I believe we are living in right now:

"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." (Revelation 3:10)

Note that Jesus refers to the 'hour' of temptation that He will keep the Philadelphians from experiencing. The use of the word 'hour' is significant. It signifies a brief but intense period that will "try ALL them that dwell upon the earth."

But the Philadelphians, because they patiently waited and trusted in His Word, will be 'kept' from that 'hour'. The Apostle Paul describes the fulfillment of that ironclad promise, issued directly from Jesus, to the Philadelphia Church:

13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the c

m 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)

What a profound message to say that Jews of today and in John's day were of the synagogue of Satan, but in the end, they will come to those who are Kings and Priest of God and worship at their feet by paying homage to those who God has made rulers in this coming Millennial Age. Even after Jesus has redeemed those out of the Tribulation, they will not be Kings, as the Church is given rule over the renewed earth. Jesus expresses a love for His Church and will make it known to those who come after her.

WE ARE LIVING IN THE AGE OF THE PHILADELPHIA CHURCH

If you look at all the years that have gone by, since Jesus formed His church in the Apostolic Era called the Church at Ephesus, approximately 1920 years have passed since the end of that Church era. It has been a long wait for those who have patiently continued to proclaim the Lord's soon return, even in this age we live in, the end of the Age of Grace. There are still people preaching the Good News of the soon return of Jesus Christ, and as time goes by, and more and more events proclaimed by our Lord Jesus and the prophets in your Bible come to pass, we have proclaimed His Name and not denied it. We who are watching and waiting have prophecy staring us right in the face, as events line up as dominoes that only need a push, and literally "all hell on earth" will break loose...I believe we are coming right up to the push that will start that time coming, I'll speak of in a minute.

The Lord promises a unioming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16For 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:

17Then 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.

18Wherefore comfort one another with these words”. (1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18)

THE LAODICEAN CHURCH IN THE TRIBULATION

We have yet to talk about one church age, that I believe is still future in it's entirety. But it is mingled with the true church much as the wheat and the tares grow up in the same field in a parable Jesus spoke of in Matthew. She has spring up in the last 100 years and overlapped the Philadelphia church, coming after her, and continuing after the True church is gone. . The Church of Laodecia was the Church that Jesus had dire warnings for.

14 “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;

15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17Because 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:

18I 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 thatthe shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Revelation 3:14-19)

I believe this is the Church that goes through the fire of the Tribulation. It will be those who have warmed a pew, fallen asleep during services, or just wasn't interested what the preacher was speaking of...They have lived their life like there was no tomorrow. They have lived for their flesh, and have put on the false face of righteousness because they belong to the best church in town, give regularly to the building program, or volunteer for the Annual Church Bake off, they think they are just fine in God's eyes....Only when they have been left behind will the thought of their foolishness come crashing down upon them, and they will know they have missed the “catching away of the Church” They may have heard it all their life, and they have scoffed at the very idea and fallen for the age old trap of being sloven for the Lord:

3 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2^nd Peter 3:3-7)

This is the Church that God will spew out of His mouth, into the horror of the coming Tribulation...Are they lost forever? Those who have been in earshot of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and were either too busy, or just didn't think they needed some preacher to tell them that they were living in sin, or were destined for hell, if they did not repent..will remember those words and will search desperately for an answer when millions have been reported missing all over the planet.

I saw a video and it showed what it could be like, if those who have put off the decision that will affect their destination for eternity, sitting in a church service and the preacher is preaching his heart out..Bible in hand when suddenly a clap of thunder and his bible falls to the ground....suddenly the whole church is near empty save a few totally frightened members who look around in horror and they instantly know what has happened...Why? They have heard it all their life and refused to come to Jesus and repent. Now they have it staring at them, and they fall to the ground on their knees in anguish. (for a look at what that event might look like, go to the youtube video noted below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1r2XJJWqQ

Those are the ones who will be the first ones to beg Jesus for forgiveness and be the first born out of the Age of the Law and end of the Age of the Church of Laodecia. Oh, there will still be churches in the Tribulation, but if you're following Jesus Christ right now, you wouldn't want to be a member of them. But there still will be some who will be saved, as the world will hear the testimony of the 144,000 Jewish evangelist from the 12 tribes of Israel and the Two Witnesses will be prophesying at the newly rebuilt Jewish Temple for 3.5 years...

19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20Behold, 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.

21To 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.” (Revelation 3:19-21)

Many will be saved from their testimony and those who have missed the event of the coming of Jesus for His church, I believe will be first in line...but it will be a high price to pay for their beliefs.

4”And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped 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.” (Revelation 20:4)

SUDDENLY THE TRIBULATION ARRIVES.

The bible makes a quick change in focus from Jesus dealing with the Laodicean Church and immediately, beginning in chapter 4, John is in the Spirit and hears a voice say:

1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2)

So begins the time known as Jacob's troubles and as John is whisked away into the throne room of God, it is a picture of the removal of the saints from this planet...I spoke of earlier what would be the domino that starts the releasing of a literal hell on earth. When millions upon millions of people suddenly vanish from this planet, then the Laodicean Church will know, just like those in that video of church members being left behind, it will come without warning. They will know that the beginning of the Tribulation has begun. Will it come instantly, or will God wait for a few years to reveal what Jesus will reveal by breaking the 1^st seal on the title deed for this planet as found in chapter 6 of this apocalyptic book. It is not revealed in a timeline but some feel God's wrath will fall on that very day. And some feel it could be years before the Anti-Christ is revealed, as he is what is revealed in the very first seal opened by Jesus Christ.

I believe that it is very possible that the end of the Age of the Philadelphia church is very close. The Laodicean Church will be sorely judged and will be those who have entered the Tribulation and will be tried as Jesus said in Revelation 3:10b “hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. “ But those who submit to the Lord's command will be saved as quoted above in Revelation 3:17-21.

Jesus gives a prescription and commands that will save them from the coming evil age in v. 18....buy gold tried in the fire (the fire of Tribulation of your faith in Jesus Christ) and white raiment which is a sign of a saint of God). But it will come at a high price for their being saved until the end.

Repeating Revelation chapter 20:

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

And as Jesus warned those who enter into this time of extreme suffering, demonic displays of depravity, and those will submit to the evil of the Beast power just to save their life, or their family members lives...many will fail to keep the faith in Jesus:

8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:8-13)

The Age of Grace is quickly coming to an end. The Church of Philadelphia is about to meet her King and Lord. The Laodicean Church Age is mingled with the Philadelphia Church in these last days....The Philadelphia church is leaving, the Laodiceans church will stay and miss the calling of Jesus to “Come up hither” and will be thrown into the coming Tribulation.

Question? Which church do you belong to? In this day and age, you can belong to one or the other....will you hear a trumpet sound and be changed into immortal beings that meet Jesus in the air, or be looking around your church, or the streets for people you knew, sat close by with, or lived next door to? It won't be anything you can pinpoint when it will happen, as it will happen as a thief that comes in the night.

WHICH CHURCH DO YOU BELONG TO?

2 “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

(1^st Thessalonians 5:1-3)

The wise man prepares for this coming age, the Age of the Law, or Jacob's Trouble which all stand for the coming Tribulation. How does anyone prepare?

57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1^st Corinthians 15:57-58)

“ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God sent not His into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17)

If you have been idle in the church of Laodicea, I urge you to come to the Church of Philadelphia, where Jesus arms are open wide to receive you, and as He proclaimed:

18 “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 thatthe shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18) Look now to the Lord God, Jesus Christ...His salvation is as close as a prayer by faith....

This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying your find your way to the true church and be ready for the coming of our Lord. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com.  God bless you all

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET