If you don’t have to know about or believe in a Rapture to be raptured, then why talk about it? The Rapture is the part of the Second Coming of Christ, where we “meet the Lord in the air” (1Thessalonians 4:17 KJV), so we can return with Him to earth. If we “love His appearing” (2Timothy 4:8), then we are “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, [that] we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). The Rapture is all about the hope of those who are living godly, for it is the godly who are “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (2:13). Likewise, only godly living will be “looking for and hasting [hastening, yes, hastening] unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2Peter 3:12). You can see that only a godly heart will love His appearing and will be raptured. LORD, work in us a godly heart that we might commune with You now, and that You might rapture us Home later. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Author: Ken
Purpose: Living for Christ
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 KJV). The Seven Churches of Revelation 2 and 3 is a report card that prepares us how Christ will judge His people at the Bema Seat Judgment (1Corinthians 3:9-15). The entire history of the Church Age is chronologically and sequentially surveyed from Ephesus to Laodicea. Everything said to one church is meant for all — including us. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). We do not need to be confused about how Christ will judge us at the Bema Seat. Notice: Everything is about Jesus. Concentrate upon Christ as the answer to all our problems, and we will do exceedingly well. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Father, strengthen Your Church with understanding that we all can be Your Beloved Church for whom Christ died. Keep us from heresies and divisions taking away our focus upon Jesus. May we be able to stand in Your presence without spot ready for Your review. Preserve us from the wicked one, who seeks to rob us of Your reward. Magnify Yourself now through us. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Shohei Ohtani: Watching History
Jesus Christ is ready to return. The Middle East is exploding. But, have you heard, “Did Shohei Ohtani Just Have the Greatest Game of All Time?” God allows us the benefit of a smile, when everything around us seems so grim. “And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof” (Zechariah 8:5 KJV). “Three homers. Two doubles. Two steals. Ten RBIs. And a 6-for-6 outing at the plate,” according to the Wall Street Journal article. Ohtani was responsible for half of the points in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ victory over the Miami Marlins. He completed the game with 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases, a MLB first to achieve 50-50 in a season. Shohei Ohtani is not just a credit to the Dodgers, but to Major League Baseball. “I’m happy, relieved and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before who played the sport of baseball,” Ohtani said after the game, speaking Japanese through an interpreter. Ohtani’s respectful demeanor towards others, even his opponents, is noticed and appreciated. Reminds us to keep our eyes on the prize. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Thy God, Thy Glory
Worship of heart to God, more important than the substance of the world or exhilaration of miracles, is as should be. Thy God, thy glory. The prophet foresaw new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Old things were passed away. Our embrace of the Invisible God relaxes our grip on the world, which is the fine balance between the necessities of life and the eternal. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory” (Isaiah 60:19 KJV).
Make Jesus Our Focus
Jesus as our central focus must always be right, unless it is only being used as a clever slogan to accomplish what one really thinks is important. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39 KJV). Judge every action we take by how well it makes Jesus the center of our attention. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Continually evaluate our circumstances by how well Jesus maintains the central focus. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Bema Seat Judgment of Believers
The “judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10) or Bema Seat Judgment is to determine how well we’ve maintained Jesus as our center focus. It takes place after the Church has been translated into His presence following the Rapture (1Thessalonians 4:17). Everything about Christ’s Church rests upon the foundation of Jesus. Everything only has significance in relation to Jesus. We carefully build upon the foundation of Christ (1Corinthians 3:11), with Christ as our cornerstone (Ephesians 3:20; 1Peter 2:6), and culminating with the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb ultimately being the Temple itself (Revelation 21:22). It is all about Jesus.
Christ’s Judgment Seat
“9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1Corinthians 3:9-15).
LORD, make us True Laborers in Your Kingdom. Cause us to only build with gold of Christ honoring doctrine, silver of Christ unifying practice, and precious stones of Christ uplifted disciples. Cause the very thought of seeking to do only enough for man’s praise to cause us to seriously vomit. Guard our hearts. Make us more concerned about causing You offense than any man. Build Your Church focused upon Jesus. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
Avoiding Back Injury
Lifting heavy objects by squatting, head up, tailbone down, and keeping the object close to your chest as you stand up, is the best way to avoid lower back injury, according to safety experts. Some call it, Lift with your legs. Better yet, if it’s that heavy, team lift, where possible. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14 KJV). Kudos to all the safety guys I encountered, who contributed to my lack of lower back injury during my work career! You generally don’t realize you’re lifting wrong, until you injure yourself. Better to act like everything is heavy. Attempting to reach over a heavy object, arching your back, and using your body like a crane, leaves you open to lower back injury. Flexibility of bending at the hip first, then at your knees, when you squat to lift is key. Keeping your spine somewhat straight helps, as you lift. Muscle memory ingrains the idea. Back braces, in my opinion, are not as important as understanding how to protect your back. It is as if it takes more humility to squat and lift than to bend over and potentially injure yourself lifting too heavy an object. As with any human endeavor, “Safety is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). May the LORD bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you, give you peace, and protect your lower back. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I Testify
It works for me. A truthful witness can only speak for himself. As much as we desire the truth to work for others, it is useless unless it first works for ourselves. Pretend like the only one in the room is God and you. Whatever good there is in the truth, it needs to work for you. Ask not, if it works for others. Only ask, if it works for you. If this is done, all is well done. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32 KJV).
Days of Noah: Making Merry and Marriages
“But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe [Noah] entered into the ark” (Matthew 24:37-38 KJV). Jesus gave His Mini Apocalypse or Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 22. Matthew was directed more toward the Jews, and Luke was directed more to the Church. Before objecting about not knowing the “day and hour” (Matthew 24:36) of Christ’s return, which is true, Noah had an idea of the Flood coming, because: (1) Jehovah gave 120 years before He would cease to strive with humanity and flood the world, i.e., “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3), and (2) Noah knew the Ark had to be completed, replenished, and populated before the Flood would come, i.e., “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood” (Genesis 7:7). Before the LORD removes or raptures His Church from the upcoming time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), Jesus said the Jews would be celebrating with marriage feasts, even as Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Daniel 9:24-26) was soon upon them. This week in the Israeli daily newspaper, Haaretz (September 3, 2024) reported, “Israeli ministers, politicians attend joyous wedding as murdered hostages laid to rest.” Even though “that [exact] day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36), CHURCH, we need to be about our Father’s business, for it cannot be long. LORD, help us not to become weary in doing what we are supposed to be doing, maintaining ourselves in this physical world, while we strive to our utmost to prepare ourselves, our churches, and this world for Your soon return. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
An Unseen War
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2Corinthians 4:18 KJV). Preach the Gospel, baptize disciples, build God’s kingdom, replicate. Our highest privilege is communing with Him who is invisible. Notwithstanding the incomparable gift of Christ’s sacrificial death for our sins, God’s greatest gift is His Spirit (Luke 11:13), which causes — without forcing — an obedient walk (Ezekiel 36:27). This appropriately reflects our unseen relationship with the Father. Replicating on earth the unseen struggle taking place in the heavenlies with the minions of the adversary, disciples recognize our true “citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 NIV). Yahweh’s friends are our friends. His enemies are our enemies. Transforming into Christ’s likeness will be our unending pleasure now and throughout eternity. Prophecies yet to be fulfilled indicate tactical signposts and progress in our struggle with the enemy, but returning and continuing in our Edenic abiding with Christ is the unspeakable joy of our existence. LORD, we’ve pledged our undying loyalty to You, but we crave a greater understanding and appreciation of who You are. Magnify Your name. Show us Your glory. And, return quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen and amen.
Dealing With the Rapture (Part 3)
The Rapture is possibly the most controversial and studiously ignored issue of the Church at present, “in the fulness of the time”(Galatians 4:4 KJV), simply because it represents the culmination of our Master’s End Times strategy to tie together all the disparate issues of the Church, as well as, addressing all the clear and present circumstances of the Almighty’s Unseen Realm. Consider that the LORD’s supernatural enemy has been preparing for the departure event of the my Rapture from ancient times, especially since Enoch and Elijah (Genesis 5:24; 2Kings 2:11) were translated, to the enemy’s horror, and to their inability to explain away the Almighty’s ability to control the narrative.
The necessity of the enemy explaining the disappearance of even a large minority of earth’s population involves carefully Articulating What the Crowd Already Believes:
First, justice from the supernatural. The suggestion of a Nephilim hybrid of angels with human females — “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” (Genesis 6:4 ESV) — is rejected by most respectable, scholarly, biblical interpreters, yet most all historical human cultures have mythical traditions of such supernatural interaction with humanity, down to Hollywood’s incarnation of superheroes. What modern moviegoer doesn’t want to believe in justice finally from the supernatural?
Second, fascination with the supernatural. Christian theology typically explains demon possession as simply bad actor fallen angels spiritually and physically molesting us. What if we more precisely defined demons as the disembodied spirits of the multitudes of Nephilim destroyed in a worldwide flood of Noah (Genesis 6-8)? “So the devils besought Him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine” (Matthew 8:31 KJV). Much of the modern fascination with witchcraft, the demonic, poltergeists, etc. is based upon what the world believes is true, or is afraid to think is true.
Third, making things right through the supernatural. The fabric of the adversary’s explanation for the Rapture will unavoidably delve into the realm of UFO’s, since the Antichrist [a Nephilim] will supernaturally accomplish peace for Israel sufficient to allow for the building of a Third Jewish Temple, a presently unthinkable event. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2Thessalonians 2:3-4). Just as humanity senses a need for world justice, what human wouldn’t object to reaching out to the divinity in us all?
Summary of the Enemy’s Response to the Rapture. Lie. What’s the most direct strategy for the enemy to deal with the Rapture? Lie. The devil “is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). His Nephilim protégé, the Antichrist, Is also a liar. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2Thessalonians 2:9). Those “lying wonders” of Antichrist will include resurrecting from the dead. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). But, the Big Lie — for which Antichrist will kill the Christians — will cause their refusal to worship him as God, seated in the Temple at the middle of the Tribulation Week (2Thessalonians 2:3-4).
When you consider that Bible prophecy is so diligently avoided by much of the respectable Christian ministry, is it any wonder the Church is so ill equipped to defend the actions of our Lord in Rapturing His Church?
LORD, may Your people awaken to the challenge of giving “an answer to every man that asketh [them] a reason of the hope that is in [then] with meekness and fear” (1Peter 3:15). May we be ready for Your appearing. May we hasten Your appearing. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Come quickly and rapture Your Church. Amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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