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).
Author: Ken
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.
Origin of Antisemitism
Antisemitism is essentially Satan’s attack against God’s chosen people, expressing itself in hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6 KJV). As demonstrated by history, both the world and Israel have not always agreed with such a noble vision of Israel. Antisemitism’s opposition to God goes back to Satan despising God from the beginning and hating everything that God loves, especially Israel. LORD, “for lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (Psalm 83:2-4).
Dealing With the Rapture (Part 2)
Though the Rapture will be suddenly and instantaneous (Mark 13: 33, 35), the unbelieving world will notice the departure, just as they will inescapably notice the resurrection of the martyred Two Witnesses mere days before the end of the Tribulation Week. “3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 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” (Revelation 11:3, 12). The unbelieving world will respond to the death of the Two Witnesses with glee; most likely, in the same way they responded previously to the Pre-Tribulational Rapture departure of the unwanted Christians. “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” (11:10). When the Jews disappeared into the Holocaust of WW2, their neighbors knew of their removal. In our earth timeframe, seven years must pass, before Christ actually returns; but, in the heaven timeframe, everything precisely and necessarily can take place in the heavenlies, before all the Raptured and Resurrected Saints are returning with Christ (1Thessalonians 4:14, 17). Like the Second Coming Return of Christ with His Saints, the Two Witnesses will be visibly noticed by the world as they will be resurrected and ascend into Heaven. “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” (Revelation 11:11-12). LORD, may we take encouragement from the resurrection and ascension of Your Two Witnesses that our return with You will be marked by the certainty of Israel’s Great Returning to You. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen and amen. “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation [Israel] be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8).
Dealing With the Rapture (Part 1)
The Rapture is only one aspect of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which must take place prior to the New Heavens and New Earth, which was also promised to Israel and the Church. Everyone will have to deal with the miraculous, supernatural Rapture. Jesus will return, as the angels promised, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 KJV). His Second Coming will happen for the entire world to witness. “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7 KJV). His Second Coming requires a catching up of living saints to accompany the resurrected saints, who will then both accompany the returning Christ. “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 [precede] 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 [Greek, harpazō, to snatch out or away] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:15-17). LORD, thank You for sharing future events with us. Though we know not when, return quickly, Lord Jesus, and deliver us. Amen.
Hamas No More
“Violence [Hebrew, châmâs, violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice] shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18 KJV). Hamas is an acronym of the Arabic phrase حركة المقاومة الإسلامية or Ḥarakah al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, meaning “Islamic Resistance Movement.” This acronym, HMS, was glossed in the 1988 Hamas Covenant by the Arabic word ḥamās (حماس) which itself means “zeal,” “strength,” or “bravery.” No doubt, modern Palestinians did not consult Hebrew Bibles for the coincidence of their naming, and as Jonathan Cahn remarks in “The Dragon’s Prophecy: Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days” (2024): “But God always has the last word.” Isaiah was prophesying of a future time, where 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” (60:19). John reiterates this hope in the last prophecy of the NT. “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Millennium-Sabbath Theory
Years ago, I ran across a 1965 copy of Halley’s Bible Handbook, which was originally published in 1927. Substantially, the Millennium-Sabbath Theory was a belief held in the beginning of the Christian Era, where the non-canonical Epistle of Barnabas mentioned the belief that, even as there had been 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham, and another 2,000 years from Abraham to Christ, then there would be another 2,000 years for the Christian Era, which would be followed by the Millennium (1,000 years). The reasoning was six days of creation would be followed by the Day of Rest. Dr. Henry Halley reasoned, “Inasmuch as we are now drawing toward the close of 2,000 years of the Christian Era, it will be soon be known for sure what there is to this belief. There are many things on the horizon that seem to be saying that the Great Day may be nearer than we think.”
A Warning and Two Observations
First, Jesus warned us about setting dates about His return. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36 KJV).
Second, understanding and sensing about how far along we are to His return is not forbidden. “We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long” (Psalm 74:9).
Third, evidently there were those in the Early Church, who did not pursue useful employment, because they were supposedly waiting for the return of Christ. (Evidently, they hadn’t read the non-canonical Epistle of Barnabas.) “5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (2Thessalonians 3:5, 11).
Ussher’s Chronology
James Ussher (1581-1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland (Anglican), who interpreted the Scriptures literally, and arrived at a date for Creation as “‘the entrance of the night preceding the 23rd day of October… the year before Christ 4004’; that is, around 6 pm on 22 October 4004 BC” (from Wikipedia on James Ussher). By the way, astronomer Johannes Kepler calculated the Creation at 3992 BC and physicist Isaac Newton at 4000 BC. The evolutionary biologist, Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), disagreed with Ussher’s Chronology, but graciously defended Ussher, who “represented the best scholarship of his time.” With the evolutionary model being understood by mainstream science as the plausible explanation On the Origin of Species (1859, Charles Darwin), it is comprehensible that secular science rejects the miraculousness of young earth creationism, the geological explanation of the Flood, or the anthropological model of the Tower of Babel, as illustrated by the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925).
Calculations From Creation to the Millennium
Archaeological discoveries in the 19th century at the Library of Ashurbanipal (Nineveh, Assyria) set the stage for breakthroughs in determining Gregorian calendar date equivalents to ancient and Biblical records.
George Smith (1840-1876) was the Assyriologist, who translated the Epic of Gilgamesh. He was hired by Sir Henry Rawlinson of the British Museum. The breakthrough came when an entry in the Assyrian records referenced an eclipse of the sun at Nineveh. Science can determine by location the time of that eclipse. That was their Rosetta Stone moment. Those archaeological records and Biblical records now have Gregorian calendar dates, which is the dating system presently used by most of the world.
6,000 years + 1,000 years = 7,000 years
Ussher: Creation 4004 BC
Ussher: Exodus 1491 BC
George Smith (1867): Exodus 1446 BC
George Smith (1867): Creation 3959 BC
Ussher’s dates were 45 years too long. You must subtract 45 years to adjust to astronomical time, e.g., Creation 4004 – 45 = 3959 BC.
Updating Ussher’s Chronology with the scientific accuracy of the dating equivalents, we can further apply the Millennium-Sabbath Theory and proceed 6,000 years from Adam to the Beginning of the Millennium.
Creation to Beginning of Millennium:
6000 – 3959 = 2041 AD
Conclusion
I will let Brother Paul make the concluding exhortation.
“But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away” (1Corinthians 7:29-31). May the Spirit of Christ impress our hearts to promote the return of Christ. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen and amen.
John 7:17 Willingness Challenge
R. A. Torrey (1856-1928) challenged an Oxford University sceptic with the John 7:17 Willingness Challenge. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself” (John 7:17 KJV). He began his address as follows:
Some fifteen or sixteen years ago [1878], when a student in Yale Theological Seminary, I was first confronted seriously with the question, Why do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Doubtless the question had often floated vaguely through my mind before, but now it stood out definitely, vividly and persistently. It was the one all-absorbing thought that engaged my mind by day and by night. I had doubtless many friends who could have answered the question satisfactorily, but I was unwilling to confide to them the struggle that was going on in my heart, so I sought help from God and from books, and after much painful study and thought came out of the darkness of scepticism into the broad daylight of faith and certainty that the Bible from beginning to end is God’s word. The address which Mr. Moody has asked me to deliver to-night is the outcome of that experience. My subject is, Why I believe the Bible is the Word of God.
[Torrey proceeded to outline ten reasons, where the tenth reason was]
TENTH, from the direct testimony of the Holy Spirit.
We started with God and shall end with God. We started with the testimony of the second person of the Trinity, and shall close with that of the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit sets his seal in the soul of every believer to the divine authority of the Bible. It is possible to get to a place where we need no argument to prove that the Bible is God’s word. Christ says, “My sheep know my voice,” and God’s children know His voice, and I know that the voice that speaks to me from the pages of that book is the voice of my Father. You will sometimes meet a pious old lady, who tells you that she knows that the Bible is God’s word, and when you ask her for a reason for believing that it is God’s word she can give you none. She simply says she knows it is God’s word. You say that is mere superstition. Not at all. She is one of Christ’s sheep, and recognizes her Shepherd’s voice from every other voice; she is one of God’s children, and knows the voice that speaks to her from the Bible is the voice of God. She is above argument. Everyone can have that testimony. John 7:17 (R.V.) tells you how to get it. “If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God.” Just surrender your will to the will of God, no matter where it carries you, and you will put yourself in such an attitude toward God that when you read this book you will recognize that the voice that speaks to you from it is the voice of the God to whom you have surrendered your will.
Some time ago when I was speaking to our students upon how to deal with sceptics, there was in the audience a graduate of Oxford University who had fallen into scepticism. At the close of the lecture he came to me and said, “I don’t wish to be discourteous, sir, but my experience contradicts everything you have said.” I asked him if he had followed the course of action that I had suggested and not found light. He said that he had. Stepping into the other room I had a pledge written out running somewhat as follows: “I believe there is an absolute difference between right and wrong, and I hereby take my stand upon the right, to follow it wherever it carries me. I promise to earnestly endeavor to find out what the truth is, and if I ever find that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, I promise to accept Him as my Savior and confess Him before the world.” I handed the paper to the gentleman and asked him to sign it. He answered, “Certainly,” and did sign it. I said to him, “You don’t know there is not a God, and you don’t know that God doesn’t answer prayer. I know He does, but my knowledge cannot avail for you, but here is a possible clue to knowledge. Now you have promised to search earnestly for the truth, so you will follow this possible clue. I want you to offer a prayer like this: ‘Oh, God, if there be any God and thou dost answer prayer, show me whether Jesus Christ is thy Son, and if He is I will accept Him as my Savior and confess Him before the world.'” This he agreed to do. I further requested that he would take the Gospel of John and read in it every day, reading only a few verses at a time, slowly and thoughtfully, every time asking God before he read to give him light. This he also agreed to do, but he finished by saying, “There is nothing in it.” However, at the end of a short time I met him again, and he said to me, “There is something in that.” I replied, “I knew that.” Then he went on to say it seemed just as if he had been caught up by the Niagara River and had been carried along, and that before long he would be a shouting Methodist. A short time ago I met this gentleman again, and he said to me that he could not understand how he had ever listened to the reasoning which he had; that it seemed to him utterly foolish now. I replied that the Bible would explain that to him, that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” but that now he had put himself into the right attitude towards God and his truth everything had been made plain. That man, who assured me that he was “a very peculiar man,” and that methods that influenced others would not influence him, by putting himself into the right attitude towards God, got to a place where he received the direct testimony of the Holy Ghost that this Bible is God’s word; and anyone else can do the same. [pp. 19-23]
Torrey, R.A., “Ten Reasons I Believe the Bible is the Word of God” (1930). Biola Publications. 57.
We Need A Miracle 
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