The Apostleship of Paul. Romans 1:1-6.

Do you ever wonder what our purpose and goals are? I am not talking about standing at the door of a grocery store and passing out Jesus loves you tracks; I am talking about our hope and destiny. Well, I have and the conversations I have had with God sound a little like this. If this is not real and there is no home with you, living in peace, something I have rarely experienced, then I might as well go party with the fools, or eliminate some of the world's bullies. In other words, without this hope, there is no purpose.

Regardless of how I occasionally feel, there is hope and the promise of a life with the Father in this place we call heaven. All of His promises are for real.

Paul's words in his letter to the group of believers in Rome begins to spell that out to them.

Romans 1:1-3 NLT  This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.  (2)  God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.  (3)  The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life, he was born into King David’s family line,

Since I previously elaborated on Paul and this idea of being a slave of Christ Jesus, I will bypass that and move on. We make huge assumptions about the amount of time and the quality of that time that Paul spent with some of these groups of people. If he had, then they should have understood the calling(s) placed on Paul, but apparently, they did not, so Paul begins to tell them that God chose him -

• to be an apostle

• and that he was sent out to preach the Good News about Jesus Christ.

Let's pause here for a moment.
Paul was, without doubt, a disciple, although not among those that Jesus hand-picked to walk with Him. That word merely means one disciplined; and Paul, when he went by the name Saul, was an adept disciple among the Pharisees.

If someone wants to claim discipleship, you should be asking, for and of what?
Consider how MMA fighters discipline themselves in multiple fighting styles to take on and defeat whatever comes against them; isn't this is the goal and purpose of Apologists, such as Ravi Zacharias and others.
I am not good at Apologetics as my memory is not working so well anymore. I think about the religious groups that occasionally come to our door; most are young, trained to argue their theologies, and their memories are not betraying them as mine does.

We would certainly expect an apostle to be a disciple or disciplined one. Apostles, on the other hand, are typically thought of as one set forth in the authority of another (like a pastor) - in our case, Jesus Christ. I, like many of you, assumed that an apostle was so much more than merely being a pastor. I suppose I got that impression because speakers with titles came to a couple of the churches I went to. The pastors in both cases made a big deal about these speakers, almost as if we should bow to them, and how they were not only an apostle but the pastor at their own churches. In the case of one church I attended, these guest speakers poured out accolades upon my pastor, announcing that he too was also an apostle (at one of them Pastor was almost like one of us in the sense that he rode a motorcycle with us.) For me, the problem with all this is that there are the implications that this man who assigns himself the title of apostle is automatically demanding that you treat him differently, almost as if he were some pontifical ruler.

Definitions of an apostle read like this: Apostle - one sent forth.
In the New Testament, the term was applied to the twelve disciples whom Jesus sent forth to preach the gospel and to be with him during his ministry on earth.
It also implies ‘one commissioned’ - a Hebrew word which signifies that the person is not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, within the limits of his commission, wielding his commissioner’s authority.
And, finally, A person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Hebrews 3:1; John 20:21).
So, with the little we know about the Apostle Paul let's see if we can match Paul with some of these characteristics I see in this definition above?

• One commissioned.
• not merely a messenger but a delegate
• bearing a commission
• wielding his commissioner's authority
• A person sent by another;

Paul was all those things, as he preached and taught a message of good news.

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. (Romans 1:1a MSG)

It doesn't take a vivid imagination to picture what life was like under the oppressive rule of the Pharisees, and the Roman law. A hot shower and a flushing toilet were unheard of, for anyone to stand their ground against the constant draw toward selfish hedonism could have been unbearable. Not so dissimilar to how we live today.

So, what to them would have been good news?
To the Jews, who longed for the Messiah to come and rule over them in a peaceable kingdom, good news meant just that. There is a problem with that, as their Jewish leadership only just a short time before, they rejected and killed the Messiah. (Most Jews did not know that Jesus death was all a part of the more excellent plan to redeem humanity.)
Those outside of the Jewish religion might have only seen the oppressiveness of Roman rule, or the lack of sustenance. The good news it seems means different things depending upon the condition. The sad part is that we, with our inherent brokenness, do not realize that the sadness we feel comes from brokenness inside of us which calls out to be redeemed and longs for the hope – the good news.

“God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.”

What exactly did God promise?
While most might miss the promise in Genesis chapter three, it is there. Genesis 3:14-15 NASB

The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; (15) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

God, speaking to Eve about her descendants/seed, promised that they would bruise him/the serpent, on the heel. This ability to bruise the serpent, no less than the promises made to Abram, were taught and passed along through oral history.

Genesis 12:1-3 NASB Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; (2) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; (3) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."

• A land
• a great nation
• I will make your name great.
• And you shall be a blessing.

One last thing.

• I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

How could all families on earth be blessed since there are atheists, and diverse religions not accepting of the one true God? The answer is only found in Jesus, and the price He paid on that cross. That price was more than enough to cover all humanity, for all time, obtaining their forgiveness.
You would think that what Jesus did on that cross should have removed everyone from any list destined for the great white throne and any eternal damnation, and it did. Sadly, we know some will follow Satan to his destruction, so how do I explain that? Simple, since no man comes to the Father, but through Jesus, the Son, then there has to have been a form of acceptance, not only of who He is, but what He did for the individual.
Because you and I cannot see the heart, we do not know what that looks like. I am quite convinced that it does not have to look like some standardized religious experience. So, this blessing is obtained through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We should be able to grasp Paul's direction at this point, and one of those directives was to preach the Good news, which Paul spells out in the following verses.

• The Good News is about his Son. (Romans 1:3 NLT) Jesus, and
• He was shown to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4 NLT)
  • In the gospels, we are introduced to family lineage. This heritage is something intensely relevant in the Jewish community, as it is traceable to King David’s family line, and the information we are given fulfills prophecy.
  • He, Jesus, was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the words of Jesus who said,
  • He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Romans 1:5 in the NASB it reads like this - "through whom we have received grace and apostleship."

The NASB has that word I struggle with, apostleship, so let's look at it in another translation and see if it makes any more sense.

Through whom grace has been given to us, sending us out to make disciples to the faith among all nations, for his name: (Romans 1:5 BBE)

An emissary - another word for an apostle, which we are, is merely one commissioned on behalf of another, most often thought of as a representative. Every nation has its ambassadors, but I wouldn't want to have someone who is drunk trying to represent me, but that is another story. Look at these words in the CJB version, “promoting trust-grounded obedience.” Trust must be developed, and it is built through words and actions. Doesn't that imply that we are to demonstrate those words and actions ourselves?

• (This grace and apostleship) includes you, who have been called by Yeshua the Messiah. (Romans 1:6 CJB) Unless you were born of Jewish heritage, you were considered a gentile, but through your acceptance of Jesus Christ/Yeshua the Messiah you have been grafted into the rootstock, Israel. Since that grafting took place, we who follow Jesus are part of the vine that God pours His heart and life into. This integration into spiritual Israel is a disappointment to those who believe in replacement theology. To others, salvation is something distant that they can never attain, nor be accepted into, but you are wrong. Redemption and love like you have never known is only a breath away, as you, by your acceptance, hand your life over to Jesus the Messiah, and accept the mercy and grace that was paid for at the cross.

God sent a man. John 1:6

One of the problems we have is our Westernization of scripture. The attitudes and misconceptions associated with westernization builds in misunderstanding makes translating difficult and opens the door to arguments from outsiders and those who choose to let others tell them what they should believe the Bible is saying instead of finding out for themselves. I suppose God knew that would happen. When you consider how people say that the Bible is full of errors, it makes sense when you examine the fallacies built into our non-Jewish understanding. One of those fallacies is often revealed as pastors try to explain the Revelation, also written by John, by telling you that John wrote the Revelation in code so that the Romans would not understand and therefore not be able to prevent this letter from making to any of the churches John intended. Another pathetic aspect of writing in code would be to confine comprehension to a select few, and that would make Jesus statement found in the Revelation about a special blessing pointless.

All that being said, keep in mind that John wrote this gospel primarily to a developing Jewish Christian community, (I explain my reasons for saying this in my first post on John's gospel and will not go into it, in depth, once again.)

With that in mind, why would John feel the need to point out that God sent Yochanan/John?

Consider this, the general feeling among the people seems to convey that John the Baptist was a prophet. That might imply the general idea that he was a man from God. If that was the case, then how did the people feel about the Pharisees?

Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John (the Baptist) as a prophet. Matthew 14:5

So John's statement then is:

John 1:6 CJB There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan.

I give you the Complete Jewish Bible because to the Jewish community they would have recognized Yochanan. I chose the translation called God's Word because it comes across as direct and to the point, ending with the reason why.

John 1:6 GW God sent a man named John to be his messenger.

The NASB reads like this: John 1:6 NASB “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.” The phrase makes me think of a voice over in an old movie like The Pale Rider with Clint Eastwood.

Came - Greek word ginomai / ghin'-om-ahee. A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be.

When I think about a human being and the idea of being caused to be, I think about birth. We should all know that God did some intervening when it came to Jesus being born, but not so with John the Baptist. The only major interaction we see is in Luke 1.

Luke 1:13-15 NASB But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14) "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15) "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.

While being filled with the Holy Spirit is an incredible thing, there was nothing, as you can see, comparable to the birth of Jesus.

There was a point I wanted to make as I started pondering this one, seemingly simple, passage, and that would be this: You too were sent by God.

I believe that if you had an honest heart toward God, then you, as I do, would want to back up your statement with a substantive witness. Typically, what an excellent expositor would do is use, or at least know that there is a minimum of two scriptural witnesses. Based upon the word “sent,” I am only finding one strong one.

John 20:21 NASB So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

This statement was made to the disciples, and at this point, there were well over 120 by conservative estimates, gathered in the upper room. While they may have been there to honor the command of Jesus, there was an overwhelming fear considering what had been happening, ending with the death of Jesus.

John 20:19-20 NASB So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be with you." 20) And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

We find a comparable description in Luke 24.

So, if you can see yourselves as His disciples, and, accept that you too have the same command as the disciples, then it is not difficult to see yourselves as being sent by God.

If that still causes you grief then imagine yourselves living in a medieval kingdom where you are brought before the King. Standing there before a public audience, you are addressed in a regal manner and knighted, you are given a mandate as an emissary for the kingdom to convey the good will and nature of the king toward all those who wish to enjoy the benefits of the king's grace. We, in the religious world, call this evangelizing or spreading the gospel/good news of the kingdom.

The good news is that as you find the joy and relief within this life of Christ, which is merely an aspect of His kingdom, then it seems only natural that you would want to tell others about it. An example of something along this line comes out of me finally joining the gym. The gym, in conjunction with Weight Watchers, has knocked 30 pounds off my 300-pound frame. Obviously, this makes me jubilant, and I have told people about what I am doing. My enthusiasm cannot be a controlling or manipulating factor, as people have to see the changes in me, and my enthusiasm. Hopefully, they too would want what I found.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I have struggled with depression. Fortunately for me, it is not debilitating. Depression, unfortunately, will cause you to crawl into a corner alone to make the world go away. I found out that does not happen, and at some point, you have to toughen up and walk through the difficulty. For me, this difficulty was what I called the dark times, and it impacted my skewed image of God. To be honest, I thank God for that because I intentionally buried myself in God's word so that I could find out who this Jesus/God was and His nature was like. Some would have you believe that He is merely evil and hates you, and that is not the case at all. If it was, why then would God have sacrificed his son for people he cared nothing about. In fact, the opposite is true, you are loved with an everlasting love, and, He longs that everyone would found this out about Him and come to Him. I would hope that you find, as the time for grace is running short. If you should find this after the church is gone, there is still hope, and power in Him. Just turn to Him, giving your life to Him and accepting His. His name is Jesus.

An open letter to the Churches

It has been a little over a year since I wrote this. I still weep when I read it. To those that have an ear to hear it is an encouragement and a call to war.

Hear what the spirit of the Lord is saying, not only to those who misguided the sheep, but to the sheep as well.

Sheep (Photo credit: James Good)

I am writing as I have been compelled to write. The Spirit of the Lord tells me that we are of the Laodicean church, and as such we are on the last stand and have failed to hold our ground.

The prophets¹ have put forth the call to repent, but you have ignored that call, and instead, induced fear in my people.

You have taken away their hope.

 Most will not receive this, but some will.

 "To the messenger of the church in Laodicea, write: The amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the source of God's creation, says: I know what you have done, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. But since you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I'm going to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I'm rich. I'm wealthy. I don't need anything.' Yet, you do not realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you: Buy gold purified in fire from me so that you may be rich. Buy white clothes from me. Wear them so that you may keep your shameful, naked body from showing. Buy ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act. Look, I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and we'll eat together. I will allow everyone who wins the victory to sit with me on my throne, as I have won the victory and have sat down with my Father on his throne. Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:14-22 GW)

The call for repentance has gone forth and you have ignored it.

The cry for hearts to turn to me has gone forth and you have rejected it.

I have sent my prophets and you have mocked them.

I have sent my warnings upon this nation, do not put your hope in the idea that there will be more.

I do not recommend you ignore those warnings.

The time of my return for those who are awaiting me is now within minutes in my time frame. Will you ignore that too?

Pastors

I sent you as shepherds to lead and guide the flock, but you have failed. You have not only failed but you have robbed my sheep, and left them as fodder for the wolves. They wander around with no hope and direction. And even though I have told you that you are not in the darkness that this day should creep upon you, that is exactly what is happening to them. 

Read Matthew 25. Do not ignore this warning! 

Although everyone in this parable was invited to the same wedding half were not ready. The oil is not the Holy Spirit for you cannot buy a free gift, therefore the oil is passion and desire, and none of you have that.

The shepherds are foolish. They don't look to the LORD for help. That is why they won't succeed, and all their flocks will be scattered. (Jeremiah 10:21 GW)

 You think you are a success if you have fame and fortune, but I tell you that the first shall be last, and there will be a payment to be made for the damage you have done to my flock.

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My portion under foot; they have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jeremiah 12:10 LITV)

You love to call this time that is coming the Great Tribulation, and it is, but it is also a time of wrath. If you have played the fool with MY people then you will be included in that wrath. 

You can stand there in an attempt to rebuke me, I anticipated that, for that is what Pharisees do, but what in your foolish mind makes you think that you will escape the wrath of God.

Woe to shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture, says Jehovah. Because of this, so says Jehovah the God of Israel against the shepherds who shepherd My people: You have scattered My flock, and have driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit on you the evil of your doings, says Jehovah. Jeremiah 23:1-2 LITV)

Shepherds, you should be leading the sheep. Start crying, you great leaders! Roll around on the ground in pain, you leaders of the sheep. It is now time for your slaughter. You will be scattered everywhere, like pieces flying from a broken jar. (Jeremiah 25:34 ERV)

There will be no place for the shepherds to hide. They will not escape.

(Jeremiah 25:35 ERV)

We were designed for hope, it is the reason we are here.

You shepherds that chose not to attend the flock, have robbed them of hope. You have chosen to preach what people want to hear, and not what I have spoken to you. 

“..,the eye of the Lord is on those in whose hearts is the fear of him, on those whose hope is in his mercy;“ (Psalms 33:18 BBE)

Be strong and brave, all of you who are waiting for the LORD'S help.

(Psalms 31:24 ERV)

Hope is the main motivation that drives my people toward the end. Hope is the backbone of faith, based in faith, and the reason that we look toward a promised end and rescue from destruction. 

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37 AMP)

You have not been bold enough to understand this statement, so I will declare it to you. Evil thoughts and violence filled the heart of everyman, except one, NOAH. I placed him in the Ark, and I closed the door. Then destruction came. In other words, tribulation, coming from people, was all around him, just as is it today.

You have eliminated the talks of hope because you do not believe my words. Did you think that I would not notice such an act of treason. In eliminating hope, you have proven your lack of faith, and shown your distrust of my word, my life, and my resurrection. 

You have robbed my people of hope by your unbelief.

Do you not understand that HOPE was and is an integral aspect of your beliefs. 

I promised and then guaranteed that hope with my body as the payment, when it should have been your body on that cross. 

Do you not understand that the riches of heaven are only yours because of the fulfillment of hope.

Paul challenged the Sanhedrin based on a solid understanding of this hope.

But Paul, when he perceived that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, cried out to the council (Sanhedrin), Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; it is with regard to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am indicted and being judged. (Acts 23:6 AMP)

While you have refused to establish hope in people, Paul was willing to be chained because he grasped the promise of hope based in Jesus.

This is the reason therefore why I have begged to see you and to talk with you, since it is because of the Hope of Israel (the Messiah) that I am bound with this chain. (Acts 28:20 AMP)

Abraham – One of the main reasons we are here, had hope.

There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, "You will have many descendants." (Romans 4:18 ERV)

Your deficient decision for Jesus Christ, demonstrating your lack of faith, has caused my Church to not know who I am.

Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory. (Romans 5:2 ERV)

Several translations put it this way: “this grace in which we stand,”, Without hope none of them will stand. 

And what is it that they might have need to stand in?
Faith in adversity?; Faith in my name?; The application of my Word and Name in bringing life to others.
No, you have not taught them that.

They cower and cringe in fear, and if not cowering, they think that they are god’s. Where would they get that idea? Because instead of preaching hope and faith, you preach a message of lust and idolatry.
You created a monster that will be your destruction.

You only have one option, and that is to repent.

Time is short and my patience with you has grown thin. The last days are upon us, and you need to clear your hearts and minds now. You need to restore the broken and lost to health. Ignore this and I will not ignore your wrongs.

The Assyrians are upon you already and you do not even know it. They will show you no mercy, and they will dash your children upon stones, before your feet. 

Repent in humility and weeping, and I will restore you. Turn from me and I will throw you to the winds.

If you are so minded, share this with the pastor of your choice.

Share this with the sheep of your choice. 

I do not wish to see you miss out on the in-gathering of the church to himself, but lacking zealous passion you may. You will deeply regret that as it will be hell for those still here.

Open your bibles and read the second chapter of Joel. Peter stood on the day of Pentecost and declared that Joel's prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing. God opened the door that day to the amazing.

Should you choose to turn to him, he will turn to you. Open your mouth and determine, as watchmen upon the wall that this destruction is not happening on your watch. 

Declare, in the Name of Jesus Christ, the risen one, that there will be peace and safety everywhere your foot stands. Declare sanity over this nation while you are upon it.

Grow a backbone and act like the man and woman of God you were designed to be.

Son's of Adam, and Daughter's of Eve, I am calling you out. You know who you are. You have heard the calling in your ears for some time now. What is holding you back? Fear? Fear is of the devil and does nothing more than incapacitate you. 

Do something. Shout, scream, cry out, repent over a broken nation. 
Still the enemy and the avenger. 
Have the guts to do something.
You do not have the time or the luxury to be silent.
Hold your tongues and I will hold you responsible. Their blood will be upon your head. (Find it in scripture.)
Cease to be lethargic and uncaring. Awaken to righteousness.
Do something.
Be a fire that will not go out.

Cause a few people to regret the fact that you walked into the room, and make a few glad that you did.

Men and women of God should be the last thing on earth that the unbelieving would ever want to mess with, and first person that they call.

Walk this earth as the prophets walked. BE BOLD, and show the world what the power of God is all about.

DEAR GOD, IT'S TIME.



¹Jonathon Cahn, The Harbinger, Subtitled “The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future,” The Harbinger is published by FrontLine, an imprint of Charisma House. - This only one of the voices, but if you will take the time to verify and compare you will see that the Spirit is telling all those that will listen to say the same thing.

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Let me tell you about my day.

First off, I am in the middle of three days off, and it was much-needed.

I went and caught up with the guys for Monday morning “bible study”. I am putting it in quotes because there are more than enough days that I do not feel like it qualifies as a bible study. I arrived there about 07:35.

When I walked in they were already in some discussion about what I am not sure. One of the guys breaks away from that conversation and asked me about my weekend. We laughed and giggled about that for a minute, and then the last of the regulars shows up. We will call him Fred.
Fred, almost always shows up right at 08:00. This will become important in a minute.

Fred has told us, several times, that he feels this is the only place he can go where he actually walks away with something he can use, most of the time.

Fred asks Bob, the so-called leader what they were looking at today. So Bob answers with, “I am still hung up on the wording in Revelation 22:2 and the usage of the word ‘were’ but someone has pointed out to me that the right wording used is are, changing the tense, but really I am not sure, and would really like to talk about this some more.”

Mind you this conversation started, and should have ended two weeks ago. Trust me on this, I am not being short-tempered. We have two very knowledgeable people always in attendance here. One is Greek, Greece is his native land and our resident go to guy on original meanings. The other is seminary trained, with over 40 years of study in Greek. Their conclusion two weeks ago. The word is are, and is present tense.

That is so like God. Compare this idea of present tense with the wording found in Ephesians

Ephesians 2:13 KJV But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

  
It does not matter when you read it, it is always now.

When this subject came up two weeks ago, there was the secondary confusion that goes like this. “I also see the new Jerusalem coming down, but it is heaven, and if it is in heaven, then why do we need healing for the nations, and who are all these evil people who cannot go into the City of God, because of their sin.

I mentioned that the time factor would become important in a minute, so here goes. Fred arrives at 08:00, and Fred and Bob, go back and forth with this endless banter until 09:30 when two of the guys have had enough, get up, and leave.

I had little else to do or I might have left also. I stuck it out until 10:30 before I left.

Nothing got said, nothing got clarified, nothing got accomplished, and there was no room in Bob’s mind for change.

At one point I got up to throw away my trash, and noticed a man watching our table intently.

Personally, I think useless banter like this just turns people off to religion. I invited the man to come on over and throw his two cents in. He just left a few minutes later.

I went back to the table and held up my hand. Finally Fred stops and says, “what is that for?” I said, “I would like to throw in my two cents, for a couple of minutes.” And I did.

Only a week ago I had written a paper and handed it to Bob, specifically for the purpose of assisting him with clarification of these questions. He apparently rejected not only my help, but God’s word, because I based my paper upon God’s word.

I told the guys to write this down, but no one did, as I took them back momentarily to Revelation 20

Revelation 20:7-9 KJV 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.

What is my point here?

Satan has been released at this point, deceives the nations, and they come back to attack two things:

1. the camp of God,
   
2. and the City of God.
   

 Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind when this takes place?

Let’s clarify.

Revelation 20:1-3 KJV And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

 Now jump forward.

21:1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Rev 21:2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

All of sudden confusion again. Not really. We just read that after the 1000 years Satan has been released, deceives the nations, and they come against the City of God, and the camp of God. The City of God is here. Ezekiel saw it and described it with in similar terms to what John is now seeing.

If God is burning everything up, Earth included, then anything existing upon this earth is burnt. Not just burnt a little, but utterly destroyed.
Why? Because it is all tainted with sin. But wait a minute. We are talking about a New Jerusalem, one in which no sin can enter. I am jumping ahead, but follow with me.

Why wouldn’t the city be destroyed? It would. Therefore it is not, and that changes some perceptions, doesn’t it.

If this book of Revelation is chronological, and it is not, then we have Satan attacking a city that is not even here yet.

Another aspect of this mornings foolishness is the concept of this New Jerusalem not being here on earth. Let’s disrupt that one for a moment.

How would the nations, a physical people, still prone to make their own choices, and at this point under Satan's influence because of his release, attack a spiritual city (some think it is spiritual analogy) they would not be able to even see?

Consider the logic of your questions if you’re asking this, and/or making rash statements about the concept of a physical heavens validity.
Heaven is a real place, as is the New Jerusalem, and no, there are not going to be two of them.

For the last argument against this mornings fallacy, I attempted to take them back to the origins of their problem, Revelation 22:2

Revelation 22:1-5 KJV And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was therethe tree of life, which bare twelve manner offruits, andyielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree werefor the healing of the nations. (3)And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (4)And they shall see his face; and his name shall bein their foreheads. (5)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.

So what is the chronological order here?

Bypassing the catch phrase “the Great Tribulation” we are going to call this what it is, the wrath of God being poured out on earth.

Who is this wrath being poured out on?

1. Israel for their unbelief.
   
2. The nations for their unbelief, and the act of fighting against God.
   
3. And sadly, many who will not be caught up in the rapture.
   

What is happening here on earth during this time period?
Fire, smoke, stars falling from the heavens, waters being poisoned, the earth severely being shaken, hail stones, burning, and oh yeah, the Great Tribulation of the “Saints of God”. The saints of God only gain that title by refusing the mark, and refusing to worship the beast.

Will everyone be hit by this? It is entirely possible that the be-headings will be a middle eastern phenomenon, but based upon CIA statistics, there are 2,500,000 Muslims in the USA alone. That number is difficult to ascertain, because what little freedom we have left has precluded the CIA from being able to ask the religious affiliation as people enter this country legally. Of that 2,500,000 only 14% are considered to be full-blown radicals, willing to perform Jihad upon command. If I am right that is only 35,000 radicals in this country. Spread 35,000 over a nation like this, and God help us. There is a small problem with any of this. They are all under direct command by the Qur’an to do Jihad when necessary. That is why it is necessary for Islam to infiltrate our learning centers, our legislative system, our courts, and our law enforcement, and they are doing just that. Ouch! So, when you add this to perversion that country is allowing FEMA to construct prison of war camps in our own nation, the chances that great tribulation will happen here are very good.

When the period of wrath comes to an abrupt halt the 1000 year period begins.

Satan is bound during this time, the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven.

Saints rule and reign with Christ, and the nations have to come before God to honor him, regardless of how they believe.

Satan gets released for a short time at the end of 1000 years, deceives the nations, God wipes out the offenders, throws Satan into the lake of fire, and restores the most amazing peace on earth.

I happen to find Revelation 22 a beautiful and fascinating read. Why? One because it is the end of the story on earth as we know it, and it only gets better. It is not a time of fear, but of rejoicing, because our redemption draws near.

Paul’s gospels are gospels of hope for the believer, not wrath. We were not made for wrath, but salvation. 

The Jews that asked Jesus “when would these things be”, were not looking for, nor expecting a snatching away, but a militaristic messiah that would reign triumphantly, defeating their foes forever. He will, but even as he stood before them, clearly prophesied by Daniel and others, they rejected him, and put him to death. He will come, just as he said, to capture us away, and then again with justice to put things right.

James told us to ask for clarity and wisdom.

James 1:5 CJB Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

We are not in the darkness that we should not know. Just ask.

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A postscript to the morning.

I told you that I spoke to a man in the restaurant as I threw away my trash this AM. Well he got up within a few minutes and left. Several minutes had passed, and suddenly God places this man heavily upon my heart.
  
God spoke to me and said, “If you will rend the heavens on his behalf, then I will move upon his life at your request.” I said yes sir, and started praying.
This went on for several minutes; me praying in the spirit for this man, claiming his life for God, and doing also what God told me to do, putting my hand on the back of my Greek friend as I prayed.

I composed myself and went back to trying to find a clear-cut answer to the futility that was being passed back and forth across the table. An hour and fifteen minutes of nothing. This is madness, and demonic.

Two of the guys are now gone, and suddenly God has drawn my attention to a young man, sitting at an extra seat across the room, but clearly within earshot. He has his eyes closed and God speaks to me, about him, in the same way. I turned to the one I called Fred. Totally interrupting their useless banter and said,

“God has not called us to confusion, but to bring life. I have, at God’s direction prayed for the man who showed an interest, and he is mine. God is calling for his prophets and the time is now. He is calling us forth to bring life and healing to the broken, not this foolishness. God has spoken to me about that young man sitting over there with his eyes shut, pretending that he does not hear, and told me to rend the heavens on his behalf, claiming his life for the kingdom, and I have, he is mine. This is what we have been called to do.”

Fred is just staring at me. He says, you sound angry. I responded with, “I am not, but I am intense.” You want to know what a prophet is like? You just saw it. Declare those things that be not as though they were. The testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy, therefore testify of Jesus.

I got up and left.

Some time later dad gets home from his morning bible study and tells me that he tried to get the men there to ponder Genesis 1:26

Genesis 1:26 KJV And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Dad was focused upon the aspect that this plural personal pronoun our implies that God is talking to someone else, but even more important is fact that the “them” have dominion.

Add this to the statement that Jesus made “all power has been given unto me, therefore you go.” implying they were to move out in the usage of that power.

That power transfer was not temporary, and still viable today.
If that is the case why are we not walking in that power?

You don’t believe that do you?

What happens when the Holy Spirit comes?

Acts 1:8 KJVBut ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

I pointed out to dad what I said and did this morning.

Power is the ability to produce change.

God asked me to step into the lives of two men this morning, and whether they know it, or not change will come.
Power.

Act out in the spirit of the Lord and you will know power, his power.