The day the Mormons came to my door.

I don't like confrontation, nor do I like to embarrass myself, so typically, I tell the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witness that I am not interested, and they leave, but not today.

For years I have heard others talk about how they have disarmed every statement that the Elders have made. Few ever tell you that the elders gave their hearts to Jesus, but there is some twisted sense of pride, knowing that they dissembled their arguments.

As I stood there, merely trying to be polite, I heard my spirit crying out, God, I have no clue as to what to say. So, I simply listened to their pitch, which was well-rehearsed, about how Jesus called disciples to himself, anointed them to be Apostles and prophets, and how that church grew out of their ministry. But the church went a tremendously long dark time because there were no prophets. At this point, the red flags went up, but I was still constrained by the Holy Spirit.

The two elders alternated in sharing their parts of the story, but essentially, they said that "John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred upon him the Melchizedek or higher priesthood. After this Joseph Smith was directed to organize the Church of Jesus Christ again on earth, ... and that through Joseph Smith, Jesus again called forth the twelve Apostles." (I got the quote directly from their pamphlet, The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.)

They then asked me if I wanted more information on Joseph Smith - the prophet, to which I replied, it isn't about Joseph Smith; it's about Jesus. While it is true that the church did go through a dark time, I made a point of talking about how there were four hundred years between Malachi and Matthew where no one seemed to hear God's voice. But you need to understand something, Mr. Smith is not and was the only prophet on earth. To prove my point, what do you do with the instructions God gave to Moses when Aaron and Miriam rose against him, for they, too, wanted to be deemed prophets.

Numbers 12:6-8 NASB He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. (7) "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; (8) With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"

I then told them how Jesus had appeared to me in a dream or a vision and laid out my life before me. Shouldn't that, according to God's standard, make me a prophet as well? But don't ask me to tell you what that title prophet means because no one listens to me.

At this point, I brought up the most recent turn of events, as we found out about a year ago that my mother may have had pancreatic cancer. The Doctor would not say affirmatively without a biopsy, and my mother refused the biopsy. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that, at best, I would only have her for six months. Well, no one was willing to hear that. Two months later, the Holy Spirit told me to go say my goodbyes to her as she would be going home within the week. I called one of my brothers, who lives a distance away, and told him that he needed to come quickly. Although he berated me, he still showed up the next day to say his goodbyes to Mom. She died the following Sunday.

As for false prophets and teachers, I know one personally, and today, he espouses that the church MUST suffer through God's wrath - that event in which He pours out His wrath upon Israel and the nations. This conversation then evolved into how I believe that God is out to save people and bring them into the kingdom. This can be seen in Matthew 24 and 25, where the Shepherd calls all the dead to Himself; these are people who were not part of the church and, by church standards, not worthy of God's mercy. He separates the group into those he designates sheep and those he terms goats. The sheep are then invited into the kingdom. Stunned, they ask why? To which Jesus says, because when I was thirsty you gave me water; when I was hungry, you fed me; and, when I was in prison you visited me. In reality, these people lived outside of their selfishness. The goats did none of those things and were cast off into outer darkness to follow their chosen leader - Satan.
I then told the two young Mormon men that I pray for them often, as I do not wish for them to have to endure God's wrath when merely believing in Jesus Christ as their savior was the way into God's eternal kingdom.

This led me to talk about the parable that Jesus told about the ten virgins. Do you realize that He was talking about the church today? I said, in a sense, you and I sit by some of those that make up the fifty percent. I looked into both their eyes. I asked, how is it that upon getting an invitation you would not prepare yourself, especially if you have a written invitation? These virgins ran out of oil, but did they ask politely? No, they demanded oil from the others, and not getting it, they went out into the night and tried to obtain oil from any of the households they could wake up. Obviously, they missed the entrance into the party, and I suppose, had to endure the potential wrath that is to come. I told them, that by the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to me all the time, that I know that they have a comprehension of this Jesus I speak of. I also said I believe you have the potential of being one of those who will be caught up.

There is no Joseph Smith; it is all about Jesus and His word. I love His word, but I don't waste my time with false prophets.

They asked me if I would like them to come back with a book of Mormon, to which I said no, I can get several of those at the second-hand store if I needed one, but I don't because I have Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I told them that I had chosen to be polite and friendly, just as I must choose Joy or not to be bitter. I told them how my small group had broken up over bitterness and how the remaining brother, because of the Word of God, has talked lately about the changes he perceives God is making in his life.

I thanked them for indulging me and wished them a great day. As they walked away, I wiped a tear from my eyes because having the Holy Spirit speak through me so powerfully always does that to me. I then prayed a prayer out loud that I do not expect you to understand, but I said, God, just wreck their day. To me, that is when He steps into the middle of your life, changes everything, and turns your heart toward Him.

I noticed something about this entire process. Within moments of answering the door, the fear and intimidation left me. All the questions I had in my mind just went away as the Holy Spirit began to speak through me. Honestly, it was such a short time ago and I am struggling to remember what and how I said it. To me, that is a pretty good indication that it was the Holy Spirit because I am not that clever.

An interruption of the Layman's commentary. Are there prophets in this enlightened time of the New Testament?

 My pastor, who is not the only one, will adamantly proclaim that there are NO prophets since the arrival of the New Testament.

Is that true? 

Let's see what the scriptures say.

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith.” 
Romans 12:4-6 NASB

These passages clearly identify prophecy as one of God’s gifts to us, Jesus’ followers. 

We may be missing something, and the terminology prophecy may be mistranslated, causing us to mishandle it.

Here, in Romans 12:6, the word used is prophēteía, from prophēteúō (Strong’s#G4395,) meaning to prophesy. It also conveys the idea of prediction, foretelling future events, including the prophets’ declarations, exhortations, and warnings while acting under divine influence. Thayer's definitions tell us it is “a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.”

Since we tend to struggle with this divine inspiration part, we may add, “Thus saith the Lord,” when, in fact, you are not sure.

• According to Webster's dictionary, Declaration is "An affirmation; an open expression of facts or opinions, or a verbal utterance; such as he declared his sentiments. We should keep our opinion out of the affirmation.

  • Affirmation is the act of affirming or asserting as true, as opposed to negation or denial. It is also a confirmation, ratification, or establishment of what had been done or decreed before.

• Exhortation - The form of words intended to incite and encourage. It also means advice or counsel.

• Warnings - Caution against danger or against faults or evil practices that incur danger.

• This sounds more like common sense. As a former group leader for the anger group in recovery, my advice, in many cases, could have easily been perceived as a caution against danger or faults, as they will lead to further dangers.

The words (which scare us) are merely a way of understanding the practical forms in which we share God's word. With an understanding of prophecy that looks like common sense, why do we need to lose our minds over the prophetic? 

This might explain some of the reasons we get so upset about the prophetic.

Some time ago, on a Sunday morning, I was verbally assaulted by a “brother in Christ” with a theological doctorate who attended the same church that I did, as he angrily explained that under no circumstance should anyone operating in what they believe is a prophetic word say, “Thus saith the Lord.”

The reasons behind this admonition were defined by saying: 

• By doing so, you falsely qualify the word you give as a valid word from God. This is true because we consistently insert some aspect of our broken lives and emotions into every word we give. 

  I could not disagree with this assertion, and though I could not stand this “brother’, I have since integrated his “exhortation” to me about the words I gave to others.

The man with the doctorate went on to say,

• The phrase “thus says the Lord” is solely designed to raise the status of the word, which you believe is necessary to provide. 

  Therefore, you are trying to force people to accept what you are about to say. 

Habit is part of the problem.

• We have developed the habit of adding “thus saith the Lord” as an introduction and announcement; sometimes, it is simply a tradition. 

  Some would even tell you that God does not need to speak in Elizabethan English; therefore, this archaic word “thus saith” falls on deaf ears and sounds foolish. 

“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;”
Romans 12:6 NASB

Wow, according to the grace given to each of us.

First, the gifts differ according to the grace given to each of us.

This can imply that some have all or many gifts, but that rarely happens.

Grace is the Greek word charisma and, according to the Strong’s concordance, means a (divine) gratuity, that is, deliverance (from danger or passion); a (spiritual) endowment, that is, (subjectively) a religious qualification, or a (free) gift. The Word Study dictionary conveys that grace is to show favor. A gift of grace, an undeserved benefit.

I know many of us think that we deserve God’s benefits (grace) merely because we make lots of money, have a theological doctorate, wear fine clothes, and when we talk, people listen. If you are not aware, we were all born into sin, and all your self-applied traits will burn up at the Bema seat should you happen to get caught up in the rapture of the church. Perhaps the best way to picture this sin issue is to perceive the fact that by eating that fruit, Adam permanently damaged and changed his DNA, and he passed that damaged DNA to all humanity through the inescapable generations of sexual intercourse so that no one escaped the damage.

Some will say that it is not possible that ingesting some fruit could damage your DNA. Well, in taking that attitude, you have set yourself above, the one that knows all things and created this body that you perpetually damage with chemically laden “foods” on a daily basis. You are also living in denial that these so-called flu vaccinations are changing and damaging your DNA when it has been proven that this is precisely their purpose.

Secondly, the gifts are given according to the grace given to each of us individually. 

What does that mean? 

It means that we are individuals, and there isn't an all-consuming blanket coverage. 

Romans 12:6 tells us that prophecy, for example, is given according to the proportion of that person's faith. 

Having operated in this realm, I can tell you it requires much faith. You must trust that you are hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, which often sounds like your own inner voice.

A dear lady, who, on previous occasions, operated frequently in giving words to people, stopped me one day as I walked into the church and said, why aren't you doing what God told you to do? 

Do you know that we are to judge the prophetic?

Therefore, I responded, “I know what that means to me, but why don't you explain what you think it means?” She was dead on in her explanation. If I had been honest, I would have said I have run from giving God's words to crowds because they are incredibly intimidating, and I can hear all the negative voices telling me that I might lead people astray and fail. 

When I gave words to the church body, I was always in tears, and I can tell you that having the pastor whine at me and say, could you give these words to the church without tears; didn't help. My lady friend repeatedly told me that no one could hear me except for the two rows in front of me. Once I started obeying God and giving these words, it went on for six weeks (Suddenly, the others that had been giving words went silent.) I worked to bring the volume up, and I am sure I could be heard on the street on the last occasion. I was told that a couple (who had the ability to control things that happened in the church because of their significant contributions) complained to the pastor because I made God sound angry (what a peculiar thing to say, as though I could control God,) and the following week, I was met at the door by the pastor, as I tried to enter. 

The pastor told me of this complaint and said, "you are done giving these words, though, as he said, he could find no fault in what I said. Should you think that you have a word beyond this point you will run it through me and I will let you know if you get to deliver it." If only God worked that way with me. When the Holy Spirit's motivation hit me, I would ask Him to give me a clue as to what I would say (all this happened in my head.) The Holy Spirit's response was, as always, trust me. Trust Him is all I could do; therefore, the preposterous idea of running it past the pastor was improbable.

I told the Lord that I was through and to never ask me to give anyone a word again. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit laughed me off, and His speaking to me never stopped; some words were as simple as “God is not through with you yet.”

Here, in the days before the catching away of the bride, the implications are that we live in the age of grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.) 

Let me remind you of the words of a song that goes like this - “He paid a debt I could not pay.” In so doing, we receive the benefits awarded to those who accept His (Jesus) death and resurrection, which gave us all of God’s benefits to those who love Him. 

We are also given this exhortation.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Romans 12:3 ESV

Every one of us has been given the measure of grace, but faith clearly varies among us, though that was not God's plan. Faith is faith, but having experienced the pressures that can affect faith, it is easy to see that events can put enough pressure on you to NOT trust and that lack of trust can affect your ability to trust God's plan. Paul tells us not to get high-minded; perhaps that is because you can be brought down quickly and with a crushing blow.

To be honest, I do not remember if this is the verse my pastor was referencing when he denounced New Testament-era prophets, but let's look at it anyway.

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”
1 Corinthians 13:8-10 ESV

• “As for prophecies...”

  The Greek word for prophecies is the same word we saw in Romans 12:6. We did a deep dive into the background of this word prophēteia , and we found that it can also mean declarations, exhortations, and warnings while acting under divine influence. Some of us are very adept at giving out words like this.

• “They will pass away;”

  Pass away is also translated (in some versions) as done away. The Greek word for “pass away” is katargéō , which means to render inactive, idle, useless, or ineffective.

  What would be the most logical reason to make giving declarations, exhortations, and warnings while acting under divine influence inactive, idle, and useless?

  The first place this would have an impact would be when the church leaves the earth.

  Why here?

  Because we no longer have to interact with those who are struggling with their faith and relationship with Jesus. This is valid because we will now be with Jesus and the Father, the source of all knowledge.

  But there is a problem, as there will be many who did not go up in the rapture but thought they would.

  Who then would give out these prophetic words once the church is gone?

  Those who may have had a bit of knowledge of God's word and thought they should have gone. 

  In a sense, there will be an amazing revival on the earth, and this will be the second reason for the prophetic.

  In the Old Testament, the Prophet Joel speaks about the last days on earth before Jesus returns to end the pain down here and begin the millennial reign. Here is how he sets the tone.

  “...Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; … Joel 2:1-2 NKJV.

  And yet, in the midst of all this tumult.

  “"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29 NKJV

  People will try to tell you that the Holy Spirit leaves the earth when the church goes up in the rapture. How about NOT!

In case you have not read it, I will give you this bit of insight. A common translation reads like this.

“I bowed at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Don’t do that! I am your coworker and a coworker of the Christians who hold on to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy!”
Revelation 19:10 GW

So as long (7 years) as there is the possibility of people on earth giving testimony to Jesus, then the spirit of prophecy (the Holy Spirit) will be active and necessary.

Let's just admit it—for the most part, we don't know what we are talking about when we say that prophetic words have not existed since the New Testament. I get it—there is nothing new under the sun, but people get beat down and forget who they are—a Child of the Living God and an heir to the kingdom.

Is there any doubt that we (humans) have turned the prophetic into money making schemes, none whatsoever. As irritating as their actions are that doesn't make all of us bad or self-seeking.

We merely need to learn to judge correctly. 

The Marriage supper of the Lamb - continued. Revelation 19:10-11.

 We are back to Revelation 19, praise God.

When we were there last, we finished with Revelation 19:9

Then he *said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of God." (Revelation 19:9 NASB)

The man that ran the Monday morning men's Bible study would frequently talk about his excitement over the marriage supper of the Lamb, but he could and would not define what and where this marriage supper takes place. We religious folk are so embedded in conjecture and tradition, but not truth. So I decided to rock the man's boat one morning, by reminding him that Revelation 19:9 is the only place you will find this phrase “marriage supper of the Lamb” and is therefore not supported by scripture. The passages that follow actually describe a rather horrifying scene.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great.” (Revelation 19:17-18 NASB)

I read this and said, enjoy your meal.

Since that time I have found a passage that supports this idea of a marriage supper with the Lamb. It is rather exciting.

“The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.”
(Isaiah 25:6 NASB)

To read Isaiah 25:6, just as it is, is not very revealing because it is missing the context. Here is a larger portion that reveals when then this takes place.

“For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rainstorm against a wall. Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced. The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine. And on this mountain, He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
(Isaiah 25:4-9 NASB)

Wow! This is the day we long for. The nuggets in this passage are spread across the New Testament and the Revelation, and this is why these people in Revelation 19 are rejoicing. If you look at this one point at a time, you will see the events of Revelation 19.

• You subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.

Answer me this;

In what ways will He subdue, or as Isaiah 13 tells us, punish the world for their iniquity?

“Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”
(Isaiah 13:11 NASB)

Revelation 20 speaks to this very thing but it is stated in relation to the end of the thousand years.

Revelation 19, where we find Jesus coming back as the warring Messiah, is specifically about the time at the end of the time of wrath and the beginning of the millennial reign.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
(Revelation 19:11-15 NASB)

• “on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.”

“But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 
(2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NASB)

From the moment Jesus touches down on the Mount of Olives, the veil will be lifted; but not just off the Jews, the nations too will have the veil lifted. If they have not sought out Jesus during the seven years of wrath, perhaps they will now.

• “ He will swallow up death for all time.”

1 Corinthians 15 almost requires you to understand that our spirits live on forever, and this changes our comprehension of what death is. Some will live eternally in the presence of the Father, while others will follow their leader to a perpetual burning hell.

“And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory.” 
(1 Corinthians 15:54 AMPC)

2 Corinthians explains that we will be clothed with a heavenly body.

“For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 5:3-5 NLT)

• “the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,”

“Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.” 
(Isaiah 51:11 NLT)

Moving on.

(Revelation 19:10 NLT) “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

While I am not sure how important it is, but this one who spoke to John is of the body of Christ. Remember that we, the church are appareled in a particular manner and that we are given a crown; just as the 24 elders apparently were.

Revelation 2:10 tells us that we are given the crown of life. And 1 Peter 5:4 states,

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (NASB)

The elders are described in this manner.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 
(Revelation 4:4 NASB)

I mentioned the crown but I did not mention the white garments.

'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 
(Revelation 3:4 NASB)

If you are anything like me, then you have had a discussion in your head that goes a bit like this, I soiled my garments. There is a solution for that and we find it in Jesus. By the way, there is nothing you can do to resolve this on your own, except of course to turn away from your sins and run to Jesus. Jesus did all this work on the cross because we could not.

“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” 
(Ephesians 5:26-27 NASB)

We are cleansed because we are washed by His Word. He did this so that He could present to Himself the church, with No spots, No wrinkles, and that we would be holy and blameless. I am stunned by this statement.

One of the things people struggle with is the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy in particular. If you could give an honest assessment of why some run around the country verbalizing words they feel is prophetic, you would find it is because they want the power that seems to be associated with that gift.

Revelation 19:10 tells us where the heart of prophecy is found.

“... the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (NASB)

According to Webster's dictionary, testimony is defined as,

“A solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact. Such affirmation in judicial proceedings,may be verbal or written, but must be under oath. Testimony differs from evidence; testimony is the declaration of a witness, and evidence is the effect of that declaration on the mind, or the degree of light which it affords.”

So, our speaking about Jesus, giving testimony to what He has done in our lives, is a prophecy in its simplest form. Don't make a big deal out of prophecy, merely live it.

Here comes the best part, Jesus.

Revelation 19:11 NASB “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”

My father asked me, why don't you use the KJV?

Dr. Chuck Missler used to say, every translation has its issues, it's just that the KJV's are well documented. So we just have to be diligent and perceptive enough to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us to one that most closely conveys the heart of the Father. And do not be afraid to use passages from newer versions, such as the NLT or the NET bible, as they may say it better.

Let me show you a major problem that shows its ugly head here in the King James Version of 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV  “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;”

What is the “that day” in this passage referring to?

Christ's return for His church and the revealing of the antichrist. But the way they stated the situation, the horrendous falling away of the church AND the revealing of the antichrist must come first before Jesus can take the church back home to Himself. If you are not aware that a falling away has taken place then you have been living under a rock.

Why is the KJV a problem?

Because the state church – the Catholic church, saw that people were leaving and going to the more recent Protestant church. Having influence, and a king who was invested in the Catholic church, they pressured the king for a  rewrite that would convey their disdain for those leaving the state church, and thus we got the KJV.

Well, what did 2 Thessalonians 2:3 read like originally?

One of the first bibles available was the Geneva translation 1587, and it read like this.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva (3) “Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition,”

Here, in the Geneva translation, the phrase reads “for that day shall not come, unless there come a departing first. The Word Study Dictionary conveys this about the word apostasia. The primary word to define apostasia is to depart. A Departure. Does apostasia also cover the word apostasy? Certainly, it does, but it is NOT the primary definition.

Even if the Geneva bible has peculiar spellings, like the KJV, the fact that the KJV did not come on the scene until 1769, almost two hundred years later, should say something to you about our ability to perceive it as being more valid. When someone like the YouTube evangelist Robert Breaker, makes a statement such as it is the authorized version, he is ignoring the fact that the KJV was authorized after pressure from the state-run church – the Catholic church, to manipulate the masses.

Let me add one more thing.

If you choose to hold tightly to the KJV because it was “authorized,” then what do you do with this piece of information, only a few verses later, that conflicts with verse 3, and emphasizes that “he”, the church, must be taken out of the way before the antichrist can come.?

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 KJV  “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

• “he who now lets”

This is the church. Many feel this is the Holy Spirit; I know this because I have heard it repeatedly. It is NOT the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit continues to move upon the face of the earth just as He moved upon the face of the waters in Genesis.

As I wrote these words I got a picture of the 120+ disciples, waiting in the upper room and receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Look at these verses in Acts 1:14-15 and you will see that the group had grown.)

The Holy Spirit – the comforter, did not force Himself upon them, and they, like everybody else, had to receive Him.

One more argument that needs to be put aside.

When you received Jesus you received the Holy Spirit.

Ah, but are you aware of that?

Ephesians 1:13 MKJV  in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

That promise is the assurance of our salvation – which happens with the rapture of the church and is placed within our hearts.

2 Corinthians 1:22 MKJV  And He has sealed us and having given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Are you aware that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are ONE?

Colossians 2:8-10 MKJV  Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.  (9)  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  (10)  And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power,

So, did you choose to receive Jesus, then you received the Holy Spirit. They are the same in that they all convey the character and nature of the Father, and yet, each is different in appearance.

John 14:16-17 MKJV  "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,  (17)  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you."

Most people fear the flamboyant shows of display put on by people and therefore fear that the Holy Spirit will do that to them. Calm down.

Let me ask you a question. Do you drink too much, take off your clothes, and dance on tables with a lampshade on your head?

If your answer is no, then you are not one of those people who have the inward desire to do something outlandish and are just looking for an excuse to act out.

I need you to know that the Holy Spirit, is a gentleman, will NOT make you do anything. People who do such things are waiting for something that will allow their inhibitions to drop and, therefore, revel in the momentary freedom that promotes displaying themselves in bizarre manners.

To be honest, I so wish I could dance. I have danced freely, with my arms lifted in praise to God, twice in my life. The only thing that gave me this freedom was the fact that no one was watching. It felt glorious and liberating, as I danced before the Lord.

So, when the church is removed the Holy Spirit is not removed. The fact that people will continue to be drawn to the Lord is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still here, drawing them to the Father.

• “will be taken out of the way.”

We already saw this in the word apostasia – departure.

Where are we going?

Jesus, will come in the clouds and with the blast of shofars call us back to Himself. We are His, and a part of His body, did you NOT know this?

The Rider on a White Horse

The former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, believed that there was only one true passage in the Bible and Revelation 19:11 is the one. He believed this because he was confident that it spoke of himself. Unfortunately, he was hanged by the Iraqis for his war crimes, which were many, and that dream did not come to pass. The passage is declaring Jesus Christ as the warring Messiah, the one who is Faithful.

Revelation 19:11 MKJV  And I saw Heaven opened. And behold a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness, He judges and makes war.

He keeps His word and is, therefore, faithful

Psalms 89:35-37 MKJV  Once I have sworn by My holiness that I will not lie to David.  (36)  His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me.  (37)  It shall be established forever like the moon, and like a faithful witness in the heavens. Selah.

When I use scriptures as a faithful witness I typically use at least two passages. I like to use one from both sides of the cross; you know, the Old Testament where they originated and the New Testament where Jesus fulfilled the law – that is the same law that happens to be written on your heart, whether you like it or not.

“And in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

Righteousness implies all we call justice, honesty, and virtue, with holy affections. This is who God is. So God judges based upon His moral standard, and, He also makes war based upon this same moral standard.