John didn't refuse to answer. He told them clearly. John 1:19-23.

 I am writing to people who have been taught poorly or were taught falsehoods, and some errors are intentional. I will include myself in this next weakness within the Christian community, and that is that WE do not nor will not pick up the Bible and read it. I can speak bluntly about this because I had to make a hard decision to fix this weakness in myself. In 2007 I started a job with early work hours, so I would give myself an extra hour before work to go to McDonald's, eat breakfast and read my Bible. So many people whimper about where they should start reading; I have suggestions, but there is a better time or place. I needed to know who God was and what His character was like, so I started with Matthew's gospel, where I saw His Son, Jesus, and slowly worked my way through the New Testament. Every day brought questions and challenges, and I wrote them down as I asked God my hard questions, all of which got answered.

I never spent a tremendous amount of time focused on John the Baptist.

The NASB entitles this next section, The Testimony of John the Baptist.

We covered a couple of details about John the Baptist in my previous post. In terms of teIn my previous post, we covered some details about John the Baptist. In terms of temperament, and I am imagining here, I perceive a touch of sanguine because he is outgoing and, to a degree, social. The other trait that I see is choleric. I say this because John comes across as short-tempered and irritable, much like the Apostle Paul (who may well be one of those being sent to verbally accost him.) He had, by the way, called them a den of vipers. 

Now apply the personality traits that we can only assume to the following few verses where we see John in action.

“This was John’s answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?””
(John 1:19 GW)

• “The Jews sent priests.”

We are not told who did the sending as even within the priests and council members, there was a hierarchy. I can see leaders sending lower-ranking members to go and challenge the man they obviously perceive as acting as though he is replacing them. However, John may not have felt that way.

If what I said seemed odd to you, think about this incident.

“Very early, while it was still night, Yeshua got up, left, and went away to a place in the wilderness; and there He was praying. Then Simon and those with him hunted for Yeshua. And when they found Him, they said to Him, “Everybody’s looking for You.” He said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also—this is what I came for.” And He went throughout all the Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged him for help. "If you want to," he said, "you can make me clean."(GNB) .” Moved with compassion, Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him. He said, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”
(Mark 1:35-41 TLV & GNB)

There was no doubt that Jesus could heal, but to be cleansed was what the priests did, and apparently, religion was corrupt enough to demand payment for the procedure where you were reintroduced back into the community. So this man asked Jesus to heal him and pronounce him cleansed. But, if you follow the narrative, Jesus sternly warned the man to keep his mouth shut about Jesus pronouncing him clean. He knew this was a boundary that would feed into a deadly fight with the Pharisees. Considering that John's daddy was a priest, they knew who John was.

“When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division of priests named after Abijah. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.”
(Luke 1:5 GW)

Their question had no politeness connected to it. It is more of a challenge, similar to who do you think you are. The other side of this coin is that Jesus' own disciples, and several of them left John to join Jesus, did not understand that He was the Messiah, as they were looking for a warring messiah that would free them from Roman oppression, etc. This misconception stayed with them until they were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room after Jesus left the earth.

“John didn’t refuse to answer. He told them clearly, “I’m not the Messiah.”
(John 1:20 GW)

Adam Clarke wrote: “John renounces himself, that Jesus may be all in all.” Really, at this point, John is enjoying some freedom, but the day is coming after denouncing the actions of Herod."

“For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,”
(Matthew 14:3 TLV)

John is close to death, so he sends some of his disciples to Jesus to do what?

“Now when John heard in prison about the works of the Messiah, he sent word through his disciples and said to Yeshua, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
(Matthew 11:2-3 TLV)

““What then? Are you Elijah?” they asked him. “I am not,” said John. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered.”
(John 1:21 TLV)

• Are you Elijah?

  The answer is NO.

• Are you the prophet?

  Just a touch on the repetitious side. Wasn't Elijah a prophet? Yes, he was, and NO he never died because God took him, and this piece of evidence sort of mandates that Elijah must physically die. 

John told them straight out, I am not Elijah. Then who is this other prophet? Adam Clarke says this is the prophet spoken of by Moses, Deuteronomy 18:15,18.

“Instead, he will send you a prophet like me (Moses) from among your own people, and you are to obey him.”
(Deuteronomy 18:15 GNB)

I had no idea that Moses was a prophet.

“I will send them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command.”
(Deuteronomy 18:18 GNB)

This line, “I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command,” says much about the character of Jesus.

“He will speak in my name, and I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him.” (Deuteronomy 18:19 GNB)

Every word that Jesus spoke was focused on the instructions of the Father, no matter how random those words may have seemed.

“So they said to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(John 1:22 TLV)

I am not sure it mattered what the answer was; no matter how ridiculous, it just needed to quell the angst of the Jewish leadership. 

“He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of Adonai,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(John 1:23 TLV)

The words that stand out in my mind are the same that I chose for my blog.” Why did I choose that? Because I felt, and still feel, like I am sharing God's voice and no one is listening. Someday soon, they will hear. 

It is never too late to make straight the way of Adonai, as long as you have breath in your lungs.

At the cost of blood, you ransomed us for God. Revelation 5:8-14.

 

Then the Lamb, which looked as if it had been slaughtered, is now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders, right where I expected to see Jesus Christ, the warring Messiah. This lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. I quickly learned that what I saw represented the seven-fold Spirit of God sent out into every part of the earth. I strongly suspect this to be the Holy Spirit of God. This slaughtered lamb stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne.

I adapted this paragraph above is from Revelation 5:6-7. Perhaps you recognized some of the terminologies, as we recently covered this section of scripture?

“When he took the scroll, the four living beings, and the twenty-four elders fell down in front of the Lamb. Each one held a harp and gold bowls filled with pieces of incense, which are the prayers of God's people; and they sang a new song, "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals; because you were slaughtered; at the cost of blood you ransomed for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.”
(Revelation 5:8-9 CJB)

• The four living beings.

  “In front of the throne was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living beings covered with eyes in front and behind. The first living being was like a lion, the second living being was like an ox, the third living being had a face that looked human, and the fourth living being was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living beings had six wings and was covered with eyes inside and out; and day and night they never stop saying, "Holy, holy, holy is Adonai, God of heaven's armies the One who was, who is and who is coming!" And whenever the living beings give glory, honor, and thanks to the One sitting on the throne, to the One who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, and worship him. They throw their crowns in front of the throne and say, "You are worthy, Adonai Eloheinu, to have glory, honor, and power because you created all things—yes, because of your will, they were created and came into being!”
  (Revelation 4:6-11 CJB)

• “Each one held a harp and gold bowls filled with pieces of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.”

  I would hope that you understand how vital your prayers are.

  Psalms 141:2 CJB “Let my prayer be like incense set before you, my uplifted hands like an evening sacrifice.”

  Proverbs 15:8 CJB “Adonai detests the sacrifices of the wicked but delights in the prayers of the upright.”

• “and they sang a new song,”

  When we get to Revelation 14, we will see the 144,000 singing a “new song,” which only they will know.

Page one.

Revelation 14:1-3 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him, one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

While Revelation 14 is in Greek, Psalm 40, where King David is speaking, is in Hebrew, yet both convey the idea of a new song, and both can also mean fresh. You might think these 144,000 had already been singing some form of song unto the Lord.

Psalms 40:1-3 NASB “... I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.”

• “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals.”

  In the previous post, we talked about Revelation 5:4-5, where John is weeping because there was no one worthy to open the seals. One of the 24 elders tell John to stop crying because there is one, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Well, that's quite a visual, and yet what does John see? A lamb that looks as if it had just been slain.

  The bottom line is this, Jesus Christ was and is worthy, and the Revelation is about to tell you why.

• “because you were slaughtered; at the cost of blood you ransomed for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.”

  He wasn’t merely whipped, although that alone killed most people; He was bludgeoned - beaten with fists; had his beard pulled out, a crown of thorns was pressed into His skull, and then the cross arm was lashed to His severely wounded back, stretching out His arms making it impossible to prevent more injury to His head and face as He fell. All of this was an aspect of the price He paid on our behalf.

  1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us that we have been bought with a price.

  Hebrews 2:9 informs us that Jesus, because of the suffering of death, was crowned with glory and honor so that by the grace of God, he might experience death for everyone so that we don't have to. Common sense tells us that every person must die sometime, so the author of Hebrews must be talking about something other than physical death.

  Hebrews 2:14, in the NLT translation, explains, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.” Since the devil's only hope is to bring about a spiritual death, which is separation from God, we must understand that Jesus’ actions in death restored us.

Page two.

Acts 13:38-39 conveys the idea that through Him, we have forgiveness of sins, and through Him, everyone who believes is freed from all things the Law could not free us from.

Ephesians 1:7 establishes that in Him we have redemption because of this blood He shed, not only that, but we have the forgiveness of our trespasses; and, He uses the riches of His grace as the standard.

No one was left out of this deal; how is it that many will not accept this love, grace, and acceptance?

It is all about free will, and therefore, their choice to refuse.

If you have chosen to follow after Jesus, you are deemed a kingdom and priests to our God.

Revelation 5:10 KJV And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Hebrews 12:22 tells us that the number of angels is a countless multitude.

Revelation 5:11 NASB Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

Angels, living creatures, the elders, and every created thing cries out; Worthy is the lamb that was slain.

“saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Revelation 5:12-14 NASB)

When I opened our look into Revelation chapter five, I asked why wouldn’t the church be the focus of chapter five since chapter four is a definitive boundary between the church age and the time of wrath. The answer to the question is that the entirety of the Revelation is focused on Jesus. What we have also learned is that the elders represent the church.

The problem for us humanoids is that we continue to apply our human emotions to God repeatedly; this is a pointless effort. God is not affected by our human emotions, although, through the Son, He can undoubtedly comprehend our feelings but not be ruled by them.

Now, here we are, represented by the elders, along with every living creature, crying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

Along with this cry,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,

be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Page three.

God gives Joshua the word _ The Story chapter 7

We are after all still a life group and as such must allow for the men to talk about life. We did that for 45 minutes before the talk finally slowed down. If you let it, it will never end as several try to fix the others in the group. It is only my going into Recovery that has taught me that Doctor Phil is not reality. Reality is someone you paid an hour for, who gives you only 45 minutes of their time, while looking at their watch, asking, do you if you mind if I take this call? This short period of time comes to a conclusion with “how does that make you feel?” 

The problem is that I did not know how to feel, and nothing I had done was making me any better. The only solution is you have to turn your life over to the only real higher power, and that is Jesus Christ.

Some might get angry because I said that Jesus Christ is the only higher power, but hey, you are reading a blog about bible study, written by a follower of Christ, that has been through a 12 step program and now leads an anger group. But should you wish to have a fire plug as your higher power you go for it, just let me know that is working for you.

At the end of the 45+ minutes I said, well then, let me give you my 30 second synopsis on Rahab the Harlot. Somehow we took longer than we should have, and did manage to probe into the first chapter of Joshua too.

God gives Joshua the word that Moses is dead.

Joshua 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Moses was not just a man, he was thee man, the man who withstood Pharaoh, led the Israelite nation out of Egypt, talks with God like he is standing right there, and now he is dead. Some would fall apart, but not Joshua. Pay attention to how God now speaks to Joshua. Note: This is not defined for us in The Story.

Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

This is the same thing God had said to Moses. Is there any limitation to God? It would seem that the only thing that limits him is how we live out lives.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

How many of us wish we had heard these words - “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life” Talk to any Marine and they will tell you that this is attitude that the Corps drills into you. You might take off the uniform but never the attitude.

The second aspect is, “I will not fail you, nor forsake you.” How similar is this to the saying, I've got your back. In war this is exactly what you want to know. Having seen Go Pro videos of several soldiers in Afghanistan that seem to have been left alone in gunfight. It's moments like this that you might say to yourself, words are cheap, but God spent a tremendous amount of time establishing his character and trustworthiness.

Be strong and of a good courage

Even though it is easy see guys like Joshua as supermen that cannot be taken down, God knows differently and reminds him multiple times to be strong and courageous.

Joshua 1:6-7 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. (7) Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou may prosper wherever you go.

The word prosper used above means to act wisely, but can also mean to comprehend, consider, discern, gain insight, instruct, and to prosper. As applied to the ventures about to befall Israel, and specifically Joshua it leans itself more toward Joshua acting as a general and leader.

Notice something else about this verse.  “that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” I cannot even imagine the fortitude that it would take to do all the commands. It seems so overwhelming. It does not have the specific words if/then but the implication is there. You want to prosper? Then do all the law.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate there in day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shalt make thy way prosperous, and then you shalt have good success.

It is fairly clear, God wanted His laws deeply invested inside not just Joshua, but his people as well. While this does not say memorize them, that could be the outcome. What it does imply is that God wants us focused on Him, and not the circumstances around us.

Moses had written everything, and it comprised enough pages to be considered a book, or perhaps a scroll. By this time it may have been copied multiple times, but it is ridiculous to think that everyone had a copy sitting on the coffee table.

What was the command given by God this time? “but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,..” God specifically instructed Joshua, but is this directed at us as well? Yeah, I think so.

In Hebrew the word meditate means, to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, speak.

MED'ITATE, v.i. [L. meditor.] 1. To dwell on any thing in thought; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind; appropriately but not exclusively used of pious contemplation, or a consideration of the great truths of religion.

And yet, moan, mutter and growl are also valid in some way. The implications of these mean something more than merely swirling an idea or concept around in your head. This is a form of rehearsal, almost as though you are restrengthening and reestablishing concepts in your mind. This could be important should you need to regain your backbone.

For God to tell us that doing this brings about good success should speak volumes. He knows what we are made of and how broken this human nature is.

Suddenly, I am aware of an idea. This is like some great invention, a technological piece of artwork, and yet some aspect impedes its proper function. Welcome to the human race. We operate in bodies that are technological genius, and due to no fault of the creator, they do not function at 100%. We like to call it sin. This made me think of the Apollo flight that had to get creative in order to fix the air scrubbers that remove the CO2 from the breathable air.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space .... Houston, we've had a problem. .... Module's square carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges to fit the Lunar Module, which took a round cartridge ... CM canisters to the LM's cylindrical canister-sockets by drawing air through them with a suit return hose.

Sort of like life, isn't it?

Be strong and courageous!

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

This is the fourth time God said this directly to Joshua. Perhaps God wanted him to be strong and courageous.

Can you think of any others that God has spoken to like this? Gideon comes to mind. Take dip into Hebrews 11. Look at the hall of famers there, then go back and look at their lives. So many of them had to be encouraged, repeatedly, like this.

It is time to move out, so Joshua sent spies.

Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

I think the question is, could these people see each other? The distance from the encampment to Jericho was anywhere from 15 to 25 miles. If the land was flat they could have easily seen each other. Why am I concerned about them being able to see each other, because all the fear and dread that Rahab speaks about might have come through sight, and diminished the impact that God had made upon those in Jericho, especially Rahab.

Israel sent out spies. This has to make Joshua nervous considering what happened last time. This might be part of the reason that God told him to be strong and courageous so many times. I left out some stuff God commanded him before they moved out. If anyone gives Joshua trouble God has given him the green light to kill them. God does not seem the least bit interested in going through that again.

How did the spies know she was a harlot?

What language do they speak in Jericho? Are the spies able to read the signs pointing out where the prostitute lives? We will quickly see that it is a safe assumption for us that Rahab speaks Hebrew.

Why does God make such a big deal of Rahab being a harlot? There are a multitude of reasons; initially it draws our curiosity and attention. I believe that the main goal of this mission, although Israel may not know it, is to secure Rahab. She is after all a significant person in the lineage of Jesus Christ. The secondary answer is that God does not primarily choose the elite. No doubt, just like the disciples, they rise to the occasion, and attain great honor, but God definitely seeks out the broken and lost.

Brought to the Israelite encampment it makes sense that she was questioned, but who would brag about such a job? A response I got, when I brought up this subject, was that this shows that God can use anyone. We have a tendency to make things acceptable, but do we give acceptability to everyone? If you are honest, the answer is no.

A righteous lie!

The spies thought they had made it in unnoticed; not so, and Rahab had to hide them.

Joshua 2:2-7 It was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." (3) And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." (4) But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. (5) "It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." (6) But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. (7) So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

If we have a commandment to not lie, why is this acceptable? Again, I asked this question and the answer was, “this was a righteous lie.” What is that suppose to mean? 

“The falsehood by which Rahab sought not only to avert all suspicion from herself of any conspiracy with the Israelitish men who had entered her house, but to prevent any further search for them in her house, and to frustrate the attempt to arrest them, is not to be justified as a lie of necessity told for a good purpose, nor, as Grotius maintains, by the unfounded assertion that, “before the preaching of the gospel, a salutary lie was not regarded as a fault even by good men.” Nor can it be shown that it was thought “allowable,” or even “praiseworthy,” simply because the writer mentions the fact without expressing any subjective opinion, or because, as we learn from what follows (Jos_2:9.), Rahab was convinced of the truth of the miracles which God had wrought for His people, and acted in firm faith that the true God would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, and that all opposition made to them would be vain, and would be, in fact, rebellion against the Almighty God himself. For a lie is always a sin.” [Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament]

Keep in mind the possibility that God's intent was to rescue this woman, and what she said came entirely of the Holy Spirit.

I was asked the question, when did Rahab become a Christian, here or later at the Israeli encampment? Although I did not try to embarrass the man who asked, the term Christian was not attributed to followers of Christ until almost a century after his ascension. At this point you were either a follower of Yahweh, an Israelite, or a part of the nations, and a gentile. But there is something here that should open our eyes.

Joshua 2:8-13 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, (9) and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. (10) "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. (11) "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (12) "Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, (13) and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."

I want to show you something from scripture that may challenge you. When the man asked his question, my immediate internal response was, that is ridiculous, and I think my response was right for a believers entitlement to that name comes out of our acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord, but Jesus Christ was not known to them and particularly not those of Jericho (this is really an unfair statement because I am putting limits on God by saying it.)

Look at what Paul said in Romans.

Romans 10:8-13 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (9) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (10) for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (11) For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; (13) for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

There are two key thing in this that we should pay attention to as we consider Rahab, and what her soul looked like.

1. Paul bases his statement on an old testament passage. Now Rahab would not have known that, but God did. Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that you may do it. We are such sticklers for context and even Paul took it out of context and applied to our salvation.
2. Romans 10:10 says, “for with the heart a person believes,..and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” What did Rahab say that would have filled those requirements?

• I know that the LORD has given you the land

• for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath

So, what was the end result of not only Rahab, but anyone that would listen to her and get themselves under the roof of her house? Salvation. This idea of her becoming a follower of the most high God is not that far-fetched.

She knew what she was doing.

These men she was hiding were men of war. You do not send press secretaries out to do your spying, and they appreciated her kindness, but cross us and your dead. She got that, but she also understood that they were of a righteous breed (now how did that happen) and could be trusted. She followed their instructions and trusted.

Joshua 2:12-24 "Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, (13) and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." (14) So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." (15) Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. (16) She said to them, "Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way." (17) The men said to her, "We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, (18) unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household. (19) "It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. (20) "But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear." (21) She said, "According to your words, so be it." So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. (22) They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them. (23) Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. (24) They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us."

This woman's actions got her into the hall of fame.

Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. (31) By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

One of the guys reminded me how symbolic Rahab's actions were. That scarlet rope represented the blood of Jesus, the lambs blood upon the door post, you remember back when they were in Egypt, so when the death angel came, all that were in the house were protected. Mind blowing isn't it.

God is offering you this same opportunity. Trouble is coming hard and fast, and it may show up almost simultaneously as the disappearance of the followers Christ happens. I, like those spies, am offering you hope. You can accept Jesus Christ as your life, symbolically hanging the red sash out your window and come with us to meet him in the air. Or find Him after we are gone. They will come for your head, scripture tells us that very clearly. Oh sure, some will endure to the end. If you must endure then watch the two prophets that show up in  Jerusalem, and follow  their lead.
Jesus is God