Rapture – Path Without End

20171117_161644 Is God the monster, or are we? What I am about to share today from the last two chapters of Revelations, I admit, is like looking through a fog, or looking through a glass darkly, as scripture would say. Perhaps this is the kind of stuff mystics love. To enter into spiritual mysteries and reveal possibilities, and let the Spirit of God convince you if true or not?

If we ask the question is God the monster, then I believe, as thinking individuals, whom God created us to be, we would have to wonder if people who never had a chance to be “properly introduced” to Jesus end up in hell? Whether I’m wrong or not, this seems monstrous to me. I admit my picture of eternity is very small compared to God’s, and I’m sure I will understand all these things some day, but until then…I have found such an incredible possibility!

When we think of a “proper introduction” to Jesus, what qualifies? I have been told the Koran speaks of Jesus and even declares he was born of God! He is revered as a great teacher, but does this give a Muslim a proper introduction to him, or actually lead them in a wrong direction?

How about our native Indians, whom missionaries with good intentions, basically forced the God of the white man on them, took their children into schools where they cut their hair short, without giving these people a chance to grow in the Lord and come to these things of their own free will. Is this how Jesus did it? Was this a proper introduction to our Lord, and his word?

Every time I consider if I had been born into these same situations, I ask myself, would I have seen through the fog to accept the white man’s version of salvation? And is that just? We know this planet is not fair, but is not God still just?

So does God also have a plan for all those who simply by their heart and conscious, and by what they saw in nature, lived a life of selflessness seeking their Creator? I believe the Bible speaks of such people. I call them the “Golden Rule People”. If given the chance of being a Golden Rule Person, or the Bride of the Lamb, the Bride is definitely the one you want! But if that was not in the cards for you, if you never had a proper introduction, (and fair warning to all who have had a proper introduction), then you will be most delighted in this other possibility. We must examine the two resurrections closely, for this to be revealed.

Remember, Jesus prayed Father forgive them > for they know not what they do. < So if you have had a proper introduction to Christ, you may not qualify for this prayer.

Revelation 20:4-6a > “Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ a thousand years. THIS IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION. (THE REST OF THE DEAD DID NOT COME BACK TO LIFE UNTIL THE THOUSAND YEARS HAD ENDED.) BLESSED AND HOLY ARE THOSE WHO SHARE IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION. FOR THEM…”THE SECOND DEATH HOLDS NO POWER”…

Please note I made some changes in order to emphasize, but the words are a quote of NLT. This is all about the “first” resurrection, and realize there must also be a “second” resurrection. So… not all people are part of the first resurrection. What information do we have to determine who these people are? Well, we know somewhere in this Great Tribulation, Jesus comes back for his Bride, which we call the Rapture. Evidently most of the Bride is in heaven at that point, but not yet all! It appears anyone who does not take the Mark of the Beast, and dies for the faith, comes back to life and is joined to the people of the Rapture! Look at the evidence.

It says these people are blessed because the Second Death (Lake of Fire) is not even at this resurrection and judgement. It is not present! Not even a possibility! This Judgement Seat of Christ is all about reward! We know Jesus raptures his Bride! This is very specific. And if you check it out, they are judged from a book called “The Lambs Book of Life”! Very specific to Christ! All others not in Christ are said to remain asleep until after the 1000 years! Evidently, the martyrs are added to this group of the first resurrection, and all the rest will be part of the second resurrection. All those in the second are not part of the Bride, that chance is gone! Also, the Lake of Fire is present at the next judgement. The first resurrection is indeed “VERY” blessed! There is no fear, but only peace in the judgement line of the Prince of Peace.

However, now we move to all others. After Satan is released again and the nations rise up against God and his people; Satan is finally done away with for good, and God is ready to move on to something totally new, even a New Heaven and a New Earth! But first there must be one more judgement, the Great White Throne Judgement, the judgement seat of God, and the Lake of Fire is present! And I believe by that fact alone, great fear will also be present.

Revelation 20:11-15 > “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. (Notice it does not say “Lamb’s Book of Life”. I suspect these are two different books!)

“And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. (Not grace!) Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was throne into the lake of fire.”

NOW LET ME ASK THIS: The very fact that scripture specifically says “anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life”, does this not infer there will be those whose name is recorded there…and they do not go into the lake of fire?!

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?! AND WHERE DO THEY GO!?

I will let you continue to search this out, but the next chapter immediately goes into the New Heaven, and New Earth. We see the holy city of New Jerusalem come down out of heaven upon this new earth, and the Bride seems to live there, but there are also a bunch of people who appear to take up residence upon the new earth! My theory is these are the “Golden Rule People”, who lived a life of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, they were not selfish, and they were forgiving, and their name was found in God’s Book of Life! Wow! I love this possibility! (But is it so?)

The only way any of us can achieve such a high position as the Bride is through the pure grace of God. This is the salvation message. Jesus is coming back for those who truly love him the way Mary did. Because of our great love for him, we are granted a grace that is truly miraculous. For no other reason than faith and love does anyone end up in the Bride. But there are those who have never had a proper introduction, and yet they have a desire for “God”, and a love for their fellow human being. Does God have a plan for them other than an eternity in hell? I believe he does, because we are the monster, not God.

There may yet be one more article to write on this, I’m not sure if there is or not. I see so many things yet to be shared. Such as acts of judgement we see in the Old Testament. I have thoughts on all that too, and would like to share. But for today, I think this is enough to chew on.

Just imagine, a faithful “nonviolent” Muslim might make it on to the New Earth! Who are these people we read of, if not people whose name is in that Book of Life, and yet the Bride has already been chosen. New City Jerusalem is her home, but there are a bunch of people suddenly upon the New Earth!

I know this much, God is not the monster; I am. If this is not the answer, or at least part of the answer, then God has something else. But be very careful, for I suspect God’s Book consist of only those who “know not what they do.” And yet they are God seeking, selfless, and forgiving. Golden Rule People, and that is a high mark to live up to. That second resurrection will be a very scary judgement for one and all. I don’t want to be one of the foolish virgins. I want to be a Mary, not a Martha.

“Even now the axe of God’s judgement is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.” (Luke 3:9a) (John the Baptist declaring the time! Preparing the way for Christ!)

This is John the Baptist himself, the forerunner of Christ, explaining to the religious brood of vipers, that Jesus was coming and there was an axe “POISED” ready to strike, preparing to chop down the corrupt religious system at that time. Need I remind of Roman’s chapter eleven’s warning to all of us that if a wild branch were grafted into the tree, how much easier it would be to cut it off and graft back in the original branch?

I have often posed the question, will the same conditions that Christ came the first time, be the same conditions that Christ comes the second time? This thought has haunted me for many years. Because “WE” are the religious system that is supposed to be shining the light of God to the world! Would we repeat the same mistake the original branch did? Would we fail to recognize God in our time? Has our message of Christ become so perverted, that we would not heed the true words of Jesus himself? Is this “King Theology”, as I have labeled it, nothing but a house of cards ready to fall, as I believe it is? Is there a huge axe poised over the modern church, and it will fall immediately after the second coming of Christ?

The pretrib version of the rapture shows tremendous persecution of those who follow Christ thereafter. The early Christians also suffered great persecution from Rome after Christ came the first time. Is the modern church repeating the same mistake the original branch of the tree made? Thereby setting up the same conditions which brought Christ the first time? I hate to say it, but there is something that seems very likely.

If John the Baptist showed up today and was baptizing in a nearby river, and some of our tv evangelist, or modern church pastors went to him, asking him who he was, do you think he might have the same message for them that he had for the scribes and pharisees of that day? And are we the spiritual products of those preachers? Is this setting up the great falling away? Has it been in progress for a while now?

I have shared how something has drawn me out of the modern church religious system and has me now facing a lot of questions for myself. The teepee I have built, which is not fully completed by any means, but is functional, will likely open its doors for anyone interested this coming spring. In the meantime, I have this time, to make some hard decisions about what hath God actually said in our New Testament covenant with Him. One thing I see so far is, our modern church strains at a gnat and swallows a camel!

Is a church service supposed to be about the “Presence of God”, or the “presence of man”? Are we setting our table to please God, or please more men (and women)? When we come together as a corporate group, should we not be seeking the greatest Presence of God we can achieve, rather than the greatest presence of people? And would not a greater Presence of God, eventually develop the kind of body of Christ we’re seeking anyway? Our mission to build up the body of Christ into an image which actually reflects the nature and character of Christ?

This is the spiritual journey I am on. Others are on this journey too. Many are hearing a John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness. I am in much study, prayer, and reading at this time, and will likely be so this whole winter. I’m still holding off on some thoughts I’ve had concerning the latest Star Wars movie, so as not to cause spoilers, but I’m here to tell you, the lives Princess Lea, Hans Solo, and Luke Skywalker went on to have after their great victory, does not seem to have been so great! They spent their whole lives in battle against the Empire, and it’s still not dead! How depressing is that?

I do believe there is a new wave coming, just as Jesus was in his day, and the five virgins who have the oil will recognize that voice. Indeed, already are recogning the voice of the lover of our soul! Perhaps this is the time of John the Baptist preaching to make straight the path of the Lord! Something is stirring in the hearts of God’s people. An awakening! It’s real! And it’s the most important thing at this time! (But will it actually seem contrary to the word of God as we have known it, even as it seemed to the pharisees in that day?)

So……….. we need to discern what sound doctrine is. We need to know what the truth is. It’s contained in God’s word. It’s there for us to find. God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead into that promised land. He has not left us orphans. Jesus is speaking! And so is a false image of him. Surely, if we are sincere, we can recognize the real Jesus from the fake!

I have much to say on this journey we are making, and this article launches this subject. By the time my teepee opens, I will have to know what it shall be. A House of Prayer, for sure, but what else?

I have mentioned I’ve been reading Brian Zahnd. His message came to me just at this time. I think finding the right balance of what he is saying may be the answer to a lot of my questions. I will be sharing more thoughts on that message after I complete more study of his books. But let’s finish this article with this: What did John the Baptist follow his hard words to the pharisees with? When the crowds were moved by his words and asked the question: “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10) What was his answer?

John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” (And he continued. But you get the idea.)

There is much I agree with Zahnd on, one of which “I think” is: Christ is coming back for a people who truely love God (first), like a bride should; and then also live by “The Golden Rule”. We are not kings of our own little empire, but our hearts should not be able to help noticing the plight of others. This is not an easy thing, but I do think if we pray, the Holy Spirit in us, will do the work of changing our hearts, so that we actually become what we speak with our mouth. In other words, many of us claim these things “verbally”, but are not living it “actually”. The two must become one. Our words must become real. There is an axe poised for the foolish virgins.

Who are the true John the Baptists in our day? The day of our visitation. We must hear such people. I’m spending this winter seeking that very thing. I hope we can do this together.