Joshua P. Allem

Imagining Heaven

This is the first of what I hope to be many posts using our imagination and the Bible as our guide to help us think about what it's actually going to be like in Heaven. I've been planning to do this for some time but I kept bumping into roadblocks, not from the Lord, not from the Bible, but from other Christians.

There's nothing like having a Biblically backed conversation about our futures in Heaven interrupted and trolled by self professing scholars who think wisdom was born with them and when they die, all wisdom will die with them.

Christians are encouraged to focus on things above and not of this world, but how is that even possible whenever anyone tries, there's always somebody who insists that Heaven is just a big white room with nothing in it and we're all gonna be just standing around looking at each other with Jesus and singing "Holy Holy Holy" for all eternity.

Us: "I really enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, I can't wait to enjoy that in Heaven. I bet the coffee is great in Heaven."

Them: "There's no coffee in Heaven. There isn't a single verse in the Bible about coffee in Heaven."

Us: "My spouse and I are getting old. I'm looking forward to our new bodies so we can have a 2nd honeymoon and then tour Heaven in style."

Them: "You won't have a spouse in Heaven. We're all gonna be spayed and neutered and see everyone as brothers and sisters. Romance is earthly. There's nothing in the Bible about romance in Heaven."

Us: "I really miss my mom and dad. I can't wait to see my mom and dad again when I get to Heaven."

Them: "What about Jesus? Aren't you looking forward to being with Jesus? Do you love your parents more than Jesus? Didn't Jesus say we should hate our mothers and fathers? There's nothing in the Bible about families in Heaven."

Us: "The best friend I ever had was my old dog that followed me around for almost 20 years. I can't wait to be reunited with him in Heaven."

Them: "There's no animals in Heaven. Heaven is for people. The Bible doesn't say anything about animals going to Heaven."

I seriously wonder about these people. Have they ever even read the Bible at all?

Christians in the Bible are encouraged to think and look forward to their futures in Heaven as it gives us a great source of peace and motivation. But it's hard to do that these days because there's so many know-it-alls who are quick to discourage those who do. So instead, we tend to devote much of our time and attention to things that are extremely temporary. We tend to keep our vision as short sighted as possible in the name of urgency and expediency. But that's not how the Bible teaches the Christian to look at things.

We like to call Heaven the afterlife, but it's not. Heaven is not the afterlife. Heaven is the future! And it's a future that is very near! When we finally get there, it won't be the afterlife, it will be the beginning of life!! Life hasn't even begun until we get to Heaven! We're encouraged by the Lord and throughout Scripture to look up and focus on that future while we continue to live down here. Not only did Jesus do this in His sermon on the mount, but He also did it in His parable of the shrewd manager.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus told us to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven rather than treasures down here because everything here eventually gets stolen from us, everything here becomes corrupted, everything here becomes broken and everything here dies. Then Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So if you're focused on your treasures in Heaven, you're gonna be focusing on Heaven itself and you're gonna be based in the reality of your future there.

When Jesus told His parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-13, Jesus compared our lives down here to the life of this guy who was in a dead-end job for which he was about to be fired. Instead of the guy kissing his bosses butt to stay employed, he took advantage of his position in the company to gain points with the people on the outside because he knew he was about to be on the outside with them.

In other words, this guy basically screwed his boss in favor of the customers to get in good with the customers before he got fired. And Jesus actually taught us that this is how we should see our lives down here in this world. We all tend to act like we've got job security down here, but actually, we don't! We're all living in a dead-end job and we're all about to be fired. Why not think about our futures above and invest in it with what time we have left down here?

In Matthew 16:21-23, Peter tried to argue with Jesus about letting Himself be arrested and killed, but Jesus accused him of not being mindful of the things above, but of man. Peter was looking at the here and now while Jesus was looking at eternity.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus taught us to put our hands to the plow and look forward, not backwards. Heaven is forward. Everything else is backward and comes to nothing. How can we do this if everytime we look forward to Heaven, we're told that everything we're thinking about isn't real by people who either haven't read their Bibles or maybe they have read them but they've strangled what they've read through the filters of their own predetermined mindsets?

1st Corinthians 2:9 says, "Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, and neither has it entered into the heart of humanity, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him." People twist this verse to mean that it's impossible to imagine Heaven, so why even try? But I see this verse as a license to let your imagination run wild!!!!!! No matter what you think Heaven is, it's going to be even better, it's going to be even bigger and it's going to be so much more than your wildest imagination. So why not have fun and think about it? When someone wraps a present and says, "You'll never guess what I got you", does that stop us from trying to guess? Isn't that half the fun?

When it comes to what God has in store for us in Heaven, no matter what our wildest dreams and imagination can conceive, we can be absolutely certain that we won't be disappointed. Nobody will say, "Well, this is okay I guess but I was expecting more from Heaven than this." The very idea of that happening is absurd and yet, there always seems to be someone who is quick to shut down any conversations they hear about what Heaven will be like or whatever anyone else has imagined as fast as possible. Just expect it and try to ignore it. While the Bible teaches that Heaven is more than we can imagine, there's always somebody trying to tell you that it's less!

But just look at these passages!!

"Shall anything be too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14.

"With God, all things are possible!" Matthew 19:26.

"For with God, nothing shall be impossible!" Luke 1:37.

Jesus said, "All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23.

Nothing is impossible with God,
and everything is possible with God.
And that's just talking about here!
If that's true here, then how much more so in Heaven?

When Pastors Say Animals Don't Go To Heaven

I really hate to harp on this, you've already heard me talk about this many times here, here, here and here, but pastors keep getting this wrong and it grieves me every time they do. Animals DO have eternal souls and they're actually waiting and expecting the resurrection just as we are according to Romans 8:19-23.

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (animals) waits (consciously expecting, waiting) for the manifestation (the appearing) of the sons of God (resurrected Christians).

Romans 8:20 For the creature (the animal) was made subject to vanity (was forced under the curse of death), not willingly (not according to their will, which means they have a will, this went against their will), but by reason of Him (God) who hath subjected the same in hope (hope in the resurrection as described in the next verse),

Romans 8:21 Because the creature itself (the individual animals themselves) also (not just humans, but animals also) shall be delivered (saved) from the bondage of corruption (death) into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Heaven: The same Heaven where God's children will be.).

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation (all living things on the earth) groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (they're all conscious of pain and death and they don't like it any more than we do)

Romans 8:23 And not only they (the animals), but ourselves also (us human beings too!), which have the firstfruits of the Spirit (human beings who've been given the Holy Spirit because they're saved), even we ourselves groan within ourselves (even we Christians groan about the pain and corruption of death), waiting (just like the animals are waiting in verse 19) for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (The resurrection.)

It's right there in black and white. I don't know why more pastors don't know about this. It's one of the top 10 questions that they keep receiving about Heaven and they keep getting it wrong! Pastors are just human beings. Whoever your favorite pastor is, don't assume they know everything. Everybody has their blind spots. I'm sure I have my own.

But I'd like to respond to the claim that the Bible doesn't say anything about animals being resurrected or going to Heaven, even after reading Romans 8:19-23, which I find incredible.

A common objection that I often hear is that God never breathed into the nostrils of the animals, only man. But that's not exactly what the text says. It only mentions God breathing into the nostrils of man because man was the focus of Genesis Chapter 2 where it's mentioned. Genesis 6:17, 7:15, and 7:22 all reveal that both humans and animals have the breath of life.

Another common objection I hear is that the breath of life in humans isn't the same as the breath of life in animals. But I can't find anywhere in Scripture where there exists such a thing as a "natural" breath of life. God "breathed" into man's nostrils, and THEN he became a living soul. The BREATH of life is God's breath. Anyone or anything which has the breath of life, got it from God and by no other means.

So the only reason why human beings are superior to the animals is because God created us in His image. It's not because we have a soul and animals don't or because we have the breath of life and animals don't or because we have a spirit and animals don't. None of that is Biblical. Solomon even mocks those who think that by saying, "How do you know that?" in Ecclesiastes 3:21.

Another common objection is that Romans 8:19-23 isn't talking about animals at all but the creation as a whole which would mean that the deliverance from the bondage of corruption it's talking about is the removal of the curse during the Millennial Reign of Christ. But people on the earth can still sin and even die during the Millennial Reign so that's not what Paul's talking about and second of all, the idea that this verse is talking about the creation as a whole comes from the mistranslation of modern English Bibles where it uses the word "creation" rather than "creature". While God's plan of redemption includes the entire creation, Paul is specifically talking about the animals in this passage. How could the creation itself be longing and waiting for anything? The creation doesn't have a soul. The creation doesn't have the breath of life. The creation doesn't have consciousness. The creation doesn't have a will of its own. Paul was pointing to the suffering and pain of animals giving birth, striving to live, feeling pain, aging, and then dying, like all of us are doing. That's the comparison he's drawing. Why would he compare our struggles with the planet? That's New Age mysticism, Paganism and pantheism, not Biblical Christianity.

When God created the animals, they were created to be eternal. Therefore, they were created with eternal souls. We often hear that only human souls are eternal, but it's a simple fact that both humans and animals were both created to be immortal. There was no death in the Creation. Therefore, animal souls were eternal when they were created just like the human souls were eternal when they were created. When man sinned, it brought death into the world for everybody both humans and animals alike.

But by Jesus doing what He did at the Cross, He reconciled ALL THINGS UNTO HIMSELF (Colossians 1:15-20) whether "things" on earth or "things" in Heaven. I don't know how it would be possible for God to reconcile all things unto Himself if He's going to allow 6000 years worth of animals to die and remain dead that He never intended to die in the first place.

Jesus said that He's making ALL THINGS NEW (Revelation 21:5), as in RESTORED as in RESURRECTED. He's not just trashing the old and making new things to replace them, He's making all things which are already here, which are dead or dying, and making them brand new. If an innocent life can die and remain on this earth without a resurrection, then Jesus couldn't say He's making all things new. Neither could the Father by Jesus reconcile all things unto Himself.

God's plan of redemption includes the entire creation. We tend to think of the Gospel as "humans only" because God became a man and died as a man to pay for the sins of humanity. Humans are the primary reason He came to begin with because we're the only ones who were sinners and who needed atonement. But we aren't the only beneficiaries of the Cross. We're the only ones who have a choice. We can either accept God's terms of reconciliation or we can reject them. Only those who refuse to accept the Blood of Jesus to cover their sins are prevented from being redeemed. Everybody else and every THING else is included.

The whole point of what Jesus did at the Cross and the whole plan of God throughout history has been to undo what Satan did in the garden. If even one single innocent life can die and not be restored by God's redemption, then Satan wins and God loses.

All Godly wisdom, reason and logic has to be thrown into the trash in order to believe that animals don't go to Heaven under any circumstances, especially when those circumstances ARE INDEED mentioned several places throughout the Bible.

If Ecclesiastes has taught us anything, it's that absolutely nothing matters unless it is eternal. Everything else is vain and empty and chasing the wind. So why would God even be mindful of animals as it says He is in Psalm 50:10-12? Is God being vain and empty by doing so? Is God chasing the wind? Why would God be so meticulously obsessive over whether or not a single sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29) or bother to feed them (Matthew 6:26) or declare a man righteous who regards the life of his own animal (Proverbs 12:10) if their very existence is vain, empty and chasing the wind?

Now this last thing here is more personal, so it may not apply to everyone else. I try to keep my reasons Biblical and not personal, but I'll admit this one is personal. We know that Jesus promised us that He was going to prepare a place for us in John 14:1-3. You know the passage? "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." I take that promise very personally.

Jesus has a place that is prepared just for me and nobody else. If that place doesn't have all of the animals that He has entrusted to me throughout my life who then became extended members of my family, if they are not already there waiting for me when I get there, then Jesus cannot say that this place was prepared for me. It would be unfinished. It would be inadequately prepared. I could never call it home. While that statement may sound bold and perhaps blasphemous to some, I say it with confidence and assurance and with what I believe to be the Lord's approval.

I don't know where else to go with this. I mean, even after reading Romans 8:19-23, if you still can't see it even after reading Romans 8:19-23, then I don't know where to go from here.

What Does It Mean To Be Saved ?

There's a lot of A.I. generated videos and messages online now from trusted pastors that aren't really from them. I've seen several false sermons from people like Billy Graham and David Jeremiah and Tony Evans that were never preached by them. This morning, I received a distraught voice message from a facebook friend about a sermon they heard from David Jeremiah saying that it isn't enough to be saved to go in the Rapture. I knew immediately that they had stumbled upon an A.I. generated video because I know with 100% certainty that David Jeremiah would never say such a thing. Ever!

Saying "it's not enough to be saved to go in the Rapture" is the same thing as saying "it's not enough to be saved to go to Heaven" when you die. It's just another way of saying that the Blood of Jesus isn't enough. "You have to do something more." And that's a lie from the pit of Hell.

What does it mean to be saved? The Blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross was provided as a "balance transfer" of debt that everyone owes to God. It's a blank check signed by Jesus Himself in His own Blood and received and accepted by The Father to pay for the sins of the entire world.

God transfers our debt to the cross so that it's "paid in full" and in exchange, God transfers His Son's righteousness to us so that He no longer sees our sins, but only sees the righteousness of Jesus.

All anyone has to do to be included in this and be saved is to believe in the "balance transfer" that God has provided and accept it. Embrace it. It's no more complicated than that. There's no 12 steps. There's no list of things you have to do. The payment for your sins has already been paid. You don't have to ask God to do it, it's already been done. All you have to do is let God know that you accept it and receive it.

All you have to do is to allow God to place your sins on the Cross with everyone else. In the privacy of your own heart wherever you are, just tell Him that you'll let Him do it and it's as good as done in that very moment.

In exchange for this, you will become an adopted child of God, loved unconditionally, permanently sealed by God's Holy Spirit, given a new nature that will grow in time, promised an imperishable inheritance, promised a dwelling place that's built just for you in Heaven, and promised eternal everlasting life that cannot be taken away from you by anyone, anywhere, at any time, not even you.

You are promised to go to Heaven in the event of your physical death OR to be taken into Heaven (without dying) to keep you safe from the day of the Lord's wrath against the world.

Don't let anybody tell you that it's more complicated than this. They're agents of Satan, every one of them.

Jesus is called the Savior for a reason! We need saving! He saves us! And He is the One Who does all the saving. We don't do anything to help Him save us. If we had to do that, we'd screw it up and get in His way! All we do is receive His salvation and all the benefits of being saved.

We don't earn it. We don't become worthy of it. We don't repent in dust and ashes and shave our heads and moan and cry all day about what a horrible wretch we are (although we are). We just acknowledge that we need a Savior and accept being saved by the Savior! He takes the penalty for our sins. We take the rewards of His righteousness. That's it! Period! Nothing more!

We human beings along with Satan's help have done everything we can to complicate this with ideas of embracing a new moral code and lifestyle that we have to strive to keep with all of our might after we get saved in order to stay saved, we have to join a church and go every Sunday like good little christian soldiers to stay saved, we have to publicly profess it with announcements and a public water baptism to get saved and stay saved, we have to read the Bible every day and pray every day to stay saved, we have to strive to show evidence of fruit that we're saved in order to really be saved and stay saved, we have to stop cussing to stay saved, never smoke or drink alcohol again to stay saved, no more R-Rated movies or PG-13 movies, or maybe even PG movies to stay saved, no more good music, it's all from the devil, it's nothing but christian music from now on to stay saved, we have to start calling everybody brother and sister, we have to start giving 10% of our money to the church and let everybody know we're doing it so they know we're not sinning and robbing God of His fair share, we have to start saying "bless you" and "have a blessed day" to everybody everywhere, &#%!@?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a tragedy that we've done this to people when Jesus is the One who did all of the sweating and all of the bleeding to save us!!!! Some of that stuff in that list above is good, some of it's just okay and some of it's pure crap! But none of it has anything to do with getting saved, being saved or staying saved. Jesus does all the saving. Past, Present, Future!!

Let Him do it. Tell Him that you'll let Him do it! And it's done.

Prophecy Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The reason why I occasionally bring up narcissism in my posts is because my father definitely had (among other things) Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I was brought up under it for over 15 years before my parents divorced and then another 10 years after that until I was finally able to seperate myself from it permanently. So you could say I have a Master's degree in NPD after being a victim of it for nearly 25 years. I know how it works, how it's fueled and how it affects the victims. I know it's every pattern and cycle and all the various responses that people have to it.

But THE MOST FASCINATING discovery for me has been how relevant NPD is to the psychological profile of Satan himself and its contribution to Bible Prophecy and the people of the End Times.

Satan doesn't see himself as Satan. Satan sees himself as the bearer of light, as the holder of truth and enlightenment, and one who is the victim of great injustice and who is unfairly and falsely accused of EVERYTHING.

But in reality, we know him to be the one who is constantly making accusations against good people (Revelation 12:10) and we know him to be a liar, the father of lies and a MURDERER from the very beginning (John 8:44). Narcissists always blame their victims of that which they themselves are guilty of.

People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder deal with everybody in their lives in one of three ways:

1. Deception.
They employ all their charms and resources toward creating a false narrative about themselves, the world we live in and how you should respond to both. If you see things the way they do and respond in the way they think you should, then you're painted as a good person who is enlightened, intelligent and among the best that humanity has to offer. You'll soon be surrounded by others who see things the way they do and you'll be rewarded by the fellowship of the community.

2. Intimidation.
If you don't see things the way the narcissist does and if you don't respond in the way the narcissist thinks you should, then you're painted as an evil person who is ignorant, stupid and among the very worst of humanity. Nobody wants to be painted in such a light, so if you can't bring yourself to buy into the lies you're being told, then you'll probably just keep your mouth shut and go along to keep the peace.

One of the ways the narcissist accomplishes this form of intimidation, besides displays of anger and rage, is increasing the pressure against you through the recruitment of others in your community circle who've gone along with the deception.

Those who have studied and written papers on NPD have given a label to these recruitments: "Flying Monkeys" which is obviously based upon the flying monkeys from the film "The Wizard of Oz" because of their blind loyalty to the Wicked Witch of the West.

3. Elimination.
When you're no longer afraid of their anger and rage and you're no longer willing to go along with their lies just to keep the peace, then you will be eliminated from their lives and their inner circle. You will be banished and ex-communicated.

For victims of people with NPD, all of this information is old news. But what I find most interesting is how perfectly identical Satan has employed these same tactics against the entire human race! First, he deceives. If he can't deceive, then he intimidates. If he can't intimidate, then he eliminates. I can't help but notice how "The Armor of God" in Ephesians 6:10-18 is designed specifically to defend against every one of these narcissistic attacks of the enemy.

Looking at this from a Biblically prophetic point of view, we know that the Bible describes a time in which the majority of the world would be overrun with people who have NPD. In 2nd Timothy 3:1-17, Paul described the very present day that we are living in RIGHT NOW.

The word he used in verse 1 to describe these times has been translated as "perilous, difficult and terrible" but the original Greek word that Paul used was "chalepos" which was never used anywhere else in the New Testament except for one other time and that was in Matthew 8:28 to describe the behavior of men who were possessed by demons! Paul doesn't encourage us to get along with them or try to better understand them. He doesn't say pray for them and hope for the best. He says to turn away from them and have nothing to do with them.

Verse 6 to 9 goes on to describe how they manipulate and brainwash the gullible and take advantage of their personal faults to control them, how they oppose the truth at every turn and how their mental state is depraved, distorted, twisted and reprobate, and then Paul closes with the assurance that in the end, they will be openly exposed in front of everyone for being exactly what they are.

I'm just amazed at how accurate the Bible continues to be no matter where we are in history. It's understandable why Paul said these days would be perilous (insane and demonic) because it's hard enough to have to deal with one of these individuals much less a world full of them. But we now live in a world in which many of them control most of our higher institutions, our music and entertainment, our schools, our courts, our news media and positions in government.

A time is coming when men and women with NPD will overrun the planet earth. They will be the "flying monkeys" of the antichrist when he arrives. Remember what I said at the beginning of this post: Satan doesn't see himself as Satan. Satan sees himself as the victim. He's the good guy just trying to enlighten the people of earth from the oppression, the sexism, the racism, the homophobia, the hateful rhetoric, the violent anger, the judgmental accusations of the One whom the christians call, Jesus: The Messiah: The Son of God.

Satan and his followers will be the good guys while Jesus and His followers will be the bad guys. They will be (1) deceived into following the antichrist, or (2) intimidated into following the antichrist, or (3) eliminated. They'll be put to death! There will be no room for their existence in the new utopia that they intend to bring.

That's the direction that all of history is going. This is where we're headed. Our job is to oppose the enemy and slow it down and perhaps even reverse course if at all possible. If we can't, and if that appointed time is indeed ahead of us, then those of us who are saved by the Blood of Jesus are promised to be removed from this earth BY JESUS HIMSELF and taken into Heaven before the antichrist reveals himself to the world.

But nowhere in the Bible are we told to sit back and let all hell break loose while we wait for the rapture. We're told to occupy this earth until He comes.

So armor up!

Candy From Strangers

When we were kids, our parents taught us to never take candy from strangers or believe them when they say, "Your mom told me to come pick you up from school. It's okay, I'm a friend of your mom's."

I remember my mom being very serious about this as she sat me down to drill this into my head. This is when I first learned about kidnapping. She warned me that no matter what someone might say to me or how convincing they might be, she promised me that she would never send a stranger to pick me up from school. She even ran through a few scenarios with me to make sure I understood. She warned me that they might try to use urgency to make me believe them or lie about why this time is different.

God has taught His own children these same lessons and He's given us the same warnings and yet, it's amazing how many of us have forgotten. We let total strangers tell us, "God told me to tell you X, Y & Z. It's okay, I'm a friend of the Lord. I got this straight from Jesus!"

Just as my mom promised me, God has promised all of us that He would never send a stranger to tell us anything that He wouldn't personally tell us Himself. We're to abide in our relationship with HIM and HIS WORD, not others who claim to have a special connection with Him.

1st Timothy 2:5
For their is one God and only one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

John 8:31-32
Jesus said, "If you abide in MY Word, then you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free."

1st John 2:27
The anointing which you have received from HIM abides permanently in you so then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you of all things that are true and without deception, you must abide in Him.

This doesn't mean that God won't use other members of the faith as tools to help us along the way or as teachers to help us get there faster. But God likes to reveal things to His children personally. He wants us leaning upon Him and not other people.

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, ask God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given.

God would never keep a secret from you or from millions of other Christians and then suddenly, one day, provide the answer to one special Christian and then send him out into the world to reveal it to the Body of Christ. That's NOT the way God works.

God may use an individual or something else to make the light bulb turn on in your head, to illuminate something that God has already shown you to make it click. But that's the illumination of the Holy Spirit at work, not the illumination of some divine messenger of God.

Jesus WAS and IS the final authority. We're to listen to Him and no one else. He will NEVER send anyone into our lives with a special divine revelation that He wouldn't provide for us personally Himself through our time alone with Him in prayer or in His Word.

Jesus Is Coming !!!!!

Folks, when days and days go by and you don't hear from me, it's because I've got so much to say that I just don't know how to say it.

I'm now 50 years old and the overflowing deluge of Biblically prophetic things that have been happening in just the last 5 years now outweigh and outnumber all of the Biblically prophetic things that have ever happened since Jesus left the earth 2000 years ago!!!

I used to study Bible Prophecy just for fun. I merely lived in the hope that maybe I'd get to see some of these things happen while not knowing for sure if their ultimate fulfillment would ever happen in my lifetime.

I knew the resurrection of Israel in 1948 was a huge mega sign, but that happened almost 30 years before I was born. I started to suspect that things were beginning to ramp up around 2011 or so with the increase of strange weather phenomena, outbreaks of demoniac behavior, the rise of globalism, the increase of demonic doctrines being taught from church pulpits, etc... But even then, the increase was something that was slow and steady... slow and steady.

But now, things are happening so fast that I can't even keep up with it all. Just when I've been able to process the fulfillment of one Bible prophecy that I never thought I'd see, there's already 3 others that have hit me between the eyes.

I'm hearing outrageous doctrines of demons being proclaimed so loudly from people I used to trust and respect, people who used to stand for the truth, people who I now look upon and hardly recognize.

When it comes to writing articles and producing Bible studies and podcasts, I have an OCD about it. I have to make certain that every word is flawless according to God's Word and that it's perfectly explained to the extent that everyone who's listening or reading will easily and perfectly understand it and see it for themselves without any leaning upon me whatsoever.

I try to anticipate all questions and disagreements before I ever publish it so that all questions are answered before they're even asked and all possible disagreements have already been addressed. I don't know if everyone should do that, but that's just me. That's the way I've always tried to do it.

But I'm afraid that this personal demand of mine that I've been imposing upon myself is keeping me silent when I should be getting on here every single day and screaming from the rooftops that JESUS IS COMING!!!!!

I wish I could unload upon you in a single post the last 30 years of observation and personal Bible study, but I can't. Things are happening so fast now, it's just not possible to carefully take each and every subject and parse it down perfectly so that everyone can chew on it in small digestible little bites.

The enemy certainly isn't working that way. He's shoving everything he's got down everyone's throats as fast as he can get it out there. I suppose my biggest problem is wishing that I COULD catch it all and shove every bit of it right back down his throat.

Just me sharing my heart with you again, folks.

I can't prove my next statements in this single post. I can't give you a perfectly outlined article with all the questions answered and all the disagreements addressed like I would like to do. But things are happening so quickly, I can't continue to be silent.

Jesus is on His way to get us out of here before He pours out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. After we're gone, He will allow the antichurch to thrive and the antichrist to rise. The world will follow him willingly and worship him as a god. The worlds of finance, security, science, medicine, politics and religion will become one entity. Every nation will fall in line with his plans in the beginning. Every religion will embrace him, including and especially those who call themselves christians, which will be just as false as the false messiah that will be ruling the world.

The worldwide hatred for Israel and the Jew will worsen until it becomes the entire world's goal to wipe them off the face of the earth. But God won't let it happen. They will not only survive, but they will be Spiritually redeemed and will play a critical role in the physical return of Jesus to the earth to overthrow Satan and his antichrist and his antichurch. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Every knee! Every tongue! Everybody!

Until these things come to pass, the world right now is speeding on it's way to bring the antichurch and the antichrist to power. Nothing we're seeing right now will make any sense unless we understand that. That's why Satan has sent his own versions of John the Baptist out there in the form of Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and there will be many, many more.

The antichrist himself can't rise until God lets it happen and God won't let it happen until Jesus has physically taken us home to safety in what the Latin speaking Christians for centuries called "The Rapture Of The Church" before our Bibles were translated into English. I like to call it "The Resurrection Of The Church" because that's what it is. That's what the Bible called it. That's the day we'll see all our departed loved ones again who have gone home before us. That's the day WE will see Jesus physically for the very first time. We will all receive our new physical bodies and we'll all be taken home where we belong.

RECOMMENDED READING:
We're Going Home: The Rapture
The Antichurch

The Antichurch

Everybody's heard of the Antichrist, but not too many people know about the Antichurch. It goes by other labels in Scripture such as Jezebel, the Whore Of Babylon and the Woman Who Rides The Beast.

This demonic entity masquerades as "true Christianity" while endorsing and promoting doctrines that actually separate people from Christ. She has many character traits, but one of her most obvious is a passionate rage and hatred for Israel and the Jews.

As with all things demonic, this hatred is fueled by such a massive wave of deception that those who dwell in this hatred live in an alternate reality where Jews are guilty of everything from the common cold to the death of Jesus. (Jesus Himself did not blame the Jews for His crucifixion according to Luke 23:34.)

During the time of the Great Tribulation, also known as the time of Jacob's trouble (Israel's trouble), this false christianity will promote and endorse the Antichrist. That's why she's called "The Woman Who Rides The Beast" and "The Whore Of Babylon" in Bible Prophecy.

One of the Antichrist's goals during that time will be to completely wipe out the Jews from off the face of the earth. So it's no wonder we see people like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson in the media today. The very breath that is blown from out these people's mouths come straight from Satan's lungs.

I've never seen anything like this before in my lifetime, but I've been saying that a lot in the last 5 years.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Don't Share Satan's Hatred For The Jews
Where Are We In Revelation Right Now?

Where Are We In Revelation Right Now?

Where are we historically in the book of Revelation right now? We're between Revelation 2:18 and Revelation 3:22 which are Jesus' own words to the last days churches. After John penned and published the book of Revelation toward the end of the first century, the biggest mystery to early readers wasn't the 7 scenes in Heaven, the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets, the 7 signs, the 7 plagues or the 7 final visions. The biggest mystery to early readers was probably the easiest portion of the book to understand, which were 7 short little messages that Jesus sent to 7 churches: the church of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

In those 7 short little messages, Jesus gave those contemporary assemblies a Spiritual progress report and pep-talk. It was the easiest and least cryptic portion of the entire book of Revelation. But why those 7 churches? There were so many other churches around besides those 7, why didn't Jesus say anything to them? Why didn't Jesus send a message to the church in Jerusalem or the church in Rome? What's the real point behind Jesus sending those 7 little text-messages to those 7 churches?

Upon further investigation, the early readers of Revelation discovered that with those 7 short messages, Jesus had managed to address every individual Christian of every individual church of every church age from the 1st century to the time of the Great Tribulation. If any individual Christian will read those 7 messages, they will discover that one of those messages is specifically for them no matter what time of history they're reading. A Christian living in the 21st century, for example, can read those 7 messages and find that one of them is Jesus specifically speaking to them, addressing their problems, offering constructive criticism and encouragement. The same applies corporately for Christian assemblies. If any Church or Christian assembly will read those 7 messages, they will also discover that one of those messages is specifically written for their group.

The final application for these 7 messages is probably the most astounding. As the centuries progressed after John published the book of Revelation, it became apparent that the history of the church with all of its highs and lows had been prophetically anticipated and revealed by the order in which Jesus gave those 7 messages.

Revelation 2:1-7. To The Assembly In Ephesus.

The letter to Ephesus anticipated the age of apostolic planting (1st Century) which started off with a serious devotion to doctrinal purity due to the overwhelming presence of demonic doctrines that were constantly in competition with the 1st Century Church. Unfortunately, the demand for doctrinal purity became a legalistic obsession that overtook the Christian's original walk of love for the One Who bought them. This can happen to any Christian if they aren't careful. But it happened to the whole assembly in Ephesus and many other 1st century churches during this time in history.

Revelation 2:8-11. To The Assembly In Smyrna.

The letter to Smyrna anticipated the age of persecution (1st - 3rd Century) in which Christians were hunted down and killed by the leading governments and religious factions of the world. Being persecuted is part of the job description of being a Christian. Christians have been persecuted in all manner of ways throughout the past 2000 years. No Christian at any point in history is immune to persecution. But it was during the first three centuries that it would seem that Satan went out of his way to wipe Christians off the face of the earth.

Revelation 2:12-17. To The Assembly In Pergamum.

The letter to Pergamum anticipated the age of the Imperial church (4th - 6th Century) when world governments and religious factions stopped persecuting Christians and decided to work with them instead. Church and State became one and the same. The result was a massive growth of Christianity that became so large that individual assemblies had to resort to imposing hierarchies and dignitaries within each group, which had to report back to local government officials. Because world governments did not always agree with Biblical doctrine, Christianity began to compromise with governments by allowing the doctrine of other religions into their practices and teachings to keep the peace.

Revelation 2:18-29. To The The Assembly In Thyatira.

The letter to Thyatira anticipated the age of the Papacy (6th Century - Present Day) which began when the massive, powerful, world empire of Rome became one with the Imperial Church. Christian devotion, Christian teaching, Christian education, Christian charities and Christian outreach programs exploded all over the world. To this day, no church group can outmatch the level of giving, love, charity and outreach efforts of the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, since the Roman Empire was the pagan capital of the world, almost all of it's idolatry and paganism had been re-packaged as Christian practices under the Catholic Church to keep the followers of all religions satisfied. Rituals and formalities that once honored Zeus, Apollo, Athena & Venus became rituals and formalities to honor Jesus Christ. Demonic rituals became Christian rituals. The Holy Scriptures, which had been the ultimate authority of Christian doctrine, was usurped and replaced by the authority of the Pope and the Priestly order of the Roman Catholic Church. In time, political conquests and outreach ministries became married to one another which resulted in campaigns of converting people into Christianity at the point of a sword.

In recent centuries, all manner of outrageous occultic spiritualism and idolatry has been embraced by the Roman Catholic Church under various Christian aliases. In the 21st Century, many Christian groups (both Catholic & Protestant) began to embrace "a larger view of Christianity" which marries itself into Islam, Hinduism, the New Age and every religion on the planet. This hybrid spirituality is accepted, promoted and will one day be lead by the Roman Catholic Church. Islam's Queen of Heaven and the Catholic's interpretation of the Virgin Mary are one and the same. This is also where the "coexist" movement is going, for those of you who may have seen those bumper stickers on people's cars.

Not all Catholics hold to these occultic and idolatrous strongholds of Roman Catholicism, which is why Jesus made a point to clarify in this letter who the targets are of His commendations and His threats. To those who do not hold to these demonic doctrines, Jesus has nothing but good things to say. To those who DO hold these demonic doctrines, Jesus makes the most violent threat found in any of the 7 letters. He promises that He will personally kill the idolatrous promoters and their followers during the time of the Great Tribulation.

In other words, faithful Christians within the Roman Catholic Church will be raptured outta here before the Great Tribulation. Those left behind in the Roman Catholic Church after the rapture (who aren't true Christians) will be joined by the false Christians who are left behind within protestant and non-denominational groups. Together, they will broaden their idolatry by aligning themselves with the Antichrist and will endorse the Beast of Revelation. This super-satanic religion under the banner of Christianity is prophetically called, "The Woman Who Rides The Beast" in Revelation 17.

Revelation 3:1-6. To The Assembly In Sardis.

The letter to Sardis anticipated the age of the Protestant Reformation (16th Century - Present Day) in which individual Christians rediscovered their roots in Biblical authority. The Bible was translated into English and many other languages for the first time under great protest and persecution from the Roman Catholic Church. The re-awakening of Biblical Christianity started a movement within Europe that migrated over into the United States, a land free from persecution. In the United States, a Christian could rely on the Bible to define their faith instead of the Roman Catholic Church.

As Christian groups studied the Scripture, they each segregated into different denominational groupings that complimented their interpretations. All denominations agreed to the vitals of the Christian faith while agreeing to disagree over everything else. While this age of church history was rich and vibrant in its founding, reestablishing the Word of God as it's ultimate authority, it wasn't long before most of its churches became dead in their formalities. Today, most denominational churches are merely churning through the motions, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday after Sunday after Sunday.

Before Jesus has anything nice to say to Sardis, He accuses them of being spiritually dead and admonishes them to wake up before what little there is left among them dies also. He also warns them that if they don't wake up from their spiritual coma, they will be caught off guard by HIS RETURN when He comes! I've noticed this among most of today's denominational churches. They have no idea where we are in prophetic history because they choose not to teach Bible prophecy. Much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, they can't interpret the signs of the times; neither are they interested.

Then after painting with a broad brush, Jesus clarifies that there are a few exceptions among the members of denominational churches that are still awake and haven't soiled themselves in their coma. It is from out of the snoring of the sleeping church that two church groups escape and make up the following two church ages: Philadelphia and Laodicea.

Revelation 3:7-13. To The Assembly In Philadelphia.

The letter to Philadelphia anticipated the age of individual Christians, missionaries and Bible-based assemblies of small numbers (18th Century - Present Day) outside the traditional confines of either Catholic or Protestant Denominationalism. Personally, I would call this the "Reformation 2.0" with the same motives and objectives of the first reformation, only this time getting it right and going all the way; getting the focus away from church buildings and religious ritualism and returning the Christian assembly back to its roots: Home-Prayer, Home-Bible-Study, living out the Christian life daily and faithfully in the power of the Holy Spirit, gaining support and giving support to other Christians along the way who are engaging in the same walk, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

No focus is made on church buildings or on which days to worship because the small Philadelphian assembly can meet in people's living rooms as often as they wish. Since the Christian walk is a constant way of life for Philadelphians and not just a religious ritual that's performed once a week, they may desire to meet as often as 7 nights a week. No one has to force a Philadelphian Christian to assemble with other Philadelphian Christians. You don't have to "get them in the mood" to talk about Spiritual things. They're always in the mood for it. There are no rules or regulations about where to meet or how often because they aren't necessary.

Philadelphian Christians might visit or attend a local church, but their attendance is merely an additive or a supplement to their walk, not the walk itself. Their loyalties are to Christ and His Word and to their fellow brothers and sisters in the Family of God, not to any local church group or pastor.

Jesus has nothing but good things to say to the Philadelphian assembly and encourages them with a promise that they would be raptured outta here before the time of the Great Tribulation. I've noticed this among most of today's Philadelphian Christians. They have a healthy anticipation for the imminent rapture. They have a healthy and progressive grasp on where we are in prophetic history because they choose to learn all of the Bible, including Bible prophecy which makes up more than a third of the entire Bible.

Revelation 3:14-22. To The Assembly Of The Laodiceans.

The letter to Laodicea anticipated the age of lukewarm Christianity (20th Century - Present Day) which Jesus found disgusting enough to induce vomiting. Much like the Philadelphian Christians, the Laodicean Christians felt an urgent and desperate need to wake up and escape the sleeping church of Sardis. But unlike Philadelphia who accomplished this by returning to the Bible, Laodicea simply took Sardis and made it contemporary.

Choirs were abolished. The same old hymns of the past 400 years were replaced with contemporary pop/Christian music. Organs and pianos were replaced with guitars and drums. Church hymnals were replaced with overhead projectors. Suits and ties were replaced with blue-jeans and t-shirts. And last but not least, the slow-moving, white-headed preacher was replaced with a young, outgoing and charismatic fellow who could double for a stand-up comedian.

While there isn't anything wrong with newer music, guitars and drums, overhead projectors, casual attire and upbeat speakers, the Laodicean reasoning behind it is what's sickening. It's as if the dead church of Sardis were a man going through his mid-life crisis grasping for relevancy in a modern culture. Instead of turning to the timeless wisdom of Scripture for relevancy, they turn to the culture.

Ladies, you know how you feel when you see a man over 50 wearing the latest teen fashions, driving a brand-new red convertible with a young 20-something leaning on his shoulder as they zoom down the main drag listening to Meghan Trainor, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift? That's how Jesus feels when he looks at a Laodicean church.

It's gotten so much worse in recent years. Many of these churches today have no problem integrating worship with entertainment. Their worship leaders run around on stage like Aerosmith and they've got explosions and smoke screens to go with them. Their pastors include both men and women, gay and straight and even transgendered. The church properties include bowling alleys, movie theaters, internet cafes, clothing stores, music stores, etc... It's as if none of these people remember why Jesus overturned the tables in the Temple.

What's worse, is that in order to remain relevant with the latest cultural trends, the Laodicean church is willing to water down, skip-over, delete and/or compromise immovable doctrines of Scripture, without even admitting it. At least Thyatira has the guts to deny Biblical authority while standing behind demonic doctrine. Laodicea stands behind demonic doctrine while claiming to actually believe the Bible from cover to cover!

Being a Lukewarm Christian doesn't mean what a lot of people think it means. It doesn't have anything to do with backsliding or how passionate you are for the Lord. Jesus uses the term "lukewarm" to describe the Church of the Laodiceans who are neither cold nor hot, who are neither backslidden nor passionate, who are neither asleep in their faith nor on fire for the Lord. This church is filled with lost people who were never even saved, but are playing church anyway.

Every other church that Jesus addresses is called a church "IN" the town that's addressed. Only in Laodicea does He refer to them as the church "OF" the town that's addressed. In other words, Laodicean (lukewarm) Christians make themself God. They make up their own rules for what is and isn't sin and they make up their own rules for atonement. The Blood of Jesus isn't covering their sins because they either don't know about it, don't believe in it or they don't think it's necessary. According to what Jesus says to them, He's never even been invited into their church. He's outside, knocking to get in, puking His guts out.

Jesus responds to the Laodiceans with a wake up call. While these merchants believe themselves to be rich, wealthy and in need of nothing, Jesus tells them that they're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Since buying and selling is all they understand, He tells them to buy from Him gold refined in the fire, that they may be rich (Jesus' Sacrifice); and white garments, that they may be clothed (Jesus' Righteousness), that the shame of their nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint their eyes with eyesalve, that they may see (Holy Spirit).

So where are we in the book of Revelation? We're between Revelation 2:18 and Revelation 3:22. All of us reading this right now in May of 2025, fall into one of these categories: we're either in Thyatira, in Sardis, in Philadelphia or we're of Laodicea. Where do you see yourself? How do you feel about Jesus' own personal words to you in 2025?

Will Animals Get Raptured ?

Your pets go to Heaven when they die according to Romans 8:19-23. This isn't a theory or a hope, it's a Biblical fact. I've given people Romans 8:19-23 before when they ask me about animals in heaven and for some reason, they don't see it. So let me break this down and show it to you.

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (animals) waits (consciously expecting, waiting) for the manifestation (the appearing) of the sons of God (resurrected Christians).

Romans 8:20 For the creature (the animal) was made subject to vanity (was forced under the curse of death), not willingly (not according to their will, which means they have a will, this went against their will), but by reason of Him (God) who hath subjected the same in hope (hope in the resurrection as described in the next verse),

Romans 8:21 Because the creature itself (the individual animals themselves) also (not just humans, but animals also) shall be delivered (saved) from the bondage of corruption (death) into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Heaven: The same Heaven where God's children will be.).

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation (all living things on the earth) groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (they're all conscious of pain and death and they don't like it any more than we do)

Romans 8:23 And not only they (the animals), but ourselves also (us human beings too!), which have the firstfruits of the Spirit (human beings who've been given the Holy Spirit because they're saved), even we ourselves groan within ourselves (even we Christians groan about the pain and corruption of death), waiting (just like the animals are waiting in verse 19) for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (The resurrection.)

There ya have it. It's right there.

This doesn't mean you have to be a vegetarian or become an animal rights advocate, it just means that animals are waiting for the resurrection like we are and they know it will happen for them when it happens for those of us who are adopted into the Family of God.

I think one of the main reasons why so many Christians don't see this even after reading it in their own Bibles is because most modern translations render the Greek word "ktisis" in verses 19, 20 and 21 as "creation" instead of "creature" and their reasoning for doing that is because the KJV rendered "ktisis" as "creation" in verse 22. Since it's the same word being used in all four verses, modern translators assumed the King James translators must have made a mistake in the first three. But those modern translators should have done more homework. The King James translators knew exactly what they were doing.

The Greek word "ktisis" can either mean creation as a whole, or an individual creature within the creation. (The same way we would use the word "fish" to denote a school of fish or a single fish.) In order to translate that accurately into English, the King James translators rendered it "creation" in verse 22 because Paul was obviously talking about the whole of creation in that verse. But in verses 19, 20 and 21, the King James translators rendered it "creature" because in those sentences, Paul was obviously referring to individual animals who expect and wait, which means they have consciousness (verse 19), who suffer against their will, which means they have a will (verse 20), who wait and expect to be delivered from their own suffering and death (verse 21).

One of the most often question I get is the question of what happens to our pets at the Rapture. Will they come with us?

While Romans 8:19-23 proves to us that animals go to Heaven when they die, can we take what it says in verse 19 literally to mean that animals are actually waiting for the Rapture themselves? Is that what it's saying? I know that sounds crazy, but it appears to me that's what it's actually saying! It says they're waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God so that they can be set free from the bondage of death just like the rest of us.

The "sons of God" in this passage is referring to resurrected Christians. So animals are waiting to see the manifestation of resurrected Christians so that they can be set free from the bondage of death. When do Christians manifest as resurrected Christians? At the Rapture! So it sounds like they're going with us to me!

An arguement against that might be that even though we're resurrected into Heaven at the Rapture, we aren't actually manifested as "sons of God" to the world until we come back with Christ after the Great Tribulation. While that view is filled with assumptions about what the Rapture will look like to the world, it also violates the whole point of Paul's comparison. It doesn't fit the flavor of this passage at all.

Paul is comparing our waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage and pain of death to the animals waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage and pain of death. He's saying that we're both waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage of pain and death. We're both waiting for a single event: THE RESURRECTION. Christians aren't going through the Great Tribulation so why would Paul compare us to the animals if they were going through the Great Tribulation to die and be resurrected later?

Besides, all symbolic models of the Rapture in the Bible show the animals going with us. There were more animals on Noah's Ark than there were human beings. On the night of the 1st Passover, when the angel of death came for the first born, all of the first born were killed from the 1st born of Pharaoh to the 1st born of his servants to the 1st born of their livestock. But for those who had lamb's blood on their door, the 1st born were saved INCLUDING the 1st born of their livestock. When Israel escaped Egypt altogether, their animals came with them. In every case that we see God pouring His wrath upon the earth, we also see God saving His own people first before He does it and we also see their animals being saved with them. Every time.

So I believe with all of my heart that they're coming with us. I've prayed about this and that's the conclusion that I believe the Lord has led me to personally, but I can't prove it Biblically other than the examples I've given above. There's probably much more to back it up, but I haven't discovered it yet.

It's just common sense, folks. Who is our Father? What kind of God do we have? Who is our Lord Jesus?

If we decided we were going to pack up and leave our home for 7 years to go on some exotic vacation, do you think the Lord would approve of us leaving our pets behind without any thought or concern for their well-being? Certainly not! Proverbs 12:10 says that the righteous man regards the well being of his animal so I can't see God taking us in the Rapture and not bringing our animals with us. They're members of the family.

Don't Share Satan's Hatred For The Jews

Every land, every nation and every country on this earth is allowed to defend itself from its enemies EXCEPT ISRAEL. They're supposed to just sit there and take it. You see, Satan hates the Jews. He hates the Jews even more than he hates Christians. It's through the Jews that God gave us the Law. It's through the Jews that God gave us the Bible. It's through the Jews that God gave us His Son and His Blood Atonement for our sins. And it's through the Jews that God will one day overthrow the antichrist and establish His Kingdom on this earth putting Jesus on David's Throne in Israel. Satan knows it and he hates them with a passion and has tried to wipe them out over and over again. All hatred for the Jews comes straight from Satan's heart. All "reasons" for hatred toward Jews comes from Satan's lies and propaganda. Don't share in Satan's hatred for Jews. It's a disease that will overthrow your mind and all manner of good sense and turn you into nothing more but one of Satan's useful idiots.

RECOMMENDED READING:
In Review: A Quick Crash Course On Israel
The Antichurch

Post-Trib Views That Cancel Each Other

Here are two popular arguments against the Rapture that cancel each other out. (1) The Rapture is a recent concept invented by American Christians in only the last hundred years or so and has never been believed or taught up until then. (2) The word Rapture doesn't even appear anywhere in the Bible so it's all made up.

(1) This is what's known as a straw man argument. The validity of the Rapture or any other Biblical doctrine shouldn't be accepted or rejected by its popularity. The validity of all things should be checked through Scripture. It doesn't matter what other Christians say or how many of them have said it or when, the only thing that matters is what the Bible says.

(2) The word Rapture itself doesn't appear in the Bible because our Bibles are written in English. The word Rapture itself was carried over into our vernacular when the Bible was still being read from the Latin translations. It comes from 1st Thessalonians 4:17. The original Greek used the word "Harpazo" which means to be "caught up" or "snatched up and taken" or "seized by force and taken" and so our English translated the word "Harpazo" into the words "caught up" but the Latin translation was "Rapere" or in some cases "Rapturo". So the subject of this event became known as "The Rapture Of The Church" long before the English translations were even in circulation.

So as you can see, these 2 arguments cancel each other out. They try to say that only Americans in the last 100 years or so believed in the Rapture and yet, the word itself comes from the Latin Bible which has been in circulation since the 4th century!!! This is probably why I've heard many Protestants who are against the Rapture say, "The Rapture is a Catholic doctrine. It's not Biblical." But I've also heard many Catholics say that the Rapture is a doctrine that they don't agree with because it came out of the Protestant Reformation. LOL!!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
We're Going Home: The Rapture
The Anger Of Post-Tribulationists

The Anger Of Post-Tribulationists

Jesus wasn't killed by demon possessed people, nor was he killed by atheists or agnostics or people who loved to sin. He wasn't killed by drinkers or smokers or drug dealers or people with tattoos or body piercings. Jesus was killed by the respected religious leaders who thought they knew everything. And the same spirit that was behind their actions are alive and well today!!!

The Scriptures taught them that their Messiah would come down from out of the sky with great power and wonder to overthrow the devil, overthrow the curse and overthrow the dictatorships of the world with great wrath and vengeance.

But the Scriptures also taught them that their Messiah would FIRST be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, ride into town on a donkey, be rejected by His own people and then be killed while taking upon the sins of the world.

The religious leaders latched onto those FINAL prophesies about His coming after the Tribulation while ignoring the FIRST prophecies of what their Messiah would do before then. And they were very angry with people who paid any attention to those FIRST prophecies. So they raged and lied about where those beliefs came from and as soon as they could, they arrested Jesus and had Him killed.

But by ignoring those FIRST prophecies, they actually fulfilled them. And Jesus pitied them and said, "Father, forgive them for they know NOT what they do." They were the world's first "Post-Tribulation" religious leaders.

Today's "Post-Tribulation" religious leaders are making the same mistakes all over again and with them comes the same rage and anger of those who killed Jesus. It's the same spirit of pride and arrogance. It's the same spirit of rage. It's the same spirit of ignorance and Biblical illiteracy simply because "THEY KNOW" so they think.

Just like the Pharisees did, today's religious leaders have all the doctorates in theology, they have all the PHD's, they have all the titles and labels of authority granted to them by all the various religious organizations and churches. They have all the radio and TV shows on religious broadcasting. They have most of the christian YouTube channels and Facebook Pages. They have their angry and enraged minions all over blogs and comment threads. They have everything EXCEPT the Bible to back them up.

Just like the Pharisees did, today's religious leaders resort to conspiracy theories and lies about where these other Biblical prophecies come from. They don't believe in the Bible prophecies about Jesus picking up His Bride before He pours out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. They say it's a lie. They say it isn't Biblical. They claim it's an invented fantasy that nobody believes anywhere in the world except the United States. They claim it was never held by the church until the 19th century or so. They claim it was invented by either Darby or Scofield and that it's nowhere found in the Bible even though it's glaring them in the face in places such as:
1st Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
John 14:1-4
1st Corinthians 15:51-52
Isaiah 26:19-21
Revelation 3:10-11
They ignore all these!!! They ignore every one of them and they say, "Nobody believed this until Darby and Scofield and it's just an American idea." Instead of making straw man arguments, why don't they ever try refuting those passages listed above? What would they say to Isaiah, John, Paul and most of all Jesus for daring to challenge their brilliance and intellectual prowess? I guess they think Jesus, Paul, John and Isaiah were Americans who read from Darby.

And folks!!! I'm just pulling those passages from memory!!! There's more!!! The whole Bible speaks of this coming event. Jesus Himself is looking forward to this event with great anticipation while telling us to look up and be excited about it, to hope for it and to even pray for it!!

We're told to always be ready and watch because we don't know the day or the hour of His coming. How could we possibly do that if we're supposed to believe He isn't coming until after the Great Tribulation?

We haven't seen a single day of the Tribulation yet. Where's the antichrist? Where's the great hailstones of fire and blood from the sky? Where's the giant demonic locusts that come out of the pit? Where's the worldwide government? Where's the worldwide religion? Where's the 3D image of the AI Beast that we're supposed to worship?

How are we supposed to expect Jesus at any moment if all these other things are supposed to happen first? How could Jesus ask us to expect Him at any moment if all these other things are supposed to happen first?

He hasn't. He's promised to come BEFORE THESE EVENTS!!!!

AND THAT'S WHAT'S BIBLICAL.

RECOMMENDED READING:
We're Going Home: The Rapture
Post-Trib Views That Cancel Each Other

Thinking Of Heaven & Why Jesus REALLY Died

It's that time of year again when Christians remember what Jesus did at the Cross and how He was resurrected 3 days later. But what's more important to me is WHY He did it, WHAT it accomplished and all that we have to look forward to because of it.

He did so much more than just make it possible for people to get into Heaven. He reconciled ALL THINGS unto Himself according to Colossians 1:20 which includes the entire physical and spiritual creation. That includes every animal that has ever perished or will ever perish and every blade of grass and every tree. Jesus didn't say He would make a bunch of new things for Heaven, He said He would make ALL THINGS NEW according to Revelation 21:5.

Everything that was lost in the beginning of Genesis gets restored at the end of Revelation. That may even include the little town you grew up in that's been destroyed by overpopulation or what some people call progress. Jesus didn't die just to get people into Heaven, He died to bring Heaven back to earth and make it one just as it was before the fall and even better.

Christians don't think about Heaven as much as they should because we've all been told that we can't even imagine it according to 1st Corinthians 2:9 so why even try? But when I read that verse, I look at it as God's way of giving us permission to go ahead and try to imagine it because no matter what our mind comes up with, the reality will be even better.

Whenever someone wraps up a gift and tells you that you'll never guess what's in there, does that stop you from trying? Isn't that half the fun? And we can actually discuss our guesses with the Lord while we wait to receive our slice of Heaven. Why not? The Lord might even show you passages in the Bible that shape and inspire your thoughts about Heaven.

Another reason why Christians don't think about Heaven is because they've somehow unconsciously adopted the idea that it's going to be like a 24 hour church service every day for all eternity. Why in the world would God do that to His children? Jesus didn't die for an eternal church service. Oh there's gonna be lots of praising going on, no doubt about that, but not the kind of praises we see in churches down here.

Another reason why Christians don't like to think about Heaven is because many of us, despite our siding with God in most of our ways, we still like having the personal freedom to sin if we want to. A lot of us are afraid of what it's going to feel like when that ability to sin is suddenly gone. But that's backwards. The reason why we won't have the ability to sin anymore in Heaven won't be because our new bodies will restrain us from sinning, it will be because our new bodies won't have Satan's viral hacks in them that make us want to sin like they do down here. We don't even know what that's like because we've never lived in a body that wasn't already hacked by the enemy. Our new bodies in Heaven are going to give us nothing but liberty and freedom. Besides, a lot of the sins down here are classified as sins because they're hurtful to our mortal bodies. Will they still be called sins in Heaven if our bodies there are immortal and can't be hurt? One way or another, in Heaven, we'll be able to do everything we want to do and it will never be wrong to do it. Jesus didn't die to force us into a fearful performance-based relationship with Him. He died to set us free!!

Jesus also died to undo everything that Satan has done. He died so that everything that perishes will be restored. He died so that everyone who deserves to die or fears to die will not have to die but live forever. Jesus died to bring all of us home who will let Him.

We have so much to look forward to and Satan has done his very best to keep God's children from thinking about it, talking about it or even knowing about it. He certainly doesn't want us looking forward to it. He's got various groups classifying everything under doctrinal labels so scholars can argue and debate everything to the point of insanity. Pre-Trib vs Post-Trib, Calvinism vs Arminianism, etc... Debates about what "repentance" really means. Lordship salvation debates. All of these issues are certainly important to settle in our own minds, but they often keep us from focusing on the big picture.

How in the world are we supposed to convince anybody to receive Jesus as their Savior when we don't even act like we have anything to look forward to? Is it really just about escaping Hell? Is that all there is to it? What kind of a message does that send? "Jesus died so I could go to Heaven. I'm not really looking forward to it because I don't know much about it, I don't talk about it, I don't think about it because I can't even imagine it, but at least it's not Hell." Wow! There's a billboard sign for ya!! There's a bumper sticker!! There's a T-Shirt!! Wow!! And yet, that's exactly how we behave. We make Christianity all about how we behave and live between our salvation and our death down here. And that's NOT why Jesus died. THAT'S NOT WHY JESUS DIED!!!

Jesus didn't die to make our lives better down here. He died to get us outta here!! Life doesn't even begin until we finally get outta here!! That's what it means to BE SAVED! We aren't saved like a collection of stamps in a book. We're saved as in RESCUED like someone whose saved from a burning building that's being burned to the ground.

How many of you were blessed with a talent that you could have exercised but didn't because the urgent concerns of the world and other people always got in the way? How many of you can play the piano, sing, create art, write books, play sports, but never got beyond a certain point because the normalness of this world just wouldn't get out of the way? Jesus died to give us the platforms and the avenues to exercise these gifts openly and abundantly in our futures in Heaven. Everything that held us back down here will be gone up there. Our talents and gifts will be freed up in Heaven in ways beyond our highest hopes and dreams.

Jesus died to fulfill a multitude of promises, among them being 1st Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 which we discussed in great detail here.

Whether by resurrection or by rapture, this is what I'm looking forward to most and every wonderful thing that will happen after it. I expect to not only see Jesus face to face, but every loved one that has gone before me, including old friends I've known since childhood that were taken away far too early. I'm expecting to see my Nannie and my Papaw again and hearing their wonderful voices and laughter. I'm expecting to see every precious cat and dog I've ever known. I'm expecting to see every old neighborhood and town with its own culture fully restored as though the passing decades have never passed. I'm looking forward to going home!! It's called home!!

So many Christians are quick to say, "This world is not our home. We're just passing through." But then they don't act like they really believe that. They continue to focus on the here and now and place God's promises in that limited context without remembering what they claim to believe about this world not being our home. Focusing on our Heavenly home will energize us for our work down here that we're all having to do until we finally reach home. Without that focus, it makes everything look like a dead end.

Jesus died to get us home!! Our REAL home. And THAT'S what this time of year means to me.

The Modern Ouija Board

A Ouija Board is nothing but a piece of wood (or cardboard) with letters, numbers, a Yes/No option and the word "goodbye" written on it. There's nothing evil or demonic about the letters, the words or the hardware. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

The same is true with the classic 8-Ball toy or the modern equivalent. There's nothing evil or demonic about the hardware or the sentences written inside. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

Today's chatbots, Grok or otherwise are nothing more than pieces of advanced software with brilliant code written to artificially simulate human intelligence with it's own ability to think, reason, communicate and even perform as a result of the input that it's given. And that's just a small portion of what A.I. can do and what it is destined to do in the near future. There's nothing evil or demonic about the software itself or the coding written inside which makes it work. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

Imagine a Ouija Board that is no longer limited to a few words and 26 letters, but now has an entire dictionary, multiple encyclopedias and the entire internet at its disposal for quick answers, the ability to ask itself it's own questions, with endless storage capacity, processing speeds and self-reproducing, self-teaching learning capacities. AI Chatbots are Ouija Boards on steroids but it won't stop there.

This world is about to see Ouija Boards with arms and legs walking around with human faces and emotions. People will work with them, have sex with them, marry them, become best friends with them. And according to Bible Prophecy, people will worship them.

It's very interesting to see where we are right now.

Getting Into Heaven Isn't Hard

Getting into Heaven is the easiest thing in the world you'll ever do. You just let Him do it and then BELIEVE HIM for doing it.

It's not about you changing your life, becoming religious, or any of that crap. It's just about you letting Jesus take the death penalty (which He's already done) to pay for every possible sin YOU have ever committed or would ever commit. And then it's done! You're sealed for eternity!!!

The only thing about this that makes it hard is all the crap you'll get from both sides either hating on you for doing it or hating on you for not doing enough to deserve it, like any of us could ever do that if we tried.

Please just let Him do it!! It's just like a balance transfer of credit card debt except in Jesus' case, He bought the whole bank!! Let HIM cover your debt and be free!! That's all there is to it. Anybody who says there's more to it than that are the reason why nobody wants to get saved because they think they'll have to stop cursing or stop listening to their favorite music or give up this or stop doing that and those are totally separate issues!!!!

You Christians that weigh people down with all the stuff that they need to do or stop doing to get into Heaven should STFU and STFD!!!! You're in the way!!!! Why don't you Christians just let Jesus save these people and then let JESUS worry about all the things in their life that needs to change? It's not your problem!! Shut up!!

After they're saved, if they come up to you and ask you, "Josh, what does the Bible say about xyz?" THEN you can tell them what it says. But you are no authority on anything, it's all about HIM and HIS Word, not about you and what you think.

We're all on a sinking ship right now and it's not coming back, I don't care how good things are looking with the water pumps on deck, there's a 100 foot wide hole in the hull below deck that nobody's paying any attention to right now. Just get people in their life jackets and onto the lifeboats!! Do you really wanna ask these people on a sinking ship to turn their life around before giving them a life jacket? What's the matter with you? That's not how this works!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
Salvation Isn't Based On Performance
Jesus Does The Saving, Not You


The Laminin Cross
The Amityville Case
An Example Of Resurrection
All Animals Go To Heaven
Paranormal Documentaries
Jeeps, Boats & Helicopters
One Of Satan's Time-Proven Tactics
The Dangers Of Christian Clichés
Engaging In Spiritual Warfare
The Christian Walk
Pleading The Blood Of Jesus
Stopping Sleep Paralysis


The Science Of God & His Word
The UFO & Alien Abduction Scenario
Perfect Justice VS Perfect Love
When God Became A Human Being
John 3:16 & Eternal Life
Choosing To Disbelieve
Special Guest: Chuck Missler
The Coming Universal Delusion
Jesus: Our Passover Lamb
How To Pray And How Not To Pray
How To Blaspheme The Holy Spirit
Aliens & The Antichrist