HOW TO MISS THE RAPTURE!

This is a difficult topic considering not many believers are even aware that there is a “Rapture of the Saints” about to take place.  In the study of Biblical End Times prophecy, there are no precursors that are required to yet happen prior to the Rapture taking place.  The rapture of true believers in Jesus Christ can occur at any moment.

1Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It is a FACT that it WILL HAPPEN.  There are however some things that are often not considered when this topic is discussed.

1Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

This event is described in many passages as “a thief in the night”. When the event happens there will be no announcement, there will be a trumpet sound and those that are “watching” and “waiting” will be gone in an instant. It will happen like a thief who steals in the night time when no one is watching and gets a way with the criminal act.

1Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Mark 13:32-37  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. 

Revelation 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

We must be “watching” for this event and not “sleeping”.  We need to be expectant for the Lords return and actually keeping our eyes attuned to see his return. Not sleeping, not being preoccupied in keeping busy and always finding things of this world to keep us busy.

Jesus warns that it is possible to be busy and miss His return.

Matthew 25:1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

There is no indication that the five foolish were not suitable brides for the groom. Instead they were simply not prepared for Him to come and GOT LEFT BEHIND. They had “something to do” and were to busy when the trumpet sounded. 

1Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I am not creating a new doctrine here.  I am only stating that scripture does indicate that a believer can and a lot will be too busy to hear the trumpet blast and will miss the Rapture! 

Written February 20, 2021 by WD Kemner for http://bibleswordfinal.blogspot.com/

Revised June 18, 2025 for https://bibleswordfinal.neocities.org/

ACTS 3 SPARK PLUG

What was the spark in Acts 3? The Resurrection, Holy Spirit Outpouring or a lame man?

The answer is ALL THREE.  However, consider the role the lame man had in Acts 3.

The book of Acts opens up with the Disciples hiding in the Upper Room cowering in fear and singing songs of “woe is me”.  Everyone is familiar with how it changes as you read through chapters 1 and 2. Their world takes on a new perspective with the appearance of the Glorified Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 

Chapter 2 ends with Peter’s breakout sermon to those in attendance. Then in chapter 3 we find out what the first thing the newly refreshed Peter does.  He takes off and heads immediately for the den of vipers (Matthew 3:7) ….. the temple!  Oh, he does slow down long enough to bring John along.  They make it as far as the Court of the Gentiles in front of the Gate Beautiful before something happens.

Jesus had been the “star attraction” of a parade that brought him to this spot and had also kicked all the vendors out who were selling their goods.  Now just weeks later, Peter arrives for prayer meeting (Acts 3:1) and finds the lame man sitting outside the Gate. (Acts 3:2)  This was not unusual because the lame man had been placed there daily!

What could make this unusual, is the question of where had the lame man been all the many times Jesus had passed by. Was the lame man not sitting in his usual spot to experience the chaos a few weeks earlier? How about the many times the religious stuff shirts had attempted to out-smart Jesus with their rhetoric?

I propose this to your thinking.  We hear often in the story of Esther the idea of “being raised up for just such a moment as this…”  The lame man had not been healed by Jesus, but he was there for just a moment as this.  Peter now takes this moment in time to lift the lame man (3:7) to his feet – healed in the NAME OF JESUS!  The man proceeds to dance the GREATEST DANCE (3:8) ever performed as he follows Peter further into the temple.  This is to the total bewilderment of the people in the temple. It now offers Peter the perfect opening for his second sermon in 24 hours!

A sermon to the very people who in the past weeks (Acts 3:13-15) were guilty of hanging their Messiah on a tree only a few hundred yards from where they were now standing! Acts 4:4 indicates the results of that dance and sermon was 5,000 male converts!  With 3000 converts from the upper room, that is 8000 males (plus wives and children)!  The events of that weekend should have Believers dancing!

 

Written April 8, 2020 by WD Kemner for http://bibleswordfinal.blogspot.com/

Revised June 18, 2025 for https://bibleswordfinal.neocities.org/

WHAT IS AN ACTS 2 CHURCH?

What caused the character traits of the Acts 2 church?

Is the church today living up to the example of the Acts 2 church?

Salvation converts the soul.  When salvation occurs, there is a total commitment to Jesus Christ.  Baptism in the Holy Spirit on the other hand converts the man’s spirit.  It takes that commitment to Jesus and retunes the spirit.  Suddenly there is no desire for anything of this world. There is nothing that will now provide the substance to satisfy the man who now has his entire being washed out and replaced by the inflowing presence of God the Holy Spirit.

That explains what was first seen at Pentecost.  Acts 2:41-47

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

The FIRST thing that is recorded of the 3000 saved and FILLED that day:

For some reason they:

 ·      Were together (in common agreement on all matters) ·      Had all things in common  ·       Sold their possessions and goods in order to care for EVERY Man -AS EVERY MAN HAD NEED

WHY? Why did they do this?

Why was the first thing they thought to do was to sell their earthly possessions in order to mutually take care of each other’s “expenses”? Did they suddenly find that their focus was now 100% of the time on the things of God and that their earthly possessions were not of any importance? 

Everything that was theirs, was God’s, so therefore, use it to meet the need!

Imagine what would happen to the body of Christ if at least this mentality existed.  The sudden urge to be in God’s House every day – every hour! The sudden urge to fix every car in the congregation, to mow the lawn of every member, to repair every plumbing or mechanical breakdown in the homes of everyone in the congregation!

I doubt we will ever see men selling their FORD or CHEVY trucks to pay someone’s house mortgage.  However, if we wanted to see 3000 added to the church daily, we better start thinking that way……….

Did God give you the skills, training, education you have in order for you to own a $500,000 House, 4 cars, Boat and the Cabin on the Lake! Or did he REALLY give you all that knowledge to take care of HIS BUSINESS?

WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT

If we consider that we have just established what is REALLY UNIMPORTANT to us: Earthly Goods and Possessions.

Then what then is IMPORTANT?  The early church “continued daily in the temple in one accord” – They were in Church everyday AND they were in total Agreement!

Can that ever happen in this day? Agreement (in one accord) can have a whole sermon series on. However, it WAS a natural by product and SIGN of the Baptism of an individual. The Holy Spirit cannot be divisive against itself!

How could God the Holy Spirit teach one doctrine to an individual and teach the opposing doctrine to another individual?

It therefore follows that there is NO WAY that two Holy Spirit filled men can have a disagreement

Leaving that topic, it states they “continued daily in the temple”.

It is difficult enough to get anyone to WANT TO come to church, let alone be there very long.  Everyone wants to leave as soon as the church service is over because “They have other things to do”.

Going on the premise that we established earlier; that the individual “Baptized in the Holy Spirit”; no longer has any desire for “anything of this world”.  It is easy to pose the following question: What other things have they to do outside of being in God’s House?

CARE OF THE HOUSE OF GOD

If we are to be focused upon the time spent in God’s House, then it naturally develops into focusing upon the time we spend in care of God’s House.  As men, do we not take care of our homes, cars, possessions?

Then why are we not doing the same thing for the house of God? Who is the “Master” of the home? The Wife or the Husband? The Biblical Truth is that neither one is. The correct answer is GOD!

If God is the master of the home and men are spending so much time on its care, then why are men not spending as much time on the upkeep of God’s House – the church facility? It should be an embarrassment for the child of God to hear any minister need to make a request from the pulpit for “volunteers” to help meet the physical needs of the church facility.

Why is it not taken care of as second nature to those endowed with the Holy Spirit?

A simple broken tree branch in the parking lot, a broken rain gutter, untrimmed trees, should cause this believer to stop a moment and look at the “House of his master” and think, what would the master of the estate EXPECT his SERVANT to do about it!

CARE OF THE BODY

We now have the church congregation taking care of the Lord’s House (physical facilities). What about those that attend that House?

The early church at the time of Pentecost in Acts 2 saw 3000 added in one day. The church today seems to live with the idea that those 3000 were “saved and Baptised” and sent on their way home to never be heard from again!

Someone better reread the Book of Acts. Those newly saved were taken care of. They were provided for. They were partaking of meals at the homes of the believers. Can you imagine the outpouring of care to meet the needs of that many new people. It was also done with the attitude of serving the Master himself:  Jesus Christ.

Written May 31, 2021 by WD Kemner for http://bibleswordfinal.blogspot.com/

Revised June 18, 2025 for https://bibleswordfinal.neocities.org/

Election Advice from 200 yrs ago?

"It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for political station. When a citizen gives his vote to a man of immorality, he abuses his civic responsibilty. He sacrifices not only his own interest but that of his neighbor, and he betrays the interest of his country."

"If the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded."

"In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character."

quotes are from Noah Webster (1758 – 1843)

Why should I Submit?

 Believers will go to the altar and kneel in “submission” to God Almighty to place requests at His feet.

What happens after leaving the Altar and coming face to face with someone else and not being able to “kneel in submission”?

How easy it is to kneel in submission to the God of the Universe with whom there is no physical contact but the spouse standing next to you cannot obtain that same submission!

Believers are quick to tell someone that they do not deserve that same respect.  God wants to ask a question.  Did I not make them as I made you?  If they do not deserve it, then why should you?  If you cannot submit to one another, why should I look upon your selfish attempt to kneel at my altar as being anything more than an attempt to be a show before man!  You Hypocrite, even the Pharisee did a better job of role playing…

Where does God fit into all this?

Man does not submit to God.  He thumbs his nose up in defiance. He has the power to stand on his own two feet. Every man also has his own opinion.  The only thing important in this world is to make that opinion known to the world.

Women do not submit to men. They defy the direction and leading of their husbands and fathers in order to stand on their own two feet and to make their opinions heard.

Children do not submit to their parents.  They watch fathers not submitting, they watch mothers not submitting.  What are we expecting them to learn?  We model REBELLION and complain when the children rebel. What are they going to do? Submit to parental authority? Submit to God’s Authority?

Then the cycle begins all over yet again.  Those children grow physically into adults having learned nothing regarding submission. Each cycle producing a generation further away from God than the previous one.

Why is there an expectation that they will eventually submit to the authority of God?

Thou Shall Be TOLERENT!

 Believers in Jesus Christ have been accused of being Intolerant and un-accommodating.

 What do those words even mean? Since these are “UN-“ words; one must understand the regular word.

“Tolerant and accommodating” – means to be able to change and lower the standards to allow someone with those lower standards to feel acceptable and unoffended

Based upon that definition, Believers in Jesus Christ BETTER BE intolerant and unaccommodating.  Those are the teachings one is accepting when calling themselves a “follower of Jesus Christ”.

Unfortunately, the church is wrong in how much it is tolerant and accommodating.  No where in scripture are believers told that they are to lower all standards in order to be able to love the unbeliever!

The abuse in making the gospel message acceptable has turned the act of “love” into an act to become culturally and socially acceptable. Believers are to be SEPARATE from the World.

Anyone who claims to be a believer and is OFFENDED by these words; I have one statement for you:

Pharisee and Hypocrites need to run and hide before they come face to face with the man they claim to follow!  He will not be able to tell you apart from unbelievers!

 

Matthew 16:1-4; 23:1-36; 25:31-33; 1 Timothy 4:6-11; 15-16; 2 Corinthians 4; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

God the Son from Genesis to Revelation

 Jesus Christ the Son of God, one of the three members of the Trinity, the triune Godhead.

 The significance of His birth to become the sacrificial lamb for the sins of man may be remembered by those that he died for.  Are those same people aware that the Son of God has been a part of history since the beginning and will be the catalyst of the End? 

He can be followed from the Beginning to the end.  From Genesis in the Old Testament to His Birth in the New Testament

From His Crucifixion to His return and Second Coming at the End Times.

Glimpses of the Son of God radiate throughout the Bible.  The book cannot be opened without following Him through scripture.

He would be given the name of Jesus at His birth in Bethlehem. Until that time, the Son of God was not only in existence as a member of the Trinity but was involved in the affairs of His Father’s kingdom.

GENESIS

God created the world in Genesis 1 and then said “let’s make man in OUR image”.  Who is the “our”?  The trinity, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  God the Son was there in Chapter 2. 

After Satan used the serpent to tempt Eve, God stated that it would be crushed by the “seed of the woman”. 

Jesus was that seed…the virgin birth.

After the garden and the fall of man. Satan thought he had it all in his control until God brought the flood to destroy it all with the exception of the righteous man Noah to begin replenishing the earth.  In time, God choose Abraham to be the avenue for which God would bring redemption for mankind.

Through Abraham the promise was given and Abraham not only accepted it but believed in it. Jesus himself in the book of John (8:56)

Stated that “…Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. …”

Abraham “saw” the day of Jesus and it made Abraham glad.  Did he actually physically see that day? Did he just understand it was coming in the way that no man ever did?  What we do know is what is recorded in Genesis 18-19 when Abraham entertained and hosted the divine being at his home. Other than the recorded conversation regarding the eventual birth to come for Sarah and then the events surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah, what conversation went on amongst them?  We often do not consider anything else other than what we have seen documented and recorded for our eyes. 

Abraham had a meal with his guests and spent time together.  There was no need for social conversation regarding stock prices in town or where the best watering holes were, when you are eating dinner with the power that created you and the universe!

Melchizedek

Genesis 14:13-16 Abraham rescues his nephew Lot and is met by Melchizedek who is listed (18-24) as “the priest of the most high God”.  Tithes are given and the priest brought forth bread and wine.  Much has often been made of this man Melchizedek.  He is not Christ or anything more than a mere human.  He however is a genuine “model” of Christ in many ways beyond the scope of this current topic.  Simply to mention the use of the elements that would be instituted by Christ for the Lords Supper shows the understanding by Abraham and Melchizedek of the need for “atonement”. (Luke 22:14-20)

EXODUS

God makes a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 that his descendants would number as the stars of the sky (vs 5) and the land that will be theirs (vs 18).  He even foretells the captivity and exodus (vs 13-14) from Egypt and the timeframe for its ending.  Which is confirmed in Exodus 12:41!

It would be hoped that most believers would know the Exodus story and its impact on the theme of scripture.  As part of the last plague that initiates the exodus out of Egypt, blood is spread on the doorposts (chapter 12) and will become remembered and celebrated as Passover.  The sacrificial lamb representative of the perfect lamb sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

In Exodus 3:14, Moses is told that he is to tell the Israelites that “I AM THAT I AM” is who sent Moses to deliver them.

In John 8:58, Jesus who had come to deliver us, told the Jews that He was THE “I AM”

God speaks to the Israelites through Moses.  A nation of millions that must learn to follow a belief in the Creator. Throughout their tenure in the desert, Moses pens the rules (Leviticus – Deuteronomy) that God has provided for them to live by.  The sacrifice of the lamb continues to be their offering to God. Until they reach the land that God promised Abraham and under the leadership of Joshua head in and are to claim the land.

CANAAN

After the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they were a group of lose knit tribes trying to coexist with one another. Unfortunately, they also tried to coexist with their neighbors which they had been told to stay away from by God. This mingling of culture and belief led to the loss of any spiritual qualities that identified them as separate and unique.  They not only took on the evil practices of pagan gods they also became enticed with being like them and eventually wanted a king. God had foreseen this and provided rules for the king in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.

Samuel was a transition for the Jews from their isolated individual tribes to the point of their unification under a king. God had intended for them to serve Him as the only king but this did not happen.

Samuel “did let none of his words fall to the ground”. (1 Samuel 3:19-20) He only spoke what God told him to say. Giving only advice that was God driven and inspired. He became known as a man in tune with the will of God and not man.

Turning to earthly kings

In 1 Samuel 8, the people rejected God for an earthly king and the history of the nation is changed yet again.  The nation would spend most of the next 500 years going down the path of rule by wisdom of man and not God. 

King DAVID

David was the king that was called a man after God’s own heart.  As with Abraham God made a covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:1-17).

He was promised that his House, Throne, and kingdom would last forever.  It is out of his lineage that the Messiah would come.

David himself wrote many more than the 73 Psalms that have his name on them and many have direct references to the coming Messiah.

Including: Psalms 16:10; 22:13-18; 30:3; 34:20; 41:9-10; 55:12-14; 69:21; 118:17

There were a few kings like David that chose to follow God.  However, the number that chose to turn their back on God greatly outnumbered the Godly.  Each time God would speak to them through men of God called Prophets who were called to remind the king and the people of their need to return to the God of their fathers.

The Prophets

The Prophets all saw the coming of the Messiah.  Many of them also saw visions and were given information concerning the future.  They did not always understand what they were seeing, some seeing the first coming of the Messiah and others seeing His Second Coming.  They were seeing “mountain peaks” in the coming history.  Clarence Larkins has a diagram that depicts this well.   Each seeing different events.

Daniel gave them the exact time of the coming Messiah and his death. Daniel 2:44; 9:25-26

Isaiah and Malachi told of his coming being proceeded by a messenger. Isaiah 40:1-5; Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6

Prophets declared His birth of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the massacre of the children (Jeremiah 31:15).

Zechariah the prophet was even told specifically that there was going to be an end of the old covenant and start of a new covenant.  He not only saw the betrayal of Judas but He saw the return of the Messiah at His Second Coming to build the Temple.

Isaiah 53 is very well known as descriptive of the Messiah.

The fulfilled prophecies in scripture regarding Jesus are numerous. How can anyone doubt the prophecies yet to be fulfilled.

THE ARRIVAL OF MESSIAH

The Gospels record the Birth, Death and Resurrection of the Messiah – Jesus.  His fulfillment of prophecy is documented and lineage confirmed by the writers that were there with Him.

Gospel of Matthew does two things.  It begins by documenting the lineage of Christ but it also recounts the words of Jesus in regards to the End Times and what Jesus states in regards to his Second Coming.

The Second Coming of Christ and the Revelation of God

From the words of Jesus himself to the teachings of Paul in Thessalonians; the teaching of the prophets such as Ezekiel and Daniel are reaffirmed.  The end of the book is only the beginning as the Apostle John shares the vision he received from God in the book of Revelation. John elaborates on the foundations established by Daniel.  Daniel laid out the 70 weeks as given to him by God. Daniel detailed the first 69 and John details week 70 as provided to him by God.

The story of the Messiah transcends the length of scripture and time.  God is not limited by our time structure (2 Peter 3:8).  His plan has been there from the beginning to the end.  Both Daniel and John saw God himself and soon we will as well.  Eternity is His domain (Isaiah 57:15) and it is our choice whether or not to be there.

God Talks when Man Listens – The Cycle

Ever wonder if God hears you? 

Think about the vicious cycle man has put God through and yet God has always been patient with man.

The Bible is the recorded evidence of man keeping this cycle going and of God being faithful.

God created the Garden of Eden and walked in it talking with man.  Genesis 1-3

Man quits talking to God and begins listening to other voices.  The results: getting kicked out of the garden.

God is in regular communication with the offspring Cain and Abel.  Cain decides God is not worthy of his best. Genesis 4

Man quits talking to God and decides to take things into his own hands.  The results: further separation from God.

There are only two recorded cases of men communicating with God BEFORE the flood.  In Genesis 4:26 when Enos the grandson of Adam is born it states that “then began men to call upon the name of the Lord”.  Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God

By the time Noah comes along; in Genesis 6:9 and is recorded as having walked with God, the world is so corrupt and evil; God has to destroy it

Noah’s sons repopulate earth, but forget to keep talking to God.

God has attempted to communicate with the entire race, but now plans to work thru one man!

He chooses a select group and sets up a chosen nation. It works Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all talked with God.

But then, their descendents over the next 400 years forget to talk to God.  Until they “decide they need his help again”.

When they cry out, he raises men who will talk to Him again.

Out of the pages we see great men by the name of Moses and Joshua.

Then right on cue, as expected, they quit talking to God. Then come all the Judges.

When a Judge is around they call on God. Once the Judge is gone back they go to forgetting the deliverance.

Then the Reign of Kings begins.  People demand a king, since they had already proven they did not want to listen to God.

God talks to Saul, the First king; he eventually forgets who gave him the throne and the throne is removed.

God gives the throne to David; a man after God’s own heart.  What does David do with that High Praise?  One word: Bathsheba.

God puts a son of David on the throne.  Solomon: A man so “in tune” with God.  So much so, that God gives him whatever he wants. Solomon asks for “wisdom”.    He has so much wisdom that he is not smart enough to realize how much idolatry and evil his hundreds of wives bring in!

Generations of evil men rule a kingdom that ends up divided in two.

Prophets talk with God but the two nations do not.  The results:  the two nations scattered

400 years of silence……Was God silent? He had been trying to talk for thousands of years and no one would be quiet and listen!

 

So, the NEW plan….

Then the ultimate attempt to talk with man; sending His Son to be born in a stable in Bethlehem.  God talks DIRECTLY with man. In person this time, down at man’s level, walking among them.

Many believe and listen.  Many sadly do not. Christ is crucified on Calvary.  The ultimate refusal man can make to say that he will not talk with God.

Those that believe go into the entire world with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Man kills the believers and gets silent once again.

What a surprise………

From the seeds planted by the early church, coordinated religion is birthed.  In order to talk to God, one now is expected to perform ritualistically and a God will answer.

In response men who walk with God begin to speak out concerning the reality of worship to the true God. The results: Revivals throughout the world.

Man goes silent again. He has EVERYTHING he needs. What is God?

Israel becomes a NATION once again and steps onto the stage. The end of the Book has now begun!

 

WHERE ARE WE NOW TODAY?

Man has gone silent…………….

God is talking……………..

DOES ANYONE HEAR HIM?  WHEN HE HAS TO SHOUT THIS TIME…… EVERYONE WILL LISTEN TO THE END OF THE SCRIPT

The Importance of the Shepherd

The most important part of the Christmas story is the Shepherd.  What? That probably surprised you. Let us start with a little foundation first and then see if you don’t agree when finished.  There is a reason that the shepherds were the first to be told of the birth of the Christ Child.  A Shepherd’s sole mission was to safe guard the sheep. If a new lamb was born, everything revolved around that little lamb until it was on its feet. Everything stopped the night the Lamb of God was born.

The Shepherds had taken care of their flocks since the dawn of creation.  Genesis 4:4, Abel brought unto the Lord the “firstlings of his flock” for an offering.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were nomadic.  They lived off of the animal herds they controlled.  This continued until the children of Jacob went to Egypt.  In Genesis 46, because they were shepherds they lived in the land of Goshen.

The raising and shepherding of livestock continued when they left Egypt and settled in Canaan.  Two tribes (Rueben and Gad) had so much livestock they wanted to remain on the opposite side Jordan for the grazing (Numbers 32). During the forty years in the desert they had been given laws by God.  These laws instituted the priestly line of the Levities and the atonement for sin with the sacrifice of a lamb. These practices continued up and through the establishment of kings in Israel.  David as the youngest had to protect the flocks while his brothers went to war.  His son Solomon dedicated the Temple with 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep being sacrificed. 1 Kings 8:63

Lambs would continue to be the focal point of Temple worship and sacrifice.  The logistics that were in place for daily sacrifice are beyond the scope of this document. Without the quantity and quality of lambs being raised, the daily sacrifice would have come to a stand still. With that many sacrifices the shepherd had a huge responsibility in the daily life of the Jew at the time of the birth of Jesus. 

The prophets and Jesus himself often referred to Israel as “sheep” or “flock”.

Isaiah 40:11 -  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jeremiah 31:10 -  Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

Ezekiel 34:5 -  And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

Ezekiel 34:12 -  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are

scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Matthew 26:31 -  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Then we come to the Chief Shepherd.  In the larger herds the Chief Shepherd was in charge.  At the time of the sacrificial offerings in the temple; the Chief Shepherd was a man of extreme importance.  In the tenth chapter of John; Jesus called himself the “good shepherd”.

Paul not only calls Jesus the “Shepherd” in 1 Peter 2:25 but he goes on in 1 Peter 5:4 to state:

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd.  Now let’s head back to the scene at the birth of Christ.  When the shepherds were worshipping the baby, they knew they had not only been the first to be told, they knew there was a new King born that was also the CHIEF SHEPHERD and the only spotless lamb on the planet!

That is why THE Shepherd is important.

Silence from Exodus to the Church

 When Exodus starts there is a “new king of Egypt” (Exodus 1:8) who did not know about Joseph.

He is worried that “children of Israel are more and mightier than” he is (Exodus 1:9). He plots many ways to fix the problem.  We then step into the story of the birth of Moses, his growing to adulthood (Exodus 2:11), now age 40 he kills an Egyptian and flees to Midian for 40 more years. This Egyptian King dies while Moses is gone and a new one comes to the throne. (Exodus 2:23)

This one would have been “raised in the same court” with Moses.  Therefore, the purpose God had Moses spend his first 40 years a “prince” of Egypt because as a nomad, Moses would have had trouble getting “audiences” before the king but not as a prince.

Then we FINALLY get to the last half of verse 23:

“…Israel…cried, and their cry came up unto God…”

THEY JUST NOW CRIED OUT TO GOD!

God Never Left……..the People Did!  Do we wonder how much sooner they could have left Egypt if they had only asked?

Scholars have all written of the “years of God’s silence” while the Jews were in bondage in Egypt.  Their mistake, it was “years of silence by the children of Abraham”.

One other side note in the story….that is often “MISSED”

When this Pharaoh decides to give chase to Moses…Exodus 14:7 says Pharaoh took 600 “chosen chariots”.  These chariots were the ELITE vehicles in the army.  They were inspected for all faults!

That adds more flavor to verses 24 and 25 when the “Lord….took off the chariot wheels…” in the middle of the sea.

Then there is the fact that World Historians have had trouble pin-pointing the story of the Exodus because they cannot prove which “Pharaoh Ramses” was the king during the Exodus. The records for those years are all “jumbled” as thought some MAJOR catastrophe happened!  DUH! Three Pharaoh’s died during the first 80 years of lifespan of Moses (remember the heir to the throne also died in the plaques). This Pharaoh (unlike what Hollywood depicts) died in the river at the HEAD of His army. He was…

“Washed from History”….. Imagine the “recovery period” for Egypt.  Economically, environmentally and militarily alone would take decades to recover.  All caused by the plaques and the total annihilation of their army in the river.

Egypt would once again provide sanctuary for the seed of Abraham when Joseph would flee there with Mary and their child.  Egypt also has the promise of a significant part in God’s plans for the children of Abraham in the Last Days.

The Pharaoh in chapter 1:8 was worried about the eventual downfall of his empire from the Jews taking sides with an eventual enemy.  If he had lived long enough he would have seen the death of the next 2 generations caused by his own throne.

Silence of Israel

For 40 years the Children of Abraham would wander until they could get their lives in servitude to God.

They would eventually get into Canaan and go through years of ups and downs always forgetting God. They did not listen when they had Moses.  They did not listen when he sent Judges one after another to “bail out” the children of Abraham.  Then through the generations of Kings and their guilty pleasures, they would not listen and time came for the Prophets.

That did not work so, God allowed them to go back to “Egyptian Bondage” that they wanted so badly.  Five more empires over the generations to come would chastise (oh, I love that word) them.

Assyrians, Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greece and the Roman Empire all would take them captive. Every time, ONCE the children would “cry out” for HELP, their Father would rescue them!

The last time he did….God sent HIS Son!  What did they do?  They killed him…….

Now enters the Gentiles, now enter the “Church”, now enters “Christianity”……

Silence of Christianity

The Jews turned their backs too many times and the door opened to the rest of the world.  Scripture from beginning to end is still about His plan for the Children of Abraham.  However, the Church and Christianity have now been added to the script that is playing out before our eyes.

The Church and Christianity that came into existence upon the message that Jesus preached. They have had 2000 years to do what the Jews did not. Has it been done? Christians might be eagerly awaiting the return of Christ but what are they doing in the meantime?  The best effort they can generate usually comes on Sunday mornings.  As long as it occurs early enough on Sunday to be done before the sports kick-off at noon.  And the preacher does a good job on the sermon; they have succeeded in doing their requirement for the week. Out the door on Sunday, turn on the electronics and get caught up on what was missed during the hour in church!

How is that any different than what has gone on for the past 6000 years? How is this any different than the Children of Abraham in Egypt or in Canaan?   Silence from the Church and Christians.  TOO BUSY FOR GOD.

WHERE IS THE DESIRE TO SPEND EVERY BREATHING MINUTE WITH THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE?

I AM A SLAVE TO GOD MANIFESTO

What is your “Standard”?  What do you stand for?  Any idea what you believe? What would you die for?

A day is soon coming that WILL require every person to AGREE to a set “CODE of CONDUCT” that is approved by society, social media and ultimately governmental laws.  When that day occurs and you are forced to accept that “Code” or face consequences, what WILL YOU DO?  Will you then STAND for the laws of God or those of man?  When that choice suddenly dictates imprisonment, lack of right to purchase food, and even family not acknowledging you, it may be too late to suddenly find your backbone!  If there is no backbone in you now, what gives you the impression that you will suddenly find one when the noose is tightening around the neck?

I challenge everyone to write a “manifesto” of their own words.  DO NOT copy mine or anyone’s.  If you do, then it is not truly a manifesto, because you did nothing more than copy words from someone else’s heart and not your own. 

What is a manifesto? 

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

“Manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer”

 

I AM A SLAVE TO GOD MANIFESTO

I am not a Christian. That is a term created by the world to identify a particular group of people. The world can have it and label anything they want with that term. As is true with any term used to group people, this term “Christian” has come to identify a broad spectrum of beliefs and ideas.  It no longer has the same context it originally had when used in the first century. A term that once made the Apostle Paul proud would now be a term fit to describe the very people he was trying to reach with the words of Christ. 

I cannot find any reference to Jesus THE Christ telling anyone to first you must become a Christian and once you do that be willing to die for being called one. 

God did ask me if I was willing to do one thing.  Was I willing to give my life for the proclamation of HIS Word and for the Defense of the Name of HIS Son Jesus Christ?  I gave Him an answer.  It was an unconditional and fully bonded shout of YES SIR!  He called me to accept Him as the controller of my life, soul and spirit.  In making that pledge to Him, I have given away ALL RIGHTS and have subjected myself to his governing laws and rules.  If I did not want to be controlled in such a way then I would not accept and commit my life to Jesus Christ and HIS Father the God of the Universe!  I am not a Christian, but I AM a child of God and a follower and believer of EVERYTHING taught by His son Jesus Christ!  I have accepted and acknowledge before Him that Jesus died for my sins!

This commitment requires a bond, no simple pledge will suffice. It is a commitment that requires me to unconditionally waive all rights and beliefs.  I am placing myself into bondage to the God of the Universe!

I can already feel the weight of that yoke of burden.  How am I worthy enough to even attempt to claim the right to any opinion or belief that is not His? I just handed those rights over in order to make this bond!

A Christian cannot do what I just did. Christians have been seen coming and going, following the latest wave that provides what they want.  They are never able to put themselves into bondage to ONE Lord and Master. I feel free and comfortable denying I am a Christian. I will NEVER deny that I am a follower of Jesus Christ! He alone is my Master and I am in His service. I will speak and do ONLY that which he allows me to do.

I will attempt to live up to the faith that for centuries has caused HIS other followers who have gone before to be able to boldly stand; and for some to even give the ultimate price for the name of Jesus Christ. Those men and women who have followed Jesus Christ may be long gone but they are still impacting lives!

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

ALL GLORY AND HONOR AND PRAISE TO THE ONE AND ONLY GOD OF THIS UNIVERSE WHO SACRIFICED HIS SON JESUS CHRIST SO THAT I WOULD LIVE AND THEN SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BRING POWER UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS RETURN!

signed and dated November 2, 2020 by WD KEMNER

SKILLS NEEDED FOR UNDERSTANDING BIBLE PROPHECY

Do you have trouble understanding passages in the Bible?  Particularly those that may appear to be prophetic in nature?

Let us look at it from how a person may approach other forms of literature.  As a reader, why do you read books that fit into a particular genre, such as horror, mystery or western theme books? Or, do you read items written only by a particular author?  If you do so, why?

You read a particular genre or particular author’s books because you understand his/her style when you read it.  Have you ever noticed that you can tell when your author has not written it and it was written by a ghost writer?  That was because something is different.  The same is true in scripture. You can not pull out the books of Revelations, Daniel or Ezekiel without having read any other books of the Bible.  You will not understand any of it without a total comprehension of the context of the entire Bible.

Another problem occurs attempting to read books you are not capable of understanding.  In that manner, to read particular books of the Bible you need understanding that comes after developing particular skills.

Ten Skills Needed:

You need to be a believer in God.

You need to be a follower of His Son Jesus.

You must believe that they both exist.

You must have a personal relationship and have submitted control of your life to God.

You must be living under submission to God’s authority.

Without submission you cannot accept the truths laid down in scripture as being the word of God.

You must be able to acknowledge that the Bible (as written) is the literal word of God.

You need to have the anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life in order to process the simplicity of His word.

The anointing does not come without the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit who gives the discernment and guidance needed when reading the words of God.

You need daily time with God in prayer if you are attempting to understand His Words. If the time is not

spent communicating with Him, how can there be any understanding of what he says?

You need daily time reading of the Bible.  Do you understand any book in which you have read only the first and last pages?  Likewise it is foolish to have the mentally that says to God: “Okay, I have an hour today, what are you going to show me?”  Why waste His time?  Approaching the study of scripture in this manner leads to man inserting his opinion and interpretation into a passage.

You need an open mind and heart.  Be prepared to throw away EVERY preconceived idea, thought and

opinion.  Those are all items that belong only to you and are not the Lord’s.  

The following rules are mandatory requirements in order to understand

ALL SCRIPTURE stands together.  There are no theological debates or interpretations.  His word is what it is.  All scripture is part of the entire package, no one verse stands alone.  If it is not supported by other scripture then it is the idea of man and not God.

God does not need another new revelation of His Word.  It is complete in itself from Genesis (the Beginning) to the end of the story the Book of Revelation.  It can stand alone without man’s extra books of interpretation and self helps.

DO NOT ever attempt to make a passage “fit” into your understanding. If you must try to make or find scriptures to prove a theory or interpret it; then it is just another good theory.  Throw it out!

At some point in history men decided that we must be able to explain things in a manner similar to the way we have for the past 100 years.  This is a fallacy in understanding scripture.  Deciding that something described must be equaled to something today does not have any place in God’s Word.

Example, one writer in the 1960’s wrote that Russia has to be destroyed because the territory they control needs to be broken up. Why write that? Of course he could not imagine the possibility that 30 years later the USSR would fall without a war. 

In order to understand scripture, you must understand that you are not the center of the universe.  God’s Word, centers on a chosen and specific group of people.  This group is to be the focus of His Plans for the past, present and future.  You need to be able to accept the following regarding who the Chosen People are.

The “chosen people” are not Christians. It is not the “church” of any form.  It is the Jews!  Jews are those that are of the seed of Abraham and no one else.  God has had and will always have a special place for the “seed of Abraham”.  The scriptures and all its words are focused/centered on that group of people. All prophecies are focused on or involve them.  You must understand and accept that.  If not you will have trouble understanding anything in the Bible. It is ONLY a privilege that the rest of the world (non Jews) will be allowed to be a small part in the story from beginning to end of the Bible.  How we honor and respect that privilege will determine how we understand it. 

Let's Go Waste A Vote! - REPOSTED

Reposted from November 2016

Every four years we have Elections. As is true each year, everyone has an opinion on who to vote for. No one seems to remember what the reason is for voting. I am not going to comment on the candidates or tell you who to vote for. I am simply going to REMIND you of what the reason is for voting. 

PART 1 - Directions on Voting from the Bible

There are “religious” people who have forgotten what the Bible says about voting. This could be a result of not hearing it spoken of from the pulpit. Historically this is a country with religious freedom. That does not include the freedom to speak about politics from behind the pulpit. Why is there a dependency upon the pulpit for guidance on how to vote and not the Bible?

Now, with that said, let us see what the Bible says regarding voting in the election. Oh, wait a minute. That is odd. The word “vote” is not in the Bible. Where does the Bible say: “Thou shalt vote every four years for a religious person to be your leader”? It may be hard to believe, but the Bible does not tell us to go out and vote.

The Bible teaches that there is something more important than going to vote. It teaches a concept called responsibility.
This is a concept that is alien to our society. Man considers himself; and not others; therefore he cannot possibly be held responsible for his actions and deeds. Pages can be spent on that topic. How does this relate to Elections and the vote?

Man is responsible for his actions. 
When you vote, you and you alone are responsible for, and held accountable for, how you use that vote.

If you vote for any one candidate; you assume ALL responsibility for putting that Candidate into office. You have chosen to use the “privilege” for that “once in a lifetime” opportunity to have a “say in the outcome”. How you chose to use it, was not the fault of the “candidate” or “media”. You made the choice. You are the one RESPONSIBLE for that vote. No matter what your “logic” is for voting for that person, you are responsible for that decision until the next election. If your choice makes BAD decisions for the next four years, it is your responsibility to live with it.


Part 2 - Wasting Your Vote

Can a vote be wasted? Now, how you use that “privilege” is addressed in the Bible! Do you squander it, if you do then you have done nothing more that put it to waste. 

Jesus taught the parable regarding wise use of your talents. I am not going to go into a sermon on it. The man was a fool for burying the money in the ground instead of putting it to use. If you are going to intentionally squander your vote, you are no different than that man was.

What is a wasted vote? The following statement summarizes the approach many people are taking to waste their vote.

Not wanting either Candidate A or B. Candidate B is worse than Candidate A. Vote is given to Candidate A because a vote for A is a vote AGAINST Candidate B.

That is the most pathetic case of giving up. This voter is in a row boat with a hole in it. The voter takes the paddle and throws it into the water because they believe they might drown anyway. They do not try to use the cell phone they have because the battery is probably dead anyway!

Candidate C or D has no chance to win against Candidate A or B

That is true. Surprise you with that statement. When a Baseball pitcher takes the mound; he is expecting the other eight players to take the field as well. Suppose they decide to quit because they will lose anyway. He goes to the mound to attempt to “finish the game to the best of his ability” anyway. What can he do without a catcher or the other seven?

Is it really any different? Millions of voters are planning on taking the same attitude on Election day. They have given up in the eighth inning. They are planning to “give up”. They are losers in the eighth inning instead of losers after nine innings who gave it all on the field.


Part 3 – What are YOU going to do about it

1. RESEARCH candidates. ALL candidates regardless of “party platforms”.
2. Vote for all offices that are up for election. National – State – Local
3. Research all issues. Referendums, ballot initiatives. These may be local or state wide
4. Do not WASTE a vote to keep someone out of office. Vote for the best candidate.
5. GET OUT AND VOTE