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—An Introduction to the "RAPTURE" Series

          Nobody was home when I got off the school bus on a steamy hot Florida afternoon. That might not've concerned you, but it was a major cause of concern for me: Somebody was always home at our house! My dad was our preacher and I had been enduring many of the rites of passage that teenaged boys still find necessary today. Yeah...well, maybe "enduring" isn't the right word, there: I...uhhh...was enjoying those rites of passage. Anyhow, when I realized there was nobody home that afternoon, I thought I had missed the rapture! Had just knelt down to pray when I suddenly remembered that it would do me no good to pray if I had missed the rapture: God wouldn't listen. I was traumatized! Anything like that ever happen to you?

          The words were so thoroughly burned into my brain that I can still hear them today: "Jesus is gonna split the eastern skies any day, now! Nobody knows when that'll happen; Jesus doesn't even know. If you're not right with God when it happens you'll miss the rapture and you'll have to stay here and go through The Great Tribulation! And don't kid yourself: If you can't live for God now, you certainly won't be able to live for him then!"

          That trauma was with me into young adulthood. I frequently gravitated from anger to repentance to more anger. At some pivotal point, I made a conscious decision: I would no longer be angry and I wouldn't repent any more, either! I'd be an adult! For the better part of a dozen years, I was Agnostic. For those who don't know exactly what an Agnostic is, it's an Atheist wannabe. Best I can figure, the only reason I never became a full-blown Atheist is that I was determined never to allow myself to even think about anything even remotely related to any of that again. I was dead serious! Didn't shed a single tear in twelve years! Only God could've tripped me up. And He did! Whew! (If you'd like to know how He did that, just shoot me an email and I'll share: Scribe@DYPK.org.) I came back!

          Like most others who were raised in mainstream Christianity, I reasoned that the faith of my fathers should also be my faith. So I joined the large denomination that my grandfather had co-founded. I schooled myself in the teachings of that church...from a new (for me) "adult" perspective. I collected their denominational literature and I was faithful to study the scriptures they cited to support those teachings. I even became an effective denominational spokesman. For decades, while pursuing a rewarding secular career, I was a Bible teacher—large classes in church sanctuaries. Something kept nagging at me, though: Were our teachings perfectly aligned with the teachings of Jesus and the 1st-Century apostles?

          Adding substance to that recurring question – as disturbing as it was – is that I had diligently studied to confirm my church's doctrines, but I hadn't studied the scriptures as-if-no-one-had-ever-explained-what-they-mean. This is why that was to become critical for me: Schools and churches should teach people HOW to study and HOW to think, not WHAT to study and WHAT to think. I had been teaching churchgoers WHAT to think for decades! Why? Because, from childhood, the people I loved had taught me what to think about the Bible and Christianity. Is there any chance that the people they loved had taught them what to think, too? Please keep in mind that every denomination owns a "what 'we' believe" franchise. Every seminary teaches "what 'we' believe." Their graduates preach "what 'we' believe" and those who populate the pews typically believe "what 'we' believe." What could possibly go wrong?

          It's embarrassing for me to admit this, but I must: It was near the time for me to retire from the corporate world that I was mature enough to start changing all that. On March 4, 2006, I organized a large multi-denominational Bible study group. From that group, a few acquired our serious passion for separating what's true from what's new. Together, we were to learn that there's an awful lot of new time religion masquerading as old time religion. You'll be amazed to discover how much the Gospel message has "evolved" since the First Century.

          Our web site is dedicated to making it easy for YOU to learn what we've learned about that. Please use our resources to learn all you can about Satan's four (4) Weapons of Mass Deception(SM) and why their victims will be fully convinced that Satan is Jesus Christ. (Yes, Satan's masquerade will be very successful.) There's to be a great falling away. The take-home message, there, is that unbelievers cannot "fall away." Those who "fall away" will be Believers—many of today's churchgoers who've already been conned by one or more of those WMDs. Study alone or with a small group, but please take advantage of our hard work. May God bless you as you study to learn the original truth.

          Now, because this is an introduction to our "Rapture" series, let's tackle just one wildly popular teaching about that: 

          In the KJV, 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says this: "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." But did you know that the KJV translators slipped up on the original Greek word that they translated, "clouds?" The original Greek word is singular: They should've rendered it, "cloud." Why is that important for you to know? Because that cloud will be the same cloud that guided the Hebrews by day, on their 40-year trek from Egypt to Canaan...a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Remember? (You may anticipate scriptural confirmation for this observation as the series continues.)

          Still, though, we of the Link1(TM) Bible Research Team are fully convinced that the KJV is the best English translation available to us today. To confirm that for yourself, be sure to find and read G. A. Riplinger's, New Age Versions. The first edition was published in 1993. I have a copy of the eleventh printing: 2000. ISBN #0-9635845-0-2. Library of Congress catalog card #93-92561.

          You will encounter several surprises as you study this series of articles about "Rapture." Enjoy the luxury of being a skeptic, but be sure that your skepticism is styled after the skepticism of the Berean Jews at Acts 17:11. The Thessalonians of that verse were skeptical, too. They poo-poo'd the teachings and ran from them. But the Bereans were the adults in the room: Paul called them "more noble." This is why:

          > "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all 

             readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." 

             —Paul, at Acts 17:11

          In the next article, we'll examine the "Left Behind" phenomenon.

Then, when the disciples asked our Lord to explain that parable He said this:

          >  "...the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the 

              angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the 

              fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall 

              send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom 

              all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and he shall 

              cast them into a furnace of fire.there shall be wailing and 

              gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the  

              sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let 

              him hear." —Jesus, at Matthew 13:39-43

          Here, again, the BAD GUYS will get "taken" to be burned and then God's angels will harvest all the GOOD GUYS for the Master. (And did you notice that the harvesters are God's angels and not church people...?)

          This reasonably characterizes the responses I get from my preacher friends when I ask them about these glaring contrasts: "Well, dear brother, you know there are many 'mysteries' in God's precious holy word. So we could argue about when Jesus is coming back and who'll be taken first all day long and never come to an agreement. Unfortunately, the scriptures just aren't that clear, except to those of us who have spent a lifetime studying them. Neither of us would be able to change the other's mind about it, you know. So, you go ahead and believe it your way and I'll believe it mine."

          How would YOU characterize that response...? Here's somthing Upton Sinclair once said: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it."

          Mysteries? Well, yes, I recall reading about mysteries in the Bible, and there are lots of questions I'll want to ask Jesus when I see him. But is God's word about the sequence of end-time events a mystery? Is it even sensibly debatable? Would God really have left us his word about something that important in a form that could only be "interpreted" by Career Professional Christians? Not. But, then, there's this:

          Jesus didn't explain the mysteries of His parables to the multitudes. That was because they didn't have "ears to hear." For his closest disciples, though, and for us who are gaining ears to hear there is to be no mystery concerning the relative timing within the seven-event end-time sequence for Jesus' return to gather the saints—OR about who will be "taken" first. Expect to learn much more about that as the series continues. Meanwhile, here's something comforting: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." —Paul, at 1 Thessalonians 5:4

          In the next article we'll take a hypothetical ride on "The First Flight Out."

[time lapse]

          Six o'clock AM, Saturday: Billions of viewers have tuned in early for that special live broadcast on all the networks and streaming live, also, on the Internet. You and your friends and family are among them. The prevailing news is that Jesus, himself, is to speak.

          Precisely at ten o'clock you and all those with you are pleased to learn that Jesus looks a lot like those paintings the artists have given us over the years. On his either side and behind him, arm-in-arm and also apparently suspended within that beautiful white cloud formation, are several of the world's most popular Christian leaders. U.S. preachers appear to dominate the gathering.

          The soothing inflections of Jesus' crisp and commanding baritone voice resonate with great warmth. You perceive enormous compassion in his transparent, almost fluid eyes as he begins to speak: "You will notice that a few of my elect are standing here in the clouds with me. For those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, this miracle will confirm that the rest of what you are about to hear and see is true. I will remain within these clouds to fulfill the prophecy that my feet will not touch the ground when I am come to rapture all those who believe in me, just prior to The Great Tribulation.

          "The time has not yet come for me to establish my kingdom here. But I will walk on the earth with you later. That time for my Glorious Appearing will come after seven long years of extreme anguish and pain for those foolish ones who will follow the anti-Christ, accepting his mark in their hands or in their foreheads. All of you that are to be Left Behind will accept that mark. Otherwise, you and your children will starve to death. As it is written of that son of perdition, Judas Iscariot, 'It would be better for you if you had never been born.' My heart is broken, already, for you.

          "Believe in me and you, too, will soon be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. My Bride will include all those who will be caught up soon to meet me here, in the air. They have believed in me. They have loved me. They will be with me and my Father in Heaven for our long anticipated seven-year celebration of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. When we come back to Earth they will rule with me, here, for 1,000 years. Will you be among them? If you think maybe not, please reconsider. (A pulsating tear swells.) Don't be among those who will be Left Behind. Please."

          His arms are outstretched now. Those nail scars in his wrists are briefly visible. The camera zooms in for a much-too-short close-up. "Will you come to me now, my beloved? My yoke is easy and my burden is light. I am not willing that any should perish. Because I love you my Father loves you, too."

          America's favorite Christian preacher moves to Jesus' right-hand side. They embrace. Lights flashing non-stop, all cameras zoom in on that preacher's familiar face. He makes clear eye contact and begins to speak: "There is no need for you to be afraid, my friends. This is 'the great hope' that we Christians have anticipated for many years.

          "Those who accompany our Savior with me today will be appearing in major cities throughout the world over the next several weeks, in facilities that will seat thousands of you. At those 'Rapture Readiness Revivals,' we will be sharing much more about what is to come. At least one of those critical gatherings will be in a city near you. If anyone is physically, mentally or spiritually sick bring them and they will be healed. Their sins will be forgiven and they will be included in the 'catching away' of the saints. They, too, will be changed…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye."

          All cameras focus, again, on the face of Jesus: "I must remind you that I do not know the exact day and time of the catching away of the saints. Only my Father knows that. But I do know it will be very, very soon. You must be alert but patient and keep watching—for in an hour when you think not, one shall be Taken without warning and the other Left Behind. 

          "For years, the faithful have prayed that this flight would not be in winter. They have prayed for you ladies with infants on the breast, that you would be kept safe. It may also help you to know that my Father is not slow as some consider slowness. Watch and be ready. If not ready, get ready. Please don't be Left Behind to suffer the terrible atrocities of anti-Christ and his evil host."

          The cameras pan as all the well known Christian preachers kneel and then bend forward on their hands, heads up, facing Jesus. Large tears begin streaming from both of Jesus' eyes as he raises his hands to pray, "Father, please forgive them, for they know not what they do. Cause them to learn the truth, for only truth can make them free. Make them one as you and I are one. Please, please do not allow even one of them to perish. Nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen." 

          Again, while his hands are raised, the cameras zoom in for a lingering close-up view of those nail scars. Someone in your group begins to sob uncontrollably. Another starts wringing her hands and praying frantically. Some people embrace while trembling and crying together. One faints. Another scoffs, "I hope you know that that guy is not really Jesus Christ! Why are you people so doggone gullible?" You are spellbound, not knowing exactly how to react or what to think. 

          Scenes like that play out in small groups all over the world. In larger gatherings of people, boisterous heckling is observed. Groups of believers wrestle some of the hecklers to the ground or pull them away, to silence them. There are reports of numerous outbreaks of bloody mob violence in Middle Eastern and North African regions. Bitter quarreling is reported among Muslim clerics, worldwide. There are rumors of new wars. Two large earthquakes rumble simultaneously, on opposite sides of the Pacific rim. Tsunami warnings are issued for all land areas that border the Pacific Ocean.

          Network and live-streaming Internet cameras alternately zoom in and fade away from those remarkable scenes, lights flashing profusely. For weeks to come, all regular TV programming is preempted. The world has never witnessed a non-stop media frenzy like this one. With uncharacteristic enthusiasm, major network news anchors report thousands of "decisions for Christ" at the Rapture Readiness Revivals.

          Network cameras focus occasionally, but always very briefly, on obscure (i.e.: not well known) preachers who debunk the entire scenario, saying it is nothing more than the clever deception of Satan, himself. They warn other preachers whom they say are leading their uninformed followers directly into Satan's clutches. A well known major network anchor was quick to cut one of those preachers short yesterday when he began crying out, "Satan has come first! He's masquerading as Jesus, just like Paul said he would do at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12! Jesus doesn't come until the seventh trump—the last trump!" The cameras cut away quickly, too, and there were commercials. 

          What follows is a long series of interviews with "respected" members of the clergy, each assuring viewers that this is the real thing. According to them, the naysayers are Satan's agents of confusion and deception.

          A spirited choir sways in unison as it belts out the Rapture Readiness Revival theme song, "I'll fly away, Oh! Glory! I'll fly away, in the morning!" Almost all the choir members have tears streaming down their faces as they sing, hands uplifted in worship and adoration of the Savior. Some of them are seen contorting their bodies and others are heard talking very loudly, in unknown languages. There are numerous video clips of tearful teenagers and adolescents requesting prayer for their parents and other family members and friends who still don't believe all this is for real.

          Is it for real? Will you sign on for the first flight out?

          Although some are familiar with just one theory concerning the sequence of end-time events—the one prescribed by their respective denomination. You may have gained knowledge of a second or third theory, from Christian Television and/or discussions with friends and family members. The objective of the next article is to level the knowledge/insight playing field for all readers, where that's possible: "End-Time Theories."

          In March of 2016, we discovered something that startled us! Is it simple coincidence? Is it more likely the brilliant timing of Satan to yield confusion to the majority of sincere believers? It's the latter, we think, and we think YOU really need to know about it.

          The Springtime of 1830 was a truly "magic" time on BOTH sides of the Atlantic. Some of Satan's lieutenants – successfully masquerading as angels of light – established at least three (3) new winds of doctrine. All three of them are now highly visible. Two of them have slithered their way into the visible church's denominational mainstream and have become wildly popular.

          On the American Continent in the Spring of 1830, the angel, Moroni, delivered to the infamous Joseph Smith his "new revelation" of the gospel of Jesus Christ to latter-day saints. On April 6, 1830, Mr. Smith and company organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You may think that's the ONLY church, today, that was founded on Moroni's "new revelation." Not so! The Church of Christ, with its seldom-acknowledged headquarters at Independence, Missouri, tries to keep that a secret. Why? It could be because they're aware that many informed believers are familiar with the strong warning at Galatians 1:8 about ANY new wind of doctrine that's delivered by "an angel from heaven."

          In the British Isles in the Spring of 1830, the two new winds of doctrine that have become wildly popular within the visible church's denominational mainstream were both born—in the exact same Occult settings. Read on for news worth sharing about "The Magic Twins."

                    That parable is a continuation of Jesus' answer to his disciples' Matthew 24:3 question that's justly characterized as, "How can we know when you're coming back and what's it gonna be like then?" So here's what it's gonna be like:

          At midnight, those young girls were startled by the announcement, "The bridegroom cometh!" It was at that moment that five of those girls first knew that somebody had deceived them. It had been somebody they had respected, maybe even somebody they had loved. 

          Whoever it was had duped them into thinking, "Our beloved bridegroom would never, ever make us travel through the darkest of nights to that wedding feast." They were CERTAIN the bridegroom would come for them before nighttime. That's why they hadn't bought enough lamp oil to provide the LIGHT they'd need for nighttime travel. If you're familiar with that story you know that those five girls got locked out and the bridegroom said he didn't even know them!

          >  "...because they received not the love of the truth,^ that they might be saved. And for 

              this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they 

              might all be damned who believed not the truth..." —Paul, at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

               ^ At Matthew 24:13 (also recorded at Mark 13:13), Jesus specifically identified "the truth" that 

                  Paul was referring to: "But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." The 

                  context is not intelligently debatable: Jesus was talking about the Great Tribulation. If God's 

                  favorite people on Earth, "the elect," will have to endure it, then so will you and I...unless we 

                  die first.

          Here's something about Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians that you'll want to know: He wrote it to clear up the confusion that some of the text of his 1st letter had caused: Some of those church people at Thessalonica had come to think they had missed our Lord's second coming! Those same 1 Thessalonians verses are still causing confusion, today. That's one of the reasons why rapture theorists tend to avoid 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. It just doesn't support the "rapture" narrative.

          But Jesus didn't stop with the parable of the ten virgins in answering that burning question, "How can we know when you're coming back and what's it gonna be like then?" He continued with His talents/money illustration at Matthew 25:14-30. In that parable, He used talents/money to symbolize that same Matthew 24:13/Mark 13:13 knowledge—that those who will endure to the bitter END of The Great Tribulation will be saved.

          In this illustration, though, Jesus' take-home message is this: Once you have gained that critical knowledge, you must invest it in others. For those who fail to invest that knowledge, at least with family and friends there will be consequences:

          >  "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and 

              gnashing of teeth." —Jesus, at Matthew 24:30

          Then, for the benefit of those who'll still feel obligated to hold fast to what people they love have taught them about "rapture," Jesus shared yet another illustration: 

          >  "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin 

              to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The 

              lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when 

              he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the 

              unbelievers." —Jesus, at Luke 12:45,46

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—"The 'Last' Trump"

          Did they do it on purpose or do they just not know? The writers and producers of the notorious "Left Behind" series neglected to disclose some really critical insight—that the last trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are both the trumpet of the seventh angel of Revelation 11:15.

          > "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last [i.e.: 7th] trump: for the trumpet shall 

             sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 

             —1 Corinthians 15:52

          > "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." 

             —1 Thessalonians 4:16

          > "And the SEVENTH [i.e.: last] angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, 

             saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his 

             Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." —Revelation 11:15

          That seventh (last) trumpet will sound precisely 3-1/2 days after God's TWO WITNESSES come back to life—a startling event that will be seen by tens of thousands, worldwide. I hope you'll read that entire passage in your own Bible but, for your added convenience, here's part of it:

          >  "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the 

              bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

              And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called 

              Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and 

              kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, 

              and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the 

              earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; 

              because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three 

              days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood 

              upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great 

              voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to 

              heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a 

              great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of 

              men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of 

              heaven...And the seventh [i.e.: last] angel sounded; and there were great voices in 

              heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, 

              and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." —Revelation 11:7-13,15

          The knee-jerk response of the typical seminary graduate is Jesus' Matthew 24:36 statement: "But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

          Can't refute that. It's true. Know this, though: While Jesus doesn't know the day nor the hour for His last [7th] trump return, he clearly knows the precise timing – within the seven-event final countdown – for His return to gather those who will have endured to the end of The Great Tribulation. [See Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13.] Those people will be fully informed: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." —Paul, at 1 Thessalonians 5:4

          My nephew once asked his pastor (a really large pentecostal church near us) about all this. Here's how that pastor responded: "Oh! That's a different last trump!" Apparently in a hurry, that pastor offered nothing more...ever! My nephew's intelligence was fully insulted. Never took his family back into that incredible environment. Didn't attend any church for years. Shame. How might YOU have responded?

          Someone in whom you've invested the lion's share of your Faith Equity(SM) may have convinced you that an "extra special" group of saints who're gonna get raptured out'a here before all the really bad stuff happens are the ones who'll reign with Christ for 1,000 years. (People you don't trust can't deceive you.) The Bible clearly and completely refutes that claim:

          >  "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and 

              [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word 

              of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had 

              received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and THEY lived and reigned 

              with Christ a thousand years." —Revelation 20:4

          But how about the 1 Corinthians 15:52 "...and we shall be changed" verbiage? Is being "changed" the same as "getting raptured?"

When Jesus died, he became "...the firstfruits of them that slept" [1 Corinthians 15:20]. Upon His resurrection, He became the firstfruits of them that are to be resurrected [1 Corinthians 15:23]. As the "firstfruits" of our resurrection, Jesus' experience is our benchmark—i.e.: the prototype for our own resurrection experience. Jesus' resurrection was not accompanied by "rapture." Instead, He was "caught up" – i.e.: harpazō'd [Strong's G-726] – into a wonderful new other-dimensional body. That's the same "twinkling of an eye" CHANGE that those who're to be included in "the first resurrection" of Revelation 20:6 can anticipate. Bank that.

By now you should be sufficiently informed:

          1.  The last trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15—precisely 3½ days after the two witnesses come back to life and are transported to Heaven. See Revelation 11:7-13,15 to verify that.

          2.  That event and "the first resurrection" will be at the END of the Great Tribulation, not at any point before that. There is to be no resurrection (and not even the remotest possibility of a rapture) before it. Read Jesus' own proclamation at Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13 to confirm that.

          3.  The saints who are to reign with Christ for a thousand years will NOT be some really special group of super saints who'll have partied with Jesus and the angels in Heaven for seven years, while God's favorite people on Earth, the elect, are left here to endure hell-on-earth. Refresh your comprehension of Revelation 20:4, above, to confirm that.

          4.  Prior to the 20th Century, when literacy was the exception, Christian believers had no choice but to trust paid professional Christians to do their Bible studying and critical thinking for them. You're literate and, per 2 Timothy 1:7, God has also given YOU a sound mind. That'd be a terrible thing to waste, you know. Review Jeremiah 17:5 to grasp the enormous gravity of that.

          5.  The great end-time "falling away" will be the direct result of the fact that millions of churchgoers will refuse to be informed about all this. 2 Timothy 4:3,4 serves to verify that. (Can unbelievers "fall away?")

          Those you've come to trust, who do they trust? Shouldn't your trust be restricted to what's WRITTEN?

          Finally, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone had promised each of those thousands of Christians who're currently being raped, sold as sex slaves, tortured, beheaded and even burned alive that "Jesus is gonna rapture y'all out'a here before all that really bad stuff starts happenin', praise God!" What could be more CRUEL and unscriptural?

          >  "The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but 

              those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." —Alvin Toffler

          In New Testament times, the written Greek language had no punctuation marks. The KJV translators tried to make the scriptures more reader-friendly for us by adding punctuation. They added words and phrases, too, where they thought it might be helpful. It behooves us to know that they were human beings and prone to mistakes, just like the rest of us. 

          Do this: Take away the punctuation and the bracketed or italicized word, "Christ," from the text at Luke 21:8b and then read it. If Jesus had spoken the same thing in today's English language He might've said, "Many will come in my name saying, 'Jesus is Lord!'" or perhaps, "Many will come in my name saying that I AM."

          That proclamation, "I AM," may sound familiar: At Exodus 3:14 God said, “I AM THAT I AM…” He told Moses to tell the Hebrews, "I AM hath sent me unto you." In the New Testament there's this:

          > "...verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM." —Jesus, at John 8:58

          Those deceivers (who, like true disciples, carry the "Jesus is Lord!" banner) that Jesus spoke of at Luke 21:8 are the same people He warned us about at Matthew 7:15. There, he called them "Wolves in SHEEP's Clothing." There's a really BIG difference between those who're with us today and the Wolves in SHEPHERD’s Clothing who're to appear later. 

          Jesus identified that second group at Matthew 24:23 and Mark 13:21,22. Each of those guys will claim that he, himself, is Christ. If they were to appear today, though, they couldn't do much deceiving. The timing's not right. Very few people would follow them. Do you know anyone who might even think about following somebody who claims to be Jesus? But today's wolves in sheep's clothing have already deceived millions—especially concerning the sequence of end-time events. Their deception is enabled because they proclaim "Jesus is Lord!"^ Their primary message, as in Weapons of Mass Deception(SM) #2 and #3, is easily traced back in the historical record to April, 1830, and those infamous Occult practitioners at Port Glasgow, Scotland.

                    ^ Lest someone misunderstand, there are preachers, teachers and theologians out there 

                       who're dispensing the truth about all this. God will always have a remnant He can count 

                       on. To my knowledge, though, none of those trustworthy servants have attained the 

                       "superstar" status of some of their wildly popular detractors...

          In the interest of fairness—Most of today's deceivers are, themselves, deceived. They have typically trusted Bible experts for their information. Some of those denominational "experts" are malicious. Those you trust, who do they trust? "Thus saith the LORD; 'Cursed be the man that trusteth in man...'" —Jeremiah 17:5

          The sequencing of words and phrases in New Testament Greek is quite different from the sequencing of words and phrases in English. That's why the literal translation that follows was awkward for me, at first. I was able to remedy that by focusing on the key words and phrases (i.e.: those I've emphasized, below) and then researching each of them in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. You should be able to comprehend what Jesus really said, too. I think you'll conclude that what He said is strikingly different from what we keep hearing that He said from most of today's pulpits:

          > "Watch lest you be led lead astray Many for will come on the name of Me saying I AM and 

             the time has come not Therefore go after them" —Jesus, at Luke 21:8...as quoted from 

             The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Volume IV of The Interlinear Hebrew-

             Greek-English Bible, 2nd Edition, © 1985 by Jay Green, Sr.

          The word, "I," there, is Strong's G-1473. It is correctly translated in the KJV. Strong's makes a special point of noting that this particular Greek word for “I” was used only when the speaker was being emphatic. From that, one might logically surmise that Jesus may have pointed to his own chest when he uttered this word, "I." If he had intended to say that each deceiver would proclaim himself to be Christ, the Greek scribes would more likely have chosen quite another word, here, perhaps Strong's G-846, G-848, G-1438 or G-1992. (I suggest that you verify all that for yourself. Need help? Just ask.)

          The word, "AM," is Strong's G-1510—the conjugated first person singular verb "to be," in the present progressive (or, in context, the present perfect) tense. It is correctly translated, "am," in the KJV. Strong's again makes a special point of noting that this particular Greek word for “AM” was used only when the speaker was being emphatic. From that, one might justly conclude that Jesus may have continued pointing to his own chest when he spoke this critical word, "AM." Otherwise, the Greek scribes would likely have chosen the much softer New Testament Greek word that is Strong's G-1511. That word is translated "am," too, at Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27, Luke 9:18 and Acts 13:25.

          The phrase, "has come," is Strong's G-1448. It means to approach; be at hand; come (draw) near; be (come/draw) nigh. Given Strong's entry, the logical conclusion is that the KJV translation of this Luke 21:8b phrase, "and the time draweth near," is more accurate; i.e.: "any day, now."

          Paul was also quite concerned about the inevitable deception and confusion concerning the end-time sequence:

          > "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by 

             letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any 

             means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man 

             of sin be revealed, the son of perdition^...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, 

             shewing himself that he is God." —2 Thessalonians 2:2-4

                    ^ "Who's the son of perdition?" Some Bible experts who haven't done their basic homework 

                       teach that it's Judas. It's Satan. 

                       Please follow this link to confirm that: www.dypk.org/Appendices/Appendix%204.pdf.

             Can unbelievers "fall away?"

          Paul's message, here, is simple and straightforward:"The day of Christ is NOT 'at hand'." Many Bible scholars think someone had convinced the Thessalonian church people that the day of Christ had already come and that they had missed it. Our research hasn't fully confirmed that, but we concede that it's certainly a possibility. In either case, both Jesus and Paul described some significant events that must occur BEFORE Christ's return to gather the saints unto himself. NONE of those events have happened yet. Could they all happen, rapid-fire, tomorrow? No. Many will be surprised to learn that the "final countdown" events do NOT include blood moons, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and rumors of wars or even the apparent rise of Gog and Magog (Russia).

          Satan will successfully masquerade as Jesus Christ: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [Even him], whose coming is AFTER the working of Satan..." —2 Thessalonians 2:8,9

          That word, "after," will become extremely important to you as you continue your study to gain original truth about the relative timing (not to include the day or hour) of Christ's return to gather the saints. Superstar prophecy SPIN masters seduce the uninformed: "Trust me: What's written, there, is not really what Paul intended for us to understand…" Even the preachers who follow them fall for it.

          Please keep in mind that Jesus told us, explicitly, at Luke 21;8, that we must not follow those people who claim that "Jesus could split the eastern skies any day now," no matter how "spiritual" or spine-tingling the message. Jesus will NOT come "any day now." How can we know that, definitively? Read Revelation 11:3-15 for full comprehension. Questions? Please ask.

          I think you'll also want to read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, as-if-no-one-had-ever-explained-what-it-means. Here are the last two verses of that critical passage:

          > "…because they received not the love of truth [about when Christ will come back to 

             gather us^], that they might be saved…God shall send them strong delusion, that they 

             should believe a lie [about when Christ will come back to gather us^]. That they might 

             all be damned who believed not the truth [about when Christ will come back to gather 

             us^]…" —2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

                    ^ Yes; the italicized bracketed text, here, is mine. My intent is to leave no doubt about the 

                       context of what Paul wrote here.

          Many of today's wolves in sheep's clothing honestly don't know they're Satan's agents of misinformation. But should they not, as paid professional Christians, know there is not even one scripture to credibly support their message? Their faithful followers who fail to figure that out for themselves will worship the wrong "christ." When they finally discover that, they'll be on a fateful flight into outer darkness (deep space?). Their weeping and gnashing of teeth won't be from flames licking at their bottoms and toes, though. It'll be from their anguish of knowing they had fallen for Satan's great con. 

These are the easy-to-recognize deceitful rapture theory talking points. Beware of those who faithfully regurgitate them:

          —"Get ready! Jesus is coming!"

          —"Christ's return for his Bride is imminent."

          —"The time for our Lord's coming draws near!"

          —"Jesus could split the eastern skies any day, now!"

          —"There is no prophecy that must be fulfilled before our precious Lord and Savior 

              comes to Rapture his Bride."

          Those are really attractive and comforting messages, to be sure. I grew up believing them all. But, then, fables almost always sound more religious than Bible truth. 

          The "christ" who may be likely to come for them soon is Satan, himself. Like the real Christ, Satan will also ride in on a symbolic white horse...for Phase One of his successful masquerade [See Revelation 6:2.]. 

          > "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 

              —Paul, at 1 Thessalonians 5:4

          My teachers did the same thing your teachers have done: They taught me what their teachers had taught them. Where did their teachers get it? From their teachers. That's reminiscent of the children's party game called "Gossip;" isn't it? The religious-sounding fables grow more and more absurd with their year-in-year-out repeating. Might it be worth your while to invest some personal time in prayerful meditation on that...?

          Ever wonder about the prophetic roles of blood moons, tsunamis and earthquakes? Our next article is about them. 

          Many Bible scholars find it especially interesting that neither the LION of Judah [Micah 5:8] nor the UNICORN of Israel-Joseph-Ephraim [Deuteronomy 33:16-17] is associated with the modern nation of Israel. But the heraldry of Great Britain and of Ireland include both of them! The ARROWS and the OLIVE BRANCH of Joseph-Manasseh are associated with the United States. (As info, the tribe of Ephraim was the largest of the 12 tribes of original Israel, and of the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the two nations split in 922 B.C. That's why the Northern nation of Israel is often called "Ephriam" in the Bible.)

          "The tragedy of Protestant Christianity today is that men can't find the kingdom. It is still a mystery to them. They look for it  in their hearts, in heaven, and everywhere in God's universe except in the midst of their national existence." —One Man's Destiny (1942) by C. R. Dickey, page 54

          So! If those die-hard rapture theorists are right – that the genetic descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel must endure to the bitter end of The Great Tribulation – then they're still wrong about you and me...aren't they? In fairness, before the 19th Century almost nobody suspected any of this. But we live in the 21st Century. This is often called "The Information Age." Those Bible "experts" who still don't know (and share) all this are without excuse. You and I are wise in refusing to be among the victims of their arrogant ignorance.

          There are lots of conflicting and, therefore, confusing messages out there about when Jesus will split the eastern skies: God's not the author of that confusion; Satan and his hoard of earthly emissaries are the culprits. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." —1 Thessalonians 5:4