I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO DIE FOR CHRIST or Allah! (PART I)
In light of the many recent be-headings and murders of Christians by radicalized Muslims or Islamic Extremists, some in the Church are teaching that if you are in the place God wants you to be and this happens to you, then it is “gain,” because even Paul said it was better to be with Christ than to be ministering here on earth or so it is taught. Who really benefits when a Christian dies? Both Muslims and Christians hold the erroneous belief in life immediately after death. I think there would far fewer suicide bombers if they knew the truth.
Paul said in Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” When we look at this verse as it stands alone it leaves us with the impression that death is something to be gained, yet we know that death is and always will be an enemy; the greatest enemy of life. No one gains anything by being dead; not God, not Jesus and certainly not you. In order to “gain” a proper understanding of the preceding verse it must be seen in its context. In its context we must go back and read from the beginning of the chapter to the end of the Epistle. In verse 6 we read:
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Phil 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Phil 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
We can see that the context preceding verse 21 is “the day of Jesus Christ” when he returns to gather us together to heaven. This was Paul’s earnest expectation and hope and should be ours as well. The words “earnest expectation,” is the Greek word apokaradokia, to watch with intense anticipation, and is used in one other place in regards to the creation:
Rom 8:18-19 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. NKJV
When are the sons of God revealed? When they/we return with Jesus for the Battle of Armageddon.
The second word Paul uses in conjunction with earnest expectation is his “hope,” elpis. Hope is often associated with the return of Jesus Christ:
Col 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, NASB
1 Thess 2:19-20 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. NASB
Phil 1:23
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Webster
(TBC, see Part II)
Part V of Identifying the False Prophet; the Predecessor of the Antichrist
As you have seen from the previous four segments the end is not yet. It could be said and has been said by many that “we are definitely in the end times.” As I have said before, there will be things leading up to the apokalupto of the False Prophet, but what they will be no one knows for sure. And I don’t believe anyone can tell you with absolute certainty that we are in the end times. I have shown you what will happen after being Caught Up, harpazoo, of 1Thess. 4:17, but no one knows what will be going on prior to that.
There are no prophecies concerning this Age because none of the prophets before Paul knew anything about this age. This age was kept a secret by God:
Rom 16:25-27 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel (Paul’s) and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret which has been kept silent since the world began but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the (Christian) prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy (Christian) apostles and prophets by spirit; (How many Old Testament apostles can you name?)
Since none of them, no one, had any knowledge of this Secret Age, they could not have prophesied anything about it, particularly what to expect before the Gathering Together of the saints! In other words no one has any idea when this will occur. There are no worldly events which will indicate when it will happen.
Now, if I am wrong about the Rapture and there is none as many believe, at least you know what to look for concerning the False Prophet.
So, when will “the end” come? Let’s see what 1 Cor 15:20-26 says:
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep (dead). 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the standing up from the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, (Remember the 5 parts of the Parousia, coming, in Part IV?) This is addressing the dead, those who are asleep.
24 then comes the end, when He, Jesus, hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death (death is not destroyed until Rev. 20:14, after the Millennial Kingdom.) NASU
When all of the “whens” have occurred, then comes the end!
Part IV of Identifying the False Prophet; the Predecessor of the Antichrist
Clarification of The Events Before and After the Revealing of the False Prophet
2 Thess 2:1 was the first verse of Part III Identifying the False Prophet; the Predecessor of the Antichrist.; Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, WEB
Coming is the Greek word Parousia and there are many aspects of this Coming:
The 1st aspect of the Parousia is our gathering together to him. These 2 words are the one word episunagoge. Look at this word for a minute and you can see epi as in epicenter center and synagogue. Episunagoge means a complete collection, especially a Christian meeting. When Christians come together for a meeting it is usually called a Church, which is the equivalent of the synagogue for the Jewish meetings. Episunagoge comes from the word episunago, which means to gather together besides and in one place.
The suffix of these 2 Greek words is agoo, which means to lead by accompanying to or into a place or destination; to attach oneself to as an attendant.
Verse 3 tells us that the day of the LORD will not come until the “Departure” comes first! 2 Thess 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, WEB. The word for departure is apostasia, apo, away from and stasia, to stand.
Apo NT:575 is used of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place (of departing, fleeing, removing, expelling, throwing, etc. Luke 22:41 2. used of the separation of apart from the whole; where of a whole some part is taken.* (Translating apostasia into apostasy is not translating at all, but is transliterating it into a similar English word. It is fraudulent and deceptive, as well as lazy).
The verb of motion in this verse that apostasia is used after is erchomai, “except there come.” This seals the deal. It means to come from one place into another! Metaphorically, of Christ’s invisible return from heaven.*
After the Gathering Together of the saints to Heaven (the Rapture) the 2nd aspect of the Parousia is the revealing, unveiling, or uncovering, apokalupto, of the False Prophet.
The 3rd aspect of the Parousia is the Great Tribulation.
The 4th is The Bema, the Judgement Seat of Christ, where all Christians will be either rewarded for what we did with what we had on earth: 2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. KJV
The 5th is the 2nd Coming of Christ with us, 2 Thess 1:7-10 when the Lord Jesus is revealed, apokalupto, from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified with his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.WEB 1 Thess 3:13 at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
When Christ gathers us together, there is no apokalupto, no angels in flaming fire and none of God’s vengeance. At the Gathering Together no one sees Jesus coming in the clouds. Just look at the contrast here:
1 Thess 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. KJV Caught up is the word harpazoo which means to snatch out or away; proverbial, to rescue from the danger of destruction. You will also see that we meet Jesus in the air. It is customary in Eastern cultures that a host who is expecting company, go out to the edge of town to escort them back to their home. This is the same concept. Jesus does not come to earth.
Tribulation Now?
As thrilling as it might be to read things about the End Times & the Great Tribulation, no one knows when they will be. In chapters XI, XII, XIII & XIV of my book, I go into great detail why these events cannot be known and there are no prophecies that pertain to the times in which we live.
Before you order it through Amazon at https://fredswolfe.com/ you can “Look Inside.” Basically, before Jesus’ ascension, he did not know about the Age in which we live today. (Here is where some of you will say, “but he was God and God knows everything,” yet in his own admission he stated that only the Father knows when he is coming back.
There are some people who are now saying that we are in the beginning stages of the Tribulation because of all the atrocities and wars going on throughout the world, as well as the lawlessness that prevails in many government leaders. Because I am here, and am writing this, I can assure you that we are not. The False Prophet is unveiled at the beginning of the Tribulation, performing lying signs, miracles and wonders. Has anyone heard of this?
Many Christians do not believe in the Rapture of the Church prior to the unveiling of the False Prophet, one of the antichrist’s, but I do. The Bible states that unless “a falling away” he apostasia, comes first the son of perdition will not appear. You can see the true meaning of Apostasia in the footnotes of page 106, but basically it means departure. This departure is called the “gathering together” or episunagoge.
As far as prophecies go, yes there are many about the end times but not the administration of the Secret which God kept a secret until He told it to the ascended Christ who in turn revealed it to the apostle Paul. It only stands to reason by mere deduction that if only God knew about it, no one could prophesy about it. Doesn’t that make sense?
Yes, these are trying times and when this age will end, no one knows. For now all of our friends can still be saved by the grace of God for merely making Jesus The Lord of their lives and believing God raised him from the dead. After the tribulation begins, this will not be the case, as there will no longer be salvation by grace. During the tribulation salvation will only be available by staying faithful through it or to the end of your life, whichever comes first. The latter will most likely come first.
Take advantage of this opportunity to get saved, now, before it is too late. God Bless!
REVIVAL: ARE YOU REALLY READY FOR IT?
A lot of people have been talking about how much a Revival in the church is needed. I couldn’t agree more but think it is next to impossible, if not impossible.There are many reasons I think it is impossible since the church is so far removed from the precepts of the 1st Century Church. For example :
- The True Church is the Body of Christ, not the bride of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:27
- It was to be built upon the foundation of Paul, not the 4 Gospels, 1 Cor. 3:10-12
- Jesus was born, came into existence, as a descendant of David, Mt. 1:1
- He did not preexist his birth or live before he was born, not reincarnated Mt. 1:18
- God is not in control of the world, Satan is, 2 Cor. 4:4, Lk. 4:6
- the Holy Spirit is not something separate from God, but is God; Ps. 99:9, Jn. 4:24,
- God is the Holy Spirit while the devil is the unholy spirit
- the dead in Christ are dead, along with every other person who has lived and died, 1 Thess. 4:16, Job 14:12, Ps. 13:3, Acts 13:36, 1 Cor. 11:30
- water baptism serves no purpose other than an “emotional” high and was replaced by “spirit” baptism, Acts 1:8, 11:16
- The Secret, as revealed to Paul by the ascended Christ, is all but unknown to the church, let alone understood, Eph. 3:1-9, Ro. 16:25,26, Col. 1:25-29
- Jesus, before his ascension, was limited in knowledge, Mt. 16:28, 24:36, Mk. 9:1, 13:32, Lk. 9:27
- there is nothing written in the 4 Gospels about the Rapture, it is part of the Secret, first revealed to Paul, 2 Thess. 2:1-3
- what is written in the gospels that the church thinks is about the Rapture, is in reality the 2nd coming of Christ, when the Church comes with him to the earth, 2 Thess. 1:7b-10
- this is when Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, Rev 17:14, 19:16
- the Kingdom of God, when His Son Jesus will be King, will be set up after the battle of Armagedon, in Israel, for 1,000 years,
- the Kingdom of God and of His Son is still in the future, not on the earth today
- the 9 manifestations of the Spirit (miscalled gifts) are to be in operation in every church, all the time, that the Church may be edified, 1 Cor. 14:5,12,26
- the “equipping” ministries are to be in operation in the church for its edifying also, Eph. 4:12,16,29
- the Temple is the entire Body of Christ, not the individual, the individual is the tabernacle, 2 Cor. 5:1-4
These are but a few of the the things that today’s church have been mislead to believe or not to believe. How can there possibly any profitable revival when so much error is being practiced in the church? The word revival begins with “re” meaning to do again, do over. Here are a few definitions of revival:
- The act of reviving, or the state of being revived.
- Renewed attention to something, as to letters or literature.
- Renewed performance of, or interest in, something, as the drama and literature.
- Renewed interest in religion, after indifference and decline; a period of religious awakening; special religious interest.
The Church of the Body of Christ definitely needs a “do-over,” I will agree. But how many are willing to throw away 1700 years of error, steeped in tradition to do so? Our only hope is the gathering together of the saints, when Christ will settle it all at the Bema, where those who built upon the foundation Paul laid will be rewarded and those who did not will suffer loss. 1 Cor. 3
(see more on this subject at https://fredSwolfe.com)
Apostasia–apostasy or departure; error or truth?
There is some controversy regarding this word in 2 Th 2:3. The following are displays how several translations or versions has it:
for unless the apostasy comes first, NASU
for unless the falling away comes first, NKJV
for unless the rebellion comes first, ESV
for except the falling away come first, ASV
for unless there come a revolt first, Douay-Rheims
for it will not be unless the departure comes first, WEB
except there come a falling away first, KJV
Apostasia has been translated as a falling away, a departure, a revolt and a rebellion. It was transliterated as apostasy, which is not a translation at all. This transliteration has evolved into revolt and rebellion, as well. My vote is on departure, but if apostasy were correct, what would it look like?
Noun, The abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.
Synonyms: defection – recreancy
There are 18 prepositions in the New Testament, one of which is apo. Apo governs only the Genitive case and denotes motion away from the surface of an object, as a line drawn from the circumference. It is used as motion away from a place. For example:
Mt. 3:16: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway “out of” (apo) the water:
Mt 8:1 When he was come down “from” (apo) the mountain,
Ac 15:38
But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed “from” (apo) them
Mt. 19:4 and Acts 20:18 mark the distance which separates the 2 places or the interval of time between the 2 places.
Apo also marks the origin or source whence anything comes such as birth descent, residence:
Mt 2:1
there came wise men “from” the east
Mt 15:1
which were “of” Jerusalem, saying,
Ac 10:23
certain brethren “from” Joppa
Apo may also be used of deliverance or passing away from any state or condition:
Mt 14:2 he is risen “from” the dead (From E. W. Bullinger.)
With all this biblical evidence you should be able to see that apo governs physical displacement, not a mental change in attitude. Bullinger uses a circle to represent how the preposition apo acts: a line drawn away from its edge. This circle represents the earth and the line drawn away from its surface is our departure to Heaven. There is no evidence whatsoever of a defection away from truth or God in any way, shape or form.
If not, what?
REVIVAL? WHO ARE WE KIDDING?
A lot of people have been talking about how much a Revival in the church is needed. I couldn’t agree more but think it is next to impossible, if not impossible.There are many reasons I think it is impossible since the church is so far removed from the precepts of the 1st Century Church. For example :
- The True Church is the Body of Christ, not the bride of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:27
- It was to be built upon the foundation of Paul, not the 4 Gospels, 1 Cor. 3:10-12
- Jesus was born, came into existence, as a descendant of David, Mt. 1:1
- He did not preexist his birth or live before he was born, not reincarnated Mt. 1:18
- God is not in control of the world, Satan is, 2 Cor. 4:4, Lk. 4:6
- the Holy Spirit is not something separate from God, but is God; Ps. 99:9, Jn. 4:24,
- God is the Holy Spirit while the devil is the unholy spirit
- the dead in Christ are dead, along with every other person who has lived and died, 1 Thess. 4:16, Job 14:12, Ps. 13:3, Acts 13:36, 1 Cor. 11:30
- water baptism serves no purpose other than an “emotional” high and was replaced by “spirit” baptism, Acts 1:8, 11:16
- The Secret, as revealed to Paul by the ascended Christ, is all but unknown to the church, let alone understood, Eph. 3:1-9, Ro. 16:25,26, Col. 1:25-29
- Jesus, before his ascension, was limited in knowledge, Mt. 16:28, 24:36, Mk. 9:1, 13:32, Lk. 9:27
- there is nothing written in the 4 Gospels about the Rapture, it is part of the Secret, first revealed to Paul, 2 Thess. 2:1-3
- what is written in the gospels that the church thinks is about the Rapture, is in reality the 2nd coming of Christ, when the Church comes with him to the earth, 2 Thess. 1:7b-10
- this is when Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, Rev 17:14, 19:16
- the Kingdom of God, when His Son Jesus will be King, will be set up after the battle of Armagedon, in Israel, for 1,000 years,
- the Kingdom of God and of His Son is still in the future, not on the earth today
- the 9 manifestations of the Spirit (miscalled gifts) are to be in operation in every church, all the time, that the Church may be edified, 1 Cor. 14:5,12,26
- the “equipping” ministries are to be in operation in the church for its edifying also, Eph. 4:12,16,29
- the Temple is the entire Body of Christ, not the individual, the individual is the tabernacle, 2 Cor. 5:1-4
These are but a few of the the things that today’s church have been mislead to believe or not to believe. How can there possibly any profitable revival when so much error is being practiced in the church? The word revival begins with “re” meaning to do again, do over. Here are a few definitions of revival:
- The act of reviving, or the state of being revived.
- Renewed attention to something, as to letters or literature.
- Renewed performance of, or interest in, something, as the drama and literature.
- Renewed interest in religion, after indifference and decline; a period of religious awakening; special religious interest.
The Church of the Body of Christ definitely needs a “do-over,” I will agree. But how many are willing to throw away 1700 years of error, steeped in tradition to do so? Our only hope is the gathering together of the saints, when Christ will settle it all at the Bema, where those who built upon the foundation Paul laid will be rewarded and those who did not will suffer loss. 1 Cor. 3
(see more on this subject at https://fredSwolfe.com)
What a Fool I have Been!
The believers of Hitler’s time must have thought Hitler was the Antichrist; surely they believed Christ would return before he was able to do so many horrible things. The point is, there are no signs to indicate his return for the believers of this day and age. The Rapture of the Church is a part of the Sacred Secret, that was kept a secret by God until He revealed unto the apostle Paul, through Jesus Christ.
No one, including Jesus Christ, before his ascension, knew anything about the time in which we now live. It stands to reason that there can be no signs in the Bible as to when this Age will end, since no one knew when it would begin. All this and more is in my book at www.fredswolfe.com. If you did not read it this past year, you owe it to yourself, your children and your grandchildren to do so. Since there are no signs announcing the Rapture (Part 1 of the Parousia) there will be no time to prepare for it. If you are not ready now, you could very well be left behind.
If you are left behind, my book will tell you what to expect and how to make it through the Great Tribulation into the Millennial Kingdom where Christ will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. It will be a thousand years that you will not want to miss. God bless you and happy new year.
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign; Do this, don’t do that, Can’t you read the Signs?
English: An etching by Jan Luyken illustrating Luke 17:34 in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Christians everywhere will tell you about all the current signs of Christ’s return, but do not believe a word they say. There are no signs concerning what is called the Rapture, the Gathering Together, episunagoge, of the Church of God. The reason there are no signs is because the time in which we now live was unknown to everyone who wrote anything in the Bible prior to Saul of Tarsus, A.D. 37-40.
For those of you who have never read the New Testament or are not real familiar with it, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell about the events of the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, which is not the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture occurs 7 years prior to the events you read about there. The mindset of the gospel writers and that of Jesus Christ was that Christ was going to return within 7 years after he ascended into Heaven.
The Apostle John, who wrote the gospel of John, also wrote the book of Revelation and fully expected the things recorded in that book to occur during the first seven years after Jesus’ ascension. But, they did not. Jesus even told some of his disciples that they would not die until they saw the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great glory; yet they did die and no one has seen that yet.
Christians will tell you that Jesus knew everything God knew while he was here the first time but this line of thought is obviously in error. When that Florida preacher was talking about Christ’s return Christians were quick to start quoting Mk 13:32, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” KJV On one hand they says he knows everything, on the other they say he doesn’t. All that matters is what the Bible really says.
The Rapture of the “saved” will occur with no signs at all; you will not know when to prepare yourselves for it. Do not wait for what is recorded in the gospels or you will wish you had not. God bless!
See more in my new book http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/AdvancedSearch/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=rightly+dividing+the+word+of+truth
Home of the Rightly Divided Word 