An Orbiting City 1500 miles on a side, a cube, twelve gates.
“...Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying,
“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.
Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates,
and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth.
And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. (1500 miles)
Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits,
according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones:
the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius,
the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.
The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light,
and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
And they shall bring (The one hundred forty four thousand) the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie,
but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:9-27)
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh
—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—
that at that time you were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances,
so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(Ephesians 2:3-22)
Most artist's conceptions of New Jerusalem picture it as a one-story town, like a medieval city. That one-level city of 1500 x 1500 x 5280 x 5280 square feet would still house a lot of people. That's 64 x 1012 square feet! Let's assign the First Generation of approximately 30 million followers of Jesus to live on this ground floor. That's 10 percent of the world population back then.
On the Ground Floor we also will probably find the Tree of Life, the River of Life and a big public area. The River of Life will emerge, apparently, from under the Throne and flow out at of the City at ground level. (I take the Bible at face value, not resorting to symbols until a literal explanation fails).
In the regard, a few words about the Rapture. It is an appointed date known only to God, but an event that could happen at any time. It will happen on earth time's regular calendar but we aren't told when. In the last rapture craze, date-setting proved terrible wrong. See Rapture Resources, Hunkered Down and Is the Rapture on Hold? The Rapture is the sudden removal of God's people "like a thief in the night." Since the number of real followers of Jesus is small, the rapture may go unnoticed, especially is secular news media are saturated with newsworthy events happening down on earth. Those of us who have come to know Jesus recently will be added on to the tail end of the church! Another factor to note is population growth since the First Century.
Businesses on earth, by the way, are usually managed "top-down" with a CEO up near the top of the tower, and the maintenance people in the basement. Visitors enter at ground level where a receptionist directs them to elevators which whisk them up so the floor where a particular VP hangs out in the office they are visiting. The grand city Jesus is building runs instead on "servant authority." The New Testament contrasts this as the difference between the performance "Old Covenant" and the New Covenant put into effect by Jesus at the Last Supper. This is why I suggest Jesus, the Apostles and leaders of the Church will live on the ground floor.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. " (Hebrews 8:10-13)
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life,
which bore twelve fruits,
each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it,
and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
There shall be no night there:
They need no lamp nor light of the sun,
for the Lord God gives them light.
And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)
The world population in the time of Christ was about 200-300 million people. 64 x 1012 square feet in New Jerusalem divided by 30 million people is 24 x 105 square feet per person. In the First Century lots of people were farmers, orchard owners, fisherman, craftsmen. Our city planners may locate the followers of Christ in the first generation on the ground floor, along with the Apostles and Prophets. New Jerusalem does not seem to have a penthouse nor windows!
But New Jerusalem ought to have at least 50 Floors if we allocate one floor of every generation from the First Century to the 21st. (A generation in the Bible is 40 years). This is of course arbitrary--the transition from one floor to the next may well be continuous--like real life. The family tree from Adam till now has been continuous. So the space between each floor, 36 miles, could well be filled with habitats. Thus entire space from the top to the bottom might be filled with people, uniformly filled, not in layers. Assume we are the last generation before the Rapture. Our assigned space is the 50th Floor of New Jerusalem.
Only the Uppermost floors will be "crowded." On our Floor, #50, 10% Christians out of a total of 8000 million people on earth is 800 million people occupying 5 x 1012 square feet. This is still 6000 square feet per person. The population growth curve on the left shows that the steep increase in population began to be important only about 2000. This means that the last four generations is where the number of people on the planet skyrocketed. This curve on the left does not accurately show population numbers. The curve on the right does.
There are two major issues to be considered. A starting model that might apply if the entire world was just like us Americans. Americans number only 332 million persons which if 332/8000 or 4% of the total.
Most citizens of New Jerusalem will have lived simple life styles as farmers, etc.
So far we have only considered four dimensional space-time in the City of New Jerusalem. The City has 12 gates so the residents and visitors can come and go night or day. The gates are at the base of the city apparently. (Jerusalem, Israel is noted to this day for being a gated city.) Probably New Jerusalem will have more than four dimensions inside.
Four years ago, when I first began to think and pray about heaven, I imagined each family with have their own Narnia-like habitat. From the exterior, every Narnia unit would have a plain closet-like entrance. I also suggest, as had my friend Chuck Missler done several years ago, that the space inside New Jerusalem might well be multidimensional, instead of the present four dimensions. Chuck proposed the City would have a Mezzanine for viewing events down on the planet from a safe balcony. Our Lord Jesus will live in New Jerusalem with us, His Bride. Headquarters for the 144,000 Jewish end-time evangelists might be in Jerusalem Below, (Israel).
This model matches the marvelous properties of our new resurrection bodies. I suggest that time travel will be available.
I have several hundred books in my library at home. But I have only two books on "Heaven" Both are accurate, sound, thorough--but very dull. Some people think of heaven as eternal bliss. No more chores, duties, or projects. I don't think so. God gave Adam the tough job of managing the entire planet and all the animals as well. Fast forward and you'll see that we all need work as part of living life a God intended it. Work was prescribed for man even before the Fall. But there is surely no slave labor in heaven. Take the sin out of us and living together will be pure delight. Meantime we are expected to get a job, take our place in the work force and contribute to society. As a reference point, consider the Apostle Paul's words to the Thessalonians:
"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-15)
Our seven year sojourn in New Jerusalem will not be boring for sure. From the Mezzanine we can view the simultaneous full development of evil down on Earth under the fake Messiah. Jesus as Captain of the Armies of Heaven will be working directly with His Agents on earth, the 144 thousand Jewish evangelists.
The many converts (millions) of the 144k will be hunted down and quickly executed. Our part in this great evangelism crusade may well be Intercessory Prayer.
Many of us had boring jobs during our lifetimes. Our bosses were not the best, our fellow workers not always easy to work with. Not all of us will spend time in the mezzanine of NJ where we can see everything going on down on the planet. The concept of a Mezzanine in heaven originated with my friend, Chuck Missler. New Jerusalem is only our temporary home. It's located, apparently in the Second Heaven, not the Third.
Most housewives know all about their exhausting workload at home. All these notes are intended to show that life does not end when they bury your body at your funeral--that is if you know Jesus.
Heaven is widely believed to be a reward for serving God, healing of hurts, justice and healing for all. The ideas expressed here may well raise more questions than providing comfort and closure.
I have assumed in these articles that the Church is judged separately from Israel or from the Antediluvians for example. But there is a paradoxical passage in Hebrews 11 regarding Abraham (circa 2200 BC).
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10)
Ray Stedman comments as follows: "Already in Hebrews Abraham has shared with Moses a prominent part as an example of faith in the redemptive process. Again, he appears as the pre-eminent role model for all believers in Christ. Verses 8-19 are devoted almost exclusively to Abraham's faith and the author's comments on it. He singles out the highlights of Abraham's life, beginning with his call to leave Mesopotamia and culminating with his willingness to sacrifice Isaac at God's command. At every point, Abraham responded to a promise of God with unwavering obedience. That is the writer's chief point. God promised Abraham a land, a posterity, a great name and universal influence (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham believed God and left his kinfolk his present comforts and prosperity, and, at the age of seventy-five, set out for Canaan, a land he had never visited and knew nothing about (v. 8). When he got there he lived as a resident alien, residing in tents and owning nothing except the cave of Machpelah in Hebron, where he buried his wife, Sarah. The motive for this remarkable behavior was his anticipation that God would fulfill his promise and produce on earth, a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God (vv. 9-10).
It is amazing how far Abraham saw by faith. He lived two thousand years before Christ, and we live two thousand years after him. Yet Abraham, believing that what God had said would take place, looked across forty centuries of time and beyond to the day when God would bring to earth a city with eternal foundations, Abraham saw what John saw in Revelation: a city coming down from heaven onto earth (Revelation 21). That is what Abraham longed for; an earth run after God's order, where people would dwell together in peace, harmony, blessing, beauty and liberty. Because of that hope he was content to dwell his whole life in tents, looking for God's fulfillment. Abraham shows us that faith seizes upon a revealed event and lives in anticipation of it. Faith gives purpose and destination to life. The hope of achieving a Utopian city of peace and universal blessing is what we hold out for even today; "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
New Jerusalem is important in the New Testament account for only two millennia, apparently. It does not seem to be the permanent home of the saints of the Old Testament prior to Pentecost. In the New Testament, the Heavenly City descends to earth and merges with Jerusalem below, the present Jerusalem, Israel.
The population of New Jerusalem ("temp heaven") will be, s noted, many millions of men, women, and children from every nation. (200 nations total). New Jerusalem will probably have a Mayor. Teddy Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem, Israel from 1965 to 1993. His success was because of his skill at bringing disparate political factions together to live in harmony. There is an important clue in the case of New Jerusalem. The CEO, Jesus, is on the ground floor.
"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)
From John Eldredge"You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect." (Hebrews 12:22–23 NLT) That phrase “the righteous ones ... made perfect.” I can hardly speak. Finally, the totality of our being will be saturated only with goodness. Think of it—think of all that you’re not going to have to wrestle with anymore. The fear that has been your lifelong battle, the anger, the compulsions, the battles to forgive, that nasty root of resentment. No more internal civil wars; no doubt, no lust, no regret; no shame, no self-hatred, no gender confusion. What has plagued you these last many years? What has plagued you all your life? Your Healer will personally lift it from your shoulders. What tender intimacy is foretold when we are promised that our loving Father will wipe every tear from our eyes personally—not only tears of sorrow, but all the tears of shame, guilt, and remorse. That moment alone will make the whole journey worth it. Yet there is more. The armies of heaven ride in on white horses, dressed in white linen. It is a symbol of the righteousness that now radiates from their hearts, the center of their being. The radiance is character; it is goodness. You will be free, alive, whole, young, gorgeous, valiant. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own. (1 John 3:2–3 The Message) But you are going to get to know that person really well. Book by John Eldredge, "All Things New." |
You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to see that family trees, connexions, contacts and family values are a big deal with God. Every generation since Adam has messed up in this regard, so we'll all need a rehab program when we get to New Jerusalem? For the first time ever, we'll be the true family of God with innate ability to get along with one another!
Kids suffer most of all when parents divorce or neglect them. Good marriages are few and far between now, at the end of the age. No new children will be born in heaven evidently, but lots of kids in heaven will need re-parenting, schooling and lots of nurturing. But heaven will be one great extended family most likely. There will surely be healing groups for those who suffered Arrested Emotional Development, for the fatherless and the motherless. Surely something better that the best homeschooling we now have, will be everywhere.
There are many answered questions--about whether or not kids in heaven grow up to adult hood in heaven? What about aborted fetuses? Do they grow up and become adults? Are there schools in New Jerusalem? Surely! What kind of rehab centers, hospitals, clinics are there.
Will God give me back my wasted years? NO matter what destructed life style you endured while living down on the planet, there will surely be all sorts of way to recover. Entering heaven will surely be a transformative process, so my remarks are surely tentative.
With the Man Christ Jesus taking as Bride, millions of men, women, and children, physical sexual relations won't be found. In heaven we'll all have new bodies, free of lust and selfish cravings.
These sketchy notes leave much to be desired. Hence the many links. Your email is welcome.
Sorry.
The Greek word "Harpazo" means to "catch away" "to snatch"
by force if necessary.
It’s coming. Whether you believe in the Harpazō or not, you will be affected by it. If you’ve accepted Christ for salvation, then you will be taken to Heaven to be with Jesus. However, if you’ve rejected Christ’s offer of salvation, you will face God’s wrath. Scripture is clear about the Rapture/Harpazō, but many who call themselves Christians haven’t a clue what it is. I’m sorry to say, that pastors seldom teach about it, and the congregation sleeps in the pews never opening their Bibles to read, let alone study, God’s word. The Rapture is our blessed hope. It’s a promise that those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, won’t face God’s wrath and judgment during the final seven years of history on earth. There is much written in Scripture about the Rapture, but there are various interpretations and it can get confusing.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” – 2 Peter 1:20-21.
It’s always best to just believe what God says and not listen to man’s ideas. Some pastors teach that there won’t be a Rapture. These same preachers are most likely in error on other clear Biblical truths. Most likely they believe in Replacement Theology, which is the false belief that Christians have replace the Jewish people in God’s heart. We haven’t replaced them: we have our own special place, and they have their special place. Then there is the ridiculous idea that Christians have to go through the Great Tribulation so that the we can be purified. Really? That’s what Christ did for us. No human is sinless, and only the sinless blood of God can take our sin away. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and therefore fully God. He was also fully human, because His mother, Mary, was human.
When the Apostle Paul was in Thessalonica, he taught them deep truth in a very short time. He was there three weeks and not only taught them the truth of the Gospel, but taught them about the Rapture. He also established a congregation there that was truly saved. They remembered his teaching about the Rapture, but they also saw tremendous persecution happening all around them. The Christians there forgot what had been taught to them and were concerned that they had missed the Rapture. Paul assured them they hadn’t missed it, then went on to explain the order of events. The Rapture is a fact.
“Now we beseech you, brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 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.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.
Today, there are more and more people, even pastors, who deny the truth of the Rapture, or else place it out of order when teaching on the end times. Christ will come for us before the events of the final seven years, and before the Antichrist is revealed.
“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;” – 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
The Greek word “apostasia” is translated “falling away” and there is debate over what Paul meant. Did he mean there would be many people believe false doctrine, or did he mean there would be a departure? This could actually mean both. There are many, many false doctrines being taught and according to Paul’s letters to Timothy, this is a sign of the times. Pastors go to seminary and learn to question God’s truth, then come up with their own interpretation of Scripture, write books, and lead thousands upon thousands of people astray. Paul could have also meant that the man of sin cannot be revealed as long as Christians are on earth. The Holy Spirit resides in us and restrains the totally evil man to be able to come into power. As Christians become more worldly, it’s easier for Satan to work his evil, and all things are falling into place for the Rapture first, then the seven years of tribulation.
No matter what exactly Paul had in mind, there are many signs that the Rapture is drawing near. Things are getting unbelievably wicked in the world and Christians are going along with the worldly ways that lead to destruction. Shame on us for not standing firm on God’s truth. The Apostle John wrote that we need to test spirits.
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” – 1 John 4:3.
Brothers and sisters, study Scripture and prepare yourself to discern God’s truth from Satan’s lies. Then stand firm on the solid foundation of God’s truth.
Paul agreed with John.
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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 with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10.
John had written that the “spirit of antichrist” was already in the world, and Paul said that the only thing that holds this evil in check is the Holy Spirit. Only God can restrain Satan. When Christians are Raptured, the man of sin will have a free rein to deceive all who are left behind. The Holy Spirit will continue His work to draw the unsaved and reveal God’s truth to all who are left behind, but you’d be wise to listen to Him now. Satan is a liar and is able to deceive anyone who has rejected God’s truth. When Jesus walked this earth, He did many miracles. He healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, fed thousands with a few fish and some bread, and many more wonderous signs. These were true miracles, but Satan has some power, too. Nothing like the power of God, but he will empower the man of sin to work “signs and lying wonders”. He will deceive the people left here. Jesus talked about this.
“But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” – John 5:42-43.
If you don’t have the love of God in you, then you are open to the deceptive lies of Satan and the antichrist.
God has done everything He can to bring everyone to salvation. He entered His creation and willingly allowed Himself to be crucified…the final sacrifice for our sin. He gave us Scripture and there have been many Christians who share their faith. The Truth is available to anyone who seeks it. Unfortunately, many have rejected the truth. They will be left on earth to face the horrors of the Great Tribulation.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.
What’s the lie? There are many ideas about this. Some say that the lie is that UFOs are good and benevolent beings from a distant star system. They have come to help humanity to live better. That is certainly a lie. As we draw nearer to the end of time, and Christians aren’t standing strong in their faith, we hear more about UFO sightings and many people claim to have been abducted. These reports are too numerous to ignore and are something that Satan would do in order to bring fear and confusion. Could the lie be that men think they are really women, and women think they are men? In his letter to the Romans, Paul goes into great detail about what happens when God is rejected as the Creator. A belief in the lie of evolution leads to sexual depravity. Jesus said that it would be incredibly wicked at the end.
“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.” – Luke 17:26-29.
If you study what was happening during Noah’s time and Lot’s time, you will see very similar things that are happening today. You have to study Scripture. Most pastors don’t touch on this subject at all, and therefore many Christians haven’t any idea of what’s happening in the world around us.
Another delusion that will be strong is that the Antichrist is actually Jesus and worthy of worship.
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” – Revelation 13:3-4.
This, of course, happens after the Rapture. Christians will be in Heaven with Jesus, but the Antichrist will be alive and well, deceiving those left behind and causing everyone to take his mark. When a person takes the mark of the beast, they can no longer be saved. The world is being prepared for the end times, so be very careful what you allow into your body.
God has given us all the information we need in order to avoid being deceived. We all have a choice. If you study Scripture…really study and not just read it or believe everything the preacher says…you might find that you are believing things that God doesn’t say in Scripture. It’s easier to be deceived if you don’t have facts.
“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.” – Acts 17:11.
Don’t be deceived or fall for any of Satan’s lies.
It’s easy to be deceived if you don’t know truth. Study Scripture and don’t compromise God’s truth.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.
The Seven Churches in New Jerusalem
The True Church during the Tribulation
The Church at the End of the Age
The Citizenry of New Jerusalem
Going Up Home to Green Pastures
Ralph Stanley
Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs
Dry Branch Fire Squad
Fifty Miles of Elbow Room
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Newsletter #44 March 2022