Rest assured dear believers ~~ blessed assurance is believing IN CHRIST JESUS ~

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Monday, December 26, 2011 The Riches and Wisdom of Exercising God's Word

The exercising and application of God’s Word in a believer’s life produces a heavenly wisdom and comprehension that transcends this earthly realm. Apart from Almighty God these riches can NEVER be obtained by earthly means.

By faith we enter into an arena and realm that few comprehend let alone understand. The ETERNAL heavens are the limit!

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 15:30).

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power (Eph. 1:18-19)

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

http:// http://www.theignorantfishermen.com/2009/11/heavenly-zone.html

Fair use for discussion and educational purposes~

JesusisKing wrote » I feel unworthy each and every day for the rapture.

Feelings won't keep you in the rapture ~  Jesus Christ alone is Worthy as our Savior keeping us in the rapture . . and has sealed His beloved church with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit  ~~

 . .  our salvation was guaranteed the first moment we believed in the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ . . no doubt our willingness to follow our Lord's guidance determines our rewards at the Bema seat ~

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. . " Ephesians 1:13-14

"By the grace God has given me,  I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 

If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames . . " 1 Cor. 3:10-15.

oh, praise God,  the Holy Spirit is our Counsellor, and not controller nor plans on unsealing us or leaving us or forsaking us after we're saved ~~

Repenting means we change our minds  ~~ John the Baptist called the Jews to repent and be saved, not saying 'clean up yourselves lest you won't be saved, but to ADMIT the need for a Savior.

 our sanctification on earth is life long  ~  and so, not good to judge the sheep ~~~  Jesus warned us not to judge the behavior of others unless we want our own behavior judged.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged.    For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again". . . . . . Matthew 7

Most assuredly if we judge some of the sheep as destined to miss the rapture ~~ then that 'belief' places them in judgment under God's wrath ~~~   the church wasn't meant for that~

Riche, well put brother.  We get so caught up in ourselves, our righteousness and the lack of righteousness of others that we do not read the Bible enough and realize the all-encompassing power of God's love.  It is not about us and our sin, but about God and His ability to forgive and to love. 

To say a smoker will not go in the rapture is offensive.  Smoking is a physical addiction that people like my sister, who is one of the most loving Christians I have met, struggles with every day.  Just like I have a brother who dearly loves the Lord and struggles with alcoholism.  I have a friend that is a Christian and cannot help but gossip about everyone.  I, myself, have been a Christian since childhood and I struggle with doubts constantly.  So, I guess since we all have sin, we cannot go in the rapture and Jesus' blood has no power over these sins and God is not big enough to conquer and forgive.  This is utter nonsense.  We all have sins we struggle with, the point is that my God is big enough to overcome and has already done it for me, in spite of my sin nature.

As far as letting 2015 second-coming discussions on this site, it is a fine line what the mods allow and do not allow in this area.  So far, Soon has been polite and has not caused major problems, even though I do not believe the conclusions being drawn are accurate.  We try to let these kinds of discussions go for learning purposes, and we will know soon enough what is true and what is false.  The real discussion isn't really a pre-trib vs. mid-trib viewpoint, but rather if the trib is really 7 years long.  We let these discussions continue for now, just to see what people's view points are.  If it goes against any of the RITAN rules, we will put an end to it.

Mike T wrote:

Hi all, I would like to comment on some of the views Amy brought up.

The Babylon system HAS been drunk on the blood of the saints for more than a millennium. Who was it that persecuted the early Church?  There is not doubt im my mind as to it's identity.

 

The two wars you mentioned can happen after the Rapture. And there is evidence these are separated by a span of time.  We are not told when in the time of testing they occur, so they do not need to happen before the reign of false christ.

 

The Temple in the Wilderness is all that is necessary to be put up.  Scripture does not indicate a stone structure- it only says the,"Holy place".  After the psalm 83 war Israel will be able to put it wherever it wants.

 

The antichrist is one signature away from obtaining all the power he needs right now.  The wars he has already been involved in have demonstrated his control.

 

As for the Jubilee cycles, it APPEARS they are on track because if you dial back one cycle, you find the Balfour agreement at the end of 1917. Exactly one cycle back from 1966.  (Dec. 1917 + 49yrs. = 1966).

 

When you examine the amazing timing involved in prophecy, it is not hard to consider that the timing of events in Israel have been orchastrated, not by men's hand but by God's.

You are still using human logic to pinpoint the Jubilee cycle.  Nobody but God knows for sure when it is.  Also, there is no scripture to tell us that Jesus will "for sure" return in a Jubilee year.  Yes it would make sense, but there is nothing in Scripture to say for sure.  The 2015 date is centered around a cycle used by the Jews that may or may not be accurate as I discussed earlier. 

I agree the Psalm 83/Ezekiel 28 wars can happen quickly, but Daniel chapter 8,9 & 11 show that the antichrist does not come in initially conquering with warfare, but with dimplomacy.  Daniel 11 shows the start of the antichrist military conquests.  I do not believe the abomination of desolation can take place until Daniel 11 is fulfilled, therefore the antichrist is going to have to gain a lot of power quick before the April 11th date:

Daniel 11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Time is running out for the antichrist to exercise his charm in diplomacy before he can gather enough power to have a military that fights for him.

Daniel 8:25 Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity.

Daniel 9:27 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week 

(See Isaiah 28:18-22 to see why this is a "peace covenant")

Daniel 11:21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

As for Mystery Babylon, where are the 10 kings that are to rule under her?

Revelation 17:7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. 12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

I firmly believe in a literal interpretation of Scripture.  Anything less becomes muddy and of private interpretation.  I do not believe that anything after Revelation 3 has occurred yet, nor will it until after the rapture (except in Revelation 12 that goes back to the birth of Jesus in an interlude).  Yes, we see types and parallels of these things throughout the ages, but I am confident that the literal and complete fulfillment is yet to come.

Hi everyone, I have to say this is not the usual RITAN post and I felt a little disturbed reading some of the comments that were made.  There's really nothing I can say that hasn't already been covered but I would like to share a little something I wrote about a year ago.  I really felt that God spoke to me and gave me these words to write: 

No Longer My Own

When I asked Jesus to come in to my heart, I asked Him to live His life through me.

After all, the goal is not to get better and better, the goal is to surrender.

Because it's not about me, It's about Him.

I can no longer take credit for anything in me that's good.

Because there is no good in me, without Jesus.

I am just a sinner dying in my iniquities.

That's why I give Jesus all the glory for anything I do that's righteous.

Otherwise, Jesus would have died for no reason. 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

JesusIsKing wrote:  All these sins and struggles can be defeated and Satan has no power over us if we truly want to stop these things.

I can sure relate to the smoking.  I was a chronic smoker for over 30 years.  I must have quit around 7 times over the course of the years that I smoked, only to go back to it again.  When I became a watcher in 2007, that's when it really bothered me that I smoked, because like you, I believed that if I didn't quit I would be left behind myself.  Now I believe that we won't miss the rapture, but as with any besetting sin, we will miss out on all rewards we could have received at the Bema Judgement. One of the scriptures that convinces me of that is 1 John 2:28 where the Word says,  "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."  The only ones who would be ashamed are those who have some kind of besetting sin. Not only that, but Philippians 1:6 as well:  “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” The Lord never gives up on His children.

Anyway,  I was so addicted to cigarettes.  I enjoyed smoking so much, and revolved my whole life around when I could have my next cigarette.  But I couldn't quit on my own, no matter how much I tried.  Finally, I told the Lord the truth.  I told Him that I loved to smoke, but that I felt it was a bad witness to others around me that I was smoking because what does that say about the power of God in my life? What kind of witness was that to the unbelievers that I worked with that knew I am a Christian?   I told Him that I didn't want to quit, but I was willing to be made willing to quit. 

Well, the Lord, in His grace and mercy, met me at the place where I was at, and delivered me from smoking by allowing me to have a serious infection that put me in the hospital for 4 days where I couldn't smoke!!  And stupid me, the second I got home from the hospital, the first thing I did was to reach for a cigarette, when all of a sudden I felt the Lord speak to my heart and say, "Don't you put those toxins back in your body after I cleansed you from them!  Break up those cigarettes and throw them in the trash." I was so shaken up by that, I threw the cigarettes away and never touched one since.  That was back in March of 2008.  Glory to God!  After all the times I tried to quit on my own, the Lord delivered me from cigarettes in one single swoop, no thanks to me.  I am so grateful.

JesusIsKing - we all know that you are sincere and not trying to offend anyone. Many of us believe your are seriously underestimating God's love, mercy and grace for you.  We would like for you to KNOW that neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We want you to have confidence that when we are getting wedded to our Betrothed, that you will be standing with us under the chupa. We are sad and dismayed that you believe that one of the Lord's betrothed will be cut off from the Body on His wedding day.  I tell you that your clothes will be as shiny, white, without spot, without blemish, and without wrinkle as any on that day because the Lord will give you your wedding garments and will remove all sin from you - trivial or besetting, past or current, performed or thought of.  YOU WILL BE PERFECTED in that day with all of us because He is a Perfect God who loves you too much to have it any other way.  He wants your hand in marriage, you have given your promise to Him, and He will hold you to the promise - NOTHING will snatch you out of His hand.  You give too much credit to the filthy rags He will burn up with the wood, hay and stubble and not enough credit to the King of the Universe who has redeemed you from the dirt. Was His price not enough? Of course it was. Trust Him.

Hi All,

HYPE ALERT, HYPE ALERT...

As we get closer to the end of Hanukkah 2011, I wanted to share a bit more about why January looks sooo promising!!  This associate of mine gave me a date - January 28, 2011 - and told me to pray on it.  He indicated that this date was VERY Biblical but hidden in plain sight.  He refused to tell me why or where to find it.

As promised, I prayed on it and within 10 minutes I had the answer and sent the reasoning back to him on why January 28th seemed to stand out as a special date to watch.  Quite simply, I nailed the exact reasoning that he had been given by the Holy Spirit.  Needless to say, we were BOTH excited beyond belief - hence the bluntness of the title to this thread (for which I again apologize because I too had been watching for Hanukkah intently).

Once my associate releases his findings on FiveDoves within the next couple of days, I will do my part and release it here for your information.  Truly, this exercise was a breath taking experience that STILL has me buzzing.  Truly, God was not joking when He said that the mysteries would be sealed until the very end.  He is ALWAYS good on His promises.  What an honor it will be to serve Him for eternity.

In closing, continue to pack your bags, I am positive that we will be checked in to the ULTIMATE HOTEL before the end of January.  NEW JERUSALEM HERE WE COME!!!!!!!

God bless you all!!

YbiC, MathMan

PS  To the skeptics, I honestly know where you are coming from.  We are called to be skeptics so I not only expect it but would be disappointed if the things I write about weren't questioned, especially when it goes against the "MORE LOGICAL" interpretations (which I fully acknowledge).  However, there is one thing that I know we can all agree on is that the Middle East is about to explode, which we may see the start of.  However, I feel this will quickly escalate and I am positive we will all be "out of here" while the first nukes are still in the air (when they are, so will we!!).  Keep praying, keep looking up, our redemption draws near.  It is interesting that, no matter your view (2015, 16, 17, 18, 19), they all point to one thing - SOON!!!!

enjoying a

and still expect to go in the rapture ~~

I still think of my sister-in-law as a believer in worship to her Lord in Heaven,   boundless in the richness of God's Grace   ~~~   through Jesus her Savior at long last she's there understanding the richness of Christ's Merciful salvation and inheritance~

A very good way to put things i think that are coming, Soon

It is indeed a perfect storm... for all things lead to Israel and Jerusalem being the cup of trembling..of which all will be forced to drink thereof:

Jer 25:28  And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
Jer 25:29  For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
Jer 25:30  Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31  A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Jer 25:32  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

World War 3 is coming...just like it says in verse 32.

It is what it is..there is no changing things, no endless negotiating around big tables at the UN or elsewhere will make a difference...these things are that which are pre-ordained by the Almighty.

Leroy

How many perfect storms (specifically economic) have we had in this last generation that have been postponed?  Just sayin.

Kar- that last sentence made me laugh.  Smoking in the bathroom!  Shades of the '50s and 60s.

You are right though, Soon is so cranked - up that he needed your calming word.

after reading all these posts, it reminded me how important it is to keep our priorities straight.  our Lord Jesus longs for us to fellowship with Him NOW.  we don't need to wait for the rapture in order to have blessed fellowship with our Lord.  the rapture is the icing on the cake.

personally, i have grown weary over all the "this could be it!" rapture dates.  it is obvious to all of us here at RITA that we are living in the last days.  we could go to bed one night, and Iran could try and nuke Israel, and the rapture could happen before the next morning.  we wouldn't have a CLUE that as we went to sleep that night, we would be awakened by a trump and we would be standing before our Lord Jesus!

if 2012 comes and we are still here, it is no time to feel depressed or deflated.  just the opposite!  each and every day, we can count our blessings, amazed at how our Jesus takes care of us and loves us.  we can continue to pray for our lost loved ones and become better disciples of Christ.  every moment we have still on this earth is a wonderful blessing.

of COURSE i want the rapture to happen right now.  i'm tired of living in physical pain and i long to see Jesus face to face.  but i don't want to waste one single day i have left here on earth.  perhaps Jesus has work for us yet to do.  maybe ALL the date "figure outers" are totally wrong and we will be here on earth for several more years.  who knows?  and really, truly, does it really matter that much if Jesus wants us to serve Him on earth for a while longer?  don't we know that God will give us grace and mercy and the ability to tarry until He comes?  of course!  Jesus will walk with us each day until He comes to take us home!

now it seems to me that there isn't much time left.  i would be really shocked if we are here on this planet a year from now.  but no matter how long we have to wait, i refuse to be depressed or downcast if the rapture doesn't happen within a certain time.

yes, it is scary for me to think of what i might yet have to suffer in His name.  but i know that Jesus will give me everything i need to be an overcomer until the day we finally get to go home and look into His everlasting eyes!

Many fine thoughts spoken/written here.  Indeed, any day could be the day.  I find it somewhat presumptious to say that one day over another is not a possibility.  Likewise as mentioned earlier, He wants our love, affections and time, now.  As we think upon these things, certainly the Lord must be pleased that we should assign our focus upon Him, and His soon return.  With regards to the issue of smoking, the word says: It is not what goes into a man that makes him dirty, but what comes from a persons heart.  I have been a smoker for 42yrs.

Love & blessings...Tender Reed

Hi All,

I look forward to writing you on great hope for January in the morning.  I would like to personally thank the moderators for trusting the maturity of their readers to be able to debate complex Christian issues.  Thank you moderators and God bless each of you!!

YbiC, MathMan

Looking forward to what you have to share.  Till then...sweet dreams.

JesusIsKing - I think the issue you're searching for isn't an intake issue, it's idolatry. It's what we put before God.  And I think you underestimate the power of addiction. Some people with addictive personalities will never be able to overcome the addiction on their own.  That's why AA teaches about a higher power. Christ is able to do it, tho. I have known many people who get a breakthrough in this area where God tells them enough and the addiction is broken supernaturally.

God is able to do it. But many people have never had that experience with God, and those who did spent years and sometimes decades before God thumped them in the head so to speak.  If God chooses not to do it for some people, I will not dare judge them for what God has not done in their lives.

But anyone who tries cigarettes is a complete fool. They are entirely too addictive without redeeming benefits. Families of alcoholics should not pay attention to the many studies showing that 1 drink / day for ladies and 1-2 drinks / day for gents is beneficial. If they have alcoholic genes (generational curse), they should never go there. The cost/benefit ratio isn't good for them.