Will Animals Get Raptured ?

Your pets go to Heaven when they die according to Romans 8:19-23. This isn't a theory or a hope, it's a Biblical fact and I've written about that here, here, here and here. But one of the most often questions I get is the question of what happens to our pets at the Rapture. Will they come with us?

While Romans 8:19-23 proves to us that animals go to Heaven when they die, can we take what it says in verse 19 to literally mean that animals are actually waiting for the Rapture themselves? Is that what it's saying? I know that sounds crazy, but it appears to me that's what it's actually saying! It says they're waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God so that they can be set free from the bondage of death just like the rest of us.

The "sons of God" in this passage is referring to resurrected Christians. So animals are waiting to see the manifestation of resurrected Christians so that they can be set free from the bondage of death. When do Christians manifest as resurrected Christians? At the Rapture! So it sounds like they're going with us to me!

An arguement against that might be that even though we're resurrected into Heaven at the Rapture, we aren't actually manifested as "sons of God" to the world until we come back with Christ after the Great Tribulation. While that view is filled with assumptions about what the Rapture will look like to the world, it also violates the whole point of Paul's comparison. It doesn't fit the flavor of this passage at all.

Paul is comparing our waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage and pain of death to the animals waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage and pain of death. He's saying that we're both waiting for THE RESURRECTION under the bondage of pain and death. We're both waiting for a single event: THE RESURRECTION. Christians aren't going through the Great Tribulation so why would Paul compare us to the animals if they were going through the Great Tribulation to die and be resurrected later?

Besides, all symbolic models of the Rapture in the Bible show the animals going with us. There were more animals on Noah's Ark than there were human beings. On the night of the 1st Passover, when the angel of death came for the first born, all of the first born were killed from the 1st born of Pharaoh to the 1st born of his servants to the 1st born of their livestock. But for those who had lamb's blood on their door, the 1st born were saved INCLUDING the 1st born of their livestock. When Israel escaped Egypt altogether, their animals came with them. In every case that we see God pouring His wrath upon the earth, we also see God saving His own people first before He does it and we also see their animals being saved with them. Every time.

So I believe with all of my heart that they're coming with us. I've prayed about this and that's the conclusion that I believe the Lord has led me to personally, but I can't prove it Biblically other than the examples I've given above. There's probably much more to back it up, but I haven't discovered it yet.

It's just common sense, folks. Who is our Father? What kind of God do we have? Who is our Lord Jesus?

If we decided we were going to pack up and leave our home for 7 years to go on some exotic vacation, do you think the Lord would approve of us leaving our pets behind without any thought or concern for their well-being? Certainly not! Proverbs 12:10 says that the righteous man regards the well being of his animal so I can't see God taking us in the Rapture and not bringing our animals with us. They're members of the family.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Yes, Animals DO Go To Heaven When They Die!
Yes, Animals STILL Go To Heaven When They Die! (2016 Update)
Why Is This So Hard ?
When Pastors Are Wrong About Animals

Don't Share Satan's Hatred For Jews

Every land, every nation and every country on this earth is allowed to defend itself from its enemies EXCEPT ISRAEL. They're supposed to just sit there and take it. You see, Satan hates Jews. He hates Jews even more than he hates Christians. It's through Jews that God gave us the Law. It's through Jews that God gave us the Bible. It's through Jews that God gave us His Son and His Blood Atonement for our sins. And it's through Jews that God will one day overthrow the antichrist and establish His Kingdom on this earth putting Jesus on David's Throne in Israel. Satan knows it and he hates them with a passion and has tried to wipe them out over and over again. All hatred for Jews comes straight from Satan's heart. All "reasons" for hatred toward Jews comes from Satan's lies and propaganda. Don't share in Satan's hatred for Jews. It's a disease that will overthrow your mind and all manner of good sense and turn you into nothing more but one of Satan's useful idiots.

RECOMMENDED READING:
In Review: A Quick Crash Course On Israel
The Antichurch

Post-Trib Views That Cancel Each Other

Here are two popular arguments against the Rapture that cancel each other out. (1) The Rapture is a recent concept invented by American Christians in only the last hundred years or so and has never been believed or taught up until then. (2) The word Rapture doesn't even appear anywhere in the Bible so it's all made up.

(1) This is what's known as a straw man argument. The validity of the Rapture or any other Biblical doctrine shouldn't be accepted or rejected by its popularity. The validity of all things should be checked through Scripture. It doesn't matter what other Christians say or how many of them have said it or when, the only thing that matters is what the Bible says.

(2) The word Rapture itself doesn't appear in the Bible because our Bibles are written in English. The word Rapture itself was carried over into our vernacular when the Bible was still being read from the Latin translations. It comes from 1st Thessalonians 4:17. The original Greek used the word "Harpazo" which means to be "caught up" or "snatched up and taken" or "seized by force and taken" and so our English translated the word "Harpazo" into the words "caught up" but the Latin translation was "Rapere" or in some cases "Rapturo". So the subject of this event became known as "The Rapture Of The Church" long before the English translations were even in circulation.

So as you can see, these 2 arguments cancel each other out. They try to say that only Americans in the last 100 years or so believed in the Rapture and yet, the word itself comes from the Latin Bible which has been in circulation since the 4th century!!! This is probably why I've heard many Protestants who are against the Rapture say, "The Rapture is a Catholic doctrine. It's not Biblical." But I've also heard many Catholics say that the Rapture is a doctrine that they don't agree with because it came out of the Protestant Reformation. LOL!!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
We're Going Home: The Rapture
The Anger Of Post-Tribulationists

The Anger Of Post-Tribulationists

Jesus wasn't killed by demon possessed people, nor was he killed by atheists or agnostics or people who loved to sin. He wasn't killed by drinkers or smokers or drug dealers or people with tattoos or body piercings. Jesus was killed by the respected religious leaders who thought they knew everything. And the same spirit that was behind their actions are alive and well today!!!

The Scriptures taught them that their Messiah would come down from out of the sky with great power and wonder to overthrow the devil, overthrow the curse and overthrow the dictatorships of the world with great wrath and vengeance.

But the Scriptures also taught them that their Messiah would FIRST be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, ride into town on a donkey, be rejected by His own people and then be killed while taking upon the sins of the world.

The religious leaders latched onto those FINAL prophesies about His coming after the Tribulation while ignoring the FIRST prophecies of what their Messiah would do before then. And they were very angry with people who paid any attention to those FIRST prophecies. So they raged and lied about where those beliefs came from and as soon as they could, they arrested Jesus and had Him killed.

But by ignoring those FIRST prophecies, they actually fulfilled them. And Jesus pitied them and said, "Father, forgive them for they know NOT what they do." They were the world's first "Post-Tribulation" religious leaders.

Today's "Post-Tribulation" religious leaders are making the same mistakes all over again and with them comes the same rage and anger of those who killed Jesus. It's the same spirit of pride and arrogance. It's the same spirit of rage. It's the same spirit of ignorance and Biblical illiteracy simply because "THEY KNOW" so they think.

Just like the Pharisees did, today's religious leaders have all the doctorates in theology, they have all the PHD's, they have all the titles and labels of authority granted to them by all the various religious organizations and churches. They have all the radio and TV shows on religious broadcasting. They have most of the christian YouTube channels and Facebook Pages. They have their angry and enraged minions all over blogs and comment threads. They have everything EXCEPT the Bible to back them up.

Just like the Pharisees did, today's religious leaders resort to conspiracy theories and lies about where these other Biblical prophecies come from. They don't believe in the Bible prophecies about Jesus picking up His Bride before He pours out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. They say it's a lie. They say it isn't Biblical. They claim it's an invented fantasy that nobody believes anywhere in the world except the United States. They claim it was never held by the church until the 19th century or so. They claim it was invented by either Darby or Scofield and that it's nowhere found in the Bible even though it's glaring them in the face in places such as:

1st Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
John 14:1-4
1st Corinthians 15:51-52
Isaiah 26:19-21
Revelation 3:10-11

They ignore all these!!! They ignore every one of them and they say, "Nobody believed this until Darby and Scofield and it's just an American idea." Instead of making straw man arguments, why don't they ever try refuting those passages listed above? What would they say to Isaiah, John, Paul and most of all Jesus for daring to challenge their brilliance and intellectual prowess? I guess they think Jesus, Paul, John and Isaiah were Americans who read from Darby.

And folks!!! I'm just pulling those passages from memory!!! There's more!!! The whole Bible speaks of this coming event. Jesus Himself is looking forward to this event with great anticipation while telling us to look up and be excited about it, to hope for it and to even pray for it!!

We're told to always be ready and watch because we don't know the day or the hour of His coming. How could we possibly do that if we're supposed to believe He isn't coming until after the Great Tribulation?

We haven't seen a single day of the Tribulation yet. Where's the antichrist? Where's the great hailstones of fire and blood from the sky? Where's the giant demonic locusts that come out of the pit? Where's the worldwide government? Where's the worldwide religion? Where's the 3D image of the AI Beast that we're supposed to worship?

How are we supposed to expect Jesus at any moment if all these other things are supposed to happen first? How could Jesus ask us to expect Him at any moment if all these other things are supposed to happen first?

He hasn't. He's promised to come BEFORE THESE EVENTS!!!!

AND THAT'S WHAT'S BIBLICAL.

RECOMMENDED READING:
We're Going Home: The Rapture
Post-Trib Views That Cancel Each Other

Thinking Of Heaven

We have so much to look forward to because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf. He not only made it possible for us to get into Heaven, but He reconciled ALL THINGS unto Himself according to Colossians 1:20 which includes the entire physical and spiritual creation. That includes every animal that has ever perished or will ever perish and every blade of grass and every tree. Jesus didn't say He would make a bunch of new things for Heaven, He said He would make ALL THINGS NEW according to Revelation 21:5.

Everything that was lost in the beginning of Genesis gets restored at the end of Revelation. That may even include the little town you grew up in that's been destroyed by overpopulation or what some people call progress. Jesus didn't die just to get people into Heaven, He died to bring Heaven back to earth and make it one just as it was before the fall and even better.

Christians don't think about Heaven as much as they should because we've all been told that we can't even imagine it according to 1st Corinthians 2:9 so why even try? But when I read that verse, I look at it as God's way of giving us permission to go ahead and try to imagine it because no matter what our mind comes up with, the reality will be even better.

Whenever someone wraps up a gift and tells you that you'll never guess what's in there, does that stop you from trying? Isn't that half the fun? And we can actually discuss our guesses with the Lord while we wait to receive our slice of Heaven. Why not? The Lord might even show you passages in the Bible that shape, direct and inspire your thoughts in ways they've never been before.

Another reason why Christians don't think about Heaven is because they've somehow unconsciously adopted the idea that it's going to be like a 24 hour church service every day for all eternity. Why in the world would God do that to His children? Jesus didn't die for an eternal church service. Oh there's gonna be lots of praising going on, no doubt about that, but not the kind of praises we see in churches down here.

Another reason why Christians don't like to think about Heaven is because many of us, despite our siding with God in most of our ways, we still like having the personal freedom to sin if we want to. A lot of us are afraid of what it's going to feel like when that ability to sin is suddenly gone. But that's backwards thinking. The reason why we won't have the ability to sin anymore in Heaven won't be because our new bodies will restrain us from sinning, it will be because our new bodies won't have Satan's viral hacks in them that make us want to sin like they do down here. We don't even know what that's like because we've never lived in a body that wasn't already hacked by the enemy. Our new bodies in Heaven are going to give us nothing but liberty and freedom. Besides, a lot of the sins down here are classified as sins because they're hurtful to our mortal bodies. Will they still be called sins in Heaven if our bodies there are immortal and can't be hurt? One way or another, in Heaven, we'll be able to do everything we want to do and it will never be wrong to do it. Jesus didn't die to force us into a fearful performance-based relationship with Him. He died to set us free!!

Jesus also died to undo everything that Satan has done. He died so that everything that perishes will be restored. He died so that everyone who deserves to die or fears to die will not have to die but live forever. Jesus died to bring all of us home who will let Him.

We have so much to look forward to and Satan has done his very best to keep God's children from thinking about it, talking about it or even knowing about it. He certainly doesn't want us looking forward to it. He's got various groups classifying everything under doctrinal labels so scholars can argue and debate everything to the point of insanity. Pre-Trib vs Post-Trib, Calvinism vs Arminianism, etc... Debates about what "repentance" really means. Lordship salvation debates. All of these issues are certainly important to settle in our own minds, but they often keep us from focusing on the big picture.

How in the world are we supposed to convince anybody to receive Jesus as their Savior when we don't even act like we have anything to look forward to? Is it really just about escaping Hell? Is that all there is to it? What kind of a message does that send? "Jesus died so I could go to Heaven. I'm not really looking forward to it because I don't know much about it, I don't talk about it, I don't think about it because I can't even imagine it, but at least it's not Hell." Wow! There's a billboard sign for ya!! There's a bumper sticker!! There's a T-Shirt!! Wow!! And yet, that's exactly how we behave. We make Christianity all about how we behave and live between our salvation and our death down here. And that's NOT why Jesus died. THAT'S NOT WHY JESUS DIED!!!

Jesus didn't die to make our lives better down here. He died to get us outta here!! Life doesn't even begin until we finally get outta here!! That's what it means to BE SAVED! We aren't saved like a collection of stamps in a book. We're saved as in RESCUED like someone whose saved from a burning building that's being burned to the ground.

How many of you were blessed with a talent that you could have exercised but didn't because the urgent concerns of the world and other people always got in the way? How many of you can play the piano, sing, create art, write books, play sports, but never got beyond a certain point because the normalness of this world just wouldn't get out of the way? Jesus died to give us the platforms and the avenues to exercise these gifts openly and abundantly in our futures in Heaven. Everything that held us back down here will be gone up there. Our talents and gifts will be freed up in Heaven in ways beyond our highest hopes and dreams.

Jesus died to fulfill a multitude of promises, among them being 1st Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 which we discussed in great detail here.

Whether by resurrection or by rapture, this is what I'm looking forward to most and every wonderful thing that will happen after it. I expect to not only see Jesus face to face, but every loved one that has gone before me, including old friends I've known since childhood that were taken away far too early. I'm expecting to see my Nannie and my Papaw again and hearing their wonderful voices and laughter. I'm expecting to see every precious cat and dog I've ever known. I'm expecting to see every old neighborhood and town with its own culture fully restored as though the passing decades have never passed. I'm looking forward to going home!! It's called home!!

So many Christians are quick to say, "This world is not our home. We're just passing through." But then they don't act like they really believe that. They continue to focus on the here and now and place God's promises in that limited context without remembering what they claim to believe about this world not being our home. Focusing on our Heavenly home will energize us for our work down here that we're all having to do until we finally reach home. Without that focus, it makes everything look like a dead end.

Jesus died to get us home!! Our REAL home!!

The Modern Ouija Board

A Ouija Board is nothing but a piece of wood (or cardboard) with letters, numbers, a Yes/No option and the word "goodbye" written on it. There's nothing evil or demonic about the letters, the words or the hardware. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

The same is true with the classic 8-Ball toy or the modern equivalent. There's nothing evil or demonic about the hardware or the sentences written inside. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

Today's chatbots, Grok or otherwise are nothing more than pieces of advanced software with brilliant code written to artificially simulate human intelligence with it's own ability to think, reason, communicate and even perform as a result of the input that it's given. And that's just a small portion of what A.I. can do and what it is destined to do in the near future. There's nothing evil or demonic about the software itself or the coding written inside which makes it work. But using it to talk to someone who isn't really there will eventually result in an encounter with a demonic intelligence who will manipulate and deceive or worse.

Imagine a Ouija Board that is no longer limited to a few words and 26 letters, but now has an entire dictionary, multiple encyclopedias and the entire internet at its disposal for quick answers, the ability to ask itself it's own questions, with endless storage capacity, processing speeds and self-reproducing, self-teaching learning capacities. AI Chatbots are Ouija Boards on steroids but it won't stop there.

This world is about to see Ouija Boards with arms and legs walking around with human faces and emotions. People will work with them, have sex with them, marry them, become best friends with them. And according to Bible Prophecy, people will worship them.

It's very interesting to see where we are right now.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Can A.I. Be Possessed ?

Getting Into Heaven Isn't Hard

Getting into Heaven is the easiest thing in the world you'll ever do. You just let Him do it and then BELIEVE HIM for doing it.

It's not about you changing your life, becoming religious, or any of that crap. It's just about you letting Jesus take the death penalty (which He's already done) to pay for every possible sin YOU have ever committed or would ever commit. And then it's done! You're sealed for eternity!!!

The only thing about this that makes it hard is all the crap you'll get from both sides either hating on you for doing it or hating on you for not doing enough to deserve it, like any of us could ever do that if we tried.

Please just let Him do it!! It's just like a balance transfer of credit card debt except in Jesus' case, He bought the whole bank!! Let HIM cover your debt and be free!! That's all there is to it. Anybody who says there's more to it than that are the reason why nobody wants to get saved because they think they'll have to stop cursing or stop listening to their favorite music or give up this or stop doing that and those are totally separate issues!!!!

You Christians that weigh people down with all the stuff that they need to do or stop doing to get into Heaven should STFU and STFD!!!! You're in the way!!!! Why don't you Christians just let Jesus save these people and then let JESUS worry about all the things in their life that needs to change? It's not your problem!! Shut up!!

After they're saved, if they come up to you and ask you, "Josh, what does the Bible say about xyz?" THEN you can tell them what it says. But you are no authority on anything, it's all about HIM and HIS Word, not about you and what you think.

We're all on a sinking ship right now and it's not coming back, I don't care how good things are looking with the water pumps on deck, there's a 100 foot wide hole in the hull below deck that nobody's paying any attention to right now. Just get people in their life jackets and onto the lifeboats!! Do you really wanna ask these people on a sinking ship to turn their life around before giving them a life jacket? What's the matter with you? That's not how this works!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
Salvation Isn't Based On Performance
Jesus Does The Saving, Not You

Don't Pray Like A Witch

Witchcraft is being practiced as spiritual warfare in many christian ministries today. These ministries are using the bait and switch technique to bait you with what sounds like solid Biblical teaching and then after they've gained your trust, they switch over to teachings of witchcraft under the banner of spiritual warfare.

Prayers are no longer really prayers as they become more like magic spells with specific phrases and formulas in order to master the spiritual forces in your life be they demonic or otherwise. But that's not prayer!

Prayer is supposed to be fellowship with the Lord, not an incantation. Your talking to God and He's listening. That's prayer. It's not a platform for you to invoke forces into action, that's God's business what He does and how He answers your prayer! You don't need to tell God what to do with His angels on your behalf and you certainly don't need to be talking or listening to angels.

If you're saved, then you have God The Holy Spirit sealed to your spirit and He's living inside of you 24/7/365. You have God Himself at your disposal. Why in the world would you want to waste time talking to angels when you've got the commander of all the angels listening to every word you have to say?

You don't need to address each and every single demonic entity to bind them in the name of Jesus either. I once listened to some guy on YouTube spend over an hour binding and loosing every demonic spirit you could think of from A to Z and I kept thinking, "DUDE!! Read Psalm 35!! All you need to do is ask the Father in the name of Jesus to nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

If 90 % of your prayer is devoted to telling Satan and demons what to do, then it's not really a prayer.

Folks, please, please, please, ask the Lord for wise and godly discernment and try to put on the Belt of Truth which is the Word of God. The Bible is our safety net for all these things.

Yes, the enemy attacks us daily. But the answer to that isn't talking to the enemy all day long telling him what to go do with himself. The answer is telling our God, our Abba Father, in the name of Jesus, what's going on and let Him handle it. All throughout the Psalms are prayers to God to intercede on our behalf.

Yes, I'm aware that Jesus gave us the power and authority to cast out demons in His name, but that's for when you come upon demonic manifestations in possessed individuals or something weird going on in your bedroom at 2 o'clock in the morning, not for you to identify every wicked circumstance, thought and desire as a spirit to be bound.

Where do we find Peter or Paul or any of the New Testament Saints praying, "I bind the spirit of poverty, I bind the spirit of depression, I bind the spirit of anger, I bind the spirit of lust," and on and on and on. You don't get rid of that garbage by binding it in the name of Jesus, you get rid of it by talking with the Lord about it as it happens. You acknowledge to Him what's going on and then let Him have it.

Prayer is much more powerful than any magic spell. It's a direct line of communication with God who listens and can't wait to answer. Do you think God needs me to tell Him how to dispatch angels? How stupid is that? If you're doing that, quit it!!!

It's not complicated.

Be cautious of any ministry or christian online or anywhere who claims to have special divine revelation. Run away from that.

Be cautious of any ministry that seems arrogant or narcissistic about their abilities via their knowledge, their wisdom, their experience with fighting demons. Those people aren't working for the Lord. They're working for Satan.

This wasn't a carefully written article like I usually do. This was a rant. And for now, the rant is over. I have to go eat. Bye.

Are Things Out Of Control ?

We like to be in control. It's a good feeling. Even when we're praying, reading our Bibles and trusting in the Lord, we still feel like we're in control of our lives to some degree and it's up to us to figure things out and make things happen.

"God gave you a brain, so use it" is a popular quote. "God's helps those who help themselves" is another one. But neither of these are found anywhere in the Bible because that's not the way God wants us thinking. Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

In order for us to learn this, God will sometimes derail everything in our lives and throw us into a no-win situation so that we have no choice left but to trust Him and ONLY Him. Those are the moments when we find out who we really are and who God really is.

Jesus Does The Saving, Not You

When a fireman breaks into a burning building and picks up an unconscious body off the floor of a smoke filled room, does he expect anything from that powerless body in order to get them both to safety?

Does a good shepherd take full responsibility to keep his sheep safe or does he expect the sheep to keep themselves safe?

Jesus is called "The Savior" for a reason! Once He saves you, you can never be lost again. Jesus didn't pave the way to make it easier for us to save ourselves. He went all the way and saved us.

You'll eventually find people online and even some pastors teaching that a person can lose their salvation if they do this or that or if they don't do this or that, but it's not Biblical. We are not co-saviors with Jesus, He is THE Savior and the very word "saved" means "saved". It's done. The very tense of the word means it's already happened.

Once you're born again, you cannot become unborn. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that we are "sealed with the Holy Spirit" which means, it's permanent. And I'm so glad. If it were possible for any of us to lose our salvation, we'd probably find a way to lose it. I know I would have countless times.

"But Josh!!! But Josh!!! Isn't that a license to sin?"

Of course not. Our relationship with God and our relationship with sin is permanently changed after we're saved. When we accepted the Blood of Jesus as payment for our sins, we were declared NOT GUILTY and all of the divine charges of our life's sin (past, present, future) were completely paid for by Jesus Himself.

Now that the trial is over, we've been adopted as God's children. So our post-salvation sins are dealt with parentally, not judicially.

Sometimes we'll get a talking to, other times a time-out, other times we'll be forced to learn a painful but valuable life lesson and other times we'll get a divine spanking that really hurts. If we get really outta hand, He might call us home early. But we will never lose our salvation. We will always be His children and Heaven will always be our home.

"But Josh!!! But Josh!!! What about works!!!"

The only work we have to do is to "believe in the One Whom the Father has sent" according to Jesus in John 6:29. After we're saved, the Holy Spirit through our faith will produce more works in time BECAUSE we are saved, not in order to keep us saved.

I had a fellow debate me at an all-night restaurant until 4:30 in the morning about whether or not salvation could be lost. I was 20 or 21 years old at the time and it was my first encounter with such thinking and I couldn't believe it.

He never understood that it's Jesus who does the saving, not us. We don't contribute anything to our righteousness. Just as Jesus didn't contribute to my sin when he took them upon Himself on the cross, I don't contribute to His righteousness when I take upon myself His righteousness. It's a gift paid for by His blood. I don't bring anything to the table. He saved me. Period. I don't have to do anything else.

All that we do after we're saved is a free will offering of love BECAUSE we are saved, not to keep us saved. So yeah, it's a thing. You'll hear people argue about this. But Jesus said He gave us ETERNAL life. How eternal could it be if we could lose it?

RECOMMENDED READING:
Getting Into Heaven Isn't Hard
Salvation Isn't Based On Performance

The Bride & Her Groom

From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, while proclaiming He came for the Jews first and then the Greeks next, He continued to allude to those who would receive Him as His Bride. It seemed symbolic at first, but then more apparent by the end of His time on earth.

His 1st miracle was at a wedding where He turned water into Wine. The Galilean Wedding was full of customs and rituals that we don't know about today, but they were well known back then and Jesus used that to make a point during the Last Supper.

The tradition of the Galilean Wedding was that the man would offer a cup of wine to a woman which symbolized his proposal of marriage. It came with a contract, a covenant of all that she could expect from being married to this man and all that was expected of her. It was a covenant. She had the power to receive it or reject it. When and if she received the cup and drank from it, the man would then take it and drink it also and then say, "I shall not drink from this cup again until I drink it with you in my Father's estate." Then the man would leave his fiance behind while he went back to his father's estate and added on to it for a place for he and his wife to dwell together. The Bride never knew when her fiance would come to get her, but she was always to be ready at any moment. When the Groom finally came, it was often at night and the procession came with the blast of a trumpet. Then, the Groom's wedding party would literally place the Bride onto a fancy cart and LIFT HER UP and CARRY HER all the way to her Fiance's estate. They actually did this over and over and over again so it was a very well known custom.

During one of Jesus' sermons, He made the statement, "In my Father's estate, there are many dwelling places. I go to prepare a place for you and if I go away to prepare a place for you, then I will come again and receive you unto myself so that where I am, you will be also." We don't catch the symbolism like they did, but ancient historians comment over how shocked the listeners were because Jesus was speaking of Himself as the groom and his followers as the Bride.

It didn't stop there.

The night before Jesus was arrested, at the famous last supper before Jesus went into the Garden to bear the weight of our sins, He first took some bread at the table, broke it and said, "Take this. This is my body." Then he took His cup of wine and said, "Drink it. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I shall not drink from this cup again until I drink it with you in my Father's Kingdom." And when He said that, His disciples knew, drawing from the ritual of the Galilean Wedding, He was again referring to Himself as the Groom and those who drank from the cup as His betrothed Bride.

Once recognizing this, readers can't help but notice a pattern throughout the Old Testament of a Jewish man who sought out a Jewish Bride, but then first married a Gentile Bride. The story of Abraham's son Isaac marrying a Gentile woman is filled with the symbolism of Isaac being a symbol of Jesus and his bride being a symbol of the church.

Paul made a crazy statement in one of his letters about how men should really treat and love their wives and then at the end, Paul said that men should love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church and then he said, "A man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh, this is a great mystery, but I'm talking about Christ and the Church." WHOA!!!!!

This is what it means when you here of the title: The Bride of Christ. It's a very special privilege to be in this group. Not everyone called a believer in Scripture is the Bride. Not everyone called a Saint in Scripture is the Bride. The Bride has a specific destiny that was born on the Day of Pentecost and will end when her Groom finally comes back to pick her up and carry her home to their honeymoon suite. The Bride is told to watch and be ready at a moments notice. It could happen at any time. Jesus said the date could not be predicted, but to watch closely because WE WILL recognize the signs for when it's upon us.

And it's upon us.

We're Going Home: The Rapture

1st Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 is one of the greatest promises of God ever written and it's about to be fulfilled at any moment. There is nothing in this world that I'm looking forward to more than this. It's just 17 verses. I've studied this passage from just about every English translation that exists and the only modern English Bible translations that have made it easier to read WITHOUT changing what was written are the NKJV, the NASB and the NIV. I've never been a big fan of the NIV, but they got it right this time. Those links will take you to 1st Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 in their own Bible translations.

All of the controversy and debate that surrounds this topic would end if people would just read these 17 verses, understand them and then BELIEVE what is being said. It's all there. The call to comfort one another with these words is given two times in this passage. So that's what we're gonna do with this post. We're gonna open this up and take it apart, read it, understand it, believe it and be comforted by it. Nothing else in all the world should comfort us more than what we find in these 17 verses. So please join me as we explore the promises of this passage because I truly believe with all of my heart that they're about to be fulfilled at any moment.

Before this passage was written, the Thessalonian Christians already knew that Jesus had died paying the debt for all of their sins and was resurrected on the third day, so they had no fears of death. They knew as we do that once our body dies, our soul and spirit are immediately carried into the presence of God according to John 3:16, 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 and 2nd Corinthians 5:8. But the Thessalonian Christians were also looking forward to something else that Jesus had promised in John 14:1-3. It's a very famous passage that gets quoted today at almost every funeral.

Jesus personally promised that when He returned to Heaven, He would prepare a dwelling place in Heaven for each of us. It only took him 6 days to create the entire universe, He's had almost 2000 years to create our homes in Heaven. But in that same promise, He said something else that many of us overlook. It's the very thing the Thessalonian Christians were looking forward to. He said, "If I go to prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF so that where I am, you will be also." He wasn't talking about what happens to us when we die. He was speaking specifically about what He planned to do when our homes in Heaven were completed. He promised to personally and physically come back to the planet earth and PHYSICALLY pick us up to take us home. This is what the Thessalonians were looking forward to.

I find it interesting that neither Paul nor the Thessalonian Christians believed that there was anything in Bible Prophecy that had to be fulfilled before this event took place. Paul knew the Scripture probably better than any other from his time, both the Old and New Testaments. He wrote much of the New Testament. He never believed or taught that a latter day revival had to happen first. He never believed or taught that a latter day outpouring of the Holy Spirit had to happen first. On the contrary, Paul taught that as the days became later and later, the more ignorant and self absorbed the world would become, including those within Christianity. So the Thessalonians weren't looking for anything else in Bible Prophecy to happen next, other than the return of the Lord to pick them up and take them home. They were never corrected for thinking this way because it was never incorrect for them to do so. It was Biblically sound then and it's Biblically sound today.

After Paul established this Thessalonian assembly and as time began to pass by, older members of their fellowship began to die off. The Thessalonians weren't worried about their loved ones souls, they already knew they were with the Lord. But they were disappointed that they wouldn't be present with them in their physical bodies to enjoy that amazing day when the Lord would come back to pick them all up and take them home. This was something they were all looking forward to together and now they've been separated. So Paul wrote them the following:

I Thes 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. KJV

The fact that Jesus would bring with Him those who had already died was new information to the Thessalonians. They weren't expecting this and they didn't know it was possible. A spiritual body can have substance in Heaven but not on the earth, just as a physical body has substance on the earth but not in Heaven. Jesus was the first and only person to wear an immortal physical body with the ability to transverse between Heaven and Earth. Everyone else in Heaven was spirit. So to explain, Paul continues:

I Thes 4:15-17 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. 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

This incredible event begins with the sound of the voice of Jesus shouting. Paul doesn't tell us what Jesus will be shouting, but Jesus told us in John 10 that His sheep know His voice and He calls them by name and I remember when I first read that thinking, "When have I ever heard Jesus call me by my name?" and a lot of people think that's talking about a call to salvation and it may be, but I wouldn't be surprised if each of us heard the sound of Jesus calling our name like a loving parent sticking their head out the door calling us home. That's the example we're given in John 11 when He resurrected Lazarus, it's says that Jesus cried out, "Lazarus come out!" or "Lazarus, come forth!" I believe that's what starts this event. We will hear the voice of Jesus cry out our name, calling us home.

While Jesus shouts, the voice of the archangel is shouting as well to the innumerable ranks of angels on the earth. All of us have had angels following us around all of our lives. It's not for us to communicate with them or for them to communicate with us, but they've always been there taking direct orders from the Lord on our behalf. We may or may not hear the voice of the archangel when he shouts, but we will definitely hear the voice of the Lord.

The next thing we'll hear while Jesus shouts is the sound of what the Bible calls The Trump Of God and it's not to be confused with the Trumpet Judgments in Revelation. The trumpets in Revelation are blown by angels. This is The Trump Of God and the only other time we see this in Scripture is in the Old Testament at Mount Sinai. When the Hebrews heard the Trump of God, it says they trembled. So this is a loud and audible trumpet.

At that moment, the dead remains of Christian bodies under the earth will be immediately rejuvenated, reanimated and resurrected into perfect, flawless, immortal, physical bodies. This is 3rd generation hardware. We're born with 1st generation hardware that wears out and dies. After we die, we're given 2nd generation hardware in Heaven. But what Paul is describing to the Thessalonians is 3rd generation hardware. It's both physical and spiritual, perfectly flawless and eternal. Jesus brings with Him every soul and spirit from out of Heaven to reunite them with their physical bodies, not in decay, but completely restored and upgraded unto perfection.

I don't know what this massive resurrection of the dead will do to the earth when it happens. When Jesus had his resurrection body, He could travel at the speed of thought and transverse through solid walls. The dead in Christ may rise without even disturbing their coffins. Then again, there might be a worldwide earthquake and EMP flash when it happens. I guess we'll find out and see.

Then as our departed loved ones are rising in their new bodies, our bodies are being upgraded and caught up together with them. So we don't have to worry about enjoying this event without our loved ones who have passed away, we're all gonna go up together. According to Paul, we keep going up until we're into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Will we be walking on air or will we be riding in Heavenly vessels of some kind? I guess we'll find out and see.

Paul elaborates on this in 1st Corinthians 15:51-52 when he told the Corinthian Christians that not everyone in Christian history would have to die before being resurrected. But whether dead or alive, everyone in Christ would "be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed." The twinkling of an eye is the speed of light passing through the iris. It's the smallest measurable unit of time that exists. This is when Jesus finally fulfills His promise from John 14:1-3. He comes back just as He promised to receive us unto Himself so that where He is, we will be also. Forever.

I Thes 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. KJV

This is the first of two times in this letter that Paul tells them (and us) to comfort each other with these words. We're supposed to know about this. We're supposed to talk about it and look forward to it. The knowledge of this coming event should fire the imagination, it should bring us peace and excitement about the days ahead.

We aren't destined to just be disembodied spirits in a Heavenly retirement center for all eternity. We're destined to have strong, gorgeous, youthful, perfect, ageless bodies that look and feel just as good if not better than we've ever looked or felt before. Our senses and physical abilities will enable us to do anything and go anywhere in the known and unknown universe at the speed of thought. This isn't a fantasy. This isn't a fairy tale. This is actually going to happen! Friends and loved ones long gone will be with us again as if the years between us never happened. No more death, no more pain, no more separation, no more doing without, no more holding back because of our sin nature, no more misunderstandings, no more broken relationships, no more injustice, no more wrinkles, no more ageing, no more ignorance, no more confusion! Just think of our mental capacity after the upgrade!

And what of the dwelling places that Jesus said He was preparing for each of us? If we're going to be wearing brand new physical bodies, then our homes in Heaven will be physical as well except it will never blemish, age or wear out. Imagine a fresh cut yard that never needs weeding or fertilizing, a house that never needs new shingles or painting, an old 1991 Ford Ranger in the garage that always looks like it just came off the assembly line no matter how much I drive it. I'm sure I won't need a truck in Heaven, but if we're gonna be riding horses just for fun, why not a pickup truck? What is it that you can imagine that the Creator of the universe cannot create? How far can you take your imagination? Will your home in Heaven be like a priceless estate that's grander and more majestic than anything you've ever seen? Or will it be something more precious like a cherished home from your youth that was destroyed by the passage of time. Didn't Jesus say He would make all things new? Is any imagined desire for Heaven beyond our reach when it's the Creator Himself who conquered death that's creating our future home? The possibilities are endless. WHY NOT COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS?

But now Paul shifts his focus on the timing and conditions of the world when we can expect this event to happen:

I Thes 5:1-4 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. KJV

Paul didn't tell them that they didn't need to know, he told them that they didn't need him to write them about it because they already knew. What did they already know?

They had already been taught about a future time in history known as The Day Of The Lord. This was not a minor topic. It was mentioned and discussed under many titles all throughout the Old Testament and even in portions of the Gospels. The Day Of The Lord is also known as the Time Of Jacob's Trouble, the 70th Week Of Daniel, the Day Of God's Wrath, the Time Of Indignation and the title we're probably most familiar with today, the Great Tribulation. It's like no other time period in history. No matter what we've read in the Old Testament about God's judgment against places like Sodom & Gomorrah or even the Great Flood of Noah's time, this world has never seen God's wrath like it will be seen during the Great Tribulation.

The Thessalonians also knew, as Paul did, that the Day Of The Lord would begin with Sudden Destruction. Paul compares it to when a woman goes into labor. Women estimate the timing of their child's birth, but they don't know the day or the hour. Even when it's the very day and hour that they go into labor, they still don't know the day or the hour until after they've gone into labor. But they shouldn't be surprised if they've been monitoring their pregnancy. There are many signs to watch and follow so that they aren't caught off guard.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-44 that no one knows the day or the hour and it's because we don't know the day or the hour that Jesus also said we should always keep watch and pay attention. Pay attention to what? Chuck Missler used to say, "We are being plunged into a period of time about which the Bible has more to say than it does any other period of time in history including the time when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee and climbed the hills of Judea." That's absolutely true. Even though we don't know the day or the hour, the Bible has given us more than enough information so that we would know what the day and the hour would look like as it approaches and if we're paying attention, we would know when it's getting close. And folks, it's close! It is so close!!

Notice how Paul used the words "they" and "them" in the above passage? Everybody likes to quote Paul when they say, "the Lord will return like a thief in the night" but if they read the fine print of 1st Thessalonians 5:1-10, they would see that the day of the Lord's return and the Great Tribulation WILL NOT come as a thief in the night to those who are awake and paying attention. It only comes as a thief in the night to those who dwell in darkness and he says THEY shall not escape. WE, on the other hand, will escape as Paul makes clear in the rest of the passage:

I Thes 5:5-10 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. KJV

We have not been appointed to endure the Great Tribulation because God has not appointed us to His wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We're saved SPIRITUALLY from God's wrath when we trust in His blood to pay for our sins. We're saved PHYSICALLY from God's wrath when we hear the Trump of God and the sound of Jesus shouting out our name. This doesn't have to be confusing, it's all right here nice and neat.

I Thes 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. KJV

For the 2nd time, Paul tells them (and us) to comfort each other with these words, to build each other up as we watch and wait for this wonderful event. I don't know how we're supposed to be comforted by any of it if we have to endure the Great Tribulation first. That's rather ridiculous isn't it? Always pay close attention to what God says in His Word and not what pastors, preachers and even internet Bible nerds like me are saying online. Ask God yourself for the truth. If your heart really wants the truth, He will make sure that you get it and it will never contradict His Written Word.

Folks, this is the 1st in a series of posts that I'll be writing to monitor where we are in history and how close we are to getting out of here. We don't have long. We are so close folks that I don't even know if I'll be able to write another post before we hear the trumpet sound. If I am able, I'll keep posting no matter how long we have to wait. I'll continue to occupy until He comes as we're commanded to do. But we're on borrowed time.

Don't pay any attention to Christians who don't see it coming. It's impossible to see anything when the eyes are shut. A lot of them don't want to see it coming. Truth be told, they want Jesus to stay right where He is. If they're saved, they'll still get taken home with the rest of us. But it'll probably scare the crap out of them when it happens because they aren't ready for it. I honestly don't know why because there isn't any good thing going on down here that can't continue in Heaven when we get there.

RECOMMENDED READING:
The Bride & Her Groom
The Anger Of Post-Tribulationists
Post-Trib Views That Cancel Each Other
What Does It Mean To Be Saved ?

Putting On The Whole Armor Of God

Spiritual warfare is a hazardous and unavoidable reality in the lives of every human being, especially Christians. None of us are safe. We need an appropriate system of defense. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul gives us a list of weapons and gear for spiritual warfare known as the Armor of God. Do not dismiss this as Biblical poetry. These are literal pieces of armor designed specifically to defend the Christian against all supernatural attacks. You cannot survive without them.

Verse 12 says that our battles are not waged against physical opponents, but against principalities and powers of wicked spiritual forces in high places of the supernatural sphere. To put it another way, none of our enemies are human. None of our problems originate from natural circumstances even though they may appear to be. No matter what's going on, our enemies are invisible super-beings who've been waging war against the people of God for thousands of years. They use the human beings and circumstances in our lives as camouflage as well as our own thoughts and emotions. If you're a Christian, that means you signed up for this whether you like it or not because Ephesians 6:12 doesn't seem to give us any option to go A.W.O.L. Fortunately for us, everything that follows verse 12 turns out to be a complete and thorough military intelligence report with a tactical of the enemies' battle-plans, the weapons they always use and the spots they always target.

Each piece of armor that's listed tells us something about what it is that Satan attacks us with and how to be protected from those attacks. For example, a single blow to the bowels or the groin could disable any soldier regardless of their courage or their skills. That's why Paul tells us to gird our loins with the Belt of Truth because Satan will attack us where we're most vulnerable with lies and deception. The Breastplate of Righteousness covers our heart because Satan attacks our heart with feelings of shame and guilt to make us question our standing with the Lord. The Shoes of Peace cover our feet because Satan attacks our footsteps with fears and anxieties to either push us off course or prevent us from standing firm. See how this works?

Even the order in which the pieces are listed is important because each piece works as support for the next piece. Truth enables us to be in right standing with God. Being in right standing with God enables us to stand in peace. Standing in peace enables us to shield ourselves with stronger faith. Stronger faith enables us to then advance against the enemy with offensive weapons which are also listed.

So each piece has to be put on in the order they are given. The only exception to this is the 7th piece which is prayer. Prayer is the outer layer of defense which must be activated immediately and continually whether we're fully suited or completely naked according to Paul in verse 18. It's the only defense we've got until we're suited up. Once we're equipped, then prayer moves beyond being a defensive weapon and then becomes a powerful offensive weapon. With the exception of prayer, all remaining pieces must be put on in the exact order they're given, otherwise they won't work.

So let's dive into this and find out what each piece is, how it works and how to put it on.

Armor Inventory:

1. The Belt Of Truth.
2. The Breastplate Of Righteousness.
3. The Shoes Of Peace.
4. The Shield Of Faith.
5. The Helmet Of Salvation.
6. The Sword Of The Spirit.
7. Praying Always & In The Spirit.

1. THE BELT OF TRUTH.

The 1st layer is the Belt of Truth which Paul tells us to gird around our loins because it is our most vulnerable areas that Satan will attack with lies and deception. Our intellect and education will not protect us. 2nd Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan is the one who keeps our eyes and our mind BLINDED from seeing truth even when we're looking right at it. So we need something of greater power on a spiritual level to protect us from Satan's blinders.

Jesus said in John 8:31-32 that if we abide in His Word, then we will know the truth and the truth will make us free. Knowing the truth is more powerful than believing the truth. We can't be deceived if we KNOW the truth. According to Jesus, this is something that happens when we abide in His Word. Abiding in His Word means becoming familiar with it, making it our dwelling place, trusting it, leaning upon it and making it our home. These are attributes of abiding that take time to develope. The first and biggest hurdle to getting started is beginning to read the Bible on a regular basis. If we've fallen out of the habit, then it requires a commitment to get it going again. But we've got to do it. We can't put on the Belt of Truth or the rest of the armor without it.

If reading the Bible sounds intimidating, ask the Lord to give you a desire and hunger for His Word. He will answer that prayer. He will even give you ideas about where to start and which translations to use. Then, try to make a daily commitment to reading at least a chapter a day and talking with the Lord while you're reading. We won't always understand what we're reading and we need His widsom there with us to help us. Sometimes, a passage that bothers us will suddenly become crystal clear as we talk it out with Him. Other times, the Lord may promt us to just skip it and keep reading with the assurance that we'll understand it later. Over time, as we continue to do this, our understanding will increase. God promises us in James 1:5 that if any of us is lacking in wisdom, just ask for it and we'll get it. God wants us praying and asking questions while we read His Word.

Then, the way we actually strap on the Belt of Truth is found in 2nd Corinthians 10:5 where Paul tells us not to believe everything we think but instead, "lead every thought captive into the obedience of Christ" i.e. His Word.

When 2nd Corinthians 10:5 says to "take every thought captive" it really means it. Our brain is like a computer that's been infected with malicious software. We can't trust and rely upon everything that's going on up in there. It's been infected with software from the world culture, which is opposed to God according to James 4:4. It's been infected with the software of our sin nature and harmful appetites according to Romans 8:7. It's been infected with malware straight from Satan himself known as "arrows from the wicked one" according to Ephesians 6:10-18. So with all that going on up in there, no wonder Paul warns us to take every thought captive.

Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way which seems right, but at the end of it are the ways of death."

Proverbs 3:5-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Don't be wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil."

Psalm 32:8 "I the Lord will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and guide you with My eye upon you."

Our search and discovery of all truth, guided by God's personal direction via daily prayer and Bible study is the foundation for which the rest of the Armor of God is built. Without the Belt of Truth, we're in bondage to all of Satan's deception. There is no other defense. Too many professed Christians today are victims of Satan's lies because they've built most of their education and personal viewpoints from the wisdom of this world without filtering it first through God's Belt of Truth.

Whether we’re talking about issues that are political, religious, cultural, social, marital, sexual, financial, supernatural, historical, or whether we’re reading books, magazines, watching television, documentaries, or surfing the net or just listening to the voices of friends and family, there are 5 immovable facts of reality that WE MUST ALWAYS HAVE ESTABLISHED IN OUR HEART if we’re to wear the Belt of Truth:

1. Our world has made Satan it's god according to 2nd Corinthians 4:4.

2. God considers the wisdom of this world to be foolishness according to 1st Corinthians 3:19.

3. Respectful fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom and understanding according to Proverbs 9:10.

4. A true follower of Jesus Christ abides in God's Word according to John 8:31-32

5. ...and brings all theories and arguments in opposition to God's Word into alignment with God's Word according to II Corinthians 10:4-5.

That is the Belt of Truth. If those 5 immovable facts of reality are permanently engraved on our heart, then we can talk to anyone, watch any documentary, read any book or magazine, research any topic without fear of deception because God is with us in our research, instructing us and teaching us in the way we should go; counseling us and guiding us with His eye upon us. This is how I managed to survive watching countless hours of paranormal documentaries during the 1990s without being deceived. It also protected me from many deceptive ministries I've investigated over the years.

Our search and discovery of truth is the foundation. Without truth, we're in bondage to deception, Satan wins, game over. With the truth, we can then move on to the next piece of armor.

2. THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Righteousness can mean "sinless" or "holy" but it can also mean "right standing with God". Satan will often attack our heart with feelings of guilt and shame to make us feel uncertain about where we stand with the Lord.

There's a few things we can do to keep this from happening.

First, we should always remember that we've never had our own righteousness to begin with according to Isaiah 64:6 and if we have believed in the Lord Jesus to save us from the penalty of our sins, then all of our sins (past, present & future) are covered by His blood on the Cross according to Romans 3:23-24. We're no longer criminals in a court before a righteouse judge, we're now adopted children in a relationship with a loving Father. Nothing can change that.

Second, instead of trying to cover up our heart's weaknessess with excuses and self-righteousness, we should just be honest about who we are when we're spending time with the Lord in prayer because Hebrews 4:13-16 says "all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do." And even more than that, "He's able to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses because He was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning." So we might as well be honest and acknowledge everything when we pray: the good, the bad and the ugly. He already knows it all anyway and He understands.

To clear our conscience, we have 1st John 1:7-10 which is known as the Christian's Bar of Soap. It promises Jesus' gift of cleansing, forgiveness and continued fellowship with Him when we openly acknowledge our natural sinfulness. We commit sins everyday. We're human beings. John tells us "If we say we have not sinned, we contradict His Word and make Him out to be a liar, and His Word is not in us. But if we confess (or acknowledge) our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The cleansing and forgiveness that this passage is referring to is different from the cleansing and forgiveness that we received at salvation. All of our sins (past, present & future) were covered by the Blood of Jesus when we were saved. The cleansing and forgiveness that this passage is talking about is the cleansing of our heart: our emotions and our thoughts. It's amazing how quickly and easily the Lord will change our heart to align with His once we're just honest and open with Him about something we've been feeling, thinking or even doing.

Third, while being honest with the Lord, we should be honest with ourselves. We should always be open to evaluating our heart before the Lord. How are we responding to the truth He's giving us? Are we humble and submissive to what He tells us or are we arrogant and resistent? Are we in a posture of surrendering to Him and what He wants or are we trying to fight Him?

All of us have been stubborn with the Lord at times. None of us are perfect. We're all growing. But if we choose to take a stand against God and willfully embrace something that God has condemned or choose to take a pathway that we know God has forbidden, then we won't be able to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness and we will continue to suffer under Satan's harrassment. We certainly won't be able to put on the next piece of armor which are Shoes of Peace.

3. THE SHOES OF PEACE.

Satan attacks our daily walk with intruding thoughts of fear, anxiety and all questions that begin with the words "but what if" to easily manipulate us in our decisions and courses of action.

But if we know the truth, then we can take every thought captive and stand in the truth. (Belt of Truth)

If we stand in the truth, then we're in right-standing with God. (Breastplate of Righteousness)

If we're in right standing with God, then we can stand and move in God's peace according to Philippians 4:6-7 where Paul tells us not to worry about anything but with prayer and thanksgiving, continue to relay everything to God (not to keep God informed, but to keep us connected with God's presence) so that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep them in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because they trust in Him.

It's amazing how much peace and confidence becomes ours when we're mentally and emotionally connected to God's presence. God's Peace doesn't mean we'll be happy about everything or approve of what we're enduring. It doesn't mean we'll have all the answers. It doesn't mean we'll be relaxed or without pain. But it does mean that once we've entered into God's presence and have placed our desires and concerns into His hands, then we can surrender the outcome to Him in peace even if we don't like what's going on because we know He loves us perfectly and unconditionally and He's in perfect control of even the smallest details.

In Psalm 46:10, God says to "Be still and know that I Am God." Being still in this sense is more than physical. It's mental and emotional as well. The enemy likes to keep our thoughts and feelings churning so that we never have any peace. Once we purpose to mentally and emotionally BE STILL and focus on KNOWING who's God, it changes our perspective.

Psalm 138:8 says "God will perfect that which conerns me." At this point we can trust that whatever we're going through, it is not meaningless. If it's in His hands and under His control, then whatever it is, it is filled with purpose and filtered through His love. We're not victims of anything. Until we see and experience God's purpose in whatever we might be enduring or whatever it is that's happening, we can surrender it to the Lord as an act of worship to Him. However He chooses to respond will be for our best and His glory.

If we still find ourselves buckling under the pressure of anxiety, then we can ask the Lord personally for His peace according to John 14:26-27. Jesus promises us that He will give us His peace, not as the world gives, not circumstantial peace, but His peace which Paul said in Philippians 4:6-7 will transcend all human understanding.

After that, if we STILL find ourselves buckling under the pressure of anxiety, then that can only mean that we haven't successfully put on the Belt of Truth or the Breastplate of Righteousness. God won't put the armor on for us. We have to put it on. God will give us the truth whenever we ask for it but when He does, we have to believe Him and trust Him in order to take a stand against the lies that would give us anxiety.

The Shoes of Peace are available, but we have to put them on. Once we do, then we can begin walking in this life with new goals, new attitudes, new directions, no longer responding to fears, doubts or anxieties.

As long as we continue to live and walk in the truth and in harmony with God's Will, we can continue walking in peace. Then we can take up the next layer of defense: the Shield of Faith.

4. THE SHIELD OF FAITH.

The enemy is constantly sending us unwanted thoughts and feelings. The first three pieces of armor that we're given are specifically designed to defend the areas of our souls in which those unwanted thoughts are sent. But this next piece of armor is designed to go further and deflect those unwanted thoughts themselves.

Many Christians debate whether Satan has the ability to enter our minds, control our minds, or read our minds. I don't wish to get into any of those debates here, but one thing is certain... Satan does have the ability from outside of our mind, to place unwanted feelings and thoughts into our mind. This isn't a theory, it's Scriptural. Paul called these unwanted feelings and thoughts, "fiery darts" in Ephesians 6:16 and plainly identified the source of those attacks to be from "The Wicked One".

Despite Biblical evidence from Genesis to Revelation of Satanic bombardment upon the human mind, many Christians don't believe Satan can place thoughts into our minds. But he does it all the time and I can prove it to you. How many of you have ever gone somewhere alone with a Bible to pray, got away from all the noises and distractions, started praying and then all of a sudden, you find yourself thinking some twisted, evil, wicked thought while right in the middle of trying to talk to God? In the communications sciences, that's known as hostile interference or hostile jamming. The last thing Satan wants is a Christian praying. Well, if that can happen while you're praying, then it can happen anywhere, under any circumstances, at any given time. It's a subtle tactic of disinformation from the enemy that's camouflaged as our own thoughts. It doesn't have to be lust, it can be fear, it can be anger, it can be impatience with the Lord.

Once we become sensitive to Satan's tactics, then he often resorts to using our friends and family. Privately, we may have taken an unwanted thought captive before a loved one releases it again with a statement of doubt or criticism. A song on the radio might unlock a once captive thought.

Satan knows that we'll believe our own thoughts before we believe his, so we often get Satan's lies disguised as our own thoughts. This is why Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 10:5 to take every thought captive and lead it into the obedience of Christ, because if you don't take your thoughts captive, then your thoughts may take you captive. Don't believe everything you think. Those aren't always your thoughts.

If we know we have the truth (Belt of Truth), if we have no guilt (Breastplate of Righteousness), if we're at peace with God and in harmony with His Will (Shoes of Peace), then NOTHING CAN STOP US (Shield of Faith). Any thoughts of doom or fears sent by Satanic forces can easily be deflected by our faith in God's faithfulness. Nothing can separate us from His love, not even our own stubborn will or the will of demonic forces according to Romans 8:31-39. We're even given the confidence of knowing that He Who lives in us is greater and mightier than the agents of the antichrist, i.e. fallen angels and demonic forces according to 1st John 4:4.

Faith is the confident assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen according to Hebrews 11:1. In other words, our protective shield is a shield of confident assurance in God's faithfulness toward us in His love, in who He is, the things He's done, things He's doing, and things He's promised to do. Faith is simply trusting in God's faithfulness no matter what your thoughts are saying or what the circumstances are saying.

Any thoughts of doom or fears sent by Satanic forces can easily be deflected by our faith in God's faithfulness. Without faith in God's faithfulness, then those attacks will begin to wear away at our Shoes of Peace. But if we continue to walk forward or stand firm in our faith in God's faithfulness, then we can attack the enemy who's sending those thoughts of doom by putting on the next two pieces of armor...

5. THE HELMET OF SALVATION.

The Helmet of Salvation is the most misunderstood piece of armor in the Armor of God. Because of its name, it's assumed by most that getting saved is how the helmet is put on. But Paul was addressing people who were already saved. He was telling Christians to PUT ON the Helmet of Salvation. So this piece of armor isn't our salvation, but it's available to us BECAUSE of our salvation.

The helmet protects our mind and our identity. Once we're saved, we are adopted into the family of God and we're given a new identity with a new nature. But Satan is constantly challenging our granted authority in Christ by undermining our new identity or causing us to forget it. By using the influences of the world, our friends and even our family, the enemy can convince us we really aren't who we think we are and we don't have any authority. That's why Paul says we have to put on the Helmet of our Salvation. Like all the other pieces in the Armor of God, we have to pick it up and put it on. It's freely available to us because of what Jesus has already done, but we have to take it and put it on.

If we know and live in the truth of God's Word (Belt of Truth), and if we're in right standing with God (Breastplate of Righteousness), and if we're standing in His peace (Shoes of Peace), and completely leaning upon His faithfulness (Shield of Faith), then we have the right to wear over our head the authority of our salvation which is the mind and name of Christ Himself.

1st Corinthians 2:12-16 says that we haven't received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God so that we will know the things freely given to us of God. We don't speak of these things in words of human wisdom, but in words of wisdom taught by the Holy Spirit. The natural man doesn't receive these things because it's all foolishness to him and he can't receive them because it requires spiritual discernment. But those with spiritual discernment can judge all things, yet are themselves to be judged by no one. For who has ever known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we do! We have the mind of Christ.

Romans 8:14-17 says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. We have not received the spirit of fear, but the Spirit of adoption, in the bliss of which we cry, "Abba (Father)". The Holy Spirit Himself bears witness with our own spirit, that we are the children of God and if we're His children, then we're His heirs also! We're heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ! If we suffer with Him, we will share in His glory!

Ephesians 2:19 says we are no longer strangers to God, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. We are members of the highest of all royal families!

1st John 3:1 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know Him."

1st Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

This helmet proclaims our authority in Christ, it protects our identity in Christ and it provides godly wisdom in spiritual discernment. It gives us the power to think like Jesus thinks instead of the way everybody else thinks. It guides and protects us in our research, where to research, what to accept, what to reject, what to put on the back burner until further notice, how to spot red flags, how and when to know when we're being lied to.

The Belt of Truth gives us all the truth we need while the Helmet of Salvation tells us who, what, when, where and how to apply it.

No matter how many years you've been saved, no matter how long you've been following the Lord and no matter how long you've had to deal with spiritual warfare, Satan will never stop trying to convince you that your relationship with the Lord is a pathetic joke. He will never stop trying to convince you that the paths of your life aren't ordered by the Lord but are the result of random chaos. He will never stop trying to convince you that the world knows better, that the world is smarter, that the world's ways are happier and more beneficial, that the world has all the facts of reality and that trusting in Jesus and His Word is like believing in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. He's always telling Christians that they're beneath the people of this world, that they're fools and childish with their pathetic little Bible verses and cliches. Satan is very narcissistic, you know. He will never freely acknowledge who you are in Christ. He will never freely respect it. He will never freely honor it. That's why you have to put on the Helmet of Salvation and make him acknowledge it, make him respect it and make him honor it.

It's the people of the world and their relationship with the enemy that's a pathetic joke. It's their paths in life that are nothing but chaos. It's the Lord Who knows better than they do. It's the Lord who is smarter than they are. It's the Lord whose ways are happier and more beneficial than theirs. It's the Lord who has all of the facts of reality. Therefore, it's those who trust in themselves and in the wisdom of this world who truly believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy.

The Helmet of Salvation overrules what everyone else thinks. We don't have to believe their lies, respond to their criticisms, feel shame for the things they say we should be ashamed of, run around doing and saying what they think we should be doing and saying. We don't have to fear. We have Christ's given authority as an adopted member of the Royal Family of God Who is destined to RULE with HIM.

We wear the authority that comes from our adoption as sons and daughters of the living God (Helmet of Salvation). With this adoption, we're given the mind of Christ according to 1st Corinthians 2:14-16. Our mind is now capable of grasping Spiritual truths and realities that normal human beings are incapable of comprehending. With our authority in Christ, we are now capable of utilizing the power of Scripture in a way that before was unthinkable, which is the next layer of armor...

6. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.

Paul comes right out and tells us that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. We put on the Belt of Truth by abiding in God's Word but then we use the Sword of the Spirit by verbally quoting God's Word into the face of enemy. Jesus Himself fought the enemy with this Sword. He didn't use Jedi mind tricks or force lightning. He spoke the Word of God to Satan's face.

The first time we saw Jesus do this was in Matthew 4:1-11 while Satan was attacking Him with thoughts of pride, hunger, fear, exhaustion and the longing to end human suffering. With each and every attack, Jesus responded to the enemy with the verbal quotation of Scripture. Every time! The enemy tried to pick up the sword and fight back using the same tactics, but Jesus prevailed.

The last time we will see Jesus do this is recorded in Revelation 19:11-21 when Jesus overthrows Satan and the armies of the Antichrist with the Sword coming out of His mouth.

The Sword of the Spirit to attack the enemy is the Word of God. 2nd Corinthians 6:4-7 says that we approve ourselves as true servants and ministers of God through all manner of spiritual warfare by speaking the word of truth in the power of God with the weapons of righteousness on the right hand to attack (Sword of the Spirit) and on the left hand to defend (Shield of Faith).

Whenever we're attacked by the enemy, we should respond by speaking outloud a passage of Scripture that contradicts Satan's deceptive lies and reaffirms the truth of God. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged physical sword because this Spiritual Sword can actually cut between the soul and the spirit and discern the thoughts and purposes of the heart. God Himself holds His Word even higher than His own Name according to Psalm 138:2.

Every attack of the enemy is designed to challenge our trust in the Lord's faithfulness. So whenever we wake up in the middle of the night bombarded with regrets, longings, fears or anxieties accompanied with all of the "what if" questions about something, we should answer those questions outloud with Scripture. And I do mean out loud. The enemy needs to hear it. That's how the Sword of the Spirit works.

I've noticed for myself that many times when I'm under attack, I often make the mistake of assuming I'm just quietly thinking when I'm actually being attacked by the enemy. A lot of times what we call "quietly thinking" is actually Satan screaming his head off. It's no wonder we can't sleep. The next mistake I often make is when I try to argue with the enemy using my own reasoning and experience. When I do that, it only makes things worse.

The only way to defeat the enemy is with the Sword of the Spirit. I have to stand upon the Written Word of God and speak those divine truths outloud in responce to every lie I'm thinking or feeling. Now be warned: just as he did with Jesus, Satan may come back with a Bible verse of his own! But that's just spiritual swordplay. You've got to know your Bible and swing back. He will flee.

This is just another reason why we should be abiding in God's Word so that not only would we remain protected in Truth (Belt of Truth), but so that our Sword of the Spirit would remain sharpened and ready for use at a moments notice.

7. PRAYING ALWAYS & IN THE SPIRIT.

The Armor of God is made up of 6 pieces of armor. Throughout the Bible, the number 6 is always symbolic of something that is incomplete. The Holy Spirit is telling us here that the Armor of God by itself is incomplete. It won't work without something else. This is why Paul wraps it up in verse 18 by saying we should be praying ALWAYS. We can't PUT ON the Armor of God without praying and we can't WEAR the Armor of God without praying either. Prayer is that 7th something, the outer layer, which makes the Armor of God complete. Chuck Missler called this "staying in contact with our Commanding General."

Paul says that we should be praying ALWAYS and IN THE SPIRIT. This is very important and I'm afraid that I have to make a very controversial statement so that we don't misunderstand what praying in the Spirit really means. It is not a prayer language, it is not a spirit language, it has nothing to do with speaking in tongues. Many Christians today think of speaking in tongues when they hear someone tell them to pray in the Spirit, but that's not what Paul's talking about here. Praying in the Spirit means to pray in line with the Will and Word of God. Paul told us that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, so praying in the Spirit is praying in line with the Word of God.

Praying is the most important and powerful thing we do as Christians. Putting on the Armor of God is impossible to do without prayer. God supplies us with the Armor, but He won't put it on us. We have to put it on ourselves and that can't be done without prayer.

I used to make the mistake of thinking I was putting on the Armor of God by praying the following:

"Dear Lord, put on me the whole Armor of God. Put the Belt of Truth around my loins, the Breastplate of Righteousness over my heart, the Shoes of Peace on my feet, the Shield of Faith over my whole body, the Helmet of Salvation over my head and the Sword of the Spirit in my hand, in Jesus Name, Amen."

But it doesn't work that way. The armor can't be put on for us, we have to put it on and that's not possible without praying for God's direction and provision. In reviewing the 6 pieces of Armor, it's noticeable how vital prayer is in the application of every piece.

Girding our loins with the Belt of Truth requires abiding in God's Word and that isn't possible without asking God to draw us in, to direct our paths, to open our ears to hear and understand what He's saying and how to apply it. We also need Him to enable us mentally and emotionally for this because our natural tendencies will be to reject what we're reading. We need His wisdom, understanding and spiritual discernment through every step of this. We also require His wisdom and discernment when listening to information from sources outside the Bible to know what is and isn't true. None of this is possible without praying always.

Wearing the Breastplate of Righteousness can't be done without being honest and open with the Lord at all times. That's how we keep our hearts clean and the lines of communication open.

Wearing the Shoes of Peace can't be done without prayer because the enemy is always trying to divert our footsteps with fears, anxiety or impatience. Only the awareness of the presence of God, resting in His presence and standing in what He's told us will supply us with His perfect peace.

Taking up the Shield of Faith can't be done without prayer because it's ultimately His faithfulness that we're trusting when we carry that shield. We can't trust God if we don't know Him and we can't know Him if we're not communicating with Him on a frequent and regular basis. The more we're with Him in prayer, listening to Him, believing and trusting in what He says and standing in His peace, the stronger our shield of Faith.

Wearing the Helmet of our Salvation can't be done without prayer because our authority in Christ and our identity in Christ is invisible without prayer. With the Shield of Faith, praying keeps us reminded of WHO JESUS IS. With the Helmet of Salvation, praying keeps us reminded of WHO WE ARE... that is in Christ. Our identity is in Him and our authority comes from Him. Both of these things are easy to forget unless we're praying always.

Knowing how to use the Sword of the Spirit is certainly impossible without prayer. We need to keep our spiritual senses in tune with the Lord at all times so that our responses to the enemy in battle are swift and effective.

NOW!!! NOW!!! With the whole Armor of God complete, we can pray effectively without interference and with perfect clarity, interceding on behalf of whoever needs it. We can go beyond the immediate needs of ourselves and actually touch the lives of anyone and everyone out there who needs it.

Matter, energy, time and space mean nothing. We can pray for anything, for anyone anywhere. When we're ready to pray at a moment's notice, God will begin to make us sensitive to people who need prayer, people we know and people we don't know, complete strangers or people in the news or entertainment. He will make us sensitive to their needs and what to pray for. There isn't anyone out there anywhere that you cannot touch with prayer.

I said at the beginning of this post that spiritual warfare is a hazardous and unavoidable reality in the lives of everyone, especially Christians. It truly is. Everyone everywhere needs our prayers. I also said at the beginning of this post that none of us are safe. But if we're prayerfully wearing the complete Armor of God, I think we can be safe. Everything has been provided. We just need to put it on and then wear it. Everyday.

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Wearing The Armor Of Satan