Revelation, The Church, and The Tribulation

Reflecting upon the messages emulating from the pinnacles of faith I have noticed a disturbing trend developing. What once was a plan of redemption, a plan of salvation that had strict rule and regulations has evolved into a feel-good message designed to entertain.   One pastor's weekly message is about how God loves us and how he is doing great things for us.  There are those who accept the indoctrinated view of God while other look out their window and see the signs of the tribulation all around us.  The strange weather patterns, the intensification of storms and earthquakes, the spirit of discontent that exists within our homes, school, churches, communities, and nation does not depict the image of a smiling God.

In my book, "The Evolution of a Failed Church", I seek to amplify the disconnect that exists and condemnations brought against the church after it had strayed away from the ordinance set forth by Christ.  Long before our leaders trashed the Bible and enacted laws giving humanity the courage to stand against God, Christianity and the Bible, the church as an organized and divided body had failed (Revelation 2-3).   There is only one question left to answer. "Did the gates of Hell prevail against the true church (Five wise virgins) or did Christ come back for his church before it became a confused and divided body (Five foolish virgins) (Revelation 4:)?   The answer to this and other question has serious implication for the billion-dollar entertainment enterprise that is masquerading as the organized church.

According to the testimony of the Apostle Paul (who wrote inspired of God), we will not enter nor go through any part of the Great Tribulation: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1^st Thessalonians 5:9). According to this Scripture, the Church is not appointed to wrath, the Church is not appointed to judgment. The Church will not face either the wrath of God or the judgment of God but will be caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds in the air. Then the judgment of Almighty God will fall upon this earth as described in Revelation six and follow. The stage is set in Revelation 4 and 5, and the judgments break out at the beginning of chapter six.

We all face a problem here.  It is not with the interpretation of the book of Revelation, it is with the application, implication, and timeline.  The prevailing consensus is we must go to church, a building dedicated to a church to obtain salvation.  Now if we believe as Paul believed that the church would not go through the tribulation, then we are comfortable with the idea that the tribulation is not upon us, thus the fulfillment of Revelation has not begun, yet many teach that we are living in the days spoken of in the book of Revelation.  If we see the signs that Jesus spoke of as the beginning of sorrow, the time of tribulation and the church is still here then contrary to what Paul said, the church is going through the tribulation.     

Paul speaking to the Jewish converts long before the church became an organized body.  "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)  The new converts were encouraged to get together with other converts and uplift one another through prayer and their testimony as they waited for the return of Christ.  They were to do this as a spiritual body.  The Roman government (Constantine) and enterprising men (Nicolaitans) saw the power and glory of organizing these groups into one earthly body (denomination).   After a period of trials and tribulations this earthly body split.   The implications were the body of Christ had become a divided body, and according to Jesus, a divided house cannot stand.  It is easy to see the problem good men have created.      

It easy to discard Revelation 6:12-17 as these signs are nothing new.   And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, (meteorites striking the earth) even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains (storm shelters and fallout shelters).   And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

It is just as easy to be confused by the numerous and exciting messages being presented in the house of God.  What is strange about these messages is they all speak of what God is doing.   I am constantly bombarded with claims of what God is doing.  Why does God spend so much time fixing problems when all he has to do is speak the word?  Why is there an on slaughter of preachers promising financial favors from God especially on the social media?  We are encouraged to "Type Amen" and share the message as if we can prod God into action.  Let look at a few examples of what God was seen doing by the New Testament writers.

Acts 7:55-56  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

In this verse, the author writes that Stephen looking into Heaven he saw the Glory of God, it does not say he saw God. It further states that he saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.  Standing is a position of action.  Stephen a righteous man was killed because of his testimony.  What is interesting is he did not pray for his deliverance.  

Revelation 4:2-3 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Revelation 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

John is referencing seeing God through his glory sitting on the throne.  

There is a type of lunacy that has invaded the household of faith and Christians are upholding it.  There is sadness when I hear people who have given their whole life to the church, and in their golden years, they began to question their faith.  We can pretend that this condition does not exist, bury our heads in the sand, quote shaped scriptures to prove our point, but the truth is, many older church members are secretly questing their faith as they sit alone at home waiting to die, and the younger generation no longer maintain the faith of their parents.

A lady in her eighties told me, "I use to go to church and feel the spirit of God, now I go to church and don't feel nothing but I go to church and pay my tithes because we are supposed to."    I couldn't resist, I asked, "Why are we suppose to go to a church building?" Her response was, "It's in the Bible."  "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)   The interpretation of this verse and other verses is shaped to force the believer that in order to save one's soul one must attend a particular organized divided assembly designated as the church.  Now couple that with Malachi 3:8 and we have the making of a beautiful business plan that many has capitalized on.  There is no meat in the organized church because the scriptures are twisted, the storehouse has been robbed, and the people are suffering.  

When attempting to analyze those verses, the first question we should ask is, when Paul wrote those now famous words, what was the church like?  Where did the early Christians meet?  The message of Malachi 3:8 was not a message to the congregation, it was a message to the priest. Malachi 2:1  And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.  The priest was asked questions, the priest asked questions and the answer was given

A prearrange indoctrination sessions have rendered the Word of God null and void.  We often go to church to get our blessings, we are conditioned to believe this, it is necessary to support the church bottom line.  What blessing do we receive from listening to a preacher scream and hollow about God delivering Jonah from the belly of the whale?  How often do we shake the preacher's hand and say, we enjoyed the message?  Did we really enjoy the message or was it the presentation of the message?  How long before we forget what the message was about.  Would we be more excited if a well-known mega-church pastor came to our assembly and read the 23rd Psalms?   

Learning to use code words or trigger words can excite a congregation, the same as the yelling touchdown at a football game.   In the church, this explosive reaction is attributed to the spirit of God.  In my early days, I witnessed the same type of reaction at a James Brown concert.  The audience erupted in a state of euphoria at the mere sight of a mortal man walking on stage.

The church, whether it is a tribulation force or pre-tribulation force has strayed away from its intended purpose (Revelation 2-3)  It was Jesus who established the church and the church should be for the benefit of Christ.  Enterprising young men and women have taken control of God's heritage and are seeking to establish their own hierarchy.  This is akin to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  He like so many today has lost sight of who they were and where they had come from. His “fugue state,” was caused by him taking credit for the kingdom he had been given, he forgot that God is the King of Kings, and everything he had was from Him (Daniel 4:17, 28–30).

God dramatized the king’s state of mind by an introduced fugue state.   He was driven into the fields as a homeless man to live with wild animals and graze like a cow (vv. 32–33). Finally, after seven years Nebuchadnezzar looked up to the skies and his memory of who he was and who had given him his kingdom returned. With his senses restored, he declared, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven” (v. 37).

The noun fugue describes a psychiatric disorder that involves memory loss and travel. If you wake up in New Jersey and cannot remember how you got there, one possibility is that you were in a fugue state.  With the proliferation of titles and the word of God, many are inclined to forget who is the King of Kings.   If you think you have the power to run God's house any way you please then you are like Nebuchadnezzar you are experiencing a fugue state.  

Who do we think we are? Where did we come from? Since we are inclined to forget, who can we count on to help us remember, the pastor, the priest, the bishop, the King of Kings?   Father, we are so inclined to forget whom we are, where we have come from, and that we belong to you. Help us to remember that in Christ, we are your children, the sheep of his pasture, now and forever.

To be continued...

Times of the Gentiles or The End of Days

The refusal to accept the fact that God has long grown weary of the antics of humanity and retired to his throne, as depicted in Revelation 4:2 has led many down a path of darkness.   We are clamoring for the blessing that God promised Israel, whereas God long ago acting upon his frustration for his chosen people gave them a bill of divorcement.  "And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also." (Jeremiah 3:8)  There is no reference in the scripture that declares the blessings of God to be transferable.

Many are failing to see the dark clouds rising on the horizon because we are not prepared to accept the angry God concept.  Yet, throughout the scripture, God has displayed his anger.  Whenever I mention the angry God concept in a bible study or Sunday school an usually there is an attempt to silence me.  While sitting through church service there is a constant reminder of how much God loved me and even while I sleep God is working things out.   I tend to shudder when I am told this, nowhere in the scripture have I found God spending such a vast amount of time working things out, when God spoke, it was done.

Jolted awake in the early hours of the morning the newscaster informed me that the intensity of war has increased.  Much of the East coast is suffering from another snow storm in the middle of April, in the heartlands, fire are raging and even in my part of the world, we are still unable to plant our crops or garden.  Tornados are ripping the central states apart, and soon we will be facing the hurricanes.  Crime is on the rise as parents are killing their children and children are murdering their parents.  Yet the powder-puff messages emulating from the house of God only speaks of God's love.  We are well into the book of Revelation, the tribulation is upon us and what I see is the antics of an angry God. "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17)  

Avid students of the Word of God ascribe to the ideology that the church will not be present here on earth during the tribulation spoken of by Jesus.  In Luke 21 Jesus preached a sermon about the End of Days. The end of the world is easier to comprehend when we can compare it to the world around us. That is what Jesus did. He pointed to known things and said, amplify that, multiply that-exponentially, and then you will understand what is coming.  "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." (Luke 21:11)  Jesus was saying to the multitude, you see these things now but multiply that-exponentially.  Jesus describes a Global final holocaust-not merely of Jews and Christians-but of humans under the full authority of the pawn of Satan. 

Paul described an event that was scheduled to take place. The event is not hard to understand but it is the timing of the event that causes the problem.  This event represents the church's removal from the earth.  "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." (1^st  Thessalonians 4:16-17)   We could better understand these verses if we accepted the ideology that this was Christ coming back for his church and that this is the first step of a transformation process.  The Church once transformed and given crowns will return as the Holy Angels of Christ.   This is not the end of salvation, it could be better understood as the beginning of the tribulation.  It is a prelude to Christ returning to judge the nations.

"When the son of man shall come in his glory, and all of the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him he shall gather all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divides his sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:31-32)  As we have shown in many other studies, the nations do not represent churches as some propose. 

Revelation 7: 9-17 speaks of a great number coming out of the tribulation. "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14)

In searching for information on the "End of Days", I realized that this subject trivialized through mass predictions that have failed, to movies and videos that have no scripture value all for the purpose of publicity and financial gain.  Since Christ left this earth and promised to return, many have been cashing in on the publicity and profit gained by predicting the return of Christ.  The early Christians were left with the belief that the second coming was any day now.  This belief was partial fostered by the words of Jesus when he said, "...When he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:26-27)   Did Christ come back to claim his church before it became a divided entity?"  Are we well into the millennium of tribulation?

The common opinion that the Millennium is to be ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel and that after the Millennium there is to be a "General Resurrection" followed by a "General Judgment," and then the earth is to be destroyed by fire. This interpretation cast aside the different scriptural accounts and seeks to establish a general consensus as to how the judgment of the world will proceed.  This is what most have been taught but is this all scriptural.   

Our failure to understand these verses, amplified by our refusal to accept that Christ is speaking of several events can easily lead us down a path of darkness. In Luke 9:26 Jesus references the Holy Angels, the enforcement arm of his kingdom.  This must take place after he has come back to claim his church.  Also, to clarify, in Luke 9:27 he is referencing his beloved disciple John as one who would not die until he saw the kingdom of God, (Revelation 4)  Remember the timeline is in Revelation.  The disciples were concern about when would Christ establish his kingdom, this should also be our concern.  The statement made by Luke and ascribed to Christ seems to indicate that this event was within the lifespan of some who was standing there listening to him. 

The acceptance of the foregoing statement and the failure of some to see the arrival of the glory of God cause modern day cynics to exclaim that there must be some old people still walking around on earth.  To explain this verse and to maintain the status quo belief in today religion system, we must interpret this verse from an alien perspective.

From the 1^st century through the 19^th century, a few brave souls predicted when the end of the world would come. Beginning with the 20^th century and into the 21^st-century end of day's predictions saw a sharp increase as newly emerging prophets and apostle vied for the attention of the masses.    With advancement in the media,  predicting the end of days, become a profitable business, the same as with the church, the shaping, and twisting of the scripture become commonplace.

The timeline of the end of days is in the book of Revelation.  It is easy too followed, but it places the church in an untenable position.   We are trying to justify the existence of a divided church.   The progression of the church as depicted in Revelation 3:14-19 reflect that of a failed church.  Any interpretation of the end of days, to be acceptable to the mass, must not attack the foundation of a billion-dollar entertainment business whose existence based upon the collection of tithes and offerings and has lost sight on its special and spiritual function. Revelation 3:18.  Thirty thousand plus different denominations and belief structures attest to the fact that as an origination, the modern day church is a failed entity.  If Christ were to return to claim his church today, what church or denomination would he be coming for? 

When the "Times of the Gentiles" are about to end the Jews will be gathered back to the Holy Land "unconverted," and caused to "pass under the rod." Ezekiel 20:34-38. They will be cast into God's "Melting Pot" (Ezekiel 22:19-22), and pass through an experience spoken of by Jeremiah and Daniel as the "TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE." Jeremiah 30:4-7; Daniel 12:1. Christ calls it "The Great Tribulation," and He and Zechariah the Prophet associate it with the "Return of the Lord." Matthew 24:21-31; Zechariah 14:1-11. The human agent the Lord will use will be the Antichrist, the awfulness of whose rule will be supplemented by the pouring out of the "Vials of God's wrath" upon the earth. Revelation 15:1,5-8; 16:1-21.