http://ichthys.com/ 
Eschatology Issues CLIII

Question #1:
I'm talking about sci-fi and fantasy stuff. Remember the issue with things trying to blend those with Christianity? Applying Christ's sacrifice to applying to every species or whatever nonsense? I kind of regret the story I talked about in my last message, even if no one saw it. I mean even my solution is kind of pointless at best even from a secular storytelling standpoint like...ok, why is that brought up?

Honestly, I feel I may have stepped a bit too close to the blaspheming the Lord line for any kind of comfort. I just want your thoughts. 
Response #1:
Re: "species". Elect angels don't need individual salvation since they never fell; they needed the plan of God to restore things and that does require the cross (that is what Colossians 1:20 means). 
Animals (etym. "creatures with breath [anima]") also don't need salvation; they do not have the image of God so they have not had to make moral choices so no damnation for them. 

Only human beings needed to be saved through Christ dying for our sins. Blessedly He did! For us all. For them all. So we are looking forward to a wonderful eternity because of the cross – all who believe in Jesus Christ.
For it is the love of Christ that constrains us, having brought us to this conclusion: One died for [us] all; so then we all have died [in Him]. And He died on behalf of all so that those who are [now] alive might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised [from the dead].
2nd Corinthians 5:14-15
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #2:
Dear Professor, Good morning Sir.

How are you doing? How’s work and your family and everything? We’ve been doing okay here. 

Studying through the coming tribulation with __ is such a delight. I was telling __ yesterday that if the Lord had not sent __ to me, I would have ended up being very lukewarm, fighting the causes of the world and only God knows if I would have managed to keep my faith through the tribulation. Our good Lord is bring me through these studies without fear. Not in arrogance that I can handle anything but in the joy that the pain of this world is absolutely nothing compared to eternity. When we think of the tribulation and our loved ones, we fear the pain. The pain they or we might go through but instead of worrying about that pain which is futile and foolish, we should simply try to live each day growing in our knowledge of our God. That’s the only thing we have control of each moment, to choose him now or not. Can we really think of the unimaginable joy of eternity and not see how this finite time here can’t be compared to it? Of course the flesh fears pain but the Spirit should delight in who God is. Just thinking about the three crowns is amazing beyond words.

Thank you so much Professor.

I can never ever convey my gratitude to you.

Have a blessed week ahead Sir.
Response #2:
It's always a pleasure to hear from you, my friend! You are always filled with the joy of the Lord, regardless of the pressures you may be facing. That is the way we all should be of course. So you are a reminder and an example to us all!

Thank you also for reminding us that we must conquer fear of pain and trouble. Our Lord has told us in no uncertain terms not to worry generally (Matt.6:25-34). He has also given us specific guidance about fear in anticipation of the Tribulation:
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
Revelation 2:10 NKJV
This is easier said than done, but your application here is exactly correct. Whether experiencing pain and trouble now or during that difficult time to come, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, what He wants us to do, and on the blessed eternity ahead promised to us all who stay faithful to Him – the crown of life and every other wonder in New Jerusalem forever. If we do that "one day at a time" consistently, we are assured a "Well done!" from our Lord when all of this is finally over.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2nd Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV
Thanks for the encouraging words!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #3:
Hi Bob,

I have hit a real blip in the last few days.. I don't know how to describe it but as a blip. I was reading through this week's emails and was very grateful for them, especially when you write about not being overly concerned with our feelings and having strong faith and trust in our Lord DESPITE what our feelings are telling us...

I went to my local city on Friday. [omitted] It's just made me think about your writing on the mark of the beast and that people will take it just to have access to leisure and pleasure. Everywhere you go you are bombarded with filth and sin. So this leaves me wondering.. will all that was pleasurable in the past remain in this debauched state or will the Antichrist bring back the things that made leisure actually pleasurable such as beauty and taste and fun? Maybe there will be a choice between the degraded types of leisure/pleasure and fenced off access to the real stuff that only the Antichrist's most loyal followers will have the pleasure of. [omitted]

Anyway, the antidote to all this is to dig more deeply into scripture and your ministry and to double down and pray for these bad feelings to pass. I know you said before not to focus on the past. What does make me sad is that I have lost sight of that joy I had when I first became a believer. I felt such great joy and enthusiasm and I felt as though nothing could drag me down and I was capable of doing anything that the Lord willed for me through me. I have lost sight of that at this moment and feel bogged down with the things of this world.

I have to quickly put those blinkers on to get stuck in again. If I am losing all interest and connection to this world all together then that is not such a bad thing as long as I maintain my focus on the Lord and the truth moving forward and through my remaining life here.

Your friend in Jesus,
Response #3:
We all can do better at relying on the Lord absolutely. These little tests are building us up for bigger ones down the road. Yes, things will be bad, but the Lord will bring us through, just like He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. Our job is to be more trusting of Him than they were, not to doubt but to have absolute faith in His love, mercy and ultimate deliverance of us, come what may.

I'm sorry to hear that things have come to such a pass in your country. I'm sure that they're not much better here depending upon where one is living. Louisville is showing analogous signs but not to the degree that the truly big cities are. We can expect things to get worse before they get better. "Better" will probably have to await our Lord's return. But WE can do our job day by day, growing in the Word, walking ever closer to Him, offering a helping hand to our brothers and sisters as we have the opportunity to do so.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #4:
Hi Bob,

Help me clear my thinking, please. I've had difficulty understanding the saga of Laban, Isaac and Jacob. Laban was clearly a conniver and treated Isaac with duplicity. (It's interesting that Leah bore most of Isaac's children.) His treatment of Jacob was possibly worse. Since I know of no mechanism whereby stripping bark off posts would influence the nature of offspring, I have to assume it was God's hand that was involved in increasing Jacob's flocks as pay back for Laban's chicanery?

Am I understanding this correctly? Was God's hand involved in Laban's decisions? Is that episode teaching us that similar retaliation as Jacob's is acceptable for us today?

Sorry for an ill framed question.

In our Lord,
Response #4:
I certainly agree with your analysis! As to the "bark stripping" episode, here is how I've answered this question before:
There is much about the natural world that science does not yet understand; animals have spirits, and they react to stimuli, sometimes in a physical way. I would not wish to say that what Jacob was attempting to do is impossible. After all, there is a large element of selective breeding here, and I dare say that if today we had only gray wolves and no dogs, that many would scoff at the notion of developing all the wildly varying breeds we find today (most of which were developed without the help of modern science). In any case, Jacob did come to appreciate who was behind his success: 
Yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me. "In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.
Genesis 31:7-12 NIV
And: 
For example, when [Jacob] made use of that stratagem to get all the sheep to produce the offspring that would fall to him, he did have cause, but it was also devious (and of course it only "worked" because God made it work: Gen.31:1–13; and we find out later that Laban kept changing the rules anyway).
Hope all is well out on the prairie. Keeping you in my prayers, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #5:
Hi Bob,

Thanks for your confirmation. I apologize for not searching for your comments. The same could be said of the Exodus crowd. Pharaoh treated the Israelites with the same duplicity as Laban. I suppose that by then, God had enough and it didn't turn out well for the Egyptians. That doesn't bode well for us. Amazingly, nothing has changed. Customs may be different and the milieu may be different but people haven't changed at all. It still amazes me how the Bible provides instruction for dealing with people.

I hope all is well in L'ville and pray you and your family are well. Life here on my little patch of dirt is good. __ are doing well. __ involved with spring sports. __ seem to be doing well in school. The only thing I could ask for is a bit more rain.

In our Lord,
Response #5:
No worries, my friend. Ichthys has gotten to be a very big site and navigation is something most readers struggle with to some degree (link).

Yes, people have always been the same, possessed of sin natures since the fall and thus out for themselves unless directed by the truth. In days of yore, many people were trained by their parents, by society, and by good institutions, to behave well in spite of the baser tendencies of our nature. A lot of that has gone by the boards, however. So nothing much surprises me any more.

Rain – you're welcome to some of ours. We're in for up to two plus feet of rain here in L-ville in the next few days (so we've got an extended flood watch). A good time to live in an area they call "the Highlands".

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #6:
Hi Bob,

I'm slowly beginning to figure out the Ichthys site. It took me a long time to discover "Special Topics," which has been quite helpful. Sorry about the flooding. I hope the Ohio is a lot cleaner than last I was up that way. We MAY get some rain this weekend though two inches would be a miracle.

I am almost constantly reminded of Ecclesiastes 7:10. Still, I think the old days were saner though I probably wasn't exposed to the insanity like we are today. I doubt I'll see sanity again in this life.

In our Lord,
Response #6:
That's good to hear! As always, I'm happy to point you in the right direction if ever you can't locate something.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
John 18:36 NKJV
As with our Lord, so with us. If this were our kingdom we would rightly be upset with the course of events and take actions. But as it is, we are looking for another kingdom, one not of this world. That is the one to which we belong and the one to whose Ruler we have given our allegiance. Soon enough, His "Kingdom will come" and we will be called upon to help administer it. Until then, dis-investing in this world, keeping everything "out there" at arms length (at least in our hearts as best we can), is spiritually salutary.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27 NIV
So far our "weather event" is pretty wet but not devastating. The sirens went on until nearly 1AM last night but no major damage here. Several more days of this ahead. I have to pick up the pizzas for our honor society awards ceremony tomorrow. I hoping they (not to mention "I") don't get soaking wet in the process.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #7:
Hi Bob,

Sorry to bother you again. In Exodus 12:5, the Lord says the passover lamb can "taken out of
the sheep or from the goats. If either was acceptable, that contradicts my understanding. Were goats acceptable as the passover sacrifice?

Also, in the instructions on unleavened bread, the NIV says "yeast" while the KJV says "leaven." Is there a distinction between the two in the original? Perhaps it's a distinction with out a difference. In today's English "leaven includes things like baking soda whereas "yeast" excludes any other leaven. I suspect the word from which it's translated means any kind of leaven since I imagine that in Israel they only knew of naturally fermented sourdough to leaven their bread.

Finally, should we understand the persecution of the Israelites as a foreshadowing of of the persecution believers will/are facing in the coming months?

Thanks

In our Lord,
Response #7:
1) That's right. While a lamb became the traditional offering, goats were acceptable according to this passage. In the ancient near east, there was not much practical difference between goats and sheep in that they considered them of equal value one for one and often grazed them together – which helps to explain the need to "separate them" in Matthew 25:32ff.

2) The Hebrew root (s'ar) has to do with fermentation, so yeast is meant. That is what is to be left out as a symbol of corruption – and Christ, the Bread of Life, was without sin (as in communion, the bread represents His perfect person, the wine His perfect sacrifice, His "blood").

3) As it says in Romans, "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us" (Rom.15:4), so whatever guidance we can get (and encouragement too) from scripture is bound to be helpful. There is a lot of this in Hebrews chapter 11 (that installment is coming this month [available now at the link]).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #8:
Thanks Bob,

Each time I read the Bible, I learn more. I won't live ling enough to fully understand like you. Each time I ask you questions, I learn more, too.

As a side note, goat down here is called cabrito from Mexican tradition. Typically a young goat; a kid. There isn't much to the poor thing so it would be perfect for the passover requirements for small families.

In Jesus,
Response #8:
You're always most welcome, my friend.

As to "fully", we've ALL still got a lot to learn (myself included).

Thanks for the insight too!  No doubt from Latin caper (goat; cf. "Capricorn").

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #9:
Greetings,

While there are many scriptures that litigate against the pretrib narrative, there is only one that needs no help from any others. It alone annuls the pretrib narrative. It is absolutely essential that, for the pretrib model to stand, Jesus must come with the church in his second coming. If not, pretrib is DOA. Mt. 16:27, 31, Mark 13:27, Luke 21:27, 2 Thes. 1:7 and Rev. 1:7,19 are clearly second coming passages. None of these record Jesus coming with the church and should convince pretribs. But they could argue that it doesn't necessarily mean she isn't with Him. Let's give them that. But Rev. 19:14 is a different story. 

“And the ARMIES in heaven followed Him on white horses dressed in fine white linen..” (Rev. 19:14) 

In the OT, God is “LORD of hosts” (Yahweh Sabaoth), or “Lord of the heavenly armies.” If He is Lord of OT heavenly armies, then he must be the Lord of the same in this passage. Not one of these second coming passages re-cord the church coming with Jesus. That is mandatory for the pretrib narrative to stand. The armies in Rev. 19:14 are angels who, like glorified saints, also wear fine white linen (Rev. 15:6, Ez. 10:7, Dan. 10:5). The Greek for armies is strateuma and means, “army, soldiers, body guards.’ (Thayer’s #4753). Nowhere does the NT refer to church saints as “armies.” Rev. 19:14 is good for those who may not be well versed in discussions of the rapture. There is no pretrib argument that can overcome it.

God bless you and Ichthys Ministry,
Response #9:
Nicely done.

Of course there are other scriptures I find just as straightforward – straightforward in the sense that they have to be explained away in order to accept the falsity of pre-Trib. Here are a couple of examples:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31 NKJV
I.e., the resurrection happens after the Tribulation.
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3a NKJV
I.e., the Great Apostasy and the reign of the beast occur before the resurrection.

Wherever the word parousia "coming of the Lord" occurs in the NT, it's always clearly the second advent unless it explicitly means something else (see the link).

Keep up the good work!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #10:
Greetings Robert,

Indeed, Mt. 24 and 2 Thes. prove the post trib narrative. There are so many godly brothers and sisters who are holding to the pretrib model and need to understand that many of them will be alive when the tribulation begins. They must go into it knowing that the only thing that will get them through it will be the grace of God to keep them strong in their faith so they can endure to the end (1 Cor. 1:8). Sadly, many are going to fall away because they weren't prepared, like the five foolish virgins. (Mt. 24:10, 1 Tim. 4:1). I'm not sure if they can be saved under that condition.

God bless you brother,
Response #10:
I share your concerns for our brothers and sisters who are sleep-walking into the Tribulation.

The only thing I would observe about that is that according to scripture there will be many martyred and many who remain alive to be resurrected at our Lord's return. So two thirds (the likely ratio) will do well. I would speculate that this means that those of us who are not asleep will have to do a lot of helping those who presently are off to get back on track rapidly once they wake up. So for those who are still not sure what ministry the Lord has for them, I think it's likely that helping others who need that help through providing a "crash course" in the truth once the Tribulation begins will be "it". That means too, by the way, that we who are of that number really ought to double down on our own preparation, because "to teach it" you need to know it better than the average person does (whatever "it" you are teaching).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #11:
If I was ever on the exact same page with anyone, it's you. Wow! Praise God. If the post trib narrative is true, then it's a great mystery how so many godly brothers and sisters are believing something the Bible doesn't teach. How can this be if God's elect can't be deceived? 

God bless you Robert,
Response #11:
Re: "great mystery how so many godly brothers and sisters are believing something the Bible doesn't teach". After all, MOST Laodicean believers are believing MANY things the Bible doesn't teach . . . because they are not receiving good teaching in their churches (and are not willing in their lukewarmness to find someplace where they can grow). So this is no mystery. It's the result of free will lackadaisical attitudes.

Re: "How can this be if God's elect can't be deceived", I know of no verse that suggest this. Clearly, believers are being gulled and deceived all the time. And that has been a trend since the beginning. That is why the Lord tells us to be "wise as serpents" even as we are "harmless and doves", namely, because the devil is in charge of the world at present and his system is a system of lies and deceptions. The ONLY way to avoid being deceived is to grow in the truth and hang onto it tight. But most believers today know very little about the truth and don't care. As a result, they are primed for deception, such as the pre-Trib rapture, or speaking in tongues, or the need to "join a church" for spiritual safety, etc., etc., etc. Most are SO unprepared that a goodly number are going to fall in with the beast's religion just as soon as the Tribulation begins (scripture suggests one third). 

The verse you're thinking of is no doubt:
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Matthew 24:24 NIV
But this means that even well-prepared believers need to be wary of the deceptions that will occur during the Tribulation. In other words, we can't let down our guard thinking, "that could never happen to ME!".

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #12:
Greetings Robert,

Yes, according to many Pastors there is a laodicean, lukewarm element in the church. I just find it hard to understand how pastor/preachers such as MacArthur, Jeremiah, Stanley, Graham, Hagee, Swindoll and so many others would ever fall into that category. I just can't envision that, but maybe there is some truth to it. I don't know. If not, something greater than that is at work and we know what that is. Yet, we are all on the same pages concerning scripture overall. But if these renowned pastors and preachers are Laodicean, or just deceived, then, Houston, we have a problem. You're spot on that so many are not going to be prepared to endure the 70th week and will fall away as Jesus and Pau warned. All we can do is share what the scriptures say and leave it in the hands of God. I'm finding that so many pretribs hold the view that God can't deal with the church and Israel at the same time. Therefore, the two can't be on earth at the same time during the tribulation. Take that away and pretrib crumbles. 

Thanks for sharing brother,
Response #12:
I couldn't recommend any of the individuals on your list here or their churches or organizations. Here are some links to explain:
Bible Basics 6B:  Ecclesiology: the study of the Church
Finding a Church – or Something Better? III
Finding a Church – or Something Better? II
Finding a Church – or Something Better? I
Can you recommend a church?
Mega-Churches, Emergent Christianity, Spirituality and Materialism.
Christian Unity and Divisiveness.
Dysfunctional Churches.
Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality.
Red Hot or Lukewarm?
The Meaning and Purpose of True Christian Assembly
Spiritual Growth, Church-Searching and "Discipling"
Ichthys and Contemporary Christianity
In terms of envisioning lukewarmness, it doesn't take much investigation or imagination. I think if you will read the Basics series (at Ichthys; link), you will see that the vast majority of churches and believers today don't know even ten percent of this "basic" information, and in many instances hold false views instead. How did things come to such a pass? Focusing on church size and entertainment (for want of a better word) and being unwilling to do the really hard work of spiritual growth on both sides of the pulpit (studying and teaching as opposed to emotional sermonizing on the one side, looking for easy listening and "nod to God" once a week box-checking on the other). That is why the church visible today "looks like it looks". And in fact, those involved in these substitute activities get very defensive when anyone wants to do things the right way, often accusing those who are of being in the wrong because they're not following their bad example (in the manner of the Pharisees and/or the believers in Hebrews who were returning to the Law).

Re: "the two can't be on earth at the same time during the tribulation. Take that away and pretrib crumbles". Good point! Confusing this issue is indeed one of the major faults of the contemporary church-visible. There is only one Bride of Christ, the Church, and the Church includes all gentile believers before Abraham and gentile believers after Abraham along with everyone of the literal seed of Abraham who is a believer. Drawing a doctrinally incorrect schismatic line between "Israel and the Church" is very wrong-headed biblically and it is spiritually dangerous. We believers are all one in Christ, so that seeing Israel and the Church as two absolutely separate things is a mistake, one born of hyper-dispensationalism (a false doctrine that also is responsible for spawning the pre-Trib heresy). Here are a few links on that:
Hebrews chapter 1, section I.e., "Dispensations" 
Hebrews chapter 3, "Dispensations"
BB 6B: Ecclesiology, section I.B.5, "The Time of Transition versus the Present Status Quo"
Dispensations I
Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church III
Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church II
Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church I
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #13:
Hi Bob,

In the 5/5 email post, you address more pre-Trib issues. My reading of Matthew 24:13 and context seems to me to clearly speak, as Paul did in other places, to the end of Tribulation. Would the original suggest anything different?

I once was in a checkout line where a clerk, speaking to the previous customer said. "I don't have to worry. We'll be raptured." I was about to disagree when the Spirit forcefully closed my mouth. I wondered why for the longest time and finally concluded it was to be left alone for those folks' testing. Whether that's a correct assumption or not, I don't know. I hope they make it through.

I pray all is well with you up there in L'ville.

In our Lord,
Response #13:
Re: "Would the original suggest anything different?" Not at all. Matthew 24 in particular is about as simple Greek as you can find. Check a dozen translations and you'll find that they are all essentially the same. It's a mark of just how sloppy this false doctrine is. Anyone who made a point of checking "teachings" against the scriptures would have been scratching their heads the first time they heard this "rapture" idea when Jesus says so clearly that He will return and the resurrection will occur "after" the Tribulation (Matt.24:29-31). What we have here in Laodicea, however, is believers not reading their Bibles much and being content to accept what they're occasionally taught when any "teaching goes on at all (I use the word advisedly) – as long as it doesn't burden them and "feels good". What could be less burdensome and more "good feeling" than hearing that you don't have to go through the Tribulation and that you don't have to do a thing to avoid it (or prepare for it)? You're story confirms this entirely!

I hope they make it too. But as is often said nowadays, hope (of that sort) is not a strategy. Our true Christian hope is the absolute confidence that the Lord will bring us safely through whatever it is God's will for us to go through – as long as we stay faithful to Him, come what may.

Rain is STILL coming down. They cancelled the big pre-Derby fireworks display because of the rain and flooding, and I just found out that they've cancelled in-person instruction for tomorrow as well, so a lot of last minute make-shift for tomorrow (much worse than just going in despite the weather).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #14:
Hi Bob,

Thanks for the confirmation. There's still so much in scripture I don't fully understand but that one I understood early on. I couldn't understand how anyone could read the Bible and misunderstand that. As you point out, they don't read their Bible. I wonder how many actually have a Bible; I know many Catholics don't. Truth told, I would like to miss the Tribulation, too. But if He has a job for me to do and keeps me this side of the grass, I'm afraid I'll see it. What I'm seeing now doesn't fill me with enthusiasm. I dread that time.

Curiously, I'm rereading Exodus again. While the Israelites complained repeatedly, those who obeyed made it through unscathed. That gives me great hope. As you've pointed out, the Exodus is a preview of the Tribulation. __ came out today and in the course of our conversation, mentioned that __ "was constantly reading the Bible." That also gave me hope and happiness. I'm not looking forward to those seven years, but I'm eager to see the other side.

I apologize for rambling...

I'm sorry about the rain. I wish you could pass a little along down here. We got a light rain yesterday and a cold front, but little more. I hope you're staying dry and the Ohio is staying within it's banks.

In our Lord.
Response #14:
There's a lot about the exodus parallel in the new Hebrews series (link).

I know a lot of people are dreading the Tribulation. It's certainly nothing to look forward to . . . except that the Lord will be coming back when it's over, and we'll know for sure the general time frame of His return once it starts. And we'll get to see the return of Moses and Elijah, their miracles and those of the 144,000, the rebuilding of the temple, the fulfillment of all of the prophecies of that period, and however horribly we're treated by the beast and his followers, in the end we'll see justice done there too . . . and completely so. Now THAT will be satisfying. Add to all this the fact that if we are still "here", it will be because the Lord has something for us to do. Something worthy of reward.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #15:
Hi Bob,

Do you think we'll recognize Moses and Elijah when we see them? I doubt they'll look anything like the depictions we've seen over the years. We would have to know what they do to recognize them. Israel is getting ready for the Third Temple. Scan-by headlines say the red heifer is already there and waiting. From Texas, none the less. Of course, scan-by headlines also claim scientists have found traces of an ancient alien civilization on Mars. There is very little believable today.

I've read snatches of the Hebrews series, I look forward to reading it in it's entirety after I get my eyes remodled.

Stay dry.

In Jesus,
Response #15:
Re: "Do you think we'll recognize Moses and Elijah". Nobody has a picture of them, obviously, but Peter and company did "recognize" them on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matt.17:3-4). So they must have identified themselves one way or another, and I'm sure that will be the case during the Tribulation. There won't be any doubt because only these two will be able to do what they are prophesied to do in scripture.

I've heard the red heifer thing before (link). I wouldn't put much stock in that or in any of the attempts by any group in Israel or elsewhere "preparing". Only God's actual emissaries will know what needs to be done and where and how – and they will be able to make whatever preparations are necessary immediately (and no doubt miraculously as well if need be).

Re: "traces of an ancient alien civilization on Mars", LOL, some people will believe anything. In fact, most people are indeed willing to believe just about anything . . . except the truth. One of the reasons why antichrist's religion will garner a near universal following so quickly.

Sunny yesterday and today. The uni was back in session, but I don't teach on Tuesdays (office hours and admin tasks only today). Tomorrow is forecast to be sunny too, but then rain coming in again mid to end of the week.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #16:
Hello Robert, 

I hope you are blessed and have intimate time with the Lord on the special day of Friday this week. I have a question: I think that you have the opinion that the gifts of the Holy Ghost, like prophecy and Tongues, do no longer exist. But for now let’s set that aside please, because I don’t consider myself to have that opinion. 

My question is: how can I discern rightly? One type of people say it’s from Satan and than other people who practice it talk about miracles they have experienced with speaking in tongues. For example a family member with which I have talked said that he once sang a Spanish song and his wife who understands Spanish explained to him what it meant (or something like this). So, on one hand the Pharisees made a big mistake when they called Jesus possessed even though he healed, which was as I though a clear sign of God‘s Spirit working through him. 

On the other Hand we have a woman that could tell some things or the future (I think) without the Holy Spirit. In addition, Simon the Wizard could probably also perform some Miracles.

Whats the difference? Can only God heal and therefore someone who heals is of God? How can I discern which Miracles are from God and not from him?

Thank you for reading this… be blessed Bob!
Response #16:
Here is one thing I read in scripture:
"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand."
Matthew 24:24-25 NKJV
In time soon to come, the beast and his false prophet along with those referenced by our Lord in the quotation above will be performing "signs and wonders" and yet these will be of the devil and not of God. So it is a dangerous mistake to assume that if we see something wondrous that it must be of God. Our Lord told us that Himself. So whether it is a case of us being deceived or whether it is a real "wonder", just one done in the power of evil, we best never depart from the truth we know through the Holy Spirit witnessing to our hearts from what we have learned and believed from the Word of God alone.

Focusing on such things is very distracting from what the Lord really wants us to do: learn the truth and believe it, pass the tests that come to us when we have, and then help others through the legitimate ministries He leads us to. Anything else is spinning our wheels at best, casting ourselves into a pit of darkness at worst. Christians are very vulnerable to these sorts of deceptions because we tend to be good-hearted and want to think the best of people. Satan knows this. So does the Lord, and that is why He told us to be "wise as serpents" in addition to being "harmless as doves" (Matt.10:16).

I have seen and know of many Christians who have compromised any hope of spiritual growth and otherwise ruined their lives and their spirituality by getting sucked into these lies. If someone is really being empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues, wonderful! But what does that have to do with me or you since we are not? If someone is really being given the power to heal by touch through the Spirit, wonderful! But we are not so that this changes nothing about what we are supposed to be doing or going to be doing in this life for our Lord . . . UNLESS we make the fatal error of running after such people and getting involved in such groups. In truth, I tell you, these are black holes from which many never return and if they do, not without great damage and regret. Because they are in fact false paths.

You are going to do what you are going to do, but experimenting with evil is very dangerous. Gunpowder may be fun for young people to play with, firecrackers and the like, minor explosions. But I had a very close friend in high school who took it too far and, literally, blew himself up. Plenty of other analogies apply: drugs, alcohol, risky behavior. The greater problem with the things you are mentioning is that the people claim to be of God and to be doing godly things – which makes them at least twice more dangerous for a Christian than ill-advised use of gunpowder, or drugs, or alcohol, or risky behavior.

I guarantee you that any prudently skeptical investigation – as opposed to taking someone else' word for it – will always show such things up as a sham. Cannot the Spirit heal? Cannot the Spirit empower tongues? God can do anything. But if He is NOT doing something, it is very dangerous to falsely claim that He is – or to associate with those who are doing so.

There's plenty about this on the website. Examples:
The Gift of Tongues: part 3
Third Party Testimony: We Believe God and His Word – Not People
God Heals - in His way (not our way)
Prophets, Prophecy, and False Prophets
Confronting False Groups and False Teaching VI
Cult Characteristics (in HE 10)
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #17:
Thank you, Bob, for your answer! Now comes the problem: I did participate in things like this but I stopped because I had/have doubts about it. 

It was in __ when a group of people prayed for me to get the gift of tongues (they themselves prayed in tongues too) and after a time I did the same thing but very quickly I found it quite strange. I stopped till this day. 

1. Now, if it was from God, I shouldn’t stop and I should probably not avoid Christian’s who practice it.

2. But if it is not from God then I should definitely keep my hands of this and maybe even avoid people who do this and switch my church because there are people in my church (at least one, quite lovely brother) that practice it. Not only that, but I also have family members/a family member who is involved in the speaking in tongues. And also a man who helped me in faith a lot is doing this. 

So I really would like to know if it is from the Spirit of God (case 1) or only from humans (which would at least not be so bad as the following) or from another thing…. Hopefully not the last!!

2) Now comes another question:
In Ezekiel 33:8 

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

It talks about warning wicked men so a certain judgement does not hit them. But don’t we have that same thing today but with even greater punishment for the wicked men, i.e. eternal suffering in hell instead of the exile. So won’t God also require their blood from our hands if we do not preach the gospel Open-air and in general in every opportunity we get for it while still driving home on time and things like this?

Be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Response #17:
To take these in reverse order, these stipulations applied to Ezekiel, a prophet whom the Lord Himself appointed as a "watchman" and gave this job – which was apparently fulfilled by "doing his job" of sharing with those willing to listen what the Lord told him. We don't get the impression that he traveled throughout the exile community investigating the lives of those living in Babylon.

We are not prophets. We have not been appointed to this special "watchman" office personally and verbally by the Lord. We are not the nation of Israel. So there is no direct application. Now if you want to say that based on this passage we should all "do our jobs" for the Lord, I would definitely agree. And if we have been given the gift of evangelism and an evangelistic ministry, then, once we have grown to maturity and been properly tested and vetted and led by the Lord into that ministry, then we absolutely should carry it out diligently – in the way the Lord would have it done . . . which is often NOT how modern "fire and forget" evangelism works, leaving new converts to their own devices once saved or abandoning them to Laodicean-type "churches" (compare Paul's zeal in revisiting the churches he had evangelized in Asia minor, keeping up with them also through letters and visits from his team).
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
1st Corinthians 9:16 NKJV
Paul likewise had a personal and verbal mandate from our Lord (to evangelize the gentiles), but even he was first required to grow up spiritually and be tested and then brought into it – the first missionary journey happened quite some time after the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus (cf. Gal.1:15-18).

So before we worry about "not doing our job", first things first: grow to maturity, allow the Lord to test and refine us, wait for Him to lead us into the particular job/ministry He has for us -- then do it with all of our hearts. But nowadays most believers want to skip the first three steps.

Finally on this, just as the Lord "loves a cheerful giver", doing what the Lord wants us to do in all three preparations ought to be a joyful thing, not a terrible burden of necessity – and accomplishing His will in ministry ought to be the most joyous of all. After all, it leads to great eternal reward.
(1) So I urge the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, even one who shares [with you] in the glory which is about to be revealed, (2) pastor the flock of God under your charge, overseeing them not out of compulsion but willingly in response to God, not eager for shameful material gain, but out of genuine enthusiasm, (3) not lording it over the charges [entrusted to you], but as genuine examples to your flock. (4) And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will carry off in victory the crown of glory which will never fade.
1st Peter 5:1-4
On tongues, I know what you are talking about. Anyone can verbalize nonsense. Many pagan religions do that too. But the gift of tongues ALWAYS consisted of speaking in a discernible, spoken, human language. It was never nonsense. You would "know it if you experienced it". If there is doubt that is for good reason, since what tongues-groups teach is not Biblical tongues (see prior links).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #18:
Thanks Bob,

Today we have heard about the death of Pope Francis. Obviously it is always sad when a person dies but the truth is that he was a very divisive figure, even within Catholicism itself. As an ex-cradle Catholic whose family are still deeply entrenched in this false system of works, I have at times kept an eye on what has been going on in Rome and what they have been currently promoting. I know Francis was part of Vatican II reforms which started in the 1960s, which was designed to 'modernise Catholicism'. Once these big changes were put into practice, a schism began to form between the old-line traditional Catholics and these 'New order' Catholics.

Traditional Catholicism is a strange mix of Judaism and Paganism with some Christian terminology thrown in for good measure. Vatican II though became a religious wing of what is now referred to as 'woke politics'. This includes earth worship, social justice, diversity, equity etc. It is an ecological tinged version of old fashioned Marxism.

What Catholics haven't realised is that the new age paganism was always there even in traditional Catholicism but was covertly hidden behind Mary worship and praying to dead people. The only changes from the old to the new was that the Papacy made their pagan affiliations more overt and threw off and cast aside any notions of Judaism and Christianity.

The Pope did not understand the crucifixion at all. There is an old joke, when someone says "is the Pope a Catholic?" as a way to give someone a rhetorical question. Some traditional Catholics may say that actually Francis wasn't. A better question would be.. Was the Pope a Christian? Not if he believes Catholic doctrine he won't have been. He stated twice that the crucifixion was a failure.

https://pulpitandpen.org/2015/12/28/pope-says-cross-is-a-failure-again/

The sad fact is that he actually helped to pave the way for the big tent religion that will form the religion of the beast. This is a difficult moment for me. I am surrounded by people who are nearest and dearest to me mourning this loss. There is a temptation when someone dies to say that everything they said and did was good. Catholics were already deceived by lies that were made to look like Biblical truth. Vatican II has facilitated Catholicism to move even further away from the Bible.

Traditional Catholics made much pretence over caring what the Bible says. Modernist Catholics no longer care what the Bible says and will be up front about that. Sadly this has happened to my own family. They have gone from pretending they care about scripture to outright disregard and mockery of it, saying it no longer reflects our times. The easy listening-feel good-new age-self help spirituality of Pope Francis has really seduced them so much that they are now full blown universalists and believers that a multi-faith religion is our only hope for the future. This is basically the blue print for a one world religion under Antichrist. The thing that I have been studying about and dreading for years now and my family are literally cheering it on! 

I have to tread so carefully around this subject whilst still being rooted and uncompromising with the truth. Catholicism is such a hard religion to get people out of. An atheist knows they haven't had God in their lives as they knew they didn't believe. How do you reach people who already believe they have Jesus Christ? 

There may be some born again Christians within Catholicism who were not too aware of Catholic doctrine or Christian doctrine but most would leave if they wanted to grow. Hard to imagine if a baby Christian could survive remaining in the Catholic church and keeping hold of their faith for long.

Like Paul felt for his fellow Jews, I am heartbroken that I can't reach my own family with the truth. Sometimes I get very angry as the deception is so thick and I was personally deceived for so long! That anger comes out some times through frustration but that only makes them double down and dig their heels in.

Sadly it seems that the witness of the life means nothing to my family as I am nothing special in this world. They see my relative poverty and remember who I was before and they are offended by me. I have become a stumbling stone to them.

Please pray for me and my family through this difficult time. I have to be so careful what I say. In some ways, it is the perfect time and opportunity to talk about what Pope Francis was actually teaching but as they know that I am against Catholicism, they won't value my words, even when I quote directly from the Bible.

How can we warn people about the Antichrist when they have already embraced some of his teachings before he has been revealed? I know that the 'feel good' deceptive new age teachings won't be the half of it. I know there will also come evil blasphemous talk and doctrine which may be Gnostic in origin, accusing God of the evils that Satan has seduced the world to embrace.

My hope is that my own family won't go that far with hardening their heart. 

Despite going to Catholic school and church from birth, I did know about the crucifixion and the resurrection and that Jesus died for us. I heard enough Gospel in the pulpit on Sundays to know that. When I came to a personal crisis point, I knew which God to pray to. That led me to wanting to read the Bible and doing enough study to know I wanted to be saved. There was only a tiny amount of knowledge there for me. A mustard seed of faith. If I can be saved from Catholicism and an atheistic lifestyle, then there is hope for my family.

The more and more hardened and antagonistic to the Bible they become though.. that really worries me a lot. Clearly in the Tribulation, the vast majority will not be ambivalent or indifferent to the Word but actively hostile and seeing good as evil and evil good.

We are just drawing that much closer to those times we have been reading and studying about for so long now. Like I said before, when the day of the examination comes along, there is no more real time to study in any depth. Only last minute cramming in the panic that may not get a person through the whole exam.

In Jesus,
Response #18:
I'm sorry that your family is essentially "rubbing your nose in it". But you know what is really important. The evil one also knows what "gets our goat". 

I do pray for your family. "Don't give up the ship!" Nothing is over yet. I have no doubt that the Tribulation will be a gracious blessing at least from one point of view: it will bring many who otherwise never would have believed or gotten serious about the Lord out of their doldrums. Your family is blessed to have you as an anchor when and if.

As always, this is very insightful analysis, my friend. Evil masquerading as light, humanly achieved utopia masquerading as the Millennium, et al. In terms of satanic conspiracies, while we all know that these have been around since the garden and are no doubt picking up steam as we draw ever nearer to the end, we also know that God is in control. And we know that we are never ever going to take the mark of the beast or join his satanic religion (link: "Don't take the mark"). 

In terms of the R.C.s, for the longest time they formally opposed Bible reading. In the course of time, after it became clear that none of their charges was really interested in doing it, they came to give lip-service to scripture. Clearly, anyone who ever did get serious about seeking for God would "find" – they would look to the Bible as you did, reading it seriously and believing the truth of what they read.

Incidentally, a significant number of the most influential opinion leaders over here on the right are R.C.. and very proud of it. Some have actually converted from one protestant group or another. Taking this fight into the political realm always seems to take it out of the realm of truth, even if there is a measure of truth involved that tempts one in (the bait).

Plenty of people over here are plenty upset about the mess things are in which is getting worse daily. Pro or con, it's all quicksand into which we have no need to dip our toes (let alone plunge ourselves headlong). 

I do think that you are correct that crisis is the enemy's opportunity, but I'm not sure the evil one is doing anything more than maximizing his opportunities (as he has always done). I doubt he knows precisely how these things will play out any more than we do. In fact, we have the advantage, because while we don't know the nitty-gritty details, we DO know the precise outline of what is going to happen – because we have it in the Bible.

Keeping you and yours in my daily prayers, my friend!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #19:
Revelation 3:15-17
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

People most often see and use this passage as meaning "believers who fall into habitual sin or don't show proper works" or more sneakily, "people who don't show a significant positive growth in spirit and avoiding sin" aren't saved. The implication is that Jesus would rather have someone be well, against Him completely or at least not even trying to do much of anything for Him than to try and be failing/falling into the same mistakes over and over.

It crushes me. It's like a cackling stab into my motivation to grow spiritually or even find a better life than the frankly carnal one I can often live (And I do mean better, as you say God’s peace and joy is the only thing that can truly "fill up", "vanity of vanities" as Solomon put it). It's like God is throwing my battered body back onto the concrete for even daring to approach Him when I struggle with so many sins.

Is there any truth to the "interpretation" I speak of?
Response #19:
Of course not. I think you know enough about scripture now to be able to read this passage and see it for what it is. What's the message? Don't be lukewarm (the prime characteristic of believers in our Laodicean time). Clearly also the Lord doesn't want anyone to be cold (an unbeliever), but it's very dangerous to be a believer and be lukewarm. Why? Because it's very easy to cool off completely from that dicey status. And if a believer abandons faith in Christ, that person is no longer a believer.

As to false interpretations, a person can spend their time upsetting themselves with such (they are ubiquitous on the internet), or alternatively get cracking with spiritual growth and begin to feel better instead . . . about everything. It's the opposite of the trend here in Laodicea, but from this passage we see very clearly that it's exactly what the Lord wants us to do.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #20:
Bob

Happy Easter ! He has risen ! 

I am still reading what you sent me re: 2026 and the links (Church ages, time of Tribulation etc). I have taken notes and have a few questions. For now I will ask just one. Do you think that the ""whore of babylon''' is New York City ? -- and will her destruction literally be in " one hour "? 

United in prayer
Response #20:
Regarding the identification of mystery Babylon, she is called a polis, one, moreover, which has "dominion over the kings of the earth" (Rev.17:18). This was never true of any "city" except possibly Rome (and only in Europe, not the whole globe). 

Even in the case of Rome, Rome was more than a "city", it was a "city state". That is what the word polis really means, namely, not just an urban area but all of the outlying territory it governs (like saying "Moscow" but meaning Russia, or "Beijing" but meaning China). So Babylon is actually a "nation", as we would say, not just a "city". 

"One hour" in the context means "one short specified period of time". This destruction of Babylon, related in greatest detail in Revelation chapter 18, happens just before the Armageddon campaign in the last year of the Tribulation. It takes several months to complete. Here's the best link on that. 

As to the likely identification of Babylon, see the link.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
http://ichthys.com/