Biblical Forensics©
“Deliverance before Judgment”
Part 6
A common expression among believers in Jesus Christ goes something like this: “I believe, but help my unbelief”. This expression is more common among the shepherds of the church than one might suspect. The fact is, this issue is similar to what the Apostle Paul describes in 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5. He said we have been given divine weapons with which to combat this kind of attack. Paul wrote, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.
Our knowledge of God is our divine weapon and that is contained in His Word. For example, 1st Timothy 2:3-4 tells us God wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved by grace through faith, and the faith is not of ourselves but it is a gift from God. That means, when we asked God to save us, He agreed, and he gifted us with the faith to believe we are saved. That’s the knowledge of God we received.
The doubt that comes into our minds comes from the enemy who tries to manipulate us by causing us to question if we are truly saved. But we know God wants us to be saved. As we grow in maturity, our faith increases and we witness how God helps us make adjustments to align more completely with His will. All these experiences build trust and that increases faith. Doubt diminishes while faith increases. This internal makeover helps us appreciate that we are saved. Therefore, we know the doubt we sometimes feel is not real. It is a deception that competes against our most intimate knowing of God. We can demolish this pretension and take the thought captive by repeating Ephesians 2:8-9. This makes the thought in our minds become obedient to what we know the Lord has done for us.
This is the model Jesus gave us in the wilderness temptation -(Matthew 4:1-11): He used nothing but Scripture to defeat each of Satan’s three attacks. Matthew 4:11 reveals the result: “Then the Devil left him”. James 4:7 says that if we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us, just like Satan fled from Jesus. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” -(2nd Timothy 3:16-17). The reason Christians hate sin is because we know it is not pleasing to God, and we want to do our best to please God. But for many believers, the desire to sin does not completely disappear. Because we still have a sin nature, we will always be tempted to sin. Even the Apostle Paul said he was unable to completely stop sinning. Then he said, from the Lord’s viewpoint it wasn’t him but the sin living in him that is to blame -(Romans 7:18-20).
The Lord’s death didn’t remove the temptation to sin, but it did save us from the penalty of sin. It’s important that we express our gratitude to God for saving us by living lives that please Him. When we fall short, we can be comforted in knowing that the moment we accepted the Lord Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior our inheritance was guaranteed. Ephesians 1:13-14 unequivocally declares our inheritance as being guaranteed. There is nothing anyone can do to change that -(John 10:27-30). Many folks I know find that just knowing these things gives them more strength to resist the temptations we all face.
When you grasp this concept of Deliverance before Judgment, you can see why it is that Satan is so determined to take his best shot at fraudulently suggesting that just maybe there is something about us that falls outside the realm of salvation in the Word of God where we are specifically concerned. In the last few months I found my life tied up with health issues caused by healing open blisters on my right leg. I sensed I was confronted with spiritual warfare meant to weaken my faith. This reminded me of a Bible/Biblical Forensics© that I wrote which focused on the Scripture passage concerning being “Fearfully and wonderfully made” in Psalm 139:14. Paul stated in Colossians 1:15-17, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are hold together.
I was using a natural product containing Lamina to heal these open wounds. Laminin is the name used for a family of proteins that serve many useful functions in biology. The most important property of laminins is their ability to easily bind or knit to each other and to other proteins. This makes laminin a critical means of holding tissues and organs together. It has been described as the protein equivalent of human glue, though it functions differently than actual chemical glue will. These proteins have several short arms that bind easily to other laminins and a single long arm that binds easily to other cell structures and membranes. Flattened out, laminins have a shape generally in the form of a cross. It is laminin that forms the epidermis tissue of the outer layer of skin. It takes from 2 to 4 weeks for new skin cells to form on the surface of skin tissue.
Knowing this helped me to exercise patience and discipline as God’s natural healing process did its work. Similarly, when we are working towards Christian maturity, there are going to be times when we are faced with trials of one sort or another. Spiritual warfare is always a consideration to be aware of for the believer who desires to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. The enemy can at times provoke health problems and this can be a form of spiritual warfare. My experience is intended to help folks understand that God need not be doubted. We can trust His Word, and when temptation or trials attack us, we merely turn to His Word, and engage our time in study of the promises found in God’s Word! Just as laminin helped form new tissue over my wounds, so God works to heal us through the operation of the Holy Spirit by binding His most precious Word to our heart. But, this process requires that we remain patient and disciplined while we allow time for God’s Word to apply its healing salve to our spiritual wounds.
The fact is that temptation and trials can be overcome by keeping our life free of strongholds that seek to take control of our thoughts and emotions. We must keep our mind and heart focused on the things of God. When I sense an attack of Satan’s temptation, I will usually listen to one of my many DVD’s like Grant Jeffrey’s ‘Signature of God’ and watch it to remind me of the evidence of God. At other times, I will read the Psalms and pray for God’s strength to counter the temptation. Other times I put a worship music disc into my computer, but all of them help dissipate the aspects of spiritual warfare.
Because Satan has people speaking untruths about God’s Word, it is essential that folks have the total truth and evidence that supports the position of “Deliverance before Judgment”. The Rapture is going to happen! Make no mistake about it, many people will miss the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. I have no doubt that it will catch a great multitude left behind by surprise, either because they cannot acknowledged their sinful nature so they can repent and ask for forgiveness or because they have not believed that Jesus is their Savior. Satan uses a number of crafty ways to distract, mislead, confuse and trick people. Without a careful study of Scripture, or taking the time to build an intimate relationship with God, people will be left in the dark with many questions but few answers and thus become vulnerable prey to Satan’s lies.
Many in this world find it difficult to comprehend the teaching of a Rapture, and others mock or laugh at the very idea of the Rapture miracle. But our Lord and Messiah, Christ Jesus, and the “sealed” born-again believers in Christ will be raptured from the face of the earth before the Tribulation begins. Paul explains, “in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” -(Ephesians 1:13).
Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You go, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” -(John 14:1-6).
In this passage, we read about the person, the place, the promise and the plan.
The person: Jesus. “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me.” -(John 14:1). Jesus put himself on the same level as the Father in terms of being the object of faith. That would have been blasphemy if He were not God, but He is God. Jesus the God-man will meet us in the sky in the air.
The place: His Father’s house. “In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” -(John 14:2). This is the New Jerusalem and Christ is the builder, the eternal city of the saints. It’s big - 1500 x 1500 x 1500 miles. It has transparent gold. It has jewels all over it and the text of Scripture tells us that the glory of the Lamb shines through it. It shines through the transparent gold and refracts throughout the eternal city as it hits all those glorious jewels. It’s possible that John was trying to describe the indescribable. Here's something to think about: Who was the creator of the universe? Read Colossians 1:16; John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2-8; and Revelation 3:14. If you go outside and look at the stars at night, you'll see about 3000 stars on average. They're pretty impressive. Wait till you see the eternal city that Christ has prepared for us.
The promise: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.” -(John 14:3). God is a promise keeper. He has never broken a promise. He says he will come again. Count on it! Doubt it not!
The plan: “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” -(John 14:6). Jesus is the only way to the rapture. Many Christian leaders are teaching inclusivism and universalism – this is the idea that all paths lead to God. This is what Pope Francis is currently teaching. In fact, that premise is part of the pope’s new global religious initative to be announced in late September of 2016. But do not believe that heresy from the Jesuit pope. It’s simply not true. This means that you can believe in Hinduism or Buddhism. Some people are teaching an opt-out plan, that as long as you do not opt-out of God's salvation, you're automatically saved whether you're a Christian or a Hindu or a Buddhist or anything else. Not so. Jesus is absolutely clear. Jesus is your only ticket to the rapture. That's it. There is only one way in the Word of God. I’ve preached this passage many times as a pastor and even more as a guest speaker, and I can tell you that these are provocative words such that the unbeliever will waste no time in telling you they reject them.
This means there will be only one fortunate generation of Christians who will never pass through death's door. Imagine the headlines: Multitudes Missing! Imagine some churches - some pastors preaching in the pulpit when the rapture happens and they're still there. Or it could be that some of the congregation members are still there. These are those who have not trusted in Jesus Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Maybe they think that just going to church makes them a Christian. It doesn't. One must trust in the living Lord, Jesus Christ. He is your one ticket to the rapture.
Alive on earth one moment
Next moment - with Christ in the air
There will be many false stories and speculations about what has happened to those Raptured Christians. The things that are shared in this series are real and will soon be a fact in living reality. Some folks will have a tendency just to brush it off, and merely say “that’s crazy?” It may come as a surprise to you but the world of the occult believes in the Christian Rapture but they have already come up with answers to explain away where we have gone. New Age writer Peter Lemesurier wrote a book back in 1982, ‘The Armageddon Script’, that addresses this issue of how the “Left Behind” will be misled over our sudden disappearance.
Count on those people who were told but were left behind to remember what people like us warned them about. If they are too busy partying to even look into investigating this Rapture warning, consider keeping copies of this series to share with those who are skeptics. Make sure to hold on to this message and remember it. We are in what is referred to “As in the days of Noah”. Just as he and his family were “delivered” before the Wrath of Almighty God, so we will be Raptured (Rescued) before the Great Tribulation’s Wrath.
Nobody in their right mind would want to be anywhere on earth after the Rapture, considering what Bible prophecy has to say concerning the future events that will unfold during the Great Tribulation. I wrote a Bible/Biblical Forensic© that names 55 events or so that will take place once we are gone. It is my sincere hope that those who do read this series will recognize the Biblical Truth that so few have not been able to grasp. This series was written specifically in the hopes that it might be of encouragement for those folks who would come to repentance and recognize there is a “Blessed Hope” available to them through Jesus Christ. Some may view becoming saved an “escapist theology”. Think carefully for a moment - all other views are terminal by any known measurements. We have now entered the Season in Time known as the last of the Last Days. The Rapture is the next BIG event on the prophetic calendar. Are you ready? You should be! Remember, Jesus is your only ticket!
When the Rapture occurs, it is going to be an event that will not be hidden. Almighty God has made sure the concept of the Rapture has already been made known to the masses. Even though it is often met with ridicule and mockery by people in the world, and on the media, God still makes sure the Rapture will be highly publicized before it happens. After the Rapture, a great multitude of people left behind will cry out to the Lord Christ Jesus, and begin to understand the theme of the Bride of Christ in the Bible. Over 750 passages of the Old and New Testament are directly related to the Bride (Church) theme. Scoffers will regret their negligence. It will happen, suddenly, unexpectedly, and with lightning speed. The Bible puts it this way, “In the twinkling of an eye.”
As I have noted earlier, most academic institutions today do not teach Bible prophecy. Every academic institution where I was a student were all rated as superior academic schools. Yet, none of them taught Bible prophecy. The reason for this was related to the fact that all of these academic institutions were amillennial, meaning they do not believe in a Millennium, as described in Revelation 20. I will cover the Greek text of Revelation 20 in a future issue. This chapter clearly defines a one-thousand year reign of Christ Jesus.
There are two basic schools of theology used when interpreting Scripture.
The amillennial position is to spiritualize Scripture, or to represent the text symbolically. Amillennialism is the name given to the belief that there will not be a literal thousand year reign of Christ. The people who hold to this belief are called amillennialists. The prefix “a-” in amillennialism means “no” or “not.” Hence, “amillennialism” means “no millennium”. The amillennial position descends from Roman Catholicism, dating to Augustine in 350 A.D. through the Reformation and has a loose understanding or interpretation of the Word of God. This reasoning is structurally faulty.
The second position is known as Dispensationalism. A dispensation is a way of ordering things—an administration, a system, or a management. In theology, a dispensation is the divine administration of a period of time; each dispensation is a divinely appointed age. Dispensationalism is a theological system that recognizes these ages ordained by God to order the affairs of the world. Dispensationalism has two primary distinctives:
A consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, especially Bible prophecy, and
A view of the uniqueness of Israel as separate from the church in God’s program.
There is a blessing out of the Rapture that is often overlooked by many folks. Those taken out of this Earth, will be the recipient of a life after the Great Tribulation, that will be as a thousand years in length. Revelation chapter 20 notes this fact not just once, but six times, in this chapter. Repetition of this time span is reflective of something the Lord was emphasizing as being very important. I’m almost 80 and in terms of longevity my time after the Rapture, it will be like being a baby or toddler. The rest of our lives will be spent in a world free of sin, pain, suffering, sickness, illness, heartache, and sadness just for starters. The Rapture offers such incredible promise that I scratch my grey hair why anyone with a grain of intelligence would not want to be part of its promise!
Pastor Bob