"Let’s study and see which positions better reflect the scriptures..."

This is a quote the Orange Mailman made in a recent blog post. I think this is a great statement because he is inviting students to search the scriptures to see if their position better reflects the scriptures.

As a child growing up in church, I was told that Christians would all of a sudden disappear in a secret rapture. The world would be left wondering to where millions of people disappeared. Cars would careen into each other creating massive pile-ups on the freeway. Planes would all of a sudden be without pilots sending them plummeting to the earth. Students would leave other students in the classroom gasping as all of a sudden the only thing left in the Christian student's chair would be a pile of clothes. (The class clown would probably joke that Richard was abducted by aliens.) Only believers would see the Lord at the rapture as they were caught up.

But does this viewpoint better reflect the scriptures?

Look at Hebrews 10:36-39... "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

Three different individuals are referred to in the passage above in which the context is the Lord's return...

1) HE WHO IS COMING or Jesus
2)MY RIGHTEOUS ONE, the believer who has and lives by faith
3)the one who shrinks back to destruction

God does not take pleasure in those who do not live by faith. Only the unrighteous are destined to destruction (the righteous will gain the glory of Christ-2 Th. 2:14) so those shrinking back would have to be unbelievers.

Are there any other passages of scripture that give greater clarity? Lets look at Revelation 1:7- "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen."

Did you see the 100% word? Every eye will see Him...

Next check out Luke 21:25-28..."There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in the perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Unbelievers will be shrinking back, mourning, and fainting from fear. Believers will be straightening and lifting up their heads. The position or viewpoint that best reflects the scriptures is that at the catching away of the saints at the return of Christ all eyes will see the Lord coming in the clouds. Believers will marvel as they see the Lord coming, unbelievers will mourn.

2 Th. 1:10..."when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed..."

FOLLOWERS

Ok, so I know I have people who follow Overcomer. Since I redecorated a couple of days ago I added the "Followers" feature, see lower right, you'll need to scroll down. Don't be bashful...let me know who you are! And if you can tell me how to make my "Favorite Blog" list do that update thing... please let me know how to do that too!

ALL, a 100% Word

There are some who try to say that the church is not in view when when the elect are gathered in Matthew 24:31. If you take note, the elect are gathered at the end of the age. The disciples ask in verse three, "What will be the sign of your coming, and the end of the age?" Jesus gives us the answer later on in the chapter. It's after the great tribulation is cut short for the sake of the elect...the natural lights will be extinguished, signaling the end of the age.

Let's move to Matthew 28:20. Jesus says there, "...I am with you always, even to the end of the age..." which we just saw in Matthew 24 occurs after the great tribulation is cut short for the sake of the elect and after the natural lights go out.

Who is the "you" that Jesus is with till the end of the age? Verse nineteen tells us...with the disciples from all the nations...

I think the Lord has the church in view when He said He would gather the elect at the end of the age, don't you? And He'll be with us all, always, through the great tribulaton and to the end of the age.

GROUNDWORK FOR GRACE

My friend, Kristen Wisen, just created a new blog, Groundwork for Grace. Kristen introduced herself to me not long after I created my first blog which I called "But You, Brethren, are Not in Darkness." We became email friends and learned that we both love to study the Word. She's been teaching ladies Bible studies for over ten years and I am about to get my feet wet, thanks to her encouragement. She will be teaching Genesis this fall at her church. The blog was created for her gals so they could gather and discuss what they are learning. Kristen loves the Lord and it comes through in what she writes. I would encourage you to bookmark Groundwork for Grace. I think it will become one of your favorites, I know it's going to be one of mine!

"Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints..."

This phrase comes at the tail end of Revelation 13:10.

In Revelation 13 we are given a detailed description of the beast. The dragon, Satan, gives him his power. Well, we know who is in control of Satan so the power he will wield is ultimately controlled by God. The beast suffers a fatal head wound and is healed. There is debate as to whether this will be a present leader who is killed and then brought back to life or if he is a ruler from the past that is raised from the dead and rules again. I won't go into the arguments here. Revelation 13:3 clearly states that the whole earth will be amazed and will follow after the beast. This is said within the context of his fatal head wound being healed so the world will be in awe that this dead man comes back to life. We learn that the world will worship Satan via this man. The beast speaks arrogant words and blasphemies. He is given authority for 42 months. He blasphemes against God by blaspheming against His name. He makes war with believers with the purpose to overcome them. He is given authority over every single human being. Those who's names are not written in the book of life will worship him. Then these words are written to us..."If anyone has an ear, let him hear."

Jesus is saying, "Listen up spiritually minded."

"If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints."

God has destined certain saints to captivity during the reign of Antichrist. Captivity doesn't necessarily mean death but probably severe persecution. And while some of the saints are destined for captivity, others are destined for martyrdom. They will be killed. These are two ways in which believers will face the wrath of Satan during the great tribulation. Captivity will require perseverance and death will require faith.

Being spiritually minded is to understand that some of us are going to suffer greatly at the hand of Antichrist.

How do we prepare for such a time? I'm going to give you one word...knowledge.

First of all, know that Jesus said this is going to happen to some of His followers. Expect it. It's right there in His revelation to us concerning His second coming and what is to happen before the kingdoms of this world become His kingdoms. Jesus said in John 15:20, "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you..."

Second, know that the Lord tells us through Paul that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13) All things includes enduring captivity and facing the sword. He will provide the strength for whatever lies ahead.

Third, know that the Lord has said nothing shall separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35-39) Not tribulation, not distress, not persecution, not famine, not nakedness, not peril, not the sword...not death. His love of sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins and gained us enduring faith. His love is wider, greater, stronger, and mightier than all that Satan might attempt to throw against us.

Last of all, know that you are destined for glory. 2 Th. 2:13,14 - "...God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm..."

The path to glory may involve great suffering, but He'll give you the strength to stand firm!

2 Peter 1:3 - "Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

ENDURANCE

Why teach on the return of Christ?

Why take the time?

Why risk alienating people who hold different views?

Because God's Word has a lot to say about what we are to look for regarding the return of Christ.

Anywhere you go in scripture, any end times passages you look at, what you see repeated over and over again is the call for endurance...

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 - "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by God, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us."

Matthew 24:13 - "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved."

Mark 13:13 - "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved."

Luke 21:16-19 - "But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives."

Revelation 13:10 - "If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

Hebrews 10:36-39 - "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

1 John 2:28 - "And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming."

IT COULDN'T BE CLEARER!

The church will be here to face the persecution of Antichrist.

So here is the last message in Dave Wisen's series on the return of Christ.

Why is it so important to teach on the return of Christ?

Because every major passage that teaches on it calls us to endure!!!

We are going to need endurance, not indifference, the closer we get to the Lord's return!

Listen and you will know the signs for which to watch to know our Lord's return is near.

Bokeh

What's a bokeh you say? It's that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights.

The term bokeh is an anglicized version of a Japanese word used to describe the portion of a photograph that is out of focus behind the area of principal focus in a picture. The shape of the highlights—sometimes round, hexagonal or other geometric shapes—is determined by the shape of the aperture in the lens.

(This one's for you Beth...)

Brighton

Thought I'd post one of my favorite images from the wedding I shot last Saturday. Looks rather Norman Rockwellish...don't you think?

To get a better view, just click on the image...

Mammoth and Yosemite Video

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I just love this video. Annie put it to music. Unfortunately it cuts off before you get to the end. There is something about music that stirs the heart. I watch it and see all my family whom I love so much and I get a lump in my throat. This reminds me of the Psalms. The Psalms are songs or poems. That is what the word psalm means. They are meant to be read or sung as poetry or songs. Poetry and singing is intended to stir up and carry the affections of the heart. The Psalms give expression to an amazing array of emotions.

In Psalm 18, David begins this song with "I love You, O LORD, my strength." He composed this just after the Lord delivered him from all his enemies. This Psalm is the song of a grateful heart overwhelmed with a retrospect of the manifold and marvelous mercies of God. David directed it to God.

The Psalms are also meant to be instructive. They teach us about God, man, and life. If you haven't spent time with the Lord today, take some time and read through Psalm 18. May you gain an even greater understanding of Him, may it enlarge your view of Him, and may it stir your heart because of His manifold and marvelous mercies!

VIDEO

Still waiting for the video from Annie. Dave Wisen's second message on his series of three on the return of Christ is up. Be sure and check it out by clicking on the link below.

"Curtain Call, Where Do We Go When We Die?"

Stay Tuned!

My daughter created a really fun video of our trip to Mammoth using her own video plus some pictures from the two albums below plus some images my brother and brother-in-law shot. It will be posted soon!

Well...

I promised you some pictures from my trip. If you click on the two links below they will take you to the albums I created. The first one begins with my mom and sister's visit before we left for our trip. I'm the one in the middle... We then move on to Baker City, Oregon. My mother's younger brother lives there and we spent three days with him and my aunt. The children are my cousin's. The rest of the first album is at Mammoth Lakes. Nineteen members of my family met there for five days. We rented a couple of condos. We all seemed to congregate in one. That is why we look so crowded. Take a look, you'll see what we did...we had a great time!

(The albums are a bit top heavy with pictures of my grandson Daniel. He seemed to be the star!)

Album One
Album Two

(For the ultimate viewing experience put on some fun music and hit slideshow...)

Great Piper Quote...

"Just like the pleasures of the world are awakened by looking at them long enough, so the pleasures of the word are awakened in the regenerate soul by looking at them long enough—day and night.

Meditate day and night on the instruction of God in the Psalms and delight will be awakened..."

"Curtain Call - The End of the Show"

Dave Wisen, elder at Harvest Bible Chapel, West Olive, Michigan, is teaching a three part series on the Second Coming of Christ.

How will you respond at the return of Christ?

Will you mourn, or will you marvel?

To listen to the first message click here...