May 21, 2011-Tenth Portion

Hello World:
If you can not grasp the concept that God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, you will never experience God and you will never see God and you will miss what God has for you. We must understand that God, who is a spirit being, is just as real as you or I or any of us, and even moreso real than natural or physical beings.

God also is limitLESS in power. He being a spirit being is supernatural and operates with an immeasurable level of power that transcends or encompasses the physical or natural realm and all other realms and dimensions. Another way of putting that is saying that God is so powerful that He is Supreme in all dimensions. Because He is Supreme, He can supernaturally transform His people from physical or frail and corruptible flesh into glory and Rapture them.

I was watching a program a few months back, and a reporter was doing a report on some Monks somewhere. I believe the place was around Europe in the mediterranean. I am kind of paraphrasing the location, because I do not remember the report exact to detail. I think there was an island where these monks were living. These monks were very religious. They seemingly never left the island.

I believe there were no women there. They wore one type of clothing, and they prayed to God all the time. It looked like they followed a lot of religious rules and regulations exactly by the book. They are orthodox, or some kind of orthodox christian group. They are very strict with the rules.

I believe in rules and following the rules. However, we have to be careful, because rules and regulations can be many times overblown. If the rules are not fair and are not practical, and produces extreme hardships such as bondage and slavery, and good or decent people are opressed and hurt by the rules, then the rules are no good. Some of those rules by the orthodox are NOT the rules of God, but are extra rules created by men that does not serve God's purposes.

I know someone who is a orthodox christian. By the way, many of you should know I am not a orthodox christian. I am more protestant, pentecostal, evangelical and charismatic. I consider myself non-denominatonal, but with core beliefs or common beliefs of the Christian faith from each of the Christian denominations. 

I have talked to an orthodox christian, and I notice something about orthodox christians, and I noticed this in the report on that program. Please, by saying these things here, I do NOT mean to be mean or sound mean to orthodox christians. I am just pointing out some observations. Out of all the religious ceremonies that they keep and all the rules that they follow they never seem to encounter God or have any experiences with God.

I was waiting to see if one of the priest or whoever the guy was, all dressed up so prestigious, would tell the reporter that God visited them or showed up in some way, and did something spectacular. He never said anything like that. I believe they have been praying on that island for many many years, not sure exactly, but I recall it is a long time. So. I am just wondering have they ever experienced God?

These orthodox people, and not just on the island, but elsewhere and even in other religions who are orthodox, they walk around a certain way, they dress unique and prestigeous; which by the way I like some of the way they dress or the clothes sometimes. I do believe in looking and dressing your best for God and dressing serious for God.

They appear to be decent people. I ask the one orthodox christian to tell me if he ever had any experiences with God, like I have. He could not tell me of any, and I am really hard pressed to find anybody who has. I know there are others, but I can not seem to get in touch with them. The one orthodox that I know he seems to be a nice guy. I think he is nicer than me.

You know when things are not right, and I am trying to explain things to people to correct the problem or situation, and they do not get it, I can get a temper. I can be very passionate about things and I believe in straightening things out. However, I notice many orthodox are always calm and even tempered. So, I just wonder, surely God has showed up occassionally or more than once to minister to these guys. However, from that report there were no signs of that.

So, it makes me think, you know these orthodox people are doing something wrong. We are supposed to be in a relationship with God, where you seek God, and pray and worship God, and God is supposed to answer you back, and fellowship with you and visit you and talk back to you.

Scripture Reference Hebrews Chapter 11: Verse 1; "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Verse 6; "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

It is a two-way relationship, whereas you believe that God is, you seek God's face, He responds and literally comes to you and blesses you. What I am talking about is not imaginary. It is real. God is a real person. I believe if you are doing something or living a certain way, and God never answers you or talks to you or never visits you, then you are doing something the wrong way. If you as a orthodox christian OR orthodox in ANY religion has no literal fellowship with God, you need to change your orthodox ways.

The orthodox christian that I asked concerning experiencing God, explained to me like God was a million miles away from him. The idea of being a child of God and having a relationship with Him is to be close to God and know God. I am not saying you are supposed to have supernatural or extraordinary experiences with God every day. Some people do preach this. I am not saying that. That does not happen to me everyday.

I am saying it should happen sometimes, or before or once or twice in at least a 10 year time span, more if it has been a hundred years. However, to go many many years dating back to nearly the 4th century, and nothing or not one single event has ever happened between your group or following and God??? I could not live like that. I have gone periods where I did not hear from God or a few years where I have not had an extraordinary experience, and I complain to God about it, not that it was His fault.

I want our relationship to work properly. I want God to show up. I ask God and think about what I need to do to get Him to show up? I do not believe in doing that religious mumbo jumbo junk and nothing is happening. A lot of orthodox groups from different religions have their religious duties and ceremonies, but NO relationship with God. Again, they also look good, but are really not solving any problems in the world or making an impact. I want God to be there, and I want Him to make it clear to me that He is there.

I wonder if they really care? Do they really want to know God? Do they want to be close to God? Do they want to really make a difference in the world for God, or are they walking and dressing an doing all the religious stuff with their rules and regulations just for show. I want to question a lot of people out there, how much do you want to be with God? Do you really care about the things of God? Do you really want to be raptured?            

May 21, 2011-Ninth Portion

Hello World:
The scriptures say that God is a spirit and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and truth. The Rapture is a supernatural and spiritual event. In other words, it is a spiritual event that over rules or over powers the natural or physical realm. It is of God, and is only for those who's hearts are right with God, who pleases God, or for those who live a sincere life for God through Jesus Christ.

I have discussed that I have had several supernatural or spiritual encounters with God. I mentioned before, I really believe to have a revelation about the Rapture or the timing of the Rapture, you or a person would need such a supernatural encounter with God. It can not be by your own power, or thinking, or calculations. It would have to be by God literally manifestating Himself to you in supernatural or spectacular way.

God has done it to me before, and so that is why I know for sure as a fact, that it would have to be done that way. I have literally experienced God, and so I believe and know as a witness that God can perform the supernatural. That God can and will perform the Rapture. When, at this point I do not know. Again, I would like to know, but mostly more than knowing when, I just want it to happen.

Jesus talked about coming as a thief in the night to those who are not watching, and are not prepared. But I can say that I am prepared, am watching and waiting everyday and night for the Lord's return. I pray daily to be worthy to be among those to be Raptured.  By the way, I heard someone say that God would not have the Rapture happen on a Saturday, because it is the sabbath day. I do not believe that. God can make the Rapture happen or occur on the sabbath or anyday, below I explain why.

The sabbath day is a day of rest for us. On the sabbath, we are to rest from working for man, NOT from being with God. It is a commandment from God to us for us, not to God, Himself. Jesus taught on the sabbath and healed men on the sabbath, and His disciples worked once to get food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees or religious rulers got angry at Him. Jesus told them that He is Lord of the sabbath. God is God of the sabbath.

Scripture References of what I am saying can be found in St. Matthew Chapter 12: Verses 1 through 14; that same testimony can also be found in Mark Chapter 2: Verses 23 through 28, and Mark Chapter 3: Verses 1 through 6. Also in a seperate testimony Jesus healed again on the sabbath as a guest at a pharisees' house in St. Luke Chapter 14: Verses 1 through 6. On a third event. Jesus healed an impotent man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath in St. John Chapter 5: Verses 1 through 16.

Back to St. Mark Chapter 2, Jesus said in verse 27; "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:"

Verse 28; "Therefore the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath."

Also, under the New Covenant of grace, any day can be used as a day of rest for us. It is technically Saturday, but it does not have to be Saturday. Also we, as humans actually need between 2 to 3 days, or at least 2 days of rest from work, for both health and spiritual reasons.

Let us say that on Saturday or on another day you rest from work, you are still supposed to pray to God, worship God, serve God and fellowship with God. God in turn still speaks, fellowships and visits His people everyday. Just because it may be the sabbath does not mean you stop communicating with God and He stops all communicating with you or His people.

Jesus also mentions that it is better to do something good on the sabbath. I say like Jesus, is it not better to heal a man or keep someone from dying or help get someone saved on the sabbath, than because of the sabbath's sake wait, until the next day, when such a person needs help dies, because everybody waited until AFTER the sabbath???

God does not abandon us because it is the sabbath day. Again, Jesus proved that, by teaching on the sabbath and healing people on the sabbath. Heaven does not shut down on the sabbath. God still protects His people, uses His people, ministers to people and visits and bless people everyday.

The main thing is are we OPEN to receive from God, his blessings or whatever He is doing or saying for us, or are we bound by legalism or the letter of the law and missing out on God? There are times when we need to throw out the legal junk, or put legalism aside or out of the way, and live and do and think in terms of what is righteous and practical. I do NOT want to miss out on God! The tenth portion is coming.

 

May 21, 2011-Eighth Portion

Hello World:
I believe at this point, there will be fifteen portions in this May 21, 2011 Rapture series. I thought last time that I was close to finishing this series, but it looks like I am only just over halfway. I will try to post each post spread evenly week by week. So this topic series will be continuing from now until the end of July and maybe into early August. Even though the topic appears to be old or past, I ask that everyone please endure with me here, as God has led me to say some very important things surrounding this Rapture subject in those post ahead.

Aside from Camping's prediction that did not happen, when he said it would, I would really like to go in the heart of the matter on people believing for or looking for or not looking for a Rapture.

If you do NOT believe in the Rapture or God rapturing His people up to Heaven, then it will not happen or more likely than not happen to you. If you do not want to know the time of the Rapture, then you do not have to know. I believe God will not force people to know. Just because Camping said the Rapture would happen specifically on such an such date, and it did not happen, does not mean that there will be no Rapture.

To those who believe and are watching and waiting for a Rapture, do not give up on God. Ever since Jesus rose from the dead, and went to Heaven, generation after generation have hoped that they would be the ones alive when He returns again for the rapturing of God's people. Our generation is no different in that sense of hope.

I want to say briefly, that not knowing exactly when the Rapture will takes place does show that there is a possibility that our generation may not be physically alive when the Rapture takes place, just like past generations. In other words, we could all live out a normal life, and die and the Rapture takes place afterwards with the next generation, or the next or three generations after us. Now, I am NOT hoping for that scenario. I am just saying there is that possibility. According to the scriptures, the dead in Christ will participate in the Rapture too and rise first before those of us who are alive.

I WANT TO STATE CLEARLY, THAT I AM HOPING, BELIEVING AND PRAYING TO BE ALIVE AT THE RAPTURE. I really am hoping our generation, at the time of the post, WILL experience the Rapture event. Based upon the Bible showing precedent of the event, and experiences I have had with the Lord, I very much believe in the Rapture.

The Rapture did not happen on May 21, 2011, but it could happen tonight, or it may happen next week, or maybe in 2012. I would like to know the time of the Rapture. I do not have to know the time, but I would like to know. I have asked God about it before, but have not pursued God heavily on the time yet. I want the Rapture to happen.

Scripture Reference St. Luke Chapter 11: Verse 9; "And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you."

Verse 10; "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Now, I do believe that if I seek God further and continue to ask about the Rapture, God will show me or reveal to me when it will happen. I do believe He can tell me the year and even which month. He can also tell me in what week of a certain month of a certain year when the Rapture will happen. That does not dispute with any scriptures.

Because of the current dispute over if we can know the time, I would need God to give signs to confirm that He is speaking to me. In other words, if God shows me a specific Rapture date, and actually wants me to tell everybody, I would first want God to show signs in the earth or space to back up what I say about when the Rapture will happen.

There has to some unusual things that will happen, like, as an example in number only here, TWO OR THREE MAJOR UNUSUAL signs that I can say look; I had a visitation from God, and God told me the Rapture will take place at so and so time or in the week of so and so; and to confirm that this is a true prophecy of God about the Rapture, these three events will occur first, each seperately, before the date of the Rapture. When everybody sees these three unusual signs, then you will know that God actually showed me or spoke to me about the Rapture date.

To me if God spoke to me about the Rapture date, and wanted me to tell the date, all of that above with a certain number of signs manifestating would have to be apart of it, before I say anything. I believe that is reasonable, because the information in the Bible is disputed and controversial, and too many people have predicted and prophesied wrong before.

As, I mentioned at the beginning of this year, I do NOT want to be wrong, I do NOT like to make mistakes. I do not want to look stupid, or make God look bad; crying wolf and nothing happens again. Because people are quick to get discouraged. A lot of people are already easily turned off from God and are quick to dismiss when God is speaking to somebody. There are a lot of people out there who do not care or want to hear what God said.

Therefore, I want my information from God to be rock solid. Elsewise, I will not say anything about a date. In some sense maybe it is good that no one knows the date. Maybe because a lot of people's hearts are not right with God, including CHRISTIANS being NOT right, that He, God may not reveal it or just reveal it to only a few, in whom He may trust NOT to say anything. I will have more on this.

May 21, 2011-Seventh Portion

Hello World:
I am inching closer to finishing this series, but not yet. There is a lot to talk about with this Rapture subject. So, I just can not say only that his prediction was wrong, and be done talking about it. God has led me to keep going on this, because I will help people understand the things of God, and how God really operates. So, with this subject there is NO one post and done. If people really want to know God, or know how to find God, other than the Bible, this is the place to look to get pretty good answers.

Also, I need to mention that even though Harold Camping was wrong, people should not be mocking him, and people should not be making fun of him, laughing and bragging about how he was wrong, and they knew he was wrong, and they were right. I am talking about both Christians believers in the Lord Jesus and also non-believers.

There are people, including Christians whos' hearts are not right, and who have major immature character issues, who instead of bragging about how right they were, need to shush, and be on their knees asking God for mercy on themselves for not living right.

God just may decide to tell somebody the "time" of the Rapture, and tell them to tell it and it will be true, and whether some people believe it or not, it still can happen, and no one has the power to stop it. So, I want to warn scoffers to be careful.

Last time I referenced several scriptures from the book of Acts, Chapter 1. From that I want to mention, as emphasis, some key words from those scriptures, and without going into details I would ask people to think about these key words, as they relate to everything I have been saying in this Rapture series.

The key words from Acts Chapter 1 are as follows: taken up, through the Holy Ghost, he had chosen, showed himself alive, infallible proofs, things pertaining to the kingdom of God, not for you, to know times and seasons, Father hath put in his own power, after Holy Ghost, witnesses both in Jerusalem, Samaria and uttermost part of the earth.

I want to make some quick points about those key words and Acts Chapter 1 now. Those beginning scriptures in Acts 1 are a HISTORIC testimony that Jesus Christ had indeed risen from the dead, and IS alive. The scripture said Jesus showed Himself alive by MANY infallible proofs; meaning of great certainty or without error.

Jesus, in addressing the end times and the seasons were addressing the disciple's/apostle's question about the "endtime" again, back at that time; remember before they asked Him in St Matthew 24, before His crucifixion. So, after His resurrection, In Acts 1, the disciples asked Him again, because they thought there was a possibility that Jesus could establish or begin His millennium reign on earth, or to them be king over Israel, right then at that point after his resurrection.

In Acts 1, Jesus in talking to the disciples was telling those eleven disciples that it was not for them to know the times or the seasons, but the times or seasons are in the Father's own power, NOT His, Jesus. The disciples/apostles asked Jesus TWICE about the "end times", but had not asked the Father; and both times in St. Matthew 24 and Acts 1. Jesus answered them telling them that the Father knows about this, THE FATHER, GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ENDTIME INFORMATION. I have mentioned that before in my archive Rapture discussions.

In conjunction with that information above, Jesus was telling THOSE disciples that they did not need to know the end times or seasons, because that time or those times would happen long after their present lifetime on earth. That is different from us, today, as we are over 2000 years closer to the end times, than the first disciples/apostles.

Another thing, the Spirit of God enables someone to receive end-time information from the source, who is the Father. A person has to be chosen of God to have the Spirit of God to receive revelation, because WITHOUT the Spirit of God a person knows nothing about the things of God.

Even though two Raptures had already taken place prior to Acts 1, and then Jesus, himself, is Raptured, the concept of the Rapture really did not fully come to light until the Apostle Paul, BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, received revelation about the event. Paul is the first person in scripture to talk specifically about the Rapture, as he mentions details of the Rapture for believers in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4: Verses 13-17.

I needed to edit out information I initially had about Paul's experience in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12: Verse 2. I had to research two reports on the time of the writing 2 Corinthians, and I learned that the 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4: Verses 13-17, is actually the first the first mention of the Rapture by the Apostle Paul.

That is because even though the book 2 Corinthians comes before or is listed in the bible before the book 1 Thessalonians, it has been found that, historically, Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians first; and that the epistles or books written by the Apostle Paul are actually not listed in the correct order in the Bible, according to when Paul wrote them.

That above edit does not invalidate the main point that, again, that the Apostle Paul received revelation BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD; WHO enabled him to be the first person to mention the concept of, or talk in depth about the Rapture event. I will return with more.