Which Jesus do you follow?

Many people claim to follow Jesus, or at the very least believe in Him. Yet, Jesus, Himself, along with the disciples, warned us that many would come in His name and deceive MANY, especially at the end of the age.

For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:5

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1 

Notice Peter was talking about false teachers and prophets AMONG you. He's talking to the church here and warning that some pastors and teachers will not be preaching the right Jesus.

Believing and following the true Jesus is vitally important. For only in the name of Jesus, the Son of God, can we be saved.

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

So, I thought it might be a good idea to list some of the "false" Jesus's who have been preached about from pulpits across the world.  Be careful as you read this list. Some of you might be offended, and I certainly don't wish that. My desire is to get you to question, to think, and to gain knowledge so you will be able to avoid deception

1. Muslim Jesus
Yes, the Muslims believe in Jesus. He is called Isa in the Quran. He is held in great esteem by Muslims and even called Messiah. Though the Muslim Jesus was tortured on the cross, he never died, and hence never rose again, and cannot save you from your sins. He is also subserviant to Mohammed.

2. Universalist Jesus
Jesus died and rose again, but he is just one of many prophets: Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Bahá'u'lláh, etc.  and hence, just one of the many ways one may reach nirvana, heaven, or enlightenment.

3.New Age Jesus
Just like universalist Jesus, he is just one of many prophets. He is often called an "Ascended Master", which is a being that may be seen as divine or even an alien creature who has overcome physical limitations.  This Jesus is often said to have died and then come back to life as Christianity teaches, but he never atoned for sin nor is he seen as necessary for salvation.

4.Mormon Jesus
Many well-meaning Mormons do not realize that the Jesus they worship is not the Jesus of the Bible. He is called the Son of God and said to have died and rose again for the sins of mankind, but if you dig deep into the history of Mormon teaching you quickly discover problems. Their god is not one, but one of many gods and who once was a man just like us who dwelt on the earth. Hence Jesus is not God in the flesh. In fact, Jesus is said to be the brother of Lucifer. Everyone can become a "god" if they follow the right path.

5.Jehovah's Witness Jesus
The Jesus the Jehovah Witness's believe in died for mankind's sins and rose again.  Yet if you dig deeper you discover that this Jesus is a replay of an ancient heresy called Arianism, which teaches that Jesus is not God.  He is a mere creation.

6. Secular Jesus
This is the belief of many in our culture today. Jesus was a nice guy, wise, kind, and loved people. He was a great prophet that was killed by the Romans for insurrection. He never rose again and he can't save anyone from their sins.

7. Santa Claus Jesus
Jesus loves you. He died for you. He wants you to have your best life now! He wants to heal you and make you wealthy and have all your desires satisfied. It's all about you! This is the prosperity gospel Jesus so many Christians cling to these days. And why not? It makes us feel good about ourselves and puts us on the throne instead of God. We treat God like He's there to answer all our prayers. And they've got the Scriptures to prove it!  I'm sorry, but this isn't the Jesus of the Bible. A quick read of the Scripture can prove that.

8. Relevant Jesus or Homeboy Jesus
This Jesus is hip and cool. He knows all the right lingo of the day. He's up on pop culture. He loves sports, movies, tv, and the latest music. He's in, man!  If you come to a church where this Jesus is preached, you'll be entertained with great music, plays, free donuts, and a hip pastor who gives sermons that entertain and incorporate culturally relevant media. This church doesn't judge you. They want you to see that Christians are just like everybody else.

9. Legalistic Jesus
This Jesus doesn't smoke, drink, cuss, or hang out those who do.  This Jesus demands that His true followers adhere to a strict list of rules, many of which are good things to do. But these rules become the criteria for salvation or at the very least for a sense of self-righteousness like the Pharisees had in Jesus's day.

10. Hyper-grace Jesus
This Jesus died for your sins and rose again, but requires nothing from you after you accept his sacrifice and believe in him. You can live any way you want because it's all covered with his grace. You can lie, cheat, steal, sleep around, be a practicing homosexual, whatever. It's all covered. You won't hear words like "sin, judgement, hell, or end times" in these churches. No, that would scare people away.

THE REAL JESUS

The real Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible. I was going to say New Testament, but in truth, Jesus is present throughout Scripture. He is God, one and yet three with His Father and the Holy Spirit. He is God in the flesh, and He came and died for our sins and then rose again and now sits at the right hand of the Father until God makes His enemies His footstool. He is the head of the church and the head of the body of Christ. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end, and by Him and through Him all things were made that are made, both in heaven and on earth.

Yes, we are saved by grace, and yes, He loves us without measure, but it takes more than a mind "belief" in Him to be saved. It is an issue of the heart, a trust and a belief, and a commitment to follow Him and live our lives for Him. Not works, but a relationship with Him that makes us want to please Him.

He is our King and our Prince, and He is coming soon to reclaim His bride. If you have been following the wrong Jesus, repent, and receive the real Jesus today before it's too late. If you're in a church that doesn't preach the true Jesus, get out!  Read the Bible for yourself. Trust no man but the Holy Spirit within you to teach you. God promises that if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him. Seek the true God today!

Beware! Are you following the Right Jesus?

 

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.  Matthew 24:4-5 

This is something the Lord has been impressing upon me for quite some time.  It's a difficult and sensitive topic, but I implore you to open your spiritual ears because this is a definite warning in these last days.

 

I always thought the phrase "In my name" in the Scripture above meant people would come saying they were Jesus or saying they were the Jewish Messiah, etc..  and we've certainly seen that happen a lot over the years. However, "In my name" means much more than just people who claim to be Jesus. It means anyone coming in the authority of Jesus. It could therefore be a pastor or prophet or even a "Jesus" worshiped by various denominations or cults. 

 

Let me give you a few obvious examples

 

Islam believes in Jesus. Did you know that? Yes. However, they believe he was a mere prophet and not the son of God. Neither was he crucified for anyone's sins. So, this is not the real Jesus

 

Mormons. The Mormons believe in Jesus. But their Jesus was Lucifer's brother, the offspring of God and one of His wives. It gets much worse than this, but I'll leave it at that. It's also important to mention that the Mormons have their own Bible and additional Scriptures called The Book of Mormon. The Mormon Jesus is not the real Jesus.  (As an added caution, be aware that The Chosen is produced and partially written by Mormons AND that Dallas Jenkins believes the Mormon Jesus is the same as the real Jesus)

Jehovah's Witnesses: They believe Jesus is God's son but inferior to God. He was the first of God's creations but he rose from the dead as an immortal spirit and not God. They also believe only 144,000 actually make it to heaven, hell isn't real, and the Trinity is a false doctrine. They have their own Scriptures too. The Jehovah Witnesses Jesus is not the real Jesus

Now things get a little tricky because I would say that most modern denominations are not worshiping the True Jesus. 

You are NOT worshiping the true Jesus IF

Your Jesus accepts homosexuals, transgenders, and other sexual deviants into the church as members and even as leaders. This is not the Jesus of the Bible

Your Jesus says that you are saved by grace and faith alone and that after you "receive and believe" Jesus, you can live anyway you want, and sin as much as you want. This is not the Jesus of the Bible

Your Jesus allows willful sin into the church in any form. Examples include couples living together outside of marriage, liars, thieves, gossipers, child molesters, etc.  The Bible is clear about clearing out the sin in the church so it doesn't infect the entire group. This is not the Jesus of the Bible

Your Jesus says that you have to follow a set of rules in order to work your way to heaven or earn your salvation. This is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Your Jesus is only here to give you an abundant life here on earth filled with health, wealth and happiness. This is not the Jesus of the Bible.

 

Your Jesus tells you that miracles and Spiritual gifts seen in the book of Acts ended with the apostles and no longer operate today. This is not the Jesus of the Bible

 

Your Jesus tells you that you are chosen and have no choice in your salvation so you can live anyway you want and not evangelize. This is not the Jesus of the Bible

Your Jesus gets too involved with politics and gives medical advice. Our Lord could care less about the governments of the world. They are all passing away. Yes, He wants us to vote if we have that right, but to get overly involved, especially when it takes up time you could be spending with Him, not good. And stay away from any pastor or church that pushes any vaccines!  This is not the Jesus of the Bible

Your Jesus tells you that the church must take over the world, the 7 mountains of Education, Religion, Family, Business, Government, Military, Arts/Media before He returns. This is not the Jesus of the Bible.

 

Your Jesus tells you that it's not important to study end times or watch for His coming because no one knows the day or the hour. This is not the Jesus of the Bible. 

 

Your Jesus tells you that the Book of Revelation either has already happened or is purely allegorical. This is not the Jesus of the Bible. In fact, this could be a very very dangerous belief as seen below. 

 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. Revelation 22:18-19

It seems to me that saying Revelation has already happened or it is only allegorical is actually TAKING AWAY the words in the Book. People who do this need to be extremely careful. 

I realize that we all have different interpretations of the Scriptures. Many are minor theological differences and have no real importance on the true message of the Bible. Things like pre or post tribulation rapture or even whether hell is eternal or not, these things don't affect which Jesus we are following.  However, I truly sense the Lord is issuing a strong and urgent warning for the various "Jesus's" I mentioned above. 

You may think you are worshiping the true Jesus, when in reality you are worshiping a false Christ, which puts you in a very precarious situation. The ONLY way to ensure you are worshiping the real Jesus is to get to know Him both through His Word and through time spent with Him. Only then, will you be able to spot churches or groups who worship the wrong Jesus, and get as far away from them as possible.

 

We must know our Scriptures!  I can't emphasize that enough. 

I hope this post has been helpful to you. If you know someone caught in a false church or belief, please send it to them. I am praying for so many to wake up in these last days!

 

If you can think of some I missed, please let me know!

 

Blessings!

 

 

 

Jesus is the DOOR!! Hurry through before it's too Late!

 

Recently,  I've started studying the Hebrew alphabet in the hopes of someday learning Hebrew itself. (Probably won't have time here on earth). Hebrew has been called the language of angels and I can see why. Each of the 22 letters has both a meaning and a numeric value. Today I want to focus on the number 4. I hope you'll find it as interesting as I did. Plus, there's a bonus surprise at the end! 

The forth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is 

ד‎  Dalet  meaning=door  pathway to enter

 

Turns out the number four is a very important number throughout Scripture. Jesus describes Himself as the DOOR. 

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

 

Here are a few examples of the number 4 in Scripture. As you read over them, see how they all connect with Jesus and salvation. 

 

On the 4th day, God made the Sun in Genesis 1:16-18. The purpose was the rule the day and divide the darkness from the light. (Sounds like Someone we know?)

The Jews were slaves in Egypt for 400 years before Moses (A type of Jesus) came to rescue them. Genesis 15:13

Judah was the 4th son born to Leah and Jacob. Genesis 29:35 Jesus comes from the Tribe of Judah

For Passover, the Jewish people were instructed to take a lamb into their homes and keep it for 4 days before they slaughtered it for the Passover meal (Exodus 12) Jesus is the Lamp of God

When the Jews planted trees in the promised land, they were to not eat the fruit until the 4th year (Leviticus 19:23-5) Jesus is the firstfruits of the Harvest

David had 400 Mighty warriors with him when he was being chased by Saul (1 Sam 22:1) David is a type of Christ

King Neb saw 4 men in the fiery furnace and he claimed one of them looked like the Son of God! (Daniel 3:24-25)

Zechariah saw a vision of 4 chariots whom the angel told him were the four spirits of heaven who go forth into all the earth. (Zechariah 6:1-5)

Jesus was born into the world in the 4000th year of history

There are four winds of the earth from which Jesus will gather His people at the second coming. Matthew 24:31

Jesus walked on the water to his disciples in the boat in the 4th watch of the night. Matthew 14:25

In John 4:35, Jesus announces there are 4 months to the harvest

Lazarus was in the tomb for 4 days before Jesus resurrected him John 11:17 

There are four horns on the sacred altar in the Holy of Holies where the blood of the lamb was sprinkled for the remission of sins. Leviticus 4:34

There are 4 angels currently bound in the Euphrates river who will be loosed during the Tribulation Revelation 9:15

 

The soldiers divided Jesus's garment into 4 parts. John 19:23

 

When the ship Paul was on was sinking, they dropped four anchors to brace it in the storm. Acts 27:29  Jesus is our anchor.

 

The 4th Beast or 4th World empire is the empire of the Antichrist. Why is he the 4th? Because his one desire is to replace Jesus. 

 

Last but not least, we find this in Chapter FOUR of Revelation 

 

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Revelation 4:1

 

This, in my opinion, is a vision of the rapture. In chapter FOUR of all places! We have a trumpet, a voice calling us upward, and an open door in heaven. Jesus is the door standing open now. Soon, He will call us up to be with Him, but then the door will shut.  

 the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Matthew 25:10

Are you ready? How do you get ready? You get saved and then you live your life for Jesus, making Him Lord (which means the boss!) of your life!  Then, keep watch and look for His soon return! 

Now for the bonus.

In Revelation 1, where John first starts having his vision, he mentions that Jesus is standing among 7 lampstands. 

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. Revelation 1:12-13

We discover in Verse 20 that the lamp stands are the 7 churches

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Notice that there is no mention that these lampstands are lit. They are just lampstands. No fire. No light. 

Now, watch this: The next 2 chapters deal with Jesus's letters to the 7 churches. Many theologians believe that these 7 churches both represent actual 7 churches at that time, but also 7 types of churches that would span the ages until Jesus returns. It's interesting to note that only in the last  3 letters to the last 3 churches is the Tribulation mentioned. 

Then we come to Chapter 4. John is called up to heaven  in a symbol of the rapture.

John sees heaven, the throne, the 24 elders, the living creatures. and in verse 5

 Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

We already know the lamps are representing the 7 churches. Yes, it mentions the 7 Spirits of God too, but Jesus emphatically told us that the 7 lampstands were the 7 churches. What's different about these lampstands? 

They are blazing!! They have fire in them this time. What does this mean?  I believe this means the rapture has occurred and the 7 churches are now in heaven standing before the throne. This is only more proof of a pre-tribulation rapture because at this point, Jesus has not even opened the first seal of the scroll. 

I'm not saying that every four in the Bible is about Jesus, But it would seem that many are! Just thought that was pretty cool. I hope you do too

Anyway, God deals in numbers. He built numbers into the Hebrew language and he coded numbers into His Word. I have only begun to plumb the incredible depths of God's Holy Word!  We serve an amazing God!!

 

Pray to be counted worthy to escape!

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:34-36

To me, this is one of the most important End-Times verses in the Bible!  There's so much truth in these few verses if we take the time to break them apart and analyze them.

In context:  Jesus has just finished telling his Disciples about the Signs of the Times and the End of the Age. (This Olivet Discourse is paralleled in Matthew 24). After listing all the signs to look out for, Jesus then tells His Disciples that the generation which sees the Fig Tree blossom is the final generation. 

Now, let's dig deeper into these few verses. 

"But Take Heed".  What does heed mean? It's not a word we see very often these days, so I looked it up. Here's the definition:  "Pay careful attention to"  Okay, so this seems pretty important then. The Greek word means "Beware"

Take Heed to yourselves.  Pay attention to ourselves? Yes. We see in the next verses what we are to beware of.  

Carousing - Greek Word kraipalē  which means a headache caused by drinking too much

Drunkenness - The meaning is obvious

Cares  - Greek word, merimna, which means anxieties, cares, distractions

You may say, well, I don't drink alcohol so I'm off the hook, right? But do you have anxieties? Do you have things that distract you from Jesus?  It could be anything that you put ahead of him, money, success, fame, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, children, goals, beauty, etc...  all of these things are not bad in themselves, but they are distracting if we allow them to be. 

Jesus is warning us to not allow the cares and pleasures and worries of life to consume our minds and get us distracted from His soon return!  He's also warning us not to indulge in the sinful pleasures of this world in whatever form they take. 

And that Day come upon you unexpectedly.  What Day?  And why is it capitalized? Because it's a certain day, the Day of the Lord, which is a phrase that pertains to both the Lord's coming and the Span of the final 7 years of the Tribulation.

Okay, So Jesus is warning us to stay out of sinful behavior and to not get too distracted by the things of the world because if we do so, He will come unexpectedly. In other words, we'll be so distracted by life that we won't know when He's coming. 

But why would that matter? So what if we are too distracted with life and cares and pleasures? If we are saved and believe in Jesus, we're good to go, right?  We'll go in the rapture, right?

Yet, these verses seem to contradict that thought, don't they? Why would Jesus give such a strong warning that we are to live a certain way and stay away from sinful indulgences and even away from distractions if it had no bearing on our getting raptured?  Let's continue. 

For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Snare = Greek word pagis - a trap, sudden, unexpected, deadly peril
On the whole earth?  So this Day of the Lord is going to come and trap the entire earth with unexpected deadly peril. 

Watch Therefore
Watch - Greek word agrypneō, which means. Stay awake! Be Attentive, Be ready!

So, I guess we are supposed to be watching the signs for His return

And pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things

To be counted worthy -  Greek word kataxioō which means worthy, or to deem entirely deserving

To Escape - Greek word ekpheugō which means to Flee, to seek safety in flight! 

(Seek safety in flight? That sounds like the rapture to me!)

Okay, let me get this straight.  It sounds like this means that we are to pray that we will be deserving or worthy to be raptured when Jesus comes. Which seems to imply that if we aren't found worthy, we won't be taken. 

Some people might say, "I am worthy because I believe in Jesus. I'm a Christian!" But then I would ask why does Jesus exhort us to PRAY that we may be found worthy? Hmm. 

Let's put this together.

• Jesus is returning to gather His saints in what we call the rapture. 
• It is obviously a pre-tribulation rapture since He clearly states that we can "escape all these things"  which He just described.   
• Jesus warns us to stay away from sinful indulgences and to not be distracted by the pleasures, worries and cares of this world. 
• Jesus warns us that if we aren't careful He will return when we don't expect Him and we won't be ready
• If we aren't ready when He comes, we will get trapped in the deadly peril that will come upon the entire earth at that time. 
• However, if we watch and pray and follow Him and not the world, then we will be able to escape the entire tribulation coming upon the earth. 

Hence, in summary. There is a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints, but not all Christians are going. The rapture of the bride of Christ is for those saints who truly love Him and are living for Him, watching for His return, putting Him first over the things of the world, keeping their wedding garments clean from sin, and praying to be found worthy.  

This is straight from the lips of Jesus. Got a problem with it, take it up with Him!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!


 


 

Jesus meets you where you're at

At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.  John 21: 4-6


As far as we know,  and aside from the ascension, this is Jesus's final time hanging out with the men who had become his close friends and companions for three years.  To them, their friend and savior died on the cross and has now been resurrected! They've all seen Him, talked with Him, but still they have no idea what to do. They don't know where to go from here. 


Have you ever felt like that? You've met Jesus, spoken with Him, followed Him, but in your day to day life you don't know what else to do but what you've always done. You don't see that anything has really changed. 


So what did the disciples do? They went back to what they knew before Jesus. They went fishing! 
But something had changed. And they would never be the same. Jesus showed up again and turned their ordinary fishing expedition into a catch so abundant they couldn't haul in the net!  Part of me wonders if Jesus wasn't showing them right then and there how many people they would catch and bring to a saving knowledge of Him. More than they could believe! More than they could haul in!  

http://www.pastorgraphics.com/Fishers_Of_Men_PowerPoint_Sermon-33925.html

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17

Yes, indeed, their lives had changed. They would never be the same. They would never be ordinary fishermen again. And neither will you. But the choice is yours.  You may think you're just an ordinary smoe. leading an ordinary life, with ordinary skills and talents. You may even think that you're not sure you're up to the adventurous, abundant life Jesus offers. You may be worried what He'll ask of you. You may think you're not dedicated enough, brave enough, or maybe, that honestly, you're not sure you love Jesus enough to sacrifice everything.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. 

 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.  John 21: 15-17


Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times. The first two times He used the Greek word for love, Agape, which is an unconditional, self-sacrificing, all-encompassing love which is completely independent of the actions or character of the one being loved. It is the way God loves us.


All three times when Peter answers. Yes, I love you.. but he used the Greek word Philia which means brotherly love, the strong bond of friendship. In other words, Peter cannot lie to Jesus. He is not sure he loves Jesus with agape love. All he can offer is Philia love.

http://ruinedfortheordinary.com/you-are-loved-believe-it/

But here's the catch. The third time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, he uses Philia, not Agape. That blew me away!  Jesus wasn't offended that Peter couldn't return the same kind of love Jesus offered him. Even after all Jesus had suffered, He didn't storm off in a huff because Peter couldn't give Him what He well deserved. So, what did He do?  He lowered Himself, His expectations down to Peter's level. He met Peter where he was.


And He does the same for us!  All He asks is that we follow Him. Bring all your worries, fears, inhibitions, lack of dedication, lack of love, lack of faith and doubts to Him. He understands how weak we are. He will meet you where you're at!  He only asks for honesty and a heart that truly wants to follow Him.  Then watch what He will do with what you give Him!

Peter became the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem!

http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/book/jun29.html

Many historians believe Peter ended up being crucified as well for his belief in Jesus. Yet he demanded to be crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to hang in the same way Jesus did.  Do you think Peter finally achieved Agape love for Jesus, after all?

Song of Solomon - Timing of the Pre-Trib Rapture by Keagan Fernandes

 

Just some encouragement for the Bride! 

 

 SONG OF SOLOMON-THE TIMING OF THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.

When the Jewish disciples of Jesus asked Him, in the first chapter of the book of Acts, as to when His return to set up the promised earthly kingdom would be, Jesus can a somewhat cryptic answer that contains a key to unlock this end times prophecy. The exchange went like this:

“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:6,7 (KJV)

The word “seasons” appears in the King James Bible exactly 12 times in 12 verses.
In the Bible, the word “seasons” can stand for a period of time as short as a few hours, as seen in Psalm 16:7 (KJV), but in the vast majority of cases it is referring to the 4 seasons we know as Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. (It is interesting to note that there are 4 seasons, roughly 3 months apiece, and that 3 times 4 is twelve.
God is revealed as a Trinity in 3 parts, nearly everything in His creation is in 3 parts, and there were 12 sons of Jacob who became the 12 Tribes of Israel, as well as 12 apostles.) So when Jesus told the apostles that it was not for them to know the “times and seasons” related to the end times, could it be God had already put an end times clue to unlock the seasons in relation to prophecy?

Yes, that is exactly what He did in the Song of Solomon.

God paints us a beautiful type picture in the love song of Solomon, of the coming glorious future of the blood-washed, born again believers in the matchless Bridegroom Jesus Christ when we will be called to 'come away' with Him.

All through the Bible, God uses many things to paint pictures of coming events, this is known as ‘typology’. Merriam-Webster defines typology as “a doctrine of theological types; especially : one holding that things in Christian belief are prefigured or symbolized by things in the Old Testament”. For example, when Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, it was a type of the suffering of Jesus and His payment at Calvary on the Cross.

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 (KJV)

Yes, the actual Jonah was really in the belly of an actual whale for 72 hours, but at the same time it was a type picture of a future event of prophecy. This is one of the things that Jesus is confirming in the above passage. God uses typology to a very high degree in the Old Testament to illustrate future, prophetical events.

Another great Old Testament type in the Bible is found in Genesis. The Bible tells us of a man called Enoch, a gentile who was the great grandfather to Noah. Enoch lived for 365 years, which just coincidentally matches the 365 days of the gentile calendar (the Hebrew calendar has 360 days). The Bible says that Enoch began walking with God after the birth of his son Methuselah, the oldest living man in the Bible. And then something amazing happened, here it is:

“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:22-24 (KJV)

See what we have here? It’s a type picture of the Rapture of the Church. Enoch was a gentile believer in God, had fellowship with Him and ‘walked with Him’. Then, at some point in that walk, God took him home to Heaven literally and physically without ever having to die first. But that’s not all. Enoch’s rapture happens shortly before the tribulation of the flood of Noah destroys the Earth. Do you get that? Enoch is raptured out before the flood which destroyed the world. The apostle Paul teaches in the New Testament that the Church will be raptured out before the time of Jacob’s trouble which will cause global death, misery and destruction.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE A GOOD GRASP OF WHAT TYPOLOGY IN THE BIBLE IS, LET'S LOOK AT AN AMAZING TYPE PICTURE IN THE SONG OF SOLOMON ON THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

The Song of Solomon is a love story. Scholars will tell you it's a love story between King Solomon and one of his wives, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find that it is so much more!!

Let me give you the cast of characters...

The Shulamite (Gentile)
The Girl…The Bride-to-be (The True Church of Jesus)
The King...The Bridegroom-to-be  (Jesus)

SONG OF SOLOMAN 2:10-13
Please take note of the time of year that the King is calling His Bride Home.  Spring!!  Also take note of the reference to the Fig Tree, which we know represents Israel and the time frame in which Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:32 that He is coming to take us home!. Also note that the King doesn't come down to where the Bride is, but rather asks her to Rise up.  These are all references to the Rapture and give us a clear picture as to the timing. In Spring and in the Fig Tree Generation!

In the second chapter of the Song of Solomon, God paints us a picture of the Rapture of the Church. Not only that, He tells us what time of the year that the Rapture will likely take place. In verses 8 and 9, we see Jesus looking down from the windows of Heaven at His beloved.

“The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.” SOS 2:8,9

In the New Testament, when the apostle Stephen was being stoned to death, he looked up and what did he see? He saw the ‘windows of Heaven opened’ and Jesus getting ready to return in the Second Coming.

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

In the book of Revelation, the ‘window of Heaven’ opens two times. Once in a type picture of the Rapture of the Church in chapter 4:1,2, and again in chapter 19:11-14 at the Second Coming where we return with Him at the Battle of Armageddon. In Song of Solomon 2, we see Jesus ‘looking through the lattice’ at His beloved Bride the Church. But notice that He calls for Her to ‘rise up’ to where He is and to ‘come away’ with Him. Now where in the New Testament do we hear anything resembling that? Right here:

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”Revelation 4:1

THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE IS CONNECTED WITH THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS WHICH TAKES PLACE IN THE SPRING!

Her beloved is calling for her to rise up and out to be with Him. Not only that, we see the likely timing of the Rapture as given in the context. It happens after the Winter is gone, and glorious Spring has come where new life once again fills the Earth. Some will say that it is not Spring everywhere around the world at the same time. This is true, but God is not concerned with the whole world. Bible prophecy and it’s fulfillment centers around His Holy land of Israel, and it’s capital city of Jerusalem in particular.

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;” Song of Solomon 2:11,12 (KJV)

Many Bible scholars have tried to set the timing of the Rapture of the Church with the Feast of Trumpets because a trumpet-like Voice heralds the Rapture. But it is much more likely and seems to be indicated in the passage that the Rapture will align with the Feast of Firstfruits which takes place in the Spring. Clearly that is what’s happening in Song of Solomon 2.
Lastly, the Song of Solomon says that when the Rapture of the Church takes place, Israel will already have been regathered back into their land (May 14, 1948). Compare the passage with what Jesus in Matthew 24 said would take place, and we have harmony.

“The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon 2:13 (KJV)
 

Here is the article on Keagan's Website

Which Jesus do you Worship?

I feel this is a vitally important message and I hope to do it justice from the Lord. There are probably more examples than the ones I've given, but you get the general idea. I am seeing so many believers completely bamboozled by lies and deceptions, not about minor things but about things that threaten their very eternity!  I'm having my Brother Joe putting together a more researched and comprehensive list of false doctrines taught today, so expect that in the future. But for now, read through this list and make sure you are on the right and narrow path!

The number ONE Thing Jesus first mentioned in Matthew 24 when the disciples asked about the End Times was

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.  v. 4-5

The verse doesn't just mean people who claim to be the Messiah, but it means people who claim to have His anointing!.  

Throughout the New Testament we are warned over and over about false doctrines and prophets!  (Read 2 Peter 2)

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:14

Why are people so deceived?

1. They don't know the Bible or read the Bible for themselves
2. They are followers of some pastor or teacher whom they believe would never lead them astray
3. They belong to a church or group in which they have many friends and they don't want to lose them
4. The false words they hear align with their deceived perception of Christianity and the World and their dreams and hopes for the future.
5. The pastor they listen to talks about them, their lives, and how God will fulfill all their dreams

6. They love their sin

Make sure the Jesus you and your church worship is the Real one. For there are many False Ones out there today

These are the obvious ones

Mormons believe Jesus and Lucifer are brothers, that God was once a man who progressed to godhood and that we can do that too. 

Jehovah's witnesses believe Jesus was the Archangel Michael, a created being before the physical world was created.

Islam believes Jesus was a great prophet but not the son of God

Buddhists consider Jesus a respected prophet

Hindus believe Jesus was a prophet and holy teacher but not a savior or redeemer

Catholicism can be a bit more obscure. They say they believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus died and resurrected and offers salvation to all. But based on my studies and what many others have learned and obvious evidence in the Catholic statues, writings, sculptures, decorations, etc.. it seems they have substituted the Demon gods for the Trinity. Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz. Emperor Constantine merely combined pagan gods, temples and worship with Christianity. Here's one short article about that, but there are many more if you care to research. Many things in the Catholic church are pagan and demonic, including Mary worship, Rosary beads, Jesus on the cross, Communion, the Pope being in place of God here on Earth, saint worship. I don't want to insult any Catholics who view this blog, but I must warn you. Be sure you are worshipping the Real Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, not with Tammuz! 

A brief warning here about Ecumenicalism, which is a movement to combine all "Christian" religions into one for worldwide cooperation and unity. As you have seen above, to do so would be blasphemous. Unfortunately this is what the very popular series Chosen is trying to do, so be careful!

Now, for the real insidious deception. What about your average Evangelical or Denominational church? 

Your pastor may say the name of Jesus, may preach about Him, may worship him, but is it the Jesus of the Bible? 

One thing to point out is that many pastors are Freemasons. Freemasons do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. Freemasons at their core worship Satan as god. So the god they are talking about is not Jesus. 

Back to how do you know? How can you tell what Jesus is preached in your church?

• Fruit of the pastor and church. What is your pastor's lifestyle? His marriage, kids? His wealth? His demeanor when no one is looking?
• Doctrine. This is essential. If any doctrine your church or pastor believes does not line up with the Bible, then the Jesus they worship is not the real Jesus

Here are some examples of false doctrines.

• God accepts and loves homosexuals and transgenders 
• Once you say a prayer to "receive Jesus" (not in the Bible), then you can live a life of sin and still go to heaven
• You don't need to ever repent of your sins
• You don't need to live a life of submission and obedience to Jesus and His Word
• Jesus wants you to live your best life here on Earth. Prosperity Gospel
• Just Tithe this amount of money and God will bless you 100 fold 
• Name it, claim it!  You have the power by the Holy Spirit to call things that aren't into existence. If you have enough faith, you can have anything you ask for
• You can become a little god
• Christ consciousness
• Abortion is not a sin
• God isn't a Trinity
• Jesus is not the Only Way to Eternal Life
• Eternal Security
• Calvinism - Predestination . We have no choice in salvation
• Preterism - All Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled in 70 AD
• The Church has taken over the role of Israel. Replacement theology

So, if my church believes in any of these doctrines, does that mean they don't worship the real Jesus? Yes. I'm saying that's quite possible. Why? Because if Jesus was in charge of that church as the Head of that church and those in leadership were true Holy Spirit filled and led Christians who have a personal relationship with the Real Jesus, then why would they be preaching doctrines that are clearly against the Word of God?  

You may argue away one or two of them as being debatable doctrinally, but not most of them. The reason I'm being so controversial is because this is Immensely Important to your eternal salvation!  Remember in Matthew 7 where some people who believed they were Christians, who had done miracles for the Lord were told by Jesus that He never knew them?  So, it's possible to think you are worshiping the right Jesus, think your pastor or church is worshiping Jesus, but you are utterly wrong. 

I think the problem with most Christians today is that they do not read their Bibles. They rely on pastors, teachers and sermons to get the Word of God. This is a HUGE MISTAKE. There are many many wolves among the sheep right now before the Rapture. Satan wants to snatch as many of us away from the Shepherd's care so we won't escape. 

This is Not bragging at all. Early on when I got saved, the Lord impressed upon me to read the Bible everyday. I'm not talking about one chapter here and there. And I'm not talking about a 5-minute devotional. I'm talking about 4 or more chapters, depending on the time I have. I have read through the Bible multiple times...probably at least 20. When I finish, I start back over again in Genesis. Sometimes I read 2 chapters of the Old Testament and then 2 Chapters in the New. Every day. Along with my time in prayer. While I'm reading, I'm constantly talking with the Holy Spirit, asking Him questions about what I'm reading, making comments, asking Him to reveal things to me I haven't seen before. It's my favorite time of day! I honestly believe this is why I have not fallen for any of the above false doctrines. (I'm not saying I have everything right, but I do pray for discernment and wisdom everyday.)  Whenever I listen to a sermon and I feel this tiny little wince inside my spirit, I know that's the Holy Spirit saying "check on this, something's off".  I can't tell you the number of pastors and teachers I no longer listen to. 

I'm telling you all this because it's vital and extremely important that you stay in God's Word now more than ever. Make it a habit to read several chapters a day. I know we are all busy! I understand. But what is more important?  

Your eternal soul is at stake. 

Is Lordship Salvation a Heresy?

I don't hang around with theologians, and I haven't been to a congregational church in over 6 years, so some of these terms are new to me. However, recently, a pastor I listen to mentioned "Lordship Salvation" and said there were many in today's Christian community who oppose it. If you don't know what it is, here's a few definitions I found:

 

The doctrine of lordship salvation teaches that submitting to Christ as Lord goes hand-in-hand with trusting in Christ as Savior.

Followers of Lordship Salvation insist that a person is eternally saved not only by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior, but also by committing completely to Him as the Lord or Master of one's life.

The view that a person must accept Jesus as both Lord and Savior at the point of salvation

 

MaryLu Here: In other words, Lordship Salvation consists of not only an intellectual belief but also submitting to Jesus as Lord of one's life in obedience to His will. It involves continual repentance of sin and a daily walk with the Lord that produces fruit in a person's life as they are transformed into the image of Jesus.   

 

However, this belief has many opponents who say that Lordship salvation is a heresy that spits on the Grace of God by adding to the belief in Jesus extra things a person must do, therefore adding human works to the equation. 

 

Here's one such comment from an article online by David J. Stewart

 

The heresy is called �Lordship Salvation,� which says that in order to be saved a person must forsake sinful behavior, make full surrender to Christ, declare �Jesus as Lord� and confess Him before men. There are many variations of the heresy, but in each case human effort is added to faith in Jesus Christ. 

 

And another quote from the holytext.org

 

Lordship Salvation is the teaching that you must surrender your life to Jesus to be saved or that if you are saved you will have works to prove it. The Bible is clear to say that all we have to do is believe the gospel and the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for all our sins. 

 

And another from a site called jesus-is-savior.com

 

LORDSHIP SALVATION is the false doctrine that a sinner MUST be willing to stop living a sinful lifestyle or to give up the sinful world to be saved. 

MaryLu Here: I actually had to stop searching for quotes. I was feeling ill and my spirit was grieved. I knew there were so-called Christians who believe you can claim faith in Jesus and then go about your life sinning and doing whatever you want and still be saved, also known as Once Saved Always Saved, but I had no idea that there were actual "Christians" who believe that you don't have to make Jesus Lord, don't have to repent or do anything at all, don't have to  even confess Him before men, in order to be saved. In fact, you can just keep on sinning and sinning! HUH? 

 

This is exactly the kind of thing that really irks me and surely must cause much sorrow to Jesus. I just do not understand how any of these people can read the Bible, I mean read the entire Bible, and still come away with such a heretical belief. Either they are hearing this crap from a pastor or teacher or they are just pulling out verses here and there and creating a doctrine out of them.

 

 Nearly Every time I open my Bible to read, it talks about submission, obedience, forsaking sin, and following Jesus. The theme of repentance and obedience is throughout the entire Bible! From Adam and Eve in the garden to Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Israelites, the prophets, all through the Psalms, the Proverbs, Job, then of course the entire New Testament and all the letters from the Apostles, concluding with Revelation where those who REFUSED TO REPENT were cast into the lake of fire. 

 

People who refute Lordship salvation say that it is adding works to salvation by faith alone, but it isn't adding works at all. Obedience to the Lord is not Works, Committing to follow Jesus is not works, repenting of one's sins is not a work!  That's insane. Works are things we try to do to earn our salvation as many other religions require such as Islam and Catholicism. Works are good things we do or rituals we perform in order to gain salvation. Things such as charity work, attending church, tithing, communion, confession, feeding the poor. All good things, but in and of themselves, they won't get you to heaven. Bowing our knee to Jesus and doing our best to obey His commands have nothing to do with works. 

Think of salvation as a marriage, which it is by Biblical definition. After you get married, is being faithful to your spouse and not cheating on them an extra work you do or is it something that is assumed by the act of making a commitment?  

 

What does the word Lord mean? a person who has authority, control, or power over others. It is someone over you in power, someone you obey. 

Does Jesus require anything from us after we get saved? Of course! Why else did Paul and the other Disciples write all those letters to the churches?  Why not just keep writing that all you need to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Done deal.  But what if we looked up the meaning of the word "believe". Let's take the famous verse John 3:16

For God so loved the World that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. 

The word believes here is the Greek word
pisteuō which means: to believe, to commit to, to be committed unto

When you commit to someone, you are pledging yourself to them, as in a marriage vow. You are committing your fidelity, your love. 

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21

 

If you obey someone's commands, they that sure sounds like they are your Lord. 

 

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Romans 10:9

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:9

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord Philippians 2:10

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  Matthew 16:25

 

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38

I could on and on and on with multiple Scriptures about not living a sinful life, of being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, of confessing our sins to the Lord, of deny ourselves and offering our bodies as a sacrifice to Jesus, of how we are dead to self and flesh and alive to Jesus, how those who live according to the flesh are not true children of God. 

I challenge anyone to read the first three chapters of Revelation which are the 7 letters from JESUS to the seven churches and tell me that all one needs to do to be saved is have a mental belief that Jesus died and rose again. After that Jesus requires nothing else, that we can go on and live our lives any way we choose. 

Jesus suffered here on earth more than any man alive. Not only was he constantly hunted during his 3 year ministry, he was hated, spit on, rejected, and lied about. He had to endure heat, hunger, exhaustion, pain, filth and being surrounded by unbelief. Then, he was chained up overnight, beat, spit on, mocked, and then scourged with a whip that was embedded with sharp pieces of metal. It tore the skin from his body and dug into his muscles. The Scriptures say He was unrecognizable as a man. But that wasn't all. He then had to carry a wooden cross that has been estimated to have been over 300 pounds on a back that had no skin on it. He was stripped of his clothes, naked for all to see and then had nails driven through his wrists and his ankles. Once he was erected, his body would slowly die, his lungs would begin to collapse and he would have to try and push himself up to breathe, which of course only caused more pain. They say crucifixion is one of the most painful and slow methods of dying. And all the while He hung there, he was mocked and belittled and laughed at.

 

And at any moment, He had the power to call down a thousand angels to rescue Him and destroy His enemies. He had to only think it and it would have been done. 

 

He did that for you! He did that for me. He did that for anyone who would come to Him, repent of their sins, believe and commit to Him, trust Him for their salvation and follow Him. A FREE gift of salvation, completely unearned. A gift of grace and mercy. 

 

And you are telling me that it's perfectly okay to say "Thanks Jesus", take your gift and then go back to living life for yourself and committing all kinds of sins that Jesus died to pay for?  You think that making Him Lord, that repenting and following Him is somehow a heresy? Then you don't know Jesus, and you don't know your Bible, your whole Bible. Yes, Salvation is a free gift, but it comes at a price.   Your life is not your own. You have been bought with a huge price. 

 

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Jesus is Lord! And if He is not your Lord, then you're in trouble. Everyone serves someone in this life--yourself, the devil, or Jesus. Two of them don't work out so well in the end.