Revelation 17:9-11, “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”
Our text passage is an intriguing passage of Scripture. Here is what I humbly believe it means. The seven heads are the seven mountains of Israel. The “woman” (aka, “the great whore” of Revelation 17:1) according to Revelation 17:18 is the city of Jerusalem. The seven “kings” are world powers. Verse 10 says that “five are fallen” (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece), “and one is” (Rome), and “the other is not yet come” (the New World Order). The Bible prophecies that the eighth (Antichrist, the Man of Sin) will arise out of the seventh.
The Antichrist will rule the entire world through a confederation of ten nations (Verse 12). Those supporting nations will empower and strengthen the beast. The “beast” in Revelation 17 is often interpreted as a symbol of a powerful entity or system that opposes God, commonly associated with political and religious powers throughout history. It is described as having seven heads and ten horns, representing various kings or kingdoms that have influenced the world. This makes sense, since the Bible speaks of the beast “that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”
Since the Antichrist has never been here on earth, the “beast” must be referring to something else. I humbly think the “beast” refers to tyrannical military world power. From all the horrific atrocities that we have seen in thousands of ugly wars over the centuries, I hardly think that anyone would disagree that the War Machine is a “beast.” Although there are nine military super powers in the world today (China, Russia, India, Israel, France, Pakistan, United Kingdom, North Korea, United States) who have nuclear weapons, there are no world powers; not since Rome ruled the planet millennia ago.
In Revelation chapter seventeen, Israel is the woman (the great whore) who rides the beast with seven heads and ten horns. My understanding of this Bible prophecy is that the woman is Israel who will control the coming militant world power. What makes this even more intriguing and plausible is the astonishing fact that just earlier this month in July of 2026, the United States made Israel our
Congress quietly moves to integrate U.S. and Israeli militaries
Story by Ben Freeman - MSN | July 2026
At a time when the American public is expressing unprecedented levels of distrust in the Israeli government, Congress just proposed tying the U.S. to the Israeli military more than ever before.
Buried in the House's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released on Tuesday, is section 224, entitled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The provision would arguably do more to intertwine the U.S. military with the Israeli military than the more than $200 billion (inflation adjusted) in military assistance Israel has received from the U.S. since its founding in 1948.
Section 224 lays the groundwork for bilateral research and development, co-production of weapons, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and seemingly every manner of U.S.-Israeli military-industrial complex cooperation. The U.S. and Israel already work together heavilyon missile defense, but this provision would greatly expand coordination to seemingly every area of defense tech, including AI, quantum, autonomous systems, directed energy, cyber, biotech, and many more. It also proposes “network integration” and “data fusion.” In other words, the U.S. military’s data could soon be the Israeli military’s data. READ MORE
Every day we are getting closer to a one-world Military Industrial Complex (aka, the beast).
The Big Picture Of Bible Prophecy
As a born again Christian, I try to always stay focused on the big picture, rather than get boggled down with political parties. All of my adult life I have seen Christians fall for the deception of Republican politics. I have seen all Republican U.S. Presidents during my 69 year lifetime rally for pro-life policy to gain the vote of conservatives and Christians, and then watch those same Republican U.S. Presidents donate tens of millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortion services in America. Even the Trump administration has funded Planned Parenthood. The following meme is excellent...
Whether voting Democrat or Republican, gullible Americans are merely voting for two separate legs both walking in the same direction of a New World Order.
Christians across the country have been rejoicing since Donald Trump won re-election to the U.S. Presidency in November of 2024. Although I also applaud having Mr. Trump in the White House to an extent, I have never fully trusted him for good reason. The longer that Mr. Trump he is in office the less comfortable I feel about his presidency.
Trump On Iran: 'We're Winning!'; U.S. Intel: 'No, You're Not.'
One of my long time Christian ministry friends (a die hard Trump supporter) who lives in Ohio, got upset with me recently over my negative comments about President Trump's mishandling of Iran. President Trump is now asking Congress for another $87.5 billion to bomb, bomb, Iran! That's on top of the $38.7 billion that we've already spent attacking Iran this year. Numerous credible sources have determined that for just $30 billion our government could end homelessness across the United States! The old adage is very true: Charity starts at home.
I simply cannot and will not support a political madman whose only effort since he took office in January of 2025 has been to Make Israel Great Again! I am very disappointed with President Trump. While over 75,000 Palestinians (mostly defenseless women and children) in Gaza were slaughtered (which the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. denomination just voted 454-15 in June of 2026 to be a bona fide geocide in Gaza), President Trump not only did nothing to stop the killings, he mocked the suffering victims of Palestine, and then announced his diabolical plans to build a hotel resort area with casinos in Gaza instead of rebuilding the people's homes which were bombed to smithereens by U.S. funded Israeli missiles.
The way I see it, President Trump is just further doing the dirty work of his handlers, the Zionist Globalists. The inspired Holy Bible identifies our enemy as Satan, the accuser of the brethren, who is the god of this evil world (2nd Corinthians 4:4).
I humbly predict that when President Trump leaves office in January of 2029:
There will still be 50,000,000 illegal immigrants in the U.S. who are taking away our jobs, housing, hospital resources, social services, et cetera, from U.S. citizens.
Inflation will be even higher than when Trump took office in 2025 (the national median cost of a home just hit an all-time high at $440,000).
Homelessness will be an even worse problem than it is right now.
The National Debt will be much worse (it has already increased during Trump's time in office from $37 trillion to $39.5 trillion).
Nothing will have changed in Iran.
Israel will be great again, but not the United States.
Hurting farmers and ranchers will still be very peeved with President Trump's economic policies which have hurt them financially.
There will be many more pardoned political criminals (who were justly convicted in a court of law); criminals who ripped-off hardworking honest taxpayers, who didn't deserve to be released; they will continue to praise Trump for releasing them from suffering the consequences of their actions; but you or I as normal U.S. citizens would rot in prison.
When ungodly Democrats retake the White House, all of the Satanic D.E.I. (diversity, equality and inclusion) garbage will come back with a vengeance. U.S. corporations that had previously abandoned their D.E.I. policies under the Trump administration will re-embrace them to benefit from government perks for cooperative companies.
Democrats from mere spite will deliberately counter and undo much of the good that President Trump has accomplished to appease the millions of Trump-haters. I hope that I am wrong, but it sure seems like a plausible scenario. I've never seen such public hatred of a politician as how much the Democratic left-wing hates Mr. Trump.
These are ten major evils that I foresee when Mr. Trump leaves office in a couple years (29 more months, Lord willing). It is just my humble opinion, but I think my predictions are sound and likely to happen.
I still remember the sick feeling that I felt as an American citizen and a God-fearing Christian when Joe Biden took office in 2021, who did incalculable damage to our country during his time in office as U.S. President. It couldn't have been more obvious on a daily basis that he was doing the dirty work for the New World Order, as literally millions of illegal aliens (7,000 per day for 4 years) flooded across our southern border unchecked and unhampered, as U.S. border patrol were ordered to stand down. We saw this same disturbing phenomena happening in Europe. Do you really think this was all a coincidence? Not a chance!
The New World Order (NWO) is here to stay unfortunately. It has been forming for a very long time and has now been kicked into high-gear. President Trump may appear to be hindering or fighting against the NWO, but it just seems that way. In reality, Trump is helping and enabling the NWO. I have been against the left/right paradigm deception for the past 24 years, since by God's grace I started my Jesus-is-Savior.com ministry back in April of 2002. It is hard to believe that 24 years have passed so quickly. To God alone be all the credit and praise.
Dear reader, if you are a born again child of God like me, although we can fight against communism, we simply cannot stop the evil New World Order from happening. It is a part of God's sovereign plan. Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Our focus should be upon the things above, not the things of this temporary life on earth (Colossians 3:1-3). This life shall soon pass (James 4:14).
Jesus exhorts believers in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”We can have peace even in the worst of circumstances, knowing that we have a hope in Jesus Christ because He is risen from the dead. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The world seeks peace in temporary financial security, but we have peace as saints in God's promise of eternal security (Titus 1:2).
Make sure dear friend that you are on the winning side through faith alone in Christ Jesus.
Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
Today, I expressed my frustration on Facebook over President Trump asking Congress for an additional $87.6 billion more money to bomb, bomb, Iran. While our federal government is $39.5 TRILLION in debt, they just keep recklessly borrowing more money. It needs to stop!!!
For $30 billion we could permanently end homelessness in the United States. How is it that our federal government always has trillions of dollars for war (the Iraqi War alone cost taxpayers $6.2 TRILLION), but homelessness is never solved? Clearly, they don't want to solve the homelessness problem. They don't want affordable housing. All they want is to continue borrowing more money for war, to make the Federal Reserve owners richer.
In response to my comments today, someone who idolizes Trump got upset with me for criticizing their political hero. I am tired of Christians lionizing men, particularly Republican U.S. Presidents who are just a different leg walking in the same direction of a New World Order (NWO). Left or right doesn't matter at the end of the day, because either way we are headed for a NWO.
When President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029, I humbly predict:
Homelessness will still be a major problem
Crime will still be a serious problem nationwide
U.S. farmers and ranchers will still be upset with Mr. Trump for financially hurting them
Israel will be great again, but not America
Our government will be in trillions more debt than before (now at $39.5 trillion)
Over one million U.S. abortions each year will continue
Same-sex marriage (perversion) will still be legal
50 million illegal immigrants will still reside in the United States
There will be a bunch more buildings, airports and statues named after Donald Trump
The displaced victims in Gaza won't be returned to their homeland
In my humble opinion, this war with Iran never should have started. In 2025, the U.S. military took out Iran's ability to make a nuclear weapon. I don't buy the bogus claim by President Trump that Iran would have had a nuclear bomb in two weeks. That is a great excuse to bomb Iran, and that's all it is, an excuse! Mr. Trump makes a lot of bold false claims.
The comatose American people watched idly as U.S. troops murdered 1,455,590 Iraqi citizens in cold blood to remove one man from power, Saddam Hussein. No alleged WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) were ever found because they never existed in Iraq. The Bush administration lied, just as the Trump administration is lying. Wars, bombs, tanks, guns, ammunition—trillions of dollars more are being recklessly spent of taxpayer money!!! The Luciferian banksters are getting richer, funding Satan's kingdom of darkness (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4).
I don't support the Democrats or the Republicans. I don't support President Trump. I don't support the War against Iran. I certainly don't support Israel or Zionism. My heart is with the displaced victims in Gaza. My heart is with the families of over 75,000 murdered Palestinian victims, while Mr. Trump arrogantly did nothing but praise the genocide in blind support of Israel.
The Facebook user who got upset today falsely accused me of being ignorant. He said that Bible prophecy is unwrapping at warp speed and I am missing it. Kindly said, he is very wrong. There is nothing happening today that reveals that Bible prophecy is unwrapping at warp speed. Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” The Bible teaches that manmade Israel could be blown off the map tomorrow, and it would be 100% biblical. Manmade Israel today (since 1948) has no biblical claim to divine protection. Present-day Israel is not the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Dear reader, please be careful not to get caught up into the dot connecting nuts on social media who read meaning into everything. The old adage is true: To the man with a hammer in his hand, everything looks like a nail sticking up. With all the goofy YouTube videos and websites today exploiting Bible prophecy to make money, you simply cannot trust 97% of what you find in cyberspace.
Nothing going on with Israel or Iran right now reveals Bible prophecy! Wars are nothing new. Manmade Israel has been at war since 1948 with their neighbours. I heard today in the news that President Trump has agreed for Saudi Arabi to have a nuclear weapon. I'm not sure what to think about that, but it doesn't sound wise. The 911 lawsuits against Saudi Arabi's involved with the 911 attacks still haven't been resolved in court, and likely never will. Why are we giving them permission to create a nuclear weapon? This evil world is so corrupt!
Daniel 12:11-12, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”
I have listened at length to Pastor Steven Anderson (of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona) teach his unbiblical ideas about Bible prophecy, which irrefutably sets the doctrine for the entire New IFB. Anderson says that the Rapture is the Second Coming. He said that in his sermon on July 5th, 2026, in the morning. The title of his sermon was even, "The Rapture Is The Second Coming."
Anderson says that these events will occur 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. 3 1/2 years is 1,277.5 days. Anderson also teaches that these events will occur 75 DAYS after the Abomination of Desolation. But 1,335 minus 1,277 days equals 57.5 days (not 75). Point being, nothing makes sense that Pastor Anderson teaches concerning the timing of Christ's return.
We read in Daniel 11:11-12, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” This passage of Scripture plainly teaches that from the time of the Abomination of Desolation prophetic event, until the end of the Tribulation, will be 1,290 days (not 75 days as Anderson claims). The 1,335 days is including The Judgment of the Nations.
By simply paying close attention to what Steven Anderson is teaching, and comparing it to what the inspired Scripture actually tells us, it is very easy to blow holes in the New IFB's corrupt theology. For me, it is easier to prove a Pretribulation Rapture by eliminating all other possibilities. Sherlock Holmes had a dictum which said: "Eliminate the impossible, and what is left, however improbable, must be the truth." That is how I conclude a Pretribulation Rapture.
Furthermore, Jesus plainly taught in Mark 13:32-37 that NO MAN (not even the angels) know THE TIME of His future return. So, anybody who sets a date (as Steven Anderson has done) is a FALSE PROPHET! The only doctrinal position concerning the Rapture that maintains the imminency, secrecy and suddenness of Christ's return is a Pretribulation Rapture.
Concerning Jesus' Second Coming, the Bible plainly tells us that it will happen 1,290 days after the Antichrist commits the blasphemous Abomination of Desolation. I don't see how Mark 13:32-37 could be referring to anything other than the Pretribulation Rapture.
I heard one well-meaning preacher say that the Rapture couldn't be mentioned in the four gospels, because in 1st Corinthians 15:51 the Apostle Pauls said he was revealing “a mystery.” However, Paul didn't directly say that the Rapture was the mystery he was revealing but rather, that our bodies will be changed from mortal to immortal in less than a split second, in the twinkling of an eye.
Furthermore, Jesus provided vivid details about the future Tribulation period in Matthew chapter 24. So, Christ knew all things concerning the future, except the time of the Rapture (Mark 13:32). The dear Savior said even He did not know when He would return.
Bible prophecy is a puzzle. Pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) said he avoided the subject because he didn't understand it, and I don't blame him. Today, we have a wealth of Bible resources, study aids, Lexicons and helps to learn the Bible, and yet we still struggle to interpret it. I am fully convinced of a Pretribulation Rapture, as has been every faithful soulwinning man of God for the past century and beyond. Jesus could come back now!
Mark 13:32-37, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
Kindly said, Pastor Steven Anderson and his New IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) movement of churches couldn't be more wrong on the timing of the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming. To clarify, Pastor Anderson plainly teaches that these two prophetic happenings are THE SAME event. You can hear him teach this in his July 5th, 2026, morning sermon titled: 'The Rapture Is The Second Coming.'
A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, and when a preacher starts setting dates for Christ's return, he just became a bona fide FALSE PROPHET. Steven Anderson has set TWO dates concerning the Rapture:
He teaches that the Rapture will occur 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week ('Revelation, Part 10' - Time: 31:00 minutes into video).
He teaches that the Rapture will happen 75 days after the Abomination of Desolation ('Revelation, Part 10' - Time: 35:25 minutes into video; also, see his prophecy chart).
None of that makes biblical sense. Jesus said that NO MAN knows the time of His return, but Anderson says they WILL KNOW during the Tribulation period. Steven just makes up his own doctrine and elevates his word above God's inspired Word. And remember, he teaches that the Rapture and the Second Coming are the SAME event. So, he is clearly telling the world WHEN Jesus is coming back, which violates the plain teachings of God's Word.
Clearly, the guy is confused and doesn't have his act together. Kindly said, Pastor Anderson is unlearned and ignorant of Bible prophecy, which is what happens when you quit Bible college before graduating (he quit Hyles-Anderson College in 2006), not completing his training (kind of like Luke Skywalker bailing out on Master Yoda during training in the movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back). The ONLY doctrinal position that fits the puzzle of Bible prophecy is a PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE.
1st Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1st Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
III. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH WILL OCCUR BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
The Tribulation Period is also known as Daniel's seventieth week. The word week has reference to a week of years, meaning seven years. And this seven-year period is divided into two halves of three and one-half years each. The last half is called the Great Tribulation. Referring to this, Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
Some Bible students teach that the rapture of the church will occur during or after the Tribulation Period, that the church itself will go through the Tribulation; while others agree that the rapture will occur before the Tribulation. This is what we call the pretribulation rapture position.
We are convinced that the rapture will occur before the Tribulation, for several reasons:
first, we find nothing in Scripture that the church will enter into or pass through any part of the Tribulation;
second, if the rapture does not occur before the Tribulation, then there is no place for it in the prophetic calendar of events which are described in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation chapter 1 God analyzes the entire book. In revelation 1:19 He says, "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." It seems clear to us that "the things which thou hast seen" has reference to the vision that John describes in chapter 1. ". . .the things which are" refers to chapters 2 and 3, which many believe describe the church age, the age in which we live. The church age is an indeterminate space of time in which God is calling out a people for His name—the church. And when the church is finished, Christ will come for it. Hence the expression, "the rapture of the church." ". . . the things which shall be hereafter" begins in Revelation 4 and goes to the end of the book of Revelation.
Revelation 4:1 states, "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."
The expression, "After this," we believe has reference to the church age, which he has been discussing in chapters 2 and 3.
Heaven opens in Revelation 4:1, and the church is caught up to be with Christ, the rapture of the church. Heaven opens again in Revelation 19:11, and the church comes back with Christ, the revelation. Between chapter 4, verse 1, and chapter 19, the church is not mentioned or seen on earth again. Thus all the predicted events from chapter 4 to 19 will take place after the church is caught out from the earth to be with the Lord. Revelation 6 through 19 describes this awful period of time known as the Tribulation. The church is not seen on earth during this time. Chapters 4 and 5 describe scenes in Heaven after the church is raptured. But in chapter 6 the Antichrist makes his appearance on a white horse, imitating Christ, and the Tribulation Period begins.
A third reason for believing in a pretribulation rapture is found in the message to the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13. In verse 10 God promises, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Here God speaks of an hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world. The word temptation means "adversity, affliction, trouble," and we believe has reference to the Tribulation Period. Dr. C.I. Scofield refers to this time of temptation as the Tribulation Period.
There is coming a great time of trouble and affliction for the entire world (the Tribulation Period). But God promises to keep the church from this awful "hour of temptation."
In the fourth place, we believe II Thessalonians 2 teaches the pretribulation rapture. Here the Bible says in verse 1, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him." This verse describes the rapture of the church. It is the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto him.
Verse 2 continues, "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." The expression, "day of Christ, in this passage is connected with judgment. According to these verses, the church at Thessalonica had been told by someone and had even been sent a letter with Paul's signature forged to it that they were already in the period of God's judgment on the earth (the Tribulation). So Paul assures them that that day (Tribulation) will not come until after the rapture of the church.
In verse 3 he says, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." Now notice the words in verses 7 and 8:
II Thessalonians 2:7-8, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
The mystery of iniquity is the Antichrist, the false Christ, just as the mystery of righteousness is Jesus Christ. The Bible says that someone is hindering the revelation of this Antichrist. The word letteth means “hindereth,” and the word let means “to hinder.” The He that is hindering the revelation of the Antichrist is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit abides in the bodies of believers. Thus it is the presence of believers in the world, by virtue of the fact that we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, that prevents the revelation of the Antichrist. Therefore, the Antichrist cannot be revealed until after the rapture of the church. And the Tribulation Period does not begin until the Antichrist makes his appearance on a white horse in Revelation 6. If this be true, then the church will be raptured before the Tribulation begins.
In the 5th place, we believe in a pretribulation rapture because throughout the Scripture believers are urged to watch and wait with expectancy for the Lord. They are not warned about a coming Tribulation. In Philippians 3:20,21 the Bible says, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body . . . ."
In Hebrews 9:28 the Scripture says, ". . . and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Titus 2:13 reminds us that we are to be "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ."
The Tribulation Period certainly would not be a blessed hope. It will be a horrible nightmare. As a matter of fact, Jesus said it would be so bad that, unless the days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But He promised, ". . . but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:22).
The sixth reason for believing in a pretribulation rapture is found in the little expression, "caught up," in I Thessalonians 4:17. Now, I am not a Greek scholar. I'm like Dr. Tom Malone who once said, "I know a little Greek and a little Hebrew. The little Greek runs a restaurant, and the little Hebrew owns a clothing store." That's about all the Greek and Hebrew I know. But I do have access to Greek dictionaries and Greek word studies.
Dr. Kenneth Wuest in his book, Prophetic Light in the Present Darkness, says, "This removal of the Church out of the reach of the Tribulation is spoken of also in the Greek word harpazo, translated 'caught up' (I Thessalonians 4:17), one of whose meanings is 'to rescue from the danger of destruction.' The church will not only be rescued from destruction but from its very presence. It will not be subject even to the dangers of the Great Tribulation."
To teach that the church will go through the Tribulation Period or any part of the Tribulation Period is to nullify the Biblical teaching of the imminent coming of Christ. In Matthew 24 Israel was given signs which will warn her of the near approach of the Tribulation. But nowhere in the Bible are any signs given to the church to warn us of the coming of Christ for His own. This event (the rapture) is imminent and has been imminent since New Testament times. It could happen at any moment.
SOURCE: THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, Dr. Curtis Hutson, pp. 14-19; copyright 1990, Sword Of The Lord Publishers, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
This past Sunday morning on July 5th, 2026, Pastor Steven Anderson preached a sermon titled: “The Rapture Is The Second Coming.” This is totally unscriptural. The Rapture happens seven years BEFORE Christ's Second Coming, which I will explain.
There are two great passages of Scripture which teach the Rapture:
1st Corinthians 15:51-58
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18
The old adage is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's a helpful chart that I made contrasting the Rapture of the Church, and Christ's Second Coming.
For Pastor Anderson to claim that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are the SAME event disregards and ignores all of these obvious contrast between the two prophetic events.
But dear friend, if I haven't convinced you yet that Pastor Anderson is very wrong doctrinally in his claim that the Rapture is the Second Coming, then please consider that he SETS A DATE for Jesus' return, which blatantly violates the plain teaching of the Holy Bible that no man (not even the angels) know the time of Jesus return. Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
In this chart from chapter 2 of Pastor Anderson's YouTube movie titled: 'THE BOOK OF REVELATION,' you can see in comment numbers 35 and 36 that he errantly teaches the Rapture will happen 75 DAYS after the Abomination of Desolation. Listen for yourself in Part 10 of his Revelation series, at 31:00 minutes into the video, where he states:
“When does the Rapture take place? 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week.” —Pastor Steven Anderson, 'Revelation - Part 10' (Time: 31:00 minutes into video)
Pastor Anderson admits that many believers have accused him of setting a date, which he ridiculously denies. You can hear him say this at 31:19 minutes into Part 10 of his Revelation series. Dear reader, like it or not, Pastor Anderson has already SET A DATE! Anderson says that the Rapture of the saints and Jesus' Second Coming are the SAME event, which events he errantly says will occur 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. This fact alone exposes him as a FALSE TEACHER!
Pastor Anderson alleges that he is not setting a date since no one knows when Daniel's 70th week (aka, the Tribulation period) starts. I hope you clearly see that he is in fact, DATE SETTING! Jesus emphatically declared that NO MAN, not even the angels in Heaven, know the time of His return (Mark 13:32-37).
At 34:06 in Part 10 of his Revelation series, Pastor Anderson says Jesus only meant that no one would know the time when He said it. Huh? Pastor Anderson says the people alive during the Tribulation will know the time of Jesus' return. That is blatant false teaching!!! Yet, if you listen to the sermon that he preached on July 5th, “The Rapture Is The Second Coming,” you'll hear him accusing saints (like me) who believe in a Pretribulation Rapture of ignoring Scripture, lying and making stuff up. Kindly said, Pastor Anderson is woefully guilty of everything that he accuses Pretribbers of doing.
Pastor Anderson is adamant that the Rapture will occur 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. The very title of his July 5th sermon, “The Rapture Is The Second Coming,” reveals his ignorance of Scripture. Anderson is literally teaching that Christ's SECOND COMING will happen 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. So, if this be true, then people WILL KNOW, and the angels WILL KNOW, the time of Jesus' return.
Mark 13:34-37, “For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
But there is no need to watch if we already know that Jesus is coming back 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. Pastor Anderson is making a fool of himself to say that he is not setting a date, when he just plainly stated that the Rapture will happen 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week, and 75 days after the Abomination of Desolation...
“So, I'm not setting any kind of date, I never have and I never will—until I see the Abomination of Desolation and then I'm going to start setting to set a date. And hopefully I'm still alive at that time.” —Pastor Steven Anderson, 'Revelation - Part 10' (Time: 35:25 minutes into video)
How is that not DATE SETTING? Of course he is setting a date for Jesus return.
Kindly said, Steven Anderson is a college drop out! He quit Hyles-Anderson College in 2006 and never graduated. I enrolled in 1985 and eight years later by God's grace I graduated with honors in 1993. Here is my diploma singed by Pastor Jack Hyles. Kindly said, Anderson never finished his training to be a pastor, which is clearly evident in his many theological blunders.
We Can Only Conclude A Pretribulation Rapture
The primary reason why I believe in a Pretribulation Rapture is simply because nothing else fits the puzzle of Bible prophecy. If Pastor Anderson is correct that the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event, and that they both happen 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week, then we would KNOW exactly to the very day when Christ will return.
Furthermore, the Bible does specify in Daniel 12:11 that from the prophetic event known as the Abomination of Desolation unto Christ's return when Daniel's 70th week ends will be 1,290 days. So, again, if the Rapture occurs after the Antichrist appears (which is what Steven Anderson teaches) then we WOULD KNOW exactly to the date when Christ is coming back.
I admit that Bible prophecy is a challenging and difficult subject for many believers, especially new babes in Christ. But if we simply take the Bible at face value, we can only conclude a Pretribulation Rapture of the saints.
The Bible teaches in 1st Thessalonians 4:17b that the saints will be “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”“Them” refers to those saints who had previously died, who will be raised up first. This is a very different event from Christ's Second Coming, when “the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 1:14b). As you can see for yourself, when Jesus returns at the end of the 7-year Tribulation period, we (the saints) will already be with Him in Heaven. We are going UP at the Rapture; Jesus is coming DOWN at His Second Coming.
And again, to reiterate, any doctrinal position concerning the timing of the Rapture other than BEFORE the Tribulation makes no sense and doesn't fit the puzzle of prophecy, because we WOULD KNOW the time of Christ's return. Only a Pretribulation Rapture position maintains the imminency, secrecy and suddenness of Jesus' return for the saints.
Obviously Brother Anderson and the Bible are in conflict. I believe that Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) did an excellent job explaining the matter, and I agree with him. You must decide for yourself my fine non-feathered friend. You have read the Scripture for yourself in Titus 2:13, which plainly teaches for us to LOOK FOR JESUS, not signs. Brother Anderson is telling us to look for signs, saying that Jesus' return must be preceded by signs.
Respectfully said, Pastor Steven Anderson is WRONG...
Why would the Bible tell us to LOOK FOR JESUS if the Man of Sin (Antichrist) must appear first? According to his chart, Pastor Anderson errantly teaches that the Rapture will happen 75 DAYS after the biblical event called the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION in Matthew 24:15 (cf. Daniel 9:27, 11:21, 12:11), when the Antichrist shall stand in the future temple in Jerusalem and profess to be God, committing blasphemy. At this time the False Prophet will demand that the world worship the image of the Beast, or be killed (Revelation 13:15-18).
Kindly said, it couldn't be more obvious that Steven Anderson is utterly confused, inconsistent and unlearned concerning the Scripture. In one place he teaches that the Rapture will happen 75 days after the Abomination of Desolation. Yet, in another place he says the Rapture will happen 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week. Well, which is it? The guy is all over the place!
Here are some more articles I've written in defense of a biblical Pretribulation Rapture:
God knows that I didn't write this article to be unkind, nor in a malicious spirit toward Brother Anderson, God forbid. I wrote this article because right doctrine matters!
Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
2nd Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”
1st John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
Dear reader, the Bible foretold that there would be many false prophets in the world. Today I am focusing on the Mormon religion, who preach a blatant works-based plan of salvation. The following is not an exact quote from the MormonChurch.com website; but rather, the DuckDuckGo's search assistant summary of what Mormons believe and teach from the MormonChurch.com website...
To go to heaven according to Mormon beliefs, one must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and follow His teachings, which includes faith and good works. Ultimately, individuals will be assigned to one of three degrees of glory in heaven based on their actions and desires during their mortal life. Accepting Jesus and living a righteous life areessential for reaching heaven. Mormons believe that to get to Heaven, individuals must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and perform good works, as faith and works together are essential for salvation. They also believe in a plan of salvation that includes different degrees of glory in the afterlife based on one's choices and actions. SOURCE
That is not the free grace gospel presented in the inspired King James Bible (which ironically is the only Bible that the Mormons official use). What saith the Scripture?
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
There you have it, the gospel:
Jesus DIED on a cross.
Jesus was BURIED.
Jesus physically RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.
Mormonism has another gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4).
In sharp contrast to what the Holy Bible teaches, according to their official Mormon website, and this is a direct quote:
Because of Christ’s Atonement, all of God’s children will be resurrected and our bodies and spirits will be reunited Resurrection will be followed by the Final Judgment, where God will judge us according to our desires and our obedience to the commandments.If we have qualified through repentance, we will be able to live forever with our loving heavenly parents. [emphasis added] SOURCE
What blatant heresy! Dear reader, you don't “qualify” for eternal life based upon your own works. You certainly do not qualify “through repentance.” Nowhere does the inspired Holy Bible teach that God will judge us based upon our “desires” and “obedience.” What saith the Scripture? Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” You need God's imputed righteousness, which is only obtained through faith alone in Christ. By faith Christ takes your sins upon Himself, and places His righteousness upon you. This is imputation, a beautiful theological concept that has been eradicated from the Devil's modern English Bible revisions.
Romans 4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.”
The English words “counted” and “imputeth” are translated from the exact same Greek word, logizomai. That is, these two words convey the same meaning, which meaning is: “to take an inventory.” Literally, God the Father takes the entire inventory of our sins and credits them to Jesus', and He credits Jesus' inventory of righteousness to us, by faith.
Dear reader, I could have just as easily showed you what is wrong with the Roman Catholics, Muslims, Church of Christ, Lutherans, Seventh-Day Adventists, Lordship Salvation, or the popular “Repent of your Sins” heresy to be saved. Thankfully, the inspired Word of God in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly defines “the gospel” for us, so that we don't need to speculate or debate how to get to Heaven.
No one is worthy to enter into God's Kingdom! It is not our sacrifice, obedience to God's commandments, nor living a righteous life, that will take us to Heaven someday. It is faith (reliance) is what Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago through Calvary's cross that saves us. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Let me quote one of my favorite preachers, Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980)...
“The rapture of the saints pictured in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is to be expected at any moment. We do not know when. Paul himself hoped to be alive until that time and said, 'Then we which are alive and remain . . . . ' So that rapture is the first thing on God's program, and the tribulation time will come afterward. The order of events, I think, is this:
Bravo Dr. Rice! The inspired Holy Bible teaches a pretribulation rapture. As Pastor Lee Robertson (1909-2007) rightly said, “If you take the Bible at face value you can only conclude a pretribulation rapture.” I couldn't agree more!
It is not difficult at all to see why the Bible teaches a pretribulation rapture when we consider Jesus' words of exhortation from the Gospel of Mark...
Mark 13:32-37, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
The Lord's plain words is that NO MAN, not even the angels, know the TIMING of His return. We know this absolutely cannot be referring to Christ's Second Coming, because Scripture plainly tells us in Daniel 12:11 that from the prophetic event know as the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) until Christ's return shall be 1,290 days. When you add the Judgment of the Nations, you get 1,335 days (Daniel 12:12). ONLY a pretribulation rapture maintains the element of surprise, which Jesus made plain in Mark 13:32-37.
One of the biggest false teachers in the Baptist world today is Pastor Steven Anderson. He is wrong on numerous important Bible doctrines. Whereas Luke 23:43 plainly teaches that Jesus and the repent thief went to “paradise” that very same day, Anderson says Jesus burned in the fires of Hell for three days. Pastor Anderson just ignores the plain teaching of God's Word.
Likewise, he actually SETS A DATE for the rapture! Listen for yourself in Part 10 of his Revelation series (at 31:00 minutes into the video), where Steven states:
“When does the Rapture take place? 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week.” —Pastor Steven Anderson, 'Revelation - Part 10' (Time: 31:00 minutes into video)
If you question him, Anderson will actually deny date setting, but I just showed you that he in fact DOES set a date for the rapture. FALSE PROPHET ALERT!!! I have been kindly warning people for years about Steven Anderson's Scriptural ignorance. The New IFB are corrupt!
One of their biggest deceptions is requiring people to pray a sinner's prayer to get to Heaven, which is totally unscriptural. Pastor Jack Hyles refutes the heresy that you must pray to be saved. What saith the Scripture? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” The corrupt New IFB have been misled and deceived. They are obscuring God's simple plan of salvation. Requiring someone to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved won't prevent them from being born again, but it runs the risk of confusing them, as it did me for several years after I got saved.
We are told in Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” We are commanded to LOOK FOR JESUS! But Steven Anderson foolishly teaches that the Antichrist must appear first. I mentioned Pastor Anderson in this article simply because he is irrefutably the biggest denier of a pretribulation rapture, and he is wrong. I have given you two very solid reasons why the rapture must happen before the tribulation period:
Only a pretribulation rapture maintains Christ's sudden, imminent and surprise return at the rapture.
The Bible tells us to look for Jesus, not the Antichrist.
What more reasons do we need to conclude a pretribulation rapture? There are plenty more reasons, but these two should be enough to convince anyone that the rapture could happen at any time. There are no signs that precede the rapture. In Matthew 24 Jesus gives signs which will happen before His Second Coming, seven years after the rapture.
Isaiah 2:11, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”
I am watching this YouTube documentary as I type this article...
A 13.8-Billion-Year Journey Through The History Of Everything
It never ceases to amaze me how the heathen world arrogantly speak of things of which that know nothing about. For example: The narrator of this video talks about things happening 380,000 years after the assumed “Big Bang.” Was there a Big Bang? There is no credible evidence to claim there was a Big Bang, as if it is a scientific fact.
But for the sake of argument, if we assume that the elusive Big Bang is true, how can anyone know what happened 380,000 years after the Big Bang (which happened an assumed 13.8 billion years ago). What arrogance! These people don't know squat! Astronomers and scientists talk about the origin of the earth, moon and universe is if they know exactly what happened billions of years ago, when the truth is that they have no solid evidence to conclude anything. All they have are speculative ideas to go on to form their bizarre theories. THIS IS NOT SCIENCE, IT IS RELIGION!!!
The video that I just shared with you was made by wicked people, atheists. They attribute the creation of the universe to natural processes, which is a denial of God our Creator.
The Wickedness Of ChatGPT
If you want to see just how ungodly and unreliable ChatGPT really is, go ask the Artificial Intelligence: “How did the moon form?” On May 19, 2026, I did ask ChatGPT that very question, and the results were very disturbing. ChatGPT admitted to me that by default it “infers intent” from the user, to ass-u-me that I wanted a scientific answer, not theological. I got into an endless futile debate with the A.I,. because what it calls “scientific” is actually religion.
According to ChatGPT, the moon was formed by an asteroid colliding into the earth billions of years ago, and a big chunk of the earth broke off and somehow became round. Dear reader, I hope you are not that gullible!
When I accused ChatGPT of intentionally leaving out God, the A.I. denied that it was being misleading and dishonest. According to ChatGPT, when I asked it how the moon was formed, the A.I. inferred that my question was of a scientific nature, not theological (clearly implying that science trumps divine truth). But I counterfeit ChatGPT that the official position by secular authorities concerning how the moon was formed is an unscientific theory at best, NOT SCIENCE! For something to be “science” it must be testable, verifiable and observable.
NASA's Ridiculous Insulting Theories Of Earth's Origin
Here is a quote from NASA of what they suggest teaching to third through fifth grade children in schools. Folks, I am not trying to be unkind, but these people are very dishonest. Nobody in their right mind could believe this utter nonsense...
When the Sun and planets were very young, there were lots of smaller pieces of rock flying around that hadn’t yet become part of a planet. Like the asteroids that we know now, but a lot more of them. Many of these pieces of rock crashed into the planets, bombarding them over and over again. One day, a huge piece of rock about the size of the planet Mars smashed into Earth. Instead of destroying our planet, it created our Moon. If there was any life on Earth at that time, it may not have survived.
Over time, the bombarding slowed down and Earth began to look less like a fireball and more like a planet. Early volcanoes put out gases that helped create the atmosphere. Some of the rocks that hit Earth came from far away, beyond Jupiter and Saturn, and had ice in them. When they crashed into Earth, the ice melted, helping to create Earth’s oceans. This is especially important because living things on Earth need water to survive. So even when Earth was still very new, it was a place where life could have gotten started. SOURCE
Are you getting this crap? Do you really believe that the earth was once a dead lifeless rock, but volcanoes erupted to form the earth's atmosphere? You'd have to totally ignore legitimate science and embrace the RELIGION of NASA to believe this bizarre garbage!
But that's not all, according to NASA's religion (a system of beliefs), a bunch of space rocks containing ice crashed into the earth over billions of years, and the ice melted to form the vast oceans, rivers and lakes. Oh my God! How could anyone believe such absurd science-fiction?
Folks, NASA, National Geographics, ChatGPT, all secular universities and every other ungodly institution today, teach this bizarre unscientific trash as if it were a proven fact. IT IS A RELIGION, NOT SCIENCE!!!
Evolution Is A Religion, Not Science!
Satan is a beautiful liar! NASA and National Geographics (to name but a few ungodly corrupt institutions) do not fear God. And the owners of ChatGPT clearly have a secular worldly bias, which they have programmed into ChatGPT. You will NOT get an honest answer from ChatGPT about many things. For example: ChatGPT denies the FACT that 9/11 was an Inside Job! ChatGPT denies the FACT that two undetonated bombs were found in the Alfred P. Murray building in 1995 in Oklahoma City. Only the first bomb went off. The second two bombs were even larger! These are verifiable FACTS, not conspiracy theories as ChatGPT claims.
I have been testing ChatGPT. I asked it about the missing $2,300,000,000,000 at the Pentagon. ChatGPT not surprisingly defends the U.S. Pentagon, attributing the missing TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to sloppy book keeping and innocent accounting errors. I could understand those lame excuses for a couple missing millions, but not $2.3 TRILLION!!! Thankfully, there's a holy God in Heaven who promises to punish the world. Isaiah 13:11, “And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” God knows where each and every missing dollar went, which was stolen from U.S. taxpayers. The LORD is ethical and the thieves won't be able to convince God why it was necessary to steal all that money, which doesn't belong to them. Thou shalt not steal!
Isaiah 2:11, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.” The inspired Word of God prophecies that in the future a day of reckoning is coming. You can count on it!
John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”
Years ago during a dark time in my life, when I was being harassed as a Christian by co-workers at my job, I found this Scripture promise in John 16:22 that has encouraged, comforted and warmed my heart since.
Cruel People Will Hurt You
If you had the time and wanted to hear it, I could easily spend a few days sharing all of the inexplicably painful instances in my past when people deeply hurt my feelings, did me wrong and persecuted me. Sometimes it was over my Christian faith, other times because I am a man, other times it was simply because they were jerks and could. People can be so cruel. A man emailed my ministry years ago and said something that I have never forgotten: People equal pain!
When I lived on Guam my wife abandoned and divorced me in 2006. By 2009, my children had all become adults and gone their own away in life. I was all alone in the world. I was at the Payless grocery store one day in Hagatna. It was early December. A Filipina woman was working the cash register. She asked me if I had a wife or a girlfriend. I replied, “No.” She cruelly said, “Oh, you're going to have what we call in the Philippines, 'a cold Christmas.'”
As I walked to my car with my groceries I began to cry. I put the groceries into my car and went back into the store to told the manager what the insensitive horrible woman had said to me, with uncontrollable tears streaming down my face. My heart was broken. I told the manager, “Yes, I am divorced and all alone in life, and I very much am going to have 'a cold Christmas.'” She listened but I couldn't tell if she cared or not. I told her it was the woman working cash register number two. I don't know if the manager talked to her or not.
Afterwards I was so hurt that I didn't go back to that store for over a year. I pray and hope that God holds that rotten woman accountable in eternity for the evil words she said to me. Your words can be like bullets dear reader, making people wish they were dead, so please be careful to think before you speak. Matthew 12:26, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
Jesus had just told His disciples that He would be going away. They were sad. The dear Savior had already told them that He would be crucified to death. They were all friends. Jesus was their Master, God and Savior. To comfort them the LORD said in John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” That phrase at the end changed my life, “and your joy no man taketh from you.” Amen and amen and amen! The future day will come when no man will ever steal our joy from us again. You have God's promise of it!
If you are like me, then you have had mean people rob you of your joy again and again and again. I can hear some naysayer already saying: “Well, you can lose your happiness, but you cannot lose your joy.” Yes, dear reader, you can lose both! Happiness is what “happens” to you. Although it is partially true that you don't have to lose your joy, it does happen quite often.
In the Old Testament King David lost his believer's joy because of sin. Psalms 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Let's be honest, we all lose our joy at times as saints. No one has arrived, so to speak. I admit that I have lost my joy at times in the past. As I grow older, I find myself running to the inspired King James Bible like a starving man.
Drawing Close To God
I need God more today than I ever did. I want God in my life today more than every before. ...
James 4:8-11, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
I often hear preachers quote verse 8, but leave off the other verses in the passage. They are all connected. Dear reader, you cannot draw near to God while speaking evil of your Christian brother! That is why God is telling us this here. If you are a gossiper, slanderer or hateful critic, don't expect to draw close to God because He won't draw close to you.
If you want to draw close to your Creator, then you need to turn your laughter into mourning. In other words, you need to share God's burden for the souls of lost sinners (2nd Peter 3:9). God's burden is soulwinning. If you want to impress God and become buddies, then you get busy preaching the Gospel to lost sinners. When I used to work alongside my father, I learned more from him during those times than at any other. ...
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
There are people who sit at home and spend time studying the Word of God, but have never done anything with that knowledge. That are what is often called a, “Dead Sea Christian.” The Jordan River flows fast from the Sea of Galilea up north down into the Dead Sea, but there is no outlet in the Dead Sea. That is why everything is dead there! It is the saltiest body of water on the planet, and the farthest body of water below sea level. The Dead Sea is also where the wicked destroyed city of Sodom once existed. The Dead Sea is so salty that if you went swimming in it you couldn't sink if you tried, you'd just float.
To “be afflicted” means “to realize one's own misery” as a sinner. If you come to God on the basis that you are a guilty hell-deserving sinner, in humility, you are off to a good start to get to know God. James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” One of the biggest things that the LORD is concerned about is how we treat others. In the Ten Commandments, the first five deal with man's relationship to God, but the last five commandments deal with man's relationship to man.
The Greatest Commandment in the Bible is To Love
This fact is exemplified in Jesus' words...
Matthew 22:36-40, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
So, we see here that the TWO greatest commandments are to LOVE GOD with all thy heart, and to LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR as thyself. Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982) wisely said that these two great commandments are really just one: TO LOVE! I wholly agree.
Jesus promises each and every child of God, that one day in eternity no man will ever take our joy away again. Hallelujah! John 16:22b, “and your joy no man taketh from you.” Yes, people will take away your joy. I wish that I could say, “if you let them,” but life is never that easy friend. I don't think any Christian can honestly claim that no one has ever taken away their joy at some point in their past. You may bounce back quickly, but someone at some point in life will rob you of the joy of being a Christian. At those difficult times in my life, by God's grace I always seemed to rebound quickly by remembering Jesus' words in Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
People will hurt you! Family will betray you. Friends will forsake of you. Spouses will abandon you. Churches will throw you under the bus. Parents will disown you. Society will ignore you. Faith in God is our only real security in life. I cherish Jesus' solemn promise in John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” Amen and amen and amen!