The Rapture Trap (Part 5)
(The Revelation the Lord has given to me by the Spirit, along
with my teachings and comments are written in Blue) (May we all have ears to hear)
Before going to the cross, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
Joh 14:15-21 If ye love me (Jesus),
keep my commandments. And I (Jesus) WILL
PRAY THE FATHER (the One and Only Creator of all things … the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob), and HE (the Father) SHALL
GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER, that HE (the other Comforter)
MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER; EVEN THE
SPIRIT OF TRUTH;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but YE KNOW HIM (the Spirit of Truth);
FOR HE (Christ Jesus) DWELLETH (lives right here, right now) WITH YOU, AND SHALL
BE IN YOU. I (Jesus) will not leave you comfortless: I (Jesus) WILL COME
TO YOU. YET
A LITTLE WHILE, AND THE WORLD
SEETH ME NO MORE; BUT, YE SEE ME: BECAUSE I LIVE, YE SHALL
LIVE ALSO. AT THAT DAY (after the work Christ Jesus
completed on the cross) YE SHALL
KNOW, that
I AM IN MY FATHER, and YE IN ME, and I IN YOU. He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be
loved of my Father, and I (Jesus) WILL
LOVE HIM, AND WILL MANIFEST MYSELF TO HIM.
Acts 1:1-5 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments (the Great Commission) unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them FORTY DAYS, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (They went to Jerusalem and waited in the Upper Room) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost NOT MANY DAYS HENCE. (Ten days later to be exact … the Day of Pentecost)
* Note: It is very important to understand the following passages: Several times in the Holy Scriptures, the words “throng” or “multitude” were used to describe large groups of people. Back in the days of Jesus, the word “cloud” was used to describe a group of people or things, whether large or small in number. The word “crowd” is not in the King James Version of the Christian Bible, but even prior to the birth of Christ Jesus, various writers and philosophers such as Homer, Plato and Aristotle started using the word “cloud” to describe a large group or mass of people. The following * notes are from 2 different commentaries regarding this. For instance: * (1) The phrase, “a cloud of witnesses,” means many witnesses, or a number so great that they seem to be a cloud. The comparison of a multitude of persons to a cloud is common in the classic writers; see Homer II. 4:274, 23:133; Statius 1:340, and other instances adduced in Wetstein,…(from Albert Barnes Commentary addressing Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ... * (2) cloud of witnesses - Νεφος μαρτυρων. Both the Greeks and Latins frequently use the term cloud, to express a great number of persons or things; so in Euripides, Phoeniss. ver. 257: νεφος ασπιδων πυκνον, a dense cloud of shields; and Statius, Thebiad., lib. ix., ver. 120: jaculantum nubes, a cloud of spearmen. The same metaphor frequently occurs. (from Adam Clark Commentary Heb 12:1) Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, This IS NOT a great number of witnesses up in the sky, but it is a large group of witnesses or people right here on earth watching them from all around. Also, note in 2Peter 2:17 the personification of the word “clouds” here describing false prophets, compared to wells without water. Or in Jude 1:11-12 take note of the personification of several false teachers depicted as “clouds they are without water.” The point is the fact that these examples point to groups of people.
While we’re doing a brief word study, let’s also look at 2 Greek words for “coming.” One means “presence.” Note the occurrences in the KJV: 24 … The other means “accompany, appear.”
* (1) Coming: Strongs G3952 παρουσία
… parousia … par-oo-see'-ah
From the present participle of G3918; a being near,
that is, advent (often, return; specifically of Christ to
punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked); (by implication) physical aspect:
- COMING,
PRESENCE. Total KJV occurrences: 24
* (2) Coming: Strongs G2064 ἔρχομαι … erchomai … er'-khom-ahee
Middle voice of a primary verb (used only in the
present and imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle
voice] word, ἐλεύθομαι eleuthomai or ἔλθω elthō; which
do not otherwise occur); to come or go (in a great variety of
applications, literally and figuratively): - ACCOMPANY, APPEAR, bring, come enter, fall out, go, grow, X light, X
next, pass, resort, be set.
Now, let’s look at the following passages, spoken after the cross, very closely, especially how they might relate to a 2nd coming of the Lord, or presence of the Lord!
I Go and Prepare a Place for you … This same Jesus which is taken up from you (the crowd of people in Galilee) into heaven … Acts 1:11
Act 1:6-8 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. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up (he went unto the Father; up into a much higher realm); and a *CLOUD (a large group of people) received him out of their sight (a crowd watched him disappear into the Spirit). And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? THIS SAME JESUS, WHICH IS TAKEN UP FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN, SHALL SO COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YE HAVE SEEN HIM GO INTO HEAVEN. So, what happened there? Jesus, who had already risen from the dead 40 days prior to that moment, was standing there in a “glorified body” that could appear through walls and disappear, as He had done previously. He was taken up into heavenly places into the Highest Realm of the Spirit, even unto the very presence of our Heavenly Father, and there at God’s right hand, receiving the same glory He once had before the foundation of the world. So the group of people in Galilee, who were listening to His words and afterward were watching Jesus, couldn’t see all of that in its entirety. But, to them watching, He simply disappeared into the Spirit, and they assumed He went up into heavenly places in the sky. We know this because the two men that stood nearby asked … “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?” This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come IN LIKE MANNER as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Christ Jesus will therefore return, or come back, to whosoever will believe and receive Him into their heart within their innermost being … IN LIKE MANNER (Jesus goes to the Father in the Spirit … This same Jesus returns to appear (Strongs 2064) in earthen vessels in the Spirit). In other words, our now Omnipresent (present everywhere) Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is still at the right hand of the Father, yet begins His return IN LIKE MANNER on the day of Pentecost, in the upper room, in Jerusalem, some 10 days after leaving the group of people in Galilee. He continues His return or appearing IN LIKE MANNER throughout the generations, by sending His Holy Spirit … His very heavenly presence … even the Spirit of Truth … back into this earthly realm to be revealed in earthen vessels, thereby appearing within and among the living body of believers in Christ Jesus in every generation. Again, the word “coming” is the same word meaning: “accompany, appear” (Strongs 2064). This same Omnipresent Jesus shall so come (accompany, appear) in earth, as it is (as He appeared) in heaven; His appearing (Strongs 2064) shall be revealed in many dwelling places (earthen vessels, people)(Strongs 2064) or crowds (groups of people) in like manner (Jesus goes to the Father in the Spirit … This same Jesus returns to appear in earthen vessels in the Spirit) as ye have seen Him go into Heaven … Acts 1:11). Back in the 1st Century, when Jesus lived on earth in the flesh, He said this in Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming (appear)(Strongs 2064) in his kingdom.
In summary and to simply clarify what happened as witnessed by a crowd of believers in Galilee 40 days after Jesus arose from the tomb. Jesus, who appeared in His glorified body, disappeared in the Spirit and sat down in heavenly places at the right hand of the Father … IN LIKE MANNER … 10 days later, Jesus in the Spirit of Truth came back from heavenly places in the Glory of the Father, and began entering into dwelling places … reappearing in earthen vessels (the innermost being of the heart) of whosoever will receive Him, that the Father may be glorified in the earth, throughout the generations, even until now. Beginning in the Upper Room: Act 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come (10 days later), they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. I suggest reading all of Acts 2:1-47. This is where Christ Jesus established His Church advancing the Kingdom, Power and Glory of God the Father from under the Law of Moses to under Grace by and through Christ Jesus. Here we see Peter under the power of the Holy Ghost preaching the 1st Sermon. Jesus said in John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold (the following generations, even until now and beyond): them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice How will they hear His voice? Answer: Through His angels, or messengers: the word angels in the Strongs Concordance means: messengers. The Apostle Paul clarifies this in Ephesians 4:11-12 … He (Christ) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Matthew 13:37-43 … He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world (age: Strongs) (the age ending in the 1st Century at the cross of Christ Jesus and lasting through the destruction of Jerusalem in 67 AD to 70 AD; This is the end of the prior age. The age we are presently in, under grace, began during the earthly life of Christ Jesus and continues even until now, and on into the future); and the reapers are the (angels (messengers: Strongs). As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (age). The Son of man shall send forth (the great commission) his angels (messengers), and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (the Messengers proclaim Gods Word, and His Word does the work) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE shall he do; because I GO TO MY FATHER.) … And these in each and every generation, or fold, who truly follow Christ Jesus, have done, and are doing, and will continue to do even greater works than what Jesus Himself did when He was here in the flesh, that the Father and Creator of all things, may be glorified throughout His Kingdom in the earth. A Kingdom that shall never pass away, according to the Prophet Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man (Christ Jesus) came with the clouds (large groups, multitudes or host) of heaven (believers and followers of God in Spirit through Christ Jesus), and came to the Ancient of days (Spirit of Almighty God and Creator of all things), and they (the heavenly multitude) brought him (Christ Jesus) near before him (Spirit of Almighty God and Creator of all things). And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Note what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 ... All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 16:27-28 For the Son of man shall come in the glory (the honor) of his Father (God is Spirit) with his angels (using His messengers); and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Mat 6:13 God is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. Remember, Jesus spoke all of these things before going to the Cross. These following passages show us where and how to follow Him. Joh 13:36 – 14:4 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions (dwelling places): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. In other words, Jesus said He would return to live in us, then we would know where to go, and the way to follow Him. Peter, who was fearful and denied Christ prior to the cross, didn’t understand then, but after the Upper Room experience … He was the first one to boldly preach his first sermon in the middle of the town square, and win thousands to Christ Jesus. See Acts 2:1-47
Joh 14:28 Ye have heard how I said
unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me,
ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is
greater than I.
Joh 15:26-27 … when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even
the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me
from the beginning.
Joh 16:7 ... I tell you the truth; It is expedient for
you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: (We will never see the Kingdom of God with our physical eyes) Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU. []
We're not done with this subject. We'll post more soon!!
J Stone Grant
No comments:
Post a Comment