Another Unpopular Opinion post

I can’t be bothered to check which post in the UO “series” this is.  I want to say maybe third or fourth. Sounds right. So, onward!

If you’re not American, this may not mean all that much to you, but I’m going to go ahead and say that we are still a pretty strong force in the western world. For now. For now. And that is important, as you’ll soon see.

We’re going to talk about Revelation chapter 18 today.  Yes, some of you will already be rolling your eyes, but if you disagree, hop off and go read another post or maybe visit another page altogether. Bye! Hope to see you some other time! 👋🏻✌🏻💖🌹

Now, if you’re still here… Yes, I for one (and I am not alone!) believe there is a good case laid for America being Babylon the Great.  A world player of immense power, prestige, and political influence brought to ruin in a single day. And there are two major reasons for that. I’ll get into them in a moment, after another PSA.

Folks, I love debates. I love banter. I love deep, cerebral conversations. But I won’t tolerate disrespect or hate. So if you do disagree with me, we can talk about it. I love to hear differing opinions and perspectives. But I’m not going to argue with you. And again, I won’t tolerate any level of disrespect. So, keep that in mind if you are going to comment on this post. Thanks again! 🌹💖😊

I’ll post a passage or three right here, so you can get a feel for how dire Babylon’s situation is.  It’s not pretty.

‭[1] After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. [2] And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. [3] For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” [4] Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; [5] for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:1-5 ESV‬


[9] And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. [10] They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” [11] And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, [12] cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, [13] cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
[15]  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, [16] “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! [17] For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off ‭[18] and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”



‭Revelation 18:9-13, 15-18 ESV‬

The first reason I believe America is Babylon is because of our flagrant, proud disregard for the things of God. God has blessed my country so abundantly so far because we were founded largely on Christian principles.  We honored God, set our principles on his Word, and in return he blessed us. For centuries, he’s blessed us.  But not anymore. We are prideful, Godless, brimming with immorality, sin, and greed. And we are proud of it. That’s the terrible thing. We are unrepentant. We are defiant and also hypocritical. We point fingers at others, but say we are just fine. We think this mess we’re promoting to the world is right, pure, and good.  We’re flaunting and prideful, while Yahweh is sitting in his heaven just absolutely aghast. Horrified, saddened, and yes, angry.   He’s full of righteous anger, which is proper. Rightfully so.  After all he’s done for our country, this is how we repay him. Spitting in his face.  Not only have we forsaken Yahweh, but we are proudly, loudly, modelling and promoting debauchery and depravity. The rest of the world is following in our immoral footsteps. And this is only one reason he’s about to judge us.

The other, very simply put, is our relationship, or lack thereof (we see it unfolding in real time), with Israel.  God’s chosen, covenant people. As it says all over Scripture, he is their God, and they are his people.  The apple of his eye. Even now. Now and always. Again, all over the Old Testament, Yahweh repeats, “Whoever blesses you I will bless, and whoever curses you I will curse”.  Our current administration, instead of backing Israel in their efforts of self-preservation, is telling them to back down and let these inhuman terrorists walk all over them. For shame. For. Shame. We deserve what’s coming to us. That’s all I can say. Whatever God has in store, we deserve. It’s not just Trump, guys. I’m not saying he’s a great guy; he might not even be a good guy. But it’s not all his fault. Not by a long shot. 

I’m on my knees daily for my country. I take us to the Lord in prayer all the time. Our president, our congressmen, our military, our law enforcement. Everyone. We all need Jesus. In these last moments of history as we know it, normal life as we know it, we need Jesus. I’m so excited to be going home, home to heaven. But my heart aches, and I am terrified, for those I love that will be left behind. And I’m ready to cry now just thinking about it. But all I can do is go to the Cross. Thank heavens. I can lay everything at the feet of Jesus! And, thanks to his sacrifice, I can throw myself at the throne of grace and let Yahweh, my heavenly Father, embrace me.  The ironclad fact, the overarching fact over all of God’s Word, is that he is in absolute control. Even when I am in dismay, horror, and feel nothing but anger and frustration at the events unfolding around me, I know that God has everything well in hand. Prophecy is coming to pass. The Antichrist is putting the finishing touches on his regime behind the curtain, and Jesus is at the door. He is coming. We’re about to see him face to face, if we know him personally. Do you know him personally? Are you a  “Whosoever”? Read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” One can write sermons on every single word of that passage. That’s the only reason we’re not in heaven already! People are coming to him in droves everyday. Hallelujah! 

There is no maximum capacity in heaven; it’s not standing room only. And, even though Scripture says the road to heaven is narrow, there’s going to be quite a few people who are taken in the rapture. The “harpazo”. The snatching away.  Probably a few million. Now, that may seem like nothing in a population of some eight billion, but it’s going to throw the world into a tizzy, to put it mildly. Most eschatology nerds believe the rapture is going to be the tipping point into the tribulation.  And if we see the tribulation unfolding all around us, the stage being set, world events converging, how close is the rapture? A breath away. We are teetering on the edge of oblivion. We can reach out and touch Christ’s sleeve. Pull his hair. That’s how close Jesus is.  His hand is on the knob, and he’s starting to turn it. Please. If you don’t know him personally today, find someone who can help you with that. I can help you with that. I would be honored.  Let me pray for you. I am more than willing to answer your questions. Jesus loves you. He desires you to be with him so much that he died for you. You can’t say that about anybody else. None of us can. Hallelujah. So blessed to belong to him. I pray that you are blessed today, too! 💖🌹✨💖

SWS X

One day, my knots will unravel.

Pexels

Once I (we.. all the blood bought saints! 🙌🏻🙏🏻) am/are in the arms of Jesus, there will be no more:

  • Crying
  • Heartache
  • Pain
  • Fear
  • Anxiety
  • Worry
  • Frustration
  • Inadequacy
  • Death
  • Temptations
  • Depression
  • Ignorance
  • Anything even tinged or tainted with negativity, unpleasantness, irritation. Wow!! Maranatha, Jesus! Come, Lord. We are groaning down here. Aghast at what we see daily all around us. Please, please come and deliver your Bride. We eagerly watch and wait.
Pexels

Another majorly unpopular ‘opinion’ these days: the Rapture of the church

Diving into this subject matter because I feel convicted, with current world and domestic events unfolding as they are, to talk about this blessed event 🙌🙏💜. This post will explain what the Rapture is and the three main schools of thought within it.

The Scriptural foundation for the union of Christ (the Bridegroom) with his Bride the church is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Here it is, first the KJV then the ESV.

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.

1 Thessalonians 4:13‭-‬18 KJV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13‭-‬18 ESV

“We will be caught up together,” the Word reports. Paul used the Greek word harpazo, which means to be caught up, seized, or carried away. There are many, many rapture types throughout Scripture. I will list some for your further pondering and, I hope, your own research. I strongly encourage any and all of you to grab a Bible and see for yourself where these words are written. You can’t make this stuff up!

  • Noah and his family were “caught up” in the Ark God had him build before he flooded the earth in Genesis.
  • The prophet Elijah was caught up into heaven to be with God. He didn’t die–he ascended, much like Jesus after his Resurrection in the New Testament.
  • The Israelites were not subjected to God’s wrath when it was poured out onto the Egyptians during the plague of death (Passover).

And that’s just a sample! More are used in one rapture position, the pre-tribulation rapture.

Before I get there, let’s talk about what believers call the Tribulation, or what Scripture sometimes calls Jacob’s Trouble. This is the 7 year period of the Antichrist’s reign on earth, which is basically hell on earth. There has never been a time like it in history, where the entire world suffers under a totalitarian regime of evil, and there will never be a time like it again. A man will enter into the political arena with a plan (the Great Reset, mayhap?) to rid the world of its woes, but it’s a plan to unleash oppression and suffering folks can’t even fathom right now–and we are already getting a foretaste of it. We aren’t in it yet, but it is at the door.

This man will be used by Satan to carry out the Tribulation, and eventually Satan will come to possess him. He will call himself God and demand worship, forcing everyone to take his mark or face death. This is real, ladies and gents. I cannot and would not make this up. I will never be that good of a writer. The book of Revelation lays this out beautifully and concisely. (So grateful to the apostle John for his obedience and faithfulness to get every word down as God showed and spoke it to him!) Again, I urge you all to read Scripture for yourselves! Then we can have all the discourse you’d like! I eagerly welcome it.

There are three schools of thought in end times theology (eschatology). They revolve around the timing of the Rapture, and they are pre tribulation, mid tribulation, and post tribulation.

Pre trib(ulation) subscribers allege the Saints will meet their Bridegroom before the Tribulation occurs. They usually use the anecdotes above, and several others, as evidence for this opinion. They argue, Jesus paid for all sin once (one time) for all–for all who place their faith in Christ for their salvation. Why should the faithful believers endure the suffering of the Tribulation? God’s wrath is poured on those who refuse to believe in him or his Son. I personally hold this view. To me, it makes the most sense logically, theologically and scripturally.

The second view is the mid trib rapture. They argue the church will endure some of the Tribulation and will be taken around midway, when the Antichrist reaches full, worldwide–that is, total and complete– power. They say, Since Christ suffered for his church, we must do the same to display our devotion, our faithfulness. Why should we not follow in the footsteps of the Author and Finisher of our faith? The reason I disagree with these last two views is simple. We are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone. Going through the tribulation seems to stipulate something is asked of us to acquire or justify salvation, which Scripture says is simply “filthy rags”. Our works are such (Is. 64:6). We can’t do anything to receive favor or pardon. Jesus died once, which is enough. He, nor we, have to do anything more to receive access to him and heaven. His sacrifice was most definitely not in vain.

Lastly (finally, you’re sure to think!) we have the post-trib camp. You guessed it–they believe the saints aren’t raptured until after the Tribulation! Folks, after Armageddon, it’s over. God wins. Jesus triumphs. The New Jerusalem comes out of heaven and the millennial reign of God on earth begins. What is the point of being harpazo‘d now?! Maybe a post trib person will read this and explain it to me, because I honestly don’t get it.

Whew. My head hurts. Please do read up on Revelation, Daniel, Thessalonians, all the accounts I listed earlier. The Bible is the most fascinating book ever written, and it’s true from beginning to end. Hallelujah. His Word never returns void (Is. 55:11)!

Let’s talk. What about heaven intrigues you most? What are you looking forward to? Myself–a horse all my own and my mansion. It will be more lovely than anything I could design on earth–and trust me, with my MBTI function stack, I have a built in beauty appreciation system (Se: extroverted sensing!)! I appreciate the finer things, adore all things beautiful, elegant, and sumptuous. 💜🙌 Heaven is altogether too wonderful to wrap my finite mind around. Praise God. Ruminate on that until we meet again! Bless, and have a great weekend!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, and ruminations of my own

The book of Revelation is the most fascinating in Scripture to many–not just me. It is a book on prophecy that is unfolding page by page today in 2021 and will keep unfolding through to the glorious reign of God on earth.

Hubs and I are watching a Revelation study by pastor Mark Correll on youtube. The series just began last week, so today (Thursday) will be week two. I won’t include the video here; it’s 45 minutes long–but go check it out if the topic is of interest. If you are a believer, newly minted or an old shoe, it ought to be.

Pastor Correll begins by stating the book is about Jesus–the Revelation of Jesus and His mission, not the Tribulation wrath, not the Antichrist. He’s bang on. God orchestrates everything that happens on earth, even and including Satan’s reign. Read that as many times as you have to before moving on, okay? Take heart. He always knows what He’s doing.

Second: I wrote a rant out on Facebook today, which I will leave here. I want to implore everyone who reads this to get on your knees, lift your arms to heaven, and accept Jesus into your heart and soul today. Time has never been shorter. This is no joke. Heres the Facebook post:

The things people believe. Golden statue or not, Trump is not the Antichrist–for several reasons. Open your Bibles and actually prayerfully read Revelation and you’ll see it. I will say this: the Antichrist will be a political leader, but everyone (save the ones with a soul, conscience and working brain) will adore him–and I mean everyone. He will deceive everyone except the elect that got saved after the Rapture of the church (the Bride of Christ), which IS extremely imminent. Aaron and I implore whoever reads this to accept Jesus today. This garbage we are seeing now is only the opening act to the main ****show to come, with the Antichrist as the ringmaster. Contact us if you would like to be prayed for or to learn more–but the best advice we can give is to pray like you’ve never prayed before, and crack open that neglected, dusty Bible–or buy one for the first time. God’s doors are still open wide–but come in when faith is all you need. 💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏 The church age is almost over.

Trump is neither some political savior (which is what the Jews thought Jesus was) nor the Antichrist. The church can speculate all it wants over who the Antichrist will be, but it isn’t for us to know. Praise Jesus, we won’t be here when he takes the stage. We will watch the calamity unfold from Heaven. I want my family there with me, however, so I have been literally sick with anxiety over the state of their souls. Hence the headaches and stress lately!! It’s a huge burden I have been saddled with, and Aaron and I are doing all we can–but only Jesus can change hearts, with the Holy Spirit’s added power and God’s mercy and grace.

Join me in prayer if you wish–I’m sure if you are saved and reading this that you also know and love folks who aren’t in the boat. Let’s stand in the gap and intercede for them. (1 Kings 8:52-53). God hears our prayers and answers every one! God be with all of you!