VIDEO The Rapture and the Thief in the Night

Prophecy Update Videos
Aug 14, 2015

We must all face the facts and realize that all of us have friends and family members that are going to miss the rapture. In our new video, “The Rapture and the Thief in the Night,” we give a step by step explanation of what has happened, why it happened, what to expect next, and what they must do and what they must not do!

Prayerfully our friends and family members will watch this video before the Rapture and not miss it, but some will certainly be Left Behind! Every believer needs to watch this video and share it with their unsaved friends, and family members. This video explains why the Rapture is the Blessed Hope of every believer and how this event is different from the Second Coming. It also explains what a person is to do if they miss the Rapture, and the events of the Tribulation, the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast. It is an excellent witnessing tool that will prayerfully keep many from missing the Rapture, at the same time it’s also, a valuable guide for those Left Behind.

No matter where you place the Rapture in the End Times Scenario, if you believe in the Lord’s all-sufficient work on the cross, then you know that the Church has to be protected from the End Times judgments, not purified by them. If you don’t believe the Lord’s work was sufficient, but that the coming judgments are needed to finish what He only began, then you have much bigger problems than figuring out when the Rapture will occur. Blessings and Benefits of Calvary A New Dispensation from the Risen Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation today 1Corinthians 15:1-4

#1 The Blessing of Reconciliation -a change in status2 Corinthians 5:18-21

#2 The Blessing of Redemption Ephesians 1:7; Rom 3:24; Gal 3:13; Col 1:17

#3 The Blessing of Propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 Timothy 2:6)

#4 The Forgiveness of ALL Sin ( Eph 4:32; Col 2:13)

#5 The Blessing of Justification (Rom 3:24-30; 4:5, 25; 5:1:9; Titus 3:7)

#6 The Blessing of Sanctification (set apartness) Gal 3:27; Eph 5:30, 32

#7 Crucified With Christ (Gal 2:20)

#8 Died With Christ (Rom 6:8; 2 Tim 2:11)

#9 Quickened With Christ (Eph 2:1, 5, Col 2:13)

#10 Risen With Christ (Eph 2:6; Col2:12; 3:1)

#11 Seated Together in The Heavenlies With Christ (eph2:6)

#12 Joint heirs With Christ (8:17; Eph 3:6)

#13 Indwelt By The Holy Spirit ( Rom 8:9)

#14 Sealed By The Holy Spirit Eph 4:30.;2 Cor1:21-22,,Eph1:12-14

#15 Recipients Of Spiritual Circumcision (Col 2:11

#16 We Are a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

#17 Called Saints (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:18, 2:19; 4:12, 5:3)

#18 Hidden With Christ in God.(Colossians 3:3)

#19 Freedom From The Law ( Rom 8:2)

#20 Freedom From Sin (Rom 6:18,22)

#21 Delivered “From The Power Of Darkness (Col 1:13)

#22 Children Of Light ( Eph 5:1; 1 Thess 5:5)

#23 Freedom From God’s Condemantion (1 Thess 5:9)

#24 Predestined To Union (Eph 1:3-4)

#25 Predestined to Glorification (Rom 8:29)

#26 Predestined To Adoption (Eph 1:5)

#27 Made Fit For The Inheritance of the Saints in Light (Complete in Him; Col 1:12)

#28 In The Kingdom of The Son of His Love ( Col 1:13)

#29 Citizens of Heaven (Phil 3:20; 1 Thes 4:17)

#30 Recipients of God’s Word (Eph 6:17; Col 1:25; 1 Thes 2:13)

#31 Subjects of Grace Dispensation ( Eph 3:2; Col 1:25)

#32 Recipients of The Mystery (Rom 11:25, 16:25; 1 Cor 2:17; Eph 3:3, 9; Col 1:26, 2:2)

#33 Vessels For Holy Spirit Fruit (Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9)

#34 Led By The Spirit (Rom 8:14)

#35 Equipped For Spiritual Warfare (Eph 6:13-19)

#36 Recipients of Holy Spirit Intercession. (Rom 8:26-28)

#37 Objects of His Love (Eph 2:4)

#38 Objects of His Grace ((Every epistle of Paul)

#39 Objects of His Power (Eph 1:18-20)

#40 Objects of His Peace (Every epistle of Paul)

#41 Objects of His Purpose (Eph 1:11, 3:11; 2 Tim 1:9)

#42 ETERNALLY SECURE (Rom 8:38-39)

#43 God’s Eternal Exhibit (Eph 3:10)

#44 Promised Reward 1 Cor 4:5. Matthew 16:27, 2Corinthians5:10, Corinthians2:9

#45 Recipients of All Spiritual Blessings (Eph 1: 3)

 

What Simon Said

Simon answered, . . . “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5

A man named Refuge Rabindranath has been a youth worker in Sri Lanka for more than ten years. He often interacts with the youth late into the night—playing with them, listening to them, counseling and teaching them. He enjoys working with the young people, but it can be disheartening when promising students sometimes walk away from the faith. Some days he feels a bit like Simon Peter in Luke 5.

Simon had been working hard all night but caught no fish (v. 5). He felt discouraged and tired. Yet when Jesus told him to “put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (v. 4), Simon replied, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets” (v. 5).

God, help us to obey and trust You this day.

Simon’s obedience is remarkable. As a seasoned fisherman, he knew that fish move to the bottom of the lake when the sun is up, and the dragnets they used could not go deep enough to catch those fish.

His willingness to trust Jesus was rewarded. Not only did Simon catch a large number of fish, he gained a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. He moved from calling Jesus “Master” (v. 5) to calling Him “Lord” (v. 8). Indeed, “listening” often allows us to see the works of God firsthand and draw closer to Him.

Perhaps God is calling you to “let down your nets again.” May we reply to the Lord as Simon did: “Because You say so, I will.”

Father, it is our great privilege to call You “Lord.” Help us to obey and trust You, and to learn more of what it means to walk closely with You.

Our obedience to God will guide us through the unknown and draw us closer to Him.

By Poh Fang Chia 

INSIGHT

Can you relate to Peter when his first impulse was to question Jesus’s knowledge of fishing? (Luke 5:5). Peter may have wondered, Jesus is a remarkable rabbi, but can He show someone who knows the waters of Galilee how to fish them? What followed became a reason for Peter and friends to follow Jesus. By obeying the Teacher’s words, a bad night of fishing turned into one of the biggest catches of their lives.

Can you recall a time when trusting God with the impossible resulted in something amazing?

Mart DeHaan

Obeying the Golden Rule

Matthew 22:36-40

Most of us have known the Golden Rule since childhood: We are to treat others the way we want to be treated. And for young children, this standard seems to make sense. It is logical to share if you want others to share with you, and to avoid hitting because you wouldn’t like being on the receiving end.

But as life continues and relationships become more complicated, this simple ethical code doesn’t always seem to fit our circumstances. For instance, imagine being wronged by your business partner. How can you treat him respectfully when he has taken advantage of you? What if a kind, forgiving attitude opens the door for you to be hurt again?

God’s command nevertheless does apply in this situation. Obedience can be challenging, however, because when we are hurt or mistreated, our instinct is to retaliate. This might take the form of speaking badly behind a person’s back or showing subtle disrespect to his face. Human nature wants revenge for wrongdoing. In fact, we are unable to do anything different on our own.

Thankfully, as believers, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to forgive. So while our own strength is insufficient for a godly response, we have the option to obey through the Spirit.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Are these characteristics evident in your interactions with others—even with people who are difficult to love? Ask for the Lord’s supernatural strength so you can respond correctly.

The Creation of Plants

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:11)

One of the favorite biblical arguments used these days by Christian advocates of an old earth comes from a forced interpretation of this verse. While the verse seems to teach “sudden” creation, old-earth advocates interpret the verse to necessitate an indefinite time period, at least long enough for seeds to grow up into mature, seed-bearing plants. Plants differ widely and are thought to have evolved all throughout Earth history. The third day, then, must be understood as long enough to witness the appearance of all “kinds” of plants and is equated with a vast stretch of geologic time. However, there are many biblical problems with this view—a few of which follow.

Scripture teaches that “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is” (Exodus 20:11; see also Genesis 2:1-4; etc.), and no meaning other than a solar day is biblically defensible. The “herbs” and “trees” mentioned can only mean small or woody plants that supposedly arrived late on the evolutionary scale, for the same words are used to identify food plants on Day Six.

Furthermore, the verb “bring forth” (Genesis 1:11) is also used when God made animals, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature” (v. 24), on the sixth day. It cannot be referring to the growth of a seed out of the ground but rather must imply the sudden creation of both plants and animals in abundance.

Such compromises are impossible biblically and are quite unnecessary. There are no true facts of science that are incompatible with the young-earth teaching of Scripture. We can be sure of its teachings. JDM

Pray that ye enter not into temptation

2 Samuel 11:1-3, 6-10, 12-17, 26, 27

We now come to that mournful occurrence in Davids life, which changed his whole career from prosperity to sorrow.

2 Samuel 11:1

Perhaps he had begun to indulge himself in ease, and therefore left the battles of his country to be fought by others. If so, we are hereby taught that indolence is the nurse of vice.

2 Samuel 11:1

Did he not rise from his bed till so late in the day? Had he grown self-indulgent? If so, who wonders that he fell?

2 Samuel 11:3

David at once sent for her and took her to himself, thus committing the grossest sin. Alas! Alas! how were the mighty fallen! In a short time David found that his sin would be discovered, and therefore he sent for Uriah to come home, that his shameful conduct might be concealed.

2 Samuel 11:10

To this, Uriah answered that he would not go home to sleep at ease while the ark and his fellow-soldiers were in tents, or encamped in the open field. Here we find a common soldier austere and self-denying, while the renowned psalmist had become luxurious and wanton.

2 Samuel 11:12, 13

What wickedness was this on David’s part to lead honest Uriah into drunkenness! One sin draws on another as links of a chain. With all his cunning, David did not succeed in concealing his crime, and therefore, he went further still, and became guilty of murder to screen himself. “How art thou fallen from heaven, thou beautiful star of the morning!” “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

2 Samuel 11:17

The man after God’s own heart had fallen so low as to be both an adulterer and a murderer! Other princes in those days did such things commonly, and their people dared not complain, but this was a chosen servant of God, and in him it was foul iniquity.

2 Samuel 11:26, 27

Though the sinner may have dreamed that he had cleverly hidden his crime, this last sentence was the death knell of his security. If our conduct displeases the Lord, nothing is well with us.

 

It’s Time for You To Start Confessing ‘Good Things’ About Yourself!

Philemon 1:6

What kind of things do you say about yourself? Do you speak well of yourself, or are you hyper-critical of your appearance, your weight, your intelligence, your talents, your skills, and every other aspect of who you are as a person?

I used to be so hyper-critical of myself that one day the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “How dare you continually talk so badly about yourself after the good work I’ve done inside you. Don’t you know how marvelously I created you to be in Jesus Christ? Quit speaking so negatively of yourself, and start acknowledging every good thing that is in you.”

I didn’t realize how badly I was speaking of myself until the Holy Spirit brought it to my attention. But after He spoke to me, I started noticing every time something evil slipped out of my mouth about myself I was stunned to see how many times I did it! I became painfully aware that my own mouth had become one of my greatest enemies. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I made a decision to quit speaking such foul things and to start aligning my mouth with what God’s Word declared me to be.

Paul said we need to speak good things about ourselves! In Philemon 1:6, he said, “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Today I want to especially draw your attention to the part of the verse that says, “… May become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Even though God has done great things in you and has planned a powerful future for you, it is up to you to activate His blessings in your life! This is why Paul says, “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual….”

The word “effectual” is the Greek word energeo. It is where we get the word energy. However, in this verse, the word energeo carries the idea of something that has suddenly become energized or activated. Paul’s words could actually be rendered, “That the communication of your faith may become energized and activated….”

Let me give you an example to help you understand what this word energeo means in the context of this verse. An automobile may be filled with enough fuel to drive a long distance, but it won’t go anywhere until someone puts the key into the ignition and then turns the key. The moment that key is turned, the spark plugs are sparked, which fires up the engine. Once the engine has been activated, the potential in that car is ready to be unleashed.

The car always has the capability of moving, but if it is never activated, it sits silently in the driveway. No matter how much fuel is in the tank or how much horsepower that car possesses, its power and potential will never be realized until someone turns the key in the ignition.

Now let’s apply this to you. In Philemon 1:6, the apostle Paul writes that “every good thing” has been placed in you by Jesus Christ. Think of it—He saved you, healed you, redeemed you, and protected you. He has given you a sound mind; He has given you the mind of Christ; He has imparted gifts and talents to you; and He has planned a future for your life that is simply glorious. You are loaded with phenomenal potential that is just waiting to be activated!

You may say, “Yes, well, I know that the Bible says I’ve been given all those good things, but I don’t feel like any of that is true about me! I feel so defeated. Even though the Word says I’m healed, the reality is that I feel sick. Even though God’s Word says I have a sound mind, I continually feel like I don’t have control of my thought life. And in spite of the fact the Bible says God has blessed me with gifts and talents, I feel like a dope who has nothing to offer to this world. There is a big gap between what the Bible says about me and what I feel about me!”

My friend, you are like a car that is loaded with enough fuel and horsepower to get anywhere you need to go. But for that potential in you to be released, you have to hold the right key in your hand.

Furthermore, it isn’t enough for you to just possess the key. You have to put that key into the “ignition” and turn it so the latent potential that resides inside you will be ignited. When you turn the key in the ignition, suddenly the potential you possess in Jesus Christ is supernaturally ignited, activated, energized, and released inside you!

• So what is the key that sparks all the good things God has placed inside you into becoming an outward reality?
• What is the key that causes all that God declares about you to become manifested in your life?
• How do you “turn the key in the ignition” so that the great work God has done inside you is activated and released?

Paul says, “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” The word “acknowledging” in this verse holds the answer to the questions above. This word is from the Greek word epignosis, which describes a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of the facts.

The word epignosis pictures a person who knows his facts like a professional. This is a person so sure of his information that when he speaks, he does so with confidence and boldness. He has no reason to be ashamed or to fear that others may accuse him of being incorrect because he is well instructed and has an intensive, deep knowledge of the facts.

But how did he obtain such knowledge of the facts? No one becomes this knowledgeable accidentally.

For example, consider the book you hold in your hands. The information contained in this book didn’t come to me while I was sleeping. It is the result of many years of study and very hard work. I have passionately applied myself to understanding the Greek New Testament so I could share these truths confidently and boldly with others.

To become astute requires study, meditation, digging deep into truth, and applying oneself to know the facts inside and out. The result of this hard work is such a thorough knowledge of the facts that a person has a strong confidence regarding what he says or writes.

In my case, I am confident of what I have written in this book because I have put so much study into it. You could say that I have an epignosis of this information.

Now Paul uses this same idea when he says we are to “acknowledge” every good thing that has been placed in us by Christ Jesus. Of course, this means we are to confess the truth about ourselves—but before we can confess the truth, we must first know the truth!

Because the word epignosis depicts a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of the facts, Paul is letting you know that it is essential for you to possess:

• a knowledge of exactly who you are in Jesus Christ.
• a knowledge of what Jesus has purchased in your redemption.
• a knowledge of every good thing that God has placed in you by Jesus Christ.
• a knowledge of all these truths that is so concrete and so unshakable that you are immovable in what you think and believe.

If you don’t know the facts of who you are in Jesus Christ, it’s time for you to get serious about digging into the Bible until you know these truths like a professional. The truth about who you are in Jesus Christ is the key to your victory. You should study, read, listen to teaching material—in other words, you should use every available resource to discover what God’s Word says you’ve been given in Jesus Christ. This knowledge is the key that will set you free. However, merely possessing the key won’t activate these realities in your life. You must put the key into the ignition and turn it, sparking these truths into manifestation in your life!

A key in the ignition switch does no good unless it is turned. Likewise, the truth in your life does no good until it is spoken! The moment you open your mouth and start confessing the good things that are in you by Jesus Christ, a supernatural connection is made between your faith and all that Jesus has deposited inside you. At that moment, the gifts and treasures God has placed inside you become supernaturally activated. The confession of your mouth—your acknowledgement of the truth—is what sparks these spiritual blessings and causes them to become operative, activated, and manifested realities.

Sadly, many people who know the truth remain in bondage because they never align their mouths with the truth. Instead of speaking what God says about them, they ridicule themselves, put themselves down, and speak badly of themselves. They possess all the potential that God has placed inside them, but they never experience that potential because their mouths have never sparked and activated those spiritual blessings into becoming manifested realities.

To make these truths real in your life, you have to put the key in the ignition switch.

• The key is the Word of God.
• The ignition is your mouth.
• The key is turned in the ignition when you open your mouth and start to speak the truth.
• The good things in you are activated the moment you start confessing the truth.
• The way to make these blessings real in your life is to: 1) thoroughly know them through diligent study; 2) put these truths into your mouth; and 3) speak them out loud!
• That is how you turn the key in your ignition and energize these truths until they begin to manifest in you!

You see, it’s time for you to stop speaking so badly about yourself. Instead, you need to open your mouth and start acknowledging who you are in Jesus Christ! By acknowledging the basic truths of what you have been given in Jesus, you will release so much divine energy that it will radically transform your life. The recognition of these spiritual treasures that reside within you will pick you up, lift you high, and carry you right over into the realm of victory you desire!

So quit talking negatively about yourself, and begin to bring the words of your mouth into agreement with the truths God has deposited in your life.

• God’s Word says you’re healed, so begin to say you’re healed.
• God’s Word says you have the mind of Christ, so begin to say you have the mind of Christ.
• God’s Word says you’re blessed, so begin to say you’re blessed.

You turn the key in the ignition by getting your mouth in agreement with God’s Word. And as you start speaking what God says about you, all your potential will start becoming a manifested reality!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I know I have been speaking badly about myself. When I hear my own words, even I can tell it’s wrong for me to speak so lowly about myself. You have done a great work in me, and I have kept myself bound by the words of my mouth. Forgive me for speaking so wrongly and for allowing myself to remain imprisoned in self defeat. I am truly repentant for these actions, and I ask You to forgive me and to give me the power to change my behavior. Holy Spirit, I can only do this by Your power, so I am asking and expecting You to empower me to make these changes in my life and in my mouth!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I speak well of myself. I don’t batter myself with wrong or negative words. I agree with all that God’s Word declares me to be, and I speak these truths about myself. Every day I am getting more positive and more faith-filled, and my mouth is speaking what God says about me. As a result, I am getting better, freer, and I am stepping upward more boldly into the plan God has for me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Do you speak well of yourself, or do you find that you constantly criticize yourself and continually point out all your flaws? If you were to ask your friends what they hear you saying about yourself, would they say you speak positively or negatively?
2. How much time do you spend meditating on truths about who you are in Jesus Christ? Do you regularly read and confess what the Word of God says about you?
3. What changes do you need to make in your life in order to change your confessions about yourself? For those changes to happen, what do you need to do differently in your life and your daily routine?

It’s time for you to stop speaking so badly about yourself. Instead, you need to open your mouth and start acknowledging who you are in Jesus Christ!

 

Every Person Has His Passions! What Are Yours?

For security, “success,” social status, etc.? Or for such eternal values as:

 

A Passion for God

 

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you… ” (Psalm 42:1, 2; 63:1a)

 

A Passion for the Lost.

 

“My food,“ said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest‘? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.‘ Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest‘? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:34, 35)

 

A Passion to Mentor Others in Becoming Laborers and Leaders.

 

“We proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about Him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ Jesus. This is what I am working at all the time, with all the strength that God gives me… Ask the Lord of the harvest… to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Colossians 1:28, 29 – Phillips; Matthew 9:38)

 

A Passion for the Nations of the World.

 

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth… Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… ” (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19a)

 

One of these days a nurse will enter your intensive care unit, observe the flat signal on the electronic heart monitor, unplug the life-support system, and quietly walk out of the room.

 

At that moment, you will find yourself in eternity face-to-face with God. One question He plans to ask you is whether you shared the passions of His heart, or whether you followed your own. How you answer that question will determine the quality of your existence for all eternity.

 

QUESTION: Given the focus of your present passions, is that a pleasant thought?