The Rapture Of The Church

 If you have ever spoken to a Christian, especially a Protestant Baptist, you will have likely heard them reference the Rapture. The word rapture isn't in the King James Bible. In fact, that word would only be found in an early AD 400 edition of Jerome's Latin Vulgate. Though the word itself is not in the Bible, the teaching or doctrine of it is. 

There are three main passages that teach the Rapture.

John 14:1-3- Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: 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.

In this passage, it's not exceptionally clear that Christ is referencing taking both the dead and the living. Some people read this as if Jesus was speaking of our eternal dwelling place in heaven after our soul departs from our body at death.

The concept of the rapture was a mystery until Paul. It is in his letters to the churches that we find the Scriptures that detail exactly what it is.

I Corinthians 15:50-57- Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this passage, Paul is telling us a mystery that has been revealed to him. There a few mysteries in the Bible that Paul has the privilege of sharing with the world. The mystery is that not all of us will die (sleep). When the Bible mentions "sleep" in reference to death it has to do with the soul's relationship with the body. If the soul is still in the body, or will once again be in the body, the person is considered asleep.

John 11:11-13- These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

Lazarus died, but Christ was going to call his soul back into his body and raise him from the dead. So, when Paul talks about someone being "asleep in the Lord" what he means is they are dead, but they won't stay that way forever. At some point in time their soul and their body will be brought back together.

In I Corinthians 15, Paul is saying that those that are dead will be raised. Their bodies will be brought forth out of the ground, all the atoms reassembled in a way that it will be the same body, but it will be an eternal, perfect, undying one. The people who are still alive won't die. Their atoms will be changed from mortal to immortal and they will raise in an eternal, perfect body.

I 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 passage gives us more of the protocol of the rapture. There will be a shout from heaven, where Christ is at the right hand of God. It will be accompanied with the voice of the archangel (Michael- Jude 1:9) though we don't know what it is that he is saying. And the trump of God (the sound a trumpet makes). When God speaks it can sound like rushing might waters, loud thundering, or a trumpet blasting out a note.

Many people believe that God will say "Come up hither" because that is what He said to John in Revelation 4:1, and John describes that hearing this sounded like a trumpet speaking to him.

After the loud noise, the dead will be reanimated and raised from their burial spots, and the living will be taken up from wherever they may be at the time to come together as a great host in the atmosphere. There we will meet the Lord Jesus Christ in person and be escorted into the spiritual realm of the Lord God Almighty.

There are types, or pictures of this in the Old Testament, however no one understood what they were or what they meant at the time. Enoch was a human that was translated from the earth to live with God in heaven before God sent the flood of waters to destroy the earth in Noah's time. Lot was a Gentile living in a wicked city that was taken with his wife and two daughters out of the area before God rained fire and brimstone on the place to destroy it for the evil that was prevalent in it. Rahab was a Gentile who lived in Jericho that had gone against the orders of her people and saved the two Jewish spies lives; she and her family were safely taken out of Jericho before the Israelite army slaughtered the town.

Those are just a few in the first part of the Bible. I'm certain if you know any Bible stories that you could come up with more examples. But the important part is this- they were taken out before God's wrath fell. What does that mean? The rapture will happen before the Tribulation.

I Thessalonians 1:10- And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 5:9-10- For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

There are a few other verses scattered throughout the New Testament that allude to the rapture: Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 3:4, II Timothy 4:8, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 9:28, I Peter 5:4, and I John 3:2.

What do all these verses have in common? They reference Christ's coming and that we will get a reward if we are looking for Him. If you are saved, you should not only be living like a Christian and working to tell others about the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, but you should also be anticipating and hoping for the time when He calls your name and takes you to live with Him for all eternity in Heaven.

God Knows Me by Heart (song)

Believer’s Heritage- Bob Murphy

 The only time you can get safely off the roller coaster after it starts moving is at the end of the ride. If you quit the ride before then, it will cause pain or death. 

Bob Murphy 3/2012

Ps 77:14 “Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.”

 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 

2 Tim 4:7

            

      Do some of the hospital departments address you by your first name? Have you ever been sick of being sick, and tired of being tired? Have you ever begun to shake at the sight of a syringe or the thought of going to the hospital or doctor? Have you ever looked at a handful of pills and thought, “Oh God, not again?” If you have, then you are most likely part of the world of the chronically ill. I think Charles Dickens put it best when he penned the words “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”[1] That quote from his classic book A Tale of Two Cities describes very aptly the Christian lives of my wife (Pam) and me in the years 2010-2012. After thirty years of being saved and living the best Christian lives we could, the greatest trial of our faith hit us quite unexpectedly in February of 2011. Do the tests of God ever end? Unfortunately they do not! As long as we are still turning oxygen into carbon dioxide, and looking at the daisies instead of pushing them up, the trials will continue. Is it worth it to go on, even when there appears to be no hope or reason why we should? Absolutely. That is the reason for this book: not for us to glory in our infirmities for our glory’s sake, but to glory in our infirmities for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has done for us, and with us, through it all. This is a testimony of His grace, growth, peace that passes all understanding, and miracles in our lives. The Apostle Simon Peter tells us:                                                                          

1 Pet 1:6-8  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: {7} That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: {8} Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory… 

            

      My hope in writing this book is that it might encourage all who read it to not be afraid of the Lord’s trials no matter how severe they may be, or how hopeless they appear. They are orchestrated and sent to us, with all the love in the universe, for the dual purpose of making us better Christians, and for glorifying the Lord. 

(Phil 1:6)  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

The letter was from the American Red Cross, twenty-three years ago, and read something like this:

      

Dear Mr. Murphy:

               This letter is to inform you that you are no longer eligible to donate blood. Tests show that you are a carrier of non-A, non-B Hepatitis, (now designated Hepatitis-C) a contagious disease. We recommend that you see your doctor in the near future to discuss this finding and explore your options. Thank you for your past participation in the blood donation program, and good luck in the future.                 

Sincerely…

      Non-A, non-B Hepatitis? What is that? They didn’t even have a real name for it back then, kind of like  movie stars whose name we know as whatever Hollywood has decided to name them. What is their real name? Who knows?

      A trip to the doctor was about as enlightening as trying to hold a conversation with “Stitch,” my dachshund. It entailed lots of head-cocking and puzzled expressions. It went something like this: 

Me: So Doctor, exactly what is non-A, non-B Hepatitis? 

Doc: We don’t exactly know (head cocked). 

Me: How did I get it? 

Doc: We don’t know how anyone gets it. 

Me: What is the treatment for it? 

Doc: At this time we’re not sure (head cocked in other direction).

Me: Is it life threatening? 

Doc: Possibly.

Me: How long would you guess I have? 

Doc: Perhaps a few years, perhaps you’ll die of old age.

Me: What do I do now? 

Doc: Have yearly blood tests done and keep an eye on it. 

      Wow, and I’m actually paying him for this? But please don’t think I am against the medical profession. After all these years of dealing with this problem, this past year has brought me a new-found, and tremendous respect, for what the medical profession can accomplish. But you could never have convinced me of that when I left his office that day. In all fairness, however, it was a new type of Hepatitis, and there just wasn’t much information available. 

      After blood tests by a lab in Pensacola, Florida I was told that I had a mild case of Hep-C and that there was nothing to do about it. It was there but wasn’t causing any real problems. That was the worst health advice I had ever been given, but the same advice was repeated many times over the next twenty-one years. So nothing was done except for occasional monitoring. Looking back now, I cannot help but think that if they had treated me for the disease back then, I would not be practically incurable now.

      Then in the summer of 2008 while doing lawn care work, I started becoming very fatigued and sick. Not knowing what was going on, I weathered the storm the rest of the year. In the summer of 2009, I started having severe nose bleeds, bleeding gums, and wounds which took much longer to stop bleeding than normal. I went to see a Heptologist, and, in September, she sent me for a liver biopsy. It was determined I had fourth stage liver fibrosis; the next step was cirrhosis. I had gone from nothing to almost critical in one year! The doctor said it was an Auto- Immune Hepatitis, in addition to the Hep-C, and started me on massive doses of Prednisone (a strong steroid). 

      I ended up walking into bookshelves and apologizing to them for doing so! I didn’t even realize I had done it until my wife said: Did you just walk into the bookshelf and apologize to it? It was like the old drugs days; I was once again a “Starship Trooper.”

In February 2011, I contracted the flu and everything went to pieces. The flu lowered my immune system sufficiently to allow the Hep-C to proliferate. I was taken, by Pam, to the emergency room of the VA Hospital in Boise, Idaho, and went from the E.R. to the hospital’s “Step Down” center and was admitted. I was given blood transfusions and blood platelets to stop the bleeding. The doctors did the best they could, and I received excellent care, but not being liver specialists they really had no idea what to do. They contacted the Portland, Oregon, V.A. Medical Center, one of the best liver hospitals in the world. The doctors there said I needed to get to Portland immediately, and I was sent by Life Flight the next day. I needed a liver transplant, and I spent the next five months there. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I do feel it is necessary for you to understand the major parts of what Pam and I went through so that you know I am not writing this book as an “armchair warrior” but have been through what many of you have also experienced or will experience.   

      After arriving and going through more transfusions, blood tests, liver biopsies, x-rays, CT scan, MRI, and ultrasounds, my body started to swell up with fluid. My doctor came into my room, sat on my bed, and with tears in her eyes told us I had also contracted a disease called Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP), an acute bacterial infection you get from Ascites (fluid buildup, which had caused me to gain forty pounds). She told us to call the family because fifty percent of the people who get SBP don’t ever leave the hospital. This was the first of three life threatening things I faced in that five months in Portland. I was so swollen with fluid I could not even lift my legs, they were so heavy. My bodily functions all began to shut down, and there was nothing they could do about any of it. I was taken off the transplant waiting list because the doctors thought I was not going to live. But God is not limited by the medical profession, and people were praying. The worse I became, the more they prayed. After two weeks I started to improve and finally pulled out of it. You might say, “Well, fifty percent of people DO pull out of it so how can you say God was responsible?” Because I was not heading anywhere close to a normal recovery. I was dying, and everyone knew it. There was nothing the doctors or medicine could do. God brought me through it, and it is He who gets all the glory. Amen!

      During this time, my liver continued to get worse. I was so yellow from jaundice one could almost turn out the lights and see me glow! My viral count was up to sixty-nine million instead of being zero like a normal person. My liver function dropped to ten percent, and I was once again facing death. But during this period I had the greatest spiritual experience of my life, and I would like to tell you about it for the purpose of bringing hope to those who may think they have none. Remember: It is always darkest before dawn.

      It was the end of the day; the shift change had taken place, and my doctors and day nurses were all going home. I could tell from their actions that many of them did not expect to see me again. Indeed, I did not expect to see them either. I did not let the extent of my feelings be known to Pam, but she was not worried anyway. She went back to the lodge where she was staying and had a good night’s sleep. The Lord had given her comfort and peace before He had given it to me! That night I sat in a chair in my room unable to sleep, but I left the light off. There was just enough light coming through the windows from the lights of Portland that I could see the clock on my wall. I just sat there watching the clock and waiting for the Death Angel to strike, and the Lord to take me home. But sometime during the night I received the distinct impression that the Lord had come into my room and was standing over in a corner watching me. There was no sound, no lights flashing, no tongue talking or any other Charismatic nonsense, but there was a profound feeling of His presence. I wasn’t really comforted in any special way, I just waited for the inevitable and He just watched. Much to my surprise, morning came and I was alive! The Lord’s presence left, and now, after months of thinking about it, I think He came that night to do two things: (1) to keep the Death Angel from taking me, and (2) to let me know that no matter what happened, He was always with me and loves me. As a Christian I have always believed what the Lord said in the scripture - that He would never leave nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), but here I came face to face with that truth. What a great blessing the realization was, and it is one I will never forget.

      I found out later that at the same time this was taking place, my home church, Treasure Valley Baptist, was holding special meetings with an evangelist. During his preaching that same night that I was waiting to die, the Lord spoke to Pastor DeMichele’s heart and told him that I was not going to make it through the night if the church did not pray for me that night. So after the preaching, he announced a prayer meeting for me and several hundred people stayed to pray. The Lord gave the same message to some other friends of mine, including an inmate I had dealt with in my prison ministry. He got fifty men together (a violation of prison rules) and they also had a prayer meeting for me. I know I am alive today because of their prayers and God’s love and mercy! 

Jer 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” 

      The obvious answer is, no! There is nothing too hard for the Lord. Life and death are in His hands alone. A great preacher once said, “I am immortal until God is finished with me.” I believe that statement with all my heart. Even death and the Devil are subject to God’s will, and nothing can overcome me except my own stubborn will.

      Almost a week passed. I was tired of waiting for something to happen, and my health was fading fast. Another sleepless night came and I sat in my chair once again praying. I told the Lord that whatever His will was for me, whether to live or die, it was fine with me; but could we do it NOW? I was so tired and worn out I just wanted it over one way or another. 

I was so tired and worn out I just wanted it over one way or another. I had barely finished my prayer when my room door opened and two of my nurses entered. I had witnessed to all my nurses at some point and also to many of my doctors, and I had a great rapport with them. One nurse was jumping up and down a little and said, “They have a liver for you, and we’re going to get you ready for surgery.” We were all overjoyed!

My name is Bob Murphy. I am an Independent Baptist Christian, am chronically ill, and possibly terminal,with liver failure due to Hepatitis-C; the details of which you will read in subsequent blogs. I received a liver transplant in March 2011, but the medical community could not cure the Hepatitis. In consequence, my liver is once again failing. After being a Christian ( a preacher and missionary) for 31 years, the Lord has opened my eyes to some aspects of life of which I was unaware of before I became ill.

     There were many things I have gone through, both physically and, more importantly, spiritually,which caught me totally off guard. Things I never expected to happen as a Christian. The purpose of this blog is to help others be prepared for the same things, and to help them as much as I can to survive the onslaught of spiritual oppression which they will fight in the battle. I have written a book about the subject called "The Fight For Light," which is available at Amazon. To those that are ill, or know of someone who is, please write. God bless you in your own spiritual battle with disease.

This is one of the last things Bob wrote. He passed away February 2, 2013.

May God grant you the joy that He has given us through this experience, and prepare you for a profoundly new, and blessed way of Christian living.”

Trust His Commands

 

The Rapture (poem)

 God's Word says, "Look up, your redemption draws nigh!"

All saints with be "caught up" to Him in the sky.

Any day now, Christ Jesus is coming again.

From the throneroom of heaven, He'll surey descend!

The Bridegoom is leaving His Father's right side

To fetch His beloved, the Church, His fair bride.

With a trump and a shout, He'll call from the air,

And with bodies transformed, we'll meet with Him there.

Believers, together, gathered as one;

United forever, with Jesus the Son.

And so shall we be evermore with the Lord;

Overcomers of evil, by the sword of His Word.

"Behold, I am coming!...the beginning and end."

"Even so," says the Spirit, "Come, Lord Jesus. Amen!"

Together with Jesus, we'll rule and we'll reign,

A kingdom of priests in His perfect domain.

-Sandra Graham

Changing Words

IT has become common for people to use specific words to label or manipulate a conversation. They do this by using words that have good meanings in a way to try to make you feel an emotional reaction to what they are trying to portray. It's basically linguistic propaganda.  

If they can get you to acknowledge a new meaning of a "good" word, then they can get you to accept their definition of that word. And once you have done that then they can manipulate you through the use of those words.

Using these words with their new meanings are suppose to elicit guilt, fear, anger, pity, compassion, etc. Anything to move you emotionally and stop you from thinking critically. They can make anyone who doesn't accept their opinion out to be the enemy.

Just think of how they use the words "choice" or "justice". Having a choice is a good thing, right? Same with justice? So, they label murder of an unborn baby as pro-choice (sounds positive, huh?). Or, shouting about their views as social justice. You get the idea.

Isaiah 5:20- Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

The side that controls the meaning of the words- love, truth, tolerance, justice, equality- can vilify any opponent. Let's look at some of the words they are changing.

The original definition of the word "love" as found in Webster's 1828 dictionary is to regard with affection, on account of some qualities which excite pleasing sensations or desire of gratification. 

God's Word actually elevates the meaning of words, giving them greater context. Love in the Bible is doing what's best for the object of your affection even if the outcome isn't particularly pleasant for you.

I John 3:16- Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Love is now generally used as blindly accepting whatever a person states they believe. Anything that makes someone feel uncomfortable is now said to be "unloving".  If you don't accept that then you're labeled a "hater". 

Notice how that makes you feel? It's all emotional. A refusal to acknowledge and embrace sin is now "hateful and unloving". 

"Truth" means conformity to fact or reality. However, truth is not a definitive thing anymore, it's now subjective. By putting a personal pronoun in front of the word, they can try to force you to accept anything as "their" truth.

This is nothing new. They were doing this in bible times.

Romans 1:25- Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Paul had to tell the Romans that "their truth" was a delusion. You can't change fact into your opinion and force it on others to accept. The illusion of reality isn't where a person should live, yet they not only desire to live there, but they want you to cater to their delusion.

A big one is tolerance. This word, like political correctness now means that all beliefs, no matter how ridiculous, must be treated as legitimate.

Tolerance original definition is the act of enduring. The word itself is not in the King James Bible, but the act of enduring is. 

II Timothy 2:3- Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

This doesn't mean to accept all beliefs. It means to do right regardless of the opposition you will face for taking a stand. Endurance can build a person into someone amazing! Tolerance as it is defined today can't build character.

Justice and equality are also making a rise as words that can label people. They're really big on the news right now! 

People are always wanting "justice" for their cause. Every social problem now needs "justice". The idea is that you are "injust" if you don't lobby for their idea of the situation.

Justice means the virtue which consists in giving to every one what is his due; merited punishment.

Justice and judgment generally go hand-in-hand. So, why would they utilize a word when it's companion is so often disdained? Judging someone in today's society is a big faux pas!

Jeremiah 23:5- Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

The word "justice" can only be found in the Old Testament of the King James Bible. Isn't that interesting? Once Christ died for sin, the idea of substitution and mercy come to the forefront!

Equality means an agreement of things in dimensions, quantity or quality; similarity in regard to two things compared. 

Today, people want equality in everything. Everyone should be on the same level. The problem with that is that it goes against freedom of choice. The late, great economist Milton Friedman once said, “A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.” The fact is, free people are not equal and equal people are not free.

Everyone may start from the same place, but their choices determine where they end. It should not be forced upon you what you should become so that someone else feels good about themselves.

Anyone who makes what is perceived to be an exclusive statement is labeled a bigot. A bigot is person who is obstinately and unreasonably wedded to a particular religious creed, opinion, practice or ritual. 

If you believe marriage is between a man and a woman, you are a bigot. If you support the idea that Christ is the only way to heaven, you are a bigot. They use that word to make you appear prejudiced. And it only works if they've already blurred the truth. You starting to see the danger?

John 14:6- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

According to them, Jesus is a bigot. It doesn't matter that He died for you, and gave precious promises to you. If He doesn't accept what you believe you are and how you want to live your life, then He's a bigot.

Authentic is a buzzword that I usually associate with food. They slap it on sauces and recipes to evoke a sense of wholesomeness towards their product. Being "authentic" as a person isn't normally wholesome, it's usually used by a person living a rebellious lifestyle. They say, "You are perfect just the way you are, so embrace it." God wants you to be you, but He also wants you to strive to be holy like Christ.

I Peter 1:15- But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Authentic means having a genuine original or having authority, in opposition to that which is false, fictitious, or counterfeit. 

Satan is the greatest counterfeiter there is. He shows himself as an angel of light, and will one day demand to be worshipped as God.

II Corinthians 11:13-15- For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

II Thessalonians 2:3-4- 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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

To blur the issue and compel people to act without thinking is a tactic of the devil. He twists everything, even God's Words, so that the meanings are unclear and can be construed in an infinite amount of wicked ways. 

Without a definitive creation, there can be evolution. Without a conclusive way to gain God's favor there can be many paths to God. Without a absolute authority, there will be opinionated lifestyles. And Satan will lead many on the path to hell with these watered-down, convoluted words.

What is a Christian to do? Follow Paul's advice to Timothy.

I Timothy 6:11- But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.