Cross and Cutlass

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord in His presence all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty, the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur of the Lord!

Psalm 27:4

Monday, September 17, 2018

A cool rapture verse in the OT you wouldn't suspect AND Rapture next month???

I'm reading through Isaiah 40 the other day. Mind you, I've read Isaiah dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. I've always loved Isaiah. It's so rich in prophecy and hope. (And yes, judgement too) Anyway, I'm reading chapter 40 and I'm noticing it's all about Jesus... how He came the first time and how He's coming again to save Israel, to gather His sheep, how powerful and awesome God is! Take the time to read through it... you'll be blessed. Then I came to the last verse, which is a familiar one to most Christians

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Here it is in the Amplified

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired

How many sermons have I heard on this verse where the pastor talks about our lives here on earth... that if we wait for the Lord to help us, we will grow stronger in Him. All true!

Yet, as I read it this time, something pressed on me to look up the Hebrew meaning of some of the words.

In particular the words "Renew" their strength or power. It is the Hebrew word, חָלַף Chalaph, Strongs Concordance 2498 and it means
To change, to pass through, pass on, sprout anew

And the Word "mount up" Strongs 5927 ,Hebrew word alah, עָלָה
It means to ascend, rise, go up, go from a low place to a high place, go to a sacred place

And finally the word "wait for", Strongs 6960, Hebrew word quavah, קָוָה
It means to gather together, look, patiently, tarry, wait for, on, upon

If we put this together, the verse reads as
But those who look patiently and wait upon the Lord will be changed and become new as they ascend up to God like eagles. There. they will run and not become weary and walk and not grow tired. (Because we'll have our glorified bodies!)

Pretty awesome, eh?

Let me add something else that may encourage you to know how close we are to going home. I am reading through a Chronological Bible. This particular one is for a year-long reading so it's separated by readings for each day. I don't go by the day. LOL.I just started reading the New Testament over again a few months ago. Anyway, last week I started reading the passages for that day, and here's what I saw.

You can see by my marks that the passage really struck me. It's what I've been trying to shout from the rooftops these past few years. I even wrote a book about it, When Angels Cry! And that message is: Jesus is only coming back for a bride who is READY for him. A bride who has sewn together her wedding gown, whose lamp is filled with oil and is burning bright.

The wedding gown is symbolic of obedience by doing the righteous acts God asked you to do.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Rev 19:7-8

The oil in the lamp is being filled with the Holy Spirit and not hiding your faith from others.

Notice that only those who are ready will be rewarded. And those who aren't, whom the Lord finds living lives of sin and disobedience and even lukewarmness, those will be "cut in pieces and banished with the unfaithful". Sorry, but that's what it says!! Where are the unfaithful banished to? Hell.

Another thing that really struck me was the date: October 17. Why? Because I listen to a pastor who says our Gregorian calendar is off from the true Jewish calendar by 30 days. If that's true, then the Feast of Trumpets would be around October 9-10 and then Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement would be around October 17th. Just something to consider. Another compelling reason to believe the true Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana) is in October has to do with the sighting of the new moon after the Autumn Equinox. Which is how the Jewish people from ancient times have done it. If I haven't lost you yet, I encourage you to watch this 22 minute video from Scottie Clarke, the man who studied the stars and discovered the Sept 23rd sign of last year.

When is the real Feast of Trumpets in 2018?

If that doesn't convince you, there are additional signs in the sky that I find particularly interesting. I trust this guy from Unsealed and he has an article I will link below where he reports that there is going to be a sign in the sky that may depict the Red Dragon of Revelation 12 being cast down. This will occur on October 7-8. It's a long article but very interesting.

The Red Dragon in the Sky

Am I saying the rapture is next month? No. Just putting the information out there for you to see. I would be remiss if I didn't. But most importantly, I encourage you to be ready for whenever our Lord comes to get us!

Maranantha!

Friday, September 14, 2018

Friday's Mad Mad World!

Greetings End times Warriors!!! We are another week closer to seeing our Prince! I can't wait!
Please pray for those in the path of Florence today and throughout the weekend.

There's a sense gnawing in my gut at how close we are to going home. I've never felt this way before. Many Christians will tell me that things aren't bad enough yet... that things must get a lot worse before the Lord comes. However, I think evil is hiding at the moment. It lurks in the dark shadows. It hides its true nature in a cloak of light, and when the Bride is gone... when the salt and light have left the earth, it will come out in full force. Thank God, He promises to rescue us before this happens!

Of note this week

Hurricanes! Volcanoes, Pestilences, and earthquakes.
President Assad of Syria threatens to use chemical weapons yet again.
Comets in the sky
Intense persecution. Please consider helping our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and China

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

Revelation 14:6-7

Monday, September 10, 2018

Happy Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashana!

Some of you may be wondering if I've converted to Judaism. Nope, but I have been grafted onto the Jewish vine! And so have you if you're a believer in Jesus.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, Romans 11:17

We owe a great debt to the Jewish people, for they brought us our Scriptures and through them our Messiah was born. God is not done with them yet. He still loves the Jewish people. When we received the truth of the Gospel and received the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, we became part of the Jewish people. Should we then celebrate their holy days? I'll leave that up to you and the Lord, but I think it's a great idea! Far better than celebrating the pagan holidays of Christmas and Easter and Halloween (shudder)

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.Leviticus 23:1-2

Feasts: In Hebrew the word is pronounced “moedim.” It is Strong’s Dictionary #4150 and it means: an appointment (a fixed time or season), an appointed time, an assembly (of a congregation), a place of meeting, a signal (as appointed beforehand).

Convocations: In Hebrew the word is pronounced “mikra.” It is Strong’s Dictionary #4744 and it means something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons or the place); also a rehearsal - an assembly, calling, convocation, reading.

God is describing specific times of the year when His people are to meet with Him to memorialize and rehearse special events. These “appointed times and seasons” have become better known to people today as the Jewish holidays. What many don't understand is that the spring and fall feasts were dress rehearsals for the first and second coming of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth. That's why God considered them of upmost importance!

There are 4 Spring Holy Days and 3 Fall Holy Days. The Spring Feasts are Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost. These were PRECISELY fulfilled by Jesus on their exact day. Briefly, Jesus died on the cross precisely at 3:00 pm, which is the exact time the sacrificial Passover lamb was slaughtered in the temple. The subsequent Feast of Unleavened bread represents his sinless body sacrificed for us. First Fruits is the day Jesus was resurrected and was celebrated by the Jews as the first of the Barley Harvest (Throughout the Bible, God uses harvests to represent resurrection) and Pentecost was the day the Jews celebrated the giving of the Torah. Also called the Feast of Weeks, it is also a time when the Jews celebrated the first of the wheat harvest. (Jesus often refers to His followers as Wheat!) Of course it was on this day that the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples and the church began.

The 3 Fall feasts are Yom Teruah (today. Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

Yom Teruah
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Leviticus 23:24

Yom Teruah is the first day of the Jewish religious new year. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar (ours is solar). In order to determine when the first day begins, they had to wait until the first glimpse of a new moon. Two witnesses would go atop a hill at sunset and wait until they spotted the first glimmer of the new moon. Then they would ride back to the Sanhedrin and be questioned. If they were found to be truthful, the start of Rosh Hashana would be declared. But until that point, no man knew they day or the hour it would begin. (Now, where have I heard that phrase before?)

Some of Yom Teruah's other names are

Day of Awakening Blast
Day of judgement
Day of Remembrance
No man knows the day or the hour - the hidden day
The coronation of the King
Opening of Heaven's gates
The Last Trump
Head of the Year
Wedding of Messiah
Day of Creation - Jews believe it was on this day that God created Adam and Eve

If you read through that list and your mind started spinning with the thought that those descriptions sound a lot like the rapture, you'd be right!

Yom Teruah - Day of blowing
Trumpets are blown in pattern of 3 different sounds 3 times each for total of 9 blasts
This is repeated 11 times for total of 99 blasts
The 100th blast is set apart and is the blast that is known as the Last Trump.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1 Cor 15:52

A day of proclaiming God is King of the Universe
A day all inhabitants of the world pass before G‑d like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court “who shall live, and who shall die ... who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.

Another important aspect of Yom Teruah is that it marks the first day of 10 days called "The High Holy Days" or "Days of Awe" During this time Jews are supposed to repent of all sins and ask forgiveness of anyone they've offended. This time is also referred to as "Days of Returning, Days of Admitting, Days of Repentence". At the conclusion of the 10 days, they celebrate Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. (More on that next week) Then the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated which is a Jewish holiday marking the end of harvest season and also celebrates God living with man.

It is believed by many Christian scholars that Jesus will return and judge the world on the Day of Atonement and then set up His Kingdom from Jerusalem where He will rule the world and dwell with mankind for 1000 years.

How is Rosh Hashana celebrated?
Candle lighting in the evenings, festive meals with sweet delicacies during the night and day, prayer services that include the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings, and desisting from creative work. (For more detailed information on how to celebrate, read Celebrating Biblical Feasts in your Home or church by Martha Zimmerman.)

Why is this important to us

Since Jesus fulfilled the first 4 Jewish Feast days exactly on their day, it is reasonable to assume He will fulfill the final 3 on their day. Many Christian Scholars believe the rapture will on occur on Rosh Hashana, and from the above description, you can see why! Then in heaven, we celebrate the wedding of the lamb to His bride and the feast and wait out the 7 years of tribulation occurring down on earth (perhaps represented by the "Days of Awe" mentioned above). Then Jesus returns the 2nd time on the Day of Atonement, judges the world, and sets up His Kingdom on the Feast of Tabernacles.

If this is true, then we should be very excited and should be looking for Jesus today and tomorrow!

Do I believe Jesus will fulfill these final 3 feasts on their exact day? Without a doubt! However I'm not 100% sure the rapture will occur on Rosh Hashana. At least not the rapture of the church. My reasoning is this: The first 4 feasts were all related to the Jewish people. I think sometimes we gentiles get full of ourselves and put ourselves above the Jews, just because most of them are still not believers in Jesus. But the truth is, we are just lucky to have been grafted onto the Jewish vine. They are still the apple of God's eyes. So, I tend to believe these last 3 feasts are going to be God dealing with the Jews, not us.

Rosh Hashana - the rapture of the remaining saints and the believing Jews who survived the tribulation
Days of Awe - Jesus returns and conquers His enemies
Day of Atonement - Jesus judges the nations and the people
Tabernacles - Jesus sets up His Kingdom

I believe, just like the Spring feasts that these feasts will happen one right after the other in the same time period. But I could be wrong! The rapture could very well occur on Rosh Hashana one year and then 7 years later, another rapture could occur on that feast day to gather those who believed in Jesus after the first one.

I've rambled on enough! There's so much info here to digest. I encourage you to do your own homework. For way too many years, the church has ignored these Jewish appointment days and their meanings, much to our own disgrace. They are extremely important to God and should be to us as well... and they are all rehearsals of important events.... the final Fall ones of major events yet to occur! And I personally believe yet to occur VERY SOON.

Perhaps today or tomorrow even. And since some believe that the Jewish calender is off a month, perhaps in October. So we wait, we watch, we pray, and we spread the Love of Jesus wherever we can!

Happy Yom Teruah!

Friday, September 7, 2018

Friday's Mad Mad World!

Greetings precious saints! We are soon entering the holy days of Jewish feasts/appointments, which span from this Sunday - late October. I say late October because the Jewish calendar is off a month (too long to explain here) I will post about these fall feast days on Monday. Why are they important? Because God said they were and because all 4 of the Spring feasts have already been fulfilled by Jesus when He came the first time. Nevertheless, this is a High Watch time for the Bride of Christ. Read my next Monday post and you'll know why. I only say this to encourage you, because after you scan the news below, you're going to need it! Cling to Jesus, never let go. And soon He'll come snatch you out of this evil world for the wedding of all weddings!

What struck me this week

Lots of stuff going on in the sky.. .sounds, comets, UFO sightings, solar flares.
Pedophilia is going to be legal in France. This is only the beginning.
The Ezekiel 38 war is almost upon us.
Earthquakes continue and more storms rise up
Google, FB, Twitter, etc are spying on us, gathering information for the NSA.