“LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS; FOR THAT DAY WILL NOT COME UNLESS THE FALLING AWAY COMES FIRST, AND THE MAN OF SIN IS REVEALED…” 2Thess. 2:3

The purpose of this month’s newsletter is dedicated to convincing you that it is not “the departing of the saints from the faith” that Paul presents in 2thess. 2:3, but rather it is “the departing of the saints from the earth” at the rapture!
Do we have a legitimate basis for rendering “apostasia” as “departure” instead of “falling away”? Historically, you will find that the first seven English translations of the Bible all rendered the Greek word “Apostasia” as “departure” rather than “falling away”. Even the Latin Vulgate in 400 A.D. translated this word as “departure.” It was the King James version that was the first to depart from the norm, and without ever giving a reason for the change. I find this ironic in light of all the present dogmatic hype being placed on the King James Bible as the only “authorized” and “real” Word of God. The blatant changing of “departure” to “falling away” by the KJV is a bad translation substitution made without any justifiable merit resulting in the changing of the entire meaning of Paul’s words to the church.

God invested the greatest revelation of the rapture to the apostle Paul. He wrote three epistles in which much truth centers upon unfolding the events that lead up to the pre-tribulation, pre-wrath rapture of the faithful saints (1Thess 4:16- 5:10, 2Thess. 2:1-10, 1Cor. 15:51-54). In this newsletter, I have briefly stated a synopsis of the modern-day widespread confusion and error surrounding what Paul wrote. We considered the first of these errors in our Sept/Oct. newsletters. Due to a proper lack of emphasis such as Paul placed on “the dead rise first,” the popular theme of “no man knows the day or the hour” replaced the fact that the rapture cannot take place until the appointed time of the resurrection of the dead at “the last day” (Jn. 6:39-54, 11:24).

In this issue of our newsletter we will deal with the erroneous application of the rapture taking place at “the last (7th) trumpet” found in the book of Revelation. This error has spawned the dreadful and hopeless“post-tribulation rapture” theory which stands in direct opposition to Paul’s teaching. The promise of the rapture is given as “words of comfort” (1Thess. 4:18) to assure the faithful, wise virgins of the church that “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thess. 5:9)

Please note that I did NOT say above that I know the very date upon which the rapture will take place, but rather that “the day and the hour” of that event is revealed in the Scriptures. This newsletter is not about “date setting”, but rather is aimed at the wide-spread ignorance of what the Scriptures contain pertaining to the event known as “the rapture.” If you have been fed a steady diet of, “no man knows the day or the hour” and therefore believe that “Jesus can come at any moment in time”, you need to read the September 2006 newsletter posted on our website. This month’s issue will build on the foundation laid in that previous newsletter. Unless you deal with the erroneous application of Matthew 24:36 to the rapture, you may find yourself as ill-prepared for this event as are the foolish virgins of Matthew 25 which Jesus leaves behind at His coming, and be found like the unfaithful servant described in Luke 12:41-48 who believed, “My master is delaying His coming,” and therefore returned to a lifestyle of sinful behavior such as the unregenerate of the world practices.

Jesus did utter the words, “But of that day and hour, no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Mat. 24:36). However, there is absolutely no doctrinal basis for applying those words to the event known as “the rapture.” Not only is this not the context surrounding this text, but such an application is in conflict with the clear words Paul told the church at Thessalonica (1Thess.5:1-4) However, today’s church does not “know perfectly” as did the church in Paul’s day, simply because Christendom is being taught something different about the rapture than the stated “words of comfort” Paul originally spoke. The rapture has been placed under a nebulous mystical banner of “no man knows the day nor the hour.” The intent of this newsletter is not an attempt to set an exact date for the rapture, but rather to debunk the exaggerated emphasis being placed on not knowing when this event is to take place. The early church knew the “times and the seasons” as Paul clearly states in 1Thess.5:1-4.

“…IN HIM, WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING.” Acts 17:28
Perhaps this one usage by Paul in the Book of Acts best sums up what is to be the normal Christian life here on earth. The phrase “in Him” was a repetitious favorite of the apostle Paul and the apostle John. As followers of Christ, we must all ask ourselves whether this is a description of how we live our lives on earth surrounded by a world preferring to feed upon the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life personified. The Christian is to avoid all knowledge that can cheat him of being made complete in Christ. We find more emphasis placed on the basic principles of the world such as politics, commerce and man-made religion guiding the church than the basic principles of God’s Word. The churches are becoming more and more worldly so that the worldly are more comfortable sitting in the church. The “meet them where they are at” philosophy will keep them where they are at – carnal and worldly minded, a churched people who continue “behaving like mere men” (1 Cor. 3:3)

The subject of this newsletter is knowledge. The Bible speaks of two kinds of knowledge, and they have their origins in Genesis. These two sources of knowledge are typified by the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In part one of this subject I would like to convince you that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is still available in our day and remains “forbidden fruit” for God’s people as it was for Adam and Eve. As it was in ancient times, the fruit of this tree is still Satan’s first line of temptation that he sets before God’s people today. It worked with Eve, and he is sure it will work on us!

There is developing in American Christianity an earth-bound militancy that is not in harmony with the Spirit of Christ, and is in total opposition to the teachings of the apostles. There has taken place in this country an exchange of the righteous cause of Christ to “draw all peoples to Myself” (Jn. 12:32), for a multitude of self-centered righteous causes that seek to secure the rights of citizenship in an earthly kingdom. We are fighting for control of America rather than the souls of Americans! Paul was a citizen of Rome by birth but proclaimed, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil.3:20). Where, dear reader, is your citizenship?
God gives great emphasis in His Word for His people to always maintain a dove mentality of peace among the unregenerate rather than one of open warfare. Peace in the Scriptures is a very diversified subject that is to govern every phase and facet of the Christian life. Such peace is the subject of this newsletter.

The Dec. 5,1995 issue of USA Today revealed that 30% of North American funerals were cremations. In 1960 the average was less than 5%. By 2004 that average had increased to 47%. Obviously we are witnessing an ever-increasing, trend-setting pace developing in the world.
Cremation is a difficult and sensitive subject for me to write about and perhaps for you to read. Considering the high level of cremations that are taking place we, as Christians, are therefore exposed to the dilemma of being personally involved in cremation funerals of loved ones, friends and acquaintances. The Scripture plainly states that the people of the world are those “…whose minds the god of this world (age) has blinded…” (2 Cor. 4:4). The world ‘s inhabitants are “having their understanding darkened” (Eph. 4:18), but the believer is called to have “the eyes of [their] understanding enlightened” (Eph. 1:18). Simply put, what the children of darkness choose to do should have no bearing upon the children of light. This newsletter is written to God’s people who are instructed to be “not of this world” (Jn.15:19), to be believers who choose “not to be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). Hopefully, we, as the enlightened ones, are those who take their guidance solely from the Scriptures. It is my purpose in this newsletter to convince you that cremation should not be embraced as a Christian practice.

The church is not God’s “New Israel.” The church will not be God’s final agent of salvation on the earth prior to the second coming of Christ, nor will the church fulfill the prophecy of Joel concerning the outpouring of the “latter day rain.” This is Israel’s future destiny. Failure to rightly divide the (prophetic) word of truth is producing a high-minded church identical to the one Paul saw developing among the Roman saints of his day ( see Rom. 11:16-26) As we, the Gentile Church, prophetically sit on the verge of the second coming of Christ, it becomes vitally important to understand that the church’s present role must become identical to the one of John the Baptist who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). The role of the church must decrease in order that the role of Israel (the Jewish people) may begin to increase. I stress this point due to the present high-minded attitude that we find in the church today that seeks to usurp the prophetic yet-to-be-fulfilled role of Israel in the last days

Hebrews 4:12 depicts God’s Word as a “two-edged sword.” This newsletter deals with the two aspects God has for His Word which are represented by the two edges of a sword:
1) “LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU WITH EMPTY WORDS…” Eph. 5:6
2) “LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF…” 1 Cor. 3:18
We can further unfold the meaning of God’s two-edged sword by seeing the dual mandate to 1) study God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15) and 2) meditate in God’s Word (Joshua 1:8,Psm. 119:148).
To study: “application of the mind to the acquirement of knowledge..a state of absorbed concentration...given to study, scrutinize, analyze…detailed study of a subject with the intent to master, able to articulate, masterful, skillful” Webster
To meditate: “a private devotion of spiritual exercise consisting in deep continued reflection on a religious theme…to muse over, ponder, contemplate, reflect upon…introspection, self-examination of one’s life in light of the pattern of the scriptures…” Webster
I must study God’s Word so that no one deceives me, but I must also meditate in the Word in order that I do not deceive myself.

Some day, perhaps soon, all of heaven will be singing, “Here comes the Bride!” However, all who are in heaven will not inherit the Bride of Christ! Look carefully at the context of Revelation 19:7-8 for it is “the great multitude” of the redeemed in heaven (Rev. 19:6) that are proclaiming “Let us be glad and rejoice…for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Although the whole church is betrothed to Christ as His Bride, Paul expresses a concern of potential corruption of some of the saints by Satan:
“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. but I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his Craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity (purity) that is in Christ.” (2 Cor.11:1-3)
This newsletter is dedicated to making a biblical distinction between those who are presently overcoming saints and those who are being overcome, a distinction between the wise and the foolish virgins.

This newsletter focuses upon the six highly repetitious themes found in Psalm 119. These six themes provide the means by which we may achieve the goal of “Rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Those six themes are:
“Your commandments, Your statutes, Your law, Your precepts, Your testimonies, Your judgments.”
I believe that Psalm 119, as well as Psalm 19, are presenting these six themes as the means by which we may systematically take into our soul a balanced diet of the Word of God. It is my conviction that these 6 topics constitute what is the full content of the often repeated phrase “Your Word” in Psalm 119. This phrase is repeated 34 times in a Psalm that contains 176 verses.
Simply put, what is hidden in this often repeated phrase, “YOUR WORD” is a delicate balance of these 6 sub-topics. Are we taking in a healthy balanced diet of God’s Word? This newsletter will answer that question.