Archive for Bride of Christ

30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE by T.W. Tramm

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy, Rapture, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 1, 2022 by paulthepoke

Author and Bible-researcher T.W. Tramm is the founder of Season of Return Ministries, an organization whose mission is to equip the reader with critical knowledge related to the unfolding of Bible prophecy in our time. Tramm’s books, articles, and commentary can be found on numerous eschatological-themed websites. The author makes his home in Washington State.

T.W. Tramm’s materials can be reviewed on the following: 

https://www.facebook.com/twtramm 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ/videos 

https://www.theseasonofreturn.com/

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NO MAN KNOWS the day of the Rapture (Matthew 24:36–44).

There is, however, a day on God’s calendar that strikingly foreshadows this event.

The following is a summary of 30 correlations between the biblical festival Pentecost and the catching away of the Church.

. . .

30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE

1. A HARVEST FESTIVAL

The most telling feature of Pentecost is that it is one of three harvest festivals, during which all Israelite males are required to appear before the Lord:

“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. ‘Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread … the Festival of Harvest [Pentecost] … and the Festival of Ingathering [Tabernacles] … Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God’” (Exodus 23:14–17).

A harvest and gathering before God denote a resurrection or rapture (Matthew 13:30, 39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Revelation 7:9–14).

Furthermore, the three harvest festivals correspond to the “order” of resurrections mentioned by Paul: “But each [will be resurrected] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

The harvest at Unleavened Bread corresponds to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).

The harvest at Pentecost corresponds to the Church’s resurrection–rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).

The harvest at Tabernacles corresponds to the resurrection of tribulation saints at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:4–6).

2. A GREAT MULTITUDE

Of the three harvest festivals, Pentecost typically saw the largest crowds. This is because the other harvest festivals occurred in the early spring and fall when adverse weather could interfere with travel from distant lands. A large crowd gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost corresponds to the great multitude gathered before God’s throne at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

3. FIRSTFRUITS OF THE WHEAT

Pentecost celebrates the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). The Rapture is when the first of the “wheat,” symbolic of believers, is harvested and gathered into God’s “barn” (Matthew 13).

4. A GATHERING FROM EVERY NATION

At the Church’s first Pentecost, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5, 6). At the Rapture, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language will be gathered in heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 7:9).

5. GATHERED IN ONE PLACE

On the Church’s first Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one place (Acts 2:1). The next time all believers will be gathered in one place is at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

6. A TIME OF REJOICING

Pentecost is a time to rejoice before the Lord: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks [Pentecost] … and rejoice before the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy. 16: 10, 11.) The ultimate time of rejoicing before the Lord will be immediately after the Rapture (Revelation 7:9–12; 1 Thessalonians 2:19).

7. THE WAVE OFFERING

The wave offering of the grain-sheaf during Unleavened Bread is a picture of Jesus’ resurrection (Leviticus 23:10; 1 Corinthians 15:20). Thus, the subsequent wave offering of baked loaves on Pentecost is a picture of the Church’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). The ripening of grain during the seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost symbolizes the growth and maturation of the Body of Christ during the Church Age. The grain transformed into bread on Pentecost represents the Church in a state of fullness, or completion, at the Rapture.

8. A TIME OF ACCOUNTABILITY

When the Israelites appeared before the Lord on Pentecost, they were required to bring an offering proportionate to the blessings God had bestowed upon them (Deuteronomy 16:16, 17). The requirement to bring a proportionate offering recalls how one’s fruits will be judged at the end of the age: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Matthew 25:14–30; Luke 12:48).

9. SEVEN WEEKS PRECEDE MESSIAH

Pentecost is the festival preceded by a count of “seven weeks” (Leviticus 23:15, 16). In Daniel 9, a count of “seven weeks” precedes an appearance of Messiah the Prince: “From the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks” (Daniel 9:25).

10. PAYDAY FOR REDEMPTION

The sending of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost is called the “down payment” on our redemption (Ephesians 1:14). Since the down payment for redemption occurred on Pentecost, it is logical for the final payment, the redemption of our physical bodies at the Rapture, to occur on Pentecost (Romans 8:23).

11. A TIME OF SEALING

Pentecost is the day on which the Church was first sealed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). At the Rapture, the first fruits of Israel will be sealed by the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:3, 4). If the sealing of the Church on Pentecost was the model, the sealing of Israel at the Rapture may occur on Pentecost as well.

12. THE THIRD DAY

Moses ascended Sinai to receive the Commandments on the “third day,” corresponding to Pentecost (Exodus 19). In John chapter 2, Jesus attends a wedding on the third day and alludes to the fact that He will be resurrected on the third day (vv. 1, 19–21). Thus, Pentecost is symbolically a “third day,” a day associated with weddings and resurrections.

13. THE 50th DAY

The Greek word translated Pentecost, Pentēkostē, means “fiftieth.” Fifty is the number of redemption, pertaining to the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9, 10). Also, wherever the number 50 appears in Scripture it denotes fullness and completion, pointing to the fullness of the Gentiles at the Rapture.

14. A WEDDING DAY

The wedding between God and Israel occurred on Pentecost (Exodus 19).

Similarly, the betrothal of the Church to God occurred on Pentecost (Acts 2; Ephesians 4:30). This is significant because, according to the ancient wedding tradition, the bridegroom comes for the bride around the anniversary of the betrothal.

15. RUTH

In the Book of Ruth, the wedding of the Jewish redeemer to the Gentile bride—a picture of the Wedding of Messiah at the Rapture—occurred around Pentecost (Ruth 4:9–10).

16. RAPTURE ALLEGORY IN SONG OF SOLOMON

In Song of Solomon, the shepherd comes to gather and spirit away His beloved Gentile maid—a picture of the Rapture—in late spring, around the time of Pentecost (Song of Solomon 2).

17. ENOCH’S RAPTURE

According to Jewish tradition, Pentecost is when Enoch, a prophetic type of the Church, was taken up, or raptured, to be with God (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5).

18. POSITIONALLY, PENTECOST DENOTES THE CHURCH AGE

Pentecost’s parenthetical placement between the first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, is suggestive of the Church Age.

19. INFERENCE VIA FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE

Scripture mentions Jesus going to Jerusalem for the harvests at Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles but not Pentecost (John 2:23; 5:1; 7; Luke 2:41–43). Conversely, Scripture mentions Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, going to Jerusalem for Pentecost but not the other harvests (Acts 20:1–6). Jesus’ nonappearance at Pentecost may foreshadow His appearing only in the clouds at this festival’s fulfillment. Similarly, Paul’s attendance at Pentecost may point to the Church being in heavenly Jerusalem on this day.

20. THE SHORT AND ABRUPT HARVEST FESTIVAL

The first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, both last for seven days (Leviticus 23). In contrast, Pentecost is a one-day harvest festival, comparatively short and abrupt like the Rapture of the Church.

21. THE FESTIVAL WITH NO SET DATE

Pentecost is the only harvest festival with no assigned date in Scripture; it is instead calculated by counting seven weeks from the “day after the Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15). That Pentecost has no assigned date means “no one knows the day” (Matthew 24:36).

22. AN HOUR WE THINK NOT

Jesus tells His followers that He is coming at an hour they “think not” (Matthew 24:44). Because there is disagreement around which Sabbath to count the seven weeks from, the correct date of Pentecost is in question. It is thus possible that God’s true Pentecost is on a day most would “think not.”

23. THE FESTIVAL OF GOD’S TRUMP

The first time God’s trumpet was sounded was on Pentecost, when He descended in a cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). If the model holds, the next time God’s trumpet is sounded, at the Rapture, may be on Pentecost as well.

24. PETER PROCLAIMS THE DAY OF THE LORD ON PENTECOST

On the Church’s first Pentecost, Peter stood up and quoted a prophecy from Joel:

”Then Peter stood up … raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you… this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people …. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord’” (Acts 2).

It makes sense that Peter would quote the part of Joel about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as this is what was occurring that day. However, the question arises: why would Peter, at that time, quote the part of Joel about the coming Day of the Lord? Peter’s quoting of a prophecy about the onset of the Day of the Lord on Pentecost suggests the two are connected.

25. JUDGMNET DAY FOR TREES

In Judaism, it is taught that Pentecost (Shavuot) is when fruit trees are judged. In Scripture, fruit trees represent people (Psalm 1:3). The trees that do not produce “good fruit” by way of a relationship with Jesus are “cut down” and thrown into the “fire” of Tribulation (Matthew 3:10–12; 7:17–23; 25:11–13).

26. ANCIENT SCRIPTURE READINGS

Since ancient times, the Jewish scripture readings associated with Pentecost describe the Lord judging the earth (Ezekiel 1:1–28; 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20–3:19). If Pentecost is mainly about the giving of the Commandments or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as commonly taught, why do the passages read on this day depict the Lord coming in judgment?

27. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING SUMMER

Pentecost is the harvest festival that occurs in late spring, just before summer begins. In Matthew 24, summer is a metaphor for the end of the age (Matthew 24:32).

Moreover, in the Old Testament, summer is when . . .

• The “godly people” are said to have “vanished” from the earth (Micah 7:1, 2 NLT).

• The Jews lament not being saved at the harvest (Jeremiah 8:20).

• Israel is deemed ripe for judgment (Amos 8:1, 2).

28. THE TIME OF RIPENING FIGS

Pentecost, occurring in late spring, is when early figs ripen. With this in mind, it is interesting to note that . . .

• Figs represent Jews (Amos 8:1, 2).

• Figs that ripen early are said to be very good, or desirable (Hosea 9:10).

• Early ripe figs, because they are desirable, are quickly “snatched up” (Isaiah 28:4 NLT).

Could the figs that ripen early, around Pentecost, be symbolic of believing Jews “snatched up” at the Rapture?

29. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING THE GRAPE HARVEST

In Scripture, the harvesting and crushing of grapes symbolizes the judgment of nonbelievers at the Day of the Lord (Revelation 14:14–20). In ancient Israel, grapes were the first major crop to ripen after Pentecost.

30. THE FESTIVAL OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Pentecost marks the beginning of new dispensations in Scripture, namely the Age of Law and the Church Age (Exodus 19; Acts 2). If the pattern holds, Pentecost may mark the beginning of the next dispensation, the Day of the Lord.

With the above summary in view, it is fair to say that Pentecost, better than any other festival, embodies the types and themes of the Rapture: harvest, fullness, completion, redemption, resurrection, a wedding, a gathering, a new beginning, an unknown date, and the sounding of God’s trumpet.

The fundamental theme of Pentecost is, again, the harvest. There are three main harvest festivals and three main resurrections in God’s plan of redemption, suggestive of the following scenario:

• Unleavened Bread (First Coming)

• Pentecost (Rapture)

• Tabernacles (Second Coming)

Pentecost clearly foreshadows the harvest of the Church. What is less clear is whether the harvest will occur on the day marked Pentecost on our calendars.

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A DAY NO ONE KNOWS

While the preliminary fulfillment of Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit, occurred on the day the festival was observed by the early Church (Acts 2), one cannot be as certain about the ultimate fulfillment, the Rapture, as the day of this event is said to be unknown (Matthew 24:36). That the day is unknown is why Jesus implores us to “keep watch” and not assume He is delaying if He fails to appear at an expected time (Matthew 24:42–51; 25:1–13).

Paul emphasizes that the day is unknown in a letter to the Church at Thessalonica:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2).

According to Paul, there is no need to discuss dates because it is already understood that Jesus is coming like a thief. Question: on which day does a thief show up? Answer: no one knows. One might know generally when a thief may show up—e.g., late at night or when nobody is home. However, to try and pinpoint the day or hour would seem futile. So if our reading of 1 Thessalonians is correct, the Lord could appear on a day not expected.

To reconcile the notion of an unexpected day with an appointed time such as Pentecost, I have considered two possible scenarios.

The first possibility is that Pentecost, the harvest festival with no fixed date, is not about a date at all but rather points symbolically to a time of fullness or ripeness. Recall that Pentecost is the 50th day, and the number 50 symbolizes fullness or completion. In this scenario, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost represents the planting of a ‘field,’ the Church-field, which has been growing and maturing for almost 2,000 years. No one knows when exactly the last believer will be sealed by the Holy Spirit and the Church-field deemed ripe for harvest in accordance with God’s timetable.

The other scenario I have considered to reconcile an unexpected day with an appointed time is that the Rapture will indeed occur at Pentecost. However, due to confusion around the correct reckoning of the festival, the day marked Pentecost on our calendars may not represent God’s true Pentecost.

For the above reasons, it is wise to think of Pentecost as a ‘season,’ rather than a mere 24-hour period.

Better yet, be ready always!

Jesus is coming soon.

. . .

*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:13). Do it today. Time is running out.

For PDF of post, click on the link below.

https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-35306783/documents/afcd3014bc7d43b3aa7d11e4b89e264a/Pentecost%20and%20the%20Rapture%20rev%20a.pdf?fbclid=IwAR17pgspJCBAFvTdRtIEZHYtvcWRdqMNLcn__z7RXWGnUAZpvGl2b8yAxsg

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Jubilee, Part 5, Humanity Falls

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Jubilee, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2021 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:23 The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.

God transfers authority and possession according to His own choice. He owns everything. The point of the post is to see how God transfers authority in leadership over the earth.

Please do not make assumptions in doctrine regarding marriage based on these verses. Marriage is a discussion for another day…Hint, both parties submit to Christ (Ephesians 5).

Jeremiah 27:5 By My great strength and outstretched arm, I made the earth, and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/11/15/jubilee-part-4-return-to-your-land/

In the beginning, God gave authority over the earth and everything in it to humanity. Notice authority was granted to both the man and woman equally. Authority was not given specifically to the man. See the two verses below in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

There are two verbs of interest in the verses above. They are “rule” and “subdue”.

The Hebrew word for “rule” is radah. It is used as a simple action verb and radah means: to have dominion, rule, or subjugate. The verb does not necessarily imply harshness or utilizing an iron fist. There are examples where God instructs the use of temperament and respect. 

Leviticus 25:43 ‘You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.

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The Hebrew word for “subdue” is kabash. It is used as a simple action verb and kabash means: to bring into bondage, enslave, make subservient; to subdue, force, violate; or dominate, tread down. In other words, use force if necessary. Kabash is used in the context of conquering the land in the book of Joshua and the military victories of King David. -Definitions per Strong’s Concordance

The leadership structure radically changed with the original sin in the Garden of Eden. Originally, God transferred authority of the earth to the man and woman equally, humanity. A consequence of the fall in Eden is God redefined the dynamic of the relationship between the man and the woman. The woman lost her position as co-ruler with the man.

Genesis 3:16b To the woman He said… “Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

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Notice God’s comments to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:7 “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

There is no mention of “rule” and “subdue” anywhere in Genesis 9. Humanity’s authority over the earth is lost for now.

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With the fall, humanity lost authority over the earth. As of now, look who is in charge. 

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 

Currently, God has transferred authority over the earth to Satan.

In the beginning, humanity’s co-rulers (Adam and Eve) failed to rule and subdue the earth. Leadership structure and order were radically changed.

In the end, humanity’s co-rulers (Jesus and His bride the church) will succeed, fulfill, and restore God’s promise in the Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us…

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Clothed Better Than a Lily… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , on June 15, 2021 by paulthepoke

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:27-33)

Wikipedia

Our amazing and glorious Father in heaven made this beautiful Lily to demonstrate how He clothed us, His children, even more in His own glory the moment He placed Christ in us (the hope of glory) and then activated Him to shine on us as radiating light coming out of us and lighting up the entire realm that He has assigned to each of us to live and operate in on this earth.

“Wake up O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” (Ephesians 5:14)

“Awake My glory! Awake psaltery and harp! I will awaken the dawn!” (Psalm 57:8)

It’s not enough to only have Christ in us, a hope of glory, but He is also meant to shine on us! He is our Lord of glory! He is our eternal clothing. We wear Him!

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14)

Put on the wedding garment of Christ! (Matthew 22:11-12)

Joseph’s coat of many colors (Genesis 37:31-33)

The garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3)

The robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)

The wedding garment of Christ (Matthew 22-11-12)

The armor of light (Romans 13:12)

The light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16)

Put on Christ (Romans 13:14)

These and many more images all mean the same thing: The active state of the Father’s glory shining on us! This is what God is doing in the earth right now—helping the Bride put on her wedding garment, which is made of the same Material (glory) that the Bridegoom’s wedding garment is made of (Jesus is the head and we are His body—one in Him, undivided). We are seated in Him in heavenly places right now already reconciled to the Father and already glorified—past tense (Romans 8:29-30).

All throughout the Bible our Father has given us images of the clothing He created for us to wear since the moment He first thought of us! And this clothing is far more beautiful and perfect than all of His lilies in the field! Jesus said even Solomon, an old covenant king wasn’t arrayed as one of these lilies!

We are new covenant children of God! The new covenant is a better covenant based on better promises. And the clothing that we wear is the Father Himself. The material is like nothing we have ever seen before because it is His very own glory! Christ in us, the hope of glory, and Christ on us, we wear that glory!

In the old covenant, saints could only have God’s glory on them but not in them permanently.

In the new covenant that Jesus died and rose and ascended to the right hand of the Father to give us, we have God’s glory in us AND on us! Transformed from the inside out into light-bearers!

We are “guardians of His glory” as a good friend of mine so eloquently put it. We are carriers of Father’s glory! Literally nothing can touch God’s anointed! We walk into a dark room or atmosphere and immediately demons run without effort on our part. Because they see Christ!

The same glory that Jesus received and had with the Father before the world was, He gave to us! (John 17:5,22-23) Wow just think of the implications of who we actually are!

The same glory that instantly killed Uzzah for touching it illegally is the same glory that Jesus placed within every believer who calls on His name (and yet we don’t die!) and invites into his-her life as Lord and Savior! This is how pure and holy and sanctified and justified and glorified we the church actually are!

When we truly know who we are in Christ, all of that becomes a living reality. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ at the right hand of the Father now, not someday after we all die. Right now as we live!

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The Bread of Life and Marriage… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , , , on April 22, 2020 by paulthepoke

It takes both a negative and positive battery cable to jump start an engine with a dead battery. Most Christians only have the negative side hooked up, Christ in them—the hope of glory. Christ in them is the dying of Christ that puts to death the old nature. Yet even that doesn’t work until the positive side is hooked up that brings to life the new nature. The negative side is Christ in us. He is our hope of glory. The positive side is us in Christ. He is our Lord of glory. The glory of the Father raised Jesus from the dead. The same glory raised us too.

We eat that same bread of life when we take communion. Jesus is our peace offering and He is both kinds of bread. He’s the unleavened bread that puts to death the old nature and He’s the leavened bread that brings to life the new nature. But we can’t stop at the resurrection. We must have the image and revelation that we are seated in Christ and in the Father now.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman takes and works into 3 measures of flour until it forms into dough. What happens to dough when it has good active yeast in it? It rises! It multiplies! It makes a few fish and a few loaves of bread feed 5,000+ people on a hillside. It turns water to wine. The yeast of the Father’s glory raised the Bread of Life.

We are His disciples, following Him, being transformed into the image of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. From glory level to glory level we are transfigured into glory until we are wearing the full wedding garment of Christ which is life and immortality that came to light through the Gospel. We wear always eternal life, Zoe life, and the “never die”, the “cannot be corrupted”, the “deathless”.

The Bible says the Father created us for glory and honor. Psalm 91 and all through the old and new testaments are images of this wedding garment of Christ which is the activated state of the Father’s glory that we are to “live in”. From the beginning God created us for glory, to be in the image of his glory. The wedding garment of Christ, Joseph’s coat of many colors, the robe of righteousness, the armor of light, the garment of praise, and many more images are all the same thing! It’s the activated state of the Father’s glory that He has always wanted us to live in permanently! These are his real sons!

The evidence that we have on the wedding garment of Christ is perfect peace, perfect love, joy unspeakable existing in our lives; it is especially evident in storms. His glory is that “in Christ” position that all true disciples have. A believer is to wedding as a disciple is to marriage. We don’t get to date Christ off and on when He’s convenient.

Being a disciple is living in the activated state of the Father’s glory “in Christ” all the time, following Him, receiving revelation, being transformed into His image of glory, and releasing God’s glory in the earth realm where He transforms every dark condition into light. The Father takes over every realm on earth. His glory fills the earth through us! Sickness, disease, corona virus, deformities, sin, corruptness, are all meant for His glory and it all disappears as we release His glory! It’s replaced by health, life forevermore, immortality, obedience, perfect peace, perfect love, tremendous joy, etc.

There are many ways we can release His glory. Speaking the words we hear the Holy Spirit speak. Doing the works we see the Holy Spirit do. Declaring the revealed (Rhema) Word. Praise. Worshiping the Father in Spirit and in truth. Taking communion. Praying in the Spirit are some of the ways. All of these things also increase more of His power and authority in our lives. They increase and expand the realm on earth that the Father has given us to operate in. It’s our sandbox. He widens the tent pegs of our realms where we are kings and priests in His temple. Each widening is a promotion in glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Revelation 3:20 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have to start realizing who we are. ❤️

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Dear Bride of Christ: Resurrection… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Resurrection, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , on March 11, 2020 by paulthepoke

rodnalightJesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (Resurrection Christian—he dies and lives again). And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die (Living Christian—he lives and never dies). Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

Are you a Resurrection Christian who dies and lives again? Or are you a living Christian who lives and never dies?

jesus resurrection“Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will 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 has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-55

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
∞∞∞
All those who are in Christ are in the activated state of the Father’s glory. That’s what “in Christ” means. From this perfect position in the Father, who is the perfect one in us, the Bride is also made perfect. She is transformed (transfigured) into the image of the glory of her Lord Jesus Christ. All of these images (and more) throughout the Bible are the same thing—the activated state of the Father’s glory:

In Christ
• Put on Christ
• Put on the armor of light
• Put on the robe of righteousness
• Put on the garment of praise
• Put on the wedding garment
• Put on the coat of many colors
• Put on immortality

Expect the activated state of the Father’s glory in you and on you because Jesus restored us to the Father in Himself NOW… not some day after we die.

Christ is in us—the hope of glory. We all believe that. But how many people know we also must step into Christ—where He is our Lord of glory? We do that simply by knowing Jesus went to be with the Father. We now have access to greater works. Christ (the activated state of the Father’s glory) is in us and we are in Christ. We have the “shine on”! We are the light of the world as Jesus said we are. From the position of the Father we have access to “greater works”. Our minds are transformed from this position.

Without knowing this we don’t grow very quickly at all. We still act like the world because we aren’t connected to the transforming power of Christ which puts to death the old nature and brings to life the new.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

Well whoever is born of the Spirit DOES know where the wind comes from and where it’s going. It comes from the Father of glory and it goes back to the Father of glory! So does everyone born of the Spirit!

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” – John 10:9

In and out of what? In and out of the Father’s Presence as we release His glory in the earth realm through our words and works we say and do that match the Father’s! Technically we speak and do what the Holy Spirit says and does, because the Holy Spirit declares to us all that Jesus has and all that Jesus has is everything the Father has, because the Father gave everything He has (which is Himself and all things possible, including the resurrection and the life) to Jesus, the Son of His love. But the Father loves us in the very same way He loves Jesus (John 17:23). Now we’re all sons of His love, and “it’s time to wake up” and “shine”!

Blessings to you Bride of Christ. Come out of darkness and into His glorious light…the Father and Jesus love you as ONE and there is absolutely no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

(“It’s Time to Wake Up” is a prophetic command phrase given to Larry Thompson by the Holy Spirit to wake up the body of Christ. I borrowed it. The Holy Spirit gave me the command “Shine!” along with a vision that prompted this writing.)

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Dear Bride of Christ: It’s Time to Wake Up! And Shine! -Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , on February 26, 2020 by paulthepoke

wake upDear Bride of Christ:

It’s Time to Wake Up! and Shine!

“Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:14
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“Wake up My glory! Wake up psaltery and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” – Psalm 57:8
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“Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48

The perfect one is the Father.
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“When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:10

The perfect one is the Father.
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“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…We love Him because He first loved us.” –1 John 4:18-20

The perfect one is the Father.
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You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. – Isaiah 26:3

The perfect one is the Father.
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“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” – John 17:5, 22-23

Jesus gave us the same glory He had with the Father before the world was. Wow!
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“As Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” – Ephesians 5:25b-27

Right now, the bride/church is old and wrinkly with lots of blemishes, still struggling with sin, and still dying off. She’s in covenant relationship so she will live again someday. But if she wakes up NOW instead of someday, Christ shines on her and she is able to put on immortality just as easily as she puts on her wedding garment.
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“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (transfigured) into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

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The word transformed in the Greek is Strong’s 3339 metamorphoō, which is the same word transfigured found in Jesus’ transfiguration. This is the image we are being transformed into. Notice the glory of the Father present and how Jesus brought two men (Moses and Elijah) from heaven’s realm into earth’s realm momentarily, which is one of the “the powers of the age to come” from Hebrews 6:5.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. – Matthew 17:1-3

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The Feast of Trumpets and the Rapture of The Church

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Fall Feasts, Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2019 by paulthepoke

Featuring Mike Brotherton

Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah begins Sundown September 29 thru Sundown October 1, 2019. It is believed by many to represent the coming of the Groom for His bride. There are other “theories” but I lean toward the Feast of Trumpets.

1. All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming and on the exact day of the feast. All the Fall Feasts picture the second advent. And the Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts picturing the rapture.

2. The Feast of Trumpets is when the “last trump” of the rapture of 1 Corinthians 15 is blown. 99 short blasts are blown. Then there is one long final blast known as the “last trump”. 1 Corinthians 15:52 …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 shall be changed.

3. The Feast of Trumpets is known as the Wedding of the Messiah. The Church is the Bride of Christ. The rapture is when the Church is caught up to Heaven to be wed with Christ.

4. The Feast of Trumpets happens on a “new moon”, which is 29.5 days after the last one. This means it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knows for sure. “Of that day or hour no man knows” is an expression referring to this feast, and thus, the rapture.

5. “Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only” is an expression used by a Jewish groom when asked when his wedding will be. He says this because it is his Father that will tell him when his preparations on the bridal chamber are completed and it is time. Again, the wedding pictures the rapture.

6. The “Open Door” of the rapture in Matthew 25, Revelation 3, & Revelation 4:1 is a symbol of the Feast of Trumpets. Ezekiel 46:1 “Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.

7. We are told that the new moon and the Feasts of the Lord are a shadow of things to come in Colossians 2:16,17. Since the Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a new moon, we should take particular note. Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

8. There are 10 Days of Awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. These picture the years of tribulation. (I believe there will be 10 years of tribulation. Although not all are included in the 7 years thought to be THE TRIBULATION. The seal judgments are not part of what is referred to as the tribulation period. They are pre Daniel’s 70th week.)

Atonement pictures Satan being defeated and cast away at the end of tribulation. If you add the two day Trumpet’s feast, and the Day of Atonement, the 7 Days of Awe are “ten days of tribulation” which might be referred to in Revelation 2:10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

9. In the Jewish Wedding, a marriage takes place over a period of time known as the “bridal week”. During the bridal week, the groom and bride have sex in the bridal chamber. At the end of the week, there is a marriage supper. Compare Judges 14, Revelation 19, and Genesis 29:22-28. This bridal week will be the tribulation week on Earth, while the bride of Christ is in Heaven.

10. The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the Coronation of the Messiah. Then He will start reigning as king, thus the beginning of the “Day of the Lord”, which includes the tribulation.

11. In the Jewish Wedding, the groom is at his Father’s house.

12. It is also time for the Bema judgment, or the judgment of the works of the righteous, and judgment must begin at the house of the Lord.

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Rapture of the Church, When, Part 3

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 27, 2014 by paulthepoke

The church is told consistently in the New Testament it is not appointed for wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 …and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

Jesus Himself said the Gates of Hell will not have victory of the Church. Matthew 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. But, Hell will have victory over the Tribulation saints. Revelation 13:7 It was also given to him (Antichrist/Beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. This group of believers in Revelation 13 is not the church. The church is already in Heaven in Revelation 4. I have no doubt there will be an “OH $#!T” moment for those left behind when the rapture occurs. A lot of people will come to believe in God and His word at this event. I take it these are the tribulation saints and believers in Revelation 13.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The group of people being addressed in this letter is believers in Christ in the church. Believers are not destined for wrath as compared to the group of people who are not believers. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. Nonbelievers are subjected to destruction. There is no escape.

Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Greek word for condemnation is katakrima (a damnatory sentence per Strong’s Concordance). The letter is written to the church, the body of Christ, in Rome.

God has a history of removing His people before executing judgment.

The first global judgment of the flood provides a pattern. God announces judgment is coming to all. Enoch was removed from the earth before the flood (Genesis 5). The world was judged. God’s chosen people were preserved in Noah’s ark.

Approximately 13% of the Bible talks about the seven year tribulation. The rapture of the church removes believers in Christ from judgment. The world is judged in seven years. God preserves His chosen people Israel.

Lot and his daughters were removed from Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction. God made it clear to Abraham He would not destroy the two cities if even one righteous person was there (Genesis 18-19). God cannot change His character. He would not execute judgment on a world with one righteous, believing person. But with the rapture, righteous people have been removed. The path has been cleared and He would not violate His principle.

Jesus has already died for sin once and for all. Did He not do a complete job on the cross? As believers in Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. The church is covered by God (Father, Son, and Spirit). 1 John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

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Rapture of the Bride of Christ, When, Part 2

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah, Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2014 by paulthepoke

When looking at the course of an Ancient Jewish wedding, Jesus is following cultural custom. A Jewish man has to make an offer to purchase or buy his bride to be. Jesus has met this obligation with Acts 28:20b …to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Gifts are usually offered from the groom to the bride. In the case of the church, we receive the gift of eternal life from the groom. Romans 6:23b …but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The marriage involved the drawing up and the acceptance of a legal contract called a ketubah. During the betrothal or the promise of the coming marriage, it is the groom’s duty to prepare a home for his pending bride. John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” According to Jewish custom, the Father of the groom decides when the house is ready. The Father sets the wedding date. He tells his son when it is time to go get his bride. A Jewish groom goes and gets his bride, an event of a Jewish wedding ceremony. The rapture of the church is when Jesus comes and takes His bride. Ephesians 5:22-33 Draws parallels between Christ (husband) and the church (bride/wife). Jesus’ relationship to the church is as a husband is to a wife. Specifically, Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

There is more to the wedding in regards to bride’s response and the ceremony itself. The context and focus are how the rapture fits into the wedding. Jewish cultural information provided by The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, God’s Final Jubilee by Dan Goodwin, Our Father Abraham Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson, The Truth Behind Left Behind by Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice.

Jesus is speaking in Revelation 3:10 and states “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” It is members of the church who receive crowns. We give them back to Jesus. The crowns are on the heads of the elders. They are wearing white, purified and cleansed robes in Heaven (not on Earth) in Revelation 4 before start of the tribulation. Later in Chapter 4 of Revelation, the crowns are thrown before the throne in Heaven, not on Earth. These events take place in Heaven before the Tribulation. How did the church get into Heaven before the Tribulation? Rapture. All hell breaks loose on Earth with the Tribulation starting in Revelation 6. The church is absent in the Revelation 6-18 text during all of the destruction on Earth.

Jesus is taking His bride out of harm’s way. The church is safe in Heaven’s bridal chamber preparing for a wedding. Isaiah 26:20-21 Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course. For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer cover her slain. The previous context of these verses in Isaiah is the resurrection of the dead…

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

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Rapture Part 2, Enoch

Posted in Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2014 by paulthepoke

To the critic who says, “There is no such thing as a ‘rapture’.” Sorry, that is incorrect. For the very first ‘rapture’, go all the way back to the Book of Genesis. This event takes place before the flood of Noah. Genesis 5:21- 24 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Becoming a father clearly resulted in a changed attitude for Enoch. At that point, the Hebrew grammar suggests Enoch responded to God and “walked with Him”. The name Enoch means “dedicate” per Strong’s Concordance. Enoch dedicated himself to God. Jewish tradition states Enoch was a preacher.

The meaning of the name of Methuselah is a bit of a mystery. Here are a couple of possibilities. One is “man of the dart” per Strong’s Concordance. A second is “when he is dead it shall be sent” per Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names. The issue is the root of the name. Is it “mut” (death) or “mat” (man) in the original Hebrew?

Did Enoch know judgment was coming from God? Something caused Enoch to rethink his attitude. The ages of the people documented in Genesis as time points would suggest the flood began when Methuselah died. Methuselah lived the longest of any man, 969 years (Genesis 5:27). God allowed the greatest amount of time for humanity to repent of their actions before judgment came. But, when the time came He acted swiftly and decisively with a global flood.

Note, Enoch was not around during the course of the flood. He was taken off of the earth before the world wide judgment of God came. He was spared and did not have to go through the tribulation of that time.

… for God took him. The meaning of “took” in Hebrew is “laqach”. Strong’s Concordance defines the word as: to take, take in the hand, carry along, carry away, take away, or to fetch.

Another definition is to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, or accept. The concept of taking in marriage is noted in the Hebrew Old Testament word “laqach” and the Greek New Testament word “harpazo”. Language of a marriage is noted with Christ and His bride the Church throughout the New Testament. Terms for rapture in the Old Testament and the New Testament center around marriage and a groom taking or snatching his bride.

Enoch was not a Jew or citizen of the country Israel. Nations were not in existence before the flood. Is Enoch a type or foreshadowing of the rapture of the bride of Christ, the church? Is there a group of people who will be taken away before a worldwide judgment of God?

Some may say Enoch is just an Old Testament story and fable. The story of Genesis is confirmed in Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

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