AMERICA THE VINEYARD 2: THE KEPLER STAR SUPERNOVA AND THE PROPHETIC BIRTH OF AMERICA

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Genesis 1:14). 

In 1604, a new star appeared in the night sky that was much brighter than Jupiter and dimmed over several weeks. The event was witnessed by sky watchers including the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler. Centuries later, the debris from this exploded star is known as the Kepler Supernova Remnant. The year, grouping of specific planets involved and the constellation of its occurrence suggests a Providential announcement in the heavens that the beginning stages of the ultimate fulfillment Jesus’ prophecy of the vineyard had begun. That prophecy would prove to be the birth of the greatest and most influential nation the world would ever see. A nation that would be instrumental in declaring to the world not only the Gospel message of salvation through Christ, but also would bear the distinction of being a nation that would announce to the world his coming again. A nation that, in and of itself, would be a decisive marker in time that would prove to be a key piece of the prophetic puzzle signalling the beginning of the end of the Church Age.

In a previous article, it was established that in Matthew 21, Jesus gives a very interesting prophecy to those living at that time (specifically the chief priests and the elders of the people of Israel) that the kingdom is going to be taken from them (national Israel) and given to another nation whose sole purpose it is to produce the fruits of the vineyard for the kingdom of God, something that ancient Israel was tasked with doing, but failed to do in their rejection of him (Christ). In the article, the case is convincingly made (in my opinion) that America is either the direct fulfillment of that prophecy, or is strongly connected to it. In fact, I would recommend reading that article first in order to get a better feel and flow for this article as I see this article as a continuing tapestry of the previous. If you have already read it, then good. You will get a good feel of the flow of this one. The link to that article is below.

AMERICA THE VINEYARD: A PROPHETIC FOUR DIMENSIONAL TRIP THROUGH THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES

To recap from that article, let’s first take a look at the prophecy that Jesus gave …

“Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:33-43).

The apostle Peter’s words tell us that the church is “a holy nation” and a “royal priesthood” …

“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light …” (1 Peter 2:7-9).

Some would contend, based on 1 Peter 2:7-9, that the church generally speaking is this nation. Indeed, this is correct in the context of what Peter was speaking about. However, due to the particular word used in Jesus’ particular prophecy of the word “nation,’ it becomes highly credible that he was not referring to the body of the true church of born again believers in this dispensation of the church age per se, but to a specific group, nation or race of people. There are several uses of this Greek word “nation.”  One is “genos,” which means “a race” or “kind.”  The second word or use of nation in Greek is allophulos, which means “another tribe” “foreign or of another race.”  The use of this word can be found in Acts 10:28.  But the third and most common word in the New Testament for nation is “ethnos,” meaning a nation or people.  This is the particular rendering of the word “nation” that Jesus used in his prophecy of the vineyard in Matthew 21 when he dramatically stated that he would take the kingdom of God, or vineyard, from Israel and give it to another nation.

It becomes quite obvious within that mandate of Jesus that this nation that God is going to raise up will have the vineyard leased out to them after being taken from national Israel. Further, this nation that possesses the vineyard will have the distinct prophetic purpose within that prophecy to spread forth the Gospel message of Christ to the nations of the Earth, or to “produce the fruits of the kingdom.” As can be historically and evidently observed, this has always been America’s purpose and thus the reason why God has blessed this nation unlike any other in human history. You might say that God saved the best vehicle for the propagation of the Gospel for last. It is the nation that is meant to close out the Church Age with the final great push of the Gospel message across the face of the Earth to the nations of the world. In fact, the vineyard theme figures into America’s history very prominently.

With the vineyard America theme established in the previous article and in this one by way of a rough-sketch review, it is quite fascinating and informative to learn that a spectacular heavenly sign occurred in the heavens on October 1, 1604, that further solidifies this most important prophecy given by Jesus in Matthew 21. On this particular year, a unique massing of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn took place in the constellation Ophiuchus. It is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. It’s name is from the Greek Ὀφιοῦχος “serpent-bearer,” and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens.

Constellation Ophiuchus represents the seed of the woman we read about in Genesis 3:15. This “seed of the woman” is an astounding prophecy of Jesus Christ himself who will defeat the enemy Satan …

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

This passage points to the promise of Jesus’ birth, His redemption, and His victory over Satan. The woman’s offspring is Jesus. Being virgin-born, He is literally the offspring of a woman (Matthew 1:25; Galatians 4:4; Isaiah 7:14). Being the Son of Man, He is the perfect representative of humankind. The devil’s offspring were the evil men and demonic forces who, like a snake, lay in wait for the Savior and struck at Him. Their venomous conspiracy condemned Jesus to be crucified.

But the serpent’s strike did not spell the end of the offspring of the woman. Jesus rose the third day, breaking the power of death and winning the ultimate victory. With the cross, Jesus “crushed” the devil’s head, defeating him forever. So, in Genesis 3:15, the crushing of the serpent’s head was a picture of Jesus’ triumph over sin and Satan at the cross (John 12:31). The striking of the Messiah’s heel was a picture of the wounding and death of Jesus on the cross. Satan bruised Jesus’ “heel,” but Jesus showed complete dominance over Satan by bruising his “head.”

Satan, although still active in this world, is a defeated foe. His doom has already been declared from the very beginning and will finally be put down in the future as we see in Revelation 20 …

“And the devil that deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10).

Until that time, there remains enmity between Satan and the body of Christ (all those born-again in him (see the section at the end of this article titled “THE RAPTURE AND YOUR ESCAPE: THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND YOU” The protoevangelium shows us that God always had the plan of salvation in mind and informed us of His plan as soon as sin entered the world. Satan formulated a plan involving the serpent in Eden, but God was way ahead of him, having already ordained the Serpent-crusher. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s mission. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the Satan’s work (1 John 3:8).

This particular constellation proves to be a very interesting place for this particular conjunction of planets to occur since constellation Ophiuchus depicts spiritual warfare in the heavens, in the earth or even both. It is a warfare depicted between Jesus Christ and Satan. Hearkening back to Genesis 1:14 wherein it is declared that the lights and the various planets and objects in the heavens are not only to divide the day from night, but also for “signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years …” the planet Jupiter represents the Almighty God, the biggest and boldest planet in the Solar System.  It symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as Almighty God, the highest, sovereign authority over all Creation. He was called “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6), “Most High over all the Earth” (Psalm 97:9) and “the blessed and only Sovereign” (1 Timothy 6:15). The planet is also a portrait of the resurrected Christ as the victor over Satan. When Christ arose from the grave with a resurrection body, he won the angelic conflict. This narrative becomes all the more interesting when you observe the peculiar great red spot that can be seen on the planet.  Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of the natural wonders of our solar system—a storm both instantly recognizable and still mysterious. In 2017, scientists announced new insights into the storm from data collected by the Juno spacecraft now in orbit around the gas giant.

Spanning over 10,000 miles across, the storm is roughly 1.3 times the diameter of the Earth. And now, using data collected during a close flyby in July of the same year, it was discovered that the spot’s storm stretches 200 miles deep.

With the fact that planet Jupiter represents Christ firmly established in the Christian narrative, the Great Red Storm seems to depict and symbolize Christ’s side wound, the place where the Roman soldier’s spear pierced his side, causing the flow of blood from the wound as he hung upon the cross during his crucifixion …

“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34).

This wound can be seen in the water and blood stain on the dorsal section of Jesus’ image imprinted on his burial cloth (see images below).

One will also notice the obvious stripe patterns seen on the planet that symbolize the stripes that Jesus suffered during his crucifixion …

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

The planet also symbolizes the subsequent promotion the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection to “King of kings” and “Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). The planet Saturn is strongly associated with Lucifer, or Satan. The fact that this particular planetary alignment occurred in 1604 is rather telling and peculiar considering that it was the defining year in which the way was paved and secured for the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia three years later in what would become the beginning stages of the development of the vineyard.

During the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604, Spanish officials tracked English activities in North America through an effective spy network. England’s failure to plant a settlement on the Outer Banks in the 1580’s was no secret, nor was England’s continued interest in creating a base in the Western Hemisphere after defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The first English attempts to colonize North America did not occur until Protestants took full control under Queen Elizabeth and the English/Spanish alliance fell apart. English efforts to plant a colony in the 1580’s failed. In the 1590’s, English investors chose to pursue other opportunities and did not repeat Sir Walter Raleigh’s efforts to create a permanent settlement in North America.

After James I and Philip III agreed to the 1604 Treaty of London, Spanish leaders avoided direct military confrontation with England in the New World. Spain had an ambassador in London again and could track English plans for renewing colonization, but chose not to renew the war by an attack.

That 1604 treaty opened the way for English colonies in North America, at least as the English interpreted it. The treaty was not crystal clear, and instructions to the Jamestown colonists warned that an attack by the Spanish on the new colony was to be expected. Conflict with France and the Dutch revolt for independence also occupied Spanish King Philip III. The same year in which Jamestown was settled, the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.

It seems that this pivotal year of 1604 that marked the solidification of the plan to form the American colonies was declared in a depiction of a peculiar planetary alignment in the heavens – an alignment that depicted a struggle between the plan of God through Jesus to form a gospel declaring nation and the opposition of the enemy (Satan) to this plan. This planetary depiction of the struggle seemed to have been playing out on the earth as the opposing forces of Spain were resisting the nation that would be responsible for developing the world’s future gospel declaring nation. As the struggle played out in the physical natural world, it seems the battle between Satanic forces and God’s forces were also being waged in the heavens as depicted in this planetary alignment. We know that these kinds of spiritual battles take place in the heavens when major world-changing events of importance are taking place or getting ready to take place. We see this narrative played out in the book of Daniel as a good example.

The prophet Daniel had received a troubling vision concerning a great war (Daniel 10:1). He went into a three-week period of mourning, fasting, and prayer. In response to Daniel’s prayer, God sent a heavenly messenger to explain the vision. However, the messenger was delayed for those same three weeks, as he explains to Daniel …

“But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia” (Daniel 10:13).

Later, the angel speaking to Daniel predicts further fighting …

“Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince” (verses 20–21).

Taking this passage at face value, it seems that the prince of Persia is a fallen angel who in some sense had authority or influence over the physical kingdom of Persia. In Daniel 10, the prophet is praying about the future of his people and their exile in Persia. A heavenly angel is dispatched with the answer, but a demonic “prince of Persia” obstructs the messenger. This action would make sense, as the divine answer involves the overthrow of the Persian Empire. The angelic messenger finally gets some help from the archangel Michael, who is apparently the prince (or one of the princes) of Israel in the angelic realm (Daniel 10:13;21).

Then the angelic messenger says he will face even more spiritual warfare, returning to fight against the prince of Persia. After that, he will face another spiritual enemy, the prince of Greece (Daniel 10:20). We know from history (and as was prophesied in Daniel) that Greece would be the next world power after Persia, and that Greece would dominate Israel for a time. In this passage, three spiritual entities are mentioned in relation to three earthly nations: the prince of Persia, the prince of Greece, and the prince of Israel (Michael). As the New Testament reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). The battle is real. It seems that, as events play out on earth, there is corresponding activity in the spiritual realm.

All that being said and understood, it’s time to introduce another aspect of this planetary alignment. It is quite interesting to note that Jupiter was on one side of constellation Ophiuchus’ foot while Saturn was on the other. Jupiter seemed to have been above Saturn at the foot of this constellation, thus depicting Satan under Jesus’ foot as depicted below.

Yet again, the particular positioning of both planets at a certain section of the constellation, the foot, speaks volumes. It again hearkens back to Genesis 3:15. The fact that this particular planetary alignment should occur at this particular constellation at this particular year (1604) speaks volumes of what was taking place in the heavens at the beginnings of the development of the American colonies, colonies that would begin preaching the true gospel message of Christ, and then later, become a free and independent nation as it officially broke away from Great Britain in 1776.

The Kepler Star Supernova

We now fast forward to October 25, 1604, just 24 days after this planetary alignment occurred. You may have heard of something called “Kepler’s Star.” This star is notorious for going supernova, or exploding, in this particular year. The supernova suddenly appeared in the night sky to those alive during that time. Brighter than all other stars and planets at its peak, it was observed by German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who thought he was looking at a new star. Centuries later, scientists determined that what Kepler saw was actually an exploding star, and they named it Kepler’s supernova. Notice where this explosion occurred. The image below is the same image as the one above, but with an added red arrow pointing to a white dot that represents Kepler’s star and where it exploded. Remarkably, this well-known and famous explosion occurred between Jupiter and Saturn, or shall we say, between Jesus and Satan.

If one were alive in that day and looked up in the night sky in that particular direction toward the constellation Ophiuchus, a constellation depicting Jesus holding the serpent in his hands, they would have seen these two planets with a mysterious new star lodged in between them – those two planets representing Satan and Jesus. But what people were really seeing is an explosion of a star in the heavens as a war between good and evil played out in the heavens as the establishment of the vineyard was decided. It is said that the below scene stayed around and was observable for a full year and a half and was brighter than Jupiter. It was visible to the naked eye during the day for over three weeks (pictured below).

Before it’s explosion, Kepler’s Star was brighter at its peak than any other star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of −2.5.

Below left is an actual picture of the remnant of the Kepler Star supernova, the famous explosion that was discovered by Johannes Kepler in 1604. The red, green and blue colors show low, intermediate and high energy X-rays observed with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the star field is from the Digitized Sky Survey Image released March 18, 2013. Below right is an infrared image of the supernova remnant.

Below left is an optical image of the Keppler star supernova remnant. Below right is an infrared, optical, lo X-ray, and hi X-ray images of the supernova remnant combined.

In 1604, a new star appeared in the night sky that was much brighter than Jupiter and dimmed over several weeks. This event was witnessed by sky watchers including the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler. Centuries later, the debris from this exploded star is known as the Kepler supernova remnant.

In 1604, a new star appeared in the night sky that was much brighter than Jupiter and dimmed over several weeks. This event was witnessed by sky watchers including the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler. Centuries later, the debris from this exploded star is known as the Kepler supernova remnant.

All the peculiarities of the timing and location of both the planetary alignment and the supernova are convincingly God’s providential statement in the heavens of this most important fulfillment of prophecy.  It would seem as if a spiritual battle in the heavens was also taking place at a very crucial point of time for the world, a year that saw the beginning of vineyard America and it’s God-ordained role as the lighthouse of the gospel for the world. Considering God’s purpose and plan for America, it is most certainly understandable, and should come as no surprise, that a spiritual battle seemed to be raging in the heavens and manifested on the earth in the form of a struggle between Spain and Britain. It is quite understandable that Satan would not have wanted the birth and settlement of the American colonies under the English Pilgrims to take place. Satan is no dummy. He knew very well what that meant. It should also come as no surprise that America seems to be a virtual battleground of good and evil today – evil in high places as America is also an instrument being used by the global Luciferian elite and their plans for a New World Order.

What should also be noted at this point is that the year 1604 was also the very year that the King James Bible was commissioned to be written. Although it wasn’t written until 1611, it was commissioned to be written in 1604. Although it is said that the Geneva Bible with it’s extensive marginal annotations explaining Reformed theology was the Bible the Puritans and Pilgrims used during the founding and completion of the Plymouth Rock colony and was their Bible of choice, the King James soon supplanted the Geneva Bible as the translation the colonists looked to for guidance. It would be the text that would exert much influence on the American linguistic and religious culture. Furthermore, it furnished the primary text upon which New England’s Commonwealth would rest. It’s prominent place in private devotion and public discourse ensured it’s place of influence upon the nation thereafter.

There were many events of spiritual and world-changing consequences taking place in this period of time. The powers of the heavens, both good and evil, were certainly shaken in response to what God was about to do.

A short time of a few years later in 1620, the Puritans of England came to the continent and established the Plymouth Colony. As stated in the last article, the establishment of the Plymouth colony was all about religious freedom, but not just any religion. The purpose was about sufficiently completing the necessary work of the Protestant Reformation. The tyranny and persecution of the Church of England was the motivating factor for Plymouth’s establishment. God was on the move to begin creating colonies that would eventually become a free and sovereign nation independent from England that would declare the true gospel of Christ to the world without interference from England. God seemed to have put a huge stamp of his presence on it before the eyes of the entire world with this peculiar planetary alignment in the middle of a constellation that represents Jesus defeat of Satan with a supernova in the middle for a finishing touch. If you’re like me, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the courts of Heaven on that day to hear the conversation between God and Satan and the aligning forces. This was a very heavy spiritual battle. Had this planetary alignment and supernova not occurred in that particular year, then that statement could be debatable. But in light of this most remarkable evidence, there is no debate.

When one stops to consider the spiritual importance of the birth of America, it becomes obvious that the world would have largely descended into a time of spiritual darkness and the physical real-world ills that come with that type of darkness over time. America has been a bright spot of light to the world since it’s inception as colonies ruled by Great Britain. When thinking of the ramifications of spiritual darkness and the physical human misery that comes with it as observed in dark communist places of the world, to say nothing of the middle east, the announcement in the heavens declaring the birth of the United States should put a sense of awe in your mind. We Americans have been a truly blessed people both materially and otherwise. As mentioned in the first part of this series, we can take for an example the liberties that have been enjoyed by Americans that were alien to the rest of the world …

“… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

I think by now the case has been made that God has had his hand on this nation from the very beginning. As an American, it is a most amazing and awe-inspiring spectacle to observe that the birth of the American colonies were announced in the heavens in 1604, a very pivotal year for the beginning stages for the rise of the prophetic vineyard (Matthew 21). It is quite an understatement to say that this event was a world-changing and massively important turn of events for the destiny of the world and the final phase of the gospel message push before the end of the church age. In seeing God’s intention in scripture for the whole world to be able to hear the gospel message of salvation before he returns, it makes complete sense that he would have to raise up a nation that would gain massive power, wealth and influence to be able to carry out that plan. So important was this occurrence that it was announced in the heavens with an obvious and dramatic spectacle.

On this 4th of July as we all watch the fireworks and enjoy the holiday with family and friends, let us be reminded of the massively important and very prophetic meaning of America and the miracle involved in it’s existence. Let us think about the awe-inspiring work that God himself performed in the founding and establishment of this great nation. Let us think about the fact that he announced it in the heavens in 1604 as we watch the “rockets red glare” of the fireworks show celebrate our great nation. Let us be humbled at the thought that we are living in the nation that represents God’s last huge push for the gospel message of Christ to permeate the Earth in the prophetic plan of the ages as we realize that America is a key part of that plan – a plan that began nearing it’s end at the time of the establishment of the American colonies beginning in 1604 and subsequent birth of the Republic years later in 1776 …

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

It is largely the technology development of the United States through the years as well as it’s missionaries that have allowed this prophecy to be fulfilled such as it is. Although Matthew 24:14 is likely part of a prophecy that occurs in the Tribulation period, the technology that will exist when the Tribulation arrives has to exist beforehand and has to have been already developed for this prophecy to occur. There has to already exist a people using those resources of wealth, technology and structure to carry out the act of doing so. That prophecy has been well under way for quite some time now. One might call it the Thanksgiving event before the final Christmas day fulfillment of the holiday season.

In closing, I hope these two articles have given you some much needed insight into the providential founding and purpose of America and it’s ultimate destiny. The main point that I think God would have us understand is that he raised this nation up for a purpose not shared by any other nation given that it is the nation that, peculiarly, not only declares the gospel to the nations of the Earth, but has the distinct function of being the nation that has been declaring the second coming of Christ and the rapture event since it’s inception – more-so, in it’s more recent years. This is no accident. In fact, it should be rather obvious to anyone who looks at the evidence.

To give a summary of the whole matter, it is obvious from the parable of Jesus in Matthew 21 that God predicted the nation of Israel as a whole (national Israel) would reject the Messiah Jesus Christ and that Christ would become the chief cornerstone of what the builders rejected. He predicted that the kingdom would be taken from them and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of the kingdom in their season. If Christ had been speaking of the church in that parable, the particular form of the word “nation” would have been used as it was used in Acts 10:28, which is different to how it was used in 1 Peter 2:7-9.  The implication found in Matthew 21 is that there is a Gentile nation that will be used to produce the fruits of the kingdom – and by the grace of God, we have done exactly that. We do know that Great Britain and England, the nation from which America came forth, began that process. Said accurately, the vineyard was transplanted from the original possessor (Israel) to the new, albeit temporarily. America was made to be a spiritual tabernacle as was shown in the first article of this series. The patterns of the Washington Mall, the map of the Tabernacle of Moses over-layed onto the map of America along with all of the various other patterns and peculiarities leaves no doubt that it cannot be a coincidence. The events in the heavens in 1604 serve to further buttress the point that a major, world-changing event in prophecy was unfolding.

We have had an astounding and great role to play in history according to the prophetic plan. Observably, God’s hand of favor has been upon us. Time is not quite up for us yet, but it is observably coming to a rapid conclusion. In the next installment of this series, we shall explore some recent and most troubling prophetic developments as America has approached the all-important 400 year prophetic cycle found in scripture since its beginnings at the founding of the Plymouth colony. Some of these recent prophetic developments will be in light of a troubling three-part vision that our first President George Washington experienced while preparing a dispatch at Valley Forge during the days for the fight for America’s birth and independence. This vision was well documented in the “Stars and Stripes” military publication and, some say, the first two parts of the vision have come to pass in America’s history. The third is yet to come and is the most fearful of the three.

THE RAPTURE AND YOUR ESCAPE: THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND YOU

The demonstrably divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a coming horrendous seven-year Tribulation period of judgment upon Earth for all of mankind, no matter what your religion, belief or creed is, and even to those who don’t believe anything spiritual at all.  In this approaching time of judgment, it is certain that the signs of it’s approach have been increasing dramatically and will continue to do so.  However, this same divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises an escape from this horrendous time only to a certain category of people …

“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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

 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” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9).

Put simply, an event is coming that will be so stupendous that it strains the mind to contemplate such an event happening.  It is an event that will see millions upon millions of people across the globe suddenly disappear without warning.  The millions of disappeared will have literally ascended into Heaven itself after instantaneously receiving a new glorified body fit for Heaven.  A body that will be able to withstand the atmosphere and glory of Heaven.  This event is known as the “Rapture.”  But the promise of escape is only to those who are “born again” in Christ.  This is why it is crucial to understand what Christ meant when he declared in no uncertain terms that only those who are “born again” in him will enter the Kingdom of God.  For the explanation of this, keep reading below.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).

• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …

• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

The next installment of this series can be read in the link below:
AMERICA THE VINEYARD 3: THE YEAR 2020 AND THE 400 YEAR PROPHETIC CYCLE