Well, here we are, left behind just as I always feared ever since watching as a child, at church, the horror movie called, “A Thief in the Night.” But now it has finally happened. I now wish I had accepted the movie as truth and not propaganda for fear. As I look around, the church / Christians are obviously gone from this earth because all I see is a church that looks nothing like scripture said the church would look like. True Christians, power and authority from on High are nowhere to be seen. The rapture came and went, the church disappeared, and only empty church buildings and parking lots are left. Over and over the rapture was prophesied and dates were given and if you are reading this, you didn’t listen either. I said it wasn’t true, but I was wrong because here I am left behind all because I was unprepared and did not listen to those who heard very specifically from God. I sure wish I had been ready. I now know what they meant by the secret rapture. It was so secret that the world looks exactly the same as it did a few days ago.
Obviously, I am being facetious which means “treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.” Notice I said child, horror and church in the same sentence when it came to that ridiculous and false movie. How wrong is that? I remember many times thinking I was left behind and thought about it for years. There is even a term for it called rapture anxiety. Sadly, many have turned away from God because of this false teaching. The reality is this subject of the rapture is no laughing matter unless you are Stephen Colbert who even joked about the rapture that was prophesied for September 23, 2025. He said “A lot of folks are pretty excited about how the Rapture and end of the world are coming tomorrow. Ooh, tough break Kimmel, So close.” He even quoted scripture and said “Ye shall know neither the day or the hour unless you are some random dude in South Africa.” That random dude was this guy. Before I go on, what you are about to read and not just with the rapture, happens all the time in the church which are the delusions of their own minds. “A South African pastor has said he saw religious visions and predicts the rapture will take place this week, a theory that has been shared widely on social media. "The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not," Joshua Mhlakela said in an interview with the religious YouTube channel CettwinzTV, prompting some followers to prepare for what they believe is the end of days. Mhlakela’s comments have started the trend RaptureTok, prompting stories of people quitting their jobs ahead of his prediction for the return of Jesus Christ "on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025." “He said that he saw "Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, 'I am coming soon,'" listing the dates of September 23 and 24 for his return. In an interview posted on YouTube on June 17, Mhlakela told CettwinzTV that he had seen visions of Jesus Christ returning on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.” I am not sure why he thought he was so special as everyone is told Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus,” but dates are not given.
I heard another failed predictor actually say even though the bible said, Mark 13:32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,” I have figured it out. This was concerning the false Revelation 12 sign prophecy that was supposed to take place on September 23, 2017. This prediction was also during Rash Hashanah / Yom Kippur High Holy Days (September 20-30, 2017). On an astronomy website the writer said this. “One day last fall I was working in my office when my desk phone rang. It was a reader of The Catholic Astronomer, calling me with a question. He asked why the Vatican Observatory blog was full of discussion on black holes or whatnot, when there was something much more momentous to talk about. It turns out that the momentous thing to which my caller was referring was an arrangement of celestial bodies that will occur this year (2017) on September 23. On that date, according to various Internet sources, the heavens themselves will be a tableau of Revelation 12 in the Bible: Must this not be a sign of something momentous, as the Internet sources say? In fact, after researching it, I found that, in only the past 1,000 years, this same arrangement in the sky has happened at least four times, in 1827, 1483, 1293, and 1056.” It turns out the bible was right about no one knowing the date, and this prophet was wrong again. Scripture tells us not only does no one know, and people keep falling for these lies, but not to look to the stars. Deuteronomy 4:19 “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.” I realize these people are not actually worshipping the stars as many do, but they are worshipping the stars in the sense that they are ignoring the word of God and placing what they see in the heavens above God’s word.
These many failed prophecies have done a massive amount of damage to the church. The damage happens even when the many adherents of the demonic rapture teaching don’t give an exact date. They just say it is imminent (about to happen). I think the scary part of all this is that the church really is nowhere to be seen. As I have quoted before, Anne Graham Lotz described the false teaching of the rapture this way. “I believe Jesus is soon to return to take all of His followers to Heaven with Him in what is referred to as the Rapture. While this will be deliverance for His people, can you imagine the impact on our nation, let alone the world, when suddenly every single authentic Christian disappears? Institutions will collapse. Banks will close. The Stock Market will plunge. Planes will fall out of the sky. Cars will crash on the road. Government in America at every level will disintegrate. Families will be torn apart. In the unprecedented turmoil, our nation will be vulnerable for our enemies to seize the moment and attack us. There will be mass chaos, confusion, fear, grief, despair, anger, threats, danger… judgment.” The disappearance of the church has already happened because the church has no impact on the world we live, because there is no power. As I talked about last time, don’t be deceived by what you may have seen at the Charlie Kirk political rally that was supposed to be a memorial service to the glory of Charlie Kirk / God. When you look at the speakers who spoke, most will lie through their teeth for the benefit of their party politics and the power of Trump. John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Donal Trump is a pathological liar. Do you really think that Donald Trump and his administration are the ones to lead the country back to God? I think not! Having said that as Daniel said Daniel 2:21 “He (God) changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.” God used the king of Assyria and the king of Babylon for His own purposes. Isaiah 10:12 “When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.” And the same happened to Babylon. Jeremiah 51:24 “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.” Many have been deceived by christian nationalism. All the God, Jesus, gospel, faith, martyr talk was not the true church as this was a different Jesus and another gospel which means you saw the presence of satan who as we were told, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “will (has) oppose(d) and will (has) exalt(ed) himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he (has set) sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” If you watched this rally in whole or even just the parts that you could stomach, you saw the presence of satan at work with your own eyes and ears.
What you are seeing this week with all the talk about the rapture, is also the presence of satan proclaiming himself to be God. While we did talk about christian nationalism, other false teaching / doctrines of demons cross over as some who claim nationalism is God’s plan, also claim the rapture will happen. We have talked about this before but dispensationalism like many other “isms” are false teachings. Dispensationalism is a theological system that leads to many false teachings including the rapture, tribulation, millennium, cessationism and zionism. These false teachings are just the tip of the ice-burg and are in many different groups of the church. The common denominator in all this is deception from satan and the following of a different Jesus and other gospels. Because of rebellion against God’s word, you also have to add delusion sent from God. False teachers, prophets, preachers, apostles and evangelists are everywhere but they are not doing what God had intended them to do. Picture what you saw at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. You had worship, you had the name of Jesus being lifted up and the appearance of the church was rising up in power, but none of that was true. What was missing was this. Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Instead, what you have is infants being dashed to the ground and sacrificed in the fire. Malachi said, Malachi 2:6 “True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty.” What they are doing is just as Jeremiah described. Jeremiah 14:14 “Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.” Jeremiah 23:25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?”
A different Jesus is lifted high and other gospels are accepted as truth, as are doctrines of demons. What is described in these following verses is happening in the church. Ezekiel 22:28 “Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken.” We saw this with this recent, though not new prophecy of the rapture happening on a certain day. One news source quoted Mhlakela saying, “The Rapture is upon us. Whether you are ready or you are not ready, the Rapture in 14 days from now is going to take place,” Mhlakela said in a video posted in early September. “No human being on this earth is ready for what is coming. I began to hear literally in my ear the sound of the trumpet. (I think it was a Kazoo) The pastor, on the CENTTWINZ TV podcast, to 426,000 subscribers, said he was “a billion percent sure” the Rapture would take place on Tuesday. He previously claimed in a video from June that Jesus appeared to him in a dream in 2018, saying, “On the 23rd and the 24th of September, 2025, I will come to take my church.” They also said (I couldn’t find the numbers but Rapture Tok was viral) They also said “The prediction also left an emotional impact on many believers, according to Politico. In one TikTok with over 1.5 million views, a woman cried that she would soon be separated from her children, and others expressed their anxieties for their pets, which they didn’t anticipate would join them in heaven. Some social media users spoke of preparing automatic feeders and bulk buying pet food, hoping those left behind would find their animals and take over their care.” One person “got rid of his car as he thought he’d no longer need it. The evangelist and self-proclaimed prophet, who has 30,000 followers, shared a clip of his car being towed away, saying: ‘I won’t need her beyond September, because I’m going home to where my father in heaven is.’ After the Rapture failed to happen, he posted online saying: ‘I will never publicly talk about the rapture again.’” Although this person didn’t say he would stop believing in the rapture.
After the failed prophecy of Mhlakela, CENTTWINZ TV podcast then talked to this false prophet and this was a tragicomedy (tragedy and comedy). If you do watch it, I recommend being very careful because satan is as work here. Truthfully it takes about 5 seconds on this podcast to confirm this is a false prophet. He said “Okay. So today what I'm going to start with is because the main person that I'm here for is Jesus Christ. I'm here as a vessel but I'm here to point to him.” This was done after the rapture never happened and there was no repentance. Here you will see full blown delusion and deception in this prophet. These two women allowed this false prophet to speak for over an hour, plus they allowed him to give the prophecy in the first place and appeared very intrigued by it. Thankfully You Tube has transcripts and I did not have to watch every minute. This is what a false prophet sounds like if you did not know. All I can say is wow, how bizarre! No repentance, just change the date and meaning and continue acting as if you are a servant of God. The tragedy is people will still listen to him because as he said. “I am the last arrow. That's what God said. I am like the last arrow in his quiver.” Earlier when he prophesied about these past dates, he said “I am one of the last call of God. I won't say I'm the only call, but I am one of the last.” This is not what Isaiah was talking about when he said Isaiah 49:2 “2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.” The arrow he is talking about is a fiery dart and many let down their shields and sadly many do not know they need their shields when they go to church. Ephesians 6:16 “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” The comedy is just listening to all this ridiculous nonsense.
The Washington post titled an article, “If you are reading this, the rapture probably didn’t happen again.” Prediction after prediction come and go and the rapture fails to happen but leaves behind a trail of chaos, trauma and worst of all gullible Christians who have been deceived by a doctrine of demons. Others just think Christianity is a joke while many just are not sure. This prophecy like others is just a continuation of the Great Disappointment. So no, this nonsense is not new. One writer described this disappointment. “On October 22, 1844, as many as 100,000 Christians gathered on hillsides, in meeting places and in meadows. They were breathlessly and joyously expecting the return of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The crowds had assembled because of the prophetic claim of an upstate New York farmer and Baptist layman named William Miller (1782-1849). He was certain from his studies of the Bible that Jesus Christ was going to return on that day. The prophesied return date had arrived. The waiting crowds, gathered at various places, mainly throughout the Northeast United States, peered expectantly upward as the hours slipped away. Anxiety grew as nightfall descended. Then the midnight hour tolled and still Christ had not returned. People became ever more restless. Through the wee hours of darkness, the dejected and stunned crowds began to disperse. When the daylight of Oct. 23 arrived, it was clear that Christ was not going to return as expected. Failed prophecy and its aftermath. This dashed hope came to be known as “The Great Disappointment.” Miller’s prophetic claim had failed and disappointed many people.” This was actually the second time he had predicted. “Someone pointed out that he had neglected to take into account the transition from B.C. to A.D., so that his calculations were one year off. Miller then moved the expected return of Jesus forward by one year, this time to Oct. 22, 1844. But the great disappointment happened once again to the thousands of followers who had given away their possessions and waited in expectant belief — for nothing.” To see why this isn’t new, just google failed end times (not just the rapture) prophecies and a Wikipedia page comes up with a very large list.
The rapture is just another false teaching, and there are many, that shows the abomination that causes desolation has decimated the church. There is no such thing as the fictional rapture that was predicted this week, yet many believe wholeheartedly in a day where they will be whisked away from this earth. To be clear I am not talking about the Second Coming where church is judged and eternity begins. People seem to focus on the many times the rapture was predicted, but don’t seem to be able to understand that not only are the dates wrong, the rapture is a false teaching that will never happen, so it doesn’t matter how many predictions there will be, how many sermons on it, it will be wrong every time. When the two ladies on the podcast heard the prophet give the date, they should have shut it down but in their intrigue, let him continue. The fictional rapture made famous by books and movies is a doctrine of demons that many have been deceived by and deluded into believing. There have been many big names promoting this false teaching and millions have bought into it and believe it with everything they have. While there are also many who do not believe this doctrine of demons, many just are not sure. People fall for this because there are so many false teachers out there and a lack of understanding of God’s word and ignorance that prevails in the church. One writer said of this false prophet, “The Late Great Planet Earth’s author, Hal Lindsey, who just died, was one of the most influential Christian writers of the last 60 years. His 1970 book popularized End Times Dispensationalism, tying contemporary events to cataclysmic biblical prophecies. Thanks to Lindsey, tens of millions of evangelical Christians, and others, anticipated a possible cosmic Apocalypse in their lifetimes, preceded by a “Rapture” in which the redeemed are carried to Heaven and spared the ordeal. From 1995 to 2007, the popular series of “Left Behind” novels by Timothy LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which also sold in the millions, and which became films, further popularized the End Times fascination, especially The Rapture. But Lindsey gets the ultimate credit.” The ridiculous movie “The Thief in the Night” I referred to at the beginning came out after “The Late Great Planet Earth” in 1973. Orson Wells even narrated The Late Great Planet Earth. You can see the connection to terror because “on the evening of October 30, 1938, Orson wells also narrated an “alien-invasion drama called “The War of the Worlds,” of which many thought was real and were terrified. After the show they said “'Mr. And Mrs. America, there is no cause for alarm. America has not fallen. I repeat, America has not fallen'." They were told it was fiction, but many missed that part if they tuned in late. “It remains a landmark moment in broadcast history, and a testament to the power of storytelling to capture the imagination of an audience.”
The same happened with The Late Great Planet Earth and Left Behind and though they are purely fictional, many are terrified and continue to have rapture anxiety but do not return to the word of God but continue to follow all this nonsense as if this fictional tale is the word of God. The Left Behind series was a fictional story told to the church and many believed it to be true. I remember saying to a young couple, don’t read that and they appeared stunned as if they were shocked to hear the books were unbiblical. They made many movies that Kirk Cameron starred in, but I think now he says he has changed his theology. He seems to be all over the place but very supportive of Charlie Kirk and his beliefs. Even Nicolos Cage got in on the action. The rapture is the delusion of many minds and many big names such as David Jeremiah who promotes the rapture heavily. Another false teacher was John MacArthur who died recently, who also had a huge voice concerning the rapture. MacArthur also taught cessationism which is another doctrine of demons, yet millions followed his teaching as if he speaks truth. Like all false prophets, there is some truth in their story telling as we see satan trying to tempt Jesus in Luke 4. The list is long, but there others like John Hagee, Jack Hibbs who also have very large voices and thanks to the internet, have a global voice. I have also talked about study bibles before because everything in them is not the word of God. The words on the side and the bottom are not the word of God, so you have to be very careful. After Darby (dispensationalism) came the Scofield Reference Bible. I have a cartoon of a trojan horse labeled Scofield at the gate and the people on the wall saying what could it hurt? There was massive damage to the church. If you are reading John MacArthur’s study bible, you will get his version of the gospel, of which is another gospel.
When you see in a church’s doctrinal position the words imminent return of Christ or blessed hope, that usually means they are talking about the rapture. I picked out a Pentecostal church where I live and their statement said, “The rapture, the blessed hope of the church, is the imminent coming of the Lord in the air to receive to Himself His own, both the living who shall be transformed, and the dead in Christ who shall be resurrected. This event takes place before the wrath of God is poured out during the tribulation.” Another charismatic church said “Following the Tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall reign a thousand years.” A Baptist church in the area also said “Our preaching will be that the Second Coming of Christ is in two phases: the rapture and the revelation. The rapture is both pre-tribulation and pre-millennial. That at Christ’s revelation he will set up his literal kingdom and will reign over earth for a thousand years.” Jack Hibbs Calvary church states, “We believe that Jesus Christ is going to return in the clouds to Rapture His church before the tribulation that is coming upon the whole earth (John 14:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and that He will return in the Second Coming with His saints and all His holy angels to the earth at the end of the tribulation to set up His kingdom on earth, ruling and reigning forever and ever.” Obviously from earlier prophecy, South Africans have bought into the lie. They guy who sold his car was from Australia. Here is the belief of a church in Brazil. “We believe in the “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillenial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His redeemed ones, and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom.” None of that is true yet many around the world believe it.
I came across this letter from Corrie Ten Boom written in 1974. First, she talks of being in a concentration camp. Then she makes this powerful statement. “There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, “Don’t worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured.” Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, “We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, – to stand and not faint.” I don’t know her beliefs but her statement seems to coincide with this letter (appears to be written 1975) from Ruth Graham, yes, the mother of Anne Graham Lotz that you read about earlier who shared her ridiculous beliefs about the rapture. Ruth Graham said, “The news from around the world of Christians suffering unbelievably is bound to make a "pre-tribber" do some serious thinking. Of course, I am sure they would say that the tribulation they have undergone is nothing to be compared with the "great tribulation" and they may be right. However, I would rather prepare myself to go through the tribulation and be happily surprised by an unexpected rapture, than expect to be raptured only to find myself going through tribulation. Perhaps not a very scholarly way of approaching the problem, but true none the less. I was talking recently with an elderly missionary from China who told me that her greatest regrets now are not having prepared the Chinese Christians for the tribulation they would undergo. She said in her years in China she went everywhere teaching the pre-tribulation rapture and getting Christians to believe that they would not have to suffer for the Lord in that sense. The "great tribulation" may absolutely stagger the imagination, but still there is only so much one person can suffer.” Many may not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture but are still deceived and still believe in the rapture just at another time (mid, post), 7 year tribulation and the millennial kingdom.
Because the church has rebelled against God’s word, God has allowed the abomination that causes desolation to already happen. Jeremiah 18:11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’” The church said the same. The church has already been decimated by our enemies as people continue to think they are worshiping in freedom Sunday after Sunday and believe all is well with their souls, yet who they worship is not the Jesus of the bible or the gospel of the bible. Many are in such severe tribulation that whole households are being led astray, yet they think all is well. Paul said to Titus, Titus 1:9 “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Most will never face what the Chinese and Corrie faced but are in severe tribulation that will lead them to eternal damnation because they followed other gospels and a different Jesus. Not all churches believe this doctrine of demons, but many are curious. The Catholic Answers website said, “Are you Pre, Mid, or Post? If you don’t know how to answer that question, you’re probably a Catholic. Most Fundamentalists and Evangelicals know that these words are shorthand for pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation. The terms all refer to when the “rapture” is supposed to occur.” We saw earlier someone in Catholic circles ask the question about the Revelation 12 sign. Obviously, many have questions.
The other day we talked about the horrible death of Charlie Kirk. Though Kirk did not deserve to die, he spent much time proclaiming distortions of scripture and conspiracies as if they were true. He would also say “Prove Me Wrong” and went to colleges and universities. Obviously, he was very intelligent and good at debating kids (that is important to remember, yet some did prove him wrong) but much of what he said was just vile. As you saw at the memorial / political rally, millions of people will be influenced by his false teaching and by the others who spoke. Much of that false teaching comes from many who are still alive and continue to spread lies to gullible listeners who do not test the spirits. Anyone who is living can repent and change their beliefs and return to God’s word, but the key word is living. That does not happen after you die, as it is too late to repent. That is one of the main fallacies of the rapture as it gives people an opportunity to repent even though there is no church. Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The kingdom does not come near if there is no church. No church means Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are not present as Jesus said Matthew 16:18 “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” The gates have overcome, therefore the church we see is not the church Jesus is building.
Many false teachers have died and one day they will come to know the truth as they bow before God from the wrong place they find themselves in eternity. Truthfully, I cannot quite comprehend what that will be like for those who believed wholeheartedly they were teaching the gospel. Though this appears to be incomprehensible, and I don’t mean unbelievable, we are told by Jesus Luke 13:24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” They will hear Matthew 25:41 “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” They will be proven wrong but there is nothing they can do about it. Read about the rich man and beggar Luke 16:19-31. Luke 16:27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’” They will not be able to proclaim the truth to the millions they have deceived, as it is too late for them.
Many false teachers have already died, but their words continue to deceive. There are also many false teachers alive who continue to distort scripture and lead people astray as we saw with Charlie Kirk and millions of others. Here are words against these false teachers and prophets, so that if you think a few variations of doctrine and theology is part of the church, think again! Lamentations 2:14 “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 16 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ 18 But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? 21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” Ezekiel 13:1 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. 6 Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken? 8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. 10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?” 13 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. 15 So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’ Jude 1:10 “Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Jeremiah 23:13 “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. 14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah. 33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ I will punish them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.” Yet false teachers like John MacArthur die in the eyes of his followers as a servant of God or Charlie Kirk dies a martyr by those who believed in him and those who are exploiting him and people will continue to worship false teachers, preachers, evangelists, apostles and prophets and follow their teaching to their own demise and remain Ephesians 4:14 “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Their voice will not be heard to warn all those they had deceived with their false teaching.
Some say you believe this version of the end and we believe this version, but we all believe in the same Jesus. This is not true. Jesus said John 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Jesus said the Spirit will guide you into all truth and will teach you what is yet to come. Therefore, there cannot be multiple versions of the end times or the gospel. Yes, eschatology is confusing especially with all the differing views, so that confirms that God has turned His face from the church and the church in rebellion has chosen to follow the father of lies instead of truth. If you need a visual of the church embracing satan the father of lies, think of Erika Kirk’s bizarre hug of Donald Trump at the end of the memorial while America the Beautiful played in the background.
The time is now as the church must wake up to the evil within. 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” Paul said Romans 13:11 “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Paul said 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Most have not held firmly to the word of God. Philippians 2:12 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” We must make sure of our salvation, test the spirits and hold firmly to the word of God and not the words of man or doctrines of demons. Too many have held tightly to the delusions of men and women and in doing so have rejected the word of truth in the process.
Bear in mind that I say this sarcastically. Since the church is nowhere to be seen, and there is no power or authority to heal or cast out demons, maybe the preterist (those things concerning the end times have already been fulfilled) view is right and the secret rapture or blessed hope has already happened. That might explain why the church looks nothing like the church Jesus is the head of. Obviously, that has not happened as there is no such thing as the rapture, pre, mid or post tribulation or the thousand-year reign of Christ who will sit on David’s throne on this earth; Jesus already did that as Mary was told Luke 1:33 “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Zechariah said Luke 1:68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. “
The defeat, destruction, desolation and captivity of the church has happened because the church did not listen to Jesus and was deceived by the savage wolves in sheep’s clothing. Isaiah 5:12 “They have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands. 13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding.” Hosea 4:5 “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. 7 The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. 8 They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. 9 And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.” Jeremiah 5:3 “these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, 30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”
Because the church has rebelled and refuses to repent, God allowed the abomination that causes desolation to destroy the church just as Daniel prophesied and Jesus warned us about. Daniel 7:21 “As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” The devastation is so destructive and widespread that it would appear that the church no longer exists. Matthew 25:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” The church was and continues to be warned, just as Israel and Judah were warned but refused to listen. Jeremiah 7:23 “I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’ 27 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.” Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
The result for the church was desolation. Jeremiah 9:12 “Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? 13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.” Isaiah 64:10 “Your sacred cities have become a wasteland; even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins. 12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?” Nehemiah 1:3 “They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
The good news is, even in this desolation, there is hope but the church must return to God’s word and turn away from its wickedness, false teachers, prophets and their teaching. Isaiah said Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Job said, Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” “Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” It is still time. Joshua 24:14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The great disappointment continues and will continue and instead of being ready for the true return of Jesus to take His true followers into eternity, they will stubbornly continue to wait for a rapture that will never happen. They will continue to listen to the false prophets, just as Israel and Judah did to their destruction. Jeremiah 36:3 “Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.” They did not listen. But for those who do turn away from the man-made church and its false teachers and prophets, because of God’s promise to David, a remnant of survivors will rise up in the power and authority given to the church at Pentecost and go and do as Jesus did. This can only happen when God turns His face back to the church and the kingdom of God comes near once again. What did Jesus do? Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” The church was given this power to continue to do as Jesus did at Pentecost.
I remember when I first became aware of Rash Hashanah, the Ten Days of Awe / Repentance and Yom Kippur. I was waiting on God, and it seemed to make sense that God could move (not rapture) in a powerful way during this time. And yes I do believe God will move in His own timing and the church will be restored. Yes, God could move and we should be ready at any moment, but what I came to understand was that these High Holy days on the Jewish calendar all point to Jesus which I think is why I was so intrigued by them. I have written in my bible on a blank page where the Old Testament meets the New Testament and around the words New Testament I wrote, “a return to a new beginning”. Rash Hashanah is the head of the year that marks the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a 10-day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance. This beginning is not just a once a year ritual, but can happen anytime. Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” That doesn’t mean the Old Testament doesn’t apply today. Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Revelation 21:5 “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then you have the Ten Days of Awe / Repentance. “The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the mistakes of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur. One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that God has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter God's decree.” Obviously, this is very serious but this seriousness should be every day. This is the Jewish perspective, but Jesus changed everything, and repentance and salvation can take place any day. Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Hebrews 3:15 “As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Sadly, in rebellion there is no awe / fear of God. Jeremiah 2:19 “Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.” True repentance changes everything. The false prophet who prophesied the rapture this last week should have said I was wrong and trembled in fear before God, but he didn’t but one day he will. Proverbs 6:16 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” Proverbs 26:24 “Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit. 25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts. 26 Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.”
We must tremble before God. Jeremiah 5:21 “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: 22 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence?23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God.” Isaiah 66:2 “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Psalm 119:120 “My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.” John the Baptist said, Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Psalm 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.” Isaiah 29:23 “When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” Habakkuk 3:2 “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” And then Yom Kippur / the day of atonement. “Yom Kippur fast day is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to God and to the essence of our souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God.” Every year the Jews continue to do this but every year they fail to repent and bow before their Messiah and King Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:14 “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.” With Jesus, this is not just one day a year, but can be every day. John 3:14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Romans 3:21 “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
The church has also followed the pattern of ritual and every year Christmas and Easter come and go but Pentecost is forgotten. The church is supposed to be a Christmas, Easter Lent and Pentecost church all in one and every day possible for anyone to turn from their wicked ways. Jesus came to save the world, died for our sins and rose from the dead. His death and resurrection made it possible for our sins to be atoned for through our repentance and then filled with the Spirit the church was to go out in power and do as Jesus did. Paul said to the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 1:8 “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
As Peter said Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Peter spoke this message to Jews and a few listened, but that same message needs to be heard by the church. Hebrews 10:29 “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” The church is missing the power and authority given to the church at Pentecost because God has turned His face. Because God turned His face, our enemies have defeated the church. Repenting and returning to God’s word mean that God will turn His face back to the church and the power and authority that Jesus showed in the Gospels that the church would have, and the power and authority the early church had, will once again return. Our enemies will be defeated when the true church rises up once again. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
