ALL OBSTACLES REMOVED FOR US

All the Obstacles Being Removed for Us to Be in God

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (RcV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John 14:2 In My Father's house are many abodes; if it were
not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place
for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, so that where I
am you also may be. (20) In that day you will know that I am
in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I go to prepare a place for you," means that the Lord will
prepare a place, accomplish redemption, open up the way, and
make a standing for man to get into God. It means that the
Lord will pave the way for us to be in God.
But how can sinful people like us get into God? How can we
get into the righteous and holy God? We are far, far away
from God. How can we be brought into Him? All of the
separating elements, the obstacles of sin, sins, the world,
the Devil, death, flesh, and self, must be abolished. Then we
shall be brought near to God, and not only to God but into
God.
For this, some work, some preparation, was needed. The Lord
had to do a work of preparation. He had to go, not to the
heavens, but to the cross to remove all of the obstacles. All
of the obstacles have been removed by the Lord's all-
inclusive death. On the cross the Lord abolished all the
barriers between us and God. He dealt with sin, sins, the
world, the prince of this world, the flesh, the self, the old
man, and even death. By death and resurrection the Lord paved
the way and prepared the place that we might be brought into
God.

Words of Ministry taken from Witness Lee, Life-study of John
(Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985), pp. 360-361
(Repeat 1/27/97)

LEARN TO PRAY PERSISTENTLY

LEARN TO PRAY PERSISTENTLY (1)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (Recovery Version) ~~~~~~~~~~

Luke 18:1 And He told them a parable to the end that they
ought always to pray and not lose heart, 2 Saying, There
was a certain judge in a certain city who did not fear God
and did not regard man. 3 And there was a widow in that
city, and she kept coming to him, saying, Avenge me of my
opponent. 4 And for a time he would not; but afterward he
said within himself, Even though I do not fear God nor regard
man, 5 Yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will
avenge her, lest by continually coming she wear me out. 6
And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7
And will not God by all means carry out the avenging of His
chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, though He is long-
suffering over them? 8 I tell you that He will carry out
their avenging quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man
comes, will He find faith on the earth?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Part 1 of 2]
The widow in verse 3 signifies the believers. In a sense, the
believers in Christ are a widow in the present age because
their Husband Christ (2 Cor. 11:2) is absent from them. In
this parable the Lord indicates that the believers in Christ
have an opponent. This opponent is Satan, the Devil,
concerning whom we need God's avenging. We ought to pray
persistently for this avenging and not lose heart. Actually,
the Lord is not absent; He is present. But during His
apparent absence, we are a widow whose opposer is troubling
her all the time.

While our opposer is persecuting us, it seems that our God is
not righteous, for He allows His children to be unrighteously
persecuted. For example, John the Baptist was beheaded, Peter
was martyred, Paul was imprisoned, and John was exiled.
Throughout the centuries, thousands upon thousands of honest
and faithful followers of the Man-Savior have suffered
unrighteous persecution. Even today we are still undergoing
unrighteous mistreatment. Our God seems to be unjust, since
He does not come in to judge and vindicate.

Because of this situation, the Man-Savior in 18:1-8 uses an
unjust judge to signify God who does not seem to do anything
on behalf of His persecuted people. What shall we do in a
situation when we are persecuted and it seems that our God is
not living, present, or just? From this parable we learn to
be a bothering widow, one who prays to God persistently. It
seems that He is not righteous. Nevertheless, I have learned
that we need to bother God in prayer, that we should pray to
Him persistently without losing heart.
[Continued tomorrow]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of
Luke, pp. 347-350. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA. 
LEARN TO PRAY PERSISTENTLY (2)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (Recovery Version)~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 11:8 I say to you, Even though he will not rise up and
give him anything because he is his friend, surely because of
his shameless persistence he will rise and give him what he
needs. (9) And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given to
you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to
you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Part 2 of 2]
In Luke 18:1-8 we see the prayer from the visible realm. This
kind of prayer is related to our enjoyment of the jubilee.
Often the children of those who are faithful followers of the
Lord ask their parents why they are suffering persecution.
They may ask, "Since we love the Lord Jesus so much, why must
we suffer?" Usually the parents do not know how to answer. It
seems to the children that the Lord whom their parents follow
is not righteous. We also may wonder why we suffer, since we
love the Lord and follow Him. The parable in 18:1-8 answers
our question.

When our Husband is apparently absent and we are left on
earth as a widow, temporarily our God seems to be an
unrighteous judge. Although He appears to be unrighteous, we
still must appeal to Him, pray persistently, and bother Him
again and again.
We need to be careful in understanding a parable such as the
one recorded in 18:1-8. We should not try to understand it in
a natural way. On the one hand, this parable indicates that
the Judge is sovereign. This means that whether or not He
judges is up to Him. Seemingly without reason, He may either
listen to the widow or not listen to her. This parable
reveals that He is the sovereign Lord and that He judges
whenever He chooses.

On the other hand, this parable indicates that we need to
bother the Lord by praying persistently. We need to say to
Him, "Lord, praying is up to me, not up to You. You never
told me that I should not pray. On the contrary, You charged
me to pray. Therefore, Lord, I am praying now for Your
vindication." The significance of this parable is profound,
and we all need to know God as He is revealed here. We also
need to see that the kind of prayer described here helps us
to enjoy the jubilee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of
Luke, pp. 351-352. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA. 

IN THE PAIN OF YOUR LOVE

Quote from Pia Mellody~~"Since wisdom and maturity come from facing pain and learning from it, I believe we are a nation of very immature people who don't have the willingness to experience the pain that leads to authentic wisdom. We haven't learned how to tolerate pain and deal with it as an agent of positive change."

Psalm 36:9~~
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

IN THE PAIN OF YOUR LOVE~~

Only in Your light do I see light
So may I be at one with your heart
As I view others who do not yet have Your light.

And may I ever choose to suffer with you~~this pain of love...
Ready to understand and show compassion,
Be real and yet kind, in your timing...
Only as I draw from your life~~in which is all I need.

Any other way will only prove to be empty~~
Void of true life and true love with all it's pain and sufferings.

The ever positive changes continue on
As we share in Your tears and heartbreak
For others who are in darkness
And face the pain of this love~~

Growing in spirit as we experience You
And show others this pain~~
That they may see Your Light.

Refresh your soul with POEMS from SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Poems posted on Source of Inspiration

Irony--

I used to be
so sure about
everything and
loved to give
my opinion. Each
year teaches me
how the illusion
of life makes my
opinions absurd.
The irony is that
understanding this
makes me wiser.

Peace by Piece--

Peace is spread one
person at a time. If
I am not at peace, how
can I expect someone
else to be? Attend to
your own heart first.
Learn to love and live
in harmony so others
can learn from you.

Show, Not Tell--

Do not tell me what to do,
simply show me, then let
me decide if this, for me,
is true.

Together yet Separate--

I feel a part of,
yet separate. I
join in, yet hold
some in reserve.

I understand the
idea of Oneness and
am headed that way,
but for now, I feel
it only in spurts,
then retreat into
my world of me.

Enough--

When is enough, enough?
Why do we long for more?
If the sustenance is empty,
one eats his fill, yet is
never satisfied. Eat only the
Bread of Life for all else is
illusion, leaving us
hungry for more.

No Interference--

We must not interfere
with another’s lesson,
crucial things each of
us must learn through
experience.

We can model our truth,
but, in the end, each
must decide in his own
time what is meant for him.

 

My Life--

My life is but a single breath,
so fleeting, yet needed in the
moment. Why do we feel that we
must live forever, building
monuments to our name? Am I
but a pretty butterfly
sipping nectar in the garden
a short while, then gone, a
star that fades with dawn?
If all else ceases to be,
then
why
not
me?

Irony--

The irony of being
alone in the floresta
is that I am learning
how to be with others.

It is in quiet reflection
that life’s questions
are answered, coming
like raindrops, falling
from leaves long after
the storm has past, each
tiny drop quenching some
thirst I did not
even know that I had.

Walking Among the Trees--

Blue skies with
nary a cloud, air
crisp and clean.
Mother Nature beckons
me to walk quietly
among her trees,
sip water from clear
streams.

I wander here and there.
The quiet murmurs of the
floresta stills the
busyness of my mind,
reminding me that all
is well when one is
at peace, walking
among the trees
on a summer day.

 

SEX SLAVERY IN USA

Hi,
I just wanted to share with you this website:  www.traffickfree.com  by Theresa Flores, who is a survivor of sex slavery in Ohio. 

EXPERIENCING CHRIST AS LIGHT

The Holy Spirit has been impressing upon me how very important it is to think of each new day as another opportunity to discover God's love and light which makes life an adventure...and to check my conscience, make my confessions, and be cleansed in order to be refreshed.  I praise my wonderful Jesus who is ever Faithful to His own.  I love Him so much the more for His close attention even down to the smallest details in my day.                         ~~ I bless you Yeshua Messiah! ~~

Experiencing Christ as Light

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (RcV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am
the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christ is the unique light. Apart from Him, there is no light.
The reason so many Christians are in darkness is that they do
not have Christ in an experiential way. Those in the seminaries
may study theology and Christology, but they may not have the
genuine experience of God and of Christ. Therefore, they are
without light.

Many believers insist that the Bible is full of light. This,
of course, is true. But if we do not read the Word in the Lord's
presence, even our reading of the Scriptures will be in darkness.
We shall be like the Pharisees addressed by the Lord Jesus in
John 5:39 and 40: "You search the Scriptures, because you think
that in them you have eternal life, and it is these that testify
concerning Me; and you are not willing to come to Me that you
may have life." The religionists were offended when Christ told
them they were blind (John 9:39- 41). They thought they were in
light because they had the Scriptures in an outward way. But
actually they were blind because they did not have Christ, who
alone is the light of the world. Any place where the Lord Jesus
is not present is under the authority of darkness.

We need to apply this principle to ourselves. Any part of our
being or of our daily life that is without Christ is in darkness.
If we...do not have Christ experientially and in a practical way
in our daily walk, we are in darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life- study of
Colossians, pp.39-40. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA.

THE NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY

The Negative Development of Christianity ~~ Witness Lee~~ 5/1/2013

~~~~~~~~~~~~Bible Verses (Recovery Version) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke 13:18 He said therefore, What is the kingdom of God
like, and to what shall I liken it?
(19) It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw
into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the
birds of heaven roosted in its branches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up until now, the Lord's word concerning the kingdom in Luke
has been positive. But here He talks to the disciples
concerning the kingdom in a negative way, teaching them about
the kingdom as a grain of mustard (vv. 18-19) and as leaven
(vv. 20-21). The fact that this mustard seed [an herb] grew
into a tree indicates that it did not grow into something
according to its own kind. An apple tree, for example, should
be according to the apple tree kind. But here the mustard
seed does not grow after its kind, but instead grows into
another kind. This is the breaking of the principle ordained
by God in His creation. If we see this, we shall not
interpret this parable in a positive sense.

Some teach that the mustard becoming a large tree is a
positive development. But according to the history of
Christianity, there has not been such a positive development.
In fact, this parable is a prophecy that has been fulfilled
in the history of Christianity. Actually, today's
Christianity is not something after its kind. The church,
which is the embodiment of the kingdom, should be like an
herb to produce food. But it became a "tree," a lodge for
birds. This means that, contrary to the law of God's creation
that every plant must be after its kind, its nature and
function were changed. This took place when Constantine the
Great mixed the church with the world in the first part of
the fourth century. He brought thousands of false believers
into Christianity, making it Christendom, no longer the
church. The church, according to its heavenly and spiritual
nature, should be like a mustard [an annual herb], sojourning
on earth. But since its nature has been changed, the church
became deeply rooted and settled in the earth as a tree,
flourishing with its enterprises as the branches to lodge
many evil persons and things. This has formed the outward
organization of the outward appearance of the kingdom of God.

In Luke 13:19 we are told that the birds of heaven roosted in
the branches of this tree. In 8:5 and 12 the birds of heaven
are related to the Devil. Therefore, the birds of heaven here
must refer to Satan's evil spirits with the evil persons and
things motivated by them. They lodge in the branches of the
great tree, that is, in the enterprises of Christendom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of
Luke, pp. 265-266. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA.

THE BROKENHEARTED~~FORGIVENESS

This is an excerpt from Retah McPherson~~

25April 2013

Maybe you don’t feel like it – BUT STILL FORGIVE!

Ps 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds curing their pains and their sorrows.

I have a chat box day once a month where people around the world phone in. I literally sit down for the whole day listening to people and then go down on my knees to pray for them. My heart breaks as they share their problems and the manifestations they experience. We don’t understand that the battle is in the Spirit. The more I listen, the more I realize why I need to write the book that I am busy with. Even though we don’t have the same situations, we all have the same ‘illness’ – and that is a broken heart.

As I’m working on the book I struggle to decide how to explain these things, because I see how even people close to me are only looking in the flesh and don’t see what is going on in the spirit. Even last night as I was writing I wept and ended on my knees- ‘Abba, You allowed us to walk this journey with Aldo, to see and understand so many things in the Spirit –but people fight these truths Lord, they fight it with all they have!’

We have a natural, fleshly drive to fight for what ”I believe in”. How many, many, many tears did I not shed in my life until I finally saw the truth and discovered that I was wrong. Only then did I realize it was my pride - the mixed seed in me - that was fighting the truth! We don’t want to believe that the realm of the spirit is true and real, that our battle is not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. We all fight the truth because of what is still in us. That is why Abba wants us to be free of the mixed seed in us. If you don’t, you will not be able to tell what is wrong from right. The mixed seed prevents it. When you start understanding how Baal operates, then you see Baal’s character in all these fleshly arguments. People will go so far as to say “But God said to me: – it is all right to leave my husband, or - it is all right to compromise, it is all right to have an emotional friend because my wife is not there for me.” Come on! – what God do you serve, which Jesus said that to you? His road is narrow, stop compromising - it will catch up with you.

Jehovah is a righteous and Holy God, whose standards are far above ours. He is a God that loves His creation and offers to us a gift – the thing what we most need –salvation. But, we need to apply it to all the areas of our lives that are still broken and in bondage. Most of the time the pain and the issues you struggle with, comes from a wound. There is a lie in all our wounds - that seals it and keeps it in place. Ask Yeshua to switch on His Glory light over your wounds, to show you the lies, the judgments and also the truths. It is only the Truth that will set you free.

In contrast, Baal offers us his solutions – to make us feel better. These are the things of the world and of the flesh. The abuse, cruelty, manipulation, lust, greed, self-righteousness, strife, pride, jealousy and all the self-justifying we so easily get caught up in. But, these only ensnare us further into sinning against the one true God. If there is still anger and rage in your heart – you have to start by making the choice to forgive. If not, un-forgiveness will be the judgment in your wound becoming the door through which your pain is targeted.

Forgiving from the heart and releasing everyone who has harmed us removes the root of bitterness from our hearts. BUT STILL, THE HEART MUST BE HEALED to prevent the bitterness from returning. YHVH wants to heal the pain changing it into His perfect love -that wonderful, peaceful place in His heart. When I speak of your heart I speak of your inner man, your spirit (the part that relates to YHVH) and your soul, mind and emotions. The painful experiences of our lives are locked into the permanent memory bank of our minds, whether conscious or subconscious. This affects our spirit and can even wound it. These negative, painful experiences stored in our hearts cause us to see, understand and live life according to our experiences and can even control our behavior. These stored and past generational DNA pain causes many people to be bound into negative thought and behavior patterns. For us to walk in freedom these patterns must change - all through the Blood of the Lamb.

I can go on and on – but as long as your pain remains, you will never be able to walk in the fullness of Christ. Your pain is the feeding ground for the enemy –he lives and thrives on it. Start facing the truth of the condition of your heart knowing that Yeshua has paid the full price for your broken heart to be restored.

THE HYPOCRISY OF RELIGIONS

The Hypocrisy of Religions


~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (Recovery Version) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke 12:1 ...He began to say to His disciples first, Beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Matt 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you resemble white-washed graves, which outwardly appear
beautiful but inwardly are full of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness. (28) So you also outwardly appear righteous to
men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 12:1 the Lord gave a warning concerning religious
hypocrisy. Actually, all religions lead to hypocrisy. Nowhere
is hypocrisy more prevailing than in religion. Religion is a
field, a realm, for hypocrisy to prevail. Consider the
hypocrisy in the Jewish religion when the Lord Jesus was on
earth. What hypocrisy there was among the Pharisees, scribes,
and lawyers! In Matthew 23 the Lord pronounced woes upon them
for their hypocrisy.

In 12:1 we see that the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees
was equal to leaven. In the New Testament leaven signifies
the element of corruption. The Pharisees were false and
practiced falsehood to the uttermost. Their falsehood became
a hypocrisy that was the leaven, the element of corruption,
in the Jewish religion. All of the Lord's disciples were
Jews. Since they all came out of a Jewish source, they had a
deep appreciation of the Jewish religion and a high regard
for the Pharisees. They thought that the Pharisees were those
with a high morality. Therefore, He said to the disciples,
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

In 12:2-12 the Lord went on to tell His disciples that the
hypocrisy of religion would eventually lead to the
persecution of His sincere and honest followers. Religious
hypocrisy always becomes a source of persecution to the
genuine followers of Jesus. As those who would be in the New
Testament jubilee today, we need to beware of the hypocrisy
in religion, for this hypocrisy will become a source of
persecution. As the genuine followers of the Lord are
enjoying the jubilee, they will be opposed by the
hypocritical ones in the hypocritical religion. This
opposition will develop into persecution, a persecution of
the genuine followers of the Lord Jesus who are experiencing
the New Testament jubilee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of
Luke, pp. 246-247. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA.

ALL THE DAY

4/7/13~

All the day I wait on You
With an open heart of love.

And all the day You give to me
With an open Heart of Love.

I was made for You and You were made for me.
We're a pair as Our Father foresaw.

And Our Father is delighted to see His family's love
Hearing Your words as they come from Thee.

Be honored, O God in all, I pray
Be glorified and let me be a testimony of Thee!

PAIN ELICITS THE HEART OF GOD

April 7, 2013

Life surely has it's challenges.  Each new day has it's battles and it's victories.  God promised to cause us always to triumph in Him and He IS Greater than any problem we experience...NO weapon formed against us will proper and we can rise up and condemn our enemies (those attacking spirits).
But remember that in our sorrow, God wastes nothing and that He is crying with us.  Such a compassionate Savior!   We can trust Him, lover of our souls!

http://livingontheedge.org/jesus-offers-hope-03-when-life-doesnt-make-sense.pdf
Some thoughts from this message~~What is God accomplishing in this window of time where things seem impossible?  Rather than solving the problems of Martha and Mary, Jesus revealed Himself!  Remember that your pain elicits the heart of God! 

Lord, how do I fulfill YOUR agenda?  He wants us to believe so that we can see the glory of God...see the depth of His love for us and the extent of His power for us.  Praise Him!

Hope is the oxygen of the soul.

When you hit rock bottom, the only direction you can look is up.

From Joni Eareckson Tada–(in speaking of her hell experiences here on earth) I love the part where she says, the splashover of heaven is JESUS in our splashover of hell.

 

Like Loading...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE KNEES OF MY HEART

10-05-12

The Knees of My Heart

On the knees of my heart
I bow before Thee.
Communing with You
Is always the best part.

Humbled before You,
Knowing You love me
And have forgiven me for all~
I utter...secrets in silence
Which only You can hear.

DIVINE INTRICASIES

DIVINE INTRICASIES

10-04-12
My Beloved, I am so in love with Your divine intricasies
Which swirl all around me in magnificent power
And yet You always touch me with some of those
Secrets which elate my very soul ~
Who can understand it ~
And yet what Joy Your divine, amazing, wondrous
Glory brings to my heart.
Truly, You are Awesome
And I worship only You ~
Surely, You ARE past finding out
And yet so near ~
Revealing Yourself each new day.
My words are meager and utterly fail
To express the depths of my being ~
Yet, You know…
As no other…
ALL that is within.

 

Like Loading...

 

 

STUDY

STUDY--9/1/12
 

Donna, write and don’t be afraid. I love you--I know you haven’t heard me say those words to you in awhile but you know I love you--it was a test and you passed it. When hardships come down the road, you need to be cemented in my love and in my word and not be moved.

 

Study Me--Study My word--be hungry and I will feed you and we will rejoice together, always. Go and do to others as you would have them do unto you. BUT only in the power and infilling of the Holy Spirit. I love you, Donna. Never forget that and I know you won’t--I’ve revealed myself to you and I will continue to reveal myself to you.

 

You are blessed in spite of the destructions and plans of the enemy--we will defeat him, ie, in experience. Watch and wait on Me!

ESCHATOLOGY--NOT WHAT WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT

March 17, 2013

To the readers of this document...

 

Please consider what I have written here and bring it before the Lord with your questions.  We are to study the scriptures--- instead of just accepting what we've heard all our lives and just receive what's been taught through the generations.  This is number one for us as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.  REMEMBER, and this is KEY--WHO is speaking in the scriptures, to WHOM is the person speaking, WHAT is the TIME frame, etc.  If you wrote me a note and asked me to come to your home, the note would be written by YOU and received by ME and the time frame would be while I am living, NOT 2,000 years from now...think about that and let it sink into your spirit and mind.

 

Also, consider reading The Last Days Identified by Don K. Preston, The Day and the Hour by Francis X. Gumerlock, Who is this Babylon? by Don K. Preston.  Also, check out David Curtis.  At the very least, read the reviews on Amazon. 

This truth can be yet another layer peeled off of you and another release from the dark hole of deception and lies!  If you are a truth seeker and you love the truth, you will take action, no matter the topic and find it as you look for it...we have our part as God guides and graces us!  The Lord bless you with new freedom in Him! 

~A Lover of the Truth, Donna

Mat. 10:23--But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Mat. 16:27-28--For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Mk. 9:1--And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Mat. 24:1-44

Mk. 13

Luke 21:6-36

Acts 2:15-21--last days for Israel/prophecy of Joel

Hebrews 1:1--last day for Israel

James 5:3,7,8--last days/coming of the Lord (draweth nigh)  
2 Peter 3:3-22--last days for Israel
1 John 2:18, 28--last time/His coming 
1 John 3:2--appear

Jude 18--last time  
 

Have you ever wondered about these verses I listed above? I certainly have, time and time again! We know that a good bible student is taught to notice WHO is speaking, and to WHOM is the person speaking to, and what TIME FRAME or customs, etc. are they speaking about. That is why I always had a difficult time trying to fit the verses into what I had heard or read. The vast majority of people have been taught that these verses above refer to the future, but that view has always puzzled me b/c Jesus was talking to His disciples about the present time of His age and THEIR NEAR FUTURE.

I challenge you to be open and ask Jesus for His view of the times in these verses and also His view of where we are at now. We ARE IN His Kingdom now since the time of the disciples & continuing into the future, so anyone who is truly IN Christ IS IN His Kingdom...the Kingdom of God is for NOW, not something we are to be waiting for, except we will continue to be with Jesus on the other side.

I do not have a label and I do not want one, but for the sake of understanding, I take what Jesus said and do not try to fit it into any other time frame except the one that Jesus was referring to. These words, (near and quickly), bracket the Book of Revelation and are also used in the gospels as Jesus gave His discourse to the disciples about His coming. Near and quickly do NOT mean thousands of years later.

As with all truth, it sets us FREE...free from our own and other's interpretations, teachings, DVD's, CD's, books, notes, themes, etc. and wondering about verses that don't seem to fit into this perspective re: the end times. Anyone can enjoy the Kingdom of God within and preach to others of the need for this Kingdom regardless of their eschatalogical view, but my oh my, what freedom there is in the simple and plain truth of Jesus' words to His disciples for that time period in which they lived. And John clearly wrote to the churches (Rev.) in ASIA at that time...any other interpretation is twisting or spiritualizing that truth to try and fit another perspective.

Btw, if John wrote the book of Revelation in the 90's the temple could not be measured b/c it was DESTROYED IN 70AD. But Rev. 11:1 says--And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

http://www.preteristsite.com/docs/holford.html

Here are a few excerpts from this link.

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/revelation.html There is much more to check out on this site to give your proof texts.

The Early Date Theory

"So, where can we turn to find evidence for the dating of Revelation? Within the book itself! It will be shown, from internal evidence, that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

John must prophesy again

The first point to consider in favor of the early date is the fact that John was told that he "must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" in Revelation 10:11. Now, if Revelation was written in AD 95-96, John would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very difficult for him to travel to the various "nations and…many kings" and preach. However, with Revelation written earlier, John would have been in his mid 60's and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible.

The Seven Churches in Asia

Another point is that John wrote Revelation to a specific group of churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4). The importance of this statement cannot be overlooked (even though it has been by many scholars). There is only one small window of time in which there were only seven churches in Asia. The early AD 60's. The apostle Paul established nine churches in that area, but only seven were addressed in Revelation. The reason for this is that the cities of Colosse, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, were all destroyed by an earthquake around AD 61. Laodicea was rebuilt soon afterwards, but the other two cities were not. This left only seven churches in Asia during the five years just prior to the beginning of the Roman/Jewish war.

Of particular importance is the message to the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). In verse's 10 and 11, Christ told John to inform them that an "hour of temptation" was "about to come upon all the world," i.e., the Roman Empire. Christ then told them that He was coming quickly and that they should hold fast. The reason this is important (besides the fact that this was directed to an actual church in the first century) is that the first persecution of Christians took place under Nero Caesar in AD 64. Therefore, Revelation must have been written before that time.

The Temple was still standing

One of the most compelling proofs that Revelation was written before Jerusalem was destroyed is the fact that the Jewish temple was still standing!

Revelation 11:1-2, "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."

How do we know that this was the temple of the first century and not some future one? First, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that speaks of a "rebuilt" Jewish Temple. Not one. That alone should be proof enough.

However, this passage is very similar to Luke 21:20-24. Notice that Jesus told the disciples that they would see this event. They had asked Him about their temple (verse 5), and Jesus told them it would be destroyed before their generation passed away (verse 32). Notice again what Jesus said in verse 24, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles." This is the same thing Christ told John in Revelation 11:2. Therefore, since the disciples' generation has long since passed away, Revelation must have been written before the nations trampled Jerusalem under foot in AD 70." _________________

So I, along with many others believe that John wrote this book before 70AD because the temple was still standing unto it's destruction in 70AD.

There is much to write on this topic. I trust you will study it with your Teacher and find out for yourself. Truth DOES make a difference, as we so well know.

Please check out the videos for:

Matthew part 1 & 2, Revelation part 1 & 2, Josephus' notes re: the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

The Second Coming in Matthew (Part 1) - Matthew 3:1-12; 10:23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zc_mOwAKD4

The Second Coming in Matthew (Part 2) - Matthew 16:27-28; 24:34; 26:64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEwmNK6zArE

Understanding The Revelation Part 1 - Revelation 1:1-11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDwSi-9pHtw

Understanding The Revelation Part 2 - Revelation 13:11-18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d0c5FZWxcQ

http://www.bible.ca/pre-flavius-josephus-70AD-Mt24-fulfilled.htm

Excerpt--

Brief summary of Josephus' record: The Judgment on Jerusalem according to History and Destruction of the temple
Heavenly phenomena	A star resembling a sword A comet A bright light shining around the altar and the temple A vision of chariots and soldiers running around among the clouds and all cities of Palestine.
Earthly phenomena (reported by priests)	A quaking A great noise The sounds of a great multitude saying, "Let us remove hence."

John's Revelation - “And there were noises and thundering and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.” (16:18) Josephus - “for there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and any one would guess that these wonders foreshowed some grand calamities that were coming” (“Wars of the Jews” 4:4:5)

John's Revelation - "Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” (16:19) Josephus - “it so happened that the sedition at Jerusalem was revived, and parted into three factions, and that one faction fought against the other; which partition in such evil cases may be said to be a good thing, and the effect of divine justice.” (5:1:1)