"First The Tablecloth, Now The Food"

I have had a bout of allergic blepharitis for the past couple of weeks that has caused a lot of itching, double vision and a terrible sensitivity to the brightness of daylight, let alone sunshine. I am allergic to Spring pollens and I go through this every Spring and every Fall. It is an allergy I grew into when it first manifested three years ago, and trying to write articles during this seige on my sight has been extremely painful. I therefore apologize for bad grammar, any typos and all indications I might be illiterate. I will try to do better this week, but if I fail, I beg your patience yet again.

Last week I began a study from the Book of Revelation, highlighting some of the scriptures that prove that the Resurrection and Rapture will take place before the antichrist comes to power. Because of the pain in my eyes I had to shorten the article before I could share all that needed to be shared with you. So here we are - spreading the table again this week with all kinds of good things to eat and drink, all brought from the Master's table, and ready to devour. If you'll come to the table as a sponge, rather than an embroidered linen bookcover, you may add a few pounds to your spiritual weight today...

Let's begin, shall we?

It was in the first ten generations of men on the earth that Enoch, the 7th from Adam, preached his heart out to all the ears that would hear (Jude 14-16). Enoch prophesied the Lord would come in the last days in all His Glory, with ten thousands of His saints to judge the ungodly of their ungodly ways. Enoch had no way of knowing it would be another 5,000 years before his vision would be fulfilled, nevertheless, he preached on and on and on...

You see, Enoch was so filled with God he was compelled to warn these sinners of a mere seven generations from Adam that the Almighty and Sovereign Lord was nauseated by the stench of their wickedness and that He was coming as a judge of the hearts and works of men. These Spirit-filled warnings erupted from the belly of Enoch and filled the fields and hills of Mesopotamia for three hundred years. Then God took Enoch for he had this testimony, that he pleased God. He was the first to be lovingly snatched alive from the earth, and he was and is the forerunner of the Rapture of the Church...

He was the living blueprint of Elijah who was the living blueprint of John the Baptist. Jesus said John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah, and it is not all that difficult to see that Elijah came in the Spirit of Enoch. Thus, the Rapture of the Godly began before there was a Jew, a Gentile, a Passover, an Israel, a marriage at Sinai, a Calvary, a Pentecost or a Church in Jerusalem. It began with God's perfect plan and His infinite mercy for total redemption. We can see it in His Covenant with Adam, with Noah, with David, with Jesus Christ and the New Covenant offered to the saints of the Church Age. God has always had a plan, and He has had a man in every generation to carry it through the zigs and zags of frequent cultural and spiritual turnabouts.

The Israeli exodus from Egypt to meet with their God is a prophetic picture of the Rapture. To just take space here for highlights, the Israelites had sacrificed their perfect lambs the day before and splashed the blood on the door posts and overhead the door just as the Lord had instructed. They had roasted the lamb and the whole family would eat it with bitter herbs through the night, breaking no bones, and leaving no left-overs.

That night the death angel slaughtered all the first born in Egypt, from Pharaoh's son to the lowliest slave, "passing over" the blood splashed doors of the Hebrews. These sons of Jacob did not realize this new feast was the prophetic portrayal of the crucifixion of their Messiah. They had no way of knowing the lamb they had eaten of represented the Lamb of God that would take away their sins, redeem them unto God and be their resurrection in the Kingdom to come.

In the wake of horrifying screams that pierced the night, again and again, heard from beyond and before their own blood-splashed doors, they yearned for understanding, but no man dared speak of doubt or fear. Their long-awaited deliverance was now, and their deliverer was the surprise of the century. He was an 80-year-old fugitive, an Egyptian son turned Levite, a royal statesman turned Prophet of God. His name was Moses...

They obeyed instruction, not fully understanding, but knowing they had to trust Moses who trusted God. They left Egypt in the predawn hours and passed through the Red Sea on the third day of their journey, a type of death, burial, and resurrection as they reached the other side.

Jesus Christ was crucified at Passover, buried in a hand-hewn tomb (just as the waters of the Red Sea had been hand-hewn by God. He was resurrected early in the morning of the third day. Remember that God's pillar of fire was still burning on the sands of Egypt when the armies of Pharaoh arrived at the Red Sea, and it was the spreading of that pillar of fire that prevented Pharoah and his armies from advancing to the camp of the Israelites.

It wasn't easy controlling the panic of the Israelites. Right away they blamed Moses for their troubles and their sure and certain death at the hands of the Egyptians. But Moses was God's man, and Moses had a word from God. He didn't pat these hysterical blame-throwers on the back and soothe their fears. He cried out:

"Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" (Exodus 14:13-14).

"And the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them (the Egyptians), but it gave light by night to these (the Israelites) so that the one came not near the other all the night" (Exodus 14:19-20).

So it was still night, not yet dawn, when the Israelites began their cloud-lit descent from the banks of the waters edge down to the dried out floor of the Sea, and fled between the waters to the other side.

The pillar of fire spread out and burned big and hot until the children of Israel were well nigh to the other side. Dawn was rising when God lifted the pillar and let Pharaoh's armies pass.

More than 600 Egyptian chariots, each with a charioteer and a warrior, each pulled by two horses, in addition to the many horse soldiers, raced through the middle of the Red Sea floor, rushing toward the last struggling Israelis who had hasted two miles from shore to shore. God troubled the Egyptians, pulling off their chariot wheels, and just as the sunrise rose upon the desert floor, the Red Sea came together again and all of Pharaoh's armies, horses and chariots were churned by the powers of the waters to the bottom of the Sea forever.

On the other side Israel worshipped God, they sang songs of His faithfulness and mightiness, they danced and rejoiced and celebrated their deliverance. And so it will be when we reach the other side, there will be praise, worship, and adoration, followed by a wedding and a Kingdom to come...

On arrival at Mount Sinai, in the third month of their exodus, God charged the nation of Israel to obey His commands and keep the Covenant He was making with them, and they promised to do all that the Lord said to do. Then God told Moses to sanctify the people that day and the next and to have the people bathe themselves and wash their clothes and be prepared to be presented to Him on the morning of the third day.

The people had two full days and a few hours into the third day to prepare for the return of the Most High God. He had insisted they be clean when they stood before Him, He had even insisted to Moses that the priests consecrate themselves as well lest He break forth upon them, and they were all to "be ready" the morning of the third day...

This outward cleansing was very important but obedience was even more important in that it typified the inner cleansing that made it possible for them to stand before the all-powerful God of heaven and earth and not be zapped into dust. It was with fear and trembling that they washed their clothes, bathed their bodies, and assembled the morning of the third day at the base of the Mount.

Note that it was the MORNING of the third day and the Chosen were clean inside and out (sanctified and washed). On this morning, the omnipotent God would propose marriage to these Covenant descendants of Jacob and bind Himself to them in marriage. They were the young but full grown nation of Israel who, just three months earlier, had been slaves to a cruel Egyptian regime. Today they would become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a peculiar people above all other peoples, for all of heaven and earth belonged to God and He was ready to give His new wife abundance in the land of milk and honey, and power and might in the face of all her enemies.

He would be their God, and they would be His people. This love saga, its millennia of courtship and troubled betrothal began dramatically in the Garden of Eden. It continues...so stay tuned...

Noah was given 120 years to preach and build the Ark before God judged the earth with a flood. He did not win a single convert. The Jews began returning to Israel in 1889-1890. Thus the Church was given 120 years to evangelize the world and be a friend and supporter of the Jews. The Church's 120 evangelical years will end 2009-2010...

Unfortunately, various denominations of the Church opposed the return of the Jews to Palestine and taught Replacement Theology (that the Church had replaced the Jews in the Kingdom) which was the biggest lie Hell could distribute. It has taken many years to expose this lie and to turn things around, but Israel today has finally come to see the Church as her friend.

The abundance of America's blessings were always meant to bless the homecoming Jews in their times of need, even if they didn't trust us, but at no other time in history has this truth been more alive to us than today. The final 120 years of the Church is almost up - and our next breath may be a borrowed one...

Noah sailed to the height of the world on the mountains of Ararat and descended to the valleys of a new beginning. We will fly to the heights of Heaven, ascending to life everlasting. When Noah and his family had entered the Ark of safety against God's first universal judgment, God Himself shut the door with a finality that has echoed into every age: "Your last chance has come and gone."

When we come into the Ark of our own deliverance, Christ Himself will shut the door behind us, and the virgins who had no oil when the Bridegroom came will find the door closed when they return from the market. Too late - too late - you were too lukewarm...

The 24 Elders (the Church) stood before and around the throne as priests and priestesses before God, and the Lamb of God that had been slain stood in their midst (Rev. 5:6). In the hand of the One who sat on the throne was a scroll having seven seals. There was no one in Heaven or on the earth or under the earth worthy to take the scroll and open the seals except the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who prevailed to loose the seals and open the book.

He stood in their midst as the Lamb that had shed its life-giving blood at Calvary, blood that had flowed into every nook and crannie on the earth, wherever a heart cried out for Him. The shedding of this purest sinless blood had cost the Lamb his own life while saving the lives of innumerable sinners.

The day He was resurrected from the grave, He carried His still pure blood into Heaven, where He applied it to the Mercy Seat and the altar of God. This blood has power to heal, this blood has power to save. This blood has power to raise the dead. And now this same Lamb stands as the humble servant expressing his gratitude before this throng of saints who had believed Him, followed Him and given their all for Him.

We are taught that one day He will say, "Thank you," to each of us. It has not been easy to imagine such a precious thought, nevertheless the Word tells us it will happen. And so, in this scene, He seems to be overcome by the adoration His Bride has for Him, knowing what she has suffered for Him. It was His love for her and His promise to her that she would be Raptured out of the earth and into the Ark of His Presence before the final judgments fall, that she is here at this moment, standing before Him, around Him, adoring Him....

He takes the scroll from the Father's hand, and the second universal judgment of earth is ready to begin...

There are 21 judgments in all, seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials. When Jesus breaks the first seal, the antichrist rides to power on a white horse to conquer as a flatterer and a phoney peacemaker. The 20 judgments that follow will be so horrible men will pray to die and will not be able to. Yet a great harvest of souls will come out of this seven years, and the evil that defiled men and the earth will be purged.

In Matthew 24:29 Jesus talks about the second phase of His Second Coming. The first phase will be His secret return to the cloud regions to snatch away His Bride. He has to take her into Heaven before the judgments begin (Rev. 4:1) in order for her to exit Heaven with Him in Rev. 19:11. The second phase of His Second coming will be His return to earth with all the saints and the armies of Heaven for the battle of Armageddon, when every eye shall see Him.

They will all be riding great white horses through the galaxies and through the clouds where they begin their descent to the Mount of Olives and the Valley of Meggido to engage the battle of Armageddon. Jesus said it would happen immediately following the tribulation of those days, when the last vial is poured out, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt. 24:29).

And yet, in all that darkness and shaking, the Coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords with ten thousands of his saints, with Michael and all the armies of Heaven, as Enoch had said, will not be missed. It will be showtime, right on schedule, He will come in power and Great Glory, and the wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of His Coming. As the lightening comes from the East and shines to the West, so shall the Coming of the Son of man be.

There are those who believe the Resurrection/Rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation instead of prior to the tribulation. They base it upon this scripture in Matthew 24:31: And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect (chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

This scripture refers to the Second Coming of Christ with the saints to the Mount of Olives to throw the antichrist and the false prophet into the bottomless pit, and to destroy the armies at seige against Jerusalem. Remember that Jesus is talking with His Jewish Apostles, the founders of His Church, His Bride, and they want some answers. He is giving them some heavy drama to download here and He is vowing that His words will not pass away.

And when Divinity speaks of the "Elect," or "the Chosen Ones," they are not talking about the Church, they are talking about the Jews...

This scripture, fulfilled as Christ descends on Jerusalem, is a description of the sending forth of angels who are calling forth (by trumpet) the Resurrection of the Old Testament saints as their new and glorified bodies are raised and reunited with their excited spirits, "from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other."

Picture it! The Lord of lords, wearing a bloody robe from the judgments of His enemies, a sword between His teeth, riding to earth in power and great glory with the armies and saints of Heaven descending on Jerusalem, the Valley of Meggido and the Mount of Olives, ready for the big fight. Jesus sends the angels with trumpets to awaken the Old Testament saints for their Resurrection. It is time to come home to Jerusalem, to Judah, to all of Israel, and defend it once again - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Barak, David, Solomon, etc. all coming toward the seige around Jerusalem to deliver it from destruction.

"The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them in that day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them." (Zechariah 12:7-8).

The generation that saw Israel's return as a nation is the generation that shall not pass before all these things be fulfilled. And it is important to be mindful of this one very important word that Jesus left to us: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35).

Remember that the Father and the Son are one with the Holy Ghost. They are three and they are one. No matter what happens, no matter who tells you otherwise, be vigilant in this, the Word of God is sure and sharper than a two-edged sword. it cannot, and will not ever change, not one letter can be changed. So if someone tells you the times are different, we are in a more modern age, we have to adapt to the more liberal times of today, any such bunk as this, do not listen to them. Do not entertain such idiocy and do not risk the redemption of your soul listening to men rather than God.

Whatever is written and where-ever it is written, whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, the Holy Scriptures are authored by all three in that all three have spoken the Word that was written down by holy men of God as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost.

Now, the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of prophecy. He takes of the things of God and shows them unto Christ, and He takes the things of Christ and shows them unto us. Remember too, Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. If the Word changes, Jesus has to change, but this will never be because the Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

So, whatever He says, we can believe it...all the way from here to eternity...

Joan Krempel
April 23, 2009
joan@joankrempelministries.com