CHAPTER 16
MORE THAN CONQUERORS
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
It is so important that the sons of God determine within themselves that they are going to confess Jesus Christ come what may.
Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
It is obvious from the Book of Revelation that a great multitude of saints will suffer death at the hands of the Beast. However, once we understand that we have already died AND we have also been resurrected in Christ, we understand that there is nothing to fear about death for a Christian. Dying should be as simple as lying down to sleep.
Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
One day in the future everyone who is in Jesus Christ, whether dead or alive, will hear a great shout from heaven and they will all be waking up to meet our LORD in the air!
The three Hebrew children had to make a choice that everyone on earth will someday have to make and they made the right choice:
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were confident that God could save them but they had determined in their hearts that they were not going to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image regardless of the consequences.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
There are going to be many mature saints during the great tribulation who will lay down their lives for the immature saints. The mature saints are going to be revealed to the world just like Jesus was revealed to Israel, with signs, wonders, and miraculous power.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
MANIFESTATION - G602, apokalupsis, ap-ok-al'-oop-sis
From G601; disclosure: - appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.
The manifestation (apocalypse) of the sons of God is the revelation of Jesus Christ in and through His brethren. By the way, “Sons of God” is a term of art, it will include women as well as men.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Just like Jesus Christ was revealed to Israel as the true Messiah, King and High Priest of Israel, the sons of God will be revealed as the true Kings and Priests of the world and they will be rejected by the world just like Jesus was rejected by Israel. They will be persecuted and killed by the world just like Jesus was persecuted and killed by Israel.
I believe there will be three great harvests in the earth. The first harvest will be the harvest of first fruits which shall consist of the first 144,000, they will be the first wave of saints that will be revealed to the world. If you divide the world’s population of a little over 7,000,000,000 people by the first 144,000 saints, you arrive at approximately one miracle working Apostle for every 50,000 people on earth.
Apostle - G652, apostolos, ap-os'-tol-os
From G649; a delegate; specifically an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”), (with miraculous powers): - apostle, messenger, he that is sent.
There are more than twelve (12) apostles in the Bible. Here is a list of apostles other than the twelve named in the New Testament: Barnabas Acts 14:14, Apollos Cor. 4:6-9, Timothy I Thessalonians 1:1, Epaphroditus Phil. 2:25. The word simply means “messenger” although the Apostle Paul specifically mentions that there are “signs” that accompany an apostle.
2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
The 144,000 will be accompanied by signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. Anybody who claims to be an apostle and is not followed by signs and miracles is a liar. The False Prophet will also perform deceiving signs and miracles, so you must be grounded in the knowledge of Jesus Christ to escape deception.
Therefore, there could be an Apostle in practically every medium sized town in the world. If you study the barley harvest in Israel, you will get a deeper insight into these first 144,000 saints of God.
Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
The second harvest will consist of the millions of saints who are converted by these first 144,000 saints and they will include a vast multitude of saints who will also reach maturity as the sons of God. If you study the wheat harvest in Israel and the feast of Pentecost, you will understand more about this second harvest of saints. This arrival of millions of miracle working saints will terrify Satan and the current rulers of the world. They will know that their time is short and they will begin to persecute and make war on the saints of God.
Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
The third and final harvest of saints will consist of immature saints who have not had time to reach maturity and they will be protected by God in the wilderness until the rapture, if they are wise enough to flee from Babylon.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
I lean toward believing that the rapture/resurrection will occur on the Feast of Tabernacles in 2029 because this is the last and greatest Feast of ancient Israel. This is the day that Israel celebrated God dwelling WITH them. Also, the 1260 days that the woman flees into the wilderness corresponds with the number of days that the two witnesses are active in the earth.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
I believe the two witnesses will come against the Beast and his kingdom while the Beast is making war on the saints, similar to Moses against Pharaoh. The two witnesses are active for 1260 days and then are killed by the antichrist and their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half (3 and ½) days.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
If the two witnesses begin their ministries right after the Feast of Passover, which was when I believe that John the Baptist and Moses began their ministries, the end of April 8, 2026 A.D., we can count 1260 days until they are killed by the Beast, Sept. 20, 2029 A.D. When they rise from the dead three and one half (3 and ½) days later, and they are resurrected early on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Sept. 24, 2029 A.D.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
I believe that the Feast of Tabernacles, September 24, 2029, is the date of the resurrection/rapture of the Church. The two witnesses will be raised from the dead, and every saint who ever lived will also be raised from the dead on that same day, every living saint will be resurrected/raptured on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles…the PRIMARY HARVEST OF GOD’S SAINTS.
By the way, 1335 days from April 8, 2026, is the first day of Hanukkah on Dec. 3, 2029, signifying the cleansing of the temple. See Daniel 12:12
If you want to check out my calculations, you can go to the following web address and check out all my numbers:
http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html
After the resurrection of the Church on September 24, 2029, God will begin to pour out His wrath with a vengeance upon all those on the earth who persecuted and killed His saints, who are the true Kings of the earth.
I believe there will be people who will make it through the great tribulation NOT because they are close to Jesus but because they are close to people who are close to Jesus. Remember that Ham was surely not righteous but he escaped destruction because of his father Noah. Also, remember that Lot’s two daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom because of their father.
If these people who have NOT been raptured can make it to Hanukkah on Dec. 3, 2029, they will not need to fear persecution from the antichrist anymore because his power and authority will be broken. The world’s attention will be focused on the final battle…the battle of Armageddon.