Apostles and Elders Organizing the Church

If you are sincere and intellectually honest with yourself you will ask yourself this life changing question. The alternative is to remain eternally separated from your Creator. Free will is not true free will unless you have this choice. You wouldn't want it any other way for anything else is lesser, unsatisfying, insufficient and deficient.

Since almost all scholars in this field agree based on historical standards the original disciples truly believed they saw Jesus alive from the dead in various group settings and Jesus was the most documented person in antiquity (i.e. 45 sources within 150 years of his death, 17 of which are non-Christian), it is incumbent on you (i.e., burden of proof) to find a naturalistic explanation for the origin of the disciples' beliefs for their eyewitness testimony. Otherwise your faith is blind, self indulgent, illogical and unjustifiable. What say you?

I hold the same standard for myself that I judge you with. "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matt. 7.2). But since I give into this evidence I will not be judged for the judgment that comes upon a person who rejects Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Creator, 2nd Person of the Trinity, died on the cross for the sins of the world (to save whosoever is willing to believe in Him, John 3.16), and resurrected the third day to give everlasting life-eternal life as opposed to conscious eternal separation in eternal perdition (Hell). "And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire" (v.14) which is Hell. Unlike any natural fire that burns out, this one never does. "He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone" (14.10), and "they have no rest day nor night" (v.11), for it "will never burn out" (Matt. 25.41). They "will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out" (Is. 66.24). This fire represents eternal judgment from which there is no escape nor would the unsaved want to leave this place, because they want to be eternally separated from God. This place has no love, no peace and no joy. Most of all it is without God's presence.

Many theories have been put forth to try to refute this truth but they don't work:

1. Hallucination theory fails because modern psychology says group hallucinations are impossible.
2. Swoon theory fails because Jesus wouldn't have look much like a risen Messiah all beat up.
3. Empty tomb theory doesn't present any challenge to their eyewitness testimony.
4. Twin theory is silly for no mention is made of this twin brother amongst Jesus' brothers and sisters.
5. Legend theory fails because no documents in antiquity are so closely recorded to the time of events.
6. Fraud theory is unworkable because people don't willingly die for what they know is a lie.
7. Independent story is not tenable because of so much corroboration, e.g. second generation apostle Polycarp was a student of John and Clement of Rome was friends with Peter, and multiple books with different writing styles cross-reference many workers together setting up the churches, e.g. Paul said he spent 15 days with Peter and with John and James on more than one occasion. Mark and Barnabas worked with Paul, Peter and John. And Luke who wrote Luke and Acts worked with Paul and Peter. To name a few!

In conclusion, a Christian is fully justified in Christ with this evidence. It stands up in a court of law. Christianity is unique because only in our faith does God enter His creation, pays the ransom for sin as only God could do, and proves Himself unequivocally by His resurrection. There can be no greater proof. A non-Christian (Hindu, Muslim, Atheist, etc.) has no evidence for his or her faith for they just take it on blind faith. Understand carefully that believing something doesn't make it true. You need evidence. Amen! "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5.21).

Unless you believe in Jesus who He truly is, God has no choice but to send you where you want to go. "That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins" (John 8.24).

Praise the Lord!

(1) Selfishly, you refuse to repent and believe in Christ to be regenerated by erecting an idol called Total depravity which says you can't, so you don't.

(2) Presumptuously, you worship a god who sends people to Hell just because they were born into sin which is not their fault. Without any opportunity to be saved, they could do nothing about it. Such a god is impotent to be able to provide sufficient grace to all to have the choice.

(3) Evilly, you worship a tyrant that irresistibly imposes regeneration on people without affording them the choice (not much of a gift). "Someone made to do something against their will is of the same opinion still," Dave Hunt.

(4) In your own selfish image, you've created a double minded god who contradicts himself with his two wills, declaring openly he wants all to be saved, but secretly he doesn't. If something is a secret then by definition Calvinists can't make any claim about it or if it even exists, therefore, they are just pretentiously asserting themselves.

(5) It's wrong to give people false hope by delivering the gospel to them when your god makes them unable to respond. There is no way around this abusive behavior, duplicity and charade.

(6) The god of Calvinism you allege could save all but doesn't; in contrast, God of the Bible doesn't save all because most people refuse His love, e.g. Calvinists. God won't save you selfishly.

Ref: http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/James_White_Unsaved.htm

Picture two children playing in quicksand. Of course, they don't realize it is impossible to get out of the quicksand. The god of Calvinism comes along and yanks one of the children out with a hook and lets the other perish. Whereas God of the Bible extends His arm out to both, pleading with them, having given them both ample grace to respond positively, but sadly only one grabs hold.

If you believe in the former rather than the latter, I can confidently say you are not born-again (regenerated). Fact: most people who claim to be Christians are not, and this applies even to a greater extent to those who preach a gospel starkly similar to the gospel of salvation though is nothing of the kind looking down the road to eternity shown to us in the word of God. Test the spirits. Prove all things and that which is good.

"God is the Savior of all men [sufficient grace for all to have the choice], specially those who believe" (1 Tim. 4.10). "That he might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11.2). "Who would have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2.4). "Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3.9). "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3.19). "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5.1). "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24.15). "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2.2). "And every one whom his spirit made willing" (Ex. 35.21). "Come unto me...and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11.28). "I have given you the choice between life and death.... I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you...might live!" (Deut. 30.19) "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Tit. 2.11) speaks of the sufficient grace given to us all to have the choice.

"Unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins" (John 8.23,24). Worshiping a false Christ of your own making or following the one devised by Calvin, Spurgeon, Augustine or Luther won't save you one iota.

Much thanks goes to Jacob Arminius, a protector of the faith, who taught that God predestinates by foreknowing our free-choice: a conditional election, unlimited atonement, resistible grace, for preservation of the saints (OSAS). My prayer is if you have not done so already, to give your life to the God who keeps for we can't keep ourselves saved, nor is God an evil god that irresistibly imposes regeneration and preteritions others. What love is that?

Apostle Troy Brooks

We've talked enough about the first rapture according to readiness before the first trumpet, as well as, the 7th trumpet rapture and resurrection according to completion before the bowls of wrath are poured. What about the gleaning period immediately after the 7th trumpet rapture to the time when Jesus returns? This period is 24 months and can be considered the gleaning period of further raptures and resurrections. Praise the Lord!

"When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field [think of Revelation 14.14-16], and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean[it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow [anyone saved during the last 24 months]" (Deut. 24.19-21).

The Lord distinctly promises that the church may escape the Great Tribulation and "stand before the Son of man"—This no doubt refers to rapture. Nevertheless, there is a condition involved. Not for all who are simply born again, but for those born-again ones who watch and pray. "That ye may prevail"—If you watch and pray, you may prevail. Hence the promise is given to those who do these things.

Does everyone in the whole church watch and pray? Let us pay attention to this.

The 144,000 in Rev. 7.1-8 are a remnant of Israel. The 144,000 in Rev. 14.1-5 are not a remnant of Israel, but firstfruit virgin Christians (v.4). God has three groups in view: remnant Israel, Christians, and the nations. God will not break His promise to Israel to be the center of all nations, yet any Jewish person in Israel to be saved still must believe in the Lord, for the true Jew is a Christian. Abraham or Isaac or Jacob if they were alive today would be a Christian, accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Who are the 144,000? The 144,000 cited in Revelation 7.4 and 144,000 spoken of here in 14.1 are two different classes of people, contrasted as follows:

(1) The people of 7.4 are the chosen among the children of Israel, while those of 14.1 are purchased from among men.
(2) The seals received by them are not the same. The one spoken of in 7.2 is “the seal of the living God”, which is Old Testament terminology. The seal alluded to in 14.1 bears the name of the Lamb and the name of the Father, and such names are related to the church. Hence these people must come from the church.
(3) The people told about in 7.3 are called “the servants of our God”, but those in view in 14.1 are the children of God (this conclusion is deduced from the name of the Father).
(4) Throughout the entire book of Revelation the Lord calls God as Father each time. And He always says it in connection with the church (1.6, 2.27, 3.5, 3.21). The Lord never uses it in connection with Israel.
(5) The people spoken of in 14.1ff. are associated with the Lamb (standing with the Lamb, having the name of the Lamb, following the Lamb, and being the first fruits unto the Lamb). In chapter 7 the Lord is seen as another angel; and this, as we have seen, is a returning to His Old Testament position.
(6) The song they sing is described in 14.3 as a new song, whereas the song the people mentioned in 7.4 sing is but an old song.
(7) The people in view in 14.4 are virgins, but with Israel virginity is to be bewailed. (According to Ex. 23.26, Deut. 7.14, 1 Sam. 2.5, and Ps. 113.9, to bear children is considered a blessing while to be barren is deemed a curse. In Judges 11.38,39 the daughter of Jephthah is said to have bewailed her virginity for two months.)
(8) The articles preceding both of the 144,000 numbers cited in 14.1 and 7.4 are indefinite, and are therefore general and not specific. Thus these 144,000 numbers constitute two different classes.

14.1 The group of 144,000 here is a special class of people in the church; they are not all the people of the church. And the reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

(1) Since the 144,000 figure in 7.4 is taken literally, the number here should also be reckoned as literal.
(2) This group being the first fruits (14.4), it cannot be said that the entire church makes up the first fruits.
(3) There is no such fact that the people in the entire church keep their virginity.
(4) Prior to the arrival of the Great Tribulation (for it is before the voices of the three angels are heard, 14.6-11), these people are already raptured to Mount Zion.
(5) 14.5 tells of the exceptional features of these people, concerning which it cannot be said that all the born-again ones possess such characteristics.

Consequently, the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion are the best of the overcomers of the church; that is to say, this group of 144,000 is representative of the totality of the overcomers.

Who is this man child? (Rev. 12.5) He must be the overcomers: for example, (1) some Christians in the church in Smyrna, since “Be thou faithful unto death” (2.10) coincides with the last clause in 12.11—“they loved not their life even unto death”; (2) some Christians in the church in Thyatira, for “he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (2.26,27) agrees with “a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (12.5); (3) some Christians in the church in Philadelphia, because they are kept out of “the hour of trial” (3.10) just as the man child is “caught up unto God” (12.5); and (4) some Christians in the church in Laodicea, since they will “sit” on the “throne” (3.21) just as the man child “is to rule all the nations” (12.5).

Some others advocate the interpretation of Christ being the man child, but this is also inapplicable for the following reasons:

(1) The woman represents Jerusalem, while the Lord Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
(2) This man child is not personal but corporate in character (12.10-11).
(3) Should this man child be Christ, the dragon will then be Herod, yet 12.9 states explicitly that the dragon is Satan himself.
(4) As soon as the man child is born, he is caught up to the throne, whereas the Lord Jesus is taken up to heaven only after He has lived over thirty years, died, and been raised from the dead.
(5) Because all this is a vision, the word “travail” cannot be interpreted literally.

Still others say that the man child denotes the whole church. This too is impossible since (1) the whole church is not all raptured at the same time: some will go in advance of others and some will follow afterwards, but here the man child is caught up as a unit simultaneously; (2) to rule all the nations with an iron rod is not a promise given to the entire church, rather is it promised to the overcomers only (2.26-27), and not all in the church are overcomers; and (3) to reign is promised to those who suffer and endure with the Lord today (2 Tim. 2.12).

Jesus said when Israel becomes a nation ("when his branch is yet tender," Matt. 24.32b) and enters Jerusalem ("and putteth forth leaves," v.32c), you can know the season ("ye know that summer is nigh," v.32d) when He returns even the very day ("when ye shall see all these things, you can know that His return is very near, right at the door," v.33). "Very near" is within a lifetime of 70 to 80 years (Ps. 90.10) from 1948 to 2018-28. Split the difference, no later than 2023. Can we get more accurate than this?

Don't let anyone lead you astray and tell you otherwise who will misuse certain verses to misguide you by saying you can't know. Though it is true the disciples in their day could not know that would not always be the case. Satan says you can't know "right at the door" even though you can know right at the door when your friend says she will come over to your place if she is trustworthy. That Old Serpent might try to misuse Matt. 24.36, but it is referring to the end of the earth (v.35) not to when Jesus returns. Verse 35 and 36 are parenthetical to what Jesus is talking about and should be treated as one sentence. Jesus is saying His word does not change. Not even the end of the world will change it. And nobody knows when that end is.

Certainly, Jesus at the right hand of the Father knows now when the end of the world will take place. And He knew when He would return; that's how we know as He gave us instruction about how to know when He would return. He will return in Person with "10,000 of His saints" (Jude 14,15) whom shall reign for 1000 years with a "rod of iron" (Rev. 2.27, 12.5, 19.15) "over the nations" (2.26); only then does the end of the world come and "no more sea" (21.1).

We can know the day just not the hour (v.42 KJV, DBY) when He returns, but we can't know the day or hour when the world ends since this time is far off and not associated with signs such as the return of Israel (v.32), the signs in the heavens before the Tribulation starts (Joel 2.31, Acts 2.20, Rev. 6.12) and the specific 2,520 day period (7 years x 360 days per year) of Daniel's final unit of seven years we are to watch out for. Perhaps Jesus will give us some signs we do not yet know of during the millennium about when Satan is let loose out of the pit for a short while near the end of the 1000 years (20.7). In letting him out, it will be shown Satan will never repent, that man had yet some hidden sin and God's good pleasure.

The two Lunar Tetrads that fell on passover, tabernacles and again on passover and tabernacles in 1949/50 (6th since Christ) when Israel became a nation and 1967/68 (7th since Christ) when Israel entered Jerusalem was the first time since Christ two feast Tetrads occurred so close together as this within 18 years apart, so this is the reference point to what Jesus was talking about when He told His disciples to watch out for [inferred] unique cosmic signs (Luke 21.25) to indicate when He returns.

Before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2.31) would occur three events in specific order (Rev. 6.12):

1) A great earthquake. Haiti 2010 had the second most deaths and the most deaths per capita of all earthquakes in history. Japan 2011 was the greatest in terms of financial loss and the 5th greatest in the world in magnitude.

2) A unique solar eclipse. The rarest type-the Hybrid H3 longdated Nov. 3, 2013-is the 4th since Christ. Very rare indeed!

3) A unique lunar eclipse. The Total Lunar Tetrad 2014/15 will be the 8th since Christ and won't happen again till 2582/83. So this is it my friends! Incidentally, there is no associated unique solar eclipse around 2582/83.

(First time ever this Hybrid and Tetrad come together within a year apart; first time ever two earthquakes of this proportion come together a year apart of each other, and first time ever all three events in Rev. 6.12 come together.)

Unless you believe in Partial Rapture, you won't be able to perceive Rev. 6.12 correctly occurring right before the Tribulation starts. Suggestion: learn about partial rapture.

The commencement of the building of the Temple and start of the Tribulation would begin in or right next to the 2014/15 Tetrad because Israel became a nation again during the 6th Tetrad (1949/50) on May 14, 1948 (Ezekiel's prophecy takes us literally and amazingly to May, 1948). The armistice treaties were signed in 1949. And Israel marched in and reclaimed Jerusalem on June 7, 1967 during the 7th Tetrad (1967/68). The probability of this data point is less than 1 in 100,000 (try to figure it out yourself).

As we all know, the first four feasts refer to Jesus' first coming. The last three feasts pertain to His second coming. The first of the last three feasts is the Feast of Trumpets which has to do with rapture that comes before the Tribulation starts. It is according to readiness (Matt. 24.40-42). The last trumpet rapture and resurrection (1 Thess. 4.14-18) is at the start of the 7th trumpet (Rev. 11.15, 15.2-4) and is according to completion. The second feast, the Day of Atonement, refers to those who are saved to be resurrected before the 1000 years. And the third feast, Tabernacles, points to the millennial kingdom that follows after the Tribulation is over. It is a Sabbath rest after 6000 years or 120 Jubilees from 3986 BC to 2015 AD where the lamb and the lion lay down together in peace, and Jesus reigns with a "rod of iron" (19.15).

There must be 2,520 days for the final seven year period according to Daniel's prophecy (Dan. 9.24-27) because all the other sets of seven were composed of 7 year sevens. Nobody told me these dates for the Tribulation. I discovered them myself as the Holy Spirit guided me. I needed and prayed for a holiday of significance on the 2,520th day from Feast of Trumpets. Imagine my surprise! 7 out of every 19 years an extra month is added on the Jewish calendar so there are 2,520 days from Feast of Trumpets (the First Rapture) to Tisha B'Av (the day the 1st and 2nd Temples were destroyed).

2014-2021 and 2016-2023 don't add up to 2,520 days, but 2015-2022 does for these particular holidays.

The Third Temple is especially important to Jesus because it will be His residence for 1000 years. It greatly hurts His heart to see the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples because of such needless suffering and necessitated a delay in both His first and second coming to be with us in Person.

The First Rapture to "the throne" (Rev 7.9) according to readiness (3.10, Luke 21.36) is on the Feast of Trumpets Sept. 14, 2015 before the first trumpet of the Tribulation is blown (8.7ff) that ushers in the 7 year Tribulation that lasts 2,520 days. Approximately 1/7th of believers alive at the time of the first rapture will be raptured alive, because only one of the 7 churches in Rev. 2 & 3 was an overcomer church. Only a couple million saints will be raptured alive, i.e. "taken" (Matt. 24.40-42). Believers not taken will be "left" (1 Thess. 4.15,17) to be raptured at the last trump (1 Cor. 15.52).

The last trumpet rapture and resurrection (1 Cor. 15.23, 1 Thess. 4.14-18, Rev. 14.14-16) is at the start of the 7th trumpet. The 7th trumpet contains the 7 bowls of wrath and lasts 24 months (see calc. below). The first four trumpets are the first half of the 7 year Tribulation. During this time only the earth is hurt. People are not killed in mass yet until the 6th and 7th trumpets when 200 million military units (9.16) congregate in the middle east over oil. The ensuing nuclear exchange causes fire, smoke and brimstone that kills 1/3 of the earth's people (v.18).

The Tribulation is composed of 84 thirty-day months (2,520 days). The first four trumpets last 42 months (ch. 8) since the Great Tribulation which is the second half of the Tribulation has three trumpets or the 3 woes (8.13) which last 42 months. The Great Trib. begins at 9.1 ("I saw a star [Satan] falls from heaven unto the earth") and continues for 42 months (11.2, 13.5).

The 5th trumpet is 5 months (vv.5,10), and the 6th trumpet lasts 13 months (v.15). That leaves 24 months for the 3rd woe-the 7th trumpet. 5 + 13 + 24 = 42 months. Counting down the days from Feast of Trumpets, the middle of the Tribulation begins Feb. 25, 2019 (v.1). The beginning of the 6th trumpet is July 25, 2019 lasting 13 months. And the beginning of the 7th trumpet is Aug. 18, 2020. "An hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men" (v.15) is 13 months. "And a day" would take us to Aug. 19. And "an hour" might fall into Aug. 20th. A "third part of men" carries over into the 7th trumpet arena of the 7 bowls of wrath.

Jesus steps down on the mount of olives (Zech. 14.4, Acts 1.11, Rev. 1.7, 19.11-16) on Tisha B'Av Sunday, Aug. 7 (Av 10), 2022. When Tisha B'Av falls on a Saturday as on Aug. 6 (Av 9), 2022 it is held the day after on Sunday instead.

In conclusion: Jesus returning on Sunday is 1 in 7. Tisha B'Av held over from Saturday is 1 in 7. Feast of Trumpets to Tisha B'Av works out to be exactly 2,520 days every 7 out of 19 years. Including the probabilities for the Great Earthquake (1 in 2010), the Long H3 Solar Eclipse (1 in 700), the Tetrads (1 in 100,000), and these three events (earthquake, solar eclipse, lunar tetrad) in specific order (1 in 6), we come to a probability of 112 trillion to 1. If you think that is just coincidence, think again!

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/return_of_Jesus.htm