Tribulation In The Will Of God

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

BEING IN THE WILL OF GOD DOESN’T GUARANTEE EASY CIRCUMSTANCES.

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Remember, Paul and Silas weren’t in Philippi on a vacation. They were there to do the Lord’s work. They weren’t out of the will of God. Sometimes when things don’t go right, people think, Well, I must be out of the will of God!

I’ve had people say to me, “What awful sin have I committed to cause God to put this on me?” I tell them that God didn’t send the test or trial they are facing; the devil sent it: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy . . .” (John 10:10). It wasn’t God who whipped Paul and Silas. It was ungodly men who did it. God didn’t stir up these ungodly fellows. It was the devil who stirred them up. Some say, “Well, God permitted it. What awful sin have I committed to cause God to permit this to happen to me?”

But if you think you’re going to determine whether you are in the will of God by whether or not everything runs smoothly in your life, then you are mistaken. A life of ease, with no rough or difficult places to endure and no sacrifices to make, does not indicate whether or not a person is in God’s will. If it did, then Paul never did get in the will of God in his entire ministry! He missed it from beginning to end. No, you can’t judge being in the will of God by whether or not you have tests and trials in life and obstacles to overcome.

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I was on the field as an evangelist for many years, and I would sometimes get amused at pastors. I have had them tell me, “I tell you one thing! If I can just get my Sunday school attendance back up where it was at its highest point, I am leaving!” Some pastors were upset because the Sunday school was down and things weren’t going right. Well, you don’t judge whether or not you’re in the will of God just because the Sunday school isn’t what you think it should be. That kind of thinking would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

I have also had pastors say to me, “If I can just get the finances of this church to the place they were when I came here, then I’m going to resign and leave.” They felt that because the finances had fallen off it indicated they weren’t in the will of God. But a church is made up of individual people, and just as individual people go through phases in their lives, so do churches. A pastor can’t determine that he is out of the will of God just because his church is experiencing some difficult circumstances.

When I pastored, I never did try to ascertain whether I was in the will of God by whether or not things ran smoothly. I would determine the will of God by listening to my own spirit, and by doing just what they did in Acts 13:2. I would wait upon the Lord and minister to Him until I knew in my spirit what God wanted me to do. 

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I only missed it one time, as far as pastoring the right church was concerned. I missed God concerning this particular church because I put out a fleece. You see, I hadn’t been in Pentecostal circles very long. It had only been about three years since I’d received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and had become Pentecostal.

I never had heard anything about fleeces before then. I had never heard anyone in my former church say anything about putting out a fleece. But I began to hear certain preachers and others talk about putting out a fleece, so I decided to put out a fleece too. I decided

maybe I’d like to change churches and pastor another church. So I put out a fleece about whether or not I should take another church.

A certain church opened up, and I was invited to preach, so I went. Before I left, I put out a fleece. I told the Lord if a certain “sign” occurred, I would accept it as His confirmation that I should accept this new pastorate. And according to my fleece or “sign” I had asked for, I was to change churches. I did, and I got fleeced! 

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When I was finally able to leave that church, I was never so glad to get away from a place in all my life as I was that place! I should have left that church a long time before I did, but sometimes when you miss it, it’s hard to get back on the right track again. And yet, I went back there afterwards to hold a revival meeting and had one of the greatest meetings they had ever had in the history of the church. But I went that time in the will of God, when God said, “Go.” I missed it

previously even when I followed the fleece instead of following God, waiting on God, and ministering to Him, until I knew what to do.

However, as I said, just because I was in the will of God pastoring those other churches doesn’t mean everything always ran smoothly. It doesn’t mean we broke the Sunday school record every Sunday. And it doesn’t mean the finances topped out every Sunday above anything that we had ever received before.Yet in pastoring those churches, I knew in my spirit, in my heart, that it was the right thing to do because I had taken time to minister to the Lord and to wait upon Him.

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I knew that was where He wanted me to be. At different times I’d say to the Lord, “Lord, things are not running just right, but I’m not going to worry about it. I’m going to trust You to work it out.” The devil will just try to aggravate you to death with circumstances, if you’ll listen to him. But if you’ll learn how to deal with the devil, you’ll be alright. And if you don’t, then the circumstances of life will overwhelm you.

Because if Satan can get the least edge on you, he’ll just hound you and try to worry you to death. But believers don’t need to be easy prey for the devil. Rather, we need to spend our time ministering to the Lord.

Kenneth E. Hagin

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William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Ascension

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

I received this in a text from a friend.  He found it on the net.

When will the church be taken up to heaven in the face of great tribulation?

The Answer:

The timing of the church's ascension to heaven is one of the most controversial issues among Christians today.  There are basically three theories about this:

!.  Before the tribulation (the ascension of the church to heaven will take place before the last tribulation)

2.  In the midst of the tribulation Seeds.

 3.  After the tribulation (the ascension of the church will take place after the last tribulation).

4. The fourth doctrine is commonly known as "before the wrath" which is a slightly modified version of the second doctrine (the doctrine of the church being raised in the midst of trouble).  First of all, it is very important to know the purpose of the last trouble.  According to Daniel 9:27, there is still a period of seventy "weeks" (seven years) to come.  And Daniel's Seventy Week Prophecy (Daniel 9: 20-27) speaks entirely of Israel.  This will be the time when God will focus on Israel in particular.  In the same way, the seventy weeks, the last tribulation, must be the time when God will deal with Israel in particular.  Although this prophecy does not explicitly indicate that the church could not exist on earth at that time, it does raise the question of why the church needs to exist on earth at that time.

The most important Scriptural reference to the ascension of the church to heaven is 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18.  This passage states that all living believers and with them all believers who will be resurrected will meet the Lord Jesus in the air and will be with him forever.  God lifted his people from the earth

The term "church ascension" is used to refer to the English term rapture.  After some verses, the Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5: 9 "For God hath not ordained us to wrath, but to be saved through our Lord Jesus Christ."  The book of Revelation, which primarily deals with the last days of the tribulation, is a prophetic message about how God will send His wrath upon the earth in the last tribulation.  It is contrary to the nature of God to promise believers that He will not fall into wrath and then leave them on earth to go through the wrath of the last tribulation.  The fact that God first promises to save Christians from wrath seems to be linked to these two events and then promises to raise His people from the earth shortly thereafter.

Another very important reference to the time of the church's resurrection is Revelation 3:10 in which Christ promises to save believers in "the hour of trial" that is to come on earth.  This could mean two things: either Christ will protect believers during trials or He will save believers from trials.  Both meanings are correct according to the Greek word translated "from".  However, it is important to know what believers are promised protection from.  And this is not just a trial, but a "time" of trial.  Christ promises to keep believers safe from the time of trials and tribulations.  The purpose of the last tribulation, the purpose of the resurrection of the church, the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 5: 9 and the interpretation of Revelation 3:10 all clearly support the doctrine of "the resurrection of the church before the great tribulation."  If the Bible is interpreted literally and consistently, then the doctrine of 'before the tribulation' is more in tune with the teachings of the Bible than any other doctrine.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

The Rapture

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

The Rapture: Pre-Tribulation Verses Post-Tribulation

             “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”[1]  The Apostle Paul here is very certain that there will be a catching away sometime in the future.  But, we just do not know for certain when it will take place.  There are three main points of view on this subject: The Pre-Tribulation period, The Mid-Tribulation period, and the Post-Tribulation period.  Here we will discuss the Pre-Tribulation theory or the Post-Tribulation theory.

            The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is in my humble opinion the correct position.  It just makes logical since to me.  Why would Jesus Christ suffer and die on the Cross for His saints only to put them in the Tribulation period.  Why would God pour out His wrath on His Church which has already gone through such tribulation on this earth before the final judgement? But, some believe in a Post-Tribulation view.  So, as with all doctrine, let’s look at the hermeneutics to come to that conclusion.  I will prove the Post-Tribulation theory once and for all!

            “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”[2] Wow, there you go, this is great proof! Wait a minute!  The letter was written at the time when Christians were being persecuted because of their faith in Christ.  The writer’s main concern is to give his readers hope and encouragement, and to urge them to remain faithful during times of suffering.  There is a difference of “tribulation” and the “Day of the Lord.”  Throughout church history there have been many time of church persecutions. John was exiled to the isle of Patmos during one of these times.  The Roman Emperor Domitian instituted a policy of emperor worship just before this time period. Christians refused to worship him, so they were persecuted.  The elderly Apostle John was caught up in this persecution. This is what he was talking about when he mentioned “tribulation” in his letter to the brethren.  If John was referring to the Great Tribulation he would have specified such. The historical-grammatical context indicates John referring to his current tribulation.

            “…But Jesus turning unto them said, daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the pap’s which never gave suck.  Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, fall on us; and to the hills, cover us…[3]  Jesus is saying that great tribulation is coming their way.  Wow, there we go, this is great proof!  Wait a minute!  Nowhere does it say because they would experience the Great Tribulation. Jesus was talking to the crowd and their children.  Jesus was referring here to the destruction of Jerusalem twenty-seven years in the future, which most of the people in the crowd in which Jesus was talking to would witness themselves.  An event in which several million Jews were violently killed. 

            “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”[4]  Well, this pretty much sums it up. The Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians that they have been delivered from the wrath to come. They were under persecution at the time, so he was not specking in the present tense. And since Paul used the term “wrath,” which is reserved for the Great Tribulation period, that is what he meant. So, the historical-grammatical context gives the meaning of the Great Tribulation.  

“…Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake…”[5]  Wow, there we go! Real proof of the Post-Tribulation theory!  Wait a minute!  These two large blocks of verses is a general description of the difficult days leading up to the Great Tribulation?  Hundreds of Christians have recently been beheaded in the Middle East and in Asia.  Christians everywhere are being persecuted, fulfilling this prophecy.

            The Great Tribulation period is all about God pouring out His wrath and judgement upon the unbelieving world.  The believers will not be around to experience it. The saints will not be judged because we are covered by the Blood of Christ.  As God breathed on His saints to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will inhale to bring His saints up to Glory.            “…Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake…”[6]  Wow, there we go! Real proof of the Post-Tribulation theory!  Wait a minute!  These two large blocks of verses is a general description of the difficult days leading up to the Great Tribulation?  Hundreds of Christians have recently been beheaded in the Middle East and in Asia.  Christians everywhere are being persecuted, fulfilling this prophecy.

            The Great Tribulation period is all about God pouring out His wrath and judgement upon the unbelieving world.  The believers will not be around to experience it. The saints will not be judged because we are covered by the Blood of Christ.  As God breathed on His saints to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will inhale to bring His saints up to Glory.

            “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”[7]  The Church is mentioned about a couple of dozen times in the first three chapter of Revelation and is not mentioned afterwards. We only read about wrath and judgements from then on.  If the Church was to be a part of the Great Tribulation, then they would probably be mentioned.

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[1] Bible, KJV; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

[2] Bible, KJV; Revelation 1:9.

[3] Bible, KJV; Luke 23:27-29.

[4] Bible, KJV; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

[5] Bible, KJV; Matthew 24:3-14. See also Mark 13:3-23.

[6] Bible, KJV; Matthew 24:3-14. See also Mark 13:3-23.

[7] Bible, KJV; Revelation 4:1.

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

Gog and Magog

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Gog and Magog

                “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth…”[1]  All of the chess pieces of mankind will be set upon the table of the earth to play the last hand of man’s dramatic history.  But it will be the hand of God that will be playing the pieces at the end.  Mankind has had thousands of years to make his move, only to play the war, violence and rebellion against his God moves.  It’s always been funny how man has the audacity to think that the earth is his and he is the only player.  But in the “Last days,” God will “putting the hooks” and dragging human pieces into place to end our sinful and rebellious history His way.  Understanding this endgame is very important for all of us, but especially among the saints of the Most High.  I receive a great deal of comfort knowing that I am in God’s majestic hands. I feel safe knowing that my future is already planned out.

            Magog, Meshech and Tubal are all in the present land of Turkey.[2]  With Gog being their leader and these lands being mentioned first in the thirty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel, this leads me to believe that the leader of Turkey will form an alliance to attack Israel.  Turkey currently has a half million man army that is a NATO member and is a first world military.  Turkey currently has seven million military aged men that could be quickly drafted for a larger operation.  With Russian allies (Gomer), they could form a formable Northern Alliance. Persia, which is currently in Syria, which also has a half million man military with eight million men that could be drafted. Both of these countries mentioned in the thirty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel would form a very powerful Northern Alliance. A million man army with potential millions behind them. Add a few more allies like the Russians, Syrians and maybe the Lebanese we have a potent force. 

            The Southern Alliance, controlled by Gog of Magog (Turkey) would consist of Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Palestine and Ethiopia, would form a much smaller and less powerful force than the Northern one.  On its own it would form a definite threat to “land of unwalled villages (Ez 38:11), but not a fatal one. But combined with the Northern Alliance, this would be an overwhelming attack of the land of Israel. 

            This major military conflict would come before the unveiling of the anti-Christ and the beast. Satan will have us ignorant and prideful man to do his bidding and use them to try and destroy God’s people.  The anti-Christ and the beast will be revealed just after this large military campaign that God will win for His people.  Then we will have the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the two witnesses, the seven bowls.  The anti-Christ and the beast will team up for the final battle at the end of the tribulation period. The final battle, the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), will usher in the thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth.

            Before God’s entire plan for the last days, God will catch away His saints upon the earth for the marriage supper of the Lamb.  God’s people have suffered enough on this earth and in this life and He will see to it that His people are caught up to be with Him.  Some have said that the rapture is mentioned in the fourth chapter of Revelation.  “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:  and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”[3]  But, this is a revelation of John’s vision; this does in no way refer to all saints on the earth.  It would be nice if it was but I do not see it in the context.  Just because John was caught up to heaven does not mean that we will be caught up at the same time as this vision is in the book of Revelation.

            In Isaiah chapters eleven and twelve we read Isaiah’s prophecy about the eventual return of the Jewish captives back to Israel. This is actually a juxtaposition of the Jewish return to Israel and the return of Jesus Christ to Israel to save His people and return as their King.  We can see this in the chapter. “…and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”[4]  Also, “The wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”[5]  This is clearly a scene in the future Millennium Kingdom, not during the Tribulation period.  As Isaiah painted a hopeful future for the eventual returning Jews in Israel, he also was showing us our future in the distant Millennium Kingdom.

            So, Satan will try to use man to destroy Israel in the beginning of the Tribulation period and will be defeated by our Lord. At the end of the Tribulation period Satan will try again to invade Israel and Jesus Christ will return in person to destroy the armies of Satan and the world and usher in the Millennium Kingdom.

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[1]Bible; KJV EZ 38:1-4.

[2]Wikipedia.

[3]Bible, KJV; Revelation 4:1.

[4]Bible, KJV; Isaiah 11:4.

[5]Bible, KJV; Isaiah 11:6.

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

My hospice blog

Apostolic Theological Seminary