The Mysteries of God - Mysteries 5-7

 

RU FIT Ministries – Blog Article

The 5^th-7^th Mysteries given to the Church Age Believer to KNOW and LIVE

 

1Co 4:1  Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

 

Disclaimer:  You won’t get this information from the bulk of evangelical spiritual leaders, so I encourage you to read and assimilate this information so you can make a difference in the lives of people where you live, work, and play.  RU FIT!  U can be at:  www.rufitministries.weebly.com

 

The FIFTH MYSTERY Is:  The Rapture Of The Church

1 Cor. 15:51-52   Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 

I need to give you a word of caution at this point.  The word “rapture” is nowhere to be found in the entire Bible.  The term used to describe the “rapture,” or “catching away” of the church is – harvest. 

 

The Order Of The Harvest

God does everything decently and in order, and there is an order to the harvestings.  The process to be used for the harvest is dividing up into three categories:  Firstfruits, Harvest and Gleanings.

 

Firstfruits:  This is the “rapture” of Jesus and the Old Testament Saints (Proverbs 25:17).  This event can be traced through the Scriptures, so let’s look at the evidence.  (1)  Matthew 12:40 – Jesus died on the cross and went to the heart of the earth.  (2)  Acts 2:29-31 – The soul of Jesus was not left in hell.  The heart of the earth is called “hell.”  (3)  Luke 16:19-26 – Hell is described as having three divisions (compartments):  Abraham’s bosom, a great gulf and hell (torments). (4)  Luke 23:39-43 – Jesus went down to “paradise.”  It has moved since Jesus visited there as evidenced in II Corinthians 12:1-4, when Paul was caught UP to paradise.  (5)  Ephesians 4:9-10 – Jesus went down into the earth and led captivity captive.  That means that the Old Testament saints were taken from “Abraham’s bosom” and “raptured” to heaven.  (6)  Matthew 27: 52-53 – This is the Bibles version of Saturday Night Live!  Read it; you’ll know what I mean.  It’s great!

 

The Harvest:  The harvest is what is commonly known as the “rapture” of the church, just before the tribulation period begins (Revelation 4:1).  One of the places that the harvest is pictured in the Old Testament is found in the person of Enoch.  In Genesis 5:21-24, Enoch is taken by God just prior to the flood that removed the wickedness of man that was engulfing the earth.  We (believers in Christ) will be removed from this earth -- as Enoch (who is a type of raptured believers) was taken by God – just prior to the tribulation that will wrack the earth to its core.²¹

 

The Gleanings:  I know what you are thinking.  You probably have never heard of the practical application of the “firstfruits,” much less the “gleanings.”  But – as we study the Bible by using its rules – these truths will come into sharp focus.  Remember – The dragon wants to counterfeit the Bible and “dumb down” truth.  He has done a tremendous job at diluting God’s Words in such a way that we have never heard the basics of how, when and why the Lord will return to this earth.

 

1^st Gleaned Group – The Two Witnesses

There are two groups of people that will be “gleaned” from the earth. One group will be gleaned at the middle of the tribulation, while the other group will be gleaned just prior to the 2^nd Coming of the Lord – which occurs at the end of the seven year tribulation period.  Pay attention to the specifics of the harvest.  When one harvests his fields, he will get what he can get on the first pass, and then go back through and pick up the gleanings.  Sometimes the owner of the field would let the less fortunate come in and glean what was left behind.  And believe me – at the harvesting of the church – there will be many left behind.

 

 In Revelation 11:3, we are given the time frame that the two witnesses will be appropriated to preach truth during the tribulation.  The time frame will be three and one half years.  The Bible says that when they are finished with their ministry that the Antichrist will make war with them and overcome them (vs. 4-7).  Remember – The Antichrist cannot not harm them before they finished what the Lord has sent them to accomplish.  For three and a half days the dead bodies of the two witnesses (probably Elijah and Moses) lay rotting in the streets of Jerusalem while people partied around their lifeless forms.  Then – after three and a half days – a voice will be heard from heaven that says, “Come up hither.”  The two witnesses will ascend up to heaven, and thus we have the first of the two “gleanings.”

 

2^nd Gleaned Group – The Tribulation Saints

There will be a group of people, on the earth, during the tribulation period that will be looking for the “appearing” of the Lord.  This event is known as the Second Coming.  It is important that we not confuse the invisible coming of the Lord (The harvest of the Church – at least seven years prior to the 2^nd Coming) with the visible appearing of the King of Kings as he returns to the earth to establish his one thousand year kingdom.  The group of people that will be looking for the visible return of the Lord is the tribulation saints.

Hebrews 9:27-28  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 

Individual words are a key to unlocking Biblical understanding, and that rule plays a   major part in understanding the gleanings.  There is one more passage that I must delve into so you can see the truth stand out on the pages of God’s Word.  That passage is Matthew 24.  The key words and phrases to look for as you read this passage are:

 

-(vs. 4-5,11)  The word is “deceive.”  The Bible says that there will be many who will attempt to deceive you concerning the timing of the 2^nd coming of the Lord.  Wow!  That statement is true to the core.  Remember, you must believe the words of the Bible, not what people say about the Bible.  That is why these keys are of vital importance to anyone who wants to understand the times in which we live.  This world is looking for “spirituality,” and most are looking for truth in all the wrong places.  We must study to shew ourselves approved so we can give honest answers to those who are seeking after spiritual fulfillment. 

 

-(vs. 21)  This verse pinpoints the time of this discourse.  It is during the “time of great tribulation.”

 

-(vs. 27)  The “coming of the Son of man” is a revealing phrase.  As you compare Scripture with Scripture you will notice that when God is referring to the earthly ministry of Jesus that He uses the phrase, “The Son of man” as a description.  Therefore, when the “Son of man” appears in the clouds, and every eye sees Him – it is speaking of the visible return of the Lord (at the end of the tribulation – 2^nd gleaning), and not the invisible return (at the end of the Church age – Harvest of the church). 

 

 In Revelation nineteen, we are given a detailed description of this event. The Groom (Jesus) has been married to His wife (The church, not Mary) and He is preparing to return to the earth (2^nd coming) in order to set up His millennial kingdom.  The saints, who are riding with Jesus, are the Church Age believers that were faithful to the purpose of God while in their earthly bodies.  Jesus is coming to this earth wearing their glory – the crowns that his faithful brethren laid at his feet during the judgment seat of Christ.  When He comes He will “glean” the tribulation saints out of this world and destroy the Antichrist, along with all of the “nations” that made a choice to follow the dragon.  This is the Jezreel Valley separation of the sheep nations from the goat nations that we read about in the Bible.

 

At that point there will only be one group of people left alive upon the earth (the sheep nations).  This group is the “nations” that did not willingly take the mark of the beast, and that did not follow the Antichrist in his attempt to take Jerusalem. These are those that doctrinally “endured to the end,” and they will be given the privilege to enter the kingdom of heaven because they were “friends of Israel.”  As you can plainly see – God does everything decently and in order!

 

-(vs. 29)  The 2^nd gleaning is to happen “after the tribulation of those days.”  Not before, but after the tribulation of those days.

 

-(vs. 31)  Now we come to the 2^nd gleaning.  Jesus sends his angels to the four corners of the earth in order to “glean” the tribulation saints out of this world.  They are the “guests” at the wedding that we read about in the book of Matthew.²²

 

No More Harvestings (All Are Accounted For)

Jesus is now on the earth, and is ruling as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Therefore, there are no more people groups to be harvested.  At the end of the millennial kingdom, the mystery of iniquity will have only one more opportunity to thwart God’s plan for an eternal Kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-9).  The dragon / behemoth will fail, and the curse of sin will be removed – once and for all.  We will make a full circle back to Genesis one, and the plan God has for man, this earth and the universe will officially begin.  Sin will have run its course, and it will be forever eradicated!

 

Mystery #6:

The SIXTH MYSTERY Is:  The Mystery of Iniquity

2 Thes. 2:7 [7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way… [8 ]And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

 

I encourage you to read the entire context of II Thessalonians 2:1-12 in order to get a basic understanding of the Mystery of Iniquity.  As you read this passage, it will do well for you to realize that the “day of Christ” is a reference to the “harvesting of the church,” and the term -- “that day” -- is speaking of the 2^nd Advent (coming) of the Lord to this earth (vs. 1-3).  The “falling away” in verse three is referring to the Jews who are deceived by the Antichrist during the first half of the tribulation period.  Daniel 8:23-25 foretells that the devil will take over the world through a peaceful deception.  The devil not only deceives the nation of Israel, but also the entire world (John 5:43 / Rev. 12:9 / II Thess. 2:9-12). 

Chronology of Events Concerning The Mystery of Iniquity

1. The day of Christ is at hand (The rapture of the church).
2. Then comes the falling away during the first half of the tribulation.  This is where the false kingdom begins.
3. Then the revealing of the wicked one is exposed at the mid-point of the tribulation.  We will flesh this out in just a moment.
4. The last half of the tribulation will be hell on earth.
5. That day arrives and the 2^nd Advent becomes a reality.  The Antichrist (leviathan/behemoth/dragon/serpent) is defeated and the one thousand year kingdom of heaven, governed by the moral principles of the kingdom of God, begins.
    
   Mid Tribulation Events – The Pivotal point of the Great Tribulation.

1. Worldwide apostasy engulfs the entire planet – Revelation 12:9.
2. The False Prophet is taken out of the way, by none other than leviathan himself – II Thess. 2:7.
3. There is a war in heaven between the dragon (leviathan), his fallen angels, and Michael and his angels (Revelation 12:7-12).  The dragon is defeated, cast to this earth and confined, until his final judgment before God at the great white throne.  Can you imagine the horror of mankind as the dragon and his hordes of denizens are physically exposed to the people of the earth.  Could this occurrence be the “lie” that will be used to deceive the whole earth?  Could Satan use this as an opportunity to express that they are the aliens that fertilized our planet and have returned to bring us into complete enlightenment?  This gnostic religion (truth through mystical means) is being accepted all around the world, as evidenced by the acclaim given to the “Davinci Code” and the “Gospel of Judas.”  It seems as if the groundwork is being laid for the mystic religion of the “big lie” to take hold of the imagination of mankind.
4. This next event dovetails with the previous event, and it is this:  The bottomless pit is opened, and diverse creatures are released – Revelation 9.  Read Revelation nine realizing that God is pulling his hand of protection off of the earth in order to purge it of iniquity.  I hope you have chosen to accept the red pill of redemption so that you will not have to endure this time of tribulation.  I also hope that those who have been freed from the snares of the wicked one are faithfully fulfilling their purpose by equipping others to rescue the perishing and caring for the dying.
5. The head of the Antichrist is wounded, and he is healed in a false resurrection (Revelation 13).  At this point the devil enters the body of the Antichrist and turns his attention toward ridding the earth of the Jewish remnant, and all who have claimed allegiance to gospel of the kingdom of heaven.
6. The true identity of the wicked one is revealed in three specific events.  First, the covenant that he made with Israel is broken and the temple sacrifices stop ((Daniel 9:27).  Secondly, the Antichrist enters and desecrates the temple (II Thess. 2:4).  This event is known as the Abomination of Desolation in the book of Matthew.  The last event that exposes the identity of the wicked one is that he turns on the Nation of Israel; they flee to the wilderness – specifically – Petra.  God will protect his people in Petra as He provided for the Jews in the wilderness wonderings after leaving their bondage in Egypt.
7. The Jewish nation flees to the wilderness (Revelation 12:6).
8. The whole nation of Israel turns their hearts to Jesus, and the dry-bones prophecy of Ezekiel is fulfilled; this will happen when the veil is taken away from the eyes of Israel (II Corinthians 3:13-16).
9. The two witnesses return (Moses and Elijah) and lead the Jews (Revelation 11).
10. The 144,000 male Jewish virgins are sealed and sent throughout the whole world preaching the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Revelation 7 / Ezekiel 9:1-7).  This is the same message that Jesus originally commissioned the twelve disciples with in Matthew chapter ten.
11. The last half of the tribulation period commences.  At this point the Antichrist has been carefully profiled as we have compared Scripture with Scripture. 
     
    Have You Chosen To Receive The Red Pill Yet?
    Ephesians 2:2 makes it clear that the dragon is at work and his spiritual armies have been active since the time of Cain.  The mystery of iniquity is alive and well, but its end is coming into sight.  I hope that you are busy reconciling the Word of God to the world. I encourage you to make the choice to take the red pill of truth before you too will be left behind at the harvesting of the Lord’s bride.
     
    Mystery #7:
    The SEVENTH MYSTERY Is:  The Mystery of Babylon The Great
    Rev. 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
     
    As we have just seen, the mystery of iniquity is the men and personalities of the Antichrist.  This final Mystery has to do with a religious and political system that will dominate the earth during the Tribulation Period.  This is the Whore that rides the Beast into world dominance.  As you will see in a later chapter, the Beast is referred to in the Book of Job as the multi headed creature called the Behemoth, and the Dragon that empowers the Behemoth is Leviathan.  But for now, let’s just focus our attention on the mystery of Babylon The Great.  We will exegete this more fully, in story form, when we get to the rapture of the church and the tribulation period.  But, for now we will just describe the basic attributes of the mystery of Babylon the Great.
     
    Nimrod – The Beginning Of Babylon The Great
    The mystery religion of Babylon the Great can be historically traced all the way back to the first attempt at a world empire by a man name Nimrod.  This is the 1^st head of the seven headed beast in Revelation thirteen.  I will not cover this history in detail (it would take far too much time to cover all of the intricate historical details here), but I would like to point you to a fantastic book that outlines the history of this mystery religion.  The book is “Two Babylons” by Alexander Hislop.  Just “google it” and you will find it immediately.  It will be an invaluable resource as you prepare yourself to engage the philosopher’s stone of the false reality.
     
    The “System” Introduced, Defined and Judged
    The religious and political system is introduced in Revelation 17:1-6, defined in Revelation 17:7-18 and judged in Revelation 18.  It contains a number of characteristics that appear in all false religions connected with the whore of Babylon.  Let’s look at these characteristics.  Remember – these characteristics are historically traced in Hislop’s fantastic book – “The Two Babylons.”   (1)  Female deity.  (2)  Drink offerings of blood.  (3)  Human sacrifice and cannibalism.  Do you know of a current religious system that claims to eat the literal body and blood of Christ on a regular basis?  (4)  Mystery priesthood.  (5) Repetitious prayers and chanting.  Again, what religion encourages this?  (6)  Multiple “gods.”  Do you know of a current religious system that makes it a practice to venerate dead people to a special status in the spiritual activity?  (7)  Fertility rites.  This is the origin of Easter.  It is of pagan origin.  (8)  Special days – such as Saints and Feast days.  Hislop outlines these events meticulously.  (9)  Communion with the dead, or what is known as spiritism.  We are never to pray to dead people (saints) in order to get anything accomplished.  Do you know of a current religious system that encourages this?  All of these characteristics can be traced through history, and are intimately associated with the mystery religion of the whore of Babylon – with its ecclesiastical head being that of the Pontifex Maximus (I will explain this in the story to follow).
     
    The Seven Heads Of The Beast Of Revelation
    There is much confusion as to the identity of the seven heads of the beast of Revelation.  I will sort through a lot of this, in story form, when we uncover the identity of our enemy in a couple of chapters; but I do want to give a short summary of those seven heads, or attempts at a world empire through the mystery religion of Babylon the Great.  The key is to rightly divide the Word of Truth and to have a proper understanding of the theme of the Bible – which is the battle for a kingdom.  This battle started with Lucifer in the ancient past, and continues throughout the history of mankind – until the religious and political systems ultimate defeat in Revelation nineteen.
     
    This beast is the religious and political domain of the gentiles from Nimrod to the future reign of the Antichrist.  There is a short break in this gentile domination between the reign of the Pharaohs and Sennacerib (The Assyrians).  This gap is when the Jews had world dominion (The Golden Age) under the reign of King David, his son Solomon, and leading to their ultimate captivity.   It is important to remember that the mystery religion of Babylon is starting with Nimrod and is the thread that connects all of these political systems.
    (1)  Nimrod – approx. 2300 B.C. in Babylon.
    (2)  Pharaoh – approx. 1800 B.C. in Egypt.
    (3)  Sennacerib – approx. 760 B.C. in Assyria.
    (4)  Nebuchadnezzar – approx. 606 B.C. in Babylon.
    (5)  Cyrus – 536 B.C. in Persia.
    (6)  Alexander – 330 B.C. in Greece.
    (7)  Caesar – 100 B.C. in Rome.
    (8)  Antichrist – The Coming Future World Kingdom.
     
    Again – The Word of God Reveals The Truth
    Revelation 17:8 clears up the “mystery” of the future world empire ruled by the Antichrist.  Let’s take a look at the verse, and then we will address the questions.
    The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
     
    The beast was (Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar), and is not.  The Bible says that he shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition.  This is when he takes over the body of the Antichrist midway through the tribulation period.  The 8^th world leader (the possessed Antichrist) is a conglomeration of all the previous seven religious kingdoms.  Let’s go back to the Word of God again for clarification.
    Rev. 17:10-12   And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. [11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
     
    The five kings that had fallen were the Kingdoms of 1,2,3,5 and 6 – from the above list.  Kingdom number four is a repeat (“the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth.”)  The kingdom that “is,” is the ruling kingdom at the time of the writing of Revelation.  That was the Caesars of Rome.  He, “the eighth,” is a combination of all previously mentioned kingdoms – since the mystery religions of Babylon is the thread that unites all of these kingdoms. 
     
    It Helps To Know WHY
    I hope you now know why the Oracle felt it necessary to tell Neo that he would not succeed in his mission if he did not know the WHY of what he was doing.  When you know WHY you do what you do, it gives you an unshakable confidence to firmly stand against any opposition the false reality throws your direction.  The Antichrist is going to rule the world with the help of a mystery religion, or as the Bible calls it – the whore of Babylon.  She (the whore) is going to ride the beast (the confederation of ten world governments that the Antichrist rules) until the middle of the tribulation.  At that time the Antichrist will be possessed by the devil himself, destroy the whore and set himself up as the one true Deity.  Wow!  The mystical spiritual philosophy behind the “gospel of Judas,” The DaVinci Code and the Harry Potter novels, is going to help this event take shape.  Satan has been looking – the last two thousand years -- for a culture that is ripe for the taking, and he has found it in our current relativistic setting.  Our culture is enamored by the “do it yourself” approach of the mystic religions, and we need to do our best to occupy (defend the truth) until He (Jesus) comes and exposes people to the absolute truth of God’s Word.  We need to do this before it is too late for them to choose the truth.
     
    Well, that ends our quick look at the seven mysteries that God is holding spiritual leaders accountable to pass on to other possessors of the red pill of redemption.  I hope this has been information that has stirred your heart to engage in the battle to defeat the architech of the false reality.  He knows he is a defeated enemy, and he is trying to drag as many people to hell as he can before his time comes to an end.  He is also trying to weaken those who have accepted the RED PILL so that they cannot multiply themselves in the life of another.  He wants you to stay busy in the barreness of a busy life, locked away in the four walls of a cathedral, while your family, neighbors, workmates and friends run headlong into an eternity separated from God in a lake of fire.  You must willingly choose to be a mouthpiece for God and proclaim him as the King of Kings, and systematically equip others to join you in the war that is raging for the souls of mankind.