Month: October 2021

Virginia’s 2021 Gubernatorial Election – My Prediction

With less than a week to go, the airwaves are electrified with news of a heated race. I’ve hesitated to post my thoughts on how I expect it to turn out. Why? Mostly because the last thing I want to do is discourage anyone from voting. Even if McAwful was the ONLY candidate running – I would rush to the polls on election day and write in my vote for anyone else. I do not care how much or little my voice counts – I will have my say.

It doesn’t take a political genius to figure out I don’t like the Democrat. He was a crap governor the first time around, his lieutenant, now governor, is just as crappy and now this Democrap wants to be governor again? Please. Let me put it this way…

I would walk through a blizzard, barefoot for miles to cast my vote against this guy, even if he had no opponent and zero chance of losing the election. Now you might think I don’t much like the Republican Glenn Youngkin. Well, you are right. I don’t. For one thing he’s already promised to throw money at the school system. As far as I’m concerned, a better plan would be to extract the fat from the bloated middle management of every school system in the commonwealth. It is a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians. There are other things about him I picked up along the way that gives me pause as to how good a governor he might be. That said, I already know what kind of governor his opponent would be and that is enough.

Now about my prediction. Before I get to that, I’ll clue you in on my “methodology”. It is not complicated but it tends to be highly accurate. How does it work? Well, I poke my head above the clouds from the smoke-filled rooms and look around. No crunching numbers here. So what do I see?

Before I get to that, lemme tell ya what I saw before. First lets venture back in time to the 2020 Presidential Election. No, I’m not going to regale you with my previous eagle-eyed insight. Instead, I’m going to point to the early evening of that election day when the winner of the vote was announced with just 3% of the returns counted. Of course that “winner” was Joe Biden. Three percent of the vote tallied. How did they do that? Can you say… “fix”. Now wait a minute.

That wasn’t the first time something like this happened. In 2016 Hillary Clinton won Virginia. While I am not sure when they called that race but what I can tell you a few things I remember. First of all Trump was quite a bit a head early on. Enough so where I thought he might actually win the Commonwealth. Then the votes started pouring in from Northern Virginia and it was all over. The problem was, there were multiple reports of election fraud also pouring in. Polls stayed open way past closing time. So-called “voters” who couldn’t show identification or gave the wrong name… all sorts of improprieties were reported. Granted it was nothing like what we saw in 2020 nationwide but it was bad enough where one might expect someone to at least investigate. Nope. Nothing. Not one word, ever I heard again.

Fast forward to 2021 again. This time let’s visit California. Remember Newsome’s recall election? Do you also remember how he declared victory the day before the election? He did not say he thought he would win. He outright declared himself the winner. How do you do that? It’s not hard when the fix is in.

So by now you’ve probably guessed what I will predict and you are probably right on the money. This will not keep me from casting my puny vote. It is all I’ve got and, as I said, I will have my say.

Now for anyone living here in Virginia, you may have noticed the ads playing for the election commission. Have you asked why? The election commission is the entity responsible for ensuring our votes are counted accurately, according to the letter of the law. That’s it. So why do they need to spend our hard-earned money trying to convince us they are the “good guys”? You know where I’m going with this.

The fact is I’m tired of seeing the talk about how Youngkin is even in the polls. I’m tired of listening to the “analysts” who insist McAwful has made too many mistakes, is running scared, and is in danger of losing this race. Get real. The fix is in. They might as well coronate McAwful now. Why not have Northam announce his own intentions the day after the election? That way we can rest assured who will be in charge for the next several years. They can tag team as they run the Commonwealth into the ground.

So here it is: McAwful will be our next governor. Go vote anyway. Make the bastard earn it.

P.S. There is another reason I am determined to vote no matter what. The reason? I hope and pray I am absolutely wrong! Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see McAwful crash and burn in defeat. I might have a better chance of winning the lottery without bothering to buy a ticket but here’s to a hope and a dream!

The First Adam

 

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

For years I’ve listened to non-believers state they cannot believe mankind began with Adam and Eve. The account in Genesis is simply too far fetched to be credible. My question is… what is the alternative? Evolution? While the idea of a supernatural being creating a man and a woman, putting them in a garden and instructing them to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” seems hard to grasp for some, once I thought about it, I had a real hard time wrapping my head around any alternative. Think about it.

Lets talk about genus. A genus is a scientific classification. A quick search online yields this definition: “a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family…” Now here’s the thing about genus – different genera cannot interbreed. Yes, you can cross a horse with a donkey and produce a mule but mules cannot reproduce to breed more mules. It stops there. Interbreeding within a species is possible, thus we have terriers and dobermans, but they are the same genus.

How does man fit into this? All humans are Homos. The genus is Homo. Modern humans are classified as Homo Sapiens to distinguish us from previous species. The question is where did the genus “Homo” derive from? According to my understanding of evolution theory, all life evolved from a single-celled entity. Every new genus would have to evolve from a current genus. How would that work… exactly? Mutation is the answer I’ve always heard. So let’s jump the ladder from that “first life” and go directly to man, the Homo genus.

What genus did the Homo genus evolve from? How would that have happened? Because when it comes right down to it, the process would likely be the same no matter the genus, lets just say we came from the genus Simia or apes. How would that work? Consider the mutation idea. Let’s say a female in a group of apes produced the first Homo baby. Wonderful. A new genus is born. For the new genus to reproduce it would have to mate with another of the same genus. Okay, so lets just say somehow a female in this same group of apes gave birth to another Homo baby. One of these babies was male and the other female. For the sake of simplicity, lets suppose they both had the same parents. Yes, I know, incest is taboo, but it happens. Besides, I’m sure they wouldn’t know any better.

So here you have the first human Homos. Male and female. Now, I suppose it is possible that the same Mom and Dad ape produced more mutant offspring. Maybe they had a whole bunch of mutant kids. Who am I to judge? Now for this to happen, each mutant baby would have to have exactly the same genetic makeup of the new genus. Fraternal twins maybe? It cannot be maternal twins as these are always the same gender. To produce fraternal twins, two eggs would need to be fertilized by two sperm. Both the eggs and the sperm would have to contain the same mutation that produced the mutant. This alone seems like a pretty tall order.

What is the alternative in this scenario? Well, maybe Daddy ape had the mutant gene and he spread it around the group. Okay, so that is possible. Again, this mutant gene would have to be dominant and it would have to impart the essence of the new genus. Otherwise this mutant gene would have to spontaneously erupt in multiple locations and somehow these Homos would have to find each other to reproduce. Now that stretches the most active of imaginations.

Let’s just go with the mutant Daddy gene idea for the moment. Daddy is prolific and he’s making Homo babies like crazy. Let’s say he’s got twenty kids. Just for kicks, let’s suppose only one is a boy and 19 are girls. So the boy has this built-in harem and he goes to town. (I’m supposing because only the girls can give birth so this would be most productive for the purpose of expanding the genus.) It wouldn’t take long before the new genus would be well established. Great. Where are they? Huh?

If such a scenario happened, there would likely be significant evidence of the event. Moreover, if mutant Daddy could accomplish this then it is likely there would be other “mutant Daddies”. The problem with this is each new genus would be a different genus. Otherwise how could several different carriers pass on the same mutant gene? It is not likely.

The other problem would be in order for a new genus to reproduce, one would need both a male and at least one female to accomplish the task. How different is this scenario that that of Adam and Eve? To me, not very. But there is yet another question that needs answering.

According to Biologyonline, in 2018 the Catalogue of Life quoted 173,363 accepted genus names for both extant and extinct species. Okay, fine. How did they come into existence? If one subscribes to the mutant theory, then, since the beginning of life on earth, genera would have had to evolve at least 173,362 times (other tallies come up with different totals). This rather suggest new genera would evolve on a fairly regular basis. Personally, I’ve never heard a whisper of a single new genus being documented as ever happening. Ever.

Maybe there is another theory on all these different genera came about. I do not see where it matters as nobody is even facing the elephant in the room: where are all the new genera? Has evolution stopped entirely? Why? How?

Let’s revisit Adam and Eve, shall we? In light of all of the acrobatic twists and turns evolutionary theory must subject itself to in order to simply get to where it is today, the story of a supernatural being creating life on earth, including the first couple, doesn’t seem all that hard to grasp to me. Bluntly put, it seems very straightforward. Ah! But then you are forced to accept a superior being! You say. Well…

Why don’t we simply extend evolutionary theory just one step beyond man. After all if evolution has not simply ceased then it is only natural to accept that our Homo genus is not the end. Would it not then be inevitable that a being superior to man will eventually evolve? How far could evolution reach? Could it produce a being so advanced, we would have to call it supernatural?

Now for some simple math. The earth is said to have been formed 4.5 billion years ago. Some estimate the first life formed on earth 3.77 billion years ago but others have moved that up to 4.41 billion years. I suspect because I’m not the first one to venture down this road and they are running scared as they run the numbers. You see, according to the Smithsonian, Homo Sapiens came into being about 300,000 years ago. That is the current species. I have yet to find when the genus Homo came into being so for tickles and grins, lets go with the 300,000 number. Now I cheated. I used the 4.5 billion number for the total number of years and divided that by 300,000 as a period of time for one genus to evolve. That works out to 15,000. What is 15,000? Well, if a new genus (not species, mind you) evolved every 300,000 years from the beginning of the formation of the earth then we would have a total of 15,000 genera by now. Well, wait just a gol-darned minute! First of all nobody ever said new genera would evolve like clockwork. True. Besides lower level genera would likely evolve faster! Also true. Granted, I’ve never worked out any kind of a timeline to see how it might work. I’ve stuck to the simple math because it satisfies my suspicion that the time crunch makes the whole concept of evolution not feasible. Again, even when allowing for accelerated development for less evolved genera, one major question remains to be answered.

Where are the new genera? Why hasn’t mankind seen even ONE new genus of any kind evolve… ever?

For me, the more I examine evolution, the more questions I ask, the more convinced I am of God’s creation. It is simply far more logically plausible than man’s theories.

If I were seeing this post for the first time, I know what would be on my mind. It would be that 300,000 years of Homo Sapiens. Hmmm. Adam and Eve only goes back about 6,000 years. Let’s talk about that.

I will stipulate to the scientific evidence of Homo existence extending far beyond the biblical 6,000 years. I’ll simply move forward on the assumption those figures are accurate, though it would not surprise me if strong indications of major problems were uncovered. As far as I’m concerned, it does not matter. The first verse of Genesis, accurately understood, is sufficient for me.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The King James Version is useful because it italicizes a lot of added words. For the purpose of this post, I added the italics for was because my software does not copy and paste this as is. Notice the first “was” in verse two is NOT in italics but the second “was” is italicized. Why? First understand there is no verb “to be” (is, are, was, were) in the Hebrew. There IS however a word for “become”. Simply put the first “was” represents an actual Hebrew word – the verb “to become” while the second “was” was added.

Thus this first is more correctly rendered

Genesis 2 And the earth became without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

In other words, God did not CREATE the earth without form and void, it became that way. Why? I don’t know. What I do know is this indicates a passage of time between the original creation and when the earth became null and void. It is reasonable to me that during this period of time was when dinosaurs roamed the earth and earlier versions of man existed. Scripture picks up beginning with the events in Genesis 2b “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Further evidence of this is found in Genesis 1:28 where He tells Adam and Eve to replenish the earth. Replenish means to fill again, suggesting it was filled before it became “void and without form”.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Again, this is far more plausible than what evolution theories offer. Even science has identified five “top” extinction events since the earth was first formed. Other extinction events are also indicated. While scripture does not explain the whats and the whys of the previous history of the earth, I certainly don’t want to be the one to tell God Almighty of His “mistake”. Surly an Almighty and All Knowing God has His reasons for what He does and does not do.

So one can conclude life in earth did exist before Adam and Eve and the events of Genesis 1:11-27. What about Homo Sapiens that existed before Adam? Well, here is where things get interesting. Would it surprise you to learn that scientists who study these things are not at all in agreement? According to LiveScience.com

““There’s a H. sapiens fossil from Ethiopia that’s about 195,000 years old, and it has the basic features of modern humans,” Stringer told Live Science. “From 195,000 years onwards, we find fossils we can call H. sapiens reasonably accurately.”” (Bold added by me)

Did you notice how slippery their language is? Language such as “Basic features” and “reasonably accurately”? The bottom line is they don’t really know. Thus it is entirely reasonable to suggest that these earlier “Homo Sapiens”, while possibly, even probably the same genus, are different in species. I say they are “probably” Homo Sapiens however… “Scientists do not agree on an exact definition of what constitutes the genus Homo, according to a 2015 review published in Science.” By the way, this same article also says the oldest Homo fossil so far is said to be 2.8 million years old, so my own “genera calculation” above is way off and not in the evolutionists favor!

Oh. That’s disturbing. So what constitutes the entire genus Homo is in question but they can “definitively” say what a Homo Sapien is? Well, as I said before… no, they cannot.

So why do I stipulate to science even if those scientists aren’t all that sure about their own scientific findings? For me, the science doesn’t change anything – not because of “faith” but because of actual plausibility. Yes, faith does play a part. The word “faith” means belief. I believe scripture because time and time again, scripture has proven true, even when I don’t completely understand it. I also believe in gravity because what we know about gravity has proven true time and time again, even when I don’t completely understand it. Science indicates that life, including some form of what we call “human” life existed before Adam. Science can ascertain certain things about this life, including the “humans” possessed a certain amount of intelligence and exhibited certain social behaviors. Why put the word “human” in quotes? I do this because nobody knows for sure exactly what they were like, just as we do not know why they became extinct. Were they actually human or did they simply have some aspects that resembled humans? I doubt if mankind will ever find an answer to that unless we crack the time barrier.

It can not only be said that “we don’t know what we don’t know”, but we cannot even be sure of what we think we know. What I can be confident in is God knows.

God knows what happened before Adam and Eve. He knows how it happened and why it happened. He knows we would discover the fossils and artifacts left behind. He even knows the true science behind it all and the mistakes our scientists are making. The “why” behind it all needs to be left to His wisdom. It is all here for a reason. I see no cause to go wandering off in search of answers we may never be able to find, especially considering we may not even be asking the right questions.

The scriptures we have been given are clear enough and plausible. They are far more plausible than anything offered up by man. In fact, science has again and again proven these scriptures to be accurate. If fact, an increasing number of scientists look at the universe in awe as they begin to understand how perfectly arraigned it is. So much so that if a single minuscule aspect was not “just so” then the entire universe would collapse.

Seriously, is it that hard to accept that God created the heavens and the earth, that He placed all the genera on the earth, including the first man? How much harder is it to accept than the idea that life first came into being 4.1 billion years ago and evolved from a single cell to the massive variety of plants and animals living here today, as well as those that became extinct along the way?

Christ IS Coming – Are You Ready?

What if Jesus Christ Returned Today?

If you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior then this would be a joyous occasion. For those of you you who scoff at the very idea, let me assure you, you would be confused, even terrified. Some of you would understand what  happened. Most of you would search for answers, possibly even until the end of your life. You will not have to wait long. By the best of calculations, the end will come in a little over seven years.

For you scoffers, consider this; over 2000 years ago the Book of Revelation predicted a world government. Can you sincerely deny this is more possible today than ever before? Another prophecy in this book told of the “mark of the beast”, saying anyone who refuses this mark will not be allowed to buy or sell. Today’s technology turns this concept into mere child’s play. Prominent in the Book of Revelation is the appearance of two witnesses who become a thorn in the side of the powers that be. If fact, it tells how  when they are killed…

Revelation 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.
10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Indicating the entire world will rejoice. Is this not more possible now than at any time in history?

Each day the world draws closer to the prophesied end times. Today, everything in the Book of Revelation is technologically possible. Today, only the existence of the United States of America, a nation not found in any scriptural account, stands as an obstacle to a one-world government. And yet, this nation is crumbling before our eyes.

Will my nation be restored? It is possible. Each day I find it more improbable. I still pray for Divine intervention. I still pray my brethren in Christ and fellow citizens will rise  up to claim our birthright, our constitutional republic. Yes, it can happen, but I see the light growing dimmer rather than brighter. Which brings me here.

There is only one certainty. That is Jesus, the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, is coming back. This I know. I do not know when. It may be today, it may be long after I’ve taken my last breath. The question I’ve asked myself is… what should I do? What can I do?

What if I knew the exact date of Jesus return? What would I do then? Others have thought they knew. Most make it a point to sit and wait. What a waste. Far better is to speak louder and as much as possible. Surly no one would believe me, but it is not up to me to “save” anyone. That is God’s purview, not mine.

Well, I do not know. If I understand the pertinent scriptures correctly, I will never know. I have no problem with this, none at all. All I am asked of my Heavenly Father is to live as  best I can and speak the truth. So here I am, “speaking” the truth as my limited understanding will allow.

This is what I know. Jesus is coming. Scoff if you will. His return is not dependent upon your belief no more than gravity depends on whether you believe in it or not.

All I ask is you consider how something written over 2000 years ago could possibly so accurately predict today’s technology. This is not all I needed to convince me of the truth but I’m not asking you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior based solely on that. Surely others have talked to you before this. If you have questions, if you are truly seeking, feel free to ask. Post a comment below. Send me an email to my address posted on the sidebar. Seek out that person you know who has been trying to talk to you forever. Whatever it takes, but I urge you, do it quickly. Nobody can tell you just how much time you have left.

For those of you who have heard enough, no matter how or where, you just know you need to accept Christ NOW, just look at the scripture before. Many will tell you how you need to take this step or that to accept Christ and yet, in the verses below, the Apostle Paul laid it out very simply.

Jesus, you are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart God raised you from the dead.

Notice even I felt the need to add to the scripture. If you are not ready to do this just yet, then I urge you to seek answers to your questions and rid yourself of all doubt.

Jesus shed his innocent blood to pay for our sins. This had to be done because there is no other human who ever lived since Adam sinned who was “good enough” to be acceptable to God Almighty – YHWH. During this age of Grace, all we need do is accept God’s great gift to us.

God knows who you are.

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

He chose you before the foundation of the world.

1 Thessalonians 1:4  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
5  For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
6  ¶And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
7  So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
8  For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
9  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

It is time. Welcome to the family of God.

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The Great Delusion Revisited – Steaming Towards The End Times

As the continuing saga of the so-called pandemic rages on, one question has come up on more than one occasion. Is this the “great delusion”? There are a couple of places in scripture where such is alluded to. The first place is in 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

As always the context should be considered.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

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:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

As I read this verse 11, the question comes to mind. Whom does the term “them” refer to?

Verse 10 says “…them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Now reading from the top, the first two verses say.

2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Keep in mind paragraphs as such are all added by men. They carry no Godly authority at all. So if you were to read these two verses as one:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand

Now it is clear the author is moving from the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him” to the day of Christ (kurios – Lord, not christos – Christ)

Let us consider where it says “the day of Christ is at hand”. Here is where the inherent accuracy of God’s Word shines. The word “Christ” in this verse is the Greek word “kurios”. It NOT “christos” that is typically rendered “Christ” as in “Jesus Christ”. Rather, the word “kurios” is usually rendered “lord”. Thus verse 2 should read “the day of the Lord is at hand”. Why bother with just one word? This word – kurios – tells is the topic is a specific period of time in prophecy and scripture. It also tells us what the following verses pertain to.

 

Now consider 2 Thessalonians 2:3

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

This is where things get interesting. Note the term “falling away” is the Greek word “apostasia”, rendered in English “apostasy”.

From biblefood.com

The Greek word “Apostasia” is a compound of two Greek words: “Apo” = “to move away”, “stasis” means “standing or state”, or “to stand”.

Literally, from its basic definition, “apostasia” means “to go away from”, or “depart”, or “change state or standing from one state to another”.

Another common interpretation is “a falling away”, a “defection” (Theyer’s and Strongs) or a “revolt” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). These suggest a basic turning away from the True Word of God. Well, we’ve certainly seen plenty of that already. Let’s not forget the second part of this verse.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 …and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Wait! There’s more!

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Two separate events are referred to here – this “falling away”, apostasy, and “that man of sin will be revealed”. There is not much detail about this apostasy. Whether one takes it as a “revolt” or a general turning away from God or a “departure” as in the rapture, it does not matter here. The more crucial question we are seeking an answer to is “what about this “strong delusion” in verse 11? We are getting there.

Now… about that delusion. From the scriptures laid out on this page, I think it is safe to say the “strong delusion” in verse 11 of 2 Thessalonians pertains to the events surrounding this “man of perdition”.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is those who reject Christ who will be received.

In the gospels, Jesus is recorded in both Matthew 24 and Mark 13 speaking of many being deceived. The text of Matthew 24 is below. Mark is quite similar, but by all means, look it up for yourself.

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 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.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In verses 4 and 5

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

In verse six, he indicates the when…

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

He states this in answer to the question about when shall be signs of the end.

Now consider whom Jesus is speaking directly to – his disciples. His disciples were Hebrews – Jews. His ministry was entirely to the nation of Israel. Note this distinction made in the epistle to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Three separate groups are identified here: Jews, Gentiles and the church of God. While this is not definitive, this passage certainly indicates “the church of God” as a unique group. What separates us? The new birth, as it was not available until Pentecost.

Since Jesus would not have been speaking to the church of God, aka, the body of Christ, it follows that these things do not pertain directly to those of us Christians living in this age of grace. Thus, the “elect” he speaks of must be Israelites in the end times.

Even for those who might take exception to my logic here, the deception spoken of by Jesus is quite specific. Those who are deceived are not “the elect” and they are being deceived by false prophets and false Christs who show great signs and wonders.

While there are rumblings about false messiahs in the past few years – some held up Barrack Obama as a “messiah” and more recently, some are promoting the idea of praying to Anthony Fauci. While I certainly agree that Fauci should indeed be counted as a false prophet and the idea of BO as a messiah-type is as abominable as one can get, I don’t think we are quite at the point Jesus was speaking of.

The bottom line is, while this virus pandemic is certainly a grand deception, we have not yet entered into the end times. How much longer? I don’t know. From what I can ascertain, the world will move into that period soon after the rapture takes place. Some do not believe there will be a rapture, however my studies over the years indicates that it will indeed occur. Is this wishful thinking? I do not believe so. For one thing, I do not care one way or another. While I yearn to depart and be with my Lord, forging through tribulation times holds a certain appeal of adventure and excitement. Much like war, I am certain the realities of those times will be far more difficult that one’s glorious visions.

In any case, my hope is to live long enough to see Jesus coming and meeting him in the air. While the world seems to be preparing for this to happen, who knows how long it will take?

Long ago, I had a friend who did not believe. His retort was always “What if you’re wrong?”. My response was always along the lines of “I’d rather be wrong being for God than against Him.” Of course the one thing I could not explain to my friend was I just knew I wasn’t wrong! Such knowledge can only come from being born again of the spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then I strongly suggest you do so now. Time grows shorter every day. One of the major reasons I believe in the rapture is through a careful study of Revelation. Reading that, it becomes clear those living in that period are not under grace. This glorious age where anyone can be born again by confessing Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead will end. While it will still be possible to be accepted by God, I cannot say how this will happen. What I can say is right now, as of this writing, the words of the Apostle Paul stand clear:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Christians were never promised to be free of tribulation.

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

However “The Great Tribulation” (caps mine, no divine authority) as indicated in the end times is something altogether different. It is the final wake up call for those who reject God, who refuse to believe no matter what. What possible reason would there be for a loving God to subject His children to the horrors detailed in scripture. I can think of only one – we are needed to help those who are will to change their minds. As far as I’m concerned, if this is what God wants for me, I’m in. For the time being I’m happy enough to encourage anyone reading this to accept Jesus as Lord now. Accept deliverance from the wrath to come.