OFWRETURN

OUR FATHER'S WORD

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

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JERICHO, RAHAB, AND THE RETURN OF CHRIST!

by Jim Lisenby
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WARNING! The following article is rated "R" due to it's content. It contains nudity, graphic language, and violence.

Throughout the scriptures our Father has embedded types for our consideration. Jericho was a type of the world as it exists now along with the system that Satan and his children have built. We are now at the end of this age just before the Day of the Lord, and using the progression of events that God told Joshua to perform at Jericho when Israel destroyed it, we can get some idea of what is to become of our present world.

We must also consider Rahab the harlot, as she was called, because she lived there and was a type of the people who serve God in this present age. She was also an ancestor of Jesus of Nazareth. The following verses show that she was an ancestor of David, who as everybody knows, was a principal ancestor of Jesus Christ. The first chapter of Matthew contains a complete line of Jesus ancestry but I have included just the two verses for the sake of brevity.

Matt. 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

Matt. 1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

The story of Jericho and Rahab is set forth in the first six chapters of the book of Joshua. There are too many verses to include them all in this lesson, so please read these chapters now in your Bible to get an idea of the story flow.

Joshua was a type of Jesus.

Let's consider the name Joshua. Look at Numbers 13:8 and you will find that his original name was Oshea, which is the same as Hosea or Hoshea, and means "salvation". But, go to verse 16 and you will see that Moses changed his name to Jehoshua, which is the same as Yehoshua or Yeshua, and means "YHWH is salvation". Yeshua is the Hebrew name of our Lord, but we usually call him Jesus which is taken from the Greek Iesous. To put it simply, Joshua and Yeshua are the same name and Joshua was a type of Jesus.

Next let us consider Rahab.

She was a type of the people who are God's faithful, many of whom live in the world today just before the appearance of Messiah. When you consider that her neighbors thought that she was a harlot, it would be safe to assume that they didn't like her. She was in that sense like the faithful who are alive today. They are in the world, but not of the world, and the world hates them as it hated her, and as our Lord Jesus Christ was hated and dishonored.

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Rahab was called a harlot but she was no such thing. She kept piles of harvested flax on the roof of her dwelling. It follows then that she worked with flax. Could it be that she made linen? The fact that flax was on her roof suggests that she processed it into fibers or linen. Linen is made from the flax plant, and linen is symbolic of the righteousness of the saints, of whom she is the type. See the connection?

Rev. 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

So, was she a harlot or a textile worker? I don't think that she could have been both. Let's face it, harlots don't work at producing textiles, they work on top of them. Making linen in those days would have been tedious, time consuming, hard work. As to the harlot thing, some scholars think that she may have been an innkeeper, but a stronger probability is that she provided accommodations for the merchants who came to buy her beautiful red linen products. In either case, it would lend credence to the assumption by her neighbors that she was a harlot because female innkeepers have always had a bad name, and in the other case male merchants staying overnight would look very suspicious.

At least some, if not all, of the linen products she made and traded were dyed red, and to this day the color red is associated with harlots. Even now harlots may put a red light at their front door to make themselves known. It would not be hard for me to imagine that Rahab decorated her dwelling with her beautiful red linen goods. If so, that could have been taken as a sign of harlotry. Was she actually a harlot? I don't believe so. She was placed among the righteous in later New Testament scriptures.

Heb. 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

James 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

Actually, name calling against the righteous like Rahab has existed from the beginning of this Earth age. Take Jesus for instance. He was called a sinner by the powers that existed then the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and others because He associated with sinners. Christ said that He didn't come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners (Matt. 9:10-13). The general public is so deceived today that they think that those of the very Elect are unrighteous and they despise them.

John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Such extreme prejudice! When the two witnesses in Revelation 11 are killed the whole world rejoices, but only for 3 1/2 days. Could it be that the two spies whom Joshua sent into Jericho, and Rahab helped, be typical of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11? I think so. Were they really spies? They may have been mislabeled by the people of Jericho just like Rahab.

The red dye is significant.

Speaking of decorating her house with her beautiful red linen products, Rahab was instructed to bind the scarlet thread in her window just as the children of Israel were told to put red lambs blood over their doors in Egypt just before the Passover. These were symbolic of the blood Jesus shed when He was crucified.

Jesus made reference to this when He was quoting the words of Psalms 22 and 23 from the cross. These psalms are called Messianic Psalms. The 22nd Psalm is called the Crucifixion Psalm, and the beloved 23rd Psalm is called the Resurrection Psalm. Please read these two psalms now to get the idea.

Psalm 22:6 mentions the word worm. Worm here is not the correct translation in this case, even though it could be correct in other places. The Hebrew word that is translated worm in this verse is towla (Strong's No. 8438). In the KJV it is translated scarlet 34 times, worm only eight times, and crimson once. It is translated scarlet and crimson over four times more than worm. Towla is the common root for all these words but worm is not the subject here. Red, or scarlet, is the intended meaning. It was a prophecy concerning Christ's shed blood. He was covered in His own blood as He hung upon the cross and that is the reason for the statement in Psalm22:6. He didn't mean that He was a worm, but that He was red like the worm.

The reason that worm and scarlet and crimson are all tied together with the Hebrew word towla is that red dye was produced from the female of the worm Coccus Ilicis, which is a towla, but towla can also mean the red dye, or scarlet, or crimson, that comes from the worm.

While on the cross Jesus was a bloody mess from the beatings and abuse that He had been put through, but He was passionately quoting Psalms 22 and 23 to those around Him, still teaching them about who He was. How do I know that? Look at the first clause of the first verse of Psalm 22. Sound familiar? Now read the last clause of the last verse of Psalm 22. "He hath done this" should read "it is finished". Sound familiar? Need I say more?

One of the malefactors crucified next to Him understood what He was saying and he repented right then and there. He obviously had some training in the scriptures and remembered what he had been taught because his mind was opened as he listened to what Jesus was teaching.

The others who were crucified with Him and those standing around did not understand His meaning. They probably had little or no training in the scriptures or were simply not interested. Many of us today are like this. We couldn't care less about the Bible, our Father, or the Son.

The Jews who were standing around watching and listening didn't comprehend because they weren't looking for a Messiah hanging on a Roman cross. They were looking for a leader from God who would deliver them from the Romans and set them up as rulers of the earth. They didn't understand that first He would shed His blood for all people everywhere, and then later on would come back again a second time as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16).

We are not digressing here. I want you to thoroughly understand the connection between Rahab, the red textiles that she made and traded, the worm that produced the red dye, and the red blood that Messiah shed for us. I hope you see it.

Rahab was a type of the elect and the sealed ones, most of whom exist now just before the end of this age, and they are covered by Christ's shed blood.

Rahab was a strong woman and made her presence felt by going against the traditions of men by running a successful business. When the Elect and the sealed ones make their presence strongly felt in the near future, they will be despised just as she, the prophets, and Jesus were before them.

Dan. 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he (the Antichrist) corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Where are we today with relation to the appearance of Christ, or the Day of the Lord?

The seventh chapter of Daniel and the seventh chapter of Revelation complement each other and contain some of the information we need.

Dan. 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

Dan. 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

What are these four winds?

Rev. 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Rev. 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Rev. 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Whenever you see the four winds mentioned anywhere in the Bible it is refering to the time of the end, our time now. Notice that they will hurt the Earth and sea after God's servants are sealed. They are synonymous with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation and with the four beasts of Daniel 7.

This is 2004, and we are at the time of the sealing of the righteous just before Christ returns.

Ezek. 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

What is sealing?

The minds of those who have repented and love God are being sealed with His truth by the proper information and training. You are receiving some of it right now if you have ears to hear. It is God's mark in our forehead, that is in our mind, and because we will work for Him it is also in our right hand.

Satan, who is Antichrist, is currently deceiving the whole world into accepting his philosophies and doing his work; therefore, they are receiving his mark which is known as the mark of the beast in the very same manner. That is to say, in their foreheads, or minds, and also in their right hand.

Other things are also coming to pass as this age ends.

Dan. 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Dan. 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

Dan. 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

Dan. 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Dan. 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Who are these four beasts in Daniel?

The first beast in verse 4 is Jacob, or Israel. Notice the lion with eagles wings. Whose symbols are the lion and the eagle today? The nations of Europe and their related people, Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, et al. There were twelve tribes, or nations, which sprang out of Jacob. What do you think happened to them? They possibly numbered two to three million when they left Egypt 3,500 years ago. They number in the hundreds of millions today. Surely you have heard of the lost tribes of Israel.

The second beast in verse 5 is Jacob's brother Esau, who is also called Edom (Genesis 36:8). Notice the bear. Whose national symbol is the bear? Edom means red (Strong's No. 123). Who are the reds today? This is Russia and her related people, Belarus, The Ukraine, et al. They also number in the hundreds of millions today.

The third beast in verse 6 is Cain's offspring, the Kenites. They are the tares mentioned in Matthew 13. Notice the leopard. Leopards are noted for their spots. Their spot is not of our spot. Peruse the following excerpt from the Song of Moses:

Deut. 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

They sprang from Cain, the literal son of the Devil himself, and for now they have been given dominion, or control, in order to do their father's work. Go to the Song of Moses in Deut. 32 and study the whole song. See who our Rock is, and who their rock is, who our Father is, and who their father is (literally). Also see my article Who Are The Tares? at ourfathersword.org.

The fourth beast in verse 7 is different from the first three beasts in that it is not a specific group of people. It is a system containing the first three beasts plus other peoples of the Earth. In modern parlance, it is western civilization, including Babylon the Great and the other strong powers that control it, and much of the rest of the world as well. Notice that it contains the lion, the bear and the leopard and that it is diverse (different) from the first three beasts.

This fourth beast in Daniel 7:7 is the political beast rising up out of the sea in Revelation 13:1.

Rev. 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Rev. 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Notice all the animal types in verse 2. They are the same as those in the four beasts of Daniel 7. Hopefully, you should be beginning to understand now who the four beasts are in the seventh chapter of Daniel and who the BEAST is in Revelation 13. What Jericho was a type of and what its antitype is today. Who Rahab was a type of, and who her antitype is today. And that Joshua, in this case, was a type of Jesus coming triumphantly and with overwhelming force.

Just as Joshua destroyed Jericho and rescued Rahab, Jesus is returning to rescue the Elect and the ones who are sealed and to destroy the BEAST.

Using the events that happened at Jericho 3500 years ago as a type, let us try to see what happens in our time.

Josh. 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

Just as Joshua was given the city, Christ has been given all things in Heaven and on the Earth.

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Rev.19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The year 2000 completed 6,000 years since Adam, as near as we can tell. When you consider the following two verses that fact could become highly significant very soon.

Josh. 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Notice the six days.

2 Pet. 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

According to Archbishop Ussher, a respected Irish clergyman who lived in the seventeenth century, Adam was created in 4004 B.C. Many Bible scholars accept this date as valid. The calendars that we go by are not perfectly accurate, but they are close, and we are at, or near, the end of a six thousand year period since his creation.

Considering the creation as stated in Genesis, and analyzing the text verse by verse, it becomes reasonably clear that there were people who walked the Earth before Adam. The creation of Adam (and Eve from Adam's DNA) came some time after the original creation of mankind on the sixth day. They were created on a theoretical eight day after God rested on the seventh day. The sixth day creation (who today are at least two-thirds of the people living on Earth) had fallen into error and had utterly failed in the flesh. To save them from utter destruction a Savior was needed, a Messiah. Adam and Eve were created for that specific purpose. For that reason, their creation was terribly important and you need to be aware that it is the chronological benchmark from which the time of this age is to be measured. Six days or six thousand years was the time span given by our Father to complete the works of the flesh age after Adam. No human flesh will exist during the Millennium that is coming.

There are seven trumpets to sound during the Day of the Lord.

Josh. 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Rev. 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Josh. 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

We are at or near the time when the seven trumps of Revelation will begin to sound. Those who know their God as mentioned in Daniel 11:32 will soon do their exploits (shout).

1 Thes. 4:16 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:

Josh. 6:6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

Josh. 6:7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

The Ark of the Covenant, or Testament, is currently in Heaven. See Rev. 11:19.

Josh. 6:8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Josh. 6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward (those to the rear, rear ranks, or rear guard) came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

Josh. 6:10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

Many of us desire to shout now, to do powerful works, or exploits (Dan. 11:32) but we must wait for the precise time to shout. Soon we will get our chance to shout just as those in ancient Israel did at Jericho.

Josh. 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

There is that harlot Rahab again. But look! She must be a good harlot (???) because she gets to live along with her whole house. Likewise, because of their faithfulness, the righteous living in the flesh at Christ's return will also be spared from the horrible things coming on the other people. I am not talking about a so-called rapture here because that doctrine is pure bunko. Rather, they will be changed from flesh to spirit without going through all the physical and mental trauma.

Josh. 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Josh. 6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

All flesh will cease to exist at the appearance of Jesus.

Josh. 6:22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

Josh. 6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

Josh. 6:24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

The Earth will be cleansed with a refiner's fire.

1 Cor. 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

1 Cor. 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

2 Pet. 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Pet. 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

But the saints and their works will not be consumed by the cleansing fire.

Josh. 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

What will it be like during the Day of the Lord at the end?

2 Pet. 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The destruction here defies discription and I have to wonder what method will be used. The conditions described here reminds one of the damage a large asteroid would cause when it enters our atmosphere and strikes the Earth.

Very curious!

Whatever happens, expect things to happen naturally!

Commit this to memory and don't ever forget it! Our Father, and the Son, are very natural. They do things in a natural way because they created nature. God is in control of nature and the things that happen in nature are considered natural. The word natural comes from the word nature.

Look at 2 Peter 3:10 above again. What could cause the atmosphere to pass away with great noise, and the great heat to be generated naturally?

Rev. 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Could this be a 10 (or more) on the Richter Scale? The most powerful shaking that mankind has ever witnessed? That is what it says. Read it again.

Modern men, homo sapien sapiens, made up of many different races (possibly as many as seventy), have been on the Earth about 8,000 - 10,000 years or so. The Adamic people (those who descended from Adam) have been around for only about 6,000 years of that. Creatures resembling modern men (hominids) were on the Earth before it was destroyed, with the resultant ice ages, about 10,000 to 25,000 years ago and had been for a long time. Certainly tens of thousands of years for later homonids, and perhaps hundreds of thousand of years, possibly more, for early homonids. I won't go into this further here. It is given for your consideration, and hopefully, for you to pursue more deeply.

Rev. 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The word hail here is the Greek word chalaza (Strong's No. 5464) and comes from the verb chalao (Strong's No. 5465) whose meaning is to let down, or strike. Chalao comes from the base of chasma (Strong's No. 5490) which comes from the obsolete chao, to gape or yawn and means a chasm, vacancy, or gulf.

The thought comes to mind that a crater formed from deep impact could be called a chasm, vacancy, or gulf. Fanciful thinking? Perhaps, but I feel that it is worthy of some consideration.

This hail is described as weighing up to a hundred pounds or more depending on which talent you use. The largest hailstones from a thunderstorm never weigh more than a few ounces.

What could this hail be? Notice verse 18. It comes in conjunction with the mightiest seismic event that will ever happen while man is on the Earth in the flesh. These pieces of hail are not ice, but large rocks and pieces of hot burning debris falling as a result of some gigantic catastrophe that will disrupt the entire Earth as you will soon see.

Rev. 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Could this verse mean that the atmosphere will be filled with suspended dust and debris obscuring one's vision? There are many scriptures throughout the Old Testament prophets, and also within the New Testament, concerning the natural destruction of the Earth as we know it.

Rev. 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

The great hail is the resultant fallout from one or more enormous vulcanian events taking place on the Earth. It is not ice. It is hot, burning, falling rocks.

The Old Testament prophets talked of that time.

Jer. 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Jer. 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Jer. 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Jer. 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

Jer. 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Jer. 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Isa. 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

Isa. 24:18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Isa. 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

Isa. 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

It will be just like it was in Genesis 1:2. In fact, the creation events in Genesis 1:2-31 are almost certainly describing a re-creation of the Earth after it was destroyed. The original creation is briefly stated in verse 1 and billions of years passed between verse 1 and 2.

Evolutionists say that there was a big bang and from there all things happened over eons of time and gradually evolved to what they are today. And you know what? A close inspection of Genesis 1 reveals that the order of events somewhat follow the progression of events that evolutionists say occurred. So, they are not all wet but they missed the mark a little. They may have gotten the beginning correct and even the sequence of events down okay, but not the method. But, in any case, whether the Earth as we know it was a creation or an evolving, the sequence of events had to be the same for it to work as it does. First things had to come first, and a proper foundation laid, with each new event being supported and sustained by the one that came before until the cosmos was complete.

Incidently, I have been called a theistic evolutionist because of my thinking on this. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm a Benedictine Baptist. (Ha. Ha. Just kidding.) I had a fellow tell me that he was a Benedictine Baptist one time because he wanted to cover all of his bases with God. It seems the town that he lived in had a strong presence of both Benedictine Catholics and Southern Baptists. I got a good laugh out of it.

Actually, I believe that the creation by the Creator has never stopped and continues even today. But from the very beginning (the Big Bang, if you want to believe that is what it was) He has done it all in proper order, first things first.

Now, in Genesis 1 again, why can't the time frame between verse 1 and verse 2 actually cover billions of years, and the so-called creation account starting in verse two really be a re-creation describing restoration of the Earth by the Creator following a catastrophe? The sequence of events in a re-creation would have to almost follow to a tee the original creation sequence. Think about it.

It is an accepted fact that the Earth has been destroyed, partially or totally, more than once since life began by natural disasters, especially meteor and asteriod impacts. Tremendous amounts of energy are released when large objects strike the Earth at extremely high speed. There is incredible destruction near the impact site and devastating delayed effects throughout the entire Earth. I don't have to spell everything out for you on this matter. Information abounds concerning the effects of these impacts and movies have been made recently with this very theme.

A huge crater, a 100 miles or more in diameter, at Chicxulub, Mexico (on the Yucatan Peninsula) is said to be about 65 million years old. That date coincides with the disappearance of the dinosaurs. The impact at Chicxulub is estimated by some to have generated energy equivalent to 100,000,000 megatons of TNT. North America was swiftly destroyed because of the angle of entry of the object and light from the sun was blocked out over the entire world with devastating consequences for all the flora and fauna.

The Manicouagan Crater in Quebec, Canada is 60 miles in diameter. This impact had global implications as well. Its age has been determined at over 200 million years.

Smaller impacts occurred at Meteor Crater in Arizona and another at Wetumpka, Alabama. It has been estimated that the one in Alabama generated energy in the range of 1,500 megatons of TNT. That is 30 times more powerful than the largest thermonuclear bomb ever detonated but infinitely smaller that the one at Chicxulub.

Vulcanism is also responsible for huge disasters. At sometime in the recent past Yellowstone released a mega-collosal eruption into the atmosphere which certainly destroyed most of the life on Earth.

All flesh will cease to exist at Christ's return, only spirit is remaining.

Zeph. 1:2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

Zeph. 1:3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

Zeph. 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zeph. 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Zeph. 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Zeph. 1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

Zeph. 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

What can we do? Better stated, what should we do?

These verses tell us that a great cataclysm is to take place concurrent with the second advent of Jesus Christ. The exact nature of it is unclear, but it will happen and it is fatal. Assuming all this is true, where do we stand?

All the movies about similar events show man eventually disposing of the threat and saving the world. Sorry friends, that is not going to happen. Some movies are a form of "edutainment" which, whether you are aware of it or not, conditions your mind to think in a specific way. See my article, Who Are The Tares? at ourfathersword.org for further information.

I assigned an "R" rating to this article because of nudity, graphic language and violence. The "R" is for reality. Nudity, because the truth is made bare, nothing is hidden or covered up. And who can deny that God's word speaks graphically concerning these events or their violent nature?

Suffice it to say, when Christ returns our time in the flesh is over. So, what are the options?

If you are already reconciled with God then serve Him well, but beware of the traditions of men because they will bind you with mighty chains into serving them and not God. Remember, God is very natural, in fact, supernatural! Man-made religions are not natural. Be very careful! James gives us a hint on how we should think about religion.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

If you haven't done anything yet about your relationship with God you can continue in the way you have been so far and take your chances, or you can change and make amends with your Creator.

This is a long article and Bible lesson but remember how we started out with Joshua, Jericho, and Rahab? Jericho was leveled, burnt, and the people slain which should remind you of what happened after the impact at Chicxulub. Rahab on the other hand, and her family, were saved alive. You can be like most of the inhabitants of Jericho and die in your sins, or like Rahab and be saved, not the flesh but the spirit.

The year 2000 was significant even if it was off somewhat. It still should motivate us to realize that Christ will appear soon and there is so much to learn, and so much to do. Start now!

Start where?

You can start by considering what James said above in James 1:27, and stop supporting the religions that men have contrived. Do you know what it means to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction? It means to help them financially, feed them, clothe them, house them, and yes, even comfort them by visiting them often and cheering them up. Give them a warm and fuzzy feeling. Entertain them. Teach them. Give them hope.

How do you keep yourself unspotted from the world? Come out of the religious Babylon that surrounds us and stop supporting religions contrived by men. Learn to stand on your own spiritually before God by studying more and praying more for understanding.

If you feel that you need to make some changes in your life then follow these simple suggestions:

1) Consider your position and admit it if you need to change.

2) Accept Jesus Christ as your Redeemer and be thankful for His sacrifice.

3) Set your heart to change and start obeying God's rules as set forth in the Bible.

4) Ask our Father for His forgiveness and help, and remember to forgive yourself.

5) Be baptized, by immersion, if you haven't already done so.

6) At least be aware of the Passover each year and what it means. And forget Easter.

7) Study the scriptures yourself to learn of God instead of relying on other men (or women) to spoon feed you the Gospel. See my article Study Recommendations at ourfathersword.org. To continue in good spiritual health after changing you must pray for wisdom and study God's word regularly to find out who you really are, what you are doing here now in the flesh, and to prepare yourself for that great day of the Lord.

Look at what the Apostle Paul said concerning it.

1 Thes. 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

1 Thes. 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1 Thes. 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

1 Thes. 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

1 Thes. 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 Thes. 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

There is a wonderful world coming after all this. Stay tuned.

1 Cor. 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.