Hi all,                                                                                    

When people ask me if I believe in the 'rapture', I ask them, "Which one? There are 7."

That shakes them up a bit, and I'll explain below, but usually the next question if they believe in a rapture, is something like: "Will we all go, because I'm doing my best to live for the Lord but my friends live like the world. Why should they get raptured?"

Before I can answer that question, I need to share about the 7 raptures...

Which rapture? There are 7
I can state right from the start, going in chronological order I can prove raptures 1 thru 3 and raptures 5 & 6 with just 1 verse per rapture. And bad news - 1 thru 3 have already happened and 5 & 6 aren't for us. :(

The 4th rapture, speaking chronologically, is what I will prove to you in this series.

Here are the 3 we missed
1)    Enoch - Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him."

2)    Elijah - II Kings 2:11: "And it came to pass as they went on and talked that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

3)    Jesus - Acts 1:9: "And when He had spoken these things, while they looked on, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

Here are raptures 5 & 6 that don't include us
5)    The 2 witnesses - Revelation 11:12: ("And after 3 1/2 days the Spirit of life from God entered into them)...and they heard a voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here', and they ascended to heaven."

6)    The 144,000 male Jewish evangelists seen in Revelation 7:1-8, then raptured in 14:3: "And they sung a new song before the throne, and before the 4 beasts, and before the elders..."

In my mind, honestly, I'm not convinced the 144,000 are raptured - they could be martyred and find themselves suddenly before the throne. But I'll give the benefit of the doubt to a rapture.

7)    U-turn rapture of the saints at Jesus' return. Some believe we go up at His return, meet Him in the air, reverse course to return to earth. I understand some would believe this if they don't understand rapture #4, but all I've read of those who believe #7 is simply a misunderstanding of #4, so I don't see a U-turn rapture.

But since I can't explain what I don't know, I'll stick to the grace given to me and share what I do know. And let me say doctrinal differences should not divide us - we should celebrate Jesus whom we have in common - but I need to share what I know in scripture and by revelation, and when we all get to heaven Jesus can straighten us all out on any part of our understanding that needs rearranged. :)

That leaves us with rapture #4
The 4th rapture in chronological order is the one that concerns us today. It is not based on a 19th century preacher nor a sick girl's mystic vision nor a best selling book, nor "I want out of here" theology. It is based on a feast given by the Lord to Moses in Leviticus 23.

My purpose in this series is to explain the feast that teaches there is a rapture, when it will happen, then who can expect to be raptured. So buckle your seat belts boys and girls 'cause here we go.

Leviticus 23 lists 7 festivals given by the Lord: The 4 spring feasts were fulfilled on their day. They are Passover (cross), Unleavened Bread (cross/sinless life), First Fruits (resurrected) and Pentecost (Acts 2:1). The 3 fall festivals are: Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:16 says the whole earth will celebrate Tabernacles, God living with man, in the Millennial reign of Jesus. So we know 5 of the 7 festivals were or will be fulfilled on their exact day as outlined in Leviticus 23. It is reasonable to assume the remaining 2; Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement will be as well. The Day of Atonement is a type of the return of Christ, while the Feast of Trumpets is a type of...

Rosh haShanah
The Feast of Trumpets is also called Rosh haShanah (Head of the Year), Yom Teruah (Day of Awakening Blast), Yom haDin (Day of Judgement), and Yom haZikkaron (Day of Remembrance).

Why these different names for the same feast? Because of what happens at this time: The New Year, the coronation and wedding of Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the opening of the books of remembrance, the rewards of the court, the gathering of the royalty of the kingdom.

Before we get into detail about all these events occurring at Feast of Trumpets, know that this feast is the only one of the 7 that starts on the New Moon - the phase where the moon is not seen, hidden from view in the shadow of the earth. Psalm 81:3 references this: "Blow the trumpet in the New Moon, the time appointed on our solemn feast day." The other festivals are on the Full Moon phase when it is full and bright- so why did God start the Feast of Trumpets on the New Moon phase when the moon can't be seen on earth?

The New Moon
Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16-17: "Therefore let no man judge you about food or drink, or holy days, or of the New Moon, or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come..."

We can understand how food and drink are a shadow of the marriage supper of the Lamb yet to come, and how holy days and Sabbath days are fulfilled in Christ who is also our rest, and when He reigns the earth will have a time of rest. But why is the New Moon a shadow of something to come? 

In Judaism the sun stands for the Lord, and the moon is a type of believers, the accompanying stars represent the angels. The moon has no light of its own but reflects light from the sun, it was made to rule the darkness assisted by the stars. So a new moon is a type of believers hidden from view, and the Feast of Trumpets begins at the new moon.

According to Rabbi Gaon who lists 10 things that will happen at the Feast of Trumpets, the horn blown is the right horn of the ram caught in the bush when Abraham offered Isaac. God provided a Substitute, and to commemorate the resurrection of his son in type*, Abraham blew the ram's horn - (shofar). (*Hebrews 11:19)

The Talmud therefore, the collection of Rabbinic writings which along with the Mishnah provide teachings and oral traditions of Judaism, says the resurrection of the dead will occur at the Feast of Trumpets at the new moon. (Rosh haShanah 3:3, 16a, 16b)

This horn which is only blown at the Feast of Trumpets, is called 'The Last Trump'. It is the 'last' because it resurrects the righteous dead, transforms the living, and hides them away with Messiah. (The High Holy Days, Herman Kieval, pg120)

The Last Trump
Paul taught the Feast of Trumpets: "Behold, I show you a mystery: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the Last Trump, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we who are alive will be changed." I Corinthians 15:51-53

By using the term 'last trump' Paul ties the 'rapture' to the Feast of Trumpets which is the feast that occurs at the new moon phase, when believers will be hidden from earth with Messiah. If your spirit is rejoicing right now as mine is it is because the Spirit of Truth within bears witness to these truths...and we've only just begun...

Until next week, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
I'm the oldest of 4 children, and we were ages 11, 9, 7 and 5 when dad left our family.

One kind of respect
Because I am the oldest I have memories of my dad that my brothers and sister don't. Their memories are few and far between, fuzzy with just a few clear moments burned into their memory.

That's how many view the Father God - fuzzy with just a few details. Their respect for Him is more from the fact He is God, than based on remembering how He walked through life with them.

I remember wrestling with dad, our dog 'Patch', and my brothers, all in a mass of turning, grabbing, laughing action until we were sweaty and the dog was so wound up he would run around the house from one end to the other. They recall those times only vaguely, if at all.

I remember watching dad fix the riding lawn mower used to cut the grass on our nearly 3 acres, helping him as a young boy by holding a wrench, handing him pliers and the like. I was there when dad sliced open the little finger on his left hand and then watched him take a needle and thread and with one hand sow up the flesh without anything to deaden the pain. My brothers and sister don't remember any of that at all.

He taught me how to shake hands, shine shoes, tie a tie, look a person in the eye when greeting them, and more. My brothers and sister have none of those memories, so my respect for dad is different than their respect for him because they didn't walk through life with him while I did.

Enter the heavenly Father
With each life-lesson my love and respect for him grew. This is part of the difference between a child playing with the Father's gifts like a kid at Christmas, or honoring God for being God: A mature person remembers

their Father's time with them, while a child doesn't remember either by choice or immaturity, or they haven't yet lived long enough to have a history with their Father.

Because my dad and I have that history of fixing lawn mowers and tying ties together and such, when he left and I got to know my heavenly Father at age 16, the Father picked up where my earth-dad had left off.

One day I was fixing that same lawn mower dad and I had worked on, but this time it was just me looking at it not knowing what to do, feeling the weight of the world for I had 3 acres to mow and mom depending on me. I started asking Father what was wrong, and for wisdom, and I distinctly heard, "Look a little closer, a little deeper. A bolt has come loose and you'll find it if you look harder."

So I did just that - I got dirty, scraped my knuckles, but with a twist of my head down into the bowels of the beast, I saw in the shadows a bolt whose nut had fallen off - a replacement was found and the lawn mower was fixed. I said 'Thank you Father' and started on the grass. He has rarely told me specifically what is wrong, but rather points me in the right direction and lets me figure it out from there. (Same in life I've learned)

Now I'm an adult and I still ask for His help fixing things or any decision in life. We have a history of walking through life together, and He has my respect and love and honor for walking so faithfully with me. Holding the memories of His activity in our lives with continual appreciation in our hearts, causes Him to respond to us just that much more again.

The grace given to you
I can only share the grace given to me, but you too have had times where you know the Father gave you wisdom, provided when there was no provision, walked with you through valleys. It is the act of calling to remembrance those events that form a foundation upon which a base of honor and respect for Him is built.

Consider your miracles
After Jesus had just fed 5,000 men plus women and children, then in the early morning walked on the water to the disciples and calmed the wind and the waves, Mark observes: "And they were astonished beyond measure, for their hearts were hardened because they did not consider the miracle of the loaves." Mark 6:52

Notice - their hearts became insensitive and dull to the things of the Spirit, which is to say hardened - "because they did not consider the miracle of the loaves." Do we stop to consider His miracles in our lives?

Just 2 chapters later the story is the same. In Mark 8:14-21 Jesus has just fed 4,000 people, but the Pharisee's demanded He do another miracle. When they were out on the lake Jesus began commanding them to watch out for the 'yeast' of the Pharisees and of Herod. The disciples, realizing they had forgotten to take bread, thought Jesus was upset because they had forgotten that little detail.

But Jesus asked: "Why do you discuss the fact we have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened (dull, insensitive) heart? When I broke 5 loaves for 5,000, how many baskets of broken pieces did you pick up?" They said, "Twelve." "When I broke the 7 for the 4,000, how many large baskets of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." And He said to them, "How is it you don't understand?" In the Greek it is literally, "How is it you haven't put it together?"

Notice in both cases how their hearts became hardened, how they became insensitive to the Spirit - They witnessed miracles in their lives but never stopped to consider them.  They never took time to 'put it together.'

Growing up
Children see a miracle or other manifestation of the things of God and think 'a new thing to play with'. Spiritual adults stop to consider the miracle, consider the faithfulness of the Father, consider with awe the fact that the Creator and God of the universe lives in them, and walks with them through life.

A spiritually mature person purposely looks at how the Father has walked with them through life, even if some of those memories seem a bit fuzzy - still, they know He got them through. A spiritual child who could grow, chooses instead to stay a child by not stopping to consider the miracles.  

So many people want to be sensitive to the things of the Spirit, yet they've never considered a key element to this maturity is to stop and consider the miracles He has done in their life. When we become sensitive to see and consider our own 'miracle of the loaves' in the past, it sensitizes us to miracles present. 

A child receives the gift with no clue what that gift costs, while a mature person realizes there was sacrifice and expense in the providing of the gift and honors it and the Giver accordingly. May the body of Christ grow up into maturity.

Next week a new but related topic - The body of Christ or the Bride of Christ? Is there a difference?

Blessings,
John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and remember to email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
A friend of mine once had an appointment with the President of an African nation. He was trying to bring Christian educational materials and a Bible school to the people of the nation, and the request went up the chain of command until the President decided he would hear these plans himself.

Their conversation was polite, but concluded with no indication he would receive permission. The President rose, indicating the meeting was over, but paused at the door, asking: "Would you like to take pictures with me now? I know American ministers use pictures like this to help their ministry raise money."

My friend responded: "No, thank you Mr. President. I will never use our relationship for gain, nor will I publicize our meeting today. I honor you and thank you for taking time from your schedule to visit with me. Please let me know when you've made your decision." or words to that effect.

The President was astounded. He paused to consider the integrity of my friend, then turned to an aide and told him to give my friend whatever he needed to help him in his work. He had an open door to the nation for years after, and the knowledge of God and His ways spread to tens of thousands of people as a result.

My friend respected and honored both the office of President and the man, and because of that he had the integrity to refuse to boast of his meeting or use the President for personal or ministry gain.

180 degree difference
This story illustrates the stark differences in the body of Christ concerning my subject today - we see some use God for personal gain or playing with the gifts of the Spirit like kids playing with presents at Christmas because they don't respect and honor the Father and Lord Jesus as God.

They don't have a revelation that God is God and the things of the kingdom are not toys. God's gifts are given to bring abundant life to mankind, transforming us into all God intends, which results in Christ-like character and holy lives. He wants to walk with us along a highway of holiness. Do we want to walk with Him?

We see pastors taking the influence God gave them to build up the body of Christ, used instead to manipulate congregations to join him in multi-level marketing ventures or business investments to pile up earthly riches for themselves, even manipulating by their influence, the vulnerable into illicit affairs.

Others so love and honor and respect the Father and Lord Jesus and the things of the Spirit, they only want to be more like Him and serve others, seeking only to be known of God, not of man. They want to be in meetings where the Spirit flows until the Holy Spirit brings it to an end. They truly love Him and long to be in His presence! They wouldn't dream of using God for personal gain, for theirs is a pure love based on a revelation of what they've been saved from, and who He is. What a stark contrast between the two sets of populations in the body of Christ!

Paul said, "We have this treasure (Christ in us) in earthen vessels." Treasures are highly valued, protected, given a safe place, and provide a sure foundation for life. How many today value Christ in us as a treasure?

Cherish what we have
I remember when the Lord appeared to me in February of 2001 during a worship service just before I was to speak. My eyes were open, but suddenly I was in the Spirit, able to see Him as well as everything around me, though when looking into those eyes all else faded from view. He walked over to me and He said;

"See what I see: People running to and fro to this meeting and that, looking for the spectacular, thinking

THAT is supernatural; While they miss the supernatural work in their midst, even in their heart, for the process of discipleship IS supernatural...As it was in the beginning, so it must be now: I am moving in relationships."

This is why we have our web site as www.supernaturalhousechurch.org - The 'supernatural' part has nothing to do with the many miracles we've seen in healings and lives changed, it is about the process of discipleship being supernatural, and healings and wholeness are simply the result of making disciples.

This is what stayed with me
His opening words have stayed with me: "See what I see." I understand "See what I see" as an ongoing command and way of life, not a suggestion for a one time visitation. I've purposed to see what He sees, as He sees it, ever since. He said, 'I only do what I see the Father doing' in John 5:19 - I want to be like that! 

In Acts, they saw life as Jesus saw it, which means they chose the culture of the kingdom rather than the culture of the Empire. "See what I see" first means making a choice in the heart to see what Jesus sees, which is based on revelation from the Father.

Once a person does "See what I see", it means making a break from the Institutional Church (IC) that affirms a person by outward senses like sight and sound. It means making a decision not to be impressed by the 'big name' speaker, the 'worship team', the marble floor, the coffee bar in the outer hall. It means making a decision in the heart to reject the 'Hollywood Jesus' culture that has exchanged meetings for relationships and emotion for anointing.

It means an honest assessment
We must make an honest assessment of life and culture around us, in comparison to the Father's life and culture within us. Then we must act on what we discover. (My series 'I've Been Ruined' covers 10 differences between Christ-in-us culture versus present day church culture)

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so it means looking for Him in the same places He was found in the gospels. Thus, 'See what I see' can be discovered by Jesus' life in the gospels.

He turned water into wine at a wedding then deflected glory from Himself and allowed the credit to go to the host. He healed people and then told them not to tell anyone. He 'went about doing good'. He said He is meek and lowly in heart, and we are to yoked with Him in that, so we may learn from Him.

How many today, and how much of the Institutional Church culture today, seek meekness and lowliness, seek to give a cup of water to a child, to visit the sick and imprisoned, to care for widows and orphans who have no other means of support? "See what I see." Can we lay aside natural senses to become focused on, no, overwhelmed and humbled by, seeing what He sees, as He sees life?

The whole kingdom works by...
The people said Jesus was reincarnated John the Baptist or Jeremiah. Peter saw through the natural

happenings like a man with x-ray vision, because he had received revelation from the Father. Revelation from the Father causes us to see what is really happening, what is really important, to see what Jesus sees.

Peter exclaimed; "You are the Christ! The Son of the living God!" in Matthew 16:17 because the Father had revealed that to him. Jesus then said upon that rock of revelation He would build His gathering of believers so they may conduct the business of the kingdom.

My friend had a revelation about the importance of meeting the President of that nation. He did not allow himself to be caught up in the luxury of Presidential office, the armed guards at the door, the high officials waiting to the side - he saw through all that which allowed him to retain that sense of honor and respect throughout their meeting. Because of that he would not use the President nor share the details of the conversation for personal gain. He treasured the privilege of time with the President.

Living in revelation from and of the Father, walking with Him through life, keeps us humble, knowing Who we are dealing with, and causes us to see as He sees...and those who walk with Him hold what they have as a treasure in their earthen vessel.

The reason much of church culture uses God for personal gain or plays with Him like children at Christmas, is they have no revelation of Him nor from Him. They have notebooks about Him, they read about Him, but they don't know Him, for to know Him is to receive revelation from Him, and be in humble awe that God now lives inside of earthen vessels.

More next week...Until then, blessings,
John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
I grew up in a big house with a long hall going back to 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. At the other end of the house was what we called the family room, or den as it is known in Texas and much of the American south. (And by transplanted southerners or their descendants scattered around the USA)

The family room was where we spent our time watching TV and hanging out. It was also where mom and dad would assembly Christmas presents for we 4 children in the pre-dawn darkness of Christmas morning, spread out in 4 distinct piles with enough separation the presents wouldn't get mixed up.  

Dad had one of those very modern then but now very ancient, home movie cameras with a 3' (1m) long light bar on which were 4 spot lights that lit up the family room like a nuclear blast. It was the first time I ever heard the phrase, 'Don't look into the light'.

We would line up at the end of the hall like Olympic sprinters waiting for the signal to run out into the family room to claim our presents. We knew we were getting close when dad's spotlights went on because that end of the house suddenly became brighter than daylight.

The little bell and what came next
Mom and dad spent their first 2 years of marriage near Stuttgart, Germany, as back then every male in the

US served 2 years in the military, and that is where he was stationed. Somewhere in those 2 years they visited Oberamagau and bought a Nativity Scene, carved by local woodcarvers with figures of Joseph and Mary, shepherds and animals, Wise Men, angel on top, and baby Jesus in a manger.

Mom had also bought a delicate little porcelain bell Christmas tree ornament that was the last thing to go on our tree. We had strict warnings not to touch it as it was very special to her - she alone had the authority to ring the bell, and she only rang it once a year. In her mind, when she rang the bell it signified Christ had come as the Father's greatest gift to mankind ever, and Christmas had officially begun.

But it served a dual purpose; To 4 young children waiting at the end of the hall, the ringing of that bell was the equivalent of a starter's pistol at a track and field event - GO! We would race down the hall, well, they raced, being the oldest I was too cool to show excitement like my little brothers and sister.

Having said that I suspect when I get to heaven and ask to see those scenes again, I might find I showed a little more excitement and speed down the hall than I recollect here. And I'm sure the house will seem smaller than I remember it as well.

As we burst into the lit up family room, dad standing to the side recording it all, mom would make us pause and look to the Nativity Scene. That Nativity scene had stood in the weeks before Christmas complete, but for one item. Baby Jesus was no where to be found in the weeks before Christmas, hidden from view as mom explained, hidden from mankind until His birth.

On Christmas morning, before we were allowed to open our presents, all attention turned to mom who presented the carved figure of baby Jesus, and delicately placed Him in the manger - signaling He had now come and is the reason we give presents to one another. With Him placed, we tore into the presents.

Respect, honor, reverence
Many Christians take whatever is labeled the 'new thing' God is doing, and play with it like a child on Christmas morning without pausing to reverence what we've been given. As you can tell by me writing about this, mom's annual pause to honor the Greatest Gift is with me today. I inherited that Nativity Scene and bell, and continue the tradition.

Even when we 4 young children tore into our presents, our amazement was founded upon a profound respect and honoring of the True Gift. Where is that foundation among believers today? There can be a balanced mix of awe and respect for God and child-like excitement for what God is doing, just as we held that bell and the placement of baby Jesus in the manger as holy in the midst of a 4-child home on Christmas morning.

When I study my New Testament and their home and relationship-based faith, and compare it to the Institutional Church of today, I find in the early house church of the New Testament, the things of God held a place of respect and esteem, and I see that same reverence for Him in house church today, at least in CWOWI. I can only speak of the grace given to me so I can't say that about all house churches, nor the different but related 'simple church' stream.

Paul wrote NOT to be like children who are tossed to and fro by 'every wind of teaching' that comes along. He wrote of order in marriage 'because of the angels' who are assigned to guard the couple and an out-of-order marriage hinders their work. He wrote about walking out our salvation with fear and trembling, and of our gatherings together as holy and with purpose. Though others in his time (as ours) handle the Word of God deceitfully. (Ephesians 4:14, I Corinthians 11:10, Philippians 4:12, II Corinthians 4:2)

Fad based-faith
The word 'fad' showed up in America in the early 1800's and meant a 'trivial pursuit'. By 1881 it was used to describe the newest fashions. It can be traced to the French, 'fadaise', meaning 'nonsense' or 'trivial', and further back to the Latin 'fatus' meaning 'stupid.'

Today a fad is a passing fancy, a momentary focus groups of people place on something that soon fades into memory. There have been many in Christian circles, always proclaimed to be the cutting edge of what God is doing, yet the Lord must change His mind frequently - a couple years later a new fad emerges and THAT is now proclaimed to be the new and cutting edge of what God is doing, and the previous is forgotten.

Some people focus so much on a fad they stay there, making a little spiritual and mental home in their mind, and keep that pet project the focus of their life. Often, one day they wake up, realize the glitter has faded, and wonder where everyone went. When that happens confusion and questioning often happens, coupled with self-doubt and a sense of either missing it or being deceived. They realize they placed their faith in a person or a movement, rather than the Father and our Lord.

I'm not as old as dirt, but I am old enough to remember adults playing with personal prophecy in the mid-1970's like children at Christmas, complete with 'prophets' eager to sit people in the 'hot seat' and give extensive personal prophecies that rambled on but rarely said anything. Some 25 years later the new and modern version of personal prophecy became the latest thing God was doing once again, only to fade from view as it did in the 70's. Though as with any fad, pockets of people will remain holding on to it for years.

Did the Father use our child-like immaturity, playing with Him as a toy at Christmas? Sure He did, He is the Master at taking anything to turn it to His glory. Were people hurt by the personal prophecy movement? Sure they were, as assuredly as the shiny Christmas toy will be dented and broken by New Year's Day.

The things of God in vain
The first 2 commands God gave were to honor Him alone as God, and not to use His name in vain. The word 'vain' is used for instance, when we work hard for something and nothing comes of it. "It was all in vain.". We also use it to describe a person so caught up in themselves they become irrelevant and useless. They are vain, or pointless and irrelevant to the real things of life. 'Vain' means 'without purpose' or 'pointless'.

A vain use of his name ranges from an exclamation like, 'Oh my God!' to saying 'Praise the Lord' with no true praise behind it, but just as an empty exclamation. There is a Texas TV teacher I stopped listening to decades ago because of his frequent exclamations of 'OH MY GOD!' when he taught - it grieved my spirit so much I just couldn't continue.

Sometimes when I hear believers use His name in vain or play with the things of Him like a child with new toys at Christmas, I want to shout; "Stop before you open His presents and put Jesus in His rightful place!" How did we get to our current condition of no respect and honor for God in the body of Christ? That's next week...until then, blessings,

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and remember to email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
A husband and wife had invited 2 couples who were good friends, for dinner. He was late from work so their friends had already arrived before him. When he came through the door they all greeted him and his wife asked, "How was your day honey?" To which he replied to her and all, "OK, good day, had a nice lunch, presentation went well, a little traffic on the way home. Pretty normal."

And with that, he thought he had just told everyone everything about his day. He couldn't imagine why anyone would want any more information than what he just shared. He was wrong.

In his wife's thinking, he hadn't told her anything. Earlier in their marriage she may have wondered to herself, 'Why doesn't he talk to me?', but through the years she learned it wasn't that he was withholding information, it was just that he was a man. So he couldn't be totally blamed.

It starts
One of the other wives who knew a little about his job asked: "How is the new salesman working out?" He replied, "Pretty good. He's young and eager but doesn't have much experience. Messed up some paperwork. I paired him with Jim who has been with us 15 years, so that will help quite a bit."

The husband of that wife joined the conversation, "I think I passed you at lunch time, where did you eat?" The husband replied, "You probably did see me. A group of us went to the new Mexican restaurant at the edge of town, it was pretty good; they use the thin white corn chips that I like rather than the thick yellow chips most places use, so it was good. We should all go there sometime."

As long as everyone was getting details, his wife jumped in: "And how did the big bosses like your presentation?" "Really good actually, though Fred questioned my conclusions, but that's just him needing to be heard. Everyone thought I did a good job and they'll take it to the Board next week."

About that time the other husband threw a question out to all, asking; "Did any of you see that wreck tonight?" To which the host's wife turned to her husband and asked if the wreck was part of the traffic he had mentioned earlier.

"Yeah, I saw it. The wreck was at the construction site where 2 lanes merge into one, a fender bender, no one hurt, but it backed up traffic and the police had a hard time reaching them because of it."

And with that, his wife felt like she had finally learned about his day. He thought he had just been questioned under a spotlight by a team of hardened Detectives prying into every detail in his life.

Disclaimer: The names have been withheld to protect the guilty. Any resemblance to any husband is merely coincidental. The above story is not intended to be a stereotype of every marriage, but if you are a man and suffer from 'Information Withholding' symptoms, please administer the "Man's Prayer" as seen on the 'Red Green' TV show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess."

One conversation
The husband came through the door and offered a basic outline of his day, but his friends learned more details as the conversation continued, concluding with details of the traffic accident at the end of the day.

But those additional details were all part of the one conversation that started with a vague sketch and ended with tiny details. If you were to take a transcript of the conversation later for review, and pull one exchange in that conversation out of context, you could get the wrong idea about his day. There was more to his day than chips and salsa. Don't get focused on the chips and salsa.

Now think of that as it relates to different prophecies about the blood moon scattered around the Bible. They are all part of one conversation.

Here we go
Joel's prophecy in 850 BC of the dark sun/moon is part of the same conversation as Jesus' Matthew 24 prophecy of the dark sun/moon, as Peter's quote of Joel in Acts 2 of the dark sun/moon, as John reporting his vision in about the year 100 AD of Jesus' future return and the dark sun/moon. It is all the same conversation as much as the conversation between the husband and wife and their guests above.

We make mistakes when we look at prophecy on a time line, like along a rail road track, starting on the left and going to the right, separated by segments and culture and time, but the I AM is ever present so time and culture dissolve away leaving only what the Spirit said. It is all one conversation inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Years ago the Father told me something that helped me understand: He said to think about (Him) and all the prophecies on a subject being put on a table and you are looking down from above at that table top. They are all on the same table. You can move independently from Joel to Jesus to Peter to John  through 950 years of history because you are above the table - above time. That is I AM. Not in a line like a human being, but above time as I AM. From that perspective you can see all the prophecies (and Word in general) are part of the same conversation.

These prophecies are not separated by 950 years as it seems in the natural, in reality they are all standing next to each other on the same table, all saying what the Holy Spirit told them, all having the same conversation about the signs surrounding the return of Christ.

So in my parable above Jesus in the gospels is...
Aside from my fun with the differences between men and women, in my parable above Jesus is the man walking through the door initially giving just the basic sketch of the day - Jesus' prophecy of the last days in Matthew 24 is that basic sketch: 

"After the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn..."

But more details come out in Joel chapter 2 for his part of the conversation:

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord comes...a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness...the earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars withdraw their shining...the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord..."

And Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2 repeats some of Joel's part of the conversation but understands parts of it from a different perspective:

"...And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord comes. And it will come to pass that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

While still in the same conversation, John in The Revelation 6 sees still different detail:

"And I beheld when he had opened the 6th seal, and lo there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. And the stars fell to the earth like a fig tree casting her untimely figs when shaken by a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

"And the kings of the earth and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every man free and slave, hid themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains saying, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the day of His wrath has come, and who can stand before Him?"

Conclusion: We can see the sun/moon descripton that Jesus, Joel, Peter, and John talked about are 4 parts of one conversation. It occurs at His return which will be after the anti-Christ is seen in the temple in Jerusalem, as our Rock laid the contextual foundation of the conversation.

If you want a well-researched book on feast days and how historical events have lined up down through history, I recommend the late Grant Jeffrey's book, "Appointment with Destiny". If you want to know more how the 6th seal, trumpet, and bowl all have to do with the return of Christ, and the other seals, trumpets and bowls, I'd recommend my Revelation series.

Just remember, don't argue over chips and salsa, there is a larger conversation going on.

New subject next week, blessings!

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com