The Elect Saints Role during Tribulation

THE ONLY SIGN GIVEN!

Prelude: Warning Difficult to Understand!
Warning this article may differ from what you think scripture says! If you are bothered by it; then exit out of this subject and leave it alone! Click to Return to Archives or Choose Arrow Back Jesus Christ is quoted in holy scripture saying many things. Sometimes scripture is best understood by examining the context of what is being spoken to convey a more precise and meaningful message! Lets us examine some "highlights."

Prelude: Warning Difficult to Understand!

Warning this article may differ from what you think scripture says! If you are bothered by it; then exit out of this subject and leave it alone!

Click to Return to Archives or Choose Arrow Back

Jesus Christ is quoted in holy scripture saying many things. Sometimes scripture is best understood by examining the context of what is being spoken to convey a more precise and meaningful message! Lets us examine some "highlights."

Article Examined in Detail
● Jesus answered the hypocrites who were seeking a sign from heaven; He mentioned "the sign of Jonah the Prophet." Mat 16:1-4, "Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him, tempting Him and asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He answered and said to them, 'When evening has come, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." 3 And in the morning, you say, "Today it will storm, for the sky is red and lowering." Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.' Then He left them and went away." ● Jonah had thought to flee from his Creator, however God had other plans! Jon 1:17, "And the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Jon 2:1 & 10, "And Jonah prayed to the LORD his God out of the fish's belly." & "10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land." A great fish, prepared by the LORD, swallowed Jonah and kept him a captive for three days and three nights. The miracle was not that a fish could swallow a man, but that the man was not digested and survived for three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish! ● God wants the truth, His Truth, spoken! Mat 12:32, "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming age." 1Jn 5:7, "And it is the Spirit that bears witness because the Spirit is the truth." ● Commandment keepers inherit eternal life! However liars are excluded. Rev 22:14-15, "Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 But excluded are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie." ● Saints accept Jesus as their savior and keep the Commandments of God! Rev 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep {are keeping, obeying} the commandments of God and the faith {moral conviction of truth} of Jesus." ● Will you hate those who speak God's truths, which do differ from the traditional lies believed and practiced by worldly peoples? Joh 17:14, "I {Jesus} have given them Your {God's} words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the {sinful carnal} world, just as I am not of the world." ● The truth is Jesus is NOT going to remove, nor rapture people out of the Great Tribulation! Joh 17:15-17, "I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in Your truth; Your Word {God's Word} is the truth." ● Individuals are known by their character – the fruit they bare. Evil people express evil thoughts to others. Mat 12:33-37, "Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Offspring of vipers, how are you able to speak good things, being evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings out wicked things. 36 But I say to you, for every idle word that men may speak, they shall be held accountable in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." ● Jesus gave the warning about idle words above; do you really think Jesus' speaking about the sign of Jonah, the time of "Jonah being three days and three nights" in the belly of the whale was just idle talk? Mat 12:38-40, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Master, we desire to see a sign from You.' 39 And He answered and said to them, 'A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be givento it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.' " ● Jesus warns us to beware of Hypocrites who teach false doctrines. Mat 16:6, "And Jesus said to them, 'Watch out, and be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' " Mat 16:12, "Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine {teachings} of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ● ASK in the name of Jesus, Seek holy scripture for truth, and Knock on God's door to understand God's words and receive blessings from God, your Father in heaven. Luk 11:9-10, "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, it shall be opened." Act 17:11, "Now these {in Berea} were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness of mind and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." ● Accept the Word of God and OBEY! Luk 11:28 "And He said, 'Yes, rather, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep {obey} it.' " ● Again Luke records Jesus telling the hypocrites what will be the only sign given that He is the Messiah. Luk 11:29-30 Now when the multitudes had crowded around even more, He began to say, "This is an evil generation, seeking after a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, in the same way also shall the Son of man be a sign to this generation." ● To follow Jesus is to understand, keep, and obey all of the Ten Commandments! Joh 15:7-14, "If you dwell in Me, and My words dwell in you, you shall ask whatever you desire, and it shall come to pass for you. 8In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. 9 As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; live in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you shall live in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and live in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, in order that My joy may dwell in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: that one lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you." ● Jesus as "Lord of the Sabbath Day," would NOT CHANGE the Sabbath to Sunday! Mat 12:8, "For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

Article Examined in Detail

● Jesus answered the hypocrites who were seeking a sign from heaven; He mentioned "the sign of Jonah the Prophet." Mat 16:1-4, "Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him, tempting Him and asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He answered and said to them, 'When evening has come, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." 3 And in the morning, you say, "Today it will storm, for the sky is red and lowering." Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.' Then He left them and went away."

● Jonah had thought to flee from his Creator, however God had other plans! Jon 1:17, "And the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Jon 2:1 & 10, "And Jonah prayed to the LORD his God out of the fish's belly." & "10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land." A great fish, prepared by the LORD, swallowed Jonah and kept him a captive for three days and three nights. The miracle was not that a fish could swallow a man, but that the man was not digested and survived for three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish!

● God wants the truth, His Truth, spoken! Mat 12:32, "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming age." 1Jn 5:7, "And it is the Spirit that bears witness because the Spirit is the truth."

● Commandment keepers inherit eternal life! However liars are excluded. Rev 22:14-15, "Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 But excluded are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie."

● Saints accept Jesus as their savior and keep the Commandments of God! Rev 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep {are keeping, obeying} the commandments of God and the faith {moral conviction of truth} of Jesus."

● Will you hate those who speak God's truths, which do differ from the traditional lies believed and practiced by worldly peoples? Joh 17:14, "I {Jesus} have given them Your {God's} words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the {sinful carnal} world, just as I am not of the world."

● The truth is Jesus is NOT going to remove, nor rapture people out of the Great Tribulation! Joh 17:15-17, "I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in Your truth; Your Word {God's Word} is the truth."

● Individuals are known by their character – the fruit they bare. Evil people express evil thoughts to others. Mat 12:33-37, "Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Offspring of vipers, how are you able to speak good things, being evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings out wicked things. 36 But I say to you, for every idle word that men may speak, they shall be held accountable in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."

● Jesus gave the warning about idle words above; do you really think Jesus' speaking about the sign of Jonah, the time of "Jonah being three days and three nights" in the belly of the whale was just idle talk? Mat 12:38-40, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Master, we desire to see a sign from You.' 39 And He answered and said to them, 'A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be givento it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.' "

● Jesus warns us to beware of Hypocrites who teach false doctrines. Mat 16:6, "And Jesus said to them, 'Watch out, and be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' " Mat 16:12, "Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine {teachings} of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

● ASK in the name of Jesus, Seek holy scripture for truth, and Knock on God's door to understand God's words and receive blessings from God, your Father in heaven. Luk 11:9-10, "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, it shall be opened." Act 17:11, "Now these {in Berea} were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness of mind and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

● Accept the Word of God and OBEY! Luk 11:28 "And He said, 'Yes, rather, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep {obey} it.' "

● Again Luke records Jesus telling the hypocrites what will be the only sign given that He is the Messiah. Luk 11:29-30 Now when the multitudes had crowded around even more, He began to say, "This is an evil generation, seeking after a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, in the same way also shall the Son of man be a sign to this generation."

● To follow Jesus is to understand, keep, and obey all of the Ten Commandments! Joh 15:7-14, "If you dwell in Me, and My words dwell in you, you shall ask whatever you desire, and it shall come to pass for you. 8In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. 9 As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; live in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you shall live in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and live in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, in order that My joy may dwell in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: that one lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you."

● Jesus as "Lord of the Sabbath Day," would NOT CHANGE the Sabbath to Sunday! Mat 12:8, "For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

Commandments ARE NOT Nailed to the Cross
● Some people erroneously claim that the Ten Commandments "were nailed to the cross." Jesus warns us in Mat 5:17-20, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until the heaven and the earth shall pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the Law until everything has been fulfilled. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of {from} heaven; but whoever shall practice and teach them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of {from} heaven. 20 For I say to you, unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way that you shall enter into the kingdom of {from} heaven." ● When will heaven and earth pass away? 2Pe 3:10-13, "However, the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night in which the heaven itself shall disappear with a mighty roar, and the elements shall pass away, burning with intense heat, and the earth and the works in it shall be burned up. 11 Since all these things are going to be destroyed, what kind of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 Looking forward to and striving for the coming of the day of God, during which the heavens, being on fire, shall be destroyed, and the elements, burning with intense heat, shall melt? 13 But according to His promise, we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." ● John goes on the describe the revelation of Jesus Christ. Rev 21:1-8, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. 2 And I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice from heaven say, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be any more death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away.' 5 And He Who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' 6 And He said to me, 'It is done {it is finished, it is fulfilled}. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of life. 7 The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.' "

Commandments ARE NOT Nailed to the Cross

● Some people erroneously claim that the Ten Commandments "were nailed to the cross." Jesus warns us in Mat 5:17-20, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until the heaven and the earth shall pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the Law until everything has been fulfilled. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of {from} heaven; but whoever shall practice and teach them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of {from} heaven. 20 For I say to you, unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way that you shall enter into the kingdom of {from} heaven."

● When will heaven and earth pass away? 2Pe 3:10-13, "However, the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night in which the heaven itself shall disappear with a mighty roar, and the elements shall pass away, burning with intense heat, and the earth and the works in it shall be burned up. 11 Since all these things are going to be destroyed, what kind of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 Looking forward to and striving for the coming of the day of God, during which the heavens, being on fire, shall be destroyed, and the elements, burning with intense heat, shall melt? 13 But according to His promise, we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."

● John goes on the describe the revelation of Jesus Christ. Rev 21:1-8, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. 2 And I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice from heaven say, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be any more death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away.' 5 And He Who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' 6 And He said to me, 'It is done {it is finished, it is fulfilled}. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of life. 7 The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.' "

A Friday to Sunday Resurrection is a Lie!
● Do the math, a Friday to Sunday Resurrection can not have three days and three nights, 72 hours in it! Matthew 12:38-40, Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Master, we desire to see a sign from You." 39 And He answered and said to them, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man {Jesus Christ} shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." ● Would false ministers dare to intentionally pervert the Word of God to teach and encourage Sunday worship? ● View a "Chart to Understand Seventy-two Hours in the Heart of the Earth" (three days & three nights). (www.ekklesiachurchofgod.com/Believe_Jesus.html)
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A Friday to Sunday Resurrection is a Lie!

● Do the math, a Friday to Sunday Resurrection can not have three days and three nights, 72 hours in it! Matthew 12:38-40, Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Master, we desire to see a sign from You." 39 And He answered and said to them, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man {Jesus Christ} shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."

● Would false ministers dare to intentionally pervert the Word of God to teach and encourage Sunday worship?

● View a "Chart to Understand Seventy-two Hours in the Heart of the Earth" (three days & three nights). (www.ekklesiachurchofgod.com/Believe_Jesus.html)

MAY USE LEFT ARROW BACK TO EXIT

THE ONLY SIGN GIVEN!

Click to Turn to Archives or Choose Arrow Back