The Antichrist and the Coming Persecution of Christians
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Matthew 7:21-23 King James Version (KJV)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
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What is going to happen according to end times prophecy?
The Bible has a lot to say about the end times. Nearly every book of the Bible contains prophecy regarding the end times. Taking all of these prophecies and organizing them can be difficult. Following is a very brief summary of what the Bible declares will happen in the end times.
Christ will remove all born-again believers from the earth in an event known as
the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). At the judgment seat of Christ,
these believers will be rewarded for good works and faithful service during
their time on earth or will lose rewards, but not eternal life, for lack of
service and obedience (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
The Antichrist (the beast) will come into power and will sign a covenant with Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27). This seven-year period of time is known as the “tribulation.” During the tribulation, there will be terrible wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters. God will be pouring out His wrath against sin, evil, and wickedness. The tribulation will include the appearance of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the seven seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments.
About halfway through the seven years, the Antichrist will break the peace
covenant with Israel and make war against it. The Antichrist will commit “the
abomination of desolation” and set up an image of himself to be worshipped in the
Jerusalem temple (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10), which will have been rebuilt. The
second half of the tribulation is known as “the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) and “the time of Jacob’s trouble”
(Jeremiah 30:7).
At the end
of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will launch a final attack on
Jerusalem, culminating in the battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will return,
destroy the Antichrist and his armies, and cast them into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:11-21). Christ will then bind Satan in
the Abyss for 1000 years and He will rule His earthly kingdom for this
thousand-year period (Revelation 20:1-6).
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released, defeated again, and then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10) for eternity. Christ then judges all unbelievers (Revelation 20:10-15) at the great white throne judgment, casting them all into the lake of fire. Christ will then usher in a new heaven and new earth and the New Jerusalem—the eternal dwelling place of believers. There will be no more sin, sorrow, or death (Revelation 21–22).
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“Who
are the four horsemen of the apocalypse?”
The
four horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in Revelation chapter 6, verses
1-8. The four horsemen are symbolic descriptions of different events which will
take place in the end times. The first horseman of the Apocalypse is mentioned
in Revelation
6:2: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a
bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on
conquest.” This first horseman likely refers to the Antichrist, who will be
given authority and will conquer all who oppose him. The antichrist is the
false imitator of the true Christ, who will also return on a white horse (Revelation
19:11-16).
The second horseman of the Apocalypse appears in Revelation
6:4, “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given
power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was
given a large sword.” The second horseman refers to terrible warfare that will
break out in the end times. The third horseman is described in Revelation
6:5-6, “…and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a
pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the
four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three
quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’”
The third horseman of the Apocalypse refers to a great famine that will take
place, likely as a result of the wars from the second horseman.
The fourth horseman is mentioned in Revelation 6:8, “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse is symbolic of death and devastation. It seems to be a combination of the previous horsemen. The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse will bring further warfare and terrible famines along with awful plagues and diseases. What is most amazing, or perhaps terrifying, is that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are just “precursors” of even worse judgments that come later in the tribulation (Revelation chapters 8–9 and 16).
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“Who / What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?”
Students of biblical prophecy have differing views
over the identity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7. He is called “the one who restrains”
in some translations (ESV, NASB); other translations call Him “the one who
holds back” (NIV), “he who letteth” (KJV), or “he who is keeping down” (YLT).
Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of great power who is hindering the
advance of the Antichrist
and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world.
In his second epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul
assured the church that they were not yet living in the Day of the Lord,
that is, the end times’ judgment had not yet begun. In 2
Thessalonians 2:3 he says, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” According to God’s timetable, the Day
of the Lord and the accompanying judgment will not start until two things
happen: a global rebellion occurs and the Antichrist is revealed. Paul then
mentions what is currently keeping the evil in check: “And now you know what is
holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret
power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will
continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed” (verses 6–8).
Paul does not specifically identify what or who the
restraining force is, since the Thessalonians already knew. Many scholars have
speculated as to the identity of the restrainer, naming the restraining force
as 1) the Roman government; 2) gospel preaching; 3) the binding of Satan; 4)
the providence of God; 5) the Jewish state; 6) the church; 7) the Holy Spirit;
and 8) Michael the archangel. We believe the restrainer is none other than the
Holy Spirit, or we could say the Holy Spirit working through the New Testament
church.
Supporting the idea that the Holy Spirit within the
church is the restrainer is the fact that the restrainer is referenced both as
a thing (neuter gender, verse 6) and as a person (masculine gender, verse 7).
Also, the power delaying Satan’s masterplan to unveil his false messiah must be
of God. It makes much more sense to say that the Holy Spirit is curbing the
devil than a political entity or even an angel. The Holy Spirit of God is the
only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do this restraining.
Of course, the Spirit works through believers to
accomplish this. The church, indwelt by the Spirit of God, has always been part
of what holds society back from the swelling tide of lawless living. At some
point, Paul says, the Spirit will “step aside” from His restraining work,
allowing sin to have dominion over mankind. Second
Thessalonians 2:7 can be literally rendered, “The secret of lawlessness is
already working, only it cannot be revealed until he who now withholds
disappears from the midst.” We believe this “disappearing from the midst” will
happen at the time the church leaves the earth at the rapture. The
Holy Spirit will still be present in the earth, of course, but He will be taken
out of the way in the sense that His unique sin-restraining ministry—through
God’s people—will be removed (see Genesis 6:3).
Second Thessalonians 2 is clear that the removal of the restrainer’s influence precedes the revealing of the Antichrist. Given free rein during the tribulation, the lawless one will “use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders” to deceive the people of the earth (verses 9–10). After the Antichrist’s time is up, the Lord Jesus will return and overthrow the man of sin by “the breath of his mouth and destroy [him] by the splendor of his coming” (verse 8). Evil is restrained right now; once the Church Age ends, the hindrance to evil will be removed, and the rebellion will seem to be winning; however, the ultimate doom of evil is sure.
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“Will
there be a great apostasy / falling away during the end times?”
The Bible indicates that there will be a great
apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2
Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and
ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion,
an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection
of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.
The occasion of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians
was to correct some of the errors concerning the end times that the believers
had heard from false teachers. Among the falsehoods was that “the day of the
Lord has already come” (2
Thessalonians 2:2). The Christians in Thessalonica were afraid that Jesus
had already come, they had missed the rapture, and
they were now in the tribulation.
Paul had already explained the rapture to them in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Paul writes his second letter to
assure them that, contrary to what they had heard, and despite the persecution
they were enduring, the “day of Christ” had not yet come.
In 2
Thessalonians 2:3, Paul makes it clear that the day of the Lord, a time of
worldwide judgment (Isaiah 13:6; Obadiah
1:15), will not transpire until two things happen. First, the falling away,
or great apostasy, must occur. Second, the “man of lawlessness” must be
revealed, he who is called the “son of perdition,” also known as the Antichrist.
Once this person makes himself known, the end times will indeed have come.
Numerous speculations about the identity of the man of sin, beginning in the
first century, have included Caligula, Caius Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, and
any number of Roman popes. None of them were the Antichrist.
The man of lawlessness, according to 2
Thessalonians 2:4, is the one who “will oppose and will exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Clearly, this has not yet
happened; no one since Paul’s time has set himself up as God in the Jewish
temple. Two thousand years have passed since the epistle was written, and the
“day of the Lord” has not yet come. Paul assures us that it will not come until
the falling away comes first.
The Greek word translated “rebellion” or “falling
away” in verse 3 is apostasia, from which we get the English word apostasy.
It refers to a general defection from the true God, the Bible, and the
Christian faith. Every age has its defectors, but the falling away at the end
times will be complete and worldwide. The whole planet will be in rebellion
against God and His Christ. Every coup requires a leader, and into this global
apostasy will step the Antichrist. We believe this takes place after the church has
been raptured from the earth.
Jesus warned the disciples concerning the final days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” These are the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times.
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What
are the seven seals of Revelation?
The seven seals are one of a series of end-times
judgments from God. The seals are described in Revelation
6:1–17 and 8:1–5. In John’s vision, the seven seals hold closed a
scroll in heaven, and, as each seal is broken, a new judgment is unleashed on
the earth. Following the seal judgments are the trumpet judgments and the bowl
or vial judgments.
The prelude to the opening of the seven seals in
John’s vision is a search for someone worthy to open the heavenly scroll in Revelation 5.
John writes, “I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll
with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals” (Revelation
5:1). This scroll contains the judgments of God; the fact that it is
written on both sides indicates the extensive nature of the judgment pending. A
mighty angel cries out, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
(verse 2). No one was found worthy of breaking the seals and opening the
scroll, a fact that causes John to mourn (verse 3–4). If the scroll could not
be opened, then wickedness would not be judged and evil would continue to
infect the earth.
As John is weeping over the unopened scroll and its
unbroken seven seals, he receives good news: “The Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven
seals” (Revelation
5:5). “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the
center of the throne. . . . He went and took the scroll from the right hand of
him who sat on the throne” (verses 6–7). This is a picture of Jesus Christ, the
Lamb who was
slain who is also the Lion of judgment.
Jesus is the only one worthy to judge the world (cf. John 5:22).
As He takes the scroll to open the seals and pronounce judgment on the
unbelieving world, the beings in heaven glorify Him with a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. . . .
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!” (verses 9 and 12).
Amid the worship due to Him, the Lamb begins to open
the seals (Revelation
6:1). With each seal opened, the scroll is able to be unrolled a little
more, revealing bit by bit the judgments God has in store during the
tribulation period. The first four of the seven seals release what are known as
the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, because the judgments appear symbolically as a
horse and rider bringing devastation in their wake.
The
first seal. The first seal introduces the
Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2). From the biblical description, we gather
several details: he rides a white horse, which speaks of peace; at the
beginning of the tribulation, the Antichrist
will come under the pretense of bringing peace to the world (cf. Daniel 9:27).
He is given a crown, which indicates that the Antichrist will exercise great
authority (cf. Daniel 7:24–25). He holds a bow, which shows his true
intentions, and he advances “as a conqueror bent on conquest” (Revelation
6:2).
The
second seal. When the Lamb opens the second seal,
great warfare breaks out on the earth (Revelation
6:3–4). This is symbolized by a rider with a large sword on a fiery red
horse.
The
third seal. The breaking of the third of the seven
seals causes famine (Revelation
6:5–6). The rider that John sees is riding a black horse and “holding a
pair of scales in his hand.” Then John hears a declaration that people will
have to work all day to earn just a little food.
The
fourth seal. The fourth seal is opened, and John
sees a pale horse. “Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close
behind him” (Revelation 6:7–8). The result of this fourth seal is that
one fourth of the earth’s population are killed “by sword, famine and plague,
and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
The
fifth seal. The scroll’s fifth seal reveals those
who will be martyred for their faith in Christ during the tribulation (Revelation
6:9–11; cf. Matthew 24:9). The souls of these martyrs are pictured as
dwelling under the altar in heaven. God hears their cries for justice, and He
gives each of them a white robe. The martyrs are told to wait “until the full
number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just
as they had been.” God promises to avenge them, but the time was not yet (cf. Romans
12:19).
The
sixth seal. When the Lamb of God opens the sixth
seal, a devastating earthquake occurs, causing massive upheaval and terrible
devastation—along with unusual astronomical phenomena: the sun turns black, and
the moon turns blood-red, and “the heavens receded like a scroll being rolled
up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Revelation
6:12–14). Survivors of the sixth seal, regardless of their social position,
take refuge in caves and cry out to the mountains and the rocks, “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 great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
(verses 16–17).
After the opening of the sixth of the seven seals is
an interlude in the book of Revelation. John describes the 144,000 Jews who will be
protected during the tribulation (Revelation
7:1–8). Then, in heaven, he sees “a great multitude that no one could
count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb” (verse 9). These people wear white robes, hold palm
branches, and shout:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb” (verse 10).
John is told who this white-clad multitude is: “These are they who have come
out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14). They are given the promise that
“‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat. . . .
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ (verses 16–17; cf. Isaiah 25:8;
49:10).
The
seventh seal. When the Lamb opens the seventh seal,
“there was silence
in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation
8:1). The judgments that lead up to the close of the tribulation are now
visible in the scroll and are so severe that a solemn silence falls upon all of
heaven. The seventh seal obviously introduces the next series of judgments, for
John immediately sees seven angels who are handed seven trumpets ready to sound
(verse 2). An eighth angel takes a censer and burns “much incense” in it,
representing the prayers of God’s people (verses 3–4). The angel then took the
same censer, “filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth;
and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an
earthquake” (verse 5).
Once the seven seal judgments are finished, the next
part of the tribulation, featuring the seven trumpet judgments, is ready to
begin.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 King James Version (KJV)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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Iraqi Christian burned alive by ISIS three times miraculously survives, sees Jesus in vision
“Later in the interview, the man revealed that once ISIS found out he was a follower of Christ, they began stoning him.
“They were hitting me with big rocks on my body,” he recalled. “The stones were fine, not affecting me.”
The man said that after stoning him, ISIS members drenched him in 20 gallons of gasoline. But even though he was burned alive a total of three times, he said he somehow survived unharmed.
“And they burned me, but I didn’t burn,” he said, crediting Jesus for his miraculous survival.”
More………………
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Christian Persecution is ongoing – especially, in China – and in America
Christian persecution set to rise ‘sharply’ in 2019, group warns
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Over 200 Incidents of Anti-Christian Violence Reported in India in 2019
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Report: Christian Persecution 2019 a Scourge of ‘Mammoth Proportions’
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Persecution of Christians is ‘set to rise’ in 2019
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/persecution-of-christians-is-set-to-rise-in-2019/131375.htm
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Persecution of Christians ‘coming close to genocide’ in Middle East – report
Millions uprooted from homes, says UK-commissioned report, with many jailed and killed
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Report: Christian Persecution in India Jumps by 57% in 2019
https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2019/03/20/report-christian-persecution-in-india-jumps-by-57-in-2019/
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In China, they’re closing churches, jailing pastors – and even rewriting scripture
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STRANGE Signs Of “EndTimes” Happening NOW (2018)
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How To Figure Out if Your Teen is Doing Suicidal ‘Blue Whale Challenge’
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The ‘Blue whale challenge’ has a new victim
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2 Corinthians 11:13-15 King James Version (KJV)
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
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Rom_8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom_13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Eph_3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Col_1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col_2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Tit_3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
Heb_6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
1Pe_3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
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How you get ideas !!! Human beings ………………..!!!! From Adam to “Leonando Di Vinci” to you and I,
Non–believers, the fallen angels (Heirarchy/sons of God of Old Testament) have been all along preparing for the coming of what they refer to the as the “Great Lord” (Satan). They say that when the hour has come many cases of “overshadowing” will be seen and will demonstrate in a three-fold manner. In all countries in the orient and the occident, prepared disciples and highly evolved men and women will be found who will be doing the work along the lines intended, and who will be occupying places of prominence which will make them available for the reaching of the many; their bodies also will be sufficiently pure to permit of the overshadowing. It will only be possible in the case of those who have been consecretated since childhood, who have been servers of the race all their lives or who in previous lives have acquired the right by “Karma”. This threefold overshadowing will manifest as:
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First: An impression upon the physical brain of the man or woman, of thoughts, plans for work, ideals and intentions which (emanating from the Avatar; (Human Subjects), will yet be unrecognized by him as being other than his own; he will proceed to put them into action, unconsciously helped by the force flowing in. This is literally a higher form of higher mental telepathy (spiritual attack) working out on physical levels.
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Second: The overshadowing of the Chela (since baby) during his work (such as lecturing, writing, or teaching), and his illumination for service. He will be conscious of this, though perhaps unable to explain it, and will seek more and more to be available for use, rendering himself up in utter selflessness to the inspiration of His Lord (Satan or Fallen Angels). This is affected via the Chela’s EGO, the force flowing through his astral permanent atom and it is only possible when the Levels.
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Third: The Conscious co-operation of the “Chela” (human subject) is necessitated in the third method of overshadowing. In this case he will (with full knowledge of the laws of his being and nature) surrender himself and step out of his physical body, handing it over for use of the Great Lord or one of “His Masters”. This is only possible in the case of a Chela who has brought all the three lower bodies into alignment, and necessitates the unfolding of the sixth petal, certain Levels . By an act of conscious will he renders up his body, and stands aside for a specific length of time. These three methods of overshadowing will be largely the ones used by the Great Lord (Satan) and His Masters (Fallen Angels) at the end of the Century (written 1979), and for this reason they are sending into Incarnation, in every country, disciples who have the opportunity offered them to respond to the need of humanity or the work Satan.
The problem is that they never plan on allowing the soul/spirit of the person to return. They channeled Helena Blavatsky from 1875 to 1890, she “died” early in 1891. They channeled Alice Baily from 1919 to 1949, she took virtual dictation from El Morya (fallen angel), to provide 18 books that she was given credit for authoring. She also died in 1949.
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The Holy Spirit Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples that He would send one who would teach and guide all those who believe in Him (Acts 1:5; John 14:26; 16:7). Jesus’ promise was fulfilled less than two weeks later when the Holy Spirit came in power on the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). Now, when a person believes in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately becomes a permanent part of his life (Romans 8:14; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
The Holy Spirit has many functions. Not only does He distribute spiritual gifts
according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7–11), but He also comforts us (John
14:16, KJV), teaches us (John 14:26),
and remains in us as a seal of promise upon our hearts until the day of Jesus’
return (Ephesians
1:13; 4:30). The Holy Spirit also takes on the role of Guide and
Counselor, leading us in the way we should go and revealing God’s truth (Luke 12:12;
1 Corinthians 2:6–10).
But how do we recognize the Spirit’s guidance? How do we discern between our
own thoughts and His leading? After all, the Holy Spirit does not speak with
audible words. Rather, He guides us through our own consciences (Romans 9:1)
and other quiet, subtle ways.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 King James Version (KJV)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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