The Valley of Vision

Isa 22:5

For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

When you commit to follow on into an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you must realize that you are entering the valley of vision, and accept His chastening readily. When the day of trouble arrives, the aspects of iniquity within one's soul rise quickly to the surface as the Lord exposes them. If you have continually submitted to His correction there will be no perplexity, as the Holy Spirit will guide you through the shaping process into the image of Christ. You won't be found trying to hide in the valley of vision when He breaks down the walls of idolatry, and you won't be found crying for help to any false gods atop the mountains. No matter how it seems or what it feels like, when the Lord tears apart things in your life, His goal is always restoration and empowerment. As it is written,

Jeremiah 1:10

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

See also The Image of the Invisible God; God’s Promise: Restitution of Peace; Run With the Vision

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 22:1-25; Job 5:17-27; Romans 8:1-39; Nahum 1:7-8 ; Hebrews 12:1-29

A Nail in a Sure Place

Isaiah 22:23

And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

The only sure place to dwell is the secret place of the most high God, and His is the only place that is sure and certain. We are fastened there by Jesus Christ. When the Roman soldiers fastened Him to His cross they used three nails, a constant reminder of our triune God who is One LORD. It is only through the cross that we can approach the throne of God and rest in surety, knowing that no man can pluck us out of His hand. We cannot even come to the Father but by the blood of Jesus Christ, for He is the nail in the sure place.

See also Pluck Out; The Lord and Harpazo

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 22:1-25; Psalm 91:1-16; Hebrews 4:1-16

High Places

Ephesians 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.

This verse is the only reference to the high places in the New Testament. The Old Testament practice of worshipping idols occurred in the high places, and now it occurs in the hearts of men who are lifted up in greed and serving the dark spiritual forces of wickedness. The Lord will deal with all those who have heaped up treasures for the last days, while they defraud the laborers. As the day of the Lord approaches, it is especially important to focus on the spiritual wickedness that is the object of our struggle, and not to get caught up with the flesh and blood battles that are intended to ensnare us with offence. The Lord is listening to the cries of the righteous, and He is taking note. As it is written,

The cries of them which have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

See also Be Made Righteousness In Him; Withstand in the Evil Day; Elijah and Restoration

Related Scriptures: James 5:1-12; 1Thessalonians 5:1-28; Psalm 34:1-22

The Treader of Grapes

Amos 9:13

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

In order for the LORD to bring this prophecy to pass, He must first deal with rampant worldwide sin. When Christ comes as the treader of grapes, the wicked of this earth will be fuel for His winepress. The harvest will have ripened on both edges of the sword of the Spirit, and the wrath of God will melt all the hills, even as the righteous receive the outpouring of the sweet wine. This is His perfect way, and it is only hard to understand when people do not want to acknowledge their sin, and when they resort to blaming God to try to justify themselves. He is not interested in being politically correct, or socially inclusive, or whatever other humanist terminology the wicked employ to water down and corrupt every moral absolute that God ordained. No, He is not fooled nor moved by any of this, as it is written,

Deuteronomy 32:4

He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.

See also To Build and to Plant; Christ: The Breastplate of Righteousness; What Is the Chaff to the Wheat?

Related Scriptures: Amos 9:1-15; Revelation 19:11-16; Isaiah 49:1-26; Jeremiah 25:27-33

Scepter of Righteousness

Hebrews 1:8-9

But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.

Anointed with the oil of gladness, and calling us His friends, for He has made known to us what the Father has shown Him.  It is time to rejoice, both now and forever!

Related Scriptures: John 15:7-17; Hebrews 8:1-2; Ephesians 2:4-10.

The Lord and Harpazo

Thirteen Aspects of the Rapture.

Take your inheritance in the kingdom of heaven by force.
Stand against the world system trying to force its mold upon your life.
Look to the Lord, and He will forcefully remove you from dissension and affliction.
These three things are the rapture.

Hang on to the Word in your heart lest the devil come to catch it away.
Hang on to your relationship with the Chief Shepherd,

lest the wolf come to catch you away from His fold.
Be baptized in the Holy Spirit and filled to the full with Him each day;
And the Lord will catch you away into the position He has for you on earth.
These three things are the rapture.

Rest in the hands of Jesus Christ the Lord, and no man can pluck you out of His hand.
Rest in the arms of your heavenly Father, the Ancient of Days:
He is well able to hold on to you in His hand, and no man can pluck you out of His hand.

The Spirit has sealed you unto the day of redemption.

These three Persons are the rapture.

Dwell in the Vine and wait for the vision, and be caught up with whatever He says to do.
Be so caught up with the love of Christ Jesus that you will meet Him in the air when He calls.
Rest assured in Him, knowing that He has prepared you a place on His throne with Him.
These three truths are the rapture.

Be occupied daily only with the fear of the LORD, and He will rescue you from the fire of His wrath.
This one thing I know,
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
On the other side of His blood is the rapture.
____________________________________________

As blood bought believers, we are engaged in the most important conflict ever: the battle between God and Satan, between good and evil, between the heavenly realm of light and the forces of spiritual darkness. Our commander, the Lord of hosts, has already determined the outcome, which He sealed through the death on the cross, the burial, and resurrection of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. In turn, we determine our position in this battle by faith in Jesus Christ, and this act guarantees the outcome in our own life by the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise. After this gift we must strive for the prize. There are crowns laid up for those who run the race with endurance while working the works of God. We must execute the battle plan of the Father of spirits.

See also A Vesture Dipped in Blood; The Blood of the Passover Lamb; Dark Speeches

Related Scriptures: Matthew 11:12; Matthew 13:19; John 6:15; John 10:12; John 10:28-29; Acts 8:39; Acts 23:10; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Jude 1:23; Revelation 12:5

Pulling Out (Harpazo, Part 5 of 5)

The rapture is not a term that is found anywhere in the Bible, it is a concept invented by man to conceive of the Greek word harpazo. This word has five meanings spread across thirteen different Scriptures, so it is my intent here to let the Spirit lead into a deeper understanding of this word, and thereby a greater understanding of the concept of the rapture.

Jude 1:23

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Here we see the final act of God's redemptive process: pulling out (harpazo) of the fire those who must be saved with fear. Their garments are defiled by the works of the flesh, and they are alarmed by the possibility that they may not escape the flames. This could well be the lukewarm church, spewed out of the mouth of the Lord and left behind at the rapture. If so, they will have to endure dire hardship and persecution without the benefit of the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to escape. The Lord makes a distinction between these, whose very garments of self-righteous works are to be hated, and those who are saved by a heartfelt response to His compassion. As it is written,

Hebrews 6:1-3

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.

Now that we have reviewed all thirteen of the harpazo verses, we can begin to pull this all together for a more thorough understanding, from every angle, of the concept of the rapture. Here is a synopsis of the five meanings and their implications:

1.  take by force - seizing, especially with dire urgency (Matthew 11:12; John 6:15; Acts 23:10)

2.  catch away - to take out of the grasp of, to transport instantly (Matthew 13:19; John 10:12; Acts 8:39)

3.  pluck out - to snatch or pull away from, especially by a rapid jerking motion (John 10:28-29)

4.  catch up - translated, removed from a lower state to a higher one (2 Corinthians 12:2,4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 12:5)

5.  pull out - to rescue from danger or peril, especially those who are unable to do so on their own (Jude 1:23)

The Spirit has ministered a set of verses to post separately that will summarize this study, and bring the whole word of the Lord to bear on how we should view the many aspects of harpazo. This will help us to gain a deeper understanding of the various forms of the rapture. Follow along tomorrow as He speaks through The Lord and Harpazo, The thirteen raptures.

See also Jericho Mindset; The Third Part Through the Fire; Walking Through the Fire

Related Scriptures: Jude 1:1-25