Success and Failure Blog

The Entire day of May 21st commenced and ended- Rapture-less! This date will most assuredly go down in history as a day of misguided beliefs! The world makes mockery of the bible and the biblical prophecies of the Rapture. Nay Sayers claim to hold victory in their adamant stand against the reality of the Rapture and future apocalyptic events. While the forces of evil rage unsuccessfully against all who claim the promises of God to be real and indisputable, there is a larger group of people who are successfully deceived. These people maintain that world will never face judgment or tribulation from God. Sadly the rapture-less day of May 21st lends false support to the ongoing claims of non-believers, atheist, and other worldly views. Happily, true Christians are unscathed by mockeries, false claims, false predictions, false prophecies, false beliefs and worldly views! God has given to us a Truth and that Truth is everlasting!
True Rapture Believers are not displaced or dismayed by the lack of Rapturous events on May 21st. Fully Expecting Christian people look forward joyously, ever still and with increasing faith to the Glorious Rapture! As the May 21st failed predictions reinforces for scoffers and unbelievers the self-affirmed skepticism, it strengthens the cords of faith, hope, and love for believers world-wide! The desires to live freely without fear of future judgment, is falsely assumed by non-believers due to these uneventful predictions. While Bible Believers hold firmly to their unswerving beliefs in the Rapture!
For Christian Believers, the failure of May 21st does not rest upon the bible or God. These failed predictions are not failed prophecy from God they are attributed to man’s failure and lack of understanding. These failures and shortcomings are man’s alone and do not attest to contradiction of the bible and Christian beliefs. Uplifted is the Truth which is Christ Jesus and admonished is the holy bible and Living WORD of God which is also Christ Jesus.
I must share with you what all biblically sound Christians know to be true. No portion of the bible tells us when Jesus will come and the Rapture will take place. There is no set time written within the bible that these events are set to take place. There is no alluding to it or helpful derivatives of conclusion to be gleaned from the bible. There is no help for anyone on earth to learn of this vital information on their own. There is no way to make accurate calculations or reasonable deductions of when the Rapture will happen. In Matthew 24:36 we learn:
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father.
We also are told this:
1 Corinthians 15:52 (New International Version)
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
The Day of the Lord
1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
It is not necessary to know when the Rapture will take place in order to be ready for this event.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 (New International Version)
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
The day of the Rapture will come upon believers as a thief. True believers will not be caught off guard or surprised they will be waiting and fully expecting and joyously prepared to meet Jesus.
Lastly we are encouraged and fully educated in how the Rapture will take place:
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Please do not let anyone or anything deceive you! The Rapture is still set to take place. I believe, as many others do also that it will not be long before it happens. Yet we must proclaim only what the bible tells us. That being said, we know that no one can accurately predict the exact day and exact hour. Only our Heavenly Father knows that.
To believers, keep watchful and remain vigilant knowing that it is in Jesus that we are made ready. And to non-believers, I give the same word of advice. If you want to be ready for this great day you must first believe! Turn to Christ Jesus in prayer and ask for forgiveness of all your sins. Please ask Jesus to come into your heart and make you a new creature without spot or blemish. Jesus WILL Accept you. He loves you, no matter how bad you may think you are or how terrible you image yourself to be. Your prayer of true repentance is beautiful to Jesus and precious! Accept Jesus as your Savior and know that in Him you are safe! I pray that the Holy Spirit will open the hearts and minds and eyes of all, and I hope that I have brought the bright light of Jesus to shine TRUTH upon the subject of the Rapture.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing in Christ Jesus,
Pam Shekailo

First Step to Peace

Peacekeeper. Searching the dictionary this word means “a person who maintains or restores peace and amity; mediator: Mother was the peacekeeper in our family or a soldier, military force, etc., deployed to maintain or restore peace: American marines sent abroad as peacekeepers.

One of the above is Biblical. Which is not?

Only through Christ can peacemaking be a possibility.

A shalom maker is not: easy going, always tolerant, an appeaser or afraid of making waves.

A shalom maker is: quiet (James 1:19), honest, willing to risk pain, a fighter and full of character (James 3:17, Ephesians 4:3)

The politically correct world in which we live would not like to be reminded that merely “keeping the peace” does not bring about true change that God speaks of in His Word. As true believers in Christ, we must live in holiness actively pursuing peace in its fullness. We must be thoughtful but never impolite. The peacemaker listens and evaluates. He/she makes trouble to make peace. This process of true peace is only accomplished by again – - understanding who God is. And who He is not.

Consider Matthew 10:34.

Possibly you are asking, “Where is the love?” That does not sound like peace to me! But this is God’s Word and God in His Bible we see the threading interwoven just to make sure we “get it”. Luke 12:49-53 and Luke 14:25-33 remove all doubt. God is not interested in His followers being merely “peacekeepers”.

Who is the peacemaker? Only through Christ can peacemaking be a possibility. Apart from Christ we do nothing (John 15:5).

Next time we will take more time to take in the scene below. The ascent so far has challenged us with a bit of rocky terrain. I can’t promise you it will be any easier but I can promise you the Truth!

Shalom!

Recently a brother in Christ and I went to a football game. On the way home, we began to discuss the view of the Bible that we have heard from unbelievers. We have both heard many times from unbelievers that the Word of God is full of contradictions and half truths. As we discussed the writings, we had an idea -

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so here we go. Why do we say things like “I promise”, or “I give you my word” or “I swear it’s the truth”? do we commonly speak untruths? and then when we really mean it have to add the caveat of “I promise” when we say we will or wont do something is there some established pattern where the other person assumes we don’t mean it unless we swear?

I really find it ironic when a person promises not to lie anymore.

I personally take issue with the whole marriage contract and swearing to love “till death do us part”. However symbolic the ceremony and the “contract/License” is, it is empty w/o truth behind it. With the divorce rate at over %50 (even among “Christians”) I’m pretty sure even promises made before God an witnesses don’t really hold much water. Or when we testify in court we swear to tell the truth, but how many perjure themselves?

Then in parenting I’ve learned to never promise anything. Whether reward or punishment it is established in my house, I will do what I say to the best of my ability. This makes setting of standards and discipline pretty easy. There are established outcomes for certain behaviors. I never say “I promise if you do that one more time I will punish you”. My children know this about me. they also know if I say I will take them somewhere, or do something, or play a game. I will do everything in my power to keep my word.

So in closing, Do you find yourself saying “I promise” a lot? or “I swear”? or is everything you speak considered to be truth as far as you can control it?

If we focus on speaking truth, acting in truth, people will know the instances of us being wrong is not lying but simply err, or circumstances.

Matt 5:36-37 do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’;