"Flee and pursue."

2 Timothy 2:22 could be translated as "Run away and run after!"

Flee means to escape, like Mary and Joseph did in fleeing to Egypt (Matthew 2:13) or Moses did when he fled from Egypt after he killed an Egyptian (Acts 7:29).

Pursue, on the other hand, means "to chase after in order to catch", says Dr. Rusty Womack of Rocky Hock Baptist Church (don't ya love that name of the church?).

Pursue can also be translated as persecute. Persecute? Yeah, like hunt it down, track it down, be on the prowl, but not for evil, but for good.

You don't have to be a youth to be chased by youthful lusts. I met a guy almost my age the other day who is still living like he was a teenager, stuck in youthful sins.

And a person of any age can chase down righteousness, faith, love and peace. Not that we'll catch them but we can pursue them, can't we?

How? First, stop chasing youthful lusts, or middle age lusts, or old people lusts! Be brave enough to "run away"!

Second, call on the Lord. Ask Him to purify your heart.

But be warned: it's not a one and done deal. Paul had told Timothy something similar in his previous letter. "But as for your, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11).

It's time. It's time to grow up, stop chasing the wrong things. Flee from them! Be a Man or Woman of God. Lace up your shoes and start chasing those things.

People get ready, Jesus is coming

     I hate being pulled over by a police officer when I have been speeding. But I breathe a sigh of relief when I get a warning. Being pulled over is justice. Getting a warning is mercy (not receiving the punishment we deserve). Not being pulled over at all is grace (getting something good that we don't deserve). But if all we got were warnings, or not getting pulled over at all, there would be mercy and grace, but ultimately there would be no justice.

     The following was in response to someone asking me what to do in preparation to the End Times. We can pray for grace

    You are asking the right questions, but unfortunately there are very few right answers. Although the Bible teaches that the end times are going to have famine, it does not say to stockpile food. The Bible talks about violence, it doesn’t say to load up with guns. It talks about pestilences, but the solution will not be vaccines or doctors. There will be meteors causing world-wide calamity, but God does not say build bomb shelters, although he does allude to people hiding in caves but their prayer is “fall on us.”

     It definitely does not say to be alarmed about godless people like the Hollywood elite, like those whom you mentioned. (She had mentioned some elite showing themselves eating bugs in times of famine). No you are not to “panic”, but the Bible says be prepared. So how? Not with self-sufficiency but spiritually with God.

     Luke 18 has Jesus questioning on whether or not He will find true believers trusting in Him before the Rapture: “⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

     In speaking of the Great Tribulation, Mark 13:20 states that unless the Rapture comes for the elect, no one would be spared (the word saved can mean spiritually “going to heaven” or as in this case “physically spared”). “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.”

     So how do we prepare?  “pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass.” That means to be living a life of repentance (I repent every day, meaning I stop going the way that is against God), godliness (don’t just stop doing wrong but start doing right. I try to do the things that are with God and for God), faithfulness (not just having trust in my mind and heart, but acting on my faith), moral purity (not because I have to but because I want to), true worship with other Bible-based believers (it is REALLY HARD to find a Bible believing church).

    The Bible says “Watch and pray”.

     Luke 21:36 says, ^{“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy[fn] to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”}

^{“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy[fn] to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”}

^{“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy[fn] to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”}

^{“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy[fn] to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”}

^{“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy[fn] to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”}

³⁴ “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵ For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

     For three years or more before I left Killeen, every messageI preached was on Christ’s return, in some form or another, except for the last one. But very few churches do I see preaching on repentance, preaching on Christ’s soon return. They are out there I am sure, but as I visit around, most are praising and preaching but without much urgency or conviction.

     It’s not just having good worship, but good prophecy. Revelation 19:10 says, “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”“Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

     We should not be lulled to sleep. We should not be merely preaching “peace and safety” (perhaps because of the Rapture). No, we should be ready, “watch” and behave, “be sober”. Paul had urgency when writing to the Thessalonians, chapter 5: ¹ But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

     Christians are divided on whether or not believers will go through the Tribulation. Perhaps Matthew 25 has an answer:

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[fn] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[fn] in which the Son of Man is coming. 

Daniel's 70th Week

 Revelation 11: 

John’s Revelation and Daniel’s 70^th Week

Many people teach that there will be a “Seven Year Tribulation,” with the last three-and-a-half years being the “Great Tribulation.” 

Where does the teaching of a seven-year tribulation come from? 

Surprisingly, nowhere in Revelation does it say that the time span from Rev. 4 through 19 is seven years. However, since Revelation 11 - 13 mentions a three-and-a-half year time-frame of “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” twice (See Revelation 11:3 & 12:6 below):

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
(Revelation 11:3)

Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (Revelation 12:6)

 and “42 months” twice (See Revelation 11:2 & 13:5 below): 

“But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months."
(Revelation 11:2)

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 
(Revelation 13:5)

 this is a good time to discuss “Daniel’s 70^th week.”

Daniel 9:24-27

 

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. ²⁵  “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. ²⁶ “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. ²⁷ Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

 

In Daniel 9:24-27, the prophet wrote that Israel had “70 weeks” to “finish the transgression.” What did Daniel mean by 70 weeks? The word “weeks” was actually the word “sevens” and literally meant “70 sevens.” 

Most interpret this to mean 70 periods of seven prophetic years consisting of exactly 360-days[1]. A week of prophetic years is seven 360-day years (or 2,520 days), so seventy weeks would be 490 “prophetic years,” or more exactly, 176,400 days. This can be seen this way:

Daniel divides the first 69 “weeks” into two sections: seven and 62 “weeks” (or a little more than 476 years on our calendar). The first seven “weeks” was the time that it took for the city to be rebuilt and for the Old Testament to be completed in the year 396 BC. 

Following that were 62 “weeks” to total exactly 69 “weeks” from the time that King Artaxerxes gave the “command to restore and build Jerusalem,” (Dan. 9:25a, fulfilled in Nehemiah 2:7-8) in the year 444 B.C. until Jesus rode into Jerusalem in what is known as the Triumphal Entry (Matt. 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:29) in the year 33 A.D. 

Many have gone so far as to say that the prophecy was fulfilled to the very day, that being March 30, 33 A.D. (See The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy by Tim LaHaye, pg. 358, article written by Randall Price and Thomas Ice).

Because of His rejection, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation,” (Luke 19:42-44). 

This is interpreted as when “Messiah shall be cut off,” (Dan. 9:26a), followed by a time when “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined,” (Dan. 9:26b). 

That destruction occurred by the Roman army in 70 A.D.

On Palm Sunday when Jesus arrived at Jerusalem, the “prophetic clock” stopped, and the counting of the 69 weeks was completed.  

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

(Luke 21:24)

Daniel’s 70^th week was postponed until “he (the prince who is to come; i.e., the antiChrist) shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 years); but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate,” (Dan. 9:27).

 

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[1] A prophetic year=360 days; our calendar year=365.2485 days.