Dear Grands,
Some of you were not able to open the odt file; so I am resending it as a pdf file.
I trust you will find it clear and readable and helpful.
My sincere apologies.
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
Dear Grands,
Dear Grands,
Daniel 9:27, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Immediately following the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Great Tribulation falls upon the whole Earth! At this point, there are no Christians left on the Earth. Remember that the believers who had died were raised bodily from their graves and were taken with the living believers, who were alive in the Rapture of the Church.
The Great Tribulation enters somewhat gradually, under the leadership of the Antichrist, and will last for a period of seven years. As Satan is the spiritual counterpart to God the Father, Antichrist is the spiritual counterpart to the Jesus, God the Son. With Jesus and His Church gone from the Earth, Satan’s forces move in virtually unopposed to rule and reign on the Earth. The Antichrist’s primary focus is upon Israel, God’s chosen people, who have descended from Abraham.
Antichrist’s initial move is to convince Israel that he is their messiah. Without her acceptance of the LORD, Israel is at the mercy of the Antichrist. For the first three and one-half years, Israel will be blinded by Antichrist’s apparent congeniality; yet, in the middle of the week (the seven-year period), he will suddenly turn against Israel, and they will then know that Christ, not Antichrist, was the true Messiah.
Revelation 11:3-6, “”And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the Earth. 5 And if anyone desires to harm them, (and they will), fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and if anyone would desire to harm them, in this manner he must be killed. 6These have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.”
The identites of the two witnesses mentioned are Elijah and Moses. It was Elijah who withheld rain from the Earth in the days of Ahab, King of Israel (2 Kings 18:1). It was Moses, who turned the waters of Egypt into blood (Exodus 7:20). Their purpose is to go throughout the land and announce the truth once again to Earth’s lost people, primarily the Jews. For His Covenant was with the Hebrews, and this is their final opportunity to accept Jesus as their True Messiah.
The two witnesses are empowered to spew fire upon those who interfere in the dissemination of their message. In the end, the witnesses are slain, and lie openly dead for three and a half days in the street of Jerusalem, enabling all the world to see. People everywhere will rejoice (Rev. 11:10). Yet, after the three and one-half days, the breath of life from God will come into them, and, while the world trembles in fear, the faithful witnesses, now alive, will ascend into Heaven to be with the LORD.
This is a brief condensation of the events that will comprise the Great Tribulation. It is vital, therefore, that you come to faith in Jesus Christ, if you have not; and it is vital that we, who already know Him, take every opportunity to share the Good News of salvation with the lost.
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
NOTE: I have attached an additional paper that gives additional reasons why the Church will not experiece the Tribulation.
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
Dear Grands,
2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Immediately following the Rapture, the true believers, who have committed themselves by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Every court room has an elevated platform where the judge is positioned prominently before the accused, the attorneys, the jury and the congregants. Such was the origin of the bema (pronounced bay-ma) seat. In the Olympic Games, the bema was at the finish line. There the judge sat, so positioned that he could determine who was first, second, and/or third in the races.
Paul uses the word and the concept to assure us that one day we believers shall all stand before the Bema Seat of Christ. Unbelievers will certainly be judged –and by the LORD– but they will not be at the Bema Seat. True Believers have already been forgiven and justified through the Death and Resurrection of our LORD Jesus. Now, they will hear the LORD’s witness to a full and complete account of how they lived their Christian lives. He will assess and verify how we utilized our time, our energies, our study, our prayers, and our witnessing –our full and total commitment to Him. Our works in this life will be divinely assessed, and rewards will be distributed for works that resulted in the glorification of our LORD.
Following the Bema Seat, comes the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’”
The New Testament clearly avows that the Church (the body of truly committed believers – not religious denominations, as we think of them today). The True Church is the Bride of Christ. Thus, the Supper is the celebratory activities of Jesus, the Groom, and His Bride, the Church. It will be somewhat as we have in wedding parties today. We are not given a list of the Supper’s activities, but we may rest assured that the Bride’s eyes will be fully focused upon Jesus!
All of this should serve us well as an admonition toward good works – works that serve and glorify Him!
Read your Bible carefully. Savor every word. Pray sincerely, personally, and often. Witness always in love. There’s a GREAT DAY Coming! Be ready! Don’t miss it! God bless you!
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
NEXT LETTER: Armageddon!
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
Dear Grands,
Isaiah 13:6-7, “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore, all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.”
The phrase, “the Day of the LORD,” is repeated more than twenty times in the Bible. That Day commences with the Great Tribulation and continues into the Millennial Kingdom of the LORD – a
Kingdom of world peace that lasts for 1,000 years.
Since the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been living in the Church Age. But,
that age will cease when the LORD Jesus returns and His Church is caught up to meet Him in the air.
This is called the Rapture (snatching away) and Paul speaks clearly of this in First Thessalonians when he says,
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain
until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thes. 4:15-18).
The Church is not a particular denomination, as we think today (e.g., Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.);
The Church is comprised of all truly born-again people –individuals that have truned away from sin,
asked and been forgiven by the LORD Jesus Christ. They have hope (future certainty) of an eternal
home in Heaven. Salvation is not gained by personal righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 KJV); rather, it is granted freely to those who believe totally in the LORD Jesus Christ, who died for them on the Cross and arose from the dead, and is alive forevermore!
the Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. We will discuss “The Judgment Seat of Christ,” “The Marriage
Supper of the Lamb,” “The Great Tribulation,” “Armageddon,” the Second Coming of Christ,” and much
more. We earnestly seek your prayers for the writer and for all who are recipients of this Letter. We
want everyone we can reach to know and receive the Saving Gospel of Jesus! The time is short!
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
Dear Grands,
Zechariah 7:9-12, “’Thus has the LORD of hosts said, “Dispense true justice, and practice kindness and
compassion each to his brother;
10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your
hearts against one another.”
11 But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from
hearing.
12 And they made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the
LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore, great wrath came from
the LORD of hosts.’”
Did you ever observe an obstinate child cover his ears and shout, “I don’t want to hear it”? Usually, it is
a response from a reprimand or an accusation for having done something wrong. Yet, in any event, the child is determined not to hear it, and so covers his ears.
Through the prophet Zechariah, the LORD was instructing his people. They were to deal justly with
others and “practice kindness and compassion.” They were not to be unjust in dealing with widows, who had no husbands to support them. They were also to treat orphan children kindly and honestly. It all had to do with the heart. “Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another,” was the LORD’s command.
Sometimes we receive the LORD’s command for our lives as we read the Scriptures. Sometimes He
speaks to us through the words of our pastor or the counsel of a close and trusted friend. Certainly, we
are to weigh the words of counsel and seek the coroboration of the LORD in prayer. In many instances of life, we will hear instructive words that do not please us. We must never, however, cover our ears and close our minds to counsel that is honestly intended for our benefit. We must not dismiss counsel simply
because it does not comply with what we want to hear or believe. The LORD has many avenues whereby He conveys His will to us.
Pride builds walls of steel against truth and spiritual counsel. We tell ourselves that we don’t need counsel. We can handle it. But if that were true, why is the situation still plauguing us? Those who have
trusted Christ Jesus as their LORD and Savior, have been given the Holy Spirit to live within them and
to guide them in His way. Failure to adhere to His counsel will result in exceedingly great wrath from the
LORD. Therefore, keep your ears open and your heart ready for His counsel. Who cares more for you
than the LORD? And if you do not know Him, time is elapsing with every tick of the clock. The Master
is coming and is calling for you.
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
