Sodom and Gomorrah

Another one of the things Y'shua lets us know about in regards to the signs that indicate the nearness of his return is recorded in Luke 17:28 when he makes reference to both Noah and Lot:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking and buying and selling, growing crops and building. But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, Master YHWH rained down fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed all of them. Thus it will be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.

Back in the days of Noah folks were living life as usual, eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, buying and selling goods and ignoring the reason Noah and his family were preparing in obedience to the instructions given by YHWH our Creator. Those other folk kept on keepin' on right up until the Noah Family entered the ark. The others did not really understand what was going on until the flood hit and then it was too late to enter the ark, too late to be saved. We are told the signs before the return of Messiah so we will prepare before it's too late to be saved from the coming flood of Wrath of Yahweh, which is contained in the final 7 Bowls of Plagues.

Sodom, Gomorrah and surrounding communities were living life the same way as those in Noah's day, but we learn it was common practice for these folks to welcome strangers/new comers into their town by having sexual intercourse with them, whether male or female or if they were willing or not. Abraham's nephew, Lot, warned the two messengers YHWH had sent to his town not to stay out in the open and to spend the night in his home. In Genesis 19 we read that the townspeople, young and old alike, gathered at Lot's house demanding he bring the visitors out to them so they could be 'intimate' with them. Lot beg the townsfolk to leave them alone and even offered his own virgin daughters to the mob to do to them as they please but to leave those 'men' alone who he was trying to protect. This happened the night before Yah rained down brimstone and fire upon the towns.

Both scenarios are examples of people who are disobedient or rebellious, putting themselves first and God as an afterthought, if they thought about Him at all. They mocked or ignored the ones preparing to be saved from destruction. Today we are called 'conspiracy theorists' or 'bible thumpers' and are mocked or ignored as we continue to study Scriptures and learn how to prepare for those end time events. Back in the days of Noah as in the days of Lot many did not have faith in the Creator and lived life the way they saw fit, sort of the 'Live and let live' mindset many have today. And who can ignore the perverted sexual lifestyles promoted in today's world?

Jude 1:6

And the Messengers (aka Watchers, those angels whose offspring were the Nephilim) that did not keep their first estate but left their station, He has reserved in chains unknown, under darkness to the judgment of the great day. And in like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities which followed sexual sin and went after strange flesh, are also placed beneath eternal fire, being doomed to judgment.

We read in the second letter of Peter that our Master YHWH knows how to rescue from afflictions those who fear Him, and He will reserve the wicked for the day of judgment to be tormented, and especially those who go after the flesh in the lusts of perversions.

In today's world the majority of people live out each day to the best of their abilities: eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, providing for their wants and needs, content to 'live and let live' while turning a blind eye to the evil that has continued to surface throughout the years until 'evil' is now considered good and 'good' is called evil; 'good' is called hate speech and homophobia. The next step Y'shua tells us about is that we will be hated because of him, because of our faith in God the Father, Yahweh our Creator. This is exactly what is happening as if we were the ones building an ark while spreading the Word about the Good News of the Kingdom to come, informing people about choosing the way of salvation. The analogy for us today, however, is that we have been invited to the wedding feast and if we are not prepared to enter, if our lamps are not full of oil and we run off to buy some more, the door to the banquet hall will be shut and locked - it will then be too late to enter, too late to be saved.

In Deuteronomy 32 Moses predicts what will happen speaking poetically when he said: "Ah! The vine for them is from Sodom, from the vineyards of Gomorrah; the grapes for them are poison, their clusters a bitter growth." Yahweh says He is saving it up to be His recompense and vengeance at the time "their foot falters". Their day of disaster will come as destiny rushes upon them. This is pointing towards the end of the world as we know it. Just as He brought an end to creation with The Flood when man's thoughts were on evil continuously, just as He brought an end to Sodom and Gomorrah because of their arrogance and wicked ways, He will bring an end to this world that we know for those same reasons. Likewise, as He saved the righteous and faithful from The Flood and as He saved Lot from destruction, so do we have the opportunity to be saved from death eternal.

Compare today with the writings of Ezekiel in Chapter 16 for example. There are people in these modern times who are arrogant, who have plenty to eat and live without worry or concern but they do not support the poor or needy; in their haughtiness they commit abominations in the eyes of our Creator. Then there are those whose ungodly behavior makes those people appear righteous by comparison. There will be a day of reckoning for us all. Lets remember we can choose to be in His Everlasting Covenant and He will forgive and forget the follies of our youth. For us today it is by acting in obedience to our Creator's Instructions and having the testimony of His Son, Y'shua the Anointed One that we find salvation.

That Beastly Mark

There is a lot of guesswork in regards to what the 'mark of the beast' will be, but Scriptures tell us exactly what will happen to those who accept this mark:

Revelation 13:13 (The end times False Prophet has been bringing about great signs, even to make it appear that fire comes down from heaven) - And he seduced them that dwell on the earth to erect an image to the beast who had the wound from a sword and recovered from it. And it was given to him to put life into the image of the beast and to cause that all who would not worship the image of the beast should be slain; and to (instruct that) all people should receive a mark on their right hands or upon their foreheads so that no one might be able to buy or to sell, except those who had the mark of the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: let him that has intelligence compute the number of the beast of prey for it is the number of a man and its number is six hundred and sixty and six.

Revelation 14:9 ~ And another, a third Messenger (angel) followed the other two, saying with a loud voice: If any man will worship the beast of prey and its image and will receive its mark upon his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim which is poured undiluted into the cup of his indignation, and will be tormented with fire and sulfur before the Set Apart Messengers and before the throne. The smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever and there is no rest, by day or by night for those that worship the beast of prey and its image.

Revelation 15:1 ~ I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful: Seven Messengers having seven plagues, the last in order, because with them the wrath of Elohim is completed. I saw as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire and they who had been innocent over the beast of prey and over its image and over the number of its name were standing on the sea of glass. They had the harps of Elohim and sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb*.

Revelation 16:1 ~ I heard a voice which said to the seven Messengers: Go forth and pour those seven cups of the wrath of Elohim upon the earth; (this caused) a malignant and painful sore upon those who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its image.

Revelaton 19:20 ~ The beast was captured along with the False Prophet who did those amazing things before him, whereby he seduced those who had received the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image. They were both cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with sulfur. The rest were slain by the sword of him that sat on the horse (at the return of Messiah), by that sword which issues from his mouth and all the fowls were satiated with their flesh.

Revelation 20:4 (It is the beginning of Y'shua kingdom on earth; Satan is bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years) I saw thrones and persons sat on them and judgment was given to them and to the souls that were beheaded for the testimony of Y'shua and for the Word of Elohim, and these are they who had not worshipped the beast of prey nor its image neither had they received the mark upon their forehead or on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Y'shua the Anointed One those thousand years.

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After reading what happens to those who receive the mark, for whatever reason or whatever the mark will be, why o' why would we choose to accept it? How can anyone justify being marked knowing that decision condemns us to the second resurrection**?  As far as we can tell by Scriptures, anyone who decides to receive the mark of the name of the beast or the number will not be gathered with Messiah at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. These folks will remain with the others who refused to repent and continue to blame God for their problems.

Preparing for the days ahead is not a bad thing to do. Storing emergency supplies is not a bad thing to do. Stocking your pantry with water, assorted canned goods, rice and beans is not a bad thing. Moving out of big cities is a good thing to consider.  Remember, Noah was the first prepper whilst stocking the ark. He had enough supplies to last at least a year. Joseph was a prepper, stashing extra grains for the hard times coming their way, which would last seven years. Both these men knew what was coming and prepared to endure. They knew because Yah told them and by faith they did what needed to be done. The same goes for us now. We read and study Scriptures, the Word of Yahweh Elohim Almighty, and know what is to happen, so we should prepare for it, now. By faith we prepare and rely on our Creator to see us through. 

For us, the event that triggers the final 3-1/2 years is when the world leader steps up and claims to be 'god'.  This is when those living in 'Judea' are told to head for the hills and don't look back.  So it would be best to be prepared before then. Yes, we are still a ways from that timeline but it gets closer every day. If we have enough set aside and stand strong in our faith, we will get by. Start downsizing now so its not that big of a challenge when time runs out and chaos is king. Be prepared and knowledgeable now so as not to think it's going to be alright if you stand in line in order to be marked.

Y'shua tells us it will be like the days of Noah, preceding his return. Folks back then were living life as usual, eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, and ignoring the reason Noah and his family were preparing as they obeyed the instructions given by Elohim. The Nephilim walked the earth, too, back then and evil had permeated the earth. Those other folks kept on keepin' on right up until the Noah Family entered the ark. The others did not know until the flood hit and took them. It was too late to be saved, too late to enter the ark. This is why we are told the signs before the return of Messiah, so we will prepare before it's too late to be saved from the coming flood of Wrath from Elohim, which is contained in the final 7 Bowls of Plagues.

*They sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are your deeds, Master YHWH Elohim Almighty, just and true are Your ways, O King of the worlds. Who will not fear You, O Master YHWH, and glorify Your Name? Because You only are Set Apart and just; because all nations will come and worship before You, since your righteousness has been revealed.

**Y'shua is the judge of the living and the dead.... the first resurrection is of those who choose the Blessing: Set Apart believers from the beginning of time who have died and are seen rising by other believers still alive when that time comes. This is the gathering of Yah's people after the 7th shofar is sounded. This is the 'living' time line we want to be part of, as this is eternal life. The second resurrection, the Curse, is after the thousand years come to an end, and is known as the second death. 

Revelation 20:5 ~ This is the first resurrection. Blessed and Set Apart is he that has part in this first resurrection; over them the second death has no dominion, but they will be and are priests of Elohim and of his Mashiyach and they will reign with him the thousand years. 20:14 ~ And death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, namely, this lake of fire. And if any one was not found enrolled in the book of life, he was cast into this lake of fire.

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