Shalom~
Where I live, tomorrow is Easter, so I am concluding the series on the Seven Last Words today.
I encourage you to go back and read parts 1 to 4.
Here is the link to part 4:
https://idea5936.tistory.com/entry/부활절-전-4-가상칠언의-한이레-예수님의-중보는-끝나지-않았다
부활절 전( 4 )가상칠언의 한이레 예수님의 중보는 끝나지 않았다
샬롬~오순절을 기준으로 어두움의 시기 두 번째 말씀입니다 지난 3편을 링크 올려드립니다https://idea5936.tistory.com/entry/가상칠언3-빛과-어두움이-구별되는-네번째-말씀 (가상칠언)3 빛과 어두움
gotokingdom.com
On May 10, 2022, the Lord gave me a sign in response to my prayer.
He confirmed it twice in a single day.
First, at 9:41 AM, I captured a rainbow—a sign of His covenant.
Then, at 9:39 PM, I photographed what looked like Jesus praying in the sky.
Rainbow of the Covenant (my own photo)Jesus praying in the night sky (my own photo)
Do you want to know what I was praying about that day?
It was the prayer of Solomon from 1 Kings 8:
"O Lord, keep the covenant and show mercy to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.
Hear the prayer and the supplication of Your people from heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, have mercy.
I continually seek Your face."
That day, the Lord responded with a rainbow of His covenant and a vision of Jesus interceding
in the heavens.
I wept in awe.
Our Lord never slumbers nor sleeps. Until the end of the world, He intercedes for us.
As I meditated on Jesus’ final words from the cross, I was once again deeply moved.
I bless every member of Christ’s body: Do not fear, no matter the situation.
Fix your eyes only on Jesus, who intercedes for us, and may you not be distracted,
but endure to the end in victory.
The seventh word from the cross
"When Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said,
‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’" (Luke 23:46)
When Stephen was being stoned, he cried out:
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59)
Sometimes we hear testimonies of people who died and returned to life, claiming they visited heaven.
I don’t believe every testimony, nor do I deny them—each experience is personal.
What’s interesting is that many of these stories line up with Scripture:
At the moment of death, spiritual beings come to receive the soul.
Those who believe in Jesus are taken up by heavenly angels,
while those who do not are taken by dark beings into the abyss.
"Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward, and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:21)
Most people will end their lives in a hospital or at home.
In Christian homes, there may be a farewell service, sending a loved one ahead to heaven.
But in the future, we may face massive death caused by disaster.
Those who partake in the first resurrection may not witness it.
But what if the rapture happens at such a moment…?
Those left behind might not even realize the rapture occurred,
just as in the days of Noah before the flood wiped them away,
and as in the days of Lot when fire and brimstone fell from heaven (Luke 17:27–29).
(Disaster movie stills)
If I were to witness such scenes, I wonder—what would I do?
To be honest, I’d probably react like everyone else—run.
I’d likely struggle to survive.
But what about you?
I earnestly pray that in that moment, we won’t respond in the flesh, but cling to the Lord by faith.
"On that day, if someone is on the housetop with possessions inside, they must not go down to get them.
Likewise, anyone in the field must not turn back.
Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will preserve it." (Luke 17:31–33)
These are the words that follow in Luke 17.
They warn us: don’t struggle to save yourself.
If we start running, we may lose sight of the Lord and become desperate to save our own lives.
Look again at the scenes from the movies—everyone is frantic, blind to others.
But what if, like the old couple or the parents holding their child in the movie,
we stopped, looked into each other's eyes...
Wouldn’t this be the final prayer we should offer?
"Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit."
Isn’t it amazing how even secular films depict scenes that align with the Bible?
There’s always someone fleeing with valuables… someone turning back.
“Whoever tries to preserve their life will lose it.”
But “whoever loses their life will save it.”
This must speak of resurrection.
And maybe... just before death, the rapture could happen?
"I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed;
one will be taken and the other left behind." (Luke 17:34)
Luke’s Gospel gives us this rapture imagery, unlike Matthew.
It says, “on that night”—a time of deep darkness.
If the rapture occurs while people are sleeping, some might not even know.
During disasters, people will assume others have died,
but perhaps, in an instant, some are caught up?
One more testimony:
Pastor Rebel Johnson once shared a vision from the Lord showing how martyrs died.
He saw spirits leave the body just before bullets hit them.
So perhaps, even in tribulation, we may be caught up, hidden in unseen spiritual realms.
Then comes a puzzling verse:
"They asked, ‘Where, Lord?’
He replied, ‘Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’” (Luke 17:37)
During tribulation, multitudes will die in disasters.
I used to think this verse simply meant vultures gathering to eat corpses.
That there would be so many bodies, vultures would stay full and grounded.
I connected it with Revelation 19:17–18,
but that chapter is about Jesus’ second coming.
Even so, the Lord’s intercession has not ended, and this gives me hope.
Until the day all of His works are fulfilled,
I will wait for the Lord, even to death.
"When they (the two witnesses) had finished their testimony,
the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them and overpower and kill them." (Revelation 11:7)
"They asked Him, ‘Where, Lord?’
He answered, ‘Where there is a corpse, there the vultures will gather.’" (Luke 17:37)
"The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,
so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness,
where she would be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time,
out of the serpent’s reach." (Revelation 12:14)
