What to Do if you Miss the Rapture

Gary Stearman: The Prophecy of the Wolf

The Rock of Our Faith - Rio de Janeiro 2010

Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon

Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shied and your very great reward. Genesis 15:1.            
The Song of Moses
…"How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up? 31"Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this. 32"For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters, bitter.…Deuteronomy 32:31

(The above picture was taken on a hazy day) 

Three days ago, while sitting at the top of our apartment building roof top, contemplating the magnificent view of the mountains towering over the bay of Rio de Janeiro, my eyes stopped at a rock outcropping that I never noticed before. .

Seen from afar, it looked to me as if the huge rock near the top had been forced out of the mountain, its distinct contours outlining the shape of a shield.

Here is a better view on a clear day of the Pedra do Maroca - Morro dos Cabritos

Interestingly enough, I had never noticed it even after spending some time meditating on the Scriptures on the roof top before, during the 3 weeks since our arrival here.

Besides the adjustment expected from being in new surroundings, the spiritual battle has been intense, especially with Mírian having to train at a new job, while my life here has been quiet and gratifying.

Needless to say praying for protection efforts have been redoubling. The Lord has answered with an increase in his grace over the situation as he is orchestrating the circumstances in our lives. We have seen the hand of God moving in our family and heard his responses in ways that are so encouraging as we witness his faithfulness and his ever present loving kindness and tender loving care in our lives. 

The morning this happened we had been praying for the edge of protection to be around Mírian and that her faith would be strong against the schemes of the enemy.

As I was looking more closely at the shield shape, the Lord reminded me of the covenant with Abraham and his words when the Lord appeared to him in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shied and your very great reward. Genesis 15:1.

I am not one given to seeking signs, but the Lord at times shows me visuals and then  confirms it for me through the Scriptures and other witnesses. We all know the various verses relating to faith in the Old and the New Testament. This however was directly related to fear that Mírian was feeling. To me this was clear, we are to raise our shield of faith against the enemy’s flaming arrows as a part of our spiritual armor.

But in looking at the mountain two things seem to be relevant and underline the relevancy of the situation. The shield formation was taken out of but still very much attached to the mountain, which is to say that our faith depends on being connected to the Rock of our faith, namely our Lord Jesus through the communion with the Holy Spirit. 
Secondly, the faith shield was near the top of the mountain, which to me, means that the victory was close but that more efforts and cooperation on our part was necessary to reach the top of the mountain. 

Another component of that scripture is that the reward of faith comes after having exercised the faith that God requires in our daily walk. Isaiah talks in chapter 40: 9,10, 11 about not being afraid and looking at the coming of the Lord in the last days:
Lift up your voice with a shout, Do not be afraid .See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Hebrews 10:35-38 says basically the same thing adding the need for perseverance in doing the will of God:

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."

And finally on the last page of the Book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus himself reiterates His promise in Revelation 22: 12:

"Behold, I am coming soon, my reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done."
 
Since the Word says that a matter shall be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses, three more confirmations with more explicit details came from our family who had been praying fervently about our present situation.

I feel so grateful and greatly encouraged that when our Lord gives us instructions and shows us the way, in response to our prayers, He also empowers us and accompanies us even though sometimes we get discouraged and temporarily experience fear and doubts that we are in the will of God. This is why we need to exercise the faith that He provides when we ask Him and to receive the encouragement that we are on our way to the victory that he has promised us and that He already gained for us at the cross.

Jean-Louis.

2017 08 20 John Haller's Prophecy Update "Erasing History"

What Lies Beyond the Door - A Light Poem to Counter Dark Times

Composed, Revised and Published by Jean-Louis Mondon Amplified and edited May 22, 2023

While I was still dreaming
Contemplating the blushing dawn,
My Father, the Master Gardener
Drawing me from my sleep
Invited me to step beyond
The threshold into the deep.
With a Word of His mouth
and a twinkle in His eye

Come with me to my garden.
We will stroll down the path 
Where the cool, soft breeze,
Exhales its subtle, calming fragrance
Splashing the resplendent light
Dispersed in diaphanous tones.

Together in sweet communion
we will rejoice walking
On this earth, your temporary home
My good and beautiful creation.

Behold, the most exquisite flower
One that grows and blooms toward the sun
Of a matchless love
In Jesus Christ my beloved Son.

The soft soothing warmth of the rays
Emanating from his eyes,
Filled with mercy and compassion 
Beckons the humble and contrite at heart,
Even the most broken: “Come and rest in me”
 
The fragile beauty of its essence
Never fades into forgetfulness
But dying to self will be transformed
Into good and lasting fruit,
For the flowing spring of the water of life
That feeds her never, ever runs dry.

 

Note from the author:

A lot of the biblical writing style is symbolic, allegorical and is one of the blessings from God in my life.

 

I have a tendency ot being verbose and my best friends who love me have told me that it is of the reasons why they don´t read a lot of my writings.

So trying all my life to overcome  this weakness, I have prayed many times for the Lord to help me make long stories short. 

 

God's Works Remain Forever
…10 "I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end. 12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,… " Ecclesiastes 3:10-12.

 

What does Poiema mean in Greek?

The Greek word for “WORKMANSHIP” is POIEMA which gives us our English words POEM and POETRY. Poiema means “something made” and in context is something made by God Himself. As a new creation skillfully and artfully created IN CHRIST JESUS (2 Cor 5:17), have you ever thought of your new (supernatural) life as a work of “divine poetry?”

And guess what? He did.

Starting a few years ago, words started flowing out my heart and soul and it was as if a door opened up to this new way of expressing all that was bottled up inside that needed to come out. 

 

Most of what I write is the result of a life long experience and the Lord added one more tool in the panoply of a writer that feels more natural and goes deeper than prose in opening doors for the heart to release the flow of sentiments hard to share with others. 

 

There is always a real story behind and beyond the written word.

 

The Lord Jesus is the Word of God and it is a privilege and a blessing to me that being the great healer of hearts and souls of manking, through the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer, gave me this therapeutic means to apply this balm of Gilead for healing that happens when we go through the door that has been opened by the Master of Wordsmiths himself.

 

The Lord Jesus to the apostle John: To the Church in Philadelphia

 
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.… Revelation 3:6-8

 

Added research on the symbolism of flowers in the Bible:

 

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

2 "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."

 

Where did the idea that Jesus is the Rose of Sharon come from?

This may have developed from those who see the Song of Solomon as a picture of Christ and the church, though this is certainly not the primary purpose of this book and is really a strong typological use the book. 

 

Below are comments from a couple of commentaries that might help, though they approach this differently.

 

1. I am the rose of Sharon. The bride is still speaking. It is difficult to determine which flower the bride refers to. The only other occurrence of the word in the OT is in Isa 35:1. Crocus appears to be the best translation. Sharon is the Mediterranean coastal plain between Joppa and Caesarea. In the time of Solomon it was a place of great fertility. 

 

2. As the lily among thistles. The bridegroom speaks. In her humility the bride may think of herself only as a beautiful but humble crocus; he regards her as a lily among thistles. So far as lilies surpass thistles, so far does she surpass other maidens. 

 

3. As the apple tree. The bride responds in the same vein. As an apple tree which produces delicious fruit surpasses the other trees of the forest, so does her bridegroom surpass other young men. 

 

4. The king has brought her, a humble country girl, to a banqueting hall. But she need not fear and be bashful in the presence of the young ladies of Jerusalem, for with his love he is protecting her and putting her at ease. (For the thought of protection, see EX 17:15.) 5. Overcome with love and admiration for her lover, the bride asks for raisin cakes (flagons) and apples to strengthen her physically. (Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Old Testament, (Chicago: Moody Press) 1962.)