WAS PHILIP RAPTURED?

STRANGEST THINGS OF THE BIBLE

 SCROLL OF ISAIAH

An angel woke up Philip, telling him to go south on the desert road from Jerusalem to the coastal town Gaza.

"Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert."  (Acts 8:26  NKJV) 

Queen Candace's eunuch was returning

home, after worshiping in Jerusalem.   Sitting

in his chariot he was reading a scroll of Isaiah.

"So he arose and went. And behold, a man of

 Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under

 Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who

 had charge of all her treasury, and had come

 to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And

 sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the

 prophet."  (Acts 8:27-28  NKJV) 

The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip saying, Run and

overtake the chariot.

"Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and

 overtake this chariot.”  (Acts 8:29  NKJV) 

Out of breathe, Philip heard him reading

Isaiah; asking the eunuch if he understood

what he was reading.

"So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading

 the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you

 understand what you are reading?” 

"And he said, “How can I, unless someone

 guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up

 and sit with him.  The place in the Scripture

 which he read was this: "He was led as a

 sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before

 its shearer is silent, so He opened not His

 mouth.  In His humiliation His justice was

 taken away, and who will declare His

 generation?  For His life is taken from the

 earth."  (Acts 8:31-33  NKJV)

The eunuch asked if Isaiah was talking about

himself or another man.

"So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I 

 ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, 

 of himself or of some other man?”  

(Acts 8:34  NKJV) 

Philip talked about Jesus the Messiah.

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning

 at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

  (Acts 8:35  NKJV) 

The eunuch comes to some water and wants

to be baptized.

"Now as they went down the road, they came

 to some water. And the eunuch said,

 “See, here is water. What hinders me from

 being baptized?”

"Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your

 heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”  

(Acts 8:36-37  NKJV) 

The eunuch went down into the water.

"So he commanded the chariot to stand still.

 And both Philip and the eunuch went down

 into the water, and he baptized him." 

 (Acts 8:38  NKJV) 

When the eunuch came up, Philip had

disappeared.  The Lord "caught" (harpazo )

Philip away.  

Harpazo is the Greek word; and

Rapura is the Latin word; where we get the

word RAPTURE from.

"Now when they came up out of the water, the

 Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that

 the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on

 his way rejoicing.  

(Acts 8:39  NKJV) 

The Lord snatched up Philip from the desert

 road and was brought to the coastal town of

 Azotus, about 30 miles north of Gaza.

"But Philip was found at Azotus.

 And passing through, he preached in all the

 cities till he came to Caesarea."  

(Acts 8:40  NKJV - New King James Version)

FAMOUS WHINERS of the BIBLE ~ JONAH 1

GOD SPEAKS TO JONAH 

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”  Jonah 1:1-2 NIV

COAST OF THE MEDITERIAN SEA

Jonah hiked 60 miles from his home town of

 Gath Hepher to Joppa and paid money to

 board a ship to flee God's calling to Nineveh.

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord."  Jonah 1:3  NIV

God creates the PERFECT STORM.

"Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.    Jonah 1:4  NIV

Sailors wonder why Jonah is sleeping through the storm.

"All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.  The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”  Jonah 1:5-8  NIV

Jonah woke up, telling the crew he is a Hebrew and worshiper of the Lord.  But the ship's men knew he was a runaway from God.

"He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”  Jonah 1:9-11  NIV

Jonah whines, and wants to commit suicide; telling the crew to throw him overboard; but the crew is reluctant.

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.          Jonah 1:12-13  NIV

The crew gave in to Jonah and cast him into the sea.

"Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”  Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.  Jonah 1:14-16  NIV

God provided a great fish to swallow Jonah.

"Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Jonah 1:17  NIV (New International Version 2011)

FAMOUS WHINERS of the BIBLE ~ JONAH 2

JONAH PRAYS IN HOUR OF DESPERATION

Jonah prays, crying for help in the belly of the whale.     "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God while in the stomach of the fish,  saying, “I called out to the Lord because of my trouble, and He answered me. I cried for help from the place of the dead, and You heard my voice."   Jonah 2:1-2  NLV

Jonah WHINES blaming God for being cast into the ocean.     "You threw me into the deep waters, to the very bottom of the sea. A flood was all around me and all Your waves passed over me." Jonah 2:3  NLV

Jonah tells God about being swallowed by the whale, weeds wrapped around his head, and decending to the bottom of the sea.

"Then I said, ‘I have been sent away from Your eyes. But I will look again toward Your holy house.’ Waters closed in over me. The sea was all around me. Weeds were around my head.  I went down to the roots of the mountains. The walls of the earth were around me forever. But You have brought me up from the grave, O Lord my God. While I was losing all my strength, I remembered the Lord. And my prayer came to You, into Your holy house. Jonah 2:4-7  NLV

Those on the ill fated ship gave up their false gods and called on the true God.

"Those who worship false gods have given up their faith in You. But I will give gifts in worship to You with a thankful voice. I will give You what I have promised. The Lord is the One Who saves.”  Jonah 2:8-9  NLV

The whale became beached and vomited Jonah out.

"Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spit Jonah out onto the dry land."  Jonah 2:10  NLV  (New Life Version)

FAMOUS WHINERS of the BIBLE ~ JONAH 3

God Speaks a Second Time

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Jonah, this is the second time I'm telling you to go to Nineveh and proclaim my message.

"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,  “Go to Nineveh the great city and declare to it the message which I am going to tell you.”  Jonah 3:1-2  AMP

Jonah proclaimed God's message: "You have 40 days to get right with God, before the city will be overthrown."

"So Jonah went to Nineveh in accordance with the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk [about sixty miles in circumference]. Then on the first day’s walk, Jonah began to go through the city, and he called out and said, “Forty days more [remain] and [then] Nineveh will be overthrown!”  Jonah 3:3-4  AMP

People of Nineveh believed God's message.

"The people of Nineveh believed and trusted in God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest even to the least of them.         Jonah 3:5  AMP

Jonah's message reaches the king.

"When word reached the king of Nineveh [of Jonah’s message from God], he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust [in repentance].  Jonah 3:6  AMP

King makes a proclamation for fasting and repentance.

"He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: No man, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat or drink water. But both man and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and every one is to call on God earnestly and forcefully that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn [in compassion] and relent and withdraw His burning anger (judgment) so that we will not perish.”              Jonah 3:7-9  AMP

God spared Nineveh when they turned away from their wickedness.

"When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God [had compassion and] relented concerning the disaster which He had declared that He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.                               Jonah 3:10  AMP (Amplified Bible)

FAMOUS WHINERS of the BIBLE ~ JONAH 4

Jonah's Whining turns to Anger 

"But this made Jonah very unhappy, and he became angry."   Jonah 4:1  NCV 

Jonah WHINES and is angry with God wanting to die.  He thinks he shouldn't have been punished for his disobedience sailing away to Spain, because he believes God shows mercy.

"He prayed to the Lord, “When I was still in my own country this is what I said would happen, and that is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly, and you have great love. I knew you would choose not to cause harm." 

"So now I ask you, Lord, please kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.”  Jonah 4:2-3  NCV 

God wants Jonah to examine himself, to find out the real reason he is so angry.

"Then the Lord said, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry?”  Jonah 4:4  NCV 

Jonah's skin was most likely bleached from being in the belly of the whale.  Escaping from damaging UV rays in the afternoon, he would seek shade on the east side of the city.

"Jonah went out and sat down east of the city. There he made a shelter for himself and sat in the shade, waiting to see what would happen to the city.  Jonah 4:5  NCV  

This could have been a plant growing on the city wall, with large leaves.

"The Lord made a plant grow quickly up over Jonah, which gave him shade and helped him to be more comfortable. Jonah was very pleased to have the plant."  

"But the next day when the sun rose, God sent a worm to attack the plant so that it died."   Jonah 4:6-7  NCV 

Is Jonah bald?  Did he lose hair from being in the whale?  Poor Jonah, couldn't escape from the hot winds from the east.

"As the sun rose higher in the sky, God sent a very hot east wind to blow, and the sun became so hot on Jonah’s head that he became very weak and wished he were dead. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”  

"But God said to Jonah, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry about the plant?”

Jonah answered, “It is right for me to be angry! I am so angry I could die!”  Jonah 4:8-9  NCV  

Jonah had more compassion for a plant, than 120,000 persons!

"And the Lord said, “You are so concerned for that plant even though you did nothing to make it grow. It appeared one day, and the next day it died."  

"Then shouldn’t I show concern for the great city Nineveh, which has more than one hundred twenty thousand people who do not know right from wrong, and many animals, too?” Jonah 4:10-11  NCV (New Century Version)

FLOATING AX HEAD

STRANGEST THINGS OF THE BIBLE

JORDAN RIVER

Elisha's disciples said, it was too crowded,letsbuild a bigger place to live.  

"The disciples of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we’re staying is too small for us."  2 Kings 6:1  GW

They decide to go to the Jordan River to cut

down some trees, to use for construction.

"Let’s go to the Jordan River. Each of us can

get some logs and make a place for us to live

there.”  Elisha said, “Go ahead.” 2 Kings 6:2

GW

The disciples convinced Elisha to come and

help out. 

"Then one of the disciples asked, “Won’t you

please come with us?” Elisha answered, “I’ll

go.” 2 Kings 6:3 GW

"So he went with them. They came to the

Jordan River and began to cut down trees." 

2 Kings 6:4  GW 

A loose ax head flies into the Jordan River and

sinks to the muddy bottom.  The man panics

because he has borrowed the ax and may

have no way to repay the loss.

"As one of them was cutting down a tree, the

ax head fell into the water. He cried out, “Oh

no, master! It was borrowed!”  2 Kings 6:5  GW

Elisha asks where in the river that it fell in.  He

cuts a piece of wood off a log and throws it into

the water, making the ax head float.

"The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?”

When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut

off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water

at that place and made the ax head float."  

2 Kings 6:6  GW 

Quickly the man grabbed it out of the water.

"Elisha said, “Pick it up.” The disciple reached

for it and picked it up."   

2 Kings 6:7 GW  God's Word translation

ANOTHER GIANT WANTS TO KILL KING DAVID

JERUSALEM

KING DAVID WAS 60 YEARS OLD

"Now when the Philistines were at war again

 with Israel, David went down and his servants

 with him; and as they fought against the

 Philistines, David became weary."              

II Samuel 21:15 NASB

A Giant wanted to kill King David

"Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the

 descendants of the giant, the weight of whose

 spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in

 weight, was girded with a new sword, and

 he intended to kill David." 

II Samuel 21:16 NASB

Abishai helped David by killing Ishbi-benob the

giant.  And the men of Israel took King David

off the battlefield.

"But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him,

 and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then

 the men of David swore to him, saying, “You

 shall not go out again with us to battle, so that

 you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."

II Samuel 21:17 NASB

Sibbecai struck down another giant.

"Now it came about after this that there was

 war again with the Philistines at Gob;

 then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down

 Saph, who was among the descendants of

 the giant."

 II Samuel 21:18 NASB

Elhanan killed Goliath the Gittite.

"There was war with the Philistines again at

 Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim

 the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the

 shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s

 beam."

II Samuel 21:19 NASB

Jonathan killed a six fingered Giant.

"There was war at Gath again, where there

 was a man of great stature who had six

 fingers on each hand and six toes on each

 foot, twenty-four in number; and he also had

 been born to the giant."   II Samuel 21:20

 NASB

"When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of

 Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down."    

II Samuel 21:21 NASB

Those four Giants were offspring of the giant in

Gath.

"These four were born to the giant in Gath,

and they fell by the hand of David and by the

hand of his servants."

II Samuel 21:15 NASB (New American Standard Bible)