Scott Lord

All about the Place of Safety

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All about the Place of Safety

On Aug 29th, 1949 almost exactly four years after the detonation of the fat man atomic bomb over Nagasaki, the soviet Union detonated its only nuclear device. This began a great arms race that led to great fear in America

SPS: Today lets examine the doctrine of the Place of safety.

We will debunk some of the commonly held misconceptions. We will look at what it is by looking at o Four events through history We will examine where the place of safety is. Who will go there.

What is the place of Safety?

This world is about to be plunged into a holocaust more terrible than the eyes of man have ever seen! This horrible period , the time wh en Satan s wrath reaches its peak just before the end of this age, was described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24
Matthew 24:21-22(NKJV) 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened.

Before we go any further, we need to ask and answer a question. Why are you concerned about a place of safety? Are you trying to save your life?
Luke 9:23-24(NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

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But what will happen to God s Church during the Great Tribul ation? Notice Christs promise t o the Philadelphi a church in Revelation 3:10 says:
Revelation 3:10(NKJV) 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

The Phil adelphi a church is t o be protected fr om the Great Tribulation. But how ? Are we going to g o to some wilderness area where there is no food or shelter? Will we be whisked away on a fleet of surplus Wor ld War T1 planes? Are secret plans for this escape being made eve n now? Will God Himself protect us in our home s or wh erever we are when th e Great Tribulation begins ? There are sec ret plans Gods. .

The Church d oes not have any secret plans about a "place of safety ." But God does! God ha s revea led enough in th e Bible to make it cle ar that He will provide f or His Church to g o to a place of protection at the right time , to the ri ght place and in the right way. Will God pr otect His p eople wherever they are during the Great Tribul ation, as so me claim? Of course Go d can , but will He'? Examples of protection. God could h ave miracul ously protected Noah and hi s family for the m ore than one year they were in the ark, but He didn't ch oose to. Noah and his family had to go into the a rk, their "place of safety." God could have s upernaturally protect ed Lot and hi s family in Sodom , but instead God sent angels to l ead him out of that wicked c ity, so Lot and his family cou ld go to their "p lace of safety."

It is not what God cou ld do , but what He will d o, that counts! A few have gotten "prepare d" by collecting passports, silver coins and special food they wa nt to be sure they are ready when the time come s. One family apparently even m oved to the nation of Jordan, thinking that the Church was g oing there in 1972. They w anted to be th ere to greet the Church on arrival!

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Does the Bible say, "The Church i s going to flee to a place of safety "? No, it certainly does not! T he statement is scripturally inaccurate on two counts: I) The Bible nowhere says that the Church will "flee" in the end time and 2) the Bi ble nowhere uses the phrase "place of safety ." Such faulty beliefs are commonly held by some in the Church because they misunderstand what the Scriptures really do say . In order to understand what the place of safety is.. lets look at four events. 1) Early Church migrated it didnt flee. The first event occurred as a result of Christ's warning in (compare Matthew 24:1522): Luke 21:20-21

Luke 21:20-21(NKJV) 20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.

This prophecy was fulfilled after events in Judea in the fall of A.D . 66. Jerusalem was surrounded and besieged by the Roman army under Cestius Gallus. After a few days, for no apparent reason, the siege was lifted and the Romans departed from the area . Sometime after this (the exact time is not known) , before Gen. Vespasian and the Roman forces returned and besieged Jerusalem starting at the Passover in A .D. 69 , the true Church did leave Jerusalem and Jude a for protection. They did not "flee" in the liter al sense . The Greek word in Luke 21 :21 means "to escape or run away , to take flight" The onl y ancient reference to this "escape" is found in the writings of Eusebius, who lived from A.D. 260(?) to 340(?). Eusebius said the Church went to Pella sometime between A .D. 66 and 70 . Pella is northeast of Jerusalem be yond the Jordan River , south of the Sea of Galilee . "But the members of the church in Jerusalem were instructed by a prophecy , revealed to the leaders, to abandon the city before the war and to take up residence in one of the cities of Perea which was named Pella . From Jerusalem the followers of Christ migrated to Pella " (Eusebius , Ecclesiastical Histor y, III, 5). When did the Church move or "m igrate" to Pel la? It had to be late in the period A.D. 66 to 70 . Had the Church moved early in the period they would have been killed or captured by Vespasian 's army, which was active in northern Palestine. They would not have been harmed later , however, before the final siege of Jerusalem .
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Some believe the Church left after the "sound " was heard, in the Temple, of a great multitude saying , "Let us remove hence." This incident was reported by the Jewish historian Josephus, who said it occurred on a Pentecost (see Josephus, Wars , book VI, chapter 5, section 3 for the report on this and other unusual event s surrounding the fall of Jerusalem). This move or migrat ion of the Church was no emergency "flight" as descr ibed by Luke and Matthew, but it made protection possible for the Church during and after the fall of Jeru salem. 2 ) Those in Judea flee (end time) The second event we need to understand involves this same prophecy. There will be an end time fulfillment of this text , but it is an urgent, emergenc y escape. Matt 24:16-21
Matthew 24:16-21(NKJV) 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

3) Church fled to the wilderness The third prophecy we must understand concerns Gods Church from about A.D. 325 to about 1585.
Revelation 12:6(NKJV) Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
6

This scripture describes the Church after Christ's ascension to God's throne (verse 5) and before the end time 'war in heaven" (verse 7). I n this case the woman also "fled" ("fled" here comes from a word related to the word translated "flight" in Matthew 24:20). The period mentioned is 1,260 days, which in this ~Iace prophetically refers to 1,260 years according to the "day for a year" principle found in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel:5. The Church in his text flees into the "wilderness ." a solitary, lonely, desert place Here is what happened historically:

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The Church was severely persecuted during the reigns of both Emperor Diocletian and Emperor Galerius from A.D 303 to 313, especially in the eastern provinces In A.D. 325 Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea. Catholicism became the state religion. In order for God's Church to fully obey God and put into practice their beliefs, they had to "flee" from the centers of influence and into the less populated areas. In the early period of this "exile" the true Christians were most numerous in what t, day is eastern Turkey. In later centuries they were found in scattered areas of Europe, especially in the mountains and small valleys, still away from major population centers. Around 1585, I 260 years later, Catholic domination of the throne in England ended. This brought to a close the period when the Church ad to carryon in the wilderness, or less populated, lonely areas f Europe and Asia Minor, instead of the greater population centers where Catholic and later even Protestant churches flourished 4) The Church that Flies to her place
Revelation 12:5-17(NKJV) 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with

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the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(Expound this passage ) So lets recap. The NT church fled (migrated) to Pella. At the end time, when the armies surround Jerusalem, those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The Church fled into the wilderness for 1260 years to avoid persecution. At the end time the Church will fly to a place prepared for her So what is the place of Safety. It is a place that God has prepared. Its a place the church goes to. Its a place where Satan is unable to attack Gods people. Those not there are persecuted

Where is the place of safety?

Some people claim that there will be many "places of safety." There are three examples in the bible of places to be hidden. The grave
Job 14:12-15(NKJV) 12 So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. 13 Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. 15 You shall call, and I will answer you; you shall desire the work of your hands.

In Gods Tabernacle
Psalms 27:5(NKJV) 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

In Moab

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Isaiah 16:1-5(NKJV) 1 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, From Sela to the wilderness, To the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be as a wandering bird thrown out of the nest; So shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 Take counsel, execute judgment; Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; Hide the outcasts, Do not betray him who escapes. 4 Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. For the extortioner is at an end, Devastation ceases, The oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 In mercy the throne will be established; And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.

Some people claim we will be protected in our homes. The verse that they use is Psalm 91
Psalm 91:5-10 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

Why would a person want to stay in their homes during the Great Tribulation? The church goes to her place (vs. 17). And the Devil goes to persecute the remnant that are not there. Moab is indicated as where the outcasts are.
Daniel 11:41(NKJV) 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.

The Rocks - Petra

Isaiah 33:13-17(NKJV) 13 Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done; And you who are near,
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acknowledge My might. 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: 16 He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure. 17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.

Isaiah 42:11-13(NKJV)
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Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
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Let them give glory to the Lord, And declare His praise in the coastlands. 13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.

The word Petra, which comes from a Greek word meaning "rock," is called Sela in Hebrew. The area is very rocky and is generally entered through a narrow pathway with precipitous rock walls on each side. The area has been inhabited at various times over past millennia and is noted for the many man made caves cut out of its reddish rock. If this is the place where God takes His people in the end time, it will be found to be very inhospitable. There is no water, food, facilities or conveniences here for soft people used to 20thcentury conveniences and stores. The temperatures in this desert area are extreme in both summer and winter, and even from night to day. If Petra is the place, it would certainly not be the Kingdom of God on earth (the Kingdom of God will come three and a half years later). Petrf would not be paradise. It would probably be the greatest trial ever for many of God's people.

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4 Who will go there?

Lets look at what weve already seen. Matt 24 tells us that its the elect for the elects sake. Rev 3 tells us its those who keep his command to persevere. Theyre referred to as My outcasts. The key to those who will be going to a place of safety is Luke 21:30-36
Luke 21:30-36(NKJV) 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 34But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Wherever it is, whenever it is, the place of God's protection is one where the Church will be nourished physically and spiritually for three and a half years. It has been aptly called the "place of final training." That term implies a lot of previous training. We need to be acquiring that training now. Why are so many people so excited about this so called place of safety? In too many cases, people are looking only for an escape from the coming holocaust. They are looking for a way to save their own skins! They are trying to save their lives, but in the process they may lose them, just as Christ said. We are supposed to give our lives, not try to save them. It is through the process of giving our lives that our lives may be saved. The main lesson we all need to learn is to do the job God has given us preaching the Gospel to the world as a witness, and get ting close to God spiritually and staying there. Forget about trying to save yourself and concentrate on helping others. Do your part and God will protect and provide for you during the soon coming Great Tribulation.

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