Signs of the Rapture

What to Look For

The Woman in Travail

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, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws nearThe Woman in Travail, which is a painful or laborious effort.

The astronomical events referred to as the Revelation 12 Sign of Sept. 23, 2017 were a depiction of a woman, a conception, a full-term pregnancy, and the birth of a male child.

Allow me to highlight these points:

  • WOMAN
  • CONCEPTION
  • PREGNANCY
  • BIRTH

There are two ways of interpreting both the scripture in Revelation 12 and the associated story ascribed to the astronomical events of Sept. 23, 2017 commonly being referred to as ‘The Revelation 12 Sign’.

The first is obvious;  the woman is the Virgin Mary who gave birth to the Messiah, Jesus/Yeshua.

However, an event that happened a little more than 2,000 years ago hardly qualifies as being prophetic, as prophecy deals with the future.  John the Revelator was given a vision of things to come, not things which already happened.

The second interpretation requires a little more insight.  The woman represents Israel and the male child is the Church.  The most common and immediate objection to this interpretation is that the Church is always referred to in the ‘female’ form as ‘the Bride of Christ’.  However, the Church is also referred to in the ‘male’ form in the following verse about the Rapture..

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

You are all sons of light and sons of the day.

– Thess. 5:3-5

Is the Church not the ‘body of Christ’ where He is the Head and the Church is the body?

Is Christ not the ‘first fruits’ of the dead who are raised to life?

Does the head not precede the body during natural birth?

Was Christ not ‘born again’ when He rose from the dead having put off the perishable for the imperishable? Trading His fleshly body for His eternal body?  He did not see decay…he was transformed.

A woman’s labor is like a short time of pain that will lead to joy that continues forevermore.  A 7-year period of time is quickly approaching when Israel will be persecuted like never before.

This period of time is known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or the Tribulation and will be a time of great pain and sorrow.

However, before this period begins, those who know that Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah, both the dead and the living, will rise to meet Messiah in the clouds to be with Him forever. This is the Blessed Hope.

By no means is the mention of dates a suggestion that the Rapture or ‘catching away’ of Jesus/Yeshua’s Church will happen on any of those days.

PASSOVER                                                         2018               Sunday, April 1st

ASCENSION                                                       2018               Thursday, May 10th

PENTECOST                                                      2018               Sunday, May 20th

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL                                     2018               Saturday, May 12th

ISRAEL’S 70th ANNIVERSARY                      2018               Monday, May 14th

US EMBASSY MOVING TO JERUSALEM  2018               Monday, May 14th

However, to those who are ‘awake’ and who are paying attention, it certainly does seem likely that something significant will happen soon that is tied to the events on these dates.  The convergence of Signs has only intensified these last six months as global events seem to be following Biblical prophecies of the End Times as if a script were being acted out.  For instance, the countries which are foretold to invade Israel in Ezekiel 38 never before have formed a coalition, yet this has happened and already been reaffirmed in the last couple of months. Russia, Turkey, and Iran are now formally united against Israel.  Never before has Damascus, Syria been on the verge of being totally destroyed, to the point of being uninhabitable.  Today, most of the city is destroyed, but not yet completely destroyed. The stockpiles of chemical weapons in and around the city could very easily be the cause of the city’s upcoming desolation.  It’s not hard to imagine how either the chemical weapons themselves, or nuclear retaliation for their use against innocent civilians in neighboring Israel could be the cause of the city’s pending destruction.

All the while, whether they are aware of how they are fulfilling prophecy or not, the leaders of the world are calling for ‘Peace and Safety’ or ‘Peace and Security’.

Whether one puts any stock into the validity of the astronomical event of Sept. 23, 2017, or not, global events which were prophesied about 2,000 or more years ago are accelerating right now like never before.

That being said, give thought to this… In Isaiah 66, the woman (Israel) is said to give birth to her ‘children’ BEFORE she was in labor, before her pain came.  This event is emphasized as being highly unusual by the asking of the question, “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?”  So the question must be asked, “What if it is true that the Church is the male child?” The male child who is born BEFORE the upcoming painful, sorrowful time for Israel.

What if the use of the Greek word ‘harpazo’ in Revelation 12:5 is acutely intentional and does in fact mean ‘rapture of the church’ in this context?  This interpretation can’t be ruled out.  It is possible.  And if it is possible then our time may be very short.

Be faithful witnesses and look up, for our redemption, our Blessed Hope, draws near!

Personally, I am more inclined to believe that the Rapture would coincide with the Feast of Trumpets in the Fall.  This  ‘moed’ or ‘appointed time’ is historically known as ‘the hidden day’ or ‘the day which no man knows the hour’ as it was dependent on the sighting of the new Moon.  But God is Sovereign and will come when He will come, which could be at any time…especially in light of world events.

Share the Gospel. Share the Good News that despite our sin and having broken God’s Law, God himself paid the price for us, having humbled Himself to leave His throne in heaven to be born as a sinless human, being God in the flesh with a mission to pay the penalty for sin which required death, but in death our place.  And having died on the cross, He rose from the dead three days later having conquered death…so that those who believe and who confess their sin and their need for Jesus/Yeshua’s gift might inherit His free gift of everlasting life in His presence.

Pray out loud or silently, “Jesus/Yeshua forgive me, for I have sinned against you by breaking your law.  Please come into my life, save me.  I believe you died for my sake because you love me. I believe you rose from the dead and that you’re coming back soon.

Amen.

Bible Prophecy is now a Script for News Headlines

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Global events which are aligned with Biblical prophecy are occurring so quickly lately that it’s been said that its as if Biblical prophecies about the End Times or Last Days are now a script for the headlines. Hopefully, you already know that the world actually doesn’t actually ‘end’ anytime soon. However, what is about to happen on this planet is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

Here is a very small sample of some of the latest headlines from MAJOR news outlets, not fringe or questionable sources of news, but major outlets like Newsweek, The Atlantic, The Guardian and the New York Times…

Recent Global Highlights

The greatest likelihood right now is that there is about to be a short, but major conflict in the Middle East.  The primary actors are Russia, various factions within Syria, Iran, Israel and the United States.  A very large portion of Damascus is already a ‘ruinous heap’, but the fulfillment of Isaiah 17 is not yet complete and seems to be the next specific prophecy to be fulfilled, like watching a wobbling glass on a table, the suspense and anxiety is building in knowing that it’s going to break.

Latest interesting theory:  In the the near future Putin (Gog/Magog) may strategically invade Israel (Ezekiel 38) not just to plunder it’s natural gas reserves, but also to appease the rapidly growing Muslim population with Russia itself.

Moscow

  • Moscow has the largest Muslim population in Europe
  • Muslims are the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse demographic group in Moscow.
  • 2.5 million Muslims in Moscow, over 15% of the current population, projected to be 30% in less than 20 years.

If you’re still reading this and have not yet put your trust in Jesus/Yeshua as your savior then NOW is the time.  Don’t be a ‘mocker’ or ‘scoffer’.  Trust that God loves you and wants to save you from what is about to happen.   Acknowledge that you’ve broken God’s law which makes you a sinner. Accept the free gift of forgiveness that God is offering you…it’s yours for the taking.  Believe that Jesus/Yeshua is God.  Call on His name… He will hear you.  Ask Him to show you that He is real by coming into your life.

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Is the End of World REALLY Soon?

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A: No

The short answer is that after the Rapture, there will be 7 years of Tribulation before Jesus comes back to rule on Earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years.  Then God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth…everything we know today will be destroyed by holy cosmic fire, or as the Bible describes, ‘the elements will melt’.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV)

The long answer:

The truth is, Jesus created humans out of love because He wants to have relationship with every individual.  But love is a choice of free will, it’s not a robotic programmed condition.  Mankind has been given roughly 6,000 years since Creation to choose God and to love Him by trusting Him and following His ways.  However, Sin entered the world.  Yes we humans fail, we fail often and sometimes we fail big.  The order of the Universe that God created requires that payment be made for the sin that every human being is guilty of and that payment is blood.  Why blood?  Because Life is in the blood and the penalty of sin is death.  So Life is the payment for Death.  Get it?  God always knew that mankind was incapable of atoning for their own sin.  For almost two thousand years God required his chosen people, the Jews, to ritually sacrifice the best, unblemished animals at the Temple in Jerusalem to atone for their sin.  Then Jesus arrived, right on time, the Son of God, who humbled himself by coming down from Heaven to be born in human form, as  God in the flesh, Jesus from Nazareth, the King of the Jews.  Jesus laid down His life as the Final Sacrifice, offering up His blood as payment for the sin of all who would believe in Him and truth Him, the Creator, the Lamb of God without Sin, our Savior.

The next 2,000 years, from Jesus until now, have been a period of time known as a dispensation, also referred to as the Church Age.  During this time the Truth of Jesus, who He is and what He has done for the world has gone out to every corner of the world and has been translated into essentially every language.  The Church Age is drawing to a close.

The Church will be Raptured at the end of the Age, caught up to Heaven, to meet Jesus and be taken to the Father’s house.  Then, down below on Earth, the antiChrist will rise to power and proclaim peace, but it will be a false, non-lasting peace for 3 1/2 years.  At this point the antiChrist will proclaim himself to be god and demand worship from everyone.  From this point forward, the next 3 1/2 years will be Hell on Earth, marked by war, horriffic violence, plagues, famine, earthquakes and tsunamis, even an asteroid that hits the planet.  This 3 1/2 period of time is known as The Great Tribulation.

The end of the Great Tribulation is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Jesus the Lion of Judah, will return from Heaven, riding a white horse, with an army of saints (the Church) following Him on their own white horses.  In short, with a word, Jesus will vanquish His enemies and establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem, for a period of 1,000 years known as the Millennium of Peace. After this era of peace, as described in 2 Peter 3:10, everything will be destroyed by fire, purifed and made new again.  This is the End of the World, and it’s a beautiful thing, as it’s also the beginning of the most glorious future that God has mind for those who love Him and obey Him.

 

There’s not much time

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Credit: Michele Savelle at www.michelesavelle.com Not Much TimeSo it’s almost New Year’s Eve 2016…

Obama has expelled 35 Russian diplomats as punishment for Russia allegedly hacking Democratic National Committee computers, releasing damning emails written to and from Hillary Clinton.

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 condemning Israel and declaring all settlements illegal as well as declaring East Jerusalem ‘occupied territory’.

It’s no secret that the US Navy’s Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is on it’s way home from the …but it’s not being relieved by another aircraft carrier.  So the United States will have no carrier group in the Middle East for at least 2 months, leaving our #1 ally, Israel, virtually unprotected by it’s big brother.  It’s been reported that the United States does have one flat top naval ship in the Persian Gulf with a number of helicopters on it, but combat helicopters can not provide the same type of support that fighter jets can.  This concerns me.

There has been a string of BIG earthquakes along the Ring of Fire these last 2 months.

So, I’m burdened with the constant awareness that there is not much time left, that Jesus is coming back soon.

In Daniel 12:4, the angel tells Daniel to “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” and that “knowledge shall be increased.”
Perhaps this is the ‘time of the end’ the angel was speaking of, and perhaps the increase of knowledge is not limited to advancements in science and technology, but to biblical understanding as well.  If this is true, then only those who pray for wisdom and are actively seeking knowledge and understanding will obtain it…everyone else will be stuck  yesterday’s understanding of biblical prophecy, equivalent to believing the earth is flat even after enlightened scientists and mathematicians have proven otherwise.

It is apparent to me that most Christians these days are not ‘watching’ for Jesus’ return.  They are consumed with day to day living, their job, their family, and have little time left for studying God’s Word.

Excluding online ‘friends’, I feel somewhat alone in my beliefs that Jesus could be coming back soon, possibly on Feast of Trumpets 2017 which spans 2 days, September 23rd and September 24th.  I do leave room in my prophecy saturated mind for the possibility that the Rapture is not September 2017, but if it’s not, then the Revelation 12 Sign could be a road sign, warning of an impending change that is soon approaching.  Either way, ‘Maranatha!’