Rapture and End Times

“Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (Luke 12:35-40)

Are we getting closer to our “Exodus” from this Earth? There are many End Time signs, plainly visible to all of us who are aware and spiritually awake. But, 7 signs stand out from the rest. They give us a clue for the timing of the Rapture, and the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation:

1. The re-birth of Israel and the Last Generation

In the book of Matthew, we see Jesus teaching the Apostles that the Tribulation, and his Rapture of the bride will be linked to a certain generation:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. (Matthew 24:32-34).

We believe that this generation started when Israel (often Biblically symbolized as a fig tree) was reestablished as a nation in 1948 after 1,900 years of dispersion, persecution and oppression. The reason we think this is the last generation is that the Rapture, Tribulation and Second Coming require the existence of the nation of Israel.

A Biblical generation is defined as 70 to 80 years in Psalm 90:10: Our lives last seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Now, applying simple addition, we can add 80 years to 1948 and conclude that the Rapture is imminent.

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2. Biblical chronology: 6,000 Years from Adam to the Day of the Lord

The Old Testament, New Testament, and early writings confirm that the church taught that there will be a thousand year millennial reign of Christ with His people on the earth.

The common belief and teaching was that a millennial reign would come after a literal six thousand year reign of Man.

The scripture in Revelation is clear on the thousand years:

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

So, the natural question is, when do the six-thousand years of Man’s self-rule end? The relevant biblical genealogy, formulated and published by the brilliant Biblical scholar Dionysius Petavius in 1627, suggests the creation of Adam was around 3,983 BC. Subtraction shows that 6,000 years – 3,983 = 2018 (there is no “year zero” from BC to AD).

There are inevitable rounding errors due to the 6,000 years of time being calculated, but this date is accurate to within a few years.

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3. 2,000 years from Jesus’ First Coming to His Second Coming

Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us,
and He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
and He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence. (Hosea 6:1-2)

The Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23) states that Jesus was “about 30 years of age” at the start of his ministry. Luke noted that the ministry of John the Baptist began in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, which was the year AD 26.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. (Luke 3: I, 2)

This statement of Luke makes absolutely certain the approximate date of Jesus’ public ministry, for we know when Tiberius was emperor (I4-37 A. D.) and when Pilate was procurator (26-36 A. D.).

Jesus began to minister shortly after this time. His crucifixion took place around AD 30, indicating that His public ministry took place within the AD 26 timeframe.

Scholars note that if Jesus began His public ministry between mid to late AD 26 and died in the spring of AD 30, His ministry would have been a total of 3½ years (including His resurrection, 40 days of appearances, and ascension).

Jesus declared that His ministry around 26 AD:

He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” (Luke 4:16-21)

If we use the date of the end of His public ministry as the First Coming, and add 2,000 years, this suggests the Second Coming will be soon. When we subtract 7 years for the Tribulation, the Rapture is imminent.

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4. The Prophecy in the Psalms

The Psalms are a book of the Old Testament composed of sacred poems meant to be sung. The dating of individual psalms poses an extremely difficult problem, as does the question of their authorship. They were evidently written over a number of centuries, from the early monarchy to post-Exilic times, reflecting the varying stages of Israel’s history and the varying moods of Israel’s faith. They were an integral part of the ritualized activities that the Hebrew community developed for marking important public and personal situations.

Biblical scholars like J.R. Church have found that many of the key events for the Jewish people and for Israel are accurately reflected by the corresponding chapter (year) in the Psalms. They are in the 19th book of the Bible, and have a prophetic significance dealing with Israel for each year in the 1900s, carrying over into the 2000s. For example, Psalm 17 points to 1917 (A National Home for the Jewish People, Jerusalem freed from the Ottoman Empire), Psalm 67 points to 1967 (The Jews return to Jerusalem), Psalm 117 points to 2017 (Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital), and so on.

As you study the Psalms, please keep in mind that the Jewish years starts somewhere in our month of either March or April, so there is an overlap. This is why a few of the Psalms may seem to reference events from the previous year of the Gregorian calendar.

The Psalms of Ascents were sung by Hebrew pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem, and while ascending the steps of the Temple.

The hidden prophecies in the Psalms of Ascents points to the 7 years of the Tribulation Age. These Psalms prophesy the time of troubles and victory, from the perspective of the Jewish people.

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5. The Days of Noah and the Age of Apostasy

And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” (Genesis 6:3)

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)

Age of Apostasy (1900 to 2020 AD) – Laodicea: From this church, those who overcome will be granted the opportunity to sit with the Son of God on His throne. (Revelation 3:14-22). Admonished to be zealous and repent from being “lukewarm”; they are instructed to buy the “gold refined in the fire”, that they may be rich; to buy “white garments”, that they may be clothed, so that the shame of their nakedness would not be revealed; to anoint their eyes with eye salve, that they may see.

The Laodicean “Age of Apostasy” has been degenerating the Church for almost 120 years now. We have reached the same point as the days of Noah, leading up to the Flood.

The days of Noah lasted 120 years. The age of Apostasy will last 120 years. The timing points to the 7 years of the Tribulation Age being imminent.

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6. The Confirmation of the Covenant

He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:27)

One of the critical signs are pointing to the imminent Rapture of the Church is a comprehensive peace plan that allows the rebuilding of Jewish Temple.

An upcoming comprehensive international peace treaty is the major End Times sign, and indicates the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation. It is the prophetic trip wire that is more critical than any other modern sign.

We believe that the Beast (along with the Dragon), assisted by the False Prophet, will use Chrislam to finalize the Israeli-Palestinian “land for peace” treaty, which will allow the Third Temple to be built.

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7. The Ezekiel Invasion

What misery that I have stayed in Meshech,
that I have lived among the tents of Kedar!
I have lived too long
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak,
they are for war. (Psalm 120:5-7)

Psalms 120 is a piteous declaration of the unhappy lot of Israel, who is surrounded by the false, the treacherous, and the cruel. One name specifically pointed out is Meshech.

In the Bible, Meshech or Mosoch is named as the sixth son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), the founder of a tribe (1 Chronicles 1:5; Ezek. 27:13; 38:2, 3). They were the Moschi, a people inhabiting the Moschian Mountains, between the Black and the Caspian Seas. This is the area we now know as Russia.

The name Tubal is also featured in Russia, on the eastern side of the Urals, through the name of the Tobol River and the city named after it, Tobolsk. Though no longer a prominent city, Tobolsk was once the seat of Russian government over Siberia as the Russians expanded east of the Urals.

Meshech and Tubal are specifically named as the land from which an immense army comes to invade Israel:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, turn your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him and say: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders, who are all splendidly dressed, a huge company armed with shields and bucklers, all of them brandishing swords. (Ezekiel 38:1-4)

“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: This is what the Lord God says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know this and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north—you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses—a mighty horde, a huge army? (Ezekiel 38:14)

The hidden prophecies in the Psalms points to the Ezekiel invasion happening shortly.

The invasion of Israel will be primarily motivated by greed for their great wealth. The recent annexation of Crimea will be their strategy. The Crimean Peninsula was invaded and annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014. They used the excuse of the Ukrainian revolution, and Russian masked troops occupied key Crimean locations, including airports and military bases, following Putin’s orders.

The “hook in the jaw” will be an escalation between Iran and Israel, that will reach the point of no return. As the experts conclude, that ultimate confrontation is inevitable. In fact, it is likely to happen at any moment. Russian will then step in to defend her ally. Putin is inclined to make calculated geopolitical moves, with an impressive sense of timing and optimum use of Russia’s strategic cards.

He is trying to prevent an escalation involving Iran, but when the real war begins, he will use it as an excuse to invade Israel and try to annex it, just like he did with Crimea. This is Gog’s plan – to make Russia great again.

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Summing up the signs:

All of these developments taken separately are significant enough, but when combined together can only show that the world is building and converging towards the Master’s return.

The Bible describes it like this:

He also said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does. And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be a scorcher!’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this time? (Luke 12:54-56)

Jesus’ listeners knew that when clouds formed in the west over the Mediterranean Sea, rain was on the way. They knew that when the warm wind blew south from the Arabian desert, a heat wave was coming.

In our present times there are many reasons to believe that Jesus is coming soon, adding to our sense of urgency as we hope to discern this time.

What’s happening:

* The stage is set for a rebuilt temple, necessary to fulfill the prophecies of the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Since 1948 Israel is a nation again, and hopes of a rebuilt temple continue to rise among a minority of Jews.

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* The stage is set for the sort of world-dominating confederation of nations, heir to the Roman Empire to arise (Daniel 2:36-45, Revelation 13:1-8, Revelation 17:10-14). It will likely be connected to the modern European Community, arising out of the goals of their leaders and the chaos of the times.

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* The stage is set for a political and economic world leader to arise, the sort of single political leader who will lead this world-dominating confederation of nations (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, Revelation 13:4-7).

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* The stage is set for the kind of false religion the Bible says will characterize the very last days (2 Thessalonians 2:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Revelation 13:11-15, Revelation 17:1-6).

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* The stage is set for the kind of economic system predicted for the very last days (Revelation 13:15-17). The technology is available, and the need is present.

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For indeed, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of Hosts, “not leaving them root or branches. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 4:1-3)

For thus says the LORD:

      ” The whole land shall be desolate; 
      Yet I will not make a full end. 
       For this shall the earth mourn, 
      And the heavens above be black, 
      Because I have spoken. 
      I have purposed and will not relent, 
      Nor will I turn back from it. (Jeremiah 4:27-28)

The bottom line:

The Lord wants us to trust in His provision for the Body of Christ: the Rapture.

But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 20-25)

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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

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Reader Comments:

I look at the war between Russia and Ukraine. I hear about North Korea siding with Russia.. Tension escalating with China… I pray for our lord Jesus to come again..

francis, August 13, 2022

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Lord God our Heavenly Fathe His Son Jesus The Christ and The Holy Spirit which resides within us, we repent of our sins. May we forgive others that have sinned against us and show them the love and forgiveness that you have shown us . To God Be The Glory. AMEN

Amos, August 13, 2022

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You have a stake in our mission. You can help us reach millions around the world – literally the “ends of the earth” – for Jesus Christ.

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