Rapture and End Times

Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:4-8)

Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him. (Revelation 6:4)

1 big thing: World War

Deal or No Deal, Iran-Israel War Is Coming to the Middle East / The National Interest, June 22, 2022

In late May 2022, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted drills which included “long-range flights, aerial refueling and striking distant targets.” It was, the Times of Israel noted, meant to simulate striking Iranian nuclear facilities. According to Israel’s Channel 13 news, the exercises spanned more than 10,000 kilometers and included more than 100 aircraft and navy submarines.

The IAF, the Jerusalem Post reported in early June 2022, can now fly F-35 fighter jets from Israel to Iran without refueling. And now they can be equipped with a new one-ton bomb “that can be carried inside the plane’s internal weapons compartment without jeopardizing its stealth radar signature.”

The IDF is, of course, an exceptionally well-trained military. It isn’t a stranger to major drills and exercises. But it seems clear that something is afoot and the parameters of the long-running conflict between Israel and Iran are changing. Coupled with Tehran’s imminent “nuclear break out,” such developments indicate that Jerusalem is doing more than mowing the grass—it might be preparing to get rid of the entire yard.

Should Israel strike Iran’s nuclear facilities it would likely bring about the worst war that the Middle East has seen in decades—if not longer. The conflict that would follow would look nothing like many of the recent wars between Israel and Iranian proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. For both Israel and the Islamic Republic, it would be an existential battle, with the fate of both the Jewish state and the regime in Tehran hinging on the war’s outcome. The losses and destruction would be devastating.

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China expert warns US on ‘edge of war,’ says Biden not ‘preparing Americans for what is coming’ / Fox News, August 15, 2022

Gatestone Institute senior fellow and author Gordon Chang issued a dire warning about the threat of China making an aggressive move against Taiwan on “Fox & Friends First” Monday, telling hosts Carley Shimkus and Griff Jenkins that President Joe Biden is not “preparing Americans for what is coming.” Chang also warned that U.S.-China relations have reached “one of the most dangerous moments in history” after U.S. lawmakers made an unannounced visit to Taiwan.

Henry Kissinger in The Wall Street Journal article said, ‘We are on the edge of war with Russia and China,’ and I actually think that he is right. One year ago today, China issued propaganda saying that, when they invaded Taiwan — not if they invaded Taiwan — that the island would fall within hours and the U.S. would not come to help. The fall of Afghanistan led to the failure of deterrence in Ukraine, where a much more powerful combination of the United States, the European Union and Great Britain failed to deter Vladimir Putin. The Chinese believe that disarray in the Western coalition really means it is ineffective, and I think the Chinese believe that they can do what they want. This is a point where we should expect that the Chinese will do something. It may not be a full-on invasion, but it could very well be dangerous maneuvering in the air or on the sea that causes the downward spiral. The president of the United States is not preparing the American people for what is coming, what the Chinese tell us they want, which is war in Asia.

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Why it matters:

Even a limited nuclear war could kill a third of world’s population, study shows / L.A. Times, AUG. 15, 2022

As escalating tensions among the United States, Russia and China revive old fears of nuclear war, some researchers are warning that even a limited-scale exchange between such nations as India and Pakistan could have catastrophic consequences for global food supplies and trigger mass death worldwide.

A nuclear conflict involving less than 3% of the world’s stockpiles could kill a third of the world’s population within two years, according to a new international study led by scientists at Rutgers University. A larger nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States could kill three-fourths of the world’s population in the same timeframe, according to the research published Monday in Nature Food.

“It’s really a cautionary tale that any use of nuclear weapons could be a catastrophe for the world,” said climate scientist and study author Alan Robock, a distinguished professor in Rutgers’ Department of Environmental Sciences.

The findings come at a time when — 30 years after the end of the Cold War — the threat of a nuclear holocaust may be greater now than it ever was.

Recently, U.K. National Security Advisor Stephen Lovegrove argued that the breakdown in dialogue between nations, as well as the loss of safeguards that had been created between nuclear superpowers decades ago, has plunged the world into “a dangerous new age.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also warned that “the prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility.”

Although Robock and others have previously projected that nuclear war would result in tremendous disruption to the climate and food supplies, the recent study marks the first time that researchers have calculated the potential extent of the famine that would result and how many people would die.

The detonation of even just a small fraction of the world’s nuclear weapons would spark massive firestorms that would rapidly inject sun-blocking soot into the atmosphere, touching off a sudden cooling of the climate, the researchers theorized.

The data is being released on the heels of a growing consensus among experts that the threat of nuclear war is greater than it’s ever been, said Ira Helfand, immediate past president of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

In the event of a larger war between the U.S. and Russia, which together are believed to hold more than 90% of the world’s nuclear stockpile, an estimated 5 billion out of 6.7 billion people worldwide would die, according to the research.

But any of the nine nuclear-armed nations, which also include China, North Korea, France, Israel and the United Kingdom, have enough firepower at their fingertips to cause immense worldwide suffering and death, with soot rising into the sky and touching off a domino effect of catastrophic cooling and famine, the study suggests.

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Reality check:

We may not be at the brink of a nuclear war, but one of the critical signs pointing to the imminent Rapture of the Church is the invasion of Israel, which begins World War 3. This invasion was foretold in Ezekiel 38 – 39, and in Psalm 83:

God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf, God; do not be idle.
See how Your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate You have acted arrogantly.

They devise clever schemes against Your people;
they conspire against Your treasured ones.
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.”

For they have conspired with one mind;
they form an alliance against You—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them;
they lend support to the sons of Lot. (Psalm 83:1-8)

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The big picture:

In Israel’s history, the Lord has rained down punishment on her enemies many times:

The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. Then out of the sky the Lord rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord. He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. (Genesis 19: 23-25)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail throughout the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt.” So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast. The hail beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree in the field. The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were. (Exodus 9:22-26)

The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword. (Joshua 10: 8-11)

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Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel”—this is the declaration of the Lord God—“My wrath will flare up. I swear in My zeal and fiery rage: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before Me. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains”—the declaration of the Lord God—“and every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him. (Ezekiel 38: 17-22)

The bottom line:

To fall under the judgement of the Lord is a terrible fate. For Russian, Iran, and her hordes, it will be too late. For them, this is the endgame.

Ultimately, all nations who do not turn to the Lord will also be judged:

This will be the plague the Lord strikes all the peoples with, who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. (Zechariah 14:12)

Unless those days were limited, no one would survive. But those days will be limited because of the elect. (Matthew 24:22)

The “birth pains” of the world are building and converging towards an unprecedented climax. There is an upcoming “delivery date” for the Rapture, known only to the Lord.

Go deeper: Spirit Wars

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

The war between nations uses conventional, economic, and information warfare. Another kind of battle – invisible and deadly, with the aim of destroying souls – is spiritual warfare.

The topic of Satan and spiritual warfare is one that some Christians find challenging and even difficult to consider. However, one must consider the truth: By choosing to ignore that the devil exists and that his sole aim is to ruin us, we set ourselves up to fall victim to his ploys. In particular, his use of lies that makes us doubt God and His promises over us. In Hosea 4:6, it states, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”

Our struggle is ultimately against “spiritual forces of evil,” meaning the real battle is the spiritual warfare of good versus evil. There is a spiritual war ongoing for the hearts of man, as the forces of evil want to turn us away from God and separate us from Him.

Ephesians 6 includes a description of the spiritual armor God gives us. What do these pieces of spiritual armor represent in spiritual warfare? We are to know the truth, believe the truth, and speak the truth. We are to rest in the fact that we are declared righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice for us. We are to proclaim the gospel no matter how much resistance we face. We are not to waver in our faith, trusting God’s promises no matter how strongly we are attacked. Our ultimate defense is the assurance we have of our salvation, an assurance that no spiritual force can take away. Our offensive weapon is the Word of God, not our own opinions and feelings.

Case in point:

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child. But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there for 1,260 days.

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Messiah
have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers
has been thrown out:
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.

How do we have victory over the dragon?

They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not love their lives
in the face of death.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the sea,
for the Devil has come down to you
with great fury,
because he knows he has a short time. (Revelation 12:1-12)

Right at this moment, the Devil, his angels, and his human agents are planning to destroy all of the Christians – the Lord’s seed. They are following a One World Plan that will make it impossible to survive as a Christian. The Plan has always been to “devour” the Christian offspring – through abortion, war, imprisonment, martyrdom, debt slavery, and any other method that will kill, steal or destroy.

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In the very near future, a real version of Star Wars will rock the Universe. The Lord’s angels will round up the Devil and his angels, and cast them to the Earth. At the same time, the Rapture will remove all of the Lord’s true believers. This is symbolized by the child being caught up to God and His throne.

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The big picture: Our Peace

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears. (Hebrews 12:14-17)

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. And not only that, but also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant by one man, our ancestor Isaac. For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand— not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. (Romans 9:6-13)

In the Bible, Esau serves as an example for the natural desires of a person operating apart from God. A person who has not been raised to life spiritually is still “in the flesh.” 

Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: The Lord first saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling. In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them committed sexual immorality and practiced perversions, just as angels did, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise defile their flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme glorious ones. Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people blaspheme anything they don’t understand. What they know by instinct like unreasoning animals—they destroy themselves with these things. Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots; wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever!

And Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied about them:

Look! The Lord comes
with thousands of His holy ones
to execute judgment on all
and to convict them
of all their ungodly acts
that they have done in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners
have said against Him.

These people are discontented grumblers, walking according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.

But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers walking according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions and are unbelievers, not having the Spirit. (Jude 5-19)

Takeaway:

In the gap between now and the Rapture, what is a Christian to do to get the victory over the Devil and succeed in daily life?

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? (Matthew 7:7-10)

Jesus is our ultimate example of resisting temptation in spiritual warfare. Observe how Jesus handled direct attacks from Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

But He answered, “It is written:

Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him. (Matthew 4:1–11).

Each temptation was combatted with the words “it is written.” The Word of the living God is the most powerful weapon against the temptations of the devil. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

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:

Let us hope not. Even though this does indeed look like its brewing, God can overrule in order to pursue His greater plan to grow and to strengthen the Church. Christianity is still alive on earth and in many nations. I should think we need some spiritual reinforcement before all Hell breaks loose.

But yes, what you describe looks very possible.

Randy Kluth, August 21, 2022

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The Lord is actually encouraging Iran and its allies to attack Israel. It’s a bit like Clint Eastwood saying: “C’mon; make my day”! [Elam & Media = Iran, Aram = Syria and Lebanon, Kir = Arabia.]

Isaiah 21:2-7 I see the future: The betrayer will betray and the spoiler will spoil. Advance Elam, up Media, to the attack! Do not hesitate, make your move! I am seized by pain, trembling in fear, horrified by what I hear, aghast by what I see. The leaders and generals sit down to eat and drink – Get up now! It’s time to prepare your weapons and post a lookout. He must be fully alert to warn us if he sees columns of mounted troops advancing.

Isaiah 22:5-6 For the Lord has ordained a Day of disaster, a Day of panic and cries for help in the valleys and mountains. Elam prepares the main weapon of its might, the armoured troops of Aram are readied and Kir readies its defences.

Isaiah 21:1 & 8-10 The lookout calls: it comes – A mighty blast sweeps up from the south, from a place of terror. A voice calls: ”fallen is the wicked land, her gods are shattered” My people are like threshed grain on the threshing floor. From the God of Israel, I have told you.

Isaiah 22:1-5 Tell me, what is amiss with you? Why have you climbed up onto the roof? Why do you panic and run out of your houses? Your city is in an uproar, those fallen have not been killed by the sword in battle. All your commanders have fled, the bravest soldiers have gone in all directions. That is why I said: leave Me to weep in misery. Do not console Me for the ruin of My people.

Isaiah 22:7-11 The Lord’s protection over Judah is removed and the Destroyer of the nations overruns them; their preparations and military might is of no avail, because they do not look to the One who made them, or have respect for Him who planned it all long ago.

Isaiah 22:12-14 On that Day, the Lord called for weeping and mourning, but instead there was joy and merrymaking, feasting and dancing. You say: ‘let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”
Here are Words revealed by the Lord of Hosts – Your wickedness will never be wiped out, surely you will die for it.
Ref REB, CJB. Some verses abridged and paraphrased.

A confederation of nations and entities will conspire to attack the State of Israel. Psalms 83:1-8 They prepare their weapons – ‘shafts tipped with fire’ – Psalms 7:13, their nuclear missiles and thousands of rockets. Jeremiah 49:35
But the commencement of their attack ‘calls forth the wrath of the Lord’ – Ezekiel 7:14. The Lord has ordained a Day of disaster, a mighty blast of thunder, earthquakes and fire. Isaiah 66:15-16, Jeremiah 25:30-38, Joel 1:15, Zephaniah 3:8, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 6:12-17

Keraz, August 21, 2022

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Ezekiel 38-39 really does lay it all out, in detail.

What is amazing is that the Book of Ezekiel was written between 593 and 571 BC, and Psalm 38 was written around 1,000 BC. What other religious book has specific prophecies with specific nations, from thousands of years ago, that are manifesting now?

The historically miraculous rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948, after 2,000 years of nonexistence, and the conquering of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967 and other factors seems to have set the stage for a time clock for the “last days” of Israel and the fulfillment of many remaining prophecies relevant to that period. And, indeed, today Russia, a great power to Israel’s far north and the Shia Muslim nations, particularly Iran, are growing increasingly intertwined and hostile toward Israel.

Benjamin731, August 21, 2022

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