I hear Christians nod and acknowledge that Christ will return all the time. However, all too often, these same Christians do not believe that time is at hand. Or it's years into the future.
Couldn't possibly be "right at the door."
My question is... why not? Christ taught that His Rapture was imminent. We know this because of the parable of the 10 virgins he gives in Matthew 25:1-13. Five were ready and waiting, five had allowed the oil to run out of their lamps. They knew the time was soon when the groom would arrive, so they ran off to the market to buy more oil. But when they were gone, the groom came, entered in, and shut the door, leaving the foolish virgins out in the cold.
Christ told us to always be ready and look for the signs, so that day should not overcome us like a thief. (1 Thess 5:1-11) We know Christ was speaking of a pre-Trib Rapture because according to Daniel 12:11-12, you will KNOW the exact day Christ's Second Coming (a separate event) from the day of the Abomination of Desolation. 1290 days. 45 days later, at 1335 days, Christ sets up His millennial Kingdom.
So if we are always to be ready, what makes these Christians poo-poo the idea that Christ's Rapture is coming, and soon?
Because the seeming "tardiness" of this looming imminent Rapture has made them complacent. They have become comfortable in their lives. They have a nice job, nice house, nice car. They love their wives and husbands. They have small children. They've been looking forward to watching their children grow up and one day have children of their own. They're planning for retirement. They have goals and milestones yet to reach, things yet to do, places yet to go.
But don't you understand? God does not rule His universe according to your life's plan. Do not get too comfortable in your life that you look on the return of Christ with trepidation. Do not put off getting right with God or thinking Jesus couldn't possibly return in your lifetime. He obviously meant another lifetime.
Do not get so numb to the tragedies all around you that they become trite and commonplace.
And remember, the Church will be Raptured before the Tribulation, so what we see here on earth is only the BEGINNING of sorrows. You think the 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, & resulting radiation disaster is bad? Beginning of sorrows. A birth pang. That was only a taste.
Rioting and uprisings in the Middle East? Another birth pang. How do I know? Well, considering most "awake" Christians are looking for the return of Christ, ultra-orthodox Jews are looking for their Messiah, and Ahmadinejad of Iran believes the rioting is heralding the 12th Imam of Islam (a Christ-like figure who will unite the world and rule in peace for 7 years -- sound like anyone familiar?), it seems a no-brainer. Never before have I witnessed in my life the fervor of three separate religions yearning for their "Savior" to come at the same time. That in and of itself should be a sign that something is going on.
Something not just the Christians are aware of.
Don't take my word for it. Read and study the Word of God. Find out these prophecies for yourself. Do your homework. God promises if we seek Him, we shall find Him. All I can do is point you in the direction. But don't be so comfortable in your life that you fail to find the hope in the one event every Christian before you has longed for.
~~Becka
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Fascinating Insight from a Messianic Jew
These videos aren't great quality, but they're great insight from a young man who grew up in a Jewish household, and yet recognizes Jesus as his Messiah. It isn't until the second video he really begins to go into the Rapture and the Second Coming, but the first video outlines different Jewish traditions that parallel God's plan, including the Passover Seder and the ancient Jewish wedding. Enjoy!
~~Becka
~~Becka
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sooner Than Anyone Thinks?
Luke 21:28
"28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Matthew 24:44
"44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
There is a fascinating teaching from Perry Stone about the Jews' barley, wheat, & fruit harvest. If you look at it as being a picture of the Rapture and the Trib, it becomes very eye-opening. It could be just a prophetic picture. It might not literally mean the Rapture will happen at the barley harvest which is after the "latter rain" in Nissan, our current month of April.
Some people believe a passage in the Song of Solomon is prophetic to the Rapture. Read and consider:
Song of Songs 2:11-13
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
The rains spoken of in this passage is the "latter" rain, the rain that happens on or around Nissan 1. The picture of the fig tree parallels Matthew 24: 32-33:
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door.
The fig tree in Scripture is a picture of Israel. What Christ is alluding to is this; once you see Israel reborn and flourishing, when God has restored the desert into lush gardens, that is the picture of the fig tree blossoming. Scoffers say many people through the ages have been waiting for this so-called "Rapture" and it never came. But THIS GENERATION on Earth now is the first one who can say with certainty the end times can come at any moment. Why?
Because Bible prophecy revolves around Israel and her rebirth. Israel was scattered after 70AD and didn't have a nation, a homeland, until 1948. The end of days could ONLY happen according to Scripture after 1948.
And then Christ goes on to say in Matthew 24:34:
34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
"This generation" is talking about the generation who saw the rebirth of Israel. How do I know? Because this passage comes right after the parable of the fig tree, the prophetic picture of Israel! How long is a generation? Seventy years. Seventy years from 1948 is 2018. Minus seven years for the Trib, and you come to 2011.
But according to Song of Songs, if that passage IS prophetic, perhaps Christ won't "wait" until the Feast of Trumpets (September) to Rapture His Church. It could happen any time after the latter rain of Nissan 1. This still coincides with what Paul taught about the "last trump", because priests sound the shofar on the first day of every month.
Here are three videos about the harvest that I found fascinating. The third video's teaching ends after 3 minutes in.
It amazes me how MUCH there is that alludes to the Rapture and the Trib throughout the Bible. Our God is truly awesome.
Mark 13:23:
23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
~~Becka
"28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Matthew 24:44
"44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
There is a fascinating teaching from Perry Stone about the Jews' barley, wheat, & fruit harvest. If you look at it as being a picture of the Rapture and the Trib, it becomes very eye-opening. It could be just a prophetic picture. It might not literally mean the Rapture will happen at the barley harvest which is after the "latter rain" in Nissan, our current month of April.
Some people believe a passage in the Song of Solomon is prophetic to the Rapture. Read and consider:
Song of Songs 2:11-13
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
The rains spoken of in this passage is the "latter" rain, the rain that happens on or around Nissan 1. The picture of the fig tree parallels Matthew 24: 32-33:
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door.
The fig tree in Scripture is a picture of Israel. What Christ is alluding to is this; once you see Israel reborn and flourishing, when God has restored the desert into lush gardens, that is the picture of the fig tree blossoming. Scoffers say many people through the ages have been waiting for this so-called "Rapture" and it never came. But THIS GENERATION on Earth now is the first one who can say with certainty the end times can come at any moment. Why?
Because Bible prophecy revolves around Israel and her rebirth. Israel was scattered after 70AD and didn't have a nation, a homeland, until 1948. The end of days could ONLY happen according to Scripture after 1948.
And then Christ goes on to say in Matthew 24:34:
34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
"This generation" is talking about the generation who saw the rebirth of Israel. How do I know? Because this passage comes right after the parable of the fig tree, the prophetic picture of Israel! How long is a generation? Seventy years. Seventy years from 1948 is 2018. Minus seven years for the Trib, and you come to 2011.
But according to Song of Songs, if that passage IS prophetic, perhaps Christ won't "wait" until the Feast of Trumpets (September) to Rapture His Church. It could happen any time after the latter rain of Nissan 1. This still coincides with what Paul taught about the "last trump", because priests sound the shofar on the first day of every month.
Here are three videos about the harvest that I found fascinating. The third video's teaching ends after 3 minutes in.
It amazes me how MUCH there is that alludes to the Rapture and the Trib throughout the Bible. Our God is truly awesome.
Mark 13:23:
23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
~~Becka
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Feast of Purim and a Modern-Day "Haman"
An interesting video that parallels the Book of Esther with present-day Iran, along with Bible prophecy in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel. With everything going on in the Middle East, specifically Egypt and Libya, things sure look to be falling in place according to the prophets...
~~Becka
Another Prophetic Dream?
Last night, I had a strange dream that got me thinking after I woke up. I thought I'd share it with you. I have had what I believe to be a prophetic dream back in January. The dream I had last night wasn't quite so obvious. In my previous dream, I was being spoken to by God. In this dream, it was like a normal dream, however, the events in this dream seem to parallel a "Rapture-like" scenario.
There was a man I was talking to, he was a little scruffy--dirty flannel shirt, unkempt beard, soiled jeans. He was talking to me about how much he loved his neighbor, but that she was getting married. He knocked on her door and she came out. The woman was very nice and invited us into her house.
The man sat on her chair and was silent while the woman went on and on about her fiance. She was aware this scruffy man was in love with her, but she couldn't stop talking about how much she loved her fiance. She brought out a photo album and showed me pictures of them together. I don't remember what the man looked like, but I do remember he was handsome, and they looked very happy together.
She mentioned she hadn't seen her fiance for a long time. She wouldn't see him again until the day of the wedding. And it was going to be a grand affair in Egypt. She had a date of the wedding posted in the dream, like on one of those flip-style alarm clocks, but it wasn't a clock, it just showed the date. And the date it showed was 1-8-11.
I remember being confused because the dream was current, yet I knew the wedding date would be in the future. I thought, in the dream, that perhaps I was in the past, like 2010, looking at a "future" 2011 January date. I'll get back to this.
While I was talking to the woman, the scruffy man was silent. I could tell he was sad that she was going to marry another man.
Suddenly, I flashed to the wedding day. It was an enormous affair, a wedding fit for royalty. Food was everywhere. Her gown was fabulous. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people there. Even the media flew a few anchors from ABC and NBC to Egypt to cover the wedding. I remember thinking how odd, because this woman was just an ordinary woman, how could she afford such a glamorous wedding? And why did the media care?
It was night time. There was rejoicing and singing and dancing and feasting under the lighted pyramids of Egypt. I knew the scruffy man was not there. But somehow, it didn't matter because I wanted to dance and feast myself.
I then either woke up or the dream merely ended, I don't remember. But here's my thoughts on it.
After I woke up, I decided to do a little digging on January 8th, 2011 in Egypt. Had something significant happen on that date there? As far as I can tell, nothing did. It was before the riots.
That got me thinking. Europeans switch the month and the day when they write their dates. In the dream, I knew the wedding would happen in the future. Could it be August 1st, 2011? Googling that date with Egypt again pulled up nothing significant. So, I googled the date by itself.
Amazingly, the first hit on Google is for the Jewish calendar. August 1st is also the 1st of Av. It's not a Jewish feast, but it begins the nine days of mourning the Jews observe until the 9th of Av, or Tisha B'av.
The 9th of Av is the darkest day in Jewish history. On this same day, almost 600 years apart, BOTH of their holy Temples were razed.
This is also the day in 1492 all Jews were expelled from Spain.
This is also the day WWI began in 1914.
On the eve of Tisha B'av 1942, the Jews were rounded up from the Warsaw ghetto and taken to Treblinka extermination camp.
Needless to say, from Av 1 to Av 9, many Jews consider themselves in mourning, and therefore dress in black or sackcloth and do not wash and do not clip their beards.
This HAD to be what the Lord was showing me. But for what purpose?
I believe the scruffy man either represents the sin of the world wooing the Church (the Bride of Christ) away from Him, OR he represents the "church" Christ leaves behind, who wants to be with the true Church but does not truly know Christ. This seems to fit why he wasn't there during the wedding feast. For some reason, I think he represents the body of so-called "believers" Christ will not take at the Rapture. I believe this because he wasn't at the wedding, and I somehow knew he was crying that he couldn't be there with the Bride.
The fact the bride was "separated" from her fiance until the day of the wedding also gave me a big clue this was a dream from God. Aside from my study of the Jewish wedding, where the groom goes to prepare a place for the bride onto his father's house, it fits with Christ leaving to Heaven only to come back and retrieve His Bride.
And this woman LOVED the groom. I can't tell you enough how much she loved him and looked forward to seeing him and how the day of her wedding filled her with such joy.
I believe my thoughts about how she could afford all of this because she was just an ordinary woman was very telling as well. Her house was non-descript, she was just like I was. And yet she had a wedding fit for royalty.
I think the media was there because obviously, the Rapture is going to be newsworthy. WHERE did millions of people go? Were we abducted by aliens? Or was it *really* the Rapture of the Church? I think that's what the media might have represented in the dream.
The only thing I don't understand is why Egypt, and why August 1st, 2011. Is the Lord telling me to look to the skies in August? Is that going to be a significant time for Egypt? Or was Egypt in there to simply to represent a faraway, grand, sweeping place this wedding is going to take place? What is more grand than dancing at the foot of the ancient pyramids, after all? Perhaps they were there to represent the awe of Heaven or the mighty presence of God.
I think it's telling, though, that the time and date of this wedding was at night on August 1st. Now, obviously no man knows the day or the hour. I remember a few days ago praying to Jesus, asking Him when His Rapture was. Heh, I don't think He'd actually TELL ME, but He might tell me approximately, since I'm already looking skyward.
Who knows. It could have been "just a dream". But I don't think so. It's rare I ever realize I'm dreaming. And I knew I was dreaming because of the realization I had with the date. I knew it was future, but it "appeared" as if it was January at first glance.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. But could the 1st of Av reference be alluding to the fact that if Christ DOES Rapture the Church at the time around Tisha B'av, that it would be "one more thing" for the Jews to mourn for? Food for thought.
~~Becka
There was a man I was talking to, he was a little scruffy--dirty flannel shirt, unkempt beard, soiled jeans. He was talking to me about how much he loved his neighbor, but that she was getting married. He knocked on her door and she came out. The woman was very nice and invited us into her house.
The man sat on her chair and was silent while the woman went on and on about her fiance. She was aware this scruffy man was in love with her, but she couldn't stop talking about how much she loved her fiance. She brought out a photo album and showed me pictures of them together. I don't remember what the man looked like, but I do remember he was handsome, and they looked very happy together.
She mentioned she hadn't seen her fiance for a long time. She wouldn't see him again until the day of the wedding. And it was going to be a grand affair in Egypt. She had a date of the wedding posted in the dream, like on one of those flip-style alarm clocks, but it wasn't a clock, it just showed the date. And the date it showed was 1-8-11.
I remember being confused because the dream was current, yet I knew the wedding date would be in the future. I thought, in the dream, that perhaps I was in the past, like 2010, looking at a "future" 2011 January date. I'll get back to this.
While I was talking to the woman, the scruffy man was silent. I could tell he was sad that she was going to marry another man.
Suddenly, I flashed to the wedding day. It was an enormous affair, a wedding fit for royalty. Food was everywhere. Her gown was fabulous. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people there. Even the media flew a few anchors from ABC and NBC to Egypt to cover the wedding. I remember thinking how odd, because this woman was just an ordinary woman, how could she afford such a glamorous wedding? And why did the media care?
It was night time. There was rejoicing and singing and dancing and feasting under the lighted pyramids of Egypt. I knew the scruffy man was not there. But somehow, it didn't matter because I wanted to dance and feast myself.
I then either woke up or the dream merely ended, I don't remember. But here's my thoughts on it.
After I woke up, I decided to do a little digging on January 8th, 2011 in Egypt. Had something significant happen on that date there? As far as I can tell, nothing did. It was before the riots.
That got me thinking. Europeans switch the month and the day when they write their dates. In the dream, I knew the wedding would happen in the future. Could it be August 1st, 2011? Googling that date with Egypt again pulled up nothing significant. So, I googled the date by itself.
Amazingly, the first hit on Google is for the Jewish calendar. August 1st is also the 1st of Av. It's not a Jewish feast, but it begins the nine days of mourning the Jews observe until the 9th of Av, or Tisha B'av.
The 9th of Av is the darkest day in Jewish history. On this same day, almost 600 years apart, BOTH of their holy Temples were razed.
This is also the day in 1492 all Jews were expelled from Spain.
This is also the day WWI began in 1914.
On the eve of Tisha B'av 1942, the Jews were rounded up from the Warsaw ghetto and taken to Treblinka extermination camp.
Needless to say, from Av 1 to Av 9, many Jews consider themselves in mourning, and therefore dress in black or sackcloth and do not wash and do not clip their beards.
This HAD to be what the Lord was showing me. But for what purpose?
I believe the scruffy man either represents the sin of the world wooing the Church (the Bride of Christ) away from Him, OR he represents the "church" Christ leaves behind, who wants to be with the true Church but does not truly know Christ. This seems to fit why he wasn't there during the wedding feast. For some reason, I think he represents the body of so-called "believers" Christ will not take at the Rapture. I believe this because he wasn't at the wedding, and I somehow knew he was crying that he couldn't be there with the Bride.
The fact the bride was "separated" from her fiance until the day of the wedding also gave me a big clue this was a dream from God. Aside from my study of the Jewish wedding, where the groom goes to prepare a place for the bride onto his father's house, it fits with Christ leaving to Heaven only to come back and retrieve His Bride.
And this woman LOVED the groom. I can't tell you enough how much she loved him and looked forward to seeing him and how the day of her wedding filled her with such joy.
I believe my thoughts about how she could afford all of this because she was just an ordinary woman was very telling as well. Her house was non-descript, she was just like I was. And yet she had a wedding fit for royalty.
I think the media was there because obviously, the Rapture is going to be newsworthy. WHERE did millions of people go? Were we abducted by aliens? Or was it *really* the Rapture of the Church? I think that's what the media might have represented in the dream.
The only thing I don't understand is why Egypt, and why August 1st, 2011. Is the Lord telling me to look to the skies in August? Is that going to be a significant time for Egypt? Or was Egypt in there to simply to represent a faraway, grand, sweeping place this wedding is going to take place? What is more grand than dancing at the foot of the ancient pyramids, after all? Perhaps they were there to represent the awe of Heaven or the mighty presence of God.
I think it's telling, though, that the time and date of this wedding was at night on August 1st. Now, obviously no man knows the day or the hour. I remember a few days ago praying to Jesus, asking Him when His Rapture was. Heh, I don't think He'd actually TELL ME, but He might tell me approximately, since I'm already looking skyward.
Who knows. It could have been "just a dream". But I don't think so. It's rare I ever realize I'm dreaming. And I knew I was dreaming because of the realization I had with the date. I knew it was future, but it "appeared" as if it was January at first glance.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. But could the 1st of Av reference be alluding to the fact that if Christ DOES Rapture the Church at the time around Tisha B'av, that it would be "one more thing" for the Jews to mourn for? Food for thought.
~~Becka
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