For those who have ears to hear: End Times - the Rapture - and The Tribulation

“Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  Revelation  22:12-13

I have wanted to write about the coming rapture and end of times for a while now.  But, how to do this without sounding like a crackpot or a “date-setter”, those in the past who have championed a certain date that the rapture will occur.  I am not setting a date, but I do believe that the stage is set.  And here we are in early September, the promise of Fall in the air already.  Anyone who has read about the Shemitah, or the Blood Moons Prophecy, or other popular books out right now is familiar with the importance of September.  Something of importance is going to happen in the next few weeks…I am not sure what, but prophecy, and signs in the sky, and God’s calendar of Feast Days indicate that we should be paying attention and watching.  Do I think the Rapture could occur in September?  It may.  It may also be a great shaking for the United States, one last attempt to get America’s attention by God.  It may be the final chess piece move that sets the stage for the end of days as described in the Bible.  We will see very soon I believe.

I want to briefly outline some things to be considered, just for those of you who have taken the time and interest to read this far.  For those of you who “have ears to hear” as Jesus would say.  I hope you find this helpful.

First things first, you must have an understanding of God’s calendar.  That calendar is the Jewish Feasts cycle.  It provides our base understanding of not only the Old Testament, but also prophecy of things to come.  The first 3 Feasts of the Jewish year occur in the Spring and are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits.  These 3 Feasts have prophetically already been fulfilled. 

Passover commemorates the sacrifice of a lamb to provide a cover of blood from Death.  Jesus died as our sacrificial Lamb on Passover for the sins of all. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt.  It was fulfilled when Jesus conquered death and sin, and provides through his resurrection delivery from bondage to sin.

The Feast of First Fruits celebrated God’s provision of the first fruits of the Spring Harvest.  As Paul said, Christ is the First Fruits, the first of many to follow who are raised to life eternal (I Cor. 15:20).

The next Feast is Pentecost, 50 days or 7 Sabbaths after the Feast of First Fruits.  It was fulfilled when at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples and the New Testament church was born.  At First Fruits, the Priests would wave two stalks of grain, signifying the harvest to come.  At Pentecost, two loaves of bread made from the harvested grain were waved.  These symbolized the two groups, Jews and Gentiles, who would now be brought together into the new Church, beginning the Church age that we are now in. 

The next 3 Feasts occur in the Fall:  The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  

The Feast of Trumpets is also known as Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.  It occurs at the new moon, which this year is on September 13th at sundown.  This was a celebration of the New Year.  The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, occurs on the 10th day of the Jewish calendar, which is September 22nd at sundown this year.  The Day of Atonement is the high holy day of Israel, where in the past the sacrifice was offered and atonement was made for all the Jews.  The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was a commemoration of the time when God dwelt with the Children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years.  During this time he taught them to worship Him, to follow Him, and He protected and provided for them.   

These are the Feasts that are yet to be fulfilled, but will occur next on God’s calendar.  The rapture will occur at a time not known by man, only God knows (“no man knows the hour or day” Mt. 24:36).  The Feast of Trumpets reminds us of the trumpet blast that will call all believers to meet him in the air.  The Day of Atonement speaks of a time when the Jewish people will return to God, accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, and once again be God’s chosen people.  According to the Feast order, it will happen at some point after the Rapture occurs, and prior to the first three and a half years of the Tribulation.  And finally, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.   During the tribulation and the "time of Jacob's trouble", the Great Tribulation, God will once again dwell with the Israel, teach her, and protect her.

In June and July of this year we saw the beautiful sign in the sky which many referred to as the “Bethlehem Star.”  This was the close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, and is thought to be the “star” that the Magi saw in the sky that heralded the birth of the King of the Jews.  How appropriate that this sign would reoccur at the end of the age, signifying that the King of the Jews was returning to this earth again.

Sir Isaac Newton prior to his death became very interested in the end of time prophecies.  He thoroughly reviewed Daniel’s prophecy of the coming of Christ and concluded that it not only predicted the first coming of Jesus, but also predicted accurately the date of His second coming.  Newton calculated that 49 years (7 Sabbath weeks as years) from the time that the Nation of Israel would be re-established in their land, the end of ages would occur.  Now, when Newton made his calculations, he included the assumption that the Jews would be regathered to their homeland in Israel and that some friendly nation would help reestablish them there.  He of course was correct, and nation of Israel was created in 1948.  But, Israel did not reclaim Jerusalem, the very heart and soul of Israel, until June 7th, 1967 during the Six Day war.  If you add 49 years (in Jewish years of 360 days), you end up with September 23rd, 2015.  This is the start of the Day of Atonement.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28 “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. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it[f] is near—at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  Mark 13:28

A generation is not clearly defined anywhere in God’s Word, but Psalms 90:10 hints that it is 70 years, perhaps as much as 80 years.  The fig tree always is a symbol of the Jews, and that it’s “branch became tender and put forth leaves” in 1948 when Israel became a nation.  However, it can be argued that it did not  “bud” during the summer until a little later in 1967 when Israel reclaimed the city of Jerusalem.  So the generation that was born when this occurred would not pass away until 2018, or at most 2028.  Prior to this parable, Jesus was discussing the end of the ages, and the disciples had just asked “when will this occur, and what will be the signs?”  This indicates the end of ages would occur prior to these two dates.

A recent book by Mark Biltz, the Four Blood Moons, discusses a series of signs in the heavens during the 2014 and 2015 timeframe.  What occurs is a series of blood moons and lunar eclipses that fall on Jewish Feast Days.  Two blood moons separated by a lunar eclipse, and then two more blood moons falling on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles both times.  The next and final blood moon of this series falls on September 28th, the Feast of Tabernacles.

The author of the Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn, wrote The Mystery of the Shemitah, which provides a warning to the U.S. concerning God’s coming judgment.  The Shemitah ends September 13th, and the Jewish Jubilee starts September 23rd on Yom Kippur.  Cahn is predicting another huge stock market crash which will fall on the last day of the stock market trading day before the 13th, which is Friday September 11th.

The Malachy Prophecy detailed a series of prophetic visions detailing the Pope’s who would be chosen from St. Malachy’s time until the end of times, and the last Pope who would be in office during the Tribulation.  Most point to the current Pope as the last Pope in the prophetic series.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is not only a parable, but also a prophecy of the end times.  The traveler (mankind) is on a journey from Jerusalem (paradise) to Jericho, the lowest city on earth (a fallen world).  Robbers (Satan and his demons) rob the man and leave him half dead on the road.  Along comes a Priest (the Law) and passes on the other side of the road.  A Levite (sacrificial system) also passes on by.  Then a Samaritan man, a “half Jew” (Jesus as half man half God) finds the traveler and bandages his wounds with oil (symbolic of the Holy Spirit and the wine symbolizes the new covenant with Christ).  The Samaritan takes him on his own beast (through His own sacrificial death) to an inn(the new Church Age which now includes Jews and Gentiles).  He pays the Innkeeper (Holy Spirit) 2 days board to care for him(the Holy Spirit is given to the Church for 2000 years), and tells him he will return soon and repay him for anything more spent.  The Good Samaritan (Jesus) plans on returning for the wounded traveler (us) soon. 

Most of the verses about the rapture in the New Testament indicate that it will occur during the harvest time in the Fall.  Jesus was most likely born sometime in late September or early October most agree.  I personally feel that Jesus was born on or near the Feast of Tabernacles.  How appropriate would it be that Jesus should return to this earth a second time during the same season and time?  

http://diglogos.blogspot.com/2017/12/hanukkah-jesus-light-of-world.html

http://diglogos.blogspot.com/2011/12/5-christmas-myths-debunked-1-truth.html#more

Recently there have been announcements about the true Jewish Temple location in Jerusalem.  Traditionally, the Dome of the Rock Mosque is said to be located on the original location of the first and second temple sites.  The Western Wall is said to be the last visible remnant of that Temple, destroyed in 70 ad. by the Romans.  However, several writers, most recently Bob Cornuke, have identified a spot just below the temple mount as the true original temple location.  If continuing excavations and archeological digs being conducted by the Israeli government find definitive proof that the actual site of the first and second temples is further down the hill of Zion, on property already under State of Israel control, then there would not be anything preventing them from beginning construction of the third temple.  The Bible confirms that during the first part of the tribulation period, the Jews will once again have a temple, that Sabbath laws will be in place, and that sacrifices will be occurring or preparing to take place in the Temple of the Jews.

Many people point to the verse from Matthew 24 where Jesus says that no man will know the hour of the rapture.  This is true, however, there are also several other verses which warn us as followers of Christ to be aware of the signs and the seasons of His return, and not to be caught off guard.  36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins speaks to not being caught unaware of the coming of the Bridegroom on His return.

Mt. 25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Should we be afraid of the things about to occur?  No!  We who are ready are like the 5 virgins, prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom.  It will be a time of rest and reward.  We do however need to be thinking of those we know who are not saved, who do not have a relationship with our Lord.  We need to be working to further His kingdom until His kingdom comes.