|
Below are some references to what many believers call the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The final Tribulation period described in the Book of Revelation is 7 years long and occurs right before the Second Coming of Jesus who will then rule and reign. Some teach the Church goes through half (Mid-Trib), most (Pre-Wrath) or all (Post-Trib) of the Tribulation period, but the Apostle Paul and others at the formation of the Christian church taught to always be on the lookout for Jesus' return in the clouds to gather His elect BEFORE the tribulation of those days. The Tribulation is also known as "the time of Jacob's trouble" which is another reason it is intended for Israel and not Christians. Everyone has to do their own research to see what view lines up best with Scripture. I find the removal of true believers before the Tribulation to make the most sense. Some believe tribulation is still about the Christian church and don't see Israel having much of a role. Other read the scriptures and see that this 7 year period is a time of testing only for the Jews and Israel as 2,000 years ago they did not see Jesus as their Messiah. This means we Christians are not to be punished or go through the same trials as the rest of the world. Paul and others wrote about the "blessed hope" Christians have in the soon return of Jesus. Here is a link to more about that. Below are some pics containing information on the Blessed Hope of the Church. Here is a link to a long study of reasons to believe the Pre-Trib view is the correct one. But, again, we each have to study to see what makes sense to us. Believing in God the Father and Jesus the Son is the most important thing. The current state of Israel is leading to what the prophet Zechariah wrote in chapter 12.
Zechariah 12 – Mourning for The Pierced One A. God defends Israel against her enemies. 1. (1-4) God supernaturally defends Israel against attack. The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling (drunkenness) to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.” a. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens: The section begins with praise for God’s creative power, reminding us that He is in control and completely able to accomplish what He predicts. b. I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling (drunkenness) to all the surrounding peoples: God says that in a coming day Jerusalem will intoxicate and stupefy the surrounding peoples. The Arab peoples surrounding Jerusalem have a passion for possessing the city that is not justified by history.
c. I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples: If Jerusalem will be a cup of drunkenness to all her surrounding peoples, it will be a heavy stone – a burden – for all peoples, presenting a problem that cannot be solved (all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces).
2. (5-9) God supernaturally empowers His people. “And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’ In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place; Jerusalem. The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
B. God gives Israel a spirit of humble repentance. 1. (10) Mourning for the pierced One. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” a. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication: Part of this great outpouring of strength and might to defend Jerusalem will be an outpouring of the Spirit – but for grace and supplication. God will move among Israel and bring saving grace and repentant prayer. b. Then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son: As Jerusalem is supernaturally defended and the Spirit is poured out on the nation, they will turn to Jesus, the pierced One. His head was pierced with thorns, His hands and feet were pierced with nails, and a spear pierced His side.
2. (11-14) The great mourning of repentance. “In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.” a. A great mourning in Jerusalem: The repentance that comes to Israel in that day will be like a great mourning, the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, the day of national mourning over their greatest sin – rejecting Jesus. b. Like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon: This refers to the mourning over King Josiah’s death (2Ki_23:29 and 2Ch_35:20-25). He was such a godly king that the whole nation wept bitterly at his death. c. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: This indicates there will be both great individual repentance and great corporate repentance. It seems fantastic to us that Israel as a whole would turn to Jesus and repent of their sin of rejecting their Savior – it is so amazing that we would not believe it unless the Bible so clearly taught it.
0 Comments
There are some important updates before the main article begins. UPDATE 02/29/24 - Well, I ran across another video with the picture below. Turns out the 2017, 2023 and 2024 eclipses form three Xs, not two. And at the intersection of each one is an earthquake fault zone. Cascadia, off the coast of Oregon, is said to be able to produce magnitude 9 earthquakes "sometime in the next 50 years." New Madrid produced several earthquakes in 1811-12 upwards of 8.2, the strongest ever recorded here. Balcones is a much smaller area but is a fault line nonetheless. So, more "coincidences?" Some say even if the country doesn't experience large earthquakes this year, this could also mean the division or splitting of the country based on social, economic or some other factor. That outcome is easy to see as there is already a split.  UPDATE 02/18/24 - Given America's Christian heritage it is no surprise there are many cities named after those in the Bible. For example, Nineveh is the city that the prophet Jonah was told to preach to so that the people would repent and God would not destroy the city. There are many Nineveh's in America and quite a number along the eclipse path. This picture depicts those and some others. Coincidence?  UPDATE 02/09/24 - A brother in Christ shared information on the previous Total Solar Eclipses over America. There have only been 8. The April eclipse is number 9. During the times of the previous eclipses, America has been at war. See the picture below for the dates of the earlier eclipses. After April 8th, the next one over America is not until 2044. This article discusses America's eclipse history. Read it here.  UPDATE 01/31/24 - I just found out that the entry point for the April eclipse is Eagle Pass, TX which is all in the news because it is a flashpoint for the current border crisis. I doubt seriously that is a coincidence. Eagle Pass is next door to Piedras Negras.  Back in 2017, here in the USA, we all heard about the coming "Great American Eclipse" on August 21st. I was a bit leery of the title because America's greatness has been waning for a while and it seemed pretentious to name an eclipse that. However, once I saw articles about its path and duration and the fact that there had not been a similar one since right before World War I, the name took on more meaning. Since the eclipse, there have been lots of articles talking about its significance and many associated "coincidences." Around the same time, the path of the next big eclipse on April 8th 2024 was given. It starts in Mexico then passes over Texas moving northeast to the exit the country from Vermont. The striking picture of the two eclipses forming an X over America felt very ominous to me, still to this day. In recent history, an X on a map meant buried treasure, coming from books and events related to pirates. Some of that meaning is purely fictional but many of us remember "X marks the spot" from Westerns train robbers and pirate movies. In my case, I saw the X more as marking a target for a military strike, or more like God marking America for judgement. Given all that has been taking place since World War II, why would we not expect judgement? Society has fallen away from its Judeo-Christian foundation. Marriages are not as frequent or as sanctified as they have been for hundreds of years. Families went from one parent working to both, leaving child-rearing up to sometimes iffy daycare staff. God and the Bible were removed from K-12 schools around the mid 1960s, which further accelerated societal changes. There are far too many single parents raising children. And far too many lives lost since that infamous ruling back in 1973. Progressiveness invaded colleges and universities starting in the 1950s and look at it now. Some of the stuff we can see in Movies / TV, hear in music, watch on the internet would have been outlawed even 20 years ago. It has been and continues to be a huge downward spiral. And I think we all know it. God certainly knows it. Does not our weather in 2023 and now in January 2024 seem to be a form of judgement? Since when are almost every state in the union under a weather advisory at the same time? For those who take God out of the equation, their only probable cause is "climate change." Which is supposed to be everyone's fault because we burn gasoline and exhale CO2. God simply sees sin as the problem, one that has been around since the dawn of mankind. The solution to this problem is very different depending on if one leaves God in the equation or not. A very short and dangerous time that is well written about is the coming seven (7) year tribulation or "the time of Jacobs trouble." Dozens if not hundreds of movies depict post apocalyptic futures. Only a few are based on the Bible, but, they love to use phrases from it. Thus, the word apocalypse is very popular. How weird is that, given it means revealing. In the movies it is always vast destruction and God is usually left out. Christians obviously believe Jesus is the Messiah and that He will return soon. Jews do not believe that and are still waiting for their messiah to come. Their unbelief is precisely why they will go through this tribulation period. My belief along with many is that the Church of Christ will not go through the same tribulation as it has accepted Jesus as Messiah. Looking at the interval between these two "Great American" eclipses, to me, is another seven year period that serves as both a warning and the beginning of tribulation for America. Below we see the path of the first eclipse on August 21st, 2017.  I see that one as interesting in how far it traveled over America. Notice it started in Salem, OR. Salem in the Bible later became Jerusalem. And the eclipse exits via Charleston, SC, which so happens to be my location. Given all that has been happening in America since 2017, couldn't this eclipse have been a sign of the coming division or the Great American Divide? Maybe I read too much into this, but who wouldn't agree that great division has been created in America since 2017. The next eclipse of similar duration is on April 8th of this year. So, it is just four months shy of seven years since the previous "great" eclipse. Here we see its projected path.  Is another sign of division portrayed here? When the two eclipses are put together we have this.  The intersection of these two eclipses just happens to be an area in Illinois referred to as "Little Egypt." What are the odds of that? See below.  It could mean nothing but Exodus chapter 4 references two signs. In Exodus, they were the beginning of miracles that God allowed Moses to perform. Could these two eclipses also be signs for unbelieving Americans? 4:8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe you, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 4:9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which you take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. Another interesting fact regarding these two eclipses: where they intersect is also the location of the New Madrid fault line, the location of America's largest earthquake on December 16th, 1811. It was a magnitude 8+ and actually changed the flow of the Mississippi river for a time and was felt all the way to the East coast. They say Church bells were ringing in many cities. Below is a map showing the effects of that "great American earthquake." Another coincidence? If the country experienced another magnitude 8 there or on the West coast or if the Yellowstone caldera blows, it would be a terrible thing.  So we have two slashes across America within seven years. Those alone seem somewhat foreboding. Another eclipse happened not long after the Oct 7th massacre in Israel. An annular solar eclipse on Oct 14th was seen over the famous "Four Corners" and several other states. When the three eclipse paths are combined we see this.  Taking all three eclipses together something else appears, the Greek letter Aleph, which became an A in the English alphabet. Matter of fact, the word alphabet comes from Alpha/Aleph (1st letter) and Beta/Bet (second letter). Four times in the book of Revelation, Jesus says "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending (or the first and the last). Below we have the Aleph, which looks like the letter formed from the three eclipses and also a Tav which resembles the X from the August and April eclipses. The X is also an early form of what later became the cross, which is very significant. (Notice there are TWO Xs over America, one at Eagle Pass, TX and the other over the New Madrid fault area.)   These pictures were taken from this article which goes into more depth on their origins. Suffice it to say, I am seeing and I hope you are also a beginning and an ending in the symbolism of these eclipses. They form a combination from the Greek and the Hebrew alphabets and sure look like a message. Top left below we have the Greek for Alpha and Omega. At top right, we have the Hebrew for Aleph and Tav which is read from right to left.  Thus, the three eclipses form the Aleph (A) or Alpha for the beginning. And the first and third eclipses form the Tav (X) or Omega for the ending. Could I be seeing more in this than there is, certainly. Could it be showing the beginning and the ending of America? Possibly. The country was started 400 years ago and its Declaration of Independence was signed almost 248 years ago. All nations and empires have a shelf life, throughout history. Perhaps it is pointing to the fall of the Western nations and the rise of the Eastern ones, which has to happen according to the Bible. Think about the BRICS nations wanting to ditch the petro-dollar in favor of some new digital currency. That will certainly cause economic havoc in America when it happens. In any event, there is no better time to pray for protection and guidance for yourself and your family, no matter what country you live in. Global events are accelerating and the rate of change with them. We Christians believe Jesus is returning very soon. Hallelujah!  The ABCs of Salvation   New Slideshow with information about the American Solar eclipses from 2017, 2023 and 2024. CLICK HERE or on the PICTURE  Recently, after spending a whole day looking at JavaScript ways to present slideshows on the web, I remembered that Google Slides works very well. Below are links to a series of slideshows on important information regarding the Holy Bible. These will work well on mobile devices in Landscape view and on any size PC display. Many believe the Bible foretells with much precision the time of Jesus return. His first return will be to take true believers from Earth before the worst years of tribulation start. Some believe we are already in the tribulation period. Who can argue that the last few years have been quite unusual and stressful. This one slide slideshow displays the key events before Jesus returns at the Rapture. CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW  The Rapture of Christian believers is next on the calendar, no other prophecies have to occur before the snatching away of believers. CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW  ALL recent Archaeological discoveries have verified names, places and events that are described in the Holy Bible. CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW  A list of 45 Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW  The importance of Bible Prophecy in relation to what’s happened and what’s yet to come. CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW   Some of the many Bible verses that point to Jesus’ Second Coming. How soon will it be? CLICK HERE OR ON THE PIC TO VIEW   Of the many hundreds of prophecies concerning the promised Messiah, some four dozen are quite specific. Including several of the prophecies already mentioned, the following is an analysis of eleven messianic predictions made more than four hundred years before they were fulfilled. The odds I have assigned in this chapter are obviously arbitrary estimates. Some of my readers will find that the odds I have suggested are too liberal or too conservative in some cases. What odds would you assign for the accuracy of these predictions coming true by chance, rather than by divine sovereignty? If you have other suggestions for the odds for any particular predictions, substitute your own estimates and recalculate the mathematical probabilities that these eleven prophecies were fulfilled by chance alone. Regardless of your estimates, the combined mathematical probabilities are staggering. The Eleven Predictions: The Odds Against This Occurring The promised Messiah would: 1. Be born in Bethlehem Probability: 1 in 200 Old Testament Prediction: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5 2). New Testament Fulfillment: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King” (Matthew 2:1). 2. Be preceded by a messenger Probability: 1 in 20 Old Testament Prediction: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). New Testament Fulfillment: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1–2). 3. Enter Jerusalem on a colt Probability: 1 in 50 Old Testament Prediction: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). New Testament Fulfillment: “And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all mighty works that they had seen” (Luke 19:35–37). 4. Be betrayed by a friend Probability: 1 in 10 Old Testament Prediction: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalms 41:9). New Testament Fulfillment: “And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast.… And Jesus said unto him, ‘Friend, wherefore art thou come?’ ” (Matthew 26:47–50) 5. Have His hands and feet pierced Probability: 1 in 100 Old Testament Prediction: “The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16). New Testament Fulfillment: “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33). 6. Be wounded and whipped by His enemies Probability: 1 in 25 Old Testament Prediction: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). New Testament Fulfillment: “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Matthew 27:26). 7. Be sold for thirty pieces of silver Probability: 1 in 100 Old Testament Prediction: “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). New Testament Fulfillment: “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15). 8. Be spit upon and beaten Probability: 1 in 10 Old Testament Prediction: “I gave my back to the smilers, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). New Testament Fulfillment: “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands” (Matthew 26:67). 9. Have betrayal money thrown in the Temple and given for a potter’s field Probability: 1 in 200 Old Testament Prediction: “And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord” (Zechariah 11:13). New Testament Fulfillment: “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in” (Matthew 27: 5–7). 10. Be silent before His accusers Probability: 1 in 100 Old Testament Prediction: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). New Testament Fulfillment: “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly” (Matthew 27:12–14). 11. Be crucified with thieves Probability: 1 in 100 Old Testament Prediction: “He hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). New Testament Fulfillment: “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left” (Matthew 27:38). The Combined Probability: One chance in 10 to the 19th power or One chance in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 In other words, there is only one chance in 10 billion times a billion that the prophets could have accurately predicted these eleven specific prophecies by chance alone, or that any one man’s life could fulfill these detailed prophecies by chance alone; in fact, it is obviously impossible!
Regarding the estimates I have given for the probability of these specific events occurring purely by chance, let us consider the first prophecy of Micah’s that was written more than seven hundred years before its fulfillment, that the promised Messiah would be born in the insignificant village of Bethlehem. I have assigned a probability of one chance in two hundred to the possibility of Israel’s King being born in this little village by chance alone. In Israel, as in all other countries with monarchies, virtually all of the kings were born in their capital, Jerusalem, and almost never in a small agricultural village. Let us assume then that the odds of a king being born in the countryside rather than in the capital city are one in ten, which is a very conservative estimate. Since Israel had thousands of small villages, the odds against picking the correct village by chance alone, are conservatively one in one thousand. Therefore, to be realistic, the odds against correctly predicting the birthplace of the promised King are one in ten (the odds on the capital versus a rural village); to this figure we multiply one chance in one thousand (the odds on picking the right village). This produces a combined probability of one chance in ten thousand. However, in an attempt to be very conservative, I have assigned the probability as only one chance in two hundred, instead of one chance in ten thousand, a figure which could easily be justified. The prophecy of Jesus having “his hands and feet pierced,” for example, is given odds of 1 in 100. This prediction in the Psalms was made more than five hundred years before the Roman Empire invented crucifixion as an unusual and barbaric method of execution. The prophecy that He would be wounded and whipped by his enemies is given odds of 1 in 25. This also is very conservative in that few kings in history have been subjected to whipping by their enemies. The prophecy of His silence before His accusers is given odds of 1 in 100. The number of leaders and teachers who have been unjustly accused and executed, and who have chosen to remain silent and not defend themselves, is minuscule. Even if we were guilty, most of us would loudly defend ourselves against our accusers if we were faced with torture, whipping, and death by agonizing crucifixion, let alone if we, like Christ, were innocent of the charges. Another point should be considered by those who are mathematically inclined and who feel that my assigned probabilities are too high. Even if you assign the most conservative numbers possible to these combined prophetic probabilities about the life of Jesus the Messiah, you will still be confronted with a probability so staggering in its magnitude that it is impossible to honestly convince yourself that these things occurred by chance. In the unlikely event that you are still not convinced, you should consider that we have listed only eleven of the forty-eight major prophecies given in the Old Testament about the promised Messiah. Jeffrey, Grant R.. Armageddon: Appointment with Destiny (pp. 26-32). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. This video is 2 hours long and well worth watching. It brings together many Bible events and gives many reasons to believe that the Second Coming of Jesus will be in the year 2030. Since the 7 year period of Tribulation must precede this event, that puts it starting sometime THIS year.
Here is the YouTube link: youtu.be/4AG_nJNcTjM |
AuthorHas over 30 years experience in Information Technology and, more importantly, 30 plus years as a believer in Jesus Christ. Archives
August 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
