An Imminent Rapture Refuted
Oct 10, 2019 12:09:14 #
ziggy88
Loc: quincy illinois 62301
4th October 2019
Shabbat Shalom to all!
An Imminent Rapture Refuted
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
What does “imminent” mean?
Many believe that the rapture will be an imminent event, meaning that it can happen at any moment at any time and with no preceding signs. Obviously, to be consistent, this would have had to be the case right through church history.
I reject the teaching of imminence for two main scriptural reasons. There are many other reasons as well. This belief as with others in error, have knock-on effect to other doctrines.
Many who teach this are very sound in other areas, so don’t write them all off because of one disagreement. It is not a salvation issue anyway. But there is a wonderful truth in the middle of it all.
So many people are so keen to get out of here - Me too! I wish the rapture was yesterday, but we must not lose heart or be discouraged in our wait. Any delay is a golden opportunity to further establish our hearts and the kingdom of God and to preach the good news of his coming.
James 5:8 “You also must be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Many Bible teachers, including myself believe that the rapture will take place on the Feast of Trumpets. This one, a few days ago, went by uneventfully. The next is 18th and 19th September, next year. Can the rapture happen before then? Yes, but it’s not very likely.
Is the rapture a sign-less, any-time event? There are dozens of signs!
There are a great many signs for Israel and the coming tribulation. (1 Corinthians 1:22)
Isaiah 8:18 “...We are for signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord.”
So, if the rapture ends the church age and sees the beginning of the tribulation period, then obviously all the signs relating to the coming tribulation, Israel’s salvation and call would all point to the rapture of the church occurring just prior to these events.
So, the signs for Israel are in fact signs pointing to the timing of the rapture, because they happen so close to each other.
Here are just a few of the signs for Israel that have reference to timing:
Isaiah 66:19 “I will set a sign among them (Jews)...they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”
Zechariah 3:9 “...I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”
The removal of the veil of blindness on Jewish eyes is a sign. Their national salvation in one day, is a sign, which has a double reference to their spiritual salvation. (Isaiah 66:8)
All the war and rumours of wars and tribulation forerunners are signs for Israel, but relate to the rapture in that the rapture comes right at the start of these events.
Isaiah 7:13-14 “Hear now O house of David...The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.”
Amazingly, this verse above is actually written thousands of years ago to the Jews and they can’t see Yeshua right there! But they will – very soon. Out of their ancient writings, their Messiah (our Messiah) will emerge in glory.
Plain simple language:
The doctrine of imminence is built primarily on the verses that say “No one knows the day or hour.”
Matthew 24:36-37 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only, but as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 25:13 (10 virgins) “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These verses above speak of the unknown “day and hour.” Plain logic says that is a very short, defined, exact time. It is not a week, month, or year. It is a precise day and hour. So to extrapolate from that the fact that no one knows the time, shows a misunderstanding of plain language!
Now, here is something shocking for those with imminence cast in stone:
Matthew’s account is not even speaking primarily of a day and hour. The primary subject is the events of the day and hour. (“Of this day...”) Also it is the Second Advent that is likened to the “days of Noah.”
Some teachers claim that no one will know the broader time, based on the verse below:
Acts 1:6-7 “When they (disciples) had come together, they asked Him saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His authority.”
This verse is our Lord speaking to his disciples back then, saying that it is not for them (back then) to know the times or seasons. You can’t apply that generally to today, because it would contradict the many verses in which we are told to watch, pray, be ready, and to know the times and seasons. (1 Thessalonians 5:1, Matthew 24:33, Jeremiah 8:7, 1 Chronicles 12:32, Habakkuk 2:3.)
Luke 12:40 “You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The rapture and the Feast of Trumpets:
The Feasts of the Lord are of major importance. The Catholic church has removed them from the church. God miraculously plotted the major peaks of prophecy and world history in these seven feasts. They are not to be changed, removed or have the order changed.
“God does things decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
The major events of world history are plotted in the feasts from the Passover to the cross to the grave, to the resurrection and to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the church age, to the end of the church age and tribulation period and to the great wrath of God and finally to the Second Coming and the Millennium.
Each of these events has a foreshadowing in the feasts of the Lord.
Right now we are close to the transition period between the church age and the tribulation. The Feast of Trumpets is the next in order to have a prophetic fulfilment.
t is impossible that the fulfilment pattern will not continue in the same manner until all are complete.
Imminence refuted in history:
As we go back in time, we see that there are many events that the Bible speaks of that must be in place before the rapture. If imminence does not fit historically, it can’t work now either.
Here are just a few of the factors that make an imminent rapture impossible:
The completion of the great commission must come first. The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews and their regathering must come first. Birth pangs must come first. The antichrist must be revealed first.
By the way, there are those who say that the antichrist will only be revealed once the tribulation begins. No sir, he is revealed “first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Okay, I concede, it will be a very short “first” – maybe a few minutes!
The point is that we will see him coming, in the form of Daniel 9:27 peace treaty.
I don’t buy the argument that imminence creates holiness or being ready on its own. For me knowing a possible time is the most exciting thing ever! I don’t think we can possibly go beyond another year! (Hebrew year)
Do we have to wait until the next Feast of Trumpets?
There is a possibility that our calendar dates are out, and we are simply wrong. If not we wait. I tell you this – we are headed for some extremely, exceptionally, exciting and dramatic times!
Stay tuned. Be careful of the new flood of false teachers. Be ready and be holy and watch for the glory of his coming!
✡† Shalom...Joel.
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
I also believe that the rapture will happen during the Feast of Trumpets which means we have a whole year to bring the gospel of the good news to those who need to come to God to be saved.
Israel must establish herself as a world power by completing Isaiah 17:1, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” She is praised in scripture as a nation who has an exceedingly great army. The IDF in the days to come will take back the promised land from the nations that falsely lay claim to it. It is the Psalm 83 War that puts an end to its Arab claims and does to Iran what Iran wants to do to Israel. Read of it here:
Psalm 83 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 83
O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Shabbat Shalom to all!
An Imminent Rapture Refuted
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
What does “imminent” mean?
Many believe that the rapture will be an imminent event, meaning that it can happen at any moment at any time and with no preceding signs. Obviously, to be consistent, this would have had to be the case right through church history.
I reject the teaching of imminence for two main scriptural reasons. There are many other reasons as well. This belief as with others in error, have knock-on effect to other doctrines.
Many who teach this are very sound in other areas, so don’t write them all off because of one disagreement. It is not a salvation issue anyway. But there is a wonderful truth in the middle of it all.
So many people are so keen to get out of here - Me too! I wish the rapture was yesterday, but we must not lose heart or be discouraged in our wait. Any delay is a golden opportunity to further establish our hearts and the kingdom of God and to preach the good news of his coming.
James 5:8 “You also must be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Many Bible teachers, including myself believe that the rapture will take place on the Feast of Trumpets. This one, a few days ago, went by uneventfully. The next is 18th and 19th September, next year. Can the rapture happen before then? Yes, but it’s not very likely.
Is the rapture a sign-less, any-time event? There are dozens of signs!
There are a great many signs for Israel and the coming tribulation. (1 Corinthians 1:22)
Isaiah 8:18 “...We are for signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord.”
So, if the rapture ends the church age and sees the beginning of the tribulation period, then obviously all the signs relating to the coming tribulation, Israel’s salvation and call would all point to the rapture of the church occurring just prior to these events.
So, the signs for Israel are in fact signs pointing to the timing of the rapture, because they happen so close to each other.
Here are just a few of the signs for Israel that have reference to timing:
Isaiah 66:19 “I will set a sign among them (Jews)...they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”
Zechariah 3:9 “...I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”
The removal of the veil of blindness on Jewish eyes is a sign. Their national salvation in one day, is a sign, which has a double reference to their spiritual salvation. (Isaiah 66:8)
All the war and rumours of wars and tribulation forerunners are signs for Israel, but relate to the rapture in that the rapture comes right at the start of these events.
Isaiah 7:13-14 “Hear now O house of David...The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.”
Amazingly, this verse above is actually written thousands of years ago to the Jews and they can’t see Yeshua right there! But they will – very soon. Out of their ancient writings, their Messiah (our Messiah) will emerge in glory.
Plain simple language:
The doctrine of imminence is built primarily on the verses that say “No one knows the day or hour.”
Matthew 24:36-37 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only, but as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 25:13 (10 virgins) “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These verses above speak of the unknown “day and hour.” Plain logic says that is a very short, defined, exact time. It is not a week, month, or year. It is a precise day and hour. So to extrapolate from that the fact that no one knows the time, shows a misunderstanding of plain language!
Now, here is something shocking for those with imminence cast in stone:
Matthew’s account is not even speaking primarily of a day and hour. The primary subject is the events of the day and hour. (“Of this day...”) Also it is the Second Advent that is likened to the “days of Noah.”
Some teachers claim that no one will know the broader time, based on the verse below:
Acts 1:6-7 “When they (disciples) had come together, they asked Him saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His authority.”
This verse is our Lord speaking to his disciples back then, saying that it is not for them (back then) to know the times or seasons. You can’t apply that generally to today, because it would contradict the many verses in which we are told to watch, pray, be ready, and to know the times and seasons. (1 Thessalonians 5:1, Matthew 24:33, Jeremiah 8:7, 1 Chronicles 12:32, Habakkuk 2:3.)
Luke 12:40 “You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The rapture and the Feast of Trumpets:
The Feasts of the Lord are of major importance. The Catholic church has removed them from the church. God miraculously plotted the major peaks of prophecy and world history in these seven feasts. They are not to be changed, removed or have the order changed.
“God does things decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
The major events of world history are plotted in the feasts from the Passover to the cross to the grave, to the resurrection and to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the church age, to the end of the church age and tribulation period and to the great wrath of God and finally to the Second Coming and the Millennium.
Each of these events has a foreshadowing in the feasts of the Lord.
Right now we are close to the transition period between the church age and the tribulation. The Feast of Trumpets is the next in order to have a prophetic fulfilment.
t is impossible that the fulfilment pattern will not continue in the same manner until all are complete.
Imminence refuted in history:
As we go back in time, we see that there are many events that the Bible speaks of that must be in place before the rapture. If imminence does not fit historically, it can’t work now either.
Here are just a few of the factors that make an imminent rapture impossible:
The completion of the great commission must come first. The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews and their regathering must come first. Birth pangs must come first. The antichrist must be revealed first.
By the way, there are those who say that the antichrist will only be revealed once the tribulation begins. No sir, he is revealed “first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Okay, I concede, it will be a very short “first” – maybe a few minutes!
The point is that we will see him coming, in the form of Daniel 9:27 peace treaty.
I don’t buy the argument that imminence creates holiness or being ready on its own. For me knowing a possible time is the most exciting thing ever! I don’t think we can possibly go beyond another year! (Hebrew year)
Do we have to wait until the next Feast of Trumpets?
There is a possibility that our calendar dates are out, and we are simply wrong. If not we wait. I tell you this – we are headed for some extremely, exceptionally, exciting and dramatic times!
Stay tuned. Be careful of the new flood of false teachers. Be ready and be holy and watch for the glory of his coming!
✡† Shalom...Joel.
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
I also believe that the rapture will happen during the Feast of Trumpets which means we have a whole year to bring the gospel of the good news to those who need to come to God to be saved.
Israel must establish herself as a world power by completing Isaiah 17:1, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” She is praised in scripture as a nation who has an exceedingly great army. The IDF in the days to come will take back the promised land from the nations that falsely lay claim to it. It is the Psalm 83 War that puts an end to its Arab claims and does to Iran what Iran wants to do to Israel. Read of it here:
Psalm 83 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 83
O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Oct 10, 2019 12:27:49 #
[quote=ziggy88]4th October 2019
Shabbat Shalom to all!
An Imminent Rapture Refuted
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
What does “imminent” mean?
Many believe that the rapture will be an imminent event, meaning that it can happen at any moment at any time and with no preceding signs. Obviously, to be consistent, this would have had to be the case right through church history.
I reject the teaching of imminence for two main scriptural reasons. There are many other reasons as well. This belief as with others in error, have knock-on effect to other doctrines.
Many who teach this are very sound in other areas, so don’t write them all off because of one disagreement. It is not a salvation issue anyway. But there is a wonderful truth in the middle of it all.
So many people are so keen to get out of here - Me too! I wish the rapture was yesterday, but we must not lose heart or be discouraged in our wait. Any delay is a golden opportunity to further establish our hearts and the kingdom of God and to preach the good news of his coming.
James 5:8 “You also must be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Many Bible teachers, including myself believe that the rapture will take place on the Feast of Trumpets. This one, a few days ago, went by uneventfully. The next is 18th and 19th September, next year. Can the rapture happen before then? Yes, but it’s not very likely.
Is the rapture a sign-less, any-time event? There are dozens of signs!
There are a great many signs for Israel and the coming tribulation. (1 Corinthians 1:22)
Isaiah 8:18 “...We are for signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord.”
So, if the rapture ends the church age and sees the beginning of the tribulation period, then obviously all the signs relating to the coming tribulation, Israel’s salvation and call would all point to the rapture of the church occurring just prior to these events.
So, the signs for Israel are in fact signs pointing to the timing of the rapture, because they happen so close to each other.
Here are just a few of the signs for Israel that have reference to timing:
Isaiah 66:19 “I will set a sign among them (Jews)...they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”
Zechariah 3:9 “...I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”
The removal of the veil of blindness on Jewish eyes is a sign. Their national salvation in one day, is a sign, which has a double reference to their spiritual salvation. (Isaiah 66:8)
All the war and rumours of wars and tribulation forerunners are signs for Israel, but relate to the rapture in that the rapture comes right at the start of these events.
Isaiah 7:13-14 “Hear now O house of David...The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.”
Amazingly, this verse above is actually written thousands of years ago to the Jews and they can’t see Yeshua right there! But they will – very soon. Out of their ancient writings, their Messiah (our Messiah) will emerge in glory.
Plain simple language:
The doctrine of imminence is built primarily on the verses that say “No one knows the day or hour.”
Matthew 24:36-37 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only, but as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 25:13 (10 virgins) “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These verses above speak of the unknown “day and hour.” Plain logic says that is a very short, defined, exact time. It is not a week, month, or year. It is a precise day and hour. So to extrapolate from that the fact that no one knows the time, shows a misunderstanding of plain language!
Now, here is something shocking for those with imminence cast in stone:
Matthew’s account is not even speaking primarily of a day and hour. The primary subject is the events of the day and hour. (“Of this day...”) Also it is the Second Advent that is likened to the “days of Noah.”
Some teachers claim that no one will know the broader time, based on the verse below:
Acts 1:6-7 “When they (disciples) had come together, they asked Him saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His authority.”
This verse is our Lord speaking to his disciples back then, saying that it is not for them (back then) to know the times or seasons. You can’t apply that generally to today, because it would contradict the many verses in which we are told to watch, pray, be ready, and to know the times and seasons. (1 Thessalonians 5:1, Matthew 24:33, Jeremiah 8:7, 1 Chronicles 12:32, Habakkuk 2:3.)
Luke 12:40 “You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The rapture and the Feast of Trumpets:
The Feasts of the Lord are of major importance. The Catholic church has removed them from the church. God miraculously plotted the major peaks of prophecy and world history in these seven feasts. They are not to be changed, removed or have the order changed.
“God does things decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
The major events of world history are plotted in the feasts from the Passover to the cross to the grave, to the resurrection and to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the church age, to the end of the church age and tribulation period and to the great wrath of God and finally to the Second Coming and the Millennium.
Each of these events has a foreshadowing in the feasts of the Lord.
Right now we are close to the transition period between the church age and the tribulation. The Feast of Trumpets is the next in order to have a prophetic fulfilment.
t is impossible that the fulfilment pattern will not continue in the same manner until all are complete.
Imminence refuted in history:
As we go back in time, we see that there are many events that the Bible speaks of that must be in place before the rapture. If imminence does not fit historically, it can’t work now either.
Here are just a few of the factors that make an imminent rapture impossible:
The completion of the great commission must come first. The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews and their regathering must come first. Birth pangs must come first. The antichrist must be revealed first.
By the way, there are those who say that the antichrist will only be revealed once the tribulation begins. No sir, he is revealed “first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Okay, I concede, it will be a very short “first” – maybe a few minutes!
The point is that we will see him coming, in the form of Daniel 9:27 peace treaty.
I don’t buy the argument that imminence creates holiness or being ready on its own. For me knowing a possible time is the most exciting thing ever! I don’t think we can possibly go beyond another year! (Hebrew year)
Do we have to wait until the next Feast of Trumpets?
There is a possibility that our calendar dates are out, and we are simply wrong. If not we wait. I tell you this – we are headed for some extremely, exceptionally, exciting and dramatic times!
Stay tuned. Be careful of the new flood of false teachers. Be ready and be holy and watch for the glory of his coming!
✡† Shalom...Joel.
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
I also believe that the rapture will happen during the Feast of Trumpets which means we have a whole year to bring the gospel of the good news to those who need to come to God to be saved.
Israel must establish herself as a world power by completing Isaiah 17:1, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” She is praised in scripture as a nation who has an exceedingly great army. The IDF in the days to come will take back the promised land from the nations that falsely lay claim to it. It is the Psalm 83 War that puts an end to its Arab claims and does to Iran what Iran wants to do to Israel. Read of it here:
Psalm 83 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 83
O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.[/quote]
Amen and Amen thank you for that article there ziggy88 we all look forward to the rapture and wait for the Lords return.
Shabbat Shalom to all!
An Imminent Rapture Refuted
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
What does “imminent” mean?
Many believe that the rapture will be an imminent event, meaning that it can happen at any moment at any time and with no preceding signs. Obviously, to be consistent, this would have had to be the case right through church history.
I reject the teaching of imminence for two main scriptural reasons. There are many other reasons as well. This belief as with others in error, have knock-on effect to other doctrines.
Many who teach this are very sound in other areas, so don’t write them all off because of one disagreement. It is not a salvation issue anyway. But there is a wonderful truth in the middle of it all.
So many people are so keen to get out of here - Me too! I wish the rapture was yesterday, but we must not lose heart or be discouraged in our wait. Any delay is a golden opportunity to further establish our hearts and the kingdom of God and to preach the good news of his coming.
James 5:8 “You also must be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Many Bible teachers, including myself believe that the rapture will take place on the Feast of Trumpets. This one, a few days ago, went by uneventfully. The next is 18th and 19th September, next year. Can the rapture happen before then? Yes, but it’s not very likely.
Is the rapture a sign-less, any-time event? There are dozens of signs!
There are a great many signs for Israel and the coming tribulation. (1 Corinthians 1:22)
Isaiah 8:18 “...We are for signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord.”
So, if the rapture ends the church age and sees the beginning of the tribulation period, then obviously all the signs relating to the coming tribulation, Israel’s salvation and call would all point to the rapture of the church occurring just prior to these events.
So, the signs for Israel are in fact signs pointing to the timing of the rapture, because they happen so close to each other.
Here are just a few of the signs for Israel that have reference to timing:
Isaiah 66:19 “I will set a sign among them (Jews)...they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”
Zechariah 3:9 “...I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”
The removal of the veil of blindness on Jewish eyes is a sign. Their national salvation in one day, is a sign, which has a double reference to their spiritual salvation. (Isaiah 66:8)
All the war and rumours of wars and tribulation forerunners are signs for Israel, but relate to the rapture in that the rapture comes right at the start of these events.
Isaiah 7:13-14 “Hear now O house of David...The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.”
Amazingly, this verse above is actually written thousands of years ago to the Jews and they can’t see Yeshua right there! But they will – very soon. Out of their ancient writings, their Messiah (our Messiah) will emerge in glory.
Plain simple language:
The doctrine of imminence is built primarily on the verses that say “No one knows the day or hour.”
Matthew 24:36-37 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only, but as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 25:13 (10 virgins) “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These verses above speak of the unknown “day and hour.” Plain logic says that is a very short, defined, exact time. It is not a week, month, or year. It is a precise day and hour. So to extrapolate from that the fact that no one knows the time, shows a misunderstanding of plain language!
Now, here is something shocking for those with imminence cast in stone:
Matthew’s account is not even speaking primarily of a day and hour. The primary subject is the events of the day and hour. (“Of this day...”) Also it is the Second Advent that is likened to the “days of Noah.”
Some teachers claim that no one will know the broader time, based on the verse below:
Acts 1:6-7 “When they (disciples) had come together, they asked Him saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His authority.”
This verse is our Lord speaking to his disciples back then, saying that it is not for them (back then) to know the times or seasons. You can’t apply that generally to today, because it would contradict the many verses in which we are told to watch, pray, be ready, and to know the times and seasons. (1 Thessalonians 5:1, Matthew 24:33, Jeremiah 8:7, 1 Chronicles 12:32, Habakkuk 2:3.)
Luke 12:40 “You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The rapture and the Feast of Trumpets:
The Feasts of the Lord are of major importance. The Catholic church has removed them from the church. God miraculously plotted the major peaks of prophecy and world history in these seven feasts. They are not to be changed, removed or have the order changed.
“God does things decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
The major events of world history are plotted in the feasts from the Passover to the cross to the grave, to the resurrection and to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the church age, to the end of the church age and tribulation period and to the great wrath of God and finally to the Second Coming and the Millennium.
Each of these events has a foreshadowing in the feasts of the Lord.
Right now we are close to the transition period between the church age and the tribulation. The Feast of Trumpets is the next in order to have a prophetic fulfilment.
t is impossible that the fulfilment pattern will not continue in the same manner until all are complete.
Imminence refuted in history:
As we go back in time, we see that there are many events that the Bible speaks of that must be in place before the rapture. If imminence does not fit historically, it can’t work now either.
Here are just a few of the factors that make an imminent rapture impossible:
The completion of the great commission must come first. The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews and their regathering must come first. Birth pangs must come first. The antichrist must be revealed first.
By the way, there are those who say that the antichrist will only be revealed once the tribulation begins. No sir, he is revealed “first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Okay, I concede, it will be a very short “first” – maybe a few minutes!
The point is that we will see him coming, in the form of Daniel 9:27 peace treaty.
I don’t buy the argument that imminence creates holiness or being ready on its own. For me knowing a possible time is the most exciting thing ever! I don’t think we can possibly go beyond another year! (Hebrew year)
Do we have to wait until the next Feast of Trumpets?
There is a possibility that our calendar dates are out, and we are simply wrong. If not we wait. I tell you this – we are headed for some extremely, exceptionally, exciting and dramatic times!
Stay tuned. Be careful of the new flood of false teachers. Be ready and be holy and watch for the glory of his coming!
✡† Shalom...Joel.
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
I also believe that the rapture will happen during the Feast of Trumpets which means we have a whole year to bring the gospel of the good news to those who need to come to God to be saved.
Israel must establish herself as a world power by completing Isaiah 17:1, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” She is praised in scripture as a nation who has an exceedingly great army. The IDF in the days to come will take back the promised land from the nations that falsely lay claim to it. It is the Psalm 83 War that puts an end to its Arab claims and does to Iran what Iran wants to do to Israel. Read of it here:
Psalm 83 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 83
O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.[/quote]
Amen and Amen thank you for that article there ziggy88 we all look forward to the rapture and wait for the Lords return.
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