rapture – Page 12

dubai, end of days. prophecy, end time, rapture, the world, tower of babel

Dubai unfinished development sinks back into the sea

Posted on January 25, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Note: the headline is all theirs.

The end of The World: Dubai island development sinks back into sea after being scuppered by financial crisis

It exemplified the booming property market and ambition of Dubai’s entrepreneurs. But after the global financial crisis led to the collapse of the emirate’s home-building market, a unique development known as ‘The World’ is reportedly facing Armageddon. The project, a man-made archipelago designed to resemble a map of the planet, is facing disaster as its islands have begun sinking, a tribunal heard this week. The development, which sits a mile and a half from the mainland, is all but vacant after investors who bought up its ‘nations’ saw their finances collapse after the economic crash.

The end of The World: A near-empty property development in Dubai is sinking

A company that ferries people to the islands is now seeking to withdraw from its contract with Nakheel, developers of The World, due to a lack of business and the erosion of the islands’ sands. Richard Wilmot-Smith QC, a British lawyer for Penguin Marine, told a property tribunal the islands are ‘gradually falling back into the sea’. He added there was evidence of the ‘erosion and deterioration of The World islands’. Only one of the ‘nations’ – Greenland is inhabited currently, with Dubai’s ruler owning a show home on the island. While Nakheel deny penguin Marine’s contention that the project is ‘dead’, the firm admits The World has slipped into ‘a coma’. ‘This is a ten-year project which has slowed down,’ he told the tribunal. ‘This is a project which will be completed.’ He added Penguin would see a return on its investment.

Facing extinction? This virtual photo of the Europe section of The World shows the dream of the Dubai project, not its sad reality

That’s the price Penguin makes to stay in the game,” he said. ‘They have the potential to earn millions.’ The tribunal found for Nakheel on Thursday, with full reasoning to come later. A spokesman for Nakheel insisted the islands were not sinking. ‘Our periodical monitoring survey over the past three years didn’t observe any substantial erosion that requires sand nourishment,’ a statement said. The World has already experienced its fair share of problems, with the businessman who bought the Ireland residence committing suicide after the collapse of his company while a London businessman who paid £43million for the Britain island was jailed for seven years last year for bouncing cheques. The claims of the erosion of The World comes as a Reuters poll showed Dubai’s house prices are set to fall by another 10 per cent over the next two years. Property prices in the emirate have fallen 58 per cent from their peak in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Here is an interesting promo video for The World:

The World islands are next door to the more famous man-made palm looking islands:

Kind of reminds me of the sudden halt of the Tower of Babel.

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animal deaths, end of days. prophecy, end time, rapture

More animal die-offs; Pelicans, seals, cows. They’re getting bigger

Posted on January 19, 2011 by elizabethprata

Pelicans turn up sick, dead off Jacksonville FL coast
Hundreds of Eastern brown pelicans, some with missing wings and frostbite, have been injured or killed in the St. Johns River the past couple of weeks in the Mayport area. The exact reason is unknown but the cold weather could have caused hypothermia when the birds landed in the water.

Yankton (S. Dakota) sees bird kill-off
It is estimated that more than 200 dead starlings were found in downtown Yankton Monday. However, it is not believed the deaths pose a threat to humans. Yankton Animal Control Officer Lisa Brasel estimated that she collected 200 starlings Monday, and employees of the city Parks and Recreation Department were also on the scene picking up deceased birds. The total number of corpses gathered up by city employees has not yet been compiled. “I talked to one of the local vets, and they said there is nothing wrong (with the birds),” said Brasel, who took specimens to a veterinary office.

200 dead cows found on farm in Stockton
“The Portage County Humane Society is trying to figure out what caused 200 cows in the town of Stockton to perish. Deputies were dispatched to the town just after 1 p.m. on Friday after they were notified of numerous dead cows lying in a field in the 8000 block of Fourth Avenue, according to a Portage County Sheriff’s Department news release.”

Hundreds of dead seals in Labrador Canada
People on the north coast of Labrador say scores of dead seals have been washing ashore since early December. A conservation officer with the area’s Inuit government estimated late last week that hundreds of adult and young seals have died in the area between Hopedale and Makkovik this winter. At the time, a federal seal researcher said the early birth of seal pups in Labrador may be an indication the area’s seal population has grown too large. DFO researcher Garry Stenson said that seal population growth could lead to reproductive problems.

Whether the causes are supernatural or natural why are we surprised when the earth and its animals turn up dead and dying? We use the highly toxic chemical corexit, we spray chemtrails to rain down acid rain, we pollute the waters, we exhaust the water table, we fracture the earth in pursuit of natural gas (fracking). How did we get this way? Well, it wasn’t always like this, but it didn’t take long for things to turn bad.

All of creation groans under the curse. The curse is the curse God laid on the man, the woman, the serpent and all of creation when sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. Eve, then Adam, ate of the fruit God said not to eat, thanks to the serpent’s influence and goading. Disobedience against God is a crime against God and He will always judge it. His justice then included a curse, and among the things cursed was all of creation.

Up until that time, Adam and Eve existed peacefully with all the animals. Adam named them, each one. The garden was perfect, His creation earth was “Good.” God gave man dominion over the animals to rule gently (Gen 2:15; 19-20). Adam and Eve’s physical life was undemanding, the rain/dew simply sprung up from the ground to water everything. There were no thunderstorms, washouts, or floods. There was no toil. The work was easy, we know this because when God cursed Adam and Eve He said Adam’s work will now be hard, “by the sweat of his brow.” (Gen 3:19)

Animals were gentle and non-carnivorous. After the curse, though, they became useful to man for food and clothing. We know this because the first death in recorded history was not Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. It was an animal. In Genesis 3:21 it is said “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” In order for there to be skins, there had to have been an animal it came from.

Is it any wonder that all creation groaneth? Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Sin has effects. Whether the strange animal deaths are supernatural from God or natural because of man’s abuse of the earth in sin, it all ends up being the same: curse.

Thankfully, He reverses the curse in the Millennium. Isaiah 11:6 says “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Until then, we will suffer the effects of our sin and we will suffer the effects of His warnings prior to judgment. Animals will continue to die, waters will continue to be polluted, the air will continue to smog. The benefits to man of the land and the sea and the waters and the animals evaporated at the curse, and it literally has been downhill ever since.

I have no doubt that we will continue to see these massive animal die-offs spring up around the world. They perplex scientists. The reasons for the die-offs have variously included fireworks, stress, trauma, disorientation, overeating, failure to migrate, the cold, the heat, mass suicide, virus, no explanation, poison, and reproductive anomalies. No scientist has proposed the most likely reason for this happening: GOD. Soon, He says, “I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” (Zephaniah 1:3.) By then it will be too late for many people. Do not let it be too late for you. You see where this is going, He told us the end of the story. It will ALL be wiped away. From where we are now it won’t get any better, only worse. Accept Jesus as your savior for your sins now, repent of them and ask Him to be your Lord. He will do it, and then you will never be wiped away, but you will be one of His children. You will see Him reverse the curse, and restore the earth.
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bird kill, end time, prophecy, rapture

Fear not, The Lord’s work is always good!

Posted on January 7, 2011 by elizabethprata

Birds and fish are dying by the hundreds, thousands, and hundreds of thousands at Chile, Bolivia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Louisiana, the UK, Sweden, Canada, China and other places, and suddenly the ‘end of days’ folks don’t seem so crazy. I mentioned in my previous post that my blog page hit numbers burst into the stratosphere since originally posting the first known fish and bird death events early in the week. The same is true for many other prophecy sites, and the end of days discussions on news article comment sections has also exploded. Wondering of these really are the end of days is a question on many peoples’ minds, and this is good.

Recent news of this ilk (meaning, today or yesterday!) includes ‘40,000 crabs washing up on England’s beaches, ‘doctors stumped as to sudden uptick in NY flu cases‘, ‘National emergency declared in Latvia‘,’2M dead fish in MD‘, ‘Hundreds of dead birds found in KY‘ (this is the second KY bird-kill story this week), and ‘Canadian river turns neon green-experts puzzled‘, and one truly must wonder what is going on. How can one not? Experts, of course, discount the end time link, but people know that the times in which we are living are not normal. Other people go the opposite direction, saying that there have always been fish kills, birds dropping dead to the ground, influenza, and crippling blizzards. Still others simply rely in the intellectually barren but emotionally satisfying mocking and scoffing.

So what IS going on? God is good, that’s what. Far from being scared of these times, far from being nervous or even perturbed, I exult. Not in the hardship of people (including me) but in the work of the LORD! He is working in the world: to warn of of our sin, to alert us to His presence, to give us opportunities to reconcile with Him. He is a great God, willing to delay the time when He will judge all flesh. However, He is holy, meaning that He WILL do it. Are you ready?

The “Me Generation” is completely unwilling to look inward and understand that there are consequences to their actions. Nothing makes this generation squirm more than someone telling them that they will be judged (and found wanting). God is Holy- a notion that completely escapes their understanding or even their ability to contemplate. He gave us 2000 years to come to understanding of our sin relative to His Holiness through the love and sacrifice of His Son, and will again give an additional 7 years worth of judgments that are also designed to demonstrate His power and His anger with sinners. Believers are welcomed into the Kingdom in both these ages (and of course during the Old Testament times… and prior). Each event that occurs makes me fear and love the Lord more. His word is true! It is alive, real, and evident in His works each day in this unique time of the universe. He is creative, patient, holy, perfect in justice. I take comfort in that. I am looking forward to seeing Him. But until then, I see His work in the world. It is good.

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dead birds, end time, end time. prophecy, rapture

Flock of dead birds found in TN; pole shift is happening

Posted on January 6, 2011 by elizabethprata

In addition to dead bird kills discovered in central Sweden and northern Italy (and in addition to Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana), today some were found in Tennessee.

Flock of dead birds found in TN
“Now, more that 100 dead birds were recently found in Wilson County, causing the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to investigate. A resident notified the agency Tuesday afternoon after he spotted dozens of dead birds along Highway 70 north in Lebanon a few days ago.“It’s kind of a strange, odd thing. It plays into some of the things that have been happening in other places,” said Lt. Jim Hooper of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TWRA officials found 120 dead blackbirds in the Spring Creek area when they investigated the situation on Wednesday.“We searched the adjoining fields and everywhere else, and there are no other birds except in this one very localized area,” said Hooper. “The birds have definitely been dead 5 or 6 days. “Over the past week, several hundred different black birds have turned up dead in at least four other states. But the question of exactly how these birds turned up dead in Lebanon could remain a mystery.”

It is well established now that something weird is happening. Not only birds are turning up dead, but fish, too. New Zealand had a fish kill this week, dead fish “as far as the eye could see” washed up. Also in Chesapeake MD, Volusia County FL, and Sarnia Ontario. So the question is, are there scientific or biblical explanations for these? First the scientific.

On Dec 24, 2010, Scientific American asked “Why is the north magnetic pole racing toward Siberia?”
“The North Magnetic Pole (NMP) drifts from year to year as geophysical processes within Earth change. For more than 150 years after Ross’s measurement its movement was gradual, generally less than 15 kilometers per year. But then, in the 1990s, it picked up speed in a big way, bolting north–northwest into the Arctic Ocean at more than 55 kilometers per year. If it keeps going it could pass the geographic north pole in a decade or so and carry on toward Siberia. But why?”

The article continues with scientific explanation as to why the MP drifts, but suffice to say, they are not really sure. And that the drift has picked up speed lately is of real perplexity to them. That the NMP is moving has real-world consequences. One is, that the “Shift of Earth’s magnetic north pole impacts Tampa airport.”

“Scientists say the magnetic north pole is moving toward Russia and the fallout has reached — of all places — Tampa International Airport. The airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to repaint the numeric designators at each end and change taxiway signage to account for the shift in location of the Earth’s magnetic north. The Federal Aviation Administration required the runway designation change to account for what a National Geographic News report described as a gradual shift of the Earth’s magnetic pole at nearly 40 miles a year toward Russia because of magnetic changes in the core of the planet.”

Did you know, “Birds can ‘see’ the Earth’s magnetic field“
“It has been debated for nearly four decades but no one has yet been able to prove it is chemically possible. Now good evidence suggests that birds can actually “see” the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. Klaus Schulten of the University of Illinois, proposed forty years ago that some animals – including migratory birds – must have molecules in their eyes or brains which respond to magnetism. The problem has been that no one has been able to find a chemical sensitive enough to be influenced by Earth’s weak geomagnetic field.”

Birds use this magnetic field to migrate. From the same article:

“But how could this influence the direction taken by a migrating bird? Birds appear to orientate at dusk, and cryptochromes form their pair of free radicals when “activated” by the blue light typical of dusk.”

Birds use the magnetic field to navigate, the field is moving as evidenced by the NMP drift, and now birds are dying, Are the two items related? Seems like they could be.

A biblical response comes from Zephaniah and Hosea. In Hosea 4:3 in advance of a judgment the LORD would soon render, He promised that therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, And also the fish of the sea disappear.” So there is precedent for God taking away what was previously for man’s benefit, including the birds and fish. In Zephaniah 1:2 He said, “I will completely remove all things From the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will remove man and beast, I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea,”. Again we see His warning that He will remove fish and bird in advance of a judgment.

This is a strange time. It is almost judgment time. Perhaps Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 9:12

“Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.”

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arkansas fish kill, dead birds fall to ground, end time. prophecy, rapture

Hundreds of snapper wash up on NZ beaches: "carpet of dead fish as far as the eye can see" UPDATED: fish kill in FL

Posted on January 5, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

UPDATE! Fish Kill in FL, thousands. More below.
UPDATE TO UPDATE: Millions of dead fish in MD. more below
UPDATE YET AGAIN, tons of fish die in Brazil. More below, where I’m running out of room!

It is being reported: “Hundreds of dead snapper have washed up on Coromandel beaches, leaving holidaymakers perplexed. People at Little Bay and Waikawau Bay, on the north-east of the peninsula, were stunned when children came out of the sea with armfuls of the fish and within minutes the shore was littered with them. Charlotte Pearsall, whose family have lived at Little Bay for the last 30 years, said she had never seen anything like it. ”It was so surreal,” she said. ”It’s such an incredible waste – it could’ve fed the whole northern tip of the Coromandel.” People with binoculars said the snapper stretched as far as they could see and boaties reported ”a carpet of floating fish further out to sea all along the coast”. ”We initially thought ‘woohoo a free feed’ but they had really cloudy eyes and you could see the birds had been at them. Some of them had no eyes,” Pearsall said. Her parents called the Department of Conservation and were told it was most likely the fish had starved due to weather conditions, but Pearsall did not think that was the case as many of the fish looked big and healthy. The Fisheries Ministry are currently investigating the situation and said they could not yet say what the cause was.

An exhortation to believers

Posted on November 6, 2010 by elizabethprata

Praise the Holy Spirit, our Guide, and our Teacher! I have been thinking and praying and appealing to the Spirit this morning. I believe the rapture is VERY near. Whether you think near means tomorrow or next year, either way, compared to the past 2000 years since the Church began, or 6000 years when God first told Eve of a coming Redeemer (Gen 3:15-16), a few days or weeks or months is near.

We spend at least 8 hours a day at work (hopefully). Dividing our 24 hour day into three parts, then that means there is a one-in-three chance that the rapture will happen while we are at a workplace. Undoubtedly there are people at your work who do not believe in Jesus, or who believe wrongly. Perhaps there are Mormons or New Age pagans or Muslims who work with you. Imagine what it will be like after the rapture, especially if you work in a primary school as I do. It is my belief that the children will go, along with true believers. Suddenly the place will be deathly and eerily quiet. Or the opposite of a deathly quiet will occur, cacophony of noises as machines veer crazily out of control. Your machines at the shop will halt, the cash register ceases, the forklifts crash.

What then? What will the people left behind think? Where are they to turn? THE BIBLE.

Here is an idea: if you purchase a bible or two and write a short, loving letter to tuck inside it. Mark certain passages within it that will show the left-behind person what has happened and what to do next. Give it to them. Time is of the essence, because soon after the rapture (and we don’t know how long, an hour, a year?) the lie will take root. The Lord will harden their heart (2 Thess 2:11; Jn. 12:40; Rom. 9:18). Perhaps mark out John 3:1-16, Nicodemus’ conversation with God, sparked by his question “how can one be born again?” Or Acts 16:16-31 sparked by the jailer’s question to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Certainly Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse) so they have a roadmap of what will soon happen, and 1 Thess 4:13-18 the rapture passages in context, and Rev 6, the first judgments. Pray to the Spirit as to what verse to highlight, and whom to offer this Word.

I know it will be uncomfortable conversation. It is not easy to approach an unbeliever and talk of heavenly things, salvation and judgment. But if you are loving and warm, you work with them every day after all, ask them just to hear you out and keep the bible just in case, (“What harm can it do? Indulge me” you could entreat). The Spirit will being these things to mind at the time they need it. Have that conversation, so that the Spirit will cause remembrance upon the person in the time immediately after the rapture. These people will need somewhere to turn to discover what has happened. If they get safely to a tv, then all they will hear is lies. If they have a bible nearby with a highlighted roadmap pointing to Jesus, then they have a better chance of finding the cross.

Will you do it? Don’t delay.

cult, end time, prophecy, rapture, reyna marisol chicas

On the CA ‘breakaway religious sect’ waiting for the Rapture

Posted on September 19, 2010 by elizabethprata

Some major news this weekend was of the authorities’ frantic search for 13 people who left behind letters indicating were going to seclude themselves somewhere and wait for the Rapture.

“Authorities in southern California searched a wide area early today after a breakaway religious sect of 13 people left behind letters indicating they were awaiting an apocalyptic event and would soon see Jesus and their dead relatives in heaven.Authorities in southern California searched a wide area early today after a breakaway religious sect of 13 people left behind letters indicating they were awaiting an apocalyptic event and would soon see Jesus and their dead relatives in heaven. … The group left behind mobile phones, ID, property deeds and letters indicating they were awaiting “the Rapture”. “

Actions like these bring up remembrances of horrific endings to previous cults where the leaders had taken people to secluded places and then they all committed suicide. Charismatic religious leader Jim Jones led his people down to Guyana and in the worst mass suicide in the world, 900 people drank cyanide laced Kool-Aid. It was the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the events of September 11, 2001, and one where the only Congressman died in the line of duty. Jones had been a Methodist, even becoming a student pastor. Eventually Jones started his own church, naming it Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel. In later biographies, Jones was said to be “obsessed with religion.”

David Koresh by the age of 11, he had memorized the entire New Testament, and claimed to have become a born-again Christian in the Southern Baptist Church. He soon joined his mother’s church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Somewhere he off the rails, eventually believing himself to be a final prophet and buying a property, turning it into a compound called “Ranch Apocalypse.” There emerged allegations of child molestation. An apocalypse did occur there when the FBI closed in, surrounded it and there was a shoot-out and subsequent fire. 71 people died in the fire and 17 of those were underage children.

Marshall Applewhite suffered a near-death experience and after recovering, came to believe that he and his nurse, Bonnie Nettles, were “the Two”, that is, the two witnesses spoken of in Book of Revelation 11:3 in the Bible. He started a UFO cult that combined Christian doctrine (particularly the ideas of salvation and apocalypse) with the concept of evolutionary advancement and elements of science fiction, particularly travel to other worlds and dimensions. Heaven’s Gate members believed that the planet Earth was about to be recycled (wiped clean, renewed, refurbished and rejuvenated), and that the only chance to survive was to leave it immediately. His cult and 39 people perished under Applewhite’s message of deception.

So when Reyna Marisol Chicas and her group left good-bye letters, and the remaining friends and family members knew there were small children with them, they became concerned. She had been attending a ‘regular congregation‘ church and was known as devout but hardly fanatic. She was said to become increasingly religious after she separated from her husband four years ago.

I am so happy the group was found safe and that the children are unharmed. I am less than thrilled with the media depictions of Christians who focus on the full bible, including the end times events, but I can hardly blame them. Satan has done a good job perverting it and putting forward deluded people who take it to twisted ends. And of course the media will focus on these twisted ends and not the truth.

ABC News posted a tip sheet at the end of their article, ‘How cults operate‘
“What they do is convince people that life here is not any good anymore, that we’ve become inhumane or whatever the trick may be to convince people that life is not what it should be,” Garrett said. “So as a result we’re going to move on, were gonna be together in the afterlife, as this world, the material world disintegrates.”

Life on earth is not good, it is filled with sin, it is hard, and it is a race we must endure. Paul used that word more than once- in Hebrews 12:1, 1 Corinthians 4:12; and 2 Timothy 4:5. So did Peter, in 1 Peter 2:20. Life is not as it should be, and it hasn’t been since the garden. But that is not a trick, it is simply Truth. However, we can’t pull up stakes and spiritually navel-gaze while we wait for Jesus. We are His Light which shines in us, and we must do all we can do to share that Light with all who are downtrodden and lost. Acting out in cultish ways only confirms to the lost that Jesus is not for them.

I also understand that secular people think the end time events are strange and anyone who speaks of them is strange too. I mean, Revelation says there will be demon-locusts biting people who want to die but can’t, for five months. Hailstones weighing 100 pounds. Mass disappearances in a twinkling of an eye. Angels who fly around the world speaking of the Gospel. A one-world dictator who will be possessed by satan and bring destruction on us all. Yes. Those are weird things. But they are true.

What I am less than thrilled about is the conduct of the people involved in this event. Without the full fleshing out of the revealed facts yet, and there will be more as the days go on, the woman who apparently sparked the left-behind letters also left deeds to property and needed possessions. The bible tells us not to do that.

“…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). I can understand being despondent over a divorce, lonely, or adrift in a career. But we are told to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,” (Hebrews 12:2). We must endure, “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,” (Hebrews 12:12). Paul did not write that we should abandon the race, sit down on the sidelines, and wait for the end. The end will come whether we are holed up in a compound or whether we are sharing His light in the lost world by living as an example of compassion and love, and calmness and peace. The question is, when the end does come, will we be able to stand? Will He say, “Well done good and faithful servant”? Or will He say, ‘You sat down a quarter mile from the end of the race…?

end time, prophecy, rapture

What does pure wool look like?

Posted on June 21, 2010May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

As we look forward to the rapture and our instant translation from flesh to immortal (PTL!!) I read in the bible that the few times prophets were given a glimpse of the Lord in His Glory, their descriptions were similar.

Rev 1:14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

Daniel 7:9 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.

Daniel 10:6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.

Revelation 2:18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:Revelation 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself

He sounds fearsome! Glorious! I can’t wait to see Him! Meanwhile, I asked myself, “Self? What does pure wool look like, anyway?” And google helped me out.

Paul revealed the rapture about 20-30 years after Christ’s ascension.The word ‘mystery’ here means hidden, not unfathomable.

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

The last trump is not the Trumpets in the Trumpet Judgments as outlined in Revelation 8:7 to Revelation 11:15. If you’re confused about the trumpets, please read Jack Kelley’s explanation here. If you are still having doubts about whether the rapture will occur before the Tribulation (it will) please recall the incident at Sodom and Gomorrah. Many interpret the events at Sodom as a literal event and at the same time, also as a future picture of the rapture. Sodom was a city about to be judged for its grievous sins. However, the righteous are taken away, and the angel who has come to do the smiting even says in verse 22 that he cannot do anything until Lot (the righteous one) arrives safely at his destination. 2 Peter 2:6 reminds us that the smiting of Sodom was for past sins and as an example of what will happen to the ungodly. Not the ungodly and the righteous mixed together, only the ungodly. Saved believers are not ungodly but are considered righteous (Rom 4:5). As the scene opens, we see Abraham reminding the LORD of his character and nature, that He would not judge the righteous. He began his argument when he learned about the city’s upcoming judgment where his nephew Lot resides:

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham approached Him and said: “Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Gen 18:22)

Abraham began his contention at 50 righteous people, ‘would the LORD judge Sodom if 50 righteous people reside in it?’ And got down to ten. The LORD said He would not smite the city if there were 10 righteous people found inside it, and though there were fewer than 10 found, He made a provision to have those few removed before the judgments began. The character and nature of God is to stand the righteous with Him but to judge the wicked. Church-age believers are not wicked but justified and equal in His sight, our sins forgotten. (Micah 7:19) When the tribulation begins, the saved (righteous) will be away and safely residing at our destination prior to the wrath and judgment.

In a moment we will all be changed. Think on that. At one moment, you could be sitting at your computer with a cup of coffee at your hand, reading this very entry and the next, hear a trumpet and a voice and before you can blink, BE WITH JESUS! How marvelous! Before Israel was back in the land there wasn’t a possibility of being raptured yet, but now since they are, and since we are coming up on the end of the generation that saw these things come to pass…(Mt 24:34; Psalm 90:10) then…our Groom may be getting ready to collect us now. Even if it is next year or 2 years…it is still so close. We may very soon be seeing the Lord of pure white hair and eyes like lightning and and clothes as pure as the driven snow and hear His voice of a rushing tumult say to us “Welcome good and faithful servant, to this place!”

end time, pre-trib, prophecy, rapture

Pre-tribulation rapture in the Old Testament

Posted on May 25, 2010 by elizabethprata

1 Thes. 4:15, right at the beginning of the Rapture passage, verse 15 opens with the phrase “According to the Lord’s own word.” Here’s the whole rapture scenario from verse 15-18:

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Well, WHAT ‘Lord’s own word? Paul was referring to the Old Testament, because he was revealing the mystery of the rapture for the first time, and the Gospel of Matthew hadn’t been written yet, or if it had just been written was not widely disseminated yet. So Paul meant the Old Testament. It’s in Isaiah:

Isaiah 26:19-21. “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.”

More explanation here.

I didn’t make up the rapture doctrine. It’s “by the Lord’s own word!”

end time, great tribulation, prophecy, rapture

The purpose of the Tribulation

Posted on May 2, 2010 by elizabethprata

Jeremiah 30:7 shows God talking to Jeremiah, explaining that in due time, both Israel and Judah will experience trouble like the two kingdoms never had before. “How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.” He was prophesying of the time of the Jews from then until the Tribulation, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophesied seventy sevens.

Daniel 9:24-27 explains it:

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

Seventy weeks of years, or 490 years are decreed for the Jews to finish their transgression, or rebellion. Ah, but it seems that the 70 weeks is not spoken of as occurring consecutively.

“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

When Jesus died and rose again, the time of the prophetic clock paused and the 490 years was interrupted by the Church Age. The Old Covenant was suspended at 483 years upon Jesus’ death (Not forgotten! Not set aside! Simply paused) and the Church Age began. In Acts 15:13-18 James states “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.” The Church Age is the taking a people from among the Gentiles, the Gentiles are grafted into the Covenant. Galatians 3:8 confirms this is part of God’s Plan: “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” Acts 15 continues with Stephen reminding the Jews that

“‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, ” (Acts 15)

That rebuilding will take place at the outset of the Tribulation. Jerusalem is the scene of the Psalm 83 war and the Gog-Magog Battle. Though they do emerge victorious, the city does not emerge unscathed and there is rebuilding to attend to.

An interesting thing happened when Jesus died and rose, and the Church Age began. Not only did the Old Covenant pause and the New Covenant begin, but the Holy Spirit entered a new phase of His ministry. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people, and sometimes left people, but during the church age the gift of grace includes the doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved by the promise and strength of the indwelling Holy Spirit. However before the Church Age and after the Church age in the Tribulation, Jews and Gentiles alike were and are responsible for maintaining their faith through outward displays of service and obedience to the Lord through sacrifices and worship.

“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.” (Daniel 9)

The prince to come is the Antichrist.

“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” (Daniel 9)

The covenant will be confirmed for a period of seven years, resuming the last ‘week’ necessary for the Jews to finish their Transgression. That seven years is the Tribulation. It will not occur until two things happen: first as Paul revealed in Romans 11:25, the Jews have had a hardening of the heart until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. [“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”] “Full number” is a nautical term indicating the practice of by law, requiring a certain number of sailors and soldiers to man the ships, without which, they could not set sail. The hardening of the heart means that the Jews cannot and will not recognize their need for a Messiah until that hardness is lifted. And that hardness will not be lifted until the Church is lifted, literally, raptured and the last 7 years begins. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant do not mingle. At that point the prophetic clock resumes and the Old Covenant resumes as well, with the Jews suddenly clamoring for a Temple and the sacrifices allowed because their hearts are no longer hard.

And secondly, the hardness of heart won’t be lifted until the Gog-Magog battle occurs, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39. — “My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord GOD. “That is the day of which I have spoken.” God uses the Gog-Magog battle to show Israel His presence in their lives and uses His direct intervention in that battle to draw Israel back to Himself. (Ez. 39:7-8). The Jews recognition of God’s direct intervention in their lives occurs by the end of that battle. The 7-year peace treaty is signed and the Temple is immediately rebuilt. Sacrifices resume.The Church is gone by then.

So Daniel prophesied 490 years for the Jews’ full transgression. After 483 the clock stopped when Jesus died and the Church Age began. God builds up His church to a full number only He knows. It is a 2000 year pause as the Old Covenant is suspended temporarily and the New Covenant begins. (Hebrews 8:6-8; Luke 22:20). The end times are prophesied with its signs, and then when the full number of Gentiles is reached we are raptured. The Church Age is over. The end time is over. The clock starts again and the last 7 years begin: the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Tribulation is completely about Israel, and God’s conclusion of His punishment for their transgression. The Holy Spirit resumes His Old Testament ministry and the Jews resume their old covenant style of worship (along with Gentile believers- Acts 15:17). Church Age believers eat a banquet supper with Jesus as His bride and earth-bound unbelievers and new believers on earth go through a living hell.

Won’t you accept Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins NOW? Now is the day of your salvation – “For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2) We are warned: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (Is 55:6). Do not say you will wait and see. Do not say that you need signs. Do not wait because He is near, even right at the door! His gift to you awaits. His love and mercy and forgiveness of your own rebellion. It is the most precious gift…and it is free. Here you can read How to Be Saved.