In the past, I had put forward what I thought was a compelling argument for the Rapture to occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation. After seeing a video from DTBM that was entitled 'BEWARE OF THE COMING WRATH OF GOD (Isaiah Class-05)', I am convicted for the Rapture to occur before the Tribulation starts.
Here is a link to this compelling video. It is 51 minutes and 27 seconds in length, but it is the best use you will ever make of an hour of your time. Please view this when you have time to relax into what is being presented. One fact that I believe everyone can agree on is that there is not a lot of time left before the Rapture occurs, and the Day of the LORD commences. God bless you, and all credit is given to DTBM for the content in this video.
We cannot know the "when" (specific dates and times) associated with the events of the end times, as attested to by Jesus Christ Himself:
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (Acts 1:6-7)
However, we can know the "what" (specific events) of the end times. We are currently (10/27/2020 at the time of this update) at the end of the Church Age. According to various Scriptural references, the events of the end times will play out like this:
1) Before the start of the 7-year Tribulation, the Rapture of the church will occur.
-1 Corinthians 15:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:16
2) The 7-year Tribulation starts when the antichrist rises to confirm a 7-year peace treaty with Israel and 'the many' nations surrounding her.
-Daniel 9:27
This is the start of 'The Day of the LORD'.
3) Israel is restored to represent God, and 144,000 Israelite believers will be sealed as world-wide evangelists
-Revelation 7:4-6
4) At the midpoint of the 7-year Tribulation, the antichrist defiles the 3rd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, causing the abomination of desolation, and Israel's troubles intensify as the Great Tribulation starts.
-Daniel 9:27
5) Israel begins in earnest to seek God as a nation.
-Zechariah 12:10
6) Jerusalem is attacked.
-Zechariah 14:2
7) Jesus returns.
8) The 7-year Tribulation ends with the Sheep and Goats judgment.
-Matthew 25:31
9) The Kingdom Age (The Millennial Reign of Jesus) starts and the resurrection of the Old Testament saints and Tribulation believers occurs.
-Revelation 20:4
10) The Kingdom Age (The Millennial Reign of Jesus) ends with the First Universe being burned up.
-1 Peter 3:7, 10
11) The post-Kingdom Age starts with Satan's final judgment and condemnation, and the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers across all the ages, occurring.
-Revelation 20:11-15
12) Eternity starts with the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
-1 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1
This is the end of 'The Day of the LORD'.
I stated earlier that we cannot know the specific dates and times associated to the events of the end times, but... everyone interested in the end times still wants to know when the events are going to occur! The closest that we can come is to know the general timeframe within which these end times events can reasonably be expected to occur... and to deduce that, we must pay special attention to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as He talked about the signs that would occur to indicate that the general timeframe had arrived. In Matthew 24:4-21, Jesus lists signs to watch for that would describe what was going to happen.
What are the signs? Perhaps even more importantly, do we see these signs occurring in the world today? Here is a non-exhaustive list of signs, with a supporting Scriptural reference for each one:
-The sign of global telecommunication and television
-Revelation 11:9-10
-The sign of global evangelization
-Matthew 24:14
-The sign of global travel
-Daniel 12:4a
-The sign of global explosion of knowledge
-Daniel 12:4b
-The sign of global weather extremes
-Luke 21:25-26
-The sign of digital money, global tracking and positioning
-Revelation 13:16-17
-The sign of weapons of global mass destruction
-Matthew 24:21-22
-The sign of a global desire for peace, prosperity and materialism
-1 Thessalonians 5:3
-The sign of global pestilences
-Matthew 24:7
-The sign of global hatred for the Jews in the Promised Land
-Zechariah 12:3
-The sign of global persecution of Christian believers
-Matthew 24:9
-The sign of apostasy (turning away from the Christian faith)
-Matthew 24:10
-The return of dispersed Jews from all over the world to the Holy Land
-Isaiah 43:5-6
Now, the words of Jesus about the signs that will indicate the arrival of the general timeframe for the Rapture really make things fall into place:
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32-33)
Jesus is saying very plainly that when you see 'all these things'... whatever is following 'all these things' is 'right at the door'!
'...all these things' suggests a convergence of Bible prophecy.
Looking at the above signs, anyone with an ounce of discernment that has not been living under a rock can believe with absolute certainty that not only are all the above signs occurring at this time in human history, but that they have never before occurred in human history, and that their frequency and intensity are increasing... just as Jesus said that they would; He characterized them as follows:
All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:8)
Many of these signs are likened to birth pains, because they are occurring with ever-greater frequency and intensity.
Based on the unique convergence of Bible prophecy that we are witnessing in these days, Jesus' words:
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Matthew 24:34)
indicate that this generation (right now) is the terminal generation that will not pass away until all that Jesus prophesied is fulfilled.
What does this mean?
For a start, it means that the Rapture of the church is absolutely imminent.
Once the Rapture of the church does occur, the remaining events of the end time will follow in quick succession. One reason for this stands out, as a result of the testimony of Psalm 90 as to the length of a Biblical generation, which is between 70 and 80 years. Israel (the fig tree) bloomed on May 14,1948 when it once again became a nation after a lapse of approximately 1,878 years. On May 14, 2018, Israel became 70 years old, so we are in the window of 70 to 80 years as the length of a Biblical generation. If the events of the end times must fit into an 80-year time span, then the 7-year Tribulation would have to start sometime in the spring/early summer of 2021, so that the 7-yearTribulation could be finished by 2028. I cannot be doctrinal about that, of course, but the fact of the matter is that we are running out of time, folks.
We need to be about the Father's business (telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ and the free gift of salvation and eternal life), and we need to prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Jesus said it best:
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:32-37)
Addendum - 04/10/2021
The original version of this post was written 01/28/2020, a little more than 13 months ago.
I was restless overnight (04/09/2021-04/10/2021), but I had a dream in the early morning hours, the essence of which was that my wife had left me. We have been happily married for more than 42 years, so what I dreamed was obviously symbolic of something else.
But of what?
After I had gotten up, I went to my Bible and 'randomly' opened it. The place that it opened to was the 12th chapter of the book of Jeremiah (please understand that with God, there are NO random coincidences). I read that chapter, and also chapters 13 and 14, as all three address a common thread ... God's displeasure with Israel for its peoples' sins against Him and the abandonment of the covenant that He had with Israel, and His punishment of Israel for its disobedience to, and rebellion against, Him.
Pertinent verses:
Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour. Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares. (Jeremiah 12:9b-11)
But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 12:17)
These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt-completely useless! (Jeremiah 13:10)
Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom. If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord's flock will be taken captive. (Jeremiah 13:15-17)
"Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of food." (Jeremiah 14:2-6)
This is what the Lord says about this people: "They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins." Then the Lord said to me, " Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague." (Jeremiah 14:10-12)
So what does this dream that I had on April 10, 2021 (possibly) indicate?
I went to prayer, and I asked God if He would (if it was His will) give me insight. After a time, I looked up what today's date (04/10/2021) is in the Jewish calendar.
It is 28 Nisan of the Jewish year 5781.
In researching further, I also found that it is generally scholastically accepted that...
the walls of the ancient city of Jericho fell down on 28 Nisan (1400 BC) after the 7-day assault by the Jews upon it under the command of Joshua as they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
What I believe to be the meaning of the dream that I had is this:
just as the walls of protection around Jericho fell on 28 Nisan in the year 1400 BC, so also on 28 Nisan in the year 2021 AD (April 10, 2021) God caused His walls of protection around the United States of America to fall.
It is an established fact that the people of the United States of America have sinned grossly against God, displeasing Him in almost every way that it is possible for people to do that... we have murdered God's most innocent little ones via abortion literally millions of times, we have turned away from almost every commonly accepted moral practice that there is to do, in our minds, what we want to do rather than what God has said is moral to do, we have called every evil good, and have called every good evil, we have blasphemed the Name of God freely by using it as a convenient curse word, we have grown numb to the needs of others, and we have indulged in every sensual delight rather than follow the straight and narrow path that leads to God. We have abandoned our houses of worship, and have told God to His face that we want nothing more to do with Him. I could go on, but you get my point.
God is grieved in His heart... and right now is not the first time:
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every indication of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race that I have created - and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground - for I regret that I have made them." (Genesis 6:5-7)
Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is full of violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. ... I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. (Genesis 6:11-13, 17)
Jesus is grieved in His heart... and right now is not the first time. After He pronounced the seven woes on the Pharisees and teachers of the law, He said this, weeping over the city of Jerusalem:
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:37-39)
God has said...
LOOK, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT TO YOU DESOLATE
There is no more time: God's just, pure, holy and righteous judgments will be levelled against this once great nation, and all other nations that reject Him, and that thereby reject the One that He has sent: His Son our LORD and SAVIOR, KING and MESSIAH Jesus Christ.
I believe that the remaining end times events will soon commence... THERE WILL BE NO MORE DELAY!
