Why Can't I Move a Mountain?

As a very small child, I believed in "magic".  There was no line between the natural and the supernatural.  In my basement playroom, the black and white TV perched on a rolling metal cart showed me Jeannie and Samantha and of course, I wanted to be little Tabitha on Bewitched.  I'd make a grand entrance through the gold and brown plastic "jewels" that hung in the doorway. and escape to my secret hideaway in the corner that to the untrained eye was a blanket fort strewn between folding metal chairs.  Down here I went to Neverland and joined the flying children in Peter Pan. Some days, I'd go to Paris and listen to swinging Jazz with the Aristocats.  Then I'd head off to London and laugh with Uncle Arthur and Mary Poppins.  These grand adventures and tales of wonder spun from my Close and Play Record Player, I'd close my eyes and imagine!

Jesus with a Little Girl

My Bible picture books and Sunday School coloring pages told me the fabulous stories of Red Seas parting, giants slaying, and fire called down from Heaven.  Loved and adored by my strong Daddy, the pictures of Jesus surrounded by little children were as natural to me as breathing.  I was His and He was mine.

30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 27 The Return

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 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 who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Rapture of the Church

John 14:1-4 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”

Isaiah 26:19-21 "Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21 For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
 “O death, where is your victory?
   "O death, where is your sting?”

The great hope of the church, the return of Christ for His Church.  Do you want to be among those that are taken to Heaven or will you take your chances down here?  Never doubt you have a choice.

Pray - I never wanted to come to you in fear but I also recognize that fear often motivates me to do the right thing.  I don't want to be left behind, Lord.  Save me today.

Conservatives Will be the First to Go

Revelation Chapter 13 chronicles the rise of the False Prophet and the Antichrist, who are given their power by the great Dragon, Satan.  We read that this evil trinity will impose a mark on the world.  No one will be able to buy or sell anything lest they carry this mark.  Such a worldwide system of control was not technologically possible until now.  Make no mistake friend, the time is short, and the Tribulation is at the door.

The machinations of the US government in terms of spying are unprecedented.  They have built massive data collection sites,  where the NSA is storing trillions of kilobytes of Data.  They are monitoring and cataloging every key stroke you make, every word you say on social media, even conversations that you hold in your home can be recorded via microphones in computers, smart TVs and smartphones.  They have the ability to watch you via your laptop camera.  Your phone calls home to your wife are being recorded.  They are cataloging your web photos for facial recognition.  They are determining which businesses are approved and starving the ones who don't fall in line with their master plan by pressuring banks to drop the accounts.  US Police are no longer required to protect and serve but instead must enforce the law.  The National Guard has had helicopters confiscated and put into federal control.  Free speech is under worldwide attack and men no longer tolerate biblical and moral teachings.  We could go on for hundreds of pages, all sited and documented, but the stage is set.

The last kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has not yet come to pass, the feet of clay and iron with ten toes.  We see these ten kingdoms in Revelation 12 and Revelation 13.  The great harlot of Revelation 17 is the last great false religion and is represented by a woman riding on the beast.  This image currently resides outside of the EU Parliament Building in Strasbourg, FR.

The blind public will read the above with a ho hum.  This is obvious, as all of the above are not a blip on the radar.  The enemy is before you but the game is on and the wife just came in with KFC, so who cares?  These blind dupes will cheer with joy at the ascension of the Man of Perdition, who has come to save the World.  They will gladly line up to take their microchip, they are as like lemmings over a cliff.

The church will be gone.  The Great Restrainer will be caught up in the air with Christ and the man of lawlessness shall be revealed.  Those who have heard the Gospel and rejected it will be given a powerful delusion and believe the Antichrist.

What of my conservative friends, my Tea Party Patriots, who love what the US used to be and have worked tirelessly and futility to put things right?  You have already been demonized.  The Left calls you all sorts of vile names designed to marginalize you and they have succeeded brilliantly. Make no mistake, if you are a conservative that is not a Christian, you will be the first to go.  They have your name, they have your face, they have your bank account, they know you friends, they monitor your car by its GPS, the listen to your calls, they will control your job and you will be an enemy of the state.  The independent patriotic fervor that you hold may prevent you from accepting the new world order but your life here on this Earth will be in immediate peril and you will be hunted and killed like an animal.

I do not write these words lightly but I write them in obedience for it is clearly written what is coming, it is clearly demonstrated in the signs of the times.  I weep for you if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, it is written that God wishes all to be saved and has provided a way for you to avoid the trial to come and to not be present at the Final Judgement.  For there will be no where for you to hide on that terrible day but know this that every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  You can do it now or you will do it later, your choice.

(Author's Note - Originally Published on 3/1/2014 - please comment below if some of the links are broken.)

Dreams of a Dying Church

I dreamed last night that I was dying.

I was in a hospital bed and the doctors told me that I could no longer live without life support and asked if I wanted to turn off the machines.  I told them I was not afraid to die and to turn off the life support.  I expected to immediately die and when I did not I complained that there was too much pain, I needed something to take the pain away.

I lay there for a while waiting to die but realized that I did not want to die in a hospital, so I went to the movies.  I sat in a chair and waited to die and while I felt my body fading, I was still alive.  I went to the restroom and it was the filthiest locker room you've ever seen, water leaking everywhere, rusted faucets, men and women together.  I did not want to die in there.

I went to the beach and after walking along the sand went to my hotel that was on the second row.  Standing in the parking lot with other people someone screamed and pointed to the sky.  There was a giant red apartment building flying through the sky and landed in the ocean.  As people screamed and cried, a large concrete hotel on the first row collapsed.  I'd been near it just moments before.  Then a small building that looked similar to the one I was at flew over our heads and landed with a thud.  The people in the building exited like commuters at a crowded subway platform.  They were safe while all around us was chaos.

Interpretation - it is the true Christian that feels like the church is dying with the world.  Many congregations are old and ineffective, many are on life support.  The body of Christ is not afraid of the Rapture but living in the Last Days hurts more than we expected.  The movie theater and the bathrooms represent the culture wars and Christian faith trying to die in those places.  The flying buildings are judgement and the tribulation to come.  The small second class hotels represent the ineffective and poor church that is Raptured by the Lord.

Coping in a Lost and Dying World

Abigail and Dolley readers my news feed posts are disturbing.  Terrorism, lawlessness, disasters, corruption, scandal is all daily fare.  I am old enough to remember when each of these things could dominate the news cycle for weeks at a time, today if they last more than a day they are epic.  As the days approached to the Fall Feasts in 2015, I coped very well.  I figured this is what is prophesied and we just had to hold out a bit longer and then we'd be out of here!  It's January 1st, 2016 and we are still here but the world is even crazier.  So how do God's people keep encouraged during the approach of the darkest times in world history?

We have to fellowship with one another; now you have to find like minded people (which is a post in and of itself) to share with.  I have a couple of discussion groups that I belong to and appreciate their support and encouragement.  If you can find a local church that supports you and feeds you, even better.

Turn off for a while; stay off the computer, stay off facebook, turn off the news.  The truth is that the world is rapidly declining, there is nothing you can do about it in the macro so do not fill your mind and your spirit with troubling images day after day.

Stay in the Word, stay in prayer, and keep letting your friends and neighbors know the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Keep doing what you have been called to do, He is faithful.  Trust Him, trust the Word, He IS coming.  Maranantha.

What Would You Know?

This morning we were discussing the article, "No Man Knows the Hour or the Day?" and lamenting the fact that most pulpits would never touch this subject, nor most of what this blog teaches and explores.  What would you know about your faith if all you knew was what you'd been taught in church?  Think about that for a minute... what would you know?

Pew Warmers

Let's surmise that most would know the Christmas story, even the unchurched know the Christmas story.  You'd know the Easter story but the unchurched have vague ideas that Easter Sunday is actually Good Friday and that completely confounds them...  You've probably heard different vignettes about David, Moses, and Abraham.  A Sunday Morning Christian knows the stories, a couple of scriptures, and perhaps a creed.  All good things but are they enough?  

Chinese Lecture

Think of it this way:  Every week, for one hour, you sit in on a Chinese Language lecture. When you come home you don't read the text book, you don't listen to tapes, you don't speak Chinese with anyone.  As the weeks and the months go on, you pick up a couple of phrases.  Years go by... can you write the characters?  Remember, it's a lecture you've been attending, not a class room.  Can you honestly say that you speak Chinese?  Can you honestly say that you are fluent or can you just fake your way through?  Do you lie to yourself?  If you meet the King of the World and He speaks Chinese will you be able to provide an answer or will you hear:  

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

The Coming Temple - Millennial Bible Study Part 4

This is the 4th Study in a recent series that I've titled the Millennial Study, I'd invite you to study the first three as this blog builds on the work we've already done.

I am proposing four new ideas in this study:

1. The Traditional location of the Temple is incorrect.
2. There will be two more temples - The Tribulation Temple and the Millennial Temple.
3. The Millennial Temple will descend from Heaven at the end of the Tribulation
4. Jesus builds the Millennial Temple (Zechariah 6:12-14)

Solomon's Temple:
This is sometimes referred to as the first temple, built by King David's son Solomon.  Erected around 986 BC, it stood for about 400 years and was destroyed by the Babylonians as punishment for Israel's disobedience to the Lord.  (For more facts see The First Temple article)

Scale Model of Solomon's Temple (based on the dimensions in Kings)

Herod's Temple:
Often referred to as the second temple, this was built by King Herod the Great.  Built with permission from Rome, the temple was supposed to help pacify the Jews and make them easier to rule.  This is the temple that was in operation during Jesus time.  It is of note, that while God allowed the business of the Temple to move forward, He did not occupy this temple, nor did it contain the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat.  Tradition holds that it was located on what today is called the Temple Mount, recent archaeological evidence, a reexamination of Scripture, and eye witness accounts from the first through the third century writing suggest that tradition is in error.  Before we continue, please watch the video below on this ground breaking discovery:

The implications of Robert Cornuke's recent discoveries are mind boggling and a perfect revelation for our time.  The Holy Spirit within me quickened to this video and a light bulb popped on when Cornuke points to Jesus Prophecy that no stone will be left standing, (Luke 21:6, Matthew 24:2 and Mark 13:1-2) why have we as Christians thought that was to come?  Why have we not taken the Word of the Lord literally?  I believe it is because that was closed to us, like much of what is pouring out on the Body of Christ in these times.

Consider the irony of the Jews praying at a Roman wall instead of the Temple wall - God's chosen people, so blinded, are worshiping at a wall built by the spirit of Anti-Christ to dominate and control them.  For it is clear in prophetic scriptures that the city of the seven hills is Rome and will be home to the False Prophet during the Tribulation.  Perhaps this discovery will pave the way for the next Temple, not to be built beside the Dome of the Rock but either in Shiloh (where Ezekiel describes the Millennial Temple) or in the site they have uncovered in the Old City.  I cannot say, but it is absolutely clear in Scripture, that there is another temple coming.

The Church Age Temple:
From the destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 AD, there has been no functioning temple on Earth for the Jews to offer sacrifice but is it fair to say that there has been no temple and that there is not temple here on Earth?  Consider 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, would it be fair say, in light of this passage that to assert there is no temple on the Earth now is incorrect?  I think I could make a good argument that we are the temple, the indwelt believer is the temple, where the Lord lives on Earth during this time, throw in 1 Corinthians 3:16 as a supporting Scripture and I think it's a valid point.

The Tribulation Temple:
Right now, as we speak, the Temple Institute is working and planning for the next Temple.  The miraculous delivery at the hands of God in the Ezekiel 38-39 war will draw all of the Jews home to Israel and ignite within them the essential reestablishment of Temple worship (Ezekiel 39: 21-22).  Isaiah 49:22-23 outline the nations that will assist.  Remember, at first Israel will not know that the Anti-Christ is their enemy, he will come as a man of peace and they will accept him as a great ruler.  It is the signing of the treaty with the Anti-Christ that establishes a treaty and allows for the rebuilding on the Temple that triggers the beginning of Daniel's 70th week (Daniel 9:24-27).

At the midway point in the seven year treaty, Anti-Christ will enter the temple (2 Thes. 2:4) that he has helped the Jews rebuild and will commit such an atrocity that it is called the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15), declare himself God, and kick off the Great Tribulation.  Scriptural references:  Daniel 11:31 (the first occurrence during the Maccabees Revolt), Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:11, Rev. 13:14-15.

The Destruction of the Tribulation Temple:
In the second part of this series on the Millennium, we looked at Jerusalem and the logic behind the assertion that Jerusalem as it exists today will be largely destroyed by the Mount of Olives Earthquake.  If you have not already done so, please refer to Two Jerusalems.

For this, portion of discussion, let's just rely on common sense and what we know about the Lord.  Do we honestly believe that during the Millennium that the Lord will take up residence in a temple that was built through a rebellious nation of Israel, approved by the Antichrist, and desecrated by Satan?  Again, God can do anything but this does not seem to jive with what we know about Him.  After he returns, he enters into Jerusalem victorious and sets up his throne in the Temple, it makes sense that this temple has been created in Heaven and is part of the new Holy City we watch descend in Rev 21:1-3.

The Millennial Temple:
As we've learned in previous study, there is no Temple in New Jerusalem but it is clear that there is one in the Holy City on Earth.  Jesus builds this temple, look at Zechariah 6:12"Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. 13"Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices."'…

The latter part of Ezekiel, regarding the Temple have always been a source of confusion for the church. Many Bible teachers completely dismiss this writing as  gibberish.  Why would there ever be a working Temple when Jesus was the sacrifice for all time?  Scripture is clear on that point (Hebrews 10:12), but the closer we get to the end of the age, the clearer the future becomes.  God does not deal in falsehoods and would not have given Ezekiel such detailed revelations had they not been for a future purposes.  For there will indeed be Millennial temple, a working temple, where a new form of Old Testament worship will again be practiced for the Jews in Jerusalem and throughout the Earth.  (We touched on this in How God Speaks Through the Ages.)  We'll look at Millennial Salvation in depth later.

Conclusion:
I hope you have enjoyed this exciting subject, it is truly an exciting time to be a believer and a follower of prophetic events!

(Homage to Bible Teacher Jack Kelley at Gracethrufaith, whose writing and insight have taught me so much.)

Parable of the Ten Virgins - Is Not About the Church - Millennium Bible Study Part 7

Abigail and Dolley readers I have been contemplating the parable of the Ten Virgins as outlined in Matthew 25 1:13 which reads, 1 "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept. 6 At midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!' 7 "All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' 9 But the others replied, 'We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Sir, open the door for us!' 12 But he called back, 'I don't know you!' 13 "So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.

For the purpose of this blog, I'd like to examine who the bridesmaids are in the parable.  For many years, I heard that the bridesmaids are the church at the time of the Rapture but it is interesting to note that the church is the Bride, not the Bridesmaid. Also the timing of the parable in the Olivet Discourse refers to the Second Coming, not the Rapture.  "In fact, the Bride is never mentioned anywhere in the parable, and in any case could never be refused admittance to her own wedding banquet.  She was obviously spirited away earlier while the bridesmaids slept. The bridesmaids represent people on Earth during the Great Tribulation after the church has gone." (source)

The Bridesmaids

A good understanding of Jewish weddings in the first century is helpful to interpretation. Also, understanding the symbolism in the Bible is essential to understanding the parable.  The bridegroom in Scripture is always Christ, oil is always the Holy Spirit. Through this parable we have a clear warning and understanding of the nature of salvation during the Tribulation.

Each virgin was given a portion of oil (Holy Spirit) at the time they come to faith. This is evidenced that when the Bridegroom (Christ) returns they all light their lamps but some do not have enough oil (Holy Spirit).  Salvation and the Holy Spirit can not be shared, I can not give you part of my salvation.  The foolish go to "buy" their oil at the market but faithfulness can not be bought and they are shut out.

This parable serves as a warning for those who come to faith during the Tribulation but then afterwards in the Millennium.

The Rapture - Basic Facts

Abigail and Dolley readers know that I don't often reproduce other's work or copy other commentary, but the recent Bible Study Series have created conversations between some friends and I regarding the doctrine of Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  This is an issue I studied with my Dad extensively, we spent a year or more investigating this specific doctrine and for most eschatology students and teachers the matter is settled.  I must remember though, that everyone else did not have the privilege of Friday night Bible Study with Jack Robinson, so I'd like to post the below commentary as a good tutorial and overview for those that don't have this doctrine settled in their minds. You can read the original here:  Pre-Rapture Commentary: Satan Hates The Rapture

Some say the word “rapture” is not in the Bible, so therefore there is no rapture of the Church. Neither is the word “trinity” in the Bible, but God is triune; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is one in three persons.

“Rapture” comes from the Latin word “rapturo.” It is the equivalent of the Greek “harpazo,” which is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for “caught up.  Harpazo and rapture both mean: (a) to seize, carry off by force, (b) to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly, and (c) to snatch out or away.

The Rapture (rapturo, Latin; harpazo, Greek) of Christ’s Church will happen on God’s time schedule. Some believe it will happen before Daniel’s 70th week (commonly called the seven year Tribulation), some in the middle and some at the end. It is clear to me that it is impossible for it to occur at any other time than prior to Daniel’s 70th week (the seven year Tribulation).

(Abigail and Dolley note, I believe the next event could conceivably be the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and even Isaiah 17/18 but neither has to occur before the Rapture and thus does not effect the basic doctrine of PreTribulation.)  The next event on God’s calendar is the Rapture of the Church. After that will follow Daniel’s  70th week, then Christ will return with His Church at the end of Daniel’s 70th week and set up His millennial kingdom, which is called the 1,000 year Millennium.

It does not upset me if others do not believe as I do regarding these events, but some folks really get uptight about these matters. For example, a few have tried to “straighten me out.” Others simply say I’m a false prophet and going to hell. Some question my salvation in very colorful ways, while others are just plain ticked off that I would believe in a Rapture at all.

Where does all this venomous hatred come from? The answer is obvious. Satan hates God’s Truth and will continue to fight against God and His chosen ones until his last breath.

Again, I strongly and without question believe in a Rapture of the true Church prior to the start of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation). I would like to present the following for consideration. This is not original of course. Many others have presented these same arguments and I will use these same verses that others have pointed to.

Not Another "Dear Church" Letter

Abigail and Dolley readers it has become all the rage to write open letters to the church about why people are leaving.  They all go something like this:

"Dear Church - I am leaving you because.... you are hypocrites, your music stinks, you have a big stage show, you don't have a big stage show, you haven't kept up with the times, my needs are not getting met, somebody was mean to me, you ask for money, you stand up for social issues that make people not like you, your ushers wear suits... wah wah wah, whatever."

As a member of a small body, this is what I'd like to say in response:

Dear Church Shopper,

We are not an Entertain Me Church, we are a serving church.  We are the Body of Christ, a working body that feeds people and clothes them.  We support missions and missionaries.  We love each other and we love the Lord.  If one of our members is having a problem, we gather around them and pray but we also give them a gift card to the grocery store and let them borrow a church van while their car is in the shop.  If you would like to come and join us, you are welcome.

We will pray for you and with you.  We will call you by name on Sunday.  We will invite you to Bible Study, Men's Group, Women's Group, Youth Group, Prayer Group, and Kid's Church.  We will ask you to come and join us for a potluck, somebody might even bake you a gluten free cake.  We would love to have you.

We won't however, overhaul our entire system because your old church used to do it that way.  We are sorry if that doesn't meet your needs.

We won't give you your own special ministry when you have not shown up or participated in a single event we already have going on.  We are sorry if that doesn't use your unique gifts and talents.

We will notice if you do not come anymore and might even reach out to ask you back, but we are sorry if one Sunday the Pastor did not hear you when you said good morning.

We won't compromise the Word of God, Jesus is pretty particular about adding or taking away Scripture, we are sorry if that makes us seem intolerant or not hip.

We will walk with you in this life.  We will support you during this journey, we will love you and laugh with you.  We will ask that you walk with us, that you help support us - you see, we are supposed to belong to a Body.  Belonging to a church is like being married, two imperfect beings coming together to love each other and make this life more fulfilling and pleasant.  It takes commitment, it takes love, and it takes forgiveness.

You can keep on church shopping, you can drop out and try to do it alone (even though that is not Biblical), you can watch your favorite preacher on TV every Sunday morning if you'd like - we are not going to force you to come but please do us a favor?  Stop writing letters to us telling us how bad we are and why you aren't coming back, we've got too much work to do.

Sincerely,
Every Small Church in America

Spontaneous Moment of Praise, Singing 'Jesus Messiah' at Atlanta Airport

Abigail and Dolley readers there is a video that has gone viral on Facebook of a group of gospel singers that break out in praise in the Atlanta Airport.

It's a moving moment; not because it is perfect and not because it is polished, it's moving because it is genuine.  The music touches the believer's heart with thanksgiving and praise.

I cried when I watched it, not simply because I was moved but because one day this will be outlawed and anyone who would dare to perform such a song will be executed.  One day soon, the church will be Raptured and this music will disappear.

Warning Signs

About 6 months after we moved into our neighborhood, the city put speed humps on the main drag.  I voted against them, but when my side lost I had to admit that in spite of careful intentions I did find myself going a lot faster than I should.  Since it was a familiar stretch of road, my mind would go on autopilot.  After a long day at work and a hellish commute, I would fly through the neighborhood in a hurry to get home.

The first day the road humps were there, it was a shock.  Had I not been paying attention I might have done some serious damage to my car.  The jet black humps stood out from the faded gray asphalt but the city crew did not paint the white arrows on the humps for several days.  Thankfully, there was a warning sign posted in the neighborhood and later that week the white arrows were painted.

Missing the Warning Signs

As the years have gone by, I don't notice the road humps any more.  The warning signs are obscured by tree branches and the dark black of the new asphalt has faded to nearly match the gray of the original road.  We putz through the neighborhood, going the speed limit and slowing for the obstacles automatically.  In many ways, I am thankful for the speed humps, they slow me down and have kept my neighborhood safe.

There is a lesson in these speed humps for every Christian.  Before the speed bumps and warning signs, we fly through life in a hurry to get home.  We know we should be slowing down and obeying the laws but we forget, get distracted, and end up going way too fast.  We don't want laws or rules to make us do those things but once they are there we realize they were for our own good.


When we first see the signs, we have to look carefully - they appear to be part of the road but we know there is something up ahead.  We cautiously approach them, testing their impact and slowly make our way along the path, recognizing the signs that God has put in our midst.  Preachers may begin to teach on these humps and the white lines of warning are painted on them.  In the beginning, we note the signs and the evidence of the obstacles.  We discuss them with our neighbors.  While they may appear to some as part of the road we recognize them for what they are.

After years though, the signs and the evidence become part of the journey.  The black asphalt fades to almost the same color of the road and we no longer pay attention to the signs.  As a body, we in the Church are used to the signs.  They are part of the road, part of the world, and we don't even notice them anymore.

The shame of this is that while the Body of Christ lies sleeping, the King is approaching.  Instead of shouting an alarm to the lost, we hunker down with false prophets and teach about "health and wealth", we condemn the lost instead of reaching out, or worse yet, we blaspheme and fall away in an apostasy that is astounding.

The vacuum left by the Body of Christ will be filled with something!  The world is lost and confused.  The believers in aliens see the imminent return.  The environmentalist believe the Earth is trying to tell us something because of climate change.  The fringe chemtrail, Nibiru, Lizard People believe the End is Near!  Even the folks that don't prescribe to any of these theories see what is going on around us and shake their head because something is going on....

The World sees these signs and they are trying to interpret them, all great lies from the Devil have grains of truth in them!  "Aliens" are showing themselves, but they are not what they claim to be.  The Earth IS groaning but not because of Global Warming.  There ARE strange things in the sky and many ARE controlled by "lizard people", but they aren't lizard people, they are ancient evil.

Everyone believes and sees the world through their own filter, everyone believes they are right.  Empirically, the Church has it right.  Not because we are smarter, or better, but because we base our worldview on the Bible, a 4000 year old book that has NEVER been wrong, it doesn't change, and it is a solid foundation for which man has governed himself and the world since Creation.  The Bible gives us the clear signs, it is up to us to point them out to each other and to explain them to the world and THAT my friends is what I have been trying to do.  Blessings to you and yours, In Christ! "Dolley".

Days of Awe

In the course of my research on Rosh Hashana, I learned about the Days of Awe.  This is the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur where tradition states that people whose name has been written in the Book of Death can seek God's mercy and forgiveness and have their names moved to the Book of Life.  The concept of Books is not merely traditional, the Scriptures hold many references.  Revelation 20:12 says, "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books."  

I have discussed before that there are two schools of thought concerning those who will be saved after the Rapture and those who will receive the Great Deception and be lost forever.  One school says if you have heard the gospel and rejected it before the Rapture you are damned forever.  The other school says that each person has a chance after the Rapture, it's the last hope for all of eternity.  The Left Behind Series by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins takes the view that people that have heard the gospel and not accepted Christ will have an opportunity to be saved.  This is what Scripture says:


2 Thessalonians 2:6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. 11 So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do. 

So breaking this down in a time line:  the restrainer of the Anti-Christ, I believe, is the Holy Spirit living inside the Church or the Bride of Christ.  Once the Church is Raptured, the time of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be over and the Anti-Christ will be revealed.  Satan puts on his dog and pony show and fools those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.  The Anti-Christ will put forth the lies but God sends a great deception.  There may be a time between the Rapture and the Anti-Christ revealing himself that all people have the opportunity to embrace the truth.  

So if the Rosh Hashana Rapture comes to pass the Days of Awe may come into play.  There may be a time period for which all men who have heard and rejected the Gospel of Christ will have a brief period to repent, accept the Lord and be saved.  I believe this will be the only hope for Americans left behind at the Rapture because unlike in most of the world, Americans are afforded every opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Bible says that God reveals Himself to all people so that no one has an excuse, for my fellow countrymen, this is doubly true.    Men choose Hell.  I know many who are perishing and if they don't change their hearts and accept the free gift of salvation they will be at the Great White Throne Judgement and hear, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

Signs in the Heavens the Harbinger Continues

Abigail and Dolley readers I once again find myself looking to the sky, the infinite, the Creator.  Last month, the book, The Harbinger came into our household.  My husband was enthralled and encouraged me to read it; I was busy but committed that I would.  The Lord insured that I would be a lot less busy... I read it last week.  From the opening chapters, I was hooked.  I devoured it like a starving man who wanders into marriage supper of the Lamb.

The omniscience of the Lord, His guiding hand, and His divinity are scattered throughout the pages.  We know in our hearts that He is bigger than we understand but we tend to make Him pocket sized.  We do not trust the supernatural, we doubt the still small voice, we dismiss miracles as coincidence.  This is a grievous offense and has no place in a believer's heart or life.  For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

So God shows up in a BIG way and I begin to eat the strong meat of this Word.  I highly encourage everyone to read the prophetic word in the Harbinger, it is from that worldview that I write.  I will also assume that you have a fundamental understanding of End Times Prophecy because this will be a blog, not a scholarly article citing chapter and verse.  It is truth from this Pre-Tribulation believers point of reference and any small error I may make will be entirely my own.  My blog, my rules.

Every seven years Elul 29th is the end of the Shemittah or Sabbath year.  All accounts are wiped away and all debits and credits are returned to zero.  This command is only given to Israel but starting with 9/17/01, it came into play in America.  We had the largest stock market crash in our history to date, 6 days past 9/11.  This was our warning, repent and turn back to God.  We failed.  Seven years later, on Elul 29 (9/29/08), we had a global economic collapse.  We were called to repent as a nation, we did not.  Prophetic circles began to buzz, what would the next Shemittah year end Elul 29th bring?  What date is it?  (I need to remember to set a calendar reminder to divest before 9/13/15).  The date happens to always herald Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of the Trumpets.

This made me go, hmmmm.... it has long been surmised that the Rapture of the Church would take place on Rosh Hashanah, what better time than during all that trumpet blowing?  So I keep digging and I find there is a solar eclipse on the same date.  Sun signs are signs to the world and Moon signs are signs to Israel, so this date holds significance for both Jews and Gentiles.  The solar eclipse sent me to the Heavens....

Genesis clearly tells us that He created the stars, the sun, the moon to be signs for us. Not surprisingly, there is some pretty amazing stuff in the celestial calendars for the past few years and in the next couple of years; the researcher in me was on a roll.  Now, after the Fall, the Natural World was tainted by the stain of sin.  We live in a fallen world where EVERYTHING (except the Word of God) is tainted.  If you are going to investigate anything in truth, you must first deal with the sin element in it.  The sin element in astronomy is astrology and the Christian church has thrown the baby out with the bathwater.  We ignore it, we don't teach it, and frankly, we just don't understand it.  The Lord himself said numerous times that there will be signs in the heavens and that we are fools to not look for them.

This is where you need to be careful, well the whole subject requires care, but I have to point out here that when Jesus speaks directly about the Second Coming, he is talking to Israel not the Church.  The Second Coming and the Rapture are two different events, don't confuse them.  Now, I have to restate, when we are talking about the Moon, we are talking about Israel, keep that in mind.

Blood Moon

A Blood Moon Tetrad is an occurrence of 4 Lunar Eclipses on the Jewish Feast days of Passover and the Tabernacles.  They call it a total lunar eclipse a blood moon because the diffused rays of the sun through the Earth's atmosphere can make it appear red, historically this scared the crap out of everybody.  A BMT (as they are called) has occurred 7 times since Jesus ascended into Heaven and each time it was a sign to Israel.  BMT's herald a terrible period of trouble for Israel followed up in deliverance.  When you add in the solar eclipse calendar to the lunar eclipse calendar, you get an even deeper picture.  When you add in the Elul 29 Shemittah, you get something else all together.

We had a Blood Moon Tetrad that coincided with the rebirth of Israel in 1948.  So Holacaust, then birth of the nation, then BMT 1949-1950.  19 years later, 1967-1968 we have the Yom Kippur war or the 6 day war and Israel regains their capital, Jerusalem.  48 years later, we have another BMT 2014 - 2015.

Coincidentally this is the second time the spacing between triple occurrences has been 19-48, the year Israel was born again.  If you play with that number you see that by adding 1948 years to  the destruction of the temple in 70 AD you get 2018.  Folks in 2009 and 2010 were using this figure to predict a 2011 Rapture... we see where that got them... still here.  I am not trying to set dates, what I am trying to do is to get you to THINK.

There are youtube videos and charts everywhere but I couldn't find one that had everything I wanted to publish.  My handwritten notes and charts won't cut it, I may not be a professional, but I do have my standards...  I encourage you to watch the video and check out some of the charts, do your own research.  A number of charts have great info but some enterprising soul determined we were going to be Raptured in 2011 or 2012 and they may have false information on them.  Others are pdf formatted only and blogger won't let me embed a pdf file, so for all you visual folks check out the below:

Lunar and Solar Chart 2014-2015

The above chart fails to note the two solar eclipses that occur on 4/29/14 (Yom Hashoah/Holocaust Memorial Day) and 10/23/14 (Rosh Chodesh Chesvan).  Whether they are significant or not, I can not say but felt the above was not inclusive and they warranted mention.

It is also noteworthy that in the 7 weeks model of Daniel, the number of days in a 7 week period is 17640.  Using the Biblical calendar we see that  9/23/2015 is exactly 17640 days from the recapture of Jerusalem on 6/7/1967.  Which happens to be on Yom Kippur.

Now, I'd like to be Raptured as much as any believer reading this blog, I'd like it to be today.  While the above information is intriguing there are two celestial signs in Revelation 12 that I am not convinced we can pinpoint. It takes place at the exact middle of the Tribulation and corresponds chronologically with the Abomination of Desolation. "A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars".   Computer models can place the Woman but not "a huge red dragon,with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems" where "the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth."  Now can God make a dragon appear in the sky when he wants it too?  Yes, of course, he made the one below captured by the Hubble.  The point is we have no conclusive evidence of the Dragon that will appear at the same time as the Lady of the Apocalypse. 

Red Space Captured by Hubble

The Bible say there will be signs in the Heavens of His return.  We often hear quoted in Christendom that "That no man knows the hour or the day of Christs return, only my Father."  Did you know that is an idiom for a Jewish Wedding?  If I say to you as modern American Christian, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."  You know I am talking about a wedding.  The same is true for "No man knows the hour or the day."  In Jewish marital customs after the betrothal the groom returns to his Father's land to build his new bride a home.  He was not released to go pick up his bride until his father said the house was ready.  When people would ask when he was returning to his bride he would answer, "No man knows the hour or the day only my Father knows."  Using that logic we can see that we are not be ignorant.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 

Again, we are told it is the uninformed that will be surprised, not the elect.   If you read carefully, you will see that each time Jesus talks about the End Times he notes the signs in the Heavens and says the wise will see the sights and not be ignorant of His coming, it is only the uninformed that will be surprised.  

We as a church are called to be waiting for his return, I for one am keeping my lamp full of oil, how about you?